Welcome to my first AU fic! I've been sitting on this for some time, then uncovered the plans when looking through my laptop. I fixed up the idea, and started writing it. I wanted to get to the point in Shadowed Heart that I'm at now, plus I got a little impatient, so couldn't help but release it now!

I hope you like it, this will be going through the Soul Society Arc with a bit of a twist!

Let me know what you think!

Chapter 1: Another Story Told

"Knowing Captain Shihoin, there'll be a stack of paperwork waiting for me when I get back tonight. But I'll need to eat. Dinner tomorrow?" Natsuki smiled at the message she'd received from Kirara, who was finally cleared to return to work after a mission had gone wrong for her.

Sending the response via a Hell Butterfly – totally not a system for idle chatter but Kirara had found that they weren't monitored, and just didn't care about if they were – Natsuki tucked her long blonde hair out of her face. While she had seen Kirara around, and had even spent time with her at the festival for the Head Captain's birthday, she missed her best friend, who had been acting oddly since she'd almost died.

"Lieutenant Hamasaki," she glanced around to the third seat of the Squad. "I've finished the paperwork for the night, all that's left are the ones that need to be signed by you and the Captain," he reported. Natsuki smiled.

"Thanks Aragaki, I'll see you tomorrow," he bowed respectfully, and left Natsuki alone in the training grounds. Having been taking some time, Natsuki had taken out those who had faced her, all of which were now either with Squad 4, or away nursing their bruised pride. "Hmm...to deal with the paperwork now...or in the morning?" Natsuki wondered to herself.

'Take a break Natsuki, you've been training all day,' the young girl's voice in the back of her mind told her.

"You're right," Natsuki grinned, nodding in agreement at her Zanpakuto Spirit's suggestion. "I could do with a good night's sleep, especially if I'm going out with Kirara tomorrow," she decided, sheathing her blade.

'And you know how that always turns out,' the amused voice replied.

"I do, Tsuki no Usagi, I do," Natsuki confirmed. Pushing her hair from her face again, she turned and headed home, ready to get some sleep.

"Hey Natsuki," the Shinigami blinked away her memories and lifted her head in surprise. "When you're done daydreaming, are you gonna join us?" the bald-headed Third Seat of their Squad spoke. "We need to get started on the training the newbies," he said.

"Oh, sorry Ikka," Natsuki smiled, getting up from the desk. Ikkaku rolled his eyes at the nickname. No matter how much he told her to stop, she always insisted on calling him by a nickname. "Was just sorting the paperwork that needs signed off by the Captain, for the mission we dealt with the other day," she explained.

"Looked more like you were staring off into space," he muttered, and Natsuki ran a hand through her hair, cut just above her shoulders. It fell into her face, and she brushed it out of the way.

"Just...thinking about the past," she admitted. "It's been almost a hundred years..." Natsuki sighed, shaking her head. The Third Seat arched an eyebrow.

"Since what?" he asked. Natsuki blinked, as if remembering that he was there. She gave a small smile and a shrug.

"Since everything changed," she walked on, and Ikkaku stopped, watching her with a frown.

"She's just as confusing as ever..." he muttered, following her to the training grounds to get starting on the training for the new graduates from the academy.

"Natsuki, wake up!" the Lieutenant groaned as she heard banging on the door of her home, and a loud, gruff voice. "Come on, I know you don't sleep that heavy!" the banging continued, and with a loud yawn, she pushed herself out of bed.

"Gimme a second!" she called back, grabbing her uniform and pulling it on. Attaching her badge as she walked to the door, she pulled it open. "I know I promised you a rematch, Jin'emon, but really?" Natsuki laughed as she looked up at the much taller Lieutenant. Her smile faded as she saw his worried expression. "What's wrong?" she asked him.

"It's my Captain. And the others. Something's happened," Jin'emon told her, and she invited him inside. They went into the kitchen area, which wasn't very kitted out. As someone who was thoroughly Squad 11 and valued fighting above almost everything else, Natsuki wasn't much into decorating.

"What happened?" she asked as he sat down and she made them tea.

"Last night, an emergency meeting for the Captains was called. Captain Muguruma and Lieutenant Kuna, they were on a mission with some others in their Squad after members of the Patrol Corps disappeared," Jin'emon explained. He adjusted the sunglasses that he never took off, pale. Natsuki could tell just by looking at him that something was very wrong.

"They were investigating the weird things going on in the Rukongai, weren't they?" Natsuki remembered the rumours that had been circulating. Everyone had been discussing it lately. Jin'emon nodded gravely.

"Last night, Captain Muguruma, and Mashiro, their Reiatsu just...vanished," Natsuki froze as she went to set down the cups on the table.

"Vanished?" she repeated, growing cold. She thought of the bubbly, playful, almost childlike Lieutenant that was Mashiro Kuna, the Hakuda master who could best even the majority of the Onmitsukido. Even Kirara, trained by Yoruichi herself, struggled against Mashiro in hand-to-hand combat.

"The meeting was called, and Captain Aikawa went out to it. From what I heard later from Captain Shihoin, Lieutenant Sarugaki was sent out before they went missing. Then the Captain and a few others were sent out as a task force to find out what happened," Jin'emon continued on, accepting the cup as Natsuki took a seat.

"Who was on the task force?" she asked the question that made her nervous.

"Captains Otoribashi, Hirako and Aikawa..." Jin'emon ran a hand through his hair. "Then the Lieutenant of the Kido Corp, Lieutenant Ushoda, as well as Lieutenants Yadomaru and Yamada," Natsuki almost dropped her cup at the mention of Kirara.

"Kirara went out there? She's literally only just back from months off duty," Natsuki shook her head in disbelief. "Why would she have been..." she then paused, looking up at Jin'emon. All she could see was her reflection in his sunglasses. "What happened after?" she asked.

"That's the thing..." the Lieutenant spoke slowly. "I don't know. Captain Aikawa hasn't checked in, and the others haven't either. They're missing," he told her. Natsuki pushed her hair from her face.

"Are you sure? Maybe they're just out looking for something that'll help find out what happened to Captain Muguruma and Mashiro," Natsuki shrugged, trying to play it off, but her heart was hammering against her chest. Since hearing that Kirara had almost died a few months back, Natsuki had become particularly concerned for her best friend.

"Captain Aikawa always checks in. No matter the mission," Jin'emon insisted.

"Okay, let's go find Captain Shihoin, see what she has to say about all this," Natsuki decided. However, as she stood with the other Lieutenant, two Hell Butterflies flew into the room. Reaching out automatically, the two let the butterflies settle on their fingers to listen to the message.

Almost immediately Natsuki's legs gave in and she sank to the ground, the message replaying over and over again as her now erratic breathing, along with Jin'emon's, was all that could be heard in the room.

The Captains and Lieutenants sent out to investigate were gone. Dead, killed in action. And Captains Shihoin and Urahara, along with the Commander of the Kido Corps, Tessai Tsukabishi, were wanted for questioning in regards to the deaths of the others.

After everything, Natsuki's best friend was dead.

Another new recruit crashed to the ground, their Zanpakuto skidding away.

"Pick it up!" Ikkaku ordered, pointing his scabbard at the young man as he got to his feet. "A member of Squad 11, under the command of Captain Zaraki, never stops fighting until they no longer breathe!" he declared. The Shinigami grabbed his Zanpakuto and rushed Ikkaku again, who smirked.

They continued to fight, the sounds of metal meeting metal clashing and echoing through the air.

"Ikkaku says that you've been acting strange," Natsuki glanced to the man leaning against the wall beside her. He wore an orange collar that collected to a sleeve, and had red and yellow feathers attached to his right eye.

"Does he now?" Natsuki watched as Ikkaku delivered a punch to the recruit's stomach and sent him flying across the grounds. "You two enjoy your gossiping as always," she smirked, and Yumichika rolled his eyes.

"You're deflecting again, Natsuki," he told her.

"Okay, yes, I've been a little distant," the blonde rolled her eyes. "I hate when you do that Yumi," she muttered.

"I've told you not to call me that. It's not beautiful to ignore requests," Yumichika grumbled, just as annoyed by the nickname she'd given him.

"It's been almost a hundred years," he stopped grumbling when Natsuki spoke, looking ahead again. "A hundred years ago, something weird happened, and four Captains and four Lieutenants were declared dead, and another two disappeared, wanted for killing them. The Lieutenant of the Kido Corps was declared dead as well, and the Commander was also believed to have helped with it," Natsuki explained, and Yumichika tore his eyes from the fight to look at her.

"What happened?" he asked, and Natsuki gave a wry smile.

"Never found out. The Captains that remained didn't know much about it, and they knew as much as I do," Natsuki told him softly. "At this point, I don't think I'll ever know," she shrugged.

"And your friend was one of those involved, wasn't she?" Yumichika asked, watching her curiously. "The one who you became Lieutenant to be with? That's why you stepped down to fourth seat," he accused.

"It isn't very beautiful to be so nosy, Yumi," Natsuki's voice was soft. He just rolled his eyes in response. "Oh, did you hear about the Gillian that showed up in the World of the Living?" she asked suddenly.

"A Menos Grande showed up in the World of the Living?" the fifth seat frowned at her.

"Yeah, Captain Kurotsuchi picked it up, there was some weird Reiatsu, massive, and Hollows were swarming this little area, then a Menos showed up and was defeated," Natsuki explained. "Captain Kuchiki and Renji were sent to go check it out, so we-"

"Hey, when you two are done gossiping!" Ikkaku snapped at them, and they looked up at him. "Natsuki, you're up," he said. Natsuki nodded, walking over. The group that were left uninjured so far, watched her with dubious looks as she smiled pleasantly at him.

"I'm Fourth Seat Natsuki Hamasaki of Squad 11," she introduced herself. "Like Ikkaku said, as members of Squad 11, you never stop fighting until it's impossible to keep going. That's the whole point of our Squad. Anyone who isn't willing to go that distance, may as well put in a transfer request to Squad 4 now," she told them, and the group exchanged looks. "We aren't going to hold your hand as you work. We have our own duties, and here, we fight our own fights. If you're not strong enough to fight your own fight, you shouldn't bother fighting at all," Natsuki told them, before looking to the tallest of the group. "You, come forward," she ordered. Slowly, he stepped forward, towering over the Shinigami.

"I've heard that before," Ikkaku muttered as he stood with his friend watching Natsuki take charge.

"She still has that Lieutenant streak in her, even if she refuses to do it," Yumichika commented, before sighing. "I'd like to know why we're doing this. Isn't this the Captain's job?" he asked.

"Quit bitching, Yumichika," Ikkaku rolled his eyes. "The Captain and Lieutenant are busy," Yumichika muttered under his breath about how taking a nap doesn't count as busy, before they heard a yell and a thud.

"And lastly," Natsuki called as the man slid to the ground. His group looked from him, to her, with wide eyes. "Never underestimate your opponent. Always expect a good fight, even if it doesn't always happen," she called.

"Well that's one way to get your point across," Ikkaku muttered. Yumichika nodded.

Walking through the streets of the Seireitei later that day, Ikkaku cracked his neck.

"What a bunch of weaklings," he complained.

"They're only new from the Academy Ikka," Natsuki pointed out. "They'll get stronger if they work hard," she said. Ikkaku grumbled under his breath.

"They didn't really seem too promising. I don't believe there was anyone especially impressive from the class that graduated recently," Yumichika spoke up.

"Urgh, this talk is depressing me. Let's just go to a bar, and talk about something else," Natsuki pleaded.

"Alright, alright," Ikkaku rolled is eyes again. Natsuki cheered up immediately, cheering and leading the way to their regular hangout.

"Hey guys!" they looked around to see Renji walking over, looking exhausted. Cuts and bruises lined the features of him that they could see, and he'd replaced his sunglasses with a bandana.

"What happened to you?" Ikkaku asked as he reached them.

"Yeah, I thought it was just a typical recon mission," Natsuki arched an eyebrow at the young man who was once a part of their Squad before moving on and becoming the Lieutenant for Squad 6.

"Ran into some trouble there. Really weird trouble," Renji commented. "I could really go for a drink. You guys going?" he asked.

"Sure, come on," Ikkaku nodded, leading the way along.

"What kind of trouble is seen as weird?" Yumichika asked as the four continued walking.

"Well there was this human kid, used a bow and arrows made from Reishi," Natsuki looked around at him sharply.

"You mean you found a Quincy? That's impossible, they were wiped out years ago," she told him. Renji shrugged.

"That's what Captain Kuchiki said too," he nodded. "He wasn't any trouble, but then we found something even weirder," Renji continued as they reached the bar.

"What can be weirder than a Quincy showing up?" Ikkaku asked once they sat down with their drinks. Renji leaned on the table.

"Well the Quincy kid was fighting a Hollow when we found him, and he attacked us, knowing exactly who we were. Had this major hatred for Shinigami," Renji continued. Natsuki nodded, understanding. It made sense for a lone Quincy to hate them, after all, Shinigami were responsible for the destruction of his kind. It had been the only way to restore harmony to the two worlds. "But before I could finish him off, this other kid showed up to defend him," he told them.

"Another Quincy?" Yumichika asked with a frown. Renji shook his head.

"No, he was human...but he was also a Shinigami," Natsuki spat out her drink, coughing. In her surprise, she'd inhaled her drink.

"Okay, that really is impossible," Ikkaku snorted as Yumichika looked a little disgusted. Renji shook his head.

"That's what I figured as well. He called himself a Substitute Shinigami, had a Zanpakuto and everything," he insisted. "But he was next to useless, easily down. Captain Kuchiki wanted to know how he'd gotten the power, when she showed up," the three leaned in, suddenly very interested in Renji's tale. "She admitted to being the one to give the kid his powers, but denied being a Shinigami. In fact, she seemed to hate us. I hate to admit it, but she kicked my ass," Renji admitted. "Captain Kuchiki took her down, I think giving the human her powers made her weaker. She didn't even use a Zanpakuto, just fought in the Gigai she was in with some serious Hakuda skills. Then the human got up and almost held his own. His Reiatsu was really strong, before the Captain destroyed his powers. Kid probably didn't even survive the night. So we arrested the woman and brought her back," Renji concluded.

"Who was she?" Natsuki asked him curiously.

"That's what's so weird about this," Renji finished his cup and poured more in. "I've met her before, here, when I was a kid," he explained.

"You've met her before?" Ikkaku frowned. Renji nodded.

"At the Head Captain's birthday festival, about a hundred years ago," Natsuki froze at the mention, her amber eyes going wide. "She said..." Renji paused, brow furrowing. "She said that she was a Lieutenant back then. The Captain, he knew her too," he remembered.

"What...what was her name?" Natsuki's heart hammered against her chest in a way that it hadn't in a very long time. Renji frowned at her.

"No idea. She had black hair though, and a scar here," he traced a line across the bridge of his nose. "And another here," he touched his finger to the side of his chin. There was a small scuffle as Natsuki leapt to her feet, knocking her chair over. "What's up with you Natsuki?" the red-haired Lieutenant asked, staring at her.

"Where is she being held?" Natsuki demanded.

"Squad 6's holding cells, but she won't talk to anyone, so-hey!" Renji shouted as Natsuki bolted for the door.

"Where are you going?" Yumichika called after her.

"To go see her!" Natsuki shouted. With a groan, Renji got up and followed her out.

"You can't get in without me, hold up!" he called.

"Hurry up then!" Natsuki shouted. With a groan, Renji hurried after her.

"Hey, you can't be in here!"

"It's okay, she's with me," the loud voices reached the prisoner, who was sitting on the ground, leaning against the wall with her eyes closed. The cuts and bruises that lined her body and face stung, but it was nothing overly painful, so she just ignored it.

'Have patience, we will get out of this,' the deep male voice echoed in the back of her mind.

"I don't know how we'll escape this one," she murmured, pulling her legs in close. "That brat of a Captain knows me. He'll report me to the old man, and then the death penalty will be my only future," the woman sighed. "But...oddly enough...I'm okay with it," she gave a small chuckle. "I'm tired of running, I'm sick of having to be careful all the time," she leaned her head back against the wall, closing her eyes.

'If that is what you must tell yourself to accept the possibility that you may not be able to get out of this, then fine. But you are a fighter. You cannot go down without a fight,' the voice of the Zanpakuto Spirit spoke firmly.

'That's right,' a warped female voice spoke up with a chuckle, and she sighed. 'After all, if ya quit fighting...then I might just hafta take over,' she warned, laughing loudly.

"Oh shut up and go back to sleep, I'm in no mood for you," the woman told her irritably, before the door opened and she opened her eyes.

Standing in the doorway, unable to focus her breathing, Natsuki stared at the woman sitting in the cell. In a pair of shorts and red chequered shirt, there wasn't much threatening about the woman. She was toned, but small, seeming almost dainty. The only thing about her that seemed remotely threatening at that moment, were her glittering blue eyes in the poor light of the cell, watching her every move with an almost predatory look.

"You...you..." Natsuki couldn't find the words as she sank to the ground, watching as the woman got to her feet and walked over to the bars, leaning on them with an amused smirk. Bruises and cuts covered her face, and her black hair was shorter, tied up with a green ribbon, but she was unmistakeable.

"Hey Natsuki. It's been a long time. You miss me?" Kirara asked.

One thing I should add about this AU; Kirara isn't losing her Zanpakuto - I couldn't find a way to make it fit well so while she was badly injured, there were no side effects!

Please review!