THE GAME BEGINS

The girl walked past the bus stop, a few metres away from Sven. Sven's jaw dropped and his cigarette fell onto the ground. He faced straight ahead for half a minute until he turned around and followed. He could barely believe he had found the girl. For someone with such a bounty on their head, they were pretty absent-minded, but then again, she was only a young girl...

Sven took out the notice and read the name. Rukia Kuchiki. He stared at the small girl who had somehow made the police want her head. It made no sense.

Rukia suddenly stopped and began looking around randomly. Sven approached her slowly, his fingers itching to take out his gun. There was an imposing presence given off by this girl.

"Hello Ms Kuchiki." Sven said. Rukia about faced and stared at him. She looked unsure of herself and her head cocked to one side.

"What's with the disguise Urahara?" Sven misunderstood and remained silent. "Why wear an eye patch with a business suit? Are you a pirate or a salesman?"

Sven suddenly caught on. She thought he was someone else! He had to either play along, or catch her now. Sven closed his eyes to think.

Shit...What do I do? I could act like this Urahara guy, but I don't know him, so there's a chance I'll screw up...So that means I have to-

Sven reached out and grabbed Rukia by the shoulder. He gazed at her with his uncovered eye. "I'm sorry. I'm not Urahara. I'm a sweeper, and I'm here to claim the bounty on your head."

***

Rinslett walked up to the Kurosaki Clinic. It was Isshin's house/workplace. She studied the large sign out the front and then proceeded to walk through the short gate to the front door.

"Geez. What am I doing here? Dating a guy out of mercy...He has three freaking kids!"

The door opened and a small blonde girl looked up at her.

"Hello, you must be Isshin's daughter! I'm Rins, a friend of your father." Rinslett spoke in an overly nice tone. The girl beamed anyway and skipped off inside chattering to herself. Rinslett followed warily, studying the inside of the house. It looked like any normal home until her eyes wandered across the giant, wall-sized poster of a woman with long brown hair. The tag 'Masaki forever' was written in large letters beneath the picture of her smiling face. Rinslett tried to ignore it and walked into the next room, the kitchen.

Isshin was drinking from a bottle of beer at a wooden dining table. He sat straight up when he noticed his guest and leapt from the table with an energy that belied his age.

"Hello! It's so wonderful to meet you again!" Isshin beamed.

"Yeah..." Rinslett said distractedly, suddenly fascinated by the little blonde girl as she prepared dinner and cleaned like a mother would. "She's quite a worker."

"Sure is. Yuzu decided to fill in the role left vacant by Masaki's passing." Isshin downed the rest of his beer and threw the bottle at a bin, like a child would. He cheered when it went in and then he took his date by the arm and led her into the living room.

This is going to be a long night...

***

Rukia's eyes widened when the mysterious mans hand clamped down on her shoulder with a grip stronger than an industrial vice.

"Who are you?!"

"As I said, I am a sweeper...and my target is you, Rukia Kuchiki!" The man tipped his hat in a gesture of greeting, but Rukia could not care less. This was no courtesy, this was strange.

"Why target me?" Rukia asked, confused.

"I don't know what you've done, but you've amassed a six million yen bounty on your head."

"But...I haven't done anything! This has to be a mistake!" Rukia struggled to free herself, but the man gripped harder until it felt like he would break her arm. Rukia squealed and fell to her knees. The man let go then and reached into his coat. Something shiny and silver came out of his pocket. Rukia gazed at it in shock. It was a gun! A gun was pointed at her face!

"I trust the sweeper community. These bounty's are placed for a reason! I'll take their word over your's any day. Now come with me and I promise not to shoot." Sven had a fierce gleam in his eyes, as if his very life depended on catching her.

"I swear to you...I have never committed a crime in my life! I would never harm anyone! Please?! You have to understand!! This is all a big mistake!!" Rukia began to cry.

Sven faltered. He hesitated before putting the gun away. "Well, why were you acting all shady just a moment ago, as if you were looking for someone?"

"I was searching for a friend's house!" Rukia snapped. Sven scratched at his eye patch and frowned.

"Humph."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Rukia yelled.

"I've fallen for these traps before...Some young thing begs me to reconsider, that it's all a big mess up on our part...then...BAM!" Rukia jumped when he startled her. "I'm not falling for that ever again."

Rukia fell silent. She needed to think. She thought silently while Sven watched with one eagle eye. After many trains of thought which all crashed, one reached its destination...A good idea! "Let me take you to my friend's house! She will clear my name!"

"I don't know..."

Rukia did her best to re-enact the 'puppy eyes' she had seen in movies. It worked well. Sven groaned and closed his eyes.

"Fine! Hurry up!"

The two walked in an awkward silence for the majority of the way there. Both felt stupid and this situation was just getting weird. "So...why are you visiting a friend so late?" Sven asked simply.

Rukia stopped and looked over at her possible enemy. "Do you sweepers take care of all bad people?"

"Well, we try." Sven muttered.

"I know a man...He lives with a little girl in my class."

"And?" Sven said, rather disinterested.

"He is old enough to be her father, but...they are boyfriend and girlfriend!" Rukia covered her mouth, disgusted by mentioning it at all. Sven frowned.

"You mean this guy sleeps with an underage girl?"

"Yes! You have to stop him!" Rukia pleaded.

"Why should I help you? If anything I should be sending you to the police station right now!"

"Look...If you take care of this guy...I will let you take me to the station without resisting." Rukia submitted and Sven agreed to the terms.

"Alright! Let's find this sicko!" Sven took out his gun and stared at the steel weapon. He sighed and followed Rukia as they ran through the streets. They eventually stopped across the road from a large hotel.

"She told me she lives here." Rukia muttered. Sven turned white. "What's wrong?"

"This...This is where I live!" Sven began to shake but he took several deep breaths and calmed himself. "Okay...I can do this!"

The two proceeded inside and Rukia approached the stairs. She went first and Sven looked around nervously. He was still unsure whether this was a trap or not, but the main fear was that either way, someone evil is in the same building as Eve. She was left alone...anything could happen to her! Sven discarded the thoughts but could not shake the feeling that this in some way would involve Eve.

They walked out onto the second floor and Sven felt his heart stop. "Our...Floor?!" Rukia signalled for quiet and she crept up alongside the door-lined walls. She stopped about halfway along and looked around uncertainly. "Which room?!" Sven asked impatiently.

"I'm not sure..." Rukia bowed her head and Sven felt the wave of dread rise higher and higher.

"AAAAAAGGGHHHHHH!!!" The voice was recognizable to both of them.

"EVE!!!" Sven kicked down the door and Rukia rushed in. She found Eve lying in her bed, her clothes torn and her lithe little body shaking. "Where is that perverted bastard?!"

"Sven?" Eve asked, her voice rattled by her shock.

"Yeah! Where is that sick son of a bitch?"

"Wait! I'm Sven!" the man in an eye patch approached Rukia and she instantly felt rage well up inside her.

"So it's you!!" Rukia punched Sven in the face and then tackled him to the floor.

"Wait!! Stop!! Stop fighting!!!" Eve's begging was unheard by the two bickering people. "STOP IT RIGHT NOW!!!" Eve screamed and everyone fell silent. Rukia and Sven released each other and sat back. "Why are you fighting?"

"Because he sleeps with you!" Rukia pointed to a shocked Sven. "It's sick and disgusting and-"

"I don't sleep with her!" Sven roared. Eve blushed and averted her gaze.

"Sorry." Eve whispered. Sven listened as Eve and Rukia went through their conversation.

After a while, everyone felt dumber than they could possibly imagine. "Wow...I thought you were a child...Well, you know..." Rukia trailed off. "Sorry."

"No problem...Sorry for hitting you so hard, but you were going to kill me if I didn't fight back." Sven straightened his hat and groaned. "So, you tore at your clothes because there was a spider on you?" Sven asked his little blonde friend. Eve frowned and wiped a tear from her eye. "What's wrong Eve?"

"It's my fault this all happened..." She whispered.

"No, we made our own mistakes you-"

"It's my fault! We moved here because of me!" Eve yelled. Sven sank back into the wall.

"You heard that? Eve it's not your fault that we had no money...I moved because I didn't want to see you live in poverty! I just...I didn't know what else to do...I needed the money and that six million dangled in front of my face like a carrot made of gold...I couldn't refuse."

"If you need a place to stay, I know a friend who will let you live at his place. He also owns a business so you may get a job and money out of it!" Rukia flicked back her ruffled hair and smiled. "And he will get along well with you Sven!" Her smile hid a secret motive, but Sven was not sure whether it was a trap, but it sounded good...anyway, the hotel room was trashed now.

***

River stumbled around the streets at night, dazed and confused.

"Where the hell am I?" He asked to no-one. He stopped and bowed his head in shame. "I'm lost..."

Well, wasn't that a wild goose chase? But has sven given up on Rukia, or is he still susipicious of her. How will Rinslett fare during her date with karakura's biggest moron - Isshin Kurosaki? And will River actually find his way around, or will he end up lost again? Finally...Where is Train?! Find it all in the next chapter!!

Please review!!