Chapter 1: What Goes Hustle in the Night

A sigh escaped a man's mouth as he walked alongside a rather bubbly woman. His hands jammed into his pockets while he slouched, almost as if he were trying to not be seen with someone so upbeat and cheerful. The woman, however, ignored her companion's actions and his embarrassment as she skipped merrily down the street with shopping bags in her hands and a bright smile on her face. Humming her joyous tune, the woman turned to her friend, who only sighed again as he realized that her focus was now back on him.

"Oh you! Why can't you be happy for once in your miserable life? It's a beautiful day, the people here are pleasant, and there haven't been any unusual disturbances since we got here. It's just been great!" the woman gushed as she placed her hands on her hips with some difficulty due to the amount of bags she was carrying, "But nooo! You just have to be a rain cloud!"

The dark-haired man with his hair in a distinctive afro sighed again, the dull red scarf that was covering the lower half of his face obscured his scowl from her vision as he walked the streets of the big city with his friend. This man stood at a decent six-foot four-inches, wearing brown pants, an unbuttoned black coat, and an unbuttoned khaki dress shirt, exposing his white t-shirt. A pair of Timberland boots covered his feet as he shuffled down the street with his wearisome expression on his face.

"Whatever…" the man mumbled, kicking a can along the street as the woman rolled her eyes.

The man gazed over to the woman, secretly enjoying her attention being focused on him after the many hours of shopping. Her dark and wild auburn hair, which he found to be a proud display of her African-heritage, was tied back into to two giant puffball-ponytails. Her pink half-zipped jacket exposed her white tank-top and a small amount of rather generous cleavage. Her faded blue jeans clung tightly to her legs as she walked the street, showing the alluring sway of her hips and the rhythm of her rear. Her companion, oblivious to her, found it all rather enchanting as he scowled under his scarf.

"You're the only person that I know who could take a glorious day like this, and turn it into something unpleasant." the woman said as the man looked over to her after rolling his maroon eyes, "Even your brother is probably out enjoying his time in this new city."

"Or being the normal public menace he always is with… that girl." the man countered while narrowing his eyes. It was the woman's turn to roll her own emerald orbs as she overlooked her companion's slight at another of her friends.

"We're supposed to be taking in the sights of our new destination." the woman stated as the man pulled down his scarf to make his deep scowl known.

"No. We're supposed to be running checks throughout the city. That's our job; not… this." the man replied with distain as he gestured to her shopping bags.

"So what? There hasn't been any disturbances since we've been here, and we're being replaced first thing tonight. Besides, if there was any trouble, you would have been the first on it." the woman countered as the man gave a defeated sigh.

"You're right…" the man grumbled, jamming his hands even further into his trousers' pockets. The woman smiled like a ray of sunshine at winning the argument, the bounce in her step even greater now with her newfound enjoyment.

The man, however, couldn't help but scowl as he sensed a strong source of power nearby.

"We still need to get a place to stay." the man brought up, his scowl deepening as he thought over something, "I refuse to stay another night in that man's shop just because we have to show some newbie the ropes around here."

"I happen to like him and his shop." the woman said, her gaze not meeting his as she was too distracted by the nearby stores and their fabulous clothing options, "He's nice, if not a bit weird, and the children he keeps are adorable."

"I'm still wondering who he kidnapped them from." the man said, taking his hands from his pockets to cross his arms, "He's never been one to keep kids, and they should have gone to an orphanage."

"Like you and your brother would have if your granddad hadn't taken you in?" the woman countered as the man's gaze turned frosty.

"He was family. This is different." the man growled as the woman turned to him finally, her gaze hot as it seared into his own.

"He took them in, and they're not being mistreated so far as I've seen." the woman countered heatedly, "As long as he's good to them, don't bring this up. Maybe he really cares for them… like you care for me."

"What makes you think I care for you?" the man replied with a quirked brow as the woman smiled softly.

"Because your cheeks are flushed, and because I care for you." the woman said gently as the man sputtered nonsense for a second before raising his scarf to once again block view of his lower face and jamming his hands into his pockets.

"Whatever…" the man said, walking with new haste as the woman giggled behind him, hurrying along to keep up with his new stride.

"Wait up!" the woman laughed out, "This is just like when we were kids. Back when you had that-"

"Ophf!" the man said, stumbling slightly as he bumped into something while trying to get away from his annoying friend.

"Ow…" a girl on the ground moaned as the man looked down. Oh, well maybe that something had actually been someone… who was carrying groceries… which were spilled all over the street from her bags.

"Oh no!" the female voice whined as she realized she just dropped her food, "Aww… Now what am I going to eat!"

The man blinked down at the girl he had bumped into and took in her looks. She was about a foot short than him, standing at five-foot-four, and had light auburn-orange hair that was held out over her face by two clips that resembled flowers. She wore a purple button-down shirt that was, in man's mind, a bit too tight for her along with a long flower-printed skirt. Glancing over the groceries, the man saw that there was an assortment of foods on the ground in front of her that were… just plain odd.

"Sorry about that…" the guy mumbled as he pulled down his scarf to reveal his mouth while speaking.

"Oh my goodness, are you okay, little girl?" a voice behind the male said as he saw his friend move to assist the girl.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine." the girl chirped bubbly as the man gave her a raised brow. Sighing to himself mentally, he bent on knee and began helping the woman with her spilled foods.

"Sorry again. Wasn't paying attention to where I was going." the man said lowly, looking very reluctant to apologize a second time until his female companion threw him a look that dared him to speak against her will for him to be nicer.

"Oh no! It's not your fault, I couldn't see where I was going!" the girl chirped as the guy and his friend exchanged a quick glance.

"Well, in any case we'd like to apologize again." the woman said, giving her friend a look that told him he had no say in the matter, "What's your name?"

"Inoue. I'm Orihime Inoue. It's very nice to meet you!" The now identified Orihime said happily, shaking hands enthusiastically with the man's friend as the woman smiled at Orihime's odd behavior.

"Well I'm Jazmine Dubois and this man here is Huey Freeman." the woman, now known as Jazmine, said with a smile as the man, Huey, glared at her for giving out their names.

"You two must be new here. I've never seen either of you at school before." Orihime said, gazing at the two strangers who looked about her age.

"Well, we were only here for a short time, and we'll be leaving soon, so no school for us." Jazmine said as Huey remained quiet next to her when all three of them rose from the ground with all the groceries collected.

At the elbow to his side, Huey dug into his trouser pocket, fishing out some bills as he handed them to the girl.

"Here. That should be enough to pay for the groceries I made you waste.

"Oh no, that's not-" Orihime started, but Huey gave her a stern look.

"I insist." and at that, Orihime shut her mouth and nodded quickly.

"Umm… Listen, I'm really sorry about all of this…" Orihime began shyly, her foot drawing circles in her nervousness, "If you'd like, you could have dinner with me! I don't normally get company, but-"

"Oi, Orihime!" a voice called out from afar as all three looked up the street to see a boy with uncanny orange hair moving toward them with a dark-haired girl.

"Oh, Ichigo, Tatsuki!" Orihime waved the two over, identifying them in the process.

"Are these people bothering you?" the boy asked, glaring at Huey, who raised a brow in response.

"Oh no, we just ran into each other, is all." Orihime said as the girl, Tatsuki, looked ready to deck someone as soon those words came from Orihime's mouth, "Umm… Ichigo, Tatsuki, I want you to meet my new friends; Jazmine Dubois and Huey Freeman."

"How the- Oph!" Huey opened his mouth to refute the claim of friendship, but Jazmine's elbow to his ribs stopped that.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow at the pair. He eyed them suspiciously while Huey exchanged a glance with Jazmine, both being able to practically reach out and touch the Spiritual Energy that seemed to roll off the orange-haired kid in waves.

"Hey there, name's Ichigo Kurosaki." the orange haired kid said politely, holding out his arm for Huey to shake his hand. Raising an eyebrow, but shaking the boy's hand quickly less Jazmine damage his ribs again, Huey responded in kind.

"Nice to meet you… Strawberry Boy." Huey said with a smirk, not one to allow an opening to go unmissed. Jazmine only sighed next to him as a comical tick mark formed on the teen's head.

"Urgh! Asshole!" Ichigo raged, throwing a punch and was shocked when the guy blocked his quick jab so… lazily.

"Sorry, kid, I just couldn't help it." Huey said with a shrug.

"You blocked his punch…" the dark-haired Tatsuki said in awe, almost never having seen someone block Ichigo so calmly when the orange-haired boy was annoyed.

"Umm… Don't mind him. Huey's a master of martial arts." Jazmine said quickly as Huey cast a glance at her while Tatsuki stared in awe at the pair.

"I barely saw the guy raise his hand to catch Ichigo's punch. He must be really good." Tatsuki thought, "Maybe I can get him to show me some moves, or at least help out at the dojo."

"This guy doesn't look all that tough. And what's with the afro?" Ichigo thought with his scowl almost mirroring Huey's own, "Though he did catch my punch, and only Tatsuki and my Dad have ever done that before. I had better keep an eye on this guy…"

"He's watching us…" Huey muttered, gesturing his head slightly over to a corner. Jazmine glanced up, spotting what Huey did. A man dressed in green with a fisherman's bucket hat and cane was peeking rather comically around the corner with a black cat riding atop his shoulder, looking directly at Huey and Jazmine as he gave the group a look of curiosity.

"Don't mind him. He's always been weird like that." Jazmine whispered back as Huey sighed.

"Yeah, but he's never followed us before. I think he's watching over these kids; especially this Ichigo Kurosaki." Huey concluded as Jazmine tapped her chin in thought before nodding in agreement.

"You're probably right." Jazmine said as Ichigo, Tatsuki, and Orihime seemed to hear her.

"Right about what?" Orihime asked as Jazmine smiled.

"Right about… my bags!" Jazmine said, thinking quickly, "They're starting to get a bit heavy, and Huey here said he'd carry 'em for me." and with that, Jazmine suddenly thrust the bags into Huey's chest, almost knocking him over as he glowered at her smiling face.

"Well that was unexpected. I didn't think I'd find those two hanging out with young Ichigo." the man in green said as he watched the group converse as they walked toward Orihime's place.

"That is an understatement." the cat replied in a deep masculine voice, "Them interfering with Ichigo's life was not one of the things I would have expected from them. Do you think they figured out that Ichigo is-"

"No, I don't think so." the man cut the cat off quickly, glancing to the black cat, "If that were so, they would have had Ichigo and his father along with us and… the others in chains by now. Well… Huey might, though I'm not too sure Jazmine would be as strict. Never the less, we must tread carefully."

"Right. Huey unleashed a spark of energy for a split second, and I must say that he's steadily grown stronger since those days so long ago." the cat said, it's yellow eyes narrowing on Huey's retreating form, "He now has such excellent control…"

"Something on your mind?" the man asked as the cat glanced over to him.

"Yes. Are you going to try and manipulate them into joining us? Because we both know-"

"I don't have to." the man replied, a smirk adorning his features as his hat over shadowed his eyes, "Young Ichigo has that power all on his own."

"Perhaps with those two, yes, but what about the other four? They wouldn't be so easily overtaken by a boy who will eventually want to fight and change the system." the cat replied as the man's smirk only seemed to grow, opening a small hand-held fan in front of his face.

"Oh, don't worry, they'll choose the right side when everything boils down the core of things." the man said, "Or my name isn't David Bowie!"

"… It's not…" the can deadpanned as the man grinned.

"Exactly…" he replied slyly as he and his feline friend disappeared into the shadows of the dark alley.

"Thank you, again, for having us over, Orihime." Jazmine said as she and Huey sat down to the young girl's dining table, "Are you sure you don't want us to help?"

"Yeah… No… Umm, it's okay." Orihime replied from the kitchen, "I'm used to doing things on my own. I live here alone, anyway."

"Wait, you live here by yourself?" Huey asked in surprise, "But you can't be any older than maybe 18 years-old."

"Nope. 15 years-old." Orihime corrected with a giggle as she peeked her head out from the kitchen and smiled.

"But that's so young!" Jazmine exclaimed with wide emerald-green eyes, "You're just a baby! You should have someone watching over you."

"But I do!" Orihime whined childishly in her own defense, "Tatsuki comes over and checks on me."

"Not one of your little school friends." Huey said, his fist slamming against the table, "An actual adult. Does this city really just let you live all by yourself?"

"Yeah, so long as I pay my bills and stuff. I get a lot of money from my aunt, who lives overseas in America." Orihime said as she came out of the kitchen wiping her hands on a washcloth.

"And now you see why I didn't want to be here in the first place. The world just keeps getting dumber and dumber." Huey said, leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed.

"Maybe…" Jazmine said airily as her focus was on Orihime, "But you really need to be watched by a grown-up. This city can't be safe for a little girl like you. Something could happen to you here."

"Don't worry, I have Ichigo and Tatsuki watching my back." Orihime chirped happily before she started punching and kicking the air, "They're a super-strong crime-fighting karate team when they actually work together."

"That's not what we meant." Huey said, sighing as he rested a hand on his forehead, "Listen, we'll be here for another day or two. We'll watch out for you and then have one of our… co-workers to come over to keep an eye on you when we leave."

"No." Orihime protested, shaking her head quickly, "You don't have to-"

But a look from Huey's stern gaze silenced the protests on her tongue as he regarded her with a sharp eye that brokered no argument.

"I insist." Huey said, and Orihime found herself shutting up and nodding just as quickly as she had shook her head earlier.

"Umm…" Jazmine began awkwardly, knowing Huey would have the girl under his thumb for the next hundred years if she didn't intervene, "How about that dinner now? You're so sweet, I bet your cooking is to die for."

"Oh yeah!" Orihime gushed, "Tatsuki says my meals are one of a kind!"

"… Why does that not sound too encouraging?" Huey muttered as Jazmine sent him a look while Orihime went to fetch the meal for her guests.

"Are you sure you want to be doing this? We could get into a lot of trouble for it, and you could get a demo-" Huey said, leaning forward after he was sure Orihime was out of ear-shot, but Jazmine cut him off.

"Yes, of course!" Jazmine whispered hurriedly, "She's only a little girl. She shouldn't be living by herself, especially in such a big city. Karakura Town isn't well-known for it's upstanding citizens."

"Then it's settled." Huey said, leaning back in his chair once again, "We'll stay here with her."

"We can't just make decisions like that for her, though!" Jazmine exclaimed as Huey scoffed.

"Tsk. Watch me." Huey replied with a scoff as Orihime came back into the room with steaming pot, "We're staying with you for the next few days."

"Oh… Umm… Okay…" Orihime said, nearly dropping the pot in surprise. Well, at least they were good people; even though they apparently cared a little too much for her well-being as strangers…

"Umm… Orihime… what is this?" Jazmine asked, as politely as she could, pointing to the bubbling mass within the pot while Orihime walked back into the kitchen.

"Oh that? It's my latest creation! It's soybeans mixed with tuna, red bean paste, butter, and sweet potatoes. Oh, and cheese! Can't forget the cheese! Heh, heh!" Orihime said, coming back from the kitchen with a large bowl of cooked rice. Huey glanced at the bubbling mass with disgust plainly evident on his face while Jazmine chuckled weakly as she restrained her own sour look.

"Yes, well… That sounds… very-"

"Nasty?" Huey suggested as he crossed his arms, "You can't eat this. You'll be sick for days."

"Huey!" Jazmine admonished as she gestured to Orihime, "Maybe she's been eating things like this for years."

"Maybe so," Huey agreed and that was when Jazmine grew worried, "Especially when people just let her live here by her-damn-self. She probably didn't know how to cook, and just started eating whatever she made from scratch." Huey got up from his chair and grabbed Orihime's wrists, guiding her to the seat opposite Jazmine and forcing the young girl into it, "I, however, will be cooking an actual edible meal for us and getting her a cookbook."

Storming off toward the kitchen with Orihime too afraid to speak out in protest, Huey muttered to himself, "The hell is wrong with this place…" as he rummaged through drawers, cabinets, and refrigerator.

"Don't worry." Jazmine said, "Huey's a good cook. He's also a vegetarian."

"Oh, is he?" Orihime asked excitedly, quickly regaining her composure at the new topic, "Because I once wanted to be one, but Tatsuki said she'd never have a carrot-nibbler for a friend, and then I started imagining I was a bunny, and that foxes were out to get me, but then Ichigo came to rescued me from the evil foxes as a super-bunny, and…" Orihime babbled on and on as Jazmine simply shook her head with a chuckle and listened, figuring correctly that the girl was a bit ditzy ever since their initial meeting.

"I think we're doing the right thing…" Jazmine thought, listening to Orihime's fantasies go from bunnies to space invaders from another planet.

In the middle of Karakura Town, in an alley between the large buildings in its center, a traditional Japanese shoji door opened, letting out of it a pair of unusually clothed individuals. Both stepped out from the doorway, entering the city and taking in its sights as the shoji door disappeared, along with the strange darkness it brought.

One of the strangers was a petite raven-haired girl with a lone, long bang between her eyes while the rest of her hair was kept short, reaching only to her neck. Dressed in a black kimono with matching hakama-pants, straw-sandals, and a katana at her hip by a white sash.

The other, however, wasn't dressed like her co-worker. She was a stern woman, though her dark hair was long and wild, her bangs were cut rigidly short over her forehead. This other girl wore what, overall, could be described as a ninja's attire. This second female's uniform had no visible undergarments showing. This was because of her long-sleeved black top and her form-fitting black leggings. Even her sash was a dark gold color as opposed to her companion, whose was of a bleached white shade. She wore a black cloth-headpiece that covered the lower half of her face. She wore no sandals, but long black ninja-boots. On her arms and legs were tight bands to keep her clothes from moving too much, both for maximum silence and freedom of movement. Hung horizontal off her back was her own katana, which was encased by a dull brown sheathe.

"So… Uhh… Where do we go from here, my Lady?" the raven-haired petite female asked nervously as the other scoffed at her for displaying such.

"We shall locate the prior officers that were assigned here and then have them show us how they've been handling things." the taller woman said, giving the other no room to argue as she began walking off.

"Why they had to send yo ass." an annoyed voice cut through the silence as the severe woman scowled.

"Because your time is up, and now they want actual competent people to safeguard this city." the woman replied as she watched two figures step into the alleyway.

The first was a male, with dark tanned skin and braided hair. His clothes seemed to be two sizes too big for him as they clung baggily to his body. He wore an over-sized red sports jersey and baggy blue jeans along with a pair of Timberland boots. His maroon eyes were narrowed at the woman standing opposite of him.

The man's partner, who stood next to him, looked to be as thuggish as he was. She were a green football jersey that appeared too big and a small pair of white shorts. Sneakers adorned her feet as she brushed one of her two long blonde braided-ponytails behind her shoulder. Her cerulean-blue eyes seemed to convey only a small amount more mirth than annoyance at seeing the ninja-woman and the petite raven-haired girl who stood timidly next to her.

"Ming, yo ass ain't no betta than us. Besides, Huey just called us and said we'd be staying for a little longer." the blonde woman said beside the man, who still looked irritated with the mere presence of the ninja.

"Freeman?" the ninja-woman, named Ming, said questioningly, "Why would your brother do that, Riley?"

The only male of the four-person gathering scowled, throwing his hands into the air, "The fuck should I know! I ain't babysitting that nigga!"

Ignoring her friend and his crude language, the blonde woman turned back to address Ming, "Regardless, Huey doesn't do anything without a good reason, and we aren't truly due back for another two weeks. So, I guess you're stuck with us." the blonde said, cracking a smirk as Ming chuckled.

"No, I believe it is the other way around, McPhearson." Ming said as the blonde woman laughed.

"We finally work together. Why the hell can't yo ass just call me Cindy?" the blonde, named Cindy, said as Ming shrugged.

"Buy me a drink in this god-awful town, and maybe I'll change my mind." Ming said as she stepped forward with her companion following along.

"Aye, hold up. Who she?" Riley asked, narrowing his eyes at the raven-haired girl.

Ming seemed to have forgotten her presence as she glanced over her shoulder at the girl in question.

"Oh, right… She's that Kuchiki girl from the Thirteenth Division. She's supposed to be protecting this city by herself, but the Stealth Force sent me to help her with anything… out of her league." Ming said, waving a hand dismissively.

"Rukia Kuchiki, huh?" Cindy questioned as the raven-haired girl looked up, "You're Byakuya Kuchiki's adopted little sister, right?"

"Yes Ma'am," the girl, Rukia, answered politely.

"As long as she ain't nothing like his ass, I don't give a fuck and we all cool." Riley said dismissively, "C'mon, we going back to the warehouse."

"You're not staying with… him?" Ming asked as Cindy shook her head.

"Nope. We're staying with them." Cindy said, casting a quick glance at Rukia.

"I see…" Ming said as they walked out of the alley way, "Though tomorrow we'll have to stop by him to get our Gigai, and th-"

"RAAAWWWWWRRRRR!"

All four members of the group stopped dead in their tracks at the sound of the unnatural roar of agony. As one they all turned to look down the street.

"Target acquired." Ming said as they spotted a large creature with a buggish head made of bleach-white bone and the body of a centipede. It had sickles for arms and was trashing everything around it with its oversized body, trying to reach at the two people who were running from it.

One of them was a little girl with short pigtails, who wore a dress… and had a chain hanging from her chest.

The other seemed to be a orange-haired teenage boy, who was still in his high school uniform.

Ming turned to her young companion expectantly, "Here's your first target. Get to it."

"Oh, right! Sorry, my Lady. Excuse me." Rukia said, bowing to Ming, then to Cindy and Riley before she leapt into action.

Rukia ran at the beast, her katana unsheathed in an instant as she cut through one of the monster's legs with a single swing, making the two victims eyes widen in shock at what they saw. Rukia was, however, to busy to bask in their awe of her skill as she was then slicing through the monster's bone-masked head, bisecting it down the middle as it screeched in pain and everlasting agony before disappearing.

"That took too long," Ming said as she ran up to Rukia with a cell phone out, "There is another Hollow nearby, come along. Quickly!"

Rukia nodded as she sheathed her sword, speeding off after her superior while idly wondering where Riley and Cindy had gone.

"What the hell just happened?" the orange-haired teenager asked to the little girl, who shook her head while her eyes were trained on the pair of stranger who were now leaping atop street lights.

"Your guess is as good as mine, Mr. Ichigo…" the little replied as Ichigo sighed.

His life was just too fucked up sometimes…

Meanwhile, Huey and Jazmine sat out atop the railing of Orihime's outdoor area. Huey scowled out over the city while Jazmine smiled.

"Little Rukia is here…" Jazmine said softly as Huey's scowl only seemed to grow.

"And so is Ming. Her, I can understand, but Rukia? This is a high-risk area where powerful Hollows have been known to spawn. Sending someone like her to be an entire team's replacement; our replacement-…" Huey cut himself off to sigh, "Something is just not right here…"

"Maybe they're finally going to setup a barrier around this town like you argued last year." Jazmine suggested as Huey seemed to think it over.

"Yeah, maybe…" Huey said, allowing his head to rest on Jazmine's shoulder.

"I'm off for school!" Orihime shouted as Huey and Jazmine got up from the balcony and walked into the house to see Orihime struggling with her shoes at the door.

"We're walking you to school." Huey said as Orihime had learned from last night that arguing only got her "The Look", as she had dubbed it.

"Okay…" Orihime agreed meekly.

Later that night, Rukia and Ming were standing atop a building with Ming entranced in her cell phone as Rukia waited for her.

"This thing must be malfunctioning, or something." Ming said, tapping the phone against her open palm, "I'm not picking up any readings of Hollow activity. That one which escaped you earlier must have some sort of cloaking power."

"Yes, Madam Long, but we can still sense it." Rukia said, gazing off toward the homely little clinic across the street, "It's near that house. It just hasn't emerged as of yet."

"But until it does, we can't do anything but stake this place out." Ming said, putting away her phone, "You stake out this house while I make a sweep around town. Chances are that there could be more Hollows with this unique ability."

"Yes, my Lady." Rukia said with a quick bow as Ming disappeared before her eyes. Jumping from the building, Rukia floated lightly to the open window of the homely clinic, her Hell Butterfly guiding her entrance.

"The feeling is even stronger from here." Rukia said to herself, "I can sense it. It's near… And now it's gone again… Just great… Fuck my life…"

"Hey! You're that girl from earlier." Ichigo said, having watched in shock as the girl floated into his room. Ichigo was, however, ignored as Rukia focused all of her senses to find the hidden Hollow, "Hey! I'm talkin' to you!"

Ichigo's brow twitched as he did what he did whenever he was so blatantly ignored. Leaping off his bed, Ichigo crossed the distance between him and the girl in an instant. Spinning his body, he raising his leg with a snap, his heel catching the intruder hard in the small of her back with a vicious roundhouse kick.

The girl gave a yelp of surprise as she was thrown to the floor, "That hurt, you bastard! I think you broke my back!"

"Serves you right, damn thief!" Ichigo shot back, "And what kind of thief are you anyway, talking to yourself like this is Mission Impossible or something?"

The girl looked mixed between flabbergasted and enraged, it was actually a really stupid expression on her, Ichigo noted, "Wh-What! Thief? I am not some common thief! And, you can see me?!" the girl yelled as Ichigo scoffed, advancing on her.

"No, I was practicing karate in my sleep. OF COURSE I CAN SEE YOU, YOU DAMN THIEF!" Ichigo shot back, yelling aloud as the girl sat up from the ground.

"I'm not a thief! I'm a Shinigami!" the girl replied, completely missing the point, as Ichigo scoffed once more, jabbing a thumb into his chest.

"And I'm freakin' David Bowie! Now get the hell outta my room!" Ichigo yelled as he picked up the shocked and surprised girl, and he held her over his shoulder near effortlessly.

The girl, completely red in the face at such a casual and disrespectful dismissal of her great person, pounded her fists into the boy's back as he carried her toward his window, "Put me down! PUT ME DOWN, YOU BRUTE! How can you even touch me?" She finally demanded, her brain finally working on figuring out such an impossibility.

The girl gave a cry of surprise when she was so suddenly flipped over into being held bridal-style while Ichigo gave her an annoyed look, "Now, out 'cha go!" Ichigo said as the girl suddenly realized that he was about to throw her out the open window from whence she came.

Thinking quickly, just as Ichigo was releasing her and tossing her out the second-story window, she hooked onto the windowsill with her fingers, and using her superior gymnastics and upper-body strength, flipped back into the room while landing in a crouching position.

As she landed, Ichigo had to admit that a part of him was more impressed with the maneuver than annoyed that she was still in his room. Rolling his eyes, Ichigo crossed his rooms as the girl got into a battle ready stance just in case he tried something again.

"How can you touch me? I can't even be seen by normal human beings, and yet you're saying you can see me, too?" the girl asked in shock, never having experienced such a thing before.

"Well…" Ichigo began sarcastically, "Seeing as I tried to throw you out of my house roughly three seconds ago, I'd say yeah; I can both see and touch you. Try to keep up, ya damn midget thief." Ichigo said with a sigh, "Why tonight of all nights? I am in no mood to deal with this crap right now. All I wanted was some sleep, dammit."

"Yeah, well I should be on vast desolate plains, building magnificent sand castles out of silver sands. But no, I have to be here in Karakura… like this place is so damn important…" the girl shot back, sighing in pity of her own life before a look of realization overcame her, "Wait a minute. You're the one I saw earlier in town. I remember you now. You were running in fear with that departed spirit."

"Boy, nothing seems to get passed you! Aren't you just the textbook definition of perception!" Ichigo mocked as he bat his eyelashes comically at the girl.

"How strange…" the girl said to herself, ignoring whatever it was he was saying as she began to poke and prod him in an attempt to see how he worked, "You look normal, yet you must be defective somehow. No normal human could interact with me. How intriguing…"

"That does it!" Ichigo yelled, having already had a bad day. Now this bitch was calling him defective!? That was the last straw! He'd had enough of this bullshit, "I'll show you defective, you crazy bitch!" he roared before throwing another kick at her.

However, this time around she was prepared as she jumped onto his leg, using it as a spring-board to leap over him completely. A normal person would have fallen on the floor, but Ichigo's father Isshin had made him abnormal, as he pressed his hands to the floor and bounced off of them and back onto his feet, throwing yet another kick her way. The girl's eyes widened when she looked back, barely dodging the new attack as she had doubted his fighting capabilities. Deciding that she had seen enough, the girl launched her own counterstrike, using an open palm strike at the orange-haired teen's chest, knocking Ichigo to the floor where he glared up at her.

"Damn you." Ichigo groaned as he held his chest. She was almost half as strong as that guy with the afro who staying with Orihime, and that was saying something, "Who the hell are you?"

"Oh, you want to know who I am, do you?" the girl asked smugly as she gazed down at him condescendingly, "Then allow me to tell you. I am a Shinigami, or as people more often call us these days: a Soul Reaper."

"Soul Reaper? Sounds pretty badass." Ichigo commented as the girl smirked.

"You sound like one of my superiors here in town…" she said airily, recalling said superior officer, "But trust me, it gets much more badass." the girl said as she then began to explain to Ichigo what a Soul Reaper was and what they did.

But as she did so, little did the two know that another of the monsters Ichigo had witnessed being slain was now in search of a new, more powerful source of spirit energy than before, all so that it could feast upon the power it was hunting.

"I can't believe how many Hollows appear in this place." Ming said, slashing away at yet another of the masked beast, "We were warned that there'd be more than the average amount here, and that some would be a bit stronger than average low-level Hollows, but goddamnit!"

"Keep going, Ming! You're doing great up there!" Cindy yelled in support as Riley sipped from the straw of his overly large drink next to her.

"Get up here and help me, dammit!" Ming yelled back as she defended herself from a Hollow before slashing it's arm off. While it howled in pain, she thrust her sword through it's mask and upward through the top half of it's skull, killing it as it faded away, purified.

"Sorry, can't. You're the one on duty now, remember? This is basically vacation for us." Cindy said as she reached into her bag of chips and began eating again.

"I hate you people! At least save me some!"

"Sure I will. Right when you go to the store and buy more!"

"You have all of my hate, McPhearson!"

It had already been about twenty minutes since the girl finished explaining all about Soul Reapers and their duties, when Ichigo had decided to sum things up to ensure he had everything straight.

"So you're something called a Soul Reapers." to which the girl nodded and hummed, agreeing to what he was saying, "And you were sent here on a mission from a place called the Soul Society." again the girl nodded, "To deal with demons like the one I saw earlier today." the girl nodded a third time, but this time she interjected, "Hollows, but yes."

Ichigo, however, continued like she hadn't said a word, "Which were chasing after the girl's soul." another nod of conformation, "That's all very believable to me." the orange-haired teen declared calmly, before slamming his palms down on the table they'd been sitting at and flipping it over as he yelled, "LIKE FINDING AND GETTING AHOLD OF CARMEN SANDIAGO!"

"How dare you!" the female Soul Reaper retorted angrily, "It is not that unbelievable! Besides, why wouldn't you believe in Soul Reapers? You've already freely admitted to being able to see spirits."

"Yeah, but I've never seen or heard of any Soul Reapers or these Hollow-things before today." Ichigo answered back calmly, getting comfortable because he could just tell he was going to be up all night.

"That might be because the ones who were guarding this town before me were… a lot better at the stealth aspect of the job and refrain from casual interaction." the girl admitted while rubbing the back of her neck in embarrassment, her cheeks coloring a little shade of pink.

"In other words, you suck at your job. And frankly your whole story is just too amazing. To be honest, I don't believe anything that I can't see." Ichigo said as the girl glared at him.

"Well you see me now, don't you?" she snapped, sneering at him as crossed his arms.

"Well, that's true, but just because you can pull a light show and sneak into my room wearing… what are those; pajamas or bath robes…? Ya know what? It doesn't even matter. None of that means you're some mystical warrior who fights monsters for the sake of justice." Ichigo said as he turned his nose up at her. If she had caught him on a good day, one where everything was normal, then he'd probably be far more accepting, maybe even understanding, but dammit was he in really a bad mood, "Why don't you go play your little games somewhere else, alright? Like in traffic."

"I just floated through your freakin' window, kid! How can you not believe me?" the girl asked in complete shock as Ichigo chuckled.

"Yeah, like I said; little light show. Now, go on." Ichigo said, suddenly patting her head with a sleepy, "Go on, run along… ya little brat…"

"A brat, am I? Now that tears it!" the girl said imperiously with a furious undertone. The girl took a deep breath as she jerked her hand up suddenly, slapping her index and middle fingers against the center of Ichigo's chest, "Bakudo #1: Sai!" the girl bellowed, and the second she pulled her fingers back Ichigo's arms snapped behind his back as he lost balance, falling to the floor.

On the floor, Ichigo blinked in surprise, trying to move his arms from their cuffed-position, but failing to do so, "I can't move. What did you do to me, you crazy bitch?" Ichigo snarled, thrashing about on the floor like a wild beast while the girl smirked down at his misery.

"A crazy bitch again, huh? Well, you're not the first to call me that. Oh, and I used what is called a Kido on you. It's a high level incantation that only we Soul Reapers can cast. What you're under is the first level of Bakudo-style Kido; the Way of Binding." She replied, tired of dealing with him and taking amusement in his struggles as she simply couldn't resist taunting him further, "It's useless to fight against it, you're just wasting your energy, human. And I may look young to you, boy, but I've lived at least two of your life-times. I would kill you for your insults, if it wasn't against our laws. So you, my little brat, should be grateful."

"Why you! You've got some nerve!" Ichigo said fiercely, glaring up at his captor.

"And now to deal with you…" the female Soul Reaper said airily, as if she didn't hear him at all while she pulled her sword from its sheathe and swung it down. Ichigo's eyes widened as he rolled out of the way, thinking she was trying to kill him, only for the butt of the hilt to strike the forehead of the spirit that had followed Ichigo home, which had been lazily floating about for the last several hours.

"P-Please no, d-don't!" The spirit stuttered fearfully, not knowing what was going to happen to him as he began to glow, "I don't want to be sent to the Underworld!"

"You don't need to worry." the girl said kindly as she smiled softly at him, her mood changing completely, "You are bound for a better place; the Soul Society. There, your soul will be at… umm… peace." the girl said, pausing somewhat as if she were trying not to lie.

And with that the Soul Reaper lifted handle of her sword from the ghost's head, leaving a symbol on the man's head. The glow that had steadily been building pulsed, flashing from the mark the brightest, before the spirit disappeared and a black butterfly appeared and then flew out the open window, flying away into the night sky where it disappeared.

"Where did he go?" Ichigo asked in pure shock, "What did you do to him?!"

"Fool, I sent him to the Soul Society." the girl answered, "It's one of the Soul Reapers duties, as I explained to you before. Some people may refer to it as "passing on", or the like. Now, to explain to you why I'm here." the girl said before she smirked back down at him, "And I suppose this time I should use small words so that you can understand me…" She reached for something inside her kimono before she paused, pulling out her notebook and a few markers as she proceeded to explain her duties using badly drawn chibi-rabbit figures she had names Chappy.

"Those damn things are terrible…" Ichigo thought with a sweat-drop, "Though at least she's still gets her point across." Ichigo continued to think as the petite Soul Reaper explained how she was now the Soul Reaper assigned to Karakura, to beat back the Hollows so they didn't start eating souls unchecked.

As she finished explaining, she looked up at him

"So, do you still have any questions?" she asked as Ichigo nodded.

"Yeah, umm… Why do your drawings suck, like, so badly?" Ichigo asked as the girl scowled, her right eye twitching before her arm blurred forward and, faster than Ichigo could see, she had drawn a curly thin moustache on him with her marker.

Having a good idea of what she had done, even if he couldn't see it, Ichigo screamed, "AHH! You bitch!"

No longer listening to him, the petite young Soul Reaper smirked as she went on, "Now then, let us continue on, Monsieur Curly."

And with that, she continued on explaining her duties while Ichigo began to hear something, but the Soul Reaper didn't apparently as she was too caught up in her thorough explanation of how there was another Hollow cloaking itself somewhere near his house, but that she didn't know where.

"So why the hell are you here explaining this crap, when you should be out there looking for it?" Ichigo asked in furious confusion.

"I would, but for some reason I can't seem to locate it's exact position, and whenever I'm close, it disappears." she admitted with a sigh, depressed at her lack of success on her first real mission to the World of the Living, "Usually I have no trouble finding a Hollow this close, but some powerful force seems to be blocking my senses."

"Another question, then."

"Shoot."

"Are you deaf or something?!" Ichigo asked angrily, "Stop trying to sense the damn thing, and open your damn ears! Can't you hear the howling out there? I'm guessing that would be a kitty? No, stupid, it must be a monster!"

"Howling…? What do you mean?" the girl asked, her head titled in confusion as she hadn't heard a thing, but before she could get an answer, she heard it! The howling!

Standing up suddenly, she cast a look over at him, still bound by her Kido on the floor, "Now I can hear it, it is defiantly a Hollow. Though why couldn't I hear it before… That doesn't matter now. Time for action."

"That's what I was trying to tell you, dammit!" Ichigo said, rolling his eyes in exasperation.

And just as he was about to say more about her apparent incompetence, the two of them heard a scream coming from outside Ichigo's bedroom door.

"That's Yuzu!" Ichigo shouted in recognition of the voice, frightened and worried about what was happening to his sister with creatures like the Hollow he had seen on the loose. Focusing all his efforts to breaking free of whatever was binding him, Ichigo barely noticed his companion running out of his room and down the stairs outside until it was too late, "Wait! Untie me first!" he yelled.

His family was in trouble, and now thanks to the soul reaping bitch, he wasn't able to help them. With all his might, Ichigo slid his body over to the doorway where he saw Yuzu collapse onto the floor.

"Yuzu! Yuzu, what happened?" Ichigo asked, his eyes wide with fear for his family's safe, especially his young and kind sister's at the moment while he called out in worry.

"Ichigo, Karin has… she's… Ichigo… some strange monster… it got her… you've got to save her…" was all Yuzu could say before she blacked out in the doorway of his room while he watched on with wide eyes.

Looking at the Soul Reaper, who had stopped just short of Yuzu's unconscious body, Ichigo panicked slightly as he cried out, "You've got to let me go, I can help! Please!"

The female Soul Reaper opened her mouth to respond, but at hearing Karin's screams, she said nothing as she stepped over Yuzu and hurried off, leaving Ichigo where he was. Ichigo growled as he fought even harder to get free, muttering that he had to get free in order to help his sister. He didn't even know how he did it, seeing as it was nearly impossible to move at all, but he was able to get down… or rather, tumble down, the stairs to where the petite young Soul Reaper had her sword out, ready to do battle. When she saw him, she looked shocked that he'd actually made it down to the fight.

"Stay out of this, you'll only end up getting hurt!" the female Soul Reaper shouted at him.

However, Ichigo wasn't listening to her, as his own mind was centered on the fact that his sister was in danger and he had to do to something, anything, to help her out of it. As his resolve to protect his family rose, so did his strength, as he began to stand.

The petite Soul Reaper gaped in shock and slight awe as she watched him, "How is he able to stand whilst under my spell?" she thought aloud to herself as Ichigo finally stood, though heavily hunched over, next to her, "Fool, you'll only get in the way!"

"Shut up!" Ichigo snapped, only caring about saving his little sister, Karin. His eyes widened beyond belief as he saw Karin being held by a Fish-like Hollow, "Karin!" he shouted. Actually seeing her in mortal peril made him fight twice as hard to free himself from his binds as the girl next to him looked worried, if not a bit amazed.

"Stop, fool! The Kido is too powerful for a mere human to break!" she shouted worriedly next to him, "If you keep trying to, you'll only damage your soul."

But Ichigo didn't care about that. He didn't care about himself at that point. All he cared about was that Karin was in trouble and needed his help. If it meant his soul would be damaged in the process of saving his little sister, then so be it. He wouldn't allow another member of his family be killed while he stood by and did nothing! He wouldn't allow it, not again! Never again!

The Soul Reaper watched in shock as her Kido came undone, crack by crack, piece by piece, and seal by seal before it finally shattered in an outward burst of energy. Even more shocking was when Ichigo had immediately recovered, if not completely unfazed by the breaking of her Kido, and took off running at the Hollow, grabbing a folding chair and brandishing it like an axe as he did. She was about to warn him that the human-made weapon would be useless against a Hollow, but the warning died in her throat as the Hollow punched the crap out of the young orange-haired teen with the arm not holding the human's sister.

As Ichigo was flying back from the blow dealt to him by the Hollow, the monster opened its massive jaws and spoke, revealing a smaller row of teeth within the mask, "Finally, I've found you…!"

As it made to grab Ichigo, the orange-haired teen was able to roll out of the way, taking up the chair once more. Ichigo saw the Soul Reaper use the distraction, slicing open a large gash in the Hollow's arm with the beast bellowing in pain and rage. Using the chair, Ichigo rushed up quickly and slammed the metal into the beast's hand, forcing it to drop Karin. Seeing the Hollow do so as he landed, Ichigo quickly discard his chair-weapon in favor of running up and catching his little sister. Ichigo slid under the Hollow's wide stance as the monstrosity cradled its injured limb before retreating into a tear in reality which had opened behind it.

"Karin! Karin, are you okay?! Please, Karin, be okay!" Ichigo begged worriedly as he cradled his sister close to him.

"Don't worry she'll be fine." the Soul Reaper stated somewhat calmly as she stood in front of him, her sword gripped tightly in both of her hands at the ready, "The Hollow left without devouring either of your sisters' souls. This particular Hollow seems to be after a much more specific soul tonight, which is unusual, but not unheard of. It's after one with a much higher concentration of Spirit Energy…" the Soul Reaper muttered to herself, reflecting on her observational findings before realization hit her, "In fact, the Hollow from before was after the same source of Spirit Energy…. The Hollows are really after you!"

"They're after me?" Ichigo asked in disbelief and shock, his wide-eyed gaze flying up to the petite Soul Reaper as he held on to his unconscious sister, "But why?"

"It is my conclusion that, for some reason, until now most of your own Spirit Energy was hidden deep within you." the Soul Reaper answered; her eyes scanning around for when the beast would inevitably return. It had been after the boy for too long to just give up after that one injury, "Until you called upon it to save your sister, that is. That's why I didn't sense anything unusual about you earlier, and that's why the Hollows are after you. When you interacted with the girl from earlier, the Hollows sensed your powers, and used her to find you here."

"ROOOOOOAAAAARRRR!" the sound of the mighty animalistic cry pierced the night air as the Hollow reappeared, looking angrier than before, and worse of all to Ichigo's dismay; mostly healed.

"It's back!" the petite female Shinigami yelled as she readied her sword once more, "Take your sister and get out of here! I'll handle this!"

"Wait, those things are after me!" Ichigo shot back, "So those vicious attacks on that poor little girl, Aoi, were also because of me?" he asked, beginning to feel worse about what he had unconsciously brought onto his family.

"Yes, I suppose that's one way to look at it." she said simply, not casting him even a glance as she readied herself for the Hollow's attack.

"And now my sisters could be killed, and it's entirely my fault?!" he asked, dazed at just what danger his mere existence could bring on his family.

Before the petite young Soul Reaper could say anything, Ichigo sprinted forward towards the Hollow, intent on doing something to save his sisters, intent on defeating the Hollow. That's when he remembered it; that when the Soul Reaper girl had cut off the limbs of the head, it hadn't died, but when she sliced through the mask while also having completely bisecting it, the Hollow had vanished. Ichigo knew he hadn't anything to cut the monster with, but there was one thing he could do to stop the madness.

He could sacrifice himself to save his family as his mother had done to save him…

"Hey you, Fish Face!" Ichigo yelled, gaining the Hollow's attention, "You coward! Stop going after others! If it's my soul you want, then come and take it, you ugly bastard!"

The Hollow's solid bone-white mask seemed to twist with rage before it started stomping towards him with it's jaws opened wide.

"Oh no…" Ichigo heard the Soul Reaper behind him yell out as she rushed over.

Just as the Hollow was about to reach him, his eyes widened in horror as he saw the Soul Reaper appear in front of him in a burst of speed,

"Wait! It's me it wants! Sto-!" Ichigo yelled, trying to stop the girl, but the damage had already been done. The Soul Reaper had stabbed the Hollow with her sword, but at the same time, the Hollow had sunk its teeth deep into her shoulder, both wounds gushing onto the pavement to mix in a pool of blood.

"Soul Reaper!" Ichigo yelled, not knowing the petite woman's name as she fell to her knees while he Hollow grabbed its face in pain; the very corner of its mask chipped. The Hollow didn't hesitate to beat a hasty retreat, leaping backwards into its dimensional tear once again, using its only real skill to its full advantage.

"You… are… a fool…!" the Soul Reaper said between painful breaths, "How could you honestly think… you'd be any match for a Hollow?" the girl demanded, slowly pushing herself up to leaned up against the nearby wall, "Do you honestly think that it would be over, if you gave it your soul? One soul wouldn't work; one soul won't satisfy them for long! If you don't stop interfering, we'll all be its food… dead."

"But what else could I do?!" Ichigo demanded, "This thing's after my family! I don't have anything to kill it with! The chair was basically useless!"

"Fool, I told you that a human weapon couldn't destroy a Hollow's mask." the injured female said, scoffing weakly as she scolded him before thinking better of it a second later when she coughed up blood.

"Anything can be destroyed if you put enough force behind it! The chair just wasn't the best weapon of choice!" Ichigo admitted the soul reaping female nodded slowly.

"You would be right about that…" the woman admitted as she clutched at her shoulder, "If it was a normal being, then yes, you'd be right. However, a Hollow isn't a normal being. It's mask can only be damaged and destroyed by a Zanpakuto, a weapon made and used only by Soul Reapers-" coughing painfully as she tightly clutched at her injured limb, she looked up in something akin to horror as the Hollow began to reappear, looking around for them, "I'm too injured to fight, so here's my question to you; Do you want to save your family?"

"Of course I do! If there's a way, then tell me!" Ichigo answered quickly, glad there might be a way to save his family.

"It will only be temporary." the injured girl stressed as she picked up her sword and held it out, "But you must become a Soul Reaper."

"What?" was Ichigo's shocked reply as his eyes nearly burst from his skull.

"You must take my Zanpakuto, and run it through to your very being - your heart, your soul…" the girl said, her voice never wavering. Noticing that the had Hollow spotted them, she quickly went on, "… so that I can pour my power into you." hearing the Hollow give an animalistic battle cry, she began speaking even faster, "I can't guarantee that that you'll live, but if it doesn't work… it doesn't matter."

Seeing the Hollow stalking towards them, Takeshi made his decision in less than the second that he had glanced at the monster, "If this doesn't work I want you to know I'll be haunting you forever… Soul Reaper."

"My name is Rukia, Rukia Kuchiki, and I think I can live with that." the petite young Soul Reaper, now identified as Rukia, replied while smiling slightly as Ichigo took her blade within his hands.

Steadying the weapon in his grip, Ichigo took a shaky, yet deep breath before he plunged the cold steel into his heart, feeling the cold metal sink into his chest with almost no resistance. Though, the pain of being run through would be completely bearable if he was able to save his family.

"I'm Ichigo Kurosaki." he replied, as the two nodded to each other, the process of power transference beginning.

Just as the Hollow was above them, bearing down upon them to devour their souls, there was a huge flash of light. When the light had died down somewhat, the Hollow which had been doing battle with them for so long appeared to be suddenly missing an arm.

Rukia looked over at the Hollow in shock, but then quickly amended her gaze toward Ichigo as he landed back in front of the Hollow. He was dressed in the standard Soul Reaper uniform of the formal Shihakusho. A large, thick, and heavy brown leather belt ran across Ichigo's chest as it held his Zanpakuto's sheath diagonally across his back. Her eyes widened even more as she saw the size of his Zanpakuto. Though it took the form of any ordinary katana, it was enormous in size! The thing was nearly six times as big as her own sword had been!

It took her longer then she thought to get over her shock as she suddenly came to the realization that she was having trouble breathing. It wasn't because of her wounds, as though had disappeared. No, it was because of just how intense his Spiritual Pressure was on her. Glancing down at her shaking hands, Rukia nearly had a heart attack as she saw that she was in a standard white kimono! The dress of pure souls! Her powers! Dammit!

"How is this possible?" Rukia gasped as she watched Ichigo defeat the Hollow in one near effortless swing while it hopped around, now on one foot, "I meant to only give him half of my power, but somehow he got almost all of it. What kind of being is he? I've never seen a human with Spiritual Energy like this... That's what was blocking my senses before!" Rukia realized as she watched Ichigo in shock and awe.

Ichigo was about to finish off the Hollow, but before he did, he needed to let it know just why he had to kill it, "You'll pay for harming my family, you Hollow scum! Now, feel the wrath of this blade!" and with that said, Ichigo brought his sword down from high over his head onto the Hollow's mask-skull. The Hollow came one last roar, an unusual one that was not of anguish, but of something else while it was being completely bisected by Ichigo.

Ichigo sighed, seeing the night brighten around him to it's normal, un-eerie coolness as he approached his unconscious sister and Rukia, "Yo, you ok?" Ichigo asked as he shouldered his massive katana.

"Yes, I'll be fine." Rukia replied as she stood shakily on her feet, feeling slightly faint from the lack of power in her limbs. She'd need to get a Gigai soon, or else-

"RAAAWWWWWRRRRR!"

"What the-?!" Ichigo whipped around in surprise as Rukia's ad his own eyes widened in a level of horror and dread they had not felt before in the entire nightmarish night.

"H-Hollows! Lots of them!" Rukia muttered aloud as she and Ichigo watched the incoming horde of monsters coming.

"That's impossible! There's too many of them! Like a small army of them, and all coming here… converging for one soul?" Rukia asked herself in shock… before it clicked and she looked up at Ichigo, "No… could it be that the last Hollow gave his final cry to summon them? But that isn't how Hollows work. They're little more than beasts and monsters, surviving only for themselves. Or could it be that our Spiritual Pressure, and that of my superiors, have attracted them all to this city and they're going after the weakest first? I don't know what to think anymore, but the point is that we're going to die here unless something's done quick!"

"There are so many of them…!" Ichigo muttered to himself in terror as he gazed upon the large amount of Hollows. He knew he could fight, but against so many at once…? Ichigo's bravo was lost to him as his entire body shook in fear while the literal legion of Hollows advanced on him… Rukia… his unconscious family… his town… everything…

As the first Hollow reached them, Ichigo raised his sword, and glared, his hands shaking as he did. If it was his time to die, then fine! But he wasn't going to let anything touch his family while he still drew breath! Not so long as he was alive would they ever touch his family again!

The first of the many Hollow raised it's massive claws high into the night, the bone-white sharp appendages gleaming in the pale moonlight. As the beast brought its claws down swiftly, Ichigo braced himself for the clash between claws and sword, tensing his body.

But nothing happened…

Rukia's eyes widened even more than before as she shakily gazed up at the first Hollow.

It had a large gapping hole through it's mask…

"Sorry we late." a female voice from behind them said as Ichigo and Rukia looked away from the slowly vanishing Hollow toward the source of the casual voice.

There stood a blonde woman with a smile on her face as a dark-tanned man held a smoking pistol pointed at where the Hollow had been while he knelt down next to the blonde.

"We felt yo Spirit Energy disappear, and Ming went for yo Gigai." the dark-skinned man said as he glanced at Ichigo before firing another shot from his gun, shooting through at least three more Hollows with a bullet so fast Ichigo barely caught sight of the blur, "You had to give yo powers to him, huh? Shit, is yo ass in trouble."

"Indeed she is." another voice, this one distinctively Asian and female, said as a woman landed in a crouch next to the two mysterious saviors while a body hung limply from her shoulders, "You were playing around, and now you're powerless. I expect an explanation as to why that is in the morning."

"Y-Yes, Ma'am." Rukia said shakily, her powerless state winded by the mere presence of the three strangers.

"Now we finish up here. I'm about to unleash all kinds of kick-ass on these muthafuckas." the guy said as he pulled a second gun to his hand before leaping off the ledge they had been on. He soared through the air, jumping into the mix of Hollows with guns a' blazing.

The blonde woman sighed as she muttered something under her breath, pulling out a sniper rifle as Ichigo noticed that the sword which she had been holding went mysteriously missing, "That boy go get his ass killed one of these days. I wish he stop hanging out with them dumbass niggas in the Eleventh."

The Asian woman said nothing as she stared coldly at Ichigo, who felt it grow harder to breath the longer she did. Then his limbs grew heavier under her gaze, as though they were slowly becoming lead. He dropped to his knees as a Hollow near him suddenly dropped too, but was purified when it did. Ichigo brought a hand up to his throat, feeling as though it were closing on him before he glanced up, only to find the Asian woman before him like she had been there all day long.

Storm clouds began to gather overhead in the once cloudless night sky. Thunder rumbled and roared as loudly as the Hollows while lightning flashed, catching large Hollows and smiting them down each time it illuminated the skies . The Asian woman, however, was completely unfazed by her surrounds as she uncrossed her arms and glared down coldly at Ichigo.

"You're a little too powerful to say that all your power came from young Miss Kuchiki. I'll be watching you… Ichigo Kurosaki. Know that, and fear it." the woman said before she placed a hand in front of Ichigo's face.

Ichigo felt his eyelids grow heavy, and his mind hazy over with sleep as the last thing he heard was the voice of the afro-haired guy he had met with Orihime and Tatsuki.

"This wasn't a coincidence. It was planned." the guy said as Ichigo dropped into the realm of sleep.

Rukia, however, did not get that luxury as all she could do was look on in shock at the level of power which her superiors possessed, even while in the Realm of the Living. She watched in awe as they tore through the ranks of Hollows with relative ease, "Amazing! Even while their powers are only at a fraction of their true depth, they're still able to fight at such a level. They make it look so easy…" was all Rukia could think of before one of her superiors appeared at her side.

"Ahh! Lady Jazmine!" Rukia exclaimed as she bowed in respect to the woman, who smiled at her.

"Oh Rukia, hey. Sleep time." Jazmine said sweetly as Rukia blinked in confusion.

"Sleep… time…?" Rukia said slowly in confusion before Jazmine's hand was in her face, darkness overtaking her vision quickly as she slumped over into Jazmine's waiting arms.

Little did the unconscious Rukia or Ichigo know, that night had started something that would drastically change the future of both the Human World and the Soul Society… forever.