"They're here." The Wrangler said with a hint of worry in her voice as she twirled her guns together.

"Who's here? What have you brought here?!" Ichigo asked angrily as the Wrangler ignored him and her guns started glowing light blue.

"Kae!" she shouted and the two pistols morphed into a single shotgun with sawn off barrel. The same one Ichigo saw the day Yuzu was injured. (Kae: Change)

"Your Zanpakuto is a shape shifter after all eh?" Ichigo asked as she cocked the rifle.

"That howl you heard belongs to creatures called LeBlancs. They're the mutated souls of the victims killed by Quincy arrows." The Wrangler said as they noticed Ichigo's window open and Rukia leap out in Soul Reaper garb with her Zanpakuto in hand. She froze when she saw the Wrangler.

"It's you! The Black Wrangler!" Rukia exclaimed.

"You catch on quick now stand perfectly still Rukia." The Wrangler said as she aimed her rifle at Rukia.

"What are you thinking?!" Ichigo asked as the barrel of the Wrangler's rifle glowed with a bright white light.

"Dekiagari-SHUI-KASAI!!!" the Wrangler shouted, sending a single beam of light straight at Rukia but it struck something in between her and the Wrangler.

"What the?!" Ichigo asked in disbelief as a massive Alligator like creature with white bone like armor, and a blue glow in the center of its chest and back appeared and then disintegrated like a Hollow after getting its mask cut in two.

"Was that a LeBlanc?!" Ichigo asked as the Wrangler nodded.

"Yes. That was only a seeker though, it's master is sure to be nearby." The Wrangler said as she grasped the rifle in both hands and it started glowing brightly.

"Strengthen Hensen Tatsujin!" the Wrangler ordered as the rifle morphed into a Thompson submachine gun. Her Zanpakuto had entered its Shikai form. (Hensen Tatujin: Change master)

"Whoa." Rukia said as the Wrangler aimed the gun straight up in the air and opened fire, sending a stream of glowing white bolts of energy into the air where they impacted against something unseen in the air. The Wrangler leapt out of the way just as something crashed against the ground. The dust cleared and revealed a large white armored creature with a more humanoid appearance but with a strange yet semi-familiar symbol on its back.

"Hey, haven't I seen that symbol before?" Ichigo asked as the Wrangler fired more shots into the creature.

"HEY WARN ME BEFORE YOU DO THAT!!!" Ichigo yelped as Wrangler shrugged.

"That symbol should be familiar to you Ichigo. That is the symbol of the Bounts and their dolls." The Wrangler said as Ichigo and Rukia blinked in surprise.

"A doll? This thing is a doll?" Ichigo asked as the Wrangler returned Hensen Tatsujin to its sealed form.

"Was a doll. It was killed by a Quincy's arrow and was mutated into this monstrosity." The Wrangler said as her Zanpakuto shaped back into its twin pistol form and she holstered the two weapons.

"A Quincy's arrow did this?" Ichigo asked as the Wrangler nodded. She quickly whipped out one of her pistols and fired a shot at the creature's head, slicing it in two as if it were a sword, and causing it to dissolve like a hollow.

"How did that happen? Why didn't our Soul pagers detect them?" Rukia asked as the Wrangler holstered the pistol.

"Because they were never designed to detect LeBlancs. When the hollows are mutated into a LeBlanc, their spiritual energy signature changes enough that ordinary scanners can't detect them at all. Dolls, like their Bount masters, are not detected by the same methods as detecting hollows are, but not even Mod souls can detect LeBlanc mutated dolls or Bounts for the same reason the scanners can't." The Wrangler said as Ichigo turned towards his house with a thoughtful look on his face.

"It was coming for Yuzu wasn't it?" Ichigo asked as the Wrangler nodded.

"Yes. It senses the spiritual pressure coming from all of you and from Yuzu especially. It came hunting for her…but I was hunting for it." The Wrangler sneered as she started walking away.

"Wait a minute! What if more of them come and you're not around to kill it? If Rukia and I didn't see them until you killed them then how do we defend against that?" Ichigo asked as the Wrangler paused.

"Simple. Take this." The Wrangler said as she tossed him and Rukia a pair of small white coin shaped objects with a single dark blue crisscrossing X on both sides.

"What is it?" Rukia asked.

"It's a special device I built for Soul pagers and Substitute Badges. Simply press it against the screen of the pager and under the skull of the badge and it will modify them accordingly. You'll still be able to detect hollows, don't worry. Any LeBlancs that get within a certain radius of your soul pagers will also be immediately revealed, so their invisibility will cease to work." The Wrangler said as the two complied and sure enough the coins dissolved into the devices.

"So how do we know if it's…working?" Ichigo asked as he and Rukia looked towards where the Wrangler was standing to see she had disappeared.

"I guess she's real after all Ichigo." Rukia said as Ichigo sighed and nodded.

"Come on; let's get inside before someone become's suspicious." Ichigo said as he and Rukia returned to the house.


The next morning…

"ICHIGO!!!" Keigo exclaimed as he came running down the hall at school but was clotheslined by Ichigo's arm.

"Keigo, hey!" Ichigo said, sounding uninterested.

"Hey there Ichigo. Anything new?" Mizuiro greeted as Ichigo shook his head.

"Nope not much." Ichigo said but as he turned the corner to his classroom he was greeted by…

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

"What the! Oh geez not you too!?!?" Ichigo groaned as he saw Yumichika and (a begrudging) Ikkaku doing the Don Kanonji laugh.

"I find the man himself to be quite ugly and his taste in clothes to be disgraceful but there is something about his antics that amuses me." Yumichika said as Ikkaku resisted the urge to murder his fellow squad mate.

"Ignore the pervert, bowl-cut, narcissist. He's been watching that damned show our landlord has been watching. Can you believe the nerve of that Kanonji guy thinking he can send spirits over to the other side?! Where the hell did he learn to Konso?!" Ikkaku growled as Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"I know the feeling." Ichigo mumbled as Rukia entered followed by Chad and Uryu.

"Why does that Keigo guy always keep charging at me?" Rangiku asked as she entered, causing all the men but Yumichika to sweat drop.

"Because of your chest size." Yumichika said casually as the men turned towards Rangiku for her reaction.

"Oh is that all? I always thought it he just liked jumping at people." Rangiku said with a shrug.

"Anyway. Where's Toshiro?" Ichigo asked.

"The Captain got a phone call last night to go to Urahara shop and so we did. We went there and Mr. Urahara gave us these strange things to enhance our Soul Pagers with. He said it was an upgrade." Rangiku said as she held up a pair of the LeBlanc coins.

"He wanted me to make sure that the two of you had them too." Rangiku added as Yumichika and Ikkaku shrugged and upgraded their pagers.

"That doesn't answer where the small fry is." Ichigo said. Then Rangiku's cell phone rang.

"Hello?" Rangiku answered.

"It's Hitsugaya. Have Madarame and Ayasegawa upgraded their pagers yet?" Toshiro asked from the other end on speaker phone.

"Yes Captain, they're all upgraded." Rangiku replied.

"Good. Urahara suggested that I go to the school Ichigo's sisters attend out of concern for their safety should anything happen to them. So that's where I'll be should anything come up." Toshiro said as Ikkaku grinned sinisterly.

"Elementary student." Ikkaku sniggered.

"I heard that Madarame!" Toshiro growled.

"So you're at my sisters' school?" Ichigo asked.

"Yes. Why?" Toshiro asked confused.

"Are you sure you're not just after Karin?" Ichigo asked knowingly. There was a noticeable pause before the dial tone was heard.

"I knew it!" Rangiku exclaimed.


At Karakura elementary…

Toshiro pocketed his Cell phone, blushing slightly at Ichigo's question.

Later at lunchtime, Toshiro was eating his lunch under a tree while watching Jinta and Karin fighting over who was really Karakura Red. Yuzu was simply looking around aimlessly with a hopeful expression.

"Yuzu Kurosaki, is there something wrong?" Toshiro asked, as he approached.

"Huh? Oh nothing Toshiro. I'm just eager to see spirits is all. I feel like I saw one yesterday morning. I can even feel these strange auras around some people as if there's some kind of great power within them. Yours is one of the most powerful." Yuzu said bashfully.

"Don't worry I think you might very well see one soon." Toshiro said with a soft smile.

"Thanks Toshiro. Hey, do you get the feeling you're being watched?" Yuzu asked as Toshiro started looking around but saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"Hey look." Uluru said as she approached and pointed up towards a tree branch. They followed her pointing to see a Great Black Hawk sitting on a tree branch, staring down at them. There was also a small black cat, carefully traversing the branch towards the Hawk.

"Oh that poor bird. WATCH OUT BIRD!!!" Yuzu shouted as the Hawk almost reactively turned towards the cat. Surprisingly the cat simply leapt down to a thicker branch so it could sit down more easily. Toshiro knew that the cat was Yoruichi by the spiritual pressure, but he couldn't tell if the bird was anything special or not.

"Actually the cat was in more danger. The Hawk is a bird of prey so it would probably eat the cat." Toshiro said as Yuzu whimpered and gave him a horrified look.

"AAH! Run away kitty! I'll catch you!" Yuzu exclaimed as she ran under the branch where the cat was sitting. Toshiro stood watching this whole ordeal with a look that said "Me and my big mouth." The cat looked down at Yuzu curiously. If one could look close enough, you could see an amused smirk across the cat's face before it jumped down into Yuzu's arms.

"Aww that's a good kitty." Yuzu cooed as she held the cat, which started purring loudly.

"Yuzu what the heck have you found now?" Karin asked as she approached.

"I found this poor kitty escaping that mean old hawk up there." Yuzu said as the cat's shoulders shook as if the animal was laughing. The hawk above looked mildly insulted as it rolled its eyes.

"You can't take it home you…know." Karin said as she looked at got a closer look at the cat with a curious expression. She was surprised when the cat winked at her and she immediately knew what the cat was.

"Oh great." Karin mumbled.

"What should I name him?" Yuzu asked as she nuzzled the kitty.

"Perhaps you should name her Yoruichi." Toshiro suggested as Yuzu pondered.

"Nah that's a terrible name." Yuzu said as the cat looked surprised and hurt at the same time. The hawk was doing its best to stay on the branch from laughing so hard.

"What about…Ooh I know! Snuggles!" Yuzu said happily as the cat, Karin, and Toshiro looked at her in disbelieving horror and the hawk finally fell off the branch while laughing.

"Wait a minute that's not your cat. That's Yoruichi, my manager's cat friend." Uluru said before getting a noogie from Jinta.

"If-Yuzu-wants-to-name-the-cat-snuggles-then-she-can-name-the-cat-snuggles-you-idiot!!!" Jinta growled before the cat hissed and Karin delivered a powerful kick to the boy's shin.

"Pick on somebody your own size!" Karin growled as Jinta started hopping on his one good foot in agony.

"Oh if this is someone else's kitty then I guess I should return her." Yuzu said with a disheartened sigh, and then she noticed something quite peculiar about the cat.

"Hey this cat has that weird aura too and it's stronger than Toshiro's." Yuzu said as Toshiro and Yoruichi exchanged knowing glances.

Suddenly Toshiro's cell phone started beeping. Toshiro quickly checked the scanner but the usual green blip was a light blue one. They then heard an unfamiliar shriek in the distance, prompting the hawk to take to the sky.

"What is that?" Yuzu asked worriedly as she held Yoruichi close.

"Something that isn't good." Jinta said as Toshiro stealthily ran off towards and behind a tree before quickly popping a soul candy into his mouth, shedding his Gigai, and giving chase.

"Where did Toshiro go?" Yuzu asked, not having witnessed the young Soul Reaper Captain running off.

"He's run off somewhere. He'll be back soon."Karin said, knowing where he truly went.


Meanwhile…

Toshiro was following the signal his Soul Pager was giving, getting closer and closer to the source of the signal. Suddenly he heard a loud boom that sounded like a gunshot and the signal faded.

Toshiro arched an eyebrow and drew his Zanpakuto, Hyorinmaru, before rounding the corner to see the fading body of a strange white creature with a light blue glow in its chest.

"Huh?" Toshiro asked confused. He then heard the call of a Hawk and saw the shadow of one passing over him. He looked up to see the same Great Black Hawk flying overhead back towards the school. He watched it as it flew off.

"Is that the Black Wrangler? Is that actually her? It would explain why Yoruichi wasn't afraid of it earlier. But what was that strange creature, it felt like a hollow but it was different somehow." Toshiro thought to himself as he turned and ran off back towards the school.


That evening…

Ichigo had gone out for some quick errand prior to going to the filming of Spirit Hunter that night and the Kurosaki family was waiting for his return. Rukia was even present, having arrived under the premise that she was going to go with them and that there was even a small group of friends who were going to join them soon.

"I am so excited. Maybe for once I'll actually get to see a spirit!" Yuzu said excitedly as she clutched "Bostov" (Cough K-o-n cough) tight against her chest.

"Spirits eh? Sounds like you've got the Kurosaki gift." Kaichou said with a caring smile.

"She and dad haven't ever seen an actual spirit before. Ichigo and I have seen 'em a lot." Karin grumbled.

"Amazing. I've never seen spirits either, though I can undoubtedly sense them." Kaichou said as the doorbell rang.

"I've got it." Rukia said as she headed for the door. It was Toshiro, Rangiku, and Renji.

"Captain." Rukia said softly at attention as the three entered.

"Hey Toshiro, you're going to watch Spirit Hunter too?" Karin asked as Toshiro nodded.

"I had nothing better to do and it sounded like fun." Toshiro said.

"What about the red headed sweeper jockey from that store Yuzu goes to all the time?" Karin asked as Renji silently pouted and mumbled obstinacies. He suddenly found his face plowed into the floor by Kaichou, who had her boot pressing down on the back of his head.

"I would appreciate it if you would kindly watch your language when referring to my niece." Kaichou said pointedly. Renji could only give a muffled "Uh-huh."

"Oh so you're Ichigo's aunt. Wow you're nicer looking than how Ichigo described you." Rangiku commented as Kaichou gave an innocent grin.

"Uh…thanks?" she said a bit confused.

"You did know that Ichigo was trying to dissuade his friend Mizuiro from being a pervert when he described her as such right?" Renji asked as Rangiku realized her error.

"Oh, my mistake." Rangiku said while blushing furiously with an innocent grin.

"So where's Ichigo?" Renji asked.

"He said he was running a quick errand and he would be back soon. I think he's trying to skip out on Don Kanonji really." Rukia said with a shrug as Isshin convulsed with horror.

"WHAT?! AND MISS ONE OF THE GREATEST SHOWS TO COME OUT OF KARAKURA TOWN?!?! BLASPHEMY!!!" Isshin shrieked before getting drop kicked by Karin.

"STOP SCREAMING!!!" She growled.

"What's everyone so excited about?" Ichigo asked as he entered the front door. He had a large paper sack in his hand.

"Ichigo you're back just in time." Kaichou said with a smile, before suddenly watching Isshin leap up and charge at him.

"YOU'RE LATE!!!" Isshin shouted as he launched into a flying kick. Ichigo however managed to duck, causing Isshin to miss completely.

"WILL YOU STOP DOING THAT!?!?" Ichigo growled before turning back to the others.

"Sorry I'm late, I just needed to get something real quick if I'm going to be within even a five block radius of Don Kanonji." Ichigo said as he opened the sack and reached inside.

"What would that be?" Rukia asked as Ichigo pulled out a hat that was exactly the same as Kisuke Urahara's.

"Simple…" Ichigo said as he donned the hat and pulled it over his hair. He then threw a scarf around his neck and over his mouth, "…a disguise."


End Chapter 6

(Static - fizzle - static)

(Title card appears with the following line…)

"LeBlanc Research Time."

Gin Ichimaru appears with his trademark expression holding a long white metal pointer in his hands.

"Hyah. Since myself, as well as Captains Aizen and Tosun, are not the main villains or featured at all in this story, the author has graciously allowed me to host the "LeBlanc Research Time." I'll be explaining to you all about the villains of this story who are known as LeBlancs. Let's begin with the basics shall we?" Gin said as the big screen behind him switches to a view of the LeBlanc "Seeker" that was killed earlier by the Wrangler.

"The LeBlancs are the unfortunate souls who have been slain by the Quincy and their arrows. This can be noticed by the glow in the LeBlanc's chest where the hole usually is. The LeBlancs are noticeable by their tendency to have white bone shaped armor, that glowing blue hole in their chests, and a blue glow in their eyes." Gin said as the screen switched to the LeBlanc with the Bount crest printed on it.

"Not all LeBlancs were Hollows. Naturally some were Bounts and their Dolls. I personally would like to see if there are any Soul Reaper type LeBlancs." Gin said as the screen suddenly switched to a live shot of Aizen.

"Did you mention that LeBlanc is French for white?" Aizen asked, startling Gin.

"You really like doing that don't you?" Gin asked with a sweat drop.

End