These have been slow-going lately, mainly for four reasons:

1. It's getting pretty damn close to the end. I've got to prepare myself.
2. I have some other stories on Fictionpress that I'm finishing up at the moment, and I've been trying to focus on those in order to get them out of the way for some bigger projects I've been planning.
3. I've been writing the rewrite lately as well. And let me tell you, those rewritten chapters (while much better and much more satisfying) are twice as long as the originals.
Lastly, 4. I'm effing lazy. I swear to god.

Kurosaki could barely keep up with the kid—well, not a kid really, seeing as he wasn't much older. The hedges closing around them fast didn't make it much easier. He stumbled again, silently cursing the roots reaching for his ankles. Ahead of him, the blond Hufflepuff stumbled along as well, wand held at the ready for any possible threat.

He absently wondered how the others were doing. He'd felt the distant spike earlier, but for the moment could only focus on his own situation. Something howled somewhere behind him, and ahead of him, Cedric picked up the pace.

The blond turned a corner, and in an attempt to follow, Kurosaki found himself blocked by the hedge closing around him. He cursed, struggling through it, vines reaching out to tangle his limbs in them and pull him back into their leafy expanses…

With a burst of reiatsu, the bushes drew back as if burned, and he rushed forward again. There were several shouts, and he could see the flashes of light cast from more than one wand.

"Kurosaki! Hurry up!" A familiar voice growled as a shorter figure pushed past him and deeper into the maze. The orange-haired teen stood there in shock for only a split second before following closely behind the Tenth Division Captain.

Cedric and Harry weren't too far ahead of them, the two racing through the hedge towards the glow at the end of the path closing around them. Kurosaki stumbled, nearly tripping over a root as the roots and vines reached out for him, pulling him back.

The two English wizards weren't far from the Cup, the Shinigami only feet behind them.

"Cedric, hurry! Grab the Cup!" Harry's voice could be heard shouting, and the two scrambled for the Cup.

"Kurosaki!" Hitsugaya's voice was just as urgent, grabbing the other by the arm and running faster as behind them the hedge closed in fast.

The Hogwarts students lunged for the Triwizard Cup, and, likewise, the Shinigami lunged for the students.

There was a flash, and a crack, and all four of them were gone.

Hollows were crawling all over the maze, slowly but surely making their way towards the student body gathered on the Quidditch Field. They'd already sent both Fleur and Krum back to the entrance of the maze, where they were surely being taken care of by the headmasters, leaving them to focus on the Hollows and to trust in their companions to deal with Harry and the others.

But for every one they killed, two more seemed to take their place.

"This is never going to end!" The Lieutenant of the Tenth groaned, flicking off the blood sticking to her blade. She'd lost count of how many masks she'd sliced and beasts she'd killed.

A blur materialized before her, a brunette flash-stepping to her side. "Matsumoto, I'm going to trade places with Kuchiki and inform her of the current situation. Will you be alright in the meantime?" Taking a moment to catch her breath, she nods.

"I'll be fine, but at this rate we'll need to release our limiters."

Shouta sighed, running a hand through his hair exasperatedly. "I'll make sure to call for backup, as well. Be careful."

"You too."

One Hermione Granger watched as the brunette raced back into the aisles, looking far more out of breath than he should've been. At least, so she'd thought, but in all honesty, she didn't actually know where he'd gone.

Her eyes narrowed as he collapsed on the seat next to Rukia, the two conversing briefly in rapid Japanese before the shorter of the two got up, leaving in the same manner her two companions had earlier. Flicking her eyes to her right, and finding Ron thoroughly distracted by the Third Task, she carefully made her way down the rows—apologizing profusely to the complaints she received in return—Hermione sat down in the previously occupied seat right next to the brunette.

He glanced at her only momentarily before turning his gaze back to the maze before them, eyes observing the grounds with a calculated gaze. The young wizard cleared her throat awkwardly, shifting uncomfortably in her seat as she mustered up her courage for the inbound conversation.

"So… Soul reapers, huh?" She muttered after coughing again. She gained the reaction she somewhat expected—though really, she wasn't entirely sure what to expect anymore. Shouta went stock still, his body stiffening at her words.

"…When did you find out?" He asked in a low voice, taking measured breaths and keeping his eyes trained straight ahead.

"I learned of it only recently." She replied honestly. "But I still don't understand a lot of things. Why are you here?"

He doesn't reply for a long while. "I suppose it can't hurt to tell you now." Letting out a long sigh, Shouta's gaze turned to the sky. "We were sent here for several reasons. For one, Voldemort split his soul—a forbidden action punishable on multiple levels. They were also using this as an excuse to do more research on the wizarding race in general. Around our third year, Dumbledore hired us to protect the school and Harry Potter for the duration of our stay as well."

When he didn't continue, Hermione took the risk and prodded. "What was the main reason then?"

"…Let's just say we have our own war to deal with, and we're trying to minimize the casualties."

Hermione opened her mouth to ask more, but from the vibe emitting from the brunette, she closed it again. If what she had pieced together during their brief conversation was true, she would get the rest of her answers soon enough.