A/N: So sorry for my more-than-a-month-long hiatus, I had lots of work and university-related stuff to settle for the whole of last month (March). As compensation, I have written a double chapter! Gomen Nasai-ne!


It was over.

Hikari landed gracefully on the ground, instinctively thickening the air around her feet to soften her landing from such a great height. She then heard a series of slow, steady clapping coming from behind her.

The silver-haired boy was clapping his hands, mouth set in a wide grin that further tightened his already squinted eyes.

"My, my" He said cheerfully in the same silky voice. "That was exciting, wasn't it?"

"YOU!" Hikari shrieked, rushing towards him with her sword raised, attempting to attack the ghost. Her attack proved futile as her sword only connected with thin air, and the boy reappeared a few feet to her right, still clapping his hands and acting as though she had never attacked.

Hikari was too angry to care, and she continually attacked the boy, who avoided each of her attacks with ease. Finally, he grew tired of playing "tag" with Hikari. Pointing out two of his long fingers towards her, he calmly recited, "Bakudo number 1, Sai."

Hikari was at once hit by a binding spell that had locked her arms behind her, rendering her immobile. This had allowed her to catch her breath and staring daggers at him, she started shouting angrily towards a now amused Gin.

"You knew the monster was here, and did nothing to defeat it! Hana could have died!"

Gin did not reply, but instead disappeared for a moment, only to reappear with an unconscious Hana, who had one of her arms slumped over his shoulder.

With another incantation, he undid the spell of a now passive Hikari, who understood immediately what has to be done.

Hikari lugged Hana's limp, but breathing form towards the town's only hospital. Now back in her body, she did not have as much energy as she had in her spirit form, and Hana felt heavy in her tired arms. Walking beside her was Ichimaru Gin, who was causally whistling a tune as though he had not a care in the world. It was already dark, and way over the curfew period of the orphanage, but that wasn't important compared to the current matter at hand.

Once outside the emergency ward and sure that Hana was in safe hands, Hikari had asked the boy ghost about the events that transpired. It was then that she found out about the existence of shinigamis and hollows in addition to the 'pluses' she sees on a regular basis. She had taken the huge influx of information quite well, considering what she had just gone through.

After a grueling two hour wait, Hana was declared safe. Besides a deep cut to her torso and a broken arm, her injuries were mostly superficial. She was transferred to a regular ward, and Hikari spent the rest of the night by Hana's bedside.

"Ya should sleep." Gin advised, a hint of amusement in his voice as he watched Hikari nod off for the umpteenth time that night. He was standing behind her, right by the window.

Hikari sat up straight upon hearing this, and glared fiercely at him. "How can I trust you to help when another of those hollows attack us here?" She growled sarcastically.

The shinigami's eyes had widened slightly in shock at the unanticipated question, and for a moment, Hikari could see a tinge of his blue irises behind his heavily lidded eyes. Then, just as quickly as it had appeared, his shock had disappeared. Replaced with his default smiling face and squinted eyes.

"Well then, how about ya become a shinigami?"