Chapter 11:

With surprising strength, Lavender managed to hook her arms under Ichigo's chest and push him off her body. Once on her feet, Lavender took off running down to where her sister stood. She was at her sister's side in an instant. Before Sapphire could turn around, Lavender raised her hand and brought it down on her big sister's face. Sapphire staggered, shocked. Before she could open her mouth, it happened again. Lavender slapped her hard across the face.

Sapphire reached up and gabbed her hand. "What are you doing?"

"Something I should have done a long time ago!" Lavender tired to slap her again, but was restrained. Instead, she kicked her sister in the gut and tried to force her back. Sapphire pushed back on her sister and the two went tumbling to the ground. They rolled over each other again and again, fighting for dominance. Sapphire sat on her stomach until she was forced off and was pinned down by her sister. Lavender would then go rolling off her sister's body as she rolled on top of her. The pattern repeated itself as the two fought.

A crowd gathered around, watching the two sisters fight. Byakuya and Hitsugaya didn't know what to do. They were programmed to protect the girls from harm but here they were fighting with each other. Who do they obey now? Ichigo stood with Rukia and a few other Soul Reapers and waited for them to stop.

Finally there was a victor. Lavender sat on top of her sister's stomach, out of breath but triumphant. "This has to stop!" she shouted down to her sister. "I don't want to fight anymore! Can't you just leave it at that?"

"And let them win?" Sapphire spat. "I will not let them win! They've had their way for far too long! They can't get away with what they've been doing to us all these years! What about our people? Our friends and family? Everyone we ever cared about is dead because of them! Everyone died! Men, women, children, babies, grandparents! They're all gone! Slaughtered by Soul Reapers for no good reason at all! How can you say that this is enough? I want revenge! I want them all to die for what they did!"

"But we're punishing the wrong ones!" Lavender argued. "These Soul Reapers weren't there those nights! We should go after the ones that did it, not these people."

"They're all the same!" Sapphire struggled against her sister's grip. "I know you don't like it, but it has to be done! They're evil!"

"These ones aren't!"

Sapphire's eyes were glowing a bright like blue flame. "Have you so soon forgotten that it was them who attacked you in the streets that night when you were looking for our sister? They threatened you first! If Hitsugaya wasn't there to save you, you would have been killed on the spot!"

"I ran away! They chased me! They were only doing their job. I know they should have been a little nicer about it, but to them I was an enemy. The one I talked to said that if she had known, she would have been nicer about it. She would have tried not to be so scary."

"And you believed that? What about Ruby and those Soul Reapers kidnapping her?"

"She wasn't kidnapped. She wanted to play in the human world and told the Soul Reapers to take her. She was never in any danger!"

"And the Soul Reaper pets you want? You want me to give them back? I thought you wanted Hitsugaya around!"

"That isn't right, either! We have no right to force these things on them anymore! We took them away from their families! We're making them fight their friends! They may say that they want to be with us, but that's because that's what we want them to say! It's all a lie! Inside, they must be suffering deep in their hearts! I don't want to take them away from the people who love them just to be with us! It's a false life they're living! I don't want that to go on! Don't you get it? It's all wrong! This isn't right! Hitsugaya... Him and all the others have to go back to their old lives. Their real ones... I don't want them to live a lie anymore than I do! Knowing that is painful! If they are to love us and want to protect us, they need to do it on their own! Please understand that!"

"What about the big picture?" Sapphire was no longer pushing against her sister's strength. She lay flat on her back and screamed up at her. She screamed her words to the sky for all to hear. "What about them attacking our villages over and over again? What about them killing the innocent? What can they ever do to justify that? Why did all those people have to die?"

All fights around them eased. The warriors were now the spectators, watching and listening in silence.

"All the people we ever loved are now dead because of them! We used to live in peace before they came along! They're all dead, Lavender, all dead! That kind old woman who used to make us ice pops when it got hot, dead! The cute little kids that played tag with you and Ruby all day, dead! The old man who would tell us stories and make jokes, dead! That woman who made cookies for the kids just because she felt like it, dead! That other woman who treated us like her own daughters and gave us new clothes and fed us, dead! That mother and her newborn baby who we always made smile and laugh, they're dead, too! Everyone we ever played with, everyone we cared about, everyone we could ever love is dead, dead, dead!"

Lavender hung her head down. "I know that."

"Then why are you defending the ones responsible for that?" Sapphire finally found the strength she need to push her sister off. "That night, we saw a Soul Reaper cutting down our people! We saw him set fire to our houses! We saw a Soul Reaper smiling and enjoying what he did! How could you not think that they are evil?"

"Because they weren't all there! We only saw that one clearly. We don't know how many of them there were."

"Then what about the time we called for aid and it never came? Why couldn't they be bothered to save us from those Hollows? And when we asked for them to send someone up to treat the injured, they finished the Hollow's work and killed everyone but us! Why do they want us to suffer so much? Why do we have to live like this? Why do they keep putting my sisters in danger? Why can't they just leave us alone? What did we ever do to them?"

"That is enough!"

The crowd parted and the Head Captain Yamamoto came walking up the path they made for him. The Soul Reapers in the crowd knelt on the ground as a sign of respect to him. Staff in front, Yamamoto stopped in front of the two sisters. Ichigo gulped and waited. Was he going to sentence them to death or something? He prayed not.

"So you girls are the cause of all this, huh?"

Sapphire took up her bladed arm and lunged at him. "I'll kill you! I'll KILL you!"

Lavender held her back, pleading with her to stop.

"He's the leader! He's the one who gives out the orders! He's the one! Let me go! I'll kill him!"

"Sapphire, please stop! We're outnumbered and he's so much stronger than us!"

"I don't care! I'll kill him!"

Yamamoto was unfazed by the display before him. "So you believe that your homes were attacked by Soul Reapers?"

"Yeah, old man! We saw the whole thing!"

He said nothing and stared at her.

Sapphire thrashed against her sister's grasp. "Stop mocking me! You did it! You killed them! You let them all die! You're the reason we have to be alone for the rest of our lives!"

Still, he said nothing and watched her.

Filled with rage, Sapphire turned to someone in the crowd. "Hitsugaya, kill him!"

In a white blur, Hitsugaya charged in, sword extended before him. Several Soul Reapers stood up to defend their Head Captain.

"Toshiro, stop!"

This cry came from Lavender, and he stopped. He turned around and looked at her.

"Please, don't kill him! Don't attack!"

He exchanged looks from her to his intended target. He started to lower his sword.

"I said kill him!" Sapphire screamed. "I gave you an order, now do as I say and kill him!"

Hitsugaya started to raise his sword again.

"Don't do it!" Lavender cried. "Please don't do it! Don't kill him! Please don't attack! Please!"

"Do it! KILL HIM!"

"Don't do it! Please, Toshiro! Don't!"

He was torn. He didn't know what to do. He was supposed to obey these two girls no matter what, and now they were both telling him to do something different. Who was he supposed to obey? The sword rattled in his trembling grip as he looked back and forth, confused and stressed out. He didn't know what to do.

Yamamoto watched this and turned his eyes over to Ichigo. "So there really was a spell that bound them to their will, hm?"

Ichigo turned. "Duh! That's exactly what I've been trying to tell you! You never listen!"

Yamamoto went back to doing what he did best: not listening to Ichigo. Instead he continued to watch Hitsugaya struggle to figure out what he was supposed to do. "So he's being controlled by you, is that it?"

Byakuya stepped out from behind him. "It's a spell of Sapphire's. He no longer remembers being a Soul Reaper and has been brainwashed into thinking that he's always been their servant and is to obey them no matter what. Hanataro is under another spell of hers that basically turns him into a mindless slave. He has no idea what he's doing either."

"And what of you?" Yamamoto turned his gaze to Byakuya. "I saw you attacking our men as well, did I not?"

Byakuya nodded. "Yes, you did. I, too, am under her spell, though unlike them, I am aware of it but unable to control myself. It's like your will is attached to puppet strings, pulled by her fingers. You know what you're doing, but are helpless to stop it."

"Then why aren't you asking us to help you break free or at the very least, tell us what's going on?"

"That's another part of her spell. It alters how you feel. Right now, though I know I am being controlled, I like it. Call it brainwashing if you will but that's how things are."

"So all this time, Captain Hitsugaya truly had no idea what he was doing and cannot be held responsible for his actions?"

"Correct."

Sapphire screamed and tried to get to the Head Captain, thirsty for vengeance. "Why? Why did you do it? Why did you let them all die?" Lavender wrapped her arms tighter around his sister's body. "Why? Tell me why!"

"Because we didn't know about it."

Sapphire stopped thrashing but only for a moment to make sure she heard him right. "What? Don't lie to me! How could you not know?"

"Because we never got word of any attack."

"Of course not, because you were the ones who did it!"

"No, they didn't," Ichigo wanted to make her understand. She had it all wrong. "They didn't attack you. Aizen did."

She stopped struggling, wanting to hear everything he had to say. "Who's Aizen?"

"He was a Soul Reaper who just happened to be the captain of Squad 5."

All was silent as he explained.

"He gained our trust and fooled us all. A few months ago, he attacked and killed several Soul Reapers and escaped with two other captains who also betrayed the Soul Society."

"Why?"

"We didn't really know. No one did. But he stole something important that could be used as a weapon against us and the World of the Living. He's now on the Hollow's side. He fooled us all."

"But what does that have to do with us?" This question came from Lavender.

"Because one of the captains who joined him was Gin, and he's the only you saw attack your village. He was the one with the smiling snake-face, right?"

Lavender went pale and nodded. "That's right, he was. I didn't know his name, but… But I'll never forget that face."

"He wanted you to see him so that you and your sisters would believe that Soul Reapers attacked you. But he was the only one there that night. Aizen sent him because he had other things to do and couldn't do it that time. Then later you guys were attacked by Hollows and sent out a call for help, right?"

"Yeah."

"Squad 5 was the one that responded. The same squad that had Aizen as a captain."

"So?" This time, Sapphire was the one speaking.

"So Aizen's zanpakuto can create illusions basically that can manipulate all five senses. Once they got close to your village, Aizen must have used it on his squad to make them think that they were already at the village and fighting off Hollows. But actually, they were just a little less than a mile from your home. But under Aizen's influence, they thought that they were really fighting. Once all the fake Hollows were gone, they called the mission a success and went home while your real village was being wiped out."

"So he did that to make us think that the Soul Reapers never came?" Lavender asked, shocked.

"Exactly!"

Sapphire wasn't convinced yet. "Then what about when we asked for aid to treat our injured?"

"Squad 4 who provides aid never got your message," Rukia explained. "It was many years ago, but I talked to the guards who were on duty that night and they remembered that a message was passed to them asking for help."

"So what happened to it?"

"Gin intercepted it. He told them that he was on his way to see Captain Unohana who is in charge of Squad 4 and would give her the letter himself. But he never did. He wanted you to believe that the Soul Society was out to get you so he made sure that help never came."

"Then he and Aizen must have finished your village off later on," Ichigo finished.

"Now it all makes sense," Soi Fon murmured to herself. "He wanted those girls to see us as their enemy from the start. This was all his doing."

"But then why us? What did we ever do?"

"You're the Three Treasures," Ichigo answered. "Kisuke was a captain at the same time Aizen was a lieutenant. They must have shared information with each other about you guys. Aizen must have thought that you three would make good bait. So years later, after Kisuke left the Soul Society and was no longer a captain, Aizen must have seen his chance and gotten to work planning how he was going to use you. He was the one who attacked you in the first place along with Gin's help. The second time, he couldn't do it so he had Gin who had become a captain recently to go in and do it for him and this time make sure that he was seen by you so you'd know who your enemy was. Then he did it again and again to get you even angrier. He must have known that you would wait revenge and come after the Soul Society when the time came. That's what he must have wanted all along. He knew you'd end up attacking the Soul Society somehow and that the Soul Society would see you as the enemy and attack you back. He wanted a war between you two."

"But why? Why did it have to be us?"

"It's because of your power. He knew that you'd be a match for them because of the powers you three have. He wanted you to attack the Soul Society to weaken it, something he always wanted. He wanted this war to happen."

"Now it all makes sense," Rukia said aloud. "He wanted you to destroy each other. It was all a game! He wanted to confuse both sides and fool them both into thinking that the other side was the enemy! You thought that the Soul Society was evil as a whole because of what he did to you. And he knew that the Soul Society would think that you were the enemy when you tried to attack us. And even if things didn't go exactly that way, he knew how your minds would work. He had it all planned out and we fell for it."

The crowd around them was silent. At last, they all understood. Everyone Soul Reaper knew the truth. This was all Aizen's doing. Right from the start. He wanted these little girls to die by their hands and if not, they would do it themselves out of hatred. Those three girls were the real victims. Their fear and hatred was the result of nothing more than a horrible trick. They would have died for nothing.

Sapphire's body shook and her breathing quickened.

"Big… sister..?" Lavender's voice was quiet and soft.

"So that's it, then?" Sapphire's voice was trembling. "That's it? That's all there ever really was? All a trick? All this time?"

"Sister?"

"This was nothing more than an evil plan? We were just pawns? We were being used from the very start? ALL OUR PEOPLE AND EVERYONE WE EVER LOVED ARE DEAD BECAUSE OF THIS GUY'S IDEA OF A JOKE?" Sapphire pounded her fists on the ground creating small holes in the earth where she struck. "We were fighting the wrong people all along! We were angry at the wrong Soul Reapers! We had the wrong ones! What did any of this do? What good came of it?"

She pounded the ground harder.

"They're all dead because of him! Every last man, woman, and child is gone forever because he wanted us to attack the wrong people! Why did they have to die? They didn't do anything! All those people and for what?"

She continued to pound away at the earth, kicking up hard stones and dirt.

"All this time, we were led to believe that Soul Reapers were responsible for those killings, but instead it was just that one man and his twisted friend! How could I have been so stupid? I'm so worthless! Worthless!"

She pounded so hard, her hands were starting to be cut open by the tiny rocks and by the shear force of each hit.

"Sister, you're bleeding!" Lavender tried to get her to stop, but it was all in vain.

"What good am I?" Sapphire screamed. "I'm the big sister! I'm supposed to be the one to protect you! I'm supposed to keep you from harm and save you from danger! But I couldn't even do that, so what good am I? I'm not fit to be your big sister if I can't even protect you! I put you in danger! I led you to think that the wrong people were our enemy! I couldn't protect you!"

Lavender's face softened and she gave her sister a long sad, pitiful look. "Big… sister…"

Sapphire stopped hitting the ground and fought to catch her breath. The ground around them was now stained with her sweat and blood, mixing together with the cold soil.

"It was a lie…" she whispered to the dirt. "It was all a lie…"

Lavender slowly wrapped her arms around her sister's slender form in an embrace, pressing her chest to Sapphire's back. She held her close as if trying to absorb all the pain her big sister held within her. It seemed to have worked, for as she held her sister close, her warm embrace seemed to melt something hard in her sister. She started to cry. Sapphire never showed tears believing them to be a sign of weakness, but now that was all she could do. She let go of everything she was forced to keep buried inside. All of her pain, her sorrow, her rage, worry, everything she could ever feel in this situation and every situation they had been in before was released in big fat wet tears rolling down her face and onto the ground. She pulled her hands up and held onto her younger sister's arms as she hugged her back.

Sapphire cried harder than she had ever cried before in front of everyone. She screamed and wailed and sobbed into her sister's shoulder. Lavender held her close and pressed her head against her sister's. The tears in her eyes never did make it past her long dark lashes. She hadn't run out, but there was no longer a reason to cry. She had always cried because her sister wouldn't. Now things were different. Sapphire was crying for them both. She was crying for everything they had lost and everything she had held inside over the years. It was not just the pain that was released in her tears. It was not just sorrow. It was also relief. They were both relived. Now they knew the truth. Their enemy wasn't as big as they thought. They had no reason to fear these people anymore. They wouldn't die today. They still had each other and would be together for a while longer.

Ruby pushed her way through the crowd and came running over to her sisters. She stopped just short of them and sat down at their feet. She looked from the blood on her sister's hands to the tears in both their eyes. She didn't know what had caused them. She didn't understand what was going on. She took her sister's bloody hand and held it in her tiny fist.

"What's the matter? Are you hurting somewhere?"

Sapphire shook her head. "No, not anymore."

"Then why are you crying?"

The two sisters picked her up and held her in the middle of their embrace.

On looking Soul Reapers either bowed their heads, turned away or watched the three sisters in the center of the large crowd. Every last one of them was silent. All that could be heard was the sound of Sapphire's sobs.

Ichigo watched them for a while more before looking at his feet. Sapphire was suffering the most after all. Now they all understood each other. The war was over before it started. That battle was just a way to get everyone together to hear the truth.

There was no enemy on this ground. Just a lot of pain.

The battle was over and now there was peace. The two sides and called it a truce. Yamamoto agreed that the girls would be allowed to go wherever they pleased and not be arrested on the condition that they removed all the spells they had placed on their Soul Reaper slaves. Within minutes, everything was as it was before the girls showed up. Lavender's hold was released from all the children or those young enough to be effected by her song and they were free to move and do as they pleased. Byakuya spent most of his time apologizing to everyone he attacked, though everyone knew that he couldn't help it. Hanataro went back to his old clumsy self, though he did come out if the whole slave experience with a strange desire to play with Ruby. Hitsugaya had a total mind blank and couldn't remember anything that had happened that past week. However, when Ichigo patted him on the back saying 'welcome back, Toshiro', he responded with an irritated, 'that's Captain Hitsugaya to you'. He was back alright.

While Ruby played with several Soul Reapers including Ukitake and Hanataro, Sapphire took off and stood at the top of the large hill they had been fighting on just a few hours previous. She stared out over the Soul Society with a solemn expression. She looked out over all the buildings and white streets, standing very still like a statue.

Ichigo stood next to her. "You ok?"

She didn't answer.

"Do you still hate them?"

She lowered her gaze. "I focused my hatred on the wrong ones. All this time I've been fighting the wrong people. The ones that did this to us are still out there. I put my sisters in danger for nothing. All I wanted was for them to see the end of all our suffering. I guess instead I just wanted my revenge. It wasn't even about them in the end. It's what I wanted for myself." She scoffed. "Some big sister I am. My only job is to protect them and I couldn't even do that right."

"Don't be so hard on yourself. I put by sisters in danger all the time without meaning to. I always manage to do the right thing in the end, though. It just takes time. Just try not to think about revenge all the time. It never turns out the way you wanted and you put others in danger."

Again, she said nothing.

"But, hey, now that you know the truth, do you still hate Soul Reapers?"

She turned away from him. "It's not that easy to just stop hating something you've spend most of your life despising. It will take time. But I'll get over it. It's Lavender that I'm worried about. You know how sensitive she can be. She became this way after she witnessed all her friends and loved ones die right in front of her eyes and could do nothing to save them."

"Isn't she doing any better?"

Sapphire thought about it for a moment. "Actually, she might be. She would never think to strike me the way she did during that fight. She's getting a little more independent and stronger. Maybe she could lead herself one day. I don't know."

"Are you proud of her?"

Sapphire managed a grin. "Yeah, I guess I am. A little."

"You know," Ichigo said with a sigh. "We have the same enemy now. Would you be willing to team up and fight against Aizen's group with us? You can still get your revenge."

It took a long time for her to respond. "No, not this time."

"Why not?"

"Because…" she sighed. "I think I've put my sisters in enough danger for the rest of their lives. I think I'm just going to count my losses and go back to the way things were. Just the three of us trying to live our lives out peacefully."

"Will you try to live in a village with people again?"

"No, we shall return to our own world."

"You sure? Won't you be lonely?"

She turned to look at him. "Nah. We'll keep the door open from time to time. Maybe you can come and listen to Lavender perform once in a while. She's getting better. Soon she'll be able to effect anyone she wants, no matter their age."

"I'll keep that in mind." Ichigo sweat dropped.

"And besides, you'll be fighting Aizen yourself, won't you?"

"Of course I will. I hate that guy."

"Then promise me you won't lose."

He gave her a thumbs-up. "You beat I won't!"

She smiled at him. "I'm counting on you… Ichigo."

At last, it was time to go. The majority of the Soul Reapers had dispersed, leaving behind a small crowd in comparison. Most of them either had work to do or no longer cared about the situation since the danger was over; which included Squad 11 for the most part. Ukitake almost couldn't bear to part with the tiny Ruby, but knew he had no choice in the matter. He carried her on his shoulders until they got to the location of their barrier. Sapphire was waiting for them along with a few other choice Soul Reapers which included Soi Fon, Rukia, Byakuya, Hanataro and Ichigo though he still wasn't in Soul Reaper mode. Ukitake sent her down, allowing her to climb the rest of the way up the hill by herself. It wasn't too far.

At the top, Ruby hopped over to the group and greeted everyone one by one with a huge wave and smile. "Hello! Hello! Hello! Hello!" She bounced into Ichigo's legs and gave him a hug around the knees. "Hello!"

"Uh, hello to you, too."

She laughed.

Also coming to see them off was the captain and lieutenant of Squad 10. Hitsugaya trudged up the hill with his usual scowl. He was now dressed in his regular Captain's uniform, casual green kimono left behind in his closet. For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to part with it. It was pretty comfortable anyway. Rangiku followed not too far behind, hands folded behind her back.

A few other Soul Reapers were there as well, with Renji leading them. At the top of the hill, he asked, "Hey, where's the other one?"

"You mean Lavender?" Ichigo asked.

"Yeah, her. Where's she at?"

Lavender waved from the bottom of the hill, being brought by Hisagi and Kira. They helped her get to the top, holding her hands the whole way. Once she was with her two sisters again, they let go. She stood by Sapphire with a forced grin. There was no hiding that she was sad to be leaving them all behind. She was going to miss them all. Especially Hitsugaya. She had gotten very close to him this past week and hated to see it end. But she knew that this was where he belonged.

Sapphire patted her back and turned to Ruby. "Ready to say our good-byes?"

Ruby looked confused. "Aren't they coming with us?"

"No, not this time."

She pouted. "Aw, fun's over."

"Afraid so."

Ichigo stood in front of them. "Well, you guys are out of danger for now. That's good, right? But come on, you guys can still visit sometimes, right?"

Sapphire exchanged looks with her sisters. "Not too often. But we will see each other again, Ichigo."

"Ah, that's good!" he smiled.

"And Ichigo?"

He looked at her. "Yeah?"

Sapphire looked into his eyes. Her eyes were no longer the color of flame but the southern oceans. They were beautiful. "I want to thank you, Ichigo."

Her two sisters gawked at her. She never thanked anyone before! This was a big deal.

"Thank you for all that you've done. You've taught me a lot. Thanks for doing the right thing and for looking after my sisters."

"Sure, no problem."

"And I'm very sorry for all the trouble we caused you all. Please forgive us."

Rukia shook her head. "It was all a huge misunderstanding. Don't beat yourself up about it. We're cool."

Sapphire nodded. "Thank you." She turned to her sisters. "Say good-bye."

Ruby jumped to each Soul Reaper and hugged them each around the neck. She gave them all a cheerful good-bye followed with a kiss on the nose. She was just as cute as ever. Once finished, she went back to stand by her sister.

Lavender went straight to Hitsugaya and looked at him without saying a word.

He broke the silence. "Look, I don't remember much of what happened, but…" He rubbed the back of his head. "But no hard feelings, ok?"

That wasn't quite what she wanted to hear but took it anyway.

"Are you sure you're going to be alright?"

She nodded. "Yeah. We'll be a little lonely, but we're used to it. And now that we know that we don't have to fear you guys, we can come out and play here from time to time. I doubt you'll hear much from us anymore, though."

"It doesn't have to be like that."

"I know."

"Lavender!" Sapphire called. "The gate!"

"Coming!" She turned back to Hitsugaya. "I am going to miss you though." She started blushing. "But you know what they say! If you love something, let it go."

"Yeah, that's ri…" Hitsugaya's aqua eyes flashed. "Wait. What is that supposed to m-"

Before he could finish, Lavender threw her arms around him in a tight hug. He allowed her to squeeze him mostly do to the fact that he was still in shock. They parted and she ran back to join her sisters. For a moment, he felt as if they had done that before. He remembered her warmth as if it were from a dream. A calm, loving touch... like a lover. He still had a memory block and couldn't remember his time with her, but for some odd reason, his face was starting to turn red. He turned away to hide it from the others. And soon, just like his memories, it faded away.

The Three Treasures waved at the group and called out their final good-byes. Then they stepped back through the barrier and weren't seen again.

Ichigo finished waving and lowered his arm back to his side. He stared off in the direction they had gone feeling a bit poignant, if he had to choose a word.

"Missing them already, Ichigo?" Rukia half teased.

"Shut up." He sighed. "At least they have some closure. I mean, they didn't get the real bad guy, but at least now they know he's not here."

"I guess that's one way to look at it." She pulled on his sleeve. "Come on. We got some stuff to do."

Ichigo followed after her without complaining.

Days past and then weeks. During that time, not very much had changed. It was almost as if the whole incident between the Soul Society and the Three Treasures never happened. The Soul Reapers had gone back to their work without having to worry about bumping into some little kid running down the halls aside from Yachiru. Ukitake still had a thing for small children but that was normal for him. Ikkaku preferred to have no one speak of what had happened or bring up the way he had acted during that time, even though not too many people had seen him and he had very little memory of it. Yamamoto was still just as stubborn as ever, and Soi Fon was the same person she always was, apparently choosing not to take the matter to heart in any sense of the word. But that was normal for her. However, she was training to strengthen her defense a little more than she was. But that was a good thing.

Byakuya was back to normal as well, he too choosing not to speak about the ordeal to anyone. Hanataro had turned back into his clumsy timid self, running into a grand total of four walls that day and tripping down the stairs at least once while running from Squad 11 members who wanted to use him as their personal punching bag after theirs had broken. Hisagi didn't remember anything he had done while at Ichigo's command, which may have been a good thing, all things considered. Hitsugaya, however, had returned to work with a little more energy than usual and wasn't quite as moody. That could have been due to his little 'vacation' away from all the paperwork and other stressful Soul Reaper matters. It seemed that playing with the girls and hanging around their big mansion had done him a world of good after all. He still didn't remember much, but he kept getting these memory flashes every now and then and would have dreams about carrying a young girl on his back through the moonlit night. But those dreams didn't happen very often, something he didn't really care about. Yes, those dreams were kind of strange, but they were also peaceful; a nice change from the frozen wasteland he was used to seeing in his dreams.

Ichigo had returned to his normal life, if you could call it normal at all. He fought Hollows, he went to school, hung out with friends, did his homework, went home to get attacked by his eccentric father. However, he did hang out with his sisters more than he normally did. He actually helped Yuzu clean the house once and played soccer with Karin. He always protected them and loved them like any good brother should, but sometimes, he forgot about the other roles a big brother had to do. Just simply being by their side made them feel secure and knew just how much he cared. He would never take spending time with them for granted again. That's what he got out of meeting those three girls.

But he kind of missed the trio. He really missed listening to Lavender sing. She really did have a beautiful voice, even if few could hear it. But as Sapphire said, she would get better. She was growing stronger by the day. Those things took time. But even so. He wouldn't change her anymore than he would change Yuzu. He loved her as she was, sensitivity and all. Lavender didn't have to change either.

Life went on and he lived it his way. Everything was as normal as it could be around here. Everything was as it should be. The whole incident involving the Three Treasures was tuning into a distant memory. That was until one day when he was passing through the neighborhood after defeating a Hollow and bumped headfirst into an invisible wall. He dusted himself off and listened carefully. He could swear he heard a beautiful voice coming from the barrier. A female singer whose song filled the air and melted away into the wind, as soft and powerful as an ocean wave.

END

I hope you liked it. Like I said, I was trying something different, so I hope it didn't suck.

Thanks so much for reading and please review! ^-^