YAY! I'm finally on summer vacation so hopefully i'll be posting a ton more. responding to LexxieLuvsU review, you'll find out Yura's decision in this chap, as well as more to what's going on between her and Denakuma. quite interesting ^^ Enjoy

When Yura woke up, it was already late in the evening. The sun was lowering itself down to the horizon where it would sink below. She rubbed her eyes and yawned as she reached her arms out and high above her head. "Guess I over slept…" She pulled her knees to her chest and set her chin on them. She wanted to talk with someone, anyone, about anything. Toshiro came to mind first, but at the same she didn't want to talk to him at the moment. Matsumoto was second, but that would lead to a complete disaster. Ichigo wasn't anywhere nearby. The fourth person would have to be Rukia. Yura stood up and began descending down the hill. "I wonder where she is…Dena."

She's heading toward Squad Six Barracks.

"Hm. Probably to speak with Captain Kuchiki. Thanks."

Yura took off using Flash Step and found herself in front of the gate to Squad Six. She looked around and saw Rukia and Renji walking toward it. "Rukia!" She ran toward them.

The two of them stopped and turned around. "Yura. What are you doing here?"

Yura raised an eyebrow and rested her hands on her hips. "You're seriously asking that? I know what you're up to and I'm tagging along. There's no way you're leaving me behind."

They stared at her for awhile before sighing in defeat. "I guess we have no choice." Renji muttered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Yura yelled.

"Nothing."

Yura glared at him before turning to Rukia. "So, what are we waiting for?" She asked.

Rukia looked up at her. "Are you sure you want to do this? What will Captain Hitsugaya say?"

Yura looked taken aback at first before bursting out in laughter. Then she stood tall and smiled. "He can attempt to tame me all he wants, but he'll never be able to keep me caged. He'll understand why I'm doing this."

Rukia and Renji both exchanged glances before shrugging. "If you want to…"

Yura beamed and threw her arms around the two, nearly cutting off their air. "Great! Let's go!"

"Could you let go of us first?" Renji yelled.

"Yura…your arm…"

Yura blinked in confusion at first then jumped back, letting go of her friends. They both fell to their hands, gasping for air. Yura scratched the back of her head and smiled nervously. "Oops."

Once they recovered, they continued to go inside of Squad Six's Barracks and to Captain Kuchiki's office. Yura folded her arms across her chest and huffed as they walked down the long hallway. "For some reason this brings back memories." She said.

"Heh. Maybe you can meet Captain Kuchiki without nearly dying this time." Renji said, smirking.

Yura glared at him. "Just shut up."

They finally approached the door that led to the captain's office. Renji knocked on it. "We're entering."

Yura couldn't help but to roll her eyes. So formal, she thought. They opened the door and walked to see Byakuya staring out his window. He slightly turned to look at them from the corner of his eye. Yura stayed back a bit. She had absolutely nothing to say.

"What is it?" He asked.

Rukia stepped forward. "Brother…I know this is going against your commands, but please! Allow us to leave for Hueco Mundo to aid Ichigo Kurosaki in bringing back Orihime Inoue."

Byakuya didn't answer right away, and for a second they all expected him to refuse. "Do as you please." He said, turning back to the window.

The group of three stood there with wide eyes. "Wh-what?"

"It was only requested that I bring you back. I wasn't ordered to do anything with you once we returned."

Yura, Rukia, and Renji all exchanged glances. "You're actually…letting us go?" Renji asked.

Byakuya turned around. "Didn't you hear what I just said? I was only to bring you back to Soul Society, and nothing more. Besides, that brat would never survive long out there if left alone."

Rukia stared at Byakuya. "Brother…"

"You might need these, though." Byakuya tossed each of them a cloak.

"What's this for?" Yura asked.

"To protect yourselves out in the desert. Now," He turned his backs to them once again. "leave." The three of them bowed before turning and leaving.

Once they were outside, they all released their breaths they didn't know they were holding. "Well…that was easier than expected." Yura said. Rukia was staring at the cloak in her hands. "Rukia?"

Rukia looked up at Yura and Renji who were looking back at her. Her attention shifted to the sky. "We should leave in a few hours. That would probably best and it would give us time to prepare ourselves." Renji said.

"Good idea. At the end of those few hours we'll meet at the Senkai Gate. Urahara is the only person that I can, sadly, think of who can get us to Hueco Mundo." Yura said.

Rukia nodded. "There's our plan then. Three hours?" They nodded in agreement.

Yura smiled at the two. "I have some business I need to take care of. I'll see you guys at our rendezvous." Then Yura took off with Flash Step.

Yura opened the door to Toshiro's office. He was sitting at his desk, doing paper work as usual. "You're excited about something." Toshiro said, without looking up.

"I just came in here to talk with you."

Toshiro paused and looked up at her. "What is it?"

She took a deep breath before she spoke. "Well…you obviously know how mad I am about the fact that the Head Captain won't do anything about helping to retrieve Orihime. So I was just thinking about a ton of stuff yesterday as you probably know. And just awhile ago I met up with Rukia and Renji and we went to talk to Captain Kuchiki about letting us go to Hueco Mundo to help Ichigo rescue Orihime." Yura said the last sentence so fast that to Toshiro it sounded jumbled up.

"What?"

Yura sighed. "I'm going to Hueco Mundo to help bring back Orihime. And I just wanted to let you know that you won't be able to stop me." The two stared at each other before Toshiro closed his eyes and smirked. Yura was taken aback and confused. "What?"

Toshiro looked at her. "I had a feeling you would do this. I know you well enough to know that you'd never stand by in a situation like this."

"S-so you're not going to refuse or put up a fight?"

Toshiro raised an eyebrow. "Do you want me to?"

"No! Of course not! I just…didn't expect you to let me go so easily."

"Well, when you put it that way…"

"Please don't."

Toshiro only smiled. "Yura-" "

I know. Don't worry. I'm not doing this just to get revenge. I'm doing this to help out a friend in need. I can't make any promises that I won't go searching for the Arrancar, but whatever happens, happens. But I will promise to come back just in time to help you. Ok?"

Toshiro stared at her. She's really going to do it…there's no stopping her now. He sighed. "I will expect you back during the war against Aizen, correct?"

"If we don't stop him while we're there."

"Yura." He said sternly.

Yura turned serious and nodded. "I'll find a way." Toshiro sighed and turned his attention back to his work. Yura could feel his worry through their bond. He didn't want her to leave for Hueco Mundo and possibly walk straight into a trap and end up dead. But is she really doing this to help her friends…or to get back at Mizu? Yura mentally shook herself before looking back at Toshiro. She sighed. "Ok. I'll be going now." She turned and set her hand on the door handle. She let go and walked over to Toshiro.

"What's wro-" Yura's lips cut off his sentence and he was distracted for a moment. She pulled away. "What was that for?" He asked, looking away as his face grew warm.

"Just in case I don't come back." Yura walked over to the door again. "Yura?"

She turned around and her purple eyes met with those of turquoise. "Yes?"

"…Good luck."

Yura smiled and walked out. She sighed and walked down the halls. Once outside, she went back to her hill. There, she took out her zanpakuto, plunging it deep into the ground. She dropped to her knees and closed her eyes. "Let me travel, Denakuma."

When Yura opened her eyes, she was surrounded by both darkness and light. Yura saw Denakuma, but she was walking away from her. "Hey, Dena!" Yura ran to catch up with her. "Where are you going?"

"Nowhere, obviously."

Yura frowned. "You know what I mean. Why are you just walking away from me? We need to talk."

"About what? You're going to Hueco Mundo to fight that Espada. That's all there is. You can't hide that fact from me." Denakuma was right. Yura couldn't hide that. She did care for her friends, but there was something a bit more personal that she had to take care of. The two continued to walk on. "Is there such thing as evil here?"

Yura raised her eyebrows. "Why are you asking me?"

"Because this world is created from you. Is there such thing as evil here?"

"Are you saying that I'm evil?"

"Everyone has a good side and a bad side, Yura. And for Soul Reapers I'm sure the same thing accounts for their zanpakuto which also includes their inner world."

Yura stared at Denakuma and frowned. "You know something, don't you?" Denakuma didn't respond. "Dena…where are we going?"

"...There's something you need to see. Though I'm sure somewhere deep inside of you, you've known about it all along."

Yura hadn't a clue as to what Denakuma was talking about. Was there some deep secret that implanted itself within her inner world? If it was, could it have something to do with her parents? Yura continued to follow Denakuma as they wandered on for what seemed like forever. Eventually, Yura saw something in the distance. She squinted her eyes. There was a bright light up ahead. "What is that?"

Denakuma looked at Yura from the corner of her eye. "You're about to find out." The two approached the source of the bright light. It was a vortex of light forming in the cloud.

Yura's eyes widened and her head began to hurt. "How did you find this?"

"I sensed a disturbance and decided to have a look around. And I stumbled upon this. Do you have any idea what this is?"

"How am I supposed to know?" Yura snapped.

Denakuma narrowed her eyes. "Why don't you have a look for yourself?" Denakuma nudged Yura toward the vortex.

"Hey wait!" Yura gasped as she fell forward and through the hole. She didn't know what to expect, so she closed her eyes but held in her scream. As she continued falling she eventually expected to hit hard ground, but opened her eyes and gasped. She was floating, but nothing was beneath her. She looked up and her eyes widened. Her hair was sticking up as if being sucked into something. Another thing, she was looking up at the vortex. But instead of its original bright light that emanated from it, it was black.

Out of the vortex came Denakuma. Yura stared at her, both of them floating as if some type of force was keeping them up. "I still don't understand." She said.

"Just wait."

Then, the world began to turn right side up and Yura and Denakuma landed on something soft. Yura touched the softness beneath her and her eyes widened. "They're clouds…real, white clouds." Yura looked up at Denakuma and her eyes grew even wider. Denakuma's usual black fur began to change to that of pure white. Her blue streaks that resembled lightning running across her turned black. Her blue eyes was her only other physical appearance that didn't change. Before Yura spoke, she noticed that she, too, had gone through a change. Her kimono was now white and her under clothing was black. She also noticed that her hair changed to black instead of its original blue.

"What is this? What's going on?" Lightning struck near her, but the lightning was black. Yura's eyes were wide with fear and she began to sweat nervously.

"Everyone has a side to them that they do not wish to show the world. Am I correct?" Yura was still too shocked to answer, so Denakuma continued. "If that person somehow triggers that side, whether the cause is jealousy, anger, lust, or even revenge, then that side to them will begin to reveal itself. Yura, do you know what this means?"

Tears began to pool in Yura's eyes and they spilled out, flowing down her face. "N-no. I don't."

Denakuma narrowed her eyes. "You want revenge for what that Espada did to you. That revenge is opening a portal to this world. The evil inside of you."

"That doesn't make any sense, though!"

"You can't fight her! If you do, you'll put yourself at risk by being consumed by your own hand!" Yura shook her head. She couldn't believe what Denakuma was telling her. Does she really have evil that lurks just beneath her very skin?

Yura looked around. It looked much more peaceful than its original state of darkness. So how could this be the "evil" side of her inner world? It just didn't make any sense. The clouds were so white and welcoming. But they produced a dark form of lightning. Does evil really look like this? She touched her hair, hoping that it was all an illusion. No. Her hair was black. She tightly shut her eyes. It has to be an illusion! Being in my inner world doesn't mean anything! It's not real!

"It's real inside of you, Yura! You can't deny the fact that this is real inside of you!"

"Stop it!"

Yura was struck by the black lightning and in the real world she was rejected by the force, blown away. She screamed and flew back, landing on her back. She lay there for awhile, keeping her eyes shut. Her entire body was filled with a painful, burning sensation. That lightning…was it really hers? Could she really become evil if she let revenge get the best of her? Will she be consumed if she faces Mizu when in Hueco Mundo? No! She can't think that way. She can't. She'll have to fight it. She would fight Mizu if it came down to that, but not out of revenge. She opened her eyes and sat up. She looked down at her hands and cringed. Her hands were covered in burn marks. Despite the pain, she balled them into fists. She bit her lip and shut her eyes before taking a deep breath.

She unclenched her fists and opened her eyes. She looked up at the sky and sighed. It was around the time that she needed to go. She stared at her zanpakuto in which was still sticking out of the grounded. Steam was rising off of the hilt and Yura was hesitant in grabbing it. She slowly touched the hilt and when it didn't burn her again, she picked it up and sheathed it. She walked down the hill slowly. Why was she so paranoid? There wasn't a need to be. At least, not yet, anyway. She walked quietly to the rendezvous, putting on her cloak that Captain Kuchiki gave her.

When she made it, Renji and Rukia were waiting for her. They both looked up and saw her walking toward them. "What took you so long?" Rukia said, voice full of concern.

Yura put on her best fake smile. "Nothing. I kinda fell asleep and hadn't realized it until I woke up. Weird, right?" She scratched the back of her head. Rukia and Renji both stared at her, completely unsure. Rukia also noticed the burn marks on Yura's hands. "Anyway, we should probably go, right? The sooner the better." Yura said.

"Oh. Right. Let's go." The Senkai gate opened, shining a bright light on the three. It reminded Yura of her other inner world. If I don't keep control of myself, that vortex will just get larger until it consumes me and Denakuma. She followed Rukia and Renji and the gate closed behind her.

The three of them softly landed on the ground. They looked up at Urahara's shop in the World of the Living. "I still hate coming to this place." Yura muttered.

"What do you have against Urahara anyway?" Renji asked.

"Long story. Doesn't matter. Let's go." They walked inside the quiet shop. It was surprisingly dark inside. Yura folded her arms over her chest. "I think I know where he is." Yura walked to the back of the shop with her friends following. When they got to a room the hatch in the floor was wide open. Yura dropped down, not even acknowledging the ladder.

Rukia and Renji stared down at her. "She's insane." Rukia said. Eventually they made it to the bottom as well.

Yura was standing there, tapping her foot. "Took you guys long enough." She said.

"Well sorry for not being as crazy as you are!" Renji yelled. Yura rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue. Then she turned around and began walking. The three of them found Urahara.

"Hey, Kisuke!"

Urahara looked up and smiled at the three. "Well, what a surprise. What can I do for you guys?"

"I think you already know the answer to that."

Urahara sighed. "Of course. Who do you think I am? Alright. Just stand back." Urahara walked away.

Yura glared at him. "Tch. Stand back my a-"

"Yura?"

Yura looked behind her at Rukia. "Yeah? What is it?"

Rukia opened her mouth to speak, but closed it and shook her head. "Never mind." Yura raised an eyebrow and shrugged.

In no time, Urahara had opened up a garganta and explained to the three Soul Reapers what they have to do while going through. "We get it. Can we go now?" Yura asked, obviously annoyed.

Urahara smiled. "Always impatient." Yura rolled her eyes and jumped through the garganta. She immediately imagined a bridge and one formed beneath her feet. She landed softly on it and tapped her foot, making sure it was sturdy. When she was sure, she started running forward with Rukia and Renji following.

"So what exactly do you think will happen when we get there?" Yura asked.

"Why are you asking us?" Renji asked.

Yura narrowed her eyes. "It was just a question." She muttered.

"Hopefully we end up somewhere close to where Ichigo is. That way, it'll be easier for us." Rukia said.

"Always on the safe side. Ok, fine. Let's just hope." On the way, Yura had attempted to forget about what happened in her inner world. But it would always find its way back to the front of her mind, making it a fresh memory. Yura mentally shook herself and concentrated. She narrowed her eyes. "What's that up ahead?" She asked. There was a small light up ahead that started to grow. Once at the end, the three of them jumped out of the garganta, landing on a pile of sand. A gust of wind hit the trio, causing them to cover their eyes.

"We're here." Renji said.

Yura's hair blew around her face as she looked out over the never ending desert. "Yeah. Let's go."

A/N: tada there you have it! ok, so i've been having major writer's block so hopefully the next chapter will be pretty good and..yeah. ok. please review. i feel better when i get reviews.