A Child's Journey

New Teacher/New Master

A/N: Welcome to the third chapter(not including the prologue) of my first Bleach fic. I'm very happy that this story has been looked at atleast. It's already at 489 views, 6 favorites, 1 C2, and 3 alerts. I hope as the story continues, more people will read it and more people will review or favorite it. My greatest pleasure comes from just writing what I dream about and seeing people enjoy it. It makes my admittedly cold and calloused heart a bit warmer.

So, in the last chapter, Malik pretty much faced off with Urahara to get a sense of what kind of skill he possesses and to see if he can learn to use his spiritual powers at will. Needless to say, the former 12th division captain handed him his ass on a silver platter. Also, a special were-cat will make her debue, so hurray for all fans of were-cats! This includes me.

I don't own Bleach and so on. Please enjoy.

Urahara and Tessai were steadily going about their duties. It was past closing time for the shop and they were going thorugh the usual clean-up routine. Unbeknownst to them, two shadowed figures from the 2nd squad recon group were watching the activities of the shop from the outside. They had followed the two sources of massive reiatsu that was briefly Malik and Urahara to the isolated candy store. They watched Tessai sweep off the front porch and Urahara put up the 'Close' sign like any other day. Nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Maybe the two reiatsu sources came from these two? None of them look like the boy in our description," spoke one of the them while the other man nodded and replied in a hushed whisper.

"This is the residence of former shinigami captains Tessai and Kisuke. They were banned here about eighty years ago, along with several other soul reapers. One of the energies we felt earlier dissipated completely, however we can clearly feel these two's. The boy is here somewhere."

The first guy huffed a bit in boredom. "Why is it a concern if a human was able to kill a hollow? That'd actually be better for us, wouldn't it?"

"Naturally, but if what Lt. Rangiku and Capt. Toshiro stated in their report is true, than this human is something we haven't seen before. Our mission is to simply locate and observe him. Than report to Capt. Soifon whenever we believe we've got enough information."

The first man stiffled a small yawn, taking caution to cover his mouth. "Why is it that two former captains have decided to open a candy store in the world of the living? Surely they could've done something greater with their skills."

The second man was quickly growing tired of the constant questions that he wished his comrade would just keep inside his head. "Because," he replied irritatedly, "it's most likely to keep a low profile. That was Urahara's biggest characteristic. He'd done many things in secret."

The other guy was slowly catching on. "So...you're saying that even though he has a candy store, it's probably no ordinary candy store?"

"Well...that's one way to look at it, I guess. Not exactly what I was saying." The two continued to quietly watch the shop throughout the night. A black cat walked by them but they paid it no attention. It sat there looking at them curiously, only taking its eyes off of them to clean itself.

The chatty recon guy, a rather pudgy one at that, noticed it sitting there watching them and tried to shoo it away. He waved his hands in a flicking motion, but the cat still just watched them. "Hey, Lioto, cats can't see us, can they?"

Lioto huffed in annoyance at the stupid question. "No, of course not." The chubby guy seemed unconvinced as the cat looked him right in the eyes. "Well, I think this one can. Shoo, you stupid kitty."

The cat continued to just watch them as they sat there. The big guy almost raised his voice at the cat cuz it wouldn't go away. It got to the point that his partner backhanded him. "Omaeda, shut your trap. The point of this mission is to gather intel on the boy UNdetected. We'll fail if you keep blabbering your mouth over a ugly, chubby cat."

The cat's eyes widen to the size of a pair of headlights when he said that. It hissed, getting their attention again. "I think you made it mad, Lioto." They looked back at the cat to see it was smiling(?) at them. "Uh, Lioto. Can cats smile?"

"None that I know of," he muttered. The cat raised up one of its paws and flexed a sharp set of claws. The grin on its face promised only pain and regret and the two men felt themselves gulp. The cat suddenly pounced on Lioto's face, hissing and clawing like the devil. He yelped out in surprise as the cat continued ripping thin strips of his face off. He ripped it off his face and wasn't looking at where he threw the feline.

Unfortunately for Omaeda, the cat was thrown right at his face. He fell back in surprise and struggled to stay quiet while trying desperately to unhooked the cat's very painful claws. Tears came to his eyes as a claw pierced and hooked his bottom lip. Lioto finally tore the animal off of his partner's face, but the cat didn't let go without taking a suveneir. While Lioto had pulled it off, its claws left long scratches on Omaeda's face.

"Agghh, my face. My beautiful, perfect face. That demonic cat ruined it. I can't go out in public again or even back to Soul Society. What am I going to do?" the fat man exclaimed. As he continued wheeping, Lioto tossed the cat away. Surprisingly, it jumped off of a tree and landed on its feet. It gave the two of them a murderous glare, completed with a devious smile. Than it did something that scared Omaeda. It pointed a claw right at him and only grinned, showing several sharp teeth. He caught himself gulping again. His staredown with 'death' was interrupted as he quickly left his spot, tugging at Omaeda's sleeve.

"Come on, Omaeda, they heard us. Tessai is walking this way!" he whispered frantically. That got the big guy to snap out of his staring contest with the cat and the two of them shunpo-ed away. The cat just grinned wider and turned its attention to the nearby approaching Tessai. The man stopped before coming to the bushes and called out, "Hello? Who's there? Don't make me force you out."

He saw a bush rustly and patiently waited for the figure(s) to appear. However, he was surprised when a small black cat popped its head out, followed casually by the rest of its body. Upon seeing the smile on its face, the big guy grinned and picked up the feline. "Aw, Yoruichi-san, it's so good to see you! My, you haven't aged a bit."

The cat, who apparently went by Yoruichi, started to purr a bit when Tessai scratched softly behind her ears. With her in his arms, he went back inside the shop to show Urahara their visitor. When he walked through the door, he found the man handing a bowl of lettuce that was mixed only with grilled chicken strips to Malik. The boy was understandably whooped from the beating Urahara gave him. However, Malik didn't seemed very concerned about his injuries. He was more focused on the contents of the bowl in front of him. A pretty plain meal, but one that was healthy and quickly gobbled down.

Before Tessai had walked in, Malik had just awakened to the smell of grilled chicken. He sat up, his bare top half showing all the bruises and cuts he sustained from his fight with Urahara. He had to admit, Urahara was good. All he could remember was anchoring himself to the ground with his zanpakutou to save himself from being thrown to the ground again. He was sure he wouldn't have lasted another one. Than, something happened. He felt a huge energy surge throughout his entire body, almost as if someone had just injected him with steroids right into his bloodstream. He felt better than ever: his eyesight, reflexes, and strength all seemed to have gotten a major powerboost.

He figured that out when he went over the last thing he remembered: pulling Urahara off his feet and swinging him around in circle's like a spinning top of doom and throwing him. However, after that, he lost consciousness. He didn't know how long it had been after that, but he heard that spirit's voice in his head telling him to rest.

The sound of large feet walking across the floor brought a rather surprise yell from Urahara, who was watching the chicken salad massacre. Tessai was holding a cute cat with silky, black fur and large amber eyes. Urahara, Malik thought, seemed unnaturally happy. Maybe he was a cat fanatic?

"Yoruichi! It's so good to see you, my girl! Wow, you got here quicker than I'd expected."

While amused over his smothering of the kitty, that last part popped a question in Malik's head. ~He was waiting for her to come? Why does that sound like it has a deeper meaning than what it sounds like?~ He finished the rest of his chicken salad, save for a nice strip of chicken.

"Hey, Yoruichi. Looky here, I've got some chicken." Malik waved the chicken strip a few times, instantly getting Yoruichi's attention. She eyed the piece of food like it was the plumpest field mouse on the planet. Fighting against Urahara's hold, she hops in front of Malik and eagerly accepts the chicken. Chewing it slowly, she could taste the greek seasoning that was cooked into the chicken. Mmmm, very nice choice.

When she finished the rest of it, a couple of fingers started scratching behind her ears, causing her to push against the hand harder. The fingers changed to rubbing her back than scratching the area right in front of the base of her tail. Her eyes widen for some reason unknown to the others and she soon found herself hopping in the boy's lap. His strong arms surrounded her as his fingers continued to put her into a coma of bliss. If only Malik knew what he was doing.

A smart comment from Urahara brought her somewhat back into reality. "Sheez, the girl will go for anyone nowadays, won't she? I'm her best friend and she just dumps me for a piece of cooked chicken and a body rub." She simply rubbed it into his face by purring rather loudly to Malik's actions. Malik chuckled abit at this and Urahara to slightly sweatdrop.

"It seems Yoruichi is saying 'So what?'," he said. Tessai mumbled in agreement. "I have to agree with Mr. Malik, Urahara. I think she's forgotten all about you." Urahara huffed annoyingly while he sported an unseen tick mark underneath his hat and Malik continued. "She's a pretty cat. How long have you known her?" While she enjoyed the compliment, Urahara pulled out his fan and gave a few flaps.

"Me and Tessai have known her for quite a while. We go way back." He shot the lazy eyed cat a glare. "Way back. Right, Yoruichi?"

Suddenly, the cat did something that caused Malik to question his sanity. She spoke, albeit in a male voice. "Yeah, whatever, Urahara. I'd never figure you for a jealous type of man." Malik looked around the room briefly before asking, "Who was that?"

"Right here, kid."

He looked down and the cat was staring right at him. "You know, you're really good at this. Can I hire you to give me massages and feed me chicken for the rest of my life? I'll pay you really well."

Okay, he knew for sure that the voice came from the cat, Yoruichi. He was speechless however. His first thought was to jump up and put as much distance as possible between him and the talking cat. He didn't for some reason. Probably from shock. He just stared wide-eyed at her. She brushed up against his torsoe and purred again. "Come on, say something, kid. Do something. Scream. Jump. I've gotten plenty of wide-eyed expressions before."

"I think the fact that he hasn't screamed and ran off or even fainted is a surprise," Urahara commented. "The reactions to you talking are normally along that line."

The cat 'hmph' and hopped off Malik's lap. He finally spoke though. "For some reason, I'm not as surprised as I thought I would be. I guess after killing hollows and dangling in the air by Urahara-sama's wrist has made me more open-minded."

Yoruichi smiled. ~That is what I've always been saying! People fight hollows but are shell-shocked when they see a talking cat.~ "Also," he continued, "was that offer serious? I mean, it sounded like a come-on at first, but your guy voice and the fact that you're a cat kinda shot that idea down. No offense."

Urahara got a good laugh out of that. "Oh, Malik, if only you knew. Looks aren't everything when it comes to Yoruichi. In fact, if she'll accept, she's gonna help me train you."

"What? Again, no offense, but...a cat is going to train me to harnest my spiritual powers?" That was about the whackiest thing he's heard in a while. Actually, that wasn't too long ago.

As they expected him to question it, Yoruichi inwardly smiled at the kid's politeness. She surprised him by shunpo-ing onto his shoulders. Her perch was obviously ruined when it refused to sit still. She had surprised him too much, apparently. He had jumped back but tripped over his feet. Yoruichi than appeared on his chest, looking him in the eyes. "I hope that isn't a problem, Malik. That can be an easily remedied request."

Urahara knew what that meant and was eagerly saying, "Yes, Yoruichi, it's a request. Remedy it now. Remedy it now!"

In the back of Malik's mind, several images popped into his head. One of the most reoccuring ones is that Yoruichi will somehow kick his ass and ask if there's still a problem with a cat teaching him. He's seen enough shows to know that would be all to likely. ~Okay, so I know what not to say.~ "Oh, that's not a problem, Yoruichi-sama. I didn't mean anything," he said while lowering his head the best he could in respect. It's kinda hard to do that when you're on your back.

Yoruichi was starting to like this kid, while Urahara was silently cursing him. He wasn't that bad looking, he gave her some delicious chicken, called her pretty, gave her an unbelievably amazing rub, and he'd kept himself both respectful, polite, and if she figured him right, innocent as well. She'll just have to see if this big softie is gonna be worth her time training him.

Turning towards nothing in particular, she just noticed an unfamiliar zanpakutou lying on the other side of Malik. Being naturally curious of course, she crept towards it. Her nose was about an inch from it when Tessai called out a warning. "Yoruichi-sama, I'd highly advise not to touch Malik's zanpakutou. It has a bit of a...sting to it."

She got closer still until there was barely any distance between it and her. Suddenly, she jumped back on animal instinct. Her body was telling her to not touch it. There was danger. Everyone but Tessai and Urahara were surprised when the zanpakutou started emitting a red mist around it. Malik, however, wasn't aware of the supposedly danger it produced and picked it up without any problem. The spirit's voice didn't explode in his mind like before. No, it was calm, like right before he went unconscious. He still couldn't put a gender to it. It was too inhuman.

'Malik, no one but you or someone very special to you may hold me, unless I feel they're no threat to either of us. If she becomes another mentor, and I believe she has useful skills to show you, than she'll be allowed to hold me.'

His nodding and mumbling made Yoruichi all the more curious. More so than she'd like to admit. Her senses were alot more keen and advanced than most others, hollows included. The power she felt within that zanpakutou was frightening for Malik just creating it. Turning a head to Urahara, she questioned, "Urahara. Tessai. I know you can feel that spirit's power. That is incredible with it just being made, I presume."

Urahara and Tessai exchanged a confused look. "Just made?" the former responded. "No. Malik didn't create that zanpakutou. Our old friend, Toicha gave it to him. It's been passed down for generations, but it has never chosen a master. It'd just let them use its physical body. It just recently awoken, I guess you could say, and has taken a liking to Malik."

This explained alot to her. Obviously, this zanpakutou wasn't Malik's. The news that it has never chosen a master, but has chosen Malik was something intriguing to her. That still left so many questions she had but wouldn't be able to get the answers too. Something hit her than. Something that just now she thought of and was curious if Urahara had thought of it.

"Urahara, if that is not the boy's original zanpakutou, than where is his?"

At the question, Urahara shrugged his shoulders. It took a glare from the cat's eyes for him to frantically come up with a better defense. "Woah, now, just wait a second. I forced him into a duel to see if I could bring out his spiritual powers. In the end, it did work, however brief it was, but his own zanpakutou never materialized."

"Obviously," she concluded. That was strange.

Malik, and his zanpakutou spirit, apparently heard their rambling and were just as curious. 'Hmm, creating your own zanpakutou? I wish I could help you on this, Malik, but I don't even remember how I was created. 14,000 years takes a huge toll on my memory, I guess.'

'Memory problems? But you told me yourself that you were still young.'

'I said it only because I don't feel old at all! Do not think that I would lie to you. However, now back to the topic at hand, if what this Yoruichi says is true, than it would be wise and much encouraged to take her as a mentor as well. I'd say this could make your trials easier in the coming future.'

For some reason, Malik had gotten a bad feeling when it said 'trials'. Still, it had a very valid point and maybe even doing this, he'd exceed his grandpa's expectations.

The more the Yoruichi was still in conversation with her former pupil, who was trying to defend himself by stating that he was trying to test the spirit power within him by forcing a duel, when she was cut off by Malik's voice. "Teach me," he had said sternly. The three of the former captains looked at him. Again, Malik spoke, "Teach me, please, Yoruichi-sama. Anything to help me get better."

The cat looked him in the eye and so no doubt or worry, but determination. She liked that. Perhaps he will turn out better than her last pupil. She threw a lazy glance back at the shop owner before giving her already decided answer. "Very well, Malik. I will teach you along with Urahara here. I will fill you in on anything he misses during the sessions, than we'll begin my personal training regimen. I expect complete discipline and an all-out effort the entire time. Understood?"

Unhesitantly, Malik nodded. Although on the inside, he knew he was in for one helluva ride. "Yes, ma'am. You won't hear a complaint from my mouth."

"Good," she said, satisfied with his answer. "Now rest, Malik. You have a long day tomorrow." She turned to Urahara, who was just smiling at her in response to her mean gaze. "You better be sure to not slip up. The more time I spend fixing your mistakes, the less time I have to train him."

The man tried to look hurt at the insinuation that he'd make a mistake. "You're so mean all of a sudden."

Yoruichi turned away, mumbling to where only she heard what she said. "I was just told I was fat and ugly today. Shut it." She really hated people who thought negatively about her cat form. Really hated them. "Besides, we need to talk. You, Tessai, and I." She knew those men from earlier were from the 2nd division in Soul Society. Why they were here was something they needed to discuss. Nothing good ever came out of an involment from the stealth force.

(In Hueco Mundo)

Two powerful beings were clashing against one another. One, a large arrancar and the other one, a vasto-lorde. The vasto lorde had been struggling against her opponent who somehow possessed strength greater than her own. Her sword clashed against the hammerhead arrancar's powerful fist, sending an explosion of reiatsu throughout the vasto lorde's lair. Not able to match her opponent's strength, she jumps back about thirty yards.

Now that she was still, the vasto lorde's appearance was easily discernable. She had sandy, blond hair. Her body was mostly white, save for the blue on her mid-arms and torso. She had several bone-like potrusions from her shoulders and elbows. As for her face, all but her eyes and nose was covered by a mask fragment. Her zanpakutou looked like a giant, white shark tooth.

The Hammerhead arrancar's head resembled that of a hammerhead shark's. He had thin fins over his hands. He was about a foot taller than the woman and his body was a dual color of purple with a white neck.

~What is this hollow? How can his power be so much greater than a vasto lord's?~

The arrancar charges again at her, forcing her to just lift her blade up in time to parry and counter. However, his speed was greater and he managed to backstep effortlessly out of her reach. He attacks again, pushing against her and knocking her into the wall. Turning away, he focused his attention on three adjuchas class hollows. They were watching the fight with worry for their master. The three hollows' appearances were as diverse as they came: a lion, a deer, and a large snake.

"Oh, I haven't forgotten about you three little wenches. Time to die."

He lifted his hand and started charging a cero. The three smaller hollows wanted to rush for cover but there was none to be found in the large room. Just when he fired, the vasto lord had knocked his hand up, causing the cero to stray completely off course.

"Apache, Mia Rose, Sun-Sun. Run! Get out of here, now."

Reluctantly, they followed her order. "Hai, Halibel-sama." That came from the snake hollow, Sun-Sun. With Mila having to urge Apache to follow the order, they left the battlefield.

The Hammerhead arrancar chuckled a bit as he faced Halibel. "So, it appears you're finally realizing how truly outpowered you are. You don't have to worry for them cuz of me. I couldn't care less about them. You are the one I want to kill." He picks her up and throws her with so much force that she went through the rock and outside of her lair.

As the three hollows were fleeing, the deer, Apache, just stopped in her tracks. Sun-Sun and Mila stopped with concern. "Are you alright, Apache? Come on, we have to keep moving."

The deer hollow gritted her teeth in frustration. "No! It wasn't right to leave Halibel-sama alone back there. What if she needs help?"

The lion and snake faces showed that they were worried just as much. They didn't feel right about following their order, but Halibel has never let them down before. Sun-Sun attempted to persuade her, but the deer hollow wasn't having any of it.

"No. Halibel told us that if we couldn't kill something by ourselves, than we'd kill it as a group. I don't know about you, but one person doesn't make a group. It'll take all of us. She saved us so let us return the favor."

Sun-Sun and Mila Rose knew their hot-headed friend was right. Damn, she was the newest member of their group yet here she was reciting a Halibel lession to them word for word. The two looked at each other and saw the same thing that existed within them. Fear. Worry. Loyalty. They would probably be killed, but if they could save their mistress, than they would have had a life well spent.

"Alright," they said together. "Let's go kick some arrancar ass."

As she struggled to get to just a knee, he sonido-ed in front of her. " Remember what Baraggan said? 'You'll regret attacking one of my servants.' You embarrassed me in front of his majesty, Baraggan, so I intend to make good on his word. I will redeem myself by eliminating scum like you. All so I can join the top ranks of the Espada!"

Having felt like he'd said enough, his reiatsu started rising rapidly again, causing Halibel to sweat slightly. She knew this wasn't good. He was just too powerful, this arrancar hollow. Just how did he become so powerful so quickly. Before, back in Baraggan's throne room, he had attempted to make her stay and serve Louisenbarn. She had effortlessly sliced him right through his head. Amazing that wound didn't kill him than.

When his reiatsu finally stopped rising, he held his hand out and a large, blue lance materialized out of thin air. Halibel's situation just got alot dire. She knew if she didn't move now that she would be killed. But, atleast it wouldn't be for nothing. Her friends, her students, were long gone by now. If they stuck to what she'd taught them, they would live. And that's all that mattered to her.

As the arrancar lifted his newly formed lance above his head, Halibel closed her eyes and waited for the killing blow. Centuries of survival and hardwork will finally come to an end for the vasto lorde. So much pain and sacrifice and what was to gain from it all? Looking for the answer, her thoughts went immediately to Sun-Sun, Mila Rose, and Apache. They're proof that hollows aren't mindless, killing machines by forming their bond. That was a rare feat that she was content with.

As the lance came down, Halibel's last thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a large blast and the arrancar's yell. She opened her eyes and saw the monster was on a knee with slight burn marks over his body.

"Hey, you ass! Leave our mistress alone!"

Halibel's eyes widened. She recognized that voice. It belonged to one who she'd clearly ordered to escape and survive. She looked over and saw not only the newest member of her students, but also her favorite lion and snake adjuchas hollows. Inwardly, just slightly, she was glad to see them. Only slightly, because now they'd pissed off this powerful opponent, who undoubtably could rip them apart in seconds. Said arrancar was clearly pissed as well.

"You bitches! I'm gonna rip that horn off your head and shove it up your ass!"

Apache was undetoured by his threat. "Halibel-sama is our mistress! We'd do anything for her, including sacrificing ourselves!"

Halibel couldn't help but feel a bit of pride for her students. They truly were unique in their own way. But, they'll be wiped out of existance if she didn't do something fast. The arrancar started running towards them, lance ready to kill.

"If it's a death wish you want, than whom am I to disappoint!" he yelled, all the while grinning like the shark he was. When he got about halfway, they all fired another cero at him, but just as the blast was about to hit him, he disappeared. Halibel was the only one aware of the danger they were in.

"Apache! Mila! Sun-Sun! Move!" Her voice was too late as the arrancar reappeared behind them. They didn't even know what had hit them before he'd knocked them all across the desert with one blow.

"No!" she yelled. She got back to her feet and charged the laughing hammerhead.

"Ahh hahaha...pathetic!" He lifted his lance and easily blocked a horizontal swing from Halibel, but she spun, bringing the sword around on his backside. Twisting to block the attack, his feet were together and the blow that he blocked was enough to cause him to stumble. Seeing her opportunity, she put as much reiatsu into her next swing as she could and landed a monstrous blow on his shoulder and across his chest.

The force from the impact created a large crater in the ground around the duo. As the sand cloud cleared, she was shock to see the Hammerhead arrancar standing like nothing had happened, however, there was a thin scratch where her blade had connected.

"Haha, that's pretty pathetic for a vasto lord. Although I will admit, you actually managed to penetrate my hierro." His grin tunred dead serious then. "It won't happen again."

Halibel was too stunned to react to the large hand grab her and toss her body into the air like a ragdoll. Before she was even able to react to her current predicament, the arrancar appeared in front of her and knocked her back towards the ground with a punch from his sword hand. Halibel rocketed towards the ground, resulting in another crater forming in the ground.

Somehow, she manages to get atleast her upper body up, but the arrancar sonido-es right in front of her. Towering above her, he raises his lance to once again try to end the fight. Halibel knew there was no way she could win. He was stronger. Faster. And there was no one who could help her now.

But..this moment was her time.

The audible sound of a clang alerted her to the presence of someone else. She look and was shocked to see a human...no, a shinigami standing between her and the arrancar. Somehow, he had halted the lance's attack by simply raising his hand. The mysterious man showed no sign of concern or worry, much less physical strain against the arrancar that was easily four times his size. "It's only natural, I guess, for an arrancar to have such power. However..."

With a movement quicker than she'd ever seen before, he drew his zanpakutou and sliced clean through the Hammerhead's chest. With a large wail, the beast fell backwards and dissipated, leaving nothing behind.

Halibel could only stare in a bit of awe at the power this shinigami just effortlessly displayed. Such power she figured Baraggan didn't even possess. With a quick flick of his blade, he flung the blood off and sheathed it. Turning around, he surprisingly held out a hand for her. At first, she didn't want to trust him. He was a shinigami after all, and she was technically a hollow. Instead, she opted to rise to her feet on her own power.

"That understandable, Vasto Lord. You have every right to not trust me. I'm impressed though. The power of sacrifice that you were showing can make some many impossible things happen, if used when necessary. I would, however, like to apologize."

"Apologize for what, shinigami?" she calmly asked. What had he done to her to want to apologize?

The man looked back to where the arrancar had died at. "I gave him the power that he had, but not a brain to control it."

What? This shinigami gave that arrancar his power. How did he manage to do something like that?

"I would like to offer you a chance of a lifetime, Ma'am. I see you care for your subordinates very much. If you will join an army that I'm creating, I will give you the power to protect your friends. Power much greater than even that arrancar had, seeing that you're a Vasto Lorde."

Power like that? But, than she will have to fight for him. However, she'd already made up her mind.

"I will accept your offer, but not to be sent to mindlessly kill anyone. I do not kill for power. But," she glanced over at her injured friends, " but to protect them."

The man rubbed his chin once or twice, thinking about her answer. "As you wish. I'd like you to follow me to Los Noches. That is my fortress from where I will create my arrancar army. Shall I assist your friends, Miss..."

"Halibel," she replied. "My name's Tia Halibel. And any aid you can provide them will be much appreciated." The man smiled and tipped his head towards her. "Aizen Sosuke."

A/N: Alrighty, that's chapter 3. I'd like to seriously thank the people who've been following this story so far. I know the first chapters have been going at an awkward pace, but if you'll bare with me for another chapter, than I promise the ball will get rollin. Please R&Review. Reviews are a way for me to make better any parts that are unclear. If you have a question, please feel free to ask. I'll explain the general theory that I've accepted about some things in this story that are clearly different from the canon. Also, reviews help motivate me to write better and update faster. I felt pretty down that the last chapter has received so little attention. I mean, it's like people constantly reread the first chapter than stop. Should I just remove the prologue so I can just burn that bridge when I get there?