Hello everybody!

HyorinmaruXD, thanks for the review again. While I'm glad you do it, it kind of makes me sad that you're the only person who even BOTHERS to review. I love you for it, though.

My brother is a Bleach fan now. :D It's so great!

Also, this isn't an IchigoxOC fic btw. Yeah, my girl, Robin, is much too young for him. AND ICHIGO, SHES MUCH TOO GOOD/COOL FOR YOU! Sorry if you wanted that guys but its just not going to/doesn't work. She's 12 ½ when she first meets him in my/this story, he's like 15. Lol it'd be awk. (OMG Shugo Chara...because in real life, Amuto would never happen. Ever.)

Guess what guys? In this chapter, it switches to someone else's point of view for the first time! Yaaay! I'm excited for that!

Disclaimer: don't own Bleach. If I did, the endings would be less cliché, a good guy might actually DIE in battle for once, and they wouldn't be able to just float in the air. Sure it's cool, but unrealistic. I mean, the captains and stuff I'm semi-okay with, but Ichigo? Seriously? How? When did the guy even learn to do it? You can probably tell that I would like to rant on that, but I don't have the time and you all would kill me if I did. So I won't. We can save this incredibly frustrating and annoying topic for another day.

Now on to Chapter 4! Hope u like it!

Chapter 4

"Was I nervous, because it had happened?

Had I expected it not to?

Or was I afraid, because it meant,

That my old life could never come back."

Previously:

I sighed and turned around to face Ichigo Kurosaki.

"You can see them, can't you?" He asked me.

"Uhhh, yes." I replied.

Ohhh, no.

Shit! Quick! Gotta think of a plan! I thought frantically. I can't just tell him!

Robin! Play dumb! Yin instructed.

Huh? Play dumb?

Act like a naïve little girl who doesn't realize that seeing ghosts is special. Act like you don't know any different, and thought everyone could see them.

Oh. Oh right, got it.

That whole conversation last about one and a half seconds.

I frowned, thinking of the reply I just gave him, telling him I could. Hope I didn't just blow it. And I hope I'm a good actor.

I began to play the part Yin had given me.

Keeping the frown on my face, I asked Ichigo, "Wait, what do you mean, 'see them'? There's a person here, next to me." I pointed to the ghost, who, thankfully, wasn't saying anything. "Of course I can see her." I laughed slightly. "I mean, I'm not blind."

Ichigo looked pretty confused. "Wait, you mean you think it's normal for someone to be able to see ghosts?" Inwardly, I flinched at his use of the word 'see.'

I pretended to be confused. "Ghost?"

"Yeah the ghost who's standing next to you." He looked pointedly at the spirit next to me. Who wasn't paying attention to our conversation. Thank god. If she had been, she would have messed up my little act entirely.

"Huh? She's a ghost?"

"Well, yeah. Haven't you noticed that she's kind of transparent?"

I looked at the ghost again, then said in mock surprise, "Woah, look! She's transparent!"

Ichigo sighed as he slammed his palm to his face, while inside me, Yin and Yang were laughing hysterically.

"Alright." He said. He put his hands on his waist and half-glared at me, obviously exasperated. "Never mind about that. Most people can't see the spirits, so how can you?"

Finally, a question that I could answer without acting completely naïve. I faced Ichigo, and looked at him critically, with one eyebrow raised. "How can you?"

Ichigo shrugged, slightly fazed. "Don't know. Might be cause my family runs a clinic."

I sighed. "I don't know how either, then." Well, that part was actually true. Even if I knew why, which was because I was a Seer, I certainly didn't know how. "I thought everyone could see them like they were normal people." I laughed. "But from what you've told me, guess not."

Well, even if I still had to act 'ignorant,' I could at least drop the 'dumb,' part.

Ichigo's POV (!)

This girl, she confused me. She could see spirits, but she hadn't even realized what she was seeing? And how old was she? Eleven? Twelve? Where were her parents?

"What's your name?"

Huh? "What did you say?" I was so lost in thought I barely heard her.

The girl with the raven-black hair rolled her eyes. "You naaaaame." She pronounced. "You know, what people call you." She spoke slowly. Did she think I couldn't understand her?

Tch. "Its Ichigo," I said. "Kurosaki. What's yours?"

She looked me squarely in the eyes. There was…something…in her expression. I couldn't tell what it was. "My name," she said, "is Robin."

Ohh-kay, what was up with that?

"So, tell me, how old are you? And where are your parents?" I voiced my thoughts from earlier.

Robin's expression and stance changed from…whatever it had been, to sad, and tired. "I'm twelve and a half," she said, "and my parents are dead."

I sighed. "An orphan, huh?"

Robin didn't respond for a few seconds. Then, out of the blue, in a low voice, she said, "They were murdered."

"What?"

Her face was hidden by her bangs; I couldn't see her eyes, and her voice was deathly quiet. "You wanted to know, right?"

Just like mom… "If your parents are dead, then who looks after you? Do you have a guardian or something?"

The girl, Robin, shook her head. "I'm on my own."

"Then where do you live?"

She just shrugged.

I made up my mind fast. "Then what are we standing around here for?"

Robin's head snapped up, and her piercing dark-red eyes locked with mine. I turned slightly around without breaking the contact. "Let's go."

"Where?"

"To my house. You can at least stay for dinner."

"Uhhh." She seemed hesitant.

"Robin," I used her name for the first time. "Where else are you gonna go?"

Robin's POV

Unexpected. That's all I have to say. Ichigo inviting—no, scratch that—almost ordering me over to his house for dinner? I may be a Seer, but I certainly didn't See that one coming.

As we walked back to his house, I was slightly behind since I didn't know the way. I noticed that Ichigo had his hands in his pockets, which made me smile slightly.

He's walking just like he did in the show. God, how many times have I seen that position? Hands in his pockets, kind of hunched over, scowl on his face. I feel like I'm having Deja Vu, or whatever its called.

"Huh? What is it?" Ichigo's question jolted me back to reality. Uh oh. He must have noticed me staring at him! But he didn't seem annoyed, or angry, just curious.

Ichigo was still waiting for my answer. Think fast, Robin! I gave him a curious glance. "Ichigo?" It was the first time I had ever used his name, but it sounded familiar on my tongue. How many times have I thought it in my mind, or muttered it as I talked to myself? "What's you family like?" Random question, I know. It was a very 'think fast' moment.

Ichigo sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Well, they're not normal, I can tell you that much."

I snorted. Believe me, I know.

"What?" Ichigo interrupted my thoughts. Dammit, Kisuke wasn't even his master yet and he was still picking stuff up from him.

"Huh?" I smiled and shook my head. "Oh. Nothing. Its nothing."

"If you say so."

Dinner at Ichigo's was, well, exactly as I thought it would be. Still, that was when I realized that in some instances, watching the show could never prepare me for the real thing.

This was one of those times.

Ichigo opened the door and let us in, yelling, "I'm home! And I brought someone wi—" His second sentence was then cut off by his dad aiming a flying kick at his stomach, which Ichigo was forced to dodge.

Isshin Kurosaki landed on his feet and proclaimed loudly, "You're late! Dinner's getting cold!" then his eyes landed on me. "And you brought a girl home with you huh? That's my boy, Ichigo! You're beginning your first step from puberty, to manhood!"

"Dad! Come on!" Ichigo yelled as he punched his Isshin in the face, sending him flying. "She's twelve!"

"And a half!" I reminded him.

At this time, Karin and Yuzu decided to appear, both saying something along the lines of, "Ichigo brought a girl home?" Or, "he did what?" as they came into view from around the corner of the hallway and stood there, staring at me. Ichigo and his dad stopped fighting temporarily to listen.

Here goes. I smiled shyly, and against my will, blushed just the tiniest bit. "Hi, my name's Robin. I'm an orphan. I met Ichigo this afternoon and when I told him my situation, he suggested I come over for dinner."

Karin looked confused, and Yuzu asked, "Your situation?"

Ichigo answered for me. "No place to stay, nowhere to g—" he was interrupted yet again by his father, who had now finally succeeded in hitting his son in the stomach.

"Dad! Knock it OFF!" He yelled, and their fight resumed.

"You don't have a home?" Karin asked me incredulously.

I shook my head. "I sometimes go back to the house I had with my parents before they…died…but I can't really stay there since I don't own the place."

Isshin stopped fighting with his son, hopefully for good, and said. "Well if you're an orphan with nowhere to go, then we'd be happy to take you in!"

Yuzu nodded at this and said excitedly, "I approve!" While me, Ichigo, and Karin stared at him and said, "What?" simultaneously.

Isshin nodded proudly and said, "It'll work out just fine! Robin here can have dinner with us now, stay the night in Karin and Yuzu's room. Then, tomorrow, Ichigo can take her to gather her belongings from wherever she was staying, and eventually we'll find her a more permanent place to stay in the house, since Karin and Yuzu's room is cramped enough with the two of them!"

At this plan, Ichigo scratched his head, Karin said, "Yeah, fine." And Yuzu told me, "Then I'll go make you something to eat!"

I didn't get it. What the hell was wrong with these people? They're just willing to take a girl in that they don't even know? In LA, I would never talk to a stranger, much less invite them over for dinner. Even if I did that, when I got home, my parents would kill me for being reckless and stupid!

The rest of the evening, I was left with one thought. Is this world really that different from mine?

Dinner passed quickly. I was asked questions about who I was. I answered many of them as truthfully as I could, however, there were some that I refused to answer. There were also some that I felt would be giving Ichigo a hint at who I really was, if answered truthfully. For these questions, I made up lies on the spot. Yin and Yang promised me they'd remember my lies in case someone asked me the same questions again. We, my Zanpakuto, and me, didn't want to answer the same question in two different ways.

One question I remember well was when Karin asked me how I wasn't shocked to see Ichigo and his dad fighting. I told her I didn't get surprised very easily, which was true. I mean, when you know that future, nothing is really new to you. After all, you've already Seen it happen, so why should you be surprised?

After dinner, we, that is Ichigo's family and me, discovered that there was in fact not enough room in Karin and Yuzu's room to even last the night. I was then moved to Ichigo's room.

"Ichigo?" I asked as we lay down in our separate beds, the lights off.

"Yeah? What is it?" I heard his voice answer back from the other side of the room.

"Do you really want to adopt me?"

"Like I said before, where else are you gonna go?"

"Don't change the subject. You didn't answer my question."

Ichigo's POV

I sat up in bed to face the girl with the shoulder length raven-black hair, and the dark-red eyes. There it is again, this time in her voice. I was sure that if the lights were on, and she was facing me, I would see that same expression in her eyes, on her face. What is it?

"You're like me, Robin." I said. "You can see spirits. People alike should look out for each other. Does that answer your question?"

A sigh. And then…

Robin's POV

"Yes." I muttered, almost to low for Ichigo to hear. I heard him lay back down in bed.

Left alone with my thoughts, I tried to get some sleep. I need to tell Kisuke and Yoruichi what's happened. I can't let this affect my training, I still have a lot to learn.

I sighed again, this time silently, so Ichigo wouldn't hear. Yin, Yang. Am I doing the right thing?

Ichigo's POV

I lay back in bed thinking. I didn't even try to fall asleep. Too much had happened. In the span of one afternoon I had met a young girl, a stranger, who I had picked up off the streets, and taken home with me. She had then become my adopted little sister. All in one afternoon.

I turned my head to look out the window at the moon, shining brightly against the dark sky. There were mysteries about her too. What was she doing all alone? How and why can she see ghosts? What's with those looks she keeps given me?

Robin, I wondered as I stared out at the sky. Who are you?

Robin's POV

The next day, me and Ichigo walked over to my parents house. I didn't really have much stuff there, (most of it was at Kisuke's) so it didn't take long. Of course, there was no way in hell that I would ever take Ichigo there just yet. He hadn't even met Rukia yet, so Kisuke was a bad idea.

When we got back to Ichigo's hou—I mean, our home, Karin, Yuzu, and Isshin were arguing about something.

"—reat place Dad! It's cozy, but not too small, and the ceiling would be above her head! Why not? Where else can she go?" What was Karin talking about?

"No!" barked Isshin. "I won't send my newly adopted daughter to live in the air vent!"

I gaped. "Huh?" Air vent? While Ichigo muttered, "Just what the hell type of conversation did we come in to?"

Yuzu noticed us first. "Oh! Robin, Ichigo! You're just in time! Listen!"

"You see," started Karin, turning to me. "I was on the roof this morning while you were out and—"

"What were you doing on the roof?" Asked Ichigo in his 'puzzled' tone.

"—And I slipped and broke the cover to the air vent. I fell for maybe a second, and then I landed. I looked up and saw that I was in a room a few inches more than about five feet tall, and wide enough and big enough to be a room in a house! I was thinking that it could be your room, Robin, but Dad—"

"Absolutely not!" He finished.

"Hey woah, woah!" I held up my hands in a peace-making gesture. I didn't like the way they were glaring at each other, even though it was totally predictable. "Don't I get to make the final descision?" I turned to Karin. "Karin, show me the place. I'll decide after we get there, once I've seen it."

Karin grinned. "All right!" Isshin stood there with his mouth hanging open and one eye twitching, while Ichigo asked me, "Are you serious?"

I shrugged. "Doesn't hurt to check it out." I smiled up at him. "Besides, you never know."

So we followed Karin onto the roof, where she showed us the air vent. We jumped down, she was right. We only fell for maybe a second, and then landed.

"Ow." I lifted up one of my feet and shook it. It stung slightly from absorbing the shock of the short fall.

"Tch." Ichigo looked down at me in an annoyingly superior way. "That hurt?"

"Hey!" I protested. "It's not fair! You're way taller, so you have less distance to fall!" I could kick your ass right now if I wanted to. You don't even have a Zanpakuto. Pleased with this thought, I let his comment slide.

Forgetting Ichigo, I looked around the room, and saw that Karin was once again right. We were in a room a little over five feet tall, and large enough to be a small room of a house. Though the ceiling was a little low, it wasn't a problem for me. Hooray for midgets, right?

I could stick a dresser and desk on one side, and a bed on the other, I thought. I could put a ladder in the shaft, for an easy way up and down. After all, the shaft itself is only what, less than ten feet tall? It's not going to be much of a problem.

I turned to Karin, who had dropped down with us. "It's great, I like it."

She smiled triumphantly. "I knew you would!"

"Huh?" Ichigo looked slightly surprised. "You're gonna use this as your room?"

"Why not?" I asked. Then I turned to face him, and looked him squarely in the eyes. "Where else am I gonna go?" Ichigo blinked, and I turned away. "Right." I said. "It'll take me the rest of the day to turn this place into an actual room."

Ichigo snorted. "Good luck with that."

I glared at him.

"What?" He said. "You're going to be living in an air vent. How much of a home do you expect it to feel like?"

I ignored that one.

Then I thought of something else. "Karin," I asked. "How did you get out of here? How do we get out of here?"

Ichigo's POV

It was sunset. I was reading on my bed when I heard the sound of a window sliding open, and looked up to see Robin's head poking in from outside.

"Finished!" she announced happily.

"Wha-" I started, surprised. "That's my window you're coming through, you know!"

"I'm all done decorating! Also," Robin looked like a thought just occurred to her. "Your window is the closest one to the air vent, so I'm gonna use it as a door to the house!"

"Huh? No! I'm not agreeing to that!"

Robin laughed. "Too bad!" She withdrew her head from my window, and I could hear her voice getting softer as she moved away. "You don't have a choice! Now come see what I did to my new room!"

I sighed, sitting up and scratching my head. This girl is insane. What was I thinking, taking her home with me?

"Oi!" Robin was back, looking at me, slightly curious, slightly annoyed. "You coming or what?"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm coming, I'm coming." I climbed out the window to join her, and we walked up to her room in the air vent. "You're really impatient, you know that?"

Robin laughed again. "I know. It's just…" Robin seemed to become more serious, and sad. "There's only so much time."

Robin…Are you...

"Never mind that!" She shook her head, as if to get rid of any depressing thoughts, and then grinned up at me. "Come see what I did! Look, I added a ladder!"

She climbed down into her 'room.' I jumped down after her, crouching because I was too tall for the ceiling. I widened my eyes in shock. Wow.

On the left side of the room was a bed that just barely fit the length of the room. The ladder was propped up against the wall behind us, and opposite us was a mirror up almost to the ceiling, nailed against the wall. On the right side, close to the ladder, was a dresser. On top of the dresser was a jewelry box and a lamp. Behind the next to the dresser, farther away from the ladder, was a desk. On top of the desk was a laptop, and a few other random items, like a water bottle.

I smiled. "Pretty nice."

Robin crossed her arms and looked up and me, a smile plastered on her face. "Thanks! I didn't think I'd ever get done!"

I frowned. "Hey Robin," I said. "Come to think of it, how did you even get this stuff in here? There's no way you could have carried it yourself, or even shoved it through the vent shaft!"

Robin drooped tiredly, her arms hanging limply at her side. "Just don't ask. Trust me, you don't wanna know."

I scratched my head, confused. "O-kay, then I won't ask."

Robin's POV

I ran through the streets. It was the day after Karin had found my new room, and I was on my way to tell Kisuke and Yoruichi all that had happened.

I leaned against the wall to catch my breath, since I wasn't really in a hurry. See? I thought pointedly to myself. This would be so much quicker if I knew Flashstep!

I'm sure they'll teach it to you soon, Robin. There were just other things that you needed to know first.

I smiled. Thanks Yin.

No problem.

Then Yang's voice broke into my head. Hey! Are you two gonna stand and chat all day or do we have somewhere to be?

Yeah Yang, I know, I'm going.

I continued running, and my thoughts turned to everything that had happened. I had gained two Zanpakuto, achieved Shikai and gotten pretty good at my fighting style with them. I had trained for four and a half months, right? Pretty good, and not only that, I had also just started to learn Kido. Also, Kisuke had taught me more about Spiritual Pressure and whatnot, how to sense it, as well as how to control it, release it and such when I was in Shikai, since when I wasn't in Shikai I didn't have any Spiritual Pressure at all. My thoughts drifted back to Kido.

There are so many spells I want to learn! I thought. In both Hado and Bakudo! I already know Byarkurai, or 'White Lightning,' and Kisuke told me he'd teach me my first Bakudo spell soon! I'm so excited for it!

Finally there, I ran into Kisuke's shop, calling out to Ururu and Ginta as I passed them. They called back, used to me popping in and out by now.

"Hey Tessai!" I greeted him. "Where's Kisuke?"

The man turned to me. "Oh, Miss Robin, it's good to see you. The boss is in the basement, with Lady Yoruichi."

"Yoruichi's here too?" I grinned. "Perfect! Thanks Tessai!"

"It's no problem."

I went to the back of the shop and climbed down the ladder to the basement training ground. I looked around, but Yoruichi and Kisuke weren't in sight. Sighing, I cast my senses out, searching for their Spiritual Pressure. It didn't take me long to find it. They were behind some rocks to my left, having a practice fight.

Yoruichi noticed me first. She stopped sparring with Kisuke, and called out to me. "Robin! Good to see you. It's been a while!"

I grinned and ran over. "Yeah. About a week and a half!" I agreed.

Kisuke nodded at me. "Robin. A pleasure as always. Something happen?"

"Hellz yeah it did! After practicing Byakurai, I was going home, but I ran into Ichigo!"

"What?" Said Yoruichi.

They both knew the general future, and who Ichigo was, because I had explained it to them. How Rukia was going to give Ichigo her powers, that he would become a very important Substitute Soul Reaper in the future. How they were going to train him to become that strong person.

I nodded. "Yep. He caught me talking to a ghost, otherwise he would have just walked right past. We…talked. More like he asked me questions about who I was and I told him as little as possible without lying, and he eventually ended up taking me to his house for dinner."

Kisuke and Yoruichi were silent, waiting for me to finish.

"When we got there, I ended up telling them about how I was an orphan with no real home, and then they basically decided to adopt me! Today was the first day I could get away."

Kisuke clapped appreciatively. "Good for you, Robin!"

Yoruichi laughed. "Well, that's one problem solved, right?"

I was caught off guard by their reactions, because at first I had been opposed to the idea. But then I thought about it. It was my goal to do something like this anyway, right? So why did it matter when or how, as long as it did?

An important lesson, when dealing with the future.

Huh? Yin? Yang? That you? For some reason they didn't answer. Hhhmmm.

I nodded slowly, returning to our discussion. "I guess so. Now that I think about it, it's probably a good thing that this happened now, not once he becomes a Substitute. That way he has more time to get used to me, and I can see everything from the very beginning!" I grinned at them. "Thanks guys! I don't know why I couldn't see the bright side of that!"

Kisuke and Yoruichi smiled at me.

"While you're here." Said Kisuke. "We might as well get some training in. After all, you might not be able to come as often, now that you've got a family. Today I'll teach you that Bakudo spell I promised. Bakudo 01. Restrain, or 'Sai.'

Yoruichi ruffled my hair fondly. "I'll stay for the lesson, since we haven't seen each other in a while. And tomorrow, I'll have you all to myself."

I gasped and looked up at her. If Yoruichi was giving me a private lesson, then that was either for some sort or combat training, be it swords or Hakudo. Or, it could be…

"Flashstep?" I asked hopefully. Yoruichi smiled and nodded, arms crossed.

"Flashstep." She said.

"YES!" I jumped up and fist-pumped the air. "Oh man I am sooo EXCITED!"

Kisuke sighed and looked over and Yoruichi as I jumped around, full of energy. "Right before her lesson, too. See what you did to my student?" Yoruichi just laughed.

I smiled at their conversation as I jumped up and down in excitement. Flashstep! Flashstep! Flashstep! I chanted inside my head.

Then, all of a sudden, I fell to the ground. I lost conciousness for a second, maybe two. I opened my eyes to see Yoruichi and Kisuke shaking me, asking me what was wrong. I shook my head. I don't know…

Then I felt it.

It was a sensation like the wind, but I could feel it flowing inside my body. My eyes widened and I sucked in a small sharp breath.

Then my Spirit Energy exploded out of control.

Visible for the first time without Shikai, the very air around me turned into my black and white Spirit Energy, and Kisuke and Yoruichi were pushed back by its force. The air around me felt like a black and white inferno, my body felt like it was disintegrating. The rocks, the sky, Yoruichi, Kisuke, the whole world repeatedly flashed black and white. I screamed in agony.

The Spirit Energy around me turned into a spinning Yin Yang symbol. It swirled, broke, and then reformed again. Every time, it took longer to reform than the time before. The balance of my Spiritual Pressure and my Zanpakuto was coming undone.

Why? I thought. I didn't do anything! I didn't overuse my Spirit Energy! What going on? It's perfectly balanced, but there's too much of it. And it won't be balanced soon. I can't…I felt myself slipping away from the world, like the focus on a camera that's gone blurry, or a dream.

The Yin Yang symbol started to fade. It turned into an oval, and flickered. It was starting to become unbalanced. If I didn't do something soon, this could turn out bad. I was losing the fight. The struggle to control my Spiritual Pressure. I…what…

What's happening to me?

Lol, sorry for the Cliffy, but I really needed to end the chapter, cuz it was getting a little long, and that's what I had planned to do as the end anway.

Is it Hakudo or Hakuda? I think Hakudo sounds cooler but if it's really Hakuda then I'll change it.

Hey, if you guys want to know what Robin's hair style looks like, because I didn't do a very good job of describing EVER, then go to my profile page, I just put it up as my picture, so if you think you've already seen it, if it's the picture of a girl with pink hair, wrong one. I changed it. Also, you should know, the only difference in style is the color, (obviously) Robin's bangs are a little longer than the one's of the girl in the picture, and the fact that her bangs and hair generally fall the other way/direction on her face. Not to the right, but to the left on her face. Her left, not ours.

Also, in tone, Robin's voice sounds sort of like Rukia's, but not really. What I mean is, Robin's voice isn't like Rukia's in the way she talks or pronounces things, but its similar in the way that its not high pitched like Yuzu's for example. Basically, she has a low voice, its actually a little higher than Rukia's but not by much. Ok, I'm screwing this up. Really, she sounds like a normal person. Yeah, that'd be more of an accurate description.

You guys get that when I talk about someone's voice or something, I'm talking about dubbed not subbed, right? This Fanfic comes from dubbed, so the Kido and names of techniques will be dubbed as well.

Right well I know that my A/N's are always long, so the next chapter should be out by at the latest the New Year. Until next chap! See ya guys!

-Sapphire out.