Author's Note 1: Hey everybody. Sorry for the late update. As usual, I've been busy with my studies. Math is a real killer. Anyway, here it is, the seventh chapter. And as a bonus, I submitted it on my 21st birthday. I hope all of you guys like this gift from me to you.

Author's Note 2: This chapter's title is based on an old medical film called "Young Dr. Kildare".

Ch. 7: Young Dr. Kurosaki

In about half an hour, Ichigo arrived at his high school. The teen walked to the second floor of the building and was once again met by a squealing Keigo. "Hey, Ichigo!" the brunette male called enthusiastically as he leaped toward the strawberry-haired male.

Ichigo rolled his eyes as a sigh escaped his lips. "Why does everyone that annoys me never seem to learn?" the substitute shinigami pondered as he simply stretched his arm out, his fist already balled. Unable to stop, the brown-haired teen once more collided with the still punch and slumped to the ground.

"Ow ow ow ow!" Keigo repeated in agony as he held the front of his face while rolling on the ground. "Why do you always have to do that!"

"Must be a reflex," Ichigo responded nonchalantly as walked to the doorway of his class. Before he could enter, the tall teen was met by Mizuiro, who came to investigate the noise. "Hey, Mizuiro," the taller teen replied.

"Hi, Ichigo," the raven-haired male said. He then glanced at his Keigo, who was still on the floor wailing. Mizuiro sighed as he knew all too well what the cause was. "You really need to stop doing that, Mr. Asano," he advised his friend.

"Would you stop acting all polite like that!" Keigo hollered at his friend. "Just help me up would you!" Mizuiro only sighed

The strawberry-haired teen shook his head, annoyed by the smaller brunette's antics. Wanting to escape the annoying scene, Ichigo shook his head and walked into class. As usual, he took his seat near the back of the class and pulled out his books. Once his work was out of his bag, the teen glanced out of the window. "Good morning, Ichigo," a voice called to him.

The strawberry-haired male turned to the speaker and saw Tatsuki standing next to him. "Hey, Tatsuki," Ichigo responded. "What's up?"

"Nothing really…" the raven-haired fighter replied as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Managed to get the last of my homework finished. How about you?"

"Yeah, I finished it all last night."

"That's good to hear," Tatsuki said as she forced a smile on her face. "I'm sure you'll do good on the quiz tomorrow."

"Same to you," Ichigo nodded.

A thick silence filled the air between them as they tried to think of how to continue their conversation. With yesterday's event still fresh in their mind, it was difficult to make small talk. Both still harbored these newly discovered, albeit strange, feelings for one another. However, they were still confused over what they meant. Wanting to break the ice, Tatsuki was the first to speak up. "About yesterday, Ichigo…" she began, grabbing the male's attention. "I'm sorry for what happened."

"Huh?" was Ichigo only response as he raised his brow toward the woman. "Why are you apologizing?"

"Because… I just don't know why I did what I did… The thing is-"

Before Tatsuki could continue to explain, a high-pitched, cheerful greeting interrupted her. "Good morning, guys!" Orihime called with a bright, exuberant smile on her face. Both teens were caught off guard by Orihime's unannounced entrance.

"O-Orihime!" a surprised Tatsuki replied as she tried her best to hide her feelings behind a smile. The black-haired woman knew of the redhead's attraction toward Ichigo since the middle school. Now here she was being attracted to the guy her best friend has had her eyes on. Especially when he happens to be someone she's known since childhood. "Dammit! How could I be so stupid!" she mentally cursed herself.

Orihime noticed that something was amiss. From Tatsuki's worried expression to the barely seen tint of red in cheeks, she knew that something personal happened between the two. "Did I… Did I interrupt something?" the young woman asked Tatsuki, worried about whatever situation she might have injected herself into.

"Oh! No, no! It was nothing!" Tatsuki quickly responded as she shook her hands. "Ichigo and I were… talking about that movie coming out!" A sheepish laugh escaped the raven-haired girl's lips after she told her little white lie. "It's the new one called Red. Ichigo was thinking about seeing it on the weekend. Right, Ichigo?"

Ichigo knew Tatsuki was trying to steer the conversation away from the earlier topic. The strawberry-haired male decided to take her lead. The last thing he needed was to involve Orihime in intimate matters. Ichigo complied with a nod and decided to go along with the given subject. "I liked the trailers and figured since both Bruce Willis and Morgan Freeman will be in the film, I should go check it out."

"Oh. It sounds like a good movie," Orihime replied with a smile. However, intuition told the blonde that there was something more to their discussion than simply theatrical releases. The only time Tatsuki was ever caught off guard was when she was deep in thought or hiding something. Still, she knew that getting anything out of either of them at this time would probably be pointless. "I guess I can worry about it later," she decided. "I bet it's nothing."

"Did you finish the math assignments last night," Tatsuki asked, breaking Orihime from her thoughts.

"Of course," she said. "It wasn't too difficult."

"Only you and Uryu are the only people who would say that," Ichigo said. "The word problems were kicking my ass. It took me a while to figure out how to structure the damn equations, let alone solve them."

"Once again, reading has gotten the better of Captain Strawberry," Tatsuki quipped.

"Shut up," Ichigo replied. Both Tatsuki and Orihime snickered at the teen male's expense.

At that moment, the chime from the school bell rang through the speaker in the room, signaling the start of class. Hearing the sound, the two young women left for their seats as Ms. Ochi walked into the room. "Good morning, class," the woman greeted.

"Good morning, Ms. Ochi," many of the students replied.

"I hope you had a good weekend. And I also hope that you studied for the test for later this week."

"Oh man!" Keigo groaned out loudly as he stood from his seat. While many of the other students thought the same way, they had the self-restraint to keep the theatrics to themselves.

"Sit down, Asano," the teacher commanded sternly. The brunette male let out another distress call before taking his seat. "Alright. Now everyone pass your work to the front of the rows so we can begin class." After the students submitted their paperwork, Ms. Ochi gathered the loads from each first seat of the rows before walking to her desk and sliding them into her bag. "Alright then, let's begin," she said.

As the teacher began her lesson, Ichigo turned his attention to the window. Class may have started, but he already felt the boredom looming over him. From time to time, he would keep track of the teacher's and fellow students' pace in book, though most of the time, he merely drowned out the voices until they sounded like reverberated hums to his ears. He was more concerned with staying alert, fighting the urge of sleep in case a hollow came around.

Little did Ichigo know, Tatsuki was examining the young man from across the room. She could see his attentive vigil along with the anxious shaking from his left leg. "Ichigo… What could possibly be on your mind?" she thought. "Could it be… what happened yesterday? Or is it something else?" Tatsuki's head dipped as she reminisced about a strange sight a few weeks ago. When she swore that she had seen two people in black robes flying in the skies on her way home. While the moment was fleeting, she remembered that one of them had a very unique feature: messy, bold orange hair. "Why are you keeping me in the dark about these things…?" she wondered.

"Ms. Arisawa!" called Ms. Ochi, snapping the karate fighter back to reality.

The young woman turned to the teacher quickly, "Yes, teacher?" she said.

"Would you read the next passage, please?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am," the Tatsuki responded. The young girl gave one more glance at Ichigo before she began reading her given passage in the book.

Meanwhile, at a construction yard a few blocks east of Karakura High, the shinigami drifter appeared at the top of the six-story structure frame. He stood on a beam with folded arms as his red robes swayed gently in the breeze. With stern eyes, the young man turned his attention toward the direction of the school, his focus pinned on Ichigo's spiritual energy. "It's time to start our little game, child," he thought, directed toward his newly found target.

"Well about damn time," the man's inner voice responded. "You know what they say about souls. They're a dish best served cold."

"Really now? I prefer mine cook than raw."

On the ground below, four large scorpion-type hollows arrived on the scene. They're bodies were hunched forward covered by a hard white exoskeleton. Their legs were heavily muscled while their arms took the form of giant shelled pincers. The masks that each creature wore were identical: wide with small eye holes with curved mandibles on each side of their sharp-toothed mouths. Each creature was armed with a long flexible tail that curved upward ending with a sharp needle of a stinger. The demons stalked and paced beneath the shinigami, waiting for instructions to be issued to them. "Listen up, you glorified spiders," the red death god called. The creatures looked up, listening to the order. "You will lure the target here from the institution and take him down. Once he has taken substantial damage, I shall finish him off."

"What makes you think we'll follow orders from a worthless shinigami like you?" one of the hollows asked. "You're lucky that we don't come up there and devour you where you stand!"

The shinigami cracked a smirk. "Do you hear what the termite said?" he asked his inner occupant.

"Haha! What an idiot! It's sad when the a small morsel tries to act like its five-star quality."

With a nonchalant gaze, the dual-minded spirit knelt over his perch. "Listen, we all know the real reason you and your flunkies aren't doing anything. You hollows may be Adjuchas, but you're also an observant bunch. If my abilities were what brought you here in the first place, you know there's a large chance that I can take you all out just as easily. Now friend, you have three options," he said as he raised three fingers. "You can return to the gray wasteland where I found you, you can follow my orders without question, or you can become my brunch. The choice is yours, bug."

The hollow glared daggers at the warrior above him. While the corrupt soul didn't want to admit it, the death god was correct on all counts. The hollow had never seen anything other than hollows traveling through Gargantas so easily, nor bore witness to such an immense amount of power and strength without the threat of destruction. Even though the beast knew this, he snarled in defiance. There's no way the hollow would allow a shinigami to speak to him like some lowly pest. Blinded by pride, the scorpion hollow aimed its claw directly at the spirit and prepared to fire a cero. "How about a fourth choice!" the creature roar as a red orb of energy began to glow in the pincer.

"Typical," the shinigami said nonchalantly as he lightly shook his head. "So very, pathetically typical."

Just as the hollow was ready to fire, the firing arm of the creature was disarmed as blood spilled from a large wound on the arm. The hollow staggered back, screaming in pain as his limb dangled limply. Before the demon could return to a normal posture, it stood frozen in fear as something sharp poked at its throat. The hollow's eyes trailed down in shock and fear as it saw the shinigami standing under him, his zanpakuto's blood covered edge lightly scratching his neck. "So fast," the hollow thought in disbelief.

"You allowed your insecurities to cloud your judgment and literally tried to bite the hand that wanted to feed you. Too bad for you that this hand bites back and harder to boot." the death god explained. "I tried to be charitable and kind, but it seems such gestures were unappreciated. Consider our business relationship officially over." Before the hollow could plead for mercy, the rogue warrior drove his katana through the demon's neck with a mercilessly cold smile gracing his face. All the hollow could do was watch in shock and agony as the zanpakuto began to glow. As this occurred, the hollow could feel his strength weakening and his hunger growing. After a short time, the shinigami scoffed. "That was all?" he scoffed in disappointment. "I figured you being the pack hunter had more to offer. Again, quite pathetic."

"Put this loser out of his misery, already," the inner voice said. "If I wanted a cheap breakfast, I would've went to McDonald's instead." The young man swiftly swung his blade up, slicing cleanly through the arachnid-like creature's bone mask. "So long, you punk bug," chided the inner voice as the hollow's body disintegrated.

The shinigami swatted his blade to his side, flicking off whatever remaining blood from its edge. "Well now, that was a short workout," the red death god said. He then turned his attention to the three other hollows. Even though their masks were perpetually stoic, he can tell that the remaining trio were speechless by what they saw. They're fearless leader was stabbed, devoured, and annihilated in less than a minute. The soul warrior only scoffed, enjoying the fear on the creatures faces. "Alright then. Now that we've taken care of that nasty little business, I'm sure there will be no problems between us, will there? Lest you wish to join your comrade in oblivion, then I'll be all too happy to oblige."

"Come on! Say yes!" the hungry inner voice insisted. "Maybe you other three will add up to make a decent breakfast! After all, it's the most important meal of the day!"

"Please!" One of the hollows replied. "We'll do as you ask!"

"Where did you say the guy was again?"

The shinigami crossed his arms and nodded. "And they say I couldn't be a negotiator."

"Yes, because your social skills and friend circle makes you such the people person," snidely remarked the inner voice.

A couple hours had passed since the beginning of school and Nemu was busy watching over Ichigo studiously. Hidden by the leaves and branches of the tree she hid in, the lieutenant wrote detailed notes on the substitute shinigami and the happenings in his class. Once she finished, the young woman slid her pencil in the back of the book and read over her notes, including the dialogue which took place between her subject, Tatsuki, and Orihime before the start of class.

While it would've been difficult for anyone to had understood what was said from the other side of a window, such an obstacle did not hinder the purple-haired shinigami. Between the lessons of centrifuge she learned from Sui-Feng and her own powers of observation, she was able to read body language and lips. Witnessing the conversation between the trio, Nemu was able to write down every word and detail every hint of tension and confusion that plagued them.

Nemu closed her book and slid it back into her robes. As the young woman watched the substitute, a frown formed on Nemu's face as her heart began to rapidly beat. Thoughts of what romantic events may occur with him and either girl came into mind. "While the subject's intimacy is of no concern to my directive, I am greatly worried of such events for some reason or another," she thought. "Perhaps I should have asked Master Mayuri to extend my visitation for a longer duration." While it seemed Ichigo was unaware (or at the very most ignorant) of the two women's feelings toward him, Nemu felt that she had to act fast. "I must not allow such variables to interfere with my study," she thought, trying desperately to fight back a blush. It was at that moment, that the lieutenant noticed a strange spiritual pressure nearby. "Enemy energy signatures detected!" she thought as she turned to the school entrance.

In the classroom, Ichigo bored trance was broken as his hollow badge blared like a siren. "Looks like there are hollows nearby!" he thought as he stuffed the object in his pant pocket. "Better get out of here."

"Ichigo," Chad whispered from behind him. The orange-haired male turned around, seeing him, Uryu, and Orihime with determined looks on their faces. All three noticed the enemy spiritual pressure and wanted to back up their comrade.

"I got this one," he said.

"Are you sure, Ichigo?" Orihime whispered, worried about letting her crush leave her sight.

Ichigo nodded in response to the redhead's question. "I'll be alright. It could just be a false alarm."

"Is there something interesting you would like to share with the class, Mr. Kurosaki?" called Ms. Ochi as she noticed the whispered dialogue between the students.

Ichigo quickly turned to the teacher and scratched his head. "No, it's nothing like that," he said. "It's just that I need to be excused for a few minutes. My dad said he's doing something at this time and I have to make sure he doesn't look like a complete moron. You understand, right?"

Ms. Ochi sighed as she heard the teen's excuse. She had met Ichigo's father during the last evening function. The elder Kurosaki male arrived in a sake buzz, constantly hitting on her and a few of the single mothers. To her, it was no wonder Ichigo seemed so troubled with the student body and authoritative figures, though she had to applaud the teen for keeping a surprisingly level head. "Alright, you're excused. Please come back to school in one piece."

"Um, yeah. I'll do that," Ichigo said before he quickly left the room. After a few minutes, the teen arrived outside at the front of the building where he saw three slender appendages rising from the ground. They were covered in armor and white with sharp stingers at the end. Sensing the teenager's spiritual energy, the figured headed toward him quickly, the ground tearing up as their owners moved underground like sharks ripping through water.

Ichigo gritted his teeth as the enemies approached him. The teen knew that in his current state, he was easy pickings for the hollows. One of the creatures picked up speed, quickly closing the distance between the rest of the pack and the student. Ichigo quickly sidestepped from the attack as the razor sharp stinger struck and became stuck in the concrete. "I gotta hurry and change into a shinigami," he thought as he ran from the scene.

The remaining two creatures decided to split up, with one of the foes following Ichigo from behind and the other going around the other side of the school. The teen ran as quickly as he could to the trees behind the school as one of the enemies was hot on his keels. Once the creature was in range, it lashed its tail along the ground, hoping to trip Ichigo over. However, the teen leaped over the corrupt soul's attempt and rolled to the other side of a nearby tree. "Now's my chance!" he thought as he pulled his soul badge from his pocket. As the teen was about to press the artifact against his chest, the tail of the third hollow erupted from the ground before him, its stinger directly targeting his forehead. "Damn it!" he spat as the living hypodermic needle flew at him. Before the tail could impale the boy, Nemu dove from the canopy above and grabbed the appendage. "Nemu!" a surprised and grateful Ichigo called.

"It is good to see you as well, Master Kurosaki," Nemu responded as she used her strength to hold the stinger at bay. "However, I advise that you use this opportunity to shift into your shinigami form," she suggested as she used her strength to keep the stinger at bay.

Regaining his composure, Ichigo nodded in compliance and pressing the badge against his body. Once his soul ejected from his corporeal state, Ichigo grabbed Zangetsu's hilt from his back and swung his blade forward. The attack sliced the tail cleanly in half, causing its owner to roar in pain. The ripped piece armed with the stinger writhed uncontrollably along the ground. Hearing the noise, its two companions quickly came to its aid and fired streams of acid from their tails. Both Ichigo and Nemu dodged from the toxic liquid, some of which hit the side of the tree and began dissolving a piece of the trunk.

Both shinigami saw the strength of the acid, Ichigo surprised to see its effect at work. "It would appear these hollows are able to produce a highly caustic compound from their tails. Had that fluid made contact, it would have resulted in severe damage," reported Nemu.

"Yeah. Thanks for the tip," Ichigo replied. "Let's focus on getting these things away from the school. Any ideas?" Before the two could contemplate a plan, one of the hollows launched another spray of acid which ate at the tree trunk. With a good portion of the trunk dissolved, the tree began to slowly tip toward the building. "Damn it!" hissed Ichigo.

Reacting quickly to the situation, Nemu shunpoed between the falling plant and the educational building. Using her strength, the purple-haired scientist caught the tree before it could make contact with the school. She turned to Ichigo, whose face was painted with concern. Wanting to put him at ease, the young woman gave a small smile. "Do not worry about me," she said in an assuring tone. "Dispense with these enemies. I have this under control."

Seeing his partner occupied and the advancing hollows, Ichigo had no choice. "Alright then," he said as he held his blade in front of him. "I'll make you bastards pay!" he shouted as he ran toward the three underground beasts. Once he reached the halfway point, the substitute shinigami jumped into the air and, with sword pointed down, landed hard on the ground and pierced the ground. A column of spiritual energy erupted from his form, tearing the ground around him and tossing the hollow invaders in the air. The three demons screamed as their bodies flew a good distance from the strike of the attack before crashing hard to the ground. However, the trio didn't stay down for long as they managed to return to their feet.

The assumed leader (whose tail was in the process of regenerating) roared at the substitute shinigami before charging at its target. Ichigo dashed toward the hollow, learning forward as he aimed to strike with an underhand swing. However, the hollow caught the teen's zanpakuto in a pincer and lunged at his head with its sharp-toothed jaws and mandibles. The shinigami moved his head back to avoid the attack before kicking the scorpion-like entity in the gut to both release his weapon and distance themselves. "Getsuga Tensho!" Ichigo shouted as he slammed Zangetsu into the ground, sending a wave of energy toward the foe. Reacting quickly, the three hollows sidestepped from the signature attack. "These things are pretty strong," the swordsman thought.

After escaping their target's strike, one of the arachnid-type creatures lunged toward Ichigo with an open pincer. Seeing the attack, the teen brought his blade up in order to block the attack. Just as the hollow rose its limb to attack, Nemu flew to the rescue once more with a flying kick to the side of the enemy soul's face. The creature was sent back a dozen or so feet as the two shinigami stood back to back. "Are you injured, Master Kurosaki?" Nemu asked her crush's side while still keeping her eyes on the fiends.

"I'm fine," Ichigo responded, his stance rigid as he held his sword ahead while staying alert. "What about the tree? And the school?"

"The establishment has suffered no structural damage," the lieutenant reported. "As for the tree, I doubt the student body will notice the minor change." Ichigo glanced from the corner of his eye to see the purple-haired woman's handiwork. Ichigo was amazed to see the tree firmly situated in the ground beside its trunk (which was now reduced to a stump).

"Nice work," Ichigo replied. "Now let's take care of these guys."

"Affirmative"

As the death gods stood ready to fight, the surrounding hollows glared warily at the duo. They snarled and snorted as they analyzed their rivals. To the group leader, it was clear that these two individuals were strong. It was time to implement the next part of their scheme. "Regroup!" the leader ordered. The two other beasts roared in affirmation as they buried into the ground.

"What the-!" was Ichigo's response as he watched three trails pass them and leaving out the school. "Come on!" Ichigo said as he ran forward to give chase.

"We must be careful, Master Kurosaki," called a cautioning Nemu. The strawberry substitute stopped in his tracks as he turned to hear his comrade's warning. "These hollows are not like the usual types which frequent here. The abilities they've exhibited and the hunting strategy behind their attacks may mean we're facing Adjuchas."

"Adjuchas?"

"They're the second level of Menos-class hollows right after the giant Gillians. These are the types whose powers are on par with seated shinigami, even a captain in a few cases. If that is the case, and they're leading us into a trap, we must move with complete discretion."

"So they're that strong?" Ichigo asked. "Well then, I'll just have watch out for whatever tricks they have up their sleeves." Nemu was inwardly surprised by how calm Ichigo seemed to be. If it was another shinigami, they'd be worried or downright scared out of their wits after hearing such news. Yet here Ichigo was, standing with his massive sword resting on his shoulder and a confident glance. The teen was sure of his power and was focused on finishing his duty. And from the observations she made of the substitute shinigami, Nemu was also confident of his ability. "Come on. Let's finish this before anyone gets hurt."

"Yes, Master Kurosaki," Nemu called obediently. Ichigo made a hard sigh as he lightly shook his head before he and the lieutenant took off. As the two moved from rooftop to rooftop, Nemu was deep in thought as she tried to reason the appearance of such high level hollows. "This shouldn't be possible," the lieutenant figured. "Adjuchas rarely leave Hueco Mundo. They stay within that realm in order to prey on fellow hollows to sustain their forms. What phenomena would cause these creatures to venture into the World of the Living? Even if it were due to the added number of hollows, it still wouldn't be enough to draw them here."

"Is something wrong?" Ichigo's voice called, snapping Nemu out of her thoughts. The purple-haired girl looked ahead and saw the substitute shinigami's risen brow as he watched her.

"No, it's nothing," Nemu responded as she averted her attention to hide the blush on her face. "We should still be wary. The enemies may have set a trap in preparation for our oncoming arrival."

"Don't worry. I'm sure it's nothing that we can't handle."

"So confident…" Nemu thought with flushed cheeks.

After a few minutes of traveling, the two shinigami arrived at the construction site. Standing near the building frame, the two stayed on their toes as they scanned the area. Though it seemed that the area was quiet, both shinigami could sense the residual hollow energy from some time ago. "This was where we last sensed them," Nemu said as she investigated the area.

"Where do you think they are now?" Ichigo asked.

"It could be possible that the combatants fled to Hueco Mundo after realizing that their nutritional needs cannot be met in the living world."

"Yeah. Of course they did," the strawberry-haired teen replied. It wasn't that he was trying to be cynical, but he didn't believe those creatures would simply call it a day.

"Judging from the hint of doubt in your voice, you share my sentiments," Nemu agreed. "My second hypothesis is that they're suppressing their spirit energy and have hidden below ground."

Resting a hand on his hip while scratching the back of his head with the other, Ichigo was trying to think of how they could flush their enemies out. The fact that they had such an unfair advantage was starting to unnerve him. Of course, the small chance that they actually escaped was also unsettling.

As the two continued their search, they were unaware of another figure watching them from within the metal frame of the unfinished building. Standing behind a beam on its second floor was the red and black clad shinigami. Like a hawk, his blood red eyes tracked their every move. However, most of his focus was on Ichigo. "So this is the resident shinigami," he thought. "I figured him to be a little older. Then again, I'm not surprised by the desperation of the Gotei 13 anymore."

"Who cares!" the inner voice replied. "Food is food! Besides, a soul is like the reverse of a fine wine: they younger they are, the better the quality. Especially with such high spiritual energy and variety. The cute little morsel is a lieutenant-level that would hold us over for a few months, but the boy is something entirely different! He would keep us full for years!"

"Yes, I can see that. All that spiritual energy being leaked is like water from a spring. That being said, he must be holding incredible energy reserves. Not just that, I can better sense the different variables of his make-up. Hollow, human, and shinigami; this one's the complete trifecta." The red-clad male licked his lips at the possibilities of how long the young male's energy could sate his hunger. "A rare opportunity like this is hard to come by."

"So since those bugs brought us our food, why don't we start savoring the gift!" replied the second personality, ready to feed on the two spirits.

"Not yet. The plan was that we have those arachnids knock them down a few notches before we go in for the kill. Why get our hands dirty when we have cronies to do it for us? Besides, I figured you loved a dinner with a show."

"Meh. A show's just an extra bonus."

A smirk grew on the shinigami's face, directed as his inner comrade. "So insatiable." The maverick slunk back into the shadows of the work site. Making sure he was well hidden, the depraved death god released a torrent of spiritual pressure. The exertion of the individual's great power was strong enough to bend a couple of nearby beams.

On the ground below, Nemu and Ichigo were feeling the effects of the sudden instability. The force of the energy burst was enough to force them on their hands and knees. It was as if the gravity had increased ten-fold at a fixed point. Ichigo found it difficult to breathe as he tried to push himself off the ground. "What the hell is going on!" Ichigo called as he tried fighting back against the overwhelming rush. "It's so intense! Could it be… Is it possibly…"

"Signature of spiritual pressure is undetermined." Nemu responded, trying her best to breathe. "Energy source undetected."

As the duo tried their best to fight off the energy, the tails of the hollows popped out of the ground and encircled them. The three beast swam around their adversaries, unaffected by the crushing might of their ally's spiritual pressure above. "No way… I'll let it end… like this…!" responded a defiant Ichigo. In an attempt to break free of the thick pressure, Ichigo began releasing his own spiritual power. The ground shook violently from the conflicting power reiatsu struggle.

In the shadows, the red shinigami smiled at his orange-haired target, who was now kneeling on the ground. "Not bad, kid. Seems you really are quite the spirited fellow," he congratulated.

As Ichigo continued to struggle against the unseen foe's might, Nemu was also trying her hardest to fight off the energy. However, she was quickly loosing power by the second. "It appears that this spiritual pressure is draining my energy," she thought. "I'm not sure how much longer I can keep this up. I'm sorry I couldn't be of any service, Master Kurosaki." The purple-haired lieutenant was on her last legs, she suddenly caught wind of a strange aroma. "That smell… that fruit extract-based smell…" Taking a whiff, Nemu could feel her energy sharply rising. "This power… it's as if I'm recovering. Yet I'm also experiencing a subtle increase in certain parameters," With her newfound strength and will, Nemu slowly rose to a partially vertical base and then turned to Ichigo, who was still fighting against the strange energy pressure. "Could this be Master Kurosaki's doing?" she wondered. Her expression became serious as she began to exert her newly found strength in order to help her ally.

Both shinigami groaned as they worked together to push back their unseen foe's spiritual pressure. "Incredible," the unknown shinigami mused. "I had a feeling this strawberry character was powerful. But using his raw reiryoku to enhance his ally's power… it's almost similar, albeit a crude version, of the application behind healing kido! A reversal of the main purpose of spiritual pressure use."

"Hey! Less gawking, more crushing!" the inner voice replied, wanting to get the job done.

However, fatigue and loss of concentration caught up to the sinister shinigami as both Nemu and Ichigo managed to break free of their enemy's imposing bind. Feeling the recoil of the strain, the three exhausted beings tried their best to catch their breath (the unknown foe was resting out of sight behind a pillar). Sensing their chance, the three hollows shot out of the dirt and gravel, intending to land on their prey. Quickly, Ichigo and Nemu rolled away as the trio returned to the Earth.

Using his sword to prop himself on his feet, Ichigo ducked under an incoming swing from one of the enemies' pincers while leaping away from the second foe's strike onto an overhanging pile of steel rods. Seeing the enemies below, Ichigo sliced the cables of the holding the platform and shunpoed away just as the heavy metal objects began to fall. One of the scorpion-like beings dodged the debris, while half its partner's body was crushed and destroyed. The lead hollow chased Ichigo to the top of the unfinished building, where there was more freedom of movement. The two combatants glared wearily, waiting for the other foe to move. The hollow's pincers anxiously clamped while Ichigo took the time to recover as much spiritual pressure as he can.

On the ground below, Nemu was already facing the third scorpion creature. With her hand-to-hand techniques, she was able to dodge and block the enemy's swings and attempted grabs. It wasn't long before Nemu's back met with the side of a soil compactor. Seeing it's chance, the white-clad opponent drove its pincer toward Nemu, Reacting quickly, Nemu used shunpo to avoid the strike, allowing the enemy's claw to pierce into the construction vehicle's flank. Nemu reappeared on top of the compactor and was ready to counter attack. However, the hollow pointed its stinger and sprayed its venom. Nemu avoided the poisonous concoction with a shunpo, having it eat away at the roof of the compartment instead. The young woman then reappeared on the second floor of the building and saw the hollow's free pincer aimed at her as red energy formed between the gaping claws. "A cero!" Nemu realized. Acting fast, Nemu held out her left hand, her palm facing the enemy, while her right armed was used to stabilize the limb. "Hado #31! Shakkaho!"

Both fighters unleashed their energy burst toward one another, which collided midway. The opposing spiritual powers began to react and a few moments, exploded with a concussive force akin to a small bomb. Smoke and dirt was kicked into the air, clouding the fighter's sights and pushing the two fighters back. For the hollow, it was a lucky break as the shock of the burst was enough for it to wedge out of the vehicle. As for Nemu, the sudden shockwave blew the lieutenant off her perch, though she managed to recover in mid-air and land on her feet.

Now she was surrounded on all sides by a thick cloud of earth. Staying alert, the young woman tried her best to pinpoint the hollow's spiritual pressure. Unfortunately, the enemy was suppressing its power, making her tactic useless. Suddenly, she heard a small footstep from behind her. The lieutenant whipped around and saw some poison liquid flying toward her. The young woman managed to move most of her body from the path of the attack, but her left upper thigh was hit from the toxin. She slid to a stop and glanced at her injury, which became a burn. "Though the poison didn't make a direct hit, my combat performance has been hampered somewhat due to the injury," she assessed.

"Hahaha! What's the matter, shinigami? You're leg acting up?" taunted the hollow. "Here, let me take a look at that!" Before Nemu could respond, the hollow's prehensile tail wrapped around the wounded limb of its target. Nemu bit her lip in pain as the creature dragged her deeper in the dust cloud. Once she was reeled in like a fish on a line, the hollow hung her bruised body upside down in front of its face. The mandibles in front of its jaws clacked together like scissors. "Not bad, shinigami," the creature said. "How about I have a little fun with you before I devour your accursed soul."

"I would have to decline. I do not sully myself with wasteful beings, such as yourself," Nemu responded, thinking of what her father would say to an enemy.

The foe gave a low growl, its eyes zeroing in on the lieutenant's face. "Then I will enjoy tearing you to shreds. Starting with that mouth of yours!" The hollow's jaw launched forward, its mandibles spread apart to accommodate its maw.

Before the bite could connect, Nemu grabbed the demon's head by its mandibles, holding it back as its jaws continued to snap at the young woman. Using her strength, she push her foe's head away and kicked the side of its head. The scorpion-type foe staggered away into the cloud, its grip relaxed enough to drop Nemu to the ground.

On the roof of the building, both the hollow and Ichigo were engaged in heated battle, unaffected by the violent shockwave that rattled below. The two parried strong blows, each strike sending sparks flying in the air. Wanting to get the upper hand, Ichigo jumped and slammed Zangetsu's blade at the hollow. The hollow blocked the hit and was now fighting against the teen's momentum pushing down on the creature. Using its strength, the skull-faced beast shoved Ichigo into the air and began to charge a cero in an open pincer directed at the substitute shingiami. The orange-haired combatant managed to right himself just as the spherical energy blast was unleashed. "Not gonna happen!" he replied as he blocked the cero with his shiki.

As the teen held the cero at bay, the adjucha could only look on in shock from the show. "This is impossible!" it thought. "How the hell is this shinigami punk blocking my cero!"

After gaining the upper hand over the attack, Ichigo redirected the concentrated mass of energy behind him with a swing of his blade, allow the cero to explode at a safe distance. He then turned back to his opponent, who still had a surprised look in its eye. "Get ready," Ichigo said as he pointed the tip of Zangetsu at the foe.

The hollow roared defiantly as it jumped toward its prey. Once it was in range, the corrupt spirit swiped at the teen, but missed as he shunpoed behind and slashed its back. The hollow staggered, but quickly recovered and used its tail to try and grab at Ichigo. However, its attack proved to be detrimental as the young man sidestepped the lash, grabbed the tail and sliced it off with a strong swing. The hollow screeched in pain as its tail fell to the ground.

Wanting to retaliate for its amputation, the beast turned around to attack, but froze as it saw Ichigo's spiritual pressure begin to rise. Bright blue energy enveloped the teen's body as he held his sword over his head. "I won't let you finish, shinigami!" the scorpion-like creature hissed as it flew at Ichigo, both pincers and jaws gaping wide, saliva dripping from its fangs.

"It's too late," Ichigo responded darkly. "Getsuga Tensho!" With a swing of his giant cleaver, Ichigo sent a wave of energy at the offender. The hollow tried its best to keep the power at bay, shielding its face and relying on its thick exoskeleton to protect it. However, its body proved no match as the hollow's form dissolved due to the signature attack. With his opponent defeated, Ichigo lowered himself to the roof and began to catch his breath.

However, he was unaware that there was another enemy standing behind him. It was the unknown shinigami, whose power he had felt before. The young man stalked him carefully, his spiritual pressure lowered to a point where it felt like he had none. With each silent step, he could feel and taste the spiritual pressure of his unaware prey. "Such amazing spiritual energy…" he thought as he closed in, slowly drawing out his zanpakuto and holding it beside him.

"That's right. Just a little closer," the inner voice cheered. "Skewer this little brat through like a pig on spit! I can't wait to taste that energy!"

As he caught his breath, Ichigo was starting to feel a sense of impending doom. A shiver traveled along his back, starting off feeling like a light cool wind. Then it quickly became more intense, as if he was in range of the freezing temperatures released from Toshiro Hitsugaya's bankai. With tension and instinct taking over him, the strawberry-haired male tightly clutched his sword hilt and whipped around in a swing. However, instead of catching anything in his swinging arc, he saw nobody there. He looked around for any sign of a threat, but sensed nothing. "Am I just imagining things?" he thought, questioning his intuition. He was then brought back to reality by the sound of a loud cackle from the smokescreen below. He could hear the sounds of battle as well as Nemu's spiritual energy began to drop. "Nemu!" he called out in concern as he shunpoed off the edge and back to the ground.

Reappearing with a shunpo of his own, the enemy shinigami appeared where Ichigo had left. He watched as his prey escaped his clutches and ran headlong into the cover. "There will be other chances," he figured. "Now. Time to find some breakfast." Wanting to find an easier meal and leaving his associate to face destiny, the shinigami shunpoed from the site.

The battle between Nemu and the hollow was coming to a head. Even though the demon had the advantage thanks to the thick cover, the purple-haired shinigami was able to counter most of her attacks. Her impressive durability was also another factor that kept her in the fight. However, due to the wound still affecting her limb, the young woman knew that she could only keep up the defense for a short time. She stood in a defensive position, her damaged left leg held out.

As she limped through the cloud, Nemu could see the shadows of her opponent moving quickly from her view. Before long, the enemy's tail lash at the woman in front of her. Reacting fast, Nemu bent backward, the appendage brushing past her and back into the cover. The tail shot out again, but barely missed piercing her midsection. Nemu believed that from where the tail was launched, she could follow it to the rest of the body. Instead, the young woman fell for the trap as the stinger end wrapped around her wrist and tossed her into one of the building's pillars. The ponytail-haired lieutenant's body slumped to the ground and was pinned against the metal support beam by the hollow's pincer. "It's over, shinigami!" the hollow replied victoriously.

As it was about to finish her off, the arm that held Nemu was sliced off. Blood flew every where as the ripped limb fell to the dirt ground. The hollow roared in pain, cradling its amputated limb before turning its attention back to Nemu.

Staring back at the hollow with a killing glare was Ichigo Kurosaki. He knelt as Nemu's weakened form rested in his arm. "Sorry it took me so long," Ichigo said to the lieutenant. "If I knew this would happen, I would have finished that guy off sooner."

Nemu shook her head. "There is nothing for you to apologize for, Master Kurosaki," she said. "The fact that you have arrived when you did is quite fortuitous. I should be the one to apologize for such a shoddy performance."

Ichigo turned back to the remaining hollow, who snarled at the shinigami and awaited for its next move. Gently, Ichigo laid Nemu's head on the ground and positioned himself between her and the foe. "You did the best you could. That's all anyone can ask for." Nemu was shocked to hear such words from the young man. She had never heard such kind, heart-felt words directed to her. If it was her father, the captain would have demeaned her with insults and threats as well as increase the number of injuries. "Just hang in there. I'll finish this bastard off."

"You'll finish me off?" the hollow scoffed. "Don't get cocky just because you took out those fools. I'm the leader of this pack, and will soon have you on the tip of my stinger!"

Ichigo didn't respond, focusing only on avenging his partner's loss. After all the assistance Nemu gave him, it was the least he could do. Instead, he shunpoed in front of the enemy to quickly close the distance and struck the hollow. The demon blocked the hit with its remaining pincer and tried to strike with its tail. However, Ichigo leaped over the attack and struck downward. Once more the hollow caught Ichigo's zanpakuto within its claws and flung him back. Ichigo quickly recovered in the air and landed on his feet before charging from behind and delivering a strong slash. The hollow staggered from the blow before landing on its hand and knees. "It's not over yet!" the hollow replied as it returned to its feet. The hollow glanced at Ichigo, who was ready to finish it off. However, it had different plans in mind as it quickly rushed toward Nemu. "If I'm going down, I'm taking at least one of you fools to hell with me!" the enemy shouted.

"Carriage of Thunder. Bridge of the spinning wheel. With light, divide into six! Bakudo #61! Rikujokoro!" Nemu recited. Before the hollow could finish the lieutenant off, six beams of light, slammed into the scorpion demon's midsection. The enemy was now paralyzed in its position, unable to attack or defend itself.

"Time to end this!" Seeing the opportunity, Ichigo leaped toward the enemy and slashed the foe in half. The hollow screamed in defeat as its body broke in two before its spirit became purified. "It's finally over," Ichigo said. He then turned to Nemu, whose seemed to be slowly recovering from her wounds. "Are you alright?"

"I'll recover," Nemu replied. "Due to the modifications received from Master Mayuri, I can sustain and survive massive amounts of punishment. Injuries like these are nothing to me."

"Oh. That's a relief," Ichigo replied. "But do you need any help?"

Nemu thought over the strawberry-haired teen's offer. However, her thoughts were interrupted as she winced in pain from the would on her thigh. She glanced at the wound and saw it as an impediment that would take the longest to heal. "Perhaps I am in need of your services," she said.

"Alright. What do you need?"

A small shade of red appeared on her cheeks as she knew how odd the request may sound. "I need you to place your hand over my thigh."

"Wh-What!" Ichigo responded, taken aback by the strange favor. Nemu averted her glance as she innocently pulled up the bottom of her robe to show the rest of her wound. "Oh," was the teen's only response as he understood the lieutenant's situation.

"Healing kido would help hasten the healing process. However, I have exhausted my spirit energy at the moment. I am hoping that your spiritual energy will be enough to compliment my lost power."

"Are you sure?" Ichigo asked. "I'm not really that good with controlling my spiritual energy."

"There is nothing to be worried about," Nemu responded assuredly. "As they say, 'Just follow my lead. I'll guide you nice and slow.'"

Though Ichigo wanted to object to the statement and how strange inappropriate and suggestive it sounded in such a circumstance, he decided to go with the lieutenant's suggestion. "Everyone keeps nagging about how I need to learn to control my power sooner or later. Might as well be sooner." The teen gulped as he moved his hand to Nemu's thigh. The closer he came, the more uneasy he got. For him, it was the first time he had ever touch a woman anywhere below the belt (something he felt was against his principals).

Nemu, too, was rather nervous of the impending contact. The lieutenant's face was still turned away as she tried her best to keep her fluster to a minimum as her heart rapidly beat. Besides Mayuri during his rages, Ichigo would be the first male to ever lay a hand on her. While such thoughts and actions rarely ever crossed her mind, there was a part of her that appreciated the opportunity which presented itself.

As soon as she felt the heat on Ichigo's hand against her thigh, her cheeks became a bold cherry red. For her, it was as if she were zapped by lightning. Though it stung due to the reaction of her acid burn, the sensation was drowned out by the pleasure and excitement of how close Ichigo was. Unable to bottle her emotions, the young woman mewled in sensual euphoria. Ichigo quickly withdrew his hand with concern and fear. "I-I'm sorry!" he replied skittishly, his face becoming as red as a tomato. "A-Are you alright?"

"I-I'm fine," Nemu replied, her cheeks becoming a bold rose color. The young lieutenant mentally cursed her self, wondering why she reacted so provocatively. The young man barely touched her, yet she couldn't help but to respond in such a way. "Please, continue."

"Fine... Just… don't do that again…" Ichigo replied. Taking a deep breath, the young man once more place his hand over the burn spot. He glanced at Nemu, who gave a light nod. Gently, the young male placed his hand near her thigh, letting it hover just over her flesh. "Okay. So now what?" Ichigo asked.

Nemu said nothing and instead placed a hand on top of Ichigo's. The young substitute was surprised by the act (nor the silky smooth skin that caressed his hand was actually a person's flesh). As her hand began to glow a pale green color, he could feel the spiritual energy gathering into his hand and into the burn below. "Now, I need you to channel some of your reiatsu into the burn. I will do the rest."

Ichigo nodded and did as the purple-haired woman asked. Concentrating and maintaining his power level, the teen allowed his energy to travel through his arm and seep into the burn. The young woman helped moderate the flow, using her comrades added energy to refill her own. In turn, this energy helped repair the tissue and skin from the enemy's toxins. In less than a few minutes, Nemu's acid burn wore off and her energy was restored. Ichigo pushed himself off the ground and held out a hand to help Nemu off the ground. "How's your leg feeling now?" he asked.

"I believe it has healed properly," the girl said as Ichigo helped her to her feet. She felt along her thigh and flexed her limb, feeling no pain or discomfort of any kind. "Yes, it appears to be normal." Feeling grateful for Ichigo's assistance, Nemu gave a courteous bow. "I am very appreciative for your help, Master Kurosaki," she thanked.

"It was nothing," Ichigo responded. "It was the least I could do after you gave me a hand back at the school."

"I see. In that case, I am glad of our mutual partnership," Nemu replied.

Ichigo gave a nod with a small smile. However, he quickly changed expression as he thought over their battle. "So those were adjuchas. Then what were they doing here?" he contemplated. "Does it have to do with that insane spiritual pressure? There's no way those hollows could have acted alone."

"You seem troubled, Master Kurosaki," Nemu said observantly.

"It's just… that spiritual pressure that we were trapped in when we came here," the substitute shinigami admitted. Nemu quickly became silent as she put on her stoic expression. On the back of her mind, she was also trying to understand the phenomenon. "It's possible that whatever was behind it was also pulling those hollows strings."

"I am in agreement with your theory. As I stated before, adjuchas mostly dwell within the sands of Hueco Mundo. Unless they are clones or similar types, like the examples we defeated, hollows of that caliber normally live solitary, predatory lives. Though it isn't unheard of to find associative groups led by a powerful alpha leader."

"So do you think we're dealing with Aizen?"

"No," Nemu replied in a sure tone. "If it were ex-Captain Aizen, I highly doubt he would allow us a chance to recover. Not only that, but the spiritual pressure we felt. While it was unusually erratic and hard to determine, I am sure that it felt partially hollow-like."

After hearing the news, Ichigo paled. He knew that there was something off about the enemy's power aside from its strength. He didn't know what to call it. Sinister, disturbed, and conflicted were only a few of the words that came to mind when he thought of the murderous intent behind the surge. "At least it's gone for now," he thought with a sigh of relief. "I think it's about time I get back to the school," the teen said to Nemu. "If I hurry, I'm sure I can make it back before lunch ends. See you later, Nemu."

Nemu responded with a light wave as she watched the substitute shinigami leave the scene. Once Ichigo had left her sight, the girl lowered her hand and inspected the palm. She could still feel the young man's residual reishi in her palm. "Master Kurosaki," she said with a light tone. "I wonder… have I made any progress with my personal mission…"

By the time Ichigo returned to school grounds, he found his body in the shade just where he had left it. He inspected his vessel thoroughly and found no damage or inconsistencies. He retreated back into his body and promptly joined his comrades on the roof for the last few minutes of lunch. By the time school ended, Ichigo was the last person to leave the class. As he gathered his materials, the strawberry-haired male was approached by Orihime. "It's good to see you came back," she replied jovially. "I didn't think you would return after you left Ms. Ochi's class."

"Yeah, I kinda thought so too," Ichigo said nonchalantly. "Lucky for me, I returned about ten minutes before lunch had ended."

"So what was going on out there? I sensed an enormous amount of spiritual pressure from a few blocks away. Are you alright?"

"There were some high-level hollows," Ichigo replied. "But they weren't anything we couldn't handle."

"We?" Orihime asked in a perplexed tone.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. I had some help from Nemu during the battle. She's the lieutenant of Squad 12. You've met her, right?"

Orihime did know of someone who may have fit the description back when everyone was trying to stop Rukia's execution. However, her encounter with the young woman was brief since Uryu had asked a shinigami to take her away before he battled the squad captain and lieutenant by himself. Then she remembered last Friday when Ichigo was on duty and how the same person was tailing him on his way to the park. "Yeah… I'm sure I've seen her," she said, trying to hide her jealousy and discomfort behind a faux smile. "I'm glad that she was able to help you." Ichigo nodded in agreement, also glad that there was someone to watch his back. "Ichigo," Orihime called.

"Yeah?"

"Did something happen between you and Tatsuki?" Orihime asked. "She's been pretty quiet ever since this morning." Ichigo averted his gaze from the young woman. He had hoped to forget about the situation with the latest battle. Though apparently, that was a fleeting reprieve. Seeing his reaction, Orihime quickly waved her hands apologetically. "Not that it's any of my business!" she quickly added. "I'm sorry if I'm butting in."

"No, it's alright," Ichigo replied. "It's just… things are a bit complicated. I'll be sure to talk to her about it later on."

"Oh. Alright," Orihime replied. The blonde knew there was something more to it than that. However, the last thing she wanted to do was pry into matters she felt were none of her business. "Well, I better get going," she said with a wide smile. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah. You too," Ichigo responded as he watched his friend leave the room. After packing up the last of his belongings, the young male slung his backpack over his shoulder and began to leave the classroom. Before he left the room, the substitute shinigami turned to the window, once more grateful that Nemu helped him. Thinking over his interactions with the youthful lieutenant, he was starting to see her, not as an ally on the job, but as a fast friend. "Wherever she is, I hope she's alright," the substitute thought before leaving the room.

Author's Note 3: If you're having a hard time picturing the hollows in this chapter, look up the Marvel 2099 incarnation of Scorpion 2099. Except with both arms carrying giant pincers, the stinger a large bulb with a needle, and a more narrower head.