Disclaimer: Bambietta Basterbine and all related characters belong to Shueisha. The title of this story, meanwhile, was suggested by NotXeno.

Away from the prying eyes of the residents of Kyoto, deep down the dead end of a back alley, a strange swirling mass of shadow came into being. It took shape across the wall of the one of the buildings, drawing from the shadows cast off by the overbearing sunlight above. The phenomenon solidified then, its stability at the ready. Then did a foot issue forth from the black mass, a leg and then a body following.

Her name was Bambietta Basterbine and she had business to attend to in this city. In her hand was a suitcase, a sign of her intention to stick around for some time. She was clad practically head to toe in white, the blue etchings of the quincy adorning her outfit. For so long she had walked amongst others clad in the uniform of the Wandenreich but that time was long since over. From her shoulders hung a mantle that issued forth a cloak, one that very nearly reached her ankles. Impractical, perhaps, but the quincy had grown quite accustomed to having what she felt was a barrier between herself and others. It was just cloth, yes, but to her it was a placebo of a shield, one that gave her peace of mind. Underneath her skirt existed dark blue tights, a necessary change. Without the Explode she could no longer fight at a more leisurely pace from a distance. She would have to be much more active now, modesty a must.

However, there was one part of her uniform she had kept. Wrapped around her waist was a belt adorned by a red heart shaped buckle. It clashed greatly with her chosen garments, but she would not part with it. She was both unwilling and unsure of her decision on that front.

The quincy glanced around for a moment, relieved that she had opened the portal in the correct spot. She had no desire to run afoul of any witnesses to her arrival. Unnecessary complications were something she had no interest in dealing with. Not now at the very least. Everything as she wished, Bambietta motioned towards the shadow portal that she had stepped forth from. "Hey, Gigi, the coast's clear. Come on out."

"You sure it's safe?"

Bambietta sighed. "Yes, I'm sure. You hear a battle going on out here or anything?"

"Well you aren't cursing up a storm or blowing stuff up or anything so I'll take your word for it."

"I can't do that anymore, remember?" Bambietta felt her shoulders drop a little bit. For so long the she had held a piece of her chosen deity and master within the core of her very being. He had granted her the power to take control of her own life, to have the strength to fight those who had taken from her so much. Now, with the passing and sealing of Yhwach, that power had vanished. All she had now was her own soul, her own strength to rely on. There was a benefit to it, however. The one who was with her had also lost her schrift, becoming a normal quincy as well. The power that brought such terrible harm to Bambietta was no more, leaving behind nothing more than a damaged young lady. "Come on, Gigi, we don't have all day."

Slowly did the lithe young woman step out from the shadows, a tentative expression etched upon her face. Dressed similarly to Bambietta, a matching white suitcase in her hands as well, she glanced around slightly at her new settings. Giselle Gewelle was unsure about her leader but it had been many a year since she herself had last set foot in the mortal world. Ever since Yhwach had appeared before her, Giselle had known nothing but the realms of the spiritual, be it the icy fortress Yhwach had taken her to, Hueco Mundo or the Soul Society. The energy, the very fabric of reality, felt so different here, so very alien. She felt her breath catch in her throat, her eyes widening a little as she gasped.

"Whoa there, easy!" Bambietta moved in close to Giselle, placing one arm across her back, her other hand pressing firmly beneath her chest to help keep her steady. "Deep breaths, just take deep breaths and I promise you'll get used to the living world again."

It was then that Bambietta mentally chastised herself for being so demanding of Giselle stepping out of the portal so quickly. The quincy remembered full well her first visit to the this realm after becoming a sternritter under Yhwach's command. It had been just as rough on her as well, her body having grown accustomed to the realms of the dead. It had been three years after her initiation, three years since she had left behind the decayed village that had once been her home. She had asked his permission of course, and he had granted it after much deliberation. Bambietta had taken that sabbatical for all it was worth, using the shadows under her control to visit country after country, city after city. Some had been more interesting than others but there was one place Bambietta had refused to go to, both on a conscious and unconscious level.

She knew in her heart then that you could not return home, no matter how much you craved to. The pain would not allow it.

Her thoughts returning to the present, Bambietta watched as Giselle's breathing began to stabilize, her face becoming calmer with each passing second. "Thank you, Bambi." Giselle stood upright then as Bambietta stepped away, allowing her the room she needed. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Yeah, I think we both know you don't have the ability to function without me." The words were cruel in both their intention and inflection, leaving Bambietta to instantly regret what she had just stated. She could see Giselle glancing away suddenly, the young lady knowing full well what had been meant. "Gigi, I-"

"No, you're right." Giselle's voice was unnaturally quiet, her right hand gripping down tightly on her opposing arm. "I wouldn't go on without you, no matter what it took."

There was a silence between the two women then, neither able to find the words to help mend the moment. It had not been long since Bambietta had gone on what she had felt a roaring rampage of revenge. She had searched and searched for Giselle, intent on making her suffer before death in response to the personal betrayal she had suffered at her hands. Bambietta had been pursuing a monster but all she had found hidden away in the darkness had been a frail, sobbing child seeking atonement through death. Bambietta had intended to look into the eyes of a heartless creature as the light faded from them, but all she had stared into was the eyes of a young girl she had grown up beside, one who had longed for her friendship and guidance.

They had come to an understanding then, yes, but their relationship could never be the same. Bambietta was uneasy, Giselle agonized. Both wanted things to be as they had been before the second invasion of the Soul Society but a path towards that outcome seemed so very far out of reach.

"Listen," Bambietta finally said, trying to break the ice, "we need to find a place to stay before night falls. Not to mention we're going to need food and water."

Bambietta was sure that was something that Giselle may well have forgotten over the years. Such things had been nothing more than a simple novelty in the realm tucked away in the shadows of the Soul Society. Yhwach had shown the quincy how to thrive and sustain themselves on nothing more than the spiritual matter all around them. It was a gift of the quincy, to have such command over the wavelengths that made up reality, something shinigami and hollows could only dream of, but it was not an ability that would serve them well in the mortal world. She had been here plenty of times in the past, though not recently, and Bambietta had learned quite readily that the spiritual matter of this realm were too densely packed to be controlled in such a passive manner.

"So we need the local currency, right?" Giselle asked, trying to get her head wrapped around what needed to be done. Money had not been an object to the life of a sternitter, Yhwach having promised and given a world beyond the needs of material things, but Giselle knew of it still. "So, what are we going to do? Knock over a bank?" A sly smile spread along Giselle's lips. "We have the power to do as we please."

"Well, it isn't like we're good little girls," Bambietta replied, her own grin coming into view. "Want, take, have; it's a simple as that. But I have other methods." Bambietta reached around in a pocket that was built into her uniform, removing from it a pale blue wallet. She opened it then, showing Giselle the crisp paper money inside. "I've had my fun around the world, odd jobs aplenty when I needed a break from the Wandenreich, so I think we've got enough to keep us covered until we find the girls."

Giselle perked up then, her eyes taking on an excited glow. "Then everything will be like it should be!"

"That's the plan!" Bambietta flashed a broad smile of her own but her thoughts were less than positive. She was unsure of just how well a reunion could go. Had it been too long, had too much happened since the war had begun, for things to ever return to normal? She was playing nice with Giselle but there was still a hint of worry buried deep within Bambietta's heart. Still, she did all she could to keep her outer countenance a cheery one. "Come on, Gigi, let's see what kind of trouble we can get in!"

Tabijinohate was a little known motel on the outskirts of Kyoto. It was not much to see from the outside, but its quaint qualities endeared it to Giselle if not Bambietta.

"How about this place? Can we go there, Bambi, can we please?"

Bambietta felt Giselle continue to tug on her cloak as she pointed towards the one floor motel, the rooms clearly accessed from the outside, no hallways to speak of. It was not much to be certain but it would no doubt be a reasonable enough way to stretch their funds as far as they could go. Considering the quincy had no idea how long the search for their missing friends could take, that would be ideal. "All right, all right, no need to tug on my cape. Next thing you know you'll be spitting in the wind."

Bambietta and Giselle made their way towards the main office located at the center of the motel. Bambietta was first through the door, holding it open so that Giselle could enter as well. They both looked around and took notice that no one was in sight, leaving one disappointed, the other angry. Biting down on her lower lip, Bambietta stormed over to the counter and slammed the open palm of one hand on the bell. It rang just as she intended but no one came to greet herself and Giselle.

Bambietta's face twitched slightly, the quincy getting visibly annoyed. Still she pressed on, bringing her hand down on the bell again and again. "Seriously, where the hell is everyone?"

For so long had Bambietta lived with her emotions on her proverbial sleeve. She had never been one to hold back in any matter as one of the Stern Ritter, but she knew things had to be different now. No longer did she have the specific power to make her temper a thing to be feared, though she was sure a few well-placed arrows would still suffice, but she also no longer had the Wandenreich or Yhwach to fall back upon. Such emotional outbursts just would not do, especially in the realm of mortality. The last thing she and Giselle needed to do was get the attention of the Soul Society. There was one shinigami that Bambietta thought that maybe, just maybe, she could trust, but the majority of them were another story. All that dwelled in the back of her mind was the prospect of both herself and Giselle being hunted down. Still, her temper was not an easy thing to hold back. She bit down on her lower lip, trying to restrain her anger.

"Sorry, sorry," an older man said as he stepped out from the back office, a stack of paperwork in his hands. He was a disheveled sort, the scars of a long and bitter life etched into the flesh that stretched across his face. His ragged gray hair reached down to his shoulders, a pair of worn spectacles covering his eyes. He placed the paperwork down on the counter and blinked a few times as he stared at the two quincy. "You two in town for an anime convention I take it?"

"Anime?" Giselle asked, tilting her head slightly as she stepped up beside Bambietta at the counter. Her voice belied her confusion, leaving her leader to remember that only one of them had left the fortress before, let alone visit Japan. "I used to know a girl named Anna May. She was a real mean bi-"

"Yeah, they're our bread and butter!" Bambietta said proudly, planting her hands on her hips and letting her cloak spread across her arms. "Just some cosplayers in town, nothing else! Totally nothing else! Nope! Totally nothing suspicious here, let me tell you! So, since my friend and I are in town, we'd really appreciate if we could get a room."

"Oh yes, of course!" The man clapped his hands together. "My apologies, I should have gotten straight to business. Ryo Tohsaka at your service. So how long do you need the room for?"

"I guess it all depends," Bambietta answered, unsure of just how long the search for Candice, Meninas and Liltotto would take. "How about we just pay night by night, okay?"

"That's quite alright," Ryo said. "So then, as for pay for the first night here..."

Some time was spent haggling prices, but in the end did Bambietta relent to what she felt was a bit more expensive for a motel than she had been expecting. Still, she was not going to argue. The sooner she and Giselle could find a roof over their heads the better. As she stepped back outside the duo could see that the sun was setting, night descending upon Kyoto. Bambietta walked forward then, the keys to their room in hand.

"What about dinner, Bambi?" Giselle asked as she walked up beside her friend, her stomach clearly growling. "We've got to eat something, right?"

"I'll give you some cash if you want to check out those places across the street, Gigi," Bambietta replied, a yawn escaping her lips, "but frankly, I'm too tired to even go get a snack."

"Are you okey-doke?" Giselle asked, quite concerned for her friend.

"I'm fine," the older quincy replied as she rubbed her eyes with one hand, "just sleepy is all." Bambietta ruffled through her wallet and handed Giselle some money. "Have some fun, okay? When you get back, just knock twice and I'll let you in."

"Okay!" Giselle scampered off with the money, very nearly giving Bambietta a heart attack as she ran across the road without hesitation, one car swerving to the side to avoid her.

"Hey, Gigi!" Bambietta shouted, forcing Giselle to turn around as she stood on the opposing sidewalk. "Make sure to look next time!"

Giselle glanced around sheepishly as she took sight of the automobiles that came into view on the roadway, their headlights piercing the ever darkening air. She was not stupid, and despite having not been to this world since she had been a child, Giselle knew full well that getting run over would be the death of her. It was just that she had grown so used to having the power of the Zombie at her side that she had not thought for the moment. She nodded at Bambietta, then walked slowly towards the nearest fast food restaurant, one marked as WacDonald's.

"I swear," Bambietta sighed, very nearly dropping her face into an open palm, "that girl is going to be the death of-"

The quincy refused to finish that sentence, her hands curling into a fist. She was playing nice, she really was, but forgiveness was not such an easy commodity to give after an experience like she had suffered.

"Damn it."

Bambietta's mouth began to open and she stretched her arms out, allowing her yawn to echo outwards. It was true, she was unnaturally tired, but she had her reasons, reasons she was not so inclined to share with Giselle. Shaking her head slightly, Bambietta turned towards her new, temporary home. She unlocked the door and stepped in.

"What the hell is this crap?"

The room was impeccably spotless, more than Bambietta had expected from a motel, but there was one major problem, one that Ryo had not informed her of ahead of time.

There was only one bed.

"How in the hell are Gigi and I supposed to work with this?" Bambietta stomped a foot in frustration, her lips curling back as her vision wavered. "Oh, that sneaky bastard probably wants me to go back and pay for a second room! Well hell, screw that!"

Bambietta felt she would simply have to tough it out. She locked the door behind her, glancing to make sure that all the window shades were down. The quincy then moved over to the bed, opening up her suitcase on it. She glanced over the few articles of clothing she had packed up in the ice palace, selecting the appropriate nightwear.

Growing irritated, Bambietta still a bit distraught about things, she shut the suitcase hard, turning her attention to getting dressed for the evening. As she got changed, she continued to glance at the bed, knowing that it would not be a first for herself and Giselle, remembering well how she had slept upon the floor of Giselle's room upon her request. It was a surprisingly fond memory to the quincy, Bambietta recalling how Giselle had entrusted with her a secret that none of the other quincy save Yhwach knew.

Then did Bambietta cringe, remembering what she had called Giselle at the fortress not a few hours earlier. The quincy sighed then as she removed her belt and stared at the worn, heart shaped buckle. Bambietta bit her lower lip slightly, growing angry with herself, and began to finish her preparations for the evening.

Soon did Bambietta stand in the room of the motel, dressed in her choice of pink pajamas. Once it had not been her kind of color, but it had grown on her in recent years. Once more did the quincy pick up her belt, her eyes staring directly at the buckle, her thoughts still dwelling on the past. She sighed then and placed the item in her suitcase, closing it off for now. Bambietta was about to slip into the bed and underneath the covers, truly desperate for some sleep, when she heard a knock at the door. She knew who it had to be, so she quickly made her way over and opened the doorway.

Giselle came into view and Bambietta could not help herself. She burst into a fit of laughter, her reserved composure completely shattered. From Giselle's mouth hung a cheeseburger, her hands far too preoccupied by the large paper bag she was holding with the both of them.

Giselle's face went red slightly and she quickly raised up her hands, pushing the bag to Bambietta. Despite her situation, Giselle nodded her approval. Bambietta forced off her laughter and took hold of the bag and glanced inside. That gave Giselle the chance to grab hold of the burger and remove it from her mouth. "I picked up some of those things from the local convenience store. I figured they might help with how tuckered out you said you were."

"What exactly are they?" Bambietta asked, staring the pile of what appeared to be little red bottles in the bag.

"Energy drinks, I think," Giselle answered as she stepped into the room, closing and locking the door behind her. "The advertising says they'll give us wings."

Bambietta chuckled then, if only slightly. "Wings, huh?" The quincy missed her powers so very much. The Explode had given her the strength to stand for herself, the vollstandig had made her a veritable angel. Now, however, she was just a simple quincy, nothing more. "Giselle, do you miss your schrift?"

"No." Giselle's answer was blunt in its execution. "Yhwach he said it would fill the void of my heart, just as he did to us all, but it was nothing worth having. I hate that power I had."

"That's what I thought," Bambietta said in return, glancing down at the energy drinks. She smiled again, her laughter echoing in the room. "Energy drinks, huh? I hope they taste better than Yhwach's blood did, you silly little goober."

Giselle smiled in response, happy that her purchase had brought a smile to her friend's face, as well as her heart. While she did not miss the Zombie, she knew that Bambietta had cherished her strength. "Your schrift was so much fun though. You remember that time you got the hiccups?"

"Don't remind me," Bambietta replied sheepishly.

Giselle giggled slightly. "Every time you hiccupped, something would end up exploding whether you wanted it to or not. I thought Yhwach and Haschwalth were going to lose their minds after you very nearly leveled the palace. And you..." Giselle laughed hard then, making it difficult to get the question out. "Do you remember how Lil and the others tried to cure you and save the Wandenreich?"

"Yeah, I remember." Bambietta clutched at her stomach a little, the memories coming back to you. "You all forced As Nodt into my room, thinking he could scare the hiccups right out of me. The guy could barely say boo because he was so scared of my schrift. Then I..." Bambietta grew red in the face, recalling well how she had hiccupped right in front of her fellow quincy. "Poor bastard was out of commission for weeks!"

Giselle and Bambietta both burst into laughter then, the memory of it far too much for them. For a few short minutes it continued until at last Giselle began to compose herself and speak. "You're my angel, Bambi. Vollstandig or not."

Bambietta's laughter slowed then too, her gaze shifting towards Giselle. The younger of the two was unsure of what to make of the stare, so she did what she could, quickly devouring her cheeseburger as fast as humanly possible.

"Let's get some rest." Bambietta said no more then, simply placing the bag down on the nearest table and crawling on to the bed. She moved the two pillows to opposite sides and rested her head against one, keeping her back to the center of the mattress. She was simply so tired she did not even bother to pull the blanket up over herself.

Giselle was not sure what to make of the silence. She simply moved towards her own side, flipping off the light and crawling on to the bed despite her having not changed into any pajamas. She too kept her back to Bambietta, wondering why she had gotten so quiet all of a sudden. There were no words then, Giselle simply lost in her own thoughts.

Until, at last, she heard a rather audible snore echo across the motel room. The quincy smirked slightly, happy to hear that some things would never, ever change. She glanced over her shoulder, to look at Bambietta one last time before falling asleep. Giselle swore she had truly turned the lights off but she could see a faint glow in the corner of her eyes. She turned all the way around then.

Giselle's eyes widened at the sight of it. Faint blue lines of light were etched into the skin of Bambietta, glowing right through her pajamas. Across her back, down her arm and legs. Underneath the cast darkness the light shone so brightly, as if Bambietta was a star herself. Giselle knew what it was, though she could scarcely recall a time she had seen it cast so fiercely.

"Blut vene?"

Bambietta's spiritual power was coursing through her very veins, strengthening her skin, making her resistant to any attack. Giselle could only guess it being used so recklessly was the precise reason why Bambietta was so incredibly tired. However, the quincy could not understand why she would use such a power if they were not under attack or in the thick of battle.

Then did it dawn on Giselle.

She was the reason. She had to be. Bambietta had offered her forgiveness back in the deserted ruins but she was clearly still cautious. Giselle had betrayed her once, had ended her life with her own two hands. Despite their apparent reconciliation, Giselle could clearly see now that her friend was not taking even the slightest chance, no matter how much it was taxing her.

"Bambi, I..." Giselle turned over then, unable to stare at the light of condemnation that was Bambietta's blut vene. A tear slipped down Giselle's face as her eyes closed, the woman trying so very hard to force herself to fall asleep. Giselle was unsure what hope there was, but the blissful ignorance of sleep seemed to be the only relief she might find from what she was experiencing now. "Bambi, you changed. I made you change. I'm such an idiot."

Giselle was simply restless then, the quincy unable to find that possible respite. She wanted it, desired it, but she could not will herself into a state of rest. It was then that she could only curse trying out one of those energy drinks before coming back to the hotel.

Nonetheless did she force her eyes closed, hoping that would help do the trick. However it was in that precise moment that the quincy felt something in the air. A malevolent presence working its way through the space around her. Giselle felt her heart very nearly skip a beat in response and she forced her eyes to open in response. The cruel intentions of one being were all but bearing down upon her.

No, Giselle could tell it truly. Not something but several things were responsible for the dark desires. It was familiars source of power, one that was dramatically opposed to the very nature of the quincy.

"Hollows?" Giselle sat up with a start, her panic setting in. From the level of power she was sensing, these were far from ordinary hollows either. "Bambi, I think we may have a problem!"

There was no response issued forth with words, only more snoring. Giselle turned quickly then, staring at her ally. The traces of blut vene were no longer present; either a sign that Bambietta had lost focus in sleep or her power was ebbing. Giselle was not sure which option was the explanation but she knew for certain that Bambietta had overexerted herself with the constant technique all because of her. It was no wonder she was in such a deep slumber that she was not even sensing the approaching hollows.

"Get up, Bambi! Please!" Giselle kneeled over her friend, gently pushing against her back, causing her sleeping body to rock slightly. Despite her time as a sternritter, Giselle knew her fighting talent was less than exemplary compared to her contemporaries. She knew how to employ the basics of being a quincy, yes, but she had relied quite heavily on the Zombie. Either to use others to fight for her or to depend on her regeneration to recover from wounds a more proficient quincy would never have experienced. It was Bambietta that was the better of the two. "Bambi! Please! Save me!"

All Giselle received in response was yet another snore.

"What do we have here? Such tiny frames but I sense much spirit in you girls."

Giselle froze at the sound of the raspy voice. Slowly she turned and could see it, the curtains of the window moving to the sides, pulled as if by an invisible force. Then it came into focus. Staring through the glass of the window was a stark white mask, the hollow's red eyes blazing with sadistic delight at what prey it had found. The window began to rattle then, before at last flying open. Cold air breathed into the room, chilling Giselle as she felt the hairs on the back of the nape of her neck stand up.

"You little darling," the hollow said as it began to move its masked visage through the window, "give me a screa-"

The beast never got the chance to finish its demand. A blue arrow of pure power suddenly slammed into its left eye, the red light fading as the hollow unleashed a roar of anguished agony. Giselle tilted her head slightly; her lips curling back slyly as she took in the sound. She lowered her right arm then, still keeping the small glowing crossbow within the palm of her hand. The sound of the hollow, it was euphoric to her, like music to her ears. The pain of one she had no love for left them perking up slightly.

"Oh, that was a good one," Giselle said. "Maybe now I'll let you hear mine. Show me yours and I'll show you mine."

The roar of the hollow was what it took at last to force Bambietta to finally awaken. She shot up in the bed and turned, taking note of the hollow that was backing away from the window, blood spurting from a socket in its mask, a blue arrow fading away into the ether. "This better be a nightmare."

"Bambi?" Giselle turned, her cruel expression shifting to one of relief and joy. She quickly wrapped her arms around the woman, very nearly sending them both off the bed and to the floor. "Bambi! You've got to kill them! Kill them all! Please!"

"All?" Bambietta was unsure of what Giselle was getting at. "There's only one."

Then it hit Bambietta, her spiritual senses awakening to match her mind and body. She had been tired, had she not? To not notice what she did now, it was unacceptable to her. There were a few traces of spiritiual strength outside, all of them tainted by malicious intent that clearly wished to intimidate its prey. Hollows. So many hollows. Not just the rank and file ones either. No, these were a different breed, one that was usually reserved for Hueco Mundo.

That was the least of Bambietta's problems, however.

She could see it then, a hand flying in through the window, an ever lengthening arm preceding it. She was caught off guard, but not enough to be unable to react in some small measure. Bambietta shoved Giselle to the side, throwing her to the floor hard. Then the fingers wrapped around Bambietta's head. The quincy grasped at the fingers with her own, but it was to no avail.

"Bambi!" Giselle watched in horror as the arm suddenly receded, dragging Bambietta out through the window in the blink of an eye. She crawled forward a bit. "I won't let you have her!" Giselle forced herself to stand then, her voice cracking. "Give her back to me!"