Meeting of a Father's Rival {Grimmjow}

[Fumiko Kurosaki]

A quick flash of reiatsu, a clashing of steel against steel, and the crumpling of several hollows was the noise that echoed through this small field jsut outside of Karakura Town. Fumiko had headed out there to train herself when she had been jumped by two arrancar. Both where rather weak and she had dispatched them with little effort. Looking at the two of them she would notice a piece of metal stamped onto a piece of cloth around their necks.

The symbol was in the shape of a cats claw and underneath it had the word 'Pantera' etched into it. Looking at the piece of metal for a short bit the wheels within Fumikos head would begin to turn. There was something familiar about that name yet she could not place it. Speaking to herself she would attempt to sort out her thoughts.

"Pantera... Why is that so familiar. I know of that American band with the name yet this is something much more close to home. Almost like it is something right on the tip of my tongue and I should know this... Cmon Fumiko remember your fathers stories and it should come to you...."

[Deleted]

Why the hell do I even come back here anymore?

There was no good answer to that. Routine, maybe. Maybe somewhere deep down he wanted to find that orange-haired bastard and give him what for. Maybe not. But there was no real reason for him to even be here anymore--Kurosaki was dead already, and the Shinigami had rocketed him up to the royal guard.

At least it was a change of scenery. Nondescript windblown desert got so boring sometimes. It felt good to make a run across the town, and nobody important had caught him yet.

Yet.

That was the keyword. He had been noticing more and more powerful reiatsu signatures cropping up around this place. It was getting pretty risky to hang around, and if he made a wrong move he was done for. Just the way he liked it. Nothing wrong with a little danger.

He almost didn't notice that he'd just about loped right out of the city and into a field. He felt a few weak hollows' reiatsu fading--they'd been killed. Served them right, the weaklings. He wondered who the new meat was that they had assigned to watch the place, or whatever the shinigami did to keep tabs on the human world. He wasn't really sure if they were stupid enough to actually send their own guys out here. He thought they were, but it was hard to tell.

He checked out the lone figure in the field now; his body reacted before he did. Crackling reiatsu surged outward, let loose in his anger-induced lapse of control. She wasn't him, but she would definitely do.

"Kurosaki!" He spat bitterly as he charged forward, taking a wide kick at her midsection.

[Fumiko Kurosaki]

She had been complacent and had not been paying attention until she heard a scream and then saw a figure in white charge in and attack her. Being hit in the side had jarred her back to reality and she would drop the medallion of the hollow she had just slain without much effort. Looking back at the man who had attacked her she noticed how he has almost no hollow mask. Getting back up on her feet she would look at the man and she would speak.

"How is it that you know my families name???"

As she spoke she would draw her sword off her back. The sheen of the weapon would glint in the sunlight and would look toward Grimmjow and attempt to ready herself in case he would not talk and instead attack again.

[Deleted]

He laughed, a snarling and arrogant racket against the general quiet of the field. She'd actually raise her sword to him? Him, Grimmjow? Please. He loped over to her, taking her by the neck in one hand, rendering her sword almost useless by taking her wrist in the other. A malevolent smirk twisted his features as he pulled her off the ground to his eye level.

"Let's just say I'm an old friend of your dear ol' dad's." Smooth sarcasm worked it's way into his voice as he sized up the little girl. She sure as hell didn't look like much--just like her old man. He didn't sense as much power in her as he had in him.

A thought struck him. She was weak now. She could come back stronger, like he had. Now was the perfect time to prove exactly why he was a better strategist than Cifer. If he took her out now, it'd save him the trouble of having to do it later!

[Fumiko Kurosaki]

"An old friend..."

She would state as she felt herself being held in the air by her neck. The pain from this hold was intense and she could not determine if there was anything worse that could be occuring to her at this moment. Her breath would become slightly more shallow as the hold on her neck was not broken. Quickly she would think what to do and there was really only one thing that popped into her mind. Surging as much strength as she could muster into her leg she would bring them up and kick Grimmjow's arms as hard as she could dislodging herself from his grasp.

Tumbling onto the ground she would quickly roll backwards from him and catch her breath. She had to formulate something and holding back her reiatsu was something she could not do as this man was freakishly strong. So she would unleash the gate of restraint she had and hoped that would draw at least some attention from another shinigami. Coughing a little she would of regained her breath and would speak as she stood.

"Now I know who you are... Blue hair, partial mask on your face, cat like look. Both my parents used to mention you by name Grimmjow. Warned us to always watch our back for you as you would come back someday. Too bad you did not come back to face my father he would have loved a rematch. Always looked back kindly on those fights he had with you. Do not know why but he did..."

Her talking was a bit of trying to buy herself some time as she was attempting to find out what to do. Knowing this was a loosing fight she would being a charge of reiatsu that Grimmjow would recognize as someone charging for bankai.

[Deleted]

He grinned as she choked against his grip, but wasn't grinning for long. The kick had escaped his usually keen perception because he had been focusing on her stupid face. Her reiatsu was nothing compared to her father's, but it was sure to get someone over--and quick. He'd have to work faster than he'd have liked. She was blathering on about her dad. Humans sure had weird attachments to each other.

"Yeah, too bad. He'da been a way better challenge than you! ...hn. I doubt you were readin' him right. You say kindness, I say fear. My only regret was not bein' the one that killed him!!"

Kindly. Pfha. Stupid girl. Kurosaki senior knew how strong he was--there was no way he'd have thought kindly on all those beat-downs he had gotten. Jeez.

"Watch your back...good advice. Too bad you won't live to follow it!"

A low static punctured the air as Grimmjow sped forward, picking her up by the collar of her shirt. "You're nothing that your father was--your cruddy excuse for a Bankai will do even less to me than his could!!" To punctuate, he tossed her toward the city like a rag-doll. She was so tiny. He wasn't just going to kill her. He'd break her. He strode with smug confidence across the field, leering malevolently at his prey before nailing her with a low and powerful kick. It was both nostalgic and unbelievably satisfying at once, the feeling of shattering bone under his foot.

"Well...damn. She went farther than I thought she would." She was probably halfway across town by now, but if she was anything like her dad, she wasn't quite dead yet. He imagined, though, that he was about done here. He leapt up to the rooftops, making his way across the city toward her reiatsu. It was kind of funny, how much more adept he had become at navigating this place over fifty years.

[Fumiko Kurosaki]

Powering up her bankai it was one of the first times she would of used the bankai but she was cut off by Grimmjow grabbing her collar. Cutting off her concentration and dispelling the swirling energy. Hearing him taunt her once again about her father made her angry but he was so much stronger than she was it was almost futile gesture. Speaking up she would be defiant in tone and mannerism.

"Yea and he regretted never giving you another round. Then he died from natural causes due to all his injuries piling up at once and our mother was unable to negate their existance. So in a way you did get your revenge... Now just kill me and get it over with."

Then she felt him throw her as hard as he could. She felt the air rip against both her skin and her robes. Then came the first bit of the city skyline she would impact. A stone facade which she went directly through with little resistance. Breaking several ribs in the process she would notice that she had gone higher than the skyline which was good as she did not wish to impact anything else. Though in a split second she understood pain in its truest form. A kick impacted the side of her body and she felt every bone in that area break almost instantly. Her back would even feel the strain and she would feel her legs go numb for a split second.

The momenteum of the kick would send her soaring through several steel billboard, an apartment building that was under construction, and through a house some miles away from where Grimmjow had hit her. Impacting the ground she felt a sharp pain in her back and she knew she had to of cracked a vertebrae at minimum, yet she had feeling in her legs which was good. From her position in the center of the street she would attempt to stand only to hear in her mind her zanpaktou screaming at her to just lay there.

"I... I.. cannot lay down... I am a... Kurosaki... We never... give... up..."

As she struggled with herself she would stagger to her feet. Blood would be seeping from multiple deep wounds along her arms and across her hairline. The injuries would make seeing terribly difficult and she would reach for her zan which was on the ground beside her. As she did though she felt her reiatsu die down a little and she would collapse forward into a pool of her own blood. Her beaten and broken form would speak a few words outwardly as she lay there.

"Stand up Fumiko... Stand.. Up..."

Almost growling and yelling at herself she would stagger back to her feet her hair stuck against her head. She would look around looking for whatever direction that Grimmjow would be coming in from. Raising her silvered blade up she would place a little reiatsu into it and she hoped to catch him with a Getsuga should she see him before he sprung his attack.

[Deleted]

He landed in a darkened alley, listening intently. From the sound of it, she whacked into the ground so hard it made a crater. As she stood up, he almost felt sorry for her...but not really. She badgered herself to get up, and he was almost excited that she'd actually give him a bit of a fight. He had expected to come over to her and find an unconscious and broken body to play with, but a live one was always more fun. He leered menacingly at her and sprung out from the shadows, firing several bala her way and noticing all too late her raised sword and familiar stance...she was actually going to try it?

"You think you can do anything to me with that wimpy reiatsu?! Look'a me--your dad couldn't even do jack with his bankai. What'll you be able to do?!" He popped his jacket for emphasis, showing off the scar Kurosaki had left him. He doubted that she even had the reiatsu to pull it off.

[Fumiko Kurosaki]

She felt the Bala's make contact with her body and yet there was no flinching, no movement away from the attacks. Looking directly at Grimmjow she would watch as he basically taunted her with how her father had fought him at his fullest power and could only place that scar upon his hierro. Fumiko knew full well she was not as strong as her father, she would not even dream to consdier herself as such. Yet she was going to give this her all and would show Grimmjow that she had inherited the one thing that mattered from her father, is heart and determination.

Before she would raise up her sword she noticed something about her blade. It was slowly being coated by the blood that was seeping down her arm and she knew this was likely to be the only attack she would ever get on Grimmjow before he would end her life. Closing her eyes she would focus her remaining reiatsu into her sword which would begin to glow with the telltale blue energy of a Getsuga. Though after a few seconds it would begin to glow a purplish hue. Right as she was going to swing she would mutter a single sentence.

"You cant live until you learn to die. Noone will cry for this woman Grimmjow... Chi Bisshori Getsuga Tenshou*."

Swinging her sword the reiatsu would suddenly spike to what it was when she was at full strength and then some. The wave would head directly and Grimmjow and impact him dead on the chest in an exact matching pattern on the other side of his chest. Yet the wave continued to come as if it was being fueled by something. Fumiko would be standing staring her blade lifted up and the wave continued for another second or two before breaking. Her blade would have a dull purplish glow to it as the blood on the blade was seemingly caked onto the blade now.

*Blood Drenched Getsuga Tenshou

[Deleted]

"...Chi Bisshori Getsuga Tenshou." A huge spike of reiatsu was the last the he was prepared for. He threw his arms up in an attempt to block the brunt of it, for the most part failing. The force sent him sliding backwards and a deep burning sensation nearly winded him. The energy that her attack had behind it...there was something about it. It was almost like a cero. A Gran Rey, even. Pure force. There was no way that that was possible--! the proof was all there though. There was blood everywhere--it was his. It was his freaking blood. Looking down at his chest he realized how similar, the wound was to the other one he had gotten before.

The thought filled him with an incomprehensible rage. He was going to destroy her. Destroy her before she could even dare to surpass him.

"Yanno what, woman? Ya got your father's eyes," A cough interrupted his thought, and he took a breath, straightening up and wiping away the blood which was dribbling down from his forehead. "I hate 'em!!! The blood was fine, he could use it to his advantage. He wasn't feeling the pain anymore. All he wanted was to wreck the face of this stupid Kurosaki! They all thought they were better than him! Well, he'd teach her a lesson, and she'd be hollow food when he was through with her.

His hand was clawed at the ready before he even thought about it, reiatsu surging into an icy blue cero. She was gonna pay. His Gran Rey Cero seemed to tear at the very fabric of the human world, more than enough to see her off to the hereafter. With the blast still charging in his palm, he flashed away, and into sight right in front of her. "Now say your prayers, bitch!" He clocked her with a high roundhouse to the face before letting loose the Gran Rey at almost point-blank range.She'd be nothing but a broken lump of nothing after that. He ripped open a garganta. The reiatsu from that blast would definitely draw attention. It wouldn't matter though. She was a goner after that.

[Fumiko Kurosaki]

Her attack had landed that was good, the downside was though she did not manage to kill him in that strike. She felt an immense feeling of dread overwhelm her as she heard him speak up about her father once again. There was no moving though as she had expended most of her energy in that attack, but where had the inspiration for it came from. In her ears she heard a very faint sentence. "Queen material you are not woman..."

She looked around for the source of the noise but could hear or see nothing. All she could see before her was a raging Grimmjow who looked like he was going to rip her in half. Then it came his attack as she felt the kick connect with her face and she let go of her zanpaktou. Before the zanpaktou hit the ground she felt herself lose consiousness. The Gran Rey would connect with her form and it would seemingly vanish into nothingness.

Falling into her mind she found herself laying on the ground in the middle of the park in her inner world. Her bankaid zanpaktou was impaled in her chest and over her was a monstrous form of herself. A negative version stood there and glared at her with a dissapproving look on her face. It would open its mouth and speak up toward Fumiko. "You do not have the strength to break that guy... I do however and now I am taking over... It has been too long hiding here..."

As the dust clears from the Gran Rey a figure would be standing right where Fumiko's corpse should be. The figure was monstrous looking with a mask covering Fumiko's face, her hair spiking out from behind it, half of her shinigami uniform was burnt off, and whatever it was seemed to have a single goal in mind. Raising its hand a slowly forming ball of energy was being formed. An orange and black Gran Rey cero was discharged directly back at Grimmjow hitting him square in the chest and pushing him through the Garganta.

No sooner had the garganta closed than the form that was Fumiko would roar and begin to charge up another Gran Rey. This time however it was pointed directly toward the center of Karakura Town. Inside of her mind Fumiko had grabbed a hold of her bankaid sword and had pulled it out of her beaten and bloodied chest. She would try to reconnect to her body only to fail time and again.

"Damn it all... I need to get back in control. This is as father described it. A prisoner within your own body..."

A struggle would begin occuring within her mind. For a split second she would be in control than the hollow would take over. This back and forth would continue inside of her mind. In the outer world she would be swinging her zanpaktou around wildly and firing weaker Ceros everywhere into buildings, the ground, and the sky. Eventually she would hit the side of the crater and cause shrapnel to come back and tear at her body which would instantly heal up giving her a slowly morphing hollowified look to herself.

[Hirato Murano]

A Senkaimon appeared in the night sky and the crimson haired Third Seat of the Seventh division stepped out, assessing the situation quickly. Almost immediately, a large, pink haired man greeted him, saying, "Hello, Hirato-san. Shinji sent me to help you with controlling this out of control Kurosaki." The Third Seat nodded and walked swiftly toward the location of the younger Kurosaki offspring who had apparently lost control of her powers and begun randomly attacking Karakura Town, so Seireitei had requested that he and Hachigen Ushoda, a Vizard himself, handle the problem together. Although he was a Vizard, his presence didn't irritate Hirato too much. After all, his Kido abilities would be essential in subduing Fumiko and healing her, if need be. Searching with his reiatsu detection, the Zanjutsu master quickly discovered her reiatsu, a powerful one that was fluctuating intermittently.

"I've located her," was all that the veteran Shinigami said before using Shunpo to reach his destination with the utmost haste. The Vizard followed and maintained the crimson haired man's pace fairly well for his size, but he did fall behind a bit after a while. It was disgraceful that a Shinigami was in such poor shape, although speed was not his forte, so it was to be expected somewhat. The Third Seat finally reached the location of the rampaging Shinigami and glanced at Ushoda, silently awaiting what he would do. With a sigh, the Kido expert stepped forward and said, "Bakudo 75, Gochutekkan." With that, ten pillars slammed down on the female Kurosaki, completely pinning her to the ground. The Vizard's skill in Kido was truly impressive, and he wondered who was better at it: Captain Ise or the rotund Vizard standing next to him.

Rejecting the thought as useless, the Third Seat's face remained impassive, although the feat was certainly one to be admired. Hirato had a feeling that this was nothing compared to Ushoda's full power, but he hoped that that would not be necessary to merely restrain this girl. Surely she couldn't break out of a level 70 Kido performed by a master in the art, but if she did, the Vizard could easily use much more powerful binding spells, of course. Seireitei had chosen well as to what Vizard should accompany, because he was fairly certain none of them could restrain Fumiko without harming her like Ushoda could. His cerulean eyes watched dispassionately, waiting to see whether the Kurosaki controlled by her Hollow could destroy this Kido. He doubted it, however in the event that she did, the Vizard would certainly provide him with an interesting display of Kido mastery.

[Fumiko Kurosaki]

Fumiko was in her mind yelling for something, anything to respond to her. After what she had to guess was her fifth or sixth attempt at retaking her body a figure would slowly emerge from the central statue in her mind. The figure was identical to her except that it was all white with yellowed out eyes. Looking at the figure she felt a rage grow toward it. She ha heard the stories from her father, she had seen her brothers mask, and in her mind she had always felt that internal pressure of something always watching her every move waiting for something. That something had finally come with the absolute beating she received from Grimmjow.

"You soulless hollow get out of my mind... I do not need you to keep me alive. I have my own strength to stand on and I do not need...

"Shut it you stupid woman. I have always been here lurking. I have been watching you all these years. Watching and waiting for your self important prissy self get beat down to a point where I could emerge. Well I guess that you finally entered the pool with large enough weights on your ankles to drown, and well here I AM..."

Fumiko's words where cut off by her hollow self. As that occurred Fumiko would feel her zanpaktou form in her outstretched hand. Looking over at it she knew what was needed to be done. Remembering back to the warnings from her father about how strong and devious such a creature could be she would look at the hollow and speak up again.

"You want control of my body? That is not a disputed fact... I saw we do what we both know how to do. I will fight you for it..."

The hollow would smile as the zan would appear in her hands as well. Without any words the hollow would charge at Fumiko. Raising her blade she would deflect away the first attack and would counterattack with a horizontal slash. Dodging away the hollow would spin onto the blade and then flip down swinging its heel toward her face. Raising her arm up Fumiko would catch the heel kick with her forearm. Slapping it away she would bring down her blade in a diagonal cut catching the hollow across the back.

Staggering away the hollow would smile and laugh at Fumiko as it regained its footing. Turning back to her the hollow would charge again this time however it would feint in with an attack and catching the back of Fumiko's hand cutting it open. Fumiko would feel the blood flow down off her hand and slowly down onto the blade. It then hit her. :: I should use my getsuga once again... That should end this fast... ::

"Thinking of using 'our' technique against me Fumiko dear? Oh where did you think that the technique came from? I placed the thought of how to use it there, and you walked into its use like a sheep into a pen..."

Raising its blade the hollow would match Fumiko's movements and would begin charging an identical Getsuga. Both powers would collide and the entire inner world would shudder violently from the impact of the two moves. Fumiko would have to shield her eyes from the impact but the hollow would not as it charged directly at Fumiko and would catch her arms with a series of quick slices. A anger would rise inside of Fumiko and she would turn and catch the hollow with a swift kick in the side. It would send the hollow spinning through the air and into the statue in the center of the world. The statue would shatter with the impact and Fumiko would jump in toward the hollow and stab downwards. As she did so she would speak up.

"I do not need your advice... MY PARENTS DID EVERYTHING THEY COULD FOR ME. They taught me EVERTHING..."

The hollow would allow Fumiko's blade to enter itself and it would laugh at her.

"Your parents did everything you said? Hell I know that is a lie bitch. You feel abandoned, cast out, trod upon, and betrayed by them. You feel they died and moved on so they would not see what a failure you have become. You feel abandoned by them and the rest of your family as none of them ever have contacted you. Your own brother sees you as a failure to the entire bloodline of the Kurosakis. How does it feel knowing full well that no matter how hard you try nothing you do or will ever do will matter? YOU ARE A FAILURE FUMIKO."

Fumiko felt the words sting into her. Each was true and she was staggered backing away and releasing her grip on her zanpaktou, Taking a few steps back she would look down at the hollow as it stands up and the zanpaktou would melt into its own body. Raising a hand up to her face Fumiko would be attempting to hold back tears. She would respond to the hollow as she felt it slowly near her.

"You call me a failure... I fought every day. First to just live and survive. Now I fight to justify myself to the world... Is that all I can be is a false shinigami..."

She would feel a pat on her shoulder as the hollow would walk past her. In the next instant she would feel intense pain shoot through her stomach and she would look down to see her own zanpaktou sticking through her chest and blood would be dripping down from the wound. A hand would reach down and she would look at the blood as if curious as to what it was. Staggering around she would look at the hollow who looked at her dissapprovingly.

"You are no Queen when all you do is dwell on the past, fight against yourself, and beat yourself up over things you have no control over... At this moment I am better for your body as I will keep us alive forever..."

Fumiko would fall down onto her knees and she would feel her attention slipping away. Then she heard in her mind the voices of two people she had not heard in years and never expected to hear ever again. First came the loving caring call of her mother.

"Fumiko... My daughter. Life is always hard. Look at me and your father. We had to fight across many places, many lands. We lost many friends over the years yet your father and I never worried. We had first your brother and then you bless us. We lived long fruitful lives and you do not need to honor us by your actions or words. We have done that with our own. You need to forge your own path my daughter..."

As soon as she spoke and appeared to Fumiko she was gone replaced with another presence. This one she had to look up at to make sure she was seeing it correctly.

"Fa... Father?"

"Stop quivering Fumiko. We have raised you and your brother better than that. We did not abandon either of you, we passed on. You need to stop beating yourself up about us leaving you. You are stronger than you can ever think Fumiko. Remember one fact no matter the distance and the circumstances we still love you so much. Now stand up and kick the hell out of that hollow..."

Fumiko had begun to cry in her knelt form as she felt the words sink in to her psyche. Each word was true and she was half of the legacy of her father and mother, but she did not have to constantly guard their honor. She needed to forge her own path and stand tall on it. Just as her brother had done. Her hollow form stopped about twenty or so feet away from her and turned looking back at Fumiko. It gave her a look of confidence that there was nothing that could be done to stop what was going to occur. It was going to take over and nothing could be done to stop it.

Reaching behind her she would feel the hilt of her blade and Fumiko would remove the blade from her back. Slowly she would stand up the blade in her hand. Looking at the hollow she would close her eyes and reopen them and have a more determined look on her face. In a split second Fumiko would be upon the hollow and with a single slice would slice down the hollow and then in a single stroke would stab her blade through the hollows heart. Her hand would remain on the blade as she felt the hollow slowly dissolve into the blade. As it did so it stated a simple sentence.

"If you slip up or stop moving forward Fumiko. I will return and next time it will not be easy..."

Fumiko would nod to the hollow and then punch it in the face before it vanished into her sword. Closing her eyes Fumiko would cry a few more tears and speak up before she would transition back into control of her body.

"Thank you you mother, father... I know you where not real yet those where the words I needed to hear at this time. I miss you both so much..."

As she opened her eyes she would see the crater all around her and she would try to move. She found herself pinned to the ground with a high ranking kidou. Glancing up the crater she would see two figures. One she recognized as a Vizard the other she did not recognize him. Glancing to her left she would see a mask laying on the ground beside her. It had no mouth on it, had a partial birdish look to it, and several other markings upon it. Laying her face back down onto the ground she would feel the wounds on her begin to reopen and the feeling of weariness and sleep begin to overtake her. With enough energy left she would speak up loud enough for the two of them to hear her.

"I am back in control you... guys.. can..let..me..go.."

As she spoke she would slowly fade away into a long slumber that could easily last days as she had expended almost all of her reiatsu in the fight with both Grimmjow and with her own inner hollow. Though within her mind she was smiling as she was remembering a simple event from before her parents death. The whole family out at a simple picnic in the park. Her face in the real world would have a rather relaxed look to it and would have that same smile plastered on her lips.

[Hirato Murano]

A yawn escaped from the Third Seat's mouth before he could prevent it as he stood there, watching Ichigo's daughter finally awaken and inform the two of them that she was back in control. Judging from his knowledge of the Vizard, it seemed likely that she had just defeated her inner Hollow and regained control of her body, as all Vizard had to do in order to obtain their mask. Hirato didn't see anything that would indicate that she was lying, so he nodded to the pudgy, pink haired Vizard next to him who had been glancing at him ever since she had spoken. The Vizard clapped his hands together, causing the iron pillars to disappear before hopping down to ground level and beginning to heal her many severe injuries. Following close behind was the crimson haired third strongest member of the division specialized in sword skill.

With Ushoda healing her, Hirato didn't really have much to do there but he could not leave no matter how much boredom threatened to cause his demise. It had been a direct order from the new Soutaicho for him to accompany the Vizard in their rescue mission to prevent the death of the female 14th division member. Unlike 50 years ago after the Winter War, the Vizard were now formally allied with the Gotei 13 however this did not mean the two organizations were suspicious of each other. He suspected that the only reason the Vizard could not have traveled here alone was because then there would be no Shinigami supervision over an individual with powerful Hollow powers. Of course, the Gotei's fear was that in her vulnerable position, she might be able to be recruited by the Vizard who had been very active in the past half century.

Just to pass the time, the muscular young Shinigami spoke to the Kido expert now tending to the Kurosaki girl's wounds. "How severe are her wounds, Ushoda-san?" He was legitimately curious, although they appeared life threatening to him, he was no medic. Without any hesitation, the large man dressed in a green suit replied evenly with "They are life threatening. I am glad I got here when I did. She could've died if we had been a few minutes later." The 3rd Seat nodded in response, not being surprised since the Vizard had confirmed his suspicions. It wasn't really his business to be that concerned about her well being, yet she was a Shinigami, technically, so some degree of concern was to be expected. His mission was really to watch Hachi closely and report any suspicious activity to Seireitei.

Although in his four and a half centuries of being a Shinigami, he had undertaken missions requiring deception and underhanded tactics, he still always disliked them intensely. In his opinion, that should be left to the 3rd Division, who gathered the intelligence for all of the Gotei 13 by any means necessary regardless of the situation. One of his oldest friends, Remy, was actually a seated member of that division and he always said to just trust that the information was accurate and not question how they had obtained it. Of course, that was the policy of the Shinigami in regard to that fact. It didn't matter what happened in order to bring valuable intelligence back to the Shinigami, as long as it arrived. Hirato agreed with it but in a situation where he had to behave with hidden motives like this felt like a betrayal of his personal morals.

[Fumiko Kurosaki]

As Hachi would heal her body, Fumiko would be inside her head healing her mind. Slowly and deliberately she would be walking through her inner world. Every once in a while she would stop and remember a simple event, time, or even a sound or feeling from her past. She had been so embittered from the sudden deaths of both of her parents that she had ran. Far away from her brother, cousins, friends, all of it she had ran from. Running she went all the way to America and discarded her past and destiny of being a shinigami in order to move on.

When she completed her nursing training in America she had been approached by a figure she recognized from her childhood. A shinigami friend of her fathers. She asked Fumiko to return to Karakura and pick up the sword of a shinigami as there was a new division that needed skilled hands within it. Taking up the challenge she returned and quickly found her skills return to her. Her bankai taking her almost the entire two years since her return to rediscover. Keeping her head down she would continue walking around in her mind as her body slumbered.

Remembering faces and stories of each person her father or mother would mutter in her ear. Each of their stories had been ingrained in her mind. There was always one story though that always stuck with her beyond all the rest and it had been the story of her grandmother and her death. Taking a moment to reflect on it now she realized what it was her father had wanted to tell her with it. Each day could be your last, enjoy it with those you love, do not feel sorry for yourself, live and love each day as if it was your last.

In the real world her eyes would flutter a little as her wounds where slowly healed up. With a groan of pain and weariness emerged from her mouth as she looked up at the shinigami that where there.

"Hachi... Good to see a friendly face. It... has.. been too long. Who is your friend?"

As she spoke she would barely move. Only her head would of moved if only a little bit. Her orange hair was matted down and stained with her own blood. Both of her arms felt like lead weights, she could barely feel her legs, and everything she heard was distorted and slowed. Despite it all she had a smile on her face and would speak again.

"Such a fool I have been... Mr shinigami I must ask you something. Are either of my parents still in the Gotei? Last I heard was some rumor of trouble there after I spoke with Urahara-san and joined the division a few months ago..."