~~~~~~40 years later~~~~~

Shinji woke with a start. He looked around the unfamiliar room, trying to remember how he got there in the first place. His thoughts were always drifting to the son of a bitch in his mind, and this one time was no exception. Though a little after, his mind traveled back even more, to that day. He was hoping he would be able to get over her death, but it was proving to be the hardest thing he had ever done.

'Hey, still mourning? I mean, honestly! It's been, what, 40 years? You're so hopeless!'

'Shuddup, insensitive bastard!'

'Oh, that's right! Your lover was her zanpakutou! Like master like zanpakutou! HAHAHAHA!'

Shinji's reiatsu spiked up. 'Shut it! Do you want me to pay you a visit?'

'Eh, no. But… you know what? Forget it.'

Shinji sighed. Being a Visored was proving to be really stressful. He couldn't help but wonder how she… "Dammit!" She was always somewhere in his mind, haunting him to no end. His eyes drifted to the clock. 10:44. He knew the others were awake, but he wasn't in the mood for Hiyori. However, he was starving so, taking a deep breath, he went downstairs.

"Morning…" he barely dodged the incoming attack in time. His hand slid on Sakanade. He always had his sword with him; the others did too, just in case. Kensei held back Hiyori, muttering something which made her pale. Shinji ignored them, taking a seat.

"So, whacha doing today?" Lisa asked. She didn't get an immediate response. "Hirako!"

"Huh? I told you to call me Shinji, Lisa!"

"Forget about that. I asked…"

"I'll be taking a walk, probably. I'm not in the mood for anything."

"I see…"

They finished breakfast in silence and Shinji left. Lisa watched him, pity obvious in her eyes. She knew that, out of them all, he had lost the most. They all lost their rank. They were all exiles. They were separated from important people to them. But he had killed that important person with his own blade. She sighed.

"Hiyori! You should…"

"I know, dammit! I should leave him alone today. You tell me that every year!"

"That's because you always forget, brat!" Kensei yelled.

Love sighed. "It's his only day he shows us how much he is hurting every single day."

"41 years is a painfully long time." Rose remarked.

Everyone went silent.

Shinji was taking a walk, admiring the many beauties of the Real World. Everything reminded him of her, although they had never been there together. 'Just… why? Why didn't I realize it was her? I was so blind… so stupid…'

'Hey, master, sorry to interrupt your mourning, but you REALLY need to look in front of you.'

Shinji refrained from cursing and did as he had been told. His eyes widened, his breath caught in his chest. Right there, walking as if nothing had happened, was Emmalin.

He was stuck for a moment. He knew, he could scream her name, but what if she was angry with him? However, he took the chance, he was too happy to think about consequences. "Emily!" She spun around immediately, her eyes widening when she saw him. He shunpoed to her, squeezing her in a tight embrace.

"Shinji…" Emily was confused. The Real World was the last place she thought she would find him. And yet, there he was. She ignored her two followers and focused on Shinji's words.

"I… I thought you were dead… I thought I had fuckin killed you…" he whispered.

She smiled. "Hey, did you really think that I would let Aizen fool around like he wanted? Don't worry. Whatever he tries, I shall always be back for you." She pressed her lips against his, savoring his taste, the taste she had lounged for all the years they had been apart. She felt his hand in her hair, pulling her closer.

A loud cough interrupted them. "Would you mind introducing us to your friend, Onee-san?" Shinji scanned the speaker. He was a tall man, who looked pretty well-built and strong. His face looked cold and hinted a little dose of anger. His hair was short, blonde and his eyes blue. Next to him was a copy of him. However, they had different haircuts, the copy had red hair and green eyes and their facial expressions were different. Whilst the blonde looked pretty indifferent, if not a little angry, the redheaded one looked really angry, but was somehow keeping his temper in check.

Emily looked a little embarrassed. "Um… well, Shinji, these are my brothers. Andrew and Adrian."

'Weren't they supposed to be dead?' he thought, scanning them.

The blonde shook hands with him. "I'm Adrian. It's a pleasure to meet the man who had stolen my sister's heart. She spoke about you a lot."

"Well, the pleasure is mine. She told me many good things about you two."

"Of course she did. She ain't our Onee-san for nothing." Andrew retorted.

Adrian glared at Andrew. "However, what is a Taicho doing in the World of the Living?" the three looked at Shinji, waiting for an answer that (he didn't think) put him in a good light.

"Well, I'm not a Taicho anymore…"

"Really? Why?"

"You got fired?" Andrew mocked. They all noticed the sarcastic smirk forming on his lips.

Shinji shifted uncomfortably. "Kinda. Stuff happened."

"Like?" Emily was the one to question him this time.

"Stuff. I am here as a traitor to Sereitei." The twins gripped their swords, but made no move to attack. Shinji sighed. "I'm not alone, however. There's also Lisa, Mashiro, Kensei, Love, Rose, Hachi and Hiyori. We were jammed. Urahara tried to help us, but the blame fell on him… And Tessai and Yoruichi."

Andrew scanned him distrustfully. "Who was to blame then?"

Shinji stared at the other blonde. "Aizen."

The Senkais' eyes widened. "You said you were jammed. What did he do?" Adrian asked.

"He made sure we will never return. You were right, Emily. Hollow powers really are illegal. We were all Hollowfied."

Emily palled. She knew what that meant. If they didn't allow them to go back, then how would they allow her and her brothers? Andrew and Adrian scanned the man in front of them.

Adrian wasn't quite fond of the idea of his sister getting a boyfriend while they weren't there, but then again, she had thought they were dead. He wasn't sure whether he liked Shinji. From what Emily had told him, it just seemed too good and too ideal. So he had decided to give him a chance. However, the Hollowfication was certainly not on the pros, like the fact that she had nearly died twice while he was supposed to protect her. His plan was to talk to him and see his reaction to that sort of reminders, and the scar he had left would prove to be really useful.

Andrew, on the other hand, was quite sure that Shinji was just a player, like himself nonetheless, and wanted to prove that to Emily as well. The way he acted, as if nothing had happened, made him burn with rage. The whole Hollowfication stuff was no plus either. Andrew had little to no control over his feelings and Inner Hollow, therefore he could hardly believe that Shinji did. But he also had to stick to the plan. Daisuke had told them that Shinji would invite them to their lodging and Andrew hoped he could get a spar out of him. He was really surprised to see how right the dark haired man was and they were soon walking towards some warehouses. One of them was surrounded by a barrier, which opened when Shinji got near, allowing them to enter.