"Hello?" A voice rang in Anju's head as she slept. "WAKE UP! NOW YOU PATHETIC WEAKLING!"

Instantly it felt like wherever her consciousness was drifting was slammed back into her body, she sat up as she blinked a few times, looking around. She observed her surroundings and from what she could tell this was a forest- and quite the dense one at that. All around her there were huge towering trees, much different from the ones in Hueco Mundo that had this white gloss look to them as if they were hollow on the inside and dead. However, the trees here! They were so- . . . lively! Anju stared in awe as she saw birds nesting and rabbits scurrying by her feet.

"Where am I... what was that voice?" She was at a loss as there was no one nearby. "Maybe Veigas' . . . Veigas." Now her mind was flooded with thoughts of the other Arrancars ripping him to shreds. Her eyes began to fill with tears ready to fall. "Idiot." She was thinking that maybe his inventions that masked her presence were making her hallucinate. 'I have to be smart, Veigas did state that if he died the device he gave her to hold onto would send her a message.'

Anju started to notice that the forest seemed to have more than just mindless animals running about. There were manmade structures, like benches and roads that were made with dirt and stones. Above those roads were pergolas with pole-like structure along the road with wooden craved patterns overhead and obvious holes above so you could still look up and see the stars through squares, circles, and star-holes.

"Hmm- I've read about human structures but I never imagined they could be so beautiful blended with nature and . . . the designs were made out of nature." Anju was wonderstruck. "This is BEAUTIFUL!" She smiled as her right eye had a tear dropped, which stained the dirt in front of herself. "Oh wow! Even the ground changes colors!"
Her curiosity was getting the best of her as her thoughts of Veigas faded for the moment. She sat on one of the wooden benches from earlier, as she watched the animals prance around. She smiled at the bluebirds that sat on the same bench as her, she felt at peace as she watched the world around her unfold.

"Hey!" A woman with soft peach-creme skin, with platinum blonde hair, with a tiny hint of strawberry to it, and the most beautiful cloudy gray colored eyes, approached Anju. She was slightly taller than Anju probably around five feet and nine inches; about an inch and a half taller than Anju.

Anju looked up at her with awe. 'Humans are so . . . pretty.- Or at least this one is.' She thought to herself.

The woman chuckled as she waved her hand in front of Anju, "Hello? Are you okay?" . . . With no response from Anju, she gasped, "Oh my bad are you maybe deaf!?" She began to sign her name as she verbally announced it as well. "I'm Hanabi Murano!"

Anju blinked a few times confused as to what she was doing with her hands, "Hmm?" Anju looked shocked as she realized she was only responding to Hanabi in her head, "No! I - I'm not deaf! My name is Anju uhh . . . Anju Amoré!"

Hanabi smiled as she lowered herself to Anju's level since she was seated. "Nice to meet you!" She held out her hand.

Which got yet another awkward reaction from Anju as she stared at the open hand being offered to it.

"Sorry... am I too much?" Hanabi asked frowning.

Anju sighed, "No! It's not that . . . sorry, I just woke up, what were you doing?"

Hanabi looked at Anju curiously, "Woke up? - I'll get back to that later, I was trying to shake your hand! It is a type of formality from where I'm from a sign of friendliness or acknowledgment when meeting someone new!"

Anju nodded slowly as she reached her hand out and Hanabi gladly reciprocated as she shook her hand as well.

"So you're sleeping out in the woods?" Hanabi asked.

Anju blinked, 'What's my story... why am I out here, what the hell do I tell a human.' Anju thought to herself panicking.

Hanabi gave the shorter woman a concerned smile as she patted her head, "Hey, hey! I didn't mean to pry! If you're homeless that's okay! Maybe I can help you out!"

Homeless? Well, technically not a lie, she was out of a home, she couldn't return to Hueco Mundo . . . that would be a death sentence. She had to stay here until Veigas could come and get her- if he would be able to come and get her. Maybe he was dead. She began to frown and tear up as she nodded at Hanabi.

"Aww!" Hanabi quickly sat next to Anju, "Hey! Hey there, don't worry! Let me help you out." She smiled at Anju trying to reassure her, "I have my own house that my parents bought me it practically could fit two families comfortably in it, and I'm the only one living there! Come with me!"

Anju still frowned and her gaze shifted from looking at Hanabi to the ground, as her tears began to wet the ground again, as she thought of Veigas again.
Hanabi tried to lighten the mood with some humor, "You're not some kind of crazy murderer, are you? I couldn't invite you to live with me if you were!" She giggled.

Unfortunately, the humor went completely over Anju's head as she thought of the other Espadas telling her they were nothing but killing machines- murderers, and that is all she will aspire to.

"No! Of course not!" Anju frantically yelled and got on her knees yelling and denying being a murderer with tears still in her eyes.

Hanabi felt awful that her words had affected Anju. "No... dear, I didn't mean it like that. It was a mere joke. You don't seem like you mean any harm. Plus I had clothes you could wear so we can get you out of that torn up crop top... and maybe something that'll hide your big'ol "Judys" wouldn't that be nice?" Hanabi asked reaching her hand out to the Arrancar woman.

Anju had completely forgotten that she was still in her Arrancar Uniform, which was actually a qipao-styled dress with a light pink ribbon band around her waist which gave it a crop top look flowing into a skirt covering the front of her body and exposing her thighs, followed by white thigh-high socks/leggings with black socks and white sandaled-heels.

"Yes . . . that would be nice, thank you." Anju grabbed her hand.

Hanabi led them down the road into a small town surrounded by the dense forest for miles. It seemed like this village was most likely on no map. As they arrived at Hanabi's house it seemed like a huge Victorian-style estate with dozens of rooms, like a miniature castle for a princess. Anju stared in awe at the building, sure it wasn't as big as the structures in Hueco Mundo but it was still quite the size for just one person alone! The change of style from the forest to the house and the town itself was just very different to Anju as well. It was all new to her, even if she had read about humans and their lifestyle it was different seeing it. Shortly after Anju had gotten her a black long sleeve shirt that hung off of her body a bit but felt tight on her chest due to her being a size or two bigger than Hanabi in that department. and dark-blue denim jeans with some black and white sneakers.

"See! That is cute!" Hanabi giggled. "Get some rest I'm sure you'd love an actual bed to sleep in rather than the ground and get acquainted with your new home. Tomorrow I'll take you to town! If you need anything I'll be in my room!"

With that Anju had found a new home and had a fresh start in a world that was rumored to reject her, but they didn't know her true form- if they did maybe then they would run.