3 years later...
"So, Tsuki."
"Hmm?"
"I heard you got offers from four squads but you turned them down."
"And?"
"Just curious why. You're really skilled, any of the squads would be lucky to have you."
Tsukimori sighed. "You know I don't do well with large groups of people. Being in a squad would just add fuel to the fire."
"You're worried you'll break down."
Tsukimori nodded. "I don't want to risk it someone getting hurt because my anxiety gets in the way of me doing what I'm supposed to. I'm better off on my own." She looked at Renji as they walked back towards the main building. "You, Momo, and Izuru have been good friends, I hope you know that."
"Of course we do."
"Then I hope you understand why I choose to reject the offers I get."
Renji sighed. "I suppose." He wanted to somehow convince her to accept a position in one of the squads, but he knew how worried she was after what happened shortly after Shuhei Hisagi and the rest of his class graduated.
"Momo, where's Tsuki?"
Momo shook her head, clearly worried. "She ran off, but to where I don't know."
"Damn!"
"Renji, we have to find her before things get worse."
Renji, Momo, and Izuru had taken Tsukimori into town to help her get her mind off things, having noticed she seemed overwhelmed by everything without Shuhei Hisagi around. They wanted to take her out to eat, get some drinks, just have fun. But then a parade came through town and Tsukimori's anxiety was rising. They tried to get her away from the crowd as it grew, but it was growing too quickly and her anxiety spiked- a surge of her spiritual energy with it. Her spiritual pressure was powerful, knocking against everyone surrounding her like tidal waves in a tsunami. It scared her and she ran, trying to get as far away from everyone as she could.
Renji and the others searched everywhere for Tsukimori, but she was nowhere to be found.
"Renji!"
Renji and the others stopped, seeing Shuhei Hisagi running towards them. "Shuhei, what are you doing here?"
Shuhei looked at them, clearly concerned. "I felt a surge in Tsuki's spiritual energy. Is she alright? Where is she?"
"We don't know!"
"Alright, split up and spread out. We need to find her quickly."
On the other side of town, Tsukimori stumbled down an alley, trying to control her spiritual energy and keep her spiritual pressure down but her anxiety was ramping it all up to where she was fearful of hurting someone. She pushed until she could get out of the town and into the forest, getting as far away from everyone as possible.
While she fled into the forest and the others searched for her, three Hollows appeared- having been drawn to the surge of spiritual pressure.
Shuhei, Renji, and the others stopped when they sensed the Hollows and knew they must have been drawn in by Tsukimori.
"We have to hurry, they're going after Tsuki!"
"Stay close, don't do anything stupid."
In the forest, Tsukimori heard and felt the Hollows. Her anxiety spiked again, despite her best efforts, and she knew she had to run.
The Hollows felt the surge of spiritual pressure and followed it, quickly catching up to a panicked and unprepared Tsukimori. They taunted her, circled her, laughing as her spiritual pressure continued to spike.
"Tsuki!"
Tsuki cowered, trying to keep herself calm, as Shuhei and the others fought off the Hollows. Once they were dead, Shuhei turned to Tsukimori and pulled her into his arms.
"Tsuki, it's OK now. Shh... It's alright." He said, rubbing her back and smoothing her hair.
Tsukimori collapsed in his arms, feeling weak. "S-Shu..."
"I'm here, Tsuki. Everything is going to be alright."
Feeling her anxiety calm, Tsukimori let herself succumb to the exhaustion and passed out in Shuhei's arms.
"Tsuki, you shouldn't worry so much. No one got hurt that night."
"But what if they had? I don't want to risk it."
"What will you do then?"
"Finish my education, then I suppose I'll go back home to Yoshirou." Tsukimori looked up at Renji and offered a small smile. "I need to get to class. I'll see you later."
Renji watched as Tsukimori hurried off and sighed. 'I need to talk to Shuhei...'
Shuhei poured over his reports, only looking up when someone stopped by to let him know Renji was there to see him.
"What's up, Renji?"
"It's Tsuki."
Shuhei looked up at that. "Is this about her rejecting offers from the squads?"
"Ya. I was hoping you could talk to her. She's always seemed to listen to you."
"There's nothing I can say that you guys haven't already said. You know how stubborn she can be, Renji. She won't change her mind."
"You're not even going to try?"
Shuhei sighed. "Look, Renji, it's Tsuki's choice if she doesn't want to join a squad or any other organization. No one can force her, especially if she's worried so much about hurting someone. She needs to learn to trust herself before anything else."
Renji sighed, knowing he was right but his hopes were dashed of any chance of changing Tsuki's mind. Tsuki needed to trust herself, true, but she needed to realize as well that she had friends she could rely on that would help her through anything. With nothing more to say, Renji left Shuhei to his work and made his way back to the academy.