A/N: Holy… oh my frickin' gosh guys. 10 page paper right? Stayed up till like 4 and managed 7, including the title page, abstract, and bib. It's like jumping several stories in the air without Nikes! And I have class in like 10 min. (And I'll be actually writing the chapter once I get out of class) It just took me a whole minute to properly type. com and I also have a test in said class… the same I was writing the paper for. (disregard this since I wrote it in the library at school)

Poll is still on my page, and so far Aizen is winning. Grimmjow following close behind. And nobody likes Rangiku XD

Also, please correct me if I'm wrong on anything. I didn't know the official term for the clothes souls wear and Rukgongai, so I went with Yukata. I didn't want to use Kimono because the term is too broad and generally associated with more formal clothing like furisode and other fancy stuffs.

Not sure if I should change the rating here. I mean, Bleach itself is pretty much rated T, and there's nudity in it. So yea… don't worry it ain't any lemons.

Welcome to the Soul Society

Chapter 2: And so it begins (re-uploaded due to some errors)

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

It was nearly pitch black out, the only light coming from the thankfully full moon. Nnoitra walked through what was looking to be a less populated area just as his 'guide' instructed. So far no other men had bothered to challenge him, and Nnoitra was fine with just that.

It wasn't long until he came to the edge of a dark forest. There where little trees at first, but the extended into a much thicker area. There was also a path for travelers either smart enough to leave the place, or dumb enough to go in. Nnoitra preferred to think of himself as the former seeing as how he would never return to Zaraki. Living in dirt and surrounded by morons wasn't exactly a comforting thought.

Resolve made, he continued down the path.

The moon continued to make its way across the sky slowly as the night progressed, and all was quiet within the dark forest. Until something snapped in the distance. Nnoitra froze and strained his ears trying to pinpoint the cause. It was probably a small animal, or just nature itself breaking down, but his instincts doubted that.

Whatever made the noise was silent and Nnoitra chose to continue onwards. His footsteps were light on the dirt and he kept his ears open. Actually looking around would help seeing as how his vision was limited in the darkness of the forest.

Only a short moment passed before he suddenly heard the distinct singing of a blade coming his direction. Without a moment's hesitation, he stepped to the side and turned, narrowly missing the sword that would have removed his head.

"Damn. Pretty fast one. You're gonna be harder to kill than I thought."

From the moon's light, he could make out the figure of what he thought was a man. But its face was rather feminine. The yukata it wore didn't show off any of his or her chest, and its hair was cropped.

"And just why do you want to kill me?" Nnoitra asked while unsheathing his newfound weapon.

"Why not? I like killing dumb ass travelers like yourself. Gives me a good thrill."

Its voice wasn't helping either. It was deep like a man's, but it just wasn't gruff enough. Man or woman, Nnoitra didn't really care. If it attacked, he would fight it. The strange person attacked again, and Nnoitra effortlessly blocked. Wherever these skills were coming from, they were quite handy.

Also, whoever this person was, they were pretty good with a blade. Every time Nnoitra retaliated, his opponent managed to block. He received a few close calls, as did his opponent. Neither had the upper hand and it was beginning to irritate the both of them.

The stranger growled in frustration while delivering a powerful swing aimed to Nnoitra's midsection. As the previous times, Nnoitra blocked. However, his opponent's attack provided an opening to which he took full advantage of.

He kicked the stranger in the side, breaking a rib. His opponent cried out and fell to the ground, clutching the wounded area. Nnoitra wasted no time and placed his sword at the other's neck.

"S-shit. You win; looks like you're gonna have to kill me." It smiled from the ground.

Nnoitra tilted his head to the side and slid his sword down to the split at the bottom of the dark yukata the other wore. With a flick of his wrist, the cloth flew to the side and exposed the slightly reddened bandages that covered, what he could clearly see was female, her bottom like underwear.

The woman blushed and hurriedly scrambled back.

"No. Kill me. Please, don't do this, especially not now!" she begged. Her voice began to sound more like her genders.

After sheathing his sword, Nnoitra took a step back.

"I ain't gonna rape you. I just wanted to see if you were a man or a woman."

Relief seemed to spread on her features as she sighed. That relief disappeared when she looked Nnoitra in the eye, her deeper voice returning.

"Still, what's taking you so long? Kill me already!"

"Why?"

"Why?" she repeated, obviously confused. "Why not? I tried to kill you, and I lost. So just kill me and get it over with!"

Something about what she said brought a sense of Déjà vu to Nnoitra's mind. However, he couldn't recall a single moment of it happening. The sensation itself was disturbing, and a sudden anger built up within him. The woman watched as he scowled and prepared herself for whatever he would inflict upon her.

Nnoitra couldn't really decide what to do. Part of him wanted to kill her; the other wanted to die himself. It was extremely confusing for his still new mind to take it. Then another thought kicked in. Keep her. Of all the thoughts ravaging through his mind, that one struck him as most odd. Why would he keep her?

"You're coming with me."

Like the previous questions, the reason why he said that was left unanswered. The woman blinked as though processing what he just said.

"What, did you just say?"

"Dammit do I have to keep repeating myself to everyone here? I said you're coming with me. Now get up, I'm sure you can walk."

The woman didn't budge and continued to stare at Nnoitra.

"Don't joke with me. I ain't gonna kill myself, so you're gonna do it!"

"No I am not. Get your ass up right now and come with me. I beat you, and I can do it again."

The woman looked as though she was going to speak again but Nnoitra cut her off.

"Tell you what. Since your so bent on dying by my hand, if you follow me, I'll kill you eventually. Nobody else will be able to, but me. Got it? Now get up."

With that insane logic in mind, the woman complied. She winced and struggled as she got to her feet, but manages shakily nevertheless.

"I'm Niji Mariko." She said quietly.

"Nnoitra Gilga… Now that I think about it, why are you out here in the forest? You got a place around here?"

Mariko nodded and pointed in a direction off their current path.

"I live here, in the forest."

"We're going to your place then. I need a place to sleep for the night. Sun rises, we leave."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Mariko's home was no better than those in the streets of Zaraki. It was a simple tent made from the skins of animals and tree branches. She had little possessions. A welting stone, a powder ball and other things to keep her sword in good condition. She also seemed to have a collection of random belongings from what Nnoitra could only guess came from the travelers she attacked. To the side of the tent, she arranged several blankets and more animal skins to make a bed of sorts. The only light came from a lantern that hung from the top of the tent.

It was simple, but she seemed to manage well.

Nnoitra took a blanket from her bed and balled it up to make a pillow. Mariko looked as though she wanted to protest, but she decided not to. All that mattered was treating her broken rib while her new leader rested. She refused to think of him as a master or anything; she had more pride than that.

When she was sure the other man was asleep, she placed a hand over her rib and let the familiar green glow of kido slowly mend her wounds. Nearly half an hour passed before she became exhausted and stopped. The rib was no longer broken, but the injury still wasn't fully healed. But it would do.

For now, she would rest until morning.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The sun rose slowly over the horizon, sending beams of light into the tent. Nnoitra awoke slowly and sat up. His new servant of sorts was still asleep, though not a peaceful one. With the morning light, he could see her features in full.

Her hair was just as he remembered it, only black. He could also see bandages covering her chest, most likely to hide her breasts. He decided not to wait to wake her up at the moment; he had to take a leak.

As he exited the tent, Nnoitra stretched his long limbs and left. Mariko heard the rustling of her tent and her eyes immediately snapped open. Seeing the back of Nnoitra as a reminder of the previous night and she wasn't sure if she should be relieved or even more tense.

Her ribs still ached and she frowned. It wasn't as bad as last night, but she'd still be able to travel. It would take awhile until she could use her healing Kido again. As she waited for Nnoitra to return, she briefly scanned her home.

She didn't have much, but she decided to take the satchel she snagged off a traveler and pack only the things she needed. Her sword powder and oils, a few bare essentials that would hopefully prevent her a second death, and money for food. She wasn't sure when she would get hungry again, but it would probably be soon.

Just as she placed the last of what she needed into the bag, Nnoitra entered and waved his hand as though beckoning her forward.

He looked her directly in the eye and saw that her eyes were quite feminine, and dark brown.

"Come on." Nnoitra said before leaving out again. Without a last glance to her home, she followed.

It wasn't as though leaving really bothered her. Living in the outskirts of Zaraki taught her to never look back and if need be, abandon everything. As long as she could fight, she was alright. Though at the moment she wasn't really in any condition to fight.

Time passed at a normal pace as the two walked down the path to the 79th district. Neither of them spoke. It was a strangely comfortable silence that neither wanted to break. That was, until the air became more humid and Nnoitra began to sweat.

"Just what the hell's going on here? Why's it so hot all of a sudden?" he asked over his shoulder.

Mariko pointed to the left.

"There's a hot spring a not too far from this path."

Nnoitra looked down on her and scowled. "You should go take a bath then. All that bleeding is starting to smell. I ain't got no problem with blood, but yours just don't smell right."

A furious blush erupted on Mariko's face. It wasn't her fault her body still kept its human tendencies after death! But she still felt she should change bandages regardless. If it's one thing living in the 80th did, it taught a person to live in dirt. Baths were almost nonexistent, and only a few really knew where the hot spring was. But by the time they got back, they'd already be dirty again.

"You said it was this way? Come on." Nnoitra commanded as he began to walk in the direction he believed to be right. He listened as Mariko followed right behind. Another thing he didn't know he knew was just why she was bleeding. But he still didn't fully understand it.

It happened to women for a few days then it was over for awhile. He also knew women got extremely bitchy when it happened. That was all he knew, and he was glad that was all. Anymore and he'd probably get sick just thinking about the other gender. Still, his random distaste for them nagged at him from the back of his head. As much as he tried to suppress it, it stayed.

Caught up in his thoughts, he almost barely noticed the pool of steaming water in the short distance. It wasn't extremely large, but a reasonable size. There was also a series of large rocks around and nearby, so he took a seat on one.

"Bathe. Now." He said while digging a finger into his ear.

Mariko had no problem getting undressed in front of others, however; there were times when she just didn't think she should be seen.

"While you watch?"

"Look I ain't got any interest in you. At all. And I ain't turning around like you're some princess or something. Now hurry the hell up. You got 30 minutes."

Grumbling, Mariko complied.

While his follower did as she was told, Nnoitra wandered into his own thoughts. He hoped that during his sleep he would be able to dream up something from his past, but nothing had shown up. Izayoi mentioned him not remembering anything, so she must have knew something about hers.

Nnoitra couldn't help but to want to know where he came from. He knew how to fight, pretty well he had to admit, and based off of his opponents so far, his level of skill wasn't common. Save for the woman. Mariko had something about her that was rather familiar, and he couldn't help but to be drawn to it, he wanted it as well.

He watched as she used a strip of bandages as a washcloth. Maybe she came from a place like his when she was alive. She was pretty much on the same level as he when it came to swordplay. And it was obvious she wasn't like most women. What could be the point of her acting as a man? He'd just ask later, the 30 minutes was nearly up and he wanted to get moving. Maybe the 79th district would have something for him to eat. For some reason he was beginning to grow hungry and there hadn't been any wildlife so far.

"Times up. Get dressed." Nnoitra said as he removed himself from the rock. His follower looks as though she wanted to rip his throat out but she remained quiet and got out.

It wouldn't surprise him if she randomly attacked him. The thought made him smirk. At least now he had someone to fight with that he knew would keep him on his toes.

Instead of watching as she dressed, Nnoitra turned and took in the landscape. The trees weren't exactly lush, but they still had life in them. It seemed as though the poverty of Zaraki was even wearing nature down. There were no birds, and the annoying chirp of the forest insects was kept at a low. The everlasting quiet was unnerving in itself, but he could deal with it. It had an odd charm to it, and it was much better than listen to some woman's chatter.

Though her short black hair was still wet, and her slightly dirty clothes seemed a bit damp, Mariko looked refreshed and ready continue.

Together, they continued on to wherever Nnoitra decided to go.

_._._._._._._._._

A/N: Ok Done! I was hoping to make this at least 7-9 pages but... meh. I want to know what you guys think before I continue. Mainly if anyone has any ideas.

I'm still unsure what to do with my OCs.

In this story, I doubt any of them will live that long, and Mariko was sort of a random idea. Originally I wanted her to be a boy, but I noticed the severe lack of butch kinda women in any fandom ever. The only thing really girly I made for her was her last name (Rainbow). I also had the idea of Nnoitra meeting Menoly, but she died by a Cero… again. So yeah. Tell me what you think.

I also made a mistake about Mariko's appearance since I hadn't decided what she would look like. I made a lot of mistakes actually. So I edited and re-uploaded. the next chapter wont be up for a moment, be sure to check my updates for more info.