Rukia slid to a halt, her feet tearing through the grass on the recreational field. She cringed as she heard the piercing cry of the Arrancar. She could feel the crushing spiritual pressure. Just what is this thing? she silently asked herself. She hadn't expected any Arrancar so soon after their destruction of Aizen and his merry band of usurpers. Did Inoue truly destroy Hogyoku? She had used Koten Zanshun to reject its presence, annihilating Kisuke's dark creation. It had been a display of Inoue's growth, Rukia remembered. She had been so proud of the young girl, who was usually so timid and fearful of combat. She had an impressive skill, no one could argue that. She had even saved Seretei, though the higher-ups would never admit to it. Rukia remembered Ichigo's face when Orihime finally had the courage to confess her feelings for him. She had almost wished that he could return Inoue's feelings, perhaps leaving for Soul Society, permanently, would be easier that way. Rukia also remembered the look on Ichigo's face when she informed him that she was returning to Sereti...for good. It had broken her heart to see the pain in his eyes--pain that didn't even register when he awkwardly rejected Inoue. His eyes had spoken a million silent words to her in that moment, whether he knew it or not.

Her hand traced over her zanpakuto hilt while she reminisced. Rukia was suddenly brought back to reality by the magnanimous spiritual pressure forcing the air out of her lungs. I hope you are with me, Shirayuki, she silently prayed. She squinted into the distance, as her eye caught the movement: black hair. It was Karin. She was running, with blood pooling on the front of her practice uniform. Her lip was split open, and her head had a gash across her brow. Her eyes showed her terror. She tripped as she ran, falling to the ground. Her face showed immediate defeat. Rukia knew she needed to act, and quickly.

The shinigami used her shunpo to swoop down and grab the young girl under her arm, removing her from the Arrancar's reach. When they were safely distanced, she dropped the young girl who had yet to realized what had just happened. Karin fell to the ground a second time, weak from running. Her eyes grew wide when she saw Rukia. "R-Rukia? Aren't you on a school trip? Why are you wearing--?" Her eyes traveled down Rukia's body, taking in the dark, familiar attire. So that was it! She had always felt something different about Rukia. And now her suspicions were glaring her in the face. She was wearing that same ridiculous black uniform that Karin had seen Ichigo wearing on a few occasions. She was a shinigami too? She suddenly had a flashback…

The house was destroyed. She was lying, injured, next to a wounded Yuzu. She remembered turning her head and seeing Ichigo screaming frantically at a young woman with raven hair. The woman was bleeding from her midsection—too weak to fight. She had raised her sword at Ichigo's stomach. Karin was too drained to scream as she saw her brother run himself through with the sword. She sank into darkness...

Suddenly her eyes flew open. Ichigo was wearing an unfamiliar black uniform, holding a massive…sword. He was fighting some ugly creature. The same one that he destroyed their house. The same one that almost killed both her and Yuzu. Had almost killed the dark-haired girl that tried to protect Ichigo. What had happened to Ichigo?

She awoke in bed that morning. The house was in shambles, and all she could remember was that someone had driven their truck into the house. She had a bad taste in her mouth each time she tried to replive that memory in her head. It was as if something was displaced in her brain, and this was its replacement. She couldn't quite put her finger on what it was…but she knew something was…missing.

"It was you," Karin whispered hoarsely.

"Save your energy," Rukia replied. "You are weak," her eyes fell on Karin's wounds. "You are safe here. You have my word."

"Rukia, why did you leave us?" she asked, feeling some of the anger she had initially felt when she saw how saddened Ichigo had been after his female friend disappeared. "Ichigo was so worried about you…"

Rukia's eyes slightly widened at the mention of Ichigo. "Is…is he safe?" she asked slowly.

"Yes, his class went on an overnight trip to a museum a few hours north of here," she confirmed. She shot straight up when she heard the piercing howl from the Arrancar. "It's here!" she looked around wildly.

Rukia stood, unsheathing her zanpakuto. "So is someone else," she confirmed. She could feel another spiritual presence. It was the same one she felt before—somewhat familiar, yet unique and alien at the same time. Before she could search it out, the Arrancar crashed through the trees. "Human!" he howled as his massive arms decimated the foliage scattering the park. He hadn't yet located the shingami or the young girl. He wasn't the most intuitive Arrancar, Rukia assumed. Perhaps he was newly transformed.

"Karin! Was anyone else in the field with you?" Rukia asked cautiously scanning the area for any intense rietsu. Only the approaching unfamiliar one she had felt earlier.

"N-no, I stayed late after practice to kick the ball around.." she trailed off. When she saw the giant hollow, she opened her mouth to scream. Rukia quickly used a lower-level kido to silence Karin's voice.

"Karin! Keep it together. You are safe, remember?" she repeated, her back to Karin. She could feel the intense gathering of spiritual energy by the Arrancar. For such an immature Arrancer, it was capable of using a large quantity of energy. She knew that the monster had spotted the shinigami and young companion. She could see the bala forming from the Arrancar's mouth. Rukia immediately summoned Way of Binding No. 39.

"Enkosen!" she murmured, creating the shield. Normally, the shield would be large enough to protect the caster, but due to Rukia's hardened training and practice, the shield stretched out to protect the two females. The bala split into thousands of tiny, hardened bullets of spiritual energy as it flew toward her barrier.

It reflected off of the invisible rietsu-charged shield, causing the Arrancar to howl with rage. "Shinigami!" it hissed. "More fun, more fun!"

Rukia risked momentarily studying the advanced hollow. It wasn't too unlike the Arrancar she had seen in Hueco Mundo—created from the Hogyoku. This one, however, appeared to not have entirely transformed into a humanoid form, retaining most of its creature-like shape from its existence as a hollow. Rukia guessed that this Arrancar had made the transformation naturally—though she knew it could be just as powerful, despite its lower intelligence.

"It's an ugly bastard, isn't it?" she heard his deep voice. Reinforcing the shield, she risked a peek at the newcomer. She gasped when she saw him. "Isshin---I mean, uh, Kurosaki-sama!"

He raised a hand, "No need for formalities, Rukia-chan. I'm glad you are safe." He studied the family friend, "You gave my son a run for his money. He was like a lost puppy dog without you. You really know how to make a man chase you!" He grinned mischievously.

Rukia's face turned bright pink, "I-I did no such thing!"

Isshin chuckled curiously, casting a quick glance back to Karin. "I put a minor sleeping kido over her, hope you don't mind," he watched Rukia carefully. She felt more powerful than he remembered. "You were training," he said more to himself, as if it were a confirmation.

Rukia took a good look at him. A real good look at him. He was wearing a shingami uniform! And captain-level, too! "You…you…shinigami!" she croaked, her eyes showing their confusion.

"No need for name-calling, Rukia!" he said, waving his hands defensively. "Aye, I was," he confirmed. "Until I met my wife and was exiled," he cast a sidelong glance at Rukia. "My son doesn't know about this," he gestured to his uniform, "I'm expecting you to not tell him."

"As long as you tell me all about it," she nodded her own mouth twisting into a tiny smile. She wasn't intentionally blackmailing Isshin. He put out a hand to shake on their agreement, and she took it quickly. Her shield shook with the second impact of bala.

"Shit, he's a pesky little bastard, isn't he?" Isshin said, eyeing the creature. "Natural evolution, you think?"

"I know," Rukia murmured. "Not fully transformed yet, but extremely powerful."

"I'll let you handle this one," he waved toward the Arrancar. "I'm a bit…rusty."

She very much doubted that, but she would not argue with a superior, no matter how long he had been exiled. She glanced back at Karin, "Could you…protect her?"

"I'm her father! I'm offended you think I'm incapable, Rukia-chan!" he said with mock anger.

"I was not, idiot!" she yelled, immediately covering her mouth with her hand, "I'm sorry!"

Isshin smiled, rubbing his chin. "No wonder my son is in love with you," he mumbled. Rukia wasn't sure she had heard him correctly, opening her mouth to respond. "Rukia! Behind you!" Isshin warned. She was momentarily distracted, and the Arrancar took advantage of the fact. A third round of bala were sent toward her. When the smoke cleared, Rukia was no longer there.

Isshin was amazed at her speed. She was faster than even he had been as a captain! The Arrancar roared in victory as it eyed Karin and Isshin. Before it could react, Rukia was perched on its shoulder, sinking her zanpakuto into its shoulder as she leaped downward, slicing through sinewy muscle and bone. The Arrancar screeched in pain as its severed arm dangled uselessly. It tried to slash Rukia with its large pseudo-zanpakuto. It missed terribly, as Rukia used her flashstep to flutter around the slow hollow.

From what Isshin could see, the Arrancar was male--his human face partially hidden from view under a giant helmet. Its hollow hole was located at the base of his massive neck. The monster easily stood ten feet in height. The elder Kurosaki was impressed with how graceful Rukia was with her katana.

She flittered about the Arrancar, sinking her zanpakuto into him as his blood fell to the earth. Her eyes were cast with anger. "You attacked a child, you monster," she hissed.

"I'll kill you," it sneered. "Your sword is too small to do any real damage to me!"

"I managed to remove you arm, or did you forget?" she taunted, as she finished the job she had started. The large arm fell to the ground as the Arrancar became angrier, again attempting to crush the tiny Shinigami with his sword. Suddenly the armor covering the Arrancar's chest grew over his shoulder, forming an arm out of the bone-like material that protected his midsection. Rukia's eyes widened at the transformation.

"You thought it would be that easy to get rid of me, did you?" he said, as he tested his new extremity. "My spiritual energy helps regenerate my limbs as I deem fit. You'll have to do better than that," he spat.

So his energy is helping him regenerate, she thought. Perhaps draining him of it would be most prudent. She held her sword out in front of her, quickly flipping the zanpakuto blade down. She plunged the sword into the ground, calling out her fourth dance. The hilt's ribbon wrapped around her hand as snowflakes quietly fell to the ground.

Goddess Tears? Isshin repeated to himself. He was not sure that he had heard Rukia's command correctly. He watched, intrigued, as the tiny frozen pieces of precipitation fell softly to the ground. In moments, the snow fluttered around Arrancar and shinigami, covering their skin with a light dusting of snow. Isshin could feel the chill of cold air brushing against his skin.

The Arrancar laughed boisterously, "Snow? Snow? I'm going to enjoy killing you, Shinigami!"

As he raised his zanpakuto-like sword, Rukia removed the blade from the ground. The tiny snowflakes razored their way through the Arranar's skin as his blood spattered across the frozen earth. He swayed, confusion written across his half-face. Something had passed between them that Isshin could not quite grasp. The former hollow growled, "Y-you…h-how did you—?"

"It is I who is going to enjoy killing you, Arrancar," she growled. "You who are weak enough to attack a child. I'll show you just how strong Sode no Shirayuki truly is!" Her sword glowed whiter than Isshin had noticed before as the Arrancar stood--suddenly paralyzed. Rukia tested her theory by swiftly slicing off both of the Arrancar's arms. They did not regenerate, as she suspected would happen. Once his spiritual energy was drained, he could no longer make use of the unique ability.

The Arrancar's one visible eye bulged form his head as his own blood fell to the ground. "Y-you…bitch," he sputtered.

"The name is Kuchiki Rukia," she said coldly.

"Are you a captain, Shingami?" he asked, realization that this was his last moment of life.

"No. I am no Captain. Nor am I a lieutenant," she answered him, her voice barely audible.

"My name is--" he began. She did not care for his name. Rukia smiled grimly at his last words as she called out Some no Mai, White Moon. She slashed her sword through the air, the white ribbon softly floating with the motion. Suddenly the Arrancar was surrounded by ice that covered the ground beneath him. Within moments, a large ice pillar stood in his place. As quickly as it formed, it shattered. The Arrancar's presence had disappeared.

Rukia stood, staring at the ground and breathing heavily. She hadn't expected to expend so much energy using kido and shunpo, but she had. It hadn't taken away from her fighting skills, but it definitely made her drag it out so she wouldn't tire too easily. She had almost expected the Arrancar to be more powerful, though she knew it was her who had grown more powerful. So, the difference in dynamics was to be expected. She felt an urge of satisfaction at how easily she had defeated the shingamified hollow. Though, she was more concerned at its rampage in the small town. How had it arrived here? Why was he here? It was unusual for Arrancar to travel outside of Hueco Mundo, unless they were sent for one reason or another. Had Aizen somehow managed to survived the Gotei Thirteen's attack? Suddenly an old memory resurfaced.

How had she forgotten him?

He had saved her in Hueco Mundo and she had promised to go back to bring him home. She had never returned, instead choosing to come back here with Ichigo and her friends on a mission to guard the town. She fell to her knees in shame. She had never been so flagrantly irresponsible in her entire life! She gripped Sode no Shirayuki, holding the zanpakuto to her chest.

Isshin whistled, breaking through her thoughts, "That was impressive, Rukia! I think someone has definitely improved over the past few months. Kisuke, I presume?"

She looked up to find the former shinigami captain holding his daughter in his arms. She nodded, looking over Karin's wounds. "Here, let me heal her," she whispered. She would mourn for her irresponsibility later. Isshin held Karin while Rukia carefully healed the split lip and forehead gash. She could not heal the emotional wounds Karin had suffered over the years. No, that would take time.

"Thank you, Rukia," Isshin said, studying her carefully. "Are…are you alright?" he asked in a fatherly tone.

Rukia blinked, realizing his question, "Oh, uh, yes, I'm fine, Kurosaki-san."

"Well, why don't you come home and eat some of Yuzu's cooking. Now that I know you aren't dead, I can finally sleep tonight. I worried about you, you know," he said over his shoulder before he disappeared.

Rukia considered his offer. Perhaps she would speak to Kisuke about Yukiko's words at a later date. She could use his device to draw out her bankai, as both Urahara and Ichigo had done before her. Right now, she needed to figure out how to get back to Hueco Mundo. She had a promise to keep. She hated to break her promises. She slowly walked back to the Kurosaki Clinic. She was glad that Ichigo wouldn't be there to see her when she arrived. Hopefully she could sneak out before he returned back from his trip. She couldn't face him right now.

No, this was something she needed to do alone. It was she who had made that made the promise.

No, no bankai just yet. We will get there. This can't be a wham bam bankai moment. It WILL get there, I promise. So will Ichigo...this is a RUKIA fic :)

Allyieh: your reviews make me laugh. I try to get my chapters out ASAP, but with 18 hour work days, it's hard sometimes (hey, i don't control when babies want to be born...well, not for the most part). OH SNAP! Here's another chapter a day later :D

I like to have the outline of the story in my head before I write, that way I KNOW the story will be finished. I promise that EVERY story I write will be complete. I know a lot of authors don't follow through, and I won't be one of them. And I will never take more than ONE WEEK to update (at the most, folks), unless something is seriously wrong. That's my promise to anyone reading my stories. And I will keep my promise :)

I thank everyone who has reveiwed (and read), I truly appreciate it and read every one. I even take time to read your profiles!