Shane merged back with his faux body and sat dejected on the sidewalk. He watched the ants on the sidewalk while his mind wandered aimlessly. His pocket began to vibrate, so he pulled out his phone. "Hello?"
"Shane, this is Rukia. Meet us at Ichigo's house as soon as possible," Rukia said.
"I'll be right there," Shane replied and hung up the phone.
Several minutes later, Ichigo was standing outside the Kurosaki Clinic. He heard a loud crash coming from Ichigo's room, so Shane made his way up to the window and poked his head in. Toshiro, Ikkaku, Yumichika, Renji and Rangiku had somehow fallen through the ceiling of Ichigo's room and Renji and Rukia were explaining Arrancar to Ichigo. Shane sat in the window and said nothing. Captain Hitsugaya went on to explain the different classes of Menos Grande: Gillian, Adjucas, and Vasto Lorde. Gillian were the lowest and Vasto Lorde were the most powerful.
"A single Vasto Lorde could easily take on a Captain-class shinigami." Hitsugaya explained. "If Aizen were to create Arrancar from as few as ten Vasto Lorde," he paused for dramatic effect, "He could destroy Soul Society."
Shane yawned and became bored with everything. "Is there something you'd like to add, Lieutenant Akiyama?" Hitsugaya asked crossly.
"Hm?" Shane asked and looked around at all the faces staring at him. After a moment's thought he said, "Nah, I think you covered it all." Shane noticed Ichigo was staring at him. "What?" Shane asked.
"You? A Lieutenant?" Ichigo asked incredulously.
"So?" Shane shrugged and Ichigo burst out laughing. "What's so funny?" Shane asked frowning.
"Soul Society must really be hurting if they made someone like you a Lieutenant," Ichigo laughed. He grabbed his sides and hooted. Shane stared at Ichigo for a several heartbeats, then knocked the injured Ichigo across the room as hard as he could. Ichigo impacted the far wall and fell into a heap.
"Idiot! What is wrong with you?" Rukia shouted. Ichigo shook his head to clear the cobwebs and immediately got in Shane's face. "What did you do that for?" he growled.
"I dunno. I just felt like it," Shane said. Ichigo's face twisted and contorted in fury. Shane drew back and knocked Ichigo across the room again. This time, the entire room was in an uproar. Ichigo jumped to his feet and grabbed Shane by the shirt. "Why you-"
"Your breath stinks," Shane interrupted. Everyone instantly became quiet and Ichigo's mouth open and closed, but no sound came out. Shane reached up and gently shut Ichigo's mouth. "Now you look like a fish out of water," he said.
"WHAT IS GOING ON IN HERE?!" Isshin Kurosaki roared and threw the door open. "What's with all the shouting? The neighbors might call the police!" Isshin then noticed all the people in Ichigo's room. He blinked several times.
"Geez," Ichigo sighed and hit himself in the head.
"Ichigo! What's this? Have you invited your classmates over for a group study?" Isshin asked. He then glanced carefully at Rukia and Rangiku. "A co-ed study group?" He stroked his stubbly chin and frowned. "Hmm, a co-ed study group that dear old father didn't know about?" Isshin became wildly animated. "Oh, darling wife! What is our teenaged son doing? How could something like this happen?"
"GET OUT OF MY ROOM!" Ichigo shouted and kicked his father out the door. Shane heard him fall down the stairs and the house shuddered as Isshin hit the bottom. "Don't ever come in my room!" Ichigo shouted and slammed the door, causing the windows to rattle. Ichigo slumped down on the bed and glared daggers at no one in particular.
"Well, this has been fun, but I'm gonna go now," Shane said and hopped out the window. He landed on the sidewalk and stuffed his hands in his pockets. He looked left, then right, then left again. Shane looked down at his feet, then glanced up at the sky. He lifted his right leg and turned as if he was going right. At the last second, Shane thought better of it, and turned around and started walking to the left. Rukia and Rangiku watched from Ichigo's window.
"What was that all about?" Rangiku asked.
"It seems that he has lost his direction," Rukia said.
"Oh? How so? He had two choices, right or left and ultimately, he went left," Rangiku said, pushing her long hair out of her face. Rukia didn't bother trying to explain.
Shane wandered around town, feeling lost. He didn't care where he went. Soon he found himself in an old, rundown part of town. There were many old, rusty buildings that had seen better days. He opened the door to an old warehouse. The rusted hinges resisted at first, but with a little effort, Shane opened the door far enough to get inside. There were stairs leading up to the next level, so Shane traveled up. He passed many old, rotted crates. Some were covered with canvas tarps that had grown moldy. The place stank horribly, but Shane didn't care. Shane went up another ladder and discovered a trap door to the roof. He climbed out on to the roof and sat down near the edge.
Suddenly, Shane felt an enormous surge of spirit power. He frowned and looked closely at the night sky. "This spirit energy is similar to those two Arrancar that showed up a few days ago," Shane thought. He shrugged. "Well, it only feels like five or six, so the others should be able to deal with it." For some reason, that thought seemed funny to Shane. At the same time, Shane felt another surge of spirt power close by. He heard footsteps approach.
"Are you a shinigami?" a strange voice asked.
Shane didn't bother to turn around. "Depends who's askin'," he replied. "Are you one of those Arrancar-types?"
"Depends who's asking," the arrancar replied. The arrancar stepped forward and stood next to Shane, who still hadn't acknowledged his presence.
"It seems that the others have started fighting," the arrancar said. Shane shrugged. "So?"
"Aren't you going to fight me?" the arrancar asked.
"No," Shane replied casually and ran his hand through his hair. "Why not?" the arrancar asked. "Isn't that the purpose of a shinigami?"
"Well, I really don't feel like fighting you right now," Shane replied. "If you came here to fight, I suggest you either come back another time, or find someone else to fight."
The arrancar sat next to Shane. "You are the strangest shinigami I have ever come across," he said. The arrancar looked out at the view and they sat in silence. Shane could feel the fluctuations in spirit power and he glanced in that general direction.
"Are you worried about your comrades?" the arrancar asked.
"Not really," Shane said. "They're all pretty strong and can handle themselves."
The arrancar nodded his head in agreement. "Ah. That may be so, but none of your shinigami friends has ever fought an arrancar before." The arrancar's voice became serious. "One of the Espada is here."
Shane's ears perked up, but he didn't let it show. "What's an Espada? Is that French for 'Uber-Super-Cool-All-Powerfull Arrancar?" Shane asked. The arrancar smiled. "You won't be getting such information from me that easily," he said. Shane shrugged. "It was worth a try." Silence again enveloped the two mortal enemies. Shane felt a slight burning sensation on the left side of his chest. The arrancar felt it too. "What's this? A last ditch effort?"
"Something like that," Shane replied and rubbed the spot. The arrancar suddenly stood up. "I must be going now. I look forward to our next meeting."
"You got a name?" Shane asked. The arrancar laughed. "Only if you fight me, will I tell you my name."
"Fair enough," Shane replied and the arrancar left. After he was gone, Shane stood up and brushed his hands on his pants. "Well, time to go see what happened," he said and jumped to the ground.