Hey, guys! I am so sorry about how long it took to update the story. I typically am very good at posting a new chapter every few days or so. We had a WiFi malfunction at my house. From what the people on the Tech Support, the whole area had a malfunction and then the lady on the phone screwed up the WiFi settings on my laptop. Terrible, terrible... Anyway, this chapter is action packed... in a way. You find out some interesting information about the mystery guy! Enjoy!

Chapter 3

I woke up for the sunrise while everyone else seemed to be sleeping in before school started. I had already tried to sneak inside to find the uniform for my Gigai and then tear it to pieces, but he had it hidden somewhere in a place I couldn't find. It soon became apparent that I would just have to settle with the fact that I was going to have head to school. I at least wasn't extremely tired for the day and I counted that as a win. It was around then that I could hear the sliding door open and someone came outside to stand in the courtyard. I got up and looked down to see Ichigo, who beckoned me to follow him inside. I hopped down with ease and walked after him to the room he had stayed in. He then promptly turned to face me once I had walked inside and shut the door behind me.

"Will you do me a favor?" he asked before handing me a pair of scissors. "Will you trim my hair a little? It's getting a little too long for me and I keep forgetting to do something about it."

"You do realized that I can't do everything in the world, right?" I asked skeptically. "I'm not a miracle worker and I don't typically cut hair."

"That's a lie," he stated. "Toshiro has mentioned that you've done it for him once or twice."

"Yeah, I cut his bangs," I said with a smirk. "While he was sleeping. He insists on wearing them long enough that they cover his left eye and it drives me crazy. So I'll go and trim them when he can't fight me over it."

"So pretend my hair is bangs and help me out," he told me.

I sighed in exasperation but took the scissors from his hand, then shoved him down so that he was kneeling before me and his head was in reach. He was right about it being a little too long but I was hesitant to cut it since it looked pretty good on him. With another sigh, I complied and began to take a bit of it off all around until he stopped me. It was like his usual haircut only an inch or two longer and I felt a smirk forming.

"What are you so entertained with?" he asked me.

"Trying to imitate Zangetsu's long flowing mane when he takes over, I see," I chuckled, watching him flush in anger.

"If anyone is imitating someone, it's him!" he informed me huffily. "Whenever I learn something, he learns it, too!"

"I thought he knew Getsuga Tensho first and then you copied him," I said. "Is that not true?"

"… That's not the point," he stated, eyes looking shifty as he avoided my words. "Besides, what's wrong with having my hair a little longer?"

"There's nothing wrong with it," I told him kindly as I gently patted him on the shoulder. "It's just different. I like it. Makes you look like a serious Soul Reaper. The only thing I'm wondering is how you are able to see with one eye covered with your bangs."

"I push them out of my eyes," he said with a shrug before falling into silence for about thirty seconds, then speaking up again almost hesitantly. "Listen, Imayru, there is something that I have wanted to tell you for the longest time and I lied a few years ago about it to myself, so I would like the chance to get it off of my chest."

During the time he was talking, I could sense someone in the hallway trying to sneak over to the room we were in so they could eavesdrop. "Hold that thought," I told Ichigo before walking to the door. I opened it and looked out in the hallway to see Toshiro, who had frozen to the spot when I caught him. "I don't know why you bother trying to sneak up on anyone when I'm with them. I can sense you coming from a mile away, one because we're bonded and two because I'm the queen of the light and shadows. You might as well announce your presence."

"What are you two talking about?" he asked suspiciously, ignoring my taunts.

"No clue, but it's nothing for you to worry about," I assured him before making shooing motions with my hands. "Now get out of here so we can finish our chat."

He grumbled to himself but walked away, albeit extremely slow like a scolded child. I shut the door after walking back inside and turned back to Ichigo. "Now, where were we?" I asked brightly. "I do believe it had something to do with you telling me whatever it is you wish to discuss."

"It's nothing that you should be worried about, I just need to say it," he said, taking a deep breath to steady his nerves before I was forced to cut him off.

"Sorry, but hold on again. Toshiro is trying to sneak back here. You might as well say it while he's in the room or he'll eavesdrop and burst inside if he feels the need to."

Ichigo paled a shade but nodded sharply, so I walked over to the door and opened it, grabbed Toshiro, and dragged him inside before he could make a noise. "Go ahead and say whatever it is."

He paled even more before saying hoarsely, "First, I want Toshiro to promise he won't try to kill me for what I have to say."

"No promises if you can't even get my title right," Toshiro said. "It's Captain Hitsugaya."

Ichigo gritted his teeth in annoyance. "Fine, Captain Hitsugaya. Promise me this one thing." When Toshiro gave a vague agreement, Ichigo turned to me with a look in his eyes that I had only seen on Toshiro. "Imayru, I've had… feelings for you for a while now. If you hadn't been with Toshiro already, I would have tried to steal you away. But I know that it's wrong to harbor such feelings for a married woman and so I'm doing what I can to let them go."

I was in shock at his words but didn't make a sound or make a surprised expression. I knew that if I said or did the wrong thing in this delicate situation, it would hurt Ichigo and he was one of my best friends. I was beginning to figure out now why he refused to tell me what happened with the mystery man and it was because he wanted to protect me. If I thought my inner turmoil was difficult, looking over at Toshiro proved that his was even worse. I could see fury blazing in his turquoise eyes and frost beginning to form on almost every surface near his feet.

"Remember when I said that I promised not to kill you, Ichigo?" Toshiro asked and the orange haired Substitute Soul Reaper nodded nervously. "Well, I lied. I'm going to kill you in the most brutal way possible."

Right as Toshiro took a threatening step towards Ichigo, I was in front of the snowy haired captain so that I could wrap my arms around him and begin to push him backwards. "You might want to go get ready for school now, Ichigo!" I called to him. "I'll get him to calm down!"

Ichigo nodded before walking out, going to track down his school uniform somewhere in the shop. I knew we had to all go soon, but calming down Toshiro took precedent. "Come on, Shiro! There's no need to get this worked up! He's not going to do anything!"

"I knew he had a thing for you," he growled. "I noticed that it was at its worst right after you came to break me out of Las Noches. Then it increased during the summer he stayed in the Seireitei to be trained under you."

"Why didn't you ever say anything to either of us?" I asked. "You know, tell him to knock it off and tell me that he liked me."

"It's not my place to tell you something like that," he told me. "That was up to Ichigo. I just never expected that he would actually do it."

"How did I not notice any of this?" I asked, mostly to myself.

"No offense, Imayru, but you're kind of oblivious to these things. In fact, you never thought I was serious about having feelings for you for the longest time. It's no wonder you didn't know about Ichigo."

I cringed and finally let go of Toshiro, who looked much calmer now. We both walked out of the room together and headed to the main part of the shop where Kisuke had all of our Gigai lined up in a row. Everyone else was within them already so Toshiro and I followed their example and entered ours. I never much liked being within a Gigai, especially after spending a hundred years in the Human World without once using one. I found the whole thing exhausting because I wasn't used to being in one and couldn't stand the looks Toshiro would give me as he kept watch over me. He thought it best to keep an eye on me so he could force me to take a break whenever he decided I needed one.

"How are you doing?" Toshiro asked me, beginning his worrying right off the bat.

"Don't start, Shiro," I sighed as I adjusted the two obsidian dragon scale hair clips that kept the hair on the right side of my head just past my ear and stuck up like long feathers. "I will take it easy, so there is no reason to worry so much. I think I can handle eight hours of this wretched school day."

"Imayru, quit acting so grumpy over going to a human school," Kisuke said as he walked inside the main part of the shop. "Now remember, you're going to be keeping watch over Ichigo and his friends in case the Espada show again. If they do, then it's time for you to fight them and interrogate them the best you can. If the mysterious man appears, do not engage and lead him to a captain so that they may battle him."

"Is that what you're planning?" I heard Ichigo's voice ask from a doorway nearby and I turned to see him staring at me. "That's why you're all here, to take away my chance for revenge?"

For some reason, his words didn't sit well with me, almost as if his vehemence for revenge was false and he used it to mask the true reason he wanted to fight the mystery man. I didn't know why I tried in the first place, but I allowed a moment to sense the spiritual pressure coming from him and was quite surprised. I couldn't figure out why but it didn't seem like he was giving off one anymore. I found it strange since he always seemed to give off some level of spiritual pressure, whether it was light or extremely heavy. When he noticed me gazing at him inquisitively, he turned his head away with a slight intake of breath before completely walking out of the door.

"That was strange," Rangiku said to Rukia.

"Ichigo has been acting different lately, but he's never been like this," Rukia said before turning to me. "Do you perhaps know what's going on with him?"

"No, but I can tell you for sure that I'm going to find out, one way or another," I told her. "The only thing I can guess is that it has something to do with our mystery man. That's another unknown I would like to bring to light."

"Great, her curiosity is getting the better of her," Renji muttered to Toshiro. "How do you put up with her obsessive need to uncover things that should remain secret?"

"It's always easier to just let her get it out of her system," Toshiro told him. "If you don't or if you try to stop her, she always finds a way to just do what she wants. She has a tendency to be extremely defiant and that's where it stems from."

"Guys, I can hear you talking about me," I said flatly. "Renji, don't make me dislocate your shoulder a second time."

The poor red haired lieutenant paled ever so slightly but was silenced, which was exactly what I wanted. With a smug smile, I walked out of the shop with the others behind me, Ichigo already waiting there for us so he could lead us to school. I watched him walk a few feet ahead of us, his back stiff as he moved like he knew I was observing his every step. I still couldn't figure out what was with his spiritual pressure and that was what bothered me the most. I hated not knowing something and it only made me even more stubborn about finding the answers I wanted.

When we made it to school, everyone was standing about in the courtyard and talking amongst themselves before classes started. I still wanted nothing to do with this and so stood off near a corner of the courtyard in the coolness of the shadows. Of course, Toshiro knew that I was feeling stressed and so stood by my side the entire time, keeping a firm grasp on my wrist and lightly running his thumb along my skin. It wasn't hard to see that he was trying to keep me calm, even though he could be watching Ichigo.

"Shiro, do you think we'll be able to figure out this mystery soon?" I asked quietly so that only he could hear me. "I mean, we've got the Espada to worry about, the enigma that is the man who nearly killed Ichigo, not knowing exactly what happened or what was said during that fight, and the fact that there is something strange going on with Ichigo lately."

"You noticed his lack of spiritual pressure? I've been trying to figure it out myself," he replied back. "We need to find out what happened and fast. I have a feeling I can't shake that everything is connected somehow."

"Then we share the same feeling," I whispered a couple seconds before the bell sounded.

I pulled my wrist from his grasp and began walking in the direction of the school with him at my heels. Ichigo led us to our class as I loosened the tie around my neck in annoyance. This was not at all what I wanted to wear and I was half tempted to throw it somewhere if Ichigo hadn't turned to glare at me. "Don't do it," he said. "Put up with the tie for now since you're new."

I growled but left it alone after loosening it a little more when Ichigo wasn't looking. Once there, Ichigo and his friends took their seats as the teacher took it upon herself to introduce us all. She only made one mistake and that was calling Toshiro and me siblings because we had the same last name. I could see Toshiro about to correct her and I clapped a hand over his mouth.

"Trust me, it's probably for the best that the other humans think that we are related," I whispered in his ear. "It would be harder to explain that we were married without what humans refer to as a wedding band. Not only that, but they would ask us unnecessary questions about it. Just leave it be."

He didn't look very happy but nodded faintly, so I let go of him and we all sat down at available desks. Mine was right behind Ichigo's in the row nearest the window and to the left of Toshiro. The others were spread about the room and I didn't pay much attention as I began to stare out the window. I kept my focus on Ichigo and his missing spiritual pressure, trying to figure out how this could have happened and yet drawing a blank.

I can still sense Zangetsu from within his mind, Tatsuya reported. He has been driven to the depths of Ichigo's mind, but he is still there. I can speak with him if I try hard enough. Would you like for me to do that?

No, don't do that right now, I responded. I have a plan that will force Ichigo's hand into telling me what happened that night. It will be put into action today and I can't risk Zangetsu ratting us out. He's protective of Ichigo, regardless of the fact that he is Ichigo's Inner Hollow as well.

Very well. I will monitor the situation and report if anything changes.

"Imayru, is my lecture boring you?"

I looked from the window to see the teacher glaring slightly at me. "I was paying attention," I told her. That was actually the truth. She had been discussing some book that the class was about to read, one about a man trying his best to change his fate, only to discover that it was impossible for him.

"What do you think about the book before we read it?" she asked.

"Personally, I find it ridiculous," I said. "If he had truly wanted to change his fate, he would have tried much harder. When there is a will, there is a way."

The teacher gave me a smile. "Perhaps you were listening a bit after all," she said before going back to her lecture.

You were thinking about us, weren't you? Tatsuya asked. We've been changing our fates for years. We were fated to become monsters under Aizen's control, yet we found a way to become saviors instead. Then we were fated to die by his adoptive son's hand, but we gained our light back to change fate a second time. We are the masters of our fate and forever will be.

Jokingly, I asked, What's going to happen when we discover a day where we can't stop fate?

Then we'll fight ever harder to beat it. We always do.

I happened to shift my gaze over at Toshiro, who was watching me carefully, almost as if he knew what I was thinking about just like Tatsuya. With a tiny smile, I sent light waves of warmth through the bond and observed the light shiver that passed through his body that was almost imperceptible before he turned back to listening to the teacher. I could already tell that it was going to be a very long day and sighed inwardly before doing the same.

Around lunchtime, I grabbed a bottle of juice and a turkey sandwich before heading up to the roof, the others down in the courtyard and discussing the first day of class so far. I figured that this would give me the perfect vantage point where I could sense anything coming our way or if something was lurking in the area. I did a quick sweep for any Arrancar presence in Karakura Town but came up empty right from the beginning. I next looked for any strange spiritual pressure, but couldn't find a thing. I really needed to find a way to enter Ichigo's memories to know for sure what I was looking for. Too bad that was quite impossible, even for Soul Reapers. With a sigh, I gave up on moping over something I couldn't control and pulled the plastic from the sandwich so I could eat my lunch. I thought that I would get some peace and quiet when I heard two sets of footsteps approaching from the stairs. I took a bite from the sandwich as I watched the surroundings around the school, already guessing who were coming up to see how I was doing.

"So this is where you disappeared to," Toshiro said from the door of the stairs. "Ichigo thought that you would be down in the courtyard with everyone else, but I knew you would look for higher ground to feel for foreign spiritual pressure."

"Don't sound so smug about being right," Ichigo said flatly.

"I'm always right when it comes to her," he said as he walked over to my side and I could see something in his hand as I turned to him. "You left so fast that you didn't even see the cookies and I know you have a sweet tooth. I don't know what these are called but Ichigo said that they were good."

"They're apple cinnamon. My mother used to make really good ones, better than the ones made here at school. Yuzu has almost perfected them."

I quickly ate the last of my sandwich and took the cookie from Toshiro's hand, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek in thanks before tearing off a small piece of the cookie and popping it in my mouth. "Oh, wow! That is really good! Try it, Shiro!" He noticed me bouncing slightly on my toes and tore off a piece to eat. After a couple seconds, I could see a delighted shine to his eyes and knew he liked it as well. "See, it was awesome!" I took a huge bite from the cookie and wandered off to the other side of the roof with a bounce to my step.

"What are you doing?" Ichigo asked in exasperation.

"It's what she does when she has anything sugary in her hands," Toshiro said and I could see a smirk on his face. "She prances about like a puppy that has a toy it doesn't want to share. Go ahead and try to take it from her."

Ichigo gave him a strange look before walking over in my direction. "Hand over the cookie, Imayru," he said with a grin as he got closer. When I growled threateningly at him, his grin got even wider. "Now, that's not very nice. Just give me a piece and I'll leave you alone."

When he got close enough, I gave him a devious grin and slammed him with a concentrated blast of spiritual pressure that sent only him to the concrete floor of the roof. I could hear Toshiro's amused chuckle as I mentally filed away this moment to think about later. It was way too easy to incapacitate him like that and it usually took a lot more. I was definitely certain that he couldn't access his Soul Reaper powers or he would have been able to withstand a little of my spiritual pressure.

"See what I mean?" Toshiro said, snapping me out of my thoughts. "You don't get between her and her sweet tooth.

"I can see that," Ichigo said as he got to his feet, the bell ringing soon after. "Won't be doing that a second time. Now let's get back to class." We followed after him as he led us back to class, regardless of my grumblings about not wanting to go.

Hours later, we were finally out of school with a bunch of homework to do later. The sun was beginning to set and we were all at a park where we could finish that homework in peace. Toshiro finished it first while Ichigo and I completed it next, all three of us waiting for the others to hurry up. As I was watching the sun slowly going down, I heard a noise from in the forested part of the park. It was then that I sensed the presence of Arrancar. In fact, there were about six of them and all were Espada level. I was instantly standing and walking towards the trees as they all stepped into view. I could hear my friends standing up just as I picked a familiar face out of the group of Espada approaching. One of them was Ulquiorra Cifer and yet he wasn't the one leading the group. A blue haired Espada with deep blue eyes with green lines under them like the markings of a big cat was in the front, his gaze locked on me as he walked closer. The remnants of his Hollow mask consisted of the right side of his jawbone that stretched up just under his eye and it had sharp teeth bared in a grin of sorts. He was wearing the typical uniform for an Arrancar, except the jacket had its sleeves rolled up and it was opened to reveal his muscular chest. The Hollow hole was on his abdomen and I couldn't see the tattoo number. He stopped a few feet away from me as the rest of them fanned out around us.

"Are you Captain Imayru Hitsugaya of Squad 5?" the blue haired Espada asked me.

"That depends on who is asking," I told him with a smug smile.

"I am Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, newly appointed Quinto Espada under the ruler of Hueco Mundo," he said. "We were sent here to assure your cooperation when we take you to Las Noches."

"You're not taking her anywhere," Toshiro told him. "If I remember correctly, we have a truce with the inhabitants of Las Noches. You aren't supposed to drag her back there. That's breaking the truce."

"From what I have been told," Grimmjow said, his eyes blazing angrily, "she broke it first. Now, I suggest you back up before I am forced to hurt you."

I didn't have enough time to swallow a soul candy so I forcibly exited my Gigai and grabbed Grimmjow by the throat. "Now now, where are your manners?" I asked him, squeezing his airway tighter with every word. "If you want someone to cooperate, you definitely don't threaten the people they care about. You are going to ask me nicely if I will come with you or I will snap your neck right here and now. Have I made myself clear?" He nodded quickly as his face began to turn blue from lack of oxygen and I quickly let him go, watching him hunch over and cough while trying to force the air back in his lungs.

With his eyes shining murderously, he gritted his teeth tightly before asking, "Would you please be so kind as to accompany me to Las Noches and meet with our queen? There is a specific matter that we wish to clear up."

"Why, of course I will," I said with a gentle smile, reaching up to pat him on the cheek. "Lead the way, kitty." He looked livid about my attitude, but I could also tell that he was entertained by it, almost as if I was the first person to ever act so unafraid of him that I could treat him familiarly. Maybe because I had that smile on my face was the reason why I heard Toshiro groan in exasperation. I would have to ask him about it when I got back for sure. I looked back at him and said, "I promise I'll be back in less than a year this time."

"If things go well, she'll be back in about an hour," Grimmjow stated flatly, rolling his eyes. "We can't stand being around her for too long. Ulquiorra, will you do the honors?"

"Of course," the cold Espada said before forming a Garganta. "No worries, we also have orders to protect her should any Hollows get the idea in their heads that they need to kill her."

"I'd be more worried about the mayhem she could cause there if she wanted to," Ichigo said under his breath just before I hopped through the Garganta with the other Espada.

From what I could tell, we were outside the throne room in an antechamber. To portray some semblance of control, Grimmjow grabbed me by the bicep and led me over to the large doors to the throne room. "Aww, kitty!" I exclaimed happily as the doors opened for us. "You're helping me walk like a proper gentleman? How sweet!"

"Call me kitty one more time and I swear that I will run you through with my Zanpakuto!" he yelled.

"You will do no such thing," a feminine voice rang out authoritatively across the throne room. I looked up to see Tier Harribel sitting on an ornate throne at the end of the room. "We invited her here under the pretext that she would not be harmed. I fully intend to keep that the truth since she could easily destroy all of Las Noches with a snap of her fingers."

"So why did you request my valuable presence?" I asked her.

"Just as snarky as ever, I see," she said with disinterest. "I wish to question you over what your intentions were when you decided to sneak into Las Noches before I call off the truce for good."

"Wait, what? Until today, I hadn't been back here since my fight with Zayn Drabek. You could have asked Toshiro the same thing since we're practically together nonstop."

"About a week ago," she started saying, sitting up on her throne, "we sensed the presence of someone wandering around Las Noches. Every time we thought we pinpointed their location, it would disappear again and move to a different place. It was then that it disappeared altogether and we found the body of an Arrancar just before it turned to dust."

"This is going to sound crazy, but now I have a question," I told her. "Did you inspect the wound before the body disintegrated?"

"Yes, we did. There was only one wound and it was fatal. It looked as if it had been made by a huge blade, but we also know that you have a lot of power so we figured you could make those markings as well."

"Aside from that, was the fatal injury jagged?"

"It was."

"I thought so," I said. "Tier Harribel, you and I have a common enemy. A couple nights ago, Lieutenant Renji Abarai discovered Ichigo Kurosaki in an alley, bleeding out and close to death because of wounds that you just described finding on your Arrancar. I don't yet know the details about who this guy is, but from what Ichigo has told us so far this guy is stronger and faster than him. Our mystery guy is like nothing we've even heard about."

"Is he a Soul Reaper?" Tier asked me.

"We don't think so," I told her. "His weapon might be similar to a Zanpakuto, but it's definitely not one I've heard about. No one else has a Zanpakuto that big except for Ichigo."

"So, in other words, we should keep the truce and form a temporary alliance until this threat is eradicated."

"I think that would be the wisest decision."

Tier looked over at Grimmjow and Ulquiorra. "I want the two of you to go with her to the Human World. Assist her in any way she sees fit. Even though she is a Soul Reaper, I trust her judgment in this matter. I just want this guy crushed for the crime he has committed here. Congratulations, Imayru. Your spot as the Number One Enemy of Hueco Mundo has just been given to this man."

"Damn, I rather liked that title," I said sarcastically.

"I realize that," she said with a slight smile. "Kill this guy and you'll have it back. Oh, and do try to make sure that my Espada come back alive. I like those two."

"I'll do my best," I told her with a slight bow before turning to the two Espada in question. "Come on, kitty and batty. Time to go hunting."

"Did she just…?" Ulquiorra started to say before stopping his sentence.

"Yeah, she just referred to you as 'batty,'" Grimmjow sighed.

"I don't like it."

"No one does."

"Quit your whining," I told them. "Less talk, more walk."

"So eager," Grimmjow whispered to Ulquiorra. "If she wasn't a Soul Reaper, you would think that she was an Espada by how vicious she is."

"I'm starting to think that this is going to be a very long adventure. If we can call it that," Ulquiorra said before creating a Garganta. After walking through it, we ended up at the park we had left from, one that I thought was empty until I saw Toshiro sitting on a low branch from a tree. "Well, isn't that dedication. He waited for you to come back."

"If you had a heart, you might understand," Toshiro said stiffly to the Espada before looking to me. "Why are they still here, Imayru? What did Tier say?"

"She thought that I broke the truce by sneaking into Las Noches and killing an Arrancar," I explained. "However, from what she had said about the wounds to her dead Arrancar, I can surmise that the guy who nearly killed Ichigo was the one to blame. Since we agreed that we have a common enemy, she sent Grimmjow and Ulquiorra to assist us in this endeavor. By the way, they don't seem to like being called kitty and batty."

He sighed in vexation. "I stand to my statement that you have the weirdest way of making friends."

"Oh no, we are not friends," Grimmjow growled. "If she calls me kitty one more time, I'm killing her for good."

"No, you won't," Toshiro said confidently. "You would have tried already when you had the chance. You secretly like her enough that you don't mind her antics or her attitude problems."

"Hey! I don't have attitude problems!" I shouted. When he raised an eyebrow as he turned his gaze to mine, I sheepishly looked away. "Okay, maybe a little."

"Better," he said before turning to the Espada. "We'll need you to keep your distance for now until we inform the others about your involvement. We don't want them trying to kill you unnecessarily."

"Understood," Ulquiorra said. "We'll make ourselves scarce for now."

The air seemed to just shimmer before they both disappeared into the night. I was about to ask Toshiro where the others were when I saw Ichigo approaching. I told Toshiro to stay put as I stormed off towards the orange haired Soul Reaper, who was beginning to look wary of me. I flash stepped to him before he could move and slammed my fist into his jaw. He hissed in pain as his head whipped to the side, giving me the opportunity to grab him by the collar when he was about to fall to the ground and began to drag him through the park to the woods.

"Imayru, what are you doing?" he yelled, clutching a hand to his jaw as he tried to twist his body from my grasp.

"You and I are going to have ourselves a little chat," I said calmly, regardless of the anger coursing through my veins. "I'm sick of not knowing what happened that night. I've waited patiently for you to tell me on your own time, but it's getting to the point where I need to know the details now. I can't find this guy without it."

"Please don't make me go over it again," he whispered and I could see the wildness of fear in his eyes. "I'm trying to protect you and everyone else I care about."

"I am a captain," I told him before throwing him forward after reaching a point where no one could overhear us. He rolled on the ground a few feet before sitting up, watching me guardedly in case I tried to attack him again. "I don't know how many times I have to tell you that you can rely on me. You need to put aside whatever feelings you might have for me and trust me to help you."

He looked torn as he decided what to do next but finally nodded decisively. "I'll tell you. You have to promise me that you won't interrupt or tell anyone the story yet until I decide that it is time."

"I swear to you that I won't," I said softly. "Just tell me what happened."

"I had just sensed the presence of an Espada, the one who had been defeating my friends here," Ichigo said, his eyes still burning with a bit of fear. "I thought that if I hurried, I could make it to them and stop him. It was as I was taking an alley to get there quicker that I saw a figure in the shadows. I asked if he was the one hurting my friends but he stayed silent. I felt his spiritual pressure begin to escalate and the strangest thing was that it reminded me of yours. Sometimes, yours is as calm and warm as a campfire and other times it's as feral as a wild animal that can't be tamed. His was feral right from the start, almost as if it had been festering the entire time.

"It was already getting to the point where I couldn't breathe because of it and so I was forced to go into Bankai. I wanted to get the upper hand, so I flash stepped to him in an attempt to strike first. I didn't even see when he pulled that huge sword from some sort of binding on his back. What I did see was red smoke appear on his blade before he just disappeared. When I turned around, he was standing behind me with his blade outstretched, like he had just sliced it through me and that was finally when I felt agonizing pain. I don't know how he did it, but he cut me when he moved so fast that I couldn't see him. I heard him say something before I passed out, waking up in my body in the alley even though I had no idea how I had gotten there in the first place."

"Is the red smoke why I can't sense your spiritual pressure anymore?" I asked him. "It's almost like you're a normal human again, just with a Zanpakuto spirit sealed away deep in your mind."

"I can't even use my Soul Reaper powers," he whispered. "It's like there's a barrier that prevents me from accessing it."

I nodded and then focused on something else that had been bothering me. "You said that he spoke after defeating you. What did he say?"

"Imayru, no…" he whispered, the fear coming back as he gazed up at me. "Don't make me say it. You'll only be as on edge as I am."

"Ichigo, you have to trust me," I told him as I walked over to him. "I can handle it. I've dealt with much worse and came out all right."

I could see him shaking almost unnoticeably as he steeled himself for what he was about to say. "He only said one sentence before he disappeared. He said 'you are not the one we are looking for.'"

"Wait a minute," I said as a chill went down my spine. "Did you just say—"

"Yeah, I did," he cut me off, eyes looking feverish. "He said 'we.' That means that he isn't the only one. There are more just as strong and fast as him that we'll have to fight."