Chapter 1

The night was always calm. The sun was down, the humans went to sleep, and the whole world seemed to pause. Nanashi stood atop a tall building on a hill overlooking the city before him. The dark blue sky, matched perfectly with the orange yellow lights from the city. It reminded him of what he had assumed was his home. His memory had been foggy, changing from self assured, to an unwavering doubt about it. Whatever it was, wherever he came from, was all a distant memory. Even pressing on, as he had for the past 130 years, the unknown plagued him beyond what he thought possible. Every stone he turned over, every new bit of information he'd found only raised more questions. He know that he was a Shinigami, either banished with no memories, or banished here. Either option wasn't a relief from the burning questions of who he was.

Nanashi pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind as he concentrated on the reiatsu that had been flaring all night, assaulting Nanashi's senses. The town had always been saturated with hollows, making the need for Shinigami that much more required. Even as the unusual amount of hollows appeared, Nanashi never felt as threatened now, as he had before. There was something unusual, something far more dangerous about this particular reiatsu that didn't sit well with him. He'd felt the reiatsu of nearly every being in this small town, and nothing was so potent, or dangerous as this new power. He was beginning to think that the local Shinigami deployed here, wasn't going to deal with it.

Jumping from the building, and gently gliding toward the source of the reiatsu, Nanashi decided to investigate, and maybe put this to rest. If something bad was about to happen, he at least wanted to be prepared for it.

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"You idiot! You're going to damage your body!" Rukia shouted, chiding the young orange haired teen.

The boy stood, shouting and pulling his hands slowly away from himself. The strain on his body was enormous, yet his sisters were in danger. This bond, or witchcraft wasn't about to stand in his way. With one final shout, he pulled his hands to his side, and the spell was broken.

"Wha-" Rukia asked, astonished that he didn't die from the strain. Even though the kids she had used was the lowest level kido, it should still have been more than enough for a regular human. Some Shinigami struggled to break free of this level spell, and some human, some kid does it in two minutes?

Before she realized anything, the boy grabbed a chair, and charged out into the street to confront the hollow. Stuck in place by his candor, she watched him stop in the street, and stare in shock as his sisters were held in the air. Bravery and brashness went hand in hand it seemed.

"If you came here for me, you should come after me!!" The boy shouted, charging the hollow. "Coward!!"

Before he got too close, the hollow lunged forward, mouth a gape and ready to eat him. The boy's eyes widened, realizing that this monster, this demon was about to eat him. He paused, feeling the fear and error of his rash actions, and the beast seemed to draw too close. He saw a blur rush past him as the demon lunged at him, and closed his eyes ready to face death.

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Nanashi was jumping from building to building, going as fast as he possibly could. The immense reiatsu was building faster than anything he had felt before, and it kept him moving. What was happening here would undoubtedly change everything. If regular humans were around, they might break through the veil, and begin to see hollows. The resulting chaos would mean the end of society in this small town.

"You know master, this could very well be a trap." Kaosu no Kage said.

The thought had crossed Nanashi's mind, but this seemed too deliberate, too obvious to be a trap. The thick waves of reiatsu felt more like an explosion, than a being. If it was bait, then it was bait for something like a menos type hollow. Which did nothing to alleviate his concern at all, ironically enough it propelled him forward. Determination was a powerful feeling, sometimes even overpowering caution, and reason.

"What if it's not?" Nanashi asked.

Continuing his trek across town, a brilliant white light shone in the distance, making Nanashi pause. The power emanating from the light shocked him. Not by its intensity, or its brilliance, but by the sheer brashness of it. It felt familiar, like seeing an old friend after a long trip away, or returning home. Nanashi continued to move closer to it, investigating the strange phenomenon.

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"Damn... I only meant to give him half of my power. But he took almost all of it." Rukia thought. "I've never met anyone with this kind of spiritual power. And I've never seen a Zanpakuto that size before. This is a strange boy indeed."

The orange haired boy, whom had introduced himself as Ichigo Kurosaki, had handily dealt with the hollow, purifying it like a seasoned Shinigami. The way he moved, so freely yet so rigid, showed his potential to her. This would have to do until she could figure out her next move. She had to report back to Ukitake in a few months to rotate out of duty, so she had time to plan her next moves.

"Well. This is odd." A voice spoke above her.

She looked around, feeling a presence that she hadn't felt in a while. Or so she thought. The voice was new to her, that much was certain, but it also seemed so familiar. Like she knew it, but couldn't place where. Finally looking up, she saw a white haired man, with a long Zanpakuto strapped to his back. His brown haori and short sleeves were far from regulation, and her guard went up. If this man, this obvious Shinigami was a deserter, they could still be in grave danger. He could use this time when two spiritually aware beings were weakest to strike.

The man jumped down from the wall, landing in front of Rukia but faced Ichigo, so she couldn't see his face. An overwhelming sense of familiarity washed over her, and she stared on confused as to why it was. She'd never known any white haired men, aside from Ukitake.

"I thought it was a big deal to share your powers with a human." The man spoke turning around.

She locked onto his yellow eyes, almost losing herself in them. The feral colour made her heart skip a beat, and the stubble on his face made her perk up. She got a glimpse of his white hair, and noticed it was done in a pony tail, and it rested just below his shoulders. She immediately thought about how handsome he was, and blushed slightly at the thoughts. Feeling another wave of nostalgia wash over her, she pondered why she was feeling abnormally relaxed and close to this man.

"Or did the rules change recently?" The man finished saying.

Rukia slowly stood, feeling a weakness wash over her from transfering her powers to Ichigo. Lightheadedness was something she was familiar with, feeling it hit her almost daily, yet this was a whole new kind of weakness. She felt a sense of emptiness, like she was hollow, yet still a Shinigami. Her connection to Sode no Shirayuki was gone, and her absence was immediately noticed as well.

"I only meant to give half... His spiritual power must have absorbed the rest." Rukia replied.

"Like a power vacuum." The man replied. "Name's Nanashi by the way. You are?"

"Rukia."

The orange haired boy, Ichigo, had fallen to the ground with a soft thump, and Nanashi looked over to see him face down on the road. He helped Rukia up, and walked to the boy, hefting him onto his shoulders.

"We should probably fix this. The humans will wonder what happened. You ever seen one of these?" Nanashi suggested, pulling out a silly looking device from a pocket.

Rukia looked at the device, familiar with it, yet curious as to how this man acquired one. "A memory replacement tool. How did you get one?"

Nanashi walked past her with Ichigo on his shoulders, and placed him onto the ground. He found a black haired girl, and sat her beside him.

"I've only got two of them. Did anyone else see this?" Nanashi asked.

"There is another girl in the house. Brown hair." Rukia replied.

"Yuzu." A deep voice stated. " My other daughter, is Yuzu."

Nanashi and Rukia turned to see a middle aged man with black hair, and scruff on his chin approaching with a cigarette in his mouth. He wore a black suit under his white jacket, and surprisingly, could see both Rukia and Nanashi.

"Well. I didn't expect to see anyone who was spiritually aware." Nanashi stated, surprised.

Rukia strepped forward, standing beside Nanashi. "That explains everything."

"I see my damn fool son got himself into another mess. I was always afraid if this." The man replied.

The man walked to Ichigo, examining him, and looked surprised at his Zanpakuto. Even though it wasn't technically his, but a combination of Rukia's and his own power, the size was still abnormally impressive.

"He's got a lot of reiatsu. I'm surprised it took the hollow's this long to find him." The man spoke. "I guess I have you guys to thank for that though."

Rukia looked on, curious about how familiar the man was with the Shinigami. He seemed to know a lot about them, yet there was incredibly little information on him. She would have seen his face on her dossier of spiritually aware humans. She knew about the Quincy, and the peddler, but that was it.

This man was a mystery.

"I can see on your face that you're wondering who I am. It's okay, I won't keep it from you." The man said, knowing how Rukia was feeling. Turning, the man stated proudly. "The name's Isshin Kurosaki!!"

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Nanashi and Rukia had put the orange haired boy back to his room, cleaned up as much as they could, and erased the memories of the events, changing them into something more believable for the humans. What that was, and how it would affect their lives, was something beyond what they could understand. After settling things at the Kurosaki house, they decided to find the peddler, Kisuke Urahara, for a gigai, and more supplies to figure out a plan.

"How are you feeling? Any better at all?" Nanashi asked, walking with Rukia in the cool night breeze.

Rukia was upset, not overly angry, not sad, but upset at how things transpired. "I'm not sure. It's an adjustment, I can't hear her voice anymore. It's like a fuzzy static is there, overpowering all of my attempts to call her."

"It's going to be tough for a bit. Kisuke should be able to help, and maybe even give you something to do." Nanashi replied.

Rukia hoped he was right, and that this was only a temporary thing. If anyone in the seireitei found out what happened... She shuddered at the thought. The laws of the seireitei had become far more strict in the past 130 years, responding to a hollow outbreak that nearly destroyed the gotei 13. She remembered being there, with a small group of Shinigami, but the details were foggy, and unintelligible. Something happened, but she couldn't figure out what.

Knocking on the door to the Urahara shop, Rukia pushed the thoughts away and focussed on her situation at hand. No doubt Urahara would have a gigai for her, but her next step was uncertain. A shuffling was heard inside, along with grumbling about how it was late, and how there was no respect anymore. The door slid open, revealing a very tired, Kisuke, wearing his usual wide brimmed hat, and clogs.

"Ah, Miss Kuchiki, what can I do for you?" Kisuke asked.

"I need a gigai, and a few memory replacement tools. This is going to be tricky." Rukia replied.

Kisuke welcomed them in, and Nanashi turned around. He saw a black haired girl, staring at them from the road. She had short hair, with a red band around her wrist. She seemed curious more than anything, and as she stared, Nanashi felt as if she could see him. Waving, he decided to try and see if she could, and was shocked when she waved back.

"I've got something I need to do. You go on, I'll catch up with you later." Nanashi said.

Rukia and Kisuke retreated into the shop, and closed the door behind them. Nanashi turned, and walked over to the girl. She seemed to be almost frightened by him, and remembered that the humans probably weren't accustomed to the sight of a Shinigami. His Zanpakuto alone was bigger than the standard, and had to rest on his back.

"Hello. Out for a stroll?" Nanashi greeted. "Mind if I joim you?"

The girl reeled in shock, definitely not used to how forward Nanashi was being. She stumbled on her words, and simply nodded as they walked on.

Nanashi breathed in the cool spring air, filling his nose with the smells of the city, flowers, and grass. It wasn't his favourite season, but it was still nice.

"What brings you out this late?" Nanashi asked. "You don't look like you're going to school."

The girl simply looked down onto the ground, embarrassed that the man was even speaking to her, and unsure of how to respond. The truth was she had seen him a few times before, and had a strange attraction to him. Maybe it was the white hair, done into a pony tail that rested just below his shoulders, maybe it was something else.

"You're awfully quiet, are you sick?" Nanashi asked, mere inches from her face.

"Bagh!!" The girl screamed. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

Nanashi stood up straight, smiling at her reaction, and also finally snapping her out of her trance. He was beginning to wonder if maybe she couldn't see him, and that he was imagining things.

"There you go, you can speak!" Nanashi cheered.

"Yeah, of course I can speak. You think I'm an idiot?!" The girl chided.

Nanashi looked at her angry face, and felt it was time to address the elephant in the room. "How can you see me? I don't sense much in the way of spiritual energy from you. Are you a Quincy?"

The girl looked at him, confused by their interaction, and his questions. "Quincy? How can I see you? You're standing right here. What kind of question is that?"

Nanashi rubbed his chin, pondering her reaction, when he realized that she was young, and probably didn't even know what he was, or what a Quincy was. "Nanashi."

"Huh?"

"My name. It's Nanashi. You are?" Nanashi said, holding out his hand.

"Tatsuki Arisawa." Tatsuki replied, shaking his hand.

"Well Ms. Arisawa. Lets get you home. I'll explain what I can." Nanashi replied, walking ahead of her. "Try to keep an open mind about what I'm going to say, it might seem a bit... Outlandish."

Tatsuki nodded, following closely behind Nanashi, as they walked back to her house. He began from the beginning of time, and told her everything he could about Shinigami, hollow's, and the equilibrium. Tatsuki listened intently, almost not believing this strange man in weird clothes. She remained skeptical, unsure if he was crazy or not, and was about to interject, when Nanashi stopped, and looked over his shoulder.

"If you want proof, look over there." Nanashi said, turning toward a hollow appearing.

Tatsuki's eyes widened, shocked at what she was witnessing. A giant demonic monster was appearing from thin air, and immediately she felt it's oppressive reiatsu. Like a blanket covering her, blocking out her other senses and making her freeze.

The hollow growled, sniffing the air with an animalistic aggression. "I smell... Powerful reiatsu..."

The hollow turned toward Nanashi and Tatsuki, before pointing at them, and charging. Each foot impacted the ground with a thunderous boom as it drew closer to them. Tatsuki watched as Nanashi gripped his Zanpakuto, and the sheath burned away in a small purple flame.

"Show them their futility." Nanashi chanted, as he had countless times before. "Kaosu no Kage!"

Leaping into the air, Nanashi jumped above the hollow, spinning with his long Zanpakuto cutting into the hollow's mask. The beast took a few steps forward, quivering, and shaking, before two thin lines formed onto its mask. The hollow began to fall forward, dissipating into reishi, and evaporated away.

Tatsuki looked on, shocked at what she was seeing, and pinched herself to see if it was a dream. She didn't wake up, and she couldn't tell if that was worse or not. She had just found out that there were unseen demons prowling about, looking for anyone who was even a little spiritually aware.

"Man... Ichigo won't believe me when I tell him this..." Tatsuki muttered.

Nanashi chuckled quietly hearing Ichigo's name again. The girl must know him well if she'd even entertain telling him this. He decided to keep quiet, in case Rukia's memory replacement device didn't work, or if she just didn't use it on him. Tomorrow would be another day, and a very interesting one at that.

Nanashi sheathed Kaosu no Kage, and beckoned Tatsuki over, and together they walked to her home. Nanashi tried his best to explain what hollows actually we're along the way. She tried to believe his words, but found everything to be just a little too much to handle.

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Chapter 1 of my long arc. The intro chapters of the bleach manga, but kind of an AU.

More coming, and I'm going to try having a regular update schedule. Sit back, and relax. It's gonna be a long ride.