Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, its characters or any of the characters that are going to appear unless stated otherwise.

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Author's Note: One chapter left then the Thanatos Saga will come to an end. Also, check out this topic in my newly created forum.

.net/forum/When_Worlds_Collide_Bleach/65503/

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-----Karakura Town, Abandoned Warehouse-----

"KKKKKKKKKKKKKYYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" The large figure coming down from above force Orihime and Tatsuki to separate, being spilt off from each other as the figure came down. When the figure landed, a large cloud of dust was created, surrounding it in a brown haze.

Tatsuki shouted out, "ORIHIME!"

Orihime, barely managed to move out of the way, was on the ground. She slowly got up, turning her head enough to see the haze starting to dissipate. It soon revealed a truly dangerous being. Standing over 7ft tall, the man looked like a brawler than an athlete. Broad shoulders, pale, proportioned chest, thick legs: the guy could get a job as a professional bouncer. He was completely bald, save for his blond eyebrows and short, green chin beard. He wore a black leather vest over his bare chest, revealing chain tattoos around his left and right bicep. His dark brown pants had a metal chain hanging on its right side. He sported black boots with steel heels and toes. He simply stared down on Orihime, looking right at her with his brown eyes. He grinned, speaking in a deep menacing voice, "Hello, cute-y." He reached down at her, trying to get a little 'personal' with her.

"Get away from her!" shouted Tatsuki, prompting her to kick him in the balls. Even if her was a giant, he was still a man. Running between the man's legs before he knelt to the ground in pain, Tatsuki ran over to Orihime, asking, "Are you alright?"

"Yea," said the frightened Orihime. She stood up to the likes of the 4th Espada, but this guy hits closer to home than anything else. She lit up in a surprised face, prompting Tatsuki to turn around to see the man starting to recover.

"That…hurt," said the man as he groaned a bit more. Standing back at his full height, the man balled up his right fist, saying, "Don't stand in my way!" He then threw his punch in Tatsuki and Orihime's direction. Orihime then stood in front, summoning Santen Kesshun. The barrier easily stopped the man's attack, surprising him and Tatsuki.

"Whoa," said Tatsuki, "When did you learn that?"

Orihime snapped back into reality, turning to Tatsuki and saying, "Oh…uh…whoops. I guess you weren't supposed to know this." He giggled a bit as Santen Kesshun started to dissipate. She turned back around too hastily, however. An incoming boot slammed into her chest with great force. She felt like getting hit by a steel pole, losing all the air in her lungs. She sailed back several feet before landing on the ground, barely conscious and gasping for air.

"ORIHIME!" shouted Tatuski, who ran over to her again. She knelt down, turning Orihime towards her. As Orihime continued to gasp for air, the scared Tatsuki said, "Please, breathe slowly, Orihime. Slowly."

The man casually scratched the inside of his ear, saying, "Jeez, that was a bit too much. I meant it to be a 'love tap'." He started to chuckle to himself, then just full-blown laughter, finding his actions humorous.

"This is funny?!?" The man stopped abruptly, turning back towards Tatsuki. As she stood back up and turned around, you could see the anger in her eyes. "I'll give you something to cry about, then!" The man only followed up with a smile.

-----Karakura Town, Shopping District-----

Ichigo, in his full-blown Shinigami attire, was jumping from rooftop to rooftop, trying to find where his lost friends, Orihime and Tatsuki, were. Even if it meant missing class, Ichigo would not waste time for a second. "Dammit, where could they be?" Suddenly, his cellphone started to ring, prompting him to answer it. "Hey, did you find them yet?"

"No," answered Rukia over the phone. "I didn't sense them anywhere in the park. I'll check by the warehouse."

"Fine," replied Ichigo, "I'll meet over there then." Returning to his search, Ichigo continued to think, "Where the hell are they?"

-----Karakura Town, Abandoned Warehouse-----

"HIYA!" shouted Tatsuki, trying to land a karate kick at the man's leg. The leg made contact, but it barely did anything, Tatsuki recoiled, however, at the pain she accidentally inflicted on herself. Taking her leg back, she thought, "What the…it felt like I was hitting a metal pole."

The man grinned, saying, "A bit slow, are we?" He raised his right hand above himself and tried to plant it into Tatsuki's head. Thankfully, she rolled to her left, dodging the fist as it crashed through the ground.

Turning her head back, she thought, "He broke through solid rock!" As the man pulled his hand out, Tatsuki jumped onto his back and hung onto his jacket. Pulling herself up, she then wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to choke him out.

The man then swung back and forth, trying to get rid of the grip around his neck. "Just…Let…GO!" Putting the emphasis on "GO!" the man fell backwards, landing straight on top of Tatsuki. He was even able to create a small crack around his outline. Pushing himself back up, he turned around to see the bruised Tatsuki still conscious. Scratching his head, the man said, "Damn, you sure are stubborn."

The barely conscious Tatsuki grunted a bit, thinking, "How heavy is this guy?" She tried to get up, but her body felt exhausted. She hasn't felt this hopeless since Yammy arrived in Karakura Town and used Gonzui to absorb those souls. "Dammit, why can't I protect myself?"

-----Flashback: Several Years ago-----

A young, orange-haired girl was getting surrounded by a group of boys, looking to bully her. In moments, a black-haired girl came to her side, beating the boys back before they could do any harm. She then promised to protect the girl from any harm.

That was the day I first met Orihime. Wait…what is this?

A young orange-haired boy appeared, wearing a black kimono and carrying a huge sword.

Ichigo…

A white-clothed boy carrying a bow and a red-black armed boy appeared as well.

Uryu…Chad…

Then another black-haired girl, dressed in similar apparel to the orange-haired boy appeared.

Rukia…

They, along with an older orange-haired girl, confronted various monsters with white faces.

What is going on?

Soon, the black-haired girl, older than she was those years ago, began to think…

All this time…the missing days…Orihime's disapearance…they were trying to protect everyone…so, why can't I…

The girl then clenched her fist.

No, I have too! If anyone else needs to fight as well, it should be me!

Soon, a large flame came out of the darkness, engulfing everything in sight…

-----Karakura Tow, Abandoned Warehouse-----

The man tapped one of his feet, getting slightly impatient. "This is taking forever." Lifting up his right foot, he said, "Time to end this." He then prompted to slam it into Tatsuki. However, she regained conscious, catching the large foot with only her right hand. "Wha-" She then pushed it back as she went up with ease, causing the man to lose his balance a bit.

She then stood up, proudly, standing her ground. A strange, red aura surrounded her being. "Its Round 2 now." Jumping forward with great speed, she punched the man in his gut. She didn't feel anything, but the man wrenched forward, coughing up some blood from the hit. She then landed an uppercut at the man's chin, forcing his head back up. As he slowly moved his head back down, Tatsuki landed back onto the ground, jumped back up, then dealt a roundhouse kick to the head once more. The man's head veered right, but he did not lose ground. When she was on the ground once more, she swept both of his feet, causing him to fall on his back. Tatsuki, with determination back on her face, jumped high into the air. When the man landed on the ground, Tatsuki raised her right leg, with it starting to catch on fire. As she fell, she slammed the leg into the man's body, cracking the ground beneath him with great authority. The man screamed in pain, like the sound of a large bear, before losing conscious. Orihime, who was regaining conscious, was staring at her friend's victory. Tatsuki's aura then faded into nothing, which didn't seem to bother her at all. She simply turned to the awakened Orihime with great pleasure. "You're alright!"

Orihime just smiled and nodded, saying, "Yep, that wasn't so bad." She put on a brave face, unsure if Tatsuki was still angry or not

Soon, Rukia arrived in the warehouse doorway, stunned to see Tatsuki overcome such a dangerous man. Ichigo arrived seconds later, slightly shocked and surprised at this discovery.

He decided to call out, "Tatsuki! Orihime!" This prompted Tatsuki and Orhime to move their heads towards Ichigo's voice. "What the hell happened here?"

Tatsuki just smiled, saying, "What do you think? I won."