Maybe by the next feeling of the moon,

I'll be over you.

Could you see that, too?

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Moon Song (Cam Franklin) -

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Ichigo let out an indignant huff as he tightened his grasp on his zanpakuto. This hollow has interrupted his first good night sleep in weeks. What made it worse was that Rukia left him to fend for himself so that she could sleep more. If it weren't for the urgency of the hollow attack, he would have chewed her out before leaving.

"Souls, souls, souls! More souls!" the arachnid-like beast screeched. Ichigo growled in an irritated manner. It was taking too long to take care of one hollow. Rukia would definitely be hearing about this for the next day or so. It's times like these he wished he wasn't a Substitute Soul Reaper.

"You're starting to piss me off," he spat before leaping into the air with his sword poised to slice open the hollow's mask. His lunge was dodged, forcing Ichigo to turn so that he would land on his feet. The frown he had been wearing since he was rudely woken up deepened into an angry scowl. "Why does it seem like I'm the only one who has to do anything around here?" the orange-haired boy hissed, ranting to nobody. The hollow let out another ear-piercing scream before winding back one of its many legs to try and swipe at him.

Surprisingly, it didn't even get to finish wailing before a strange blur flashed past its face. The creature went still for a moment, half of its mask suddenly gone. Despite itself, the giant spider monster was still trying to register what had just happened. To the left of where the hollow previously stood was a large black...creature? Ichigo wasn't completely sure what it was.

In its mouth was the other half of the hollow's mask, not yet disintegrated like the rest of its body. A soft breeze rustled the motionless being's fur, establishing its resemblance to dancing smoke. It's long tail almost seemed to fade at the ends like it wasn't completely there. It turned to the Substitute Soul Reaper, locking on to his chocolate-coloured eyes with its blood-red orbs. He felt his grip on his sword loosen for a moment, jaw dropped in awe.

"What...the hell…?" Ichigo blinked, paralyzed from the pure shock of what he had witnessed. For a moment, he wondered if this was another type of hollow because of the white, skull-like mask on its head but he hesitantly dismissed the thought. The creature didn't have that overbearing feeling of dread and gloom that usually came with all hollows.

It was majestic in a way; with its narrowed eyes shining like brilliant rubies. He swore its body was so see-through that if he got closer, he could see its bones phasing through its thick, pitch-black fur. Never before had he seen anything like it.

Breaking its visual connection with the carrot top, the mysterious figure bounded away. Ichigo simply stood there, watching its form recede into the evening like a shadow. Thousands of questions bounced around in his mind but he knew that there would be no answer for any of them. He ran over the encounter in his mind as he made his way home, making a mental note to inform Rukia of the strange creature.

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Elsewhere…

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A young girl with hair darker than night sat atop the roof of a condemned home. The distant chirping of crickets and chatter of other insects and nocturnal beings kept her ears busy. She tried to pinpoint each one but there was no point. There was no point in anything, really, yet she would try, anyway. She laid back with a sigh, closing her brightly-coloured eyes.

"I'm not going to wait here forever, you know?" the raven-haired teen called out in a bored tone. There was nothing for a minute, then a delicate autumn wind blew by and she peeked open one eye. The corner of her lips twitched upwards into a smirk.

"I-I'm sorry, Rina," an older woman materialize beside her. She bowed apologetically before sitting next to the mysterious girl who decided to help her find peace.

"Don't worry about it, Saki-chan. I know it's hard for you to be here," the noirette sat up with an understanding smile gracing her features. The spirit sniffled and dabbed her eyes with her handkerchief.

"Is there any news about my boy? Please, oh, please let it be good," she prayed to whoever was listening. The teenage girl next to her, Rina, sighed through her nostrils.

"Cheer up, Love. It's not like you asked to be this way," she explained with a brief shrug. Saki looked thoughtful as she stared at the ground with eyes laden with sadness. "What I can tell you is that your son is doing just fine. He and his girlfriend are set to be married in six months. I hear the wedding is going to be beautiful. If things go well, then I suspect a grandbaby in your future."

The older lady hiccuped, tears streaming down her partially transparent face, "Thank you so much, dear. It's nice having someone to talk to and check up on my boy." After receiving a silent "thank you" in the form of a nod, she smiled. She glowed as the rising sun bounced off her translucent body.

"I can't thank you enough, Rina," Saki spoke softly with tears filling her emerald eyes. The noirette beside her stuck her finger out as a black butterfly landed on it gracefully. Its friends swarmed around Saki and her slowly dissipating form.

"It was nothing. Besides, you deserve to be at peace," the stranger sighed as she stood up and dusted off her uniform.

"Come find me whenever you cross over. I owe you," Saki suggested, eyes wide and hopeful.

"Sorry, love, but I don't plan on going there. At least not any time soon," Rina narrowed her scarlet eyes softly. Saki's expression fell as she glowed brighter and the butterfly swarm around her grew. The girl felt a ping of guilt when she saw the disappointment in the woman's eyes. "However...if I do, I'll come and look for you," she winked.

The spirit blinked with a confused expression plastered on their transparent face. She returned the teen's smile with a much warmer one. No more words were exchanged as Saki finally disappeared. The teen turned away from where her apparition friend once stood, groaning exhaustedly when she checked the time on her phone. Her eyes widened a fraction when she realized she only had ten minutes to be in class.

Once she arrived at Karakura High, Rina tried to force back the yawn she had been holding in since early this morning. She spent most of her night trying to get Saki to finally pass on. She didn't regret it but her Uncle always told her that sleep was one of the most important things she could have, especially for someone who was almost always sick.

Because of her poor health, she had missed most of her last year of Junior High and, later on, a bit of her ninth-grade year. If it were up to her, she would be learning alongside all the others, but it wasn't. Nothing ever seemed to be decided upon by her. That thought upset her.

"Rina-chan!"

Before the dark-haired girl could even turn around to search for whoever had called her name, she was caught in a tight bear hug. Her ribcage felt as if it had been crushed. When she peeked one eye open to see her assailant, she found none other than Inoue Orihime.

"Inoue-san, it's a pleasure...as always." She tried to sound polite but only ended up straining her voice due to the lack of oxygen reaching her lungs. Tatsuki, Orihime's best friend, tapped her on the shoulder and made sure she was able to breathe after the attack.

"So, how are you? I hear your uncle was homeschooling you?" the orange-haired beauty asked while pulling Rina further into the school. They wouldn't be late and had plenty of time to chat but still needed to head inside and change into their uwabaki.

"I'm doing better. My weak constitution was a bit of a problem for the past few months but I'm good now. My uncle has been a godsend through all of this," Rina explained, taking her second pair of shoes out of her locker and replacing them with the ones she wore on the way to school.

"I never really understood what happened. You fainted again, didn't you?" Orihime gasped with her wide-set eyes. Rina felt a little nervous about the day simply because she knew questions like this would be coming at her hot and heavy.

"W-Well, you see…" a bead of sweat fell down her temple as she scratched her cheek, "I had forgotten to eat breakfast that morning and I guess my body just decided to shut down. After that, I caught some flu-like virus and had to stay at home until I was back to normal."

"I guess it's lucky you're always ahead in your classes. Man, I don't know how you do it," Tatsuki shook her head in disbelief. Rina flashed her a kind smile.

"You're plenty smart, Arisawa-san. If you ever need tutoring, I'll be glad to help you. That goes for you as well, Inoue-san," she offered her two friends as they neared their assigned classroom. It felt good to be back but Rina would never admit that she missed the antics of her classmates.

As soon as the trio entered the room, many faces turned in their direction. Although some teens stared at them, a good amount of them just turned away. A small weight was lifted from Rina's shoulders as she realized that the day might not be as bad as she thought. She settled into her seat, listening to the chatter of her classmates as her mind wandered to Saki. That old woman, bless her heart…

"Speak of the devil…" a familiar voice came from behind her. When she turned in her seat and caught sight of orange hair above her, she couldn't help but smile.

"Why hello there, Stranger," she stood up, face beaming with smug happiness at the sight of one of her oldest friends.

"Long time no see, Rina-chan," Ichigo chuckled as she gave him a quick hug then backed away, grinning. Her scarlet eyes trailed down to the smaller girl standing next to Kurosaki Ichigo.

"Who might this be?" she asked with a polite smile.

"Kuchiki Rukia. It's a pleasure. I take it you two are friends?" her violet-eyed classmate returned the gesture. Rina nodded as she turned her gaze back towards Ichigo.

"Something like that," he shrugged while casually placing his hands in his pockets. "Rina and I have been friends since we were in Junior High."

"Oh?" Rukia raised a dark eyebrow, "How come I've never seen you around?"

"I had to be homeschooled for a few months because of an illness. Now, I'm doing better and my uncle has finally allowed me to come back," Rina explained, tucking a strand of her long, coal-coloured hair behind her ear.

"It's good to have you back. It was starting to get boring," Ichigo quipped, receiving a light punch in the arm. Rukia smiled as she watched the two exchange witty banter. These two had some history together that she would have to pry out of her partner in crime later on.

Within the next few minutes or so, the bell rang and everyone sat down in their appointed seats. As the professor entered the room, she eyed Rina with a smile. She gave her a silent nod and continued getting her textbooks out.

Rina rested her chin in her hand and half-heartedly listened to the lecture

Whether it was because she already understood most of the material or she didn't care to listen, she paid no mind to the teacher. Instead, she absentmindedly drew on scratch paper.

The day went by as it normally would, with the only exception being the extra attendee in the classroom. Rina was never much of a popular girl on account of her poor social skills but she had her preferred group of friends in the school that kept her company. She wondered if Rukia would be a new addition to that select few.

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When lunch came around and the class was dismissed, all the students dispersed back into their friend groups. Ichigo had pulled Rukia up to the roof so that they could talk one on one. He hesitantly punctured her juice box for her since she still seemed a bit confused about that. Then, he began to explain what he saw earlier that morning.

"A demon finished off your hollow?" she narrowed her violet eyes confusedly.

"I'm not saying it was a demon but that's the only way to describe it. It was scary fast...flew right past the hollow's mask then ran off with half of it," Ichigo explained with a furrowed brow. The two of them sat in silence for a moment, trying to wrap their heads around what he had seen.

Amidst the silence, a crow's squawking caught Rukia's attention. She raised an eyebrow, ignoring the conversation Ichigo was starting with Mizuiro and Keigo, who had been looking for them.

Coincidentally, the avian's trail led her right to Rina.

The strange girl that had drawn her attention was standing under a shady tree while talking on the phone. Rukia was too far to hear the conversation but she knew that even if she could, it probably wouldn't help lessen the uneasy feeling she got from her new classmate. Something about her was strange but she couldn't quite put a finger on it.

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The sunset that evening was stunning and painting-worthy, turning the sky vibrant shades of crimson and gold. Two young kids swept the outside of Urahara's, a candy shop in Karakura town. The redheaded one of the two, Jinta, grumbled something as he snatched a broom from the hands of his coworker, Ururu. He then proceeded to hit her over the head with it.

"Stop, Jinta-kun!" Ururu cried softly.

"Not until you learn to sweep right!" Jinta shouted, raising the broom and lowering it down on her head a few more times.

"How can I do that without the broom?" Ururu asked timidly while trying to protect herself from the boy's bombardment. Jinta lifted the broom to strike the teary-eyed girl again, however, he found that he couldn't move his arms.

"Huh?" he looked back, expression set in an annoyed scowl.

"She said stop, Jin."

A bead of fearful sweat fell down the boy's face as he paused, looking directly into a familiar set of blood-red irises. He grinned nervously and did what he was supposed to be doing the whole time, sweeping feverishly.

"You alright, Ru-chan?" Rina crouched down so she was on Ururu's level. The pink-cheeked girl nodded as she picked up another broom lying nearby. She then returned to her spot and swept quietly. Rina smiled, ruffling up the girl's hair a little before making her way inside the shop. The approaching sound of sandals drew Rina's attention to a face she knew all too well.

"Well, well, well," grinned a certain sandy-blonde store owner as he waved his fan. Rina closed her fiery eyes and took a deep breath through her nostrils. This was a conversation she would need to mentally prepare herself for. "You look like a whole new girl in that uniform!" Urahara Kisuke joked with a cheeky smile. "How was school?"

"It was fine, Uncle. We have a new student, although I shouldn't be surprised. I was gone for so long, I'd be disappointed if nothing had changed," she boosted herself up onto a nearby counter and took a lollipop from the candy jar. Kisuke hid his interested smirk behind his fan.

"Ah, yes, Kuchiki-san is a frequent customer, despite having just arrived here. You two should become friends," he told his young goddaughter.

Rina huffed in amusement, "What makes you say that?"

"She comes by here quite a lot and it would be nice for you to make some new friends. Besides, I think you'd like her," her confidant winked. She stared at him blankly, questioning his true motives before dropping the subject. Kisuke was never one to give a straight answer, that fact she had learned long ago.

Before any words could escape her mouth, she felt something nuzzle her hand. With a raised eyebrow, she looked down at what had brushed up against her and instantly lit up with joy.

"I didn't forget about you," she giggled while dropping down onto the ground. Her dog, Zaiaku, seemed to smile as she scratched behind his ears. The large canine wagged his tail, nearly knocking over a candy display.

"Hey, watch it," Kisuke frowned, catching the falling jar before it hit the ground, "He's a bit too big to be in here, don't you think?"

"He's just happy, Unc," Rina chuckled as she got back onto her feet.

It was true that Zaiaku was a large dog and even Jinta and Ururu were startled by him sometimes. They weren't quite sure what breed he was but they kept him around nonetheless. He was Rina's best friend and she loved him like family.

"Well, whenever you're finished praising him for making a mess—" she rolled her blood-red eyes at the blonde's tone, "I suggest that you help the little ones clean. We have some new goods that need to be taken care of."

After giving orders, Kisuke spun around and left Rina to her own devices. She let out a long, exasperated sigh then got to work. Zaiaku followed her to the storage room and sat on the wooden floor while she took inventory, silently watching his partner sort through candies and random gift-shop items. All the while, she hummed a sweet song of remembrance.