Gah! Well, sorry about the length between updates. Unseen powers are interfering with my story, namely, the unseen power of homework, the unseen power of finicky computers, the unseen power of contagious diseases, the unseen power of rowdy roommates, and the unseen power of sudden plot twist overload.

So anyhow, we finally get to the Bleach-ness in this bit. Please let me know if you think Kisuke's character is off. That's what I'm mostly worried about.

Kisuke Urahara was having a bad day. To say the very least. For the very life of him, he couldn't imagine why the Patrol Corps needed him, the head of the Detention Unit, for pity's sake, to provide another backup unit for a fairly routine mission. He could have been working on his latest experimental procedures, but nooooo...

His current task had been on Yoruichi's orders, and while he might have groused quite a bit more if those orders had been given informally in private, he couldn't very well turn down his captain when she was giving them to him in public. She knew that, of course. That's why she had given the orders in the briefing room, in front of everyone. There was a limit to how long he could waffle in the face of her personal guard staring daggers at him. Especially that little one, whats-her-name, Soi Fon. She's really got it in for me, for some reason.

"Third Seat! The forward patrol has made contact!" A black-clad Special Forces member exclaimed, holding up an communicator and waving him over. "What are your orders?"

Kisuke sighed. "Well, I guess we better go and lend them a hand." He was really at a loss for why they needed him. The Patrol Unit was more than capable of tracking down and dealing with its own Hollows. I'm just deadweight here. They know it, I know it, Yoruichi knows it. So why send me?

"Understood, sir!" The patrol leader signaled to the members scattered throughout the misty trees, and they all flash-stepped off, Kisuke a beat behind the rest. When they halted again, they could hear the sounds of battle clearly. "The Hollow is creating...difficulties for the advance patrol," the leader told Kisuke quietly. "Sir, how should we proceed?"

You're the patrol leader, you tell me, Kisuke thought. He kept that thought silent and said out loud to the group, "We must engage the enemy and assist our comrades. Uh...use caution, everybody."

"Yes, sir!" The patrol answered in unison, instantly springing off in all directions. The Patrol Unit wasn't one for waffling. Actually, none of the Second Company was. He himself still had his learning moments with that whole attitude of total efficiency.He sighed again and sprang forward after the rest of the group, drawing his zanpakuto.

In the clearing ahead, the advance patrol had engaged the "abnormal" Hollow of which they had been getting so many reports. Whoa. That's a pretty good-sized Hollow. The thing looked like a cross between a dragonfly and a dinosaur, and it towered above the treetops, using its four clawed hands and spiked tail to swipe at the black-clad agents trying to stab the vitals of its massive body. Now how did we miss this one? Patrol Unit's been searching for it for weeks...

Kisuke sensed the attack a split second before it occurred. He barely managed to dodge out of the way as a gigantic stinger embedded itself in the ground where he had just been. He whirled, blocking a second blow. Another Hollow?! But the reports said there was only the one!

But the reality before him told a different story. This Hollow crouched low to the ground, supporting itself on six legs ending in sharp hooks. A segmented tail, like a scorpion's, arched over its back, the tip glittering with venom. "Ssssshhinigami..." it hissed. The tail rose to strike again.

It's stinger vanished in a spray of blood. It shrieked. All right, Kisuke thought, turning again to face it, playtime is over. Benihime thrummed with delight as he delivered the final blow, clean through the Hollow's carapace. It shrieked again and shimmered, dissolving into nothing.

"Third Seat!" Several nearby members of his patrol had become aware of his skirmish. "Sir, are you all right?"

"Never better!" Kisuke said cheerfully, flicking blood off his zanpakuto. "Our intelligence seems to be off, though...I thought there was only one Hollow out here."

Before they could reply, he flash-stepped to the aid of the rest of the patrol battling the first Hollow. That two units of the Onmitsukido, the Special Forces, hadn't dispatched it yet probably meant that they needed his help. The Hollow roared as he appeared in front of it, reaching for him with one clawed hand. Shwak. The severed hand flew away. Seizing the opportunity, one Special Forces agent leaped past the now clawless limb and planted his zanpakuto in the Hollow's throat, ripping it clear with one swipe.

To Kisuke's shock, the creature merely batted the man away, uttering a bone-chilling howl. But...that should have ended it! That stab was fatal! He leaped out of the way as one of the Hollow's clawed hands smashed into the ground where he had been standing.

Drat. This one is a toughie. He waved the patrols back and gathered his reiatsu. "Scream," he said, raising his zanpakuto, "Benihi--"

The Hollow unleashed an earth-shattering bellow. The ground shook. The trees quaked for miles. Several Special Forces members dropped to their knees, the rest reeled as if struck by an invisible shock wave. Which in fact, they had been.

Kisuke's attack was disrupted at once, Benihime's intent to kill evaporating from his mind. His eyes widened. What is this...spiritual pressure?!

The creature bellowed again, and through the mist and trees around the clearing, other Hollow began to emerge. The new monsters made beelines for the fallen.

Never again, Kisuke mused as he cut the first one in half, would he judge a bad day by mere unwanted assignments. After all, a guy's day could get so much worse.

The huge Hollow roared again, the unmistakable spiritual pressure that emanated from it rising. More Hollow began to appear and attack the beleaguered patrol units. Kisuke abruptly realized that the gigantic Hollow was attracting, no, calling other Hollows to the site of the skirmish. The one he had killed before had merely been a frontrunner.

"Fall back from the big one!" he shouted to everyone still able to obey. "Deal with these smaller ones and protect the wounded!" He seized the nearest unit member. "Call for assistance! And hurry it up, please!"

"Y-yes, sir!" The agent gripped his communicator, holding it up to his ear. "This is Squads nine and fifteen! We require immediate assistance! A large group of Hollow, at least 30 strong, has converged at..." The agent rattled off the rest of his message, paused, then turned to Kisuke. "They're coming, sir! Squads three through five are on their way!"

Kisuke could only hope that they would get there soon. Both units present had been unprepared for an ambush like this. A good half of them were out of action already, tied up trying to stabilize the wounded or among that number themselves. He refused to think about how many might die tonight.

He wheeled to face the huge Hollow himself. If he finished it off, it would all be over. The remaining Hollows would be easy to defeat after their leader was gone. Then he saw, with some surprise, that the creature had turned away from the ensuing battle. It was ignoring everything, even the other Hollows rushing past it. It was as if it had suddenly lost interest, confident that its minions would destroy the patrol forces. It bent low to the ground near a clump of shrubs, growling.

Kisuke later couldn't say whether he had seen, heard, or felt something, but when the monster hauled the child out of the bushes, he was there instantly.

Shwak! The Hollow howled in pain as its arm was severed at the wrist. The bloody appendage flew off in one direction, the child in another. Kisuke jumped up and caught the youngster in mid-air, landing on the ground in a crouch.

It was a little girl. Three, maybe four years old. And she was covered in blood. Her eyes, wide with pain and fear, locked onto his face. Kisuke stared back, startled. Her eyes were incredibly, impossibly green. So green it was like seeing true green for the first time. It was amazing.

There was something else about those eyes, too, something he couldn't quite put his finger on.

He was so intrigued that he forgot where he was for a moment. But a sharp whistling noise reminded him in the nick of time. He rolled to the side, shielding the little girl, as the huge Hollow's wicked spiked tail thumped into the ground they had just vacated.

Tucking the girl against his shoulder, he sprang up, sword raised defensively.

But the Hollow didn't attack again. It rumbled threateningly, tail lashing. Then it spoke. "Give me...the kid...Shinigami."

"I don't think so," Kisuke said firmly. He could feel the little girl shaking with terror and gave her a reassuring squeeze. "That kind of goes against the grain, you know."

The Hollow growled. "Then...I'll...kill...you." It's tail swung forward again.

But Kisuke had had enough. He flash-stepped away with the child, reappearing directly behind the Hollow. As it wheeled to face him, he gathered his reiatsu once again, building it up into a firestorm of resolve. Cocking his zanpakuto behind his shoulder, he swung it forward in a savage uppercut, shouting, "Scream,Benihime!"

A crescent of red energy flew off Benihime's edge and knifed through the ground toward the Hollow. Before it could dodge away, it hit the creature with a tremendous Shplack! neatly bisecting it. And that was the end of that. Let it never be said the Kisuke Urahara performed shoddily with any kind of proper motivation.

As the remains of the Hollow dissolved, he heard a shout behind him. "Kisuke!"

He turned, seeing a slim, dark woman running toward him, accompanied by a good thirty members of the emergency response units and her personal guard.

"Yoruichi," he said, surprised.

She ignored him for a moment. "Spread out and eliminate the other Hollows," she ordered her team. "And send for Fourth Company to treat the wounded!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

Kisuke rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. "Sorry, Yoruichi. I made a mess of things."

Soi Fon, standing at Yoruichi's shoulder, shot him a glare. Kisuke knew she was itching to reprimand him for taking such a casual tone with her captain, but she held her tongue. Not because he outranked her, he knew. Only out of respect for Yoruichi's wishes.

Yoruichi snorted. "Nonsense. Made a mess of things? Your were the only one who could have salvaged this mission at all. This kind of thing is exactly why you should be a captain."

"Not that again," Kisuke sighed. So that's why she sent me out here. She's still trying to build recommendation material. "I'm perfectly fine where I am..."

"Nonsense," Yoruichi said again, golden eyes suddenly mischievous. "You're too talented, Kisuke. Don't think I'm going to let you keep it to yourself. Next open captaincy there is, you've got my recommendation."

When he looked less than enthusiastic, she chuckled. "Just say thank you, Kisuke."

"Thank you, Captain Shihoin."

Captain Shihoin rolled her eyes. "Now, what's this you've got?" She gestured at the child in his arms.

Kisuke looked down, startled all over again. He had almost forgotten about the little girl. Well, she's not heavy at all. Actually...she weighs almost nothing. Why...? "Well," he said, as if it wasn't obvious, "it's a little girl."

Yoruichi raised an eyebrow, and he hurriedly continued. "The Hollow was trying to eat her. I don't know where she came from..."

Yoruichi reached out and took the child, setting her on the ground, where she crouched down as well. The little girl stared at her with big, solemn green eyes. Kisuke realized with a start that she hadn't made a sound the entire time. Not a word. Not a cry. Not even a whimper. That's strange.

Yoruichi stared back just as solemnly, noting the unusual nature of the young child's eyes. Like staring into a deep pool, she decided. I can't feel any spiritual pressure from her, but I feel something. "How interesting," she murmured. She gently turned the child around, discovering the twin slashes in her back. "Kisuke, look at this."

Kisuke looked and winced. "So that's where all the blood is from. Poor kid."

Yoruichi frowned slightly, still examining the wounds. They began as a puncture right above the shoulder blade, continuing in a wicked slash down to the middle of the back. They were clean-edged, straight, and completely uniform. No Hollow did this.

She noticed the little girl was shaking and swaying slightly, and quickly sat her on her lap. Her skin was cold and clammy. "She's stopped bleeding, but she's lost too much blood and she's going into shock. Soi Fon, go make sure Fourth Division is on their way, and hurry them up. Drag a seated officer here yourself if you have to."

"Yes, Lady Yoruichi!" Soi Fon bowed and vanished.

Yoruichi's gaze swept the battlefield. All units in sight were attending to their wounded comrades or guarding the perimeter. She had no doubt that any Hollows that had escaped would be swiftly hunted down and killed without her assistance.

"Kisuke," she said, easing the child off her lap, "We need to stabilize this girl now, or we're going to lose her."

Kisuke nodded. It was amazing that the kid was even still alive, considering everything. Her situation needs to change for the better, and fast.

He heartily wished that the Fourth would hurry up faster, and knelt down next to Yoruichi and the child.

Yoruichi had already started a healing kido and was gently touching her glowing hands to the little girl's bloody back. "Keep her conscious," Yoruichi absently ordered, eyes narrowing as she concentrated.

"All right..." He smiled and laid one hand on the kid's head. "Hey there. You've been through quite the adventure, haven't you?"

The little girl gazed up at him, startled. Her little face looked chalky, her lips pale. He forced himself to keep smiling. "What's your name, kiddo?"

She just stared at him, uncomprehending. Kisuke spoke more slowly. "Your...name? You have a name, right?" He pointed to himself with his free hand. "My name is Kisuke."

Her small hand raised shakily and pointed to him. "That's right," he said, encouraged. "Kisuke. That's me. What's your name?"

She opened her mouth, silently struggling. Then she closed it again. Not a word came out.

Kisuke understood, and a fresh wave of pity went through him. Whatever kind of suffering this child had gone through, whether it had been before or after the Hollows had discovered her, it had effectively deprived her of the ability to speak.

Whew! Well, what do y'all think? We finally have the beginnings of a plot...

Thanks to all who reviewed: kuro-30fyre, Happy94Goth, ViolentxLove, and Shadow's Masquerade!

Thanks also to all those who favorited and put this story on alert. It made me happy. :)