Author's note:

Hi! Gonna keep it short haha so this is my first fanfiction and it's pretty bad,, but anyway I'm looking to improve my writing and hopefully write something readable. Thanks for coming by!

CHAPTER ONE

Rin lay panting on the ground in one of Rukongai's Zaraki district. Exhausted from fighting another large hollow, she was beat and ready to sleep. Besides, she didn't particularly care about where she took her short naps. It could be on the ground, in a tree, or even as she floated in water. The last was her favourite, actually. Even though the district was as bad as you can get, the rivers that sprang out amongst the trees flowed with clear, sweet water. Floating on that was what Rin imagined to be akin to floating on clouds in the sky. The only thing missing was the ability to look down at the world. Whenever she tried to turn her head or sleep on her side, she always ended up sinking into the water, and hell was that annoying.

A peaceful smile gracing her face, she wondered what it would be like to sleep on bed. Not that she would ever get to, but she would like to try it once. Not because it seemed comfortable or anything, but simply because it seemed fun. But, ultimately, she had decided long ago that she would one day find a place to sleep that would feel as good as sleeping in the sky, and that place would have cool winds and a nice, soft feel, and there would be a thick blanket to cuddle into and hug.

Shivering on the ground, she wondered what it was like in other districts. It wasn't a usual train of thought for her to follow, but hollow hunting did make her more introspective. She heard that there was much worse in other parts further North, but she didn't particularly care to go see for herself. In fact, she didn't particularly care about most things, other than killing hollows.

"Kaen, Yukikaze" Rin whispered to her zanpakutos. As a double wielder, she was rather fond of both. Cradling them in her arms, she turned over her side and relished the feeling of the hard ground against her stomach. It was more than enough to remind her that she was alive, and she couldn't help but smile at the thought.

The hollow she had just killed was a tough one. Ten times her size and rather devilish, she had the ability to cause large currents of wind to suck matter towards her, allowing her to catch everything in her huge jaws and slowly "enjoy" her prey. Fortunately, she had managed to move with enough speed to avoid most of the wind, and aimed a few well-thought-out shots of ice towards the large hollow. After she had frozen the hollow, it was a simple matter of bringing Kaen and Yukikaze down on her. Another day, successfully used, she thought with satisfaction as she stretched her arms and legs out like a cat. "Aaaaaaahhhhh".

The day was young, the sun was hidden behind some clouds, and a gentle breeze blew itself across Rin's face. Perfect weather for a nap, she thought with vigor. If only you have this much energy when you need to fight, Yukikaze joked playfully. Kaen was just about to join in, but Rin's zanpakutos suddenly silenced themselves, causing her to become alert.

"Tch, what a pain."

She heard a low voice call out in annoyance somewhere behind her. Rolling on the ground to hide behind a clump of random bushes, she observed a blonde-haired shinigami stalk around the clearing.

"Can't believe I had to come all the way here to find nothing."

She narrowed her eyes. He looked like the demure type, but something about him made her gut sense tingle. He wasn't especially strong, but he was far from weak. Strange, she rarely saw shinigami come to these parts. He was only the sixth she had seen so far, but he was definitely better than the first five. Yukikaze was skeptical though, while Kaen was all for asking for a fight. Shh, she mentally chided her blades. Stop arguing in my head.

Just as she was about to go back to sleep, she realised that he was now looking straight at her as if the bushes were but a sheet of glass.

Shit, she cursed in her head. Can't believe he spotted me. How did he know I was here? Nevermind, I'll figure it out later she reassured herself. For now, I'll just deal with it.

Jumping boldly out of the bushed, she raised a hand in what she hoped was a sign of peaceful greeting and non-aggression. Please don't hurt me, she prayed silently. I don't enjoy being forced to kill anything other than hollows anyway.

"Yo..." She began with some uncertainty, voice surprisingly soft. She was calmer than he thought she would be, looking almost disinterested. This only caused the shinigami to raise his eyebrows.

"Who're you?" He asked, voice careful. To him, she looked like just another kid from the slum, but something was rather off. Could she know anything about why the hollows that appeared kept dying off without their intervention? Or could she be a hollow too. He frowned- you could never be too sure.

"I live here." The girl replied simply, ignoring his question completely.

Tch, a cocky one. Either that, or she was just blatant and spoke only what she wanted to say. Well, no matter, he thought grimly. Cute and small as she may be, there was definitely something wrong with her. Izuru Kira's suspicions deepened. Very few Zaraki residents were so happy, and very few looked this carefree. Outwardly, she looked like the rest of them, with no shoes and tattered clothes, but as he stared harder at her, he realised her eyes were hard and sharp, and hell, this wasn't just another girl. She definitely wasn't a hollow either. He could sense the beginnings of a very strong power. No wonder she had been leaking reiatsu like a broken tap.

"Do you know what's been going on with all the hollows here lately?" He asked.

To his surprise, she nodded slowly. He could feel that their conversation was finally getting somewhere.

"Can you tell me what happened?" He pressed. Originally, he had been reluctant to leave Seireitei for such a rural district by himself, grumbling about how a seated member would suffice for such a routine task. But now he felt that the trip may have been worth it. He could feel that this one was something else. What was she hiding?

"The hollows," she smirked playfully.

"Yes?" He asked with patience. Maybe she would tell him something important, maybe not, but he would hear her out till the end. And if she was hiding something, he would get it out of her too.

Her answer, however, was something he hadn't been expecting.

"I killed them all." She cocked her head to one side, then placed a hand on her hip.

She seemed pleased with herself.

Kira wasn't sure if he had heard her correctly.

"Come again?" He repeated in disbelief. At this point, he was more inclined to believe that Kuchiki Byakuya had laughed at a joke in the past five hundred years than what this girl was implying.

Rin frowned. She could tell he didn't believe her. So, she did what she could. She ran, and just as she had hoped he started chasing after her. Sucker bait.

Silently rejoicing, she continued to leap through the mass of trees, indifferent to the cuts forming on her bare feet. They would heal, and that would be the end of it. In the meantime, the pain kept her senses sharp.

Never once turning to look back, she wasn't surprised that he refrained from attacking her from behind. After all, she was just another helpless girl and he was a lieutenant- why would he need to do anything. Smirking, she ran ahead, darting strategically in and out of the forest she knew like the back of her hand. She wasn't so stupid that she expected to be able to escape so easily, but she did predict that she could evade him for at least ten minutes before- damn. She sighed, why was he so fast? How did he even manage to appear in front of her? Eyes widening, she turned to run away, but resigned herself to her fate after a few seconds. In a game where speed was key, she would definitely lose even if she followed the worst trails in the whole mess of trees.

"What do you want?" She hissed, not venomous and not spiteful but just annoyed that this shinigami had decided to ask her a question and then doubt her answer. What was she, an unreliable kid?

"How did you kill the hollows?" He asked with a note of curiosity in his voice. Grey eyes staring down at her short frame, Rin realised how scary he actually was when he was trying to be nice, and laughed aloud. She liked this one.

Pulling out her dual blades, she sliced through the nearest true with obvious pride showing from the way she smiled at him afterwards, almost as if she wanted him to praise her. Unable to hide his surprise, Kira openly gaped at the display of power, and then promptly closed his mouth to grin weakly in return. "Nice," he managed to croak out, and he unconsciously took a step back. How did she manage to get her hands on zanpakuto? And how did she wield both? Unless... His mind reeled from the implications and he realised that he was going to have to take her back to Seireitei with him. And then fill in a shit ton of paperwork. Ah, he felt a headache coming on.