Akari's POV:

When the match ended, the gym class also ended and we all headed to the lockers. Every one of the transferred students seemed in awe that I defeated Kazui, Ikkaku looked quite excited about it and I'm sure that he was ready for a match too, but then it was time to go. Ichika was in some kind state of shock, looking at me as if I was some kind of alien but never asking anything even inside the girls' bathroom, Rangiku looked also surprised but she did ask about where I trained and things like that.

Inside the showers I had some kind of privacy and let myself think about why they seemed so surprised. I only guessed that he must be a good fighter in the camp, but my background in martial arts was greater than his, my experience in competitions was also greater than his and also in the streets I knew very well how to defend myself, so why it was such a surprise?

Hitsugaya's gaze was also really notorious during the match, it was like I could feel his teal eyes inspecting every move I made, every reaction, every fist, kick or dodge, at the end when Emiko declared me the winner his expression was with a deep frown, serious, I really couldn't read him at all.

I went out of the showers with my towel around me, going to my lockers throbbing my temple with my hand feeling a headache, I did something wrong? The matches were really common between Kazui and me, so why when they appeared seemed so surprised?

"Ugh" I let out knowing that there wasn't no one of the group around them.

I changed back to my normal uniform, putting everything inside the backpack for cleaning while drying my hair with the towel, waiting for the rest.

It wasn't a long waiting, short after Ichika and Rangiku appeared changed, talking with each other, behind Emiko and Hana. We all left bathroom and went outside the school, thanking that it was our last class for the day.

The boys were already outside waiting for us. Hana and Emiko went ahead to the opposite direction of us where their homes were, looked like the rest headed to Kazui's. Taking my bike with me we started walking over there, I just had one thing in my mind, head home and rest what I need it to rest, hoping that that night I didn't have any nightmares. Kazui broke my little dreams way too fast.

"You should stop at my house so my dad can check on you" I know that he cared for me, that he was worried but I just wanted to sleep, be in my home and sleep, nothing else.

"I know you are right but… but…" I knew my face said it all, all in a ´why me´, Kazui was looking at me in a mix between apologetic and worried.

"You were full of energy before, Goldilocks! What happened?" Seemed that Ichika get over the shock and was now in her usual self, walking with her arms behind her head without worries

"I haven't been sleeping well… And went I go into fighting mode I get alert, I don't know" I shrugged.

"You are weirder that I thought!" She continued. I felt a twitch in my eye.

"Are you freaking serious? It was just a slip of energy nothing else!"

"But being serious Richards, were do you learn how to fight?" My attention went to Hitsugaya's voice, he was now at my right with his hands inside the pockets, quite separate of me so I could move the bike at my side.

"I'm second Dan in Karate Shotokan, training for the third and also practicing Aikido, still in Kyu tho" I smirked a little when Hitsugaya raised an eyebrow probably curious about it.

"And also training to be a thief, you know the usual" Kazui said joking ahead of us, I push him forward with a kick in his butt "Hey!"

"I'm not a thief, Kazui!" I growled at him, he just laughed.

"Why does he mean by that?" Hitsugaya finally made the question.

"I-Hum…" How do I explained "I practice something for running, all the martial arts really help me when I'm in trouble specially that I don't know when not to pick up a fight, so there were times where I was overcrowded and well shit happens…" I had my sleeves rolled up, so now my scars were expose, I pointed one in my right elbow "If it weren't for Kazui appearing out of nowhere, I would have ended worse that a broken arm" Not one of my best moments, I did learn when to pick my fights and when to run "Let's say it's a practice about escaping in any place you are and that includes running on roofs, climbs walls and things like that" His teal eyes were looking at me with more curiosity than before "It helps a lot! Right, Kazui?!" I looked at him for some help.

"You are not fighting as much as before so…" He turn a little to see us, only to stop his tracks surprised "Wha-Where are the others?!"

"What are you talking about there are…" There weren't there. I flipped around to see that indeed, Rangiku, Ichika, Yumichika and Ikkaku were gone "What! But they-I mean!" They were there just a moment ago! Hitsugaya didn't seems surprised about it and only sighed.

"Those idiots doesn't even how arrive to a house without making a scene" He mumble kind of tired. I waited for and explanation, instead Kazui only seemed more nervous and started running ahead to his house.

"Kazui!" I shouted without understanding anything, the orange head only keep running leaving me behind with Hitsugaya, I glanced at him waiting for something to make sense and the only shrugged. Great help "Your friends are quite strange"

"Believe me, this is normal" I raised one eyebrow with that confession, what the fuck is wrong with this people. I sighed and hopped on in my bike, starting to fix my hair in a ponytail, I glanced at him that was now looking at me strangely.

"Your friends disappeared, Kazui left us, I just want to get home but I need to check on with Ichigo-san, so hop on and we'll get there faster" I was patting the little space left in the seat. Hitsugaya's posture suddenly when rigid and seemed uncomfortable.

"Are you sure?" He only asked.

"Yeah… I do this all the time with Kazui" He seemed to accept the idea and sit back "Anyway if we fall, totally your fault, Hitsu-kun!" I said before starting pedaling, laughing at the annoyed 'Tch' I heard from him.

The ride to Kazui's house was quite long but quiet, only the traffic and people around as a background noise, not that it bothered me, that way I could concentrate only in the street and the view, I always liked to drive around the river in the bicycle even if it was chill that day, the reflection of the water always relaxed me and give me reasons to smile. I wanted to make some twirl with the bike, but I was just meeting Toushiro and I imagine that he wouldn't like that idea at all, even if it sounded really funny in my head, but I dared to look behind me for a second to see Toushiro's face focused in the view, even with his frown he seemed calm, until he noticed that I wasn't watching up front.

"You should be focused in the street not in me, Richards" He said.

"Don't worry! I'm multitasking!" I said laughing but getting my attention back to the road.

When we crossed the river and enter the Minamikawase District, everything turned more quiet with fewer people around, finally we reached the Kurosaki's Clinic, Kazui had just arrived and was at the door completely still staring at the inside, now off the bike I looked at Hitsugaya looking for an answer, again, and he went back to seem irritated.

When I got at Kazui's side I was completely confuse about the scenario in front of me. One of the lamps of the living room was down, broken, Orihime was in the kitchen area surprised while Ichika and Yumichika were rambling about things with her, but she didn't seem to get any information, Rangiku was over a really red and angry Ichigo in a nothing discreet pose while Ikkaku was trying to get her off him in the most loudest way.

What the fuck is wrong with this people?!

I suddenly felt how the temperature of the room drooped to a few degrees, Kazui looked alarmed behind me and I did the same to only find a pair of teal eyes looking ready for murdering the people, I felt Kazui grabbing me by my arm and getting me out of the way.

"Just for once in your life…COULD YOU BEHAVE YOURSELFS!" Hitsugaya's deep and cold voice resonated in every inch of the house and from my new angle I couldn't see, but I was sure that everybody kind of freak out. I did and surely I didn't want to see him angry again.

Short moments after everybody was quiet and all the 'new' guys were in a corner of the living room looking like little kids scolded by their parents, Hitsugaya was at the table with a tea in his hand now calm, Kazui in the kitchen talking with his mom and Ichigo checking on me with a first aid kit in the table.

"Who would have thought that Toushiro was going to finally grown up?" Ichigo said amused while checking the cut in my temple.

"Shut up, Kurosaki" I couldn't see him from my position, but it was obvious that was a topic that he didn't like to talk by the way he growled answering "And it is Hitsugaya, when are you going to learn?"

"He was of short height when he was little, Ichigo-san?" I smiled at the idea of a little grumpy Hitsugaya around "He surely was adorable!"

"Don't. Say. Anything. Kurosaki" I giggle at his cold, grumpy answer and Ichigo only smiled, but he cut the conversation.

"So Akari" He got back my attention "The cut in your forehead is better, is now disinfected and probably before the weekend I can get off the stitches"

"It will leave a scar?" I asked, really concerned, I didn't want more to add to the collection. Especially in my face.

"No, it shouldn't" He smiled and I sighed relieve "Now let's take a look to your arm"

I rolled even more my right sleeve so he could see the bandages. He took them off gently, but even making me wince a little for the pain, now the bandages were sticky to the skin, so more pain for me.

"I didn't ask in the morning, but how did you get burn like this?" Ichigo asked the question I didn't want to answer, now what I'm going to say?!

"I… I got burned with the radiator in my grandma's! You know that old piece of junk, I thought it wasn't hot and bam! Burned! You know me, always distracted!" I was rambling, I was rambling way too much and Ichigo would notice I was lying, I'm s-

"You should be more careful" He calmly said, getting me off of my thoughts. He believe it? What? Who are you and what did you do with Ichigo-san?! "Are you okay Akari? You seem tense"

I blinked for a few seconds before answering.

"Yeah! It's nothing, I'm just… I'm way too tired" He nodded and continued checking on the burn, I'm sure that he really didn't believe me, but why he didn't say anything? I was just there, feeling how he was inspecting and everything, starting to get bored and then I noticed a little yellow stuffed animal that I haven't see in a long time "OH MY GOD!" I shouted getting the attention of everybody to me, but I didn't care, I grabbed with my free hand the little toy "Kazui! You still have this?!" I'm not a kid, I'm a 17 year old young woman… Who likes plushies a lot.

"Why you have to be so loud?!" Kazui repeated again in that day, now in front of me, watching me and the stuffed animal "Ah! Kon! We have it still because…" He looked quite nervous about it.

"For the kids! When they come to the clinic you know, distraction" Ichigo answered quickly.

"I see! Aw! Kon! It's exactly like when we played with him when we were kids!" The stuffed animal was a little lion, with a blue cross behind his head, I could grab its body with my hand "It's still adorable!" I squashed a little the toy, releasing its sound that make me smile.

"You are way too fond for that thing" Kazui said and grabbed the toy. I wanted to complain, but Ichigo's patted my head, his way of telling me that I was ready.

"Be careful with that one, it's nothing serious but you should pay attention to your surroundings" He said, his way of scolding me but not. I simply nodded. Getting up so I could leave. "Oi, Toushiro, can you take her to her house?"

"Eh?!" Hitsugaya and I said at the same time, staring at Ichigo like crazy. Kazui was at my side watching him strangely too.

"But shouldn't I…" Kazui started

"You, need to help me to move some things and also should help your mother with the dinner now that we have guests" Ichigo cut his trail of thoughts.

"But I'm good! There's no need for Hitsugaya-kun to join me!" I said, trying to change Ichigo's mind.

"You been injured a lot recently, just do it for precaution, please Akari?" I looked up at him and he was staring me with the same worries eyes that my father did sometimes, it breaks me.

"Sure Ichigo-san…" I said defeated. Hitsugaya seemed quite annoyed with the request, but finally seemed to agree too when he sighed and got up with me. He looked up for a second at Ichigo, seemed like they were sending a message and then went pass me.

"Come on, Richards" Hitsugaya said with his cold voice. I followed.

"Oh! Thank you for checking on me Ichigo-san!" I bowed a little at him and then walked through the door waving at the rest "See you tomorrow, all!" I heard the faint but different kind of goodbyes from everyone. They really were an interesting group.

Toushiro's POV:

Sense of security wasn't the only reason why Kurosaki wanted me instead of his son to accompany Richards to her house. Even if he still was bad sensing reiatsu, he could notice the change of what it seemed her normal one. He surely was aware that she had more than a normal human, so he must sense the aggressive one in her arm, now was almost gone, but he was nervous about what could happened to her.

This wasn't the mission we accepted, Richards shouldn't be trouble for Soul Society, then why I had this feeling that something was off about her.

"Something bothers you?" Richards voice bring me back to reality, she was showing a gently smile, moving at her left the bicycle, not letting any separations between us.

"Not really" I cut quickly.

"Please! Your frown it's even deeper" She tried to put a finger between it, but I just shake her hand off "So mean! Relax a little, Hitsu-kun"

"I told you not to call me that way, Richards!" She only laughed about it.

"I get why you have that white hair of yours, it's not from the cold, you are too stressed!"

"You are going now to mess with my hair?" I was annoyed, my voice didn't hide it.

"I'm just saying, but don't worry! It's a really pretty hair you have!" Now she ruffled my hair with one of her hands, stopping her tracks "So soft too!" She smiled more brightly about it, the closeness and her attitude made me quite nervous, I felt my cheek getting warmer.

"Oi! Don't do that!" I grabbed gently her wrist to put her down "You go around touching other people's hair without knowing them?!"

"Oh!" She did seem embarrassed about it, her face turned red "You are right! Bad habit" She give me an apologetic smile while I let go her hand and then we returned walking, she changed to look at the basket of the bike.

"That's still no reason for it" I said, raising a brow.

"Sorry" She shrugged and smiled it, again. This girl surely likes to smile. "Ah! We are here, oh dad!" She focused her attention to a man leaving a car in the small garage. He was tall, like Kurosaki, but thinner, wearing glasses, he really didn't look like her daughter except for the gold hair and the smile he shown when he saw her. Looked like that run in the family.

"Ah! My ray of light" The man said, I wasn't still good enough in the work of other languages from the Living World, but I had learn a little to understand the phrase. He hugged her when they were close and then he seemed to notice me "Are you new in the school? Usually Kazui's bring you here" He had a strong accent, but I could understand him.

"Ah! Hitsugaya-kun this is my dad! Richards Gideon" She pointed at him to present us "Dad, this is Hitsugaya Toushiro, he is a transferred student along with other group, he's friend with Kazui's!"

"Oh I see! Pleasure to meet you, Hitsugaya-san" He extended his hand to shake it, I shake it back and he bowed a little.

"Pleasure it's mine, Richards-san" I give him a nod with my head and let go our hands "Kurosaki was helping his father in some things, so he asked for the favor"

"Ah! Thank you so much for bring her! I hope it was not trouble" His Japanese was overly polite, a difference of his daughter.

"No problem at all, sir" I continued.

"Like I'm that trouble" She muttered and that made me smirk a little. She was the one with bandages all over.

"I have to go back, see you tomorrow, Richards" I turned around for my leave.

"See ya! Hitsu-kun!" I flip my head to send her a cold glance, but she was only smirking amused. Why everybody had to give me nicknames?!

Getting back to Kurosaki's house wasn't long, maybe a few minutes, I didn't use shunpo to get there so I could use the silence to think. The sun was starting to set down and a few people were still outside, heading home. For the season many were wearing something to cover up, for me, it was nice, I could think to get it a colder even.

Now was explaining the mission to the Kurosaki family, see if they could help us track down any clue.

I got back to the clinic, somehow relieved that it hasn't explode or something like that, with the group I had to take care. When I got in, thanks to Kazui, the difference as how I left it was that the group had passed the scold, acting more vivid and the stuffed animal, with the mode soul inside him, was back alive, getting throw down by on of Matsumoto's punch.

"Why everybody has to be so mean with me! I'm the great Kon! I should worship you as the goddess you are!~" Even his laments were annoying, why did they still keep him?

"Really Kazui, how do you still had this thing?! My mom is always saying how pervert it is!" Ichika said, holding the toy, more like agitated him.

"You are really mean to be Nee-san daughter! She loves me! And nobody can separated us from our destiny!" He sure could dream big for a mode soul "And Akari-nee-san! How difficult it's to act still around her! She has grown to be a gorgeous woman! With big-"

He couldn't finished his sentence because now Ichigo, took him and throw him to the wall, with that much force that actually cracked a little the wall.

"DON'T YOU DARE SAY YOUR PERVERTED THOUGHTS ON HER, KON" He seemed completely angry with the idea. He probably would incinerated the toy if he wanted to, but someway the hit just help him.

The stuffed animal kept moaning and whining about things that nobody really cared. What a pain in the ass.

"Do you still find him useful in some way?" I asked to no one in particular.

"I use him more that my dad, has help me a lot when there's an emergency and I'm in class" Kazui answered me giving up with the idea "Even if most of the times I get kicked out by Akari when he is in my body"

"You should thank me!" Kon stood up in the floor "Is the only time you can have a chance with that gorgeous queen!"

"I don't feel anything for her Kon!" Kazui's face was now red with embarrassed "So your work is actually useless!"

"What a waste!" The stuffed animal crossed his arms, disappointed "Also, if the goddess is here, where is the little kid captain?"

My anger escalated quickly by that, hearing a little giggle from Matsumoto completely amused by the idea didn't help at all. The rest of the group seemed tenser except for Kurosaki and his wife.

"Little. Kid. Captain?" I concentrated in only got colder the spot around Kon, that's when he looked alarmed.

"WHAT?! THE LITTLE CAPTAIN HAS GROWN UP! I THOUGHT YOU WERE A BROTHER!" The stuffed animal kept yelling and then Matsumoto couldn't handle anymore and burst into a laugh, in a blink of an eye the toy was frozen in a little spot totally panicked.

"That won't leave a mark on the floor right?" Ichigo asked.

"It won't melt until I change my mind… So, no" I headed to the table close the kitchen.

"Oh right then, a little time of peace for all to eat" He only shrugged and started putting plates of food in the bigger table.

Nobody seemed to refute the idea, so everybody sit around and started eating. Night was starting to fall around us while the food was disappearing, meanwhile everybody chatting about everything and nothing, getting updated about the past few years. Even if Kazui went to Soul Society every year to train, Ichigo and Orihime not, they had become more used to their human lives, routines and work, so they couldn't be going as freely as before. So pretty much everybody wanted to know about everything. The group haven't changed that much in those years, most of them still around the area of the city, the most distanced was Ishida Uryuu giving classes at Tokyo University, Yasutora Sado and Arisawa Tatsuki decided to do a team work about teaching different martial arts in Karakura High School, Kurosaki's sisters were attending a shop on their own and the other human, Asano Keigo, was around too, for my gratitude now that Ayasegawa and Madarame seemed to like the idea to pay him a visit and stay in his house.

Matsumoto and I agree to take Orihime's old house for the stay, now that it was almost used for Shinigamis that stayed in Karakura Town and Abarai was going to stay here with the Kurosaki's, around the time we finally set that, the table was without a trace of food or the plates.

"So, Toushiro, why are you here?" With Ichigo question the atmosphere went tense.

"We are here for this" I said taking a fold piece of paper off my blazer, then opening it on the table. The Kurosaki's were curious about the image of the zampakuto displayed of the paper with some writing, before they could ask something I continued "Head Captain Kyoraku find it recently in the old documents from former Head Captain Yamamoto"

"From the Old Man?" Ichigo seemed perplexed about the idea "I thought everything was lost after the battle with the Quincy"

"Not everything was lost, some things did survive the attack, this was underground of the principal headquarters of the First Division" Ichigo nodded following the idea "It looked like the Head Captain Yamamoto kept a track of a few fire-type zampakuto, with what reason, we don't know, but to maintain him interested probably was about how powerful they are in comparison of his zampakuto"

"Oh right, what so special about this zampakuto?" Now Orihime asked, looking quite worried.

"Captain Commander Yamamoto seemed really interested in this one, we saw the other papers and doesn't had many descriptions about it, he even labelled this one as one of the most powerful fire-type zampakuto in Soul Society only surpassed by Ryūjin Jakka" Now they all had shocked faces, understanding exactly what it means right now that Yamamoto had died in the Quincy war.

"Seems really interesting and everything, but what does it has to do with you been here?" The short attention span in Ichigo was already kicking in. He was surprised but, he also seemed irritated.

"The zampakuto has been missing for almost 200 years, the last reading was that was in the Living World and if the descriptions about it are true" I paused a moment, thinking my words "Then it means that we might had a chance to found out a way to execute Aizen once and for all"

Duuuun duuuun duuuun!

Sunday Update! :D How's everybody? How's been this week and October? I hope it's been great!

Well, here the chapter! :D I hope you like it :D I enjoy all the viewers I have, but I would also love if you do a review? I mean, I really want to know if is going on fine or you hate or what you know? Even if is it a lot of "KJDFHKAJDFHKDFJH" I do that all the time, you can see my reviews in other fics I follow hahah! Really it helps me to know what you think but whatever, I'm not going to bother you anymore!

I hope you enjoy!

See you next week!