"Ow." Ai-ni held his broken nose with both hands.
"I'm so sorry." Orihime twittered around frantically, pulling out a tissue for Ai-ni to use.
He tilted his head up, putting the tissue on his nose. After a few seconds he wiped his nose.
"Did I break anything?" Orihime asked shyly.
"Naw." Ai-ni sniffed several times. "I think I'm good."
They stared at each other awkwardly and then at the bloody tissue. "You're illusion is still on." Orihime started.
"Huh? This? Oh this isn't an illusion anymore." He rubbed his nose with a thumb. "I released a limiter and now I'm stuck like this."
He fished out the limiter. "It's broken and I don't trust Captain Clown to not tamper with it."
They sat. "So, why were you crying?"
"It's nothing."
"Nothing is nothing and no one cries without a reason."
"I'm weak. And….all I'm good for is to cheer the rest of my friends on." It was easy to admit her own weakness but harder to admit it others.
"You're not weak." Ai-ni scuffed the ground with his foot.
"Thank you." Her quiet voice
His voice was equally as quiet as he spoke. "You don't have to be alone. A long time ago I thought I was weak too."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Ichigo…Ichigo was that way too, always sad. He thought he could be strong by holding all that emotion in but…it didn't work." Ai-ni looked at Orihime kindly. "I think you are strong, not because of your powers but because you are willing to support your friends and run into danger for them even when you can be normal."
Orihime blushed. "Thanks."
He nodded his head several times. "And besides, power doesn't mean strength." He paused and then continued. "But if you want, I can help train you."
Orihime's hug engulfed him. "Thank you."
This was how the friendship between two somewhat complete strangers.
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"Now there is two of them." Gin noted to Tousen as they settled into Los Noches.
"Yes. There is." Toushen replied as dryly as he ever replied
"Yep."
"Yep."
Now they were sounding like rednecks with beer.
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"It is simple. We will keep an eye on the substitute shinigami."
"And of the clone?"
"Regarding the twelfth division request to dissect him, no but we need to see what the bankai is. This will help us during the war."
"And if he turns?"
"Kill him." There is no need for two Aizen's.
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"This is my brother. He's an idiot." Ichigo proclaimed to the rest of the gang.
Smack.
He got a punch to the head for his trouble. Ichigo retaliated.
The gang looked at each other. "Well that was a short introduction." Ishida noted as he filled in to the rest of the group. "But then again, what else could you expect from fools?"
Rukia nodded in agreement.
No one, outside of the Gotei 13 knew Ai-ni's troubled past history. It was still uncertain how this version appeared in this world. Nothing could be said or done yet.
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Time passed. People trained. Soul Society rebuilt itself. Ai-ni's relationship with Orihime progressed. Life settled.
Then it was time to go.
Ai-ni left while Urahara and Ichigo's gang reconciled, he jumped down to the streets. Whatever occurred, whatever events happened to lead to this invasion it didn't involve him. He wasn't that nosey. His brother had his own things to deal with. That's what growing up is like.
Ichigo grew up. And sometimes you have to let go.
Ai-ni smirked to himself as he went home. Even if Ichigo did grow up, did mature, he was still the little brother. There was hell to pay for rushing into danger for a girl. He envisioned himself dumping a buck of soapy water on Ichigo on one very chilly morning.
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A/N: And so starts the Arrancar ARC!!! Sorry for the rushing. Sorry for not updating. I'll start on the Ulquihime as soon as I can. And the odd AiUlquiHimeAi triangle.