Thank you so much K-chanLovesAnimeXD for my first review! Keep reviewing, because it gives me little hell butterflies. Ha. Get it. I made a joke pertaining to bleach.

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"We have a problem."

I looked up from the book I was reading, my eyes meeting Lisa's across the floor. She of course was reading one of her dirty books. I wasn't really into that, but whatever suited her fancy was fine by me.

Both of us looked up to see Shinji in the room, a dark look on his face. He's the one who had spoken.

"What is it?" Lisa asked, closing her book. She glanced at me as I did the same, folding my hands together in front of me as I looked at the blonde visored.

"Ichigo is gone," he practically growled. His eyes were dark and I could tell he was pissed. "He left last night and went to Hueco Mundo to save that girl. Orihime." He started pacing as Hiyori walked over and stood next to Lisa, frowning as well.

"He shouldn't have gone," she said dourly. "Not at the level he's at right now. There's no way he'll survive." She was completely serious now, and wasn't even hitting anyone.

"What do you want us to do?" Lisa asked, getting to her feet. I got to mine as well, uncertainly shifting my weight to the balls of my feet.

Shinji let out a deep sigh, blinking and glaring at the floor. "Someone's going to have to go get him."

"Not all of us though," Hiyori put in, walking closer to Shinji. "We don't want Aizen to think we're launching a full out attack on him. She looked over at Lisa, then at me. "Both of you will go. Along with Mashiro. Hopefully the three of you will be enough." She pulled on a glove and walked up to me, meeting my gaze. Sighing I walked over to my bag and pulled out long arm warmers that I pulled over my arms. I also wore a red tank top and black shorts. Out of my bag I pulled out a black belt with a large red jewel on the front and wrapped it around my waist so I could use it to carry my sword. Last I pulled on knee length flat black boots, and I walked back over to Hiyori, who was looking at me expectantly.

I nodded and she punched me, pushing my soul out of my body. I touched Awaitsume, my zanpakuto and looked back at Lisa. She was talking to Shinji and nodding while Mashiro was being beckoned by Hiyori.

"The three of you will use Kisuke Urahara's Garganta," Shinji informed us. "I think Ichigo took some of his friends with him to Hueco Mundo. You must get Ichigo Kurosaki out of there if he is still alive, but if you can you should get his friends as well. Orihime Inoue is important, but not as important as Ichigo. He is the one you should focus on rescuing. Lisa, you'll lead the mission." He turned and stepped outside. "Come on. I'll take you to Urahara."

Lisa looked at Mashiro and me. Both of us nodded at her and all four of us flash stepped away from the warehouse, toward a part of town I'd never explored.

Soon we stood in front of a small shop that sat almost in an alley. Truly it seemed to be almost indistinguishable from the darkness around it, and I probably never would have found it.

"Where are we?" I asked Mashiro. She smiled at me tensely. "A man named Kisuke Urahara runs this place. He's a good friend of Shinji and someone we can trust. He has the only way we can get to the Hollow World." She followed Lisa and I walked a step behind her.

"Oh. I see." I'd heard a few things about this Urahara man, but obviously I'd never met him. I'd never been to Karakura, and he'd never met up with the visoreds in the last two in a half years that I'd known of.

We walked into the shop and I looked around avidly. It appeared to be a candy store, but something was off about it. The candy all looked untouched. Then again, I had a hard time believing a soul reaper ran a simple candy store.

"So you're here to use my Garganta and get Ichigo Kurosaki back. Am I correct?" a blonde man asked after seeing Shinji and the rest of us.

"That's the plan, Kisuke," Shinji sighed. "Since that stupid kid ran off without completing his training. I want him back."

"Aren't you worried Aizen will get off his bum to come see why his former captain is knocking on his door?" the man inquired darkly.

Shinji growled. "I'm not going," he admitted. "Because of that reason. These three are going instead." He gestured at Lisa, Mashiro, and myself.

"I see. I hope they're enough," the soul reaper sighed. "Come on." He led us to an underground training area, much like the one under the warehouse. "It isn't perfect, the garganta," he remarked, as something began to appear in the middle of the training area. I watched as a black gate appeared in the air. Somehow I really didn't want to pass through it.

"That's fine," Shinji replied. "I trust these three. They'll be fine." He looked at me and frowned, looking a bit unsure.

"Shinji, I'm going to be fine," I promised before he could say anything or pull me off of the mission. "Don't doubt me!" I was excited and I really wanted to try my strength against one of the 'arrancar' I'd been hearing about.

"I don't doubt your resolve," the blonde visored promised. "But I don't want to get you killed. Maybe I'm wrong to send you on this-"

"-I think she'll be fine," Lisa suddenly cut in. I looked at her but she was staring at Shinji. "She's been with us for two and a half years now and you've been training her for that long. She's not a child anymore, Shinji," Lisa finished, pushing her glasses up on her nose.

Shinji met her gaze before letting out a breath. "Fine. But if anything happens to her, it's on you," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets. He turned away and kicked at the ground, muttering about stupid orange haired boys. I smiled at Lisa but she returned my look with one of seriousness, searching my dark red gaze.

"You'd better prove me right," she muttered, before stepping forward to the edge of the portal. "Shinji, we're ready to leave," she announced, touching her sword.

The blonde turned around and blinked. "Okay. Remember that Ichigo is the main target. Be careful, you three." He stepped back, nodding at us.

"Come on," Lisa ordered, and walked through the gate. Mashiro and I followed behind her.

This thing-the Garganta-was strange. We walked along a path that seemed to be made of light, and when I looked behind us I saw the path was falling away. That made me walk faster and I accidentally stepped on Mashiro's heel.

"Ow! Hiro, what's wrong with you?" the green haired girl yelped angrily, turning to look at me.

"The path is um…leaving," I squeaked in reply, walking beside her. She saw it as well and lengthened her stride, moving over so I could walk beside her.

"Lisa!" Mashiro called, making the former lieutenant turn and look behind her.

"Oh. Yes. The path is disappearing. I suggest that you speed up." She herself started jogging toward the large portal in front of us.

I looked at Mashiro and she returned the look with equal intensity. "Shall we run?" I asked plaintively.

"We shall," she nodded and both of us took off at a quick run down the lit up path. I looked behind us as it started disappearing faster, almost at our heels.

Mashiro yelled and pushed Lisa out of the way as we sped past her. "Stop panicking!" Lisa yelled, though she was running too.

"You stop running and maybe we will!" I yelled over my shoulder, seeing that Lisa had sped up and was right behind us.

"Shut up and just run!" she retorted, hand on her zanpakuto. What was that going to do? Was a sword going to make us a new path?

It didn't matter, though, because at that moment the portal loomed up in front of me and I leaped through it. Immediately the darkness disappeared and I was in the middle of a desert.

"This is Hueco Mundo?" I asked, straightening. Mashiro had appeared beside me, and suddenly something hit me in the back. I let out an 'oomf' and fell forward onto the sand.

"Sorry," muttered Lisa, getting up. She'd fallen on me when she came through the portal.

"No, it's fine. I live to be your mattress when you fall," I snorted, brushing the sand off of my clothes.

Mashiro laughed. "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the air mattress."

"Well maybe after this I'll get a real bed like the rest of you do. I deserve one you know," I retorted, watching Lisa as she walked in front of us and looked off into the distance. I took that moment to look around. It wasn't just a desert but a nocturnal one. The sand under my feet was white instead of brown, and when I looked around I saw there were no trees or rocks within sight. This place was totally barren. The moon shone down on the sand, and in the distance I did see a large palace. Or at least, that's what it appeared to be.

"We need to get there fast," Lisa said, folding her arms over her chest. "Do you two feel comfortable flash stepping there?" she asked both of us, but I knew she was really asking me.

I let out a sigh and rolled my eyes. "Lisa, I can do this!" I pleaded loudly. "Stop treating me like I'm a regular person! You know I can do this!" I stomped my foot on the ground to punctuate my point.

Lisa glanced at me and I saw she was frowning. "I know," she said quietly. "So come on." She disappeared and Mashiro followed suit. I smiled and took a step forward before flash stepping after the both of them. I was faster than I was strong, and I'd always been good at the flash step.

It took longer than I thought it would to get to the palace. It was huge and further away than I'd believed. "What is this place?" I panted when we stopped outside the wall.

"Las Noches," Mashiro informed me. "The only structure in Hueco Mundo. The arrancar are here, along with Aizen. And currently Ichigo Kurosaki and friends are here as well. Hmm." She squinted her eyes and frowned. "I sense…five spiritual pressures that don't belong me. Including that Orihime girl," she wrinkled her nose up and she truly was making a laughable face.

"Just because she's friends with Hachi doesn't mean you should hate the girl," I told Mashiro, smirking at her. My heart beat hard in my chest and my stomach seemed to be clenched in anxiety.

"Stop joking around, both of you," Lisa said quickly before Mashiro could reply. "We need to get Ichigo and his friends out of here. Mashiro, I want you to go where I can sense a strong soul reaper's spiritual pressure. There's a human there as well. I assume they're Ichigo's friends. I also sense an injured human and an injured soul reaper, but they don't appear to be fighting. Hiroko-"

"-Oh come on Lisa!" I snapped, scowling. "Don't give me the shitty work! Let me go after Ichigo! I can feel the spiritual pressure of who he's fighting as well! Please, just let me prove that I can do this! Please, Lisa!" I really just wanted a chance to prove to them and to myself that I wasn't useless. "If Ichigo can fight the arrancar then I can too! I have some of the same powers as a soul reaper, and I'm a visored! Plus, Shinji's been training me for years!" I was speeding up to keep Lisa from talking. And I was rambling. "Come on, just-"

"-Fine," Lisa said through gritted teeth.

I stopped, looking at her with my mouth hanging open. "Really?" I asked. I hadn't expected her to give in. "I mean-thanks. I promise I'll be careful and-"

"I'll get the two down soul reapers and I'll be at your side soon," Lisa promised. Mashiro was frowning and shaking her head.

"I don't think this is a good idea, Lisa," she muttered. I glared at her and she put her hands up in defense. "I'm sorry, Hiro, but you've never been in a really tough fight before. I don't want you to get killed. Lisa, you shouldn't send her there."

Lisa was rubbing her forehead, frowning intently. "I just….I think we should let Hiro prove herself. And-" suddenly one of the foreign spiritual pressures spiked and Lisa's eyes widened. "We're out of time. Come on." She led us down into a tunnel and we flash stepped after her. Soon we were outside and when I looked up I found it was sunny.

"What the hell?" I murmured, looking up at the sky. How was it sunny in here?

"Look, Hiro, I'm giving you a chance," Lisa explained, rounding on me. She was frowning still and looked completely solemn. "Follow Ichigo's spiritual pressure. I'll be there after I pick up the two out of commission. "I won't be long." She flash stepped away.

"Please be careful, Hiro," Mashiro muttered, clapping me on the shoulder. "Shinji will kill us if we bring you back dead." She smiled at me reassuringly before flash stepping away as well.

I took a breath and let it out. "You've got this, Hiro," I told myself before focusing on Ichigo's waning spiritual pressure. I took off in a flash step toward it, and nearly tripped over big pieces of rubble.

Finally I arrived at the orange haired boy's location and when I did I frowned. There was a large hollow looking thing and a tall man with long black hair. His spiritual pressure was like a hollow but different somehow. Orihime Inoue was also standing back from the scene, and Ichigo was having the shit kicked out of him by the large hollow looking thing.

I winced when he received a harsh kick and was thrown back a few yards. Without thinking I lunged forward, unsheathing my sword and throwing it up in time to block another kick from the bull looking hollow.

"Who….you're one of the visoreds…." Ichigo choked out, trying to sit up.

"And the lucky one who's going to save your ass," I told him, pushing forward and applying enough pressure that the hollow was thrown back. I assumed it was a hollow, anyway, even though it's spiritual pressure was different from any other hollow I'd sensed. Maybe it too was an arrancar.

"Who are you, woman?" the black haired man snarled, taking a step forward and lifting his strange, double crescent moon blade.

"I'm Hiro, and I'm here to save this soul reaper." Unless I get my ass kicked into tomorrow, I added silently.