CHAPTER TEN! I'm so happy this story has gotten this far (in other words, that I've stuck with it this far haha). Since it's getting a little complicated, I wanted to give you all a reading key guide for the story:

Names

I thought some of you might be wondering about some of the name choices so here's a little explanation:

Hitosanai- in case any of you missed this, this was actually a clue as to Starless' true identity. Hitosanai is a name I created with a play on the Japanese words for "Hitoshi" (meaning "person") and " ja nai", the colloquial contraction of "dewa arimasen" (meaning "is not"). While Haruka Hitosanai is first believed to be Starless, her name actually points that she is not. The name "Hitosanai" roughly translates to "wrong person", meaning they had the wrong person when Ichigo and the others suspected Haruka for being Starless.

Torusei- this is another name I made up. It is the combination of the Japanese words "Toru" (meaning "take" or "harvest") and "Jinsei" (meaning "life). In the case of Torusei, his name roughly translated to "Taker of Life". This is a reference to how he takes a bit of Reiko's life force every time she makes a deal with him.

Oniyomi- yet another play on words. "Oni" (meaning "Demon" or "Ogre") and "Yomi" (meaning "Hades" or "underworld"). An Oniyomi is a "Demon from Hell".

Spiritus Patina or "Patina" for short- Latin for "Spirit Charger". This is the tool Reiko uses to channel her reishi into the Patina (allowing her to fly, among other things).

Lettering Types

BOLD lettering -this is used for any dialogue where an Oniyomi is speaking (like Torusei). Also used to signify a flashback (in which case you will see the word FLASHBACK and END FLASHBACK)

Italic lettering - this is used for a character's thoughts. Reiko's dialogue appears like this often because she usually speaks to Torusei telepathically.

Got it? GOOD! Now read on!

"Why are we doing this?" Ichigo mumbled as he, Rukia and Orihime stood on the doorstep leading to Reiko's home. Rukia and Orihime wore their school uniforms but Ichigo was in his Soul Reaper form. Rukia jabbed an elbow into Ichigo's side, "Sagara-san needs some things if she's going to be staying at Urahara's for a while, but she can't risk coming herself."

"And she doesn't want her mother to worry," Orihime added, reaching up to ring the bell, "She'll wonder where Rei-chan is if she suddenly doesn't come home. She might go to the police."

"Yeah, yeah." Ichigo grumbled, straightening up, "So how come I have to be-"

"Why don't you try listening when we plan things, idiot?" Rukia growled, "We went over this back at the shop!"

-FLASBACK-

"Could the three of you stop by my house?" Reiko asked. Ichigo blinked, "Huh? Sure but...why?"

"I need a few things, but it'll be hard to explain to my mom. She'll just worry and question me; I don't think I'll be able to lie to her." She shook her head sadly, "Mom knows...about Hollows and Shinigami and Soul Society...but she's has no awareness. Her spiritual energy is completely normal, she's human. She understands that this is all real and that I can see it, she's even met Torusei, but she can't see it for herself. I can't risk going back now, not with my powers gone."

She looked up at Orihime, "Mom knows you, Orihime. Not only will she believe what you tell her, but I know she'd be happy to see you again." Orihime nodded and smiled, "I'd really love to see Hito-neesan again, too!"

"And you're a pretty trustworthy person, Rukia. Or at least, you look like one. I don't think Mom will be intimidated by you if you come, and it might make her feel more at ease." Rukia nodded and Reiko turned to Ichigo, "that just leaves..you."

"Huh? The way you said that kinda irritates me, for some reason."

"Like it or not, you look like a thug. If you walk in, the whole cover story will be blown, so I'm leaving it up to you to get the things I need."

"Great..." Reiko handed him a piece of paper, "This is what I need. Make sure you get everything on this list. And stay in Shinigami form! Mom won't be able to see you, so you should have no problem getting up to my room. I wrote the directions to my room on the back." He had refrained from telling her he knew exactly how to get to her room (he didn't think she'd appreciate his saying they'd done something similar to this only a few days ago) and slipped the piece of paper into his pocket with a grunt.

"Remember," Reiko had called as they walked away from the shop, "If I find out you went pervy with my underwear, Ichigo, I'll kill you!"

-END FLASHBACK-

"AS IF!" Ichigo shouted. Rukia elbowed him again, "Who are you talking to?" she hissed as the door opened.

Reiko's mother peered out at Rukia and Orihime, a small smile on her face, "Hello!" she said cheerfully, "My, what pretty girls! What can I do for you, dears?"

"Hito-neesan! It's so nice to see you again!" Orihime bowed deeply and Rukia quickly followed suit. Hitosanai furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, "'Hito-neesan...?" Her eyes suddenly widened and she opened the door wide with a bright smile, "Little Hime-chan? Is that you?" She pulled Orihime into a warm hug, "It's wonderful to see you again! Look at you!" she held Orihime out at arm's length and looked her up and down, "You've grown into a beautiful young lady. You look so much like your mother."

"I've missed you, Hito-neesan!" Orihime gave her a cheerful smile and Hitosanai smiled even wider. She turned her smile on Rukia, "Are you a friend of Hime-chan's? Please come in, both of you! I'll make some tea. I want to know everything you've been up to since I last saw you! You were just a little girl then, but I suppose time really does fly by in the blink of an eye." She beckoned them to follow her inside. Rukia threw Ichigo a look as she passed him, silently telling him to make sure he didn't make any noise as he got what Reiko needed from her room. Ichigo slipped inside after them just before the door closed.

Reiko heaved a heavy sigh as she pulled of her school shirt. The blouse was horribly wrinkled from her fall after Renji's attack; the sleeves splattered with dried blood. She would have to try to wash it out, otherwise throw it away all together. Slowly she unzipped her skirt and slid that off too, kicking it aside. She stood in her underwear and gazed at herself in the full length mirror mounted on the back of the washroom door. You've lost a lot of weight again. Torusei whispered in her mind. She ignored him, abruptly turning from her reflection to pick up her discarded clothing. With the skirt and blouse in her arms, she opened the door behind her to see a large bath, the water ready and waiting for her.

Reiko carefully laid her clothes in a corner where they would not get wet and sighed again. She seemed to be doing a lot of that, lately. With the powers suppressed, she expected she had a lot more sighing to do int he near future as well. She reached behind her back to unhook her bra and flung it into the corner with her clothes before pulling down her panties. I thought you wanted to talk? Torusei whined, But now you're ignoring me? Are you angry with me, my lovely?

And why wouldn't I be? Reiko grumbled to him as she plopped down on the stool and began to wash herself All these years we've been together, and you never thought to mention that you're a Demon? You didn't think that was important at all? She angrily splashed water over herself to rinse away the soap suds and bent over to start washing her hair You knew! You knew all this time that I've been trying to avoid Soul Society, and for good reason! You didn't think, just for a moment, that my working with you would attract even more attention? And you still made all those deals with me!

You never asked.

Don't give me that shit, Torusei! I asked you the day we met, remember? 'What are you?', were those not my exact words? And what did you say-?

A friend. That was truthful enough.

You know that's not what I meant!

And yet the answer satisfied you then, so why does it not, now?

Reiko paused, her hair dripping with soap. He had a point...she had been satisfied with his answer back then, and hadn't asked what he was since. She had been happy to simply have a friend. But now...?

She heard the door to the washroom slide open "Um...Sagara-san?" Ururu's voice called out to her from behind the closed bath door, "Kurosaki-san hasn't returned with your clothes yet so...I'm putting a kimono here for you...I'll just leave it here..."

"Ah...thank you..." Reiko answered. She heard the washroom door slide shut again. She finished washing her hair and stood, turning to the bath at last. She sank into the hot water, dipping her head under for a while before sitting back against the tub's rim to stare up the ceiling. The stone pulsed on its chain against her skin. She reached up to touch it, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes.

She stood in the grass of the riverbank, a reflection of the one Ryu had died at. There was nothing beyond the riverbank. The water stretched clear past the horizon, as did the grassy field. Looking up at the sky, she tried not to grimace at the blood red color. The sky had once been a beautiful hazel, the same color as Ryu's eyes, but ever since she'd drank the suppressant, the sky had been a tinted red as if it were bleeding. This was the world within her mind. Reiko knew that the Shinigami had worlds similar to this within their own minds, where they spoke to their Zanpakutō. She doubted, though, that their worlds looked anything like this, or if they had any power over what their worlds looked like at all. Reiko on the other hand, did have that power.

I've yet to understand why you create the world to look like this. Torusei sat cross-legged in the grass before her, Does it not depress you to return here each time? I would think you would want to forget this place.

"I'll never forget it," Reiko said, still looking at the sky, "I can't. That's the whole reason why I made it look like this. It's a reminder of what I have to do." She gave Torusei a weary smile, "I hope that there will be a day when I'll never see this place again...but you're looking like that doesn't help matters." She narrowed her eyes

Looking like what? Torusei asked innocently, "Don't play dumb. You can make yourself look anyway you want, so why torment me? Or did you just forget that you've borrowed Ryu's looks?"

Not at all. My chosen look is very different.

"In what way?"

Isn't it obvious? My eyes.

Reiko shook her head dismissively, "Whatever...even if I complain, you're just gonna insist on looking that way anyway."

Well, your dear boy was quite handsome-

"You're going to answer every question I have." Reiko interrupted him. She hated it when Torusei talked about Ryu in the past tense like that, "No half-answers. No lies."

You wound me. You know very well that I cannot lie to my host. Even if I wanted to. He added with a bitter grumble.

"Good. Then first things first...What...Who are you, really?" She reached up to touch the stone around her neck, "Why was I given this? Why did you choose me? And who did you serve before me?"

Those are an awful lot of questions. I believe I answered them all at one point or other-

"No you didn't. When first I asked, you said you were a friend. You gave me your name, but nothing else. And as for 'why' it this was given to me, and who had it before me, you never gave me a clear answer."

It was yours to give.

"That's not an answer! Why? Why is it mine? Who told you to-"

I was not told by anyone. The stone is my vinculum, my chain. I am bound to it without fail. Through it I see the world, but only if it is worn by a proper host.

"Meaning me."

And others before you. It is part of the curse your lovely ancestor set upon me. I am forever bound to the most powerful spirit in your bloodline; meant to serve them until their death...or until the curse is finally broken.

Reiko looked confused, "'Strongest spirit'...? What do you mean? My reishi?"

Yes...and no. There is more than spiritual energy that makes a spirit powerful. That's all I can say.

"So...if you serve them until they die...then who will you go to after...after I...? she couldn't finish the sentence, but he knew what she meant.

I...do not know.

"You said you couldn't lie-"

It is not a lie. I really do not know. You are young and have not started a family of your own, someone to pass on your spiritual heritage to. As of now, you are the most powerful in the bloodline. When you die, I do not know what will happen to the vinculum. Perhaps the curse will be broken, or perhaps it will simply exist with no host. I do not hope for the later. I do not look forward to an eternity trapped within a stone.

"You wouldn't...you wouldn't take Mom as a host, would you?"

Torusei laughed, How could I? One cannot serve the dead. Unless you mean Haruka? No. I do not serve mortals.

"So Sora has passed away..." Hitosanai set her tea-cup down on the table, a look of sadness on her face, "I'm so sorry to hear that, Hime-chan. Your brother was a good man. I always respected how he took you away from your wretched parents and even continued to raise you so diligently after they died." she gave Orihime a sad smile, "He loved you very much. He was always worried that he was making the wrong choices while raising you. The way he talked about you, anyone would think he spoke of his daughter and not his little sister. I will miss him...would you let me to visit his grave to pay my respects?"

"I think Ni-san would like that," Orihime nodded, brushing away a tear from her eyes, "He loved you...he never told me, but I could tell when he talked about you." Hitosanai giggled, "I never said it myself, but I loved him to. He was a fine man, determined and kind. Perhaps...if things had been different..." she trailed off and they sat in silence for a while before Hitosanai offered another sad smile, "I wish I had been there to comfort you. I know all too well the pain of loosing a sibling..."

"I didn't know..."

"It was some time ago...I loved my sister very much, but things do happen. However, I don't think of it as something bad, at least not anymore. Yuriko's death...as tragic as it was, I think of it as a blessing."

"You do?" Rukia asked in surprise. She couldn't imagine ever feeling that way if her dear elder brother died. Hitosanai nodded, "That must seem strange, I know, but without her death I would never have become a mother. You see...Reiko was my sister's child."

Both Rukia and Orihime gaped at Hitosanai in shock as she went on, "I didn't even know she existed. My sister and I...we were very close when we were young. The best of friends, in fact. But...people grow apart, and that's all too true for siblings as well. Yuriko became distant as we grew up. Withdrawn. And one day...she vanished all together. Just left home without a word; no letter or warning at all. I never heard from her and try as I might, no one knew where she'd gone."

She sighed heavily, "I always thought that she'd left the country to pursue a dream. She was always good at painting, so I thought that perhaps she had gone to Paris or America to become a famous painter, that one day I might stumble across her work and be reunited with her. It was all wishful thinking, of course. I didn't want to think that my dear elder sister had simply abandoned me. After some time, though, that's exactly what I thought. I hated Yuriko for leaving without me...but I don't anymore."

"Because of Reiko?" Orihime asked gently and at that moment Ichigo walked into the room, the front of his kimono bulging suspiciously with Reiko's needed items.

"Yes...and because of Dr. Kurosaki." Ichigo's eyes widened "It was him who found my sister's body, with little Reiko, barely seven yeas old, beside her. The poor girl didn't even cry, Kurosaki-sensei said it was from shock. It was him who urged me to forgive my sister and to take Reiko home as my own. I believe he said 'nothing is more precious than family and this little girl needs something precious, now more than ever'. If it weren't for Kurosaki-sensei...I might have let my hatred for Yuriko turn my back on my niece...my daughter."

I can't believe that old man said something so cool, Ichigo thought in awe, and made a mental note to ask him about it the first chance he got. "Does...does Rei-chan know?" Orihime asked tentatively. Hitosanai smiled brightly, "Yes. She was old enough that I believe she remembers her mother well...and perhaps her father too, although I've no idea who he is. But she still calls me 'Mom', and for that I am thankful. I miss my sister...but I am ever thankful for the gift she has given me. I made a vow that I would raise Reiko with nothing but love and care, in Yuriko's memory." She took a deep breath.

"Oh but enough about me! To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit, Hime-chan?"

"Our class is working on a big project that will take some time to finish," Orihime said nervously, "But Rei-chan felt really sick at school today. She's resting at my house now. I don't think it's anything serious," she added hastily at Hitosanai's worried expression, "She just has a fever and I thought it would be good for her to rest. Is it alright if she stays with me for a few days?" They all held their breath, waiting for her answer. Hitosanai thought for a while and then nodded slowly, "Yes...that might be for the best. Reiko has been pushing herself far too hard, lately. Some rest and some friendly company is just what she needs. Is there anything I could get from her room that she might-"

"Oh no, ma'am!" Rukia said hurridly, "Saga...Hitosanai-san and I are about the same size, clothing wise, you see. I'll be staying with Inoue-san as well, so at least for a few days we should be OK."

Hitosanai looked doubtful but, as Reiko had said she would, she didn't question them any further. Instead she smiled, "I'm very glad that Reiko has made such good friends."

Rukia, Orihime and Ichigo all breathed silent sighs of relief.

"I can't believe my old man did something like that..." Ichigo muttered as they walked back to Urahara's shop, "He likes to brag a lot, so it's weird that he never mentioned Hitosanai and his help with her adopting Reiko."

"We were all young then," Orihime said beside him, "Maybe he was saving the story for when you got older?" Ichigo shrugged and held up the bag of items he had collected from Reiko's room, "I'm pretty sure I got everything. She better be damn grateful that I-" they all stopped when they heard a loud scream coming from the shop. Ichigo, Rukia and Orihime exchanged glances before they ran the full length of the street; the rest of the way to the shop.

"Is it a Hollow?" Orihime asked as they ran. Ichigo shook his head, "My badge didn't go off at all. Rukia, how about your cell?"

"I've turned it off for the time being, since it hasn't been working anyway." Rukia huffed. They finally made it back to the shop. It seemed quiet and undisturbed until they heard another loud scream, "YOU DAMN SHINIGAMI PERVERT!" followed by a loud crash and a yell. Ichigo exchanged another bewildered glance with the girls before he opened the shop door and they all went inside. When they reached the backroom, the three paused to take in the sight.

Reiko, her hair dripping wet and dressed in a simple black kimono, stood over Renji with the Patina in her hands. He was facedown with his head stuck in a large hole in the floor. He yanked his head out, his nose bleeding, and clutched at his head where Reiko had hit him with the rod, "OW! Damnit! It's not like I meant to!" He shouted. Reiko's eyes were furious as she raised the rod again, threatening to hit him once more. Ichigo rushed forward and grabbed the rod out of her hands, "What the hell is going on?"

"Why don't you ask him?" Reiko pointed an accusing finger at Renji, who hastily tried to wipe the blood away from his nose, "That bastard snuck into the bath to peak at me!"

"I DID NOT!" Renji said defensively, "I didn't know you were in there! I was just going to-"

"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR WHAT NASTY THINGS YOU WERE GOING TO DO, YOU PERVERT!"

"Didn't you hear Urururu tell Reiko the bath was ready?" Ginta asked, leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his chest, grinning beneath his wickedly red hair, "Or did you just tune that out?"

"I...I didn't!" Renji protested, but Rukia and Orihime both looked at him with disdain, "DAMNIT, I'M NOT A PERVERT!"

"Alright, ALRIGHT!" Ichigo said, getting annoyed. He thrust the bag into Reiko's hands, "Here. I got what you wanted. Just forgive Renji, alright? I don't think he really meant it. He's stupid, but not that stupid."

"WHO'S SIDE ARE YOU ON?" Renji growled but fell silent when Reiko looked at him again, reaching for the Patina that Ichigo held out of her reach, "I mean...he's right. I'm really sorry! I seriously didn't know you were in there, otherwise I wouldn't have...sorry." he bowed his head low to the ground from his crouched position. Reiko glowered for a few moments more and then snatched the bag from Ichigo. She held out a hand for the Patina and, after Ichigo hesitatingly gave it to her, turned on her heel. She stomped to the guest room without another word and slammed the door shut behind her.

"Geez, Renji. Can't you even try to get on her good side?" Ichigo looked down at Renji with amusement, "First you almost kill her then you walk in on her naked...are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"I can't believe you're such a pervert, Renji," Rukia said grudgingly, "I thought I knew you better..."

"I've lost so much respect for you, Abarai-kun." Orihime agreed.

"Stop it! Shut up! I'M NOT A PERVERT!" Renji wailed, but his nose began to bleed again at that precise moment; seemingly proving him wrong.

-To be continued...