I woke up with my arms and neck covered in bandaged and my abdominal and chest area were bandages up as well. I looked around and was thankful that I was safely back in my house. I sat up and swung my legs over the edge of the bed. My body felt as if I had been bruised in every corner. My legs felt shaky and could not support my body yet my head was the only thing that was feeling heavy. I place my hands on the edge of my bed and arched my back as the pain was rushing through my body like an igniting fire.

I reach for my phone that was on my bedside table and looked at the date. August 15th. It was only yesterday that the attack had taken place.

I looked out the window to see that it was raining. When I hold my bare arm out of the window the droplets splatter on my outstretched fingers. They are large and soft, not like the mean driving rain of back home at all. I tilt my fingers upwards and watch the remnants of the drops run downwards like tiny rivers. If this is the way rainy days are here I could get used to it real fast; even the sound on the cedar roof is comforting. With a half smile I retreat leaving the window open, this way I can hear the steady drumming all the louder.

I lean back against my pillow and the sound of crumpling paper got me to my feet. I turn around and pick up the sheet of paper and read "Reapply your bandages every morning and night. I left more bandages and an ointment on your kitchen counter, put it on your burns and leave it there for about ten minutes before wrapping your arms again. Take it easy for a few days. - Lot of love, Kisuke" I folded the paper and tossed it onto my table.

I went down stairs and grabbed an umbrella before leaving the house. I really needed a walk to think things through. Raindrops drum against the umbrella, the sound was calming. Almost therapeutic.

I had felt so useless yesterday. I had been so weak against that opponent, Yammy. I cursed to myself for not being able to control Sekhmet as I wished I could. I felt absolutely useless. The tears burst forth like water from a dam, spilling down my face. I feel the muscles of my chin tremble like a small child and I look toward the sky, as if the dark clouds could soothe me. I hear my own sounds, like a distressed child, raw from the inside. It takes something out of me I didn't know I had left to give.

I didn't want to feel as powerless as I had yesterday. My father could only teach me so much. There was nothing compared to actually being in the moment of true terror, or true danger. I wanted to train. I needed to train harder than I ever had. I needed to use Sekhmet to her fullest potential. There was only one way I could do that. I was going to push myself to my limit. I needed Kisuke's help with this. My parents told me that if I ever needed anything, I should ask him because he had the answer to almost anything.

I had been an hour of walking until the pouring rain had calmed down so a slight drizzle until I headed back home.

I heard a crash before I was able to unlock my door. It sounded like a window breaking so I walked towards the source and found a stuffed lion on the ground with shards of glass pierced through the soft fabric. I picked it up and took it back inside with me. "I didn't know you could mod souls into inanimate objects." I noted outloud.

"Wow I thought I was going to have to hold my breath the entire time!" The mod soul blurted out breathing heavily. "Gosh, I didn't know Ichigo was living next to a girl with this kind of beauty!"

I felt the blood rush to my cheeks "Haha, don't be such a flirt. Just let me fix you up." I giggled shyly.

I pulled out a sewing kit from one of the kitchen drawers and I let, who I found out was Kon, pick the colors of the threads and of course he picked the colors that matched the fabric. When I first pierced the needle into him he went berserk and complained endlessly about how much it hurt. It took about an hour and a half to do fifteen minutes worth of sewing. "Well now I know where you got thrown out of a window in the first place." I said, stifling a giggle.

"I jumped out the window myself, as a matter of fact." Kon pointed out as he folded his arms.

"Oh, did you now?" I asked teasingly. "Well, let's just get you back home."

"No! No! No! I don't want to go back to that hell hole! It's so boring there, I'd have much more fun here with you!" Kon complained as I picked him up and made my way to the Kurosaki household.

I knocked on the door and waited patiently until the the door swung open to reveal a girl around the age of eleven with short dark hair. "Hello, how may I help you?" She asked in a monotone voice.

"I believe this well out one of your windows." I said as I held out Kon to the girl.

"Oh, yeah actually. I think it Ichigo's." The girl said. "Thanks."

"No problem." I replied and made my way back home.

It was the seventh day after the attack that I decided to go back to school. It seemed that the rest that were involved thought of the same thing. I walked into class and took my seat and felt relaxed until a highly enthusiastic brunette ruined my inner calm. "Oh no! My poor Hotaru! What happened to your hands and your neck? Where have you been for the past week? I've missed seeing your cute little face!"

"This? Oh you wouldn't believe what happened. I was making chicken broth and when I was about to set it on the counter, I triped and the entire pot of boiling soup spilt all over my hands. It was a disaster! As for my neck, my cat wouldn't stop scratching me when I was carrying her away from this dog." I lied, but at least is wasn't as pathetic as Orihime's attempt; she said she fell down the stairs and she had worse wounds than me.

"Oh no, maybe you should go back home and rest a bit more. I wouldn't want anything bad happening to you! Maybe I should walk you home today just incase you need help with anything. I can even write your notes for you if you want!" Keigo offered but I kindly declined.

Ichigo then came walking in and he looked like it wasn't just his wounds that were bothering him. He looked sleep deprived and his dragged his feet when he walked. "Hotaru?" Ichigo called.

"Yeah?" I replied as I looked up at him from where I was sitting.

"T-Thank you for what you did the other day. I think I'd be dead or gone if it weren't for you." He said, stuttering simply from contemplation.

"It was no problem." I muttered and looked back down at fidgeting hands.

I hadn't taken over the fight to protect him, I did it to protect myself from what could've happened if Ichigo lost control. I wasn't even thinking of the safety of Orihime, or Chad, or even Tatsuki. It was selfish of me, I know but I couldn't help it. Even then, I could barely stay on my feet. Whenever I release my zanpakuto I'm getting more wounded than my enemies without even getting hit.

During the after school hours I spent my time in homeroom catching up on homework I didn't do during my absent days while Ichigo had cleaning duty. It was awfully quiet, too quiet. The tension in the room was so thick it could be felt by the people walking past in the hallways. All that could be heard were the rhythmic thumps and grads of my pencil. I finished my math with ease and moved on to my english leaflets. I wasn't going to be known in this school for skipping class and not doing homework, it would look terrible on a college application.

I quickly finished all my assignments and placed them neatly onto Mrs. Ochi's desk. "I'm heading out." I said, breaking the silence.

"Okay, I'll see you later." Ichigo replied.

I walked down the empty halls, my shoes echoing. I decided to go on a search for Keigo which wasn't hard. I found him within minute of just listening quietly to the most irritating yet loveable voice. "- I'm telling you! It's true! At the convenience store, if you try mixing two parts ginger ale and one part of the yogurt drink it tastes just like hair tonic! I kid you not! I think I must've had a gallon of it! Man, what a headache!" Keigo boasted to his small group of friends.

"Wow, I don't think I've heard something as crazy as that before, Keigo. You surprise me." I said laughing at the unbelievable story. "I think you should get your stomach pumped though, that sounded dangerous.

"Aw, you care about me!" Keigo slurred and was about to go on until he head a ruckus coming from the direction I had just come from. "What's that?" He questioned.

"I have no clue, I just came from there and I only remember seeing Ichigo before I left." I noted.

"No worries! You can trust Keigo to go and assess the situation!" Keigo shouted as he marched off towards our classroom.

"Hey! Wait!" I called out to him as I chased after him.

"Hey! Who's the one causing a disturbance in here? Don't you know that's my job?" I heard Keigo yell from down the hall.

By the time I had turned the corner I saw Keigo passed out on the floor and a group of 'exotic' students walk out of the classroom. I could tell instantly that they were soul reapers in gigai's. A hundred questions flashed through my head per second and I continued at a slower pace.

When the group walked past I could feel their immense spiritual power. The air around them was ecstatic and filled with intimidation. The shorted of the bunch seemed to be leading them all but if I were to put it my way, I would have the gorgeous woman in the front but instead she was in the middle, surrounded by all the male soul reapers.

I passed them and walked into class to see Ichigo done with his cleaning duties and standing in front of the chalk board completely shocked by reasons unknown to me. "What was with them?" I asked, bringing Ichigo out of his trance.

"There's a war brewing." He said, suddenly morphing into a serious persona that threatened to rip my throat out.