I'd like to thank these people for their reviews: Duvet, nequam-tenshi, GreenAwesomeness, 777angeloflove, ihonestldontknow, Fantasyname, ficfan3484, Toraus, Ice Vixen X, Sygonia, Pseud, Alluringmermaid (3), yarra, CH0C0CANDYZ, Bokmal14, Iris-Phoenix, anonymous, Suzume Yasu, Kurama's Foxy Rose, Cat, charliechick (2), yavin4, and Kimsa Ki-Lurria! I'm so glad you guys are enjoying this!

Kurama's Foxy Rose was the 50th reviewer, and as such she got a special request! I'm not going to tell you what it is, because that would spoil the surprise! Just know that it deals with Watanuki. Please enjoy the chapter.

When Ichigo told Watanuki they were going to Urahara's shop to train, he thought the teen had gone mad. The shop wasn't tiny, but it wasn't large enough for proper training either. Yet when he saw the "basement"—Watanuki's eyes bulged. He would have thought after living with the ability to see spirits and ghosts, and then working for Yuuko these past few months, nothing would surprise him anymore. Apparently not.

It was like he was descending into an entire canyon! The place was HUGE! Not only that, but it felt like it was really outside. The lighting didn't look fake like most places. It actually looked like it was coming from the sun, like midday, yet Watanuki knew it was nearing the late afternoon. After struggling with how it was possible for a moment Watanuki gave up. There were just some things he had to take as they were, or else it would drive him crazy.

"This will be the perfect place for the two of you to train!" Urahara exclaimed. He looked so proud at Watanuki's shocked expression and Doumeki's . . . neutral one. It was like Urahara was showing off his elementary school science project.

Watanuki had no idea how long they trained. Since the light stayed constant, time seemed to blur together. Not that Watanuki was able to worry about what time it was though. Ichigo was a drill sergeant! Whenever he learned a new kido from Rukia (Renji had specifically stated that all his kido was good for was blowing up in his face) Ichigo would charge towards him without mercy. Renji would join in from time to time, forcing Watanuki to focus on an enemy from two sides.

The kido spells all came rather easy to him. Of course, as they progressed in difficulty it took him a few tries to get it right, and then a few more to almost master it—but judging by the impressed expressions from Rukia and Renji he was doing pretty good. They also commented on Watanuki's high stamina.

"Running from hungry ghosts your whole life does that to you," he had mumbled. As proud as he was of his stamina, he was blown away by how much Ichigo and Renji had. It was like they could fight forever! For a brief moment, Watanuki had the image of a pink bunny banging a drum like he had seen on one of those commercials.

As he tried to capture Ichigo with a kido spell that shot out purple, cylindrical rods, Watanuki's legs buckled underneath him and he collapsed to the ground. Orihime rushed over to his side and helped him up.

"Are you all right, Kimihiro-kun?" she asked, her bright eyes wide with worry.

"I think he's reached his limit, Inoue," Urahara laughed, kneeling down opposite of her.

Watanuki tried to sit up but moaned. "I can't move." The shopkeeper reached into one of his sleeves and pulled out a small bottle.

"Drink this."

Watanuki did as he was told, but as soon as the liquid reached his throat he sat up quickly, coughing and sputtering. "Wh-what—ack—is—ack—that?"

"Specialty-made sake!" Urahara declared. He held out the original bottle very proudly and seemed eerily reminiscent of another drunk that Watanuki knew all too well. "It got you moving though, didn't it?" the man asked when Watanuki fixed him with a glare.

"Here you go." Ichigo held out a hand which Watanuki took. "You really did a great job today. I've never learned kido, but I could tell you did well."

Rukia nodded and slapped Watanuki on the back, ignoring his yelp of protest. "You're even better than Renji, and he's been practicing for decades!"

"Hey!"

Watanuki laughed at Renji's expression as Rukia stuck her tongue at the redhead. He then walked around to where Doumeki was practicing to see how he was faring. Despite how tired he was, Watanuki walked with a spring in his step. The power coursing through his body felt so wonderful! He was grateful for it, because now he could protect people and not have to be coddled like a child. After so many years of being protected, he could take care of himself. Doumeki wasn't the only one with power now!

He entertained himself with the thought of saving Doumeki with his new powers. Himawari would be so impressed with him and would even give him a kiss on the cheek for being so heroic. Oh, wouldn't that be wonderful? And then Doumeki would realize how awesome the great Watanuki-sama was and would pledge to serve him forever! Watanuki sighed dreamily at the thought of Himawari's kiss, so caught up in it that he was nearly hit with a beam of energy. It whizzed past him and hit a boulder. The boulder exploded and Watanuki coughed with all the dust that encircled him.

"Watch it!" he yelled. When the cloud cleared he glanced down to see Doumeki fighting down the hill from him. Ishida was yelling instructions and tips as he fired blue arrows at him and Chad would shoot blue beams with some strange arm. Doumeki looked like he was having trouble. His attacks were powerful enough with his golden arrows causing a lot of damage and destruction to the landscape, but he was losing stamina fast.

It must be taking a lot out of him, Watanuki thought. Doumeki's shirt was clinging to him and his hair was plastered to his forehead. The normally stoic boy was panting with exhaustion yet he didn't look like he'd be ready to give up anytime soon.

"Che—that idiot doesn't know when to stop," Watanuki muttered. Doumeki fired off another of his arrows and almost fell to his knees. Ishida and Chad easily leapt out of the way and fired their own respective powers. Watanuki watched in horror as Doumeki tried to move, fell, and his golden bow wavered and shorted out. There was no way he could avoid the attacks coming his way. Watanuki held out his hands and recited one of the protective kido spells he had learned. At the last second, a purple shield erupted out of the ground in front of Doumeki, effectively blocking both of the attacks. Watanuki let out a sigh of relief when he saw Doumeki was all right and joined the others in rushing to his side.

"Are you all right?" Doumeki nodded and turned to Watanuki.

"Thanks."

"That was amazing, Kimihiro-kun!" Orihime cheered as she ran down the hill.

"Yeah, you've really learned a lot and have quick reflexes," Rukia said as she joined them.

Watanuki blushed with the praise. He really liked the feeling of being able to help someone with his new powers. And he finally turned the situation around by helping Doumeki! Take that!

"I think that's enough training for today," Urahara said, interrupting Watanuki's thoughts. The man was paying particular attention to Doumeki's barely swaying form. And while Watanuki knew he should be exhausted, the glee of being able to use his powers made him nearly bounce with excitement. He had never felt this way before! The rush of power coursing through his body gave him new-found confidence. He knew that if he ever came across a Hollow or any spirit from his world, he would have no trouble destroying it. Plus, he could also protect other people.

For his entire life, it had always been the other way around. He would be the one who needed saving; the one who could only gasp in pain or moan in the background as people like stupid Doumeki rushed in to save the day! Watanuki had always known it bothered him, but it was only now when he could finally fight back that he realized just how much it did. No need for that now. At the moment, Watanuki entertained the idea of going hunting for Hollows himself, just to get the many years of frustration out by taking it out on them. They weren't the spirits from his world, but that didn't really matter. And besides—he'd be doing everyone a favor! He recalled something about the Hollows eating the souls of humans, so they were definitely evil. These shinigami-people went out and killed them all the time.

"And Watanuki—Tessai is in the kitchen, ready to assist you for dinner tonight, if you're still up to it." Watanuki started slightly. He had almost forgotten about his promise to make food for the man. Despite his eerie resemblance to Yuuko, Watanuki found that he was more than willing to make dinner. It was just another excuse to show off the awesome talents of the great Watanuki-sama!

Plus there was the fact that he felt a small obligation to pay Urahara back for the housing and medical help. Damn that Yuuko! Now her policies were sinking into his everyday life. He liked helping other people out, but now it was becoming an almost necessary act to pay back anyone who showed him any kindness. That woman had found yet another way to mess up his life.

"Of course! I'll whip up the greatest dinner you've ever had!"

"Yay!" Urahara clapped like an overenthusiastic child. He turned to the others. "Watanuki is making us all dinner!"

"WHAT?"

Urahara waved him off. "No need to worry—I promise I have more than enough ingredients and Tessai can help. He's a wonderful cook." Watanuki stewed for a moment and then sighed. After working for Yuuko for so long, he knew there was no point in trying to argue. It seemed like the same rules applied to this world's eccentric shopkeeper.

"Fine." Watanuki subconsciously paused for a moment.

"Kimihiro-kun? Are you okay?"

"Eh? Oh—I'm fine, Orihime!" Watanuki said nervously. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Just thinking about what to make!"

"Such a professional," Urahara said behind his fan. "Watanuki truly knows his stuff." Watanuki blushed with the praise but barely suppressed a shudder. The more time he spent with Urahara, the more Watanuki was convinced that he was related to Yuuko. As Urahara pushed him towards the ladder, Watanuki sneaked a glance back at Doumeki. The lack of the other boy's demand for him to make something specific rather worried him. It was surprising just how much Watanuki had become accustomed to that.

The archer was being helped to his feet by a concerned Orihime. He tried to protest, but gave up when he almost crashed to the ground. "Ishida-kun! Chad-kun! You shouldn't have worked him so hard!" Orihime scolded.

Ishida huffed. "One does not gain control of Quincy powers unless they practice relentlessly." He then walked forward and slung Doumeki's other arm around his shoulder. "I am curious as to why your reiatsu manifestation is a golden color though," the Quincy said as they made their way over to the ladder.

"How did it go?"

"Horrible! No thanks to you!" Watanuki yelled. He jabbed an accusatory finger at Yuuko's reflection. Dinner had been a success, and with that over, Watanuki wanted to speak to Yuuko before retiring for the night. He would have wanted to use Mokona like Syaoran and his friends did, but seeing as how there weren't three Mokonas he required an alternative solution. Urahara had graciously given them a small basin filled with purified water and a few crystals. He had instructed Watanuki to crush the crystals into the water while repeating the name of the person he wanted to speak to. "Why didn't you tell me that this world is full of enormous Hollows that want to eat me! I almost died!"

Yuuko just smiled. "But the shinigami are able to fight them, yes? And Urahara is a brilliant man and surely was able to make you a charm that fought them off."

"But that's not the point!" Watanuki growled. "We could have avoided that all together if you just told me or gave me a charm in the first place!"

"Oh, my dear, Watanuki," Yuuko purred, innocently holding her hands up to her face as if his words wounded her. "Then I would have to ask for payment and if I remember correctly you never appreciate that."

Watanuki paled. He had forgotten about that. "Oh, I-I . . . right, I just—"

"So, are you coming home? No need to ask me anything. Just have Mokona bring you back the same way you came."

"Well, Yuuko I just . . . well, I want to—"

His employer narrowed her eyes. "You wish to stay longer?"

Watanuki quickly shook his head and moved his arms back and forth in a placating gesture. "N-no . . . I mean, yes, but I wouldn't go so far as to say wish." If it were phrased that way there was a chance the witch would interpret it as needing some kind of payment, and that was the last thing he needed.

Yuuko just laughed. "I wouldn't dream of it, Watanuki! Though, since I guess I am missing out on your wonderful cooking, I will have to add a few more hours to your debt."

"GAH!" Watanuki knew it. He knew it! "Fine."

Suddenly, Yuuko's expression grew serious. "Watanuki."

"Yes?"

"Be careful." The young boy couldn't stop the small shiver that went down his spine. How was it that someone who ran around singing about the wonders of sake give off such a foreboding presence?

"Careful? Careful of what, Yuuko?"

The witch simply stared at him for a moment, then grinned like a Cheshire cat. "Don't forget to bring me my sake!" Then their connection was cut.

Watanuki shook his head. "I'll never figure her out."

"Are you going to be careful?"

"Eh?" Watanuki spun around to see Doumeki staring at him from across the room. The idiot was sitting on his mat with the blanket gathered around his waist. "What do you mean? I'm always careful!" Doumeki still continued to stare at him. "What?"

"Yuuko meant to be extra careful. Perhaps something will happen."

Watanuki just laughed. "Oh please, I'll be fine! I won't do anything stupid and if something tries to attack me I can just use kido!" Watanuki walked over to his own mat and pulled the blanket over his legs. "Besides, did you see how amazing I was today? The shinigami were impressed with my natural talent!" Doumeki just frowned and stared at him with a face that Watanuki knew all too well. "Oh, please! Would you stop worrying about me already?" Really! The nerve of him! Doumeki said nothing more and laid down to sleep. Watanuki mumbled a few words under his breath and roughly pulled his blanket over himself.

Stupid Doumeki! His thoughts then turned to happier things as he dreamed of impressing Himawari when he went back home.

Yuuko simply stared at the small basin for a while, her grin long gone.

"Mistress?" Maru and Moro asked in unison. They stepped forward and snuggled into her arms. They could tell always something was wrong. Yuuko just smiled and nuzzled them affectionately.

"Come on, girls. We might as well get ready."

The next morning found Watanuki and Doumeki returning from the grocery store. Ichigo and the others were at school, and Renji and Rukia had taken off to check up with the shinigami who was supposed to be patrolling the town. Watanuki and Tessai had prepared a wonderful breakfast, and now they were helping Urahara before setting off to explore some more. Then after that they were going to train a little more.

Mokona was currently with Urahara, and Watanuki had a sinking suspicious that the two of them were drinking themselves silly.

To Watanuki's surprise the currency was even similar in this dimension, so he didn't have that hard of a time getting the proper ingredients. Doumeki had helped, which Watanuki was more than a little surprised at the archer's eye for good products (not that he would ever admit it of course), but he did notice how Doumeki would do a sweep of the area every once and a while.

Now they were returning back to the shop, and Watanuki hoped they wouldn't get lost. He turned to Doumeki. "Hey, do you—"

"Out for a daily stroll, eh?"

The two boys spun around. Whomever the voice belonged to, it wasn't friendly. To their shock, they saw two oddly dressed men with some sort of skeleton mask, and even then there were only pieces of it. They were dressed in similar, black and white apparel. While they didn't look like Hollows, they certainly gave off the same feeling as one, but it was even worse. Not to mention the fact that they each had a gaping hole in their chest. Watanuki's body trembled slightly as if he were struggling with something really heavy. A glance to his right showed him that Doumeki wasn't faring too well either.

The man with blond hair laughed. "Helps that they're alone, huh, Pozione?"

"That it does, Nuete," the other man said.

"Who are you?" Doumeki asked. Watanuki noticed how the archer slackened his grip on the bags and carefully placed himself in front. That act alone infuriated Watanuki. Hadn't he proven more than capable of fending for himself? All the shinigami had been impressed with his skill at kido, and did that ungrateful oaf even remember how Watanuki's kido barrier had protected him from being blown to bits? The nerve! Well, it was time to show Doumeki who was boss now!

"I think the better question is what are we, young traveling humans," Pozione said.

"And why we're here," Nuete added.

Doumeki opened his mouth but Watanuki pushed forward. "Well, whatever it is I suggest you just leave us alone!" he proclaimed, pointing a finger at them. "We don't want any trouble and I'm sure you don't want to get hurt."

The two men gaped at him. Doumeki grabbed his shoulder and hissed, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Oh, calm down, Doumeki!" Watanuki whispered. "I know what I'm doing. They have no idea who they're deal—" His declaration was cut short at the burst of laughter that came from Pozione and Nuete. They threw their heads back and laughed so hard that it was really grating on Watanuki's nerves. "Laugh all you want! If you want a fight I'll give it to you, and you won't stand a chance!"

"Watanuki!"

"Shut up, Doumeki!" Watanuki shoved the archer's hands off him. "I'll handle this myself, so you better stay back!" He let the groceries fall to the ground and got into a defensive stance.

"Look, Nuete! This human actually thinks he can fight us!"

"So does the other one."

Watanuki turned around to see Doumeki releasing one of his golden arrows. The nerve of him! Directly defying him and trying to take on these—whatever they were—by himself! Never before had Watanuki wanted to punch Doumeki so badly.

"Ha! We're Fracción! You think a little Quincy arrow will—aaaahhhhhh!"

"Pozione!" The brunette Fracción clutched the blackened stub where his arm used to be. He clenched his teeth and glared wildly at Doumeki.

"What the hell was that? Quincy arrows aren't supposed to be that strong! He cut through my hierro!"

"You'll pay for that, human! Aizen-sama only wanted the other one, so we can kill you!" Nuete started charging forward but Watanuki jumped in his path.

He held his hands out in front of him and smirked. "I don't think so! It's my tu—" Suddenly, Nuete was at his side.

"This is called sonido," he whispered in passing. And as quickly as he appeared, Nuete was gone again. The only thing Watanuki heard was a loud crash behind him. Watanuki spun around in fear, only to find Doumeki partially concealed beneath a broken section of the concrete wall to their right. Doumeki was gasping for air and his chest heaved up and down unevenly. Then Watanuki saw some blood starting to seep through the white shirt and he realized in terror that one of the idiot's ribs was poking through.

"DOUMEKI!" How could this be happening? He, the great Watanuki, was supposed to be strong! He knew a variety of kido spells that were stronger than most shinigami, and the others had praised his ability! He should have been able to defeat these Fractions—or whatever they were called, and save the day! Watanuki finally had the power, so why couldn't he? He was supposed to be invincible! And now Doumeki lay dying on the street next to him.

Nuete scoffed. "This is easier than I thought." He raised a hand in the air, but then was stopped by a small binding spell Watanuki cast. Nuete raised an amused eyebrow and shifted his attention to Watanuki like a curious child.

"Leave him alone!" Watanuki was fully aware of the tremor in his voice and the tears flowing down his face but he didn't care. He couldn't let Doumeki die for a mistake he made! As much as he hated to admit it, Doumeki was a friend—of sorts—and Watanuki would never be able to live with himself if he were the cause of Doumeki's death.

"Oh? You want him alive?"

"Leave him alone or I'll—"

"Do what, puny human?" Pozione suddenly appeared in front of him and grabbed his throat with his remaining hand. The Fracción glared at him menacingly. "Did you think that just because you know some kido you'd be able to take us on? You humans are so arrogant!" Watanuki desperately tried to pry Pozione's fingers apart, but it was no use. His dangling feet flailed about and the corners of his vision were starting to darken from the lack of air. "You're just going to watch while we tear your friend to pieces!"

"NO!" Watanuki gasped. "I-I'll go! I'll go!"

"Put him down, Pozione. You're going to kill the human Aizen-sama wants."

Watanuki collapsed on the ground and massaged his throat. He took deep, shuddering gulps of air and nearly gagged. He thought he was going to die!

"Now, what was it you said, human?"

Watanuki stole a glance at Doumeki and was alarmed to see the amount of blood starting to flow onto the cement. He had to act now! "I said I'd . . . go with you! Just leave . . . him alone and I'll . . . go without complaining! Just let me get him some help before he dies!"

Nuete looked like he was considering it. "How about we just take you now?" He snapped his fingers and there was some strange, black tear in the air beside him. It folded in on itself, and then pulled apart until it was large enough to let them pass through. Pozione grabbed his arm.

"Time to go and meet Aizen-sama, human."

"No!" Watanuki tried to pull away. "No! Doumeki—"

"Listen, human!" Pozione roughly spun him around so they were facing each other. "Either we kill him now and force you to come with us, or we leave him and you come without a fuss."

Watanuki fought back tears and nodded. "Fine. I'll go meet this Aizen and do whatever he wants."

Pozione laughed and pat Watanuki on the head like one would praise a dog. "What an understanding human you are. You humans are always so willing to put yourself at risk for others. How weak."

As he was led into the dark tear, Watanuki stole one last glance at Doumeki. His normally tanned skin was already pale from blood loss and Watanuki feared he was dead already. Please let him be all right, he silently prayed. Then he took a deep breath and dried his eyes. Whatever this Aizen had in store for him, Watanuki wasn't going to cry like a child. He was going to act strong and not give this Aizen any satisfaction.

For Doumeki's sake just as much as his own.

" . . . can't believe . . . who would take . . ."

"Obviously it's . . . the only one who could . . ."

" . . . hope he's . . ."

"Watanuki!"

"We'll call . . . just have to wait . . ."

Doumeki moaned. Even though the people were talking in whispers it wasn't doing wonders for his growing headache. His entire body felt stiff and sore. It was like he crashed through a wall—

"Watanuki!" He shot up but immediately regretted it. It felt like someone had stuck a million needles into his chest and he nearly passed out.

"Shizuka-kun?" A slender hand gently pushed him back down. "You need to rest now. We—we almost lost you."

It sounded like Inoue's voice. Normally he would just do whatever he wanted but she sounded so scared. That—and he didn't think he could move again anyway. The pain coursed through his body like a disease. He figured opening his eyes was safe enough though. Inoue, Ichigo, and all the others were crowded around him. Once his gaze focused on them, they all visibly relaxed.

"You had us worried for a moment there, Doumeki," Ichigo said.

"We sensed some type of high energy Hollow in the general area and immediately came to the source," Ishida said. "That's where we found you."

"And I had to use Soten Kisshun immediately or else you would have died!" Orihime said with tears in her eyes.

"W-where's . . . Watanuki?"

Urahara came into view, looking grave and solemn with a weeping Mokona on his shoulder. "We couldn't find him. It seems that whoever attacked you must have taken him with them to Hueco Mundo. Can you tell us anything about them?"

"It's okay if you can't remember right away, Shizuka-kun," Orihime said. She took his hand. "It must have been horrible."

"They called themselves . . . Fracción." Doumeki furrowed his brow in contemplation. "They . . . reminded me of a . . . Hollow but . . ."

"Fracción are an evolved form of Hollow," Urahara explained.

"They said that . . . someone named Aizen wanted to see Watanuki." There was a collective gasp. Orihime let go of his hand and covered her mouth, Ichigo looked so angry one would think it was his fault, Chad gave a small growl, Ishida clenched his teeth furiously, and Urahara bowed his head. Mokona just glanced all around them frantically.

"What? What's so bad about Aizen? What? Will Watanuki be okay?" Urahara reached up and calmly pet the small creature.

"I should have never let you two go without an escort," he said under his breath. "But those charms I gave you should have masked your reiatsu!"

"What would Aizen want with Watanuki?" Ichigo asked.

The shinigami shopkeeper was silent for a moment. Then he took off his hat and sighed. "Watanuki is . . . something special, even in our dimension. For one thing—whether you've noticed it or not, Doumeki—he has latent seer powers."

Ichigo and Orihime frowned while Chad and Ishida gasped. "What does that mean?"

"It means he can see into the future, Kurosaki," the Quincy responded.

"Eh? So Aizen wants him to do some fortune telling?"

Urahara shook his head. "No. It would take Watanuki a few years to cultivate that power and even then it'd have to be in the care of a professional. Besides, I have a feeling Aizen wouldn't even care if he were a properly trained seer. He has no interest in that. No, what Aizen really wants is—"

Watanuki felt like he was going to die. It took every ounce of his energy not to collapse. The spiritual pressure permeating the place was overwhelming! There was so much killer intent he felt he could drink it from the air. Strangely enough he didn't see the inky clouds like he normally did, but perhaps it was because of the necklace. He reached up and grasped the ruby pendant beneath his shirt. It was warm against his cold and sweaty skin, as if it were overheated from working so hard.

Please be all right, idiot. How could he have been so stupid? Truth be told he was rather ashamed at himself. Even though he knew some impressive kido, Watanuki could see where he had gone astray. He was in an entirely different dimension with different rules. He had gotten a little taste of the power that he wielded with the kido and let it all go to his head. Was that what Yuuko had been referring to when she said be careful? Though in all fairness, he never would have thought her warning was intended towards an internal force, not the usual outside force that it always was.

Watanuki sighed and glanced around him. Hueco Mundo was a horrible place. All he had seen so far was white. Nothing but white. It was enough to make him go mad! And it looked so sterile too, like a hospital. Or a nuthouse, which he figured would be the more appropriate comparison. These people, or whatever they were, had to be crazy.

Eventually, his knees gave out and he collapsed on the floor. At this point he didn't care what happened to him. He just couldn't take it anymore!

"Oi! Get up, human!" He tried, he really tried. His legs were just too wobbly.

"I'm sorry I . . . I can't!"

Nuete growled and swept Watanuki into an arm with one motion. "Come on. If we delay Aizen-sama any longer he'll be angry with us." Then he leapt into the air and Watanuki found himself shaken like a rag doll as Nuete sped down the hall at a speed Watanuki had never thought possible. Before he had time to blink twice, he was thrown to the floor.

Watanuki rubbed his head and scowled at Nuete. "What the hell was that for?"

"Ah . . . how nice to finally be able to meet you, Watanuki Kimihiro."

Watanuki froze. His blasted spirit senses were nearly going into overdrive and he couldn't stop himself from shivering. He could only imagine what sort of spirit creature was in charge of all these strange Hollows. Oh well, might as well get it over with. "All right, all right! Just be sure to eat me . . . quickly . . ." Watanuki's mouth dropped. He had been suspecting Aizen to be some sort of hideous, writing mass of spirits—not this. He was a human! Or at least—looked more like a human than any of the Hollows. A shinigami? He didn't have a hole in his chest or one of those partial skeleton masks.

The man laughed. "Eat you? Why would I do that?" He walked until he was standing right in front of Watanuki's sprawled body. "You're far too valuable and of more use to me alive."

"V-v-valuable? Me?"

Aizen smiled and Watanuki shivered harder. He could actually feel the miasma rolling off of Aizen, even though he couldn't see or smell it. Aizen was unlike any paranormal being he had ever countered. This guy was dangerous. "Of course you are, Watanuki Kimihiro. I believe you can help me." Aizen backed away from Watanuki and nodded in the Fraccións' direction. The boy was immediately lifted off the ground as each Fracción grabbed an arm.

"What do you want?"

Aizen smirked and walked forward. When he was just a few feet in front of Watanuki he reached for the boy's neck. Watanuki immediately tensed. "This is a very interesting charm," Aizen said, pulling out the necklace. "Urahara made it, I suspect?"

"Y-yeah. It keeps the Hollows from coming after me." Watanuki frowned. "Is this what it's about? You know, if you wanted it you could have just asked, really."

"Foolish boy," Aizen whispered. He traced a finger over the heart-shaped ruby. "The only thing I want to do with this necklace is destroy it."

"What? No, you don't understand! If you take that off then I'll be attacked and I will pass out and—"

"Of course I understand, but I don't think you do. Typical of Urahara Kisuke to keep the truth from you." Aizen shook his head as if he were a parent unimpressed with a child's antics. "He hasn't changed."

"Wait, what do you mean, keep the truth from me? He made that to protect me!" This guy must really be nuts! Why was it that power was always given to the crazy people?

"While it's true that this pendant masks your smell from Hollows and keeps you conscious against the effects they have on you, it also limits your potential."

"Huh? What are you talking about? How can anything that protects me be wrong for me? You're nuts!" In the back of his mind, Watanuki knew it probably wasn't in his best interests to anger his kidnapper, but struggling to maintain conscious was starting to take its toll on him; affect his judgment. Watanuki suspected he had minutes before he passed out completely.

Aizen sighed but still managed to keep that arrogant smirk on his face. Watanuki wanted nothing more than to smack it off. "If you spend just an hour or so in a spiritually dense environment without any interruptions—it will bring forth your latent power and you will be more powerful than the Gotei 13 Sotaicho, Yamamoto Genryusai."

:) What do you think, eh?

Cat: I'm so glad you're enjoying it! :D Sorry the update took a while. Finals and all that.