Okay, I got enough back-up to keep the story on its original plot line. I'm going to keep Nell as a male, because I'm too lazy to edit the first chapter. Bear with it, deal with it, or just gender switch her in your brain.

Something got my attention, while going over the reviews for "Liaison". Someone (I will leave it up to you to look) said this:
"Its rather mean spirited to force people to review in order to get a sequel."
And I would like to shed some light on that. I did that so I'd know if people actually wanted a sequel or not. If I didn't feel that others wanted a sequel, I wouldn't have done this. Actually, I would've done it anyways, I was just curious.

- - - - - - - - - -
Chapter 2
- - - - - - - - - -

She pinched her eyes closed tighter, as the sun began to appear through her window. Rukia groaned, and turned away from the brightness, still hoping to sleep a little longer. However, an orange blur was in her almost non-existent vision. The short shinigami opened her eyes all the way, to see Kon sitting a few meters from her bed.

"Kon...?"

"Yeah. You okay Rukia?"

"What do you mean?" she retorted, sitting up in her futon.

"Well, you were moaning and mumbling in your sleep."

Rukia looked down, at her folded hands on her lap. She was embarrassed that she did such things without herself knowing.

"Did I do anything else?"

The orange-haired teen scratched the back of his neck. To tell the truth, she had been crying on and off during her sleep. It was also well into the afternoon when she finally woke up. Everyone had felt nervous about leaving her alone, so Kon volunteered for the job.

"Well? Did I do anything else while I was asleep?" questioned the girl from her spot, sounding a bit on edge.

Kon looked up at her and shook his head.

"No. Nothing else."

She signed gently, and an extremely small smile cracked her features. Rukia hated the feeling of weakness she got when stuff like that happened.

"Thank you Kon. You can leave now; I'll be fine."

The boy quirked a brow before responding.

"You sure?"

"Yes."

The soul substitute got up and left the room. He quietly closed the door, and waited outside.

'I'll wait out here until I know she's okay. Plus, I might get to see something good if I stay.' Kon thought.

- - - - -

The black-haired shinigami looked out of her window for a while, before getting out of her futon. She went to her closet, and took out one of her loose dresses, it was white with pink sakura petals falling in a unique way, from her waist down with black streams of what looked like fire or wild energy flowed along with the petals. Byakuya had gotten it for her for her birthday a couple years back. She smiled at the memory, it was one of the most pleasant moments she could remember with her brother and herself.

The black-haired captain lifted his present toward his younger sister, and set it near her. He only glanced at her, before turning to leave. Rukia only stared at it, surprised.

"It's for you. When you go back to the human world, I think you'll enjoy it."

"Ni-sama..."

Byakuya turned his head a fraction of a degree, and stopped.

"Thank you."

He nodded, and continued on his way.

Her brother was right on the dot. She had loved the dress, for it reminded her of both Byakuya and Ichigo. Rukia assumed it was made for that purpose, or something similar. She knew that Byakuya wouldn't put that design on it as a total fluke.

She looked at her door, sensing that Kon was still lingering around the door. The small shinigami shook her head in mock frustration. Rukia put on the dress, and went to meet him.

- - - - -

"Urahara-san, this is no joking matter. You shouldn't always be so perky." said a blond haired boy.

"Yare, yare. I'd have to say that you are too up-tight about it, Hirako-san."

"You should know by now that there has been a gradual increase in hollow activity. The change wasn't that slow that you could have missed it."

"No, you're right, Hirako-san. I have noticed the change, but that doesn't mean anything will happen to the extent of the Arrancar War."

Shinji slammed his fist into the door, his temper getting the better of him.

"Now now. No need to take it out on my door, Hirako-san."

"Urahara-san, I highly suggest you mention this to Soul Society. We don't want to get involved in this if we don't have to."

"You vaizards are too detached. You all need to loosen up a bit. Being this secretive isn't good for inter-species relationships."

"'Inter-species relationships' my ass. Just don't keep it-."

The blond stopped mid-sentence, and glanced toward the door which lead to the living quarters of the shop. Soon after, Kon and Rukia walked in, Rukia two steps infront of Kon.

"Urahara-san, don't forget."

Both of the new entries to the room looked from Urahara to Shinji and repeated the pattern. They had heard the tail end of the conversation when the blond's voice got higher, and madder.

Shinji left the shop, with a 'saddened' owner.

"Now who's going to fix my door...?" he wondered idly, before turning to the two younger ones.

Rukia's eyes widened, and rushed out the door, leaving a confused Kon behind her.

"Ru... Rukia...?" asked the flustered kaizu konpaku.

She turned around just before closing the door, a snide smile on her face.

"Sorry Kon. I just remembered I have to do something."

Rukia quickly shut the door, and walked away form the shop. She didn't really have anything planned for the day, but she did not want to be stuck fixing Urahara's door.

- - - - -

The orange-haired male grumbled as he went to the back of the shop, to get replacements for the door. He felt a bit betrayed by Rukia, but was used to it. This wasn't the first time she dumped things into his bag of responsibility, and he knew it wouldn't be the last.

Kon picked up the wood and paper for the door out of the small shed in the back. He shook his head, and walked back to the front, where the hole was.

- - - - -

Aizen stood on the balcony, over-looking the small training grounds of his palace. Ulquoirra was also watching from a few feet from his master. Both took up the sport of spectating as Grimmjaw supervised the new arrancar and hollows.

"Do you think any will pose as a problem later, Ulquoirra?" asked the brown-haired shinigami, indicating the hollows and Grimmjaw below him.

"Yes, on the way back, the one in the corner," he motioned to the arrancar in the corner of the training grounds, that was trying to be inconspicuous. "Tried to find a way out of the group."

"Really now? It seems to have some half descent power stored in its body."

"That may be true, Aizen-sama; but don't let him be too free."

"I'll decide what is right and wrong, Ulquoirra. Remember that."

"Hai, Aizen-sama."

"Oh, and before I forget. Make sure Grimmjaw doesn't unleash his temper on the recruits. I'd rather wait for them to be killed by the shinigami than him. Don't want them to think to negatively about me yet."

"Hai, Aizen-sama."

Aizen walked away form the training grounds, back into his room. In there were the screens that showed what was happening in Soul Society, the human realm, and Hueco Mundo. He smiled seeing the giant worm hollow, Bawabawa, sleeping outside of Ichigo's hut. The brown-haired shinigami had been aware of the boy's residence in the hollow world for a couple of years. Ulquoirra had picked up on the orange-haired boy's reiatsu during one of their abducting campaigns.

They had followed it, to find a small hut near some far off dunes, where no hollow went anywhere near, not even the ones in their party wanted to go near Ichigo. The group figured it was probably because of the shinigami living there. However, he had taken note that Ichigo seemed to have been there a lot longer then 2 years. It was a day he kept in a special place, so he'd always remember it. If Ichigo was unaware of what he was planning, then using him would be a bit easier.

- - - - -

Grimmjaw clenched his jaw, his temper thinning. The creatures he was forced to babysit were pushing his nerves to a breaking point. His closed fist was shaking, and the other one on his zanpakuto was turning white because of the cut off circulation due to his grip.

"I can't believe I'm stuck doing this crap..." he mumbled to himself.

"Grimmjaw-sama, we have succeeded in ripping off another mask." voiced one of the smaller arrancar.

"Whatever. Just register him, and get on with the next one."

"Hai, Grimmjaw-sama."

"I swear, as soon as this is over, I'm going to take out all my stress on the first shinigami I see."

He also ended up with the memory of Ichigo living in Hueco Mundo floating into his head. The shinigami sleeping on the rounded roof of his home was unnerving to the teal-haired arrancar. Zangetsu was slammed blade down into the roof, telling anyone coming nearby that is they were looking for a fight, they'd probably get their asses handed to them a plater.

Grimmjaw smirked.

'Maybe Aizen'll let me go say "Hi" to him. I still need to pay him back for what he did to me during the war.'

- - - - -

"What are you going to do about Aizen, Ichigo-than?" quirked Nell, who still stood looking at the orange-haired boy.

"I don't know."

"But, Ichigo-than, what about your friendth?"

"What about them?"

"Don't you care what might happen to them?"

"Not really."

"But..."

"Nell, in case you haven't noticed; I ain't a shinigami. I came here to get away from them."

"Nell thought that you were..."

"Does a shinigami have a hole in their gut?!" asked an irritated Ichigo.

"N... No." responded the now startled arrancar.

"Does a shinigami have a mask?!"

"N... n... no..." Nell whimpered, close to tears.

Ichigo sighed, and walked over to the tiny arrancar. He put a hand on his head, and shook the curly-ish hair and hollow mask, which were attached to the smaller one's head. Nell still swayed a little, after Ichigo lifted his head. Crouching down Ichigo gave a rare smirk, that showed one not of malice or sarcasm or sorrow, but some happiness.

"Sorry about that Nell. I just got a little carried away."

"Ich... Ichigo-than!"

Nell jumped at the orange-haired boy and cried into his shoulder. Ichigo put his hand on Nell's head again, looking over at Pesshe and Dondo with a demanding look. Both nodded and got up to leave. Their "boss" usually gave them that look when he was planning of giving Nell an important lecture or instructions; regardless of which was planned by the orange-haired boy, it always ended up being both a lecture and instructions.

- - - - -

"I wonder why Ichigo-san is so interested in Aizen all of a sudden." said Pesshe.

"Who knows. As long as Nell is happy, and we stay on Ichigo-san's good side, we don't have to worry to much, yansa." replied Dondo.

"Sure."

- - - - -

"Nell, I want you to watch Aizen's movements, but be careful doing it. I'm sure he already knows that I'm here, considering I felt his reiatsu a while back."

"You know about Aizen, and that he'th thtill around?!"

"Yeah, that's why I leaked some of my reiatsu a couple years back. Sure enough, he came here with his two arrancar, and some odd number of hollows."

"Then why ith everything thtill calm?! Thouldn't Aizen have tried to kill Ichigo-than?!"

"I guess not. Still, be careful; I might join you later though."

"Really?!" squealed Nell, all starry eyed.

"Yeah, but you probably won't recognize me."

"Huh? How could Nell not recognize you, Ichigo-than?"

"I'll look like a hollow, baka. You think I spent my whole time here doing nothing but staring out the window and sleeping?"

"No. There wath lotth of timeth when you didn't want us to thee you for long timeth..."

"Now you know what I've been doing. Fortunatly, Aizen doesn't know what I look like as a hollow; as far as I know."

"..."

"Now get outta' here, and be secretive about me and your job."

"Hai, Ichigo-than!"

Nell scampered off, and out the door, and Ichigo shook his head. The small arrancar was still so innocent sounding and hyper, even after all these years. Ichigo envied him for that.

- - - - -

Kon looked up from his finished work, which took him a few hours to complete. He smirked, proud that the door looked pretty close to how it was before Shinji lost his temper with Urahara.

Unfortunately, this relief was short lived, as a huge tail slammed down into the front half of the shop. The scowl that Ichigo took pride in was now played upon Kon's face. He worked hard on the door, only to have in turned to splinters soon after.

The konpaku pill looked up at the giant hollow, floating in the air; the sunset giving it an eerie look.

"What the hell was that for?!" yelled Kon, as he jumped into the air and kicked the hollow's mask. Having to act like Ichigo for years rubbed off on his own personality, causing him to act on impulse at times. This was one of those times.

"You can see me," it said, rubbing the spot where Kon had kicked it. "Good, you'll be tastier than I thought."

- - - - - - - - - -

Okay, I think I'll leave y'all on a cliff-hanger; again. I'll try ta get chapter 3 up by Wednesday or Thursday, depends on how much work my teachers push onto me.