Title: Midnight Soccer Practice
Rating: T [It's not quite mature, but I can't really see it being anything lower]
Words: 2,171
Disclaimer: Bleach is copyright to Tite Kubo, the idea appears to be mine alone so far.
Summary:
An espada decides to take a stroll through the human world in the middle of the night, just to see what's so important and special about it. He meets up with a young girl who's snuck out of home in the dead of night and they talk for a bit before parting ways.

Unfortunately I've got no spell check on my computer and sometimes I doubt my own ability to catch spelling mistakes, so this is more or less unedited from its original format.

Beginnings and endings. Everything always has a starting point, no matter how different they all began, and there will always be a place for it to stop. No matter what the tale or the life, they always share the same thing. They all begin and they all end. Some simply start or end in ways that no one ever thinks possible until they've happened.

-
He'd kept his spiritual pressure locked up to himself as tight as he could, although he'd only done it as a precaution since he'd worn one of those bracelets that hid him from everyone, as he wandered the silenced Karakura town that had been bathed in moon light for a few hours now. He'd hidden away upon realizing the sun was still up, yet on it's way down, so he'd waited for nightfall before traversing the place.

He sorta liked his form when he hid in the shadows. It gave him the sense of being, somewhat normal. At least if he said one thing and thought another. There wasn't a second mouth for his thoughts to escape from.

He walked the streets leisurably, looking around as he went at his lethargic pace. He passed by buildings he'd know he would never see again, distantly wondering to himself if he'd ever seen them before, that one of the hollows or souls he'd collected over the years to form himself as he was now, he thought about if it had once lived here. Just as fast as the thoughts flicked into his brain, they flit away, out of his mind once again. He glanced around, once noting a game store, then eying some sort of building made of mostly windows, by the time he'd spot some sort of clinic, he'd realized he'd gone quite a distance from his starting point as he paused his aimless trek amonst the trees and playgrounds of a park that had been deserted for hours.

Well, he'd thought it had been deserted. He smiled softly, a natural cruelty hidden behind its gentle appearance, and followed the sounds of a young person grunting every now and then.

-
She hadn't been able to do it earlier, with her friends. Scowling deeply, reminiscent to a certain strawberry haired teenagers own, she remembered the surprise quiz they'd only have one night to study for. Rearing her foot back, eyes connected on the object she kept all of her focus on. It shot out once it was close enough.

The soccer ball hit the third can in a row and Karin smirked, having been at it for at least an hour and a half now. She tensed up, unable to sense anything, but the feel of eyes on her was enough. "Show yourself!" She called out, whirling around to glare at the person, or thing, that had intruded on her lone practice session.

"Ah~" He laughed lightheartedly, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to intrude. I simply wasn't expecting anyone else to be here at this time." Karin blinked, her usually angry face altered by the surpise. This man vaguely made her think of Ichigo. Her frown returned, the differences too obvious for her to voice such similiar hairstyles and faces.

"Well now you know, so buzz off." She turned away from him, planting her foot on the ball that had rolled back to her. She felt a breeze next to her, light as if someone had just started running, and she looked over. Her eyes became a little rounder, more open, as she stared at the man leaning over to smile at her. She hadn't even seen him move!

"Now now, it's not very nice to tell someone to "buzz off" when you've only just met, neh?" She could tell that that smile of his was strained, as if he was just barely holding back animosity of his own upon finding the solitary young girl in the supposed lifeless fields. She frowned again, a scowl like her brothers pulling at her face.

-
"Haven't you ever heard of "Stranger Danger" or the saying "Don't talk to strangers"?" He blinked, surprised by the fact he was surprised that a girl of her age would be bringing that up. He ignored the strange tug at the back of his head, as if something was fighting its way through, it was slowly starting to grate his nerves, but he hadn't noticed his own annoyance just yet.

"Well... I'm Kaien Shiba." What a better name then the one that came with this face? "So I'm not much of a stranger now am I?" A snort and an upturn of her mouth at the sudden loophole coming from him. He wasn't sure what to think when it turned back to the frown as quick as it had changed. Chalking it up to something regarding "Women's mood swings", he paid the young girl his full attention.

"Nice... What's your REAL name though?" He blinked and his misguidingly kind expression felt the corners tug into a condescending smirk before it hid away behind the arched brow as he stared down the ever-angered child.

"How do you know that's not my real name?"

"Why would you ask me that question if it was?" He chuckled, standing up straight and draping his hand onto the hilt of his zanpakuto.

"Clever kid, aren't you?" She eyed the sword warily, but other then that, she did nothing. He assumed she didn't really care much for the strange clothes she'd seen this whole time since she hadn't commented on them just yet.

"I just really hate lying... Tell me yours and I'll tell you mine." She looked back into his eyes, as if that lone sentance would be enough to get the information she wanted.

Seconds went by as they stared each other down. They turned to minutes and "Kaien" smirked at the slight shudder that went through her body as the stare down continued on. She puffed up, reminding him of an angry kitten, as she turned her head away, arms crossed as she glared out into nothing. Might as well humor the kid.

They were never gonna meet again after all.

"Aaroniero Arruruerie." She blinked, not expecting those two words, as she turned her head to look back at him. Frowning, she searched every inch of his face for the signs of a possible lie. After a few more minutes had passed and she hadn't found what she was looking for.

Her hand shot out. "Karin Kurosaki." His own came out and wrapped around hers. "Pleasure to meet ya Karin-chan~"

They both jolted back, tearing their hands apart, eyes wide and unsure of what had just happened. There had been nothing the moment their hands touched, but the moment they had swung them down, a spark, rather much more-so much more then that- of electricity had shot between them and a woman's cry was heard, begging for something neither of them could truly attempt to understand. It cried as if it had found something that was missing, but from what he'd recalled, nothing had ever truly been parted between the body he'd come to have as his own and the zanpakuto that had come with it.

"Wh-what was that?" She looked up at him, pupils dilated and searching his face for the answers to her fears and this sudden urge to hold a handle of something she couldn't quite name just yet. He twitched, slowly moving into an easy stance, one leg bent at the knee, his toes pressed to the ground while a hand settled on his hip and the hilt of his sword.

Rather, their sword, or at least part of it was.

He regarded her with cool eyes, trying to find what was so special for Nejibana to try and reach this human girl. "Something I don't plan on letting you have. Ever." She frowned, putting her own hands on her hips and placing a foot back onto her soccer ball. The sudden animosity in his voice remained unhidden and in view for all to see if there was anyone other then her to look upon it and no one could deny that it was aimed at her.

"Whatever, it's not like I even want it anyways." He stared down at the younger wielder. He'd never heard anyone speak so abrassively about a zanpakuto before and the second cry from his stolen weapon caused something to push its way foreward. She eyed the man warily as he leaned towards her, his weird uniform twisting and stretching as it bent with his waist. He was so weird, giving off the vibe of desiring to kill her then turning around, seconds later, and acting as if he was some goofy older brother. This guy was just... Weird.

"Sorry Karin, but Nejibana seems to have taken a liking to you, although why she'd pick a soul that's as alive as yours is, I'll never know so..." He winked at her, grinning wide as a blush came to her face. "I expect you to take care of her when I finally die, but don't worry." His eyes glinted like green steel as his expression turned solemnly serious and Karin's mind went reeling. Make up your mind, make up your mind, make up you're mind! Do you want to kill me or ask about my latest boyfriend you weirdo! "You're not getting her for a very long time, so live as long as you can until I finally get what Rukia tried to give me all those years ago."

Like that, she was left, horribly confused as the man just disappeared from view and Aaroniero was trying to figure out what had happened as he stared down at the girl from the top of a building behind her. Kaien Shiba had died so long ago-he convieniently ignored the last part of what had slipped out of his mouth, it brought up too many questions and answers and guilt for something that didn't involve him per say and he tried to figure where had that sudden out-of-character outburst come from? The illusion bit its lip, silently wondering about where his loyalties lay and trying to figure out just who he was now.

It came back to him as he watched her throw her arms up into the air from frustration, kicking the ball up and catching it as she turned, stomping back to where ever she had came from. He was Aaroniero Arruruerie, Espada number 9 of Aizen's Arrancar Army and the girl he'd been speaking to was the one something in him screamed for, yearned to be free of this prisoner's body and stick with her till her last dying breath and the second one after that should she get powerful enough to enter the academy upon the loss of her human life.

He closed his eyes and took a breath he'd never need, no matter if he were in shadows or bathed in sunlight, but for now he needed something to help him with this sudden decision he'd have to deal with since it wasn't his own-was it? The zanpakuto that had melded with a part of him before he'd become who he was now, it had made a decision and he knew, no matter how much he might try to fight it, the moment the dust would fly from his fallen form...

The spiritual energy that would be released from those confines would be freed and they'd not be going to Soul Society nor hell, he'd confirmed it from this birds eye view of the girl as she walked away from the park. That part of him was still screaming the names twisting together so unnaturally that they had blended into one. He dug his finger into the air before him and yanked as much as he willed himself as he created the garganta. He snarled as he stepped through.

Aizen had plans, Karin likely had plans-not like the ex-shinigami or someone of such power, but they were there in the forms of late night soccer practice such as this one and curling up in a bed for the night or something else that was so mundane either way though she had many plans and even Aaroniero himself had plans he'd been setting up for years and ones he'd need to come up with now, especially after this meeting with the young Kurosaki girl.

For starters, he was going to make sure no one would know about these turn of events and he was damn sure going to make it so Karin Kurosaki would have as many problems as she could if she actually got a chance to wield them as her own. Aaroniero Arruruerie had one plan, one goal on his mind this night.

He'd make sure he'd go down fighting first. After all, they were never going to see each other again.

Although the pleased vibe from the back of his head and the thrum of joy from the sword he carried seemed to say otherwise.

Personally, I'm fond of the idea of Karin being Kaien being reincarnated, but the episode with the ninth espada and Rukia keeps making me stop myself with that theory. Maybe if I decided to work from an earlier section of the series, before the Espada came into play, I'd be able to figure out a way to work that very idea, but for now I'll be contented with figuring out how the heck this way works too.

By the way, endings really are hard to find a fitting place to end.

Kaien & Karin: *looking at the cue cards, bored expressions as they sit on their knees, hands clasped over their laps* Thank you for reading, please take the time to review if you really want to say something about this! *bow*