I don't own Bleach

"Daddy?" she asked.

"Yes sweetie?" he father replied.

"Why do the stars shine?" she asked him.

"Don't know. Not really something we need to. Don't think about it sweetie. Just help me get this timber back inside," was what he replied.

"Oh," she replied, "I'll do that."

But she didn't.

Yachiru Unohana was many things. A warrior, a fighter, a swordswoman, and a killer. She was a girl and she was a woman, she was a master and she was an apprentice, she lived her life and she ended others'. She had travelled for many years with her teacher looking for that one challenge that she could compete with. That one person she could truly experience battle with. "Yachiru, slow down!" her master told her, "It is late and we must rest!"

"No!" she replied furiously, turning around to face her master, "Not until I find the opponent I wish!"

"Then let us search tomorrow," her master replied.

She huffed, unable to understand why her master was saying this, "You taught me that whenever I feel a challenge I should seek it out!"

"Not in the state you are in," Ahmad scolded her, "You have tired yourself, Yachiru. If this opponent is truly as worthy of your blade as you say then you should face them with all the strength you can muster. Rest."

Yachiru clenched her teeth and hands, "B-but they may have left the city by then!"

"If that's the case," Ahmad said, "We'll find them."

"No! I will not wait!" Yachiru screamed, "I know I can find a challenge!" She ran, unable to hide her feelings of betrayal. Ahmad called out to her, but she did not listen. How could she? Ahmad had always shown such faith in her abilities but now, was she not good enough!? Was she not strong enough!? She knew she could find her challenge if she just looked hard enough. So, she ran through street, which dissolved into alleyways, which dissolved into crevices and nooks not wider that perhaps 6 feet at best. She ran until she bumped into someone, a woman, and fell to the ground. "Ugh!" Yachiru grunted, landing on the ground.

"Hey!" the woman said, "Watch where you're- wait, are you ok?" The woman looked down, and Yachiru passed out. I found you….she thought before it went black.

Later

When Yachiru awoke she was lying on a bed with a machine that made the most annoying beeping sound next to her. She leaned up and looked around. There was only a single bed in the room, the one she awoke on, and there were many strange machines surrounding her. She looked to the side and saw the woman from the alleyway. Her hair was a dark brown color and was tiedup in a bun in a bun. She also wore glasses and a lab coat. Currently, she was checking a clipboard. "Sit down," the woman said, reaching out and gently pushing Yachiru so that she was lying down, "I need to check your vitals and you need to be level for that. What's your name?"

"Unohana Yachiru," she answered, "What is yours?"

"I am Ran'Tao," the woman answered off-handedly.

"Very well then, Ran'Tao," she told the woman, "Prepare to fight me!" She lunged at the Ran'Tao with nothing more than her fists. Not taking a look off of her clipboard, Ran'Tao dodged the attack, grabbed Unohana's clothes and thrusted her down onto the bed. Ran'Tao took out a remote and pressed a button Mettle bands came up and clenched around Yachiru, rendering her immobile. "No! We must fight!" Yachiru screamed, "You are the one strong enough to face me in true combat, do not deny me this!"

"In that case," Ran'Tao said, exiting the room, "I win Round 1." The door closed behind her. As Ran'Tao walked down the corridors of her lab/home it occurred to her this girl was clearly not from anything that could be considered a normal upbringing. So, getting her out of here as soon as possible should definitely be a top concern. She'd have to do a few searches with her hidden cameras across the city in order to see if there was anyone of anywhere she could drop Yachiru off at.

When she reached her main console in Lab 1 she turned on the security feed of the console and looked at the girl struggling to break free of the of the binds. The girl needed rest more than anything so she typed in a few commands and had the girl put into a state of sleep via a chemical that was pumped through a tube in her arm. Ran'Tao scratched her chin for a few moments before typing in some extra commands into the console with numerous different feeds showing up. Running Yachiru's face and name through her scanner the computer got to work locating sightings of the girl. It didn't take long for a few results to come up. Looking at them she noticed she seemed to be in the constant companionship of a man who looked to hail from the Southern Sands. She placed that man through the facial recognizer and ordered it to bring up his current location. When a result came up, Ran'Tao grabbed her traveling coat.

She hopped from rooftop to rooftop scanning the area she'd found him in. Eventually, she saw him walking the street alone. "Sir!" she yelled to him, jumping down, "You wouldn't happen to have an association with a psychotic girl with long-black hair named Yachiru would you? The man's eyes widened and he nodded.

"Yes, she is my apprentice," he told her, "Do you know her location?"

"Well, considering she tried to kill me," she told him, "yes, I do. If you would follow me good sir, what was your name?"

"I am Ahmad," he answered, "Just Ahmad. Who are you?"

"I'm Ran'Tao," she answered, "You aren't going to try to kill me, are you?"

"No no no," Ahmad said, laughing, "That's my student's job. She has claimed you as her opponent, apparently." Ran'Tao was slightly disturbed by the casual way the man said this and decided it was best to get these two out of her hair as soon as possible even faster than originally planned. Motioning for him to follow her, they hopped from rooftop to rooftop, heading towards her hidden lab. So, she stopped and turned to him.

Ahmad slid to a stop and looked at her curiously, "Is everything ok?"

"Yes," Ran'Tao answered, "But I'm going to need to put you in an unconscious state with a sedative until we get to my lab. It's a security measure that I do since the last time I revealed someone its location, well, let's just say I try to take as few chances as I can get nowadays." Ahmad thought on this for a bit before nodding.

"Very well, I will agree to your terms," he answered, "But only if you promise to awaken me as soon as we reach our destination."

"I promise," she answered, taking out a small bottle with a pipette, "Open your mouth please." He opened it and she squirted a bit of the solution in. Almost immediately he fell limp and she traveled the rest of the way carrying him. As soon as she entered through her lab's main entrance she gave him the awakening serum and he awoke slightly dizzy.

"Give it a few moments," she told him, "It'll be ok in-"

"Oh, Ran'Tao," a voice she had hoped to never hear in her lab again call out, "You're back!" Eyes widening, Ran'Tao turned around to see none other than Alexander Alexandre standing there, with company! Two boys, one with short, blonde hair and appearing fairly young, and the older one with longer, black hair.

"Get out!" she screamed, pulling out her Energy Pistol and shooting numerous shots at the man which he easily dodged. He flashed up in front of her and grabbed the pistol out of her hand.

"Now now," he told her, "Let's not make things messy. Think of the little ones." He motioned towards the boys with him.

"I take it this is what you were speaking of," Ahmad said and Ran'Tao nodded.

"Good sir," Ahmad told Alexander, "I'm sure you have business with Ran'Tao you must attend to but right now, she is taking me to see my apprentice so I kindly ask you wait. How is she by the way, Ran'Tao? I forgot to ask." A loud BOOM was heard farther into the compound.

From the same direction they heard a scream, "FACE ME IN A BATTLE TO THE DEATH, RAN'TAO!"

Ahmad clapped his hands together and smiled, "Ah, I'm glad to see it can begin! Good sir, please hand her back her gun! She will need it in order to face my apprentice!" Alexander quickly thrust it into Ran'Tao's arms and got the hell away from her. Stumbling to get a proper hold on the gun she pointed it to the only entrance into that room from the rest of the compound as crashing and destruction was heard from afar. In the back of her mind, Ran'Tao groaned at all the repair work she'd have to do if she survived. Eventually, Yachiru stormed into the room and started charging at Ran'Tao swinging the sword she'd gotten her hands on. Just when it look like it was the end Yachiru began sliding to a stop right after she passed the boy with black hair. A curious expression on her face, Yachiru walked towards the boy and began looking at his baseball-sized eyes. The younger one was hiding behind him, shaking.

Unohana inspected the cofused/scared boy before noting, "Master, I feel drawn to this boy in a non-tear-his-limbs-apart-in-bloody-combat way. Boy, what is your name?"

"Uuuuuuuuuum, Yhwach?" he answered, unsure of how to answer.

"How do you spell that?" she asked him.

"Y-H-W-A-C-H," he answered, "What's your name?"

"Yachiru Unohana," she answered.

Ran'Tao stared as they continued this exchange and blinked. Her life was saved by a…. prepubescent crush? That's…good, she supposed. She wasn't quite sure what to think of it, though. As this continued on, the younger boy had apparently gotten out of his utter terror of Yachiru and climbed on top of his brother's head and looked at her curiously.

"Hey, Sebastian, get off!" Yhwach told his younger brother.

"Hold me, please?" Sebastian asked Yachiru, who grabbed him and held him in front of her. "Your hair is preeeeeetty," Sebastian said in awe, his eyes growing wide.

"Um, thank you," Unohana answered, "I guess?" Sebastian reached out and eventually grabbed a few strands and pulled it closer to his face. He inspected it closely. Then, he put it in his mouth and started, chewing it or something. Ran'Tao wasn't quite sure what but she saw drool getting on the girl's hair.

"Awwwww," Alexander and Ahmad went, striking identical poses.

"I'm beginning to think you two are related," Ran'Tao muttered to herself.

"Ok," Yhwach said grabbing Sebastian and lowering him to the ground, "That's enough of that."

Looking between the two of them Sebastian asked Yhwach, "Brother, do you like Yachiru?"

"Sure, I guess," Yhwach replied, "She said she doesn't want to maul me to death so I that's a point her way at least."

"And Yachiru," Sebastian said, turning towards her, "Do you like my brother?"

"Hmmmm, I guess I do," Yachiru said.

Sebastian smiled brightly and threw his hands up, "Then you two should get married!"

"What!?" Yhwach cried, looking down at his baby brother in pure horror. "Where the hell did you hear that word!?"

"One of the villagers told me about it!" Sebastian answered brightly, "She said that when a boy and girl like each other they get married! It's like some kinda blood pact to stand by each other for'evah, without all the blood."

Unohana's eyes widened and gasped in pure glee, "Master, me and Yhwach must perform this "married" at once!"

"Th-that's not something I'd suggest, Yachiru," Ahmad answered.

"Oh," she said, "Did you want to marry me first?"

"HELL NO!" Ahmad cried waving his hand in front of him, "Besides, we don't have a holy man to preside over it in the first place." A beat passed and Ran'Tao groaned and Alexander smiled.

"Don't you worry there, child!" Alexander said cheerfully, "I'm about as holy as you can get outside of visiting God himself so I'll do it!"

Yachiru brightened, Sebastian let out a "Yay!", Ran'Tao and Ahmad just stared, and Yhwach looked horrified. "Before we get started," Alexander said, "Does anyone object?" Yhwach raised his hand.

"I do!" the future Quincy Overlord yelled.

` "Oh," Alexander said, "Wedding's off then." Yachiru and Sebastian balled up in a corner.

"Moving on," Ran'Tao said, "Why are you here, Alexander?"

Turning all serious he turned to Ran'Tao, "I have a proposition for you Ran'Tao, Ahmad."

She didn't say anything and neither did Ahmad so Alexander continued. "I'm putting together a….. team, group? Whatever. Of people with strong spiritual ability and potential. I want you two, plus the kids back there, and a few others that should be arriving at my place."

"And why would I join this "group" of yours?" she asked him.

"Why not?" he asked her, "You'll be around me all the time. And you want to kill me, don't you?"

She looked at Alexander for the longest time and narrowed her eyes. She'd known Alexander for what, 2-300 years? Something like that. He was a face she knew well. A face burned in her mind. A face she swore to rip to shreds in vengeance when the time came for her revenge. Moving quickly, she positioned her gun so that it pointed right at his head and blew it clean off. As it did many times over, Alexander's body reformed until the only sign of what she did were the burned clothes.

"Why should me and my apprentice join?" Ahmad asked him, Unohana joined him and looked up at Alexander. "I only accept challenging propositions," he told him.

"You want a challenge?" Alexander asked, "You'll find plenty."

"And me?" Unohana asked, "Why should I come with you?"

Alexander turned to her and said, "Come with me and you'll find a worthy opponent." The master and his apprentice looked at each other and nodded.

"We'll at least listen to your proposition," Ahmad said. Nodding, Alexander motioned for everyone to follow him and called Senjumaru.

Alexander's House

Opening the door, Alexander walked in to his living room. It had stone walls, a couch shaped at a right angle, a couple stand-alone seats, a coffee table, and an ornate rug on the floor. Ichibei and Tenjiro were off talking against the wall, Oetsu was sitting on the edge of the couch polishing his sword, Senjumaru was sitting in one of the stand-alone seats sewing, Chang was in the corner flipping a steak knife in her fingers, and Wakiza and Shigekuni were sitting on the other side of the couch from Oetsu speaking in hushed voices. When the group entered everyone's attention was drawn to them. Seeing his two companions Shigekuni got up, "Yhwach, Sebastian, I'm glad to see you two are ok!"

"Yeah," Yhwach replied, giving Shigekuni a menacing look, "I'm sure you are." He and his brother sat themselves a good ways away from those two in the corner of the couch, Unohana and Ahmad took the spot between them and Wakiza and Shigekuni, and Ran'Tao sat down between Yhwach and Oetsu. Chang, Tenjiro, and Ichibei all walked up and stood behind the couch.

Ichibei placed his hands on the edge of the couch and looked at Alexander. "Ok, Mr. Alexandre," he said, "What's this all about?"

Negal

A Vasto Lorde Hollow walked towards the foot of a tall flight of stairs whose top was obscured by shadows and bowed. "The retrieval team failed to capture the deQuincy children," they reported, "They were intercepted by…. Alexander Alexandre." Movement could be heard from within the shadows.

"Were they?" a voice in the darkness asked.

"Y-yes sir," the Vasto Lorde replied, fear beginning to become present in his voice.

"Interesting," the voice said, "Now I wonder what kind of use Alexander would have for two spiritual phenomena such as them? Intriguing."

"Th-that's not all I have to report, sir!" the Hollow told the voice.

"Oh?" the voice asked, "What else is there?"

Coughing, the servant answered, "Our sources in Myrinon have indicated that several people with strong Reiryoku have been gathering at Alexandre's house. We have also received word he is traveling there with the two boys plus a group of others. The estimated number of individuals that are meeting at his home is 13."

There was a long silence that followed. Unsure of what was happening the Vasto Lorde looked up, "Sir? Are you well?" A thump could be heard within the shadows as a clawed paw took a step onto the stairs. Then another paw appeared and a figure walked out of the darkness. The Hollow walked on 4 legs. They possessed a long-slender body with a fox-like Hollow mask and red eyes. As the Hollow left the shadows in which he hid completely a tail emerged. Then another, and another, until 9 tails were all revealed in a fan-like shape behind him, the center one having a pitch-black nine tattooed on it.

"Open a line to Los Noches. Tell them I'm calling a meeting of the Espada," the Noveno (Ninth) Espada Nine Lashes ordered, "And send a horde to Myrinon. Burn it to the ground."

Author's Notes:I am SO sorry this is so late! I was terribly writer's blocked for this story. Please forgive me! But I'm back with a double update to try and make up for it! Also, Unohana's name changed because I remembered that she didn't change her name to Retsu Unohana until waaaaaaaay after when this point in the story so she's Yachiru! Sorry about that. Also, here are the ages we'd consider some of these characters.

Shikeguni- 16

Yhwach- 13

Sebastian- 8

Yachiru- 11

Chang- 14

Alexander- Eternity. (he just got eternal youth/sexiness)