~FIREFLY KNIGHTS~

Bleach Copyright Tite Kubo

Firefly Knights Copyright Illand Girl

'For those that need a Guardian.'


Chapter 12: I Can See You


I swung at Ichigo with everything I had. While I knew I couldn't beat him in raw strength, I wasn't about to back down and go easy on him.

Ichigo parried with the stump of a blade, locking us in place as I pressed into him.

"Nao quit it! I won't fight you!" Ichigo insisted. I growled, slicing through the stump as if it were butter. Ichigo's eyes widened, and to my surprise he backed up a few steps. It only furthered my rage.

"You think you have a right to boss me around when you can't even beat me in a fight? I know you Ichigo, it's not that you're afraid to fight me. It's because you think you might actually hurt me," I pointed my sword at him. "So arrogant. You don't even have any spiritual pressure in that stump and yet it's going to magically harm me?"

I swung at him, but this time when he blocked, I sliced through the guard and cut part of the hilt. Blood flew from his hand, surprising him as he stared in shock. I lunged forward, pushing all of my weight into my shoulder and sending him careening to the floor. I landed on top of him, my knees pinning his shoulders as I sat on his chest. I stabbed my sword into the ground next to his head, glaring.

"You did all of this to keep me out of it all. Well I hate to break it to you, but I've been in this long before Rukia showed up that night," I snapped, watching Ichigo look from my eyes to the sword next to him. "I want to help you, Ichigo. I really do, but if you keep treating me like I'm lesser than you we're going to have a problem."

"Idiot!" Ichigo snapped, looking up at me. "If I said stay away don't you think there'd be a good reason?!"

While he couldn't use his shoulder, Ichigo could still bend his elbow and grab onto my right thigh. He squeezed the flesh, glaring at me.

"You're the one who always runs headfirst into danger. You never think about your own well-being! How the hell am I supposed to protect you if you're constantly jumping in the way?!" he shouted, leaning up as much as this position would allow. I sunk further down onto him, leaning over him to glare.

"I can take care of myself," I warned, frowning. "I have been for years now, or did you forget that?"

It seemed to have stung him as he flinched. I ignored it, leaning heavily on my sword to allow me to get closer to him. When Ichigo tried to look away, I grabbed his head and made him turn to face me.

"I have always helped you. I have always been your equal, so why are you suddenly so prepared to think of me as less than that?!" I felt another surge of rage press through me and chuckled humorlessly, gaining Ichigo's attention. I could feel the heat of his body beneath me and felt a lopsided grin slip onto my lips.

"Honestly. It's almost like you belong beneath me."

His eyes widened as my grip slackened on his face. My voice spoke, but it wasn't my own words. Upon realizing I had let the hollow loose I flung myself off Ichigo.

"Fuck..." I winced, struggling to rein her in. On instinct I reached up and felt small horns appearing on my head. I lifted my blade and slammed the hilt into one of them. The tension left me as I felt them shatter and took a deep breath.

I looked back to Ichigo, seeing him watching me carefully as he stood.

"Just... what the hell was that?" Ichigo asked. I didn't react, feeling exposed oddly enough. Instead of answering, I raised my sword.

"If you can cut me, I'll tell you everything." A small smirk slipped onto my lips. "Only fair, considering how long you left me in the dark."

Ichigo looked pissed, but to my surprise he squared up to me. With just the handle in his hands I thought he was insane, but then again, he probably thought he could tackle me and pin me down. He probably could, but I wouldn't let him do it.

I took a deep breath, calming myself and focusing. With a level head I could smell Ichigo, Urahara, and even Tessai if I focused long enough.

Ichigo took a step forwards; I reacted instantly and dodged his attempt to grab me. With the hilt of my blade, I punched him in the side of the ribs. He groaned as I shoved him away with a kick to the hip.

"If you don't start taking this seriously, I'll do to you what Urahara did for me and force you to." I said, trying my damnedest not to lose my temper. This was all part of the training too. Keep my temper, keep my focus.

Ichigo froze then, pulling his handle to his side.

"Fine then," he whispered. I smelled an immense overflow of summer and chocolate. In a pulse and a burst of golden aura, Ichigo finally drew his blade.

"Zangetsu!"

The blast was intense. I chose to drop my sword and open my left palm, keeping my right one held shut. It absorbed the attack just as the dust cleared around Ichigo. He held what looked more like a khyber knife than a sword.

"Nao," Ichigo said lowly. "You better be ready for this."

Danger.

Ichigo came at me, and this time when we locked blades, I could feel Ichigo through his sword. I could feel his hesitation, his fear, and more importantly, his burning desire to protect.

I used the rebound of my sword and sent him flying back a few feet, but Ichigo quickly recovered and attacked me again. I didn't back down, instead dodging his swing and aiming to stab his leg. His sword came slicing downwards at me and I was forced to retreat.

We were both breathing heavily as we went at it for a while longer. I didn't remember every swing, and at some point, I stopped thinking and just kept fighting. It became truly mindless, but each time my blade met his, I felt like I could understand him a little bit better. But one thing remained between our blades, and it was a reservation of feelings.

But now we were both getting sloppy. I could feel myself tiring out. Ichigo looked like he'd had it too, his body trembling and his breathing ragged. My legs were shaking too, my sword arm felt heavy. So far Ichigo had several scratches, but I had none.

"You still won't cut me... will you?" I grumbled, annoyed with him. Ichigo caught his breath, leaning on his zanpakuto.

"I won't... I won't cut you." He declared. I narrowed my eyes, furious with him.

"Stop looking down on me... God dammit!" I cried, frustrated as I started to feel tears well in my eyes. It was all too much. The exhaustion and emotions were like a wave coming over me.

"Why are you looking down on me?! Have I not proven I'm strong? Am I not good enough somehow? I have always had your back, so why can't I do that now?!" I shouted at him, lowering my sword to the ground. Ichigo looked surprised, like he hadn't expected this. I shook my head, scrubbing furiously at my face and cursing under my breath.

"I don't think you're weak at all, Nao." Ichigo admitted. I cleared my eyes and looked at him. He'd hung his head as he spoke. "Actually, you've always been a bit stronger than me. Since day one you've had my back. And yet..."

He gave a humourless laugh.

"I always thought you didn't trust me," he said with such raw honesty it made me freeze up. "You have never once asked me for help. Or anything like that. You even lived in some questionable conditions instead of just saying something. So I thought you didn't trust me."

"Of course I trust you," I was hurt he could even feel that way. "I just- I got used to doing it alone."

I had always done things alone, now that I thought about it. My mom had essentially left me to my own devices for most of my life. It was normal to me.

Ichigo looked up at me, his face serious.

"The day my mother died. I was completely useless. I couldn't save her. I wasn't able to do anything at all. I felt the exact same when you jumped in front of the hollow to save me." He stood up, having caught his breath. I stood taller too as he pointed his sword at me.

"I promised myself, I would never let what happened to my mother happen to you, or anyone else." he said it firmly, and it felt like a filter that had been placed over us since that night had finally been lifted.

"Then get stronger," I said simply, readjusting the grip on my sword. My eyes stung from the tears. "Become so strong that I can lean on you when I need it."

Be someone I can rely on too.

Ichigo's spiritual pressure was skyrocketing, his scent overwhelming me. Yet his eyes were shining as he finally, finally looked at me as if one would an equal. My heart pulsed heavier, I felt like something inside of me was reacting to Ichigo's spiritual pressure.

"Nao," he spoke calmly despite the waves of energy coming off him. "I really hope you can take this!"

He released the same attack as before, and on reaction I finally opened my right palm. His initial attack and the one he shot out just now collided. As the impact burst between us and barrelled at me, a red shield appeared between me and the blast.

With no energy left in me, and the danger evaded, I felt my body wobble before completely collapsing on the ground.


"Naomi? Naomi! Where are you~!" My mother called. I looked at her, waving.

"Here Momma!" I called back. Mom looked over at me, sighing.

"Sweetie, I told you before. Don't come to the park by yourself!" She warned gently before taking hold of my hand. I blinked, confused.

"But..." I looked up to the big white being. It turned it's head, looking back down at me. "I'm not alone. I brought a friend!"

Mom looked around, frowning.

"Who... Who are you referring to hun?" She asked, sounding nervous. I looked at her, then back at the white being. It stared down at me with vibrant eyes and was completely silent. My gaze swapped between the two again as I frowned.

"You... can't see them?"


My arms hurt when I woke up. What's more, I hadn't expected to be back inside my body and up in the shop. Wasn't I fighting Ichigo last? I groaned, trying to get up. A weight on my gut stopped me.

"Ah, you're awake," Yoruichi spoke from my stomach. I looked to him, frowning. "Kisuke was supposed to send you to me for training, but it looks like he found other ways to occupy you."

I groaned in reply, pushing myself up despite the cat ignoring my attempts. Eventually I sat upright, my whole body felt stiff and tight. Yoruichi slid down my stomach and into my lap without batting an eye.

"I would suggest having a nice hot bath. It can ease any aches and pains you may be feeling." Yoruichi supplied. I yawned, looking around.

"Might be a good idea." I said, noticing that the sun was high in the sky. "How long have I been out?"

"Kisuke said you've been out since yesterday evening. I only arrived a few hours ago." Yoruichi explained. I nodded, not overly surprised considering how much of my spiritual pressure I used up.

"A bath sounds... honestly amazing." I admitted, feeling the urge to sink into the steamy water. For the next hour I stayed in there, enjoying every second of it that I could. Alas I couldn't live in the heat and ended up crawling out eventually. I almost contemplated laying on the bathroom floor, but the smell of food had me up and dressed despite the aches.

By the time I arrived at the table, I found everyone else already sitting there. Well, everyone but Ichigo.

"Oh, great timing Naomi," Kisuke said as he looked over. "Ichigo's having a hard time climbing the ladder, so we left him down there. Wanna bring him some food?"

I narrowed my eyes at him, noting the two bentos wrapped up.

"Perfect timing my ass." I muttered, but took the lunchboxes anyway. Kisuke grinned.

"Oh how sweet! Thanks a bunch, now run along and enjoy your date!" He called. I glowered at him over my shoulder, but my red cheeks prevented me from snapping back as I made my way to the ladder.

I was only mildly surprised to find Ichigo groaning on the training ground floor. I stood over him, shadowing his upper body. He looked up at me with a bit of surprise as I smirked.

"Yo, want something to eat?" I held out the bento. Instantly his stomach gurgled. I laughed, and we both got settled on a rock after Ichigo got back into his body.

He ate vigorously, but I couldn't blame him. I was starving too, though my fear of indigestion kept me from inhaling everything.

"So," he started, gaining my attention. "You gunna tell me what's been going on with you?"

I chewed for a moment before readjusting myself, leaning my back against Ichigo's side so I wouldn't have to look at him while I spoke. Ichigo slowed his eating in reaction as I stirred my food lazily.

"Urahara told me a hollow attacked me when I was younger. About the same time I left town. I still don't know much about it. I can't really remember the night at all... But I do know that a hollow attacked me, and Urahara was certain I was going to die from it." I leaned my head back, resting against his bicep as I stared at the fake sky.

"But I didn't die. In fact, according to Urahara, I managed to tame it enough for him to seal it away. He doesn't think I have soul reaper powers like you, so in order to control it I had to have a seriously strong will... and a lot of luck, I guess." I stared at my left hand in thought. "I can do other things too, but we haven't gotten that far into it before he showed me you fighting those guys to try and save Rukia. He said we had to see this."

"You were there?" Ichigo asked, sounding surprised. I hummed in confirmation.

"I watched the black-haired guy run you through. Urahara wouldn't let me interfere, saying we would both die." I admitted, clenching my left hand.

"Probably," Ichigo admitted sullenly. "I wouldn't have been able to do anything, and you would've died trying to defend me."

"Probably," I echoed back numbly. Lowering my hand, I sat up and away from him, thinking about the two soul reapers.

"I meant to ask you," Ichigo began. I looked over my shoulder at him to see he was watching me already. "What is it you remember from these past few months?"

I hummed, looking to the sky in thought.

"That day I just skipped school my head was killing me. Urahara said Rukia had overused the memory replacement device on me and it was messing with my head. So he fixed it all and put it back in order. Some things are still fuzzy, but for the most part I remember everything."

I looked at the rock between us.

"I remember the first night up until Rukia was healing me. I remember when there was some other soul in your body- ah, Urahara explained it's a mod-soul I think? Anyway, I also remember when that menos showed up and you almost destroyed your sword."

"What do you mean? You were there?" Ichigo asked, sounding confused. "I never saw you once that day."

I tilted my head, frowning.

"What are you talking about? I'm the one who stopped your spiritual pressure from leaking out."

He looked shocked then, staring at me with disbelief as I turned away.

"Well, not me exactly. It was her," I put a hand to my stomach, thinking of the inner hollow. "I was aware of everything she was doing, but I wasn't the pilot, I guess?"

I looked back to Ichigo to see him still staring at me with wide eyes. He looked away then, and a short laugh broke from his lips. Then another, until he was laughing and groaning from the pain of laughing.

"What's so funny?" I asked, raising a brow. Ichigo looked back at me, a small smirk on his lips.

"It's just- Renji and Byakuya, those guys you saw? They were sent out because a massive wave of spiritual pressure came up on their radar. I always thought it was my own. But it must've been you that they sensed." He wiped under his nose; eyes locked to mine. "I guess I took that beating for you. And don't get me wrong, I'm more than fine with it."

I frowned further, not liking those words.

"I don't want you to get hit for me." I said bluntly. Ichigo stared back at me for a moment, then surprised me by reaching into my bento and stealing a sushi roll. "Hey!"

He popped it in his mouth, chewing thoughtfully for a moment. I scooted closer to him trying to reach for some of his lunch. However, even hip to hip I couldn't reach his box as he played keep away. I leaned across, but my arm barely reached his elbow.

"You spent the better half of our childhood fighting my battles for me," Ichigo said suddenly. I looked up at him to see our faces were very close. Despite his serious expression, I couldn't help the memory of him leaning down to rest his head in the crook of my neck. My heart stuttered as he continued. "So it's only fair, that I fight some of your battles for you as well."

I lowered my hand from reaching across his body and instead put it on his thigh to stabilize myself. I kept staring at him, trying not to give in when I finally digested his words. I grumbled under my breath, then tilted my head, gesturing to his bento.

"Share it then." I challenged. Ichigo huffed, finally holding his bento where I could reach it.

I snatched the whole thing out of his hands.

"Hey! Don't take all of it!" He shouted as I spun around. I shoved two rolls in my mouth, cackling as he grabbed my waist and pulled me closer to himself. "Goddammit you're such a mooch!"

I curled myself around the two bentos, not uncurling despite him yanking me right against him. Instead, I peeked from my hunched form to stick my tongue out at him.

"You little-!" Ichigo grabbed one of my arms and forced it away from the lunchboxes. I used my other arm to hold them out as far as I could. Unfortunately, Ichigo was significantly bigger than I was, and even being in front of him he dwarfed me as he reached over top of me to grab them.

In that moment, I could feel his entire front on my back.

The heat. The heat he gave off was incredible. His head fit perfectly beside mine as he looked over top my shoulder. When he pulled back, I was still frozen. His large palm still holding my forearm away from the lunches. I hadn't even realized he'd taken them.

Heat crawled up my spine all the way to my neck despite him leaning away. He was speaking, but I couldn't get that feeling of his body over mine out of my head.

I felt shame suddenly, hot shame at the emotions running through me.

"Nao? You good?" Ichigo asked, sounding completely normal and calm. How could he be calm doing that?

Unless he didn't feel the same.

I shivered, the heat vanishing in a heartbeat. Right... we're friends... he's called me a sister...

We're just friends.

"Ah, sorry, I think I need- I have to talk to Urahara about something." I said, turning to look at him. He looked surprised, but I knew if I didn't look at him, he'd think he did something wrong. And despite the horrible pit in my chest, I managed to give him a real smile before excusing myself.

Halfway up the ladder, I paused to look back down. Ichigo's back was to me, one hand to his face. I scurried up the ladder then, only remembering to breathe at the top.

"Oh, looks like lunch was fulfilling then?" Urahara made me jump out of my skin as he spoke into my ear. I glared at him but said nothing in return.


For the rest of the week after our initial fight, our days were split evenly. Ichigo would train with Urahara, then I would, and when he didn't want to fight either of us, we had to fight each other. I couldn't even tell you how long we fought, but both of us had gained some good footing in our training.

Ichigo's swings would now rattle my arms. His spiritual pressure had increased, along with his swordsmanship. I was forced to use the rebound ability against him to avoid breaking something, and I was also becoming rather adept at using my strange teleportation ability in my palms. The hollow remained stagnant inside of me. I could feel her looming sometimes, but she had yet to break the surface again. The real test would be when I was in genuine danger once more.

What's more, Urahara was having a field day when we realized I could literally smell spiritual pressure. I thought it was normal until he informed me that no- he had never heard of someone being able to smell it before. I explained to Ichigo it was how I knew it wasn't him in his body, and that was how I could predict where someone would appear around me. It seemed that, for the most part, the more I focused on it, the better my senses became.

Never mind the look everyone gave me when I told them what they smelled like...

August 1st, Urahara kicked us out of the shop and told us to enjoy our last night on earth. Literally.

I had finally gotten to wear something other than the clothes I had stolen for training and was enjoying the freedom of my lilac dress again. With my hair spilling down my back, I stepped out into the humid air to join everyone for the fireworks. The sun would set soon, so I quickly jogged out of the building, only to find a certain carrot top waiting for me.

"Oh, I thought we were meeting by the river?" I asked, surprised. Ichigo stuffed his hands in his pockets as he looked away.

"Yeah, but I figured it'd be nice to just walk and talk a little. We haven't gotten to do that for a while." He admitted. I smiled, walking closer to him. He looked down at me, and his eyes seemed to almost roam for a moment. "Your hair's gotten longer."

"So has yours. You need a haircut when we get back." I teased as we began to walk. Ichigo hummed.

"You think we will?" he asked, sounding neutral. I snickered.

"Absolutely. You really think I'm letting either of us die out there? I'll carry you home if I have to." I said adamantly. Ichigo chuckled at that.

"Yeah, I know I can rely on your stubbornness." He said breathily. I looked up at him but said nothing since he had a thoughtful look on his face. We walked in silence for the rest of the way, but it felt comfortable as we arrived at the meeting spot.

"Naomi! You're back!" Yuzu shouted from on top of Chad's shoulder. I smiled, waving to her and Karin.

"Hey guys, sorry I've been gone for a while." I said happily. Isshin marched straight up to me, glared down at me, then scooped me up into a bear hug.

"Oh Nao! I thought you'd run away for good this time! Thank God you didn't!" He spun me around, putting me down but not letting go of me.

"Listen, we can ditch Ichigo at the next bus stop, I'd gladly adopt you in his place-" Ichigo punched him hard in the side of the head, knocking him down.

"Idiot! Why are you always so worked up whenever Nao shows her face?" He grumbled as he stepped between me and Isshin. I chuckled.

"Because he wants to have three daughters, clearly. And I don't blame him." I said, reaching up to scrub his orange locks. Ichigo batted my hand away softly.

"Damn, both of you are ridiculous." he muttered, turning to face me when Isshin stood up. He pointed an accusing finger at his son's back.

"Well dammit Ichigo! I was hoping you'd be dating each other by now, but if that's not happening-" he zoomed around Ichigo and held out papers to me. "-then let's sign these papers and make you officially my daughter~!"

I'd never seen Ichigo kick someone across a yard, but I could now cross that off the list. Isshin went flying this time.

"Knock it off!" Oh, he actually sounded mad this time. Sensing the impending tension, I gently touched his bicep. He looked down at me, some of the anger dissipating. I jabbed a thumb over my shoulder and gave a gentle smile.

"Want to get closer to the water? It'll have a nice view." That seemed to ease his irritation a bit more as he followed me a short way down to the water line. We stood in silence for a while as I tried to decide how to broach this subject.

"It wouldn't be so bad," I began. "Having siblings, I mean. I am an only child after all. I always wanted siblings, but it never happened." I watched the setting sun while I spoke. Ichigo scoffed next to me.

"It's fine, I just can't picture you and my dad being related. Actually, I probably could, but I just don't want to." He shivered next to me, but I smirked up to him.

"Somehow I feel like it's a compliment." I joked. Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Besides, you're the one calling me big sister all the time."

"Huh?" His eyes widened slightly. "Since when? You're the one treating me like your little brother."

I felt something sink in my gut at the words and looked back to the sunset.

"No," I said softly. "I have never seen you as a brother. Not at all."

"Oh." Was his clever reply. He sounded almost embarrassed, but I didn't ask why. When I turned to look at him, he had pink dusting his cheeks.

"Ichigo?" I asked. He shook his head, looking away as the fireworks started. We stood there in silence through the whole display, then went through the vendors with our friends and the Kurosaki family afterwards. Orihime stole me to the side, rambling up and down about how worried she was until Ichigo told her what was happening.

"He told you?" I asked, feeling a tiny pit of jealousy. Who wouldn't when looking at the bombshell in front of me? She was stunning.

"Yeah! I mean I think he was just looking to vent because Ichigo looked super stressed out, but I know he really just needed a friend at the time." She said rapidly, then took a breath and did it again. "Oh but I don't mean you're not his friend! It's just that- who do you talk to when your favourite person is the one you're fighting with?"

Favourite person.

Interesting choice of words.

"I'm not mad at you Orihime," I said with a slightly forced smile. "It's just been a lot these last few weeks, y'know?"

Orihime kept talking, even launching into how Ichigo had saved her from her brother who had become a hollow and allowed him to find peace. It was why she wanted to help us go to Soul Society, something I didn't know about until just this moment.

So, I slung an arm around her shoulders and wandered among the vendors with her.

"Alright then! It's our last night on earth! What are we doing Orihime?" I asked. Orihime thought for a moment, then looked excited.

"What if we buy okonomiyaki, drizzle it in honey, and add wasabi on top of it? That would be amazing!" She cheered. I paled, but quickly shook it off.

"Okonomiyaki on me then!" I declared, pulling her towards the stall selling it. We hunted around for other foods, and that was how we found Tatsuki and Ichigo talking. I waved as Orihime carried our food.

"There you are. You vanish way too quickly." Ichigo said as he looked down at me. Tatsuki laughed.

"I could say the same about Orihime." She looked at the food we'd been sharing. "What on earth are you guys doing?"

"It's our last night on earth Tatsuki!" Orihime shouted, making Ichigo freeze. I grinned, cheering along with the orange haired girl.

"C'mon don't look that way, Ichigo! What's something you've always wanted to do? We can do it tonight if we have time!" I said, leaning in closer to him as Tatsuki and Orihime rambled about the food in her hands.

"I dunno, never thought about it." He admitted, looking down at me. He paused then. I noticed his eyes dilate and figured he thought of something.

"Oh? You look like you've thought of something."

He stared at me, eyes intent on my face. My energy died down when he didn't move or react to my words. He just stood there, frozen, then he suddenly turned away from me.

"Nevermind."

He walked me home a while after that. The silence was companionable again, but this time I found myself wanting to fill it.

"Y'know, this whole time, I totally thought you were ditching me for Rukia." I teased, catching him off guard.

"Oh come on, not you too." He muttered, sounding exhausted. I smirked.

"What? You literally bailed on me any time of day to go with her when she called you. And you weren't exactly sneaky about it either. What was I supposed to think?" I yawned. "Honestly, I thought you two were dating and just not saying anything about it."

"Whatever, that's not the case though. Rukia and I were barely friends. She spent more time calling me an idiot than anything else." He looked down at me while we walked. "Honestly, I'm surprised you two didn't make friends, you're a lot alike."

"Hmm, probably my fault. I didn't trust her from the beginning and- well, I really hated watching you two run off together." I admitted, then questioned why I did. Ichigo smirked.

"You sound jealous." He teased, but I frowned.

"Of course I was," I said without thinking, biting my lip as an afterthought. Ichigo stayed quiet for a while, and I rambled before he could continue. "But I was thinking, even though you claim not to be too close to Rukia, I dunno, there's something about it that seems... different."

"For the last time, I don't have feelings for Rukia." He said with irritation. I shook my head.

"No, I understand that, but- I dunno. You guys connected pretty quickly. I'm not saying romantically but... I feel like... Do you believe in soulmates?" I asked, to which Ichigo just raised a brow. "There's a lot of different theories to soulmates. Some believe it's souls that are destined to meet in life. Others believe it is two souls naturally drawn to each other. Maybe Rukia is your soulmate? Maybe she's the light to your dark side or something poetic like that."

Ichigo snorted.

"Sure, if you think so." He looked thoughtful for a moment, pausing in his walk. "I can't lie, Rukia opened a door I never thought possible. She was the one to give me this power in the first place."

He looked at me, his eyes strong.

"Rukia made the rain stop," he said calmly. Despite the pit in my gut growing at his words, I was happy for him. A small, envious smile broke out across my lips.

"You know, if you say things like that, maybe she is your soulmate." I teased, turning half away to hide the stab I felt in my chest. "Who knows? Maybe I have one too."

My other half.

Seemed moronic when I thought about it for myself, but there was something almost... wistful about it. A longing I couldn't describe.

"Maybe." Ichigo said quietly. We both continued to walk, this time in silence. When Ichigo dropped me off, he stopped me from going into the apartment.

"About what you said... Our last night on earth. There is something I want to do..."

Maybe it was the way he said it, but my heart quickened at his words. He took a step closer to me, his eyes widened as his pupils dilated again. There wasn't a lot of space between us as he stared at me. My heartbeat sped up as I expected him to do something.

"Well?" I asked, unsure what was happening but not exactly hating it either. I thought he was going to do something, and he was slowly getting closer to me.

He suddenly froze, and mechanically stepped back.

"Uhhhh actually, it can wait. Yeah, if we get back from soul society it can wait until then. Or maybe later." He said, his voice raising an octave as he spoke. I blinked, not understanding what was going on in the slightest.

"Ichi-"

"Oh jeez well look at the time! I better head home, see you tomorrow, Nao!" He started to speed walk away long before he finished talking. I almost didn't catch the tail end of his words.

"Uh- bye?" I was so confused about what just happened. Was he trying to say something? Do something?

My brain was still confused as I walked up to my apartment and settled in for the night.


"You sure we're good to go?" I asked, staring at the Senkaimon. Kisuke nodded, looking serious. I had spent the day at the training grounds to get some last-minute work in. Ichigo and I had certainly progressed, but I had no doubt that every minute we could spend training would be valuable.

"There's one more thing I wanted to ask you, Urahara," I began, looking over to the blonde. He glanced at me; eyes curious. "Just why is it that you're helping us?"

Kisuke was quiet, eyes shadowed by his hat. We stood there for a moment, staring at each other.

"In truth, I figured Ichigo hadn't realized, but I should've known better than to think you would just let that slide. Interesting how you finished your training before asking me any questions." Kisuke commented slyly. I didn't budge. Noticing this, he continued.

"Truthfully, I do have my reasons. Ones you'll likely learn when you enter the Soul Society." He adjusted his hat, eyes never leaving mine.

"So what grudge match are we walking into?" I asked, noticing the posture of the man in front of me. He smirked.

"Very astute," he complimented. "But it's not that simple. I will say, rescuing Rukia is within all our best interests."

I didn't trust a word he was saying. There were a lot of undertones that didn't line up with what came out of his mouth.

"Urahara," I began, feeling my body coiling. "If you are sending us in blind, and it's a trap... I will beat your ass if I get back."

Urahara half turned, though his eyes remained on me.

"Bold words for such a little girl." He mused, but then looked away. "I can't tell you everything, as it would compromise a few individuals that I promised to keep secret. But I can tell you this."

He paused for a moment, then continued when he saw he had my undivided attention.

"You will find that the captains of the Gotei 13 are not as unified as you might initially think. Someone is working behind the shadows to bring them down." He looked away again. "Make use of that information however you please."

I thought for a moment, mulling over the words.

"Alright, I suppose that's enough." I relented, seeing the others coming down the ladder. Ichigo, Orihime, Chad, Uryu, and Yoruichi. I waved, smiling at them all. I hadn't known Chad and Uryu were coming, but nonetheless this seemed like a good turn of events.

"Great! Everyone's here!" Orihime cheered.

"Oh, one thing we have to do." Kisuke said, pushing both me and Ichigo out of our bodies. The others oo'd and aww'd at us. I noticed my spirit was still wearing the training clothes from before. "Everyone! Gather around!"

While Urahara explained the Senkaimon to everyone, I looked over to see Ichigo staring at me. With a confident smirk, I nodded to him. He smirked back, then looked ahead.

"Alright, good luck everyone!"


I still laugh reading the old Outline. Nao was such a timid character in the OG plan. Like she was such a sugar cookie it was so funny. I love this Nao so much more. She's got moxy haha.

Side note, I will be doing my best to keep characters in character, but to be honest adding an OC in makes shit like this so hard. So, apologies if someone seemed OOC in the next few chapters, I will do my best to keep it honest, but damn I just keep imagining all the captains conflicting personalities and wonder if I'm doing it right. Well, we shall see. Nao is about to have a very very busy next chapter. It's already written, but I'm holding onto it for now. Going to space out the next couple of chapters since I'm back to work tomorrow and spent the last four days drinking, eating, and writing non-stop.

What do you guys think of the concept of soulmates for this story? I saw so many god damn posts talking about rukia and ichigo being soulmates, and I thought it needed to be mentioned. Especially since their highest forms were literal opposites and I thought it was cool. black sun, white moon aesthetic. Wonder if Nao has a soulmate? hmm.

Cheers,

Iland Girl