Chapter 7: The Sending

A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks for reviewing the last chapter! I'm glad a few of you liked Haine's song! Now we reach one of my favorite parts of Final Fantasy X: The Sending! It's such a sad yet iconic scene in the game that I just have to make a version of it for Haine. I hope you guys like it!

This chapter is dedicated to the families who lost a loved one to 9/11. I find it so wrong and cruel that innocent people lost their lives to this madness. My heart goes out them and I hope that they know how much they are loved. This chapter shows that even if they're gone, their sprits will always be with us. Remember to tell your friends and family how much you love them and how they mean so much to you. We live in a crazy era so you never know which day will bring.

Never forget!

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or Final Fantasy X; I just own my oc's.

Enjoy!

/

A week had slowly gone by since Haine came to the Soul Society. She had learned a lot since then and was starting to understand the way things worked around here.

So far, she knew about what Soul Reapers did around here. They defended the living from beings known as Hollows and that they had special weapons called Zanpakutos. They transformed into weapons that fit the Soul Reaper's personality. She had seen Rukia and Captain Hitsugaya's weapons and couldn't help but think of the Aeon Shiva that resided within Macalania Temple. Everyone had such incredible skills and powers that it made her wonder what her skills would have been like if she was from this world.

She found it silly to think of something like that. She was happy with who she was. Being a summoner was such a high honor in Spira. It took years to prefect the skills required for the job and years of being able to summon the Aeons. The fact that she could do it at her age was such a great feat. She was sure even her Uncle Braska would be proud of her.

Being a Summoner was her duty. A duty that she would gladly follow until the day that she died. The people of Spira looked up to Summoners as beckons of hope. They made life easier for everyone, knowing that they were willing to put their lives on the line to defeat Sin.

It didn't matter if she was physically strong or if she could handle a weapon. Just the fact that she was going off to fight a being that had plagued the world for a thousand years was more than enough.

It was worth everything.

That was what she kept saying to herself on one tragic day.

/

Since Haine and her sister were residing at Byakuya's house during their stay, that meant they had to go with him to Squad 6's barracks every day.

Haine really didn't mind. She found it fascinating that places like these existed. It tended to get confusing since the hallways looked the same and would become a maze of some king. Luckily, she had Renji to guide her.

She was very grateful that the Lieutenant took time out of his busy schedule to help her out and keep an eye on her. Since he was the one who found her first (or rather was crushed by) he took it upon himself to show her the ropes around here. He complained every now and then, but Haine didn't mind. It just showed that he was an honest person and spoke his feelings.

A true, honest man in her opinion.

Today, she sat in Byakuya's office and read, or rather viewed at the books in his bookshelf. Since she was from Spira, she didn't know the first thing about reading Kanji. Spira's writing system consisted mostly of using glyphs and symbols. Here in the Soul Society, it was like reading scribbles. She didn't know what each symbol meant and what they were trying to say when they were strung together.

So to prevent herself from having a headache, she just viewed at the pictures that were in the book.

She would ask Rukia later how to read Kanji. If there was one thing she learned while staying here it was that the young Soul Reaper was willing to help her out.

Shaiya just stayed close to Haine as she skimmed through the books. Being her guardian meant that she didn't have time to relax and enjoy herself. She had to make sure her sister was safe at all costs. And the fact that they were in a foreign world meant she had to double her protection.

Haine lightly hummed the Hymn of Faith as she flipped through the pages of her book. She had never seen buildings like these before. There were some that were old and looked like they had been here for over thousands of years while others looked new or were beyond this time frame. It was like she was seeing the past and the future together.

"And the Machina that they use" she thought.

"I'm sure even the Al Bhed would be amazed by how they created their machines"

As she was looking through the book, Renji peered at her through his paperwork.

For the past week, the summoner had been nothing but puzzling to him. Wherever she went, she always seemed to have this way of easing people. Every time she saw someone sad or was down on their luck, she would go out of her way to try to help them. A fine example was when she sang that baby to sleep. He had never seen anything like it. Sure, there were people always singing here and there, but never did he see someone leave such an impact on so many people.

Even he felt it. After he heard her sing, it was as if a weight had been lifted from his chest. He thought it was rather ridiculous and didn't pay much attention to it.

But he couldn't get rid of the song in his head.

Byakuya noticed that his Lieutenant was day-dreaming and decided to fix that.

"Renji, take these forms over to Squad 11 for Captain Zaraki to sign" he said.

Renji blinked, then sighed in annoyance. This is what he got for spacing out.

He took the forms from his Captain and started to walk out.

Before he could leave the room, Haine looked up from the book she was reading and faced Renji.

"Um, is it ok if I go with you?" she asked.

Renji blinked at her.

You would think that after a week of her following him, he would get used to it, but every time she would ask, he would have this deer in the headlights look.

Why would anyone want to go with on a simple errand?

Haine smiled shyly.

"I wanted to see Sir Zaraki and Yachiru" she said.

She quickly looked at Byakuya.

"That is, if it's alright with you, Sir Byakuya"

Byakuya looked up from his paperwork and gave her his usual regal stare.

The young summoner had a pleading look as she stared at him.

He closed his eyes before going back to his work.

"As long as Lieutenant Abarai has no objections to it, then I don't see why not" he said.

Haine smiled brightly.

"Thank you!"

She looked back up at Renji.

"Well?" she asked.

Renji sweat dropped when she gave him the pleading look.

He found it a little ridiculous that she would want to go with, but he figured that she would need to know her way around here.

Sighing, he stuffed one of his hands in his pocket and waved her over with the forms.

"Let's go" he said.

Haine smiled and quickly followed after him.

Looks like she was in for another adventure.

/

"I hope you don't mind me following you everywhere" Haine said as they walked.

"It's just that I know you a little bit more than Rukia and Ichigo"

Renji dully nodded as they walked.

"I don't really mind" he said.

"However…"

A tick mark suddenly appeared on his forehead.

"Why does she have to tag along?" he asked as he pointed to Shaiya.

The blue mage gave him an icy glare as they walked.

"I'm her guardian, so I have to come with" she said.

"Wherever Haine goes, I go. Simple as that"

Renji glared back at her as they walked.

Ever since that night in the park, they had been butting heads. Renji thought she was an arrogant know it all who thought he was an idiot while Shaiya thought he was a cocky, full of himself airhead who had no regards for other people.

Haine sweat dropped at the scene and gently pulled them apart.

"Now, now. There's no need to fight" she said.

"I understand that you're doing your job, Shaiya, but we're guests. We need to listen to Renji since he knows more about this world than we do"

Renji had a smug look on his face.

"Yeah, you should listen to your sister more often" he said.

Shaiya just growled at him.

Haine quickly turned around and reprimanded him.

"And the same goes for you" she said.

"True, we're your guests, but you need to set a better example. If you keep arguing with everyone that you associate with, people won't talk to you as often. You don't want that, now do you?"

Renji looked a little taken aback at being lectured but a mere summoner, but he didn't say anything. She did have a point. Rukia was always scolding him for fighting with Ichigo all the time. If he kept this up, he would never become a Captain of the Thirteen Court Guards.

He sighed and rubbed his neck.

"Yes, ma'am" he said.

Haine smiled brightly.

"Good! And on that note, let's get going!"

She walked ahead of them with a slight skip in her step while Renji and Shaiya followed.

The two of them kept glaring at each other as they went.

"cdibet fynneun" she muttered. (Translation: stupid warrior)

"Stuck up, bitch" Renji replied.

/

When the three of them arrived at Squad 11's barracks, Renji cringed. He knew how Kenpachi was with paperwork. The man tried to avoid it like it was the plague.

Haine looked at the hallways as they wandered deeper into the Squad 11 barracks. It looked the same as Squad 6, but it wasn't as decorative. It was a lot plainer, or rather dull.

"I guess Sir Zaraki doesn't like to decorate" she thought.

Shaiya didn't say anything as they walked. She really didn't like being here or having to follow a Lieutenant who was cocky and arrogant. She despised men who thought they were full of themselves and were the top dogs. It just reminded her of high priests back at Bevelle. They thought they were the real thing for being high officials in the heart of Yevon. Sure, there were a few women priestesses, but the men always took it to the next level. They always did.

Renji stood in front of Kenpachi's office and sighed deeply. This would not end well and he knew it.

He peered over his shoulder to look at Haine.

"You might want to step back" he said.

"Captain Zaraki tends to have an attitude when it comes to paperwork and it won't be pretty"

Haine blinked in confusion but nodded. Since Renji knew more about everyone here, then she should listen.

She took a step back and watched as Renji braced himself. The Lieutenant gulped and put on a strong face as he knocked on the door.

"Captain Zaraki, its Lieutenant Abarai" he called out.

He heard Kenpachi grunt, so he figured that was his way of saying 'enter'.

He slowly opened the door and closed it behind him. No need to Haine to see the mess that was about to unfold.

Haine couldn't hear what was being said inside. All she heard was muffling. She could tell by the tone of voices that it was mostly Renji talking. She figured that he was trying to ask Kenpachi to sign the paperwork that Byakuya sent.

That shouldn't be too bad, right?

Wrong!

The next thing she knew, the office door flew off from its hinges as Kenpachi threw a chair at it.

Shaiya quickly pulled her out of the way before she could get hit and went into defensive mode. If things were flying, then she was going to have to crack some skulls open.

With the door gone, they could easily hear what was being said in the office.

"God Damn that stick-up-his ass, Kuchiki!" Kenpachi shouted.

"How many fucking times do I have to tell him to stop sending me fucking paperwork?"

Renji backed up against the wall in case the Captain decided the throw something else.

"I-it's not my fault!" he insisted.

"Captain Kuchiki just told me to bring it here! Don't shoot the messenger!"

"Oh, I'm not gonna shoot you" Kenpachi growled.

"I'm going to tear you limb from limb for even thinking about sending me paperwork"

Renji backed further into the wall.

"Oh, come on!" he cried.

Haine; fearing that Renji was about to be killed, quickly rushed into the office. She didn't want him to get hurt just because he was following orders.

"Sir Zaraki! Wait!" she cried.

She quickly stood in front of Renji and bowed to Kenpachi.

"Please don't hurt Renji. He was just following orders"

Renji was bewildered. He didn't expect Haine to come in here. True, he feared for his life a tiny bit, but he knew that Kenpachi really wouldn't kill him. He tended to act rash, but he wouldn't go that far. He was a Captain for crying out loud.

But then again, it was nice to be saved.

Kenpachi raised an eyebrow at her.

"Huh?" he said.

Haine looked up at him with pleading eyes.

"Please don't kill Renji" she repeated.

"He didn't do anything wrong"

Kenpachi rubbed the back of his neck in a confused manner.

"I'm not gonna kill him" he said.

Haine blinked in confusion.

"But you said…" she trailed off.

Yachiru giggled as she ran up to her.

"It's Hai-Hai!" she cried.

She latched herself to the summoner's legs and laughed.

"Kenny always acts like he wants to kill people" she explained.

"He just doesn't like paperwork"

Haine blushed when she realized that she made a fool of herself.

"O-oh" she said.

She quickly bowed to Kenpachi again.

"I'm so sorry, Sir Zaraki. I thought you were going to hurt Renji"

Kenpachi just grunted in response.

Renji pulled himself off the wall and held out the folder of papers that needed to be signed.

"As much as I know that you hate paperwork, could you please just sign it so you can get it done and over with?"

Kenpachi just growled and snatched the file from him. Stomping over to his desk, he sat in his seat and scribbled his name on the pages.

Yachiru jumped up onto Haine's back since Kenpachi was occupied at the moment.

"What brings you here, Hai-Hai?" she asked.

Haine smiled gently at the little girl.

"I just thought I would stop by to say hi" she said.

"That was really nice of you!" Yachiru beamed.

"Isn't that right, Kenny?"

Kenpachi just grunted as he continued to sign his name on the forms.

"vuumecr fynneun" Shaiya said. (Translation: foolish warrior)

Yachiru laughed.

"You talk funny!" she cried.

Haine smiled nervously. She found it a little unnerving that such a young child could talk so bluntly.

"It's Al Bhed" she explained.

"It's a language that's spoken from my world"

"Although people hate it when they hear it" Shaiya growled. Her hatred for Spirains who despised the Al Bhed.

Yachiru giggled.

"Say something else in All Bed!" she cried.

Shaiya sweat dropped with how it was pronounced wrong, but let it slide since it came from a kid.

She looked at Renji and came up with an idea.

"dra nat raytat fynneun haqd du sa ec tispan dryh y Kiytu" (the red headed warrior next to me is dumber than a Guado"

A tick mark appeared on Renji's forehead.

"I may not know what you're saying, but I know when I'm being insulted" he snapped.

Shaiya raised a dull eyebrow.

"Oh, so you're smarter than you look" she said.

"What a surprise"

Renji was about to make a smart comment but was cut off when a sudden flare of spiritual pressure surged throughout the room. It was so foul and evil that only one soul could create this kind of pressure.

A Hollow.

Haine gripped Yachiru as she felt the negative spiritual vibes coming from everywhere. Since she was tied with the spiritual Aeons, she was able to sense the Hollows.

"What is this evil aura that I feel?" she asked.

"It's so sinister and foul"

Roars could be heard from outside. Renji gripped his Zanpakuto and looked like he was about to pull it out. He didn't expect Hollows to be attacking so soon since Aizen's defect, but it seemed with the way things were lately the Hollows wanted to attack when they were vulnerable.

Kenpachi grinned like a maniac as he shot up from his seat and knocked his desk over.

"Finally" he said.

"I was starting to get bored with the lack of action around here"

Yachiru giggled.

"Are you going to break your record Kenny?" she asked.

Kenpachi grinned darkly.

"Only one way to find out"

He ran out of the room with his Zanpakuto drawn and headed to where the action was.

Renji pulled out Zabimaru from its sheath and looked at Haine.

"Stay here" he said.

"You'll be safe"

Haine stood up in defiance as she still held Yachiru.

"No" she said.

"I can't let you run off to some unknown presence. That aura is evil. Only a White Mage could cleanse something that foul"

Renji gave her a dull look and shook his head.

Out of all the times that she had to be stubborn, she had to pick now. Didn't she realize that fighting Hollows was no walk in the park? He could tell right away that she was not fighting material.

"Trust me, I've dealt with these things before" Renji said.

"You'll just get in the way"

Shaiya quickly got in his face.

"You dare mock my sister's abilities in front of me?" she seethed.

"I should rip your head off for that"

Renji glared at her. He really didn't have time to deal with this right now.

"Look, you two aren't from around here" he said.

"I've been fighting Hollows a lot longer than you have. You don't even know what a Hollow is capable of. Just stay here and don't do anything. You'll only get hurt"

"That's all the more reason why I should come with you" Haine insisted.

"If people get hurt, who will heal them? I can use my magic. Please, let me come with"

Renji gave her a stern look.

"No. you stay here and that's final"

Yachiru suddenly kicked Renji in the shin and caused him to kneel to the floor.

"You're no fun, pineapple head!" she chirped.

She let go of Haine and smiled up at her.

"I'll take you with! You can see Kenny fight!"

Haine gave her a grateful smile.

"Thank you, Yachiru"

The bubblegum haired Lieutenant nodded.

"Follow me!"

She ran out of the office with Haine hot on her trail.

Shaiya followed after them while she gave Renji a dull glare.

"See you later, foolish warrior"

Renji grunted as he stood up and picked up Zabimaru.

"Wait!"

He ran after them with a slight limp in his step.

When this was over, he was really going to chew Yachiru out.

/

People were screaming as they ran through the streets. Haine had to keep moving out of the way as people rushed by to either get away from the chaos or head towards it to fight.

She gripped her staff tightly in fear since she had never seen such chaos like this before. The last time that she saw so much fear on people's faces was when Sin attacked Spira 10 years ago. She would never forget the fear she saw in everyone's eyes as they thought that each day might be their last. And as she saw people running the streets, she could see that same fear again.

Shaiya held onto her whip tightly as people ran past them. She didn't know what a Hollow was or what it looked liked. But after facing so many fiends in Spira, she wasn't going to take any chances.

Yachiru ran in the opposite direction that everyone else was running. While everyone was running from the danger, they were running towards it.

"Where are these Hollows?" Haine asked.

"I don't see anything"

Yachiru giggled.

"They're probably being killed by Kenny" she said.

"He always loves fighting them"

"That doesn't sound reassuring" Shaiya said.

As they ran, a Hollow suddenly smashed through one of the walls they were near and roared loudly.

Haine paled in fear when she saw the grotesque white mask the monster was wearing and the empty cavity in its chest. She could sense such horrid vibes coming from the beast that it sent shivers up her spine.

"Here's one!" Yachiru cried.

Haine quickly panicked and grabbed Yachiru, pinning the girl to her chest. She couldn't let a little girl like her get hurt by something like this.

Shaiya quickly got in front of them and snapped her whip a couple of times. She didn't know what a Hollow's weakness was, but she was going to find out.

Drool dripped from the Hollow's mouth as it closed in on Shaiya.

The blue mage just glared at the beast and held her whip tightly.

"You don't scare me" she said.

The Hollow raised its hand up to smash her, only to have it knocked away by a stream of pink cherry blossom petals.

"Scatter, Senbozakura"

Shaiya looked at who intervened with her fight, only to see Byakuya holding the hilt of his sword.

"Sir Kuchiki!" Haine cried.

Byakuya had Senbonzakura summoned back to him and reverted back into a blade. The Captain sheathed his Zanpakuto and walked towards them.

"I trust that you were not harmed?" he inquired.

Haine nodded.

"We're fine, thanks to you" she said.

"Bya-kun saved the day!" Yachiru cheered.

Byakuya closed his eyes in annoyance before looking at Shaiya.

"That was rather reckless of you to take on a Hollow like that" he said.

"Especially since you've never fought with one"

Shaiya growled in when she felt insulted for her fighting skills.

"It's better than doing nothing and having us get killed" she retorted.

"I rather be reckless than be a coward. What kind of guardian would I be otherwise?"

Byakuya didn't respond. He found no reason to. Because he could see himself in her place if it were Rukia that was in trouble.

Haine approached them as she still held Yachiru. The pink Lieutenant squirmed in her grip.

"You can let me go, Hai-Hai" she said.

Haine shook her head.

"You're just a little girl" she said.

"I don't want to see you get hurt"

"But I'm a Lieutenant" Yachiru pointed out.

"I'm really strong"

Haine shook her head again.

"You're still a little girl" she said.

"I'm not trying to insult you on your ability to fight. But I just can't stand by and let a little girl fight these monsters"

Yachiru blinked for a moment and shrugged. She wasn't one to hold a grudge or anything like that. Besides, she liked being held.

"Ni-sama!"

"Byakuya!"

Rukia and Ichigo cam running towards them. They appeared to have just fought with a few Hollows since their Zanpakuto's were drawn.

Haine smiled in relief when she saw that her friends were alright.

"Rukia! Ichigo!" she said.

"Praise be to Yevon that you're alright"

Ichigo raised an eyebrow at the strange greeting, but Rukia elbowed him in the gut before he could say anything.

"What are you doing out here, Haine? It's dangerous" she said.

Haine gave her a stern look.

"I know, but I can't stand by while you're off trying to protect everyone" she said.

"I'm here to help. I may not be skilled in fighting, but at least I can heal the injured"

Rukia sighed. She didn't like that Haine was out here in the danger, but she did have a valid point. She didn't know where Captain Unohana was and she didn't know how close she could get to them in time.

She just had to trust Haine with this.

"Alright" she said.

"But you stay close at all times, understand?"

Haine nodded.

"I understand"

Ichigo noticed that they were missing one person.

"Hey, where's Renji?" he asked.

As if on cue, the Renji head came running up to them with a slight limp in his step.

"Hey! It's Pineapple head!" Yachiru cried.

Renji glared at the little girl.

"I'm going to kill you when this is all over" he growled.

Rukia glared at him and punched him in the gut.

"You idiot! Where the hell were you?" she snapped.

"How could you leave Haine and Shaiya out here when there are Hollows attacking?"

Renji rubbed the sore spot from where Rukia hit him and glared at her.

"It's not my fault" he said.

"That little imp kicked me in the shin and dragged them off. I ran after them to make sure they didn't get hurt"

"It doesn't change the fact that you let them run off in the first place" Byakuya said.

"As Lieutenant, it is your job to protect our guests and make sure no harm comes to them"

Renji looked at the ground and gripped Zabimaru tightly. It was so humiliating to be lectured by his Captain in front of his friends and guests.

Haine felt bad for him. It was kind of her fault that he was getting lectured after all.

She looked at Byakuya.

"Please don't be so hard on him" she insisted.

"He tried to stop us, but we just wouldn't listen. If you are to be angry with someone, then be angry at me for not following orders"

Byakuya shook his head.

"It doesn't change the fact that Lieutenant Abarai failed to follow orders" he stated.

Haine looked up at him sadly.

"But…"

She whipped her head around when she heard another Hollow roaring. Looking up, she saw a Menos Grande towering over them. The hideous monster peered at them with its beady little eyes and found them as prey.

Raising its large foot, it attempted to squash them like bugs.

"Run!" Rukia cried.

Byakuya and Ichigo quickly grabbed the two girls and sprinted away before the foot could crush them.

Renji jumped out of the way and glared at the Hollow.

"You're not getting away so easily" he stated.

He held Zabimaru in front of him and released its Shikai form.

"Roar! Zabimaru!"

The Zanpakuto transformed into its spiked like form. Renji jumped up and launched his attack.

"Take this!"

He swung Zabimaru and had the blade stretch out like a spiked whip.

The Menos saw the attack and quickly deflected it by grabbing the blade and throwing it to the ground. Renji hurtled to the ground from the sheer force and crashed into the ground.

The Menos roared again before it opened its mouth and had a Cero forming.

"Crap!" Renji cried.

He got back up and swung Zabimaru at the Menos before it could fire the Cero. The tip of the sword hit the Menos in the face, but the force of the impact caused the Menos to fire off its Cero and aim it at one of the areas in the Soul Society.

Renji watched in horror as the Cero caused a small explosion and destroyed everything within range.

The Lieutenant had murder written on his face as he faced the Hollow. Gripping Zabimaru in a death grip, he swung the blade with all his might at the foul creature. The blade's sharp edge sunk into the white mask and cracked it in half.

The hollow gave off a roar as it disintegrated into black particles.

When the fight was over, the others slowly approached Renji.

Rukia looked at the place where the Menos Grande shot off the Cero. It was one of the more populated areas in the Soul Society. And that meant a lot of people were hurt and killed.

"Good god" Ichigo breathed. He had seen Hollows do damage, but none like this.

Renji's shoulders shook in aggravation. He just let tons of innocent people get killed because of his slip up. If he had acted quicker, if he had dodged the attack, then none of this would have happened.

Rukia watched as Renji tried to keep his feelings bottled up. She knew what he was going through, but she knew that it wasn't his fault. The Menos just had the upper hand in the attack and got the best of them.

"Renji"

The Lieutenant spun on his heel so he wouldn't have to face everyone. He was so ashamed for what he let unfold.

Haine hugged Yachiru tightly. She could sense the sadness coming from his being.

"Renji" she said.

Renji closed his eyes. He didn't need this right now.

"Let's checked for the injured" he said.

He ran off without even waiting for their response.

Ichigo swore under his breath as he followed him. Everyone slowly followed as they headed for the wreckage.

This was a moment that they wished never happened.

/

People were crying as they gathered neared the bodies of the deceased. So many lives were lost in that attack that they couldn't believe that it had happened. Why did this have to happen to them? What did they do wrong?

Torches were lit as they put the bodies near a lake. Water always symbolized purification so they wanted to preserve the souls before they became corrupted. They lost their loved ones to the Hollows, they didn't want them to turn into them as well.

Yamamoto gripped his cane harshly as he looked at the sight. It seemed the Soul Society was cracking since the defect of Aizen. He was losing control of the peace and balance that he created for thousands of years. Hell was slowly breaking loose.

He turned to Kenpachi and Byakuya.

"We need to perform a Konso immediately" he ordered.

"We can't risk the chance of them turning into Hollows"

Haine looked at Rukia.

"What happens if they don't perform it?" she asked.

Rukia looked at the ground with a grim look on her face.

"If we don't send their souls to the other realm, then they'll become Hollows" she said.

"When one dies so suddenly, they start to envy the living and wish to come back. When that happens they become Hollows, the things that ended their lives"

Haine gasped in horror. That sounded so much like what happens to a soul in Spira. If a person died and wasn't sent to the Farplanes, then they came back as fiends and preyed on the living. It was sad to see an innocent soul become so corrupted.

"A-and the longer you wait to send them off?" she asked.

"The greater the chance of them changing" Rukia finished.

A hand flew towards Haine's mouth. She couldn't let that happen. These were innocent souls that had nothing to do with this.

She had to fix this quick. She had to perform a sending.

"Sir Yamamoto!" she cried.

She quickly ran towards the head captain and bowed to him.

"Sir Yamamoto, please let me perform a sending" she pleaded.

As the two of them talked, Ichigo looked at Shaiya. The blue mage had a grim look on her face, just like everyone else.

"So, what's a sending?" he asked.

"Are we going somewhere?"

Shaiya gave him a glare for his stupidity. This was no time to act like an idiot.

She looked back at her sister as she tried to convince Yamamoto to perform a sending.

She closed her eyes grimly.

"The dead need guidance" she explained.

"Filled with grief over their own death, they refuse to face their fate. They yearn to live on, and resent those still alive. You see, they envy the living. And in time, that envy turns to anger, even hate. Should these souls remain in this world, they become fiends, or in your case, Hollows that prey on the living"

She looked at Renji who wore a grim look on his features.

"Sad, isn't it?" she asked.

Renji tensed up. He didn't need to be reminded of his mistakes.

Shaiya looked back at her sister.

"The Sending takes the souls to the Farplane, where they may rest in peace" she said.

Rukia looked at her.

"Summoners do this?" she asked.

Shaiya nodded.

"That is one of their main functions in Spira" she said.

"They are the pillars of hope for the innocent. As long as they're here, they won't have to fear about becoming Fiends. They may lack in physical strength, but they make up for it with their overwhelming spiritual strength"

Rukia was amazed. She never realized that their guest has such an important job.

She looked at Haine to see that Yamamoto finally agreed.

"Very well" he said.

"But make it quick. We can't have these souls in the presence of Hollows"

Haine nodded.

"Yes sir"

She turned to the grieving families and gave them a sad smile.

"Please don't be sad" she said.

"They'll be resting soon"

She went over to the water and quickly removed her boots. This would be her first Sending, so she didn't want to fail.

Gripping her staff, she slowly walked on the water. She could hear a few people gasp at the sight of her walking on top of the water, but she didn't mind them. She had a job to do and she had to do it quick. She walked towards the center of the pool and looked at the bodies that were sealed up and ready for their sending.

Biting her lip to prevent the tears from flowing, she held her staff high and started the Sending dance.

Everyone watched as she slowly spun around and twirled her staff around her. She looked so serious as she performed the moves that it was memorizing. Families cried for their lost ones, knowing that they would never see them again. Haine continued the dance as she slowly twirled the staff in her hands and held it high. As she danced, the souls of the dead floated from their bodies and surrounded her.

"What the hell?" Ichigo said.

Rukia elbowed him.

"Shh!" she hissed.

Renji jumped when the torches burst into blue flames. This was starting to get really creepy.

The water surrounding Haine shot up and performed a pillar. The more she danced, the more it rose.

The Captains watched as the souls rose up to the sky, where they could rest in peace.

"This is pretty messed up" Kenpachi said.

Byakuya and Yamamoto didn't say anything. They were watching as Haine finished the Sending.

As Haine performed the final pose of the sending, she let a tear escape her eyes. Her heart went out to the departed and prayed that they were resting in peace now.

She slowly walked back to the shore and faced everyone.

"It is done" she said.

"They're at peace"

Yamamoto nodded.

"I respect you for acting quickly" he said.

"That was smart on your part"

Haine figured that was his way of saying thank you, so she nodded.

She turned to the grieving families and gave them a gentle smile.

"They're at peace now" she said.

"You have nothing to worry about"

A couple of people managed to nod and thank you.

"Thank you, Lady Summoner, thank you!"

Haine weakly smiled to them before she walked over to Shaiya.

"How was that?" she asked.

Shaiya gave her sister a rare smile as she wiped the tear from her eye.

"It was good" she said.

"But next time don't cry. You need to be strong for everyone"

Haine nodded as she dried her face off.

"Of course" she said.

Rukia came over to her and smiled softly at her.

"That was breathtaking" she said.

"I've never seen anything like it"

Ichigo ruffled her hair and in friendly manner.

"You really are something, Haine" he said.

Haine smiled at the attention she was getting. It was nice to know that people appreciated what she did for people.

Renji stood away from the group as everyone gave Haine attention. He had to admit, he was amazed by the scene. He had never seen anything so beautiful yet sad at the same time. It seemed that every time he figured out Haine, she would surprise him by showing him something new. It was like she had so many tricks up her sleeves.

As he watched her talk to his friends, he realized that he was starting to see what a summoner really was.

/

A/N: and there you have it. I know it was a really sad chapter, but you kind of need those for stories. Now Renji is starting to see what Haine is really made of. I wonder what his reaction will be like when he sees her summon Aeons?

I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please review!

Ja ne!