Sorry for the wait. I encountered a writer's block after I finished the first chapter. It's gone now, thankfully. I'd like to point out this right now, though – because these two universes are colliding, the timelines of both are not the same as they would be otherwise. Things will be different. Without further ado, here's the second chapter of Soul Memory!

Takanuva marveled at the massive space as he descended down the ladder. The space was barren, mostly rock with a few dead trees interspersed in it. The ceiling, which was probably hundreds of feet from the ground, was painted in an exact replica of the sky. Had Uryu not told him, Takanuva would have thought that he was staring at the real sky.

When Takanuva reached the ground, he was approached by a lone figure. He looked like a boy no more than ten years old with white, spiked hair. He was short, only four feet four inches tall. A sheathed sword hung from his back, kept in place by a star shaped clip attached by to a green sash. He wore a white haori over his black kimono. This boy was a Soul Reaper, Takanuva assumed, but obviously of a higher status.

Walking up to Takanuva, he said, "What are you doing here? The other Soul Reapers sent by Head Captain Yamamoto and myself are supposed to be the only ones here."

"Nice to meet you too," Takanuva said icily. "My name's Takanuva. As for why I'm here, I have no idea."

"So you just happen to be here?" the boy asked, not at all convinced.

"Yes," Takanuva replied, matching his stare with an equally cold one. "I don't remember anything other than my name."

"Relax, Captain Hitsugaya," Uryu said, surprising both Takanuva and Hitsugaya. "He's not lying. I've learned that a Soul Reaper's reishi composition vibrates slightly if he or she lies. When Takanuva said the same thing to me, his reishi didn't vibrate at all."

Hitsugaya relaxed, if only slightly. "Sorry about that," he apologized, "but things have been really stressful around here. With the attacks by arrancars and espadas, not to mention the disappearance of Ichigo Kurosaki, everyone's been a little high-strung."

"It's alright," Takanuva replied, "and I'm sorry I was so cold. What is this I hear about Orihime, anyways?"

"It's bad," Hitsugaya replied. "She went missing last night. My lieutenant, Rangiku, and I were making a report to the Head Captain, so we didn't even know she had been kidnapped until we got back to her apartment. With her at his side, Aizen will be able to awaken the Hogyoku."

"So basically," Uryu said, "her disappearance means the end of the world."

"Then why are we standing here?" Takanuva exclaimed. "Let's go after them!"

"It's not as easy as you might think," Hitsugaya replied. "This Ulquiorra took her to Hueco Mundo. The only things that can travel back and forth from there are the arrancars, Menos Grandes, and Aizen and his subordinates. Urahara is working on opening this gate, called the Garganta, even now."

"Urahara has already finished it," Chad replied, "and we're not going alone. Renji and Rukia are coming with us."

"Excellent," Uryu said, a smile appearing on his face. "It's always better to go in numbers."

"We'll keep an eye on things here, in case Aizen sends any of his forces while you're gone," Hitsugaya said.

"Let's go already," Takanuva complained, impatient to be gone. "I want to see this Hueco Mundo and write it down on the Wall of History."

Everyone stopped just as he did. Takanuva had no idea where that came from. Was it a memory from his past life? He tried to hold onto it to go over it more, but it slipped away like a snowflake in a hot hand.

"I thought you said you didn't remember anything, Takanuva," Uryu said, "So what was that just now? Was it an actual memory?"

"I don't know," Takanuva frowned, "And I can't examine it, either. It's gone now."

"I wonder…" Uryu muttered, then shook his head, saying, "You're right, at any rate. We should get going now."

Takanuva nodded and walked off with Uryu. He saw a giant black portal in the shape of a cat's eye about two hundred yards away. He and Uryu started running towards it, neither of them sure why they were running. Chad joined them, as did a black haired girl and a red-haired man, who Takanuva assumed could only be Rukia and Renji. They all stepped into the portal and kept running.

That ends the second chapter. I'm most likely not going to write for a few days on account of college stuff. Enjoy the holidays!