...

'Please, please, give me little strength.'

Sweat rolled down the sides of her face, and each step she took the tighter her chest got. Hiori had never been a very compitent runner, although she ran often, and she had never understood why the tightness in her chest always came on so soon after she started running. She didn't no how long she had been running for, nor did she had any sort of vague idea in which direction she was headed. All she knew was that everything that she "knew" was crumbling down before her eyes, and at this thought she couldn't help but think of her inner world. The frailty of it all, and how any minute, the slightest misstep could bring it all crashing down on top of her.

"Mm, you smell nice." said a voice. Hiori's heart leapt, and she abruptly skidded to a halt just before rounding the corner. A sudden, crushing presence had washed over her, bearing down on her weak bones as though she were being crushed to death by a ton of rocks. "Who knew I'd run in to such a pretty little thing around here?" the voice continued, and Hiori's already large gray eyes widened with fear and anticipation. Somehow, she could smell it. She could feel it. There was no doubt in her mind that the voice speaking to her was that of a Hollow's. "Aren't you going to run?" it asked, and the ground beneath her shook as the creature took a step or two forward. The masked monster's hot, foul breath washed over her, and she finally understood what Yoruichi had meant by saying something "reaked of Hollow". They really were disgusting. "Could it be that you can't see me? In that case, I'll just-"

Hiori's body moved of it's own accord, and she suddenly found herself bending over backwards to avoid a sudden jab from the corrupted soul's claws. A throat renching growl escaped its throat, realizing that it may prove difficult to catch its intended prey. It jabbed again, and Hiori had no time to think, only to do, jumping out of the way at the very last second. The creature chuckled darkly to itself, its bottomless eyes set only on her. He had thought that this girl must have just been a human with exceptionally high Reiryoku- But it seemed that she was more prepared for this sort of situation than he had originally anticipated.

"So, you aren't going to let me eat you?" the monster grumbing, rearing up on his hind legs and bringing his long claws down in one swift movement. The force he used swiped straight through the cement wall, and this time Hiori barely dodged, earning herself a hefty scar down her side. Blood seeped from the long, jagged cut, and had she been in a different situation she would have taken time to be angry over her now ruined uniform. The pristinely white shirt was now stained crimson, the bright red dotting the crisp fabric around the tear. Through it her large black tattoo was barely visible.

"Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini! Look upon yourself with horror and then claw out your own throat!" Hiori called, summoning up what energy she had learned to harness and sending it straight towards the enormous beast in front of her. He froze, his eyes wide with shock as he felt his body cease to move, the bright red light pulsating ominously around him.

"A Shinigami spell?" he choked out, his eyes darting around. Surely this human wasn't the one who had used this Kido against him? But he could see no one else. Hiori stayed silent, her furious eyes glaring up at the monster before her. Had the Hollow payed closer attention to her face, he most likely would have seen her arguing with herself internally. On the one hand, she needed to finish this Hollow in order to survive and obtain the answers she both needed and deserved- But on the other hand, she was reluctant to believe that this was truely her power, or that she was a Shinigami to begin with. The more she doubted it, the more her Kido seemed to waver, and her gaze hardened as holding onto the spell became increasingly more difficult.

"What are you after, Hollow?" she asked, desperately attempting to disguise the ever growing panic in her voice. "What do-" She was cut off by a sudden, rough blow to the head, which sent her careening into the wall behind her. Geki released, and the Hollow was once again able to move- And this time, he had back up. Hiori could feel her body going numb- Her deep red hair pooled around her hands where she lay, defenseless, on the ground. Her head was throbbing, and she couldn't think straight, much less defend herself against four hungry, not to mention enormous, Hollows.

"Are you stupid?" a voice asked, and Hiori blinked. Her vision now seemed clearer, although what she was looking at had most certainly changed. The boy had returned, and his thoroughly unamused expression told her that he was more than disappointed in her at the moment. "This is pathetic, Hiori." he muttered, digging his hands into his pockets and glaring at her. Hiori suddenly remembered how Yoruichi had called this boy "sassy", and now that she was speaking with him, she had to agree. He was being rather rude. "Just use Shunpo, like you always do."

"I don't know how to do Shunpo." she replied stonily, and her knees shook as the maze around her dropped clouds of dust and small pieces of rock all around them. The dark haired boy raised an eyebrow, taking a step closer to her before continuing.

"You used to be such a badass- What happened to you?" he retorted, his goading eyes not at all matching the passive expression on his face. Hiori frowned, crossing her arms over her chest and turning away. "This is just humiliating." he mummbled, mostly to himself. Glancing around, her ran his thin fingers through his feathery hair, a slight frown creasing his forehead. "The longer you deny these things, the quicker this world will deteriorate, you know."

"What do you mean?" she blurted, uncrossing her arms, curiosity getting the better of her. The boy seemed to notice this, as well, and instead of answering he merely snickered.

"You really are an idiot." he said, causing Hiori to flinch indignantly. For someone who lived in her subconscious, he sure didn't seem to respect her very much. "That's not something to talk about right now. The logner we wait, the closer we get to becoming Hollow food." Hiori gulped, suddenly remembering that, while she was in here, everything that had been happening previously in the real world continued. "So. What are you gonna do about it?"

"You tell me, you fucking useless idiot!" she retorted, snarling slightly as she did so. She had had it with cryptic people saying things like 'You already know', and 'You're a Shinigami'. She didn't have time for it, especially now, and she figured that out of all people this boy should know best- He was made from her mind, after all.

"I'm not your mind, I'm your soul." he explained, rolling his eyes in apparent distaste. Hiori was briefly taken aback.

"I... What?" she murmured, eyeing him curiously. "My soul?" He nodded once, his calm blue eyes eyeing her in a detatched sort of way. "Why the hell is my soul a man? Am I secretly a hermaphrodite, too?" With all the things she had been learning about herself recently, it really wouldn't surprise her if there had been more, although she had to admit that she would be seriously pissed if she turned out to be a she-man.

"... No. Are you dumb?" Hiori's eyebrow twitched. That's all he had been saying to her ever since she got here. 'Stupid', 'Are you dumb', and 'Idiot'. It was hardly endearing. "A soul doesn't have to be the same gender."

"Well, excuse me! I didn't know!" she replied, throwing her hands in the air, defeated. "There's all this shit I don't know, and everyone keeps telling me that I do, and I don't. So what the hell do you want from me?" As she said this, Hiori could have sworn that she saw what looked like a smile flicker across his face. "Fucking hell!"

"There ya' go. Let it all out." he muttered tiredly, as if it were something of a routine. "Now stop complaining." He shot a venomous glare in Hiori's direction, which shut her up immediately, although he seemed to purposefully be keeping his voice as nonchalant as possible. Without another word, the boy reached inside the wall to his left, drawing out a dusty and tattered looking book. The cover was worn, almost ancient looking, and Hiori half-expected to see cobwebs inside of it. "We don't have a lot of time..." he murmured, thumbing through the book until he found what page he was looking for. A mischevious smirk grew on his face, as though he were about to get his way with something.

"H-hey... Mister Inner-Me... What're-" The boy scowled, keeping the book open and walking briskly up to her.

"It's not 'Mister Inner-Me', you bitch!" he retorted, and no sooner had the words left his mouth Hiori felt something slam straight into her face, her vision turning black, and all of a sudden she knew just what to do, and just how to do it, yellow words that read as instructions flashing over her mind's eye. Everything was so crystal clear. She opened her eyes, the ravenous masks of the Hollows now dangerously close- And then she was gone. Soaring, flying, she couldn't even feel her feet touch the ground. A strange feeling of nostalgia came over her, as if she had done this often, and as if she had been extremely good at it. It was a wonderful feeling, this free-falling feeling.

Suddenly, her door was in front of her. She wasn't out of breath. She didn't even feel tired, and for a moment she felt as though she were on top of the world- That was, until the horrible sensation from the injury she had sustained washed over her once again. Her knees buckled, and she soon found herself collapsed in the middle of her lawn. No one was home, and she figured that the blood loss must have been what was making her feel so dizzy. So she lay there, her thoughts that had once been so clear soon fading back into an enormous tangle of problems. Her breathing evened out, and she shut her eyes, letting sleep take her as she felt the sprinklers turn on, sprinkling her heated skin with cool water.

She was Hitsugaya Hiori. And, apparently, she was a Shinigami.

"We need to talk." Hiori gulped audibly. The voice was stern, calculating, and most of all very suspicious. Hiori had, against her better judgement, decided to come to school that day. Originally, she had thought that Ichigo had decided to let the incedent the following day slide, as he hadn't even spoken to her since she entered the classroom. Unfortunately for Hiori, it was now the end of the day, and they were the only two left in the classroom.

"What about?" she asked monotonously, crossing one leg over the other and leaning back in her chair. Ichigo made a face, apparently not appreciating her attitude.

"You know what." he replied resolutely, his brown eyes narrowing as he stared at her. Any false hopes that she may have had about somehow wriggling out of this situation vanished completely, and she could clearly see that Ichigo was on the verge of loosing any trust he had ever placed in her. She bit her lip, casting her gray eyes downward as she debated with herself internally. On the one hand, Ichigo wanted answers, and he deserved them. After all, through all this he had protected her when she couldn't go up against Hollows on her own. On the other hand... She had no answers to give him.

"I don't know what to tell you, Ichigo," she murmured, folding her arms across her chest and glancing up at the boy in front of her from beneath her eyelashes. His gaze hardened even more, and she could see that he wasn't going to accept that sort of half-assed answer. Sighing heavily, Hiori put her elbows up on her desk, folding her hands over each other and resting her chin on the backs of her hands. "It's not as if... I know any more about the situation than you do." she explained.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, crossing his arms angrily and scowling.

"It means just what I said." she replied resolutely before standing up. "If I were to tell you the truth, it wouldn't help you at all."

"How can I believe that?"

"If I really think about it... I can't even remember how I got to Karakura town." she said softly, running her fingers through her long red hair. "I don't remember anyone in my life before the hospital. So I don't know what to tell you."

"So what? You've got amnesia or something?" he asked, looking up at her from where he sat. "That's such a lame excuse- I don't even know if I believe it." Ichigo said as he rubbed the back of his neck tiredly. "Pretty convenient, isn't it? Not being able to answer any of my questions."

"That's one way to look at it," Hiori said. To her, it hardly seemed convenient. She would have liked, more than anything, to be able to remember just who she was. Just what she was. Where she had come from, and what she had been like before. If she was a Shinigami, like the Ishida said she was, then was she really even a fifteen year old girl? She could be thousands of years old, trapped in the body of someone much younger than she really was. Ichigo stood up, tossing his school bag over his shoulder and putting his free hand in his pocket.

"I just need to know who you are, Hiori." he said somberly, his eyes meeting hers as he waited for her to say something. It was a little ironic, Hiori thought, someone asking her who she really was when she wasn't even sure of that herself. She had never fully appreciated the life that she lead, but now that it was slowly pulling away from her, she could only think about how much she wanted it back.

"Who knows..." she murmured, and a small smile passed over her face as she turned to go. The halls were empty, the bell signifying the end of the school day having rung ages ago, and as she exited the building she glanced up at the sun. It was low in the sky now, although she and Ichigo hadn't been talking for very long at all- Most of their conversation had been spent in an awkward silence, each of them unwilling to be the first to speak.

Hiori's shoe made contact with a small stone, kicking it forcefully down the pathway in front of her. The whole situation angered her- As of now, Yoruichi and Urahara probably knew more about her and her life than she did. It was troubling, having other people know exactly who you are when you had absolutely no clue, as well as not knowing how you had even forgotten something so important in the first place.

After turning random corners for what felt like hours, Hiori once again found herself at the dead-end road where Urahara Shop stood. The large blocky letters on the sign stood out in the rapidly dimming light, and she couldn't help but wonder exactly who this Urahara Kisuke was.

"Ah, Hitsugaya-san," a jovial voice said, causing Hiori to jump quite noticeably. Somehow, Urahara always seemed to be able to sneak up on her. "Are you looking for Yoruichi?" he asked. Hiori paused before turning around to face him. In his arms he held a familiar black cat, its large frame drooping as he held it under its front legs. The cat was giving Hiori a dead pan gaze- Yoruichi didn't seem to enjoy being held like this.

"I... Uh, I didn't know she was here, actually." Hiori confessed, looking questioningly at the cat.

"Oh?" Urahara murmured, placing the cat carefully on the ground before continuing. "Then why is it that you're here, Hitsugaya-san?" Hiori was silent for a moment, glaring resolutely at the ground as she processed her current situation. She wanted to ask him outright. Just come out and say it. But considering that the both Urahara and Yoruichi had gone all this time without telling her anything about herself, she figured they wouldn't be inclined to answer all of her questions. It seemed that they were determined for her to figure it out for herself, as troublesome as it was. She sighed heavily, folding her arms over her chest and drumming her fingertips agitatedly on her upper arm.

"I came to ask you something." she said finally. Her eyes were set firmly on the cat, who was now twisting around her ankles in a feline sort of way.

"Ask away."

"I don't think you'll answer me," Hiori said quickly, kicking Yoruichi away as she clawed at her leg.

"And why wouldn't I?" Urahara said, adjusting his green and white striped hat. Hiori pondered that statement for a moment, not entirely certain how she should reply. If he wasn't opposed to answering her questions, then her luck couldn't be better, but she had a sneaking suspicion that this was just too good to be true. With Yoruichi, things had never been so simple, and she doubted that things would be too much different with Yoruichi's friends.

"Am I a Shinigami, Urahara-san?" she blurted, deciding to take a direct approach. Something flickered over Urahara's face, an expression that Hiori didn't recognize. He was quiet for several minutes, and Hiori could feel her palms start to sweat- He was doing this on purpose.

"Why don't you tell me, Hitsugaya-san?" he said finally. At this, Hiori looked up from the ground, shooting an demonic glare his way. It was all she could do to keep her temper from blowing up then and there.

"I-You... You tell me, you stubborn bastard!" she roared, grabbing Urahara by the collar as she did so. He was only half a foot taller than she was, and yet he still had to look down at her, which she hated- She wasn't used to feeling so small, and the ridiculous wooden sandals that he wore only made him seem taller.

"My apologies, Hitsugaya-san, but it would work much more in your favor if you were to remember things on your own." he explained, keeping his face calm as he stared down at Hiori's enraged expression. Despite her anger, Hiori couldn't help but feel that this situation seemed somewhat familiar, and she couldn't shake the feeling the she had, at one point, been fairly close to the man called Urahara Kisuke. "Now, why don't you tell me what brought all this on."

"Reiroku." Hiori said simply, releasing Urahara and walking towards the shop, the large black cat in tow. "A boy in my class used Reiroku and said that Shinigami had different colored ones... And mine was red. It looked like Ichigo's." she murmured as Urahara slid open the door to his shop. He made an amused sort of humming noise in the back of his throat, a small smile creeping over his features.

"How interesting. Another person in Kurasaki-san's class seems to have spiritual power..." he muttered as he sat down at the table in the middle of the room. "So, what does that tell you, Hitsugaya-san?"

"That I'm a Shinigami?" she replied, seating herself across from the light hearted man. "But... That just doesn't make sense."

"And why not, exactly?"

"I've never done anything like this before. Shunpo, Kido, all that stuff." she explained. "Why now?" Urahara was silent for a moment, and Hiori raised an incredulous eyebrow as he exchanged glances with Yoruichi, who was now sprawled lazily on her furry back on top of the table.

"Well, that would most likely be a result of your close proximity with Kurosaki Ichigo." he said finally, and Hiori did a double take. What on earth did Ichigo have to do with her powers? Certainly just by being around him her body and mind couldn't be affected to this extent. When she voiced her opinion, however, Urahara shook his head slowly. "You aren't the only one who has had their dormant powers awoken by Kurosaki-san."

"What?"

"Both Yasutora-san and Inoue-san have discovered that they, too, seem to have some form of spiritual power." he explain. Hiori's gaze hardened instantly. Although she did not mind Chad having anything to do with the current situation, she couldn't help herself from feeling slightly annoyed that Orihime was now becoming involved. It seemed that, no matter how hard she tried, Orihime would always be deeply involved in some way, shape or form in Hiori's life. "They have never before shown signs of spiritual powers. I believe that, because of Kurosaki-san's overwhelming Reiryoku, he has drawn out their natural powers." Hiori nodded slowly, taking in the new information bit by bit. She wondered momentarily what sort of powers Orihime possessed, and if she was stronger than she was- She quickly dismissed the thought from her mind.

"With you, however, things are a little bit different." Urahara continued, and Hiori's attention quickly snapped back to the man across from her. "Your powers were, like Inoue-san and Yasutora-san, already there. But you have used them before, though, admittedly, not in this world."

"Not... In this world?" she whispered. Her hands were involuntarily shaking with anticipation, and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't calm her frantic heart beat. Urahara nodded in affirmation, once again resting his hands inside of his sleeves.

"For most of your life, Hiori, you resided in a place known as Soul Society." Hiori's breath caught in her throat. She had known that some sort of information like this was coming. But, "most of her life" could mean many things. Had she always lived there? And for how long? Who had she been while she lived there, and who had known her... She possessed no memory of it. "When you die in the human world, Hiori, you go to Soul Society. Such was the case for you."

"I was alive before now?" she asked suddenly, balling her shaking hands into fists. "Before this life? I was a different person?" Urahara nodded before continuing.

"You arrived in the Junrinan district of West Rukongai. And after some time, you became a Shinigami." he explained. Yoruichi righted herself, her yellow cat eyes shooting a warning glare in Urahara's direction. "That's basically how your life went." he finished lamely, and Hiori slammed her fists onto the table.

"But you haven't told me anything!" she protested, her gray eyes livid as she glared at the blonde man and the black cat. Yoruichi was regarding her calmly from her place on the table, apparently unfazed by her sudden outburst.

"Too much information at once could have repercussions." she said calmly, her gravely voice seeming to echo over the empty room. Hiori folded her arms across her chest, averting her gaze from the pair momentarily to glare at the floor. What was Junrinan? Or West Rukongai? And how had she gone from being a dead girl, to being a spirit, to being a Shinigami, and back to being a human again?

"Urahara-san," she began, her gaze still firmly set on the ground to her left. "Right now... Am I human right now?" Yoruichi answered before Urahara could find his voice.

"Of course not," she answerd, speaking as if Hiori were stupid. "The body that your spirit is currently inhabiting is called a Gigai,"

"What the hell is that?"

"A Gigai is an artificial body, used by Shinigami," Urahara answered. "They allow them to interact with others in the Human world. Mainly, they use them so they can carry out prolonged missions in the Human world- But in your case, it was so that you could lead a normal life until you figured things out again." Hiori stayed silent for a moment, and then without thinking she dug her nails into her forearm. "Ah... Hitsugaya-san, what are you doing?" She gave no answer, and instead continued to poke a prod at her body. For a fake body, it sure seemed real. Nothing seemed off about any of her reactions- But then again, how was she to know how anything was meant to feel? For all she knew, everything she had ever experienced- Any feeling, anything she saw, anything she tasted- It could all be wrong.

"How did I get here? Why didn't I just stay a Shinigami?"

"The decision to not remain a Shinigami after your arrival in the Human world was a decision that you made yourself." Urahara replied. "How you got here... That is something you will learn at another time."

"That's not fair." Hiori spat, glaring icily across the table. This was her life they were talking about, yet they refused to tell her what she wanted. Yoruichi made her way across the table, stopping only inches in front of the red head's face, noses nearly touching.

"Remember what I said- Too much information at once could prove harmful." she said, her yellow eyes meeting Hiori's for a moment. "Besides, wouldn't it be better if you remember on your own? We could be giving you faulty information- You're too trusting," Hiori glowered, and she grabbed Yoruichi by the scruff of the neck.

"Give me bad information, and I will kill you, you stupid cat." she grumbled, challenging the cat with her eyes while she glared at her. Their staring match was suddenly interrupted, a crushing power suddenly coming into the air. Hiori released Yoruichi, and the large cat landed with a resounding thud on the tabletop. Hiori felt as though her bones were being crushed, and she could have sworn that she could hear them creaking.

"This Reiatsu..." Urahara murmured as he glanced out of the front door curiously. Yoruichi nodded, hopping off of the table.

"There's no doubt... It's him." she murmured, and Hiori followed Urahara's gaze up towards the now darkened sky.

"Who?" she asked softly, and Yoruichi paused briefly before answering.

"Kuchiki Byakuya."

Progressed Hiori's memories a little further in this chapter, although she still has no clue as to what happened in her past, or what Rukongai is. The more she denies her past, however, the more unstable her inner world gets- And she still doesn't know which of her "Zanpakutos" to trust.

As always, reviews are much appreciated!