Hey, it's been a while since I updated this one. Thank you to all of you who have been faithful. ^.^ Thank you all for the reviews too. I feel bad that I read them and never really update. This chapter has been long overdue. I tried to make it interesting. I hope you enjoy. I also would like those of you who (even if you don't review) add this story to your watch list/favorite list! ^.^ It means you still like it! I'm really hoping to update more often, so please don't give up hope! I tried to make this one extra long. I believe I'll try to make this one a HisagiXAsami. Haha, but I'd love to hear what you guys feel on that! Please tell me if you think she'll be better fitted to another character :) Well, please enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or the places. A few of the OCs are mine, but most are from a really close friend of mine. (Thanks for letting me use your imagination! :p)


Fearless

Chapter 10 – Respect and Time

Boredom. Nothing but pure boredom. Asami stares at the ceiling for what feels like years, though only a few moments go by. Hanataro should arrive soon with her food. Just like every other day for the last month. Today the timid youth was running late and, despite her outwardly bored expression, she was desperately worrying about him.

She's at the bars in seconds when the sound of the door opens. "Hanataro, wh-"

Her eyes widen when she sees who is actually standing there, and she backs away from the bars. Byakuya is standing just outside her bars along with his red-haired lieutenant. Asami's whole body tenses. The captain never visited her unless it was to scold her, or to "ask" her more information about the Arrancars. He hadn't been rough with her, in fact he had yet to lay a hand on her, but he always made her so nervous. Asami's stomach almost instantly settles into her shoes. She could feel every cold stare the two gave her.

Byakuya reaches forward and shoves the gate out of the way. Without a word, he turns gracefully and disappears from sight. Renji raises his eyebrow at the terrified Arrancar.

"You know, I heard that your kind is just as bloodthirsty as any Hollow." That comment causes a slight stir in her eyes. A stir of defiance. The red headed always sputtered some offhand comment that irritated Asami.

"Just as I heard your kind are nothing soulless losers." Just as it sparked a glare from her, it sparks a glare from the flame-haired male before her. She decides to cut it even deeper. "I thought that it might be wrong, because I've met some nice Soul Reapers. But with you, I see that it is the truth."

"Abarai, bring the Arrancar along," a cold voice interrupts. There is a pause before a few more words are added, almost like it is an afterthought. "Also, do not stoop to her level."

The man's face turns the same color as his hair. The sight almost has Asami laughing….. almost. The look was still threatening. It seemed to spell her certain doom should she voice her amusement. Asami looks down so that the angered Shinigami doesn't see how much the comment amused her.

A large hand wraps around her upper arm startling her. She almost instantly resists; however, she knows that any resistance would result in her losing her head. She happens to be very attached to the object.


The walk across the divisions seemed to take forever, at least to Asami. Shinigami of various ranks had lined up to watch her, or paused their training sessions to gawk at her as she walked past. Her eyes remain glued to the captain walking in front of her. She was already feeling like some king of circus animal on display with them all staring. She didn't want to have to look at them as well. She wasn't sure if they'd be like Hollows. She feared that if she looked at them, they would take it as a challenge and attack her.

Byakuya was walking gracefully in front of her. It looked effortless. Behind her, Renji, though less graceful as his captain, still held more grace than she felt. It was painfully obvious they were warriors. Asami wasn't much of one, even when she was in shape from the practices Ulquiorra had made her start.

The image of her friends fills her head. Grimmjow and Issei are at the front of her thoughts. She'd heard that Issei and Yuri had attempted a rescue around a month ago. While her friends had slipped back to Hueco Mundo unnoticed, Grimmjow's fraccion hadn't managed to be so lucky.

A solid back stops her in her tracks, thought-wise and physically. Her eyes lift up to meet the "wall's" eyes. The cold look chills her to the bone. She cautiously takes a step back. Snickering can be heard behind her. Resisting the urge to turn and glare at the offender, she tilts her head down.

A rough push from behind signals that it's time for her to move. Another large hand grabs her upper arm, but this one is different. It doesn't grip quite as hard as Renji, so Asami can only assume that it's Byakuya.

He pulls her to the center of the room where various sets of eyes rest upon her. Some are hostile, others are sympathic. Many are indifferent. Various amounts of spiritual pressure assault her. It's obvious with some spiritual pressures; the owner is trying to keep it under wraps. Others obviously don't care.

The color runs out of her face. She has to think about not shaking where she is standing. The hand is still wrapped around her upper arm, and Asami finds herself grateful for Byakuya's grip. Her eyes focus only on the floor. She couldn't believe that she was in a room full of captains. She'd been around the Espada but that was different. Despite them being bloodthirsty, Gin was always hovering somewhere nearby to alleviate her fears. Then Ulquiorra, as cold as he was, always seemed to hover around her and make sure that no one hurt her. As crazy as it sounded, Grimmjow also made her feel comfortable.

"What is your name, Arrancar?" An old voice pulls her thoughts back to the room full of captains. Asami's mismatched eyes drift up to look at an old man wearing a white overcoat over his Shinigami uniform. He is leaning on a crane. His long beard overflows over it, and his eyes seem to be shut. It vaguely reminds her of Gin. All eyes are set on her now.

"A-Akatsuki A-Asami," she says quietly. She grimaces as stutters. Her eyes immediately focus back on the floor. She's relieved when the old Shinigami turns his attention to Byakuya.

"Have you obtained anymore information from this one?" he asks in a fairly slow manner.

"No, sir. She has only told us that she is a fraccion of an Espada. She won't tell his number, nor his name. She will not tell us anything about Gin. I have already told you everything that she has told me about Aizen and Tousen. She went into detail about several of the Espada," Byakuya says. Asami's eyes drift up slightly widened. She'd never heard him speak that much nor that respectfully to someone before. His cold eyes find hers, and he stares at her for a moment before he turns to look at the older Shinigami again.

"Do you believe she is lying, Kuchiki-taicho?" A soft feminine voice asks from somewhere in the room. Asami's eyes drift downward. She didn't even look for the source of the voice.

"Unohana-taicho, I believe she is telling the truth. She doesn't exhibit any of the traits that we believed to be shared by all of the Arrancars, even the lower level ones," Byakuya answers the voice.

"What do you mean by that?" A younger voice asks. This time Asami can't help but look straight at the voice. Cold blue eyes stare back at her. White hair is sticking up in any direction it possibly can. His skin is slightly tan. He seems to emit an icy feeling toward her. He too wears a white overcoat over his Shinigami uniform. What surprises her is how young her looks. He still looked to be a child.

There is a hesitation in Byakuya's answer. The silence seems to weigh heavily on the two that are standing in the middle of the room.

"She has made…..friends with several of the Shinigami. Hinamori-san from Division Five has visited her on several occasions. Kira-san from Division Three has been known to have contact with her. Yamada-san from Division Four brings her food. The guards always have to shoo him away," Byakuya finally supplies. A wave of whispers runs through the assembled Shinigami before the oldest one slams his crane on the floor with a loud sound to call order back.

"Arrancar," he says making Asami briefly wonder why he even asked her name earlier. "What are your plans? Why do you associate with our soliders?"

Asami has to think for a moment. Why did she? The image of Momo's face pops up. She was laughing about something Asami said. Kira looking shyly away as he talks to her is next. Hanataro's face is next. He's staring at her wide eyed as he learns about the different places she'd visited as a Hallow, or when she describes how white Las Noches is. Her Hallow friends pop up as well. The last image she sees is of Grimmjow. He's standing with his arms crossed glaring at her for something she said. She couldn't even remember what it was that set him off.

"Arrancar?"

Asami looks up at the old Shinigami and takes a deep breath.

"I don't care that they are Shinigami. Friends are friends regardless of the race. Why should I shun them for being my supposedly sworn enemy? I chose who I wish to associate with and do so at my own choice. I chose to ask Aizen-sama to make me Arrancar. I did not wish to remain a Hallow any longer. It's disgusting. All you ever do is eat others in order to survive. I had no wish to evolve. I had no wish to become a Hollow….." Her voice trails as she looks at the dark floor. Her mind drifts to the past oblivious to the stares she is getting from the captains.

*Flashback*

Soft eyes watch as her family grieves at the headstone. Her name stamped in clear letters over the gray stone. Her mother was taking it the hardest. She was starting to blame herself for her daughter's death. The truth was it was no one's fault. It was just fate.

Asami reaches out wishing to comfort her mother. Her father hadn't spoken a word since the 'accident'. Her older brother didn't even show up. He was locked in his room. He'd been there along with their mother. She remembered him being the last person she saw as her eyes lost sight. But that memory was quickly fading.

That's what scared her the most. She couldn't remember anything other than what she was viewing now.

Months go by. Her brother spends all of his time at a friend's house. Asami can't blame him. Their mother's grief is too much. Then her and their father fights none-stop. They start to accuse each other for Asami's death. Asami tries to keep them from doing so, but they don't notice her.

It's the reason she stays…..until that fateful night.

Her footsteps are pounding off the pavement. She didn't understand what the man wanted with her. She just knew to get away from him.

As she skids around a corner, a solid body blocks her. Nothing is said as her world goes black. Vaguely, she feels something enter her spirit body.

*End Flashback*

"Is that understood?" the old man states.

Asami's eyes widen as she realizes she was caught in a daydream and just missed something vital. Her muscles tense. Barely a second later, a large fuzzy hand clasps around her opposite arm. Byakuya's grip disappears, and his spiritual pressure starts to recede. Asami looks up at him in a panic, but his back is to her. She highly doubted he would have cared in the first place. Still, she knew him. She looks at the fuzzy hand. Odd…. It looked like a fox paw. Her eyes drift upward. She barely holds back a squeak of surprise. Of course being a hollow, she'd seen lots of strange things, but this had to top them all.

The creature was wearing the same white captain over and Shinigami uniform as everyone else. However, he had shoulder protectors on along with boots instead of the normal sandals she's seen other Shinigami wear. Redish brown fur covers the top half of his face and snout. White covers the bottom half. All in all he looked like a giant canine to Asami. His height only served to intimidate her. She swallows hard.

His golden eyes soften as he sees her fear. He lets her go slowly and then turn motioning over her shoulder. He makes sure he uses a soft voice as he says,

"Follow me. I'll show you to your new home, Akatsuki-san. Hisagi-kun will be kind to you."

Asami swallows hard again and follows him at a safe distance. Her hand reaches up and runs along the bone that is plastered there. What was going on? Why did she have to zone out on the most important part of the conversation? Her eyes find the large back. Did she dare as the large man?

"E-excuse me?" She stutters.

The captain stops and looks over his shoulder at her. She looks away as she tries to find the words. How did she put 'I wasn't paying attention while amongst my enemies' into words that didn't make her look like the clutz or fool that she felt like?

She couldn't.

"What is my fate? Who is 'Hisagi-kun'? What is going on? Where are we going?" She could almost slap herself for sounding like such a child. A deep growl makes her jump and look up at him. His lips are pulled back in a smile, that she'd mistaken as a snarl at first. The growl was a chuckle.

"You weren't paying attention were you?" The man teases. He turns to face her fully. They are out in the middle of a disserted street near the first division's barracks. "You're fate is what you chose it to be. Hisagi-kun is the acting captain of the Ninth Division. Formerly Tousen's Division."

She tenses up at the last response. It obviously doesn't go unnoticed. She looks away, so that she doesn't have to see the questioning look. She simply supplies an answer.

"We didn't get along much. I preferred Gin over him. He didn't seem to like me."

Komamura just stares at her. He would have thought at first that Tousen would have taken an interest in a seemingly pure being. He couldn't help but trust her. She wasn't like other Arrancars. He can tell she feels awkward, so he turns and continues to walk. He says over his shoulder.

"Hisagi-kun will be training you. You'll have to decide what side you'll be on. I trust you'll make a wise choice. You're lucky. Not many Arrancars get the chance to walk freely among us. Don't be fooled. Many will despise you for what you are. Right now we are headed toward the Ninth Division's head quarters."

Asami follows silently after a moment. Her mind wonders to what was told of her. She missed her friends. She missed Hueco Mundo oddly enough. She did like it in the Soul Society though. Everything seemed to be much cleaner to her. Hueco Mundo smelled of Hollows, death and decay. It was a constant struggle for survival. Her mismatched eyes drift over the many people wandering around. All are Shinigami. Soliders, just like the Arrancars. Those that don't notice her have a peaceful expression on their face, despite the looming war. Laughter can be heard from around a corner. Asami's eyes widen in amazement. No one was trying to kill each other. No one was trying to get closer to the leader. Everyone looked content.

Everything and everyone looked peaceful.

She felt overwhelmingly nervous, but an overwhelming joy at the same time. She was about to be a part of this peace.

It was just how Gin had told her.


The silver-haired man is stretched out on his bed. He'd caught Grimmjow trying to sneak off again. No doubt to try and find Asami.

Though he never admitted it, Gin really wanted to make sure she was ok. He could tell that Aizen was getting upset over the constant failings of his petty Arrancars. Gin didn't even know why she was so important to the head ex-Shinigami.

He releases a noise before a knock even appears outside his door. He knew it was Yuri. The man was practically in love with Asami.

A light brown-hair colored head peeks in. Before Gin knows it, Asami's whole crew falls through the door. Yuri was the only one that held any pose. The rest was a struggling mass of tangled limbs and swear words.

Yukiko is the first one out of the bunch. On her hands and knees, she glares up at the ex-Shinigami and states loudly.

"We want to save her. We want to go to where Asami is, Gin-sama!" Another three sets of determined eyes join the mix. Gin sits up to look at all of them. His ever present smile isn't as large as normal. It shrinks even further upon seeing the former Sixta Espada. He opens up his eyes for once to get a clear image of them all. Only Grimmjow, Yashiro, Issei and Yuri don't shrink away in fear.

"Just tell us where the bitch is." Grimmjow snarls at the ex-Shinigami.

Gin's smile grows, "Oh that's easy. She's in the Soul Society."

The present Arrancars freeze then slowly look at one another. In that moment, Gin closes his eyes and thinks a thought that sends a slight thrill of happiness through him. You've got yourself some loyal people around you, Asami-chan. Even your Espada is here.

Around the corner clearly in hearing range, Ulquiorra leans against the wall with his vivid green eyes closed. He processes the information before he pushes off from the wall. He starts toward a destination to avoid any unnecessary questions from the former Espada or lowly Arrancar.

He couldn't help but feel that those lowly Arrancar would be the driving forces that would change the tide of the looming war.

He dismissed the thought almost immediately. He still had to figure out why Aizen was so crazy about finding his Fraccion. He had heard reports about her whereabouts; however, Gin would silence the scouts. A few times Ulquiorra had come upon the mess left by the ex-Shinigami. Neither had said a word about it.

Ulquiorra wanted to find out what was so special before he went to retrieve her. He figured if he was patient, Gin would eventually reward him with the information he craved.

It was only a matter of time.