It has been a very long time, and yes, I am still here...

Well, anyway, since she asked me to continue.. So I did, though I had semi abandoned this story a loooooong time ago..

Disclaimer: i certainly did not own any right toward bleach and all of its wonderfull characters.

Ch.5 Fullbring promises

Tsukiko was so mad, mad to herself, mad for not being able to do anything while her friends suffer. She is so helplessly weak, not being able to help her friends pains her. She was training on the dojo to let out her frustration. Alas, no matter how much she trains she still can't free herself from felling weak. Her white dojo uniform damp with sweat. She was training from day to evening but none of it satisfy her.

Arisawa Tatsuki, the proud owner of the dojo strode down the wooden hall. She sighed as she watched her beloved daughter beat up herself. She was curious with her daughter sudden obsession with 'getting stronger'. Silently, she watched her daughter practicing various styles of karate. The determined face of her daughter brought a reminiscence of the past. It is to say that she knows how her daughter feels. She was placed on the same position as she is back on senior high. She knows what it felt to be powerless; not being able to do anything despite her best friend is in need of help. She had even punched Ichigo and shatters a glass window once because of her frustration. And so, she knows, she knows that she wont be getting anywhere with that kind of training alone. She had received a phone call from Ichigo, giving her information of what has happened before. I suppose it's time... Tatsuki thought.

As her daughter set another fighting pose, ready to continue her horrendous training. Tatsuki approached her, looking at her full of concern and guilt. She knew full well what would happen in she were to decide to awaken her daughter's powers. But she didn't want her to keep suffering as well...

"Tsukiko" Tatsuki called, despite then, she kept on punching on the poor wooden practice doll with all her might.

Why?! She wanted to scream. Asking the universe on her weakness.

Her mind brings her back to that day, when she was crouched uselessly on the ground as Hitomi was being drained away by the orb. How her best friend, despite all that happens, found the courage and resolve to wade trough the crushing weight of the heavy wave of reiatsu. And she was.. She was useless, she can't even stand, let alone walk. It pains her to know that just to be aware of her surrounding, to be conscious, has pushed her to her own limit.

Why am I so weak?!

And she punched again, not stopping despite her scraped hand, seared with blood.

"TSUKIKO" exclaimed Tatsuki as she stopped her daughter punch by holding her wrist tightly. "Stop it, you know that you won't be going anywhere if keep hurting yourself like this."

She knows that! She knows! But she has to try, to be stronger, to be able to stand beside her, watching her back..

"Tsu-"

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" she exclaimed as she pulls out her hand from Tatsuki's grip and ran.

Tatsuki was shocked by her daughter sudden outburst. She has never saw her daughter this troubled before.. Never the less, Tatsuki knew where she would go and decided to follow after her, but she is not in a hurry. She realized that maybe, she should give her some time to cool her head down. She sighed again as she stepped out of her dojo. She sincerely hoped that she is able to calm down soon, otherwise, she wont be able to bring it trough her head..

As Tsukiko broods over her lack of power, Shidou was out on an abandoned building on the far back of the town. He found out it was an appropriate place to train. Despite Ichigo's protest that he has to take more rest after he has just recovered from his injuries, he started to do his own training. Jogging, doing some random punches... Any thing that could make him stronger, for the sake of his friends.

"Shidou!" exclaimed a man that was running towards him. Upon a closer inspection, it was his brother, Kiryuu that was running out of breath. "thanks god I found you" he said with extreme relief. "When Kurosaki-san said that you're injured, I.. I thought that.." he stopped talking as he was evening his raged breath. His short breath was more from the panic that his little brother was missing. He nearly went to a shock after looking at the empty hospital bed on the Kurosaki clinic when he was about to take him home.

"Bro.."

"What are you doing here? We should head back, now. You have just healed your injuries, you should get some rest" Kiryuu said full of concern to his brother.

"No." replied his brother.

"What?!" he gasped. This is rare... His brother rarely retaliates. It was a surprise to him that he did now. Kiryuu frowned, he gazed at his brother suspiciously. "This is for your own good you know? Don't strain yourself with hard training, you are powerful enough as it is" he said, trying to talk to his brother some sense.

"No I'm not.." he replied with a sober expression as he recalled his pathetic attempt at saving his friend lives. "It's not enough, I have to get stronger... so that I will be of use.. " he lifted his head up, showing the fiery resolve on his eyes. "So that, it will never happen again."

Kiryuu was stunned, that's an understatement. He never thought he would see the day his brother saying more than several words.

He sighed ad his brother's hand slipped from his hands. He was moved, Seeing the resolve his brother had. 'I guess I got no choice' he mulled without reverting his gaze from Shidou for even a moment.

The sun was gleaming gold, coloring its fellow surroundings with clear yellow and orange light. A lone teenage girl was sitting on a swing inside an empty park. It was a very important place for her; it was where she would retreat when she was down and the place where most of her childhood memories came from. She could even still remember the time she meet her best friend back on the elementary years. She could remember that time when the said best friend gave her the present that she treasured even now.

They were that close, a true sisters despite not having any kind of blood relationship.

She kept her heads down all the while, she didn't even respond as another one sat on the swing beside her. A silent breeze blows trough the park, swinging the other empty swing several step across which produced a creak on the slight movement.

With a deep breath, the silence was broken. "Look" Tatsuki said, gazing on her daughter dreary posture. "I know that it hard for you to go trough all these.. I.. I have once felt it as well."

No response. She kept looking down, not knowing what to do, or need to do. She is lost.

"If you truly wanted to get stronger.. Then I am able to help you." Tatsuki said. And this time, she succeeds on getting her daughter's attention. "a way to fight the hollows"

In that second Tsukiko gaped at her mother like a gold fish. "You.. Can.. What?" she stuttered at her mother's response. She was trying to catch the word, but it was hard to grasp. She was desperate to get stronger, to be of help. Can it be? She finally found her way?

"Help you to gain your power." Tatsuki said as she looked at her daughter eyes.

So uhh... Review anyone? ^.^'