*Almost forgot, I don't own Bleach. If I did, I'd be getting paid for this, and the story would be better.*

I love the rain. Close your eyes and all your senses go numb, all overwhelmed by the nothing that surrounds you. Your hearing, olfactory, even taste all fail when water pours from the sky. You only experience hundreds of thousands of slaps from the sky's tears. Even if you care to open your eyes, what could you possibly see with them before the cascade clearcoats and covers them over. You don't have to feel. You don't have to exist. For someone who can't even remember his name, that is the ultimate comfort. But rain cannot last forever, and we cannot have the luxury of indulging the experiences of the present for more than an instant. Otherwise, why would we seek them out. And I may not know my name, but I do know that the monster in front of me does not share my wish to be left in my isolated peace. And so, I draw back my arm, with my staff in hand and I prepare to fight.

_

This story will not interfere with the basic storyline, or at least I will try to keep it that way. Try and keep in mind, I have never submitted any of my stories to the public, and I'm just curious to see how they are received. If you like or dislike them, let me know, and if i screw up some of the technical details, again, let me know. I like my stories to be in order, even if I don't know what that order is yet. Enjoy the tale of the Nameless Soldier.

_

Our traveler was a little out of place. In this passage between worlds, no-one is actually supposed to live and stay here. That's why there is an enormous machine that cleans it, and maintains the dusty road for temporary travel.

"What the hell is this thing?" he sighed. "This is the forth time this week."

He stood up once again, staff in hand, and prepared to face what appeared to be a lumpy locomotive charging toward him at an astounding speed. Most people's initial reaction is to run or move out of the way when confronted with a massive object barreling towards them. Instead of running however, he stared ahead, straightened his arm, and pointed his staff directly at the offending object.

"If this is an animal, I'm sorry, okay. But I can't find an exit, so we're going to have to share this place. Although, if you are, you are possibly the dumbest animal I have ever had to the pleasure of meeting."

The impact of the Capturing Thrust on the staff created a shockwave that rippled the walls both before and behind. The capturing flow ebbed, and the Capturing Thrust's light gradually went out, and began to dissolve.

"This is foolish, and I don't understand this. They can't be animals, even animals have differences and personalities between them. These things must be machines. Who the hell is doing this?"

As if to answer his question, 10 black robed figures appeared in a doorway. All armed with katana, all looking very militant, and all wearing the same look of utter shock on their faces. The leader was a stubby little man, and to be honest, he kind of looked a little like an alien. It didn't really matter though, cause a doorway had finally appeared.

"Finally," the relief on his face was not just for show, and neither was the effect he had on this little gang. "I don't suppose you could get me out of here. I'm kinda stuck in here, and to be honest, I really would love some food that didn't grow between the cracks of this cave."

"Wh-wh-who the hell are you?"

"Uh, I'm not really sure, but I don't mean to trespass here, and I don't intend to hurt anyone. If you could just let me out of here, I'd be grateful."

"Are you the one who keeps stoping the Capturing Thrust?" This time his tone was not one of surprise, he seemed to have recovered nicely.

"If you are talking about that machine that keeps interrupting my meals, then yeah, it's me. Like I said, I don't mean to cause problems, but I'm kind of stuck here for..."

"You are coming with us," This little alien has quite the attitude now doesn't he. I don't mind, but he says it as if he'll have to force me to go. Kind of pretentious.

"Alright then, it's gonna be nice to see the sun again," Although he said this with a cavalier smile, he could not honestly remember what the sun was. And although he didn't recognize this group of people, they felt familiar, nostalgic almost. "Can you take me to your commander or something, maybe a village elder?"

The little man just nodded. He was still in a state of shock. The thing that had caused the cleaning guardian of this corridor to fail 3 times previous to this was a being? A person no less? And for him to do it with such ease, this would interest his captain a great deal. Captain Kurotsuchi may not be the most orthodox researcher, but he liked new things. As he stared at the man in the black cloak, standing with only a staff in one hand and a chain around his shoulder, he decided, this was definitely some new. I might even get a raise for this. Well, maybe a long weekend. At least the subject was coming on his own. And at least he didn't know what happened to prisoners of the 12th squad.

_

"What the fuck do you think you are doing?" he screamed. "Do I look like a frog you can dissect?"

"Why the fuss? You should not use such profanity." asked the flamboyant Captain. "Why do all my subjects show such a lack of gratitude for the generous offers I make? Do you realize who you are insulting? I am offering myself to be your friend. To do that I just want to have a look at you. We could become so close. Fine, I will even place you in the front of my specimen displays. FINAL OFFER!"

"You are one twisted bastard, thank you for your help, but I'm going to leave. Now."

"Oh? Nemu." Captain Kurotsuchi used that commanding tone that his daughter picked up on immediately.

As Nemu rushed to the spot and grabbed both arms, the observing members of the research division stayed both still and quiet. They had learned through constant reminders, that you do not speak unless spoken to, especially if Mayuri Kurotsuchi was angry. And right now, it was kind of hard to tell. The man in the black cloak didn't move, in fact, he put up no resistance. Nemu however found something truly surprising when she gripped him tight. Her reiatsu was disappearing, fast.

"Mayuri-sama, it seems..."

"Shut up Nemu, hold him steady."

"However, it seems Mayuri-sama, he is drai..."

"Shut Up! Just hold him there. I shall teach him some manners before we begin the procedures. Bring me my first contact kit. Quickly. Now hold still, we wouldn't wa...Nemu, what are you doing? Nemu, don't be pathetic. Get up you worthless piece of trash. How can I possibly expect the subject to stay still if his muscles are going to spasm. Nemu."

"Are you really the leader of this place?" The man standing in front of Captain Kurotsuchi finally hissed. "You treat women and fellow beings like this?"

"Oh? And of what concern is it of yours how I treat my daughter?" Mayuri let out a breath with the release of the excess reiatsu he had been holding back, thinking to give this insect a little surprise, and made a shocking discovery. "So, that's my no one could feel your reiatsu, not cause you did not have any, but because you are not secreting any. Wonderful. You are absorbing all the reiatsu freely floating from me aren't you. The ability must increase as the range decreases. This is wonderful. Absolutely wonderful."

"You should have listened to your 'daughter' when she tried to tell you about it. She won't be awake for quite some time now."

"Nemu? I can just make another of her. Now please come into my lab, I must know how you are doing that," For the first time in a long time, Mayuri wanted to take his time with a subject. To savor the discovery of the previously unknown. "Is it a conscious ability, or are you passively using it to gather what you can? Is it how you keep destroying the capturing thrust? What is your decent? Are you a shinigami? And you hold onto that pole, what is it? I have so many questions, and there is only one of you. I don't want to wait another minute, not one more fraction of a second. WHERE IS THAT KIT? NEMU?"

Mayuri knew that 2 members of his research squad had already gone for the kit, he knew that Nemu was unable to move, he knew that this strange ability had to be monitored. Mayuri knew many things. But patience was not one of them. This man was interesting. At 6 foot 4 inches he stood at an average height. His black cloak wrapped around his body looked heavy and well-used, through the opening where his right arm was exposed, a chain could be seen wrapped from right shoulder to left side. The staff held in the exposed hand was a dark steel-blue, almost a navy blue color. It had a black stripe running from one end to the other of the 7 and a half foot tall cylinder. Mayuri admired the simplicity of the instrument. an inch and a half thick cylinder uniform except for the 18 inches of indented handle in the middle. And Mayuri Kurotsuchi had to know what this was. He wanted to confirm it, but he could guess. Yes, Mayuri knew quite a lot, but he needed to know what this being was, and he needed to know now.

However, The newcomer was no fool, from the moment that girl, 'Nemu' came from behind him, he was ready to fight, but at the same time, he wanted to know where he was, who he was. And it had been a long time since he had seen sentience outside his dreams. But this clown before him now was grating his nerves, and this was not a place for combat, this place was somewhere he did not want to be. So he took the first logical step. He simply walked away. Now for those of us familiar with shunpo and its cousin, sonido, they are done by physical movement, of the legs and enhancement by training those parts of the body. And the sounds made by the rapid movements cause the air to vibrate and create either that gentle hiss or the ripping clash the follows the rapid movement high level individuals use. However, in this case, he wasn't actually walking. It was so second nature that he didn't even have to think about it anymore. He simply gathered and focused reishi below his feet, and caused it to propel him forward with almost no noise at all. And this quite unexpected development quite nearly caused Mayuri Kurotsuchi to giggle like he had just received his first chemistry set. And as the door to the lab closed behind the gleeful Captain, the seated members and the assistant researchers around the lab all took in what they thought was their last breath. And then, Mayuri, began to laugh.

As the 12th squad scattered itself under their captain's orders, all searching for the person that had so amused Mayuri Kurotsuchi, the figure in the black cloak began to survey this enormous city before him. And from the tallest building in the area, he remembered, home.

_

*Couple things I want to mention, sorry for the lack of indentation, and the lack of name. It's coming. Also, sorry about the Mayuri intro. I hate this character, but it was the most logical step to introduce a new character. Advice is welcome, so is critical commentaries. You don't have to be gentle just cause it's my first time.*