A lark sounded in the distance as the feminine figure wound her way through the trees, her feet wrapped in grimy bandages. Covered in dust and dirt, she trudged on underneath the shadows of trees. She gritted her teeth as pain radiated up her arm from the infected gash on her forearm. "Stupid," she berated herself quietly. She'd stumbled upon a Hollow in the northern Rukongai, and she'd carelessly left her guard down for a fraction of a second. Seething from her own stupidity, walked on, spotting a game trail heading south.

She considered ignoring the path, but she needed some sort of attention to her wound. Squaring her shoulders and swallowing her pride, she stomped towards the game trail. She took stock of herself, grumbling about a bath. Her short crimson hair was tangled around her face, her slender figure covered in mud and dirt. As she pondered the feeling of water cleansing away all the grime, the deafening crack of breaking timber shook away her daydream. Without hesitation, she rocketed off in the direction of the noise, cutting her feet along the trail.

She skidded to a halt in a puny clearing, her ocean-eyes falling on an enormous Hollow towering over a small gaggle of children.

"Run!" she shouted at the kids, unsheathing her sword and propelling herself forward. The Hollow swiped at the children as they dashed in opposing directions, and reared up to roar in frustration. The woman launched herself upwards, her sword stretched over her head, and with a powerful blow, was knocked breathless to the side. She hit the dirt hard, rolling on her side for several feet. Pushing herself onto her knees and elbows, she cleared the fog around her mind with a single shake and climbed to her feet. She charged again, shouting curses at the Hollow as she attacked. She cut off a hand, left a gash in its leg, then launched herself upward again, and was again knocked aside. Wiping sweat from her forehead, she stood again when she heard a voice.

"Just stay down and let me handle this!" the voice yelled at her.

Her attention snapped to the other side of the clearing, where a black-robed man stood, his blazing red hair pulled back in a tail and a white headband. He carried a sword, unmistakably the Zanpakutō of a Shinigami. He ran his hand along the blade of his sword and shouted something the woman couldn't quite make out above the din in her own head, and then his blade extended, and like a whip wielded by a master, swung and sliced the Hollow right down the middle. With a final roar, the Hollow dissipated.

Shouldering his weapon, the Shinigami glanced at the woman with a smirk. "Pretty impressive, huh?"

"Pretty impressive...?" the woman mused. Her body began to quake. "Pretty impressive?!" She turned on her heel and marched up to the smug Shinigami. "You take my catch and all you say is 'pretty impressive?' Unbelievable!"

The Shinigami started, then glared at the woman. "I saved your life!"

"You saved nothing!" the woman shouted back. "I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself!"

"Who the hell do you think you are?" the Shinigami demanded.

"Hisa Tsukino of Kusajishi! And who the hell are you?"

The Shinigami squared his shoulders and stood ramrod. "I'm Renji Abarai, Lieutenant of Sixth Division under Captain Kuchiki."

Hisa shook her head, grimacing. "Go home, Lieutenant. You're not needed here."

"You have no authority to give me any such order," Renji muttered through gritted teeth. "The least you could do is thank me for saving you, lady."

Hisa grimaced, rolling onto her toes to see into his eyes clearly. "I am no lady that needs anyone's saving. And for your information, I never asked for your help." Renji's attention was quickly directed over Hisa's shoulder as she heard someone speak behind her.

"Well, looks like the Eleventh Division showed up late for the party, Lieutenant. By the way, who's your friend?"

Hisa whipped around to see the man she hadn't seen since her early childhood. "If it isn't Ikkaku Madarame," Hisa hissed.