Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or the name Kurosaki Masaki. Tite Kubo owns both, I merely own my OC under the name of Mai.

Feedback: Reviews are highly encouraged, they keep me inspired, so please feel free to drop a line. Flames however aren't appreciated. Thank you to all who review and have added me to your alerts, your support keeps me writing. Seriously it does.

AN: I now have a picture of Masaki wearing real world clothing up on my deviantART page, so take a look at it (Link is on my profile if you haven't visited yet). In addition, look at my Favorites on my deviantART page (all the way at the bottom) the last picture definitely depicts how Ichigo reacted in the previous chapter when Yachiru appeared.

Thanks Namikaze Artemis, unbeknownst to you, you have helped me in learning of the loophole so I could update. I happened to read your AN for Naruto story. I'm not a Naruto fan, but I do have you on my author alerts, so if you ever roll out with another Bleach fic, I'll read it.

Edited formatting: 2/3/18

"What the hell are you guys doing?' Tōshiro demanded, a very prominent vein pulsing on his forehead, his icy teal gaze threatening to freeze the scene before him as he stood in the hospital entrance walkway.

"Taichō!" Rangiku exclaimed, struggling to disentangle herself from Momo, whom she had just crashed into after being hit by the Hadō: 1 Shō spell released by Izuru in an attempt to evade Shūhei.

"Hitsugaya-kun!" Momo cried.

Behind them, Shūhei tapped Izuru as he said, "I caught you."

The blonde male, however, paid him no mind, cobalt eyes were focused on the incensed form of the Tenth Division taichō. Shūhei turned, his grey gaze following the blonde's line of sight.

"Taichō, we were just playing Shunpo tag," Rangiku started to explain, after managing to extricate herself from the Fifth Division fukutaichō and leaping to her feet.

Yachiru appeared beside Momo as she bounded to her feet and dusted her hakama.

"Playing? What the hell is a matter with you, Matsumoto? We don't have time to waste playing games. If you're fit enough to be running around, you should be training. Away from here. We might have a barrier around the building, but we don't need Hollows to try to break it. Good thing the Kurosakis took care of those Hollows," he said, his gaze flickering for a second to Ichigo and Masaki in the distance then back to the others before him.

"Taichō, we are going to train. Hinamori and I just woke up not too long ago. We were going to get breakfast when Yachiru—"

"I don't want to hear your excuses," Tōshiro said dismissively. "You should know better, Matsumoto, regardless of what Kusajishi thinks this isn't a playground. Get inside or go train somewhere else. Now!" he barked the command and quickly turned around, white haori billowing behind him angrily.

"Shirō-chan is a meanie," Yachiru said, pouting.

"Where are you going, Taichō?" Rangiku asked, surprised by her taichō's attitude.

"Back to the meeting from which my fukutaichō and her fellows interrupted me from," he said irritably, marching toward the front doors, which opened and closed with a hiss as he disappeared behind them.

"Gomen nasai, Taichō," Rangiku whispered, her gaze lowering to the ground.

"Looks like he just came to get us to go inside, but the meeting is still going on," Izuru noted.

Shūhei nodded. "He must have been sent by the sōtaichō."

"Don't worry, Rangiku-san," Momo said, placing a hand on the blonde-haired woman's shoulder. "Hitsugaya-kun will get over it later. We should have thought about what would happen if we're out here, but what's done is done. Let's just go in." Turning to the pink haired girl, Momo added. "Gomen nasai, Yachiru-chan, but we can't play anymore. You heard Hitsugaya-kun we have to go inside or train. This isn't the Seireitei, Hollows can appear here."

Yachiru frowned, unhappy with the idea. She had been having fun and now her playtime was ruined. She hadn't played in what seemed like forever ever since she left the Soul Society for Hueco Mundo. While she was glad that Ken-chan had enjoyed himself with Nnoitra and Yammy, leaving Hueco Mundo had only meant coming here to witness people being healed.

Happy though she was that everyone was alive and receiving treatment, she quickly grew restless and bored. At first, she had amused herself by messing with Baldy during his recovery, but once he and Ken-chan were healed for the most part, she was by their side watching them duel if the third seat wasn't guarding one of the pillars. She and Ken-chan had tried exploring the town, even attempted to look for Ichigo's house the other day, but failed. She found this town incredibly boring since there weren't any candies or toys.

She had been surprised that the so-called intruder everybody had been so anxious about had been Ichigo's daughter. She had overheard Baldy and Yun-Yun talking to her beloved Ken-chan about her and when she began asking questions about where she came from—she didn't understand how Ichi could not know his own daughter—he immediately informed her that Ichigo's daughter came from a giant Senkaimon, where all babies come from.

She had been overjoyed to hear this news. Finally, something that wasn't depressing, but exciting. And even more fantastic, Ichi's baby wasn't really a baby at all, she was someone she could play with.

"Yachiru-chan, are you coming?" Momo asked the younger girl, as she and the others headed toward the building.

Contemplating the option, Yachiru glanced over to Ichigo and Masaki, who were still talking in mid air, and shook her head. The pink haired girl sped away.

"Yachiru-chan!" Momo cried.

"Just let her do whatever she wants, Hinamori-kun. She isn't going to listen to us," Izuru advised.

The four fukutaichō watched as Yachiru jumped from the ground when she reached the spot beneath the ground where the Kurosakis were, flipped in mid air over Masaki, and just as she fell downward grabbed ahold of Masaki's shoulders and poked her head over the orange haired young woman's right shoulder.

"She'll probably head in when Kurosaki Masaki-san does."

"Okay, Kira-kun," Momo agreed, turning around and falling in step beside Izuru as they started walking once more to the hospital entrance. "Yachiru-chan seems really happy that she is here."

"Did you hear her earlier? She thinks Kurosaki-san is a baby," Izuru said. "That's probably why she's so eager to play with her."

"Bet Madarame must have told her that," Shūhei said, walking on Izuru's other side.

"Or maybe it was Zaraki-taichō," Izuru suggested.

"Either way, I suppose it's the best explanation they could come up for her appearance. She is after all Kurosaki Ichigo-san's daughter. I just can't believe she's really here…I never would have thought such a thing could be possible. I'm amazed Iba-san failed to notice her."

She and Rangiku had received Komamura-taichō's message that Masaki had been misidentified as a Ryoka due to her recent transfer and late arrival and that there had never been an intruder.

"I know," Rangiku chimed in, her earlier sadness forgotten. "I think those sunglasses of his must have blocked the brightness of her hair."

"I don't think anyone could have thought it was possible other than Urahara Kisuke, Hinamori-Kun. He obviously went through the trouble of creating such a device, thinking he could do it. It's unfortunate though she can't return to her time immediately."

Momo nodded in agreement.

"What is it with this guy?" Shūhei asked, as they entered the hospital. "First the Hōgyoku, and now this time travel device…or I guess I should say will create it. What a weird concept."

"I think this is exciting," Rangiku said, grinning. "Knowing your future before it happens."

"Wonder if that's how Kurosaki Ichigo feels," Shūhei remarked.

"I heard he was shocked, but who can blame him," Rangiku said, "He's just a kid, and this isn't something easy to believe especially with…everything's that has happened lately." Her cerulean gaze hardened for a moment, before brightening again. "But now that we know she's really from the future and staying here, they can get to know each other, and I'll never have to pay a fortune teller again."

"I doubt Kurosaki-san will tell you anything. Earlier, Hisagi-san, Iba-san, and I ran into her, and she wouldn't tell Iba-san who her taichō was."

"She didn't want to tell me either or whether I had learned Bankai," Rangiku admitted. "She and Iba would make a weird partnership though, don't you guys think?"

"It would be like you and Hitsugaya-kun," Momo pointed out.

"It's not the same thing. The taichō and I work well together."

"More like he works and you pretend to work, Rangiku-san."

"True, but it works. I just find it hard to imagine how a partnership between Iba and her would work. She seems too stiff…and he's too macho."

It was a known fact that Iba prided himself on being a man's man, was president of the Men's Shinigami Association, and writer of a column in the Seireitei Communication magazine advocating the art of speaking with a macho Hiroshima accent.

"They would probably be at odds like Ise and Iba-san are when it comes to the Men and Women's Shinigami Associations," Shūhei said, recalling their earlier encounter.

"Maybe Iba-san has changed," Momo suggested, as they passed the main desk and entered a corridor.

"Maybe," the blonde woman considered. "But the only way we'll get to know anything is if she tells us. It's too bad we don't have sake…If we had some, we could get her drunk and get her to spill."

"You just want to know about your own future, Matsumoto-san," Izuru accused.

"Don't tell me, you don't?" she shot back, grinning. "Besides, it's a good excuse as any to drink."

The Third Division fukutaichō stiffened, uncertainty crossing his face. "I-I don't know."

"Aren't you the least bit curious, Hinamori, Shūhei?" Rangiku asked.

Momo's face had a similar expression as Izuru's as she considered the blonde's words. "I'm not sure, Rangiku-san."

"It doesn't matter anyway. Kurosaki's leaving to the Soul Society," was Shūhei's answer.

"Really?" Rangiku said.

"Yeah, she told us."

"I think she's waiting for the taichō to finish their meeting," Izuru said.

"That's too bad. If only we could go." Longing flashed in her cerulean orbs, then looking thoughtful added, "Hey, maybe we'll get to go if the taichō are reconsidering our stay here."

"You think?" Izuru asked. "Hollow activity has been increasing here lately. Last night, by far has been the busiest night on guard duty."

"We have the Seventh Division for that. She could have left by herself if they didn't want her here, but she didn't. She's waiting for the taichō before she leaves."

"Well, that's true, but unless the Gotei13 has a reason to send us back to the Soul Society, then I don't think we'll be going back," Izuru said, coming to a halt.

They had reached the spot where a stairway was located. Shūhei stood directly in front of it, Izuru at his side. The two women were on Izuru's other side.

"It would be better if we didn't have to return until this war was over," Izuru pointed out. "Battling here is better than battling in the Soul Society or the real Karakura."

"You're right, Kira," Rangiku admitted. "The good news is now we know how the war is going to end."

Her fellow fukutaichō stared at her, realization dawning on their faces.

Watching as the white haired taichō left the scene as quickly as he had appeared, Ichigo commented, "Tōshiro sure is pissed."

"Kurosaki-san," Masaki said, amethyst eyes also following the taichō's departure, "Hitsugaya-taichō is right, you shouldn't waste your time. You need to prepare for the battles ahead… for Aizen Sōsuke." Her eyebrows knitted slightly. "You should leave and rest. The game's over. I won't hold you to fighting with me—"

"No," Ichigo said, turning to look at her, his eyebrows furrowing a bit. "I said I would and I'm going to."

"Look, you don't owe me anything, Kurosaki-san," Masaki said, glancing at him. "I already told you there's no need for an apology. There's nothing to forgive, just forget it. You aren't my father"—Ichigo froze, his cheeks turning pink— "not yet anyway. Forget I ever mentioned I wanted a fight. You need to focus on getting stronger. I would just be taking up your time."

"But fighting with you would be still be training," Ichigo pointed out, ignoring his discomfort.

"No, it wouldn't," Masaki shook her head, bangs swaying across her forehead. "I just want to spar without releasing my katana."

Ichigo eyed her, considering her words. Minutes ago, he had seen excitement in her eyes at the prospect of fighting him, and now she was relinquishing the chance. He didn't understand why, now that he thought about it she was going to the Soul Society. Perhaps she had forgotten too, and now she was offering him a chance to take his words back. He couldn't do that though. Even if he technically wasn't her father yet, someday he would be despite how mind boggling the concept was. The things he said were something a father should never say to his daughter.

"I already said that I'll fight you, so I will. I'm not changing my mind about that. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did especially after…the, um, DNA results… and if sparring is what you want to make up for it, then I'll do it. We can always spar after the war—" Ichigo froze, his amber eyes burning with realization.

"Okay, Kurosaki-san."

Masaki's gaze moved from him toward the ground where she spotted Yachiru running.

After the war? Wait a minute…Aizen will be defeated.

Subconsciously, he knew this —Masaki's appearance was proof enough—he just hadn't focused on that particular fact. Aizen would be defeated; the thought sent his heart pumping.

Suddenly Yachiru appeared in front of them. Ichigo watched in amazement as she flipped in mid air over Masaki, who stared at her surprised, descended upon her back, grabbed hold of her shoulders for support, and poked her head over Masaki's right shoulder in one fluid motion.

"Mini Ichi, Ichi, are you guys still playing?" Yachiru asked eagerly. Masaki shifted her head to glance at the girl.

"No, we're not," Masaki told her. "He's leaving and I'm going to the Soul Society once the taichō are finished with their meeting."

"You are? How come?"

"The sōtaichō ordered me there."

"I wanna come too. There's many things we can play there, and we can eat candy. I have a lot of candy at Byakushi's house."

"Byakushi?" Ichigo repeated, chuckling slightly. Earlier he had been too stunned to think about Yachiru's nickname for the Sixth Division taichō. She sure had a way with nicknames.

"What do you mean you have candy at Byakuya's house?" Ichigo wondered. He doubted the noble would ever let the Eleventh Division fukutaichō inside his manor; he wasn't the type to have patience toward children and their behavior.

"I store some of my candy there. Byakushi's house is the headquarters of the Shinigami Women's Association. We have secret tunnels there so we can have our meetings," Yachiru explained.

"What is the Shinigami Women's Association?" the substitute Shinigami wondered.

"It's a pointless organization—" Masaki started.

"No, it's not," Yachiru interrupted, frowning. "It's a fun club for female Shinigami where we eat candy and snacks and make money. I like making money; it means I get more candy and toys."

"I meant to say pointless in the sense that it's only about having fun," Masaki apologized.

"What else would it be about?" Yachiru asked.

"I don't know, Yachiru-chan."

"Don't worry, Mini Ichi, you'll see how fun it is. Even though you're still young, I'll give you permission to join since I'm the president."

Ichigo stared at Yachiru. He couldn't believe she really thought Masaki was a baby. Since when do babies resemble a seventeen to eighteen year old female, carry a Zanpakutō, and know Shunpo? Did she think Shinigami instinctively knew these things? Then again, there was Yachiru, who looked like a little kid, yet was Kenpachi's fukutaichō and apparently the president of the Shinigami Women's Association. How in the world did that happen?

"If you say so Yachiru-chan, but I doubt they'll be time for meetings. It's war time," Masaki reminded the young girl and glancing at Ichigo said, "Kurosaki-san you can leave now."

"Why don't you call Ichi, tou-chan?" Yachiru asked. Ichigo blushed.

"I told you Yachiru-chan, I'm not a baby—"

"You're bigger than a baby, but he's still your daddy, Mini Ichi," Yachiru pointed out.

"I don't call him that because"— Masaki looked thoughtful for a moment— "we're playing a game. Just like you like giving people nicknames, we aren't going by proper names. I'm calling him Kurosaki-san and he's calling me Mai."

"Okay, but that's kind of weird," Yachiru said. "You should call him Ichi-chan."

"I like Kurosaki-san, and he does too, right?" Masaki turned to Ichigo for support.

"Y-Yeah," he nodded, glad that Masaki had been able to come up with an explanation.

"Why did you pick the name Mai, Ichi?" Yachiru wondered.

"Um…"Ichigo raised a hand to his head and began to scratch the back of his head.

"Because it means brightness," Masaki supplied.

Yachiru smiled. "Good choice, Ichi."

"Thanks, Yachiru," Ichigo muttered, dropping his arm to his side.

It was true the name Mai did mean brightness, and it also meant dance. He was glad her alias was proving to be useful for reasons other than his inability to say her true name. Yachiru was too curious…too observant… He had to admit it was lucky that Masaki had chosen that name as her moniker when they met for the first time. It was close to her real name, yet it labeled one of her distinguishing features. She was definitely good at inventing stories… The thought brought to mind Rukia's sob stories and excuses, which he had never really considered as good but at least people would buy them.

"Well, Kurosaki-san, you should get going," Masaki said.

"Yeah," he agreed.

"Where are you going, Ichi?"

"To my house."

"I wanna come," Yachiru said excitedly.

"No, Yachiru-chan, you can't go. He needs to rest. How about you and I play a game inside the hospital?"

"I'm bored of that place," Yachiru said. "I wanna see Ichi's house. C'mon let's go, Ichi, Mini Ichi!" she urged when neither orange haired Shinigami failed to a stir.

"But, Yachiru-chan, I need to stay here because once the taichōs' meeting is done, I'll be leaving," Masaki said, turning to look at the young girl.

"They're still in the meeting; Gramps probably has a lot of boring stuff to tell them. Let's go. Don't worry, we'll make it back in time."

Masaki turned her gaze toward the hospital then back to Yachiru and suggested, "How about we just take a quick walk around here?"

"But I really want to see Ichi's house!" Yachiru exclaimed.

"There really isn't anything to see, Yachiru," Ichigo said. "It's not even my real house, this is a fake town, remember? It's just a house like any other."

Technically, it wasn't just a house like any other, his house was the Kurosaki Clinic, but Yachiru didn't need to know that.

"But I wanna see where it is, so Ken-chan and I can visit you," Yachiru persisted.

Ichigo sweat dropped; that's what he was afraid of. Fake house though it was, he didn't feel like seeing it demolished if it could be avoided. He was well aware that Kenpachi had tried looking for him a couple of days ago, but that he ended up getting lost.

"But if you come to the Soul Society with me, then you won't be able to visit it," Masaki reminded the young Shinigami girl.

Ichigo hoped Yachiru would give up. He knew Masaki was trying to get her mind off coming to his house; she had no power to make that decision.

"But I still wanna see it!" Yachiru said, after thinking about Masaki's words.

"Fine, let's go," Ichigo muttered, seeing that the Eleventh Division fukutaichō wasn't going to yield.

"Yay!" Yachiru cheered.

"But it's going to be a quick look, okay, Yachiru-chan," Masaki warned the young girl. Yachiru nodded enthusiastically and began to tap Masaki's back with the palms of her tiny hands impatiently.

"Let's go," Yachiru urged.

Familiar buildings met Ichigo's gaze as he jumped effortlessly from one point to the other. Beside him, Yachiru clung to Masaki, her usual carefree grin lighting her face as her eyes eagerly scanned the town. Masaki was also staring at the buildings below. He had been worried that Yachiru would start asking embarrassing questions, but her focus shifted temporarily to some recently damaged buildings that they passed over—most likely, because of the Hollow attacks that Ishida had mentioned that occurred last night—and then to asking questions about things in the real world.

The hospital wasn't that far from his house with Shunpo, but Yachiru kept insisting that they stop and look at everything that piqued her interest. She kept talking about what Kenpachi had said they were; apparently, she had bugged him for answers too, but his answers were way off. Neither had ever been to the real world. Which he had to say was a good thing.

"What's that?" Yachiru pointed to a large red square with two smaller gray squares within it that curved inward and had handles.

"It's a mail box," Ichigo explained. "People use it to send letters."

The bubble gum haired Shinigami seemed unimpressed, her eyes already looking for something more interesting.

"Oooh, what's that?" Yachiru asked, pointing to some vending machines that were against the wall of a building down the other end of the street.

"It's more vending machines, Yachiru-chan," Masaki answered this time.

"Really, I wanna see what those machines have, Mini Ichi," Yachiru said, grinning.

They had already encountered various vending machines, and despite the fact she couldn't eat anything, Yachiru wanted to see what they contained. She found it odd yet interesting that these machines contained a variety of snacks; she hadn't seen them during her trip with Kenpachi. She kept breaking them just in case they had something real, ignoring their protests.

Masaki landed in front of them, and Yachiru immediately jumped off her back and proceeded to inspect the machines. Ichigo landed neatly beside them.

"What do these machines have?" Yachiru pointed to the first one.

"Sodas," Ichigo replied. He had already explained the concept of sodas to her.

"And this one?" She moved her finger to the next one.

"They all sell drinks, Yachiru," Ichigo replied, taking a quick glance of the four machines.

Walking in front of the machines, Yachiru's gaze eagerly swept over them, and then she punched through the glass of the third machine and grabbed an aluminum can. Ichigo winced. He really wished she would quit doing that. It was unfortunate that there weren't any snacks or drinks available for her to eat. Although he had to admit, he was scared of seeing Yachiru on a sugar high.

"What flavor is it?" Yachiru asked, as she handed it to Ichigo.

"Peach."

She took it back and shook it. Hearing nothing, she threw it on the ground. The can rolled coming to a halt as Masaki's waraji intercepted its path. Masaki bent down to pick it up, and stared at it. Yachiru was already studying the other machines.

"I haven't seen this drink in…over forty years," she mused to herself, but Ichigo heard her.

Turning her head, Masaki found herself staring into Ichigo's surprised amber orbs. He quickly averted his gaze. He knew she was a Shinigami, that she was probably much older than she looked, but just how old was she? Was she a 150 years old like Rukia was?

And wait a minute, she actually knew what a drink was—what hair dye was? She didn't seem to be as clueless as Rukia or the other Shinigami.

He heard the can drop, and he inwardly cursed himself for looking away. He hadn't really spoken to her since they left the hospital. He had been too busy playing tour guide to Yachiru, and Masaki would just answer whatever Yachiru asked her, humoring her in whatever she found interesting.

"Yachiru-chan, where are you going?" Masaki called out.

Ichigo turned his head to the right and saw Yachiru happily running down the street and moving on to the next one. It seemed that she had grown bored of the vending machines.

"C'mon, Mini Ichi, Ichi, let's look at what else is here," the young Shinigami replied, over her shoulder.

Masaki sighed. She walked past Ichigo, who fell in step beside her.

"So much for taking a quick look," Ichigo said, breaking the silence.

"I know," Masaki said.

Ichigo could see Yachiru pausing occasionally to look at the signs adhered to the shops, then moving on to the next one. Shifting his head slightly to glance at Masaki, he said, "You've been to the real world before, right?"

"Hai, I've visited," Masaki responded.

There was a beat before Ichigo said, "Things aren't as surprising to you as they are to Yachiru."

"Not to the same degree no," Masaki said. "Although I'm sure if this were the real Karakura, there would be many things that would surprise me. Things are different now, and I don't remember everything that I've seen in the past."

Ichigo felt stupid for saying that. Of course, they would be.

"My parents taught me about the World of the Living," Masaki said. "We used to go when I was younger whenever they managed to get time off. I used to enjoy the trips even though it was annoying to always get stared at by Humans."

Ichigo found the idea of Rukia teaching Masaki about Human things laughable, but he could definitely envision the stares they would receive if Humans were to see all three of them. He was no stranger to stares; he'd been stared at all his life, even beaten up because of his orange locks. To think if Masaki had been born in the real world, she would have been completely ostracized.

"People are annoying with their stares," Ichigo said knowingly, as they crossed the street.

"Mini Ichi, Ichi, you guys are so slow! Hurry up!" Yachiru shouted, standing in front of a flower shop.

"We're coming, Yachiru-chan," Masaki said, eying the young girl. "Just stay there. We really need to get going." Yachiru ignored her and kept exploring. Turning to Ichigo, Masaki said, "My father would always get mad if people stared too much and talked about us. The people had no idea they were my parents because they didn't look old enough to be—At first, my parents wouldn't use Gigai that would make them look older—so people would think we were siblings. I first started going to the World of the Living when I was just a bit older than you, maybe twenty years old. People would think my father and I dyed our hair, and that my mother and I were wearing contacts."

"So that's how you learned about hair dye?" Ichigo stated more than asked.

"No, my father had already told me about it before I had ever visited the Material World," Masaki said, gazing out on the road before her. "I used to hate being stared at by the other kids growing up, by people… I used to wish I could change my hair," she admitted. "My father told me about hair dye one day when I was really upset. He told me about how he used to get picked on when he was a kid because of his hair. He explained that he learned to ignore them and that I had to do that as well. He offered to get me hair dye if that's what I really wanted, but it wouldn't really change anything, it wouldn't really hide who I was, I had to learn to ignore people which is what I ended up doing."

Ichigo stared at Masaki surprised.

"Yachiru-chan!" Masaki yelled, as the ground shook beneath them, and the sound of broken glass and debris reached their ears.

Ichigo hastily turned his gaze to the scene before him. Up ahead, a large reddish brown Hollow with two arms jutting out from his sides in addition to his front and hind legs, had burst out of a building. He was snarling, snapping his jaws at Yachiru, who Shunpoed to the top of his head. The creature threw his head back, and Yachiru slipped off slightly, leaping into the air to find herself in one of the Hollow's arms that had quickly snaked its way around her waist.

"Yachiru!" Ichigo yelled, as he grabbed Zangetsu.

Masaki had her katana already in her hands, but before either Shinigami moved, Yachiru said, "Let go of me!" and bit down on the Hollow's arm. The arm shook as blood poured out from the wound, and the creature howled in pain, but Yachiru did not release her hold until she felt the Hollow's grip slacken against her body.

Spitting out the blood and wiping her mouth, Yachiru said as she leapt away from Hollow, "You taste nasty."

Feet touching the ground, Yachiru started to run when the Hollow's uninjured arm extended as though it were made of clay, to try to reach her.

The arm flew in the air.

"Don't even think of getting near her," Ichigo said, hovering in the air between the monster and the pink haired girl.

"Are you okay, Yachiru-chan?" Masaki asked, standing a couple of feet away, Zanpakutō still clutched in her hands.

Yachiru nodded, and ran towards her. "Now, I have nasty Hollow taste in my mouth. I need candy to make it go away."

"Gomen nasai, I don't have candy but—" Masaki whirled around, slicing through a Hollow that had appeared behind her. "If we go back to the hospital, you can get something to drink."

"But we still haven't gone to Ichi's house yet," Yachiru reminded her. "I still want to see it."

Masaki glanced around, then snapped her head upward when she heard shouts coming from the rooftop, followed by the distinct roar of a beast.

"Fine, let's go but this time we're going straight to his house, okay?" Masaki said sternly, as she faced Yachiru. The young girl readily agreed.

Having dealt with his opponent, Ichigo was glancing at the roof of one of the buildings across from him. He saw flashes of black —Shinigami—fighting a large Hollow.

"Kurosaki-san, let's go. Let them deal with the Hollow," Masaki said, sheathing her Zanpakutō.

Yachiru leapt over her and settled on her back.

"Okay, let's go," he said.

As soon as Ichigo had opened the door to his house, Yachiru had jumped off Masaki's back and raced around the house, fervently going through every room, hardly giving Ichigo time to catch up with her to explain each room.

They were now standing by the door leading to his room. The final room in the hurried tour he had given Yachiru and Masaki. He had felt odd just days before, when he and his friends started living here, because his belongings, his father, and sisters were clearly absent, but now he felt even weirder with the presence of the mischievous fukutaichō and his future daughter. He'd caught glimpses of curiosity in the latter's eyes as they flounced from room to room, reinforcing his theory that she had probably never been here before. He didn't have the opportunity to ask her if she had taken notice of his house earlier, but he had a feeling she hadn't.

"And this is my room," he said, pushing the door open.

Yachiru shot through like a pink bullet, excitedly glanced at the room, and then launched herself onto his bed. Bouncing on his bed, Yachiru said, "Your room is so small, Ichi."

"No, it's not, it's fine," he said annoyed, as he stepped into the room after Masaki entered.

"Yes it is," Yachiru said, taking noticing of his desk, and his closed closet. "This whole house is too small for you. Because there's no way you, Mini Ichi, and her mommy will be able to fit here if you live with your daddy and your sisters. Are you finally moving to the Soul Society, Ichi? "

Ichigo turned red.

"Is that why you're going to the Soul Society, Mini Ichi?"

"Hai, Yachiru-chan," Masaki answered. "I'll be living there."

Yachiru grinned happily. "It's going to be so much fun now that you'll be living there."

Masaki gave the young girl a small smile, before glancing out the window. Out of the corner of his eye, Ichigo thought he saw the briefest flicker of something like disappointment and worry in Masaki's eyes but it was gone before he could be sure.

He suddenly felt bad. All this time he had been thinking about what it meant to have her here, but it must be difficult for her, being away from everything she knew.

As much as I hate this…I have to stay and wait until one day I can return back to my time.

"Ken-chan will be really happy to have you there," Yachiru added, sparing a glance at Ichigo as she flew upwards toward the ceiling.

"Yachiru-chan, that's enough, we should go now," Masaki said, after a couple of moments passed, and Yachiru still hadn't ceased her bouncing.

"It's time to go back now," Masaki said. "You already saw his house."

"Okay, Mini Ichi," Yachiru said, landing on the floor in front of Ichigo. "It was fun coming to your house, Ichi."

Ichigo just nodded and made a move to follow the female Shinigami when Masaki said, "It's okay, Kurosaki-san. We can find our way out."

"Bye, Ichi," Yachiru said, latching herself once again to Masaki's back.

"Bye, Kurosaki-san," Masaki said, as she met his gaze.

"Bye, Mai," he said.

He stood by the window watching as Masaki and Yachiru disappeared from view, his mind reeling from everything that had happened today. Slowly, he moved towards his bed and dropped himself onto it, allowing his sore body to adjust to the cushion his bed provided.

He sighed, closed his eyes briefly, and then reopened them. He wasn't going to get any sleep and he knew it. He couldn't not when so much had happened in a matter of hours since he heard her utter those words.

Quickly Glossary

Hadō 1: Shō- Thrust

Katana- sword

Tou-chan-daddy

Waraji- sandals made from straw

Hai- yes

Otou-san- father

Okaa-san- mother

Gomen nasai- sorry

Kaa-chan- mommy

Please be kind review. They feed my muse, which means I'll write faster.