Author's Note: I began writing this when the manga was at chap. 185. Self-gratifying fan fic. Nothing more. Just a lot of fluff to amuse my own wild imagination and my obsession. :) With that in mind, check your sensibilities at the door. AU. Pure entertainment only. You've been warned. I hope you enjoy it!

Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo

The made up characters belong to me (G. A. Mehan-Molina aka destinare)


Suppose I tell you a story. A story so fantastical that it must surely be a fairy tale from ancient times. A story about Good and Evil, Life and Death, and the balance of the world. Now, suppose for one moment, just a moment, that such a story was true. What then? How would you see the world? Would you still look at everything as being mundane and boring or would you start looking a little harder for something else? Something fantastical in the hopes that it was true? Think on that for just a moment.

Now. What if I told you that it were true? Hear me out. There are worlds, realms really, beyond this one: Heaven and Hell and more besides. Realms that most Humans on this planet aren't even aware of. Not anymore. There was a time when Humans were well aware of the energies and the flow of the world around them, but as they grew and became more "civilized" the more distant they became from the earth and everything natural surrounding them. But I digress. That is not the story I intend to tell you.

The story I will tell you is about Good and Evil, Life and Death, and Balance. I see you smiling as if you had seen that coming a mile away. Just humor me and let me tell you my story.

The air was crisp and cold. Fitting for a fall day in Karakura Town. The leaves were still in hues of gold, orange, and brown and the world reflected it. Even more so with the rising sun. It was beautiful.

It was a shame no one else seemed to really notice. People went about their daily routines like they did every day. Nearly everyone ignored the splendor of the world all around them. Only a few seemed to notice.

I sighed noisily over my cup of tea. No one even cared about such a spectacular sight. At least, not the people I worked with. I turned away from the window. I could barely see over the top of my cubicle wall anyway. There was no point in straining my neck to see the outside world. I turned a blank stare at the computer screen and gave it a look of disgust. I'm sure my computer hated me as much as I hated it. If computers could talk, I'm sure mine would tell me to go to Hell. Damn computers. I only came to Japan because of my job. I took another sip of tea and looked back toward the window. Today was going to be one of those days. I just knew it.

The day dragged on just as I had predicted. The meetings were long and boring, sitting in front of my computer trying to look busy was long and boring - not to mention frustrating - and waiting for the work day to be over was long and boring. When it was time to leave, I left as quickly as possible.

I enjoyed my stroll down the street to my apartment. It was a nice little neighborhood with a park and a couple of schools nearby. There was also a clinic just a block or two away. The family that ran it seemed nice. I remember being there once for a broken arm. I had tried to heal it on my own but to my embarrassment I couldn't. My arm was set by the man who ran it, who struck me as a bit odd. There was one moment where he gave me the strangest look. As if he could tell what I really was.

What's that? You're confused? I suppose I could tell you. I'm an Elf. That's right. An Elf. Not the kind that you read about in those role play books or those fantasy novels. I'm not unearthly beautiful, I'm not taller than most humans, and I do not have pointy ears. Where do these rumors get started?

Rather, I have dark brown eyes and caramel colored skin. My hair is black and I'm 5' 2", which is average for an Elf. Despite my dark skin, I am a Diaone Sidhe of the Seelie Court. Elves, just like Humans, don't all look or act alike and we come in a variety of shapes and sizes. That's why Humans never recognize us: we blend in.

Anyway, I made my way home and opened the door to my apartment. I performed my ritual routine of changing, making dinner, cleaning dishes, and relaxing. That was when I felt it: something stirred in the darkness beyond Nox's realm. I hadn't felt this particular feeling in years. Thousands of years.

I stood up from my seat and rushed to the window. I threw it open, stuck my head out, and tried to sense it. Silence. Complete and total silence. Everyone carried on about their business as if nothing was wrong. Of course, for them nothing was wrong.

I decided that I had hallucinated the whole thing until I heard the cry of one of my cousins. They were using my true name. Damn.

I hurried to the rooftop and followed the sound of the voice. I disappeared from the mortal realm and entered Aelorvaer. I phased in and out of Man's reality as I jumped from rooftop to rooftop. Traveling through Aelorvaer, which was my true home, was a hell of a lot faster.

For those of you who don't know, Aelorvaer is a world, or rather a realm, above the realm of Man. When I phase out of this realm and into Aelorvaer I'm not just going somewhere I'm going somewhen. You see, Aelorvaer is the realm of what the world once was, where all the elves, fairy, and magical folk now reside. Unfortunately, there aren't many of us left. There's another major realm, but we'll get into that later.

I ran, yes, ran, as fast as I could. When I found my cousin, I cam upon a most remarkable scene: there was a Hollow, a human spirit that no longer had a heart, attacking my cousin. Enraged, I pulled out my daggers and leapt in to block the Hollow's next attack. I like to think that the monstrous creature was more surprised than me, for the next moment saw me flat on my ass.

I uttered a quick spell of protection over myself and my cousin. "Are you alright!" I shouted at him over the sudden din of battle. My cousin nodded and I looked back at the scene before me.

There was a boy with spiky orange hair with a great sword and dressed in black. He looked familiar but I couldn't remember from where. The boy purified the Hollow's soul in less time than it took me to get here. He stood confidently where the Hollow had been and watched as it faded from Talvaer. The spiritual energy coming from him was so great that it danced along my senses. I stared at him and realized that he was a Shinigami. A Death God. Normally I couldn't sense Shinigami, as my senses weren't tuned to the spiritual side of the world, but this-! This I could nearly feel.

I had only seen them a few times before and that had been disastrous. Paer'mvaer, the realm of the dead, and Aelorvaer, the realm of the ancient world, weren't supposed to cross. Period dot. Bad things always happened when they did.

"Are you alright?" he asked, laying the flat edge of his blade on his shoulder. He looked serious and concerned in the manner a knight would, as if looking for more of those creatures to stave off but needing to know that I was alright.

I had to leave. And fast. Without even answering him, I dropped my spell, grabbed my cousin by the arm, and stepped into Aelorvaer. I could see the look of astonishment on his face. I knew to most people it looked as though I had just disappeared and I was fine with that. Let him think that he imagined it.

I carried my cousin back to my apartment and set him down in my bed. I tended to his wounds as best I could. They weren't severe, but still painful. I replayed in my mind the attack. Why would a Hollow, a creature that belonged to Paer'mvaer, be attacking one of my kind? Hollows can't feed off of us like they can with human souls. My kind don't die like humans. Our bodies fade from this existence and we travel across the Great Sea. What could a Hollow want with an Elf? Questions, questions, and more questions.

The fact that I had been able to see the Hollow was bad enough. That meant that our two realms were converging upon Talvaer, the realm of man. You guessed it. The Realm of the Dead was that third realm I was rambling about earlier. Our two realms don't mingle too well. Why? I'm not entirely sure. I think it may be because that those that come from Aelorvaer don't die. My kind merely fade away. Death holds no sway over us. But I doubt that was the actual reason. For as long as I could remember, our two realms hardly, if ever, crossed paths.

As my thoughts ambled away from me, my cousin finally woke. A feeling of relief washed over me.

"Aodhan, do you remember what happened?" I was blunt and to the point.

Aodhan looked at me with his dark eyes full of fear. His sandy blonde hair was a tousled mess and his wiry frame shivered uncontrollably. Aodhan was a strong Elf and someone you would want by your side in a fight. Seeing him like this unnerved me. "The Hollows. They attacked me," he whispered.

"Why?"

"I don't know!" he nearly wailed. I winced from the sound.

"When were you attacked?" I asked instead.

"Shortly after dark," he replied. He was still whispering and that made it difficult to hear him. "They just came out of nowhere! I don't know why they would attack me." His frightened eyes focused completely on me. "Don't they normally attack Humans?"

I nodded because it was true. Hollows normally attacked Humans. So, why had my cousin been so specifically targeted? Normally, Hollows couldn't see much less sense our kind. Something was odd about this whole situation.

I forced myself to smile. "Just rest, Aodhan. You're safe within these walls." I murmured a few words and watched as he drifted of to sleep. I took another peek at his wounds. These marks had been made deliberately. No doubt about it. Something was definitely not right.


The first thing I did when I woke up was call into work and tell my supervisor that I had a family emergency. He believed me and told me to keep him posted. When I hung up the phone, I knew that I would probably get fired because this little incident wasn't going to resolve itself within a few days.

I let Aodhan stay where he was during the day. He was safe so long as he stayed put. I made sure that nothing physical or otherworldly could get in and he couldn't get out. Cruel? Maybe. But it was for his own good.

I left my tiny apartment that night dressed in black and my hair pulled back. I didn't need casual passerbys noticing me. I traveled across the building tops, following the strands of mana in the earth below me. I could sense the air fae flowing about me and far off in the distance the ebb and flow of the water fae. Fae. My word for the natural magic in the world. Most people can't sense it, so far have they distanced themselves from the world. Those that could sense the coming and going of magic I'm sure sensed my presence as I passed.

You know that shiver you get down your spine for no reason sometimes? That isn't always caused by a sudden drop in temperature, someone walking over your grave, or someone standing behind you. Sometimes that's one of my kind passing close by. You just might be sensitive.

I didn't want to chance traveling through Aelorvaer. I wanted to be sure I caught sight of whatever it was that I had been sensing all day. It was faint and vaguely familiar. Where or when had I felt this before?

I stopped and tried to ground myself. I called softly out to the spirits in the earth, asking for their help. I felt the power rise up and engulf me. I felt the tremors along the earth and the buildings groaning from the weight they carried. The earth sighed from the weight of so many upon it, but there was nothing. I let the power go and thanked the spirits for their help. Something still wasn't right.

I searched for a while more before finally returning home. Aodhan was right where I left him and still fast asleep. That was good. I undressed quickly and donned on a pair of black house pants, a loose dark red shirt, and a black, oversized, button down shirt to help keep me warm. I pulled a spare pillow and extra sheets out of a drawer and made myself comfortable on the couch.

I drifted off into a fitful sleep. I attribute it to worry over Aodhan. I hoped that he would get better. When I woke in the morning, the first thing I did was check on him. He was still sleeping and his wounds were healing with no sign of infection. That was good.

I called work again and told them I was at the hospital with my relative. I fibbed a little and told them that the doctors weren't sure if my cousin, my only blood relative, would make it out or not and that he was in critical condition. My supervisor seemed to accept that and told me to call him if anything changed. I promised I would and hung up.

I spent the day at my apartment watching over Aodhan. I busied myself by cleaning, which I had been meaning to do for weeks. I don't mean the dishes and laundry. I'm talking about steam cleaning the carpet and whatnot. Even with all the ruckus I was making, Aodhan still didn't wake up. I was amazed.

When evening drew near, I showered and changed. My house pants, the black ones, were dirty and were in the laundry bin waiting to be washed. I had to settle for an oversized shirt with sleeves.

I was in the kitchen when I felt something strange. An ominous presence that I could nearly taste. I immediately thought of Aodhan.

I rushed over to my room and felt something slam into the back of my left knee and my right ankle. I let out an involuntary gasp of pain and fell to the floor. I looked down at my legs. Iron. There were iron dirks in my legs.

"Aodhan!" I screamed. I began to crawl my way over to my room. The wall facing the street, the one with the window, the only one with a window, blew open from some unseen force. I only knew that it was there by the distortion of the area. I wasn't sure if it was a Hollow or not. All I knew was that it wasn't a creature of magic. Every sensing I knew that could give me an impression of what it might be came back as nothing. I was beginning to panic. I could see a huge, hulking, distorted shape before me, knocking over furniture and the knick knacks I had collected as if searching for something. What in the Nine Hells was going on?

I screamed his name again. "Aodhan!" I froze. I felt the floor tremble behind me. Two creatures? Damn.

I turned to face it. I mustered all of my strength to force myself to stand. The iron bit deep into my flesh as I moved but I didn't care. I wasn't about to be taken out while laying on the ground or on my knees begging for mercy. My weapons were too far away, so that option was out. All I had left were spells.

I gathered all of the fae I could to me. The earth fae pooled beneath my feet and the air fae swirled about me. I didn't have time to think of a proper spell. I just begged them to destroy the monstrosity before me and save Aodhan.

I felt the surge of power leave me and slam into the creature with such force that the walls trembled. Something fell to the floor with a roar. I only hoped that it was my assailant. My legs gave out beneath me. The iron was sapping my strength. I just wasn't strong enough to do this on my own.

I felt something move. It was that thing again. I hadn't destroyed it. I was about to swear rather creatively but decided to save my breath. I would have to use the fae again but I wasn't even sure if I had enough strength for that. I began to gather the spirits to me when the orange haired boy from last night dispatched the beast with ease. I hate to admit it, but I was jealous.

I heard the creature roar. I glanced behind it and saw Aodhan. He was being carried by something and he was still unconscious. I cursed inwardly. If I didn't act quickly, that second ... thing was going to walk off with my cousin.

I focused my attention on the thing in front of me. My only chance was to use a spell but I wasn't even sure if I had enough strength for that. I was ready to cast it until I felt that familiar energy wash over me. Could it be? I looked over at the hole in the wall, which looked like a gaping wound, pieces of plaster dangling in the air and two by fours hanging in the empty space. The energy that seemed to dance along my senses and over my body gave me goose pimples. Something was coming. Something more powerful than the creatures in the room. The orange haired boy that I had seen before appeared in the living room as if from thin air. He beat back the one before me with a series of quick blows with his massive blade. Quick, strong movements. He, again, reminded me of a knight coming to defend the weak and powerless. He dispatched the creature with ease. I hate to admit it, but I was jealous.

I glanced away toward Aodhan, whose captor was about to make a getaway. "Aodhan!" I screamed and pointed. My cousin's named seemed to be about the only thing I could say.

The boy turned his attention from me to Aodhan. He hefted his sword with as much ease as before, the Hollow disappeared in one swift movement and my cousin landed on the floor.

I stared for a moment. I was almost afraid that Aodhan was dead when he suddenly sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"What happened?" he asked.

I laughed in relief.

Aodhan looked from the boy to me, eyeing the spiky haired boy with suspicion. "Who's he?"

"Our rescuer," I replied. "Now, help me. Those bastards somehow knew about iron."

As Aodhan scrambled over to my side, the boy looked surprised. He stared at us for a moment. "Iron?" he blurted out. "Wait, you can see me?"

I looked up at him and nodded. He had brown eyes that were looking at me in a mixture of confusion and curiosity. "Yes, we can see you and yes, iron."

"What the hell does iron have to do with anything?" asked the boy irately.

"Everything," I said through gritted teeth. Aodhan gave me an apologetic look and yanked out the last dirk. He cast them aside and began to heal my wounds. A faint green light began to surround my legs and slowly the cuts began to fade.

The boy leaned over with interest. "I've never seen healing like that," I heard him say.

I glanced over at him. He was watching us with a mixture of suspicion and amazement. I wasn't entirely sure what to think of him. Still, he did save us. I would save my judgment for later.

"Why did those Hollows come here?" he asked.

"I don't know." I really didn't.

The boy gestured to Aodhan. "Did he have a relative die recently?"

I shook my head.

"Are you sure?"

I nodded.

Aodhan looked at him. "I haven't had any relatives die, sir." Which was true. He had an older brother, but-... It didn't matter. Our kind didn't die. Not in the manner that humans do.

"Then why would they come here?" the boy asked.

I had been wondering the same thing. I looked directly Aodhan as I said, "Good question. Here's another one for you: why is my cousin being targeted?"

"What do you mean?"

"This is the second attack within a few days."

"Second!" The boy sounded surprised and just a little alarmed.

"Yes." It took everything I had to tell him what had happened over the past three days. I was a warrior, yes, but I don't know the first thing about fighting Hollows. The last two times I was lucky. Damn lucky. If I wanted to save Aodhan and protect him in any way, I had to enlist the help of a Shinigami.

"There's more," I said. Aodhan gave me a look as I braced myself to tell the truth. I hesitated and opted for a half-truth. "Those Hollows couldn't -can't- be operating by themselves. They couldn't have known that iron would hurt me so much." That's right. Leave hints.

"You've said that before," the boy said, scratching his head. He frowned and looked as though he was trying to make sense of everything.

I waited, hoping he would figure it out. He stared at us intently and slowly two and two came together. "But you can't be. Elves don't exist."

Aodhan bristled at the comment and I shushed him.

"You don't even have pointy ears," he said after closer examination of the both of us.

Aodhan rolled his eyes. "Well, if we had long ears then everyone would want to capture us and use us for something, now wouldn't they?" There was a hint of bitterness and something else in his voice.

"We don't have long, pointy ears because we choose to live the majority of our lives amongst Man," I explained politely. I gave Aodhan a warning glare, who glared back. I knew he didn't appreciate the ear comment, not that I blamed him, but the last thing we needed was to chase this Shinigami away.

"How are your wounds?" the boy asked.

"They'll heal, Shinigami." I didn't want to admit that my legs hurt like Hell.

The boy grinned. It was practically a smirk. "Call me 'Ichigo.'" He looked away, toward the window. "Hollows attacking an Elf," he mused aloud. "From what I've been told, this has never happened before." He looked back at us. "Why did you say that you didn't have any relatives die?"

"Because for us, that's impossible. Elves don't die like Humans do," I explained. "We fade away from this mortal realm."

"Huh," was all he said. He looked out toward the window again, where the Hollow had left. "I guess this means that you're involved now."

"Does this mean that you'll help us?" Aodhan asked.

"A Hollow attacking an Elf," he repeated. "And you can see me. Can you normally see us Shinigami?"

I shook my head. It was true. e normally couldn't see the realm of the dead.

"Huh. As far as I know, most people can't see us. I guess I have no choice but to help you."

Aodhan looked as though he was about to say something smart. Before he could say anything, I interceded. "We are most grateful."

Ichigo looked at me. I still couldn't move. I didn't want to make the fact obvious by attempting to stand.

"Don't worry," Ichigo said, and he smiled. I couldn't help but smile back. "I'll make sure those Hollows won't attack you again."

"Thank you."

"Yes," Aodhan added, "thank you. My name is Aiden and this is my cousin Cinnia." He stood up, grabbed a blanket, and draped it over my legs. I had completely forgotten that I was only in a shirt. Apparently, so had Ichigo. His face now had a faint tinge of red to it.

"Uh, yeah. Nice to meet you," he muttered. His demeanor changed with his next question. "You said that you chose to live your lives here. Why?"

"For love of the world as it is," I answered, "and for what it once was."

Ichigo stared.

I didn't care. I knew he didn't understand and no amount of explanation would help. "Help me stand." Aodhan helped me stand to my feet, blanket in hand. We shuffled over to the couch that had miraculously survived and sat down. I grimaced with every movement I made. The iron poison had spread faster than I had thought. With Aodhan's help, my legs were propped up onto the couch. He laid the blanket over me. "You should sleep," I told him.

"You're one to talk," Aodhan retorted.

It was true. The poison coursing through my body had severely weakened me. What I needed was rest and a short return to Aelorvaer.

"Ichigo?"

"Yes?"

"Will you stay here the night? Aiden and I are not capable of fighting Hollows. If another returned-"

"Sure, I'll stay the night."

"Thank you."

I felt reassured somehow. Safe, even in this chaos. Amazing how a boy that I hardly knew would be willing to stay to watch over Aodhan and me. I snuggled under the blanket for warmth and let myself drift off to sleep. My last coherent thought was about the hole in the wall and how we were going to fix it, much less stay warm. Silly Cinnia. Aodhan could fix it.