Guardian

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters. All the credits to Tite Kubo.

I will alternate between impersonal narration and from the point of view of the characters.

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Chapter 1

– Invisible –

Orihime's POV –ON–

I walked out of the sweet store, it was late at night, I walking home alone. Even after years seeing spirits and hollows, I can't say I wasn't afraid of them. The streets were illuminated by the light poles on the sidewalks. I'm a bit nervous, the last time I felt like this was… When I went to Soul society for the first time…

Wait. I feel a presence. It's familiar, and at same time, strange. I swerved back to see if there was someone following me, searching around with my eyes I pressed my hands against my chest, my heart is so accelerated. There was no one at the end of the street. It's a relief, but… Why do I feel so insecure? Why those odd feelings do keeps haunting my heart?

I'm paranoiac. Everything is fine now Orihime, don't expect any kind of trouble with the spiritual world anymore. It ended. You can live on with happiness now…

–OFF–

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Hueco Mundo

The adult Neliel walked through the corridors of Aizen's palace. It was where the remaining arrancars were living now. Her thoughts were lost somewhere on that corridor. She looked through the windows to the unchanging moon and asked herself how her human friends were(Mainly, how Ichigo was).

Suddenly a strong reiatsu cause a tremor on the entire palace. She immediately turned and dashed towards the source of the power, but if vanished before she could reach there. Halting her steps, a scowl formed on her face.

When she reached the place, she stared in bewilderment: a room of the palace? Well, at least, it should be a room, but it was utterly destructed. Under the debris, she saw a familiar figure and gasped:

"Pesche!" hurriedly running, she helped her minion, shoving away the debris covering his body.

"Neliel-sama…"

His voice failed as he stretched his hand, he was injured and weak. She took his hand on hers and shouted:

"Hold on! I'll help you!" it was inutile, Pesche had lost his consciousness.

The same moment, she felt another presence on the room and her eyes darted to the person arriving. She was about to pick her sword, but stopped, frowning when she saw the person standing a few meters behind her.

"You felt that too, Grimmjow?" she asked narrowing her eyes.

"Ah? Just what the hell happened here…?" he looked around, with a vexed expression, searching for the traces of the reiatsu.

"Someone entered here… But, who…?" she took her subordinate on arms "Well, I don't have time to waste, I need to help him." The former number three left the place in a rush.

"That reiatsu I felt… It was…" he snarled "No, it's impossible… He is dead…"

The sexto espada looked at the destruction with irritation. Again, someone dared to invade their home and make a mess. That didn't please him not even a bit. He would find out the bastard who did that and punish him or her, be sure of that.

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Ichigo was looking outside the window of the classroom, the classes had ended a minute ago, but his mind was absent. He has been like that since the last battle, wondering how the things were at Soul society. Keigo touched his shoulder, startling him.

"Hey, Stop daydreaming, the classes are over!"

"Ah, I didn't-" the orange haired tried to give some excuse, but his friend interrupted him.

"Sado was saying he has something to talk to you…" he smiled but there was a faint hint of worry on his eyes as he looked at his friend. "Are you getting into troubles related to that matter again?"

"Don't make this face! I've told we're fine." He slapped Keigo's nape and smiled jestingly. "I'll talk to Chad, bye!"

Ichigo hurriedly picked his belongings and got out of the classroom, Sado was waiting for him on the entrance of the school.

"Inoue, are you here too?" the shinigami found it weird.

"Ah, Kurosaki-kun…" she waved nervously.

"Then, why did you call me, Chad?"

"Actually, he called us both, Kurokosaki-kun…"Inoue's brows furrowed in a mix of sadness and concern

"Kisuke-san convoked us, he said some strange thing occurred and he would like to ask us to check on it… "

"What?" Ichigo scowled. "Well… Now that you mention… Many hollows have been appearing lately…" he grimaced, thinking thoughtfully "And Ishida?"

"He is already there, it seems…" the giant answered.

It was worse than expected. What could've happened for Urahara to gather them again?

"Hollows keep appearing, of course… But there isn't anyone controlling them like that time with Aizen…" he concluded.

"I don't know what is happening but, lately I've been feeling an odd sensation… Like something is about to happen…" Sado confessed with a serious look.

"To tell the truth, I also have a strange feeling…" Orihime said shyly "Since a week ago, I have been having the impression someone is watching me and… I felt a presence yesterday when I was leaving my workplace…"

Both Sado and the orange-haired male looked at Inoue with surprise.

"What?!" Ichigo almost gasped "Why didn't you tell it earlier?"

"Ah…" she scratched her head with her usual smile "I shouldn't bother you with it… You know, if someone attacks me I have my own ways of defending myself…"

"Inoue…"

Ichigo sighed. She wanted to be independent, but what she couldn't understand was that, regardless of how strong she got, both him and Sado would surely want to fight on her sake, she didn't need to stain her hands with blood. She was better curing people instead of hurting them. Her smile was more beautiful when she did her job supporting them.

"But, about the hollows… I haven't seen any lately…" she put a finger on her mouth and gazed up, to the sky, searching for something unfindable.

They raised a brow, in confusion. Of course it was good she wasn't having any problem with hollows and could lead a regular life, but…

"Why do I have the impression something is off about her story…?" Ichigo also searched answers on the clouds in the sky.

They finally arrived at Urahara's shop. The owner was waiting them inside along with Ishida.

"Urahara-san… What exactly is happening?"

"Well, well…" he adjusted his hat "It pains me to be the one telling this, but… We have troubles again… Someone has attacked the Hueco Mundo…"

"Why would someone attack them?!"Orihime had a worried look.

"Yoruichi-san in investigating now…" Ishida answered on the owner's behalf.

"Yes, the arrankars said they will be coming here… They must arrive soon…"

"We still don't know anything about the enemy?" Sado asked serious.

"No… We can only suppose it's a new enemy or a rebellious arrankar… Although we don't have any evidence…" he opened his fan, hiding his mouth with sharp eyes.

"Why would they fight against themselves? After all that happened they should be…" Ichigo was stunned.

"It could have sense…" Ishida adjusted his glasses "It doesn't mean someone like Aizen Sousuke is controlling his actions like last time… But this new enemy must have his own goals…"

"Is it everything we know? Hasn't Yoruichi given any report yet?" the orange-haired Shinigami was impatient.

"Unfortunately not." The blonde sighed heavily. "But, I called you precisely because of this…"

"I guess our nights of investigation will start again…?" Ichigo wasn't happy listening to that insinuation.

"I suppose so… Soul society doesn't seem to be aware of this yet, it would be good if we could end this without alarming them…" the shop owner seemed reluctant on requesting their help.

"We understand, Urahara-san." Ishida answered. "We will start searching."

They prepared to leave, but when Orihime was at the threshold of the entrance, she staggered and turned back a bit nervous.

"Huh… Urahara-san…" she scratched her face a bit ashamed "Is it possible to feel a reiatsu of someone who is already dead…?"

His eyes opened a bit, intrigued with her question. Then, he delayed some seconds to give her a proper explanation.

"Do you mean a dead person…? You should know that the reiatsu from spirits changes when they become a hollow…"

"Ah, that was not it…" she sighed subtly, casting her gaze down, pondering about something. "Forget it… It must have been my imagination!"

She hurriedly beckoned before leaving the place leaving Urahara perplexed. What was she talking about? He closed his fan thinking thoroughly on her words.

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"We will walk you home, Inoue." Ichigo tried to assure her.

"H-huh? No…" he gestured frantically "You don't need to."

"No, in a situation like this we should avoid being alone. It's dangerous." The giant supported his friend.

She smiled resignedly. She didn't want to worry them, but it was too late. After all they had been through those last years, she couldn't blame them. She would worry too on their place…

"I wonder if that reiatsu was…" she thought looking at the sky "No way… I saw him dying on front of my eyes, so…"

When she looked at the crowd a few meters away from her, she caught a glimpse of someone standing there. The pale-looking man with green eyes and green marks under his eyes, with his usual dispassionate expression was standing in the middle of the crowd, looking at her. For a moment, her eyes wavered. It couldn't be possible.

She stopped and rubbed her eyes in a rush, her friends also halted their steps to watch her. What was she doing after all? When she opened her eyes again, she landed her vision on the same place that man was, but… He had vanished, like he had never been there.

The wind blew her hair and her serious expression tuned in a mix of confusion and dismay. She was just imagining things, right?

"Is it allright?" Ishida asked as his brow swirled up in a kind of apprehension.

"Ah… Yes…" she faked up a smile. She was so used to do that it didn't look like a lie anymore, still, her heart pained every time she did that to her friends. Couldn't she be a bit sincere with them?

It couldn't be him. Ulquiorra Schiffer, the espada that had taken care of her while she was a prisoner had died on front of her. There's no way he would be alive, maybe, she was just too emotional because she had felt a familiar presence similar to him. Not that she felt something special, she only pitied him for displaying feelings at the end of his life and dying on such way.

When she finally arrived home, it was empty. Unfortunately she didn't bring bread from the sweet store today. She didn't go to her work, it was her day off. Her mood wasn't on the best days, she felt something strange aside from the concern over this hollows appearing recently.

"Would it be better if I called Tatsuki-chan…?" she nibbled a piece of her pancake. It was a honey pancake with fish and shoyu. "I will call her next time…"

She knew what she was feeling wasn't loneliness, but something she couldn't explain. Then, her fears became reality, when she felt the presence of a hollow.

"It's near here!" she stood up in an impulse.

Dashing outside of her home, with bare feet, she ran towards the source of power, it was a powerful aura. She didn't need to run longer, from distance she could see the Menos Grande roaring through the city.

"What?! Why…?" she bit her lips, and frowned determined "San-"

When she tried to conjure her guardians, the creature stopped howling and looked at her.

"Is it looking at me…?" she felt a chill on her spine.

He opened his mouth and started to form a cero, she got desperate, she needed to defend it, or else, the city would be destroyed. When she stretched her hand commanding her powers to make a shield, a shadow slashed the creature.

The cut divided the Menos Grande into two, Orihime's eyes opened wide when she saw the figure standing in the middle of the air as the Menos crumbled into pieces, disappearing of the city.

"Ulquiorra… Kun?"

The arrancar that should've been dead was now directing his gaze towards her, from distance. Then, with his cold eyes and inexpressiveness, he vanished without leaving a trace.

"Wait!" she stepped onwards, but it was inutile, stumbling on her own feet, she fell to the ground, sitting, looking above, to the beautiful stainless sky.

"No… I really saw him… he…" she gulped "What is happening here…? Why has that menos appeared here and… Why did he kill it? Did he see me…?"

Many doubts swelled up on her mind as she tried to understand what was happening.