A/N: hey! so this is a crossover that hit me at about 2 in the morning, so beware typos. im combining my naruto fiction with bleach. we'll see how this turns out...

if you've read 'Frosted Wings' (my naruto fic) then you'll understand a little better. this is kinda like an epilogue with a twist.

enjoy! and please review! this is my first crossover, i'd like to know if it's crap! XD

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"Sukai-san."

I had opened the door, seeing an ANBU officer in a crouching position facing the threshold. He had the classic pale purple armor, the half-sword, the black attire, and the red-trimmed mask like every other ANBU was required to wear.

I recognized him, as well.

"Hello. Another mission?" I asked in a flat, commanding tone.

"Hai. Hokage-sama wishes to see you immediately."

"Thank you. Tell Hokage-sama that I will be there shortly."

"Hai," the ANBU vanished. I sighed, running a hand through my wet hair. I went back to my room, where my husband was wide-awake, staring at me intensely.

"Neji," I started. He shook his head.

"Go on, Sora. I'll take care of Miharu and Ayumu."

"Thank you, Koishii. I promise I won't be long." I kissed his cheek and he ran his thumb up my jaw line. I knew he was worried from the look in his eyes. "I'll be fine." I gave him a fleeting kiss on his lips and grabbed the bag I'd long since learned to keep packed. I dressed in the ANBU armor and outfit, sheathed my katana, bringing my mask on my hip. I shoved my feet into my signature boots on my way out, tucking the bottom of my pants into them while trying to walk silently across the hall.

I went to my children's room.

My oldest, Miharu, was sleeping with her little brother, Ayumu. Her long raven hair, so much like her father's, was draped over her closed jade eyes. I kissed her forehead with a smile. I brushed away Ayumu's dark brown hair, covering his unique Byakugan, and kissed his forehead as well. He muttered slightly in his sleep.

"Stay safe, Aiji."
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"What is it, Naruto?" I tried to sound more tired than I was. It didn't do a thing, however, because the Hokage was more tired than I was.

"Kono…hamaru, tell her," his eyes were half shut.

"Nothing changes," I sighed. I turned to Naruto's assistant and protégée, Konohamaru.

"We were notified by ANBU a few miles outside the village that found a crack in a wall that seemed to lead to nowhere."

"Nani?" I scrunched my eyebrows.

"We sent another team, and fortunately they returned safely. They gathered knowledge on what seems," he paused to make sure I was listening, "to be another universe."

I couldn't say anything. I gaped at the young man like he'd said… well, exactly what he did say.

"I'm aware that it's hard to believe," Naruto finally spoke up, seemingly more awake. "But I'm sending you in. As a mednin, you have the best chance of surviving an onslaught, and I know you as a kind person who could also serve as a diplomat."

"Well, thanks, but—"

"You know I would listen to objections normally," he pointed out. "But this time, I'm afraid there's no one else to do the job."

"Sakura can't do it?" I asked, not trying to get out of the mission, but out of curiosity.

Naruto broke into his big stupid grin. "Sasuke-teme told me yesterday that she was pregnant!"

"Really? Well, tell them congratulations!" I exclaimed with surprise. When Sasuke had finally been relieved of surveillance, he had decided to marry Sakura (finally) and this would be their third child.

"I will," Naruto kept smiling. "But like I said, no one else can do this mission."

"So it's a solo mission to an unknown universe to do… what?" I asked.

"I want you to see if there are people there. If we can pass through this crack in the wall, we could form an alliance and share it with the Sand and Rain. We could continue building a Utopia for the entire world."

I shook my head in awe. "You never cease to amaze me, Naruto. I'll accept the mission. On one condition," I added as an afterthought.

"Yes?"

"Since I don't know how long I will be gone, I would like to send messages to Neji and my kids along with my reports back to you."

"That's reasonable," Naruto shrugged. On every Thursday, I will send a messenger to the crack in the wall. They will be there all day, and you may pass your messages with your reports."

"Thank you, Naruto," I sighed in relief.

"I would like you to leave as soon as possible. Get going. Konohamaru is leading you there," Naruto stood. He came over to me and put a hand on my shoulder. "Stay safe, friend."

"I will. Ja ne."
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"There it is," Konohamaru pointed to a white light in the wall. It was hidden by a table and some other decorations, since it was so large.

"Thanks, Konohamaru-kun. Sayonara," I held my hand out to him.

"Ja, Sora-nee," he shook it. As soon as we released the contact, he disappeared.

"All right," I adjusted my backpack and put on my mask. "Into the unknown I go."
XXXXXXXXXX

I stepped out into a thick forest.

I searched around, only to see more trees, and in the far distance, some basic houses. I began walking in the direction of the houses, sure that I would find a civilization of some sort.

I had barely taken ten steps when weird chakra signatures surrounded me. I froze, my hands in a ready position to grab any weapon.

The chakras belonged to people clad with black outfits, only their eyes showing through. They carried short katana, like the regulation ANBU swords. I eyed them, still not unsheathing my weapon. I had no reason to cause hostility.

A woman materialized in front of me with a large man behind her.

She wore pants just a little baggier than mine, tucked into long socks connected to slippers. She wore a white haori, tied with a yellow sash, over a v-neck black shirt. Her hair was cropped, tied with cloths over two thin, waist-length ponytails with ring attached at the ends. The man behind her wore several rings, clearly showing off his wealth, and had a thick purple collar. He wore socks and straw sandals, hakama, and a loose kimono shirt. They stared at me in a way that reminded me of Neji when we were kids.

"Who are you?" the woman asked in a clear monotone.

"My name is Sukai Sora."

"What is your purpose?"

"I have no purpose," not anymore, anyway, "and I have no wish to harm anyone."

"Why did you come here?" she rephrased her question.

"I was ordered to explore this land. I was to find out if civilization existed here. Clearly, it does."

"Indeed. Where are you from?"

"Are you the highest power? I can tell you are above everyone else here, but do you have higher-ups as well? I would like to explain this only once," I asked politely.

She narrowed her eyes. "I am the Captain of the Second Division of Soul Society. My name is Soifon. I will take you to the Sōtaichō. He can decide what happens from here on out."

"Fine by me," I smiled behind the mask.

"Remove your weapons," the man commanded, finally approaching me. I nodded and took off my pouches and my katana. He motioned to the mask and I hesitated.

"I would rather keep it on until we reach this… Sōtaichō."

"I guess that's reasonable." They surrounded me and kept their swords pointed at me carefully as Soifon led my through their city.

It was rich with stone and I felt pure and my mind was clearer here. There were thousands of houses and in the center was a cliff that seemed to serve no purpose, but it added a beautiful mark in the sunrise now coming over the horizon.

We seemed to have reached our destination when we approached a massive door with the kanji for 'one' on it.

"Soifon, Nibantai-taicho." She called up to the top of the wall. The door opened and we went through. As soon as I passed the threshold, my guards disappeared and the taicho and her partner flanked me.

"What is the meaning of this, Soifon-taicho?" an old man, with a terrifying chakra and a thick air of authority demanded of her. His head was bare, but he had a long white beard wrapped with purple string. He wore the same outfit as Soifon's partner minus the collar, with a haori like Soifon's slung over his shoulders. Both his hands grasped an old staff, and his eyes were squinted closed.

"I found this woman wandering in the woods outside the city, Sōtaichō. I brought her here on her own request, and for your judgment," Soifon stepped back, and I noticed that her partner was gone from the room.

The old man, the Sōtaichō, turned his direct attention on to me. "Who are you?"

"My name is Sukai Sora. I am a shinobi of a village called Konohagakure. I am of the highest possible rank, aside from Hokage, our leader. I am also a skilled medic." I thought maybe my skills were going over the line, but keeping information from him could mean my execution.

"And what is your purpose here, Sukai Sora?"

"I was sent through a crack in a wall to this place to explore it and find out whether there are people living here. Since I now know there are, my mission is to make a connection between our worlds and form a possible alliance."

"Our worlds, you say? Impossible."

"I thought so as well. I am guessing that our two worlds are now connected by a crack in time or space. Or both, possibly. If you want, I can lead you to the crack I emerged from."

"I will believe you for now," he said after a moment. "Messenger," he called to the side, "call an emergency captain's meeting. And send someone for Kurosaki Ichigo as well."

"Hai," someone said from an unknown and unimportant place.

Very soon, Soifon was lined up with eight other captains, judging by their haoris. I sat formally facing them, mask still on, in front of the Sōtaichō, trying to stop shaking. I felt as though their chakras were pounding down on me like heavy fire.

"Silence," Sōtaichō quieted the room. "I called you here because of a strange occurrence within the Seireitei." I wondered idly what the heck a 'Seireitei' was, but I waited patiently. "This woman has appeared. She says she came here through a crack in time or space from another universe. I summoned you for your opinions on the matter."

"I'm coming in," another voice said from outside the door I'd entered through. In walked a young-looking man with a handle of some sort sticking up beside his head. His hair was bright orange, and he was clearly tired. He lined up on the left side of the room.

"Introduce yourself," one of the captains prompted, though I didn't see which.

I nodded and stood. "My name is Sukai Sora. I am from a village called Konohagakure. It is a village of shinobi, and I am of the highest rank besides our leader. I am also a medic," I sighed a little at the end, tired of introducing myself. Hadn't I said I only wanted to say it once?

"Um, would you mind removing your mask, Sukai-san?" a woman with black hair braided down her front smiled kindly at me.

"Oh, yes, of course," I unhooked the mask and reattached it on my hip. They all looked relieved slightly to see that I could take it off. Except for the orange-haired man, who looked a little confused.

"Why are you here, Sukai-san?" a male captain with long white hair and black eyebrows asked just as kindly as the woman had.

"My leader, the Hokage, wanted to find out whether there were people here. I was to form an alliance if there were."

"Yama-jii, have you tested her skills yet?" a man with a straw hat and a bright pink kimono over his haori asked the Sōtaichō.

"I have not. I was about to assign someone," he answered.

"I'll gladly do it," the man stepped out of his line and lifted his hat.

"No, you will not. I have already decided. Sukai Sora, you will fight Ukitake Juushiro in order to test your claims to be of another world," he slammed the end of his staff into the ground and I swore I felt power emerge from it.

"Hai, sir."

"Where, Genryūsai-sensei?" the white-haired man that had spoken before asked.

"Choose for yourself."

"We can go to my division's training grounds. Can you follow?" Ukitake-taicho asked me.

I nodded. "Hai."

"We'll be going then," he started walking and I followed, stopping at Soifon-taicho.

"May I have my weapons? I will most definitely need them," I could tell that much from his chakra.

"Fine. My fuku-taicho is outside the doors."

I bowed. "Arigatogozaimashita."

As she had said, I got my weapons and soon approached a door with the kanji for 'thirteen' on it. We entered and headed straight for a large grass area. I guessed it was almost seven o'clock, by the bright light over the horizon. I took a deep breath of the pure air and took a stance, a good 20 or 30 feet from Ukitake. I let my instincts tune themselves to my surroundings. Which included basically nothing. Grass, dirt, a few rocks; that was it.

"Begin!" I heard Sōtaichō call from above us. I didn't spare him a glance, expecting Ukitake to attack immediately.

He didn't do a thing.

"Draw your sword," he said to me, like a suggestion instead of a command.

"My katana isn't my preferred weapon."

"Interesting. Attack me with your preferred weapon, then," he motioned to me with a slight smile.

"…Hai," I replied, thinking this man was out of his mind. Then again, I wasn't going to kill him, so it didn't really matter.

My hands flew together in seals, finally ending on my own: angel.

Thick cartilage grew from my shoulder blades and after about twenty seconds, my wings, pure white with frosty blue tips, were emerged, reaching down to my toes.

"What kind of technique is that?" Ukitake's mouth hung open, in utter awe.

"It's called a justu. They are concentrations of our inner energy called chakra, and they take the form of anything of a certain element. Mine, however, is a bloodline limit, passed down only in my clan."

"What is it called?"

"Fuuton: Akuma no tsubasa no jutsu," I said. "Mine are wings of a demon," I grinned in pleasure at every captain's expression.

"Is this your full power?"

"…Hai," I decided to tell him yes.

"Then I should release my zanpakuto," he smiled a little more. It was charming, really.

"Soul Slayer? That's… well, it's vivid to say the least."

He chuckled. "Indeed." He took out the katana on his hip. "Waves, become my shield; Lightning, become my blade; Sōgyo no Kotowari."

My eyebrows rose at the powerful incantation. Then my eyes widened as the blade of his sword became two strangely shaped ones, connected by a red rope with five silver charms hangings from it. I tensed my wings in preparation.

"You may attack first," he said as he crossed his right arm over his left.

"Fine by me." I drew my wings around me, took a deep breath, and spun. Hundreds of chakra-hardened feathers darted at him at light speed, making him unable to dodge. They sliced through several parts of his arms and legs, and one on each side of his face.

He stared at me in shock as I unraveled my wings. I wiped a little sweat from my hairline and swallowed.

He touched the slice in his cheek and looked at the blood. I vowed to heal him after this, to show that power as well. I curled my wings to my back and brought my hands together in more hand seals.

"Wind release: Drilling Air Bullet!" I sucked in as much air as possible and shot the technique at Ukitake. To my surprise, he pointed his left sword at it and it slowly disappeared.

And shot right back at me.

"Nani?" I asked myself, jumping into the air to dodge. My wings uncurled and beat to keep me up. My brow furrowed, I analyzed him. Coming up with nothing, I tried again. This time, I noticed that as the technique disappeared, the charms on the rope lit up, then my jutsu came out the right sword.

I wrapped my wings around myself and waited for the technique to pass. When they unwrapped, a sword to my face greeted me. My left wings blocked just in time, and I wrapped my ankles around Ukitake's neck, flipping backwards and releasing him.

As he hit the ground, I sighed. "With respect, I've shown you the basic gist of my abilities. You only have yet to see my medical abilities," I yelled to the other captains.

"Please treat him, then," Sōtaichō returned. I nodded and released my wings. They disintegrated into the air. I ran over to Ukitake, who was already sitting in wait.

"Lie on your back, please," I helped him lean back. I then placed my hands over his chest and my green chakra enveloped my hands. The wounds around his body began to close, and I checked the rest of his body for possible internal injuries he could have suffered by accident. My eyes widened and my chakra faltered.

"Is something wrong?" Ukitake asked gently.

"You… are very sick, aren't you?" I asked quietly, in shock.

"Excellent," the kind woman from before approached me from behind. I tensed, my instincts not liking that detail. I wasn't sure if she meant that I'd noticed his illness, or that I'd healed his injuries so fast.

As she began her own diagnosis, I felt a hard pound on the ground and I turned to see the other captains standing behind me. I quickly stood at attention.

"I have found you intriguing," Sōtaichō said. "Come with me back to Ichibantai. I need to speak with you. Other captains are to return to their normal duties. Dismissed."

As they were told, they all vanished. I followed the old man back to our original venue and kneeled in front of his desk.

"You said your village had a leader, correct?"

"Hai, Sōtaichō. His name is Uzumaki Naruto. His title officially is Hokage, and he has proven to be a trustworthy and strong man many times in the past."

"I will write a letter to him. Then you will return to your village and become a messenger for now. He may send you back if he so wishes."

"Thank you, sir."

"Wait for at least four hours. I have duties to attend to for now."

"Hai."

"Dismissed."

I realized as soon as I emerged from his office that I had nowhere to go. So I decided to go outside.

The air here was brisk and clean, free of pollution and other things. I managed to find my way out of the Ichibantai premises and awkwardly sat outside the wall. I took off my backpack, having realized that I hadn't done that yet, and took out a thick ration bar to gnaw on.

It was almost a half hour later that someone finally stopped to talk to me.

"Sukai Sora, correct?" he said. I looked up to see the captain with the pink haori smiling and holding a hand out to me. I nodded, smiling back at him, and took his offer. I grabbed my backpack and slung it over one shoulder as we walked.

"Let's go to my barracks. You can meet my…delightful fuku-taicho."

"…Hai."

"TAICHO!" a woman with dark hair up in a thick clip and wore rectangular glasses yelled as soon as we got through the door. I stopped in my tracks so I didn't get caught in the crossfire while she scolded the captain for various deeds; drinking and ignoring paperwork among them.

I giggled subconsciously and regretted it as the quarreling pair stared at me.

"U-um, the previous Hokage seems to be a lot like you…" I tried. Really, I tried.

"I was wondering about that. What is your village like, Sora-chan?" he changed my name.

"Uh… well, it's sunny and friendly. The ninja from there are well known for being compassionate and choosing our comrades over the mission. It's really a beautiful place."

"Maybe I should vacation there sometime…" he eyed his fuku-taicho, who was still staring at me. "Oh, Sora-chan, this is Nanao-chan, my fuku-taicho."

"It's nice to meet you," I bowed lightly.

"You as well."

"Oh, Taicho-san, I don't know your name," I realized.

"It's Kyōraku Shunsui. Nanao-chan will want to call you Sukai-san, most likely."

"Because it's proper," Nanao chided.

"Well, come on. Tell me more about your village," Kyōraku placed a hand on my back and led my to the roof, where he laid down while I sat a reasonable distance away.

"The Hokage is a powerful person who protects the village with his or her life. In the past, we've had five male Hokage and only one female. You remind me of her," I smiled nostalgically, remembering Tsunade.

"When was she in power?"

"She was inaugurated when I was twelve. I was the lowest rank ninja then, along with the current Hokage."

"You're a friend of his?"

"Hai. He always used to blab about being Hokage, and making everyone respect him and all that. He changed the world; at least to those close to him."

"He sounds powerful," Nanao joined us.

"He is. Naruto was inaugurated when I was…" I did the math, "nineteen. It was a bright day, even for Konoha."

"And how long has he been in power?" Nanao wondered.

"Almost seven years."

We listened to the birds and the peace for a few minutes.

"What about you?" Kyōraku asked suddenly. "What do you do when you're not on missions?"

I smiled a content smile. "I do things with my two best friends and teammates. I also take care of my two children, Miharu and Ayumu. And I wait for my husband to come home from his missions. It's a nice life I live, even for a Shinobi."

"You're married?" Nanao smiled.

"Yes. My full name would be Sukai-Hyuga Sora. It's a little confusing because I'm to be the head of my clan, and my husband is in a power struggle for his clan."

"Sounds complex," Kyōraku sighed.

"Definitely," I chuckled. "It would be less complex if the Hyuga clan would stop trying to be so noble." We shared a little laugh.

"So enough about Konoha, what about this place?"

"Soul Society is a place you go when you die," Kyōraku started. "We are called Shinigami. We are souls that have excess power and we use it to protect humans and Soul Society."

"Sounds… not so complex," I smiled.

"You're right about that. Usually."

It was nice to talk to them to casually. I knew there were things we were keeping from each other, but I didn't mind. It was pleasant company.

"So Sukai-san is here, then?" I recognized the chakra approaching as Ukitake-taicho's.

"Hai, hai. We've been talking about her village. She's married!" Kyōraku seemed to be enjoying himself. I blushed just a little as the shared knowledge.

"You must be excited to get home, then," Ukitake smiled.

"Very," I blurted without thinking. I tried to catch myself. "I-I mean I just… I um…"

"I would too," the captain sat with Kyōraku.

"Yes. My teammates don't even know I'm gone," I sighed. "Ugh, Izumi's going to kill me." They laughed, but I stopped them with a serious look. "No, really. She'll kill me." They stared at me.

"Kumouri Izumi, wife of the Kazekage and joint shinobi between the allied nations. Kyuuma-Nara Sunai, wife of the Nara clan head, only Kyuuma in Konoha," I summarized. "Izumi's a bomb and fire specialist. She will kill me."

"Nice friends," Kyōraku chuckled.

"The best," I smiled. "Ukitake-taicho and you seem to be friends as well, Kyōraku-taicho. How long have you know each other?"

"Pft. I've lost count. What is it? Almost six hundred years now?" Kyōraku shrugged.

"W-wait a second. Six hundred years?" I gawked.

"Oh, right, you're human. And you're what? Twenty-six?" Ukitake laughed. "We live a tad longer than you do."

"A tad," I nodded.

"How long did Yama-jii say he needed?" Kyōraku asked after a few minutes.

"Four hours."

"Start heading back, then. You know your way?"

"I don't know," I admitted. So much for being a notable ninja.

"I'll escort you," Ukitake stood.

"Oh, well thank you, Taicho," I bowed a little.

"No problem," he waved a hand and we jumped down.

"Ja ne, Kyōraku-taicho, Nanao-fuku-taicho!" I called to them and we left.

"Say, Ukitake-taicho…" I said quiety after a moment.

"Yes?"

"When I was healing you…"

"You were right. I am very ill. I have been sick since I was a child," he confirmed.

"Have you seen a doctor?" I asked the stupid question.

"Unohana-taicho, the woman captain from before, is an old friend of mine. I see her once a week, so yes I do. However, it isn't something I can fix so easily."

"…Would you mind if I take another look?" I asked awkwardly. I wanted to get the image in my head so I could ask Sakura about it.

"Certainly."

"You don't need to lie down. Just a minute," I started the chakra flow in my hands and pressed them to his chest. I closed my eyes and concentrated.

His lungs were thick-coated with some kind of bacteria, which seemed to restrict his breathing some. I wasn't sure what it was, I was just a mednin—not a doctor—but I knew it was bad. I released my technique and looked at him.

"How does Unohana-taicho treat this?" I asked as we kept walking.

"Herbal tea, usually. Aside from that, much rest and an occasional dose of antibiotics."

"That's all I could think of as well. Well, I have a very skilled friend, and I'll talk to her if you'd like. She might have a solution to your illness," I suggested.

"That's very kind of you, Sukai-san," he smiled as we approached the Ichibantai gate. "If you want to, I won't ask you to stop."

"Thank you, sir. For escorting me, that is. I'm sure I'll see you again soon."

"It was very nice meeting you Sukai-san." We exchanged our bows and I entered the barracks.

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A/N: R&R! tell me how i did!