Bleach 1. Chapter 1

**Hello to my lovelies that have decided to read my sequel! I have a lot in store for it and I am beyond excited to begin writing it. I will keep it short and sweet, I promise, and then you can get to reading. In this chapter, peace still covers the Soul Society and you get to see our dear characters going about what would be considered a normal day. I even introduce a few new characters in this chapter, two of which are simply adorable. Now, enjoy the first chapter of _Lost Warriors!_**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

It was amazing to think that peace had fallen over the Soul Society for a solid two years, especially since the havoc caused by the existence of the Substitute Soul Reaper seemed to throw every world out of balance. I personally believed that this peace wouldn't last very long and it was only a matter of time before all hell broke loose again. However, I didn't like to dwell on such things because I wanted nothing more than to laze about in the Seireitei compared to fighting in a hellish war environment against my will. It had been over a hundred years since I had been able to see the Seireitei so tranquil and I would do everything that I could to protect that, even if that meant giving up my life again.

It was around dawn in the Soul Society when I decided to crawl out from my blanket cave in Squad 5 and since it was too early for any of my subordinates or lieutenant to even be awake, I decided on a whim that I would go somewhere to catch the sunrise. Lately, this had become a bit of a tradition for me and so I strapped my Zanpakuto to my back with the silver and sapphire chain after getting dressed in my dragon kimono and captain's haori before leaving my quarters altogether. I would always pick a different place each time, but for some reason I wanted to go up to the Sokyoku Hill because it was at a higher altitude in comparison to some of the other spots. I flash stepped along until I finally made it to my destination, allowing the wind to lightly move my long blue black hair that I left hanging down my back and waiting for the sun's first rays of light to hit me. I didn't have long to wait and soon enough I had to narrow my dark chocolate brown eyes to slits as I looked down at the Seireitei. Everything was bathed in the gentle pink glow from the sun and I felt a smile slowly beginning to form on my lips while my Zanpakuto spirit finally woke up, hearing him grumble sleepily in my mind as he told me good morning.

"I just knew that I would find you up here," a voice said to me and I turned my head to look out of the corner of my eye, catching sight of the familiar snowy haired captain as he watched me. His hair was a bit longer than normal and his bangs hung over his left eye prominently. The familiar green scarf that he kept around his neck was caught in the breeze and was gently whipping around in the air behind him. "You were a bit too engrossed in observing the sunrise or you would have sensed me before I made it this close. That's quite unlike you."

"I knew you were there," I told him with a smirk. "I didn't need to sense you to know that you would just follow me wherever I went, kind of like an adoring puppy."

"That's uncalled for," he warned me as he walked over to stand at my side. "You and I both know that I'm much better than a puppy."

"I don't know about that, Shiro," I said with a laugh. "Puppies don't make nearly as much noise as you do. They also act apologetic when they get caught doing things they shouldn't."

"I was only following you to make sure that you were all right," he stated simply. "You stayed at your Squad overnight even though it was your turn to come back to my quarters for sleep. You said it yourself after we married that we would alternate between places every so often."

"Sorry about that," I said as I cringed a little. "I did promise that I would be back last night. I was just caught up in the paperwork that we had left. It's been two years since I returned back from my hundred year sabbatical in the Human World and there are times when this aspect of captaincy is difficult for me to get back into the habit of things."

"Are you sure that it's not because you went out to catch the sunset last night as well?" he asked me as he grabbed a lock of my hair before rolling it between his thumb and forefinger. "I know that you've been doing that lately, although I'm not quite certain about the reasoning behind it. You never did this sort of thing before."

"I don't really understand it myself," I told him softly. "Lately, something has been compelling me to do this and I can't pinpoint where it's coming from. I'm sure that one day I'll find out why."

He chuckled a little and I looked over at him with a frown before he finally said, "I've never seen you act so calm, Imayru. Usually you'll just be impatient and force the answers to bend to your will. Perhaps you've finally grown up."

"Well, I _do_ look like a twenty year old now," I said indignantly. "You're finally tall enough so that you don't look like a little kid. I don't know when that happened exactly, but I find it funny."

"Oh, shut up," he said with a sigh. "You're worse than Rangiku or Momo. I at least look to be in the eighteen year old range now."

"Yes, but I can get away with being worse than them," I told him with a bright smile that was infectious enough that he began to smirk. "I'm your wife, remember? I can be as much of a terror as possible without you saying anything about it."

"There's the immature Imayru I remember," he laughed slightly.

He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and I leaned my body against his, both of us just watching the sun rise up a little further before deciding that it was time for us to go our separate ways for the day. I promised that I would come back to Squad 10 after all of my work was complete and he nodded before flash stepping away. I soon followed suit and headed towards the training grounds allotted for Squad 5. There were a few trainees that had recently joined and I would go watch them spar with each other, giving them advice when needed or correcting their stances if I caught a slight mistake. When I arrived there, I flash stepped to my lieutenant's side and gave her a fright when she finally noticed my presence.

"Captain, you scared me!" she exclaimed, her hand on her chest as if that would stop her fluttering heart.

"Sorry about that, sister," I told her with a tiny laugh. "How are the little ones doing?"

"Still not so little, you know," she said, smiling a bit at my choice of words. "They are working hard to improve their techniques and a few look closer to gaining their Shikai for their Zanpakuto."

"That's good to hear," I said happily as I watched them practice fighting with each other. "You're doing an excellent job at training them, Momo. I'm glad that I chose you to help them out."

"You could have just asked the 3rd Seat to do this," she told me.

"Yes, but you were looking a bit exhausted and bored from all the paperwork we were doing," I said. "This is just a break for you and then the 3rd Seat can take over for you in a week. Sound fair?"

"That it does," she said. "By the way, I saw Toshiro looking for you earlier in your office. Did he ever find you?"

"He did exactly as I was watching the sunrise from Sokyoku Hill," I said simply.

"You always seem to disappear at dawn and dusk. Why is that?"

"No clue but I'm certain that I'll find out one of these days."

"Wow, that's a really mature answer for you," she teased.

"I can be mature when I need to be," I huffed. "You all make it sound like I'm the most immature captain out of them all!"

"If anything, you are the brightest in terms of the light in your soul," she stated. "Now, I'm sure that the trainees would like for you to go inspect their fighting forms, so go be the good captain that we all know you are."

I gave her a grin before descending upon the training grounds, allowing the lightest of waves of spiritual pressure to announce my presence to them but not enough so I wouldn't crush them to the ground within a split second. They stopped what they were doing and turned in my direction, bowing respectfully before saying, "Welcome back, Lady Imayru."

"Thank you," I said with a nod of acknowledgement. "I see that you all started without me. Let's see how far you've progressed since the time you've joined Squad 5. We'll start off with ten minutes of sparring with a partner and then I'll test your strengths one-on-one with my Zanpakuto, Tatsuya."

I could see the light of excitement in their eyes before they returned to their training, their energy picking up with my presence. They were always enthusiastic whenever it came to fighting against me, but I had to hold back immensely whenever this occurred. I tried to limit their exposure to training with me, not because I didn't respect them or like being around them but rather because I could severely injure or kill them if I wasn't extremely careful. I couldn't bear the thought of hurting my trainees like that, so I would usually stay on the sidelines with them and give them pointers, only fighting with them when they wanted to see their progress.

A hundred years ago, I had been abducted by an Adjuchas class Menos Grande and dragged into Hueco Mundo. For a solid year, it kept injecting me with what I had surmised on my own to be a toxin until I managed to escape from there with the assistance of Tatsuya. He took over my body when it looked like escape was impossible and set off our light in an intense blast like that of a supernova. When I returned to the Soul Society, a week had passed after falling into a coma and I woke up only to discover that I couldn't hear Tatsuya in my mind anymore, as if he had been destroyed in Hueco Mundo. Not only that, but my Zanpakuto had been locked in its Shikai, taking on the form of a large falchion. I couldn't use any power until I was challenged by a foolish member of my Squad for my captaincy. He pushed me too far and I brought out power I didn't know I had, one in the form of dark fire that had been the opposite of what I possessed previously. After that incident, I rescinded my position as captain and left to lead a taskforce in the Human World, refusing to return back to the Seireitei for a hundred years and hurting everyone I cared about in the process.

When I finally thought to return to the Soul Society, I had been greeted by an angry Toshiro and lead to the Head Captain, who immediately asked me to fill in a captain's position since three had defected to Hueco Mundo. I took on Squad 5, hiding in the shadows since my skin burst into flames whenever I went into the light and keeping the secret of my impending death from those I cared about. I was almost settled back into the routine of being a captain again when I sensed the presence of one of the traitors, specifically Aizen. I gave chase in the cover of night, Toshiro and two others attempting to catch me before I caught up to Aizen, but they failed when Aizen managed to capture me before they could get to me first. He took me to a laboratory hidden in a mountain and informed me of how it was his fault that I had been abducted by the Hollow, that he had created a serum meant to kill my mind and force Tatsuya to take over my body so Aizen could use him to take over the Soul Society. Soon after that, Toshiro found me and tried to rescue me but we were caught by Aizen. I felt Tatsuya take over long enough to kill the traitor and then collapsed.

After recovering from that ordeal and discovering that Tatsuya had a taste for blood that he took out on Toshiro, I learned from Ichigo Kurosaki how to take control from Tatsuya before he could take over my body in an attempt to protect me, soon figuring out how to sync up with him. Not long after that, Toshiro and I finally decided that we would get married like we had promised when we were young kids, only to have Aizen ruin things when I found out that I had only killed his double. He forced me to take the rest of the serum and I was pushed aside by Tatsuya. The only thing that saved me was Toshiro, who managed to call me back to him and take my control back. I found a way to kill Aizen, but only after he stabbed Toshiro through the heart. I almost lost him that day and I took him to Squad 4 in the nick of time to have him healed. I tried to hide back in the Human World for my failure to protect him, but he convinced me to go back to the Soul Society with him.

Later, I found out that my fight with my past had only just begun in the form of an Espada that Aizen had also experimented on. His name was Zayn Drabek and he was the Quinto Espada in Aizen's army, also notifying me of the fact that he considered Aizen to be like his father. We clashed over and over again, him trying to take me back to Las Noches with him to make me his mate, and he found a way to get me to go there of my own free will. He took Toshiro hostage and left with him for Hueco Mundo, informing me that he would kill my husband within a week if I didn't appear before him under that time limit. I formed an army from all the captains, lieutenants, and Ichigo, along with his friends, before we all made it to Las Noches.

We took Toshiro back and I stayed behind to fight with Zayn so I could put an end to everything. I managed to take my light back after a fight that I was slowly losing and evened the odds just enough before we fought to the death in my Bankai and his Segunda Etapa. I just barely won and nearly died when I made it back to the Seireitei, Toshiro carrying me to the hospital in Squad 4 and nearly having to watch my soul fade from existence right then and there. I lived on after that, but no one was told that I had survived because I had nearly destroyed the Soul Society while coming back from Las Noches with the force of my spiritual pressure. Head Captain Yamamoto had a plan to kill me to save the Soul Society if a permanent limiter couldn't be placed on me. Thankfully, one was created just for the occasion and I could go about my business normally.

I shook my head and went back to focusing on what was before me with a vague smile on my face. I had six trainees, two females and four males. One of their number was a younger boy that reminded me a bit of Toshiro because of his age and he often fought with another boy that was a few years older. The rest of them were close to Momo's age and fought fiercely with each other, regardless of the fact that they were only training. I approached the two girls that were fighting first and observed their practice.

"Aemi Nagamine, your stance is a bit too rigid. You need to loosen up a little or your opponent will only take advantage of the openings you leave," I told one of the girls. She had long blonde hair that she kept pinned up while she trained and a fierce look of determination in her violet eyes. The other girl that happened to be her best friend, which you never saw one without the other, had short dark hair and light blue eyes that looked a bit nervous. "Mariya Hirai, you hesitate for a second before you strike. If this was a real battle, your enemy would use that second to kill you. Try not to falter and just believe in yourself."

Both girls nodded and adjusted before I moved on to the next group, the one with the large males fighting against each other like there was no tomorrow. Both of them towered over me and I was of average height, a fact that only annoyed me since I hated being shorter than others. The one with short black hair and silver eyes, a trainee that always kept giving me strange glances whenever he thought I wasn't paying attention, shifted his gaze to me and nearly was slashed to ribbons by his buddy, a guy with dark eyes and red hair that reminded me of Renji. "Focus, Seigo Anzai," I told him with a sigh of exasperation. "If you wish to keep your head on your shoulders, then I suggest you stop watching me and pay more attention to your opponent. By the way, Yuukin Noda, your form is sloppy today. That's not like you at all. Had you been in tip top shape like normal, I'm afraid that Seigo here would be just a head shorter."

I heard a snort of laughter from Yuukin and he took my advice to heart while Seigo scowled yet did as he was told. I moved on to my last group and watched the smaller boys fighting each other. They were the ones that showed the most improvement and it was hard not to smile whenever I observe their fighting. One boy had shaggy black hair and tawny eyes and the other had reddish-brown hair with brown eyes. Now that I thought on it more, the first reminded me even more of Toshiro because of the look in his eyes and the other was like Ichigo. Both of them sent off waves of resolve that far outweighed the other trainees. I tilted my head to the side while watching and caught one tiny mistake for each of them.

I looked over at the dark haired boy and said, "Kitsune Seta, bend your knees just a little more. Same goes for you, Gingka Oshima. Other than that, all of you are doing well." I walked over to the center of the training grounds before turning to face my trainees, pulling Tatsuya from its chain while everyone stopped fighting. I gave them an amused grin before saying, "Now… which one of you wishes to fight me first?"

I wasn't surprised when I saw Kitsune take an eager step forward, bowing to me quickly before I gave him a nod to come closer. Right after he had joined Squad 5, he once told me how he received his name and I felt like I identified with it a little more than anyone else. When he was very young and first arrived in the Soul Society, he became lost in the woods outside one of the districts of Rukon. Luckily, a family of foxes took him in and fed him for years. The residents of that district, whenever they saw him on the outskirts of the forest, began to call him Kitsune because he was never seen without at least one fox by his side. I remembered chuckling and telling him my story of my beginnings, especially how I was referred to as the Lost Girl of the 1st District. He must have heard my story before because his eyes widened and he had a look of awe on his face. Ever since then, he was extremely eager to become like me. I already had a feeling I knew which form his Zanpakuto spirit would take, however I wouldn't spoil the fun for him when that day came that he learned the name of his Zanpakuto.

I fought with every single one of them, making sure to hold back my attacks, and when we were finished I let them have the day off. They all scattered like the wind except for Kitsune and Gingka, who stayed behind and gave each other conspiratorial looks. "What are you two kids up to today?" I asked them, raising an eyebrow when they began to look even more suspicious. I had once caught them following me around but allowed them to carry on as if they had gotten away with it.

"Nothing much, Lady Imayru," Kitsune spoke up for both of them. "We'll probably just wander about the Seireitei and explore some other places we haven't seen yet."

"This wandering wouldn't have anything to do with following me around, now would it?" I asked them and watched as they paled for a split second before going back to normal.

"N-never! We wouldn't do that in a million years!" Gingka said sheepishly. I thought he might take off in embarrassment when he seemed to look past me at something. "Hey, look! It's Captain Hitsugaya of Squad 10!"

Both boys ran past me and over to Toshiro as I turned around to look at the scene before me. Toshiro had one of his rare smiles on his face, one that only I saw on a frequent basis, and he greeted the kids as they bounced around near him. He was yet another captain that they both looked up to and they saw him often enough due to the fact that he and I were married. I think he had taken a liking to them as well and it was great to see him like that.

"Hello, Captain Hitsugaya!" they both exclaimed, giving him a respectful bow.

"Hello to you as well, Kitsune and Gingka," he told them, reaching up to place a hand on their heads to ruffle their hair affectionately. "Have the two of you been getting plenty of rest? You both look an inch or two taller."

"Or you're just getting shorter," I said as I crossed my arms, giving him an amused smirk.

"You only say that because you secretly hope to be taller than me again," he told me with a grin. "I know you have a little person complex a mile wide."

"Says the person who used to be shorter than everyone else," I said under my breath, laughing when he glared a little at me. "I thought that I wouldn't get to see you until later tonight."

"That would have been true had I not finished up my paperwork earlier than expected," he said as both Kitsune and Gingka took off somewhere. "Even Rangiku managed to be helpful for once. I have a feeling it is because she plans on drinking with Renji and Izuru later tonight."

"We could go drinking with them if you'd like," I said teasingly as I walked closer to him. "I'm sure that it won't be as bad this time."

"No way," he said flatly. "Due to the fact that you practically have fire burning through your veins, you don't get drunk and then you laugh at anyone else who is. I still remember how you and Ichigo were entertained with our antics."

"At least I was kind enough to help you out with your hangover the next morning," I told him. "So if you don't want to go drinking, what _would_ you like to do with our free time?"

He thought about it for a second, tilting his head to the side in the process before finally saying, "I think I have an idea. Follow me."

After I put Tatsuya back in its chain, he flash stepped away and I followed after him. We headed off in the direction of the west and before long I began to piece together what he could possibly be thinking about. It didn't take long before we reached a large hill that looked down at the West Rukon District, more specifically the 1st District. I felt a slow warmth spreading through my soul, which happened every time I looked at this place, as I remembered all the memories associated with this place. It hadn't been pleasant in the beginning, especially back when I was the Lost Girl, but after finding the three people I considered to be my family at the time it became a much better place to me. Toshiro took me by the hand and led me down the path toward the 1st District. It had been a long time since we had been anywhere near here and he must have figured that it was about time.

"Remember when Momo and I first found you out in the forest?" he asked me, looking over at me to gaze into my eyes.

"It's kind of hard to forget that moment, Shiro," I said flatly, smiling vaguely.

"I don't think you ever heard our side of the story before," he told me as he slid his fingers between mine. "We had been enjoying the spring festival when Momo happened to look over at the forest. She told me to quit chasing after the bigger kids with a stick and to look at the edge of the tree line. I thought that she must have been seeing things and that was when I caught sight of a girl. She was hauntingly beautiful and I could see from where I was standing that she had these feral eyes. She looked like she might have been more of an animal that took the shape of a human soul. But in those eyes you could see the depths of loneliness. Before I knew it, a few people passed in front of us and she was gone."

I couldn't say that I wasn't intrigued by his story and so I tried to be cool as I asked, "So what happened next from your point of view?"

I could see his smile before he turned back to watching where he was going, leading us through the district itself until we reached its edge. "Well, we walked further into the festival for a while because Momo said that it was a one in million chance of seeing the Lost Girl and the odds were even worse to try and find her. We tried to enjoy the rest of the festival but I just kept thinking about nothing but the Lost Girl. It was around the time that the fireworks stopped that I thought I could hear the faint screams of anguish coming from the forest. I took off towards the forest with Momo chasing after me and we found the source of the screaming. We found you. Why were you screaming that night?"

"I did that every year when the spring festival came around," I told him. "My senses were hypersensitive and the fireworks hurt my ears. Not only that, but my curiosity got the better of me and I went to watch the spring festival for the first time, so I was close enough for the fireworks to hurt me even more."

"Good to know that you were just as curious as you are now," he said flatly. "Why was that the first year you decided to observe the spring festival?"

"I really have no idea," I told him, laughing a little. "It was just on a whim. I'm glad I did it though. Now I have everything I could ever want."

We kept walking until we reached another path that led a few hundred feet into the woods. There were a few stone arches that adorned the path and I looked on in silence before Toshiro posed another question. "What about your memories from when you were alive?" he asked me softly. "Even I remember my life in the Human World and how I died. I remember that my biological family died a long time ago and so I had to live with Granny while we were alive. Don't you want to remember your true family?"

"Shiro, my true family is here with me now," I said with a wan smile. "I don't need to know the identities of those I'm related to by blood. Even if I did know them, it's not like I would be able to find them anyway because all of the Rukon Districts are so huge. I really don't mind it."

He leaned over to kiss the top of my head before whispering, "If that's what you believe, then I support it all the way."

Before we knew it, the house we had stayed in for so many years came into view. Near the front of the house was a rather large garden that was filled with exotic flowers on one half and vegetables on the other. Standing in the middle of the garden was an older lady that had more gray hair than brown, hunched over slightly as she poured water lovingly onto her plants. She was about as short as Toshiro used to be before he joined the academy with me and looked up at us when she heard our quiet footsteps, her blue green eyes becoming watery when she realized who we were.

"Toshiro and Imayru," she said with a happy smile as tears began to run down her wrinkled face. "It's been so long since I've seen the two of you together."

"It really has been," I said quietly while smiling, shivering a little as I began to cry as well. "I'm sorry we never visited often enough after becoming Soul Reapers, even more so when we became captains."

Toshiro wrapped an arm around my shoulders to stop my shaking and finally spoke up. "I'm sorry, too. What kind of grandson doesn't even visit his grandmother much?"

"It's perfectly all right," she told us as she walked in our direction. "Just seeing you now makes up for it. I'm glad that you're both safe and happy, which is all that matters to me. I heard from Momo that the two of you are married. I wished that I could be there to see it for myself. Will you give this old lady the honor of having two captains over for dinner?"

"Of course," Toshiro and I both said simultaneously before following her inside.

She must have been cooking something already and she quickly adjusted it to accommodate her two guests. I tried to help her make dinner after setting out a few bowls for us, but she shooed me out of the kitchen and told me to go sit down with Toshiro at the table. I pouted slightly but did as I was told, especially since I knew the woman wasn't above hitting any of us with a wooden spoon if we disobeyed. Toshiro chuckled to himself and we didn't have long to wait until she brought out a pot of soup. She poured soup for us all so that we could eat, spending the rest of the time talking about our lives. Before long, I had a sense that we needed to go because it was almost dusk and I needed to watch the sun set. We gave Granny a hug before she kicked us out of the house so that we could get back to the Seireitei. As we headed back into the 1st District, we waved at her and she gave us joyous smiles before we made it completely out of view of her.

"It's nice visiting with Granny," Toshiro said as we approached the hill that overlooked the 1st District. "I think we should definitely do it more often. I don't want for her to be lonely."

"Sounds like a plan," I told him happily before running up the hill and turning around at the top to watch the sun sink down, throwing off shades of crimson and orange.

"You even do this at dusk," he said, more to himself than to me. "This is just a curious event that I want to know more about."

"Good luck with that," I said sarcastically as I watched the sun. For some reason unbeknownst to me, I could feel a sudden melancholy fall over me for a couple seconds before I shook it off. When the sun went down, I turned back to Toshiro. "Let's head back now. We can hang out in your quarters before going to sleep."

He nodded and we flash stepped back to the Seireitei, yet I could still sense my confusion over why I felt saddened over the sunset.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello, dear readers! I am back with another chapter! Last time, we learned that Imayru has a bit of an obsessive habit that no one can really understand the cause behind it. In this chapter, we find out a little about what happens when she misses it. Not only that, but something strange has begun to happen. You'll find out more when you read it. Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

The next day after I woke up and watched the sunrise, this time deciding to do so on the roof of Toshiro's quarters, I finished up the paperwork early and decided to watch the trainees from on top of a wall. I paid a bit more attention to Kitsune and Gingka, who were more energetic today than they were yesterday. As I watched the other two pairs, I noticed that Seigo was watching me again while he was fighting with Yuukin. I rolled my eyes a little when he was nearly stabbed through by his partner. One of these days, I was going to have to ask him what his problem was and why he insisted on staring at me. It was around that time that all of them noticed me, stopping the fight to bow to me, Aemi and Mariya both smiling brightly.

"Carry on," I called to them. "Just pretend I'm not even here."

They grinned and went back to sparring, their energy levels a bit higher than normal with my presence. I watched for a few more minutes until I heard a tinkling noise that sounded like a tiny bell. I looked to my right to see a Hell Butterfly coming closer. With a faint smile, I held out a hand and allowed for the butterfly to land on my index finger. I moved it closer to me as it looked around, finally settling its tiny eyes in my direction.

"Hello, little butterfly," I told it kindly. "What sort of message are you bringing me today?"

Right on cue, I could hear a voice coming from it, specifically the voice of Renji Abarai. "Head Captain Yamamoto has asked for you and Captain Hitsugaya to come with me to the Senkaimon. Something strange is happening in the Human World and he thinks that captains need to observe the situation."

The Hell Butterfly flapped its tiny wings and began to lead me towards the middle of the Seireitei. It didn't take very long until I reached the large tower with the giant gate in the middle of a large courtyard. Standing there already were Toshiro and Renji, both of which had a grim look on their faces. I was a little puzzled as to why they looked that way but I waited until I walked closer to demand answers.

"What's really going on here, Renji?" I asked him.

"I think it's best to tell you after we get to the Human World," he said before the Senkaimon activated.

I grumbled a little under my breath but followed after him as we all jumped through the gate. It didn't take long before we made it to the Human World, more specifically a tiny park that was nearby Kisuke Urahara's shop. I could sense that the air here was heavier than normal, although I couldn't pinpoint exactly why that was. Renji looked over at me with a sigh and I had a feeling that I wasn't going to like what he had to say.

"Get on with it," I told him. "I'm getting a bit impatient."

"I was sent here a few days ago because a few of the Soul Reapers assigned here noticed the increased presence of Hollows," he said. "Then, they said that they came across two Arrancar. It wouldn't be that big of a deal except for the fact that they are searching for something. A day after I had arrived, I found an Espada and he was extremely angry, lashing out at anything that stopped his search. I thought that it would have been the worst of it but then yesterday, the Espada began to attack Orihime, Chad, and Uryu. They were badly injured, but it was nothing that would have killed them. I tried to find Ichigo, only to discover him in an alley and bleeding out. He was close to death and I had to take him to Kisuke. I wasn't sure that he would make it, but he pulled through."

If he said anything else, I didn't hear it since I flash stepped away, heading in the direction of Kisuke's shop. I made it there in record time and made my way inside to find the room where Ichigo was in. I stiffened when I caught sight of him as I felt anger making its way to the forefront of my mind. He was unconscious and his body was covered in bandages, most of which were bloody still. I let out a hiss before I walked over to him and sank to my knees, deciding that I was going to try to heal him to the best of my abilities. I held my hand over his head where there was a bloody bandage, allowing a soft glow to appear on my hand and the injury. When the light faded and he was healed in that spot before moving on to the next wound.

"Imayru, what are you doing?" Toshiro's voice suddenly said and I looked over to see him standing in the doorway, Renji and Kisuke standing behind him.

"He looks half dead right now," I said. "He's a friend. I can't just let this go on."

I had finished about a quarter of his wounds when I heard Ichigo make a noise. I looked over at him to see that his eyes opened to slits and focused on me. "Hey, sleepy head," I said with a smile that masked the concern. "Good to see you awake finally."

"What are you doing here?" he asked hoarsely and I could hear the pain in his voice.

"We heard what's been happening lately," I told him. "Toshiro and I are here to figure out what's going on before we put a stop to it."

"We were only sent here to observe, Imayru," Toshiro reminded me. "We don't have the authorization to intervene yet. Don't get his hopes up."

"We _will_ be stopping it," I told him with a growl. "Tier has broken the truce if she sent an Espada to nearly kill a Substitute Soul Reaper. I told her what would happen if she harmed anyone associated with the Soul Society."

"An Espada didn't do this to me," Ichigo said feebly. "You guys don't know what you're talking about. In fact, you have no idea what you're up against."

"Then tell us," I said gently. "Give us the details behind what happened that night. We need to know if we are going to help you."

"No," he growled. "This problem is mine and mine alone. I'm not dragging all of you into this." He tried to sit up and I knew it was because he wanted nothing more than to go out there again, but his wounds must have pulled painfully and he was forced to lie back.

"Don't push it, Ichigo," I told him. "You'll only hurt yourself more."

"Imayru," I heard Kisuke call my name and I looked up at him from over Toshiro's shoulder. "I think you should come out here for now so that we can talk."

I nodded before turning back to Ichigo after standing up. "Try and get some rest until I get back. I can work on healing you a little more after."

I followed them out of the room and down the hallway a bit until Kisuke picked a different room. We walked inside as Kisuke sat down at a table, all of us following suit and staying silent for a bit before he spoke up. "If Ichigo doesn't want to discuss this with anyone, then we have a bigger problem on our hands than we thought. We don't just have the Arrancar and Espada, but something else that must be extremely strong and brutal."

"Something just doesn't feel right here," I said. "The air feels heavy, almost as if there is something coming. It's like the calm before the storm."

"That's exactly what it's like," Renji said. "What I want to know is what our next step will be."

"I think you should report back to the Head Captain and let him know what's going on," Kisuke said. "Convince him that a small task force should be sent to the Human World that Imayru and Toshiro can command. I think that there should be someone here in case this mysterious individual comes back."

"Got it," Renji said as he stood up. "I'll leave right now. Imayru, watch out for Ichigo. Make sure he doesn't try to sneak out."

"Don't worry about it," I told Renji with a smile. "He won't be able to slip past me. No one can do that."

Renji then left without another word and Toshiro and I turned back to Kisuke. "I think he's right about watching over Ichigo. Someone should keep a close eye on him 24/7. I'm afraid that he's going to get himself into a worse situation. I have a plan for this."

"What is this plan?" Toshiro asked.

"We'll all have to take shifts watching his back," Kisuke said. "Not only that, but I think it would probably be a good idea if the whole task force enroll at the school Ichigo attends."

"Enroll at his school?" I asked dubiously. "There is no way in hell I'm doing that."

"Imayru, quit being so stubborn," Kisuke chuckled. "Ichigo is now a senior at his high school. You all look old enough to play the part. I'll have someone enroll you tomorrow and you can start the day after."

"Can't believe you're doing this to me," I grumbled as I stood up. "I'm going to heal Ichigo some more. I can sense that he hasn't left yet, so we're fine so far. I'll just do what I can until Orihime is feeling up to healing him herself."

"I think that will be tomorrow," Kisuke said. "She was looking a little worse for the wear just like Chad and Uryu, but nothing compared to Ichigo."

I nodded and walked out of the room, heading back to the one with Ichigo. He was still lying on the mat, his eyes closed until he heard me walk into the room and then he opened them once more. His eyes looked blank and lifeless as he watched me come over to him to sit down by his side, curling my legs beneath me. I held my hand over him and was just about to begin healing him some more when he grabbed me by the wrist. His hand was shaking a little, his thumb pressed against my skin in a spot where he could feel my pulse, and he just looked sad.

"I lost," he whispered brokenly. "I was defeated before I could even land one attack."

"It happens to the best of us," I told him gently

"I was in Bankai, Imayru," he told me, finally looking into my eyes. "I should have been fast enough to hit him once. He was so strong and much faster than me."

"What did he look like?" I asked him.

"I don't know," he said. "He was wearing a hood and had a scarf that wrapped around his neck and face. He had on all black and this huge sword that was just a little bigger than my Zangetsu in Shikai."

"Was it a Zanpakuto?"

"I didn't think so at first, but he treated it like it was his partner."

I hesitated for a second before finally asking, "Will you tell me what really happened to you?"

"No, not right now," he said with a sigh. "I don't want to go through it again."

"As you wish," I said stiffly, pulling my wrist free from his grip.

I began to heal him the best I could, hours passing before his wounds weren't serious enough that it required him to stay lying down. I had to help him up but he was a lot better and that was all that counted. We walked out of the room, me helping him every step of the way even though I could see a gleam of fierce determination in his eyes. Deep down, I could feel anger at his condition and wanted nothing more than to utterly destroy the one responsible.

"Stop looking at me like that," he growled, his breathing ragged as he forced his body to move.

"What do you mean?" I asked in surprise. I hadn't realized that I had been staring at him in any specific way.

"Like I'm broken and frail," he told me, gazing over at me with his eyes blazing. "I'm not helpless just yet. Not only that, but two captains are here to help me take him down."

"Ichigo, I swear to you that we'll stop this guy, whoever he may be," I told him with intense resolve.

I saw him pale for a split second but remained silent. I knew that there was something important that he was keeping hidden, but I refused to push him into telling me. I just nodded and helped him into the room where we had the meeting with Kisuke. Dinner had already been prepared as I led Ichigo over to the table, helping him to sit down before sitting between him and Toshiro. Toshiro took my hand with a small smile and slid his fingers between mine, making me smile back as I sent waves of warmth to him through the bond we had that tied our souls together due to our marriage ceremony. I could feel a pleased vibration of his soul through that bond as he squeezed my hand.

"So, Ichigo, are you feeling a little better now?" Kisuke asked as he passed us dishes full of food.

"I'll feel better once I can move around on my own," he said. "No offense, Imayru, but it's not good for my image if I let you help me walk along all the time."

"What image?" I asked with a smirk, watching as his face flushed a little. "Besides, it's not like I would tell anyone about it."

_That's quite the lie that no one will ever believe,_ I heard Tatsuya say flatly, speaking up for the first time all day.

_Keep quiet,_ I thought to him in amusement. _I don't really need your contribution to the conversation._

_You may not have needed it, but we both know that I'm here to keep your ego in check. Quit overdoing it, little one._

I remembered something that hit me rather suddenly and finally spoke up. "Ichigo, how is Zangetsu doing? I haven't heard anything about the poor thing since two years ago."

"… Did you just refer to my Inner Hollow as a 'poor thing'?" he asked in disbelief, the others staring at me as if I had gone mad.

"Well, we fought in battle together at Las Noches," I told him, shrugging a little. "He seemed to tolerate me because I came up with the plan to let him out and use a Cero to clear a path for us."

I saw Ichigo tilt his head to the side as Zangetsu must have spoken to him and a grin formed on his face. "Imagine that, apparently Zangetsu likes you. He said that you would be the one person he wouldn't stab. That's saying something because he stabs me all the time in our spirit world. It has something to do with you having the same killer instinct as him."

"I do what I can with what I have, especially when it needs to be done," I chuckled.

"You still make the weirdest friends in the strangest ways," Toshiro said under his breath. "I'm beginning to think I might need to be concerned."

"What do you mean?" Kisuke asked him curiously.

"After Renji punched me in the eye years ago, she dislocated his shoulder and told him that she would do it again if she found out that he beat me up," Toshiro said. "Not long after she popped his shoulder back in place, it was like they were best friends after he promised to look out for Momo and me. This is always how she makes friends."

"You're right. I think it's time for you to worry," Kisuke said before they both began to eat.

"Are you kidding me?" I grumbled before throwing a bread roll at Toshiro, Ichigo snickering to himself but falling silent when I glared at him. "There is nothing wrong with how I make friends! If anything, worry about how the hell I can make enemies without even doing anything!"

Toshiro and Kisuke paused, thinking about it for a second before they looked at me. "Good point," they both said at the same time before going back to eating.

I growled a little in frustration before turning to my food and gulping it down quick as could be. I decided that I would go outside for some air and stood up, the other three giving me looks of confusion before I left the room without a word. I made it outside before flash stepping to the roof, gazing up at the moon when I realized that I had missed my chance to catch the sunset. Some part of my mind twisted painfully at that thought and before I could try to sense its origins, it seemed to disappear without a trace. I clutched my head in my hands for a few seconds before going back to looking up at the night sky. I would just have to make sure that I was awake to watch the sunrise or it would drive me crazy to know that I missed my chance twice.

I was lying back against the tiles when I heard footsteps outside in the courtyard in front of Kisuke's shop. I looked down a little to see Toshiro flash step up to the roof with me before lying down at my side. "Your obsessive need to watch the sunsets and sunrises is beginning to worry me more," he said as he gazed up at the stars. "I kind of wondered how you would react once you noticed that you missed your chance to come out at dusk."

"I felt a strange pain in my mind that was gone before I could decipher it, but aside from that I was fine," I told him. "I could possibly go crazy if I miss dawn so don't let me do that this time."

"Why don't you try and miss it, just to see what would happen?" he asked. "You have to be curious about it. I know you well."

"Alright, I'll try it," I said. "But we have to make sure that I catch the sunset tomorrow."

"Sounds like a plan. Is there anything I can do to make you feel a little more at ease about missing dusk tonight?"

I thought about it for a second before a grin formed on my face and I said, "Get me a bucket of ice water."

He gave me a strange look before disappearing and I took my chance to flash step down to the courtyard below. I picked up a bunch of rocks, going back to the roof to form a pile before collecting more. When the process was complete and I was back to lying on top of the tiles on the roof, Toshiro was back and had set a bucket with solid looking ice flowers floating in the liquid. He didn't once ask me what I had planned and instead came over to lie beside me once more. I rolled over onto my side at the same time as him so that I was closer to his side, resting my forehead against his collarbones and letting out a comforted sigh. I wrapped my arms around him as he did the same and I felt a yawn make my body shudder before I closed my eyes, making sure that I wouldn't fall into a deep sleep as I barely slipped into unconsciousness.

Just as I thought, I heard the almost inaudible sound of a sliding door open and the sounds of footsteps as someone attempted to be sneaky on my watch. I was up and standing by the bucket before Toshiro fully realized that I was no longer by his side. Just as he sat up, I had the bucket in my hands and dumped it on the figure that had just come into view from past the roof. There was a surprised yowl as the figure ran ahead a few steps, jumping around as if one of the ice flowers dropped down his collar to touch the bare skin of his back and I snickered before picking up a rock. Using my excellent aim that came from hundreds of years of practice, I whipped the rock at the figure and made it miss his head by centimeters. He froze on the spot as if he remembered how dangerous I could be when throwing things.

"Nice try, Ichigo," I said as I allowed a small ball of light to appear on the palm of my left hand, illuminating the courtyard to reveal the orange haired Substitute Soul Reaper. I picked up another rock with my right hand and tossed it up in the air, catching it for a second before throwing it back into the air to repeat the whole process over again. "You and I both know that I missed on purpose. Make another move to escape and this one will hit your head for sure."

"N-now wait a minute, Imayru," he said as he took a hesitant step back, keeping his hands up to show that he surrendered. "Don't you throw any more."

"Stop taking steps back," I growled and saw him pale a little when I stopped tossing the rock to clutch it in my hand. "Why are you trying to sneak out?"

Ichigo sighed. "I wanted to go find the guy that attacked me. I want to make him pay for what he did."

"You're an idiot," I told him, glaring a little at Ichigo as Toshiro stood up to walk to my side. "You are barely able to get around on your own and yet you want to go track down the person who nearly killed you. If you want someone to fight, then fight me instead. I won't take it easy on you either and I am just as formidable."

He turned around and looked as if he was about to bolt, so I whipped another rock at him that arced through the air like a blur and it smacked into his back. I watched him stumble before hitting the ground, sending another rock whizzing past his head close enough that his hair was moved by the breeze the rock caused. He froze and didn't move from that spot, yet I could see his body shaking as he looked frustrated. He sat up and faced me so I could see the rage in his eyes.

"You don't understand," he snarled, his brown eyes flashing yellow for a split second as if Zangetsu was angry. "There's something wrong. That guy… I just need to find him now before it's too late."

"You're right. I don't understand," I said. "However, it's not because I haven't tried. I asked you to explain what happened that night, but you didn't want to tell me. As for your need to track down the mystery guy, it can wait until you are healed. I have a feeling that it won't be long before he actually shows himself to us. It will probably take a few days, but be patient. You'll get your chance soon. Now go inside and get some rest. We'll discuss it later."

Ichigo grumbled a little but did as he was told. Toshiro came closer before asking, "Are you sure that you should be pushing him so hard? Ichigo can only take so much."

"He's a friend and I refuse to watch him die because he's too stubborn to heal properly first," I told him.

"He is right about one thing. There is something going on around here and I have a feeling that he wants to be helpful when the time comes because he knows more than he is letting on. Just let him tell us when he feels up to it."

I knew that he was right. The air wouldn't feel so heavy if everything was normal. The only thing I worried about was not being strong enough in my condition. They adjusted the limiter on my soul before I left and now I was only at fifteen percent of all my power. This meant that any attack would have to be met by strategic countering and most likely I would have to use my Bankai to keep up, depending on the opponent. This was not a situation I liked to be in, but I was determined to handle it to the best of my abilities. With a shrug of my shoulders, I walked over to Toshiro and we went back to lying on the roof, falling back asleep and making sure that Ichigo didn't try to escape a second time.

Just before I woke up, there was a restless feeling in my mind, almost like a tiger pacing about in a cage as it looked for an opportunity to break free, and I woke up with a gasp to see that it was a couple hours after dawn. _Well, looks like Toshiro got his wish,_ I thought to myself. _Guess we're about to find out what happens when I miss dawn and dusk._ Just as that thought crossed my mind, I felt a pain in my head that was similar to a knife splitting my head open. I let out a hiss and curled up with my knees as close to my chest as I could get them, clutching my head in my hands as I panted heavily.

"Are you all right?" Toshiro asked sleepily before opening his eyes to notice my predicament, which caused him to completely wake up. "What's going on with you?"

"My head…" I hissed. "It feels like something is trying to claw its way out."

"Here, let me help," he murmured before I felt a subtle increase in his spiritual pressure, the temperature around us dropping several degrees. He slid my hands away before replacing them with one of his own, allowing for the cold to seep through and calm the aching there. I moaned lightly as the sting of the headache slowly receded and before long I felt back to normal. "Feel better now?"

"Actually, yes I do," I whispered.

"We're not doing this again. You can keep up with your obsessive ritual and I won't complain about it any longer. I don't want for you to go through this much pain over something that can be easily prevented."

"I have to wonder what is going on with me," I said. "I don't understand why it is that this has been going on recently. I never did this before and I'm wondering if perhaps it has to do with what's going on here in the Human World."

"It seems like a stretch, but it's plausible," he told me. "Let's just deal with one problem at a time."

I nodded and stood up with him, looking down a little to see Orihime, Chad, and Uryu walking to the shop. I hopped down from the roof in front of them and startled them enough that they jumped back. They looked rather haggard with all the bandages covering them but they were in much better condition than Ichigo had been when we first got here. After her shock, Orihime gasped and ran over to me, giving me a hug while avoiding any injured places on her body.

"It's so good to see you again, Imayru!" she said with a kind smile.

"You're like the one Soul Reaper I can tolerate," Uryu said quietly.

"I resent that," Toshiro said from the roof before he jumped down next to me.

We led them all inside and into the room where Ichigo was sitting in alone. He had that blank, lifeless look to his eyes that morphed into an unholy anger when he saw me. I knew he still harbored a grudge for last night but I did it for him. Orihime walked over and began to heal him after he lay down on the mat, a dome of golden light surrounding him as his wounds slowly grew smaller.

"How did this happen, Ichigo?" she asked him.

"Leave it alone, Orihime," he said apathetically. "I don't want to talk about it."

"He's been doing this since we've been here," I told her while she looked over at me, her eyes gleaming with worry. "Just let him keep it to himself for now. When the time is right, I'm sure he'll tell us."

She just stared at me for a few seconds before turning her attention back to Ichigo, who refused to say another word to any of us. It was the first time that I wished I could read minds so I could find out what he was hiding. I heard a noise from the front of the shop and so walked out of the room with Toshiro to see that Renji had come back with the task force. Behind him were Rukia, Rangiku, Ikkaku, and Yumichika, the last two from Squad 11. I grinned a little and watched those two pale slightly when they saw me but didn't back away.

About a year ago and right before the time of the spring festival, I decided to be sneaky and decorate the Seireitei for it. I ran about each Squad and made it acceptable for the festival while the captains for each one was busy. After I had completed my task, I noticed that Ikkaku and Yumichika were taking the decorations down in Squad 11. As revenge, I slinked back into their Squad and hid there until they walked past, jumping out and scaring them bad enough that they actually yelped. I chased them around the courtyard until they agreed to put everything back, which was around the time that Captain Zaraki and Yachiru arrived. He was trying not to laugh and Yachiru was excited for the decorations, so they ended up doing as they were told.

"Hello, Ikkaku and Yumichika," I said smugly, feeling even more amused.

"Hello, Captains Hitsugaya," they mumbled a little, their eyes shifting between both Toshiro and me.

"Still holding a bit of a grudge for a year ago, I see," I laughed while Toshiro gave me a confused look.

"Bet you can't scare us like that again," Ikkaku grumbled, glaring at me.

"You just made the worst mistake of your life," I told him, devious thoughts already swimming through my mind as I planned my next scare tactic. "This is going to be the most fun I've had in a long time."

"You see what you've just done?" Yumichika said with a sigh. "I want no part of this, especially after last time. You're on your own and I want that fact to be known ahead of time."

"You'll be spared," I assured him.

For the rest of the day, we talked amongst each other and discussed what we knew so far. We knew that we had an Arrancar problem and then a mystery to solve, but that was all we could say for sure. I told them that if they encountered our mystery man that they shouldn't engage the target. If they could, they should find either Toshiro or me so we could settle it. After that, Tessai, one of the people that worked in the shop with Kisuke, came back with all of our uniforms so that Kisuke could put them on our Gigai in private. I was sure he was hiding somewhere to do all of this so I couldn't sabotage mine and avoid having to go to school. I made sure to catch the sunset this time and sighed in relief when my head didn't hurt. When night fell, we all had dinner together and chatted lightly about trivial things, the only one staying silent was Ichigo. He had a look about him that made me wonder if he was going to try another escape attempt. When we all went to sleep, I made sure to not to sleep too deeply, but I didn't have to worry since he was out cold.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, guys! I am so sorry about how long it took to update the story. I typically am very good at posting a new chapter every few days or so. We had a WiFi malfunction at my house. From what the people on the Tech Support, the whole area had a malfunction and then the lady on the phone screwed up the WiFi settings on my laptop. Terrible, terrible... Anyway, this chapter is action packed... in a way. You find out some interesting information about the mystery guy! Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

I woke up for the sunrise while everyone else seemed to be sleeping in before school started. I had already tried to sneak inside to find the uniform for my Gigai and then tear it to pieces, but he had it hidden somewhere in a place I couldn't find. It soon became apparent that I would just have to settle with the fact that I was going to have head to school. I at least wasn't extremely tired for the day and I counted that as a win. It was around then that I could hear the sliding door open and someone came outside to stand in the courtyard. I got up and looked down to see Ichigo, who beckoned me to follow him inside. I hopped down with ease and walked after him to the room he had stayed in. He then promptly turned to face me once I had walked inside and shut the door behind me.

"Will you do me a favor?" he asked before handing me a pair of scissors. "Will you trim my hair a little? It's getting a little too long for me and I keep forgetting to do something about it."

"You do realized that I can't do _everything_ in the world, right?" I asked skeptically. "I'm not a miracle worker and I don't typically cut hair."

"That's a lie," he stated. "Toshiro has mentioned that you've done it for him once or twice."

"Yeah, I cut his bangs," I said with a smirk. "While he was sleeping. He insists on wearing them long enough that they cover his left eye and it drives me crazy. So I'll go and trim them when he can't fight me over it."

"So pretend my hair is bangs and help me out," he told me.

I sighed in exasperation but took the scissors from his hand, then shoved him down so that he was kneeling before me and his head was in reach. He was right about it being a little too long but I was hesitant to cut it since it looked pretty good on him. With another sigh, I complied and began to take a bit of it off all around until he stopped me. It was like his usual haircut only an inch or two longer and I felt a smirk forming.

"What are you so entertained with?" he asked me.

"Trying to imitate Zangetsu's long flowing mane when he takes over, I see," I chuckled, watching him flush in anger.

"If anyone is imitating someone, it's him!" he informed me huffily. "Whenever I learn something, he learns it, too!"

"I thought he knew Getsuga Tensho first and then you copied him," I said. "Is that not true?"

"… That's not the point," he stated, eyes looking shifty as he avoided my words. "Besides, what's wrong with having my hair a little longer?"

"There's nothing wrong with it," I told him kindly as I gently patted him on the shoulder. "It's just different. I like it. Makes you look like a serious Soul Reaper. The only thing I'm wondering is how you are able to see with one eye covered with your bangs."

"I push them out of my eyes," he said with a shrug before falling into silence for about thirty seconds, then speaking up again almost hesitantly. "Listen, Imayru, there is something that I have wanted to tell you for the longest time and I lied a few years ago about it to myself, so I would like the chance to get it off of my chest."

During the time he was talking, I could sense someone in the hallway trying to sneak over to the room we were in so they could eavesdrop. "Hold that thought," I told Ichigo before walking to the door. I opened it and looked out in the hallway to see Toshiro, who had frozen to the spot when I caught him. "I don't know why you bother trying to sneak up on anyone when I'm with them. I can sense you coming from a mile away, one because we're bonded and two because I'm the queen of the light and shadows. You might as well announce your presence."

"What are you two talking about?" he asked suspiciously, ignoring my taunts.

"No clue, but it's nothing for you to worry about," I assured him before making shooing motions with my hands. "Now get out of here so we can finish our chat."

He grumbled to himself but walked away, albeit extremely slow like a scolded child. I shut the door after walking back inside and turned back to Ichigo. "Now, where were we?" I asked brightly. "I do believe it had something to do with you telling me whatever it is you wish to discuss."

"It's nothing that you should be worried about, I just need to say it," he said, taking a deep breath to steady his nerves before I was forced to cut him off.

"Sorry, but hold on again. Toshiro is trying to sneak back here. You might as well say it while he's in the room or he'll eavesdrop and burst inside if he feels the need to."

Ichigo paled a shade but nodded sharply, so I walked over to the door and opened it, grabbed Toshiro, and dragged him inside before he could make a noise. "Go ahead and say whatever it is."

He paled even more before saying hoarsely, "First, I want Toshiro to promise he won't try to kill me for what I have to say."

"No promises if you can't even get my title right," Toshiro said. "It's Captain Hitsugaya."

Ichigo gritted his teeth in annoyance. "Fine, Captain Hitsugaya. Promise me this one thing." When Toshiro gave a vague agreement, Ichigo turned to me with a look in his eyes that I had only seen on Toshiro. "Imayru, I've had… feelings for you for a while now. If you hadn't been with Toshiro already, I would have tried to steal you away. But I know that it's wrong to harbor such feelings for a married woman and so I'm doing what I can to let them go."

I was in shock at his words but didn't make a sound or make a surprised expression. I knew that if I said or did the wrong thing in this delicate situation, it would hurt Ichigo and he was one of my best friends. I was beginning to figure out now why he refused to tell me what happened with the mystery man and it was because he wanted to protect me. If I thought my inner turmoil was difficult, looking over at Toshiro proved that his was even worse. I could see fury blazing in his turquoise eyes and frost beginning to form on almost every surface near his feet.

"Remember when I said that I promised not to kill you, Ichigo?" Toshiro asked and the orange haired Substitute Soul Reaper nodded nervously. "Well, I lied. I'm going to kill you in the most brutal way possible."

Right as Toshiro took a threatening step towards Ichigo, I was in front of the snowy haired captain so that I could wrap my arms around him and begin to push him backwards. "You might want to go get ready for school now, Ichigo!" I called to him. "I'll get him to calm down!"

Ichigo nodded before walking out, going to track down his school uniform somewhere in the shop. I knew we had to all go soon, but calming down Toshiro took precedent. "Come on, Shiro! There's no need to get this worked up! He's not going to do anything!"

"I knew he had a thing for you," he growled. "I noticed that it was at its worst right after you came to break me out of Las Noches. Then it increased during the summer he stayed in the Seireitei to be trained under you."

"Why didn't you ever say anything to either of us?" I asked. "You know, tell him to knock it off and tell me that he liked me."

"It's not my place to tell you something like that," he told me. "That was up to Ichigo. I just never expected that he would actually do it."

"How did I not notice any of this?" I asked, mostly to myself.

"No offense, Imayru, but you're kind of oblivious to these things. In fact, you never thought I was serious about having feelings for you for the longest time. It's no wonder you didn't know about Ichigo."

I cringed and finally let go of Toshiro, who looked much calmer now. We both walked out of the room together and headed to the main part of the shop where Kisuke had all of our Gigai lined up in a row. Everyone else was within them already so Toshiro and I followed their example and entered ours. I never much liked being within a Gigai, especially after spending a hundred years in the Human World without once using one. I found the whole thing exhausting because I wasn't used to being in one and couldn't stand the looks Toshiro would give me as he kept watch over me. He thought it best to keep an eye on me so he could force me to take a break whenever he decided I needed one.

"How are you doing?" Toshiro asked me, beginning his worrying right off the bat.

"Don't start, Shiro," I sighed as I adjusted the two obsidian dragon scale hair clips that kept the hair on the right side of my head just past my ear and stuck up like long feathers. "I will take it easy, so there is no reason to worry so much. I think I can handle eight hours of this wretched school day."

"Imayru, quit acting so grumpy over going to a human school," Kisuke said as he walked inside the main part of the shop. "Now remember, you're going to be keeping watch over Ichigo and his friends in case the Espada show again. If they do, then it's time for you to fight them and interrogate them the best you can. If the mysterious man appears, do not engage and lead him to a captain so that they may battle him."

"Is that what you're planning?" I heard Ichigo's voice ask from a doorway nearby and I turned to see him staring at me. "That's why you're all here, to take away my chance for revenge?"

For some reason, his words didn't sit well with me, almost as if his vehemence for revenge was false and he used it to mask the true reason he wanted to fight the mystery man. I didn't know why I tried in the first place, but I allowed a moment to sense the spiritual pressure coming from him and was quite surprised. I couldn't figure out why but it didn't seem like he was giving off one anymore. I found it strange since he always seemed to give off some level of spiritual pressure, whether it was light or extremely heavy. When he noticed me gazing at him inquisitively, he turned his head away with a slight intake of breath before completely walking out of the door.

"That was strange," Rangiku said to Rukia.

"Ichigo has been acting different lately, but he's never been like this," Rukia said before turning to me. "Do you perhaps know what's going on with him?"

"No, but I can tell you for sure that I'm going to find out, one way or another," I told her. "The only thing I can guess is that it has something to do with our mystery man. That's another unknown I would like to bring to light."

"Great, her curiosity is getting the better of her," Renji muttered to Toshiro. "How do you put up with her obsessive need to uncover things that should remain secret?"

"It's always easier to just let her get it out of her system," Toshiro told him. "If you don't or if you try to stop her, she always finds a way to just do what she wants. She has a tendency to be extremely defiant and that's where it stems from."

"Guys, I can hear you talking about me," I said flatly. "Renji, don't make me dislocate your shoulder a second time."

The poor red haired lieutenant paled ever so slightly but was silenced, which was exactly what I wanted. With a smug smile, I walked out of the shop with the others behind me, Ichigo already waiting there for us so he could lead us to school. I watched him walk a few feet ahead of us, his back stiff as he moved like he knew I was observing his every step. I still couldn't figure out what was with his spiritual pressure and that was what bothered me the most. I hated not knowing something and it only made me even more stubborn about finding the answers I wanted.

When we made it to school, everyone was standing about in the courtyard and talking amongst themselves before classes started. I still wanted nothing to do with this and so stood off near a corner of the courtyard in the coolness of the shadows. Of course, Toshiro knew that I was feeling stressed and so stood by my side the entire time, keeping a firm grasp on my wrist and lightly running his thumb along my skin. It wasn't hard to see that he was trying to keep me calm, even though he could be watching Ichigo.

"Shiro, do you think we'll be able to figure out this mystery soon?" I asked quietly so that only he could hear me. "I mean, we've got the Espada to worry about, the enigma that is the man who nearly killed Ichigo, not knowing exactly what happened or what was said during that fight, and the fact that there is something strange going on with Ichigo lately."

"You noticed his lack of spiritual pressure? I've been trying to figure it out myself," he replied back. "We need to find out what happened and fast. I have a feeling I can't shake that everything is connected somehow."

"Then we share the same feeling," I whispered a couple seconds before the bell sounded.

I pulled my wrist from his grasp and began walking in the direction of the school with him at my heels. Ichigo led us to our class as I loosened the tie around my neck in annoyance. This was not at all what I wanted to wear and I was half tempted to throw it somewhere if Ichigo hadn't turned to glare at me. "Don't do it," he said. "Put up with the tie for now since you're new."

I growled but left it alone after loosening it a little more when Ichigo wasn't looking. Once there, Ichigo and his friends took their seats as the teacher took it upon herself to introduce us all. She only made one mistake and that was calling Toshiro and me siblings because we had the same last name. I could see Toshiro about to correct her and I clapped a hand over his mouth.

"Trust me, it's probably for the best that the other humans think that we are related," I whispered in his ear. "It would be harder to explain that we were married without what humans refer to as a wedding band. Not only that, but they would ask us unnecessary questions about it. Just leave it be."

He didn't look very happy but nodded faintly, so I let go of him and we all sat down at available desks. Mine was right behind Ichigo's in the row nearest the window and to the left of Toshiro. The others were spread about the room and I didn't pay much attention as I began to stare out the window. I kept my focus on Ichigo and his missing spiritual pressure, trying to figure out how this could have happened and yet drawing a blank.

_I can still sense Zangetsu from within his mind,_ Tatsuya reported. _He has been driven to the depths of Ichigo's mind, but he is still there. I can speak with him if I try hard enough. Would you like for me to do that?_

_No, don't do that right now,_ I responded. _I have a plan that will force Ichigo's hand into telling me what happened that night. It will be put into action today and I can't risk Zangetsu ratting us out. He's protective of Ichigo, regardless of the fact that he is Ichigo's Inner Hollow as well._

_Very well. I will monitor the situation and report if anything changes._

"Imayru, is my lecture boring you?"

I looked from the window to see the teacher glaring slightly at me. "I was paying attention," I told her. That was actually the truth. She had been discussing some book that the class was about to read, one about a man trying his best to change his fate, only to discover that it was impossible for him.

"What do you think about the book before we read it?" she asked.

"Personally, I find it ridiculous," I said. "If he had truly wanted to change his fate, he would have tried much harder. When there is a will, there is a way."

The teacher gave me a smile. "Perhaps you were listening a bit after all," she said before going back to her lecture.

_You were thinking about us, weren't you?_ Tatsuya asked. _We've been changing our fates for years. We were fated to become monsters under Aizen's control, yet we found a way to become saviors instead. Then we were fated to die by his adoptive son's hand, but we gained our light back to change fate a second time. We are the masters of our fate and forever will be._

Jokingly, I asked, _What's going to happen when we discover a day where we can't stop fate?_

_Then we'll fight ever harder to beat it. We always do._

I happened to shift my gaze over at Toshiro, who was watching me carefully, almost as if he knew what I was thinking about just like Tatsuya. With a tiny smile, I sent light waves of warmth through the bond and observed the light shiver that passed through his body that was almost imperceptible before he turned back to listening to the teacher. I could already tell that it was going to be a very long day and sighed inwardly before doing the same.

Around lunchtime, I grabbed a bottle of juice and a turkey sandwich before heading up to the roof, the others down in the courtyard and discussing the first day of class so far. I figured that this would give me the perfect vantage point where I could sense anything coming our way or if something was lurking in the area. I did a quick sweep for any Arrancar presence in Karakura Town but came up empty right from the beginning. I next looked for any strange spiritual pressure, but couldn't find a thing. I really needed to find a way to enter Ichigo's memories to know for sure what I was looking for. Too bad that was quite impossible, even for Soul Reapers. With a sigh, I gave up on moping over something I couldn't control and pulled the plastic from the sandwich so I could eat my lunch. I thought that I would get some peace and quiet when I heard two sets of footsteps approaching from the stairs. I took a bite from the sandwich as I watched the surroundings around the school, already guessing who were coming up to see how I was doing.

"So this is where you disappeared to," Toshiro said from the door of the stairs. "Ichigo thought that you would be down in the courtyard with everyone else, but I knew you would look for higher ground to feel for foreign spiritual pressure."

"Don't sound so smug about being right," Ichigo said flatly.

"I'm always right when it comes to her," he said as he walked over to my side and I could see something in his hand as I turned to him. "You left so fast that you didn't even see the cookies and I know you have a sweet tooth. I don't know what these are called but Ichigo said that they were good."

"They're apple cinnamon. My mother used to make really good ones, better than the ones made here at school. Yuzu has almost perfected them."

I quickly ate the last of my sandwich and took the cookie from Toshiro's hand, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek in thanks before tearing off a small piece of the cookie and popping it in my mouth. "Oh, wow! That is really good! Try it, Shiro!" He noticed me bouncing slightly on my toes and tore off a piece to eat. After a couple seconds, I could see a delighted shine to his eyes and knew he liked it as well. "See, it was awesome!" I took a huge bite from the cookie and wandered off to the other side of the roof with a bounce to my step.

"What are you doing?" Ichigo asked in exasperation.

"It's what she does when she has anything sugary in her hands," Toshiro said and I could see a smirk on his face. "She prances about like a puppy that has a toy it doesn't want to share. Go ahead and try to take it from her."

Ichigo gave him a strange look before walking over in my direction. "Hand over the cookie, Imayru," he said with a grin as he got closer. When I growled threateningly at him, his grin got even wider. "Now, that's not very nice. Just give me a piece and I'll leave you alone."

When he got close enough, I gave him a devious grin and slammed him with a concentrated blast of spiritual pressure that sent only him to the concrete floor of the roof. I could hear Toshiro's amused chuckle as I mentally filed away this moment to think about later. It was way too easy to incapacitate him like that and it usually took a lot more. I was definitely certain that he couldn't access his Soul Reaper powers or he would have been able to withstand a little of my spiritual pressure.

"See what I mean?" Toshiro said, snapping me out of my thoughts. "You don't get between her and her sweet tooth.

"I can see that," Ichigo said as he got to his feet, the bell ringing soon after. "Won't be doing that a second time. Now let's get back to class." We followed after him as he led us back to class, regardless of my grumblings about not wanting to go.

* * *

><p>Hours later, we were finally out of school with a bunch of homework to do later. The sun was beginning to set and we were all at a park where we could finish that homework in peace. Toshiro finished it first while Ichigo and I completed it next, all three of us waiting for the others to hurry up. As I was watching the sun slowly going down, I heard a noise from in the forested part of the park. It was then that I sensed the presence of Arrancar. In fact, there were about six of them and all were Espada level. I was instantly standing and walking towards the trees as they all stepped into view. I could hear my friends standing up just as I picked a familiar face out of the group of Espada approaching. One of them was Ulquiorra Cifer and yet he wasn't the one leading the group. A blue haired Espada with deep blue eyes with green lines under them like the markings of a big cat was in the front, his gaze locked on me as he walked closer. The remnants of his Hollow mask consisted of the right side of his jawbone that stretched up just under his eye and it had sharp teeth bared in a grin of sorts. He was wearing the typical uniform for an Arrancar, except the jacket had its sleeves rolled up and it was opened to reveal his muscular chest. The Hollow hole was on his abdomen and I couldn't see the tattoo number. He stopped a few feet away from me as the rest of them fanned out around us.<p>

"Are you Captain Imayru Hitsugaya of Squad 5?" the blue haired Espada asked me.

"That depends on who is asking," I told him with a smug smile.

"I am Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, newly appointed Quinto Espada under the ruler of Hueco Mundo," he said. "We were sent here to assure your cooperation when we take you to Las Noches."

"You're not taking her anywhere," Toshiro told him. "If I remember correctly, we have a truce with the inhabitants of Las Noches. You aren't supposed to drag her back there. That's breaking the truce."

"From what I have been told," Grimmjow said, his eyes blazing angrily, "she broke it first. Now, I suggest you back up before I am forced to hurt you."

I didn't have enough time to swallow a soul candy so I forcibly exited my Gigai and grabbed Grimmjow by the throat. "Now now, where are your manners?" I asked him, squeezing his airway tighter with every word. "If you want someone to cooperate, you _definitely _don't threaten the people they care about. You are going to ask me nicely if I will come with you or I will snap your neck right here and now. Have I made myself clear?" He nodded quickly as his face began to turn blue from lack of oxygen and I quickly let him go, watching him hunch over and cough while trying to force the air back in his lungs.

With his eyes shining murderously, he gritted his teeth tightly before asking, "Would you _please_ be so kind as to accompany me to Las Noches and meet with our queen? There is a specific matter that we wish to clear up."

"Why, of course I will," I said with a gentle smile, reaching up to pat him on the cheek. "Lead the way, kitty." He looked livid about my attitude, but I could also tell that he was entertained by it, almost as if I was the first person to ever act so unafraid of him that I could treat him familiarly. Maybe because I had that smile on my face was the reason why I heard Toshiro groan in exasperation. I would have to ask him about it when I got back for sure. I looked back at him and said, "I promise I'll be back in less than a year this time."

"If things go well, she'll be back in about an hour," Grimmjow stated flatly, rolling his eyes. "We can't stand being around her for too long. Ulquiorra, will you do the honors?"

"Of course," the cold Espada said before forming a Garganta. "No worries, we also have orders to protect her should any Hollows get the idea in their heads that they need to kill her."

"I'd be more worried about the mayhem she could cause there if she wanted to," Ichigo said under his breath just before I hopped through the Garganta with the other Espada.

* * *

><p>From what I could tell, we were outside the throne room in an antechamber. To portray some semblance of control, Grimmjow grabbed me by the bicep and led me over to the large doors to the throne room. "Aww, kitty!" I exclaimed happily as the doors opened for us. "You're helping me walk like a proper gentleman? How sweet!"<p>

"Call me kitty one more time and I swear that I will run you through with my Zanpakuto!" he yelled.

"You will do no such thing," a feminine voice rang out authoritatively across the throne room. I looked up to see Tier Harribel sitting on an ornate throne at the end of the room. "We invited her here under the pretext that she would not be harmed. I fully intend to keep that the truth since she could easily destroy all of Las Noches with a snap of her fingers."

"So why did you request my valuable presence?" I asked her.

"Just as snarky as ever, I see," she said with disinterest. "I wish to question you over what your intentions were when you decided to sneak into Las Noches before I call off the truce for good."

"Wait, what? Until today, I hadn't been back here since my fight with Zayn Drabek. You could have asked Toshiro the same thing since we're practically together nonstop."

"About a week ago," she started saying, sitting up on her throne, "we sensed the presence of someone wandering around Las Noches. Every time we thought we pinpointed their location, it would disappear again and move to a different place. It was then that it disappeared altogether and we found the body of an Arrancar just before it turned to dust."

"This is going to sound crazy, but now I have a question," I told her. "Did you inspect the wound before the body disintegrated?"

"Yes, we did. There was only one wound and it was fatal. It looked as if it had been made by a huge blade, but we also know that you have a lot of power so we figured you could make those markings as well."

"Aside from that, was the fatal injury jagged?"

"It was."

"I thought so," I said. "Tier Harribel, you and I have a common enemy. A couple nights ago, Lieutenant Renji Abarai discovered Ichigo Kurosaki in an alley, bleeding out and close to death because of wounds that you just described finding on your Arrancar. I don't yet know the details about who this guy is, but from what Ichigo has told us so far this guy is stronger and faster than him. Our mystery guy is like nothing we've even heard about."

"Is he a Soul Reaper?" Tier asked me.

"We don't think so," I told her. "His weapon might be similar to a Zanpakuto, but it's definitely not one I've heard about. No one else has a Zanpakuto that big except for Ichigo."

"So, in other words, we should keep the truce and form a temporary alliance until this threat is eradicated."

"I think that would be the wisest decision."

Tier looked over at Grimmjow and Ulquiorra. "I want the two of you to go with her to the Human World. Assist her in any way she sees fit. Even though she is a Soul Reaper, I trust her judgment in this matter. I just want this guy crushed for the crime he has committed here. Congratulations, Imayru. Your spot as the Number One Enemy of Hueco Mundo has just been given to this man."

"Damn, I rather liked that title," I said sarcastically.

"I realize that," she said with a slight smile. "Kill this guy and you'll have it back. Oh, and do try to make sure that my Espada come back alive. I like those two."

"I'll do my best," I told her with a slight bow before turning to the two Espada in question. "Come on, kitty and batty. Time to go hunting."

"Did she just…?" Ulquiorra started to say before stopping his sentence.

"Yeah, she just referred to you as 'batty,'" Grimmjow sighed.

"I don't like it."

"No one does."

"Quit your whining," I told them. "Less talk, more walk."

"So eager," Grimmjow whispered to Ulquiorra. "If she wasn't a Soul Reaper, you would think that she was an Espada by how vicious she is."

"I'm starting to think that this is going to be a very long adventure. If we can call it that," Ulquiorra said before creating a Garganta. After walking through it, we ended up at the park we had left from, one that I thought was empty until I saw Toshiro sitting on a low branch from a tree. "Well, isn't that dedication. He waited for you to come back."

"If you had a heart, you might understand," Toshiro said stiffly to the Espada before looking to me. "Why are they still here, Imayru? What did Tier say?"

"She thought that I broke the truce by sneaking into Las Noches and killing an Arrancar," I explained. "However, from what she had said about the wounds to her dead Arrancar, I can surmise that the guy who nearly killed Ichigo was the one to blame. Since we agreed that we have a common enemy, she sent Grimmjow and Ulquiorra to assist us in this endeavor. By the way, they don't seem to like being called kitty and batty."

He sighed in vexation. "I stand to my statement that you have the weirdest way of making friends."

"Oh no, we are not friends," Grimmjow growled. "If she calls me kitty one more time, I'm killing her for good."

"No, you won't," Toshiro said confidently. "You would have tried already when you had the chance. You secretly like her enough that you don't mind her antics or her attitude problems."

"Hey! I don't have attitude problems!" I shouted. When he raised an eyebrow as he turned his gaze to mine, I sheepishly looked away. "Okay, maybe a little."

"Better," he said before turning to the Espada. "We'll need you to keep your distance for now until we inform the others about your involvement. We don't want them trying to kill you unnecessarily."

"Understood," Ulquiorra said. "We'll make ourselves scarce for now."

The air seemed to just shimmer before they both disappeared into the night. I was about to ask Toshiro where the others were when I saw Ichigo approaching. I told Toshiro to stay put as I stormed off towards the orange haired Soul Reaper, who was beginning to look wary of me. I flash stepped to him before he could move and slammed my fist into his jaw. He hissed in pain as his head whipped to the side, giving me the opportunity to grab him by the collar when he was about to fall to the ground and began to drag him through the park to the woods.

"Imayru, what are you doing?" he yelled, clutching a hand to his jaw as he tried to twist his body from my grasp.

"You and I are going to have ourselves a little chat," I said calmly, regardless of the anger coursing through my veins. "I'm sick of not knowing what happened that night. I've waited patiently for you to tell me on your own time, but it's getting to the point where I need to know the details now. I can't find this guy without it."

"Please don't make me go over it again," he whispered and I could see the wildness of fear in his eyes. "I'm trying to protect you and everyone else I care about."

"I am a captain," I told him before throwing him forward after reaching a point where no one could overhear us. He rolled on the ground a few feet before sitting up, watching me guardedly in case I tried to attack him again. "I don't know how many times I have to tell you that you can rely on me. You need to put aside whatever feelings you might have for me and trust me to help you."

He looked torn as he decided what to do next but finally nodded decisively. "I'll tell you. You have to promise me that you won't interrupt or tell anyone the story yet until I decide that it is time."

"I swear to you that I won't," I said softly. "Just tell me what happened."

"I had just sensed the presence of an Espada, the one who had been defeating my friends here," Ichigo said, his eyes still burning with a bit of fear. "I thought that if I hurried, I could make it to them and stop him. It was as I was taking an alley to get there quicker that I saw a figure in the shadows. I asked if he was the one hurting my friends but he stayed silent. I felt his spiritual pressure begin to escalate and the strangest thing was that it reminded me of yours. Sometimes, yours is as calm and warm as a campfire and other times it's as feral as a wild animal that can't be tamed. His was feral right from the start, almost as if it had been festering the entire time.

"It was already getting to the point where I couldn't breathe because of it and so I was forced to go into Bankai. I wanted to get the upper hand, so I flash stepped to him in an attempt to strike first. I didn't even see when he pulled that huge sword from some sort of binding on his back. What I did see was red smoke appear on his blade before he just disappeared. When I turned around, he was standing behind me with his blade outstretched, like he had just sliced it through me and that was finally when I felt agonizing pain. I don't know how he did it, but he cut me when he moved so fast that I couldn't see him. I heard him say something before I passed out, waking up in my body in the alley even though I had no idea how I had gotten there in the first place."

"Is the red smoke why I can't sense your spiritual pressure anymore?" I asked him. "It's almost like you're a normal human again, just with a Zanpakuto spirit sealed away deep in your mind."

"I can't even use my Soul Reaper powers," he whispered. "It's like there's a barrier that prevents me from accessing it."

I nodded and then focused on something else that had been bothering me. "You said that he spoke after defeating you. What did he say?"

"Imayru, no…" he whispered, the fear coming back as he gazed up at me. "Don't make me say it. You'll only be as on edge as I am."

"Ichigo, you have to trust me," I told him as I walked over to him. "I can handle it. I've dealt with much worse and came out all right."

I could see him shaking almost unnoticeably as he steeled himself for what he was about to say. "He only said one sentence before he disappeared. He said 'you are not the one we are looking for.'"

"Wait a minute," I said as a chill went down my spine. "Did you just say—"

"Yeah, I did," he cut me off, eyes looking feverish. "He said 'we.' That means that he isn't the only one. There are more just as strong and fast as him that we'll have to fight."


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey there, guys! I have come back with the latest chapter of the story. I already had it typed up during the time I didn't have internet and was waiting for the perfect time to post it. I think that now is acceptable. This chapter has to do more with giving hints about their plans for the mystery guy. Also, two of our favorite youngsters make an appearance with some delightful news. Anyway, I hope all of you enjoy it!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

I was a little surprised about the fact that my mind hadn't shut down from the shock of Ichigo's words. Instead, my thoughts were racing as I analyzed every detail that I had received so far. I knew this guy was fast and he had a strange ability with his blade, one that could suppress a person's Soul Reaper powers. He could also move so fast that not even Ichigo could see him move. This guy had to be strong and the one thing that bothered me was the fact that there was a good chance that he was a part of a group.

"You should have said something earlier, Ichigo," I told him sternly, pushing down the sudden urge to punch him a second time. "This was a very important detail that should have been shared right from the start."

"I'm sorry," he said softly, avoiding my gaze. He wouldn't say another word to me and I began to feel bad for the way I had treated him already. With a sigh, I sank to my knees in front of him as he watched me cautiously out of the corner of his eye. "What are you doing?"

"I'm sure your jaw hurts," I said. "I've got a wicked right hook. I'm going to heal it for you as an apology."

I lightly placed my hand on his jaw, a warm glow appearing around the palm of my hand as I healed him. He was still acting on edge around me, but I could understand why. I hurt him to get the answers I wanted, regardless of the fact that he didn't want to reveal what he knew just yet. When I was done healing him, the swelling going down and no longer looking bruised, I decided to do the one thing that was extremely rare for me. I moved closer and gave him a comforting hug, startling him just enough that he jumped in surprise.

"What are you doing now?" he asked nervously. "I don't want to be killed if Toshiro sees this."

"I'm hugging a good friend who looks like he needed one," I said kindly. "You've been through a lot already and I just wanted you to know that you're not alone. You've got friends that will help you in any way they can. If it makes you feel better, I have an idea about how to get this guy."

"How? He doesn't appear unless he wants to."

"He's gone after an Arrancar and now a human. He'll be coming after a Soul Reaper next and we'll be waiting for him."

"You're not going to use yourself as bait, are you?" he asked me suspiciously.

"Of course I am," I said with a grin. "All of us are going to give off enough spiritual pressure to draw him out. Then we'll find out what he's really made of."

"You're going to fight him," he whispered in disbelief.

"Fighting someone is the only true way to find out about them. I'll discover his secrets faster that way, especially since time is not something we have anymore. Tier Harribel is getting restless."

Just as I pulled away from him and stood up, I could feel a gateway open in the park. I could feel the presence of two new Soul Reapers and with a groan I realized who they were. I pulled Ichigo to his feet and led him back to where Toshiro was waiting. I could hear excited yells before there were two horrified gasps when we got closer. I saw two small shapes disappear behind trees and I sighed when I noticed them. Toshiro had a smirk on his face as he still sat on the branch, looking over at us as we approached him.

"Your kids are here," he told me. "Apparently, Head Captain Yamamoto had been bombarded by those two because they had something important to show you. He was rather impressed and decreed that you can babysit them. I'm sure they can be of some help and it would be a good training experience for them as well."

"Kids?" Ichigo asked incredulously. "You have kids?"

"Kind of," I said with a laugh. "They're my youngest trainees. Kitsune and Gingka, come on out and meet a friend of mine."

They peeked their heads out from behind their respective trees before hesitantly walking over to me. I saw them look a bit nervous and tried not to laugh at how sheepish they seemed over being here. I pointed at the dark haired one to tell Ichigo that he was Kitsune and the other was Gingka. Then I gave Ichigo a light shove so that he was standing before the two trainees and chuckled at the looks of skepticism they gave him.

"This is my good friend, Ichigo Kurosaki," I told them. "He's the Substitute Soul Reaper that I'm sure you've heard about."

"This guy is one of the Ryoka that invade the Soul Society two years ago?" Kitsune asked in disbelief before turning to Gingka. "Certainly doesn't look that strong to have beaten both Captains Zaraki and Kuchiki."

"Why, you—" Ichigo growled angrily before I cut him off.

"Don't you dare," I told him, glaring a little. "Try to harm them and I'll have to hurt you. Again, might I add."

"It's okay, Lady Imayru," Gingka said with a grin. "We can take him together if he tried. That's what we came here to tell you about!"

"Let's hear it," I told them, smiling a little.

"We've got our Shikai now!" Kitsune shouted excitedly, both of them starting to bounce on their toes.

"That's great, you two!" I exclaimed, clapping my hands once before beaming at them proudly. "Well, let's see them!"

Kitsune stepped forward and pulled his Zanpakuto from its sheath, giving me a cocky smile before yelling, "Tear the Sky, Gingitsune!" The Zanpakuto lengthened by a few inches and turned translucent, almost reminiscent of quartz. There was a long silvery ribbon that looked razor sharp and that looked like a fox tail. The hilt was silver and the guard was circular with a nine tailed fox emblem on it. Kitsune looked so proud of himself that I had to walk over and give him a quick hug.

"Silver Fox, huh?" I laughed. "That's the perfect Zanpakuto spirit for you."

"Thank you, Lady Imayru," he said with a nod of respect. "Your turn, Gingka!"

"Strike, Sutomuburinga!" His Zanpakuto shifted into the form of a lightning bolt, blade itself turning bronze. The hilt was white and light blue and the square guard had what looked to be a white horse with wings.

"Storm Bringer? Interesting spirit, indeed."

"Think you can beat us now, Lady Imayru?" Kitsune asked cheekily, Gingka grinning excitedly as well.

"Guess we'll just have to see," I told them as I reached up to grab Tatsuya by the hilt and pulled it free from the chain on my back. Pointing it at them, I yelled, "Blaze Brighter than the Stars, Tatsuya!" My Zanpakuto erupted into light and dark flames for a few seconds before revealing a black and silver falchion, a royal blue hilt and a silver fang-like guard, one fang curving up towards the hilt and the other towards the blade itself.

"Don't hurt them, Imayru," Toshiro said from his tree branch. "I actually like these two."

"I'll try to keep them safe," I said.

They gave each other confused looks for a split second before readying their stances, eyes blazing ecstatically as they realized that I wouldn't take things so easy with them. I was actually happy to be in a place with a strong limiter on me if I was going to fight these two. They ran at me as fast as they could and I held out my Zanpakuto to block both of their strikes, pushing them back a little before running at them instead. I slashed outward and forced them to dodge me, both of them looking slightly worried now but more determined than ever. They both tried to thrust their Zanpakuto at me and I jumped backwards with a flip, watching their grins get bigger when they thought that they had me on the ropes. I couldn't let them get too brash and so decided to put their fun to an end sooner rather than later, especially since we had things to do still. I still kept it fair and didn't flash step, but I picked up the ferocity of my attacks until they were forced to back away, which I took the chance to side step to their right when they tried to stab at me and held my Zanpakuto close to their necks. They gulped a little in distress and gave me a wide eyed look.

"Sorry, Kitsune and Gingka," I said to them. "I had to make it short. We're in the middle of a crisis and I have a few things to discuss with the task force that are here in the Human World with us. I am proud of you both for obtaining your Shikai."

"Imayru, remember your promise," I heard Ichigo say softly, turning around to see him practically pleading with his eyes. Toshiro looked a little confused and was staring blatantly at Ichigo, but there was nothing I could do right then.

_Are you going to tell Toshiro?_ Tatsuya asked indifferently and I felt him stretch lazily in my mind.

_No, I plan on letting him figure out on his own so that I won't actually break the promise I made to Ichigo,_ I told the dragon before speaking up to the orange haired Soul Reaper. "I won't break it. I promised not to reveal that secret and I have no intentions of going back on it."

He nodded before saying, "The others are currently at my place. My father is keeping them entertained until we get back."

I groaned. "Great, wonder how that's going."

"I'm not looking forward to it either. Anyway, let's head back now and save them. Just be prepared in case he plans an ambush."

"I'm always prepared for it when it comes to your father."

As we headed out of the park, Toshiro told me that Renji had taken my Gigai with him. That reminded me that I was going to need him to create two Gigai for my trainees. I told the others that I would meet up with them at Ichigo's house and if I left now, I could make it there by the time they did. I flash stepped away before Toshiro could say a word but I knew that he would have to stay to watch out for my trainees. By the time I made it to Kisuke's shop, he was already waiting for me out in the courtyard.

"Here again, I see," he said as he sat on the stoop. "What seems to be the news?"

"Well, we've discovered that the mystery guy has already struck in Hueco Mundo and killed an Arrancar, nearly leaving me with the blame," I told him, tapping a finger lightly against my jaw as I thought over everything that had happened so far. "Oh, and let's not forget that I now have formed a temporary alliance with the Espada Queen. We now have two Espada following me around, both of which are standing on the building behind me off in the distance and not doing a very good job at hiding like they are supposed to. They are supposed to be helping with stopping the mystery guy. So far, they don't approve of my nicknames for them."

"Who are they?"

"Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez and Ulquiorra Cifer. I refer to them as kitty and batty."

"Keep that up and you'll end up dead."

"Nah, they're cool with it," I told him, waving off his words. "Besides, they were warned not to cause any harm or allow anything bad to befall me so long as I do the same for them."

"Just be careful. I don't think you want to find yourself burned when you play with fire."

"Please, nothing can burn me," I said flatly before giving him a bright smile. "I came here for a purpose. I need two Gigai made up for two trainees of mine." I lifted my hand up with my palm down until I reached about the height near my ribs. "They're about this tall and really lean, like Toshiro had been a couple years ago. One has shaggy black hair that's kind of short with tawny-gold eyes and the other has short auburn colored hair a shade darker than Ichigo's with chocolate brown eyes."

"Bring them by tomorrow," Kisuke said, nodding decisively. "I can get the body aspect ready by then, but I need to see them in person to make the finishing touches. Now, please take the Espada away from my shop. It's bad for business."

I grinned and flash stepped away towards the building they were watching me from, appearing before them fast enough that they took a step back in surprise. "Hey, kitty," I said to Grimmjow, watching as his face turned red in anger. "I see you followed me. Being sneaky is not your strong suit and neither is it yours, batty."

When Grimmjow took a wrathful step towards me, Ulquiorra grabbed him by the collar and yanked him back. "We have orders to assist in any way possible and to guard you should you need it. We can't defend you if we are too far away. By the way, I am still opposed to that little nickname."

"Yet I didn't think I would be able to find you so easily," I sighed. "Right now, I am asking you not to follow me to Ichigo's place. They'll sense your spiritual pressure right off the bat and immediately assume that you are a threat. Wait until I can discuss things with them first before you can start following me this close again."

"Fine, but don't call me kitty again," Grimmjow growled before they both disappeared into thin air.

"As if that will happen," I huffed to myself before flash stepping away as well.

I made my way to Ichigo's place as quickly as possible, making it there in record time. I was a bit tired from all that had happened that day and wanted nothing more than to curl up in Toshiro's arms so I could fall asleep. As I walked inside the house, I saw a large shape fly through the air towards me. With a spinning kick to the shoulder that slammed him into the wall to the left, I looked down disinterestedly to see Isshin Kurosaki, who looked a bit dazed. I saw everyone come out from the dining room to see what the commotion was and noticed that Ichigo covered his mouth with a hand to stifle his laughter along with his sister, Karin. Toshiro was standing between him and Rangiku with my trainees in front of him, all of them shaking their heads in disbelief.

"It has been over a hundred years," I said wearisomely as Isshin slowly got to his feet. "Eventually, you will learn that it's not so easy to sneak up on me. In fact, it's damn near impossible."

"I'll get you one day," he said with a hopeful smile. "You're more fun to ambush than my own son!"

"I don't know if I should be happy or insulted about that," Ichigo said under his breath to Karin, who nodded in acknowledgement.

"Just let it go. He'll leave us alone for once if you do," she whispered to him.

"If I just _let_ you ambush me, will it be over with faster?" I groaned.

"It wouldn't be the same!" Isshin yelled. "I've been trying incessantly to sneak attack you ever since you'd slink into my Squad just to check up on Toshiro! Not once was I able to and I refuse to allow you to take pity upon me!"

"Wait a minute, what did he just say?" Toshiro asked, looking over at Rangiku.

"You didn't know, Captain?" she questioned incredulously. "You would always ask about why he was covered in bruises whenever you saw him and yet you didn't figure out what happened?"

"I just figured that some woman he was interested in was fending off his advances and I was proud of that woman for doing so," he said to his lieutenant.

"Well, you're half right," Rangiku sighed. "It was during the time where you and Imayru wouldn't speak to each other after that bad fight. She started spying on you from different places in our Squad so that she knew how you were doing and that was how I caught her one day. I didn't say anything but she sensed me coming, telling me to keep it a secret from you. I told the captain and he said that he was going to scare her, discovering quickly that it was going to be a failure right from the start. This inspired him to be even more persistent until he started the sneak attacks. She started kicking his ass whenever she slinked into the Squad and that's why he would always be seen with bruises."

"Why didn't I know about this?" he asked.

"Because you're oblivious," I yelled over to him. "Can I sneak into the kitchen and get some food? I'm starving."

Yuzu gave me a bright smile. "We had just finished cooking five minutes ago and were just about to start eating! You're welcome to eat with us!"

"Alright, I will!"

We all heading into the dining room, Ichigo walking over to his father and dragging him after us so he wouldn't try another sneak attack, and saw all of the food set out for us. I barely even paid much attention for what was there, instead just grabbing a bowl of food and walking out of the way so that everyone else could get their own. I ate what food I had quickly before going back for more, finally noticing the strange looks I was being given for going for seconds.

"What?" I asked, forcing myself to not take another bite yet.

"You usually eat like a bird," Rukia said. "You would always take small portions in case you had to run out for some reason."

"No reason to run out right now," I told her before walking off. "I'm starving!"

"It's because we have two Espada observing the area right now," Toshiro said after swallowing a bite of noodles.

Silence fell like a shroud over the group and I groaned inwardly. This was not how I had planned revealing their presence to them. I looked over at my husband as saw the sneaky look in his turquoise eyes and knew he had planned on doing that the entire time. Most of them just looked shocked, but Isshin had a grim expression on his face. I knew he was about to protest but Ichigo tapped him on the shoulder, shaking his head slightly.

"What does he mean by that?" Ikkaku asked, turning his harsh gaze to mine.

"Tier Harribel, the ruler of Hueco Mundo, has made the decision to form a temporary alliance with us until we can neutralize this threat," I explained. "We have Grimmjow and Ulquiorra here in the Human World and they are going to be assisting us for now."

"In other words, the faster we stop this guy, the faster they can leave," Ikkaku growled. "I don't like the thought of working with the Espada."

"The enemy of your enemy is your friend," Yumichika said softly, making Ikkaku grumble under his breath.

"Still don't have to like it…"

"Deal with it," I said with a sigh. "We all have to do things that are hard and there is no sense in whining about it. Let's focus on finding the guy."

"Why are the kids here?" Rukia asked curiously. Kitsune and Gingka glared at her and she said, "Don't give me that look. I don't mind you being here, I was just curious if there was some ulterior motive behind it."

"They begged the Head Captain to let them come to the Human World to show me their latest accomplishment," I told her. "Now, they're here to get a little experience and we are all going to watch out for them while they are here. I don't want them to get hurt."

"But, Lady Imayru, we're strong!" Kitsune protested.

"That might be true, but the guy we are dealing with could be as strong as a captain, if not even stronger than that. We need to be very careful when dealing with him. If you get injured because of him, there will be hell to pay. By the way, I need to take you both someplace to get your Gigai adjusted. You can't stay here the entire time without one. Trust me, you don't want to be like me that much."

They grinned a little to themselves before going back to eating quietly. Any other attempts at talking to me were met by silence as I did the same, hopping up on the counter where there was some free space and eating in peace. Toshiro and Ichigo came over to stand at my side, both of them watching the other and making me wonder what was going on. I had a feeling that Toshiro was suspicious of him after we had our talk in the woods, so I sent an ember of warmth over through the bond and saw some of the tension ease. He edged closer to me inconspicuously so that my leg was brushing against his side.

"What were you two discussing in the woods?" he finally asked, narrowing his eyes at Ichigo even though he was mostly addressing me.

"It's up to Ichigo to talk about it now. I promised not to say a word to anyone until he felt it was time."

"It's about what happened to you that night, isn't it, Ichigo."

"That's right," he said stiffly. "Imayru is lucky that I told her in the first place. I really didn't want to at all, but after being punched in the jaw I changed my mind."

"So what happened?"

"I'm not talking about it right now."

"Can we not start a fight with me in the middle?" I asked after swallowing a bite of my own noodles. "I'm right here, you two, and I don't want to get involved."

They completely ignored me and went straight to glaring at each other. I gulped down my food so I could focus more on that and not on the tension in the air around me. They both looked very confrontational when I glanced up every so often, but it also seemed as if they were waiting for me to settle it for them since they didn't say a word. I grumbled inwardly to myself before finishing up the last of my dinner, gazing over at them cautiously in case the whole thing exploded around me.

"Are you going to stop staring each other down any time soon?" I asked curiously, setting the bowl next to me. I could see that the others were observing the whole thing and I couldn't say that I blamed them for doing so. Something told me that this was going to be a sight to see.

"Not a chance," they both said simultaneously.

"Are you going to stop being angry with each other?"

"No," they said.

I paused a little as I thought about my words, a devious grin slowly forming on my face. "You know what you two should do?" I stated, watching as both of them turned their heads to look at me. "You should just kiss and make up. It will solve all of your problems."

"Hell no!" Ichigo yelled at the same time that Toshiro said, "Absolutely not."

I heard a few people snickering to themselves and I forced myself not to see who it was just yet, opting to torment the two in front of me for a little while longer. "Fine then. Just hug it out. Make amends."

"Not happening," they said, Toshiro shaking his head and Ichigo crossing his arms.

"I won't allow you to leave until you do."

"What are you going to do about it?" Ichigo said incredulously.

"You really shouldn't ask her that," Toshiro said, sighing a little. "She can probably find a way."

"Do you really want to hug me though?"

"Not at all. I'm just saying that you should taunt her like that," he said just as I snapped my fingers, a column of white fire swirling around us and keeping us in that space. The fire wouldn't burn anything I wouldn't want it to and before long it became invisible except for what touched the floor.

"Now hug and say you won't be so cranky with the other," I said, placing my hands behind me on the counter for support and leaned back with a grin, lightly kicking my feet a little while they dangled off the counter.

"Never," they said simultaneously, both of them using different levels of derision when they spoke.

"Guess you're never going to leave from here then," I said with a shrug before looking over at Rangiku. "Hey, toss me a bread roll!"

"You got it!" she said, her grin already wide at Ichigo and Toshiro's expense. She threw me one that burst into flames once it passed through the barrier and I caught it easily, the fire disappearing into my skin and leaving the roll only toasted. As I took a big bite, Rangiku said, "Guess you know that the barrier works! I doubt you'll get out of there anytime soon unless you just do as she says."

They looked at me in exasperation, slight amounts of misery in their expressions at being forced into this, and it only sent my glee over the situation ever higher. I hopped down beside them after setting the roll down on the counter and threw my arms around their shoulders. "Come on, I'll even be a part of the hug if it will make you feel better! Let's get it over with so you can go off somewhere on your own and curse my existence in your own time."

"I can settle with that," Toshiro mumbled under his breath.

"I'd rather just hug you and not him as well, but I'll put up with it," Ichigo grumbled.

Before either of them could say another word, I pulled them closer together in a hug, both of them immediately wrapping an arm around my waist and hesitantly smacking each other on the shoulder with the other. When I growled threateningly over their guy version of a hug, they quickly hugged in a way that was more appropriate before letting go as if an electrical current was passed through them. They at least stopped glaring, so it was a start. As I let go, Toshiro growled softly and pulled me close to his side, yanking Ichigo's arm off of me in the process and glaring at him once more. I tilted my head back in frustration, shaking my head and staring up at the ceiling for a few seconds before looking at Ichigo.

"I thought I told you a while ago that you shouldn't hit on a married woman," Karin called over to Ichigo, who immediately became flushed in embarrassment.

"I am not hitting on her!" he yelled to his sister when he turned to face her, who was snickering to herself.

"From what I've heard so far, you have been!"

"Let's go," Toshiro whispered in my ear. "There's something we should talk about."

"Can I bring my partially eaten roll?" I asked, chuckling when I saw a look of annoyance pass over his face.

"Yes, you can bring it," he said, sounding slightly irritated as he grabbed me by the wrist after I picked up my roll, leading me away while everyone was arguing about Ichigo. He took me up the stairs to what would be the room we were staying in and led me over to my Gigai. With a dejected sigh, I jumped back into it, barely even having long to adjust to being back inside one when Toshiro led me to the window. After opening it, he led me out onto the roof and jumped up onto the higher portion of the house itself with me in tow.

_What do you think he's up to?_ Tatsuya asked curiously.

_If it doesn't have to do with what Ichigo discussed with me at some point, I will be extremely disappointed with him_, I told him with a chuckle. _Aside from that, I don't have a clue._

I felt him tug on my arm, realizing that he had already sat down on the roof and wanted me to do the same. "You always zone out a lot," he said softly. "Is it because you're talking to Tatsuya during those times?"

"That's right," I told him, sitting down beside him.

"So what are you planning for tomorrow?" he asked me, getting right to the point.

"Well, I'm obviously taking Kitsune and Gingka to Kisuke's shop later. While they're busy with that, I'm going to wander around Karakura Town in search of the mystery guy's reiatsu. So long as I can find something similar to my own that's feral in nature like mine, even if there is only trace amounts of it left, I can track him down."

"Don't try to hunt him, not while we're all in school," he said. "If you want to search for faint amounts of reiatsu, that's perfectly fine. I just want you to wait until we are all there and ready to help should you need it. Stick to our plan."

"Fine then," I sighed in mock exasperation, laughing a little when he pulled me close.

We stayed like that for the longest time until we decided to head down from the roof to our room. With my head on his chest, I fell asleep with ease, thankful for Toshiro always being there for me and keeping my nightmares at bay.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello, dear readers! I am back with another chapter! This is an exciting one and here is a hint as to why... It has to do with the mystery guy! I hope you enjoy this chapter because things are beginning to get exciting for sure!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

In the morning, we parted ways and I took my trainees to Kisuke's shop. They looked a little nervous as I led them along, wringing their hands in anxiety whenever they thought I wasn't looking. The poor things didn't know what to expect with Kisuke and I shook my head with a vague smile. I wasn't going to tell them about his eccentricity quite yet, especially since that would only make them even more nervous. I just gave them a comforting smile that seemed to ease some of their apprehension before we arrived.

After rounding the corner that led into the courtyard outside of Kisuke's shop, they both seemed to move nearer to each other as they walked close to my back. I could see Kisuke sitting on the stoop outside the door, legs crossed and his cane standing straight in front of him. He looked up at me, his eyes shrouded in shadows from his hat, and gave me a grin. He didn't look at the kids yet so they wouldn't be too fearful.

"Hey, Imayru," he said to me. "Good to see that you were true to your word."

"Of course," I huffed. "I don't break my word for anyone."

"Are those the trainees you were talking about?" he asked, finally leaning to the side to look past me at the two kids.

"Yep, these are those kids," I said, reaching my arms back to wrap them around their necks and pull them forward. They made noises of protest and I could notice how pale they seemed. Poor kids were looking close to panic. "Kitsune and Gingka, meet Kisuke Urahara. He's the former captain of Squad 12."

"No way!" they exclaimed simultaneously, both sounding excited as their eyes lit up with joy.

"They don't look so scared now," Kisuke chuckled. "The way they were staring at me before made me almost wonder if I had suddenly turned into a Hollow."

"Sorry, Mr. Urahara," Gingka said apologetically. "We didn't mean to be rude."

"It's alright," he told them. "Why don't you two head inside? I can give you a short tour of the place before we get started on your Gigai."

As soon as they were out of earshot, I said, "Make sure they stay safe while I'm gone. I have a few things to attend to first and I can't worry about them getting hurt if they tag along."

"Understood. Are you laying the trail for the mystery guy?"

"That's exactly it," I confirmed. "As soon as I can find his spiritual pressure, I'll force him to come to me on my terms."

"Are you so sure this will play out as you want it to?"

"I've already accommodated changes into the plan. I know that whenever someone comes up with a concrete idea, they have to figure in for deviation because nothing ever works out exactly the way you want it to."

"Well, at least you're keeping that in mind," he said before making shooing motions. "Now get out of here and go find the guy."

I nodded and turned around, walking back across the courtyard and out to the sidewalk near the main street. I had a sudden realization and checked the time on the cell phone that was given to me for my Gigai. I still had time to call Ichigo before school started. I found his number that had already been programmed in, along with everyone else's cell phone, and dialed the number. It rang for a few seconds before I heard a distinctive click and the noise of chatter in the background.

"Yo," was all Ichigo said, making me roll my eyes in annoyance.

"I have an important question for you and I need you to think very carefully before you answer," I said clearly.

"Who's calling?" I heard the muffled voice of Rukia ask.

"Hold on," Ichigo said before I heard a small beep. "It's Imayru. She's on speaker phone now so everyone can hear. What's your question, Imayru?"

"Where is this alley that you were attacked in? I'm going to see if there are trace amounts of our mystery guy's reiatsu left in the area."

"Umm… I'm not one hundred percent sure. Some of the details about that are fuzzy."

"I know in general where it is," Renji spoke up over the phone. "Ichigo, if I give you that much, could you figure out where it is from it?"

"I can try. Go for it and I'll see if I can figure it out."

"Let's see…" Renji said slowly as he recalled the details. "There was a station of some sort for a train, I think… The buildings in that area look high tech and the ones further beyond that look shabby… And there was a weird park with strange art work in between the two."

"I know where you're talking about now," Ichigo quickly exclaimed. "That's the Kanjin Park. It's between the downtown area and the Shoden area. There should be a large alley on the north side of the park and it almost looks as if it separates the areas. That was where I saw the guy."

"Alright, I know where that's at," I said.

"… You do?" Ichigo asked dubiously.

"Ichigo, I have lived here for a hundred years leading a task force. I am pretty sure I know where everything is situated. In fact, I know more about this place than you do."

"Ouch, that has to hurt…" Rangiku muttered under her breath.

"Are you going to go now or come back to school?" Ichigo asked, ignoring Rangiku's comments.

"I figure that it's as good a time as any to go hunting," I said with a smirk as I turned towards the east for a block. "It's daytime. This guy likes attacking under the cover of night. Even if I find him, he won't be able to do a thing to me. I also have a feeling that he stalks his prey for a few days before finally confronting them. We'll still have time to come up with a way to get him on our turf."

"Imayru," Toshiro's voice could be heard and I immediately stopped walking. I could feel through our bond that he was feeling a little uneasy about letting me go off on my own so I sent a peaceful ember of light through. I heard his light sigh before he said, "Just stay safe. That's all I can ask."

"Don't worry," I said softly. "I won't do anything excessive that will get me into trouble. Bye, guys. See you later, Shiro."

I hit the end call button before shoving the phone into my pocket. Due to the fact that I didn't plan on going to school today, I was wearing skinny jeans and a royal blue tank top that showed a strip of skin on my stomach. I was glad that I looked just the right age to be taken either as an adult or a school student. I pulled my hair free from the dragon scale clips and shoved them down into my knee high black boots. Some of my long hair draped down over my chest and the rest hung down my back, some of it short enough to frame my face and my bangs hanging down over my left eye a bit.

No one looked my way once and if they had, I would have made them regret it except for when I reached the downtown area. I was about to head towards Kanjin Park when I heard a few catcalls from a nearby bar. I didn't know why there was one in this area, but I didn't question it as I was put on high alert when I saw a group of guys approach me. I always figured that these things happened because of how dark my eyes were, but Rangiku once pointed out my mistake that guys like these only cared about a girl's body. All of them smelled of alcohol from where I was standing and had an evil little look about them.

"Hey, honey," the obvious leader of the group said as they surrounded me. I could see the people walking down the street avoiding us nervously. I noticed a band around their arms that was orange with a strange insignia and decided that these guys had to be a gang. "Aren't you a smoking hot little thing?"

"Something like that," I said under my breath, slightly amused by how true that was. My body temperature ran higher than a normal human, but I knew he was referring to my looks.

"Want to party with us? You could definitely spice things up," another one said before reaching a hand out in a misadvised attempt to stroke my cheek with his fingertips.

"Touch me and I break your arm," I said calmly, noticing them all stiffen slightly before they laughed it off.

"Such a fragile creature could never pull such a thing off," yet another said before attempting to grab me by the arm. Instead, I grabbed his before he could react and slammed my knee upwards near his elbow, a sickening crack resounding through the area before the man howled in agony.

"I warned you," I stated simply with a shrug. "So… who's next?"

Next thing I knew, the others tried to jump at me all at once. I rolled my eyes and side stepped to the right, forcing them all to hit each other and collapse on the ground. As they groaned in pain, I walked away leisurely towards the park, whistling a tune to myself after shoving my hands in my pockets. They wouldn't be messing with me for a while and that was just fine with me. I didn't want to fight with humans if I could avoid it since they were so fragile themselves. _Good thing Shiro wasn't there to see it,_ I thought to myself. _He'd probably fight them with everything he's got after what they tried to do and for the way they leered at me. Then we'd never find the mystery guy in time._

_True, but it shows he cares,_ Tatsuya spoke. _At least he worries about you. He even told you to stay safe. That shows his level of trust in your judgment._

_You always know the perfect things to say,_ I told him with a grin. _Guess that's why you and I are so wonderful together._

I had already passed through the park and was now standing at its edge, looking out from the sidewalk to see the alley that Renji and Ichigo talked about. I could see a green dumpster near the road and everything beyond that was shadowy. Checking for traffic, I ran across the road and into the alley, my eyes adapting to the dark in seconds so that I could see everything perfectly in the shadows. I walked in further until I reached a spot on the concrete that was stained with a dark color. I could sense the faint reiatsu from it belonging to Ichigo and looked for more, hoping that Ichigo had managed to nick the mystery guy somehow. I took a few steps forward when I felt something strange. It was astounding how wild it was, but it felt nothing like my feral reiatsu. If anything, it felt… almost out of control from panic. I couldn't understand how that could be if he seemed so calm fighting Ichigo. I could only catch trace amounts of this foreign reiatsu, which was a deep red, but it was enough for me to follow it.

I walked at a steady pace along the alley until it opened up into two different directions, one heading back towards the downtown area and the other for the Shoden area. The reiatsu turned right towards Shoden and I followed it easily until the alley revealed a road after I stepped out of it. This place was beginning to remind me of the Rukon Districts from how dilapidated the buildings looked. I shook my head a little as I noticed the reiatsu I was following happened to be everywhere now. I knew he had to reside in this area and happened upon a huge building that looked like a warehouse fashioned into a house. The reiatsu stopped here and I looked up at a window on the second floor.

There was a man completely dressed in dark clothing standing in the window, his face turned towards something in the room with him that must have been talking with him when he finally faced the window. I saw his body straighten as his gaze locked onto me and a grin that was more like a smirk formed on my face, showing one of my fangs in the process. Finally, I knew where this guy was. If I wanted, I could end it right then and there. I think he knew that as well since what skin I could see on his face from under his hood turned extremely pale before it went red with rage. I gave him a mocking wave that had him slamming his fist into the glass, not hard enough to break it but enough for me to hear the thump it made. We both knew that I could have observed the place from the shadows and never let him know I was there. The fact that I did this proved that I was sneaky and not afraid of him, which only would serve to infuriate him and that was part of the plan.

Now he knew that he had a problem on his hands and I felt a spike in spiritual pressure that was meant to send me to the ground. I barely even felt it and all it did was make my grin wider. It only made his anger worse since I wouldn't give him any other response. I could tell from the look in his eyes now that I had him right where I wanted him. He would definitely target me after this show of contempt and that was exactly what I wanted. I turned around and headed the way I came, waving a quick goodbye as I did so that would only aggravate him.

"See you soon, mystery guy," I said to myself. "Then we'll see what you're _really_ made of."

* * *

><p>I thought school would never let out soon enough. As a captain, especially one as esteemed as one from Squad 10, I wanted nothing to do with any sort of academic setting ever again. I already had too many bad memories of that sort of thing and the only reason I stayed sane was thanks to Imayru. She would always find some way to at least make me smile, no matter if she was actually trying or not. I could always safely say that she was my one light in the darkness.<p>

Even though I didn't want to wait for her to return, instead wanting to try to find her, I went with everyone else to Urahara's shop. Kitsune and Gingka were outside in the courtyard, both looking rather uncomfortable in their newly formed Gigai as Urahara made them sweep the porch with a broom. I knew it was to get them used to a new human body but they had looks of total concentration on their faces and I wanted to laugh, managing to suppress it just as I heard a few noises from the others. I turned around to see Imayru walking calmly around the corner and into the courtyard. She gave us a bright smile and a wave as she approached, so she must have been pleased about something.

Before any of us could question her, she had a strange shine to her eyes before she said, "I found him. It wasn't easy, but I found him."

Everyone was forced into a stunned silence from her words, leaving only me to speak up. "Where did you locate him?"

"He was over in the Shoden area, but I'm sure he's moved to some other place since his location was compromised. He looked extremely angry after everything I did. He'll be stalking me for a few days before he confronts me."

Now the silence was filled with tension as I felt myself getting angry, the temperature quickly dropping and ice forming on the ground around me. "That wasn't part of the plan," I said through gritted teeth. "You assured me last night that you would only find him, not instigate a fight. Now you've got him angry enough that he's going to be hunting you like you did to him?"

"Now, wait a minute, Shiro," she said, not looking uneasy at all while the others did. "This guy wouldn't have gone with our old plan. If we had stuck with it, we would have looked like fools. The only way to make that guy serious is to show him he's not as good as he thinks. He'll get mad and take the bait, which is exactly what we want."

"But what if he decides to take down everyone you associate with?" I growled.

"He won't."

"How do you know?"

"I get the feeling that he possesses some sense of honor. Since I'm the one that taunted him, he won't be fighting anyone else."

We had a bit of a stare off, only breaking it off when Grimmjow appeared a few feet away from her. "Girly, what did you do?" he growled at her, his blue eyes blazing angrily.

I saw a strange expression pass over her face before she turned to the Espada. "Just to clarify, did you just call me 'girly'?"

"If you can get away with calling me kitty, I'm going to call you girly. Deal with it," he said before changing the subject. "What did you do today?"

"Went on an excursion to find our mystery guy and succeeded," she said with a smirk.

There was something very wrong here. Almost as if time had stopped, I just knew that something was going on with Imayru, even if she didn't know it herself. This wasn't like her to be so arrogant. I could feel a chill sliding down my spine before a hand clamped down on my shoulder. I turned my head to see Ichigo, who seemed to have the same distressed expression that was similar to what I was feeling._ I guess I'm not the only one who senses this and is worried,_ I thought to myself before Imayru turned to face me with a curious expression.

"What's wrong?" she asked, sounding back to normal.

"It's nothing," I said while shaking my head. "I was just thinking. That's all."

"Don't you think it was stupid for her to do this alone?" Grimmjow yelled. "She went off on her own to hunt that guy down! What if he had decided to kill her?!"

"She would have been able to take care of herself until I got there," I assured him before looking to my wife. "However, what I do disagree over is the fact that you confronted that guy. You should have had one person waiting in the shadows if the worst case scenario occurred. That was extremely reckless of you."

I watched as the fight seemed to just leave her and she gave me a quick nod of understanding before walking away towards the shop. Once she was out of earshot, I said, "Grimmjow, stay with her until I get there. After that little stunt she pulled today, she's no longer allowed to be alone until we've beat the mystery guy. We don't want him to take advantage of any opportunity that presents itself unless it's one we've made ourselves to place us on top of the situation."

Everyone made noises of agreement before scattering, Grimmjow actually listening to me and chasing after Imayru. I turned to Ichigo, who had stood next to me the entire time, and said, "You can sense it, too, can't you?"

"She's been acting strange lately," he said softly. "She's always been a little violent, but it's starting to get out of hand. I mean, she punched me and looked like she might do it a second time if I didn't give her the answers she wanted about the details of my fight with the mystery guy."

"Everything has been changing ever since she started watching the sunsets and sunrises. Somehow, these are all connected. There has to be some reason behind all of this that we just aren't seeing yet."

"I don't think she even knows that this is happening with her," Ichigo said. "She's oblivious to the changes."

"We need to make sure that this doesn't escalate further," I stated. "I don't want her to get worse. It's gone on long enough."

* * *

><p>I still was in shock at Toshiro's words, enough so that I hadn't moved or spoken since I first sat down in one of the many rooms in Kisuke's shop. I barely even noticed when Grimmjow walked in the room, no doubt sent by Toshiro to keep an eye on me until he got there. I figured that he'd be happy that I came so close to our goal. We wanted this guy to come to us and that was what I was setting up. Instead, he was angry about the risk I took. I couldn't exactly say that I blamed him, but I was a captain. I could take such risks because I was strong enough to do it, regardless of the strong limiter on me.<p>

I heard the noise of the door sliding open and looked up to see Toshiro entering the room. Finally, the shock wore off just enough that I felt a little grumpy and glared a little at him. "So this is where you went to hide," he said softly before walking over to sit in front of me on the floor.

"I wanted to be alone," I said simply, turning my head to avoid looking at him. "I see that didn't happen since you sent the kitty after me."

Grimmjow completely ignored my nickname for him and said, "She's been expressionless the entire time I've been here until you came in. Then she's as grumpy as a cat left out in the pouring rain."

"You even talk about cats and yet you wonder why I call you kitty," I grumbled.

"I came in here for a reason, as did he," Toshiro said. "Until this guy is taken care of, I don't want you alone. Not only that, but I don't want to be anywhere that I am not. I want to make sure that I can watch your back for you, so I'm going to do something that will surely anger you."

I saw him close his eyes and mutter something under his breath before a ring of rainbow light appeared around his left wrist. A string of that light stretched out like a tether before wrapping around my right wrist securely. I groaned a little when I realized what was going on, knowing I couldn't do anything to stop him as the rainbow light turned into a silvery metal. The tether between the two silver rings looked like a chain keeping them together. Toshiro had just cast a kido spell on me that was impossible for anyone but him to break. It was one of the forbidden kido spells for a reason. The chain could stretch as far or as short as Toshiro wanted and only the two of us could touch it, but the others could unfortunately see it as clear as day.

"You've _got_ to be kidding me…" I growled, attempting to pull the cuff off of my wrist in a feeble try for freedom.

"What did you just do?" Grimmjow asked curiously.

"It's a forbidden kido spell that will keep her tethered to me for as long as needed," Toshiro informed him. "I can shorten the chain and keep her close by so she can't wander. Just like this."

With a clink, the chain yanked me forward until I fell into Toshiro's arms, our connected wrists touching as he wrapped his free arm around my waist to steady me. Tatsuya and I were both angry at that point and I could feel the blood pounding in my head as everything went red. I could feel my fangs lengthening and it surprised me a little, enough so that I leapt back as far as I could until our arms were stretched out. I was shivering a little when I realized that the feeling I hadn't had in a very long time was back, the one where I wanted to bite the first person nearby and drink their blood. My own blood was burning in my veins and I was beginning to get frightened, so I lifted my free hand so I could gaze at it. I was unsure about if I should just bite my hand or force the feeling down, but that wasn't for me to decide as Toshiro grabbed my wrist and yanked me onto his lap.

"Get out of here, Espada," Toshiro said quickly. "We need a bit of privacy." Grimmjow looked confused, but he did as he was told with no questions asked. Toshiro grabbed me by the chin and tilted my head back just enough so that our eyes met. "Your irises have turned red and you are shaking. I told you before that if this situation arrived again, you could bite me and drink as much as you need to make the feeling go away. I don't even feel it anymore."

"No, I won't!" I yelped, trying to escape but he wouldn't let me.

"The faster you just bite me, the quicker it will be over with," he told me earnestly. "I know you hate it, but it just has to be done."

With a light whimper, I leaned closer to his neck and gently bit down so I wouldn't hurt him. He didn't flinch or make a sound so I tried to make it quick. The moment I had taken the edge off so he couldn't protest, I pulled away and sank my fangs into my hand before moving away so he could grab me again. He tried his best to stop me but I kept dodging his advances until I drank enough so I felt stable once more. _What… is going on with me?_ I thought to myself, feeling horrified at what had just happened.

I pulled my fangs free and used healing kido on my hand. Next, I moved over to Toshiro, who was expressionless, and quickly did the same for him. His fierce gaze was locked on me the entire time, which only succeeded in making me apprehensive. Even though his face was blank, I could feel the anger through the bond. I was getting even more nervous and my hand began to shake, Toshiro grabbing it when I was finished healing him.

"Just so you know, I realize why you did that," he said quietly as his eyes softened. "I may not like it, but I understand."

He stood up and pulled me along with him, making me grumble the entire time but he at least lengthened the chain a little. I noticed that he was looking paler than normal and before he could force us to leave the room, I walked over to him and leaned my forehead against his back between his shoulder blades. "What's going on with me, Shiro?" I whispered in a pained voice. "First, I get overly aggressive with people and now I bite you. I haven't done that in two years…"

"Don't worry," he said gently. "I'll be here to help you figure it out. I won't let anything else like that happen to you."

"Thank you," I told him, wrapping my arms around him from behind and hugging him. He lightly stroked the top of my hand with his fingertips before I let him go and we both left the room.

As we walked down the hall, he shortened the chain keeping us together so it wouldn't drag on the ground. After that, we headed towards the room where the smell of food was coming from and I sighed as my stomach growled. I hadn't eaten all day and my Gigai was not happy with that. I could see a tiny smile on Toshiro's face before he pulled me closer with a tug of his arm and we both entered the room. Food was set out on the table and I tried running over to it when Toshiro stopped in the door way, forcing me to have to stop a few feet away from him. When I growled at him, everyone looked up at us and noticed the kido keeping us together.

"Well, this is certainly going to be an interesting situation," Ichigo said, more to himself than to anyone else.

"Captain, is there a particular reason why you've used a forbidden kido on your wife?" Rangiku asked him.

"Yes, there is," he stated simply. "It's to keep my errant wife close by so I won't have to worry about her sneaking off somewhere and getting ambushed by the mystery guy. I wish I had thought of this years ago. Then neither Aizen nor Zayn could have attacked her."

"If you don't move towards the table with all the food on it, I'm seriously going to contemplate gnawing my hand off," I grumbled to him.

He gave me an amused smile. "That still wouldn't help you much. It would still be attached to your arm."

I groaned in exasperation but I started tugging on the kido connecting us until he finally moved in the direction I wanted. We moved over to the table and I plopped down in front of the food. The rest of the night was spent discussing plans for what to do next. It was decided that we would wait for a few days to see if this guy really did start stalking me and if so we would force him to come out. We would all go to a secluded area and wait for him to appear. Since I liked it and didn't really have a choice either way, I nodded in agreement and we started talking about trivial things until we turned in for the night.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello, dearest readers! This chapter is pretty much a fluff piece that leads up to the excitement. It's a school setting for most of it until close to the end. After that, all hell breaks loose in the next chapter, which I'm sure you're all waiting for. But let's focus on this one for now. In this chapter, all of the characters just try to play it cool while the mystery guy stalks them, trying to find a weakness to exploit. Let us see if he manages to find one. Enjoy the latest chapter! **

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

The next day, we all made our way to school, except for Gingka and Kitsune. I dropped them off at Kisuke's shop with Toshiro and we both headed back in the direction of Karakura High School. He kept the kido short enough so that he could brush the back of his hand against mine. He always did have a thing for constant contact after the time he thought I was dead. Ever since then, he would do little things to feel my warmth and remind himself that I was still here. It was more of an absentminded habit, one that I never minded since I liked it.

"You don't sense the mystery guy yet, do you?" Toshiro asked quietly so that only I could hear him.

"No, he's not following me yet," I told him. "If he was getting remotely close, I would be able to tell. I'll let you know when I feel him getting close."

He nodded and we carried on walking in silence. I could feel that he was still apprehensive about me being the bait and so I reached over to take his hand in mine. Then I walked a little closer so I could rest my head against his shoulder for a little while. The moment we reached the corner that we wound need to turn right on so we could be at the school, I pulled away from him and slid my hand from his. I gave him an apologetic look and he shrugged as we carried on walking, hearing the first bell ring that signaled that the students had only five minutes to get to class. I could see Ichigo waiting by the gate as we approached and he began to grin.

"You made it just in time! I'm surprised about that. I figured that the two of you would take off for some alone time."

"Ichigo, when you marry someone, it's not all about alone time. It's about the love you share with the other person," I told him with a pleasant grin that soon morphed into a devious smirk. "Although, the sordid activities during alone time are quite fun. Right, Shiro?"

"You're not wrong," Toshiro said with a mirroring smirk.

I looked over at Ichigo and could see that his face had turned bright red, his mouth opening and closing as if he had something to say but was rendered speechless. After a few more seconds of acting like a fish, he finally just turned around and headed towards the school, both Toshiro and I laughing to ourselves. It was just as I was walking inside when I felt the presence of the mystery guy on the edges of the perimeter that I could actually sense. It was as if he couldn't quite find me yet and was narrowing down his options. I knew it would take until lunchtime before he made it to this district and began stalking me.

* * *

><p>I was beyond bored. The teacher was talking about some sort of math that I had zero interest in and I could see Toshiro out of the corner of my eye just absorbing it like a sponge. Since Ichigo was a bit taller than me, I would hunch down so the teacher couldn't see me and drift off to sleep in my boredom. Toshiro would keep tugging on the kido shackles to jostle my arm just enough to force me back into consciousness and each time I would turn to glare at him. Even though he would give me a stern look, I could see the gleam of amusement in his turquoise eyes.<p>

After that, the teacher began to lecture about weather, which was a topic that I simply loved. Being married to Toshiro for two years meant that I could forever be with someone who could alter the weather, depending on whether or not he needed it snowy or stormy. Some days, since he knew how much I loved thunderstorms, he would ask Hyorinmaru to change the weather for me either during the day or night. Toshiro could do that himself but only for short periods of time in comparison to his Zanpakuto spirit.

I sat up straight in my chair and listened raptly to what the teacher had to say on the subject. I wished that I could change weather like others could. All I can do if I tried is make it really bright or really dark. I could hear Toshiro laughing quietly under his breath but I completely ignored him, opting to just listen to the lecture until Toshiro let out a tiny snicker that he couldn't stifle. The teacher gazed up from her book to give Toshiro a stern look.

"Mr. Hitsugaya, is there something about my lecture that you find funny?" she asked seriously.

"No, ma'am," he said, forcing himself to calm down. "I apologize for my outburst. It won't happen again."

The teacher nodded before turning to me with a small smile. "You should take a lesson from him in politeness. Don't think that I didn't notice you trying to hide behind Ichigo and sleeping during the math lesson. It's a good thing that you get A's in that subject or you might have been in trouble."

"Sorry, ma'am," I said sheepishly, glaring over at Toshiro when the teacher looked away because I could see him laughing again.

Thankfully, I didn't have to suffer the embarrassment for very long since lunch was right after that. Toshiro and I took a huge bag of lunch we bought together up to the roof when no one was looking to have our "alone time." Once we had settled in on the top of the roof with our food spread out on napkins, we began to dig in and eat what we had amassed. It took me a little while after we had finished to realize that I hadn't picked up something sweet for dessert. I was a little sad until I saw Toshiro reach next to his hip where I couldn't see to pick something up. I looked over and gasped in delight when I saw that he had bought a cupcake for me, but pulled it away from my grasp before I could snatch it away.

"This is for us to share," he said with a smile. "Don't think you're getting all of it to yourself."

He finally handed it to me and I quickly swiped my finger along the frosting on top before dabbing it on his cheek. He did not look very amused by my childish behavior but I giggled and leaned over, licking his cheek to clean the icing from him before he could stop me. When I pulled away, he had rolled his eyes in mock exasperation before slid his finger on the icing this time. He wiped the icing on my lips before leaning over to swiftly lick it away and kissing me. I kissed him back for a few seconds before he pulled away and took a huge bite from the cupcake. That was when it hit me that it had been his plan all along.

"You smooth little jerk," I said with a laugh. "I can't believe you did that. I hope you bit off a piece of paper from the wrapper."

He chuckled a bit as I ate the rest of the cupcake before saying, "I know you. I'm sure you would have found a way to eat all of that on your own without giving me a bite of it. You do that all the time and I'm not letting it happen."

I was going to utter some cutting remark when I felt something menacing nearby. It wasn't close enough to cause us any harm but it was to the point where I would be able to see the source of it. I stood up as Toshiro gave me a questioning look and I slid my gaze across my surroundings until I found it. On the roof of a building two blocks away stood a shadowy figure, standing unnaturally still as he watched me. I gave him a mocking wave and felt his spiritual pressure skyrocket, but I wouldn't allow it to affect Toshiro by launching spiritual pressure of my own. I was sure that the mystery guy had a murderous expression on his face, even if I couldn't see it, and I might have made him angry enough that he might attack a day earlier.

"Time to go inside, Toshiro," I said distractedly, watching out of the corner of my eye as his head snapped up to lock his gaze on me when I didn't use my pet name for him.

"What's going on?" he asked. "Is he here now?"

"Yes, that's right," I stated before looking down at him with a small smile. "Not only that, but I've already managed to make him even more angry."

"Maybe you should go over there and dislocate his arm," Toshiro said flatly, sarcasm dripping from his words. "Then you can make friends with him and we won't have to deal with this any longer."

"You just won't let that go, will you?" I sighed before helping him gather up the trash. "I'm not as bad as you make me out to be."

"Actually, you're every bit a pain as I say you are," he stated, sounding amused now. He reached over to cup the back of my head and kiss my forehead before letting go. He seemed to glare over in the direction of the building with the mystery man before giving a sharp tug on the kido shackles. We made our way back down from the roof, going down a few flights of stairs before we encountered Ichigo and Renji.

"Toshiro looks a little tense," Renji said. "And you just look smug, Imayru. I'm going to guess that our mystery guy is stalking you now."

"I don't like this," Toshiro said. "I'd rather we get this over with now. Maybe we should put the plan into motion sooner."

"No, we can't!" I told him. "He'll know that something is wrong if we do that! If we have any chance of getting this guy, he can't think we've got a trap set up for him! Going too early will definitely make us look suspicious."

"I just don't understand why you're so determined to fight this guy," Ichigo said. "You've been acting strangely lately, almost blood thirsty."

"I am not being blood thirsty," I huffed. "You find out more about someone by fighting them. That's all I'm trying to do."

"Why do you feel so compelled to do that? It's like you're obsessed."

"I can't explain it, I just have to do this."

"Leave it be for now, Ichigo," Toshiro warned him. "We should trust her judgment in this matter. She won't do anything rash." He turned his gaze to mine, eyes blazing like turquoise fire. "Isn't that right, Imayru?"

"That's right," I confirmed with a nod. "I know I've been acting weird and I'll try to limit it to manageable levels."

"Please do so," Renji said. "You've been weird since the moment I met you. I don't think I can handle any more."

"You guys are terrible," I grumbled before walking down the hallway, this time yanking Toshiro after me as he chuckled at my behavior. I was pretty sure he was letting me be bossy and that only made me angrier.

Thankfully, the bell rang and we all headed back to our classroom. I was quite ready to go home already and I was half tempted to leave if I could. I could feign sickness, say I was tired, or something similar to that. Then I remembered that I was tethered to Toshiro like an animal and he would never let me skip class. After a while, the teacher gave us some reading to do and that was what we did until school ended. Finally, I was free from the confines of high school and practically bolted out of the door. Toshiro looked a little grumpy about it but I was too happy. Since it had been agreed that we couldn't all stay in one place because Ichigo's house and Kisuke's shop didn't have enough space, we were spread out among our friends in the Human World. Rukia and Rangiku would be with Orihime, Kitsune and Gingka were staying at Kisuke's shop, Ikkaku and Yumichika were with Chad, and Toshiro and I were staying with Ichigo. I didn't mind where we stayed, so long as we had a roof over our heads. I could sleep out in the open if I had to, but neither Toshiro nor Ichigo would let me in case the mystery guy attacked. So we all went our separate ways and got settled into our new places.

* * *

><p>It was nighttime and hours after dinner. Imayru had already watched the sun set from the roof outside of the window of the spare bedroom at Ichigo's house. She was still out there, lying on her back as she stared up at the stars. I was keeping watch over her as I worked on my homework, which she had already completed before sunset. I was sitting at the desk nearby and she was at an angle outside the window so she could be seen by me at all times. The next time I looked up, it seemed like she was taking a nap, her arms behind her head to use them as a pillow. It wasn't until she sat up straight as if she had touched a live wire that I focused all my attention on her.<p>

"What is it, Imayru?" I asked her as I stood up from the chair, walking over to the window to lean on the sill.

"He's nearby," she said simply, sounding a little tense.

"Where?"

She didn't speak for a few seconds, looking in every direction before gazing off to the right. "There's a big house over there that he's watching me from. I can see him from here."

"You and your eyesight," I sighed. "I am beginning to wish I could see in the dark like that because I can't see him."

"No, you really don't," she said. "There are times where even I wish I couldn't see the monsters in the dark."

"I've always meant to ask," I said softly, "but how long have you been able to see in the dark like this?"

She tilted her head to the side for a little bit before answering. "Ever since I was the Lost Girl. I could see perfectly for short distances in the night since I was nocturnal. Then, after I was abducted to Hueco Mundo for a year, my new shadowy power allowed for it to be intensified and now I can see for long distances at night."

"That's my girl," I said as I crawled out of the window to sit beside her, wrapping my arms around her waist to pull her closer. She leaned her body against mine and rested her head on my shoulder. "Still just as wild as you were when you were the Lost Girl."

"And you're just as bratty as when you were a kid," she said, leaning over to quickly kiss me and then lying her head back on my shoulder.

"I'm much better than I was as a kid," I laughed, trailing my fingers up and down her spine and feeling a little self-satisfied when her back arched a little. "Remember when we had a pranking contest for a whole day during the time that Momo was training to be a Soul Reaper?"

"How could I not?" she said with a giggle. "You were so angry when I finally won."

She was quite right about that. It was a hot summer's day, one that was peaceful in comparison to the others. The other kids in the 1st District weren't tormenting me that day and so I was rather bored while staying at home. Imayru had been cleaning the house all day and so I followed her around, moving things a little whenever she wasn't looking. She noticed within a minute what I was doing and so she reprimanded me for it with an amusingly angry look on her face. I told her I was bored and she said that she'd play a game with me if I left her alone long enough to clean properly. After a ten minute game was finished, I began to go back to moving things as she cleaned and so the pranking war started.

She went into my room during the time I had lessons with Granny and moved all of my possessions a centimeter out of place so that I walked into the room, knew there was something wrong, yet couldn't place where the feeling was coming from. As payback, I took her latest edition of Seireitei Communications Monthly that she only subscribed to in case it ever featured Momo, grabbed a black marker, and drew funny pictures on every face in the magazine. Imayru was angry at first, but she found it funny the next day after our prank war. This kept going on and on until dusk when she came up with the best one that not even I could beat. Since she knew we had the tradition of watching the sunset and eating watermelon, she set up a trap so that once I stepped in the circle of rope lying on the ground, it yanked me up into the air and dangled me by my ankle. She waited until I swore to her that she had won before she finally let me down, helping walk around the other traps she had set up in case I managed to escape before she could get her promise.

"I still feel a little angry that you managed to do that," I told her with a grin. "However, the one thing I took from that moment was never to have a prank war with you every again. You take things too far."

"Only because you forced my hand!" she said, her black eyes shining with an evil gleam.

"Remind me never to be your enemy," I stated flatly, noticing her pleased smile. "You get this devious sparkle to your eyes that is rather concerning."

"But I love you, so you're safe. For the most part, of course."

I was about to say something else when she sat up straight in my hold, as if she was straining to see something. "What is it now?"

A slow self-satisfied grin formed on her lips before she said, "He's trying to get closer. Let us see what he does when he finds the barrier."

We sat there and waited together for about a minute before there was a huge explosion of light that illuminated the mystery guy for the span of a second. When I heard Imayru's tiny laugh, I knew nothing had happened to the guy but the fact that he had been thrown backwards quite a distance. _Such a strange girl,_ I thought to myself as I continued to stroke her back. _But that is why she's my light._ I leaned in closer to lightly brush my nose against her throat, inhaling her scent just before an involuntary shiver passed through her body. That was one of the few spots that I could get that sort of reaction out of her, even though she hated when I did it during the times she was trying to be serious. She knew that I liked reassuring myself that this was all still real and not just some beautiful nightmare.

"Shiro," she whispered in a slightly breathy tone of voice, her eyes a little unfocused as she tried to gather her thoughts.

"Yes, Imayru?" I asked her, quite satisfied with the whole situation as I planted light kisses along her jaw.

"I'm trying to focus here and you're making that impossible," she told me. Her body once again betrayed her as she tilted her head a little to give me better access.

"No need to do that," I said before gently pushing her back on the roof and lying on top of her, making sure to keep my full weight off of her. "I'll have your concentration scattered in a few minutes."

Her fingers were sliding through my hair at the nape of my neck and before I knew it we were kissing. As I kissed her deeply, I grabbed her wrists and pulled them away from my hair, pinning them to the roof above her head and hearing her make a contented sigh. Perhaps it was because I was so absorbed in the feeling of our tongues sliding against each other that I didn't hear the door to our room open until the sounds of footsteps getting closer caused me to pull away. I was extremely irritated by that point and looked to see Ichigo approaching, his look of worry morphing into one of suspicion. Still underneath my body, Imayru had to look at Ichigo at an angle that put him upside down.

"What were you two just doing?" he asked hesitantly.

Before I could answer with some cutting remark, I watched as Imayru grinned at him and said, "What else would a married couple do while they are alone? We were making out. It was getting good, too, if you hadn't shown up."

Ichigo's face turned beet red again and he yelled, "You didn't have to tell me that!"

"Hey, dummy, you asked!" she yelled back, a smirk playing faintly along her lips, which looked a little swollen from our kisses. "If you don't want to know the answer to something, then don't bother with asking a stupid question!"

"Don't call me a dummy!" Ichigo took a step closer in a threatening way and I gave him an icy stare, the shingles surrounding Imayru turning frosty before extending up to the window sill.

"Back off," I growled.

"Hey, you almost froze me," Imayru pointed out. "You're lucky my temperature runs hot."

"Look, I came here for a reason!" Ichigo sighed. "I just wanted to know if you guys saw that strange explosion of light!"

"That was our mystery guy hitting the barrier I created a while ago," Imayru explained. "I didn't want for him to get too close as of yet, so I made an invisible barricade to stop him."

"Now you know," I told him. "So you can go and leave us in peace for a while. She and I were a little occupied with something when you barged in."

Ichigo made some apologetic statement under his breath before walking out of the room entirely. I looked down at my wife, who had a mischievous grin on her face, before she pushed me off of her somehow. I landed on my back pretty hard, barely even having any time to react before she straddled my waist to sit on my stomach. She had a proud little smile forming on her lips now that lit up her eyes and I put my hands on her hips to keep her there.

"You really are a great escape artist," I told her. "There's a chance that you might be better than what the humans refer to as 'Houdini.'"

"That's not true or I would have been able to get rid of these kido shackles," she said, showing me the wrist where the silvery band still resided. She tilted her head back and looked up at the sky, almost as if she was searching for something. "You know, I used to look up at these stars for answers to all of my problems back when I stayed here for a hundred years. I would beg for them to show me a sign that would send me on the right path to my true destiny and not just one that showed no way out."

"Did they?" I asked.

"I think they did," she told me warmly before looking back down at me. "It was two years ago. I got a call on my soul pager straight from the Head Captain, who said that he needed to talk to me urgently and that I should come back to the Soul Society. I think that was my sign. First person I saw when I came back was you."

"I was really angry at you back then," I said softly. "Even more so than that time we didn't speak to each other for a few years. You just left and I was upset."

"But we got over it together," she said happily before adjusting her position so she could lay on top of me, her head resting on my chest so she could hear my heartbeat. "I'm glad I came back that day. Coming back has led to many adventures, whether they were good or bad. Now I'm married to you and happier than ever. I love you, Toshiro."

"I love you, too, Imayru," I whispered before kissing the top of her head. Since we couldn't be seen from any passersby down on the sidewalks, we fell asleep just like that under the gentle light of the stars.

* * *

><p>The next day, which thankfully fell on the beginning of the weekend, passed like a blur as Toshiro and I discussed the plan at length. I was going to be the bait and everyone else would be my backup in case things took a turn for the worse. Ichigo would be by Toshiro's side at all times to make sure that he didn't try to run out and fight the mystery guy in his weakened state. All of this would take place in a park nearby that was outside of the barrier.<p>

The day passed quickly as night slowly began to fall, all of us leaving our Gigai at Ichigo's house. I had opted out of telling my trainees about this plan so that they would be safe and I knew Kisuke would keep them at his shop. We had to run on foot so that Ichigo could keep up but we made it to the park before it was too dark. I gave Toshiro a quick hug and a cocky salute before walking out into the middle of the clearing there, pulling my hood up from my dragon kimono. I left Tatsuya stay sheathed for now, deciding not to let the mystery guy see my Zanpakuto just yet. I wouldn't let out my spiritual pressure yet either, just to make him sweat it out when I later did. I stood in the middle of the clearing and waited patiently for him to arrive.

_Think this is going to work?_ I asked Tatsuya in my mind.

_Your goal here is to find out more about this guy,_ he said. _Information gathering is always something that you can accomplish. It's your next step that might not be so easy. If you plan on taking him down soon, you better know him like the back of your hand before you make a move against him._

_You've got it, _I agreed. I was about to say something else when I heard a distinctive rustling noise. _Oh, look. I guess it's time already. Prepare yourself, Tatsuya._

There was a growl in my mind and I knew him to be as ready as I was. There was a high pitched whistling noise that could be heard, making my ears ache but nothing else. It was cut off before a shadowy figure came out from the trees and walked closer to me. This guy wasn't as big as I'd thought he would be, at least the height of Ichigo and about as lanky. He wore all black, just like I had seen him from the window, and his hood was obscuring his features. I was about to question him a little when I heard stumbling noises behind me. I turned around to see Toshiro supporting Ichigo as they walked, both looking extremely pale and it was almost as if just staying upright was causing them a lot of pain.

"It was him," Toshiro gritted out. "I don't understand how he did it, but with that whistle everyone was knocked unconscious except for us. I think it's because we have a stronger reiatsu than the others."

"I wanted this to be a one-on-one fight," the shadowy figure said simply. "I didn't want for all of you to ambush me in case she loses."

I pulled my hood down and glared at him. "There is no way I would lose to the likes of you, but it's funny that you would think so."

"Just because you've got skills doesn't mean that I'm not stronger than you," he said. "Your arrogance is going to lead to your death. You should watch your tongue lest I cut it off."

"I would love to see you try," I said with a devious grin. "But first, why don't you pull back that hood so I can get a good look at my opponent."

"As you wish," he stated plainly before doing as I said.

Before me stood a young man with short, shaggy looking blue black hair that covered most of his right eye and both eyes were as dark as night. I didn't have long to reflect on his appearance before he pulled his blade from the sheath on his back. Ichigo had been right when he said that this guy's sword was huge. It almost looked to be as tall as I was and the flat of the blade was as wide as a person. The sharpened side of it was jagged like a saw blade and I knew it would hurt like hell should I let it cut me.

"Let's get this over with," I said determinedly. "I'm not letting this drag out all night. I'm going to give you my all and just go straight to Bankai."

"If you think you can beat me in such short time, then be my guest," he said, his eyes shining darkly. "You've tormented me enough during the time we've first met. I would like to take the information I need and then leave your corpse to rot."


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey, guys! I'm back with another chapter! It's the one you've all been waiting for! The fight between Imayru and our mystery guy! Things get serious and rather intense in this chapter, so let's see how you hold up! A few things are revealed as well! Enjoy the latest chapter!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

"Bankai!"

Her words were a battle cry as she erupted into white flames that completely engulfed her. I knew that there was something about this guy that made her just as uneasy as I was and so she wanted to make sure that she stood at least on even ground with him. I looked down at the object that I was clutching in my left hand, the communications device to the Seireitei that Rangiku usually kept, and resigned myself to call in should the need arise. The white flames turned black for a split second before flickering out, revealing Imayru in her new form.

As usual, she was now wearing a strapless black dress that was more reminiscent of a coat, a tiny black string keeping it together near her chest so it only showed off a little skin. There were two silver bands around her ribs that crossed together like an X to keep that part of the outfit closed but it opened up again near her stomach to show off more skin. A white piece of fabric around her hips upheld her modesty and the rest of the dress from the hips down separated into thick strips of fabric that were pointed once they reached her ankles, the symbol for Squad 5 adorning the ends of the fabric itself. White gloves with black dragons stretched from the tips of her fingers all the way up to her biceps and black heeled boots that went all the way up to her thighs were on her feet. In her hands, Tatsuya had separated into two katanas with black and silver blades, one for light and one for shadow. Last but not least, her long blue black hair flowed down her back, hiding the tattoo that matched the one on me.

If she said anything else, I didn't hear it as she seemed to just disappear into thin air, reappearing in front of the mystery guy who had just barely managed to get his sword up in time to block her attack. I could see his expressions morph into shock before it went back to being blank as a slate. He tried to push her back, but she wouldn't allow him to, forcing him to lean back further and further until he nearly fell to the ground. He grunted a little before finally shoving her into the air and I watched her do a little flip before touching the ground, launching herself back at him before he could move away.

"I don't think I've ever seen her move that fast before," Ichigo said in awe. "She was holding back that last time we fought."

"She's still holding back now," I explained. "I've seen her move much faster. I think she's afraid of somehow punching through the limiter, which means she's reached the extent of the powers given to her."

"Why did she need such a huge limiter on her in the first place?"

"She has enough power that can get so out of control that it could destroy the Soul Society entirely. If she has a limiter on her at all times, both in the Soul Society and the Human World, there's no chance of her forgetting how dangerous she can be."

"I wish I could fight with her," Ichigo said, sounding torn.

"You and me both."

* * *

><p>This guy was holding back, just like I was. He was trying to make me let my guard down but I wasn't going to fall for the easiest trick in the book. Earlier, he said that he wanted answers. That was great because there were a few answers that I wanted from him as well. If he wanted to talk, then we would talk in between blows.<p>

I launched myself at him as he was forced to block, but I kept pushing until we were locked in a battle of wills before I spoke. "You said that you wanted answers," I said calmly. "My friend that you fought a few days ago said that you are looking for someone."

"That's right," he said, sweat beading on his forehead. "However, I have narrowed down that person's location. They have to be in the Soul Society."

"Who are you looking for?" I asked.

I saw his eyes flash in irritation before he pushed me back, running at me as fast as he could and swinging his blade down at me. Now he was getting faster. With my blades in the shape of an X, I caught his easily and held it in that position as he growled, "That is none of your concern. I have searched all over, gathering information on their location, and you Soul Reapers have them hostage."

"Are you crazy?" I asked incredulously, pushing back his blade as he did the same, both of us using the depths of our strength. "I am a captain of the 13 Court Guard Squads. I am pretty sure I would know if we were keeping someone hostage and I can assure you that there is no one like that there."

"You're wrong!" he yelled. I could see the emotion finally blazing in his eyes and the only way that happened is if this was personal. "The only other option is that they became a Soul Reaper and that is impossible! We grew up together and we both hated your kind!"

"Listen to me!" I yelled back, pushing harder so that his feet were sliding on the grass. "We don't just take hostages! We are not the monsters that you are making us out to be! Your friend has to be a Soul Reaper!"

"No!" he howled and that was finally when he went all out.

I didn't even see him move as he swung his blade at me. I was forced to hop into the air to take the hit with the flat of his sword, knocking me into the air until I slammed into a tree. I gasped as the breath rushed from my lungs when my back hit the tree, looking up just in time to see the guy appear before me with his blade in the air and about to strike it down on me. I jumped out of the way just in time but he still managed to cut me with that huge sword. My shoulder was stinging as blood began to flow and drip down my chest. I knew it was time to go all out myself, but I couldn't or else I would break the limiter. As I dodged another attack, I could see Toshiro with a hand to his ear and realized that he was talking with the Soul Reapers from Squad 12.

"Adjust the limiter on her now!" I heard him yell. "You went too far this time and now she can't even hold her own in a fight that typically wouldn't be a problem for her! Take her up to fifty percent!"

Just as the mystery guy was sending his blade at my head, I felt a wave of power flood through me and I lifted one of my Zanpakuto in the air to block it, hearing a screech of metal from his blade but it held. I looked over at him and said, "Now it's my turn."

I barely had to push him away and this time he was pushed through the air. I flash stepped to him and he tried to dodge my next attack in midair, but I still managed to slice into his chest with the Zanpakuto in my right hand. Now we were even and he knew it, his gaze getting harder as he became even more determined. After a few minutes more, we were both covered in cuts and bruises, panting a little since we were becoming out of breath. Another second later and we were back at it again, fighting even more fiercely than before because we both wanted to end it as fast as we could. We were searching for a fatal flaw in the other's fighting styles when I finally found his. He left himself open for a split second between attacks and I took advantage of that, knocking his blade away with one Zanpakuto and then pressing the other against his throat. He froze instantly, watching me warily as if he thought I would kill him without a second thought. Then, I watched as his expressions turned from cautious to confused.

"I don't understand," he said softly. "Only one person could beat me. No one else is able to match my speed so thoroughly except…" His voice trailed off as he stared at me, his eyes getting wide and he was about to say something when I heard a strange buzzing noise. I was about to turn around to find the source of it when I heard it getting closer within a split second. Next thing I knew, another screech could be heard and I felt someone's back pressed to mine.

"Don't worry," I heard Toshiro say to me. "There's another one out there and I won't let them attack you while your back is turned."

"Stop!" the mystery guy yelled, glaring in some direction behind me. "Don't hit her!"

"But Ryzen, she's going to kill you!" a female voice called out.

"So your name is Ryzen," I said softly.

I was about to say something else when something surfaced from the depths of my mind. _Ry!_ a tiny voice yelled in my mind, startling me a little. I didn't know where it came from and I didn't recognize the feeling behind it, so I shook my head and forced it back. The mystery guy, who was named Ryzen, looked at me with a strange expression.

"Yes, that is my name," he confirmed. "Now if you'll excuse me, I think it's time for us to leave."

He walked over to grab his blade and walked towards the woods. A female figure appeared into view and I noticed that her features were similar to Ryzen's. She had the same blue black colored hair that was short with a pixie cut and dark eyes. She had a tiny sword and she pointed it at Ichigo, a green ball of light appearing there before it formed the shape of an arrow and was launched at him. I yelled at Ichigo to move but it was too late for it hit him directly on the chest.

As he fell to the ground, I was about to rush at the two of them when Ryzen said, "Don't worry. She was just undoing what I did to him a few days ago. He should be able to use his Soul Reaper powers as soon as tomorrow."

After that, they both disappeared into thin air. I stared off into the space where they had been standing before Toshiro said, "Let's go get Ichigo and see if the others have waked up yet. Hopefully, Orihime is awake and she can heal your wounds before you let go of your Bankai."

"That would be helpful," I said vaguely before turning my gaze to him. "We know the name of our mystery guy now."

"That we do," Toshiro said with a nod. "We also know that they are looking for someone who is a Soul Reaper."

"Here's what I don't understand," I said as I narrowed my eyes in concentration. "If they thought that this person was a hostage of the Seireitei, then why did they go to Hueco Mundo?"

"I guess that it's yet another mystery for us to solve."

"Yeah, well, I'm sick of them already. I'm tired of having to find out someone's motives behind why they do stupid things."

Toshiro helped the barely conscious Substitute Soul Reaper to his feet as a large amount of footsteps approached. I looked up and saw all of our friends finally making their way over to us, Orihime running as fast as she could when she saw all the blood covering me. She practically shoved me on my back and immediately began to heal me, a look of worry on her face.

"Captain, what happened here?" Rangiku asked, walking over to Toshiro. "The last thing I remember was waiting for the mystery man to appear and then there was a whistle. After that, I fell unconscious and woke up a minute ago."

"He used that whistle to even the odds for himself," Toshiro explained. "He didn't want all of us to interfere in his fight with Imayru."

"She's so cut up," Rukia said as she kneeled beside me and Orihime. "Did he do this?"

"If it makes you feel better, he looks worse than I do," I told her reassuringly. "Not only that, but we now know his name and his motive. His name is Ryzen and he is searching for someone who he thought was taken hostage by the Seireitei."

"We don't do that sort of thing," Renji said. "He must have gotten his facts mixed up."

"Whoever this person is, they are extremely important to him," I explained. "They must be a part of some faction that hates all Soul Reapers. He said that this person hates us like he does and that it was just impossible for them to become one."

"How is this even possible?" Ikkaku asked. "If their resolve is so strong, they wouldn't have become a Soul Reaper."

"Maybe this person is deep undercover?" Yumichika suggested.

"They would have checked in with this group if that had been the case," Rangiku said. "We're missing some piece of information here that is vital for us to understand what is going on here. If only we knew who this person was that Ryzen's group is looking so hard for. Then we could ask them ourselves."

"I get the sense that this person is female," I said softly, looking up at the night sky through the golden dome of light.

"What makes you say that?" the voice of Ichigo was heard, sounding feeble but getting stronger.

"Even if he didn't want to show it, I could sense his desperation deep down," I answered. "People don't typically feel that way if the person is male. They automatically know that he'll come back eventually. If they're female, it would explain why they are so worried. People tend to worry more about the females. Not because females aren't resourceful or strong, it's just in our nature to worry more."

Orihime let the golden light go once she was done and I finally let my Bankai go with a sigh of relief. Toshiro walked over and grabbed me by the wrist, pulling me onto my feet as I looked over at Ichigo. I could see that he looked exhausted and I was curious to see how he was feeling. Giving Toshiro a quick kiss on the cheek in thanks, I moved over to Ichigo, who watched me warily. He flinched a little as I slowly reached out a hand for him but didn't move once I gently placed a hand on his forehead. His skin felt hot and he wasn't blushing, so I used my fire to assess the exact temperature.

"You've got a fever," I told him. "It's pretty bad. I think we need to let your father see to you. I don't think my healing kido will work for this."

"I really don't feel well," he said before he slumped forward. I yelped in surprise but easily caught him, thankful that I had been healed before this happened. "What's happening to me…?"

"Ryzen said that the girl fixed what he did to you and that you should have your Soul Reaper powers back soon," I told him. "I guess it will get worse before it gets better. Just try to hold on until we can get you back to your place."

Renji and Ikkaku appeared by my sides and grabbed Ichigo for me, throwing his arms around their shoulders before flash stepping away. Ichigo's human friends decided to part ways and head back to their houses, along with the Soul Reapers that were staying with them. Toshiro and I were the only ones left in the park and I let out a sigh.

"It's been a crazy night, hasn't it?" I said softly, turning my gaze to him and feeling exhausted.

"That it has," he said, slowly walking over to me. I moved closer to him when he was standing in front of me and rested my forehead against his collarbone. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm not in pain anymore," I laughed. "By the way, try not to get cut by Ryzen's sword. The sharp end feels like a saw and it hurts way worse."

"Kind of like Renji's Zabimaru?" he asked.

"Sort of like that," I said with a smirk before a somber feeling came over me. "There's something I've been wondering about."

"What is it?" he asked, his left arm wrapping around my waist and the other lightly rubbing my back.

"It's about Ryzen," I said quietly, my eyebrows drawing together as I concentrated. "The way he looked at me… I just don't understand. It looked like a look of comprehension, but what did he realize?"

"I get the feeling that everything is being set in motion and that we'll find out those answers sooner than we think," he told me. "Don't worry about it just yet or you'll drive yourself crazy."

"Oh, Shiro, what would I do without you?" I said with a small giggle. "You're like my voice of reason."

"I'm sure you'd be in even more trouble than you are now," he chuckled, pressing his lips to the top of my head for a few seconds. "Let's head back to Ichigo's place. We can check up on him and then get some rest. I think you'll need it."

We flash stepped away as soon as I put Tatsuya back into the sheath attached to the chain on my back and we made it to Ichigo's place within a few minutes. Once we made it inside, Yuzu was already standing there to wait for us and led us both into the clinic portion where Ichigo was resting. For once, Isshin didn't make any moves to ambush me. He was standing beside the hospital bed they had set up for this sort of situation, Ichigo lying unconscious there with a vague pained look on his face.

"Good, you're both here," Isshin said without once looking at us. "Now you can explain why my son is lying unconscious in the clinic."

"The girl that was with our mystery guy, who we now know is called Ryzen, sent this green arrow of light at him," I explained. "He seemed sincere as he told us that all she did was reverse the magic suppressing his Soul Reaper powers and that he would be back to normal tomorrow."

"He better be," Isshin said vehemently, "or you'll have to answer to me."

With that, he waved us out, still refusing to look at us. I was shaking a little as we left, heading for the stairs and up to our room on the second floor. Once there, we crawled into bed, holding each other after getting situated under the blankets and falling into an easy sleep.

* * *

><p><em>Help…<em>

There was a tiny voice that I could hear in the darkness. It sounded afraid and I could feel the fear slowly overtaking me.

_Help, I'm scared…_

The voice sounded desperate, pleading to whoever could hear it. If I could move, I would find the person calling out but nothing I could do would allow me that.

_Please… I don't know where I am and it's so dark…_

The voice sounded like that of a little girl and I felt terror rush through me. I couldn't explain where it was coming from. I was getting frantic with the need to help this girl. I was panic stricken over the urge to escape.

_Help me! They're coming for me!_

I was trying to move, torn between wanting to help the little girl and needing to run away. There was something out there in the darkness, something evil that wanted to kill. There were more and more of them that I could sense and I was petrified. I felt paralyzed as the fear took over and I was screaming in my mind as loud as I could.

_Help! They're here!_

They were much closer now and I could practically feel their breath on my skin, smelling like death and age old ruin. That stench invaded my nostrils and I felt myself gag, wanting nothing more than to at least throw up. The monsters kept getting closer and closer.

_HELP!_

* * *

><p>I was instantly sitting up, screaming at the top of my lungs as if I could get the fear out that way. Toshiro was awake in an instant, trying to calm me down by hugging me but I scrambled away off the bed before he could and into the corner of the room. My body felt possessed as I continued my horrible wails of terror, clutching my head in my hands as I felt the hair stand up on the backs of my arms and the nape of my neck. I couldn't stop the paralyzing fear and I was shaking violently as I curled up as small as I could.<p>

"Imayru, stop!" Toshiro yelled over me, worrying coursing through the bond heavily and I could feel more than hear him slowly approaching. "Please, just stop this!"

I kept letting out blood curdling screams until Toshiro realized that he didn't know what else to do but to just hug me to him and keep me pinned to his body. He slowly rocked us both back and forth, placing a cold hand on my forehead and waiting patiently until my wails turned into whimpers before I eventually fell silent. With each shaky breath, I relaxed into Toshiro's hold, feeling tears stream down my face and hearing the sounds of people outside our door.

"I'm sorry," I whispered hoarsely.

"A nightmare, I'm guessing," he said softly. "You haven't had one in two years. What was this one about?" I was about to answer him when I heard something that sent chills down my spine.

_Help me!_

It was in my mind, which made it amplified enough that shivered a little. Next thing I knew, there were the sounds of roaring echoing all throughout Karakura Town. It was the typical sound for a Hollow, but there were much more than one of them. There had to be a huge mass of them, all heading for a large source of spiritual pressure.

"Shiro," I said worriedly.

"Yeah, I know," he said straightaway, pulling me to my feet as he stood up. "Let's go. We can talk about the nightmare later. It sounds like the Hollows are outside of your barrier."

We ran for the window, throwing it open and flash stepping away as fast as we could. The kido shackles were lengthened a little so it would give us more room to fight and we both pulled our Zanpakutos from their sheaths. It wasn't long before I caught sight of my barrier, along with the huge mob of Hollows that was only getting bigger. We landed on a building to assess the situation just as the two Espada appeared.

"Are you two behind this?" I yelled over the roars of the Hollows.

"This isn't something we would do!" Grimmjow shouted with an annoyed look on his face. "The Hollows are acting out of character! There is some sort of spiritual pressure that is drawing them in and it's unique enough that they are out of control! We need to either put them out of their misery or get the source behind all of this!"

"You two keep them off our backs while we go get the source!" Toshiro commanded.

The Espada nodded sharply before jumping down towards the Hollows. I gave Toshiro a nod that I was ready and we both flash stepped off of the building. We landed in a section just before the Espada and watched as they cleared a path for us. I wanted to charge up my light but I didn't want to run the risk of having whatever was causing this whole situation to be destroyed. We fought off the Hollows that were so determined to get to us until we finally made it to the center of the ring of Hollows. Toshiro and I ran to a small dark shape that was lying on the ground that was entirely covered in blood. After kneeling down beside it, Toshiro remaining upright in case he needed to defend me, I rolled over the figure to see that it was a girl. With a jolt, I realized that it was that same girl who was with Ryzen. I slid Tatsuya back into its sheath before picking the girl up in my arms, noticing vaguely how light she felt.

"We need to get her out of here!" I yelled to Toshiro, who glanced back at me. "I don't think my barrier will hold off this many Hollows! I think we need to take her back to the Soul Society for now!"

He nodded before yelling back, "We can get Squad 4 to heal her and then we'll question her after she's conscious!" Grimmjow moved closer to us to hear what we were discussing and Toshiro turned to him. "You guys can go now! We're heading to the Soul Society temporarily!"

"We'll hold them off until you can get there!" Grimmjow shouted.

Toshiro created the gateway for us and we leapt through, making sure that I kept the girl tightly in my grasp. I wasn't entirely sure, but I thought she might have shifted her position a little to snuggle against me. If she had, it was because I am warmer compared to most and everyone always turned to me when they were cold. We made it through the gateway into the Seireitei in the street outside of Squad 4 and ran into the courtyard. As we were making our way to the hospital, I vaguely noticed that Seigo was standing there in a corner with Yuukin, both of them holding pieces of paper that Momo must have sent with them. Seigo had a foreign look on his face that I didn't recognize as he watched me like a hawk and I filed this moment away for later use if necessary as I ran behind Toshiro.

Hanataro happened to be standing outside, a look of surprise on his face before he beckoned us to follow him. "Who is that girl you have with you?" he asked curiously.

"A person of interest that we'd like to question," Toshiro stated simply. "Aside from that, there's nothing else we know about her."

"First, we need for her to be healed," I told him. "She was badly injured."

"How did this happen?" a voice said from an office room, one I soon realized was Captain Unohana's office in the hospital.

"She's almost like a Hollow magnet," I said. "There was a huge mob of them, all trying to take a chunk out of her. Her spiritual pressure is unique enough that it drew them in. Do you think you can get her in a stable condition so that we can later question her? It would really help us solve a few mysteries we're trying to unlock."

"Not a problem," she said with a kind smile, walking closer to examine the girl a little. "Good news is that she isn't in critical condition. Follow me and I'll have her healed within two hours."

We followed behind her as she led us down a few halls and to a room without windows. Once there, I set the girl down on the bed and Hanataro shooed us out of the room, shutting the door after we left so he could concentrate on helping Unohana. We walked down the halls until we reached a waiting room of sorts, which was completely empty. We sat down in the chairs and I leaned back with a sigh of exhaustion, noticing the kido shackles still keeping us connected.

"Can you take these off now?" I asked, lifting my wrist so he would pay attention.

"I shouldn't," he said nonchalantly. "I don't have to worry about you sneaking off somewhere and getting into trouble."

"Come on, you said it would be a one-time thing and that you'd get rid of them once we had our confrontation with the mystery guy. Well, we had one and now we even know his name. I think it's time for them to come off."

"Promise not to get into undue conflict?"

"Did you get hit in the head by a Hollow during that fight?"

"Do you have to answer a question with a question?" he asked, a slight smirk on his face.

"Always," I stated plainly. "Now, don't make me promise something that I might not be able to keep."

He tilted his head to the side an inch or two for a few seconds before saying, "Fair enough." After that, he muttered something under his breath and then tapped the kido shackles with his index finger, making them wink out of existence. As I absentmindedly rubbed at the skin on my wrist where the shackles had once been, he quietly said, "Just try to be careful. You know I wouldn't want anything bad to befall you."

"I'll do my best to keep myself safe," I replied, patting his arm comfortingly. "I wouldn't dare get myself in that much trouble again."

"Good," he whispered before taking my hand and sliding his fingers between mine. We sat there for a while and I decided to rest my head on his shoulder when I began to feel sleepy. Just before I managed to fall asleep, I heard him softly ask, "What was your nightmare about?"

Instantly, my body stiffened as the memory hit me again. If I concentrated, I thought I could feel the monsters in the dark getting closer and the little girl calling out for assistance. "I don't remember," I uttered quickly, feeling my body beginning to shake almost imperceptibly.

"Do you honestly believe that such a lie could get past me?" he asked. "I suggest you try again, only this time you tell me the truth." With a sigh, I told him everything that I could remember. I brought up how it was completely dark in the dream and that I could just hear a little girl asking for help, even the parts with the monsters getting closer and closer yet I couldn't seem to move a muscle to escape. When I was finished, he thought about everything that I had said before asking, "That's everything about the dream? You didn't leave anything out?"

"I told you all that I knew," I whispered.

"Well, let us hope that the nightmare isn't a recurring one," he told me before he stood up, stretching a little. "You stay here and wait for the girl to wake up. I'm going to go see Momo. She and I haven't talked in a while and I would like to change that."

I nodded and watched as he walked out, feeling a tiny bit suspicious as to if he had other motives. I leaned back in the chair and closed my eyes, taking a nap as I waited for either Hanataro or Unohana to give me good news.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello all! I am back with the latest chapter! I'm sorry it took so long, but the holiday season does tend to keep a person busy! I had family over at my house quite often. Now, here's the chapter! I will keep this short and sweet because I posted it before leaving for something important. Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

I hadn't spoken with Momo in a long time, just like I hadn't with Granny. Since I felt guilty with one, I didn't want to with the other. Before Imayru, Momo had been my only friend. She had watched over me like an older sister, making sure that the other children didn't bully me too much. If they did, she would bandage my injuries the best she could. It was all I could ask for when it seemed like the world was completely against me and my existence. Momo had her own set of problems, ones that gave her nightmares in the middle of the night and other issues. The moment Imayru stepped into our lives, everything changed for the better for both of us. The kids that bullied me avoided me like the plague for fear that the Lost Girl would sneak into their rooms and kill them in their sleep. Whenever Momo had a nightmare, Imayru was there before it could get bad and before long Momo never had that nightmare again.

"That girl is a force of nature," I said under my breath, barely noticing the smirk forming on my face as I walked down the street towards Squad 5.

It wasn't long before I reached Squad 5, nodding to all those in the Squad that gave me short respectful bows. I headed towards Momo's quarters after asking the 3rd Seat where she was last seen and hesitated for a split second outside her door. I was about to open it when I noticed that it was already open just a crack, which wasn't something Momo would allow. I threw open the door and walked inside to see what looked like a war had taken place. The bookshelf at the far end of the wall had been knocked over onto her desk, scattering all the papers that had been there all over the room with the pens. The couch that had been against the wall opposite the desk had been flipped over and the table in front of it had been broken. There looked to be a few marks on the floor, as if fingernails had scratched the wood and droplets of blood were spread on the floor in front of the doorway. I walked back outside, my emotions swirling within me like a cyclone, and I noticed the 3rd Seat standing a few feet away still, as if he thought my behavior was slightly suspicious.

I quickly waved him over and stated, "Lieutenant Hinamori is missing. A struggle seems to have taken place in her quarters and there was a little blood found near the door. I'll inform my wife straightaway."

"Do you know who would want to do this?" the man asked, looking very worried. Both girls in charge were very important to everyone in this Squad and they would rush into action if given the order.

"I have a hunch as to who is behind this," I said. "I'm sure your captain will say the same thing I will. Gather a group together and search for the lieutenant. Hopefully she will be found before she is used for a trade."

The 3rd Seat had a strange look on his face at my last words but nodded in agreement. "Yes, Captain Hitsugaya. We will find Lieutenant Hinamori as soon as possible."

As the 3rd Seat hurried off to gather some Soul Reapers for the search, I began to head back to Squad 4. I all of a sudden had a feeling that something was about to happen there and I wanted to make sure that Imayru remained safe.

* * *

><p>"Lady Imayru!" I heard an excited voice call to me, dragging me from my nap. When I opened my eyes, I saw Hanataro standing there, bouncing up and down on his toes. "Good, now you're awake!"<p>

"What is it, Hanataro?" I asked sleepily, rubbing my eyes a little before focusing my attention on him.

"The girl is conscious! She's completely healed now, but refused to speak a word to us. Perhaps you will have better luck with her than we did."

With a yawn and a quick stretch, I stood up and followed him back to the room with the girl. Hanataro told me he would lock the door behind me so that the girl couldn't escape and he opened it for me with a quick bow. I gave him a gentle smile before walking inside, hearing the door click shut behind me and another click as it was locked. I looked over at the bed to see that the girl was watching me with mistrust in her eyes, almost as if she suspected I might attack her at any second. Her bangs covered one eye and those dark eyes were blazing with anger. I grabbed a chair and pulled it over to the front of her bed, sitting down and crossing one leg over the other.

"I already know your opinions on Soul Reapers," I said after a few seconds' pause. "You probably think that you are here as a hostage of some sort. Well, I can assure you that you are not being held here against your will. The only reason you are here at all is because you were badly injured and those Hollows didn't seem to want to leave you alone. We brought you here to give you a brief respite."

"Then just let me go," she said quietly, her voice as light as a feather.

"I will soon," I told her reassuringly. "There are just a couple things I would like to know first. If you don't want to tell me, then so be it. I just want to understand."

She seemed a bit wary, as if she couldn't decide if I was being sincere about my request. Finally, she said, "You're not like the stories say. None of you are."

"What do you mean?"

"We hate Soul Reapers for what they did to us over a millennia ago. Yet the ones I have met so far have been nothing but kind to me. I just don't understand."

"Why don't you tell me more about your group," I started off. "I've never even heard of anything like this. It could help me find this person that is being searched for. Then we can all go our separate ways without a care in the world."

"Why would you want to help us?" she asked suspiciously.

"I don't want any more conflict," I explained. "What's happened so far is enough, especially since I don't know the whole story and that is no way for anyone to be involved."

"You sound sincere," she said softly. "I don't understand that either. However, I think it is fair for me to let you in on a little of our groups' background."

"Tell me as much or as little as you'd like," I told her. "I'll take what I can get."

The girl nodded. "First I should tell you about our groups' history. Our ancestors were clans of exiled Soul Reapers, banished from the Seireitei when they were experimenting with a different way to develop their powers."

"I'm guessing you don't mean like the Visored," I said.

"Not at all," she said with a wan smile. "They are a mix of Hollow and Soul Reaper. We are as close to Soul Reapers as one could get, but we are a subtype if anything. The ancestors were developing a way to gain more power with their own souls than with their partner Zanpakuto. Instead of the Zanpakuto changing in Shikai or Bankai, increasing in strength with each change, the Soul Reaper would be the one to change. It wasn't thought to be such a big deal until the Central 46 drove them away, killing those who refused to do so. Most of the people who were exiled were peaceful and formed a village outside of the Rukon Districts. The Soul Reapers were once again ordered by the Central 46 to kill those that weren't driven away. It was a massacre that led to many unnecessary deaths. That is why we hate the Soul Reapers so much."

"So if you aren't Soul Reapers, what do you call yourselves?"

"To remember the horrors of those days, we just called ourselves the Exiles," she said with a shrug. "Sometimes it's the Lost Warriors, but we usually just stick with the first title. It's the younger generations that like the second one."

"Tell me more about the Exiles," I said, moving the chair closer to the bed as my interest piqued.

"Well, a hundred years after the massacre, the heads of each clan decided that there should be a definite leader. A tournament was held among the top warriors to choose which clan would become the royalty of the Exiles. My ancestor came out on top, which shocked everyone but it was within the realm of possibility. My ancestor was a woman by the name of Caino and she wielded two Zanpakuto. She was the best of our clan and so became the queen of the Exiles. After that, our combined groups became a matriarchy, depending on if each queen's eldest child was female."

"If you are a descendant of Caino, wouldn't that make you a princess of the Exiles?"

"That's right," she said with a smile. "However, I'm not the eldest, so I'm not queen-to-be. Don't get any ideas about trying to use me for blackmail."

"I wouldn't," I laughed before turning serious. "Ryzen is a member of the Exiles. Which clan does he belong to?"

"Actually, he is my older brother," the girl said, her expressions turning troubled. "In fact, he is one of the eldest."

"Did you just say 'one of the eldest'?" I asked, a little confused.

"Yes, you heard me correctly," she confirmed. "Ryzen has a twin. She is a minute or two older; I'm not sure about the details. It's been so long that no one can remember."

I watched her and every one of her expressions as they shifted fluidly. "Something happened to his twin, I'm guessing?"

"H-how did you know?" she stammered a little, looking a little anxious at my question.

"You're one of those people who show every one of their emotions on their faces," I explained. "Will you tell me about his twin?"

She shifted uncomfortably in the bed before quietly saying, "A long time ago, when they were both very young, they both disappeared out into the forest. They could only have been seven or eight and I remember because I am only a year younger than them. They wanted to go pick a few herbs out in a secret clearing only they knew about for our mother, who had been ill for a long time. When they had been gone for half of the day, a scout eventually found Ryzen huddling in the branches of a large tree. He said that a group of Hollows had found them and they had been separated in the confusion. He said that he remembered her throwing rocks at them and leading all of them into the darkest part of the forest. After that, we never saw her again and we've been searching for her ever since, even more so since the queen is even more ill and we fear that she might die soon. Ryzen feels responsible and hasn't given up hope that he can one day find her. He wants nothing to do with the throne but our mother has made him king-to-be if he can't find his twin within a set time limit."

"Your older sister sounded very brave," I told her kindly, giving her a gentle smile.

"Oh, she was," the girl said with a sad smile. "Whenever I had a nightmare, she would hum this song she made up for me. She always used to say 'Taliya, just remember that you can do anything that others say is impossible so long as you believe in yourself.'"

_Tally!_ I heard a tiny voice scream in my mind, a sharp pain making its presence known for a few seconds before disappearing without a trace.

"Tally?" I muttered under my breath, feeling even more confused than I was before. I heard a gasp and I looked at her to see that her eyes were wide in shock, her eyes turning red and watery.

"W-what did you just say?" she whispered shakily.

"Tally," I said a little louder, watching as she gasped again and a few tears leaked from her eyes.

"Only one person knew that nickname and would ever use it so casually," she said tearfully. With a pause that lasted only a few seconds, almost as if she was afraid to ask, she whispered, "Imi, is that you?"

I could see the hope blazing in her eyes and I knew that there was no way I could lie to her. I wasn't this Imi person and I was about to tell her so when there was a loud bang on the door, almost like a foot slamming into it. I was out of my chair in a second, my Zanpakuto in my hand as another kick hit the door. The whole thing shuddered a third time before the fourth attempt sent the door flying across the room, the hinges dangling pathetically as I saw the culprit standing in the doorway. I was shocked when I saw that it was Seigo, one of my trainees. When he saw the girl, Taliya, his expressions went from surprised that she was there to enraged when he noticed me. Next thing I knew, his Zanpakuto was practically ripped from the sheath at his hip and he charged at me. I blocked his attack easily but I noticed the strength behind it that hadn't been there before.

"You've been holding back on me," I said with a laugh, watching him become even angrier at my nonchalant attitude. "I'm guessing that you are an Exile that managed to infiltrate the Seireitei looking for Ryzen's twin."

"That's Prince Ryzen to you, Soul Reaper," Seigo said. "Your kind should learn manners when it comes to royalty. Now, why do you have Princess Taliya in custody?"

"Seigo, please!" Taliya called out to him pleadingly. "Don't hurt her! She's the one we've been looking for! She's the Lost Princess!"

"_Her?_" Seigo scoffed, glaring at me. "There's no way that she can be the princess! This has to be a different Imayru! I think you are confused, Princess Taliya!"

I barely had any time to think or be shocked at this latest development when Taliya, in a commanding tone of voice that I hadn't heard her use, screamed, "I command you as a princess of the Exiles to stand down!"

"If you don't listen to her, you leave me with no choice but to fight you," I told him, baring my fangs a little in a grin. "Like you, I had been holding back that last time we fought as well."

"You bitch, I'll make you pay for your insolence!" he growled before he raised his blade in an attempt to strike me down, failing to remember that I could block him with ease.

"Seigo, no!" Taliya screamed.

"Don't you dare harm my wife," a calm voice said from behind Seigo before a Zanpakuto could be seen raised into the air, the end of the hilt slamming down onto Seigo's skull. Seigo crumpled to the floor and was unconscious, revealing Toshiro there with his eyes blazing angrily. He tapped the man with his foot to see if he would move but he was still. "You're lucky I didn't kill you for your disrespect towards her."

"That was awfully fast, Shiro," I said, sliding Tatsuya back into its sheath. "How did your talk with Momo go?"

"She wasn't there," he explained before muttering a few words under his breath, forming a kido spell that would keep Seigo's arms trapped to his sides. "In fact, it looks as if there was a struggle in her quarters. She's been taken."

"I bet it was my brother," Taliya said gently. "He most likely thinks that you have taken me as prisoner. He probably gathered a bargaining chip to get me back."

"So he took my sister like I apparently took his," I said with a sigh. "An eye for an eye, I suppose." I looked over to Taliya and was about to ask her a question when I noticed the hurt look in her eyes.

"But… Imi, I'm your sister…" she whispered. "I don't understand what's happening with you. You hated the Soul Reapers as much as anyone I knew and yet here you are, a captain in their ranks. Not only that, but you married a Soul Reaper, too! What happened to you that day?!"

"Imayru," Toshiro said hesitantly, looking as confused as I felt, "what is going on here?"

"I'm not entirely sure," I told him. "She seems to think that I am the person they've been searching for, but I don't remember them. I think she's got it wrong."

"Come on, we don't have time for this," Toshiro said, taking me by the hand so he could lead me out of the room. "We need to get Momo back."

As we were leaving, Taliya yelled, "You there! The man with the white hair that is her husband! Wait a minute!" He instantly stopped walking and looked back at her without saying a word, both of us watching as she seemed to flinch a little at his intense gaze. "I'm going to help you both get this Momo girl back from my brother but there are a few things I would like to know first."

"No deal," Toshiro stated with a shake of his head. "I don't want you to somehow ruin our chances. You'll be released from this place in a few hours."

We were both about to walk out of the room when I could hear the lilting sound of a lullaby being hummed. I would have walked away if I hadn't realized so quickly that this lullaby was the one I would hum for Toshiro when we were younger. Only the two of us knew that song and I slowly looked back at Taliya in astonishment, seeing out of the corner of my eye that Toshiro was just as amazed as I was. This girl knew the entirety of my lullaby and I felt tremors of shock passing through my body. When she was done, I felt Toshiro's grip on my hand tighten to give me a little comfort.

"How do you know that song?" I demanded, still feeling shaky.

Taliya leaned forward, looking me in the eyes the entire time, and said, "Because you would sing it to me whenever I had a nightmare so I would go back to sleep. I am not some crazy person that you can dismiss. I know the truth, even if you don't remember it. Even Ryzen was suspecting that you were the one we were looking for when you beat him. That was why I went looking for you earlier to see if he was right and that's also why the Hollows ambushed me. I forgot to hide my spiritual pressure from them and they wanted to kill me again. Now I am going to help you deal with our brother and that is final."

"Just because you are a princess doesn't meant that you are allowed to form an order like that," I growled at her, startling her a little. "You can either ask nicely to help or I lock you in here again and leave you."

"C-can I be allowed to help you with my brother?" she finally asked, although rather hesitantly.

"I'll grant it," Toshiro said before I could answer. "Get dressed, grab your weapon, and let's go."

"Toshiro, what are you doing?" I asked him as we walked out of the room to wait for Taliya.

"She knows more about Ryzen than anyone else," he explained. "We do, in fact, need her assistance. Not only that, but she thinks she knows you. She could be telling the truth. I want to know more about all of this and I'm sure that deep down you do as well. You're just in shock right now."

It didn't take very long before she stepped back outside, adjusting her dark clothing and the thin short sword to her belt. I walked back into the room and dragged the unconscious Seigo along behind me, not being mindful of any obstacles that might cause bruises. I cracked his head against walls occasionally as we turned corners and Toshiro only shook his head. After a while, Taliya noticed what I was doing and asked me to stop.

"I may not have liked the guy, but he's one of the best Trackers we have in the Exiles," she explained.

"Not good enough if he couldn't find one princess," I grumbled under my breath, running his head into a post as we approached the front doors.

"He was good!" she protested. "He once found a huge deer for us all to eat, the biggest one found in history!"

"Animals and people are two entirely different things," I told her. "Your problem is that you hold entirely too much faith on those who don't deserve it. He is a coward and ruthless beyond belief, definitely not one to send on such a delicate matter. Your queen was tricked."

Taliya turned pensive after that and remained silent, looking a little happier when Toshiro took the unconscious man from me. We walked a little further when Taliya softly said, "The queen hasn't been herself in a long time. We think it is because her illness is progressing further. That is why she wants her eldest heir to take her place. She wants Ryzen to take over, but he refuses. He said that he is better suited as a Queen's Guardian than the ruler himself. Something about how he doesn't have the right temperament to lead the people properly. That's another reason why he's been looking for twin. She was perfect in every way when it came to being the proper queenling."

"Did you just say… queenling?" Toshiro asked curiously.

"That's sometimes what we refer to as our queen-to-be."

We made our way outside and over to a shady area so that Taliya could explain a few things to us about her brother. "I guess the first thing you should know about him is that he is very serious," she said. "If he isn't used to you, you can use that to your advantage. He gets flustered if you tease him or refuse to take things seriously like he does."

"I knew this already," I said with a grin. "He didn't seem to approve of my attitude when we first fought."

"Imayru can take care of that," Toshiro said listlessly. "She's childish enough that it would drive anyone crazy."

"Hey, I am not childish!" I yelled before pushing him a little, hearing his almost silent chuckle.

"Also," she started back up again, giving us hesitant looks as if she was afraid a fight would break out between us, "he has this nasty habit of being quite predicable, so long as you catch on to his specific pattern."

"He's like the polar opposite of you, Imayru," Toshiro pointed out. "So long as we do the opposite of whatever you would do in that situation, we should be able to fix the situation so that we have the upper hand."

"Do you think that this is something we can pull off?" I asked him.

"Without a doubt," he told me. "Let's start from the beginning. If you discovered that your sister had been taken, what would you do?"

"Well, I would go with the direct approach," I pondered aloud. "I would sneak into the place she was being held and break her out without a single person finding out before it was too late. He would rather make certain that his plan worked and so would come up with a trade. However, I'm even more convinced that he has a secret hostage in the wings so he can take me, too. He wants to be assured in his suspicions that I might be his lost twin." Anything else I was about to say was cut off as I could immediately sense the presence of Ryzen in the Seireitei.

"My big brother is finally here," Taliya said softly. "Do we engage him?"

"I say we get this over with," I said, about to grab Seigo when I heard him begin to regain consciousness. "Hey, look who's coming back to us!"

"Go to hell," Seigo grumbled, only to let out a hissed breath when Toshiro rapped his knuckles against the bump on his head where he had been struck by the hilt of Hyorinmaru.

"Unless you want for me to knock you out again, I suggest you stop disrespecting her."

"Defending my honor again, I see," I said with mock disinterest.

"You knew it would happen if we got married," Toshiro informed me. "As your husband, I have the right to do so. Be thankful I don't fight your battles for you."

"This is true," I admitted before looking back at Seigo. "Listen up, traitor. I'm going to be using you as a bargaining chip. You're not going to fight back and you're just going to obey my commands like the good little trainee that you should be. Now, get up and let's go."

After Toshiro hauled him to his feet and pushed him to the front, we all began walking in the direction that Ryzen's presence was coming from. It soon became clear that he was hiding in a strange garden of sorts that I didn't remember even existing. When we walked inside, I could see Ryzen standing beside a huge leafy tree, his back to us as he watched the wind playing with the plants in the garden. I thought for sure that he didn't know we were there but he turned around and immediately locked eyes with me.

"There's the Soul Reaper captain I was about to search for," he said quietly. "Your reiatsu is enormous here in comparison to how it was when we first met in the Human World. It's almost as if you are everywhere and nowhere in this dimension."

"Soul Reapers that have reached the captain or lieutenant levels are required to have a limiter placed on them so they don't influence the humans with their reiatsu," I explained. "Mine has to be adjusted a little more than most."

"I think it's time to discuss why I'm here," Ryzen said before moving closer to the tree. "We both have something the other wants."

"That's right," I said. "I've got your sister and this Exile."

"I don't want him," Ryzen said scornfully. "You could keep him for all I care. I, however, have two people you want."

He walked over to the tree and grabbed something before dragging it out for us to see. I felt myself stiffen before I could stop it and I could see out of the corner of the eye that Toshiro was going through the same issue. Standing before us and completely tied up so they couldn't move much were Momo and Ichigo, Momo being the only one who didn't have tape over her mouth. What confused me was the fact that she had a pleasant, happy smile on her face. When she caught sight of me, she gave me a joyous grin.

She then proceeded to mouth to me, "He's hot," which had me rolling my eyes in exasperation.

"What is going on here?" Ryzen asked, looking puzzled by my behavior.

"It's nothing," I told him with a brief smile. "Here's my question to you. Why did you grab Ichigo?"

"Because there is something I need that required two hostages instead of just one," he stated straightforwardly. "They may be a little bloodied in the struggle to get them here today, but it wasn't my intention to hurt them."

The look in his eyes was earnest, so I could at least believe him there. "We didn't show the same courtesy to Seigo here. To find out that there was an Exile in my ranks and that he wanted to kill me didn't bode well for him."

"Like I said before, I don't care about him," Ryzen sighed. "He's a Seeker assigned by my mother and I never liked him because of his arrogance. It clouds his judgment. What I do care about is the fact that you abducted Taliya."

"That's not at all what happened, big brother!" Taliya called out, taking a few steps forward to go to him but I pulled her back by the shoulder. "I decided to sneak out to go find the girl you fought earlier that night but I forgot in my haste to place a shielding spell on my reiatsu. The Hollows attacked me and were about to kill me if it weren't for these two Soul Reapers! They took me to the hospital here so I could be healed. They're nothing like past stories talked about!"

"Enough, Taliya," Ryzen growled, startling the girl enough that she stumbled backwards so I had to catch her. "Talk like that could be misconstrued as dissent with the queen." As I helped her back on her feet, her big brother said, "Back to our earlier topic. We'll trade one hostage, my sister for yours. Once that is complete, we'll discuss the conditions for the release of the second hostage."

I nodded and lightly pushed Taliya forward, but not hard enough so she could possibly fall. She gave me a longing look before walking towards her brother. Ryzen pulled a dagger from his belt, the sight of it making my body tense up, before cutting the binds on Momo and pushing her in my direction. Just as bubbly as ever, she bounded over to me and looked extremely giddy. Before she could say anything to me, Ryzen cleared his throat to catch my attention.

"Now, for the second hostage," he said calmly, "the only way we will have a trade is if you come with me. The Substitute Soul Reaper comes with us to guarantee your cooperation. After two days, you will both be brought back to this exact location without a scratch on either of you, this I can promise."

"She won't be going anywhere with you, not unless I go with her," Toshiro said, finally speaking up. I turned my head in his direction and I could see his turquoise eyes practically glowing with anger.

"That's not going to happen," said Ryzen with a shake of his head. "Our people can only handle two Soul Reapers at a time and things will be tense with one of them being a captain. Adding a second Soul Reaper to the mixture might end with bloodshed."

"Then take me instead of Ichigo."

"Another captain would only add fuel to the fire. With Ichigo's reiatsu, they'll mistake him for someone weak and won't pay him much attention. That's what I need if I'm going to get us into the castle."

"Then she's not going," Toshiro said. "She isn't going anywhere unless I'm there to protect her."

"Then the Substitute Soul Reaper comes with me to the domain of the Exiles, where he will be torn to shreds by our people," Ryzen said with a shrug, turning his hostage around and forming a portal so he could walk him and his sister to their home land.

"Wait!" I called to him. When Ryzen stopped moving, I said, "I'll go with you."

"Imayru, no," Toshiro said, grabbing me by the bicep to stop me when I stepped in their direction. "I don't trust him and neither should you. This could be a trap."

"Do you trust me, Shiro?" I asked softly.

"Of course."

"Then trust that I will come back safe and sound," I told him with a confident smile. "I'm a captain and I think I can handle a little adversity if it happens to arise."

Toshiro glared over at Ryzen, who looked taken aback for a second, and said, "If any harm comes to my wife, I swear to you that I will track you down and kill you myself. Are we clear?"

"Crystal," Ryzen said, seeming a bit shaken. "You have my word that she will remain safe. I'll protect her with my life."

Toshiro nodded and let go of my arm so I could quickly hug him, wrapping my arms around his neck. He embraced me back tightly, pressing his lips to the top of my head before kissing me on the lips. "Stay safe," he said quietly so that only I could hear him, his turquoise eyes staring into my dark ones. "Give them hell if they try anything. You're resourceful and clever enough to get out of any situation."

With a happy smile, I kissed him this time and said, "Thanks for the ego booster. I'll be back in forty-eight hours with Ichigo in tow."

I could tell that he didn't want to let me go but I pulled away and forced him to. I ruffled his snowy hair affectionately before walking towards Ryzen as he called out to Toshiro, "You can lock him up for traitorous behavior. He was told before coming here that he shouldn't integrate himself into the Seireitei by becoming a Soul Reaper. That's punishable by death where we're from so you would be doing him a favor." When I finally stood in between Ryzen and Taliya, he turned his gaze to me. "We have many things to discuss with you. Be warned that it might get violent when we first arrive. Whatever you do, do not draw your Zanpakuto."

"I have different ways to defend myself if need be," I explained to him. "If someone gets too close and tries to attack, they'll feel my wrath."

"Just as expected from the girl that's thought to be the Lost Princess," he said under his breath before he pushed both Ichigo and me into the portal and followed after me with his sister.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey, guys! Sorry for the wait on the latest chapter! College has been hectic and time consuming. Since I know that you'll just want to get straight to the story, I'll just leave you to it! Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 9<strong>

After passing through the portal, I stumbled a little and thankfully caught my balance before I fell like Ichigo. I hauled him to his feet and sliced through his bindings with my silver claws before Ryzen could stop me. Ichigo pulled the tape from his mouth and we both looked around at our surroundings. As far as I could tell, we were close to the edge of a forest that was pitch-black.

"Where do you think we are?" Ichigo asked me.

"This is a realm between the Soul Society and the Human World," Ryzen said, appearing through the trees with Taliya. "We call it Night Fall. It's a dimension that spends alternating months in darkness or light. We hold a festival just before The Changing and it's a glorious event to behold. In fact, you'll get to see one later if you play your cards right."

"You mean if I don't attack people unnecessarily," I said sarcastically. "I already told you that I would be on my utmost best behavior. So long as I am not provoked, it should be fine."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Ryzen said wanly before pointing towards the north. "Now, both of you start walking. Taliya, we have to make it look convincing, as if we were bringing in prisoners. Draw your sword and just lay it flat on your shoulder."

"Try to stab us with them and I'll kill you before you can," I told them before helping Ichigo to move forward.

We walked forward into the forest and I made sure not to reach for Tatsuya, instead keeping hold of Ichigo's sleeve. He had a hardened look on his face, assessing the situation as we made our way along. "Imayru," Ichigo whispered to me, "do you think we can get out of this alive?"

"Of course we can," I told him quietly. "I don't have a limiter here. If they try something, they'll find themselves in a world of hurt. I told Toshiro that we'd be back in forty-eight hours and I fully intend on making it back by then."

"I can't even feel your reiatsu here," he said. "Why is that?"

"It's integrating into this world," I stated plainly. "Give it a few minutes and you'll feel it like there's a whole army of Soul Reapers. In fact, so will they."

"What do you mean?"

"We're almost there and a huge crowd of Exiles awaits us. We'll have to pass through them if we're to get to the castle. Don't worry, Ichigo."

It was the one time I didn't like being right. We went five minutes before the trees began to thin a little. Before us was a huge basin-like valley with buildings everywhere that completely surrounded it and at its center was a hill with huge castle that stretched up to the sky. I looked down at the city below to see that there was a road made from silvery bricks all the way to the castle and up to where we were standing. On either side of the road, large crowds of people were waiting for our arrival and they all looked angry.

"Time to go greet the good people of Night Fall," Ryzen said and I looked back at him to see his huge sword on his shoulder, the jagged edge facing away from his neck. Taliya was doing the same thing, only she looked very nervous about what we were going to do.

We started making our way down the hill and towards the city. "It's called Jikan City," Taliya said softly. "It was tiny in the beginning but we've gained a lot of people since it was first created. It can be quite beautiful."

I wasn't too convinced but it was the first time being there. All I could do was hopefully find a way to get past the fact that we were about to enter a mob zone. As we walked down to the flat of the basin, I held my head high and walked past proudly, keeping my fingers hidden in my long sleeves so that people couldn't see my silver claws at their tips. Ichigo looked on high alert, especially when the furious glaring shifted to yelling and screaming. Most of it was directed at me since I was a Soul Reaper captain and at one point an armed man ran out from the crowd. I didn't lose my composure as I sidestepped at the last second and stuck my foot out so he tripped, hearing Ryzen's groan of exasperation before he hauled the man in question to his feet.

He punched him as hard as he could in the jaw, knocking the man unconscious and tossing him back into the crowd, before angrily roaring, "The next person who breaks rank dies by my hand! Spread the word for this is a direct order from Prince Ryzen!"

Now that they knew how serious a situation it was, they backed off and only hurled insults at Ichigo and me. I ignored them and carried on walking down the road, making sure that no one got too close a second time. I didn't once feel relieved as we finally passed through the gates to the castle because it was worse in there. The guards were lined up along the road with weapons of their own, glaring hatefully at me as if they could burn me where I stood. It wasn't until one guard tried to sneak up on me from behind, which I knew what he was doing the entire time, that I lashed out. He tried to pull Tatsuya from its sheath and so I whipped around faster than he could react before slashing his cheek with my claws. He howled in agony before falling to the ground and that was when all hell broke loose. The group of them rushed towards me and I bared my fangs at them as I let my eyes flash red in my rage, the ground shaking subtly as I readied myself for a fight.

"Enough!" a regal voice commanded from above, the guards skidding to a halt to look up at a balcony. Standing there was a woman with long white hair and black eyes, a silver crown upon her head that told me she was the queen. What bothered me was that there was a slight prickling pain in my head whenever I looked at her. "That girl is suspected of being the Lost Princess. I don't want any harm coming to her until I know for sure." With that, she turned around and walked back away from the balcony, the silvery dress she was wearing fluttering in the breeze.

Ryzen jumped into action, pointing his blade towards the guards before bellowing, "You heard the queen! Now back off! If I find out that someone hurts this girl or her friend, they will be charged with treason and immediately put to death!"

They all seemed to calm down but they didn't look very happy about the order. They went off to do their separate things and Ryzen pushed me forward towards the front doors to the castle. I grumbled a little under my breath but did as he wanted, walking forward as the doors opened for us. It was as we made it to the Main Hall that I could see a young girl running down the stairs. She looked like a younger version of Taliya, except for the fact that she had long hair and kept her expressions blank. She stopped a few feet away from us and looked at Ryzen and Taliya.

"Big brother and sister," she said with a bow. "Welcome home. It's been a while."

"Really, Sonya, there's no need to be so uptight," Taliya told her with a wan smile.

_Sunny!_ the young girl's voice called out to me in my mind. I grunted a little and placed a hand on my head, wishing I wouldn't have these weird flashbacks so often. They were beginning to concern me in ways I didn't understand. Taliya noticed it quickly for she gave me a worried glance before turning back to the little girl before us.

"Why did you bring Soul Reapers back?" Sonya asked, looking at Ryzen to direct her question at him.

"We think that this girl is the Lost Princess," he explained simply. "We're using her friend to assure her compliance while she's here with us."

"But you shouldn't have brought her here," she insisted. "Can't you feel her reiatsu?"

Ryzen hesitated for a few seconds and I knew that he was catching on. _Damn, I've been found out,_ I thought to myself as Ichigo looked over at me. He knew just as well as I that things would possibly take a turn for the worst. I could hear Ryzen's footsteps as he walked forward and before long, he was standing in front of me with an angry look on his face.

"Your reiatsu is hazy, almost like it's not even there," he growled. "In the Soul Society, it was clear and could be felt for miles. What have you done?"

"Just making sure that I have an escape plan if it's needed," I told him seriously. "If I have another person try to kill me, I'll be forced to retaliate by blowing up the whole dimension."

"You don't have enough power to do that," he said before grabbing me by the front of my dragon kimono and lifting me into the air. "No one does. It's impossible."

"Oh, but I do have enough power to do exactly that," I said with a devious grin. "While I'm in this dimension, I don't have a limiter on me. The reason the ground shook outside earlier when the guards threatened to attack was because of me. If I wanted to, I could definitely destroy the place. Want to see?" To prove my point, I began to concentrate on my anger so the ground started rumbling, escalating after a few seconds until Ryzen finally dropped me to my feet.

"Stop it," he told me. "You've made your point. I swear to you that no one else will try to attack you again. You have my word that I will take them down before they ever reach you. You'd probably have too much fun fighting them in the first place."

With a shrug, I let some of my reiatsu filter back, just so he could feel like it was back to normal. What he didn't know was that I still had a few tendrils of it integrated into the dimension. Ryzen and Taliya lead us up the stairs with Sonya leading the way, Taliya walking beside me towards the back of the group. She kept shooting me glances every once in a while, like she was begging me with her eyes to remember any little piece of information about them. When we reached a doorway near the top of the stairs, she grabbed me by the arm and dragged me inside, locking the door behind us.

Before I could ask her what she thought she was doing, she quickly asked, "Doyourememberanythingelse?"

"Slow down and repeat what you just said a second time," I told her with a frown.

Taliya took a deep breath before asking, "Do you remember anything else? Anything that is associated with this realm?"

"I remember a name," I told her. "When I looked at Sonya, I heard someone say 'Sunny' in my mind."

"It is you, Imi!" Taliya gushed before she rushed at me, hugging me before I could stop her. "You can't tell me that you're not her! No one else can possibly know that but you!"

"Listen," I sighed as I pushed her away, "I'm not the one you're looking for. It has to be someone else."

"No, it's not!" she yelled vehemently. "You _are_ my older sister and Ryzen's twin! You are the future queen!"

"Tally," a gentle voice said from the door, startling us both when we realized that it had been locked beforehand. We both looked over to see that it was Ryzen peeking his head in the doorway. "Don't push her. If it really is Imi, then pushing her lost memory will not help. If anything, it will only exacerbate the situation. Just let her remember what she can at her own pace."

Looking chastised, Taliya quickly walked out of the room without another word, pushing past Ryzen as fast as she could. He met my gaze harshly, almost like he blamed me for something that had just happened. "There's no need to act that way to Taliya. She only wants her sister back."

"Do you think that I'm your lost twin, too?"

"My twin wouldn't have become a captain of the people we despise," he said with a shake of his head. "She especially would not have married another captain. I think that it's just a lead that's driving us away from my real twin." With that, he opened the door wide and beckoned for me to exit the room, where Ichigo was already waiting. We were led by only Ryzen now until we reached a long hallway with several different doors. "This wing is entirely for our honored guests. There will be Guardians posted in the hallway, so don't leave the room or let anyone in unless it's me or Taliya." He practically shoved us in and shut the door behind us, a click of the lock engaging with a key.

With a sigh, I turned to look at Ichigo. "I guess we're not getting out of this one anytime soon."

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><p>If Imayru was here, she would say that I was being my usual obsessive self. I had a whole stack of papers and was writing report after report as fast as I could. I had even taken Rangiku's share, finishing that an hour after starting the endeavor. I didn't stop for lunch and I had the door to my office locked to anyone and everyone. It wasn't until I saw three people attempting to sneak in through my window that I became exasperated. It was Rangiku, Momo, and Rukia, all three of whom were trying to come in at the exact same time so that they looked rather stuck. All of them froze in place when I turned my gaze to them.<p>

"Having issues, are we?" I asked them, giving them a look of disinterest.

"No," all three of them said simultaneously.

"Of course not," I said before going back to the paperwork. "Carry on then."

After about five minutes of struggling, I heard Rangiku yelp, "Come on, captain! Help us out of here!"

I let out a sigh but got up from my chair to walk over to them. I grabbed the hands of Momo, who was in the middle, and pulled as hard as I could. After a little resistance, all three of them toppled out of the window and into my office, landing on me with a thump. I gasped as the wind was knocked out of me before I tried to push them off, coughing heavily as I tried to regain my breath. I pushed myself to my feet and walked back over to the desk, sitting down tiresomely as I continued to cough.

"Now, what are you guys doing here?" I asked them when I felt like I could breathe. "I don't relish being at the bottom of a dogpile."

"You're the one that insisted on locking yourself away, Lil' Shiro!" Momo called out, giving me a stern look.

"It's not like I will be locked in here for long," I told them. "It would only be until Imayru gets back."

"That's two days!" Rangiku said as she dragged herself and the other two onto their feet. "You are _not_ staying in this room for two days! Get him, girls!"

They ran over to me at the same time and grabbed me before I was even out of my chair. "Wait a minute!" I yelled as they dragged me towards the door, Rukia unlocking it before they pulled me outside. "This is going way too far! Unhand me now before I force you to!"

"Not going to happen!" Rukia said as they led me out of Squad 10. "We're taking you somewhere so you can relax."

It was then that I remembered something that Imayru told me about what they put her through when they wanted her to relax. "Oh, no you don't!" I yelled before digging my heels into the ground, making it harder for them to move me. "You are not taking me to the spa! It's one thing to be dragged there by Imayru, but another thing entirely to go with you three!"

"Damn, he figured it out," Rangiku said under her breath. "Captain Hitsugaya, you're either going to cooperate or we will hogtie you and carry you there ourselves!" She let me go long enough to pull handkerchiefs from her pockets, all of which were tied together in a long rope. When I gave her a dubious look, she grinned mischievously. "Don't tempt me because I'll do it! Imayru wouldn't want you to worry about nothing! You know she never breaks a promise, so she'll be back."

"I'm still not going anywhere near a spa," I told them before I shook them off and flash stepped away. I could hear their shouts behind me and knew that I was going to have to hide because they were persistent. I quickly found the one hiding place that only my wife would know about and that was the branches of the huge cherry blossom tree. It was so full of petals that you couldn't see the trunk in some places, which is exactly where I hid. I could still hear their shouts, but no one could track me down after I used a kido spell that would cover my reiatsu. "If you could see me now, Imayru… you'd be laughing hysterically." Before I knew it, I was sitting on one of the branches and relaxing against the trunk until I slowly fell asleep.

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><p>Ichigo had long since fallen asleep, especially after the fact that it had been hours after we had been locked in the room. I let him take the bed because I was intending to sit up on one of the wooden beams in the high vaulted ceiling. I knew that I probably wouldn't be sleeping well while I was in Night Fall and if I did it would only be in small bursts. I had a bad feeling about this city of Jikan but it was one that I couldn't put my finger on. It was when I sensed a strong spiritual pressure attempting to sneak up on me that I started to chuckle a little.<p>

"I can sense you outside the window, Ryzen," I said softly so that I wouldn't wake up Ichigo.

There was the sound of a thump against the wall before Ryzen came into sight, a red mark on his forehead that made me think he had hit his head on purpose. After opening the window and crawling inside, he jumped up high until he landed on the beam near the ceiling and sat down beside me. "I should be surprised that you could sense me sneaking up on you, but you are—"

"Don't finish that sentence," I said sternly, noticing his surprise out of the corner of my eye.

He looked rebuked and fell silent for the longest time before speaking up again. "Can I tell you about my twin? I'm sure Taliya has told you about her, but I want you to know about her from my point of view."

"Why not," I said with a sigh. "Let's hear more about this girl you think I am."

"When we were little, she was our light," Ryzen said as he looking up at the ceiling. "She came up with nicknames for everyone she cared for and remembered each and every one of them. She was wild and carefree during her free time, but she would instantly turn deathly serious when it was required. She was an excellent swordfighter and far surpassed my skill, training me so that I could be just as good as she. Our mother knew that she had the perfect temperament for being a queen one day and all I wanted was to become stronger because I was going to become her Guardian."

"What happened that day when she disappeared?" I asked him quietly, still refusing to look at him directly. "Taliya told me a little but she doesn't know the full story."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw his expressions darken. "As I was training with a Guardian to learn the basics of becoming one myself, she ran across the training field at a sprint with a joyous look on her face. I remember the Guardian laughing and calling her "Night Fall's little warrior princess" before he left to let me talk with her. She excitedly told me about how someone informed her of a special herb that could help our mother and it was one that could be found in our secret hiding place. It was a month of night and it was dangerous to go near there because the way to hiding place was through the forest where the Hollows roamed. She told me that she could get us both there and back before the Hollows could track us down. I let her convince me and we left for the forest together.

"Getting to that field was too easy and we didn't see a single Hollow the way there. She bounced through the field, packing the herbs that had been described to her into her pockets. It was around that time that I noticed a dagger sticking out of one of the belt loops of her dress. I was about to ask her about it when we heard the roaring of Hollows. It wasn't just one, but many. She dropped the plants she picked up and ran towards me, grabbing me by the hand and running faster than I had ever seen her go before. She tried to get us back to the city, but Hollows kept cutting off our escape and so we had to go deeper into the forest. We reached the very edge of the deepest part of the forest, one that was a wall of black. We were expressly told never to go in there because strange things happened in that section of the forest. She froze in a cleared out area just before the wall of darkness, searching for some place to hide when she found a huge tree with a hollowed out portion near the roots. She dragged me over to it and threw me in, making me land in a dip in the ground where I couldn't be seen should I hunch down.

"The roaring was getting closer and I begged for her to follow me into the hole in the tree, but all she did was give me a smile. She told me that there wasn't enough room, that someone needed to lead the Hollows away, and that I needed to take care of our siblings if she didn't come back. Before I could stop her, she ran out into the middle of the clearing and grabbed a few rocks, throwing them out into the trees and screaming at the top of her lungs for them to come and get her. When they finally got closer, she pulled out the dagger and began to glow with this unnatural light, her eyes blazing fiercely and a determined grin on her face. When one Hollow dived at her, she jumped up and slashed through its mask with enough strength to kill it. She screamed at them again like a wild animal before she sprinted towards the darkness with all of them on her tail. I don't remember much after that except that I was high up in the branches of a tree when I was found."

"She sounds like she would be a force to be reckoned with if she was still here," I said softly. "I would have liked to meet her."

"Look in the mirror," he told me. "If you aren't her, then she would be just like you if she was around." I sighed a little at his words and he noticed my disapproval. "Haven't you felt like there are pieces of your soul missing, ones that can't be filled by substitutes?"

"No," I said quickly. "To say I did would be to say that the ones I consider to be like family are insignificant."

"Do you remember your true family?"

"No."

"Do you remember anything about your life in the Land of the Living?"

"No."

"Then how can you be so sure that—?"

"I am _not_ your twin!" I yelled, hearing Ichigo sit up in the bed. "You said it yourself that your sister would never become a Soul Reaper! I don't know any of you and you are mistaken! I think that you've been searching for so long that you'd settle for something that is as close as you can get!"

"Imayru, are you alright?" Ichigo asked sleepily.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I growled. "Ryzen was just leaving."

I turned to glare at Ryzen, who put up his hands in a non-threatening manner. "Fine then. Don't believe a word I said. I'll let you figure it out on your own." He stood up and jumped down from the beam, walking over to the window and stopping before he left. "By the way… if my mother thinks that you are her long lost daughter, she will most likely do everything she can to make you stay. And she'll test you to see if you are. I hope you know to act differently when she is around." With those words, he left the room entirely.

"You don't sound fine," Ichigo said as he got off the bed and walked to the beam. "What's wrong?"

"There are things that don't add up from my past," I said quietly. "They keep using those holes in my memory to insert this little girl I don't know or remember into those holes. I can't be one of them. If I was an Exile princess, how did I get to the Soul Society?"

"Strange things happen," he told me. "If you are that princess, maybe you stumbled into a portal in the dark."

"I want to go into the forest," I announced as I stood up. "If I go now, they'll never know I was gone."

"You're not going alone. Toshiro would kill me if he found out that I just let you go exploring on your own!"

"Oh, come on, Ichigo!" I grumbled. "I am a captain! I can handle myself! I've proven on several different occasions that I'm a powerhouse!"

I jumped down onto the floor before flash stepping out the window, soaring through the air like a dragon. I heard a few curse words shouted from behind me and knew that Ichigo was following after me. I could see the huge forest stretching out like a sea of trees and further in as far as the eye could see was darkness. _That's the place,_ I whispered inwardly as I headed downward. I dropped onto a branch higher up and a hundred feet away from the edge of darkness. With another jump, I landed lightly on my feet in the grass as I looked around at my surroundings. I was about to head closer to the dark wall when I saw the hollowed out portion of the tree that Ryzen spoke of.

Like a ghostly version of a movie that made that prickly headache come back, I could see a little girl that had long black hair with a boy the same age run over to the tree. The girl shoved the boy inside, saying something to him with a gentle smile on her face before she whipped around with a determined look on her face. It was one that I could remember well and when the Hollows came, the little girl struck back and killed one before running as fast as she could to the darkness. I took a step forward towards the darkness as well when I felt the headache increase to the point where it was like a knife stabbing through my brain. I hissed in pain before falling to my knees, using one arm to keep myself from falling on my face entirely.

_Help!_

I heard that scream again and the pain increased to the point where I threw up. It felt like it would go on forever until I reached the point where I was only dry heaving. The feeling of evil that only came around with a Hollow surface with the scream, but I could only shudder and feel fear because of my vulnerable state. The moment my stomach settled, I slid Tatsuya from its sheath and whipped around, going to slice into my opponent when I stopped at the last second because I saw that it wasn't a Hollow. It was only Ichigo, who ducked at the last second.

"I'm… sorry," I panted, feeling ashamed that I had almost killed my friend. I turned back around and headed towards the wall of darkness before Ichigo grabbed me by the wrist. "What are you doing?"

"Don't go in there," he told me seriously. "I get a bad feeling from it and I don't think it's a good idea."

"We don't go in there for a reason," a voice called out and I recognized it as Taliya's. "That part is known as Kage Forest. It is both sacred and cursed."

"How is that possible?" Ichigo asked sarcastically.

"Our people have an old legend about that forest," she said as she walked closer. "It was once said that the ancestors of the Exiles arrived in Night Fall through Kage Forest after being chased by the Soul Reapers. If those stories are true, then there is a portal of some sort that connects our world to yours. That's just a rumor told by the older generation. The stories that circulate now about Kage Forest is that monsters of the worst kind roam in its shadows, picking off anyone who strays inside."

"So why do you all think that the Lost Princess is alive?" I asked her.

"Our strongest Guardian tracked her reiatsu through Kage Forest until she reached a certain point where she must have fallen and hit her head off of a rock. There was blood there and the Guardian said that her reiatsu shifted before she kept going. He said that the rumors behind our world connecting yours are true, so long as the proper conditions are met, and that she must have wandered into the Soul Society. He said that because she hit her head off the rock and her reiatsu shifted that there was a chance she could have lost her memory." Taliya focused entirely on me before saying, "That's why I think that it's you. She was just as resourceful, regardless of the situation."

With those words, she beckoned for use to follow after her so we could head back to the castle unnoticed.


End file.

Bleach, Angst, Hurt-Comfort