I know I'm a little late on the update, but I finally got it done! I also say thank you to those that are still reading and reviewing my story. And, to put many requests in action, I'll be using 1st person point of view most of the time.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Tite Kubo's Bleach.

Happy Reading!

Recap: Ichigo and co. have made it to the world of the Souls, also known as the Soul Society. Now, they must enter the Seireitei in order to continue their mission and save Rukia. Unfortunately for them, the impenetrable walls and Gate Guardian are the only thing in their way. Kukaku Shiba, an old friend of Yoruichi's, can possibly help them out. This should be heap loads of fun, especially with the great Kukaku being a woman.

Chapter 21

Alex's P.O.V.

I sat down on my knees beside Ichigo while we all waited for Kukaku's answer. Yoruichi told her everything that happened to us and our situation so far. She hoped that her old friend would lend a hand in getting us through the Seireitei's walls. I do have to say that it's weird calling Yoruichi as a guy and not a girl. I wonder if she noticed that I knew about her true gender yet . . .

Kukaku exhaled a long puff of smoke from her belled pipe. She looked up at us with a smirk on her face. "Ah, what the hell; I'll help ya out."

"Wonderful! I'm glad you can help," Yoruichi said.

"I did have a few other reservations, but with Urahara involved, how can I say no? But," she stood up with her pipe lazily resting in her hand, "While I do trust you completely, I'm not entirely sure about these kids accompanying you. So, I'll be sending an overseer to keep an eye on you."

I felt my body tense up a little. I already knew how this would turn out. Should I tell Ichigo or just let him figure it out by himself? No, maybe now would be a good time. "Ichigo," I whispered to him while tugging on his robes, "there's something that you need to know about this overseer."

"What about the overseer?" Ichigo asked rather loudly, enough for Kukaku to hear him.

"Well, he's actually my little brother. He's kind of an idiot and not all that useful, but he'll have to do." She made her way over to a set of Shoji doors and warned the person behind the door to behave themselves. After she heard a response from him, Kukaku opened the doors to reveal Ganju dressed up in different clothing. He bowed his head in respect of our visiting his home.

"It's an honor to meet you. My name is Ganju Shiba, and I'm pleased to be of service!" The moment he raised his head to see who he would watch over, he recognized us in no time. The look on his face was kind of priceless, along with everyone else's.

I couldn't help but to muster out a sheepish laugh, a sweat drop going down the side of my temple. Now, I really knew not to keep important information like this away from the others again. I saw Ichigo jump up and jut a finger out at Ganju, yelling for no apparent reason and vice versa. Kukaku just stood there innocently, thinking this to be a normal thing for her.

"Wait, you two know each other already?" Kukaku looked at Ichigo and Ganju, seeming a little surprised.

"You have no idea . . ." I muttered under my breath.

Next thing I knew, they started going at each other. I didn't feel like dealing with this crap, so I hung my head down with a hand gently pressed against my forehead with the tips of my fingers adding more pressure. Why couldn't these two just get along without attempting to kill one another in the process? When I looked up again, I saw Ganju furiously pressing his foot against a place where the sun didn't shine on Ichigo.

To be honest, I had no idea what came over me, but the protective part of me (yes, I actually had that side) took control and socked Ganju square in the jaw. The punch sent him tumbling back as he held it and tried to soothe the pain. I put my hands up in a fighting stance and readied myself for whatever he had in store. I might as well finish it since I started it.

"Damn, girlie here can pack a punch!" Kukaku said, also surprised at my strength. It's funny, though, that not many people see me as a tough girl. I mean, I do seem a bit aggressive, but that's all. Because of my average body weight, not even the friends I had back home (in my other universe and all) knew what I could do.

Ganju recovered from both the punch and his shock, giving me a stare that said, "You're lucky you're a girl."

That just made my anger go up to such high levels. I personally despised men who thought a woman couldn't fight, or that there were some exceptions. So, I did what I had to in order to vent out my anger, which was to keep fighting Ganju. "You think that because I'm a girl, I can't fight for nothing, huh?" I asked him with arched down brows.

"You said it, not me," Ganju said matter-of-factly. He too got himself into a stance.

I scoffed at him before I ran and drop kicked him in the chest. He used both hands to block it, but I kept adding more force and finally pushed him farther back than I expected. Ganju stumbled while trying to regain his balance, ending up on his behind after crashing through the Shoji doors he was behind before all of this started. Once he brushed the rubble off from his body, he came at me with a tightened fist held up. I easily dodged it by stepping to the side, tripping him over and grabbing his arm in the process. I pulled it back until hearing a quiet crack in his shoulder. Just the mere sight of the pained look on his face made me smirk victoriously.

Before releasing him, I brought him closer to me so that only he heard me. "Now, you listen here, Self-proclaimed Soul Reaper Hater. Don't you ever underestimate me and my friends, or you will face a harsh beating, understand?" He seemed a bit threatened by my warning, but I still saw that he wasn't entirely convinced. So in response, I judo flipped him over my shoulder and harshly dropped him on the ground.

As I turned around to make my way back to my original spot on the floor, many pairs of eyes stared at me in disbelieve, shock, and a bit of fear. The fear came from Uryu and Ichigo, since those two were the ones that always argued with me. I switched back to nice mood and waved timidly at them before hurrying back to sit down in my seat as properly and gracefully as I could. This part of me would come out when I felt a little shy from so many people watching me.

Ichigo had stayed lying on the floor with his elbows propped up for support. I wonder what he was thinking about right now. Was he freaked out by my sudden actions? Did he think I was weird for just switching to a shy girl act? Dammit, this was annoying! I really wanted to know!

Kukaku and Yoruichi were actually somewhat impressed. I saw Kukaku breathe out another puff from her pipe as she watched me with a slight smile. "Well, well, well. Remind me not to get on your bad side," she joked. I knew fully well that I would be nowhere close to being an equal to the Kukaku Shiba, even if I did use blind rage. She walked over to her little brother and stomped at his stomach. "Didn't I tell you to behave? Why can't you just listen to me?"

"Aw, but sis I –," Ganju was cut off by another kick.

"I don't want to hear it! Now," she faced our group again, "I want all of you to gather up your crap and follow me. Koganehiko!" she called for the muscular guard that was waiting patiently outside. "You and Shiroganehiko begin the preparations outside! Understood?"

"Yes ma'am!" He hurried up the stairs and passed on the orders to the other guard.

Kukaku headed out of the room with all of us following her. As we descended down the steps, I looked around and saw the bright lights lighting our way. I overheard Uryu asking about them and saying that he didn't remember seeing any generators on the way down. The name of them was somewhere in my memory, but it kept slipping off the tip of my tongue . . . "These are Firefly Creeper Vines!" I said more to myself, happy that I still remembered even the smallest of things. 'Maybe my memories are coming back to me!'

"You know about them? Now, that's a surprise! I didn't think people in the World of the Living even knew about these," Kukaku said, breaking me out of my thoughts. "How did you know?"

I laughed sheepishly and fanned my hand to dismiss the topic. "Oh, well, it just came into my mind." I needed to be more careful about what I said around everyone, or they'll surely catch on and wonder how I knew everything. I especially had to watch out for Uryu. Academics weren't the only thing he was good at.

We stopped before a metallic looking door with red kanji written over the top of it. "Alright, Ganju, open the doors!" Kukaku ordered her kid brother.

"Yes ma'am!" he frantically hurried to pull open the doors and revealed a . . . a room filled with mostly darkness and little light filled inside.

I hated having this fear. It's the reason why I can never sleep peacefully at night, especially when I'm the only one in the room. I actually thought that it might have gone away when I arrived in this universe, but I guess that didn't happen. I saw everyone walking inside and felt a bit of panic as my chest started to tightly knot up. My body trembled, along with the slight shake of my bare knees. I needed to do something before I had started hyperventilating. An orange head of hair caught my attention from the corner of my eye. 'Ichigo!' I yelled in my head. I could even hear how it cracked as I said his name. Without hesitation, I grabbed his arm and kept myself latched on it. I felt and noticed how he tensed up at my sudden action, but then he relaxed and left my hand grasping his arm. I wanted to say thank you, but my nyctophobia got the best of me. I was forced to stay quiet until light reentered my vision.

Actually, I don't think I remember ever telling them about my phobia. Maybe that's why they looked a bit confused as to why I looked like a little child squeezing their stuffed animal close to them as a sort of protection from the monsters under our bed. Or in this case, the darkness that tried to eat you up alive.

"You can forget about trying to get through the walls. With this launcher," Kukaku said, referring to the giant pillar in the center of the room, "I'll be able to get you in the Seireitei through the air!"

Both Ichigo and Uryu were in utter shock when they heard her. I don't think they took that little piece of information so well. "Th – The air?!" they said in unison. "You've got to be kidding!"

"Of course I'm not! Or my name isn't Kukaku Shiba: fireworks expert of the Rukon District!" she said proudly with her hands on her hips.

"Wait, fireworks?" Ichigo asked again.

"That's right. Koganehiko, Shiroganehiko, raise it up, now!" Kukaku yelled to her guards through the ceiling.

The floor beneath our feet started to shake and move upwards. I heard Orihime and Uryu shouting while they wondered what was going on. The knot in my chest was loosening, along with my grip on Ichigo as I saw the light that came in through the opening panels above us. It might have been just me, but I thought saw a look of disappoint in Ichigo's eyes. Did he want me to keep holding him? Did this mean that he . . .? 'No, there's no way that's possible!' I yelled to myself, denying the possibility of Ichigo actually having those kinds of feelings for me. 'I mean, it would be ridiculous to even think that he likes me! Well, it wouldn't be so bad if he did. . . No! Control your hormones, Alex! Don't let your feelings trick you!'

By the time I paid attention again, we were already completely engulfed by the sunlight gently shining on us and the launcher pad we stood on. The launcher itself was so high that I had to put my head back a little just to see the whole thing. I then returned my eyes back down to the oldest Shiba. "So, did I scare you kids?"

I wanted to smirk and say that I wasn't scared at all, but that would have been a partial lie, since I was scared of the dark we were just in. So, I kept my mouth shut and waited for her to finish.

"This is my one and only Enhanced Fireworks Launch Pad!" she announced in her loud voice.

"And that's the Flower Crane Cannon! Ow!" Ganju received a foot to the cranium courtesy of his loving sister. Smoke emitted from his scarf covered head as he lied faced down on the ground.

Kukaku had a tick mark throbbing near her temple as she glared down at Ganju. "That's my line, you doofus!" She heard him apologize before she continued. "Huh? Left you all speechless, didn't I?"

Uryu stepped up and spoke up, a calm expression on his face. "I know you're supposed to be some kind of pirate technical wizard, but I'm still not fully convinced of it. The idea of shooting us in the air is completely –," a clear, spherical ball was thrown square in his face. He fell back with a broken lens as the ball landed in Ichigo's hand.

He and I stared at it for a while. I saw the red marking on the front. It might be a sort of bird or animal that must have had a reason for being on the object. I guess it doesn't matter now, right? What's more important was getting my hands on it!

Ichigo broke away from staring at the orb and looked up at Kukaku. "What is it?"

"It's a Reishukaku, or Spirit Core. Place your palms on it and concentrate your Spirit Energy," she explained.

I mentally sweat dropped, knowing that Ichigo couldn't use that energy for the sake of his pride. I didn't mean for it to sound like an insult, but even Yoruichi would have agreed with me. We watched Ichigo attempt and fail at getting any of his Spirit Energy into the Reishukaku. I slapped my hand against my forehead and threw my head back. "Ichigo, please don't strain yourself. It isn't worth the embarrassment," I mumbled to him.

He became pissed off after I said that and glared at me with gritted teeth. "Oh, like you could do any better!"

"Actually, I think she can."

We both whipped our heads to the sounds of Yoruichi's disguised voice. Well, other than me, they all knew her as a man. Boy, the reactions I'll get to see when Ichi – whoa, wait a minute! 'There is absolutely no way I'm letting him see any other girl's naked body! I forbid it!' Did I just say 'forbid'? Oh gosh, I'm starting to sound like my dad in this universe, except I sound more serious and not stupid. But back to the point, I reminded myself of what Yoruichi said to me. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that you should try to give us a demonstration of how the Reishukaku works. Go on, give a shot," she urged as she nodded for Ichigo to hand over the orb.

He slightly pouted and gave in, putting the Spirit Core in my hands. I guess I was somewhat right when I first thought that he liked me, because when our hands brushed over the other, I saw his cheeks reddened from the blush on his face before quickly fading away. I knew for sure that my heart nearly pumped out of my chest from how cute he looked. 'Snap out of it! You have something else to be focused on right now!' I lightly shook my head and positioned the clear orb in the palms of my hands. I closed my eyes, concentrating my energy so it would flow into the ball. My locket felt a little cool as I reopened my eyes and was met with a blue light that emitted from the Reishukaku. I was then surrounded by a barrier that formed all around me and made it look like I was in a hamster ball. "Holy smokes . . . I really did it!"

"Ah! It seems that I was right about you, Alex. Your training back at Urahara's must have paid off," Yoruichi said while sitting up on her paws. "But be sure not to use up all of it, or you will surely become fatigued and empty yourself of your energy."

I nodded to the black furred feline, making sure that I balanced out the amount of energy I put into the Reishukaku. Kukaku walked up to me and tapped the ball with the back of her hand to make sure it was stable.

"Good job. Now, I have one less brat to worry about. As you can see here," she raised her voice for everyone else to hear, "This is the cannonball you will use. You may think that the only thing guarding the Seireitei is that barrier, but you're dead wrong. It isn't nearly that simple. The barrier is made from a stone named Seki Seki. It's rare, even in the Soul Society. Here is a fragment of it." She got out a pebble sized stone and placed it down in front of her, bringing her good hand down upon it. There was dust surrounding it, and after it went away, my eyes nearly widened to a noticeable size as I saw that the Seki Seki was still there and in one piece while the ground around it was gone. "It is now obvious to you kids that it completely repels Spirit Energy, therefore, it is impossible to break through the barrier with it alone."

Cocking my head to the side, I realized just now that they were sitting down and watching her demonstration. 'When did they . . . ?' I questioned more to myself, still a little confused. But that wasn't important right now. I needed to stay focus in order to keep the cannonball's shape up.

"Even when cut into a small piece such as this," Kukaku picked up the Seki Seki fragment as the little space it was on crumpled away, "It emits a wave that breaks down Spirit Energy from all sides, which means that the Seireitei has a spherical barrier that surrounds them. It not only protects them from the sky above but even from the ground below. That's why we have this!" She whacked the ball once more, making me nearly jump in fright. "This cannonball is a special hard, spiritual penetration device that I invented. In other words, if all five of you combined put your spirit energy into this Reishukaku, you can create a cannonball strong enough to break through the barrier, then I'll use the Flower Crane Cannon to shoot that cannonball into the sky, and it'll punch a hole straight through the barrier. Any questions?" she turned to the rest of them as Ichigo stared at her with a dumb look.

"Well, I . . ."

"Alright then!"

"B-But I –," Ichigo tried again and was once more cut off.

"Take them down to the underground training room so they can practice concentrating their Spirit Energy," she snapped her fingers to summon her guards as they complied to her order in the weirdest way I knew that was possible. They picked up and carried Orihime, Uryu, and even Ichigo back inside where we would prepare ourselves for the break-in. Chad had silently followed without needing to be manually escorting into the home.

Realizing that I was done being an example, I closed my eyes again to dismiss the Reishukaku's true form. I walked over to Kukaku to give it back her, but she shouted something else. "Oh, and one more thing. If one of you lose concentration, you'll blow up on the spot."

I froze for a moment at her reminder, somehow losing feeling in my hands as the ball slipped out of its grasp and fell down. How could she say it so casually? Didn't she think any of us would react a completely different way than she expected? Ichigo, being his usual idiot self, was probably a little nervous about, but he would get over it and focus on getting the Reishukaku to work. I on the other hand immediately became frightened and scared, scared that I might be the cause of everyone's death if I lost concentration, scared that I would be at fault for ruining the entire mission, scared that I would be the reason why Rukia was executed because we didn't save her in time. I didn't want to think about it, but I couldn't help it. Usually, I always kept this side of me hidden from everyone, except family and close friends that I trusted with my life. So, I needed to calm myself down.

As I hurried after my friends, I tried to think of happy thoughts, or anything that would occupy my mind. There had to be something to think about, but what? 'Wait. . . Where's Bo –?'

I felt a small yet heavy body fly into my back, carrying me up with them as they headed toward Kukaku's house. I looked over my shoulder to see a goofy smiling Botania giggling away. I always wondered why it was so quiet, up until now. "And where the hell have you been?!" I demanded while sounding like a worried sibling.

"I got bored of Kukaku's explaining and went back into town to find something else to do. Look! I won this after my second try!" she held out a little bracelet with a clear, star center piece. Silver and white beads held by a silk string were on either side of the star. "Isn't it pretty?"

I sighed. This girl was definitely a handful. "Yeah, it is pretty. So, I'm guessing you won that for yourself?" She gave me a nod of her pig-tailed head. "I'm not surprised. . . Anyway, you think you can put me down now –," I interrupted myself with a scream as I fell from the high ceiling of the training room we were already in. Thankfully, and oddly conveniently, Ichigo saw me falling and quickly stuck his arms out to catch me before I landed on the hard floors. I opened an eye (since they were closed while I braced myself for a concussion and possibly a coma) and looked up to see mesmerizing yet hard chocolate eyes stare down at me. I could feel the heat rise to my cheeks as I felt his hands' grip on my body tighten. He held me bridal style but also like a princess being saved by her knight. Was it me, or did that the little girl flying overhead giggle at how Ichigo and I couldn't stop looking at each other? 'I'll get my revenge on that mischievous menace soon enough!'

"Alex, what the hell were you doing?" Ichigo asked with a now comical stare. Well, the moment was nice while it lasted. But I had a feeling that he didn't want the moment to end so soon either, since his grip on me was still firm.

"Long story short: Bobo flew me back inside and dropped me for no apparent reason."

"Huh," he started and carefully put me back on my feet. "Well, as long as you're alright . . ." He scratched the back of his head with his eyes closed, cocking his head to the side. I kind of found that cute sometimes.

'Snap out of it, Alex!' I yelled while mentally slapping myself. I needed to get a grip of myself. I felt something warm on the hollow of my neck and reached up to feel my locket giving me that feeling. It's like when I was using the Reishukaku, and it gave off a cool feeling. I could be wrong, but it was possible that the locket passed on what Ichigo felt. My head shook at the idea. 'No, I don't think that's it. Maybe I'll figure it out later on.' For now, it was time for us to start our training. Even though I had no problem concentrating my Spirit Energy, it doesn't hurt to practice some more. Practice makes perfect, right?

Shiroganehiko and Koganehiko gave us each a Spirit Core to practice with. Ichigo started first and, of course, failed to get anything in it. I almost thought that I was going to hurt myself when I laughed so hard at the way the guards were yelling at him. Was one of them pelvic thrusting the air while the other danced like a monkey? I couldn't tell from the tears coming out of my eyes from the overload og laughter. Ichigo pushed himself even harder but still came up with nothing. I fell back laughing more than ever, not really caring if anyone thought I was crazy.

Uryu's eye twitched at the stupidity and silliness surrounding him in the spacious room; Orihime was having a little laugh herself; Chad didn't say or do much, as usual; and Bobo hovered over me, a bit surprised that I could actually laugh so hard. She normally saw me as a serious or aggressive person, so it was understandable.

"Help me out here! Is it working?" Ichigo asked with a strained face. This was going to be a long day. . .

"Now you, if you please, Orihime," Koganehiko said with his arms crossed. It was time to show them how far we've gotten with our training, a sort of evaluation if you think about it. Orihime held the Reishukaku and easily formed a cannonball. I was happy for her, but it was also expected since she was good at using her Spirit Energy. "Good! You're doing just fine."

"Now you, Uryu," Shiroganehiko mirrored the guard beside him as they waited for Uryu to go. His ball was more of an oval shaped rather than a circle. "It's narrow, but it does have the overall shape. I bet that it comes from the boy's personality."

"Chad, you're up next."

I twirled the ball in my hand as I waited for my turn. Usually when I had to present something, I get nervous. I stood up when I heard my name and inserted my energy into the Reishukaku. Like before, a spherical ball was formed around me. "Excellent! You and Orihime are making such progress!" I smiled at Koganehiko's compliment and dismissed the cannonball.

"And now, it is time for Ichigo." They both turned to Ichigo and watched him struggle. A wiggling snake that was supposed to be the cannonball came out the Reishukaku. I held in a laugh with a hand over my mouth as Shiroganehiko and Koganehiko shoved insults in his face. Ichigo finally snapped when they yelled, "You have absolutely no talent at all!"

He grew a tick mark on his temple and chucked the Reishukaku as a pro baseball pitcher would and socked one of the guards square in the face. "Shiroganehiko!" Koganehiko called for him before Ichigo started pummeling them.

"How many times do I have to tell you? I don't understand! You, teach me some useful pointers, dammit!" he demanded over the beating and yells of the guards.

The only thing I did was shake my head and sigh. I knew he was trying to get it right, but it's just as Yoruichi said before: he didn't know how to use his Spirit Energy. You can't blame the guy for putting up some kind of effort. Even so, it was going to be a while.

Ichigo leaned on his knees while he breathed heavily with sweat dripping down his forehead onto the floor and on the Reishukaku. It's been about one hour since he went back to practicing. It seemed like his energy was draining, but I knew that Ichigo was tougher than that.

No one spoke the entire time Ichigo was catching his breath until one of Ganju's lackeys opened the door with a ladle in hand, telling his boss that it was time for dinner. Ganju passed it on to us, and most of us were feeling a bit hungry. I looked back at Ichigo with concern, worried that he might push himself too hard. Then again, that always was a habit of his when it came to training. I felt the corners of my lips tug upwards into a smile as I walked over to him. I laid a hand on his shoulder and bent down to get to eye level. "Ichigo, come on. Dinner's ready! I know you're starving, too, so don't even –."

"It's okay," he panted out. "I'll be fine. You can – go on with the others. I'll catch up with you guys – later."

I pursed my lips at him. "I figured you would say that, but you have to eat to get you fill up your energy. Since I'm not really that hungry or tired, I can stay and practice with you –."

"Alex . . . You don't have to worry about me. You'll need to eat dinner more than I do. So please, go on."

". . ." I didn't say anything at first. That was probably the first, or maybe second, time that he's said 'please' to me. Not in a sarcastic way, but like he really meant it. I had to force back the feeling in my chest as I smiled and took my hand off of his shoulder. "Well, if you say so, Orange Head. You heard the man; let's go people!" I clapped my hands together while walking toward the doors with Orihime, Chad, and Uryu following close behind. Bobo jumped on my back instead of walking. She and Orihime were cheerful about dinner, but I heard and saw the worry and concern in Orihime's eyes as she glanced back at Ichigo before we left the room. It's obvious that she cared about him just as I did, but she shouldn't –. 'W-wait a minute, did I just say that I care about Ichigo? For crying out loud . . . I'm getting tired of these weird butterflies in my stomach!'

I noticed that Ganju stayed behind for a bit. He was probably telling Ichigo about his little trick that helped him form the cannonball. Maybe I check on him and make sure that he didn't blow anything up. I patted my body and pretended to have left something in the training room. "I guess it must have dropped it after I tried to stop Ichigo from killing Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko . . . Hey, you guys go on ahead. I think I forgot something back in the room," I waved with smile and quietly hurried back just in time to see Ganju leave through another door. I entered the room again and kept my breathing low so that Ichigo wouldn't hear me.

One minute he was trying out the little technique Ganju showed him; the next minute, I felt an overwhelming force from Ichigo that was out of control. The locket reacted to this as a blue light, which represented his Spirit Energy, glowed from the spade. I heard footsteps coming this way and knew it was the others and Kukaku hurrying to check out what was happening.

"You stupid idiot, concentrate your Spirit Energy!" she yelled. He listened to her, and the ball shrunk to a more comfortable size.

We were just as surprised as he was (well, mostly the others) when he realized that he finally able to get the cannonball. Before anyone else congratulated him, a small shock wave flashed at one of the corners, seizing our short celebration.

"You ignorant dumbass! Ya gotta stay focused!" Kukaku warned Ichigo as he stared at her with a confused face. Cracks then appeared, and the cannonball blew up completely. "What are you, friggin' deaf or friggin' stupid!? Remember, I told you that if you don't concentrate, you're gonna blow up."

"Yes, yes you did." Ichigo was lying down on the floor face down with her foot poking at his head. Smoke emitted from the ground while a new hole was where the ceiling used to be.

All I could do was giggle at the moment. It's not like I was mad at him for messing up, but he really should have stay focused, especially since it was his first time getting it right. But even so, I'm just happy to know that he could do it.

My eyes found their way staring up at the visible, night sky. It might just be temporary, but I think being in the Soul Society helped me regain a few more memories. It wasn't as much as I expected, but at least it would be enough for to me survive in the Seireitei.

'That's right. Tomorrow, we'll be in the Seireitei but separated from each other.' As I thought this, a knot in my chest formed. I didn't think I was ready to be on my own just yet. This would probably be the hardest and toughest task I would ever encounter while being a part of this universe, yet it will also be the one where I grew the most, fighting skills and strength wise. I knew I didn't think I was ready. I knew I felt afraid and would rather stay behind and let the others do what they must, but I'm here for a reason. I wished for this to happen to me; I wished to be a part of this universe; I wished to fight by everyone's side. So dammit, I wasn't going to sit back and watch everything happen like an audience member.

Funny . . . My locket felt hot with determination, and it was coming from my own feelings this time.

"Alright then, are you all ready for the cannonball?" Yoruichi asked us. Her tail was reshaped like a bendable toothbrush by Ichigo when he fell asleep after the explosion. It took all four of us just to pry him off.

"Yes!" everyone chorused.

Just a few moments ago, Ganju had told us all about his brother Kaien and how he was killed by another Soul Reaper, which was of course Rukia. This was one of the few things that stayed in my memory, regardless of the other information I possibly lost. His words were so touching that I nearly cried like his lackeys and the guards. I was broken away from my thoughts from hearing Ichigo ask if Yoruichi could use the Reishukaku.

As expected, she said she would give it 'try' and made it look liked it was as easy as breathing. Ichigo, somewhat embarrassed and mortified, sat on the ground with his hands keeping him up. "I can see it bothers you, but I don't know why you find it so surprising. You'll learn that there are many things I can do that are far behind your reach."

After Kukaku spoke with Ganju for a moment, she turned to us. "If you're all ready to go, then the final countdown begins, now!" She made an opening in the Flower Crane Cannon and ordered us to get inside. Once we were all in position, we waited patiently for any further instructions. "The sun will be rising soon. That will be our signal to begin the launch ceremony," she told us from the outside.

"Now listen," Yoruichi was now the center of our attention as she started to tell of warnings and reminders. "Once we are inside the Seireitei, it is important that we stick together. If you are to encounter any captains, do not fight them. Don't even think about. Just run. Our goal is to rescue Rukia, so you must avoid taking any unnecessary risks."

The moment we heard Kukaku chanting for the ceremony, it was then that we were ordered to form the cannonball. Minutes after we had done so, Kukaku had fired us out of the Flower Crane Cannon, and we were shot up towards the early morning sky.

My heart was racing at a thousand miles per hour. Our journey was starting, now. I know this isn't normal for me, but I smiled like a fan-girl and squealed on the inside. In a matter of minutes, I would be meeting many of the Soul Reaper characters that will soon become our friends. First, though, we had to kick some of their asses.

I hope I did a somewhat decent job with the First person P.O.V. It's was actually my first time doing it. All of my other stories are usually Third person. But if a lot of you like it, that's when I'll keep up it and stick to the plan I said in the A/N before the chapter. Thank you again for reading the chapter!

Ciao!