A/N: Hola peoples! I just have a few little comments before we start the story. First off, just in case you hadn't figured it out or didn't read my footnote at the end of the last chapter, this is a flashback by Kandace right before she was taken into custody by the soul society. Secondly, I'm a sucker for compliments, so if you're going to give me constructive criticism, pretty please sugar coat it and throw in something nice here and there. Unfortunately, I'm just one of those people a bit on the sensitive side. Anyhoo, enjoy the chapter!

-B

Disclaimer: Do I still have to put this?

W-H-I-T-E-F-I-R-E

Kandace Akari: Robin Hood of Rukongai

I let out a low growl, re-tightening my grip on Naien, determined not to loose my hold on the one weapon that I had at my disposal. watching a small bead of sweat fall distractingly in front of my right eye. My breath heaved in and out with a slight rasping sound, like I had suddenly developed a serious case of asthma. I looked up from my offensive crouch position in the middle of a poor, dusty road. Or, what used to be one.

Damn It.

I mentally kicked myself for trying to be a hero and swooping in on a more or less lost fight between two shinigami and a particularly annoying hollow. I glared at the two unconscious, black-clad figures lying uselessly on the ground some twenty feet off. Always trust a common thief to pick up the slack on what the trained professionals were unable to handle. The hollow's crimson eyes glowed greedily, the desire burning behind them all too apparent as it watched me with a hungry expression. I needed to figure out a way to get behind the monster quickly enough that it wouldn't be able to respond in time. Normally, going about that was easy enough, but this one was fast. Shunpo-ing circles around the thing was getting me nowhere, and getting me there fast. I had to come up with a plan before I ended up just as useless as the idiots who were supposed to be there.

Suddenly, it came to me. Throughout the fight, it had become apparent that the hollow was relying mostly on it's sense of smell. Grudgingly, I pulled out the small vile of perfume that I had, er . . . happened to stumble across the other day. I had been putting it on frequently so I was quite sure it had mixed with my scent. Just to be sure, though, I sliced my palm open with Naien, letting the ruby liquid spill over the vile before I threw it forcefully to the ground shattering the fragile container. I gave a loud catcall whistle, purposely attracting the attention of the hollow, then shunpo-ed away as quickly as my body would allow. A glance to the right revealed that the hollow, no doubt smelling the blood I had intentionally spilt, was on a direct trajectory for my trap. Taking up Naien above my head, I leapt up and brought the blade of my dagger down on the back of the hollow's head, channeling through it what spiritual energy I had left.

The beast let out a blood chilling screech, making my eardrums ring loudly. I landed softly in the middle of the dirt road. The sound of the hollow disintegrating behind me filled my head like a hundred shushing voices. I stood up, realizing that I had done so too quickly as several purple-black splotches danced across my vision. I swayed dangerously, but fought the disorientation that was making my head light. I still wasn't done with my job quite yet.

"Hisaki?" I called out, my voice aimed at nowhere in particular. Hisaki, the ten-year-old boy who I loved and treated as if he were my own biological little brother stepped out from behind the charred remains of a building, his green eyes wide with shock. Though he was a fair fighter, I had purposely kicked him out of the battle when it had started to get too dangerous for me to be comfortable with him there.

"Are you all right?" I asked, with all the urgency of a concerned mother. He nodded.

"Good," I said, satisfied that he had managed not to get hurt this time. I turned, looking, once again, at the completely desolated scene that the hollow had caused. My eyes drifted to the unconscious pair of shinigami splayed haphazardly in the street. I sighed. As much as I would have loved to leave them for someone else to find and deal with, and I would have too, it was the wrong thing to do with Hisaki there, watching and learning from the only real role model he had. "Help me move the dummies out of the street before someone thinks that I attacked them."

"Alright," Hisaki agreed, his demeanor abnormally calm, as usual. I wasn't quite sure what had drawn me so strongly to take Hisaki in as my adopted little brother. Perhaps it was the way that, despite his obvious appearance, he was nothing like a child. His words, his actions, even his very presence, seemed to emminate rather from an adult than a ten year old. He sometimes said things, little things, that would make me stop whatever I was doing and simply stare at him, wondering if he was really an adult trapped in a child's body. It seemed almost comical how, while I more often than not acted like a little kid, Hisaki appeared decades older than he really was. We dragged the passed out bodies of the shinigami to the side of the road. Hisaki insisted that we take them to a medic, but I just rolled my eyes. They didn't need a doctor. Besides, waking up on the side of the road with your head pounding and no memory of what the heck happened was good for character building.

"These guys really need to lay off the sweets," I muttered, heaving from the effort. Hisaki gave me an impish half-grin, looking up at me through his choppy, coal-black bangs. I straightened my back out, dusting my hands off contentedly.

"Kandace Akari and her trusty sidekick, Hisaki, save the day once again," I muttered quietly as an aside, more to myself than to anybody in particular.

"You think they'll still be alive when the search parties find them?" Hisaki inquired bluntly, staring doubtfully down at the shinigami who now owed their lives to a street girl and a ten year old. I grimaced, the pain of my self-inflicted injury just starting to override the initial shock and adrenaline that had previously been holding my attention from it.

"Well, frankly I'm su-"

"Stay where you are!"

I turned to glare irritably toward whatever sorry idiot had the nerve to interrupt me. Suddenly, the entire scene of the attack was flooded with shinigami. They all seemed to be looking around, but to no avail, for the nonexistent source of the chaos. I mentally and physically rolled my eyes at them.

"Tch. Took you long enough," I complained, taking an easy step toward the shinigami who seemed to be in charge if the not-so-affective rescue team. No sooner had I lifted my foot an inch from the ground, there were twenty blades, all pointed directly at my chest. My breath caught in my throat as I froze for all of half a second. Then, I instinctively went into defensive mode, quickly spinning around so that Hisaki was positioned safely behind my back. My hands went out to the side, as if they formed some invisible, impenetrable barrier between the shinigami and my brother. My eyes darted from face to face distrustfully, ready to fight our way out if need be.

"What is this?" I spat, my normally happy-go-lucky attitude instantly vanished at the danger threatening a loved one. A short girl, who I had initially taken to be the leader, stepped forward, her cold gray eyes penetrating mine.

"Kandace Akari, I assume," she spoke, her voice just as sharp as her gaze. She paused, obviously waiting for some sort of confirmation on my part. I pressed my lips together stubbornly, fully concentrating on her every word and action.

"I'll take that as a 'yes', then," she assumed when I didn't speak.

"You stole something important didn't you?" Hisaki whispered calmly, but accusingly from behind my protective stance."I told you you didn't need that perfume you took from Mrs. Hotaru, but no one ever listens to me." I could hear the I-told-you-so in voice.

"Shhhh!" I hissed loudly, but still not taking my eyes off of the girl with the cold gaze as she pulled out a piece of official-looking paper and started to read off of it in an equally official tone of voice.

"Kandace DiƩ Akari," my posture stiffened at her use of my supposed-to-be unknown middle name."You are hereby ordered, by central 46, to be taken into custody immediately on account of unauthorized use use of kido by an non-documented individual and uninvitedly involving yourself in the affairs of certified shinigami." My jaw dropped in complete and utter disbelief at the sheer stupidity that was spewing from her mouth. The shock was promptly clouded over by a blinding rage that seared through my entire being. What I had done was completely and undeniably justified, heroic even. And as for the kido, I had learned the art all on my own, and it wasn't as if I was using in a harmful way. In fact, it was mostly just for the sake of knowing how to do it, rather than actually putting it to use.

"What?" I demanded, not at all put off by her by her strongly intimidating spiritual presence."I saved their sorry asses!" She ignored outright shouting as if it were nonexistent, snapping her fingers, signalling an attack that I should have seen coming a mile away. The two closest shinigami grabbed me on either side, obviously thinking that they would be able to take me that easily.

Hn. Not likely.

I arched my back and twisted around, breaking the grip of the shinigami on my left while simultaneously dishing the other a good kick in the face, trying to the best of my ability to ignore the sickening crack as I did so, then turning right back around and planting my elbow in the first one's stomach. The two dropped like rocks, right to the ground. I spun around, fully intent on grabbing Hisaki and booking it right out of there, only to discover my baby brother struggling uselessly against the grip of another shinigami. I made to rush forward but someone grabbed my arm, roughly twisting it behind my back, their grip like iron. I fought but could not break free, and I doubted that it would have even mattered. We were completely surrounded on all sides without any holes or lapse in defense in the shinigami's formation.

"Hisaki!" I cried out desperately, praying to whoever would listen that he would escape. My voice sounded quite deranged, even to myself.

Not him! Anyone but him!

"Wait," the girl ordered her voice utterly composed in contrast to my own, devoid of any emotion or urgency."Leave the kid." Slowly, the shinigami released his death grip on Hisaki's frail arm. He stared at me, seeming unwilling to leave, his wide, green eyes revealing that he understood all too well exactly what was happening.

"Go," I hissed through clenched teeth. Though it broke my heart to have to speak to him so harshly, I knew there was no way I would get Hisaki to leave if I didn't. He didn't move, his eyes flooded with pained indecision."GO!"

Never in my entire life had I felt such relief as I did when the Hisaki, though extremely reluctantly, ran away from me as fast as he could, stealing glances back until he was completely gone.

W-H-I-T-E-F-I-R-E

A/N: Okay so first off, Kandace's middle name is not "die" Haha, It's pronounced Dee-eh and means butterfly in Japanese.

Secondly, thought are in italics, just FYI.

And lastly, Naien is not a zanpakuto. Kandace just uses it as something to channel her spiritual energy through when she is fighting.

"Oh, my! What's that? It's the review button!" *hint, hint*