Disclaimer: Bleach is owned and written by Tite Kubo and Shonen Jump Magazine. This piece of fiction is not being written for profit, but simply to deal with some monster creativity bunnies I have.

Reviews are welcome, and constructive criticism even more so (I don't mind if you're blunt, but please don't be abusive). Flames will be used to keep me warm at night.

Welcome to QueenPersephoneofHades, Thunder Claw03, Jman12394, solitus, Ash Devil Sadist, adrien skywalker, Blackout1170, SHONENJUMP Guy, violentyetawsome, Charosi zdelajiet, Leon the Bulletproof, TrueSeeker, meeresstern1983, Saturn Lover, and X3n0s, all of whom saw fit to put me on either Story Alert and/or Favorite Story; I hope I continue to justify those decisions.

Four months again (actually a little over that). Sigh... I have had a lot of things happening to me over that time span that took me away from writing, and the fact that I wound up re-writing this chapter almost from scratch at one point didn't help. Other than that, I'm going to let you people decide what kind of person I am for letting you wait this long (I don't feel happy with myself, but I'm not going to try and read your minds, either), and continue on with writing the next chapter to this story.

In any case, I hope you all enjoy this chapter...

Shaolin sighed sadly as she saw the flashing lights of an ambulance parked outside the Kurosaki Clinic. She wasn't surprised by its existence; if Chad's wounds were as bad as Isshin had made them out to be, the young man would need more care than a simple clinic could provide.

It pained the assassin that once again she was trying hard not to run as she approached the building and the vehicle; her feelings were much the same as they had been a few days ago.

The difference was that this time she knew there would be a mess waiting for her here.

Shaolin spared a quick glance at her 'companion'. Rukia was matching the ex-shinigami's brisk stride, a look of determination on her young face.

It didn't sit well with Shaolin, having the Kuchiki heiress coming along for the ride, but she'd been tired when she'd left Furin Hall. By the time the assassin realized that she was being followed it was too late to simply send the younger girl home.

The ex-shinigami was coming for the sake of Ichigo, but now Rukia might also meet Isshin face-to-face, something the man would probably not be enthused about.

The Kurosaki patriarch had been in hiding from the Gotei 13 for the last...had it really been something like three decades?

And now Shaolin, a friend, was bringing a full member of that organization right up to him for a good close-up look.

This was not going to end well, was it?

"What?"

Rukia's arch question brought Shaolin up short, and she suddenly realized she'd been looking a little too uncomfortably at the girl. Rukia had an eyebrow raised in an expression that said she was clearly waiting for an answer.

The ex-shinigami sighed and thought for a moment of what to say, and then she realized it didn't matter.

If Mei Xing was in Karakura, the game might be up anyway.

Still, it was better to be at least a little careful.

"Please don't make a scene when we get there."

That comment made Rukia start and then gain a sarcastic expression on her face.

"I'll try not to offend anyone while there with my presence, if that's what you're implying."

Then her mood seemed to take a more sour edge.

"After all, I'm only here to make sure my powers are all right..."

Shaolin heard the hurt note in the girl's voice, and she felt bad for a moment. Then she shook it away and nodded her head.

"Good, because the boy's father might want to have a serious chat with you about corrupting his son and heir."

Rukia started again, and then her eyes gained a small amount of curiosity in them, even as she obviously bit back another crack.

They were now close enough that the ex-shinigami could see the orderlies from Ryuuken's hospital slowly wheeling out a gurney and IV with a massive load on it. Following not far behind them was Isshin, a concerned yet serious look on his face as he conversed with his counterparts on Chad's condition.

"Shaolin...I'm detecting a familiar signature..."

"Not now, Hana..."

The ex-shinigami breathed the words, even as she began to sense something that made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end.

She had other things to worry about at the moment.

As soon as he noticed Shaolin, Isshin waved a hand in her direction. He froze imperceptibly as he saw Rukia, and the ex-shinigami took a quick glance to see how her 'companion' would react to seeing the man.

Rukia had not the slightest bit of recognition in her eyes.

That fact caused a wave of relief to flood through the assassin, and she could tell from his eyes that Isshin felt the same way. Emergency done, the doctor put on the best smile he could considering the circumstances.

"Shaolin-san, I'm so glad you're here. Ichigo's been...let's just say he's not exactly happy with what happened just now."

"Really? We could not tell..."

The ex-shinigami nodded her head at that, even as she ignored Hana's comment.

"I heard on the phone, remember? How's Sado-san?"

Isshin waved a hand at the ambulance.

"See for yourself."

Shaolin and Rukia turned and walked to the ambulance just as the other men were beginning to load Chad into it. The orderlies turned some of their attention to the approach of the two women, and sensing what the visitors were here for the men slowed their efforts just a hair.

"Thank you."

Shaolin mouthed the words even as she took a look at what was left of Ichigo's friend.

He was wrapped up in bandages over most of his torso, and his normally bronzed skin was pale. The assassin tried to keep out the monotonous beeping of the heart monitor in the inside of the vehicle; it would just draw her attention to the other pieces of equipment that Chad was being hooked up to like the breathing apparatus supplying Chad with some extra oxygen.

But what was making the ex-shinigami's heart crash was the 'scent' of Hollow reiatsu that was all over the boy. He stank of it, and she was sure his wound were even more fouled with the stuff. She silently thanked the gods that where he was going, something could be done about it.

"Shaolin...it was definitely the Shrieker who attacked Sado-san... I am sorry."

The words made Shaolin go cold, and even as the orderlies continued to do their work she could feel fresh shame wash through her.

This was so like six years before...

She'd failed someone again...

And all because she was trying to take care of some personal matter at the expense of everyone and everything else.

Because she felt she knew best...

The doors closed, and after another moment the ambulance turned its siren on and quickly left for the hospital, leaving Shaolin and Rukia alone with Isshin in front of the Kurosaki Clinic.

The ex-shinigami could feel her shoulders sagging before a hand fell on one of them. Turning around, she could see Isshin looking at her with a kindly expression.

"I know it looks bad, but Sado-san seems to be in remarkable condition for what he suffered. Believe it or not, he's probably going to be all right, though I think he's going to want to keep his shirt on in public from now on."

Shaolin glared at her friend over the crack, even as she felt her mood lighten just a hair.

Ridiculous as the words sounded, she trusted Isshin's opinion about Ichigo's friend.

It made her feel a little less useless.

After a moment of waiting for the ex-shinigami to say or do something, Isshin made a point of arching an eyebrow and turning his attention to Rukia.

"And who is your friend, Shaolin-san?"

The words jolted Shaolin and she turned her attention to Rukia. The older woman managed a slight nod in the direction of her counterpart.

"Oh...I'm sorry Isshin-san. This is Kuchiki Rukia... Kuchiki-san...this is Kurosaki Isshin, Ichigo's father."

Rukia took a moment to look at Shaolin with concern, and then put on a very pleasant smile as she looked at the doctor she'd been formally introduced to.

"It's very nice to meet you, sir. I-"

"Rukia, there you are!"

All three of them were caught short by Ichigo's outburst from the door of the clinic; Rukia in particular was turning a bright shade of red at the use of her given name in the public space.

And the suddenly curious look Isshin threw her way didn't help.

"Uh...Kurosaki-san, I just came by to..."

Rukia's attempt to try and verbally get Ichigo to calm down failed miserably. By the look on his face, the young man was in no mood to talk; he made straight for his friend at a speed just shy of running, visibly ignoring the fact that he was moving a little stiffly. As he reached the trio, he cast a glare at his father, and then turned his full attention to Rukia.

"Look, we've got to go, Rukia. I need to find the sonofva-"

Shaolin found herself a little energized by the situation; she moved to place a hand on her godson.

"Ichigo-"

He shrugged her off, casting another silent glare her way. The ex-shinigami shrank back a little from the look, shame surging a little in her again, and that gave the young man the opening to grab Rukia's arm.

"C'mon, you help me out."

Rukia looked like she wanted to do no such thing.

"Ichigo...you don't understand-ouch!"

Ichigo had squeezed her arm enough to hurt her a little, and the girl's expression quickly became one of anger. She raised her free arm to slap him, regardless of the company around them.

"Let go of me, you-!"

"Son-"

Now Ichigo didn't even bother to look at any of them as he spoke, keeping his eyes instead cast down on the ground.

"My friend's almost been killed. I'm going after whoever it was, and I'm not letting any of you stop me."

His voice was more determined than angry now, which some part of Shaolin considered a good sign, but there was also a desperation in his voice, a sense of shame.

To their surprise, Ichigo then let go of Rukia and glanced at the assassin again.

"If you want to help, you can come. Otherwise stay out of my way."

The ex-shinigami found herself rooted to the spot by the young man's eyes. He was serious about this, she could tell, and the look on his face showed he was waiting for her decision.

Her pause was apparently enough decision for him. He immediately started running off to the streets, trying to head in what Shaolin could only think was a random direction.

Only now did it suddenly seem to occur to Rukia that her friend was really going without her. Her expression went from annoyed at his earlier actions, to stunned that he'd left her, and then to outrage and hurt that he'd left her behind.

"Hey, Ichigo, wait up!"

And soon Rukia was speeding off after him, all thoughts of the adults apparently out of her head.

All Shaolin found herself capable of was standing there like an idiot, watching them leave.

"And you plan to do what about this?"

Hana's words jolted the ex-shinigami; the teens might be headed off to their doom in the state they were in. Stuffing as much of her feelings down into herself as she could, Shaolin started to go off after the two teenagers when she felt a hand grab her arm.

She turned and noticed Isshin shaking his head, a sight that caused her eyes to go wide.

"Isshin, your son and Kuchiki-san are..."

The doctor took a look in the direction Ichigo and Rukia had torn off in with a sadly wistful look, one complimented with a sigh.

"Let them go, Shaolin."

"What?!"

"Interesting tactic..."

Isshin turned his attention her way.

"A friend of his nearly got killed today and he blames himself. I've gone through that before, and I can't say I handled it much better when I was...well, sort of his age..."

He took a closer look at her, a sympathetic expression in his eyes.

"And as I recall, you still feel like that from time to time, don't you?"

"... He is right about that, Shaolin."

Memories flooded the assassin's mind about the time after Masaki's death, after she'd managed to put herself back together. She found herself nodding at both Isshin and Hana's words.

"Yeah...I do... But he could be in danger..."

The doctor shrugged, even as he turned and started making his way back to the front door of the clinic.

"Are you going to try and stop him? I mean, you could go and physically drag him back here, but I think you already tried that tonight..."

"If it makes you feel better, I do not sense Shrieker anywhere in the area..."

Shaolin found her shoulders sagging, even as she continued to nod her head again. She wanted to go, but...

Some part of her decided that a change in subject would be a good idea.

"How are the girls?"

Isshin seemed confused for a moment, and then realized which set of girls his friend was talking about. He made a show of thinking about the matter, something which didn't set the ex-shinigami at ease.

"Arisawa-san is actually in really good condition; some scrapes and cuts, none of them really deep... Your student did well out there, better than she had any right to."

Shaolin nodded at that, even as she felt a little pride warm her and push back the bad feelings.

"She always was pretty tough. And Inoue-san?"

Isshin's face became more serious, and it caused the ex-shinigami's heart to sink back down a little.

"She's been beaten up pretty bad; nothing like Sado-san, of course, but she's going to be staying here for a day or two to heal up. Still, there's no permanent damage, something I'm sure the young men of Karakura will be thankful of..."

"I am so sure..."

Shaolin couldn't help but smirk at that.

"Would that Ichigo be thankful of that."

She looked up and found the doctor arching an eyebrow in interest, and the ex-shinigami couldn't help but shrug.

"She 'likes' him, Isshin-san, if you get my meaning..."

Now the look on his face was one of serious consideration, no doubt about the suitability of the girl for his son. Shaolin couldn't help but shake her head at that, and she decided yet another change in subject was called for before the conversation became the wrong kind of 'uncomfortable'.

Her voice became more quiet as she voice another concern.

"I bet they're scared out of their minds..."

To her surprise, the doctor started shaking his head.

"Actually, they're handling it pretty well, considering what they just went through. In fact, Inoue-san in particular seems to not have been affected by...well, just the insanity of 'the event'."

Shaolin nodded her head again, absorbing the information, even as she noticed that they were walking towards the door of the clinic.

"That's good. I'll talk to them a little, and then I'll..."

She shook her head in frustration and sighed; she felt so helpless...

"I'll do I-don't-know-what with Ichigo and Kuchiki-san."

Isshin nodded his head at that, and then an odd look came to his eye.

"Now that I've told you about everyone, I need to ask if you know anything."

The words caught the ex-shinigami by surprise.

"What are you-?"

"Shaolin-san, level with me. I may not be able to see spirits anymore, but I can tell the remains of a battle with a powerful Hollow when I see them. And you're telling me that three teenagers with absolutely no training – no powers whatsoever – managed to survive an encounter with one?"

The ex-shinigami felt more than a little uneasy at the implications.

"I figured Isshin-san would have thought of that... What do you say to him?"

Shaolin stood still for a moment, and then sighed and looked down to the ground.

"Mei Xing is here."

There was no response for a moment, and all the ex-shinigami could do was stand there and wallow in her own shame.

"That fruitcake? Hmmm..."

Isshin's words made Shaolin snap her head back up; the doctor looked more thoughtful than worried, and when he saw his friend's reaction he favored her with a smile.

"At least I know she's out there. Is she here right now?"

The ex-shinigami made a scan of the area, but saw nothing; Mei Xing hadn't staked the place out, as far as Shaolin could tell.

Though that didn't mean much.

She turned back to the doctor and quietly shook her head; Isshin's smile broadened a little as they made their way into the waiting room.

"Well, I'm glad I don't have to worry about another visit tonight. I'm tired."

All Shaolin could do was stare at him in shock.

"Isshin-san, what about Ichigo? What about you? What if she-?"

He raised a mischievous eyebrow.

"So who are you going to bodyguard, then? I'll tell you I find it more than a little weird that my son and I are rivals for your affection..."

Now Shaolin's jaw dropped while her eyes threatened to pop out of their sockets; she could feel Hana's amusement.

"Isshin!"

The man seemed to ignore Shaolin's discomfort, only making a show of speculating about something.

"I didn't know my son had gotten that mature..."

The ex-shinigami started to splutter, even as she could feel Hana roaring with laughter. It took Shaolin a minute to get herself back together and speak.

"Kurosaki Isshin, what the hell are you...?!"

She stopped when she saw that the doctor's face had become more serious, though kind.

"You were getting all mopey there. Do you feel any better now?"

She stopped short at the words and thought for a moment, and then nodded when she realized the exchange had actually gotten her mind a little off of her self-hatred. She felt a little embarrassed now, actually.

"Yeah, thanks. But, Isshin-san if my cousin is here..."

"If that woman was a danger to my boy, he wouldn't have come home today; same holds for that Kuchiki girl. I think they have more to worry about from stray Hollows than anything else. And as far as I know, he seems to have been taking care of that well enough."

Shaolin wanted to protest, but then realized that the doctor was probably right. She found herself nodding again, though more reluctantly this time.

"What do you want me to do, then?"

Isshin simply shrugged.

"Visit your students, make your next plans. I trust your judgment, Shaolin, even if you don't."

He pointed down a short hallway.

"Arisawa-san and Inoue-san are that way, to the left. Me, I'm headed off to bed now."

He made a show of yawning and stretching himself.

"I suggest you do the same once you're done with them and Ichigo. You look like hell."

The assassin couldn't help giving a rueful smile at Isshin's back.

"Same to you."

She watched her friend disappear into the residential part of the building, and then started on her way to where Isshin had indicated.

"Are you thinking what I am thinking?"

The tone of Hana's voice made clear her concern, as well as a little weariness that had nothing to do with the hour.

Shaolin found herself nodding just as wearily; she could feel something draining out of her soul even as she walked over to the door to the patients' room. As she did so, she found the stench of Shrieker's energies increasing; no doubt it would be here for days, though most of the household would probably not notice it.

"That Tatsuki-chan wouldn't have gotten involved in this mess if I hadn't decided to live in Karakura...?"

"Then she might have not survived tonight."

The words brought the assassin up short, even as she felt the blood drain from her face.

"What?"

There was a pause, and she could feel Hana gathering her thoughts.

"Arisawa-san and the others live here, Shaolin, and they would have done so regardless of where you chose to live; they would likely have met Shrieker anyway. And if that was the case, and they had no association with you, your cousin wouldn't have had reason to intervene..."

Shaolin was able to visualize in her mind's eye three battered bodies lying in some forgotten part of Karakura, with no one really looking for them for days.

"I am just curious what she would want..."

"One thing at a time, Hana. First I talk to the girls, and then we deal with other stuff."

There was a pause.

"Agreed."

Shaolin reached for the door, and then felt a minor panic attack.

"I know what Isshin said, but the girls must still be pretty shaken up, Hana... And I let that happen to them..."

The ex-shinigami could feel the mod-soul shaking her non-existent head.

"No you did not. There was no way you could have known, especially not with Ichigo-san there beside you... Or are you going to blame him for what happened?"

Shaolin's eyes went wide, and she instinctively turned her head to face the person she knew would be there.

"Of course not, it's just..."

"Then do not worry about the condition of the girls until you actually see them, all right?"

The ex-shinigami at first didn't want to listen to the calm words her friend was giving her, but then she forced herself to relax and nodded her head reluctantly.

"All right... Thank you, Hana..."

"You are quite welcome, Shaolin."

The assassin took a cleansing breath, calmed herself further and then released it as she turned the knob and entered the room.

It was one of the larger spaces in the clinic, a quiet room with pastel blue walls and four beds made out for patients. Right now only one was occupied, namely the one with Orihime, with Tatsuki sitting at the side.

Shaolin's heart sank a little as she saw the bandages on Orihime's body; she appeared to have a cast on her side that gave her a stiff look. But there still was that happy spark in her gray eyes and a smile on her lips, and she seemed to have been in animated conversation with her companion.

Tatsuki actually looked worse at first glance; she was still in her tattered school-clothes and her hair was disheveled. There were a few bandages and bruises, but nothing worse than what she'd sometimes had to deal with at the dojo.

There was a more serious air about the brunette, though, and the ex-shinigami could tell there was something on the girl's mind; she seemed to be only half-listening to Orihime.

Both girls turned their attention to the entrance and the looks on their faces turned into ones of relief and joy.

Even through her haze of self-recrimination, Shaolin could only feel a guilty pain at the sight; she felt she deserved to be yelled at by those two, not warmly greeted.

The assassin walked over to the bedside, and Orihime gave a huge smile that was completely at odds with her situation.

"Oh, sensei, I'm so glad to see you! You wouldn't believe what happened...!"

A cold feeling in the pit of Shaolin's stomach appeared at Orihime's words, but she managed to put on a smile for the girls.

"It's okay, Inoue-san. I've already seen Sado-san; I've been told he's going to be all right..."

Orihime just looked at the older woman with what could almost be described as wide-eyed excitement. She knew what Isshin had said, but it still almost blew the ex-shinigami's mind the disconnect that seemed to exist.

"That's great! But it was horrible, sensei; Those bikers, the White Tengu, attacked us while we were out on the street and..."

As she related the tale, Shaolin tried to keep her expression and demeanor calm and controlled. She understood now that the poor girl must be in shock and...

And then she saw the look on Tatsuki's face, the wide eyes and stunned expression. It only lasted for a moment, until the girl figured out that her sensei had noticed; Tatsuki turned her face away again, but it was enough.

It suddenly hit the assassin that Tatsuki had seen Shrieker.

The girl knew about the Hollows now.

Some part of the ex-shinigami didn't particularly want to be here anymore; she wanted to tear out of the room right then, rather than stay and face her student.

And another part was cursing her cousin. Mei Xing hadn't erased the girls' memories...and it was too late now to do so.

Shaolin suddenly wished she'd killed the woman some time in the past; it wasn't like she hadn't had opportunities...

"Sensei, are you okay...?"

At Orihime's question, Shaolin managed to snap herself back into the moment. She put on the best smile she could, even though the action sickened her.

"I'm fine, Inoue-san. I'm just glad the two of you are all right."

She paused and looked at Tatsuki, who was still sitting quietly in her chair.

"The two of you are all right?"

Even as Orihime nodded her head vigorously, Tatsuki seemed to come out of a trance. She turned to Shaolin and nodded her own head, though the look in her eyes was troubled; doubtless she saw the troubled look in the assassin's own eyes that belied the smile.

"Yeah, yeah, we're fine, sensei..."

She turned her attention to her friend.

"Orihime...would you mind if sensei and I had a moment alone...?"

The ginger-haired student stopped and looked back at her friend. There was a new intensity in her eyes that made Orihime look very unsure for a moment.

"Okay, Tatsuki-chan..."

The brunette nodded at that, and then headed for the door; Shaolin followed and soon the two women were out in the hallway, neither knowing what to say or do for a moment. And then the assassin dropped her smile and gave her best student as serious a look as she could.

"What did you want to talk to me about?"

Tatsuki looked like she was going to say something for a moment, and then wasn't sure of herself. The ex-shinigami tried to put on a comforting smile.

"Go ahead and speak your mind; I'll listen, but try to keep in mind where we are..."

Tatsuki nodded at that and then seemed to think for a moment more before looking at Shaolin with a serious expression.

"Sensei...we did run into the White Tengu, and we did have a fight with them...at least Chad and I did...but..."

She looked hesitant again, but then sighed and shook her head.

"And then this monster came out of nowhere, and..."

The assassin waited for a moment for her student to continue, and then she noticed that Tatsuki's shoulders began slumping, and there was a haunted look in the younger woman's eyes. And a searching look as well, too see if she would be rejected by her teacher.

Shaolin could only try to keep the calm look on her face, even as she began to wonder if she was going to lose someone else in her life tonight.

"Tatsuki-chan...?"

The brunette student just closed her eyes and looked like she was trying to hold back some tears.

"You know what I'm talking about, don't you sensei?"

The ex-shinigami found herself wanting to say some sort of comforting lie, but found that melting away even as she opened her mouth.

"Tatsuki, I..."

Shaolin froze when Tatsuki opened her eyes again. There was a look of betrayal, of pain, and the assassin found herself unable to speak.

"You fight those things, don't you?"

All Shaolin could do was nod and try not to wither in the gaze. And then the heat left Tatsuki's eyes and she looked away.

"I couldn't fight, sensei...I ran... I abandoned my friend and I ran as fast as I could..."

Tatsuki didn't seem to be crying or sad; she was more tired. Possibly it was from the shock of the event; the crying would come later.

Shaolin felt like an idiot now, for her earlier comments on how tough the girl in front of her was. The Shrieker – any Hollow for that matter – was not something for the faint-hearted, and the ex-shinigami was seeing that now, being reminded of that.

But she needed to do something.

Shaolin gathered herself and gave as warm a smile as she could; she tried to keep the guilt out of her own expression and voice as she spoke.

"Inoue-san and Sado-san are alive, though. And I get the feeling it had something to do with you."

Tatsuki smirked at that and shook her head a little, and then she opened her eyes to look off into empty space. The sight heartened the assassin; maybe her student wasn't as broken as she'd thought.

"Yeah, maybe... I've never been so scared of anything in my life, sensei."

She took a moment to look at one of her hands, which she clenched and opened as she spoke.

"But I guess I found something in me..I don't know. I did help out in the end, and I think I drove it off somehow..."

Shaolin's smile widened in relief at the reluctant admission; she could feel the same emotion coming from Hana.

"And you were proud of Ichigo. At least he had a zanpaktou with him..."

The ex-shinigami could only agree with her friend, and she made a decision at that point.

Not that she had much choice at this point, but Shaolin could feel some chains breaking in her soul at this point, some part of herself being unlocked. She had a feeling she was going to be doing more of that tonight.

"To answer your earlier question, I do hunt those things... I've been doing it for most of my life, Tatsuki-chan, and I'm so sorry that all of you have gotten caught up in this."

She got down on her knees and started putting her face to the floor in front of her student. The action made her feel much better, though she could almost feel the shock coming from Tatsuki.

"Sensei, what are you-?"

"Please forgive me for the trouble I have caused all of you."

There was a pause, while Shaolin waited for her student's reaction.

Then she heard Tatsuki sigh.

"Sensei, get your ass up; it's too late for that kind of thing, and besides you're sounding like Orihime when you do that."

For just a moment, there was a flicker of anger in the ex-shinigami at Tatsuki's tired dismissal of the show of abasement.

Did the woman not realize what she was getting, and abject apology from her own sensei?

But then the anger died as she remembered what Tatsuki was like. Shaolin managed to pick herself back up, and when she did she saw a small smile on Tatsuki's tired face.

"Sorry, but you need to get your butt in gear and take that thing out before it does any more damage."

The assassin nodded her head, though she knew how likely she was going to be able to fulfill that request. She looked intently at Tatsuki.

"What are you going to do?"

The girl thought for a moment, and then finally decided to shrug.

"I don't know; I'll think of something. I'm definitely not going to breathe a word about this to anyone..."

Shaolin nodded her head.

"That's good. Look, I need to take care of something right now; I'll look in on you two later, okay?"

The brunette student gave her own nod and then started for the door, while Shaolin turned and made her way to the entrance of the clinic.

"Sensei, before you go...?"

Shaolin turned to Tatsuki and saw an unsure look return to the teenager's eyes. She looked like she wanted to say something again, but just as the ex-shinigami was about to prod her, Tatsuki shook her head and a sort of earnestness returned to her expression.

"Sensei...I'm not angry with you... I mean, I know you've lied to me, but it was for a good purpose."

The young woman gained a rueful smile on her face.

"I probably would have thought you were nuts if you'd told me..."

The ex-shinigami found she couldn't help but smile back.

"Yeah, you probably would..."

"I just wanted to let you know that. So you don't think I hate you."

Shaolin felt something inside her...she wasn't sure what it was. Part of her wanted to deny Tatsuki's words, but mostly...

Mostly she felt it easier to smile now.

"Thank you, Tatsuki-chan."

Shaolin saw the girl smile a little at the honorific, and she turned and headed out of the clinic. She had some work to do concerning a certain orange-haired young man and his sidekick.

"See, that went better than you thought it would, did it not?"

As she made her way outside, away from the stench of Hollow and the other strong reiatsu, the ex-shinigami found herself shaking her head.

"It was only just, Hana, but you were right."

As Shaolin made her way away from the building and down the street, one thought couldn't keep from entering her mind.

"It's happened again, just like before... And I..."

"You are not dealing with children this time. You are dealing with people who might be able to help you out, help you in defending this city if you let them."

The assassin found herself chuckling just a little.

"That is, if I haven't pissed Ichigo off too much."

"Or Kuchiki-hime. … You do sound better, though."

Shaolin thought about that for a moment.

"I still don't feel good, but this isn't going to work. Not the way things are going."

"So what are you going to do? Chase after the two of them?"

The assassin shook her head again, only now a slightly evil smile crept along her face.

"I know where he's going to wind up, and besides that I can give him a wonderful lesson about not taking the Living World for granted."

There was a pause, and Shaolin could feel her friend's trepidation.

"What are you going to-?"

"Nothing really bad, but if he's going to insist on putting his obasan through hell, I think she's allowed to do the same."

Hana seemed to decide not to press the matter, and it gave Shaolin time for her mind to wander.

This really was like six years ago; the encounter with Tatsuki especially so. And the dilemma that was affecting her decisions now was the same as back then...

She couldn't help but see the images flow through her mind as she tried to figure out where her godson might be...

Shaolin knew how a Hollow felt now, or at least she felt like she did.

As she made her way along the landscaped riverbank of Karakura, she only just barely registered the buildings she was passing by, the green grass leading to the water's edge, or the bright blue sky above her.

Her whole world was gray, centered on herself and no one else.

She'd left Hana back at the Hall for a while...

It wasn't quite right, but...the ex-shinigami knew she just needed some time to herself. Just needed to get away for a while and rest her mind.

Try to figure out what to do.

She ignored the other people out on the road. Some part of her mind dismissed them as 'mere humans', not worthy of notice at a time like this.

And yet they were the reason people like Shaolin had gone out to fight the Hollows, to protect them from those horrors.

Except she'd failed the ones that mattered most to her...

The assassin stopped and closed her eyes as the hot tears began to flow from her eyes again.

If only she'd been a little faster.

If only she'd been more careful in dealing with the Kurosakis...

If only...

Shaolin felt herself deflate some more as she shook her head and tried to look at the situation realistically.

Masaki was dead, killed in front of her son.

Her family was shattered; images of two four year old girls crying as their father tried his best not to fall apart in front of them filled Shaolin's head, and she felt the tears start to flow more freely. She turned herself towards the river so that any passersby wouldn't notice as much.

Karin and Yuzu would never really know their mother.

Isshin now had the burden of raising his three children by himself, with only a cold bed to greet him each evening.

Ichigo, despite the ex-shinigami's measures, would almost certainly be traumatized for the rest of his days.

And even though she'd spent weeks searching night and day, tearing the whole of the Home Islands apart, she couldn't find any trace of Grand Fisher.

Shaolin was worthless.

She stood there for...she didn't know how long, really...silently berating herself and beginning to realize that maybe Shinji had been right after all.

She'd been a fool to stay here, hadn't she?

Trying to make a life for herself, trying to pretend that she belonged to part of a larger community.

Opening her heart to others...

She just wanted to close up her heart, close up the Hall, close up her life...

And find a hole somewhere where she could bury herself so she wouldn't be able to screw up anymore.

She figured no one would care.

Certainly not Sokken and his son, who she was sure would never forgive her for this; Ryuuken had already been casting suspicious glances Shaolin's way, as though what had happened with Grand Fisher had been intentional.

The assassin opened her eyes and looked out over the waters of the river she was beside; it really was a beautiful summer day, when she stopped to look at it.

Not like the darkness and mud in her nightmares lately.

Maybe she'd just sit here, like she had when she'd first arrived in the Living World, and wait until the Hollows came for her. Maybe it wouldn't be Hiyori this time, and Shaolin would get the fate she...

A movement in the corner of her eye caused Shaolin to turn her attention further along the riverbank. It was just a matter of curiosity, nothing else; she'd see what it was and then turn herself back to the river and her own thoughts.

And then she realized that she was looking at Ichigo.

The orange-haired boy was in t-shirt, shorts and backpack, looking for all the world like he was just pausing for a moment at the riverbank before heading off to school.

Shaolin thought about ignoring the child; she had her own problems to deal with, and besides that she doubted Isshin wanted her anywhere near his family right now.

She began walking some more, trying to think of where the best place to go to would be. Maybe back to Bavaria; she hadn't been there in a long time, decades in fact...

The idea was starting to feel good.

It would be like eighty years ago, getting away from everything here.

And then she focused in again on the world around her and noticed that her steps had taken her closer to Ichigo. The ex-shinigami was maybe two or three meters from him now, and when she looked at him, she could see that he was still standing in the same spot he'd been in before.

She wondered for a moment why she'd come over here. All that she could see was a boy looking out over the river...

But there was something wrong, and despite herself, Shaolin continued watching Ichigo.

What is he doing?

He continued to stand there for a moment, and then he started to turn on his heel and walk away from her, parallel to the river. He went a few steps, head turned down, and then turned around and started walking back the other way. He walked for a while longer, and then turned around, finished the circuit and began it over again.

The assassin's feelings of misery and self-loathing began to dissipate a little as her curiosity grew. She felt an understandably sad air coming from the boy, but beyond that she couldn't figure out what he was hoping to accomplish.

Some still-rational part of her mind did understand that he needed to get to school.

For another moment she thought about what to do, even as she saw Ichigo go back to standing by the riverbank, looking out over the water.

And then the realization hit Shaolin like a tsunami.

Part of her wanted to quietly run from this place, to get her worthless self as far away from the boy as she could.

Part of her wanted to simply stand there and finish melting into her overwhelming feelings of grief and shame.

But for some reason she found herself walking over to where Ichigo was. It was by the same mysterious compulsion as before, and before she knew it she was sitting down on the ground behind him, the boy completely oblivious to her presence.

"Ichigo...?"

The boy started, and it took him a moment to turn around. She started in turn when she saw the look in his once happy eyes.

There was sadness, confusion and pain there, mixed together in a way that shouldn't have belonged to a now-ten-year old. And there was fear...which was understandable, considering what some people were saying about his 'obasan' now.

But there was also something else, something Shaolin had been seeing in her own eyes lately.

Self-loathing.

"Obasan...?"

Ichigo didn't look sure of himself even as he said the word, as though he was doing something he shouldn't by talking to her.

Shaolin did what she could to not show her own emotions; she realized she needed to be the solid, responsible adult here, at least for a little while. At least if she was right about what was going on.

She smiled at him, trying not to let her own sadness enter into her voice.

"Ichigo, why are not in school right now? Have...people been picking on you?"

It wasn't as a idle question as she made it sound; the ex-shinigami knew that with their mother dead, the children would always be considered...'different' from everyone else. They would always be outsiders in school...

And it was one more thing Shaolin could lay at her own feet.

She banished the thought as she saw Ichigo think on her words for a moment, and then slowly shake his head.

"No...I..."

"Then why are you here at the riverbank? I know it's a sunny day, but it's not like you to be doing something like this."

Now Ichigo's expression became torn, and it was clear he was trying to fight back both anxiety and tears. He looked like what he might have to say was stupid, but at the same time he needed to tell someone, wanted to so very much...

Shaolin knew what was going on; she made a point of looking around Ichigo, towards the far side of the river and a figure that had just appeared out of the ground. Some small part of her shook its head at the display, wondering if Grand Fisher was going to...

No, she couldn't think about that. Not now.

She instead pointed at the figure and raised her eyebrows in interest.

"Were you trying to figure out how to help that person over there?"

Ichigo looked at her strangely, and then turned for a moment to look where the ex-shinigami was pointing. He froze, and then turned back to face her, his eyes wide with disbelief, and maybe...hope.

"You...?"

Shaolin tried not to let the sight of the boy struggling to finish the sentence tear her heart in two. Instead she nodded, and let some of the sadness seep into her smile.

"I've been able to see them for as long as I can remember."

Ichigo's composure began to crumble at the words. Even though he was struggling to keep from falling apart in front of an adult, he could only whisper his next words.

"Have you seen Mommy?"

That was what he was out here for – looking for his mother's ghost. It was a natural thing for a boy who could see and talk to the dead as well as he could living people.

A boy who had a foot in each world.

Shaolin tried to think rationally as she fought the emotions welling up inside of her.

How should she answer his question?

She made a point of looking like she was thinking on the matter, and then inwardly sighed as she made her decision.

"Yes...yes I did. She was okay, Ichigo...just..."

Her kinds words trailed off as she saw the look that formed on Ichigo's face. He was momentarily happy at news of his mother, but then he started looking even worse, tears beginning to stream down his cheeks as he fought a losing battle against breaking down.

The ex-shinigami was more than a little puzzled; she let her face show concern.

"Ichigo, what..."

"Mommy hates me, doesn't she?"

Shaolin couldn't help it; hearing the question from Ichigo made her jaw drop. It took her a moment for her mind to grasp what had been said, and for her to say something.

For once, her own sadness began to dissipate.

"Ichigo...what on Earth would make you say such a thing...?"

The boy stood there, trying hard to keep his composure; he'd let his backpack slide to the ground now, seemingly having enough weight on him without the extra burden.

"Because...obasan, she met with you... But she doesn't want to get near me..."

"Ichigo, that's not..."

Shaolin's mind reeled as she tried to think of what to say that would calm the boy, what lie would help bolster the other lie she'd just told.

"I didn't mean to break my promise..."

The words caught the assassin short, and she just stared at Ichigo in curiosity for a moment.

"What promise?"

She waited patiently for the boy to brace himself, giving him a look of sincere interest. She didn't want to scare him away, and for a moment she could feel a little bit of new shame entering her.

Shaolin had thought about her own pain, but she hadn't really faced the pain others might be involved in. She'd avoided them, didn't want to see them...

She forced down the conclusion that she was scum, keeping her interest focused on Ichigo as the boy finally looked ready to speak again.

"It was that day...you know..."

The ex-shinigami nodded her head and waited for him to continue.

"Well, after we left the dojo...I promised Mom I'd protect her, and..."

Even as Shaolin absorbed the words, Ichigo's face suddenly turned into a grimace, tears streaming out of his eyes again as the emotions overcame him.

"I couldn't protect her, obasan... I lied to her...and now she hates me, and..."

He couldn't go any further, so he stood silently and continued crying.

Shaolin tried to think about what to say to that.

"Ichigo...your mother doesn't hate you..."

"Then why isn't she here?!"

The assassin couldn't help herself again. She started at the boy's outburst, and the look of fear in her eyes made Ichigo stare back in shame for a moment.

And then he started crying again.

"She hates me, I know it. Mommy hates me, because I couldn't keep a stupid promise. I'm worthless...I'm..."

"Ichigo!"

The boy stopped and looked at Shaolin again, saw the look that was obviously there. She wasn't going to hide her emotions now from the boy, not when he was like this.

Ichigo's words truly were frightening her, and she made sure he knew it by her expression.

"Obasan... I'm sorry, I..."

She held out her arms to the boy, more out of instinct than anything else.

"Ichigo, come over here."

He looked unsure, like he didn't know what was going on, or that he should do what she was asking of him. But then he started coming, slowly...so slowly...over to where Shaolin was sitting.

As soon as he was close enough she gently gripped his shoulders, and locked eyes with him.

"Ichigo, you need to listen to me, right now."

She waited for his response, and she felt a little better when he nodded.

"Good. Ichigo don't ever say you're worthless, don't ever think it. Never again."

Ichigo's eyes widened.

"But..."

Shaolin shook him just a little, and she began to see him get a little scared of her. She realized she was beginning to cry herself.

"Ichigo, you are just a boy. You couldn't protect anybody now."

He started looking down to the ground.

"I know..."

She shook him again until he was looking back into her eyes.

"That doesn't mean you won't be able to protect people in the future. You can do it, Ichigo, if you want to."

Ichigo looked unsure of himself for a moment.

"How do you know that, obasan?"

Shaolin gave a smile to the boy, even as she felt the tears flowing down her own cheeks.

"Because I believe in you, Kurosaki Ichigo. And your mother does, too. She told me herself."

Ichigo looked stunned for a moment, and the assassin had to wonder if her words had had the effect she'd wanted.

He still looked so unsure...

"Why isn't she here, then...?"

Shaolin closed her eyes and prayed to whatever gods were listening that this would work.

"Because she didn't have time, Ichigo. She had to leave very quickly, and it was only by luck that she found me. She said she missed you very much, and that... And that she wanted me to look after you and the girls, if you wanted..."

This was ridiculous. Shaolin felt so dirty lying to the boy like this, she...

She felt the boy leave her hands, and then she felt his arms around her neck and his body pressed against hers, and when she opened her eyes, Shaolin could see the boy wrapped around her. He was crying now, all pretense of bravado gone, and all she could do was finish the hug by placing her own arms around him.

"Ichigo..."

"I miss her so much, obasan...!"

Shaolin closed her eyes again and let the tears flow again, letting them mix into her voice.

"I miss Masaki, too, Ichigo..."

Even as she sat there, sharing her pain with his, Shaolin found two thoughts entering her head.

Masaki...I'll take care of him for you. I'll take care of Karin and Yuzu for you too...

I'll stay...for them.

She also knew she was going to 'take care of' Masaki's husband as well. Shaolin was going to kill Isshin for allowing his son to get like this under his watch...

Shaolin allowed herself a tear as she lay back on the roof of the Kurosaki Clinic, looking at the moon and stars and thinking.

It had been a long time since she'd thought about that particular memory, even though she held the thoughts and promises from that time in her heart.

"Do you think I've been doing a good job, Hana? I mean...given what I had to work with?"

"What are you referring to?"

The ex-shinigami took her time to answer, instead letting out a slow sigh. It was such a nice night; she wondered if she should just sleep here, in her gigai and let the sun's rays wake her in the morning. She'd done things like that before, though not here...

"I'm 'referring to' Ichigo. I've tried to do what I could for him. I'm not his mother, I can't ever be that to him or Karin or Yuzu..."

"Not that you would not want to."

Shaolin bit back the snippy reply she was going to give the gikongan, and let herself play with the fantasy she kept in her heart.

"I would have loved to have been his wife, Hana. I would have loved to have Ichigo and the girls be my own children."

She sighed again.

"But it wasn't meant to be..."

Shaolin could sense a snort of indignation from her friend.

"Only because you let it be that way. But still...to answer your question, I think you have been as good a surrogate parent as you could be. Ichigo has managed to stay out of any serious trouble up until now..."

The assassin let a rueful smile play across her lips.

"Yeah, and now he's getting involved with strange women, hallucinogenic drugs and life-threatening violence all at once."

She could feel a similar feeling coming from Hana.

"Do not forget getting in trouble with the authorities."

Shaolin had to close her eyes in frustration at that.

"I know. I...have some ideas on what to do with that..."

Hana noticed the tone in her friend's voice; her next words were wary.

"What do you think our illustrious 4th Seat is up to, anyway?"

The ex-shinigami was actually glad for the change in subject as she wiped off the tear.

"I don't know. She isn't interested in Kuchiki-hime; she would have taken the girl away or contacted her by now."

There was a pause, which Shaolin used to absently draw lines between the stars while she thought.

"What about the anomaly, the lack of Hollows here in Karakura until recently."

The assassin found herself shaking her head.

"No, that would be 12-Bantai's territory. Well, we'll probably see what's going on later. Just one more thing I'll have to deal with."

An apprehensive pause hung in the air.

"What might your plan be concerning that?"

The ex-shinigami took a moment to answer. She was beginning to feel Ichigo's reiatsu, and she knew the next few minutes were going to be interesting enough without involving Hana.

"You don't want to know. But it's the only thing I can think of..."

She just hoped Masaki would forgive her one of these centuries.

"I'm going to start telling him, Hana. Telling him about what's really going on. Maybe not tonight; I'm sure he's in no condition for a sit-down right now. But soon..."

She sighed.

"That is if he still wants to listen to me..."

There was a pause.

"While I heard the exchanges between you and he, I would like to think Ichigo-san will be more understanding of your-"

"Lies?"

Another pause.

"Your hiding something that no child in this time and place should have to deal with. He is old enough to hear the truth, Shaolin, just as Tatsuki was. And as for the rest..."

The assassin's smile went a little brittle.

"I'll just have to deal with it, then. If he wants me to go to hell...well, I do know the way there..."

There was a nervous pause, even as Shaolin began to feel the approach of Ichigo's reiatsu.

"Just please do not bring me along if you decide to make the trip..."

The ex-shinigami couldn't help but chuckle at that.

"I promise, Hana."

The assassin opened her eyes and turned her full attention to the roof now, especially the part of it where she felt Ichigo would be coming in. Though it had cooled down some, she could feel the agitation in his energies, the anger...the frustration...

She could understand how he felt right now. This was going to be difficult...she'd let some bridges burn already, but she needed to find a way to get him to at least think rationally about what was going on.

"Ichigo...come...on...slow...slow down...!"

The sounds of Rukia's shouting came to Shaolin's ears even as the object of those words made his grand appearance, seeming to materialize a couple of meters away from the assassin. He still looked upset, but he was also breathing heavily and his eyes looked dim; he had probably been running himself ragged over a good part of the town and was now feeling the results of that labor.

Shaolin took a glance at Rukia and suppressed the urge to shake her own head at a confirmation of what she'd found in the streets.

The younger shinigami was out of her gigai, her white kimono a little rumpled from having to keep up with Ichigo. The Kuchiki heiress' expression looked even more ragged than his, and Shaolin found herself pitying her counterpart now.

They were all having a hard time tonight...

As Ichigo and Rukia caught their collective breath, the assassin figured out how she wanted to do this. She rolled the idea in her mind for a moment, pulled in a large breath and then sighed audibly.

It was time to get this started...

She put a calm but slightly disapproving look on her face and injected some of that emotion into her own voice.

"Had fun around town, you two?"

Ichigo didn't say anything, only looking away with something that was a mix of injured pride and anger. Rukia, on the other hand, had no trouble looking at the ex-shinigami directly.

"Where is my gigai and his body?"

Shaolin smiled and waved a hand at the window that led into Ichigo's room; Rukia looked at the pane suspiciously.

"Right over there, safe and sound...unlike where you two left them. And might I ask, Ichigo, where you have been the last couple of hours?"

Ichigo took a moment to register the words, and then his jaw dropped and his eyes went wide in disbelief. Rukia's own eyes widened a little, but she seemed more relieved that someone else had taken up the young man's attention.

"Where have I...? What the hell do you mean, 'Where have you been?'?!"

He thrust his arm out to indicate the city, apparently forgetting that he had his gigantic zanpaktou still in hand. Rukia went wide-eyed as she saw the blade swing at her head, and she ducked to avoid it.

"I've been out there, in the city, trying to find that bastard who attacked Chad and... Where have you been?!"

Rukia had managed to avoid getting an impromptu haircut, and as she stood up she shot a glare at her 'partner'. She looked like she was going to do something to Ichigo, and then stopped herself to look at how Shaolin would react.

The ex-shinigami kept her attention focused on Ichigo and introduced an edge to her voice.

"Well, I've been here, looking after your friends...at least I hope they're your friends..."

"Of course they're my friends!"

The assassin quietly ignored the outburst.

"...And I've been comforting them a little while they were sitting in the clinic trying to figure out what the hell had happened to them. With you nowhere in sight, I might add..."

Even as Ichigo's expression froze into stunned shock, Shaolin turned her attention to Rukia and nodded her head. The girl was quick enough to figure out what the ex-shinigami had meant by the gesture; her eyes widened in surprise for a moment and then she smiled in gratitude.

And then she whacked Ichigo – hard – on his head.

The young man cried out in pain, even as he stumbled forward from the force of the blow.

"That had to have hurt..."

Shaolin knew Hana was talking about the verbal jab given to Ichigo just now and not the physical blow Rukia had used on him, but the statement fit in either case.

The assassin hated to do things like this to him, but she needed to rein him in no matter what else happened.

Even as he was recovering from the blow, Shaolin started walking towards Ichigo, a still-calm look on her face. She ignored the angry glare he leveled at her and Rukia.

"Well the hell was that all about?!"

"You being an idiot."

He spluttered for a moment in outrage, and Shaolin took the opening to look at Rukia.

"And I won't bother mentioning-"

The girl's eyes went wide for a moment, and then they just looked tired.

She sighed, took a glance at Ichigo and then started walking to the window.

"All right, I've had enough...you two can go do whatever you want, I'm going to get my gigai and...I don't know..."

"Going where, Kuchiki-hime?"

Rukia stopped and cringed at the honorific, while Ichigo pivoted where he was and just stared in his companion's direction, and then at Shaolin.

"I'm getting away from the two of you... I...I need to think...I..."

The girl turned a weary and almost hateful look in her counterpart's direction.

"You're right, I did screw up. I wouldn't call it a major one, but..."

She waved her hands to indicate herself.

"I didn't know this was going to happen, and I'm sorry to have caused you both this kind of trouble."

The Kuchiki heiress forgot about the window and just shook her head.

"Do you think I wanted this?"

She pointed at Ichigo.

"I know he isn't trained. I know he isn't experienced, but... He's all I've got."

She looked more intently at Shaolin.

"Every time I see him in combat, I keep thinking about how I dragged him into this. I keep wondering how many souls are going to be lost because I made a single mistake."

Then the look in Rukia's eyes softened and the ex-shinigami saw something in them that stunned her.

"I have to believe in him, Feng-san, because I have no choice."

On some level, the girl hated herself.

"I'm a failure."

All Shaolin could do was look away, even as she saw Ichigo going up to her with a comforting look on his face. He took a moment to glare at the assassin.

"You satisfied now?"

It took all she could to cram her emotions down, but then she shook her head and gave Rukia a hard look.

"Is that all you have to say for yourself?"

The words froze both teens on the roof and they turned their full attention to her. Shaolin nodded at that and decided to press on and looked into Rukia's eyes.

"Are you really a member of the Kuchiki? Or are you just playing one? If it's the latter, then I'd be doing them a favor if I ended your existence right here and now."

The younger woman's eyes went wide for a moment, but then her shoulders straightened a little.

"I am a Kuchiki, though not by birth-"

"Then act like one."

Shaolin pinned Rukia with a serious gaze, keeping Ichigo quiet with an upraised hand.

"All right, you've been treated badly, and I've been a serious bitch to you. I was mocking you earlier, making fun of you, insulting you to Ichigo. So what?"

That seemed to put some fire back into Rukia; she cast a glare at the older woman.

"So what?! What-?!"

The ex-shinigami returned the girl's glare with a hard look of her own.

"If you are a Kuchiki, then you are better than this, better than me. If one insignificant human's comment and sniping can get that much under your skin..."

Shaolin made a point of sighing and shaking her head.

"Then maybe you don't deserve your clan name."

She continued to hold the Kuchiki heiress with her gaze.

"Do you agree?"

Rukia looked like she wasn't sure of herself for a moment, but then she started to nod in understanding, even as a new resolve filled her eyes.

"Yes. Yes I do."

'At least for now' seemed to infect the words, but Shaolin would take it for now. She just needed to keep the girl from wandering off to who-knew-where in a tiff.

Now she turned her attention to Ichigo, fixing his eyes with her own.

"And you I assume are still going to try and search for Shrieker on your own, no matter how long it takes?"

The young man's brow furrowed in anger as he was reminded of his reason for being here.

"Of course I am!"

Shaolin nodded at that.

"Well, when you find out how to get to Hueco Mundo, let me know..."

She flicked a glance Rukia's way.

"And let her know while you're at it. I'm sure her people would love to know how to perform that trick."

Ichigo's anger faded for a moment, and he gained a mystified look on his face.

"Hueco what...?"

Shaolin made a show of covering her eyes and sighing in exasperation.

"You know, Ichigo...if you're going to be fighting monsters in the dark, you really need to learn as much as you can."

She avoided Rukia, who seemed to be making for Ichigo's window again, and instead looked at the young man seriously.

"The Hollows don't live on Earth, Ichigo. They have a dimension all their own that goes by the name 'Hueco Mundo', and they travel from there to here...basically to grab lunch."

There was a momentary look of shock in the young man's eyes, and then it hardened into determination.

"I'm going to find him anyway, with or without your help."

"Oh good grief..."

Shaolin ignored Hana's words of bemused frustration, even as she felt the emotion herself. Outwardly, she made a show of considering his words, glad that he seemed to want to stay for any reason, even if it was to argue.

"And what about your friends? What about your father and sisters? While you're out there avenging Sado-san, who will be defending him and them if...no, when the Hollows come to town again?"

She was interrupted by a choking sound, and then a moment later she and Ichigo could hear rising laughter coming from...

"Yeah, Ichigo...who knows...what might happen..."

"Rukia, what is it?"

He moved to where the window was, below the roof, and the ex-shinigami leaned forward to take a look at the exchange.

"Shaolin, what did you do...?"

She ignored Hana, instead smiling as she saw Ichigo look through the window to his room to see something Rukia was pointing at. She had a smile that became even bigger as the substitute shinigami started choking himself. He nearly let his zanpaktou drop from his hand as he stared into the room, and then...

"OBASAN!"

"Volume, Ichigo. Remember, Karin can see and hear you in that form..."

The ex-shinigami couldn't help but smile as she saw the horrified look Ichigo threw her way, even as he pointed helplessly at the window. Rukia took one look at him, and then started laughing again at a slightly lower volume as he tried to speak.

"Obasan...why did you do that...?"

Shaolin made a show of thinking on that.

"Well, I've been a little concerned about you getting too involved with the spirit world. You are technically a living person, with responsibilities and commitments in the world of the living. When you leave your body just...laying around like that..."

Rukia was regaining control of herself; it was pretty obvious to the assassin that her counterpart was laughing from stress.

Though the fact that Shaolin hadn't tied up her gigai might have had something to do with it...

"Thank you."

Both Shaolin and Ichigo stared at her a little, Ichigo with a slack jaw; the Kuchiki princess just shrugged and pointed at her partner.

"I've been trying to hammer that into his thick head since I met him. Maybe he'll listen this time, now that he's all tied up."

"Oh, you did not..."

Ichigo looked at each woman for a moment, and then his face started gaining a fresh batch of rage.

"I can't believe this...can't you two be serious...?!"

Shaolin let the smile drop from her lips and she gave the young man a hard gaze.

"You want to be serious? You have to be kidding me."

She waved a hand down in the direction of the window.

"You, who couldn't even be bothered to take care of the body your mother gave you? You can't even honor her-"

"Shut up!"

Ichigo was fully enraged now, and he swung his blade up in an attack position. Even as Rukia's laughter morphed into horror, he leaped from his position swinging the sword at Shaolin with a look that scared the ex-shinigami for a moment.

Then her training took over. She side-stepped the attacked, grabbing the young man's arm as he sailed past her body, and then twirled her body around. Before he knew it Ichigo was pinned on the roof by Shaolin's weight on his back, his right arm behind his back while his blade clattered across the roof.

Both teens had a look of shock and horror at what had happened, and even more so as Ichigo tried to move and found he couldn't.

"Obasan, let go..."

The ex-shinigami narrowed her eyes.

"You're still calling me that? After you tried to kill me?"

That stopped Ichigo in his tracks. She could feel his surprise, and then his shame as he realized what he had tried to do. A quick glance at Rukia showed that the girl was feeling the same way.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry, obasan, I just..."

He just lay there, on the tiles, and started to cry a little. Realizing Ichigo wasn't going to be much of a threat, Shaolin loosened her grip a little.

"I'm sorry, too, Ichigo. But I need you to understand that you can't save everyone by yourself, no matter how much you try."

She relaxed her grip further and then let go entirely when she felt no attempt to escape. She backed up and waited until he had picked himself up and turned around to face her and Rukia. The young man still looked upset, still looked rebellious, but...

He looked like he would at least listen for a moment.

Shaolin put on a look of understanding, though she kept her stance ready for anything Ichigo might try to pull.

"Ichigo...you need to understand. This is one of the most painful things you learn when you hunt Hollows. 'Do I try and protect the people I cared about, and let the rest of the world hang itself? Or, do I focus on the community and...well, if my loved ones get attacked in the meantime, that's their problem...?'"

Ichigo's expression became bitter, and a little of the outrage came back into his eyes.

"Their problem?"

He thrust one hand towards the interior of the clinic.

"Tell that to Chad...and to Orihime and Tatsuki, and... I mean... What am I supposed to do, he just got mauled like..."

And then Kurosaki Ichigo froze solid.

He just stared at her, and she could see the gears in his head working as he put together what was going on, what the implications were.

"He is figuring it out, is he not?"

Shaolin could only nod sadly at her friend's words, even as her heart broke a little at having destroyed a good fraction of her godson's world.

He would never be the same again, she was sure.

And unfortunately, maybe it was for the best.

All she could do was hold his attention as the expression on his face grew stricken and he lowered his hands to his sides.

Rukia herself looked unsure now, even worried, and her gaze went from ex-shinigami to substitute as she tried to figure out what was going on. Finally she settled on Ichigo, and her gaze became gently concerned.

"Ichigo...?"

He didn't seem to hear her; his attention was still on Shaolin. He didn't seem angry, even now that she could see he was recovering a little from the shock. He seemed to make an effort to speak, found he couldn't, and then tried again.

"Was it...?"

He started to point in the direction of the hospital, where Chad had gone, but lowered his hand as the assassin shook her head gently and smiled sadly.

"No...it was another one..."

He looked away from her and seemed to take a moment to process that information.

"Did you...?"

"I tried to...for a while."

Shaolin sighed a moment as shame and heartbreak seeped into her again.

"And then I realized that I had a choice. I could help protect you and the people I cared about...or I could continue to go chasing off after some monster, and leave you alone to wonder what happened."

She left out the other possibility she'd seriously considered...

Ichigo turned his attention back to her, and she tried to add some gentleness to the otherwise serious look she was giving him.

"When I run into a Hollow, I have to kill them then and there, or they may disappear and I'll never see them again. But when I do, I have to wonder if I'm letting someone else die and be consumed while I'm dealing with the Hollow in front of me.

"It's the existence I have, Ichigo, and if you follow this path, it's going to have to be something you have to deal with, too."

Ichigo looked like he was still trying to come to grips with this, but he still nodded his head. Rukia by now was starting to get just a little annoyed.

"Okay, what's going on here?"

Ichigo turned to the girl.

"It's none of you-"

"It's private, Kuchiki-hime; nothing you need worry about right now."

Rukia looked like she was going to protest for a moment, and then she thought better of it and decided a mild look of annoyance mixed with curiosity would suffice.

Shaolin's attention went back to Ichigo as she heard him sigh heavily. He looked like he was thinking about telling her something, much like Tatsuki had earlier, and then his eyes began to harden with resolve again, and he looked directly at the assassin.

"Obasan...thank you. Thank you...for being there for me and my family..."

The ex-shinigami smiled at him. The worst was over, she hoped.

"You're welcome, Ichigo."

He nodded at that, and then squared his shoulders as he seemed to make a decision of his own.

"Obasan, I'm sorry...but I can't just let this go. It's not the way I do things, you know that..."

She sighed sadly and nodded her head.

"I know that. And I know we're all stuck with what's going on. You're stuck with those powers, and with being one of the only people who can defend this city."

She looked at Rukia.

"You're stuck without your powers, and with a clock ticking over your head."

And then the ex-shinigami shrugged.

"And I'm stuck having to deal with this mess, too. We're all in this together, like it or not, and we need to start working together as well."

She held up a hand to head off Rukia's protests.

"I know I've been...less than kind to you Kuchiki-hime, but I'll try to mend my ways and be less of a problem to you."

Rukia seemed to think about that, and then sighed and shook her head in resignation.

"I guess that's the best I can hope for. And I'll...I'll see what I can do around here to pull my own weight. Unless you have suggestions?"

Shaolin arched an eyebrow in amusement.

"I might have a couple. One being that you could...undo what I did to Ichigo's body. It isn't harmed, and I doubt anyone would come in at this hour, but..."

The girl gave a knowing smile.

"I'll be nice. Besides, I need to get my own gigai..."

"By the way, why did you leave it in the first place?"

Rukia froze for a moment Shaolin's question, and then thought about it for a moment.

"I could keep up with Ichigo a little easier, and besides that..."

She flexed her shoulders a little.

"I think I actually feel a little better outside of that thing..."

"I can not imagine why..."

Shaolin nodded at the answer Rukia gave, and watched as the girl slowly phased through the roof. Then the ex-shinigami turned to Ichigo, smiling a little at the stunned expression on his face.

"What? She's technically a ghost, and I'm surprised you haven't picked up on that."

Ichigo threw a hand up behind his head and started rubbing his scalp in embarrassment.

"Well, I..."

Shaolin put a look of understanding on her face. She was tired, and worn out from the confrontation, but she still needed to say one more thing to him.

"Ichigo, I'll be willing to help you-"

His eyes lit up at the words, though there was still a little mistrust in his eyes. She sighed at that; that was her fault, and she was sure it was going to take a while for her to make up for that.

"If you think long and hard about this. Right now, I'm just trying to get your friend's powers out of you and back into her. This is a hard life, with a lot of things that are really going to tear into your soul. You have to be willing to make the commitment; you have to pretty much give up your life..."

"Uhm..."

Hana's comment came at the same time as Ichigo's disbelieving stare, and Shaolin found her cheeks flushing a little.

"Sorry. But, you really need to put a lot of thought into this and not go by gut instinct. Trust me, if you do that you'll probably regret it."

Thoughts of a young shinigami coming to the Living World a century before flashed through Shaolin's mind.

Ichigo seemed to think about it for a minute, and then he sighed and nodded his head.

"All right, obasan. I'll give it the thought you want, but don't think you're going to get a different answer than you have. Now that I know about Mom..."

The ex-shinigami smiled sadly at that.

"I understand, and I'm already making some plans in case that happens. Now go get some rest; I'll collect Kuchiki-san and we can talk more about this after school tomorrow."

Ichigo nodded at that, and then started making his way – the long way – to his window.

"Good night, obasan."

"Good night, Ichigo."

Shaolin spent another minute on the roof, looking at the stars, and then started making her way to the ground.

"That went better than it had any right to..."

The ex-shinigami shrugged a little.

"You're probably right. But it did work...I think..."

"We will see later, I am sure. Now what about your next step. What about Mei Xing, and what about the Shrieker?"

As the assassin touched the ground and made for the house door, she sighed and shook her head a little.

"Dear cousin...I can deal with. At least for a while."

Shaolin looked up at the night sky as she waited for Rukia to come.

"And as for the monster who hurt Tatsuki-chan and the others...remember Grand Fisher. We're probably not going to be seeing the Shrieker for a while..."

Shibata Yuuichi didn't know what to do.

The monster that had killed mom was gone, the people that had been fighting it were gone...

And he'd left and just tried to find...somewhere...to hide and rest for a little while.

He tried not to think about a scary fact.

He was alone now, really alone for the first time ever.

And he was in this parrot's body, and Mommy wasn't ever coming back, was she...?

He just needed a place to be comfortable and think and...and just rest, he was so sleepy...

Fortunately, somebody had left one of the upper windows open in what Yuuichi realized was an elementary school. He'd come in here, where it was warmer and drier than outside and then sat down on the teacher's desk.

He'd figure out what to do tomorrow.

And maybe one of the kids here could help him.

He was sure they could; he could feel something like those nice men in black robes that had tried to help him a couple of time.

Maybe another was here, and they could help him...

Author's Notes: I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed and told me they liked the Shrieker battle in the last chapter. I sweated quite a bit over it (about two full days' worth of hard polishing), both because I wanted it to be good, and because I knew this would be something of a 'comeback chapter' (while I know you all like the story, I wanted the chapter to be worth the long wait). Unfortunately, it wasn't much of a comeback, was it...?

As for Rukia, her attitudes and the mess she got herself in, I've been getting enough comments about that subject to elaborate on that. Rukia is being arrogant in this story, at least so far, but that kind of could be figured out if you think about it; she barged in on his class, took over his closet and is having him do her job for her (there's also the little factor that Rukia is presumably getting a salary while he's doing all this work). It's not a pretty side to her, though I think it's accurate to portray it. And I think Shaolin's attitude towards the young lady is understandable; I will not apologize for that.

On the other hand, Rukia hasn't been dealt a very good hand. On top of that, I think her primary 'problem' (note the quotes) is that she's overcompensating all the time. She, a peasant, became a member of one of the highest clans in Soul Society for no reason she could see, and I'm sure the rest of the Kuchiki (not to mention the other nobles) constantly made her painfully aware of her background and the shame it brought to her adoptive family's name. About the only thing she was able to do was try to follow the rules of etiquette for the Kuchiki and the Gotei 13 as much as she could, and try to out-do them in that area. (It's the old thing of the middle class trying to ape the customs and manners of their social betters, only taken to an extreme.)

In essence, she indoctrinated herself. And remember, she's had decades to do this, so her views would have gotten pretty hardened over that span of time.

Beyond that, I heard that I've been engaging in too much Rukia-bashing, and that I should be writing her in a more respectful manner. I'm not sure if I have, so I wanted to know from others: have I been getting too preachy in this story? I don't hate Rukia, but I do understand the difference between a character hating another character and the author hating a character, and I want to make sure I'm not engaging in the latter.

And now for (once again tardy) responses to the reviews I got for the last chapter:

reality deviant: Thanks for the kind review! I'm glad you like the AU I've created, and I hope I continue to please with what else I've shown you. And I'm glad at least a couple of people are interested in Karl; I always worry when I come up with a OC that he/she won't be liked. Don't worry, though, we'll be seeing more of him soon.

QueenPersephoneofHades: Well, I'm really glad you liked the last chapter! And again, sorry about how long that took; I'm going to try and not let that happen again.

Ability King KK: I'm glad you liked Chad's scenes; the first ones actually help because it shows rather than tells you that he's tough. And that in turn tells you how tough Shrieker must be by comparison.

(The idea for the 'bike-fu', BTW, was from a series called Shrine of the Morning Mist; a few times in the series the heroine would run over the top of the main bad guy with her bicycle, and I started thinking of her 'mad bike-fu skills'. And that led to this...)

As for Shaolin telling Ichigo about everything...well, you've seen something of the dam bursting in this chapter. In a few more, she won't have any choice... :)

Yonomori Hayden Yuki: Thanks for the review and the praise for the last chapter! While I love hearing from my "regulars", it's always good to hear from new people, too. And I'll try my best to keep up the good work!

"guest": Thanks for the encouragement! As you can see, the next chapter is out on this story, and there are more to come; hopefully they'll please as much as what you've seen so far. And I do have some other projects in the works, though it'll be a while before I do anything with them.

Fifth Horseman: Glad you found the Orihime and Chad moments in the Shrieker fight so entertaining; they just kind of came to me, seemed reasonable given the characters, and were thrown in. And apparently it all worked out. :) Tatsuki being afraid of Shrieker also seemed to come to me when I thought about it; Orihime, in my mind, has enough mental flexibility to weather the idea of monsters living among us, but Tatsuki is more 'rational' and would probably have flipped out if faced with something like Shrieker (who, might I add, is a particularly vile member of his kind to boot).

As for Ichigo's attitude, in his defense he's only had Rukia as a guide to this world of shinigami and Hollows that he's found himself drawn into. He's not necessarily being stupid as he is ignorant, and Shaolin is admittedly not helping her case with him by having a negative opinion of Rukia.

And I'm very glad you liked the portrayal of Shaolin and the previous relationships of the characters. There will be a reveal, but I think it should be fairly obvious what happened if you think about where I'm going with Shaolin's backstory; her presence was a glue that didn't exist in the canon timeline.

Thanks for your support of this story, and I'm sorry I've been a poor updater. I'll admit I've been having a lot of stuff going on in my life the last several months; I think I have it mostly resolved now, so I should be able to update at a faster rate (I know I keep saying that, but this time I hope to mean that).

Xerter (from Chapters 6&7): Thank you for the positive review! I'm glad you like the plot (I've always worried about that being a weak point of mine), and I'm glad that you and your sister are having fun with my Shaolin/Sui-Feng story; your right about there not being many stories about her, and I find it rewarding to put in a good entry. I hadn't originally intended for this story to get as intense as it has (you'll notice the earlier chapters have a lighter tone), though Sui-Feng is a passionate and intense person underneath the ice-queen persona she has, so it fits.

Your concerns about Rukia have been noted; I'm sorry if I've been upsetting you and your sister with my portrayal of her. I don't hate her; I think part of my problem is that I'm still something of a novice, and part is the fact that I can get into a 'standing on a soapbox' mode sometimes when I'm not careful. So I'll try to be less heavy-handed in the future, in this story as well as in any others I write.

And as for 'shipping in the story...you'll note I have a little Isshin/Shaolin (for some reason I think the two would go well together), the traditional unrequited Ichigo/Orihime, and maybe some unrequited Tatsuki/Ichigo. I don't intend for there to be a lot of romance or blatant pairing up in this story though; this is an adventure piece, not a romance novel. :)

P.S. Sorry to hear about your family's plight; I hope your house and everyone in it survived all right, and that you were able to get your lives back in order.

HedonismBot: Well, thanks for the praise! I tried to make the fight in the last chapter as good as I could, and I guess I succeeded. As for Grand Fisher...that'll be a while, and one concern I have right now is making sure the battle isn't simply a curb-stomp (though I have some ideas).

And to answer your random question – Shaolin does have a bankai in this time-line (she mentions as much in chapter 4); she just doesn't like to use it because it's big and flashy (and not exactly street-legal :).

Leon the Bulletproof: I'm glad you liked the story enough to give it a review. I find it easy to see why the Bounts weren't terribly popular (the arc dragged on for way too long, IMO, and I thought the concept was badly underused). If I do have them in this timeline (they will not be making an appearance in this story, as it's already crowed enough) I plan to have a somewhat different take on them while still trying to be true to the original characters and idea.

X3n0s: Thanks for your review; I'm always glad to hear from new people. And I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far. Your comments about Rukia and her attitude I've tried to answer in the Author's Notes above. As for Shaolin being pig-headed, well that's part of her basic character (she can be very stubborn and has a 'mother knows best' attitude a lot of the time), and there are reasons other than friendship and so on for why she doesn't want to get him involved. You'll get to see them in later, and it won't be fun for her... :) (And thanks, BTW, for putting this story on Favorites. :)