Fate and Destiny

by constantdaydreamergirl

Toshiro is sent to the World of the Living to investigate Hollow-like monsters, but he is stripped of his powers when he arrives. It is here he meets Ren, a human girl who is linked to the monsters. But, the longer Toshiro stays here, the more he suspects that there is more to Ren and the monsters than meets the eye...Full summary inside. Pairing Toshiro x OC

31. The Redwood Reaper

Welcome back, everybody! So far, Toshiro has discovered the terrible secret about Redwood; it was destroyed! But why was it covered up? Better yet, how did it get destroyed? The answers to these questions, and maybe a few more, will be answered in this chapter. So, sit back and enjoy the ride!

Chapter 29

The Redwood Reaper

Toshiro just wanted to leave that place. Anyone would want to escape after what he had just seen. A burnt down village. Equally burnt corpses. Blood on the trees. It made him sick! But, that wasn't the worst part, if anyone can believe that. The worst part was Katelyn's reaction. It was like she knew the state of Redwood for a long time. It was like everyone knew. They knew there was a destroyed village full of corpses! Right after Katelyn asked him 'Why?' Toshiro felt as if it was either fight or flight.

So, he flew.

He ran back down the path, leaving Katelyn and the village behind.

He ran out of the forest, not noticing when the rain soaked him to the skin, and even if he did notice, he wouldn't have cared.

He ran down the road between the villages, not daring to look behind him.

He ran through Hazelford, and only momentarily felt relieved when he saw Ren's house.

He ran to her house, slamming the door behind him and bolting it shut. But, for some reason, Toshiro felt it wasn't enough. So, he ignored Ren's greeting to welcome him home, dashed up the stairs and, as soon as he got into his bedroom, he slammed the door shut. He finally felt safe. Toshiro slid onto his knees and rested his forehead against the door, gasping for breath and with his hands still against the door, like he was making sure the door was really shut. But, for now, he knew he was alone. Zena had vanished as soon as he started to run, although he had no idea how he noticed that in his blind panic. That's good. At least only two people saw him like that. Wait…Ren greeted him when he got in. Make that three.

What the hell did I just see? Toshiro thought, turning around so that his back rested against the door. Those buildings…That body…Was that Redwood? The image of that burnt corpse flashed in front of his eyes. He felt sick again. Quickly, he dashed up and flung the window open, sticking his head out and swallowing fresh air until the feeling went away. He let the rain fall on his head. It felt cool, and it was calming him down a little.

"Shiro?"

"…" Toshiro continued to stare through the rain at the faint outlines of the houses and that village hall. He didn't need to turn around to know who was there. The voice and the nickname gave it away. And when he closed the window, there she was in the reflection, wearing her yellow t-shirt with three pink butterflies on the front and jeans, standing bare-footed at his door and looking…concerned? Confused? Or maybe a little of both?

"What happened, Shiro?" Ren asked. Toshiro didn't answer. He just kept looking out the window, his hands resting on the windowsill and his hair dripping rainwater all over it from all the countless spikes on his head. "That's alright. We can talk about it later, if you want. You need to get out of those clothes before you catch something."

"I found Redwood." Toshiro said, still not turning around.

"Eh?" Ren blinked a couple of times in surprise. "You did?"

"Yeah. At least…what was left of it."

"Huh? Shiro, what are you talking about?"

"Redwood has been destroyed. It was burnt to the ground, taking everyone with it." Toshiro's hands clenched into fists on the windowsill. "And they covered it up."

"Well, I guess it's good that you've made progress and all, but why are you telling me this?"

"Because you were there."

"What? No, I wasn't." After hearing this confused denial, something inside Toshiro snapped. Before he could stop himself, he was suddenly lashing out at Ren, unleashing all of his pent up frustrations and stress that he had accumulated over the past few days.

"Of course you were!" Toshiro yelled, spinning around to face her. "I have proof you were right there when Redwood was burnt down! You even went to a mental hospital after that! The villagers pretended it never happened because they didn't want a head family member to be insane!"

"Shiro, I think you're stressing yourself out with this investigating. Now, there are probably some towels in your wardrobe. Hold on, I'll get them." Ren opened the wardrobe doors and reached up to the top shelf, but a tight grip stopped her. Toshiro had grabbed her wrist, paying no attention to how tightly he was holding her.

"Don't change the subject, Ren! Or should I say Ren 'The Gills' Conner?!"

"I don't know what you're saying. Let me go, please!"

"Don't lie to me! You were in a swimming team six years ago, and you were the only one who could swim underwater the longest! And that's just the tip of the iceberg! You had failing grades, you were tormented by a member of the head families and their villagers, and you were the survivor of the arsonist attack on the village!"

"Shiro, you're hurting me!" Ren tried to pull Toshiro off her arm, but he kept his grip firm and strong.

"Why are you still denying what happened?! Because of amnesia?! I think you just don't want to tell me!"

"No, I really don't know! Now, get off me!"

"Why are you keeping me in the dark?!"

"I said get off!" Acting out of pure instinct, Ren's telekinesis pushed Toshiro across the room, forcing him to let go of Ren, and causing Ren to immediately feel regret for her actions. Toshiro landed on the floor, and Ren took this opportunity to rub her arm. After he landed on the ground, Toshiro almost felt a jolt run through him, and all of a sudden, his anger vanished. At the same time, he realised what he had just done. He sat up and looked at Ren, who almost flinched and partially turned away from him, her arms up as though she was trying to put a wall between them. Toshiro saw the red marking he had made on Ren's arm, and understood why Ren was acting like this. It was him. He was the reason Ren was looking at him with fearful eyes. Once again, Toshiro had gone back on his promise. He had hurt Ren again. He had to apologise. Now!

"Ren…I…I'm…" Toshiro stammered. He couldn't even say the words. What was wrong with him?! "Ren, I didn't-"

"Sorry about that, Shiro." Ren interrupted. "You scared me a little, and I just…I didn't mean to use my telekinesis on you."

"…" Toshiro was baffled. Why was Ren apologising? He's the one who should be apologising. This is all wrong! "It's okay, I…I deserved it." Toshiro said, deciding to accept Ren's unnecessary apology. After all, it was a habit of hers. "But…You know that I would never hurt you."

"Well, ya did." Ren said bluntly.

"I know." Toshiro said, looking away.

"Look, you've obviously spent too long on this case, and it may have loosened a few screws in your head and stressed you out." Toshiro looked back at Ren after hearing this. "Think about it. Some of the evidence you found has to be fake. I mean, if I could really swim underwater for ages, don't you think I'd be able to do that now?"

"…" Toshiro said nothing. Ren was right. She really would be able to swim underwater if the swimming team fact was true. In fact, she'd probably be able to do it for even longer. But, Toshiro knew first-hand that Ren could NOT hold her breath. It would have killed her if Toshiro hadn't dived into that lake to save her.

"Listen, Shiro." Ren started. "I don't know what you found out, but you have to be wrong. I may lie to my teachers to avoid detention or to explain why my homework is late. I may even lie to my parents so I don't get banned from my Xbox. But, I would never lie to my friends. And I would never lie to you. Shiro…" Ren got down on her knees in front of Toshiro and looked him straight into his eyes. "I don't know anything about Redwood."

"…" After hearing this, Toshiro knew she was right. Ren was the most honest person he knew. And he could tell she was telling the truth. It was written in her eyes, which were looking straight into his own. Ren hated looking into other people's eyes. If she was lying, she would do everything in her power to avoid making eye contact with him. She must be telling the truth, even if the evidence Toshiro found says otherwise. So, despite the evidence, Toshiro decided he was going to believe Ren. "I believe you." Toshiro said.

"Okay." Ren immediately stood up, breaking eye contact. "Now, you should change into something dry before you catch a cold."

"My powers are ice based. I can't catch a…a…AH-TCHOO!" Toshiro was cut off when he suddenly sneezed. "Eh?"

"My point exactly." Ren said, cracking her usual smile. "There weren't any towels in the wardrobe, so I'll get some from the airing cupboard. Brb!" With that, Ren trotted off, humming to herself. Toshiro counted himself lucky that Ren was forgiving. He sat in the middle of his room cross-legged. Ren must have been lying. So then, why did all the signs say she was telling the truth? Was it her amnesia? Maybe, if she remembered, Ren would be able to know exactly what happened. Toshiro saw Zena appear in his room. She started to smile but, after considering the proper response to this situation, decided to frown.

"Who do you think burnt down the village?" Zena asked.

"I don't know." Toshiro answered. "I don't think I'll ever know." He remembered clearly what Cyrus said about Redwood having many enemies, which felt like lifetimes ago even though it was less than an hour. "Everyone is a suspect."

"But somebody does know." Zena pointed out, and Toshiro knew exactly what she meant. He knew who and what Zena was talking about. And, even though it went against everything he had promised, he knew what he had to do.

"It looks like I don't have a choice, Zena." Toshiro said, reluctance evident in the tone of his voice. "I'm going to have to take Ren to Redwood."

…

6th March, 2pm, Redwood forest (1 day until the anniversary)

"Wow, there's a forest here?" Ichigo said, amazed as he walked through the forest, marvelling at the beauty of the trees.

"I've never seen anything like it." Rukia stared up at the leaves covering the sunny sky. "It's almost like stained glass."

"Yeah." Renji agreed.

"Alright, everybody, listen." Toshiro said, bringing everybody's attention to him. The Soul Reapers gathered around, ready to hear what the young Captain had to say. "On the other end of this path is a village left in ruin, so prepare for the worst. I've seen it myself, and it's only fair to warn you of what might be inside the village."

"What happened to it?" Rangiku asked. Toshiro hesitated before answering, unable to shake the images he saw the previous day out of his head.

"It was burnt down by an arsonist." Toshiro said matter-of-factly, and was not surprised by the reactions the Soul Reapers gave him. "Apparently, there were survivors. But, I've only found one."

"And that's why Ren's here." Ichigo said, indicating Ren, who had no idea about the conversation going on. She was too busy looking up at the trees and taking pictures of the beautiful leaves on her camera phone to care. She was also dressed in a completely different outfit to the colourful one before. She simply wore blue jeans, a red long sleeved top with a navy and grey cotton varsity jacket and beige Uggs, with her hair hanging loose as usual.

"Correct." Toshiro nodded. "Ren remembers nothing about what happened here. I'm hoping that investigating the ruins will jog her memory about what happened to the village, and to why she's left out of the loop about the anniversary. But, don't say this out loud to her. She'd only get suspicious. You can ask her about the village, but do not mention anything about arson, fire or any other words like that. She has to remember that on her own."

"Right." The Soul Reapers nodded.

"Hey, guys! Can you believe this place?! It's G-O-R-geous!"

"Remember; not a word." Toshiro repeated in a hushed whisper. Everybody turned to Ren, looking as innocent as possible as she trotted over to them.

"You're looking innocent." She remarked casually, never losing her smile. "So, what're we doing here?"

"Well, Toshiro found this place while escaping the rain, and he uh…he thought it would be a good idea to explore it a little."

"That's Captain Hitsugaya."

"Explore?" Ren repeated, her face falling. "You mean…go inside?"

"Yeah. Doesn't that sound fun?!" Rangiku said cheerfully.

"…" Ren said nothing, looking very worried.

"Well, let's go." Renji marched off down the path. "We won't get anything done standing here." Rukia was quick to follow Renji, followed by Ichigo, Rangiku and Toshiro.

"So, Ren." Toshiro started. "Have you ever been in this forest before? You must have been curious about it." No response. "Ren did you-" Toshiro turned around, and realised that Ren wasn't behind him like he thought. In fact, she was walking back up the way they came. "Hey! Hey! Hey, hey, hey, hey!" Toshiro yelled, running to Ren and grabbing her shoulder, stopping her. Ren looked over to Toshiro, an innocent expression on her face. "Ren, the others are this way." Toshiro said, pointing down the path where the retreating backs of the Soul Reapers were.

"I know." Ren said simply. "And home is that way." Ren pointed in the opposite direction Toshiro was pointing in.

"But, we just got here."

"And we need to get out of here. I don't know if you know this, but nobody is allowed to enter this forest. It's forbidden. I went along with it, thinking we were just gonna turn around, but you obviously want to go further. I'm sorry, Shiro, but count me out."

"It won't be the same without you, though. Nothing bad is going to happen in there, I promise."

"I dunno…" Ren said hesitantly.

"I'll show you where your parent's secret chocolate stash is."

"Deal." Ren promptly walked briskly past Toshiro and towards the others. Toshiro followed, amused and surprised that his bribery worked, even if he did make it up. Food. It works every time.

"What the…Is this some kind of trick?!"

"What the hell is this?!"

"Captain!"

"Captain Hitsugaya!"

"!" After hearing those voices, Toshiro and Ren were quick to run up the rest of the path, which did not take long considering they were already halfway up the path when Toshiro had briefed the Soul Reapers. When Toshiro felt his back grow warm, he knew they were close to the village, which could only mean that the others had found the village. And their reactions to the sight were exactly the same as his.

"Toshiro…Is this really Redwood?" Ichigo asked, unable to look away from the destroyed village.

"Eh? Where?" Ren looked at what was attracting so much attention, and her expression went blank. "Oh."

"Everyone…This is Redwood." Toshiro said without looking at the others. Instead, he stared directly into the ruins of Redwood. He had to show that there was nothing to be afraid of. If he could show that he could handle it, then the others will follow suit. "Six years ago, it was burnt down by an arsonist that I suspect is part of White Raven, taking everything and everyone with it."

"Seriously?" Renji said in quiet disbelief.

"Is that…That's a body!"

"…" After Rukia said this, Toshiro knew it was that body he stepped on the other day. He tried not to think about it, but he knew for a fact that he was going to see a lot more bodies like that today.

"Nope." Ren said flatly, and she turned to walk away.

"Where do you think you're going?" Toshiro said, grabbing the back of Ren's jacket without looking.

"Sorry, Shiro, but no thanks. I choose life."

"There's nobody here, Ren. Nobody could possibly want to harm us. This place is forbidden, remember?"

"I guess…" Ren said reluctantly. Toshiro let go of her cardigan as Ren trudged inside the village. "Let's get this over with, okay?"

"She's very easily persuaded. What's your secret?" Rangiku asked Toshiro.

"For chocolate!" Ren suddenly yelled, throwing a fist up in the air and not hearing a word of what Rangiku said.

"Never mind!" Rangiku sang.

"Alright, let's go."

"Uuuu…" Ren moaned, hearing what Toshiro said. So, the group wandered into the village, following the path, or what was left of it, and looking in all directions as if expecting a half-alive person to jump out at them. Renji even had an arm around Rukia, and she clenched his hand in kind, feeling glad and reassured that Renji was there. So, they all walked through the abandoned village in nerve-wracking silence. In fact, the atmosphere was so tense, and the group was so quiet, that when some rubble of a burnt to the ground house suddenly collapsed, everyone gave a start and a yelp.

"Is anybody else as spooked as I am?" Ren asked fearfully while Toshiro approached the rubble and checked for any movement or, heaven forbid, a body.

"It's alright. There's nobody in here." Toshiro said, unable to find any bodies in the ruins of the house.

You feel it too, right, Zena? Toshiro thought.

"I do." Zena mentally responded. "This place reeks of a Cielvian presence. There's no doubt about it. There are Cielvian forces at work."

"White Raven…" Toshiro muttered, narrowing his eyes.

"Right, so this place is wrecked and everyone is dead." Ren said quickly. "Can we go home now?"

"Not yet." Toshiro answered. "We have to find out how and why this happened. Let's split up. Kuchiki, you and Ichigo investigate the northern part of the village, Rangiku has the west, and Renji will take the east-"

"And I'll take the south!" Ren interrupted loudly. "See ya!" Ren turned around and started to trot off, but Toshiro knew she fully intended to leave.

"Hold it!" Toshiro pointed his palm at Ren. Suddenly, Ren jerked to a halt. She looked over her shoulder at what was making her stop. There were small white stars shining around the scruffs of her jacket.

"How's he doing this?" Renji asked, amazed at this new power.

"Ryuki." Ichigo answered with a shrug, which seemed to be the answer to anything and everything that happened to Toshiro.

"You're not leaving here yet." Toshiro said, walking towards Ren while making sure his telekinetic grip on Ren was still strong.

"Shiro, I've noticed that your telekinesis is improving, and for that I'm proud of you. But your telekinesis is preventing me from escaping, and for that I hate you." Ren said. But, Toshiro paid it no mind, and when he reached Ren, he gripped the scruff of Ren's jacket and released his telekinetic hold on her.

"Sure you do." He said absent-mindedly. He turned to look at the others. "Alright, does everyone know what they're doing?" The Soul Reapers nodded.

"What about Ren?" Rukia asked.

"She'll be in the south of the village with me."

"Well, then you'd better take another look." Ichigo said.

"Eh?" Toshiro looked back at Ren, but she was gone. All that was left was her cardigan, which Toshiro was still holding onto. "Eeeeeeeeh?!" Toshiro exclaimed. When did this happen?! "Okay, change of plan. Renji, you're going to come with me. Kuchiki, you check the east. Is everyone clear?" Again, everyone nodded. "Alright; break!"

…

"Ren!" Renji yelled with his hands cupped around his mouth. "Ren, where are you?!"

"Damn, it's been ten minutes." Toshiro looked at the time on his phone. "I think."

"You think?"

"Well, it feels like ten minutes. My clock has stopped. Oh, well." Toshiro pocketed his phone again. "We're not going to find Ren like this." He decided. "You go that way, and I'll go…this…" Toshiro trailed off, and both Renji and Toshiro stopped walking. Ren was standing just a few metres in front of them, poised to sneak away. Ren blinked. Toshiro and Renji blinked back. Well, that certainly didn't take long.

"Uh…" Ren said, trying to think of something to get away. "Ignooooore meeeeee…" Ren said in a spooky voice, waving her hands for good measure.

"Ren, we can see you." Toshiro said flatly.

"I knew that." Ren said, her eyes shifting. "Here's my counterpoint." Without warning, Ren ran off down a wrecked street, saying 'woop woop woop woop woop woop' as she went.

"Renji, after her!"

"Right!" Renji immediately took off down the street Ren ran into. Along the way, Renji couldn't help but grimace at the burnt buildings and even the occasional blood splatter. Just what the hell was this place? "Where did that girl go?" Renji turned the corner, and saw Ren standing just ahead, staring at something that was around another corner.

There she is… Renji thought.

"Oi, don't run off like that." Renji said, approaching Ren. "You don't know what might happen. The Captain will have my head if anything happened to you." Renji reached Ren, but she didn't even notice he was there. "What are you staring at?" Renji looked around at what Ren was preoccupied with. "Ah…" That's when Renji saw it. It was a dead body. But unlike the previous one at the entrance, this one only had a few burn marks on his skin. This man was balding and wore a blue shirt with a white collar, a black tie and smart trousers. But, this man wasn't killed with fire. The cause of death was clear. The man was surrounded by debris, one of which was a huge plank of wood impaled straight through his stomach, the wood stained with red blood and more surrounding the man in a wide puddle. Renji had never seen anything like it. The lifeless, dead eyes were chilling, his face was ghostly pale and was that an intestine?!

"Renji, have you found Ren?" Toshiro asked, catching up to Renji. But, Renji was transfixed, wearing a horrified expression that matched Ren's. "Wha…" Toshiro turned to see what had caught their attention. "Ugh…" Toshiro saw the body, making him recoil in disgust. But, behind the disgust, there was anger. Anger at himself. He had tried to make sure Ren didn't see any more dead bodies than the one at the entrance. Clearly, he had failed.

"…" Ren was silent, shivering at the sight before her.

"That man…" Toshiro started, narrowing his eyes a little. He seemed familiar somehow. "Is he-"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Before Toshiro could finish that thought, Ren let out a loud and sudden scream, which snapped Renji out of his trance. Renji took this opportunity to stand in Ren's line of sight and block the corpse from view.

"Ren! Don't look!" He said urgently, trying to keep Ren calm. "Let's get away from here!"

"I HATE THIS PLACE!" Ren screamed. She turned around and ran back down the street, shoving Toshiro out of the way and slamming him on the wall of a wrecked building.

"Ren!" Renji yelled, but there was no response. Ren was gone. "Captain Hitsugaya, what are your…huh?" Renji was surprised when he saw Toshiro approach the body. Was he nuts?! "What are you doing?"

"I know this man." Toshiro responded quietly. "That is…I've seen him before."

"Who is he?" Renji asked. Toshiro looked at the corpse. The face was familiar. And so was the tie with silver flowers on it. After recollecting his memories, it didn't take Toshiro long to know who this man was.

"This man is…was…" Toshiro corrected himself. "Alex Thornton. And he was the head of Redwood."

"But what happened to him?" Renji asked, shocked.

"The better question is…" Toshiro turned around to face Renji. "Why hasn't he started to decay?"

"What?" While Renji was confused by this question, Toshiro turned back to the corpse. He got down on one knee and placed a hand on the impaled stomach, much to his and Renji's disgust, especially Toshiro's. The shirt was still wet and lukewarm with blood, and he just knew that there was blood on his palm. But, this was no time to be grossed out.

"The corpse is still warm, and the blood is fresh. The disaster took place six years ago, yet it looks as though he died mere minutes ago."

"You mean…he was JUST killed?"

"He's not the only one." Toshiro said, wiping the blood off his hand with a shredded curtain that was conveniently nearby. "I took a look at the burnt corpse near the entrance. It was also still warm."

"Are you saying that all this took place five minutes ago?!" Renji exclaimed, unable to believe something as farfetched as that.

"I am. I even saw a few fires on some of the buildings."

"But that's impossible!" Renji protested.

"I know it is. But, since this place is full of Cielvian forces, it could be possible. Look at the sky."

"…" Renji looked up. He hadn't noticed before, but the sky did look quite dark, and there were some hints or orange in it, like the sun was either rising or setting. "What's going on here?"

"I'm not sure." Toshiro answered. "But, somehow, this place has become frozen in time."

"I think I'm gonna lose it." Renji groaned quietly, rubbing his head.

"I'm sure we'll find out why this happened in due course." Toshiro stood in front of Renji, trying to come across as calm and focused in front of his subordinate; a task that was becoming more and more difficult each minute they stayed in Redwood. "In the meantime, we should meet up with the others and see what they have found."

"What about Ren?"

"She won't go far." Toshiro held up Ren's cardigan, and Renji heard a rattling sound coming from one of the pockets. "Her pills are still in her jacket." Toshiro walked past Renji, determined to leave that body behind him. "Let's go."

"Yes, sir." Renji quickly followed Toshiro, not even trying to take one last look at the bloodied body of an impaled man.

…

"Eh?" Ren said, looking around her surroundings. She was kneeling on the ground in the middle of a blackened, burnt house. The smell of smoke was still fresh, and Ren saw that there were a few small fires here and there.

"When did I get here? The last thing I remember was running from Renji and Shiro. The rest is just black. Uuuu…" Rn rubbed her head, her other hand reaching for her jacket pocket, but dug her hand into nothing. "What? Where are…Ah, that's right. Shiro has them. Uuuu, this sucks!" Ren whined, slamming her fist on the ground. "At any rate, I should get out of here." Ren stood up, brushing the black soot and ashes off her jeans and boots. "That is, if I know where 'here' is." Ren surveyed her environment again. This was definitely a house. But, she had no clue who it belonged to. And, right now, Ren did not want to find out. She just wanted to find Toshiro, grab her jacket and get outta here! She probably won't know who lived here, anyway.

"Huh?" Ren's thoughts of escape were pushed to the back of her mind as soon as she saw an office chair. Curious, Ren gave it a nudge. It spun a complete circle. It was a little burnt, but it was a fully functioning, spinning office chair. Ren beamed with an excited gasp. Not caring whether it was dirty of not, Ren immediately sat down on it, planted her feet on the wall and pushed off it, making the chair roll and spin across the burnt house.

"WHEEEEEEEEEEE!" Ren yelled, her arms spread out above her head. But, she made sure her eyes stayed closed as she spun. Last time she did this and her eyes were open, she ended up walking around the Sixth Form Computer Suite like a donkey with three legs. What was it called? A wonkey? Was it on a birthday card she got once? Her dad might know. He knew a lot of lame jokes. He was a father, after all; it was his job to know jokes that would either make you groan or roll your eyes, or even both at the same time.

"Still…" Ren opened her eyes when she felt the chair slow down until it eventually stopped spinning. "I wonder what he's doing right now. I barely even saw him this morning. I hope he'll be able to drop me off at that anime and manga sale in town tomorrow." A pause. "Ah, I'm sure he's fine!" Ren said loudly with a grin on her face. "Now, where was I? Oh, yeah! I remember!" Ren proceeded to push off against the ground and resumed her chair spinning. "WAHOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Clunk

"WAH!" Ren yelled after the chair tripped over a piece of debris and fell over, taking Ren with it. "Itatata…" Ren muttered, sitting up. She saw a hand dangle in front of her face. "Ah, thanks." Ren took the hand. "Eh?" Ren immediately noticed how the hand felt rough and almost flaky with a few blisters on them. On closer inspection, Ren saw the hand was very red with hints of black. "Hey, mate, is your hand okay?" Ren asked, looking up, only for her eyes to meet the dead eyes of a man lying on top of a table. Ren blinked, processing what she was seeing. She stood up and walked around the body, inspecting it. She poked his shoulder a couple times. "Is he…Is he dead?" Ren grabbed the man's hand again and lifted the arm up into the air before letting go. It flopped down the edge of the table again. "Yup. He's dead." Ren said nonchalantly. A pause. "Eeeeeeeeeeewwwwwww! I just touched a dead guy!" Ren promptly backed away, spitting into her hands and rubbing them together in an attempt to get rid of the dead-guy-feeling on them. "Kimochiwarui, kimochiwarui, kimochiwarui!" Ren flicked the excess spit off her hands before wiping them on her jeans. "I wish I had my handbag. I need hand sanitizer. Baaaaad!" Ren folded her arms. "I really need to get my mind off this. But how do I forget about a dead body?"

Two minutes later

"WHEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Ren yelled, spinning around on the office chair for the fifth time. The chair slowed to a stop after a few seconds. "Ahhh, that was great. What was I thinking about again? I don't care." Ren quickly shrugged off her question before going for another spin. "Oof!" Her spinning was stopped prematurely when it slammed into a wall. A piece of debris fell from the ceiling and onto Ren's lap. As soon as Ren saw how some of it was on fire, she threw it off with a yelp, not noticing the big tank of gas until the flaming wood landed next to it. Ren's face went blank. If she had learnt anything since this mess with White Raven started, it's that fire plus tanks equals a big ka-boom.

"Well, it's not on the tanks so its fine, right?" Ren said out loud to reassure herself. But, Ren realised just how much she had tempted fate when some bits of wood around the gas tank started to catch fire. "Wuh oh."

…

"…and Kuchiki makes four." Toshiro finished counting. Toshiro and the other Soul Reapers had gathered together on the main drag of the village. Toshiro noticed how some of their hands and clothes were dirty. He hated to imagine what they must have found. But, he was duty bound to ask. "So, what did you find?"

"Destroyed buildings, bloody messages and handprints, and a lot of dead bodies." Rukia answered, staying calm throughout her recollection, despite the horrific nature of her discoveries.

"And Ren?"

"I didn't see her."

"Captain, I found something else." Rangiku spoke up.

"You did?"

"I mean, I think I did. It was a name of some sort. Maybe a code name."

"Was it C12?" Toshiro asked. Rangiku shook her head.

"It wasn't. And some of what was left of any documents with that name on them was dated before this…" Rangiku indicated the village, unable to finish the sentence.

"What was the name?" Renji asked.

"It was The Redwood Reaper."

"Hey, I found some papers with that name, too!" Ichigo realised.

"And one of the messages written in blood I found said that name, too. Captain Hitsugaya, I think the arsonist and The Redwood Reaper might be the same person."

"I do, too." Toshiro agreed with Rukia. "But, who is The Redwood Reaper?"

"Whoever it is, I'm sure they're locked up with the key thrown away. I don't think genocide like this would go unnoticed."

"You're right, Ichigo. But, I still want to know who would do such a thing."

"We will find an answer, Captain Hitsugaya. But I'm more concerned about finding Ren. I don't think she'd last in this place if her reaction to that dead body is anything to go by."

"Right." Toshiro's mind snapped from thinking about the identity of The Redwood Reaper to finding Ren. But, before he could start to come up with an action plan, everyone heard an explosion in the distance. It looked like their long search was over; just follow where that explosion came from.

"Hey…" Renji pointed ahead of him at the location of the explosion. Everyone turned to look. Through the brown and orange smoke, they could faintly make out something rushing towards them. But, after hearing a yelling sound coming from that something, it turned from a something into a someone. And that someone was Ren, clinging onto the office chair as it sped through the street like her life depended on it. But, the others didn't know that. They just saw a blur that was rapidly getting closer and the yell was getting louder.

"Is that Ren?" Rangiku asked?"

"I think so." Rukia said. While the others were nonchalantly trying to decide what that thing was, Toshiro was the first, as usual, to grasp the situation.

"Get out the way!" He yelled. Quickly, the Soul Reapers jumped out of the path of the speeding office chair, just barely missing them while Ren let out a quick "Can't stop!" as a warning. "Ah!" Toshiro dove out of Ren's path as the chair crashed through the front door of a burnt house without any effort, followed by several crashing and cracking sound inside said house.

"Ooooo…" Everyone flinched. They didn't need to see what was happening to know that the crash had to hurt. If not, then Ren must be made of iron. There was a silence that was only broken by the creaking noises of the house Ren had crashed into.

"I'm okay!" Ren's voice yelled, relieving everyone present. "Wait a minute…Has anybody been in this house yet?!"

"I have." Rangiku answered.

"Did you find any red puddles in the kitchen?"

"Ummm…no." Rangiku said after taking a few seconds to try and recall what she saw in that house.

"I am not okay. Oh, wait, wait, wait…its ketchup. Ketchup, everybody! Gimme a sec…Upsy daisy…" What followed were some more creaks and cracks as Ren navigated her way through the house. Sometimes, there would be a particularly loud thump and louder footsteps as Ren tripped and regained her footing. Eventually, after some more creaks and cracks, Ren staggered out of the front door, or at least where the front door used to be, brushing splinters off her clothes as she went.

"Hey, guys…" Ren said with a weary smile.

"Ren, what the hell were you doing?"

"Nice to see you, too, Red Pineapple."

"Answer the question."

"Uh…office chair…fire…gas tank…boom!" Ren yelled the last part while throwing her arms up in the air with open palms, despite the dazed and worn out tone of the rest of the sentence.

"It's the school all over again." Toshiro muttered. "Well, as long as you're okay, it's fine."

"Great. Can I have my cardie back?" Ren reached for the cardigan Toshiro had slung over his shoulder.

"No." Toshiro promptly took a couple steps back from Ren.

"Uuuu…" Ren folded her arms with a pout.

"Wait a second…Ren; you were in that explosion just now, weren't you?" Toshiro asked, noticing how something seemed strange about Ren, or stranger at least since Ren was already pretty strange.

"What about it?"

"So, why aren't you burnt?"

"Huh?" Ren looked at her arms. She hadn't noticed, but there were no signs of fire damage on her skin or even on her clothes. After an explosion like that, it would be impossible to get out of it without a scratch. "Um…ghost fire?" Ren feebly suggested.

"I know why."

Zena? Toshiro thought after hearing Zena's voice in his head.

"It's because her Fire Shackles have Shattered. When a Cielvian Shatters an Elemental Shackle, you become free to use that element without the Shackles. And, it can grant immunity to most damage from said element. So, Ren can now go through the biggest of explosions and the strongest of infernos and come out in one piece."

So that's why Ren is unharmed.

"Exactly."

"Shiro?" Ren said, noticing how Toshiro was staring into space.

"Well, it's not important." Toshiro said quickly and acting as if his sudden silence never happened. "Let's go. We've still got some ground to cover.

"Aw, do I have to?" Ren complained.

"Secret chocolate stash." Toshiro said.

"Let's roll." Ren quickly changed her tune, being the first to start to leave the street.

…

"I. Am. So. Booooooooooooooored!" Ren exclaimed, waving her arms in the air, while everyone but Rangiku had the good sense to ignore Ren's exclamation as they walked.

"Aw, you were doing so well for the last twenty minutes. Come on, you can do it." Rangiku encouraged while patting Ren on her back, not noticing how Ren's expression froze a little.

"Don't touch me there." Ren said flatly.

"Sorry." Rangiku sharply took her hand away from Ren's back like her hand had been burnt.

"Shiro, could you at least give me my pills? I'm starting to get a headache."

"You can last a few more minutes." Toshiro refused.

"Fine." Ren said huffily, folding her arms and pouting like a teenager.

"Oh, grow up." Renji muttered.

"Shut up, Red Pineapple."

"You guys, there's something over here!" Ichigo called to the group, standing next to a building that looked half demolished. The others immediately stopped walking. "I don't think it's a house."

"Yeah, there's a sign there." Rukia said, pointing out a swinging sign on the side of the building that let out a loud, and creepy, creaking sound as the wind made it swing back and forth.

"That's a tavern." Rangiku immediately said. "I know one when I see one."

"But, what does the sign say?" Renji squinted at the sign. "Uh…Cry…Lear…"

"That's The Crimson Leaf." Ren said. "It was a pub In Redwood, where all the villagers would go in the evenings, minus the children of course. Since everybody from the other villages loathed Redwood In some way, only the citizens of Redwood went here. The only exceptions would be the village heads of the other villages." Throughout this explanation, Ren's face was expressionless, and her eyes were blank.

"I thought you said she had no memory of this place." Ichigo discreetly whispered to Toshiro.

"She doesn't." Toshiro said.

That has to mean Ren is starting to remember. Toshiro thought.

"Ren, how did you know that?" Rangiku asked.

"Know what?" Ren asked, her eyes regaining their light.

And now she's forgotten again. Toshiro thought, a little disappointed. So something here is reminding Ren of what happened six years ago. I have to find something that will make her remember the moment the arsonist attacked.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Zena mentally asked.

What makes you say that? Toshiro mentally responded back while the Soul Reapers kept asking a confused Ren questions, bewildered at how she could suddenly forget something.

"I'm just saying that sometimes, the past belongs in the past. It might be better if Ren remains oblivious."

I didn't want to bring Ren here, but if she doesn't remember what happened here, then I'll never know if Redwood is connected to White Raven or Cielvia.

"…" Zena said nothing.

Why are you acting like this anyway? Toshiro asked, finding this reluctance strange, especially since Zena had been the most enthusiastic about this whole investigation.

"Well, let's just say that Ren isn't the only one who may be digging up unpleasant memories."

Wait, are you-

"The village centre."

What?

"In the centre of the village, there's a town square. There should be a statue right in the middle of a cross with a rose in the centre of it. If Ren really is remembering her past, then that location should help."

Why? What's there?

"I'd rather not say."

Are you sure it will help Ren remember? Toshiro asked, suspicious about how ambiguous Zena was being about this statue.

"I'm sure." Zena said, but Toshiro couldn't help but notice how her response had hints of sadness in it.

"No, I really have no idea." Ren insisted for the millionth time.

"You just rattled off the name and information of a tavern like you'd been here before." Ichigo said.

"Which I obviously have not." Ren retorted.

Guess it can't be helped. Toshiro thought after hearing Ren's retort, deciding that Zena's lead was the best thing he had to go on, even if it was a little suspicious.

"That's enough." He said loudly, bringing everyone's attention back to him. "There's somewhere I want to check out, so let's get going."

"Hey, hey, hold your horses. I wanna check out that place first." Ren pointed at the wrecked pub. "I think it might have been a pub."

We just talked about it! Everyone thought, sweat dropping.

"Brb!" Ren trotted off towards the pub.

"Ren, what are you doing?"

"Shiro, if there's one thing I've learnt from video games, it's that abandoned buildings always have something to loot."

"This isn't a video game."

"Whatever." Ren ignored Toshiro, entering the pub through singed doors.

"So, what are we doing now?" Rukia asked, hoping to get Toshiro a little less irked.

"We're heading to the centre of the village. Zena said that it might help Ren remember some of her past."

"Doesn't it feel strange talking to a spirit in your head?" Ichigo asked.

"Yes, but at this point, it's not the strangest thing that ever happened to me."

"Hey, guys! C'mere! The beer taps are still working! And it's cold!"

"You had me at 'beer'!" Rangiku quickly dashed into the pub.

"…" Renji looked towards the pub with a hopeful look in his eyes.

"Just go." Toshiro said, frustration evident in his voice. But, Renji paid it no mind, and in less than two seconds, he was in the pub, not caring how dilapidated it was.

A couple pints later

"Aaaaah!" Rangiku sighed happily. "That was great! I really needed that!"

"The alcohol in this world has a different taste than back in Soul Society." Renji said, wiping some leftover froth from his mouth.

"Hey, hey, you think we'd be able to take some back with us?" Rangiku asked Renji hopefully, making him grin.

"Shiro, are we there yet?" Ren asked in a whiney tone, a hand on her head.

"Uh…" Toshiro started, not entirely sure where he was going.

"Yes."

"Yes." Toshiro repeated what Zena said.

"Good, 'cos I wanna get outta here asap. This place is giving me a headache." Ren sped up a little, starting to walk past Toshiro. But, Toshiro stopped her by grabbing her shoulder and making her turn around to face her.

"Listen, Ren, I don't want to be here anymore than you do." Toshiro said, going into lecture mode, and Ren responded by folding her arms with a bored expression on her face. "But we can't turn back now just because you're getting a little headache. And further-"

"Look, a distraction!" Ren suddenly, yelled, pointing behind Toshiro.

"Huh?" Toshiro looked behind him, and he didn't realise what had just happened until he heard running footsteps and Ren's laughter. He turned back around. Ren was running down the street, laughing her head off at the fact that even Toshiro wasn't immune to her trick.

"I can't believe you fell for that." Ichigo said, while Toshiro just stood rooted to the spot with a dumbfounded expression, his eye twitching.

"Rrrrrrraaaaaaagghh!" Toshiro dashed after Ren, infuriated at Ren for constantly being a pain, and at himself for falling for such an obvious trick.

"We should probably make sure Toshiro doesn't murder her."

"That's Captain Hitsugaya!" Toshiro yelled before running around the corner after Ren.

"Rangiku, why don't you lead the way?" Ichigo was suddenly standing behind Rukia and Renji, who just looked at each other and sighed.

…

"Ren! Get back here!" Toshiro yelled, running after Ren. But, she wasn't stopping.

"Catch me if you ca-an!" Ren said in a cheerful sing-song voice. With a happy laugh, Ren telekinetically made some debris from a house block the path in front of Toshiro. But, he was undeterred. He simply planted a hand on top of the pile and leapt over it, continuing the chase.

"Toshiro, Ren is almost at the centre." Zena said.

"Good. Maybe now she'll finally remember something." Toshiro stopped running when he reached a fork in the road.

"She went right." Toshiro immediately went down that path while mentally grumbling to himself about babysitting.

"Shiro actually fell for that." Ren laughed to herself as she ran. "What an idiot."

"I can still hear you!"

"Nyahaha!" Ren laughed, skidding around another corner and onto a larger road. She reached a grassy area on the road, which made her stop. "Eh?" Ren looked up from the grass, and found herself frozen on the spot at what she saw, all signs of laughter gone from her face. Meanwhile, Toshiro emerged from the alleyway onto the road, and he immediately spotted Ren.

"Ren, stop running off all by yourself! It's dangerous here!" Toshiro said while catching up to her. He reached Ren's side, and noticed how Ren hadn't responded to him, or even noticed that he was there. "Ren?" Still nothing. That's when Toshiro realised that they were at a tall, stone statue of a cross with a rose in its centre. The centre of the village. But, Ren and Toshiro weren't alone. At the base of the statue, there was a body. It was a teenage girl, and out of all the bodies they had seen, this one was the least burnt. There were only a few patches of burnt skin, her clothes and boots were a little torn and dirty and she did not look like she was in any pain. If Toshiro didn't know any better, he'd say this girl was asleep. But, this was a corpse; the exact thing Toshiro didn't want Ren to see. Now she was probably going to freak out and run off again.

Zena…did you know this was here?

"I did."

Well, you could have warned me! Toshiro thought angrily.

"If I did, then you would have avoided it, and the Ren might never remember."

I hate it when you're right. Toshiro gave up, knowing that he couldn't win an argument with either Ren or Zena, especially if they were being rational.

"Ren, are you alright?" Toshiro asked, finding her silence rather unsettling. Ren suddenly turned around and ran. "Re-"

"Hey!" Ren yelled as loudly as she could, standing in the centre of the road. "Guys! Who wants to see a dead body?!"

"Gah!" Toshiro almost fell over in exasperation at Ren. "What's wrong with you?!"

"What? No cars are gonna come through here." Ren said, turning around to face Toshiro and wearing her usual innocent expression.

"That's not the problem here! The problem is how you're so nonchalant about a dead body!" Toshiro exclaimed.

"Well, why aren't you nonchalant about it?" Ren asked. "You're a Soul Reaper, right? This shouldn't be new to you."

"No, I fight Hollows and help souls pass on to Soul Society. Corpses are not part of my job."

"They're not that different."

"There's a huge difference! Urgh!" Toshiro's hands went to his head out of exasperation and frustration. "Just forget it!"

"Whaddya mean?"

"It's impossible to argue with you." Toshiro said, exhausted.

"But, still, this is very clean for a corpse." Ren trotted past Toshiro and back to the body, leaning forwards with her hands on her knees for a better look. "It doesn't look like she died from burns. Maybe it was when she inhaled too much of the smoke. And judging from the look of the buildings, there was a lot of it. Whoever did this must have held a grudge against the village."

"That's what I thought, too. But I can't think of anybody specific who would hate the village this much. Can you?"

"Of course not." Ren said in a deadpan tone. "I didn't know this place existed until now."

"Right, right."

"But from what I've seen so far, this fire seems very contained. The trees surrounding this place were untouched by the fire. Somehow, the arsonist had made sure the fire was destroying the village alone."

"You think so?"

"Well, either that or the fire department is very efficient." Ren said with a shrug.

"…" Toshiro said nothing. He hadn't thought about that. But, Ren was right. There were signs that this fire was contained within a single location. Maybe it was some kind of Cielvian force that prevented the flames from spreading? Was White Raven behind this after all? Maybe ti wasn't such a bad idea to bring Ren here.

"I think it came from…" Ichigo ran out from between two buildings, and immediately spotted Ren and Toshiro, who turned to look at him after hearing his voice. "There you are. Guys, I've found them!" Ichigo yelled down the alleyway he came from. He went towards Ren and Toshiro while the others caught up. "What did you find?" He asked as soon as he arrived at the statue.

"A dead body!" Ren said cheerfully. "And a pretty one!"

"Ren, don't be stupid. Corpses aren't…wait. This one really is kinda pretty." Renji said, taking a good look at the dead teenager, and mentally noticing how weird what he just said was.

"I know, right? She's young, she's beautiful, she's stylish, and she looks surprisingly familiar." Ren trailed off when she looked back at the body.

"Ren?" Toshiro said. No response. Toshiro took another look at the body, and he too found the girl familiar.

"Toshiro?" Zena said.

Zena, I recognise this girl. Toshiro thought. It's that ghost I saw in the tunnels.

"It seems like you're not the only one."

"Ren, do you know who this girl is?" Toshiro asked, realising that if Ren recognised this girl, then some of her memory must be coming back.

"I do." Ren answered after some hesitation. "This girl…" Toshiro noticed how Ren unconsciously clenched her fists as she spoke. "Her name is…was…Rosalie Thornton."

"!" Nobody could hide their surprise, because that name was familiar to all of them. Although, the only one who really knew that name was the white haired Captain.

"That's the name you kept muttering when you fought Etheline, isn't it?" Rangiku asked.

"It is." Toshiro answered before Ren could, knowing that Ren wouldn't be able to remember. "She was the daughter of Redwood's head."

"So, that man we saw earlier was her father?" Renji asked, remembering the body of the man they saw. Toshiro nodded.

"This place is messed up!" Ichigo exclaimed.

"Correction; the arsonist is messed up." Ren said, finally turning her back to the body of Rosalie. "Is this what you wanted us to see, Shiro?"

"Yes." Toshiro lied, since he really didn't want Ren to see that body, no matter how helpful it was.

"Can I go home now?"

"No."

"Uuuu…"

"Now that we've found two members of the head family, I realise that their deaths may be crucial to why this happened. So, I want to try and find their house."

"Their house?" Ren repeated, a fearful look in her eyes. But, Toshiro didn't notice the fear, and took it as Ren recognising something. Her memory was coming back.

"Their house." Toshiro repeated, confirming to Ren what he said. "Ren, you wouldn't happen to know where their house is, would you."

"It's just down that road." Ren said, pointing down the road. "It's at the very end, you can't miss it…Huh?" Ren blinked. "Hey, I remembered something." Ren placed a hand on her head. "And no headache."

"Toshiro…"

Yeah, I know. Ren is starting to remember. Toshiro thought. And this time, she's not forgetting right away. This village is bringing back her memories.

"But we're gonna stay away from that house, right?" Ren asked.

"Let's get moving." Toshiro ignored the question and lead the group in the direction Ren had pointed in.

"Uuuu…" Ren followed, slouching and almost dragging her feet.

…

15 minutes later

"Is this it, Ren?"

"Yes." Ren said in response to Toshiro's question, trying to look anywhere except the house. The house in question was very large, with three storeys to it and, even through the ashes and burnt rubble, the bricks looked almost brand new in comparison to the other houses in the village. This was, undoubtedly, the house of the head family.

"It's so…grand." Rukia said after searching for the right word.

"Uh, yeah, you guys can check it out. I'll stay here and er…keep watch. Yeah, keep watch."

"Come on, Ren. It's not that scary."

"Yeah, it is." Ren insisted, fiddling with her hands.

"Then what? Ah, I know. You don't want to get your boots dirty, right?" Rangiku teased.

"That's not what I'm worried about!" Ren cried. "I'm not going in there!"

"What's wrong with it?" Toshiro asked, approaching Ren.

"It's too chilling. Just looking at it makes me sick. I'm sorry, Shiro, but not even all the chocolate in the world will make me go in there."

"Actually, I lied about the chocolate." Toshiro hastily admitted.

"Wait, what?"

"But listen." Toshiro quickly said to distract Ren from what he said. "There's no reason to be afraid. Look." Toshiro walked up to the house and pushed the front door open, ignoring how it collapsed on the ground after breaking off its hinges. Toshiro entered the hallway. Nothing happened. He turned to face the group. "See?"

"Oh." Ren blinked. "Well…If you say it's okay." Ren slowly walked towards the house. But, as soon as Ren was less than a few steps away from the doorway, she was suddenly stricken with a severe headache. She stopped walking and clutched her head with one hand while fumbling around her waist with the other. Toshiro noticed this and, after checking the jacket he still had slung over his shoulder, realised she was looking for her pills. Likewise, after Ren remembered she didn't have her cardigan on, the other hand went straight to her head. She had never experienced a pain like this before. It was like clamps were squeezing her skull in all directions. Ren staggered a little and her vision started to blur.

"Ren!" Toshiro ran out of the house as soon as Ren stumbled. This house must be linked to Ren's past if she is reacting like this. But, if just being near it gave her this much pain, then he wasn't going to let Ren set one foot inside the house. Toshiro held Ren's shoulders gently and led Ren away from the house. With each step, Ren's grip on her head loosened, until she was no longer in any pain.

"How are you feeling now?" Toshiro asked, his voice full of concern.

"Better." Ren answered in a weak voice.

"I'm sorry, Ren."

"No, it's okay. You didn't know."

"I won't make you go in that house. If you want, you can wait out here." Ren looked at Toshiro. "I'll leave Ichigo and the others with you, and you can wait out here until I'm done. Does that sound okay?" Ren nodded.

"Captain?"

"Here's the plan." Toshiro said, facing the group. "You are all to stay out here and watch over Ren. I will go inside that house alone. I'll be fine, don't worry." Toshiro added the last part as soon as he saw the looks on the Soul Reapers faces that said they were about to stop him. But, hearing those last words, they relaxed.

"You don't have to do this, Shiro."

"Yes, I do." Toshiro said firmly but softly.

"Okay. Yell if something happens, alright?"

"I will." With that reassurance, Toshiro turned around and walked towards the house while the others watched him leave. Toshiro went through the doorway, stepped over the front door, turned right and he was out of sight. Silence.

"Now what?" Rangiku asked, breaking the silence.

"I think I've got something to pass the time." Ren said, rummaging through the pockets of her jeans.

…

"Nothing in here…" Toshiro muttered to himself, peering around a doorframe into a room. It looked like it used to be a lounge, but everything was so burnt, it was nearly impossible to tell.

"What exactly are you looking for?" Zena asked, materialising next to Toshiro and peering into the same room as Toshiro.

"I have no idea." Toshiro answered honestly, abandoning that room and continuing to wander through the house.

"Then why are you here?" Zena floated after Toshiro.

"Because it's connected to Ren's memories, so I am here in her stead to find out what could cause her so much pain. And I didn't want any surprises like last time." Toshiro said the last part while shooting a glare at Zena.

"Alright, I'm sorry. But I thought you wanted Ren to remember her past."

"Not if it involves looking at corpses."

"It worked, didn't it? Ren still remembers who it was, doesn't she?" Toshiro stopped walking. "You know I'm right, Toshiro." Zena floated in front of Toshiro, looking him in the face while Toshiro avoided eye contact, thinking about Zena's words. "None of us like this, especially Ren. But, it has to be done if you want to find out what happened here. And you know that." After a few seconds of silence, Toshiro sighed.

"Yeah. You're right."

"This will be over soon, Toshiro."

"I'm not sure about that. Something tells me that the truth will be more than I can handle." Toshiro said, walking around a corner in the hallway, with Zena walking beside him.

"You mean more than Ren can handle."

"That, too."

"They doomed us all…"

"Huh?" Toshiro stopped walking and looked around him. "What was that?"

"Over there!" Zena pointed to her left. Toshiro looked. There was a faint silhouette of a person sitting on a ruined sofa in another room that looked equally ruined, hunched forward in fear.

"Another spirit!" Toshiro immediately rushed towards the spirit, but as soon as he got to the doorframe, he stopped.

"Toshiro?" Zena was immediately floating at Toshiro's side.

"Zena, there's a strange Cielvian force here." Toshiro said in a hushed voice, suppressing a flinch. "Do you feel it?" Zena nodded. So, Zena and Toshiro stood at the doorway looking at the spirit, who hadn't even noticed them enter. Unlike the previous spirit of that girl Toshiro saw days ago, this one had no details to it or even a sense of identity. This spirit was nothing more than a blue blob shaped like a person.

Could this be a member of the head family? Toshiro thought. The voice was female. A sister? No…a mother.

"We didn't leave them alone. The Redwood Reaper brings misfortune wherever they go. Anyone associated with them is doomed. The Redwood Reaper did this to us. They doomed us all." The spirit muttered, almost making it sound like a chant.

"…" Toshiro recognised the name the spirit uttered. But, he said nothing, partly because he was hoping to figure out the identity of the Redwood Reaper, whoever they may be, and because he really didn't want that thing to startle him like the girl in the tunnel did.

"The Redwood Reaper did this to us. They doomed us all. We didn't leave them alone. The Redwood Reaper brings misfortune wherever they go. Anyone associated with them is doomed. The Redwood Reaper did this to us. They doomed us all."

She's just saying the same thing over and over again. Zena thought. This spirit has gone mad. Was it her death that caused her madness, or being trapped here for six years? At any rate, it's pointless staying here.

"We should go, Toshiro." Zena said, drawing Toshiro's attention from the spirit.

"Right." Toshiro agreed, realising the futility of listening to a mad spirit. All he had accomplished here was knowing the Redwood Reaper destroyed the village, which he had already figured out earlier. And, as he walked away from that room and through the house, Toshiro just couldn't answer the last few questions on his mind. Why did this happen? How is White Raven tied into this? More importantly, who was the Redwood Reaper?

…

"Uno!" Ren yelled happily, waving her last remaining card left and right.

"What?! Again?!" Renji moaned, clutching his head in frustration. While Toshiro was exploring the house by himself, the rest of the group had made themselves comfortable (or as comfortable as they could in a destroyed village full of burnt corpses) and spent the next few minutes sitting in a circle playing a card game Ren had on her. Fortunately, the Soul Reapers were smart enough to not ask Ren why she would carry around a game like that.

"How come you're always first to lose your cards?" Ichigo said, eyeing his own cards.

"That's because she's played this before." Rukia answered, playing one of her cards. "Renji, draw two cards." Renji obeyed, complaining under his breath.

"Well, Ren has always had good luck. I've just got yellows."

"Rangiku, you're not supposed to tell people what's in your hand." Ren pointed out.

"You're not? Then, I have blue cards." Ren face palmed right after hearing this.

"So what do you think happened here?" Ichigo asked the group, placing down a card.

"I still think that the person who burnt this village down is the Redwood Reaper." Rukia said, starting the group off.

"It had to be someone who held a grudge against this place." Renji added.

"Or…" Rangiku started, drawing a card from the deck. "Maybe the head family." She suggested. Everyone looked at her, silently asking her why she thought that. "Think about it. Almost all the bodies we've found were burnt beyond recognition. But the body of that girl, and the man that Renji mentioned earlier, had their own unique deaths. Almost like…"

"Like they were being hunted!" Ichigo realised. Right after Ichigo heard this, he heard a noise coming from the house. A clattering of wood. Like someone had suddenly shifted the ground beneath them as they started to run.

"I win!" Ren played her last card, holding her arms above her head in victory. The other Soul Reapers groaned at their loss. "Now…" With one flick of her finger, the cards were whisked out of their hands, and before anybody realised what was happening, Ren was already trying an elastic band around the deck and placing it back in her back pocket. "And I'll be right back." Ren started to walk away, but Renji blocked her path with his arm.

"Where are you going?" Renji calmly demanded.

"Move, please."

"Not until you tell me why you're leaving."

"Gentleman doesn't ask, lady doesn't tell." Ren said quickly. "Now move."

"How do I know you're not going to leave us?"

"Please don't make me say it out loud."

"Say it, then."

"Uuuu…" At this point, Ren was starting to fidget.

"Say it."

"I gotta use the bathroom!" Ren yelled, her cheeks turning red after realising she blurted that out. Silence.

"Oh." Renji, with a blank face, lifted his arm up, and Ren ran past him straight into the first house she saw. Well, that was embarrassing. For both of them.

"Huh?" Ichigo looked back at the house Toshiro was in. "Did anyone hear that?"

"I did."

"Me, too. It sounded like a crash." Rukia said.

"The Captain! Let's go!" Rangiku quickly led the Soul Reapers into the house. Several seconds later, Ren re-emerged from the other house.

"Guys, do NOT use the bathroom in that house. There's a-" Ren cut herself off after returning to the front gates of the head families house. There was nobody in sight. "Guys?" No answer. Ren looked the house up and down. They must have gone in there without telling her. How rude! She sighed. This was gonna suck. She pushed the gate open and walked up the path. She slowed to a stop when she reached the point where she got the headache. Slowly, and with her eyes shut, Ren took another step forward, bracing herself for the pain. Nothing. Ren opened one eye. She walked forward another pace. Still nothing. With a small "Yay!" Ren skipped through the front doorway and followed her nose through the house, not letting the bad conditions bother her in the slightest.

…

"The Redwood Reaper did this to us. They doomed us all." The blue female spirit muttered. She continued her mantra while Toshiro stood by the doorway, watching her.

"Why are you back here, Toshiro?" Zena asked, appearing beside him again.

"Didn't you hear what the others were saying?" Toshiro asked in turn. "The death of the head family is different from the deaths of the rest of the villagers. So if I find the body of this spirit, then I'll see if they're right."

"And if so, then you'll know the Redwood Reaper targeted the head family specifically."

"Precisely." Toshiro said, confirming to Zena what he was thinking. Why didn't he notice something like this sooner?! He felt a little foolish, but now was not the time for that. He was getting closer to the identity of the Redwood Reaper. "And if her spirit is here, then her body shouldn't be too far."

"Let's get searching, then." Zena floated into the room, peeking under the coffee table. She found nothing. And, the spirit sitting behind the coffee table did nothing to stop Zena from investigating. Zena abandoned the table and went to a picture hanging on the wall, lifting it up and looking behind it. She felt the exasperated glare of Toshiro. "What? They might have a secret room."

"That sounds like something Ren would say."

"Well, we are almost the same." Zena pointed out, floating towards a closet door. She grasped the handle and opened it. Then, everything went quiet.

"Zena?" Toshiro said, the silence unnerving him.

"Toshiro…I've found her." Zena said sadly. Toshiro entered the room, almost side-stepping around the sofa the spirit sat on. He reached the closet and looked inside. Along with a few coats and boxes of book, one of which was knocked over and had clear footprints on them, was the body of a woman with blonde curly hair, dressed in a pink blouse and blue jeans. She looked like an older version of Rosalie, the girl in the town centre. This body wasn't burnt beyond recognition like the others. In fact, there were no burns to be seen. The only evidence that showed she had died was the rope hanging from the ceiling of the closet and looped around her neck. This was obviously a suicide. Toshiro had never seen one before, nor had he ever wanted to, but for some reason, seeing the body of a person who killed themselves was more unsettling than any of the other bodies he had seen today. If not, then it was a very sobering sight, indeed.

"…" Toshiro turned away, looking anywhere but at the body.

"Well…her death certainly was different from the others." Zena said, breaking the silence. Toshiro said nothing, and simply closed his eyes.

"Let's get her down." Toshiro said quietly. "I feel bad leaving her like this."

"…" Without a word, Zena floated up to the body and started to fiddle with the noose. The knot unwrapped and the rope loosened. Zena caught the body before it could fall and gently set her on the ground, leaning the body against the wall. Zena stepped back and looked at the body. Just like her daughter, the only evidence that this person wasn't sleeping was the red markings around her neck.

"She didn't want the Redwood Reaper to kill her." Zena said. "She wanted to die on her own terms."

"Yeah." Toshiro agreed, still refusing to look at the body. Instead, he looked at the spirit, which had suddenly grown quiet. Toshiro approached the spirit and stood in front of it, yet the spirit did nothing to react. "What happened? Why can't you rest in peace?" Toshiro asked.

"I won't let it happen."

"Eh?" Toshiro blinked, not expecting a response. The spirit's blue glow started to spike and grow menacing, and the blue was turning to red. Toshiro felt his back get warmer, and he immediately knew this was bad. Before he even considered leaving the room, the spirit suddenly jumped up and grabbed him by the shoulders, slamming him against the wall and making a few bricks and clumps of dust fall from the impact. But Toshiro didn't struggle or yell at the spirit to let him go. He was too distracted by the spirits yells and the images flashing before his eyes to do anything. He barely even acknowledged his his back got even warmer.

"I WON'T LET IT HAPPEN!" The spirit yelled. "I WON'T LET THAT WOMAN TAKE MY LIFE! IF I'M DYING, IT WILL BE MY DECISION! I WON'T LET A WEAKLING DICTATE MY LIFE! NOT THAT SCUMBAG!"

"…" Zena was frozen on the spot. The second that spirit had grabbed Toshiro, she saw some images flash through her mind too quickly to process each one individually. They were visons. No, not visions. Memories…Her memories…And a voice…

"When you need it the most, your Birthright shall appear to you."

"SHE'S COMING!" The spirit continued to yell. "I WON'T LET YOU KILL ME!"

"Toshiro!" Zena yelled, finally snapping out of her visions. She fired a telekinetic pulse from her hand, and the spirit slammed into the other side of the room, letting go of Toshiro in the process. Toshiro felt himself return to Earth as soon as the spirit released him, and his back stopped burning at the same time. The spirit quickly flitted across the ground and huddled in the closet where her body used to hang. Silence.

"Well…that happened." Zena said.

"Zena, when that spirit grabbed me, I had a vision." Toshiro said, immediately retelling what had happened. "I think it was the memories of that woman just before she died."

"What did you see?" Zena asked.

"She was in this room. There was a huge fire through that window." Toshiro pointed out the window, which had a view of the village. "She was preparing the noose. Then, the house caught fire, and then…" Toshiro stopped himself, finding himself unable to finish.

"That's when she died." Zena finished. Toshiro nodded. "Did you get a glimpse of the arsonist?"

"I didn't. But, at least we know that the Redwood Reaper is a woman."

"Well, that narrows the suspects down by half."

"This kind of mass murder sounds like it's right up White Raven's street."

"Maybe." Zena agreed thoughtfully. "But we don't have enough evidence that they did it."

"I know. Ren is the only one who knows the identity of the Redwood Reaper and why White Raven would do this, and she is still unable to remember this village for more than five minutes. Damn!"

"Captain Hitsugaya!" Renji yelled, bursting into the room.

"Renji?" Toshiro said, surprised to see him, and Zena quickly vanished without anyone noticing.

"We heard a crashing sound. Are you okay?" Rukia asked, entering the room with Rangiku and Ichigo.

"I'm fine." Toshiro said, quickly reassuring the group.

"Toshiro, is that…?" Ichigo started, seeing the body.

"Yeah. That's the third member of the head family. She was in the closet with a noose around her neck."

"Suicide?" Rukia said quietly.

"Poor woman." Was all Rangiku could think of saying.

"Wait a minute…Where's Ren?"

"!" The Soul Reapers immediately went from looking sombre to trying extremely hard not to panic. After they had heard the crash, they had completely forgotten about Ren.

"She's uh…she's in the bathroom." Renji answered, knowing that Toshiro would want an answer sooner or later.

"And you just let her wander off by herself?!"

"I can't follow a girl when she's…you know…" Renji's eyes shifted around in embarrassment. "Besides, Ren eighteen, not eight."

"I don't care where she's going or how old she is! I gave you a task to look after her! Damn it!" Toshiro ran his fingers through his hair. "I can't take my eyes off you for five minutes."

"Hey, what're you yelling about?" Ren asked, walking into the room without anyone realising she was there until she spoke up.

"Ren! Ren, are you alright?" Toshiro asked, immediately in front of her and with his hands on her shoulders.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Ren answered, an innocently blank expression on her face.

"See? Everything worked out!" Rangiku said in a chipper tone.

"I suppose they did." Toshiro said, disgruntled yet relieved that Ren was okay. "Ren, are you alright being in here? Last time, you couldn't even get to the door."

"I thought the same thing, but I'm fine. Maybe that massive headache was to try and keep me away from this place or something. I dunno. But now that I'm inside this place, my head is starting to hurt a little bit."

"Then wait outside. We'll be just a few minutes."

"Hey, hand on a second. I wanna see what the fuss is about." Ren brushed past Toshiro and towards the open closet, barely even registering the dead body she stepped over. She looked inside. "Oh. My. God."

"I know. It's where I found this body." Toshiro explained, not noticing that Ren had entered the closet only to emerge a moment later.

"There's a tube of Smarties in here!" Ren exclaimed happily, waving it above her head. Ren popped the lid off, not noticing how everybody had fallen over anime-style. "Wow, some of them are white. Oh, right. This all happened six years ago, so there are no blue Smarties." Ren poured some of the chocolate in her mouth. "Wooooow! They're even better than I remember!" Ren finally noticed everyone on the ground. "What? Did you want some?" Ren asked.

"No, thank you." Everyone groaned in response. How can Ren act so calm in a place like this?! Although, with Ren around, it was pretty difficult to be afraid, so no-one was complaining.

"Ren, doesn't that spirit in there bother you?" Toshiro asked, being the first to recover.

"You mean that blue blob? Nah. It vanished as soon as I looked at it." Ren poured a few more Smarties into her mouth before shoving the tube in her pocket. "Well, let's get the rest of this village done and dusted."

"You're not going to try and escape?" Renji said.

"Nope. I mean, I've got my chocolate, so I'm satisfied. But seriously, what kind of friend would I be if I just abandoned you? I ran before 'cos I was freaked out, but I'm fine now. So…" Ren smiled her smile. "I'm sticking by you." There was a pause, which the Soul Reapers took as an opportunity to reflect on Ren's selfless nature. "That and you've got my jacket." Ren added quickly.

Of course. Everyone thought, sweat-dropping.

"Now, let's get going before my head splits open!"

…

"Okay, we must be going in circles." Ichigo said, his eyebrow twitching in annoyance. "We've passed that body three times!" Ichigo exclaimed, pointing at a corpse that was leaning against a wall, or what was left of the wall.

"Ichigo, in case you haven't noticed, we're in an abandoned village. There are burnt corpses everywhere!" Rukia retorted. "Although, it does look familiar."

"Really? I think they all look the same." Ren said.

"Great. We're lost in a haunted village." Renji said sarcastically.

"Calm down, everyone." Toshiro silenced the group. "We're not lost. We're just going in circles."

"That's what lost means, genius."

"Not now, Ren."

"I'm with the Captain. There's got to be somewhere we haven't been yet." Rangiku said.

"You mean like this street?" Ren asked, pointing down a wrecked street. Without waiting for an answer, Ren trotted down it, humming a song to herself. Toshiro was about to follow her, but Ren's voice made him stop. "Shiro?"

"What is it?"

"You said this place was targeted by the arsonist, right?"

"Yeah. They burnt everything down."

"So then, why is this house intact?"

"What?" After hearing this, the Soul Reapers all ran down the street Ren was in, seeing her within moments. She was staring straight ahead of her around a corner. Upon reaching her, the Soul Reapers all saw what had caught her attention. It was actually quite hard to miss. There in the ruined street, surrounded by burnt houses, was a perfectly intact family house. There was not a speck of ashes to be found on its spick and span bricks. Even the grass was still green. This was the only house that was untouched by all the death and destruction of the village.

"Nice find, Ren." Ichigo said, breaking the silence.

"Captain, do you know what happened here?"

"I have an idea." Toshiro answered. "The house and ground surrounding it are untouched, yet all the other buildings on this street are burnt just as badly as any other place here. Whoever did this, they were making sure the fire never left the village, and that it didn't touch this house. This would be impossible for a human, unless…"

"Unless they had Cielvian powers." Ren finished.

"White Raven." Rukia said what nobody was saying but what everybody was thinking.

"And if this house was protected, then maybe Ren isn't the only survivor."

"I think I'd know if I survived something like this, Shiro."

"So, whose house is it, Ren?" Toshiro asked, completely disregarding what Ren said. Although, he still felt a little frustrated that Ren still can't remember anything.

"I 'unno." Ren shrugged.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get in there and find out!" Renji promptly stormed through the gate and down the path towards the house and started trying to ram the front door, but the wooden door wasn't budging.

"The window! Break the window!" Ichigo picked up a lawn chair and threw it at a window, which broke with a loud smash.

"Ichigo! We've finally found a house that hasn't been destroyed! Let's try and keep it that way!" Rukia yelled.

"Shut up and get in here." Ichigo said, already climbing through the window.

"Fine, but I'm coming with you!" Rukia started to climb up the window, but her height made it more difficult than she thought.

"Rukia, be careful of the glass." Renji promptly helped Rukia through, receiving a glare in response.

"Could you all not charge ahead without thinking?" Toshiro asked, exasperated. "Rangiku, keep watch." Toshiro went over to the window, but like Rukia, he also found it difficult. Renji offered his hand to help him through without being asked. Toshiro took his hand, but Renji tripped on a teddy bear that was lying on the ground, and everyone, except for Rangiku and Ren, who were still outside, toppled over.

"Watch what you're doing!" Rukia yelled.

"Are you alright?" Rangiku asked, looking through the window.

"Aside from the fact I'm surrounding by morons, yes." Toshiro said sarcastically.

"Again, we're right here!" Renji exclaimed, insulted.

"Well, you shouldn't have tripped in the first place!" Ichigo retorted.

"Hey, it wasn't my fault, it was this stupid thing!" Renji brandished the teddy he tripped over, which now had an ashen footprint on it.

"A bear? Really?!" Rukia said, exasperated.

"Trust you to trip on a toy."

"What's that supposed to mean, Kurosaki?!"

"Hey, guys?"

"What?!" Everyone, except Rangiku, snapped, turning towards the source of the voice.

"Why didn't you use the front door?" Ren finished asking, standing inside the house in front of a wide open door. Everyone stared at her, silent.

"Ren…how did you get in here?" Rukia asked, despite knowing deep down what the answer would be.

"Front door key." Ren answered.

"Where did you find a key?"

"Well, where do you keep your spare key?"

"We have a spare key?" Rangiku said.

"Under the mat." Ichigo answered.

"There's your answer. I can't believe you guys didn't think of using a key. And I thought I had no common sense."

"…" Nobody said anything as Ren put the spare key back and shut the door behind her, as they were all feeling very stupid.

"Hang on…aren't you getting a headache?" Toshiro asked, realising Ren wasn't in any pain.

"Not really." Ren shrugged. "At that other house it felt like my brain was being squeezed, but here? I don't feel a thing." Ren gazed around the house. "Although it does seem familiar. I think I came to this house once."

"You did? Who lived here?" Renji asked.

"I have no idea!" Ren said brightly, with an equally bright smile to match. Everybody except for Ren sweat dropped. "But my guess is that whoever lived here is still alive somewhere. I mean…probably. They might be here right now."

"…" Everyone who was in the house immediately jumped up off the ground and started looking around sharply; peering behind sofas, looking under tables, or even throwing cushions. All except for Toshiro, who was smart enough to know nobody else was here, and simply stood up off the ground.

"Hey, I said might!" Ren said quickly, making everyone stop what they were doing. "Jeez, you don't have to be so jumpy. Like, who in their right mind would live in a haunted village? Honestly."

"Okay, everybody." Toshiro quickly resumed charge, facing the group. "Search every inch of this house. I need to know who lived here and if they're alive or not."

"Sounds like a plan. If anyone needs me, I'll be in the bathroom." Ren said, starting to walk up some stairs.

"Wait, I thought you went earlier." Ichigo said. Ren paused in the middle of the stairs and leaned over the banister a little.

"I found a dead body in the bathroom and it totally put me off." Ren noticed how the Soul Reapers gave her strange looks. "What? You try doing your business when somebody's watching you." With that, Ren went back up the stairs and vanished from sight.

"I'm never gonna understand her." Ichigo broke the silence.

"Everyone, split up." Toshiro, who had become to Ren's strange ways, focused on the task at hand; finding out who lived here. "Ichigo and I will go upstairs, Rangiku will keep watch and the rest of you will look around downstairs.

"Yes, sir." Rukia and Renji started looking around the living room, Toshiro and Ichigo went upstairs and Rangiku waited outside, although it didn't take long for her to get bored.

…

"Did you find anything?" Toshiro called out, peering around the doorframe of a bedroom.

"Nothing." Ichigo responded, shutting the door behind him of another room. "What about you?"

"Same." Toshiro left the room he was in. While it was nice to be in a house that didn't have any dead bodies and wasn't completely demolished, Toshiro was expecting this place to at least have some answers. But, they found nothing. Whoever lived here must have taken away any evidence that they were here. He couldn't even find any photographs.

"I found this, though." Ichigo produced a piece of paper from his pocket.

"What is it?" Toshiro asked, approaching him and taking the paper. It was a pencilled sketch of two girls, both of which had dark hair. The eldest girl had short, straight hair, and the younger of the two had wavy hair that was a little longer than the older girl's.

"I don't recognise any of them. Do you?"

"No." Toshiro shook his head. "But they look too similar to be friends. They're most likely sisters."

"You think they survived the attack on Redwood?" Ichigo asked.

"If they lived here, then it's very likely."

"Have you found something?" Ren asked, suddenly emerging from a room and holding a small radio in her hand.

"Just a drawing." Ichigo answered, showing it to her.

"Cool." Ren got a look at the drawing, and I one second, she got out her phone and snapped a picture of it. Toshiro and Ichigo didn't dare question Ren on why she did that, but she must have seen the looks on their faces, since she told them almost straight after Ren re-pocketed her phone. "I thought it might disappear if we tried to take it out the village."

"Whatever. Why are you holding a radio?" Ichigo asked dismissively.

"Right, well, you know how Shiro thinks this place is frozen in time? I think he might be onto something. Listen." Ren held up the radio and clicked it on, adjusting the dials until there was a clear signal.

"It's funny how a man only thinks about the beep."

"A hip-hop song. How ground-breaking." Ichigo said sarcastically.

"Radio stations usually play chart singles. I may not know much about the past, but I do know that this song was in the charts six years ago."

"So? Maybe they're having a special or something." Toshiro said, not seeing where Ren was going with this.

"I'm not done yet. Just wait for the end of the song. It's any second now." So, the boys listened. They could not understand much of the song. Well, they could, but the lyrics didn't make sense to them. When did music get this…bad? When the announcer on the radio finally spoke, Toshiro and Ichigo just about managed to hold back a sigh of relief.

"It is March 7th at 5:40 and that was-"

"See?" Ren cut off the announcer. "He said March 7th. Today is March 6th."

"So, he got it wrong."

"People make mistakes like that all the time."

"That's not all, Shiro. Wait for it…"

"Coming up next, we have 60 Second Quiz and anoth…" The announcer trailed off as his speech was suddenly replaced with static, which cleared away to something else entirely different, and very unexpected.

"It's funny how a man only thinks about the beep!"

"…" Now, Toshiro and Ichigo were intrigued. The radio was on a loop. This place really was frozen in a fixed point in time.

"This village is frozen at the point after it got destroyed." Ren said, voicing what the boys were already thinking.

"I don't give a-" The radio was cut off mid-song when Ren finally switched it off.

"Awww, I was enjoying that!" Rangiku's voice complained from downstairs.

"This village is stuck in time?" Ichigo said, a hand on his head. "What happened here?"

"Well, now we know this place is definitely frozen." Zena said in Toshiro's head.

Yes, but we don't know how or why. Toshiro pointed out.

"Let's meet up with the others." Toshiro said. "They might have found something." And with that, he made his way towards the stairs.

"Any luck?" Rukia asked as soon as she spotted the white haired captain come down the stairs.

"Just a drawing." Ichigo answered, right behind Toshiro.

"We also have proof that this village is frozen in time at the moment after it was destroyed."

"In other words, not a lot!" Ren summed up cheerfully, jumping over the last four steps. "What did you find?"

"Nothing." Renji answered.

"We couldn't even find any photographs."

"Come to think of it, I didn't see anything in the bedrooms. Just some furniture and a few changes of clothing. Everything else was empty." Ichigo said thoughtfully.

"Yeah, and the kitchen only had bare necessities for a few days. I checked the fridge, and it's almost empty." Renji's stomach gave a small growl after he said this.

"You weren't raiding the fridge, were you?" Ichigo said in an angry tone.

"Anyway!" Rukia said loudly, stopping the spiky haired Soul Reapers before they could get into a fight. "This house is almost empty except for the furniture and essentials."

"The rest of their belongings must have been elsewhere. So, maybe, they did live here, but they wanted to leave Redwood." Toshiro theorised. "But, where to?"

"So, basically, we have no clue who lived here, then?" Ren asked. Everyone shook their heads. "Crud. Now what?" Ren cursed, although she was secretly glad they were near a dead end, since this would mean that they might just go home.

"I'm not sure where to go next." Toshiro said, mentally recollecting where they had and hadn't been. "We've been almost everywhere."

"Guess we should go home, then! Yoink!" While Toshiro was distracted, Ren swiped her cardigan from his shoulder.

"Hey!"

"Nyahaha!" Ren laughed triumphantly, pulling her cardigan back on and her hands immediately went to the pockets. "Eh?" Ren felt around her pockets. Nothing. They were empty. Did they fall out? Ren heard a rattling sound and looked up. Toshiro was holding an orange cylinder of pills level with his face, which silently said 'Looking for these?' "Ooooo, that's not cool, Shiro."

"You're not leaving here until we've seen every inch of this place."

"Aw, come on!" Ren pleaded in an annoyed tone.

"No." Toshiro folded his arms, standing his ground.

"Uuuu…"

"We should check we haven't missed anything."

"Great! Let's go!" Rangiku, who was overcome with boredom, was quick to go up the path as soon as her captain gave the order. She opened the gate and quickly went from a pristine house to a wrecked village. Rangiku thought it was quite a sudden, and strange, change to return to a 0lace devoid of life. Even that mobile phone lying on the ground seemed dead.

"Wait a…" Rangiku realised what was on the ground. She picked up the phone and inspected it. It looked pretty old fashioned, but it did have a colour screen, which Rangiku noticed after she touched a few of the buttons. It wasn't long before Rangiku was clicking away on the phone, hoping to find something useful.

"Lieutenant Matsumoto, what are you doing?"

"I've found a phone." Rangiku answered as she wandered back to the house without looking up from the screen.

"Really? Who's is it?" Renji asked, standing beside Rukia at the doorway.

"I don't know. But I'm trying to…ah-ha! Recent calls. Let's see…" Rangiku's eyes widened.

"Who did they call?" Ichigo asked, finding her sudden silence unexpected, and a little chilling since it was Rangiku, or all people, who as reduced to silence.

"March 7th 2006…" Rangiku read the details of the call history out loud, as if saying it would make the unbelievable believable. "The person who owned this phone rang the same person more than five times. Their name is…is Ren."

"What?" The Soul Reapers all heard that name. They turned around to look at Ren, who was too busy admiring a vase of flowers to notice. She accidentally nudged the small table the vase was on, it wobbled and fell to the ground, where it shattered into a pile of petals and china while the carpet quickly absorbed the water like a sponge.

"It was already broken," Ren quickly lied with a very unconvinced look on her face, thinking that was why they were giving her such weird looks. But, they persisted on staring at her with those confused eyes. "Okay, I lied, I broke it." Ren admitted. They continued to stare at her. "That's getting annoying, guys."

"Ren, do you recognise this?" Rangiku asked, peering between Ichigo's and Renji's heads and holding the phone in front of her face.

"Nope." Ren immediately answered. "Why?"

"Because whoever owned it called you several times six years ago."

"Now that could have been anyone. Maybe there's another Ren I don't know about, or maybe it's a nickname for somebody else." The Soul Reapers till looked doubtful. "You want proof? Ring that number. And put it on speaker."

"…Kay…" Rangiku tapped at the buttons on the phone, and after several seconds of clicking noises, there was a silence.

Boo-da-beep!

"The number you have called is not available."

"See? It can't be me."

"You could have easily changed phones." Renji pointed out.

"Yeah, but-"

"So it must have been you!"

"But it wasn't!"

"That's enough!" Toshiro said loudly, stepping between the two. "Alright, lets' just assume that this person isn't the Ren we know. For now."

"…" Renji folded his arms, disgruntled.

"Rangiku, is there anything else on that phone? A text, perhaps?"

"Let's see, um…Oh, here it is!" Rangiku, who was getting the hang of this old technology, quickly found what she was looking for. "One was recently sent from Re-I mean that person from before, Captain."

"Date?"

"March 7th 2006, 5:13pm."

"What does it say?"

"It says 'I'm at warehouse 4. Where are you?'."

"Warehouse 4?" Rukia repeated.

"…" Ren said nothing, and the only reaction she gave was her eyes widening slightly.

"I saw something that looked like a bunch of warehouses earlier. It's near the edge of the village." Ichigo said.

"Then that's our next stop." Toshiro decided. "Let's go." The Soul Reapers immediately began to leave the house, Rangiku tossing the phone back on the ground where she found it.

"Um, let's not go?" Ren said nervously. But nobody heard her, and they were already through the gate. "Yeah, that's what I thought." Ren grumbled, her arms hanging by her sides as she trudged out of the only untarnished place in this godforsaken village. So much for going home…

…

"Well…here we are." Rangiku said hesitantly. The group had arrived at Warehouse 4. Well, that number on the sign definitely looked like a 4 through all the burns and rust. The building itself was completely empty, the windows near the ceiling were cracked and yellowed with a few holes in them and, once again, there were a few dead bodies ly8ing in the warehouse. Nobody could see much from outside the warehouse, but everybody was getting a bad vibe from this place, especially Ren and Toshiro, one of whose back was starting to get warm.

"Let's get this over with." Ichigo said, breaking the nervous silence.

"Right. You guys can check it out, while I keep watch." Ren said, her eyes looking left and right.

"Ren, what could you possibly keep watch for?" Renji asked, annoyed that one; she was avoiding an investigation, and two; she had used the same excuse again.

"Feathers." Ren answered immediately. The Soul Reapers were not convinced.

"We can sense them." Rukia said.

"Yeah, I know, but you need someone to fight them off while you investigate, right?" Ren asked hopefully. The Soul Reapers said nothing, and Ren knew that she hadn't convinced them. So, she decided to come clean. "Look, can I just not go in there? It's giving me the heebie jeebies."

"We're creeped out, too, but we-"

"No, you don't get it, Ichigo." Ren cried, desperation in her voice. "I absolutely cannot go inside that building! Something bad might happen to me in there!" Ren's hand wet to her head and he collapsed on her knees as her brain decided that this was the perfect time to get another headache, but it didn't last long, since Ren was now clutching her arms while hunched forward a little. "I just don't like this place! I shouldn't be here!"

"…" Through all this, Toshiro said nothing. He could see that Ren's body was quaking with fear. He had never seen her that scared before. This place really did frighten her. Toshiro immediately started to feel guilty. Here he was, trying to get Ren to remember her past, and he had practically ignored her fear and her attempts to get away from Redwood. Some friend he was. But, Toshiro still wanted to know what happened here, so he decided to reach a compromise. Toshiro went up to Ren, knelt down by her side and placed an arm around her shoulder. Ren almost immediately stopped shaking when Toshiro touched her, and she looked up at him.

"Shiro?" Ren said quietly, a hint of fear still in her eyes.

"Ren…does this place frighten you?" Toshiro asked. Ren nodded. "That's okay. I'm sorry I forced you to endure this. To be honest, it scares me a little, too. In fact, when I found this village, I almost threw up when I saw a dead body." This comment made Ren giggle a little at the image of Toshiro being freaked out, and Toshiro smiled just a little bit at this. Ren was starting to get a little less scared, but Toshiro could still clearly see the terror in her face. "Tell you what, Ren. How about we make a deal?"

"I'm listening…" Ren said, a sceptic look in her eye that said 'You'd better not lie about there being chocolate.'.

"Alright. Come in this warehouse with us and see if you remember anything. If you don't, then that's fine. You don't have to force it. I'll leave Ichigo and the others to continue investigating this village, and you and I can go home. And um…" Toshiro tried to think of an offer that Ren couldn't say no to and didn't involve non-existent chocolate, or non-existent anything else. "And I'll play on the Xbox with you." Ren's face brightened up immediately, but still had a cautious glint in her eyes.

"Can we play the Guitar Hero game with the full band kit?" Ren asked quietly.

"Of course." Toshiro nodded. Ren fell silent, thinking it over. "So, what do you say?"

"Okay?" Ren said with a small smile, and Toshiro smiled back. "But I call dibs on the drums."

"Whatever you want, Ren." Toshiro stood up and offered Ren his hand. "Can you stand?" Ren took his hand and stood up.

"Soooo…does this mean I can have my pills back?"

"Here." Trusting Ren to not run away, Toshiro handed her the pills and she happily took them from his hand, placing them back in her pocket. "You ready?"

"I guess." Ren said with an uncertain shrug.

"Toshiro, what's taking you so long? Ichigo called, who was still waiting at the entrance of the warehouse with the others.

"That's Captain Hitsugaya to you." Toshiro instinctively said, walking towards the warehouse with Ren following close behind. "Let's get going."

"Yes, sir." The Soul Reapers followed the captain into the warehouse. The building was even emptier than it appeared from the outside, save for the four dead bodies lying on the ground, and the smell of ash and cooked flesh was heavy in the air, but to everyone's secret disgust, they had become accustomed to the stench after being in this village for so long. These dead bodies were also burnt beyond recognition, but they were also different from the other dead bodies. The corpses before had hints of bone and red flesh on them, but not these bodies; they had been turned completely black. It was as if the slightest touch would turn them into a pile of charcoal. Looking around, the group could see that the metallic walls and pillars were stained with blackness.

"No doubt about it." Renji broke the silence as everyone paused in the middle of the building. "The arsonist must have started here."

"Hey, look, a knife." Ichigo spotted a knife lying on the ground next to one of the dead bodies. It was a butterfly knife, the blade caked with a blackness that was flaking, and the floor underneath the body was a little darker than the rest of it.

"This one was killed before everyone else, and before this place went up in flames." Rangiku concluded.

"Eh?" Ren, who had been standing in the warehouse fearfully and quietly the whole time, turned around and noticed the body of the stab victim right behind her. Her eyes shone with fear and she somehow got a feeling that she had to leave this place right now! "You guys, we-we should go." Ren said quickly, facing the group again.

"This won't take long, Ren." Ichigo said, trying to reassure Ren, but if the look on her face was anything to go by, then he had failed.

"But why would they kill this person if they were going to destroy this place anyway?" Toshiro wondered.

"Maybe White Raven was trying to stop a whistle-blower." Renji suggested.

"Maybe." Rukia agreed.

"Who cares? Let's go!" Ren was starting to look all around herself with a panicked expression on her face.

"Toshiro, I think she recognises this place!" Zena said.

Yeah, and she wants to leave. Toshiro said mentally. This means she must have seen who destroyed the village.

"Ren, do you recognise this place?" Toshiro asked.

"Yesyesyes." Ren nodded quickly. "Can we go now?"

"Were you here alone?"

"No, I wasn't." Ren said, fumbling in her pockets until she pulled out her pills. She started unscrewing the cap, but in her panic, he dropped them, and they spilled on the floor beside her feet. "Ah!"

"…" The Soul Reapers watched Ren panic, unsure on what exactly they should do in this situation.

"No…Stay away from me…I…Don't come any closer…" Ren muttered, her hands going to her head. Toshiro started to go to Ren, but Rukia blocked his way with her arm.

"Captain Hitsugaya, if I may." Rukia said. Toshiro said nothing, and he backed away a couple paces and indicated Ren to wordlessly say 'She's all yours.'. Rukia approached Ren, who didn't notice until she heard Rukia's voice saying "Ren, look at me." Ren looked at Rukia, who was standing in front of her with a calm expression on her face, and seeing that seemed to calm Ren down a little. "Ren, how many people, including you, entered this village?"

"Eto…" Ren muttered, and started counting on her fingers. "Six."

"And how many people, including you, are in this building?"

"Ichi, ni, san, shi, go…roku." Ren answered. "I mean six."

"Is there anyone else here?"

"No."

"Is there anyone here who wants to harm you?"

"…No." Ren said, now significantly calmer.

"There you go." Rukia said with a reassuring smile. "You've got nothing to be afraid of. There's no-one here but us."

"!" After hearing those words, Ren suddenly looked very frightened, her eyes widening and losing their light, and she could hear her heart pounding in her ears.

"Let's clear this up." Rukia, not noticing this change, knelt down and started picking up Ren's pills.

"Nicely done, Rukia." Renji, also not noticing Ren's silence, went up to the two girls. "Now that you're done freaking out, can you tell us about this place?" No answer. "Uh, Ren?" Renji said. Again, no answer.

"There we are." Rukia stood up, screwing the cap on the pill bottle. "Here are your pills, Ren." Rukia handed the bottle to Ren, but she didn't take them. Ren didn't move or say anything; she was staring straight ahead of her as if Rukia wasn't there.

"Get behind me, Rukia." Renji moved Rukia behind him and paced an arm in front of her for good measure. "Ren, say something."

"What's going on over there?" Toshiro asked, the commotion not going unnoticed. While this was going on, Ren was in her own world, oblivious to what her friends were saying to her or to each other. All she could hear were lots of voices that were unfamiliar to her, yet familiar at the same time. And some of the sounds and smells were familiar, too, like the sound of fire burning, the smell of ashes, the sound of wicked laughter, and the smell of blood and, at the very end, the sound of glass breaking.

And then, there was silence.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Ren let out an ear-splitting scream, her hands going to her head. Renji instinctively moved Rukia further back, and straight after this, Renji found himself flung off his feet. He slammed into a metal post and slid onto the ground, his back leaning against the post and barely conscious.

"Renji!" Ichigo went over to help Renji, while the rest of the group were too busy staring at Ren. She now looked even more panicked than before, he grip on her head became tighter, and her blank eyes were shifting in different directions, as if she were suddenly surrounded.

"Ren, are you alright?" Rukia asked, reaching out a concerned hand. When it was inches away from Ren's body, Ren slapped it away with a gasp. She stepped back from Rukia, but when she reached the body of the stab victim, she tripped over it and fell backwards on the ground.

"…" Toshiro started to go towards Ren after she tripped out of concern, but for some reason, he stopped himself. Ren was clearly terrified, and his first, second and third instincts were telling him to comfort her, yet he was doing nothing. Why was he doing nothing? Was it because he knew Ren was remembering something? Or, was it because, for the first time in his life, he had absolutely no idea what to do? He didn't know why he stopped, so he just stood in silence as Ren shifted onto her knees and let her hands go back to her head, muttering under her breath.

"Hey…" Rukia side-stepped around the dead body and got down on one knee in front of Ren. "What's the matter?" Rukia reached out to Ren again, but the sound of something slashing through the air stopped her. There was a silence. Rukia felt something sting on her face, which was following by something dripping down her cheek. Rukia reached a hand up to the sensation. It felt wet and warm, and also a little sticky. Blood. Looking back at Ren, Rukia noticed Ren was holding something in her hand. It was the knife Ichigo had spotted, and it had fresh, red blood on the edge. "Ren?" Rukia said, her voice half confused about what was happening, and half hurt at the fact that Ren had tried to hurt her. Ren responded by staggering back onto her feet and walking a few paces backwards from Rukia and the others, keeping the knife pointed at them.

"Just leave me alone…Please?" Ren whimpered, the hand holding the knife shaking while the other hand was planted firmly on her head. "Just leave me alone." Ren said again, her eyes filling with frightened tears.

"…" Those tears didn't go unnoticed by Toshiro, and for reasons he didn't understand, some of the words that Cyrus said to him rang through his head.

"But, she didn't seem insane to me. If anything, she was scared. Very scared. She had just been through Hell, and she was shut away for reasons she didn't understand."

"Wait a second…" Toshiro said to himself. Those words that old man said were starting to make sense now that he was in Redwood where it all happened. So, while the rest of the group tried to calm Ren down with futile attempts, Toshiro recollected everything that he had heard or found out, trying to find a connection.

"Honestly, I have no idea why I see him. And half the time, I don't even remember what we talk about in there."

"Little girl, you are under the effects of complex illusions. Illusions of the mind."

"I have no idea what happened in 2006."

"He's making sure Ren's forgotten past stays forgotten!"

"Stay away from me! Ren frantically slashed the air in front of her, even though no-one was coming near her.

"Ren, we're not going to hurt you." Rukia insisted.

"We're you're friends!" Ichigo called from where he and Renji were, backing Rukia up. Ichigo turned his attention back to Renji when he groaned.

"Wherever that village is, it's either abandoned, or the village heads are that determined to keep something secret."

"In fact, she couldn't remember an entire fortnight."

"Nobody must find out about Redwood's existence."

"Why are you doing this to me?! I never did anything to you!" Ren cried.

"We didn't do anything to you, either." Rangiku said, standing beside Rukia.

"They spent a lot of their time tormenting that girl."

"I can't stop now. I haven't stopped for six years."

"They knew the whole time that they were playing with fire, yet they persisted. And that Thornton man did nothing to stop his daughter. His father is NOT a nice man! And she is not a nice girl."

"JUST GO AWAY!" Ren yelled, charging towards the girls. Rangiku quickly pushed Rukia out of the way, and barely dodged the knife from making a fatal blow, even though it scratched down the length of her arm.

"He who destroys a soul destroys the world. He who saves a soul saves the world."

"Ren isn't the only one we're protecting."

"For some reason, that day seems to make sense now."

"I'm fine." Rangiku said before Rukia could ask about her arm.

"Ichigo, I'll be fine." Renji said in a half-awake voice, getting Ichigo's attention. "So go to Rukia, now." Ichigo nodded.

"You can't play with human beings like they're toys, Rosalie!"

"What I did. What Katelyn did. That's nothing compared to what she went through back then."

"I think the arsonist and The Redwood Reaper might be the same person."

"Rukia, Rangiku, get back!" Ichigo ordered, hooking his arms underneath Ren's. Immediately, Ren started struggling and yelling to be let go, until several second later she squirmed out of her cardigan and ran from Ichigo, who was left holding a girl's cardigan in his arms.

"Wh-What are you going to do to me?" Ren asked quietly and fearfully, clutching her arms while still keeping her grip on the knife strong.

"Ren…It's okay…We're not going to hurt you." Ichigo said slowly and calmly, raising his open palms to shoulder height to prove he was harmless with Ren's cardigan hanging on his arm, and he gradually got closer to Ren. But, this only seemed to make her even more afraid.

"Almost all the bodies we've found were burnt beyond recognition. But the body of that girl, and the man that Renji mentioned earlier, had their own unique deaths. Almost like…"

"Like they were being hunted!"

"All this fuss…for a little girl."

"The Redwood Reaper did this to us. They doomed us all. We didn't leave them alone. The Redwood Reaper brings misfortune wherever they go. Anyone associated with them is doomed."

"That girl was one of the few survivors. She was right there when she saw those people get burnt alive."

"I've never seen one before, but it can't be easy for Ren to fight these Feathers."

"Ren, let go of that knife." Ichigo said, reaching towards Ren.

"NOOOO!" Ren screamed, closing her eyes and lunging towards Ichigo. Ichigo jumped to the side, and the knife just barely missed him, making a small tear on the side of his shirt.

"The power of each family was something that each one competed in in the past. Things are easier now, but that rivalry…it caused so much pain. Not just to the head families, but to the villagers, too."

"The true identity of C12…is Ren Conner."

"I wasn't able to see anything that happened on that date. However, for a few days, I felt as though my powers were being forced to act before their time."

"Ah…"Ren gasped. She stumbled back, her eyes shining. "Ah…No…I…I didn't mean…"

"Ren, it's okay, you missed me." Ichigo tried to reassure Ren, showing her the rip in his short. Although, he considered himself lucky that he had such great reflexes. Another second later, and he would probably end up like that dead body lying in a blackened pool of his own blood.

"I've always had great control of my telekinesis. It's almost as if I've done it before."

"…I think it's safe to assume that there are Cielvian forces at work here."

"It's weird, because I only just got the Shackles, yet it feels like I've had them my entire life."

"!" After recapping everything he had learnt, Toshiro's eyes went wide. How could he not have seen it before? As Ren stared ahead of her with scared, watery eyes, Toshiro walked towards her, going past Ichigo, Rukia and Rangiku and only stopping when he was in between the Soul Reapers and Ren. Ren immediately noticed Toshiro's presence, and took a step back while keeping her knife hand raised in her trembling hand. Toshiro was silent, still reeling from the shock of what he had just realised.

"Ren…" Toshiro started, his mind flashing back to the vision he had of C12, no, Ren, standing in the flames. What he said next shocked everyone, including Ren.

"Did you destroy Redwood?"

"…" Nobody said anything. They couldn't. Ren? Destroying Redwood? It seemed too impossible, and too unlikely. This was Ren they were talking about here! Rangiku completely forgot about her still bleeding arm, and Renji was convinced that he must have got a concussion after hitting that pillar, they were that shocked and stunned.

"Toshiro…do you know what you're saying?" Ichigo asked. No response. Not even a correction of calling him by his title. Toshiro's focus was on Ren and only Ren. Ren, meanwhile, said and did nothing, her eyes blank with shock.

"Your amnesia…the cover-up…The Blank Fortnight…the Cielvian presence…that room in the village hall…they were all linked together." Toshiro realised, saying it to both Ren and to himself. "It was a conspiracy that everyone but you was in on, wasn't it? It all makes sense now. The anniversary and the cover-up were kept a secret because you're the Redwood Reaper!"

"…" Ren said nothing. She staggered back a couple paces. "Ah…aaa…ahh…"

"Ren…drop that knife. We can talk about this." Toshiro said, approaching Ren.

"NOOOOO!" Ren screamed, gripping the knife even harder than before as she attacked again, closing her eyes tightly. She felt the knife scrape across something soft and then become firmly stuck. Ren knew she had hit something. Ren opened her eyes and gasped. The knife had drawn blood, but it was in the strong grip of Toshiro's hand. Without showing any pain, Toshiro looked Ren straight into her eyes, which were regaining their light. Ren was calming down.

"Is it true?" Toshiro asked. He thought that, after a panic attack like that, Ren must have remembered what happened to this place. But, some part of him didn't want to believe that Ren was capable of killing so many people. Ren stared at the ground, her eyes hidden from view.

"Shiro…" Ren said quietly. Toshiro barely heard her, so he leaned closer. Ren looked back up again, and Toshiro saw fresh tears falling down her face. "I destroyed Redwood."

"!" Toshiro's eyes widened. He was right about two things. One; Ren did remember what caused Redwood's destruction. Two; she was indeed the Redwood Reaper. But, for the first time, Toshiro wasn't happy or even satisfied that he knew the answers. Not is the truth was this awful. Ren let go of the knife and started to wobble before she fell onto her knees.

"Ren!" Toshiro dropped the knife and caught Ren before she hit the ground. Her eyes were closed and her tear-stained face was still. She had passed out. Toshiro held Ren close, closing his eyes. As the other Soul Reapers cautiously made their way to their captain, except for Renji, who was still a little dizzy, they heard him ask a single question. Of course, Toshiro had even more questions he wanted answers to, but of all the questions he could have asked, at this point, he could only bring himself to ask one, even though he knew Ren, or anybody, wouldn't be able to answer it.

"What happened to you, Ren?"

Well, there you have it! Ren is the one responsible for everything about the conspiracy! The destruction of the village, the Blank Fortnight; everything! So, what exactly happened to Ren to bring her to this point? Next time, Toshiro digs deeper into Ren's past in the hopes that he can solve his mystery, and save Ren from herself! In the meantime, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!