Hello everyone and welcome to a brand-new chapter of this little story!

You know, I think it's pretty cool how much this story has grown throughout the span of six months. Totally an amazing progress.

Anyway, to answer some questions:

TheJSmooth:

Thanks, I really gave it a lot of thought when looking for an appropriate name that could also sound cool. And Aizen? I think this chapter will give you more insight on what is coming.

Guest Isa:

Thanks! I'm really working hard to give the story a nice pace to avoid boring anybody. Sometimes people make stories that move so fast that it leaves me like WTF?! And others are so slow that I just can't continue. So it makes me glad that I'm not doing any of those mistakes. And no, to even think of Natsu becoming a Captain this soon is something that I would never consider. And YES about Acnologia, as those are exactly the same thoughts I had when I thought about bringing Acnologia to the Bleach world. He may be immune to magic, but he isn't to Reiatsu. Unless the attacks are elemental base. In a way, I just gave Natsu a new weapon to fight him. So yeah, while Acnologia isn't immune to it, it does not mean that he will be a push over, after all, he is currently a Hollow. And Aizen meeting Acnologia are a thought for another day.

TheLaughingStalkieTalkie:

It's rather simple, actually. The katana Natsu's father had was a simple manifestation Shōkyaku that only worked as a container so he could exist and interact in the real world. But once it bonded with Natsu's soul, the spirit in it became a dormant Zanpakuto inside him and was now a part of him. Once Natsu awakened his Shinigami powers, the Zanpakuto was finally able to materialize, which is the same case with Ichigo.

Kenpachi3:

I agree with your statement, and saying that any Bleach character could easily win against him is completely wrong. Yes, Acnologia may present immunity to almost any sort of attack in the FT world, but Acnologia is still highly durable and too strong to just say something as ridiculous as that. Just take the dragons that came through the Eclipse Gate, they didn't have any immunity to the Dragon Slayers magic, yet they had nearly no problem in handling their attacks. And Acnologia is much stronger than them. The theory of him being immune to all magic because of eating a dragon's soul is something I come up with because it just makes so much sense to me.

Having said that, please enjoy this chapter

Chapter 10: First Mission

It had been several days since Natsu had first learned the name of his Zanpakuto, and a lot of things had happened since. The Dragon Slayer had spent most of his days under the teachings of Yamamoto, learning about the Shinigami arts. And let's just say that his progress was not going very well.

While learning the name of his Zanpakuto was without a doubt a great step for the young Shinigami, when it came to performing Kidō, he couldn't cast a single spell.

The incantations were too long and complicated for him to memorize, and even the most basic of Kidōs ended up blowing up in his face. It had been like that for days now, and even the Head Captain was becoming frustrated at the hopelessness of the pinkette.

They decided to leave Kidō for another time and focus on other things. Today Natsu was going to meet the Captain of Squad 12.

"Hello! Is the Captain of Squad 12 here!" yelled Natsu, slamming his fist against the door.

There was no response at first, but the Dragon Slayer could hear a series of sounds coming from the other side. It was easy to figure out that there was someone there.

"I'm Natsu Dragneel, the old man sent me here!" He tried to call one more time, but still got no response. He prepared to hit the door once again, but stopped when the door suddenly slid open. "Oh. Hi there, I'm looking for-oof!"

"Would you shut up already! You're making a fuss, you stupid baldy!"

"W-What the...why the hell did you kick me!" He lifted his head despite the pressure on his stomach and realized that his attacker was none other than a little girl; a girl that hardly seemed to be eleven years old.

"Don't you know that this is a lab?" She pointed an accusatory finger at him. "We can't have idiots like you barging in here whenever you feel like it. Now get lost!"

"But…" He tried to explain himself, but she barely gave him any time to breath.

"I said go away!"

"What's with all the noise?" a voice came from inside the building. "Hiyori, I told you not to make so much-oh Dragneel-san, good to see you're finally here. Please, please, come inside!"

Behind the little girl stood a man with messy blond hair. He was wearing a Captain's haori. Natsu recognized him as the guy he saw during the meeting from the other day.

"The Head Captain told me that you were coming, but I didn't know when," the Captain said as they walked pass an annoyed Hiyori. "Oh, in case you didn't already know, my name is Urahara Kisuke, I'm the current Captain of Squad 12 and the one in charge of the newly formed Research and Development Institute."

The Dragon Slayer was given more words than he could understand, but he nodded, nonetheless. "Y-Yeah. The old man told me that you would help me get back home."

"The old man? Oh, you mean the Head Captain? Heh, I never heard anybody call him that before."

"You haven't? But he's old."

"He may be old, but he is regarded as the strongest Shinigami to ever live, so I'd be careful with how you address him in front of others." he warned him, continuing to smile. "I'm not the best when it comes to formalities, but take it as a professional advice."

"I'll…keep that in mind."

Walking past shiny machines and scientific equipment that Natsu could never hope to name, the Dragon Slayer found himself too distracted to watch where he was going.

Soon enough he found himself bumping into someone. "Ugh? Sorry I…"

"Watch where you're going, you fool!" yelled a man, who in Natsu's honest opinion could only be described as the weirdest clown he had ever seen.

What's with all the makeup?

"Are you brain-dead or something? Get out of my sight, you are obstructing my work!"

Now that made Natsu snap from his thoughts and frown in annoyance. "Oi, I already apologized!"

"Ho? Seems like you are intelligent enough to understand basic language. Good; now use whatever brain cells you have under that thick skull of yours and get lost."

The clown man's words were starting to get on his nerves. Natsu was about to retort, but Urahara was quick to step between the two. "Sorry, sorry. I'm sure he didn't mean to interrupt you, Kurotsuchi-san. You see, this young boy here is Natsu Dragneel, I'm sure you've already heard about him."

Kurotsuchi scoffed in annoyance. "Oh yes, I heard about you. The Head Captain's new pet, if I'm correct."

Pet?

"Well, I don't care what you do so long as it doesn't bother me, so let's hope we don't see each other again." Having said that, Kurotsuchi left without saying another word.

"What's his problem?" Natsu asked. Urahara shrugged.

"Don't take it personally, he's like that with everybody. He's very dedicated to his work, but when it comes to people, he tends to look down on those who he doesn't deem as intelligent enough for his standards."

The Dragon Slayer gave the blond Captain a strange look, finding it hard to believe that somebody could possess such a twisted personality. He had met his few share of individuals who thought in a similar way, but they weren't exactly human.

Then again, could a Shinigami be considered human?

Unknown to Natsu, Urahara was actually glad that the mad scientist decided to leave them so easily; all thanks to the pink-haired teen standing beside him. The Dragon Slayer's powers and his place of origin were kept as a secret that only the Captains, Central 46 and a select few trusted individuals knew about, and it was better to keep things that way. Kurotsuchi Mayuri had a tendency of dissecting whatever he found interest in. Urahara was grateful that the Dragon Slayer was spared of that fate.

Even he had to admit that he was quite interested in the pink-haired visitor and the world where he came from. Interested to a point that when the Head-Captain assigned him the duty of supporting the Dragon Slayer with finding a way back to his world, he had no objections on the matter. In fact, he considered himself lucky.

It was no secret among the Gotei that he was a curious person. Sometimes he was too curious for his own good; but he just couldn't help it. He wanted to learn everything that he could from the pink-haired traveler from another world.

"In any case, please follow me, Dragneel-san."

Seireitei. Research and Development Institute. Main Building…

"So, how are we going to do this?"

"First things first, Dragneel-san. What do you know about travel between worlds?"

Natsu scratched his head. "Nothing really. I mean, I once went to another world called Edolas, but I don't really know how that happened."

"Mmhmm, I see." Guiding the Dragon Slayer to a seat, Urahara continued. "Well, since I know you are still new to most of the things we Shinigami do, allow me to explain from the beginning."

The pink-haired mage had to prevent a sigh from escaping him. Am I about to get lectured?

"As you may have heard, we Shinigami have the job of guiding the souls of the departed from the Human World to the Soul Society. That also means that we must protect them from those that wish to bring them any harm and maintain the balance of souls."

The Captain took a scroll from under his sleeve and unrolled it. The piece of paper showed a drawing of a monster with a freaky mask covering its face and a large hole that went through its body.

"Now this Dragneel-san, is a Hollow."

"A Hollow?"

Urahara nodded. "These are creatures born from human souls that did not cross over to the Soul Society in time and stayed in the Human World for far too long. They are corrupted spirits that wish to devour other souls." He took the scroll back and put it back under his sleeve. "It is our job to take care of them before they can do so. Are you following me so far?"

"I guess."

"Good enough." Taking a marker from his haori, the blond Captain drew a large circle on an empty whiteboard, as he had concluded that simplifying things this way would make things easier. "Anyway, what I'm trying to explain to you is that for us Shinigami, there are three main worlds. The first one is the Soul Society, which is where we currently are."

Natsu took a moment to think, and then nodded soon afterwards.

The blond Captain drew another circle. "The second one is the Real World, the realm in which all humans reside in. And finally there is Hueco Mundo, the place where nearly all of the Hollows live in." He said as he drew one last circle.

Fortunately, the Dragon Slayer didn't have much trouble keeping up with this new information. Everything sounded pretty simple.

"Now, what I'm trying to say is that we Shinigami can travel from the Soul Society to the Human World by using the Senkaimon gate, which is our main method for traveling between worlds." He drew a straight line connecting to two circles. "But we can't use it to go to Hueco Mundo, let alone anywhere beyond the known worlds."

The Dragon Slayer gave the blond Captain a puzzled look. He was starting to feel a little lost.

"But that's a limitation that Hollows don't seem to have, for as you see, they can travel from Hueco Mundo to the Human World, and even to the Soul Society if they wish to." Urahara then proceeded to draw a couple of more lines that connected all the circles. "This is by using something known as a Garganta. Now, the reason why I'm telling you all of this is because I was able to come up with a theory."

"Which is?" Natsu inquired.

"The idea to create a Garganta powerful enough that it could be capable of traveling beyond the known worlds." Urahara raised a finger at this, as if wanting to prove a point. "Which means that there exists a very small chance for you to return to your home world, Dragneel-san."

His eyes widened in complete shock. "R-Really?"

The Captain nodded with a sheepish smile. "Lucky for you I have been doing a lot of research on Hollows lately, so I'm quite knowledgeable on the subject."

"So will…will you really be able to send me back?" the pinkette asked, hope glimmering in his eyes.

"It is a possibility, but I believe I may be able to pull it off. There's a lot more to this theory than what I explained, so it will probably take some time before I can reach any results. Oh! And before I forget."

Pulling something out of a nearby drawer, Urahara retrieved a crystal orb and handed it over to the Dragon Slayer. "Pour some of your Reiatsu into that, alright? And some of your magic too. I need to take a few samples from you so I can run some tests for the investigation."

The pink-haired teen glanced at the small orb and nodded. "Sure thing! I'll fill it all up just in a minute!"

"I'll take my leave, then. I have been called for another meeting, so I cannot stay any longer," said Urahara, seemingly satisfied with the young teen's cooperative attitude. "Please try to not break anything while I'm gone, Dragneel-san."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say."

A few hours later. Seireitei. Barracks of Squad 1. Assembly Hall…

"…we still have yet to address the matter of the abnormal Hollow that has been causing problems in the Human World for the past few weeks. Recent reports state that we have been receiving heavy losses on our stationary forces on the Real World. The Hollow continues to devour more souls while killing any Shinigami that it encounters."

All the Captains listened closely as the Head Captain spoke. The meeting was almost at its end, so there was not much left to discuss.

"There have also been reports of sightings of this Hollow around the Rukongai, so it's obvious that it is no longer interested in the souls of the living. This threat has lasted long enough, and it needs to be eradicated immediately." The Captain Commander then turned his attention to the line of Captains on his right. His gaze came to a stop on one of the female Captains. "I will put Captain Shihōin in charge of hunting it down. I expect this to be taken care of as soon as possible."

Yoruichi wasn't surprised by the order. Quick jobs like this required precision and low profile, so it was obvious her Squad would be the best choice. "Hai, Head Captain. But if I may, I would like to make a request."

"Speak."

"I would like to have Natsu Dragneel join the search party."

Now this came as a surprise for almost everyone inside the room. One could not help but wonder why the head of the Shihōin Clan would ask for their newest addition for such a simple job.

"Declare your reasoning behind such a request."

Resting her hands on her sides, Yoruichi answered with a calm yet professional tone. "I heard that he is a good tracker, so I believe that his abilities could prove to be quite valuable for this mission." It was clear that having all of the extra attention focused on her did nothing to affect her.

"Doesn't the Stealth Force already possess people that specialize in tracking?" It was the Captain of Squad 6, Kuchiki Ginrei, who questioned her motive.

"We do, but to cover the entirety of the Rukongai we'll need to make multiple search parties for each district, and we don't have enough trackers for that." She turned back to Yamamoto. "Besides, I think that stretching his legs will do him some good. The boy has been stuck in here for weeks, I believe, so I'm sure he must be pretty bored."

The Head Captain stood in silence as he took a moment to consider the request. Captain Shihōin presented some valid points about letting the Dragon Slayer go on the extermination mission with her squad.

It could also help greatly in improving the pink-haired boy's new abilities and his relationship with the rest of the squads. There was no better place to put that sort of thing into practice than on the field. Fighting Hollows was the perfect situation to do just that. Especially if this was his first mission.

"Very well then, I will allow Natsu Dragneel to participate on the Hollow extermination mission." The loud sound of his staff hitting the wooden floor came soon after. "Now, you are all dismissed."

Eight hours later. In the outskirts of the Rukongai. Forest near District 48…

"Are you sure this is the right way, Renji?"

"Of course I am! See, the map says we are around the middle districts…I think."

Rukia resisted the urge to sigh, if only to avoid distracting the red-haired kid any further.

It had been around two weeks since they left the Inuzuri district in their quest to go find Natsu, and they had spent the majority of that time walking nonstop.

It was obvious that they were tired from the long trip, but they had made it too far to give up now. After all, this journey wasn't just for them, but for a friend.

Natsu. The name of the pink-haired mage resounded inside her head. She couldn't help but wonder how he was doing. It had been a long time since they had last seen him, so there was no way for them to tell. At this point she could only hope that he was alright.

"Hmm, that's weird; I thought a river was supposed to be here," mumbled Renji. "Or was it a mountain?"

"We're lost?!" Rukia yelled in disbelief.

"Of course not! I just don't know where we are!"

"That's what being lost means, idiot!"

"Hey, don't call me that! It's that guy's fault for selling us such a stupid old map!"

"You are the stupid one! I told you to not buy anything from him!

"How were we supposed to reach the place where the Shinigami live if we didn't even know where it was?!"

"By buying it from someone who wouldn't screw us over!"

As the two children continued to argue, unbeknownst to them, a large shadow began to creep from behind the trees.

The beast growled as it carefully sniffed the air, searching for its prey.

"I smell…something…" It spoke with a deep voice, its lifeless white eyes reflecting the pair of children that were arguing nonstop. "I smell…dragon…"

Not far from there…

The Hollow extermination mission had now begun.

The Stealth Force had divided their numbers into multiple groups, each of them accompanied by their own tracker and sent to the various locations where the Hollow sightings had taken place.

Soi Fon's group was currently crossing the forest near the 48th District, using Shunpo to move around the trees at an impressive speed. They had yet to encounter anything, but the as hours went on, one question remained in the young assassin's head.

Why did I have to be stuck in the same group as the pink-haired idiot?!

That's right. Soi Fon's group consisted of her, a dozen or so of some of the best Shinigami that the Stealth Force could afford, and Natsu himself.

She was sure that Yoruichi-sama was somehow behind this.

"Oi, Soy Sauce, what did you say we were looking for again?" Natsu remembered something about taking care of an animal of some sort. He wasn't paying any real attention during the mission briefing, so he had no clue what was going on.

"My name is Soi Fon! Get that into your head already, or I swear I'll kill you myself!" she threatened him with a dangerous tone. Natsu felt so nervous, a bead of sweat trickled down his forehead. "Don't make me repeat myself, you understand?"

He did not doubt that she would carry out her promise. "S-Sorry," he apologized with a nervous chuckle. The assassin huffed in annoyance before releasing a sigh.

She knew that she only had to deal with his stupidity for the remainder of the mission, but it was by no means an easy task. The urge to sink her blade into that thick skull of his was already becoming hard to ignore.

"We are hunting a Hollow. Supposedly, it has been causing a lot of problems in the Human World for some time now, but for some reason it is here, at the Soul Society," she explained with a hard frown. "The higher-ups think that it may be looking for something, but we have no idea what."

"A...hollow," mumbled Natsu quietly. From what he remembered from Urahara's short explanation, they were evil spirits that wished for nothing but to eat any soul that they could get their hands on.

This mission kind of reminded him of some of jobs that he would take back when he was at the guild. Only that rather than fighting ghosts, those were about taking care of groups of bandits or some random dark guild.

He sure missed those days.

As they used Shunpo to move through the dense large forest, Natsu realized that he was being left behind. Dammit, this is hard!

He was having a difficult time keeping up with the rest of the group, as he was still learning how to perform Shunpo properly. He understood how the technique worked, but he still had a long way to go before he could even think of using it during an actual fight.

The Dragon Slayer's sensitive ears suddenly twitched. Was that a voice? It was, right? he asked himself, not entirely sure if he had heard that right. He couldn't remember where he had heard the voice from, but it sounded awfully familiar.

It took a few seconds before the Dragon Slayer's eyes went wide in realization.

"Rukia."

Rukia didn't know how it had come to this.

How was it that she and Renji were now running for their lives?

It wasn't even a minute ago when they were doing nothing but bickering. And then a black creature had come out of nowhere and attacked them. They were left with no other option but to run.

The massive beast charged right at them, fully intent on eating them alive. It was terrifying to have such a scary monster chasing after them. Just like a nightmare.

It was only thanks to the monster's large size that they had been able to avoid being devoured. It kept crashing against the trees, giving them enough time to get away before it destroyed the wood by its roots and continued to chase after them.

But that was all there was to it. They were only gaining more time.

"I…I don't think I can keep…running for much longer," mumbled Rukia between breaths.

"Don't be stupid, Rukia! Just hang on a little more!"

She could have probably run a lot more if it hadn't been for the fact that she was already tired from the long trip. It was really unfortunate that the monster decided to attack them now of all times.

"Grraah!" The monster released an inhuman roar, shaking the forest to its very core as it continued to pursue them.

Rukia could already feel her legs were slowly giving upt. Her pace was decreasing and her vision was getting blurry. She could barely see where she was going.

"Dammit, Rukia! Don't give up now!" shouted Renji in frustration.

"I'm…I'm not! It's just that…" And just like that, her eyes widened as her feet tripped over a root that was sticking out of the ground. O-Oh no!

Her mind froze as she felt herself crash against the muddy ground. And before they knew it, the monster was upon them.

The creature stood in front of Rukia, staring her down. Its large, lifeless eyes reflected her small, vulnerable form. "You…smell like…dragon."

I-It speaks? She thought in shock. Its voice did nothing but make the petite girl tremble in terror even more as the creature reduced the distance between them. Is this really the end? Just like this? No… No, please no! Someone! Anybody help me…!

The monster opened its large jaw, ready to engulf her completely.

Please help me… Natsu!

*CLINK*

Without she could even register what was happening, a man dressed in black robes suddenly appeared out of thin air, stopping the monster's jaw dead in its tracks with a long sword.

Rukia didn't recognized who it was at first. She thought that it was another Shinigami, just like all the previous ones she has seen before. However, her eyes widened in disbelief once she saw the all too familiar pink hair resting on top of her savior's head.

"N-Natsu?"

"Yo, Rukia, long time no see."

CHAPTER END

And there we go! A reunion between friends is now taking place! Though I'm not sure of what to think of this chapter. It was short, but a necessary one to do.

Oh! And Natsu and Acnologia finally see each other after all this time? I wonder what's going to happen the next chapter, because I don't even know what is happening. XD

There is also some hope for Natsu returning home. But will it happen? Don't know either. He seems to have forgotten that he is dead, though. And it seems like he is learning about Hollows as well.

Kurotsuchi Mayuri's was another fun part to write.

Also, Rukia and Renji are only kids, so it makes sense that they would be terrified of a hollow. Especially if it is Acnologia. In any case, I have a few surprises prepared for the next chapter, so I am really looking forward to it. Like seriously, this is going to be a lot of fun.

In any case, please let me know what you think. Constructive criticism, ideas, or suggestions are more than welcome. It helps greatly to know what your opinions are, as they give me a better sense of direction on where I want to take this story.

With that said, please have a nice day!