Yachiru jerked upward in bed, sweat pouring down her pale flesh as she breathed heavily. "Nothing…But a dream…" She lied back down, her pink hair covering her closed lids while she tried to repress the memories of the hollows. Her pale complexion flowed gently beneath a shirt of pure white and shorts of a deep blue. She couldn't help but wonder who that mysterious figure was. It was definitely male, but much too small to be her captain, though he was muscular in some fashion. She opened her eyes slowly, staring into the dark abyss of her room listening to the soft footsteps and mumbles in the hallway. A sliver of light entered as the door creaked open slightly and the familiar voice of Momo reached her ear. "Oh, you are awake. Good morning, Yachiru. Did you sleep well?"
She described the dream to her friend, though Momo seemed to think nothing of it. "It is fairly strange, but nothing to cause great concern, Yachiru. I'm sure your mind was just wandering again." Although Yachiru nodded and dropped the story, she was still not convinced that her dream was just something that had occurred from her mind alone. After draping herself in her robes of black and white, she wandered outside onto the rocky terrain of the land they temporarily called home. Zaraki and Hitsugaya were walking back toward the building, casually talking about the strangeness of the human world. Yachiru waved frantically and ran up to them. "Ken-chan! Shiro-Shiro! Good morning!" Zaraki grinned and placed his hand on her head. "Good morning, Yachiru." He turned to face Hitsugaya, removing his hand. "I'm going to consult with Byakuya on the matter. He'll know what's best in that situation." With that, he walked into the building, and Yachiru turned to face Hitsugaya. "Ummm…Shiro-Shiro…Can I talk to you?" He cringed slightly at his nickname before returning to his usual composure. "Of course Yachiru. Here, sit." He motioned toward a rock across from the one he had sat on a moment prior. Yachiru stared into his crystal-blue eyes. She had always been remotely attracted to him and wanted to find out if he was the figure she had seen in her dream. However, she was overwhelmed with disappointment after she explained the story to him. "That is interesting. Maybe it was Ichigo? He is partly a hollow. It would make sense." When she realized he was right, she gave up on the dream entirely. Maybe it was just her enthusiastic imagination again. Yet, it was very rare for her to dream of Ichigo.
As she stared off into the sky, Zaraki approached them once again. "Hitsugaya, Byakuya is not pleased with the recent events. He wants to speak to us, but says we shouldn't tell anyone else about it so we keep them from worrying. At least for now. I'll meet you in there." He walked off, and Hitsugaya stood. Yachiru also stood, facing him. "Shiro-Shiro, what's going on?" He looked at her and cringed slightly. "The hollows have somehow been creating rifts throughout space that disable our zanpakuto and trap us in their world. It's already happened to three members of the society. But don't worry. I'm sure Byakuya has a plan." Yachiru stood in silence while Hitsugaya walked into the building.
"I guess the shrimp doesn't understand when Captain Byakuya says not to tell anyone." Yachiru turned around and saw Ichigo and Renji standing behind her. "He's not a shrimp!" "Oh, don't bother defending him Yachiru. He's in love with Momo, anyway." Renji's words cut through her, even though she had known it for a while. Ichigo elbowed him and mumbled something about him being an insensitive jerk, but Yachiru wasn't really paying close attention. Ichigo placed his hand gently on her shoulder. "Don't worry about him, Yachiru. You know he's always had disagreements with Hitsugaya. C'mon, let's get outta here and go do something worthwhile. It'll clear your head." He stared at Renji. "Are you coming with us?" Renji mumbled, but reluctantly followed Ichigo and Yachiru into the mountainous horizon.
The trio came upon a cliff where they sat to rest and talk before continuing their escape from the rest of the society. Ichigo lied on his back, outstretched beneath the hot sun, while Renji sarcastically replied to almost all of his comments. Although Yachiru talked and laughed with the others, her mind was focused on Ichigo. Why would she dream of him? Something didn't connect in her mind.
Ichigo suddenly bolted upward. The other two became immediately silent, not knowing what had occurred to him. Then they heard it. A low growl that could easily be mistaken for the wind was reaching them. Renji and Ichigo jumped up, swords drawn, and looked around to find the source. Renji looked upward above Ichigo's head and pointed. "There!" Ichigo and Yachiru also turned to face it. A small black line formed in the sky. Slowly, it began to open up, nothing but a vortex of darkness within it. Ichigo mumbled more to himself than to anyone else, "This is what the others were talking about. Yachiru, Renji, stay away from it!" But before she could move, Yachiru felt something close around her arm. Her eyes met the gaze of a hollow, which was tightly gripping her. After that, the only thing she remembered was Ichigo and Renji running after her and her body getting light and numb before fading to black.