Chapter 2: Protection Detail

A/N: So this story has been completely rewritten. I have made some major and minor changes to both characters and story line. I have never owned Bleach so please save your lawsuits. Let me know what you guys think and please try to keep flames to a minimum. I hope you all enjoy this new adventure.

~OoOoOoO~

They arrived under the cover of darkness in front of the Urahara shop. This was their first stop. The science division had sent their gigai's ahead of them. Hotaru hated them because they dampened her awareness but if she was going to make this work then she obviously would have to wear one. Tessai was watching her as she attempted to make the faux body move to her commands.

"Hotaru-dono?" She sighed and looked at him,

"I sometimes have trouble with gigai's. It's alright, I'll get the hang of it. Thank you Tessai-san Urahara-san." Urahara was smiling beneath his hat before he pulled out a fan and began fanning himself. It wasn't that warm in the room, then again her spirit temperature could go rather high.

"You're welcome to stay here for the night before continuing." He watched her with interest as if she were a particularly interesting specimen. Hotaru simply smiled and turned leaving the shop. It was cooler tonight but she didn't let it affect her. She had somewhere to be that was of utmost importance. Domon could handle the substitute shinigami and the hollows. She had somewhere else to be. Her feet began walking along roads she had never seen but had heard of from her sister and other shinigami stationed here. Her destination was somewhere to the north-west. She walked for maybe an hour or two, she wasn't sure, sticking to the shadows so humans wouldn't question her. When she finally got there, she didn't even know where there was. Taking in her surroundings she was in front of a very large and abandoned hospital. A faded sign read, 'Matsukura Hospital' the name didn't ring a bell but she could see the obvious signs of a confrontation. It was apparently going to be condemned and torn down to make room for a shopping mall. No spirits were roaming around which she thought was odd, maybe Kurosaki was good for something. She carefully looked around before jumping over the barrier and running into the dilapidated building. Footsteps warned her that she wasn't alone. It sounded like a group of high school boys, the windows crashed just to her left. Obviously there was no love for the history of this place. Moving stealthy she wondered her way through concrete that had fallen from the ceilings, places where the floor had given out. She felt Suzaku stirring in her mind,

"Be careful young one. You had best wear protection and proceed with caution." Hotaru pulled out the gloves she had taken from Urahara and put them on. They were pure white and very soft against her hands. She carefully walked before Suzaku told her to stop. Stopping she could sense the reiatsu now, it was coming from below her. She took a deep breath and brought her scarf up to cover her mouth as she blew away a hole large enough for her to slip down but not too large or else the building would come down on her head. Jumping down her kidou made hole she entered darkness, the smell of the earth was very strong here. She could taste the metal in her mouth. She allowed her eyes to adjust but the darkness was thick and pressed against her from all sides. Holding her hands together she focused her reiatsu and a few seconds later a flame ignited. It was rather small but more oxygen was beginning to enter the enclosed space so the flame grew. She could now see that she was in some kind of storage area, old racks lay strewn on the ground, broken glass littered the area. Still she felt the reiatsu press against her, as if trying to expel her from this place. Something was down here and she intended to find out why Suzaku had led her here. Raising her hand as high as she dared casting a wider net of light, trying to spot the reason Suzaku had urged her to come. Finally she spotted it, a small box. It was one foot long and half a foot deep. The seal had been worn down to the point it had broken just enough for the power to begin leaking out. That could be a reason the living ran in fear. She let one hand hover over the lid before quickly slamming another seal on with the other hand. A scream erupted from the box, her hands began to burn. She could smell the flesh of the gigai burning. A headache was forming as Suzaku came to her aid. She forced the entity back into its confines wrapping the box in sacred beads. A howl escaped the box but she managed to overpower it, silencing the entity before people came running. She winced slightly as the burns on her hands began to heal. She wouldn't be able to use her katana's for a day or so or use kidou spells either. It took her a moment to regain her footing before she removed her scarf and wrapped it around the box, securing it tightly against her. The reiatsu had vanished as well which meant she was successful in resealing it. She stretched her senses as far as she could but didn't feel anything was off. Stumbling her way out of the dilapidated hospital she came face to face with Domon and the substitute shinigami, Ichigo. Just what she needed, to explain what had just happened. Bloody brilliant! She remained in the shadows just long enough to hide the box more completely behind her before stepping through the rubble emerging into the waning moonlight. Most of the night had passed without her even realizing it. Exhaustion gnawed at her mind and her body ached. She would have to sleep for several hours to get back up to her normal strength.

"Are you alright Hotaru-san?" Okay, maybe he wasn't so bright.

"I'm fine. What are you two doing here?" Ichigo looked at Domon in a kind of wonder. Was he seriously asking that?

"I felt a huge amount of reiatsu coming from here then it suddenly disappeared. Came to check it out." Hotaru watched Ichigo trying to catch him in a lie but he was genuine and telling the truth. Hard to want to silence him with that kind of sincerity.

"It was nothing I couldn't handle. You had best go back to your home Kurosaki Ichigo. Obviously it was nothing." Ichigo knew she wasn't telling everything but apparently no one was to know what ever she was really doing here. He nodded and left the two division mates to discuss it. Hotaru didn't trust Domon with this information, he would tell taicho before it was time. She still had to find Genbu and Seiryuu before they returned to Soul Society. It was a race against the clock now. At least she had Byakko and could find his counterpart to allow Byakko to begin training him or her. She said nothing to Domon and walked to find a place to meditate, maybe even sleep. Suzaku was slumbering in her mind, exhausted from the resealing.

"Hotaru-san..." She rubbed her temples but continued walking. Her headache was coming back with a vengeance.

"Not now Domon-san. I'm going to find a place to sleep. I suggest you do the same. We're to report to the high school come tomorrow morning. We have to blend in after all." She had no intention of showing up at the school if she could help it. Sighing she trudged to find herself in front of Inoue Orihime's apartment. She had heard her sister had stayed here once so hopefully she could do the same. She went to knock when the door opened, revealing a startled Orihime.

"Oh..Good morning." Hotaru couldn't help but smile,

"Good morning. Do you mind if I crash here? We don't have a place to stay at the moment, if it's not too much trouble." Orihime smiled and opened the door wider, allowing Hotaru to enter.

"Sure come on in. There's food in the fridge if you need it and you're welcome to shower if you wish." A shower sounded nice, she had concrete and dust clinging to her.

"Thank you very much Orihime-san. I appreciate it." Orihime left her be and headed for school, while Hotaru showered, ate and fell onto the futon sleep instantly claiming her.

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Oh wow! That wasn't what I had expected at all to come out when I started writing it. Anyways, hope you guys stay tuned and enjoy!