Here's the conclusion to this fun little two part-er! I had a lot of fun with this one. Ishida's probably one of my favorite characters in Bleach so getting to write more of him is always a plus, and I have more fun than I should making subtle changes to the manga for my own purposes.

Please enjoy!


Part I

Rukia cut down her…was it her tenth or her twelfth Hollow? Maybe it was her twentieth? She lost track a little while ago. Only one thing was certain. This little "challenge" of Ishida's had gotten out of hand.

The area was teeming with Hollows, and without proper detection skills, Rukia could only hope that this place alone was affected. For once, Rukia really missed that little flip-phone of Ichigo's.

The Substitute's senses sharpened as another Hollow appeared nearby, out of sight, and right on the heels of the last one. With a groan, she brandished her katana, and began running toward the presence.

The streets seemed clear. No buildings were destroyed that weren't already by some previous Hollow. This calm belied the presence gnawing at the back of her mind. She continued to run, going purely off instinct, and her feet paused as she crossed a line of trees.

The Park.

She ran ahead, weaving through, and it was mere seconds until she spotted a huge Hollow with spindly limbs looming over a cowering couple, a pair of Spirits. The Hollow's mouth slid open in a parody of a grin. The woman shrieked.

Rukia sprung forward and within seconds had speared it through the back of the head. It disintegrated, the couple running for it the second they had the chance.

"That was too close…" Rukia muttered to herself. "Damn you, Ishida."

She'd hoped that being the top of the class actually meant something, that Ishida might have a bit more sense than this, and yet here they were. He had never thought once about who he'd be putting in danger with this little stunt. When she got her hands on him…

Her thoughts were interrupted by movement in the corner of her eye. A bat-winged Hollow flew through the air at top speed in the distance. Just as she begun to try and figure where it might land, something that must have been one of Ishida's arrows pierced straight through it, destroying it in mid-air.

She took a mental note of where it came from, knowing where she'd be headed next.

Of course, it was then that she felt the cold presence of another Hollow at her back. She spun around in an instant and throwing up her sword guarded against its teeth. She could feel its chilled breath on her face as she shoved back against it, wasting no time as she rushed forward and stabbed it in the middle of its mask. It dissolved away.

She panted heavily, leaning on her sword. A moment. All she needed was a moment.

"Rukia!" cried out a voice from beyond the trees. "Rukia!" It was Paku shoving her way through the brush, skidding to a stop right in front of Rukia.

Pushing her damp bangs from her forehead, Rukia asked, "Did you find Ichigo?" Paku shook her head, and Rukia's heart sunk.

"I looked all over the city," Paku said. "He wasn't at the Hospital, he wasn't at the school, he wasn't anywhere!"

Rukia cursed. She needed his help, here.

"What about the shop he bought you at?" Rukia asked. "Did you look there?"

"I was in a box the whole time," Paku said looking just as frustrated as Rukia felt. "I don't actually know where that is."

With a frown, Rukia said, "Just keep searching. We're going to need him."

"On it!" In a burst of wind Paku disappeared.

After that, Rukia moved through the park quickly, on the lookout for Hollows as she slowly made her way to the source of the arrow. She ended up coming across two of them in the process, weaklings that seemed to be missing their boss.

I wonder how many Hollows that makes now?

She shook herself out of those thoughts. Now wasn't the time to be thinking of this idiotic bet.

Then, everything went dark, and Rukia froze.

The pressure in the air increased to oppressive levels, like she was suddenly dragged deep into the ocean. Dragging her eyes upward, she could see the sky. It looked…cracked, like it was made of old porcelain. For a second it reminded her of the gates of hell, but whatever this was, it wasn't here to drag something in.

Things were coming out

Out poured Hollow after Hollow after Hollow. They came in by the dozens, descending upon the city like a swarm, and Rukia felt her heart sink into her stomach.

She knew that there was no way she could do it. She couldn't destroy that many by herself, not when she was already this exhausted.

People are going to die.

She stomped down the traitorous thought, and everyone that came before and after. Her speculation didn't matter. Her fear didn't matter. She had to try, and it was as simple as that.

She ran toward the ensuing chaos, preparing herself for the worst.

Part II

Renji wanted some answers.

Rukia has pretty steadily been walking home with him every single day since middle school. That's just how things were, and today, she said she had something else to do. She told him to go on ahead with that dark look on her face.

Equally as worrying was how Ichigo was apparently hospitalized for reasons that no one seemed to actually know, only a day after the two were talking about some giant Hollow that apparently eats other Hollows.

Renji was worried. His best friend in the entire world was risking her life doing god knows what, and he was here, completely unaware.

He wasn't planning on staying that way, though. Before he even left the school grounds, he knew he wanted answers. So, he went to the one location he was sure to get them, the Hospital. Maybe Ichigo could finally tell him what the hell was going on.

This was where he found himself on that particular afternoon. He was walking down a populated street, quickly and with purpose, heading straight for Karakura Town's biggest Hospital.

He was stopped by a booming SMASH!

The ground shook, and asphalt bent and broke beneath his feet. People started panicking and screaming around him.

"Oh god!"

"Was that an Earthquake?!"

"Everyone get to shelter!"

People started running, Renji barely avoiding getting knocked aside as he turned and saw that, no, it wasn't an Earthquake.

A large lumbering Hollow with thick limbs and a face as wide as a car was walking through the middle of the road, idly batting away vehicles and pedestrians that stood in its way. Tightening his grip on his bag, Renji figured the trip to the Hospital was going to have to wait. He threw the bag to the side.

"Hey, you big ugly!" he yelled at it. People continued to run past, completely unaware. The Hollow slowly turned to him, its eyes piercing. He knew that with his powers, he probably made a decent meal for this monster, or at least a better meal than the rest of these people. That was good. He could use that.

"You heard me!" he taunted. He wasn't even sure if the thing could understand him, but he seemed to get some kind of response, the Hollow huffing out of its nose like an angry bull. It started coming for him, a little faster this time.

Perfect!

With a smirk, Renji activated his powers. Spikes, dark and deep like shadows jutted from his legs, arms, and anywhere his tattoos used to be. His favorite was probably the two horn-like ones jutting from his head.

The Hollow didn't seem to mind. It kept on moving forward, and Renji suddenly got an idea.

It had taken him a while to figure out this trick. (There were several misshapen gouges in his wall to prove it.) He brought back his leg, like he was winding up for the perfect soccer goal and kicked, launching the spike on his calf straight at the Hollow. It hit it right in the eye.

It let out a low rumbling screech, stumbling back briefly before charging again, unsteady, at full speed, each limb hitting the ground with incredibly force. Renji dove out of the way right before it could connect.

It had kept going, hitting a (thankfully closed) convenience store with a loud SMASH! He scrambled up from the ground before it could free itself, and with another kick, sent a spike straight through its arm, causing it to howl again.

Good, he was getting somewhere. Then again, he also knew that he could fire spikes at it all day and it wouldn't do anything. If he couldn't destroy that mask, he wasn't going to win. He needed to get in close, and considering how tall this beast was, that was easier said than done.

The thing turned to him, and he craned his neck to look at it, stepping back. He knew he could do this. The question was, how?

Dodging out of the way of its smashing fist, he thought maybe he could let it grab him?

Nah, I don't really feel like getting snapped in half today.

He watched with a bit of disgust as it did just that to a poor telephone pole that Renji weaved around just in time. He then thought that maybe he could jump up at it?

Hey, I'm not Rukia or Paku.

He rolled out of the way of one of the Hollow's stomps, just barely missing it. He wasn't sure if he could keep this up. He had to do something.

It was then that he remembered where he was. He was downtown where the buildings were high and just a little bit older. There were bound to be a few with some old fire escapes. All he had to do was find one…

There!

He spotted one hanging on an old apartment complex in a nearby alleyway. He started running.

He could hear the Hollow barreling after him, but he didn't dare turn back. The second he reached the wall, he almost threw himself at it, dragging down the ladder with a jump, and climbing up it. He made quick progress, and the Hollow couldn't follow, not being as big as it was, and not with one injured arm. It settled for shaking the structure as hard as it could, the old bolts groaning and popping under the pressure.

By the time he was two stories up, Renji figured he was high enough as he could just see the top of the Hollow's mask. He knew he only had one shot at this, so before he could regret it, he threw himself at the Hollow's mask, leading with his shoulder.

He landed solidly onto its forehead, the spikes in his bicep burrowing deep inside the bone. It scrambled in confusion, shaking and bucking him. It was still alive, still struggling, but one more hit ought to do it.

Tearing his arm free, he gripped the top of his mask, and angling himself just right, swung out and back in, slamming the side of his leg into it, hoping that it would be enough.

With a strangled cry, it started dissolving away, right underneath Renji. His hands passed through thin air.

He tumbled to the ground, hitting it much harder than he intended, but he was grinning, spikes going away the second he touched down. His scrapes and bruises were far from his mind. All he could feel was…Well, he wasn't sure what he was feeling.

He was able to do it, defeat a Hollow on his own. It was so exhilarating, he suddenly understood why a whole legion of Shinigami would do this for a living. Karate spars and even full-blown fights with other people just couldn't compare.

Looking around he could see that the area was mostly cleared out. No one wanted to stick around, not even the shop vendors, for what they probably thought was some kind of catastrophic natural disaster. He was mostly glad that probably meant no one else got hurt.

He started his trek again through the now-abandoned street, grabbing his bag on the way. He wasn't too far from the hospital, now. He reached it in minutes, ignoring the odd stares from all he passed. He honestly had no idea what he looked like. Maybe some of them thought he was trying to check himself in.

The building itself was big, about ten floors high, and well maintained, especially for the neighborhood it was in. He stepped in to tile floors and perfectly white walls. Judging from how calm everyone looked, the "Earthquake" hadn't quite reached here.

He walked right up to the receptionist, knocking on the desk to get her attention. She looked up at him, unimpressed. He cleared his throat, sheepish.

"I'm here to visit someone," he eventually said. "Ichigo Shiba."

"Just one moment, sir," she said, typing away at her computer. He shifted in place, impatient, but after only a moment, with a loud click of her gum, she said, "I'm sorry, he's not here."

"What?" Damn, Renji was really counting on this lead.

"He checked out around noon today, sir. Sorry."

He sighed. "It's fine." He walked out, head hung low.

Great, he thought. If Ichigo wasn't there, then where was he? That was the question on his mind as he retraced his steps.

When a large crack formed in the sky and Hollows started pouring out at an alarming rate, he stopped thinking about it.

Oh, no.

But when he ran forward, trying to get to the chaos as fast as he could, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of excitement.

Part III

Ishida was in the thick of it all, shooting down Hollow after Hollow, when Rukia found him. He looked detached, his face serene. A bright blue light casted on him from his bow, and in those pristine white garments, he looked like a painting.

It made Rukia absolutely furious.

How could he, after causing all this chaos, look like this? He didn't have the right. No one did.

"Ishida!" she yelled out at him, anger seeping into her voice. "I thought you said, 'every Hollow in the prefecture?' You didn't say anything about opening a portal to Hueco Mundo!"

He lets loose another arrow before turning to her, raising a hand to adjust his glasses. His hand flinched away the second they touched the rims.

As his hand drew back, Rukia saw his fingertips, bloody and frayed. His hand trembled slightly, and for a second, he didn't look so picturesque. He looked like he was reaching his limit.

"It was a minor miscalculation," he said, tucking his hand into his pocket. "How many Hollows have you killed so far, Orikasa?" She ignored the question.

"A minor miscalculation that put the whole town in danger," she sneered, striding toward him, reaching again for her sword. He took a half step back, arrow already in his hand.

She ran at him, but he was just a bit too slow. By the time he had gotten his bow up she had…

Run straight past him.

Rukia connected with the Hollow directly behind Ishida, its claws stopping mere centimeters from his back. With a single well-placed stab, it disappeared. Ishida looked back at her, surprised. She turned back to him.

"If we want to find our way out of this," she said with a frown, "you need to forget about this competition." She could already feel more Hollows advancing. Time was not on their side today.

"It's not so simple for me!" he said, starting to raise his voice. The first Hollow darted out of the trees, bounding toward them at a rapid pace. Ishida shot it down before it could get too close.

"I get it," Rukia said, spying another, hunched just behind the tree line, looking like it was ready to charge. "You have some deep-rooted hatred for Shinigami. Is that really worth your life?"

The crouching Hollow jumped at that moment, and Rukia went forward to meet it, stopping it in its tracks. She shoved it off the second another one decided to pounce, slicing through the second one's mask, and before the first had the chance to attack again, Ishida fired another arrow at it, destroying it.

He came forward and stood there at her back, exhausted and on edge, facing the hoard by her side. It was then that the Hollows truly advanced.

"This alliance is temporary," he said amidst the roars.

"Fine by me."

The fighting started, and Rukia had to admit, the two of them made a pretty decent team when they put their minds to it. As long as they kept an eye out for each other, Ishida's range and Rukia's power worked nicely together. They defended the other when needed, with a single goal in mind:

Don't die.

Rukia wasn't sure how long this all went on, but she did know that, after a while, adrenaline just wasn't enough. Her and Ishida started to feel exhaustion set in after what must have been non-stop fighting for the last several hours.

It was under the weight of a bullfrog-like Hollow the size of a fully-grown bull that Rukia started the buckle. Its slimy skin made the grip on her sword falter, and with Ishida on the other side of the clearing, trying his best not to get eaten by the three Hollows bearing down on him, she knew they had run out of luck.

CRACK!

Without warning the Hollow was pushed back, just barely rolling over before it dissolved, and just as Rukia was about to thank Ishida for the save, she saw another figure step away from the disappearing Hollow's remains. It was her own.

"Paku?!"

The Mod Soul flashed Rukia a grin before speeding towards another Hollow, bounding off a tree and landing a kick right in its face. In a fluid move, she followed through in midair, and it started disintegrating, too. It was sometimes a little too easy to forget that Paku was literally designed for this. With a renewed vigor, Rukia continued fighting.

It wasn't much longer, and the three had managed to thin out the Hollows' number considerably. The terrifying herd had been broken up, and those left were running away, tails between their legs. The relief was palpable.

"…Is it over?" asked Paku, panting slightly.

"It should be," Ishida said, aiming for one of the running Hollows. He fired, hitting it dead on. With a long sigh, Rukia reached to sheath her katana.

Before she could even touch the scabbard, she saw the still present crack in the sky widen. A new pressure went through the air, one unlike anything that Rukia had ever felt before

Rukia brought her sword in front of her again, grip tightening, as Ishida prepared his bow with another arrow. Paku stepped back, fear plain on her face.

If you had, in that moment, asked Rukia what she was expecting to come out of that hole, she probably would just say "more Hollows." She'd face the new army, knowing in the back of her mind that she didn't have it in her take care of yet another one, and pray that she just took down as many of those bastards with her as she could.

Another army of Hollows didn't come out of this crack in the sky. Instead, a single white mask begun to peak out of the tear, so large, only its black empty eyes showed through, using its long clawed hands to stretch it further. It dragged itself out slowly, and with horror, Rukia watched as it got itself halfway out of the tear.

It was absolutely massive, larger than the tallest building in all of Karakura. The pressure it emitted made Rukia's knees shake, and the low growl it let out shook the leaves in the trees. She heard Paku mutter to herself, terrified.

There was no stabbing her way out of this one. Maybe there was no coming back from this one, but seeing that Hollow standing over her home town, large enough to destroy sections of it at a time with a swipe of its arm, triggered something in her mind. She was already stepping forward, sword in front of her, trying to think of how she could do this. A hand stopped her, grabbing her wrist from behind.

"I thought the plan was to not get killed?" Ishida asked, voice cold. She turned back to him, wanting to say something, anything, even if she wasn't sure what that would be, and ended up being nearly blinded by his bow. He looked at it in shock, too, jerking it away from himself quickly, but not letting go.

It was still glowing as before, but this time it was a brilliant white. Even from here, she could feel it humming with power as it shined the color of the moon. She looked down to see his hand over hers, just barely touching the hilt of the katana. He let go, and the light quickly faded.

"I think I have an idea," he said. Keeping his eyes on the Hollow, he begun moving through the debris of the trees and brush, on the lookout for a perfect vantage point. He continued, "You will send as much of your power into me as you can. With that, I might be able to fire an arrow strong enough to send the Hollow back." He finished, standing firmly in a wider clearing, taking two steps back. He found his shot.

"'Might?'" Rukia asked, readjusting her grip on her katana. He didn't sound too sure.

"Will," he corrected, "as long as I'm touching your Zanpakuto."

Rukia looked at him for a second, confusion in her eyes. Ishida rolled his.

"We don't have time for this," he grumbled. "I mean your katana!"

He didn't wait for her response after that. He instead put his back to her and kneeled on the ground in front of her. He readied his bow, drew it, and waited. Rukia's eyes darted up to the giant Hollow. It had nearly freed itself from the portal.

With a gulp, she brought her sword, Zanpakuto, if Ishida were to be believed, up to his shoulder, laying the blunt edge onto it. It was uncomfortable, how close the sharp edge was to his face, but he didn't seem to mind. He was too focused on his bow and arrow, and the new power flowing through it. He aimed.

"Now," he said, keeping stock still, "channel as much of your power into me as you can." Rukia looked at him.

"I don't know how to do that," she admitted. Even from behind, she could see his jaw clench.

"What did Shiba teach you?" he asked, bite in his voice now. The Hollow had taken one foot out of the portal. It was starting to step down, and who knew what would happen when it did. It was now or never, and there was no time to learn, no time to try. She had to do.

Gripping the hilt of her…Zanpakuto, she tried to concentrate on something that she never had before. She wasn't sure what she was looking for exactly, but in her mind, she imagined ribbons, dozens of them in the air, and she grabbed every single one. She went bunches at a time, tying them in knots and wrapping them around her blade rapidly.

With each bunch, the bow became brighter, larger. It was thrumming with power, and just before it became too bright to stand, Ishida released the arrow.

It hummed through the air, tearing through like a lightening bolt, and it hit the Hollow dead on. It went stumbling back, a large crack appearing in its mask, but the crack didn't widen.

For a moment, Rukia thought that they failed. It was the best they could do, and it still wasn't enough. It ended up being enough for this Hollow, however.

It was hypnotic in the way it stepped back, pulling open the tear behind it, the very fabric of space being manipulated in front of her. It glided back and pulled the sky over itself again as if announcing the ending to a masterful performance.

It was gone.

Rukia let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, sheathing her sword and almost falling to the ground. That…that had taken a lot out of her.

Beside her, Ishida made a move to stand up, but his legs wouldn't quite hold. He ended up stumbling and almost falling flat on his face. He probably would have if Rukia hadn't moved to grab his arm when she did. She had to thank the powers that be that he was so light.

"Easy there," she said, helping him up slowly. She noted in the back of her mind that he was oddly cold.

"That was…" he gasped, "more power than I expected." If possible, he looked even worse than before. He seemed dazed, almost like he was running a fever. He was even shivering.

Paku stepped forward then, nodding in agreement, though her eyes stayed firmly on the sky. Her fear seemed to have gone with the Hollow, and now she seemed shocked, if anything. It was the person that came next, however, that put a smile on Rukia's face.

Not far behind her, Ichigo came running in, looking much better than when Rukia last saw him. He looked perfectly fine, in fact, which really shouldn't have been possible, but right now, she would take it. A grin was on his face.

"That was a Menos Grande," he led with. "A Menos Grande! I've never seen one regular Shinigami take one out." He shook his head. "Hell, I've never even seen one!"

Ishida, with a sudden burst on energy said, with much annoyance, "Yes, one Shinigami can't take down a Menos Grande. That's why she needed my help."

Rukia rolled her eyes. She was starting to understand Ishida more and more.

"Thank you for that, Ishida," she said with an amused smile, and she meant it.

He froze for a moment after that, not quite meeting her in the eye. Eventually, he quietly said, "You're welcome, Orikasa."

Finally, a little late to the party, Renji jogged in, looking worse for wear, but probably better than most of them. He raised an eyebrow noticing Uryuu Ishida or all people being involved in this, and Rukia silently promised to tell him this whole wild story later.

"There are still some Hollows out there," Renji said, pointing behind him. "We aren't done yet."

With a weary grin, Rukia pulled out her Zanpakuto again. Her eyes darted briefly toward Ishida, swaying slightly on his feet. Ichigo gave her a subtle nod.

"Then, what are we waiting for?" She headed off for the next battle, Paku right behind.

Ichigo studied the Quincy before him.

Quincy…He hadn't even heard that word since he was in the Academy, and here one was, still fighting.

Uryuu Ishida was standing there with torn finger tips and shaking hands, looking at Ichigo wearily. Ichigo looked back flatly.

"You don't look too good, four eyes," he observed. "Stay put. We've got this handled."

The Quincy seemed to look down at himself at that, staring for a moment before finally sitting down on a knocked over tree stump. His head hung low, and his eyes didn't meet Ichigo's again after that.

It wasn't as if Ichigo was going to drag conversation out of the boy. He had other things to worry about. This was why Ichigo was surprised when Ishida stopped him.

"You remember when it happened, don't you?" Ishida asked. "The Massacre?"

Ichigo paused, staying silent for a minute before finally choosing his words.

"I was young," the Shinigami said. "I remember it, but barely…For what it's worth, I'm sorry, but that still didn't give you the right to do what you did today. Rukia had nothing to do with that."

Ishida didn't answer. He just sat there, head still down, and eventually, Ichigo ran off to join the others.

When the final Hollow was destroyed, and peace was restored, they went back for Ishida, but he had already left.

Part IV

The next day, the class rankings for the Midterm exams came out around lunchtime. Rukia had forgotten entirely.

Something about the strange combination of the chaos of yesterday and the absolute normalcy of today was just jarring to Rukia. Yesterday she was fighting a giant. Today, she sits in class.

Renji was to her left, Ichigo a few seats to her right, and Ishida, he was in the back ignoring the world das always, as usual. Keigo flailed, Chizuru flirted, Ishida got the Number One spot, and absolutely nothing was out of the ordinary.

She almost forgot to be happy about getting the Number Three spot.

Almost.

"You sure look happy with yourself," Renji said with a smirk.

"Do I?" Rukia asked, still thinking back to the posting. "How did you do, anyway?"

"Passed," he said, seeming happy about it.

"Good for you," she praised, grabbing for her lunch box. "Are we eating outside today?"

Renji nodded, saying, "I think some of the others were headed there. Besides, its nice out." An eye on the window, Rukia couldn't help but agree. The sun was shining and there was barely a cloud in the sky. Summer weather was well on its way, and she couldn't wait to get out and enjoy it and put the last few days behind her.

Just as she was about to walk out the door, Ishida caught her eye. He was still sitting there, alone. His hands were wrapped in bandages and clutched tightly around his store-bought lunch. She pursed her lips.

"Ishida!" she called. "It's nice out. Why don't you come eat with us?" He looked up at her, seeming a bit startled at first. He reached up and adjusted his glasses.

"If you insist, Orikasa." She really wasn't "insisting" but if that was what he had to tell himself…

He followed them quietly out into the hall as they walked out and towards the shadiest tree in the yard.

Just as the tree came in sight he said quietly, "I was hoping I could speak with you in private." She glanced over at Renji who just shrugged.

"Sure, Ishida," she said waving off Renji who went ahead to their spot.

The two stood there under the shade of the school's awning, Ishida remaining tense for a long while.

"My earlier behavior was unbecoming, Miss Orikasa," he started. It took Rukia a minute to even figure out what he was saying.

"Are you apologizing?" she asked. He stayed silent, not elaborating, and she studied him. She frowned. "Why did you do it?"

The story she got ended up being…a lot. He explained everything to her, what the Shinigami had done to the Quincy as well as their supposed reasons for it, reasons that he would never accept. His words were clipped, cold, and they held ever little bit of his anger in them.

"I'm the last one," he finished with. "The last Quincy."

She leaned against the wall, still absorbing it all.

"I'm very sorry," she eventually said. "Even if I don't agree with it, I understand a little more why you did what you did." Her expression then hardened. "If you ever do something like that again, though, I will hunt you down."

He choked down a laugh, but not in disbelief. He fully believed her. (He'd better.)

"I'd expect no less."

Her vision of Ishida was blocked then by a cellphone dangling in her face.

"We've got two Hollows somewhere on Block 9," Ichigo drawled. "Come on, let's go." Renji was already behind him, ready.

"I'll be right there," Rukia sighed out. She didn't even get to have any lunch! "I just have to grab Paku from the classroom.

Barely a minute later, she was back and in her Shinigami form. Her and Renji hurried quickly to the gate together, minds already elsewhere, but Ichigo stayed behind for a moment, glancing back at Ishida who seemed to be trying very hard to not look anywhere at all.

"Hey, Uryuu," Ichigo said. Ishida looked up, a little offended that his first name was used so casually. "We might need some backup. You should come, too."

"I am not 'backup,'" he said with a sneer. That didn't stop him from bringing a hand to the Quincy bracelet on his wrist, Ichigo noticed with a smirk. The kid followed him out of the gate like a lost puppy, and for a second, Ichigo's smirk fell

Since when did Hollow hunting become a goddamn club activity? Frown deepening, he thought, And what am I, the manager?

Ichigo groaned at the prospect. Great, somehow, he had been roped into looking after this little club of moody, idiotic, self-sacrificial children. Somehow, he had become "friends" with them.

Somehow, he didn't really mind.

Part V

Yesterday

Naomi Oshiro was having a very bad time. This was her very first time being stationed in the World of the Living, and for the first week, it had gone alright. Sure, there were a few bumps in the road, but it wasn't anything that her training didn't prepare her for.

This changed today when Hollow after Hollow started attacking this strange little town she was sent to. She had heard rumors about Karakura Town being a little more active than most, but this was just ridiculous! She had taken down at least five Hollows in the last hour hour and her hands haven't left her Zanpakuto since she started.

She was originally sent here in place of Lieutenant Shiba who had gone missing some time ago, but now, she was suspecting that she might die here with him.

No, she couldn't be thinking like that. She didn't believe he died here, not really, not someone like him, and she wasn't going to either. She ran on ahead into the fight, hoping that she remembered that incantation properly. She was alone here.

That was why she was shocked when she saw another Shinigami start to take care of the situation. If one thing had been made clear to her, it was that this was a solo mission.

Maybe backup finally came?

No, she would have been notified if that were the case. Besides, this Shinigami, she didn't seem to be a part of any squad that Naomi knew.

She watched as this mystery Shinigami (who upon closer inspection seemed more human than Shinigami) and an equally strange boy with an arrow slowly took care of each and every last Hollow there. She was completely shocked when that number included a Menos Grande at the end.

There was just no way someone with so much power could go under the radar at the Soul Society. This girl was definitely a human, no ifs ands or buts.

When Lieutenant Shiba came to the scene in a Gigai, it suddenly all made sense in a horrible, horrible way.

Just wait until the Head Captain hears about this.


The next chapter (an Interlude!) will probably be very short. There will be some plot related stuff, but not much. This is (in part) due to how when the regular chapters come back, some rather serious developments will be happening.

Be prepared! (Also, leave a review! I love them!)