I suck, I know I do. I'm sorry I put this story on hiatus! But hopefully now I will be able to continue it regularly! The updates might be far apart but at least I am continuing this! :D

I reread the past few chapters and realized that I wasn't too happy with them... But for now I'm leaving them as they are and continuing on. I will beta them later (I prefer beta-ing my own stories) once I feel like it; for now, just enjoy the continuation!

"Harry said that the Hollow that attacked him before was much smaller; so then why was this one so big?" Hermione asks. The shinigami all threw each other glances before leaving it to Rukia to explain. Seeing that she had been named the group's spokesperson by default, she turned to face Dumbledore.

"Would it be alright if I borrowed a paper and a quill?" she asked the old man. Ichigo almost choked when he realized what she was planning on doing.

"Go right ahead." He nodded, seeing that this would be something important. Rukia picked up a quill and dipped it into an ink jar. She began to scribble furiously on the paper, drawing small representations that would help her explanation. Once done, she lifted her handy work and showed it to everyone.

"Like I've explained before, Hollows are human souls that have lost their heart." She pointed to a bear with small 'x's floating around it, and the word HOLLOW written underneath. "They eat Plus souls, which are regular deceased humans." She pointed to a bunny with hearts floating around it, and the word PLUS written underneath.

"What the bloody hell kind of drawings are those?" Ron asked; only to get a death glare from Rukia. Dumbledore chuckled good-heartedly as Harry and Hermione shared a look.

"When a Plus doesn't have a lot of reiatsu, Hollows find almost no pleasure in eating them. That's why they go after people like us or like you, who have a higher reiatsu rate."

"What exactly is reiatsu?" Harry asked. Even though she had explained it the first time they met, he hadn't quite understood.

"Reiatsu is spirit energy. It's a little difficult to explain. Every person creates their own reiatsu with its own signature –"

"Unless they don't create reiatsu at all," Renji pointed out. Rukia nodded.

"– and with some practice, you can sense it. It's sort of like hearing. You can hear my voice from over here. I can sense Ichigo's reiatsu coming from over there." The short woman pointed to where Ichigo was standing in the corner. Ichigo scowled, wondering if there was some hidden insult in her words. "Now where was I?"

"Hollows eat Pluses," Renji said.

"Right! But they get tired of eating something tasteless – no offense to Pluses."

"But..." Hermione cut in. "Why do they even want to eat Pluses?"

"They eat them to fill the gap that was left when they lost their heart." Everyone looked at her incredulously, unable to understand how something like that could exist. "Of course, it doesn't work. That's why they are never satisfied. Eventually, after being starved for so long without finding any humans that sate their hunger, Hollow turn on each other and begin to devour other Hollow."

A collective horrified gasp rippled through the office.

"And this happens on a massive scale, as Hollows begin to devour each other until eventually they merge into what you saw outside." Everyone sat in silence trying to take in what they had heard. The tension was broken, however, when Rukia pointed at her final drawing: a bunch of bears trying to eat each other, and then finally merging into each other.

Renji burst into fits of laughter.

"T-that's the most terrifying thing I've e-hehe-ever seen, hahaha!" He cried, hugging his stomach.

"Shut up!" Rukia threw her quill at him, succeeding in staining his red hair black.

"By what you've told us," Dumbledore's strong voice stopped them before they could start bickering, "these Hollows are indeed very dangerous creatures. It's a good thing you were sent to protect us now that they have begun increasing in numbers." They all shared a moment of silence as the stopped to ponder his words.

"So..." Ichigo's voice rose unexpectedly. "What are we gonna do about the students? They know about us now."

"I will speak to the students tomorrow morning and tell them exactly what you have told us." The shinigami tensed momentarily. "...That you are here to protect them if the need arises."

OOO

"Do you believe all that stuff they were telling us?" Ron asked his friends once they were back in the Gryffindor Common room.

"Well we did see it right in front of our eyes," Hermione offered.

"But you never know. Those things could have been dementors that were... I dunno, enhanced or something by Voldemort –" Ron and Hermione flinched, "and his cronies."

"Well you do have a good point..." Hermione said thoughtfully.

"You gotta admit though, imagining monsters fighting and eating each other is pretty awesome," Ron joked and he and Harry grinned at each other.

"Ron! Those are human souls you're talking about!" Hermione reprimanded him. She lowered her voice when she noticed a few other students turn their heads in the direction of the corner they were seated in.

"I know, I know! I was just saying..." he mumbled.

"So, what do you guys think we should do?" Harry asked, looking at each of his friends in turn.

"Well, I don't see why we should do anything –" Harry opened his mouth to say something. "yet. If they do anything suspicious, then we'll start thinking up strategies. But for now, I don't see a problem." Hermione nodded as if to verify her thoughts once she had finished voicing them.

"'Sides, we've only been here for a few weeks and we didn't hear anything from them until now. Maybe they really are here just to kill those monsters," Ron suggested.

"Maybe. But it doesn't hurt to be on the safe side..." Harry said, lowering his eyes. Ron and Hermione glanced at each other.

"Don't worry Harry." Hermione put her hand on her friend's shoulder. "We'll be alright." He looked up at her and she flashed him a smile. "All of us."

OOO

"Kuchiki-san, is it really alright to be telling them all this?" Orihime asked once they were back in their temporary room. Rukia paused what she had been doing.

"Well... usually we try to keep Soul Society a secret from living humans, but I don't see the harm in telling them."

"Hm..."

"Most humans can't see us anyways, so it's not difficult to keep it from them. But since these wizards can all see us, they're bound to find about it sooner or later with this increase in Hollow. I say let them be prepared." Rukia smiled.

"Yeah, I sort of see what you mean... It's just I always thought that if I were a ghost or an angel, then it would be my duty to make sure that humans didn't know about us! And everyone would have a guardian angel that looked out for them, only they wouldn't be able to see them!" The naturally happy and energetic girl started to babble contentedly. "And I would be in charge of making Soul Cakes, which replenish your soul when you're feeling down, and..."

And so her babbling continued as Rukia listened light-heartedly, laughing every now and then.

OOO

"Renji! Get out of there! I need to use the bathroom too!" Ichigo shouted, pounding on the bathroom door.

"Hold on! Blame Rukia, she's the one who threw the ink at my hair!" came the reply. Ichigo glowered at the door, but to no avail.

OOO

Dumbledore sat in his office behind his desk, his fingers steepled in front of his face as he thought.

Indeed, it was a good thing that those shinigami had been sent to protect them. However, he found it odd that there were no records on them and that no one had heard about them before. They seemed to just pop into existence at the perfect moment, right as the Dark Lord has begun to regain his power. He would allow them to stay as they claimed to be there to help, and he would believe them unless he found reason not to. But he would have to be careful around them; they would have to gain his, and the Order's, trust.

OOO

"Taichou, you called for us?" Kiyone Kotetsu asked as she and Sentarou Kotsubaki entered their captain's quarters.

"Yes. I need you to go inform Yamamoto-soutaichou of an important happening," the white haired captain of Squad 13, Ukitake, ordered.

"Has something happened, sir?" Sentarou asked.

"Yes. Humans who previously could not see us have now gained the ability to do so," he said grimly. His 3rd seated officers looked confused. "It means that there is a flux in reiatsu energy in the Living World." He looked his current-acting lieutenants in the eye. "It means that Aizen has begun his next move."

PHEW! So I hope that was satisfying (because it was for me!) I'm sorry it's so short, but I thought that would be a good place to end before starting the action in the next chapter... Now I just have to PLAN OUT the action... hehe.

If you have any ideas, send them in a review.

If you DON'T have any ideas, review anyways!

OMAKE!

"Have you guys noticed that the Hollows only started appearing when the shinigami got here?" Harry wondered.

"Well of course Harry! Everyone knows that villains only appear when there is a hero to fight! Otherwise what would be the point?" Hermione answered matter-of-factly.

"...What?"

"Oh come on mate, that's why You-Know-Who attacked you! He got bored of being the villain to no hero," Ron explained.

"Mhmm, he needed a nemesis," Hermione continued.

"...right..." Harry said, backing away from his friends.

HAHA that was lame. But this is basically what went through my head as I was writing the story. So, don't forget to R and R... noooo, not rest and relaxation!