NEW PROLOGUE!!!

This story is an AU set just after Orihime is captured by Ulquiorra. Plenty of OCs and plot twists to make things fun. Or maybe I'm just doing this on the fly.

Prologue - A Reason For Lessons

The moon cast dark shadows on the ground, and every dark corner appeared to be waiting for the moment to close in on the areas that were still lit. But the moon held its sway, its bright light shining enough to show the way around, a guide to those lost in the darkness. A swift pair of feet was using this guide to navigate along a shrub-lined walkway, normally vibrant colors obscured by the dimness of the night.

The swift feet rapidly abandoned the gravel path and leaped up to the wooden floor of a beautiful and enormous pagoda that had five towers. The owner of the feet made his way to the center of the pagoda with great haste, pausing only to make sure he chose a particular set of stairs, and carefully avoiding the spiral staircase that led straight up into the center tower. He was beginning to tire, but his mission was of the utmost importance, his message one of great consequence. Following the blue walls upward, the messenger pushed his legs to their limits, moving forward as fast as possible.

Near the top of the tower, the messenger came to a door and halted. He knelt on one knee and rapped twice on the door.

"Come in, please."

The messenger quickly shoved open the door and jumped inside, kneeling and bowing his head. Despite his important message, he waited for permission to speak. A dark figure, shadowed in candlelight studied the messenger for a moment.

"What is the message?"

The messenger bowed deeply, "Sumi masen, but you have been summoned, Mizusentaichou!"

"I see," the figure replied, straightening in the low light. "Rest here, I will return."

"Osu!" the messenger obeyed.

There was a rush of wind, and when the messenger looked up, the figure had disappeared. The messenger gasped in awe for a moment before sitting back to catch his breath. Back down on the path, a few leaves from the shrubbery jolted from their branches, disturbed by an unseen force. A shadow swept down the path, and to blink would have meant missing it. The other end of the path led to a palace, more beautiful and taller than the pagoda.

The entrance to the palace was guarded, but the shadow rushed past them without heed. The guards knelt and bowed their heads to acknowledge its presence. Inside the palace, the shadow jostled about between hallways and doors - a maze of corridors through which it did not hesitate even once. It finally came to a pair of gilded doors, encrusted with jewels of every size, shape, and color. It was also guarded, but this time the guards crossed their naginata, in challenge to the approaching shadow. The figure from the pagoda appeared before them.

"State your business," the guard on the left spoke.

"I have been summoned," the figure answered.

"Enter, Mizusentaichou," the guard on the right spoke.

The doors behind the guards opened as they brought their weapons back to attention. The figure known only as "Mizusentaichou" rushed gracefully into the chamber presented. Only a few steps in, he dropped to his knees and brought his head near the white marbled floor. The breath from his nose created swirls of condensation on the marble. He waited. The room was great, both in size and in splendor, and he had only seen it a few times. However, he dared not take it in until offered. In fact, he dared not move, save to breath and blink, until he was offered.

"That was quick," a gentle voice observed, "although you have always been quick to respond to such things. Then again, you have also provided answers I thought were perhaps too straight-forward, eh? Anyway, I need to ask you something."

The figure called "Mizusentaichou" remained in his formal bow, not relenting in case he make a mistake.

"Ah," the gentle voice called out, "I see you have decided to stay quiet until properly called. Goodness, my boy, you know I would never punish you for speaking out. Especially not since you are always honest with me. I have come to appreciate you. Regardless, rise."

The figure sat back on his heels and looked up to another figure, sitting comfortably on a throne. In the dim light provided by candles, it was impossible to see either figure clearly.

"You know then why you were summoned?"

"I know that I was summoned, Majesty, it is enough," the Mizusentaichou declared.

"Ah, it is good to know you enjoy my company so," the Majesty chuckled. The Mizusentaichou allowed a small smile. "However, I am afraid I had to summon you for a particular reason."

"You have a mission for me?" the Mizusentaichou queried.

"Hai," the Majesty murmured, "there is a threat to my throne and the peace of the world it was meant to protect. I cannot allow this. Although it is not the greatest threat, I fear there is something greater behind it than what appears to be. I would not send you if I did not think it was necessary - although it is mostly a precaution."

"What is the mission, Majesty?" the Mizusentaichou asked.

"Training."

"Training, Majesty?"

"Hai, but not for you, you do not need it."

"Who am I to train then?"

"Very perceptive, my friend. You are so loyal, who could ever question you?"

"It is your right to do so, if you deem it necessary, Majesty."

The Majesty sighed and leaned back in the throne, "ever proper, Mizusentaichou. Your target is a young boy, he has become an ally of the Gotei Thirteen, and you shall help him to become stronger. I will warn you, he is brash, headstrong, crude, and inexperienced. However, he is very strong. Your presence will be a positive one in many aspects."

"In what way do you wish for me to train him?"

"In whatever way he needs, or that you deem necessary. Just make sure that he becomes stronger."

"As you wish, Majesty. May I ask a question?"

"You just did," the Majesty chuckled. Another small smile.

"... why me, and not Marubantaichou?"

"That has two answers, one you know already, and the other that you will learn quickly. You may bring one of your subordinates with you for this mission, but not your fukutaichou. There is also a spy already waiting there, you will know him when he reveals himself. Any other questions?"

"No, Majesty."

"Then off you go."

"Hai."

The kneeling "Mizusentaichou" rose and turned to leave. As he was about to exit the doors, the Majesty called out to him. He paused, and looked over his shoulder.

"One more thing, friend," the Majesty called, "please be careful. I'd hate for it to stay night here forever."

"Hai."

The figure vanished, and the doors to the Majesty's chamber closed with a dull bang.

Lesson One: Think Before Reacting or Don't Rush In

The auburn-haired girl held back her tears as she looked over her shoulder one last time at the young man whom she had decided to give her heart. She was doing this for him. She was doing this for her nakama. She was doing this because she felt she finally needed to be strong for them, instead of being protected. But that was not what made her sad.

No. What made her sad was that she felt she didn't have the courage to tell them herself how she wanted to be strong. She wasn't able to bring herself to tell him how she felt. He wouldn't know because he was sleeping while she told her story of how she could fall in love with the same person even if she lived five different lives. Even if he weren't asleep, he wouldn't know she was there. For that matter, she supposed she wouldn't have been able to tell her nakama that she was going to be strong for them.

Maybe that was why, this time, she could hold back those tears.

She whispered softly, "Thank you, Kurosaki-kun."

As she turned and stepped out through the closed window, one small teardrop desperately struggled out of her eye and fell to the ground. Looking at the bracelet she had been given so she would not be seen or heard, and allowed her to walk through walls, she smiled at the last chance she had been given to see him. She stepped out into the night.

"Goodbye"

The morning light shined in through the window onto the sleeping form of Kurosaki Ichigo. And he fell out of bed onto the floor with a particularly loud thud.

"Gah!"

The orange-haired teen grabbed his throbbing head from where it had collided with the hard-wood floor. He mumbled to himself and sat up, rubbing his forehead with the hand where he had been injured in the fight the day before.

His eyes widened quickly.

"It's healed…" he spoke to himself, "who…?"

He calmed down and used his ability to sense reiatsu. He was about to tell himself out loud who it was, when a small figure appeared in his window. He was short and youthful, but had white, spiked hair and a look on his face that was mature beyond the years he appeared to have lived. In truth, he was older than Ichigo, and a captain of one of the Court Guard Squads in Soul Society, where souls would go to live after their human body had died. The squads were made up of shinigami that protect the souls by sending them to Soul Society and purifying the hollows that tried to consume them.

"Inoue Orihime, most probably," the young-looking man said calmly. "Come right now, Kurosaki. It's an emergency."

Ichigo was screaming and cursing. Not a pleasant sight, especially considering his strength. He was just told his friend had been sent from Soul Society to the human world. And then that she had either been abducted or killed by the enemies they were fighting – the arrancar created by Soul Society's enemy number one, Aizen Sousuke. He forcefully shoved his hand at the communications screen displaying another captain, Ukitake Juushirou. Around Ichigo were arrayed other shinigami: Hitsugaya Toushiro, the captain of ju-bantai who had brought him to the meeting; Matsumoto Rangiku, ju-bantai vice-captain; Madarame Ikkaku, the third seat of juuichi-bantai and Ayasegawa Yumichika, the fifth seat of juuichi-bantai. Behind Ichigo, wanting to stop him and help him at the same time were his shinigami friends, Abarai Renji, roku-bantai vice-captain, and the shinigami who had originally given him his powers – Kuchiki Rukia.

"Look at this!" he shouted as he explained how only Inoue could have healed his wound, how he could feel her reiatsu. "

"I see," came a low, scratchy voice. An old man stepped into view on the screen. "That's a pity."

"Soutaicho…" came the whisper from Rukia. Yamamoto-Genryuusai Shigekuni was the leader of the thirteen court guard squads, and did not often waste energy to say anything unnecessary.

"What?!" Ichigo was incredulous and furious. "What the heck is that supposed to mean, old man?!"

"If your story is true," replied Yamamoto, "then Inoue Orihime has, by her own will, joined the arrancars."

Ichigo was about to let the old man have it with another barrage of cursing and yelling, when Renji grabbed his shoulder.

"Don't bother," Renji sighed, "saying anything else will just make things worse." Renji turned to Yamamoto. "We understand soutaichou. From here on, as part of Hitsugaya-taichou's expeditionary force, I, Abarai Renji, roku-bantai fukutaichou will go to Heuco Mundo to bring the traitor back to her senses."

Ichigo looked at his friend with disbelief. He was willing to help bring back Orihime. Renji smiled with a sly look in his eyes as he peeked at Ichigo over his shoulder.

"Absolutely not!" was Yamamoto's harsh reply. Everyone turned in shock at Yamamoto's orders. "Now that we know the arrancar's battle preparations are ready, we must bring Hitsugaya's expeditionary force back so we may prepare. One life does not compare to the whole world."

"Gomen nasai, soutaichou, but we cannot follow those orders." Rukia glared at Yamamoto, despite the quivering betrayed by her tone and muscles.

"As expected, I'm glad I planned ahead." Yamamoto close his eyes as a gate from Soul Society opened behind the group. Two shadowed figures appeared and then stepped into the small room. Kuchiki Byakuya, roku-bantai taichou, and Zaraki Kenpachi, juuichi-bantai taichou loomed over them.

The shinigami were quickly rounded up and escorted back through the gate. Ichigo stood silently for a few moments before lifting his chin to look Yamamoto in the eyes again.

"Fine. I won't ask for any help, but at least tell me how to get to Hueco Mundo so I can save her."

"Absolutely not."

"What?!"

"Your powers are needed for this battle, and I cannot allow for selfish actions or a meaningless death…"

Ichigo clenched his fist and looked at the ground. He was being denied the chance to do what was right, by people he had saved and to whom he honestly had no obligation, except to serve his overbearing conscience.

"Now, now, Genryusai-san, don't you think you're being a bit harsh on the boy?"

The new voice sounded a lot like Kyoraku Shunsui, but even he would only go as far as to call the soutaichou "Yama-jii," and the new voice had an air of confidence that even the overly flambuoyant hachi-bantai taichou would not have in the most serious of conversations. Ichigo looked back up to the screen to see the owner of this new voice.

"Ah, Kurosaki Ichigo, nice to finally meet you, I was getting tired of only knowing about you through reports and rumors."

He looked no older than Renji, but a crease across his forehead suggested the man's life had seen significant amounts of stress. Wise, dark brown eyes looked at him sternly, but with a warm sense of kindness and compassion to them. The wrinkle on his forehead was nearly covered by the dark blue bandanna on his head, out of the back of which protruded a golden brown unruly curly mass of hair extending to his broad shoulders. His shihakushou sported white wrappings around the forearms and a cape sporting the pattern of a captain's haori. A thin scar ran down his face from the outside corner of his right eye and underneath his scruffy chin. Ichigo found himself staring at them man with his jaw hanging slightly open.

"Oh! Sorry, I'm not much to look at," he exclaimed, "I may even be a little scary looking! Especially with this scar Yama-jii here gave me." He pointed to the scar on his face.

"Uhhh… not really," Ichigo stammered. He seemed a lot like Urahara with the way he spoke. He looked for the man's zanpaku-to, and found it on his right hip rather his left.

"Oh well that's good, I wouldn't want that." He paused for a moment and looked Ichigo up and down. "Let me know when you're done sizing me up, kiddo. I'd like to get the introductions over with, I think the old man's starting to get impatient with me."

"Ehh?!" Ichigo raised his eyebrow.

"Right, well since you seem a bit slow today, I'll introduce myself. I am Samebito Ryu, maru-bantai san-seki, mizu-sentai taichou. You can just call me Samebito, since the rest of that just a bunch of fluff anyhow. I don't need that mouthful of a title to know who I am." By this point, Samebito had crossed his arms and rolled his eyes.

Ichigo was still frozen in his dumbfounded gaze, mouth open, but now had his finger pointing at the screen. "Maru… ehhhh?!"

"You heard right, Kurosaki-san. Your ears aren't failing." Samebito looked amused. "I am the water-type leader for the Royal Guard. So wipe that goofy look off your face and get ready. Because you and I have a lot of talking to do."

Please note, I whole-heartedly welcome issues with grammar (unless it's a character speaking, in which case it's probably on purpose) and my incredibly poor grasp of Japanese.

Bantai – squad, although it may be spelled "buntai"

Sentai – team, very similar meaning to bantai

Mizu – water, probably ocean water

Seki – seat (in Samebito's case, third seat)