Just a little insight on Ichigo's dark Legacy in the last chapter... it's a good thing he didn't drown Grimmjow because we all know how much kitty cats hate water!

Problems pile up

'So,' Zangetsu says, sitting down at the kitchen table the next morning for breakfast. 'I trust you didn't give us reason to leave last night?'

Well. There is a good reason why we should leave: I displayed my inhuman strength- in front of humans. There's also a fantastically brilliant reason why I shouldn't leave:

Rukia.

One word, just a name, and it makes me smile.

'Who's the lucky girl, then?' Zangetsu asks, watching me carefully.

I choke on my cereal. 'How the- how in the hell did you-?'

'Honestly, Ichigo. Did you really think I'd be so ignorant? A boy only ever smiles like that when there's a girl involved. It's like that on Earth and it was the same on Lorien. The humans did learn a lot from us, after all.'

'Whoa...' I take a deep breath. 'You know your stuff.'

'So, who is she?'

'Rukia. Rukia Kuchiki,' I answer, feeling a smile creeping onto my face again.

'Hey...' Zangetsu frowns in deep thought. '… Isn't she the one who punched that kid on your first day?'

'That's her,' I confirm proudly.

'Pretty?'

'Super cute. And really smart. She's amazing.'

Zangetsu smiles. 'Did you kiss?' I go bright red and he says, 'I thought so. Remember that we can't too comfortable, Ichigo. I know you like this home, maybe even as much as you liked the last one, but we had to leave that as well. We have to keep moving, remember? You can enjoy a few more months here but we will, eventually, have to go.'

'Way to burst my bubble,' I mutter. 'Have you ever considered that the others may have settled? Maybe it will seem less likely that we're guilty of being Loric if we stay in one place for a long time like humans do.'

'I would imagine that was the train of thought that got Nine and his Cêpan into the situation they are in now.'

Guilt flares through me. I had completely forgotten about the two Loric in New York, and how one of them is on the run while the other is in a critical condition at a hospital.

'How are they?' I ask after a moment. 'Is... is his Cêpan still alive? Have the Hollows come for him?'

'There's been no major battle story on the news,' Zangetsu murmurs. 'According to The New York Times, he's still in hospital. And the Garde is still missing.'

'Are we going to rescue them or not?'

'I've already told you, we can't. How's your Lumen coming along?'

'Don't change the subject!' I exclaim.

He sighs. 'We can't help anyone until you develop your Legacies and become stronger. So I'll ask you again: how's your Lumen coming along?'

I hesitate before saying, 'It's fine. If I really concentrate, I can make my hands glow. And I can switch the lights off again, but it's quite difficult.'

He nods approvingly. 'Good. Soon you'll be able to master it completely. Any other things I should know about? You're not going invisible or anything?'

'What?'

'Your father had the Legacy of Invisibility. He used to like playing pranks on people because of this,' Zangetsu says, a distant look appearing in his eyes. 'He could make anything he touched turn invisible too. In fact, the first time we met he hid your family house as I was walking up the road to introduce myself as your Cêpan for the first time. I walked straight past it and got hopelessly lost. Your father was always joking around.'

I stare at him for a moment. He's never really talked about my parents before, even though I have asked a few times over the years.

'What about my mother's Legacies?' I ask after a moment.

Zangetsu never answers my question. Instead, he says, 'It's getting late. You should get to school. You don't want to be late on your first day back, do you?'

Evidently some things are better left unanswered.

'I had a dream last night,' I tell Rangiku as I pass her by in the corridor beside the dinner hall. 'It was about a boy with extraordinary strength. You need to listen to me, Rangiku.'

She sighs. 'Look, it was a dream, okay hon? Nothing real about dreams, Orihime.'

I swallow and pull us aside so we probably won't be overheard. 'It was about a boy that was fighting a load of humans. I think he was trying to rescue his friends or something. He was really strong. I think he was like me. He... had orange hair.'

'Right, so because he has the same colour hair as you, you naturally assume that he's Loric?' Rangiku says sceptically.

'N-no! That's not what I meant!'

'I mean, I know I've got orangy blonde hair so you've come to relate the colour to our home planet, but believe me hon, not all Loric were ginger!'

'Rangiku!' I exclaim. 'That's not what I meant! His orange hair was just a noticeable feature!'

'Orihime... we're gonna have to have a little talk,' Rangiku says, her face darkening as seriousness washes over it. She glances around before satisfied that there's no one else in the corridor who can overhear what she has to say. It must be pretty important... something to do with the Loric...

'Now, you haave to listen to every word I say so you're prepared,' Rangiku says, lowering her voice.

I lean in to listen.

'… all girls of your age start dreaming about boys. It's absolutely nothing to worry about!' she says, a smile appearing on her face.

My mouth falls open in astonishment. This is it?! The 'big' talk?!

'I can see why you're so worried about it and all,what with having had a rather sheltered life here in the convent...'

Under normal circumstances, I try to always be polite, but I'm so utterly disappointed that I push past Rangiku and storm off, trying to convince myself that she would have never told me anything relevant anyway. I mean, this is Rangiku we're talking about! I don't mean to sound bitter or anything but she's never taken her Cêpan role seriously!

I wish I could go to America and look for the Garde there. I mean, it's a huge place and all, but it's probably where a lot of them chose to live. Not me and Rangiku though... she had to go and pick Spain. It's a lovely country, though. I'm not complaining, because I like the language and speaking Spanish and English is useful, especially if I go to South America to look for the others, but... it's never going to happen. Rangiku is convinced that we'll never go back to Lorien, and instead believes that we should live happily as Spanish citizens for the rest of our lives. As if that would ever stop the Hollows from wanting to eliminate us- we'll always be in danger, whether she accepts it or not.

As I walk past one of the lounges specifically designed for me and the other girls (the staff have their separate one) I notice that nobody else is in there at all. Which means that both of the two only computers are free. Within the next two seconds, I am in the chair of the closest one, quickly jamming my finger on the on switch.

'Come on... hurry up already,' I mutter, knowing that the dinner bell will be going soon and that I'll be given a load of chores if I'm late.

Finally, after about three minutes (stupid slow thing!) the home screen comes up. I double click on the internet icon as fast as I can, praying that I can get this done before that cursed bell goes. With my luck, probably not.

Latest news stories... nothing of importance. The lost kid in America and his possible Cêpan are still in the same situation. Nothing special...

Oh wait! An article is talking about a boy in Mexico that managed to stop a building from collapsing on a crowd during an earthquake- with his own strength alone. Someone even managed to get it on camera, and people are claiming him to be a 'miracle child'. I am about to click play on the video when the bell goes. I face palm in frustration, determined to get onto this computer later on no matter what it takes if it's the last thing I do.

Saved by the bell doesn't exist in my world. Placed in major inconvenience because of that annoying bell sounds about right.