Disclaimer – I do not own Bleach. I do however own the Sweeper world, what one might call a parallel image world of ours, that allows travel between the different worlds, though… I hope the chapter explains itself, and that the author's note helps at the very bottom.

Bleached Sweeper
~ Prolog ~

I am a sweeper…

Wait, is that really a good way to start off a story that one is trying to tell another person? I think that isn't, not when the other person has no clue what a sweeper is. So, should I explain what a sweeper is? It's a rather complex thing to explain, expressly since I myself am still learning.

In other words, I didn't always know myself what a sweeper was, let alone RPW. Those around me had an idea, roughly what they were, but they never had any true idea as to why sweepers do the jobs that we do. Wes, being a sweeper is a job.

Or is it? I originally, when I first became a sweeper thought like everyone else, this was the case. How soon afterward did I realize the gravity of the situation, not to mention the complications that failing our jobs would imply. The truth of everything, sometimes, is best left hidden.

So the question comes, where does one start the story? Where would the most interest lie? Or where is the most needed information best given? I guess the best was to start this story, is by telling how I became a sweeper. Because then maybe there will be an understanding of what we are.

~o-o~

The year that I started high school, a new school building opened up, a new high school, to be exact. So, coupled with being an incoming Freshman, there was also the excitement of having a brand new school building. I was more excited though about the classed I would be able to take.

That morning I stood at my bus stop. The trees had that nice, crisp Autumn scent, and a few colorful leaves had already begun to fall. The younger student, particularly the elementary students, who would be walking to their own first day of school, were yet to be seen.

I pulled out of my backpack, one of the manga that I loved to read. This lasted only a matter of a few minutes as a dexterous hand snatched it away. My body suddenly twisted on its heels to face the perpetrator. "Give it back already!"

"What good American girl reads comics in another language," the girl flipped the pages as if it were one of those books where one scene morphs from page to page to become a short cartoon in one's hand.

"Knock it off Aubrey," my face quite possibly had a rather sour expression and I brushed my long brown hair away from my face. An attempt to snatch it back was made, however, was completely unsuccessful.

Aubrey twisted one of her bright, fake, blond curls around her fingers. "Hey, isn't this that really dumb orange soul reaper from Bleach?"

Finally able to snatch the book away, as she was looking at the cover, I chanced a glare at her, which didn't phase her. "I don't mind wear and tear on my Manga, but I would rather it came from actual use, rather than abuse."

"Rhyming is so uncool Taylor…" the girl pouched out her lips, calling me by my last name. "Isn't reading the comics in Chinese the same as reading Harry Potter in Latin? That makes you still a mondo geek."

"For your information, it is Japanese, my mother's home country and both English and Japanese are my first languages, so it is normal then for me to speak both languages plus…" One should always have the clue that Aubrey would interrupt right when one had a point to make, yet someone had yet to learn this, maybe still hasn't.

"I know that you're a half-breed. What has Japan contributed except to start World War One with the European continent just so they could evade America."

"Bleach was written in Japanese first," I didn't wish to comment on her factual mistakes, as the knowledge that she would argue was there. "Not only does the English version change a few things, but the Anime does too… and some of the voice acting is nowhere near as good in English as the original language."

"Nice try. So, are you going to tell me that Toshiro Hitsugaya is much better over there He's my favorite character, so I doubt it? Not that you of all people could appreciate how hot he is. Ever since the Bleach world in RPW opened up, I've been trying to ask him on a date!" she laughed. "He's in our grade, so the same age."

"Where exactly did you get that idea from?" Sometimes it was best not to argue with her, but with a personality to defend what one knows a lot about, so sometimes this gets missed.

"Well, duh, he's in that stupid guy's class eventually, so I've heard, and that guy is a Freshman, so he's my age, right? A captain, and a complete hotty and a bad ass attitude. I've had sex with many boys, but he's the ultimate one!"

"You're sick…" came out rather bluntly, though I have to admit I wanted to lecture her about her misconceptions, I really couldn't do anything about it. She would argue that the grading system in Japan was just like ours and that only a moron would make a kid way younger be in an older grade level. Not to mention all the other things that would drive a fan crazy.

"Says the girl who is still a virgin," came her attempt at snarking someone.

The huge yellow bus pulled up, and when the door opened, she pushed her way by me, ignoring the lecture the bus driver gave her. I went and sat with my two friends, who the only thing they could talk about was RPW, thus I ended up turning them both out.

~o-o~

Stepping off the bus, my sneakers crunched on the asphalt… or was in concrete, and my friend Rachel had to grab me from behind. "Rin… if you step off the bus with your nose in a book, you're libel to have a misstep."

"I'm at a good part," try particularly the point where Ichigo's sisters see Kon at their school.

"And how many times have you read that series?" my other friend laughed. "You can be so emotionless at times!"

"Not true," came the protest.

"Yes, we can tell," Rachel gave me a weak smile. "Perhaps you could join us eventually at RPW."

"Is that really what everyone talks about?" Some responses are just plain stupid, and sometimes one should obviously know this.

"It's the latest thing," Christina sighed. "How can you not know?"

"Let's just go and get out schedules," Rachel bemoaned, grabbing a sleeve and dragging someone after them, my nose still in the Manga volume. The next thing I recollect hearing was, "Can we get her schedule too?"

"Name?" For once I glanced up and saw a grey-haired office lady scowling at me.

"Taylor Rin," I stated, still halfway through my initiation.

"Rin Taylor!" two upset friends corrected, then proceeded to drag their friend elsewhere. Cafeteria to be exact, or one could suppose. There were a bunch of students there being loud, so this was very likely. An urge was there for the bell to ring.

"Hey… do you like Bleach?" came a sudden voice as someone sat down with my friends and me, their tray clicking on the table.

When I glanced up, my friends had sudden sighs of relief. However, I glanced at the older gird. "Has anyone told you, you look like Kitsutaka Tooru from Asura Cryin'?"

Two dirty looks came from Rachel and Christina. However, the girl pulled away from the bangs that covered one eye. "No ex-operator mark, sorry."

"People don't just read Manga because they like it." This commented tended to annoy Rachel and Christina.

"Mmm… like the reasons for watching Asura Cryin' are going to vary from person to person. Most boy's I met like it for the panty humor, while I like the whole concept, but was disappointed that the storyline wasn't executed in the best way, for an awesome mecha sci-fi fantasy cross,"

"Agreed," causing two groans to come from the two who had no clue what was being said.

"Victoria Winchester. Have you thought about becoming a sweeper for RPW? They're going through another screening process. Unless an acceptation is made, you have to be fourteen, or in high school," the girl smiled.

The girl then hurried off, leaving the flyer behind. Christina glared at her. "Ms. Popularity isn't she? You don't want to be a sweeper."

The bell rang before Christina could give me a reason for saying this.

~o-o~

I still wonder then, why I came to be at the RPW building after school. Christina's tone indicated that she possibly had problems with sweepers. Perhaps it was a curiosity more than anything, or the fact I swept the flier into the backpack without realizing it.

Somehow, it ended up on the floor of the living room as I dumped and reorganized my school supplied. Mother found it and was not at all pleased with the idea I was possibly interested in RPW. Neither was my father.

Of course, did I really have an interest? A wondering perhaps of what the big deal was, but not an actual interest. I heard comments about it being every fan's dream, for it not being truly real, so why bother. There was one type of comment though, that made me wonder about all that went on.

Quite a few had made the comment it was mainly self-insert Mary Sue's dream. While I hadn't written fanfics, I had glanced through enough to know what a Mary Sue was. A Mary Sue is any character someone created that isn't believable or usurps the roles of actual canon characters. Some say that there is such a thing too as a canon Mary Sue. A self-insert Mary Sue was someone like Aubrey, who truly didn't respect the character, even though they were fictional.

While my parents overall were not pleased, they also couldn't explain why. It was almost as if they were hiding something. Thus, they made a deal I rather didn't like, to take martial arts classes on the weekends, something I'd been refusing to do, as I already took walks with my father.

So then, how did I end up over at the RPW building? I had no interest really. I didn't want to take martial arts. Was it just curiosity, or was it a case of my parent's misunderstanding and forcing me, even dropping me off at the building?

So that was why I was riding down to one of the lower levels of the elevator with mirrors all around me, no fingerprints at all, and cold metal handrails. This was not going to be fun. With me, was who else, but … Aubrey…

"You know," Aubrey stated, smirking as she did so. "They are more likely to pick me."

"And why is that?" I asked, trying to ignore her.

"Because you're flat chested, plain looking and a half-breed," she smirked.

"You know… they might be recording our conversations," my voice had to have been the most bored-sounding ever.

"So… then I can get them to know I want to be the sweeper assigned to Toshiro Hitsugaya and not some fat retarded guy." Of course, she would say something like that, one should expect that one coming a mile away." I really don't know how you got one of Victoria's flyers."

The doors opened. One might have said it was before I could really say anything, but I really didn't want to say anything.

"Good afternoon you two," Victoria gave us a weak smile, looking pointedly at Aubrey. She then looked at me. "I forgot to ask your name."

"Aubrey Sugarhill," someone smiled. Victoria's eyes gave her a rather dirty look, but she kept her smile.

"How about you?"

"Taylor Rin." This statement caused a very particular fellow freshman to laugh.

"Why are you always stupid and reverse your name like that?"

"So… I take it you two are the only ones who signed up for the test, other then Samone?"

"Test… why do we have to take a test?" Aubrey's face contorted, almost as if she were afraid of a math test. Everything was full of disgust.

"Oh, just to see how well you two know the world of Bleach. Someone actually knows a lot, she's got the thing for wanting to retake the test after a bunch of new material comes out."

"You mean the new episodes?" Victoria suddenly asked. "Is it multiple choice?"

~o-o~

I was to become a sweeper. I sat in the debriefing room while Aubrey was taken to another room. When Victoria came back with Samone, who had short hari and glasses. Both looked quite frazzled.

"So… you are new to the concept of RPW?" Victoria asked.

"All the better that she not has been told this is a game," Samone stated softly.

"True. Everyone assumes that the worlds they go into aren't real, but RPW has created safety measures so people don't get hurt. Sweepers have the job of making sure RPW characters that are created don't run rampant. People think that we have more freedom… in some ways we do, in some, we don't."

"You are familiar with the terms Mary Sue and rabid fangirl, right?" Samone stated. "There are some people who think that because they aren't real, when they really are, that they can do anything they want, just like in fanfiction."

"Some say RPW is really restrictive rule wise," Victoria stated. "You said if you were to create your own anime character, that she would have short white hair, red eyes. Why?"

"I figure that kind of character would be taken seriously."

"And the selection of the Japanese name Hikari Rin?"

"My first name is already Japanese. It is a neutral name, so people again would take me seriously, and Hikari is to add a bit of femininity as needed."

"You answered no preference for sweeper candidates, but you listed you would rather not have Hitsugaya Toshiro. Why?" Samone laughed.

"Well, he is my favorite character… so I might have a bias after all."

"Contrary to the RPW players idea, not every character needs a sweeper, and not all sweepers are placed with a character," Samone stated, her tone a bit bitter. "I get stuck in research and development."

"Not only are you better suited for that, truth is, you love it."

"Her the machine picks from the tests and the need," Samone stated.

Victoria indicated two stands that popped out of circles on the floor. "I'll go with you your first time through… maybe other times. Expect to look different when you do go."

"Understood… same for you?"

"I actually asked to be flat chested here… considering how some of the guys are," Victoria narrowed her eyes. "Thankfully, if need be, we can modulate characters memories, much like they do in Bleach, but different…"

She then disappeared as I was surrounded by a cylinder of green light, words flashed by. "Sweeper selected for character Hitsugaya Toshiro, captain of squad ten." I thought I asked not to get him.

Author's note – I've not updated this fic since October of 2009. Updates for this particular one, as noted previously, are not likely to be an often event, as this is a more difficult piece to write. The first chapter of this story took an entire month to write when I was working on the chapter. This is also written in first-person, something I don't typically do with the stories I write. It's rather difficult to do write in this point of view, but I decided only the first would be written in the first person.

The idea for RPWorld comes from the tradition of parodying/satirizing fanfic which is popular in the HP and LotR fandoms, and I wanted to try something different, though I didn't and still don't know how well the work would turn out. Also, Rin's name matching another character's name is actually on purpose.