It had taken some time, but she had finally gotten into a rhythm, a flow. It wasn't always easy, in fact sometimes it was down right hard. But she was finally starting to feel like she wasn't an idiot in the classes that were hardest for her. She still had a long way to go in zanjutsu and hand to hand of course, but it was still a lot better than where she'd started out from. Things were going well.

Most of the students in her 'advanced' classes were finally starting to accept her so that helped too. Sure there were some grudges, but all in all it wasn't horrible. The few that were not as accepting were getting easier to ignore… and one well placed binding kido and she was able to at least get away before the situation got entirely out of hand.

Of course as much as things were getting better, she missed the friends she'd made in the gotei and it sucked that the only ones she didn't have to conjure a lie to speak about were Hanataro and Rikichi. Oh sure, she could mention Renji and Byakuya but she couldn't let on how she'd come to know them, nor that she felt she could count them among her friends. She hated having to lie, that aspect of all of this sucked. Despite that, she seemed to be lying rather well.

She had gotten through her classes for the day and had just finished dinner. She and Akane were walking back to the dorm when she heard a familiar, but very unexpected voice. "Eri-chan!" Hanataro Yamada called out as he hurried his way towards her.

" 'Taro-kun, what are you doing here?" She asks, obviously caught off guard.

"Captain Unohana sent me…" He pauses. "There's been an accident."

At his words, Erisia's eyes went wide. Hanataro was trying to keep from messing this up. He'd been told how to word things to keep Erisia's secret, secret… "What happened?" Erisia finally asks.

"Captain Kuchiki and Lieutenant Abarai were injured fighting some Hollows just outside of Karakura town. Renji will be fine. But, it has been a few days now and Captain Kuchiki still has not woken up. Captain Unohana says that it may help if people he knows come to visit him and speak with him. She figures that since he sponsored you to the Academy that it might help if you came by, because of his deep sense of honor…" Hanataro explains.

Erisia was trying to process everything she was being told. Akane had moved closer and put a hand on Erisia's shoulder… "B… Byakuya-sama has been hurt?" She asks, having trouble wrapping her mind around that. He was so powerful, so strong how could he be so badly hurt that he wasn't waking up?

Hanataro just nods, swallowing hard as he watched Eri's reactions. "Captain Unohana has been able to heal the worst of his injuries but since he hasn't woken up, well… she's worried. His reiatsu levels are low and she cannot do much to help him further until he wakes up."

"Erisia, go with Hanataro… I'll take your things back to our room… If it wasn't for the Captain you wouldn't have gotten to come to the Academy and if the Healers think you being there might help you should go." Akane coaxes quietly hoping that will help bring Eri-chan out of her shock.

She nodded almost numbly. "Yes, yes of course… Thank you Akane…" She says in a distracted tone as she hands off her bag to Akane. Hanataro put a hand on Erisia's shoulder and they began the journey back to the gotei.

It was almost surreal walking into the domain of the 4th squad for such a reason. Hanataro suggested that Erisia go visit Renji first since he'd made himself sort of her big brother. When they entered his room, she noticed he was bandaged up quite a great deal, but she was assured that he was healing very well.

"Eri-chan." Renji says in an odd tone.. He knew why she was here. Isane had mentioned that they were going to be arranging for Erisia to be allowed to come and visit in the hopes of waking Byakuya up. It bothered him though, that she was going to have to see Byakuya like this…

"It…it's bad, isn't it, Renji?" She asks.

He'd been in to see his Captain and he knew just how bad…. "Yeah…" He says in a tired tone, he didn't see the point in lying.

"What happened?" Erisia asks.

"We got sent to this spot just outside of Karakura town. The readings the 12th had been getting from the area suggested there was something bad going on. We get there and there's a garganta open. There were buildings all wrecked and it was bad… There was something coming and we decided to get to it before whatever it was could come down. So we went through… Ended up in some part of Hueco Mundo… It was bad. We got swarmed. I got beat up pretty bad but we got most of the trouble… We were trying to get our group back to the Garganta to get back to Karakura town… and get the Garganta closed… Lost half the men that came with us in the first wave… He won't ever say it… but to keep Senbonzakura up at the level he had it is very draining… He was already beat up bad himself… But we were almost there. He pushed me and the 11 other members of our team that were left to get out…" Renji begins.. Pausing…

"Ichigo found him. Must have got hit by a Cero of some sort. Been like this ever since. Captain Unohana's healed as much of the physical damage as she can but he still hasn't woken up and she can't finish the healing until he does. It's bad enough that she's worried." Renji explains.

"And my presence was requested why?" Erisia asks still trying to figure that out.

"He has a big sense of responsibility, you've seen it… He took responsibility for you and it's one that's new so it's fresh in his memory. And though he might never say it, Eri-chan, he likes you. I'm not sure how but he does. Maybe you can reach him… It's worth a shot right?"

"Yes… it is. I just hope I can help."

"I'm sure you will.. It might take a little time but I can't see how you couldn't." Renji says trying to bolster her spirit… Weakened as he was he could feel the concern and worry rolling off of her…

"Show me where he is, Hanataro." Erisia says as she tries to steel herself for whatever she was about to see.