His head hurt. And his chest. And his side. And his legs. And his arms. Kage squinted as he opened his eyes, the light burning into his retina. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he slowly opened them, taking in his surroundings. He was lying on a futon in the middle of a brightly lit yellow room, an orange glass like thing hovering above him. The walls were all the same, looking like sliding doors. His body had been left sitting in the corner, slumped over. He shrugged off a feeling of annoyance, before trying to sit up. He immediately regretted it, as his side screamed at him. Falling back onto the futon, he wondered where the hell he was? He of course remembered what had happened before he had fallen unconscious, but he didn't know anything past that. He lifted up the sheets that were draped over him and looked at his side. The wound was smaller, but still quite raw. He could've sworn he was able to see the flesh growing and knitting back together, but he decided it was just his imagination. Akira and Ryota were most likely worried sick, as well as Sakura.

He glanced over to the right and saw his sword lying beside the futon in its black sheath.

"I missed you," she said as he placed his hand on the outside of the sheath. The statement actually sounded quite genuine, lacking her usual sarcasm.

"How long was I out?" The injured boy inquired.

"A day two hours ago," she replied.

"Crap, I've gotta get up," he thought as he tried to sit up again. Surprisingly, the wound in his side had shrunk considerably, and was a lot less painful. He sat up, but bumped his head off the orange sheet thing.

"What is that?" he asked as he slid out from beneath it. As he did, he felt his body become weary, but he managed to stand. While he stumbled to his body however, he heard the door slide open. A teenage girl a bit older than Kage poked her head around the door, her long orange hair falling haphazardly across her face. Her hair was pinned back with little blue pins, but one of them looked broken, missing two of its six points. Her face was innocent, though her brow was creased with worry.

"Em.. hi?" Kage said uncertainly. The girl just stood there, staring at him. It was making him quite uncomfortable She didn't seem to register Kage's greeting, she just stood there.

"Well I'm just gonna go," said Kage, shrugging on his shihakusho and making his way to his body.

"STOP!" the girl suddenly shouted, causing Kage to freeze in a panic. "I mean, please don't leave, your wounds haven't healed yet," she said, blushing slightly. It was almost as if she had shouted by accident.

"What a weird girl," Kage thought to himself, as he stood awkwardly, not sure as to what to do with himself.

"You should lie back under Soten Kisshun, it'll help you get better," she said as she wrung her hands. Figuring she meant the orange shield, Kage lowered himself back onto the futon and slid beneath it. Almost immediately, he felt his wounds begin to heal, the skin re-growing and repairing itself. What was this strange power?

"So, em, what's your name?" The girl looked up from her feet, almost as if she was surprised that he was talking.

"Orihime Inoue," she said happily, having a sudden mood swing. Her somber expression was cracked by a toothy grin. "And your Kage Okinawa! Mr. Hat'n'Clogs told me!" It was Kage's turn to be surprised, who was this Hat'n'Clogs? What kind of a name was that? And how did he know his name? "Actually, I'll go get him now. Don't move!" she explained gleefully as she scampered out of the room.

Kage lay still under the glowing orange light and contemplated things. He needed to get home as soon as possible, he had decided that much. But getting out of this place was another thing. Orihime seemed intent on keeping him here until his wounds had healed, and as fast as they were healing, they were still quite severe.

His train of thought was suddenly interrupted by a loud 'clopping' sound which was approaching the room. The noise seemed to be generated by a wooden material of some sort. The door once again slid open to reveal tall man clad in a green robe standing beside Orihime. He had white hair and bore a lackadaisical expression, also sporting a green and white hat atop the mound of white. And to complete the image, he also had a pair of wooden clogs on his feet, the source of the noise. There was something familiar about him, he just couldn't place it.

"Hat'n'Clogs," Kage realised.

"Your powers of deduction never cease to amaze me," she said, her sarcasm returned.

"Nice to know your back to your old self," Kage replied vexedly. The two companions were torn away from their spat by a large yawn, emanating from Hat'n'Clogs. Kage propped himself up on his elbows, careful not to bump his head on the orange sheet.

"Well how are you feeling Kage?" started Hat'n'Clogs in a sing song tone.

"Okay I guess," he replied hurriedly. He still hadn't a clue how he'd gotten here, and he wasn't sure if he could trust these people.

"You got quite beat up, and if we hadn't got to you when we did, you'd probably be dead," he said, his voice equally as happy as in the last sentence. "Orihime's been healing you none stop since you arrived here." Orihime just nodded and stared at the ground. She didn't seem to be the most stable of personalities. One minute she's angry, then she's happy and now she was nervous. What an odd girl. The orange sheet must be her power, as Hat'n'Clogs had mentioned her healing him, and that was what appeared to be doing it.

"How do you know who I am?" he asked suddenly, adding a touch of venom to his voice. Hat'n'Clogs remained quiet for a second formulating a response.

"We've been..." he said uncertainly. "Keeping an eye on you," he chose.

"Well that's not reassuring in the slightest." Kage silently agreed with her.

"I've got to get home," he said abruptly, rolling out from beneath the orange sheet. In the few minutes he'd been lying there, his wounds had all closed, though the skin was a bit raw. Hopping to his feet he felt surprisingly reinvigorated. Orihime's power seemed very useful.

"Well it does look as if you're nearly better, just let Orihime bandage you up first." Kage would've argued, but he wanted to get out of here as soon as possible and he didn't want to risk an argument. He slid back into his body, before letting Orihime bandage him up. He noted that wounds he received while he was out of his body seemed to transfer to his body, though injuries to his body seemed to disappear when he was out of his body.

Hat'n'Clogs led him to the down a brightly lit corridor and out into the front of the building. It seemed to be a convenience store, with everyday groceries stacked on shelves. They seemed to be mostly dried goods however, things that wouldn't go out of date for long periods of time. Kage slid open the front door, and was about to leave when he felt a firm hand on his shoulder. Turning, he saw Hat'n'Clogs rummaging in his robes for something. After what seemed like an age, he pulled a small calling card from his pocket and handed it to Kage.

Kiskue Urahara, owner of Hat'n'Clogs Sweet Shop, it read. It had a phone number beneath the print which was written in a flowing script, a vain attempt at seeming classy.

"You'll need to be trained of course, so we'll be in touch," he stated. Kage was going to protest, that he didn't need to be trained, but the white haired man had already turned away. The words caught in his throat, and he was left gaping as the doors were slid shut in his face. He grudgingly turned on his heel and walked out of the yard. He supposed he could use a bit of advice, considering how he'd got in this position in the first place. He also thought he could probably trust them. They did save his life after all.

He walked out onto the street and stopped to get his bearings. He didn't really know this area but he saw a sign for a bus stop pointing left down the street. As he began strolling towards the aforementioned stop, he pulled his phone from his pocket. Unlocking the screen, he was shocked by what he saw. Thirty missed calls and fourty-five text messages. He hurriedly opened up the call log and went through them. Akira, Akira, Akira, Ryuu, Ryuu, Ryuu, Sakura, Sakura... It went on like that until around thirty-five when he saw a name he didn't expect to see.

Missed call from Taylor. Crap. The last time she'd seen him was when he had been walking away from her in the mall. She was probably extremely worried. Who the hell to call first? Akira was as good a place as any to start he guessed.

Ring...Ring...Ring...Rin- "Hello? Kage is that you?" Akira's voice crackled through the tinny speaker of the phone. Her tone was riddled with worry, like a mongrel with fleas.

"Yeah, yeah it's me," the teen replied trying to sound cool and collected. "Sorry about not coming home, I ended up staying at Sparky's house for the night and I just forgot to let you know," he answered sheepishly, hoping she wouldn't think to call Rayden's parents to make sure.

"Oh okay. KAMI YOU HAD ME SO WORRIED!" she screamed down the phone at him, forcing him to hold the phone away from his ear.

"I'm sorry geez. I'm on my way home right now though," he figured it was worth a shot, though it only resulted in a torrent of "YOU BETTER BE" and "GET HOME RIGHT NOW".

"I'm just at the bus stop now so I'll see you later," he said hurriedly, before ending the call quickly to avoid another hiding from the crazed woman. The bus was just pulling off when he reached the stop. Waving at the driver, he managed to get it stopped, before hopping aboard the bus and quickly paying the fare. Finding a free seat, he quickly called Taylor. The same tone rang again, and Kage waited for her to pick up the phone. After a few seconds, but what felt like much longer, the ring was cut off and he could hear a radio on in the background. There was a brief silence, which Taylor soon remedied.

"Hey.." she started quietly.

"Hey."


Taylor was lying on her bed face down, arms folded under her chin. She had her radio on, but she wasn't giving it any attention. She just didn't like it when it was quiet. She was twisting her long, golden hair around her index finger, a habit she had developed when she was younger. Her phone lay on the pillow beside her head, a silent sentinel, keeping watch for a welcome intrusion in the form of a call or text;'#. She was still quite perplexed and worried about the events that had taken place the other day. Kage had seemed so strange. He'd been alright one second, and then he had just punched the fire alarm and ran off.

"I wonder if it was that weird explosion on the roof that spooked him? Maybe it was a gas explosion, and he was just scared since the accident with his house," she debated with herself. Although it was a plausible explanation, Kage just didn't seem like the type to be spooked by something like that. Groaning in frustration, the girl rolled over onto her back. Her phone suddenly began vibrating on the pillow beside her, snapping her out of her trance. She grabbed it quickly and checked the caller. It was Kage. Answering quickly, she placed the phone to the side of her head. She could hear the sounds of traffic and horns in the background as she remained quiet.

"Hey.." she mumbled quietly.

"Hey."

"Where've you been?"

"Oh right," she heard him say with a chuckle through the phone. "Well I had to go home before I could meet back up with you guys, and I couldn't find you anywhere."

"Oh, okay," she answered. It made sense, but it just didn't seem right. She decided not to pursue it though.

"You didn't have to get so worried about it though," he crackled through the phone. Taylor started to blush, embarrassed. What had she been so worried about? They just hadn't met again, it wasn't like he'd been attacked or anything. She chided herself for acting so silly.

"I know, I know, sorry," she muttered.

"The sentiment's appreciated though," he answered happily, causing her to blush even more. What was wrong with her? She never acted like this.

"So em.. Do you wanna meet up?" It was out of her mouth before she could stop herself. The line went quiet for a moment, and Taylor held her breath, awaiting his response.

"...Well... I'm actually... eh... going out for dinner with my family tonight," he answered after a moment. A wave of disappointment washed over Taylor. Of course he didn't want to meet up. He had better things to do than spend time with her. "But I'll see you tomorrow anyways, yeah?" he added as what seemed like an afterthought.

"Yeah, tomorrow," she replied trying to sound happy. "Bye then," she finished dejectedly.

"Bye," he said, before he ended the call. Slumping back onto her bed, she ran her hands through her hair. Did she like him? Did he like her? They'd nearly kissed twice, but had been interrupted. And now he was making excusing so he didn't have to meet up with her. It was a terrible lie. It had taken him at least twenty seconds to come up with it. She shook her head. She hadn't felt like this since, since.. She couldn't remember when she'd last felt like this. It was so messed up.

Kage thanked the driver and stepped off the bus. A cold breeze flicked his black hair about as he slowly made his way to his house. He was worried about Taylor. She had seemed a little off. And he felt bad for lying to her about dinner with his parents. He'd talk to her in school tomorrow.

"If you have the spine." Kage laughed out loud, which resulted in an odd look from an old woman who was passing by.

"I s'pose you're right about that observation," Kage never had a great track record with bringing up touchy subjects. He was more of the avoid it and hope it sorts itself out type. He made his way up to the front door of his newly repaired house. Opening the door slowly, he slipped inside. He looked to his left, peaking around the corner into the empty sitting room. He wiped sweat from his brow, and was about to make his way towards the stairs, when he heard a cough behind him. A sense of dread filled him as he turned around to see Akira standing there, arms crossed tapping her right foot off the hard wooden floor.

"Looking for someone?" she asked, an evil smile showing of rows of white teeth, almost shark like. He gulped. It was going to be a long night.


Kage jogged out onto the pitch beside Rokuro, clad in the green and white kit of Karakura Rovers. There was a small applause from the meagre group of supporters, made up of friends and family. They jogged to the side of the pitch, where Rayden was organizing the warm up. Jogging across towards the other side line, they kept in line as they followed Rayden's shouts of 'knees up' and 'heels up' and so on so forth.

It was a great day for a game. The sun was out and the pitch was dry, but it was a little bit cold, just enough so you wouldn't overheat while you were playing.

The referee blew his whistle, calling the two teams to the centre circle. The teams shin guards and studs were checked and the captains were called for the coin toss. The two teams stood opposite, trying to silently intimidate each others with glares and discreet hand gestures.

The red jerseys of Karakura United were contrasted against the green and white of Rovers. Rayden shook hands with the opposing captain, the two of them trying to crush each others hands. After a cough from the ref, the two turned to face him. As Rovers were away, Rayden got to choose heads or tails. Picking heads, the ref proceeded to flip the silver coin.

"Heads it is," the ref said, before turning to face Rayden. He decided to stay as we were, as we would have the wind with us. We got into position and I took up my usual spot on the right wing. Rayden and Rokuro stood just outside the centre circle, ready to run in at the opposition taking the kick off. Rayden would be playing centre midfield, while Rokuro was our striker. With a sharp blast from his whistle, the game was off.


Rayden passed the ball to Kage, and he barely noticed the blond haired boy go down. The centre back of the other team smashed into him, and Rayden landed awkwardly on his left foot. The ref blew his whistle and Kage stopped the ball under his foot. He quickly made his way over to where his friend lay.

"Hey, Sparky, you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine," he answered with a grim smile, as Kage pulled him to his feet. Rayden stepped forward, but as soon as he put weight on his foot, he started to fall again. Their coach was there, and he caught the boy.

"You're gonna have to come off Sparky," he said morbidly. "Ryota, get warmed up!" he shouted over at the timid boy who was on the bench. With a brief nod, the brown haired teen started jogging up and down the sideline.

"Hey don't worry, you played great," Kage reassured him as he placed a hand on his shoulder. "We've got this in the bag," he said cockily. It was just an act though, and he knew that Rayden knew as well. There was twenty seconds to go and it was two all. They needed a goal fast.

Kage and their coach helped him over to their dugout, his hands draped around their shoulders.

"Kage?" Rayden said as he sat down on the bench.

"Yeah?"

"Don't screw this up," he said. They smiled briefly at each other, before Kage walked back towards the ball. The ref had placed it just outside the box, where Rayden had been fouled.

"You take it Kage," Rokuro said as he made his way into the box. Kage just nodded and stepped back away about a metre and a half and waited until everything was ready. Rokuro organised their team in the box. Two outside each post, to stop the ball going wide, one outside on the d to hit it back in if it came out, and three, including Rokuro, inside the six yard box.

The referee blew his whistle and the crowd went quiet. The whole park was holding its breath, the only noise, a light breeze which rustled the leaves of the nearby sakura trees. This was it, the last kick of the game Kage took a couple of steps towards the ball, before swinging his foot. He struck the white and blue orb with the inside of his boot, spinning it slightly. It rose majestically into the air, floating towards the white goals. Time seemed to slow as he watched the ball move through the air. As it reached the peak of its arc, it began to spin faster, pulling it to the left. It shot perfectly into the top right corner of the goals, leaving everyone in awe as the net stretched.

And then the crowd and the team erupted into a cacophony of whoops and cheers, and Kage was smothered in a mass of green and white. He thought he heard the shrill noise of the whistle, but he wasn't sure as it was exceedingly hard to hear through the chants of his name. He smiled to himself as he was carried to the changing room. Life was good.


A/N: I know it's been a while and you're probably all expecting a really long chapter and this isn't really amazingly long, but I'm on my mid-term break and you guys are probably thinking that if I was on my break would I not have more time to write? Wrong. First week is for catching up on sleep :D I'll be writing more now that I'm not all sleepy the whole time. And I'd like to thank RedRangerBelt for the review :) I really appreciate the support. I know nothing really happened in this chapter, so just bare with me please. I'd also like to thank everyone who's following the story and please keep reading :) Next chapter should be quicker than this at least :) See you guys then!