I do NOT own Bleach or its characters. I do, however, own the new characters that appear in this fanfic. Them I made. Everyone else is not mine, so don't sue.

Hope you like it!

Chapter 1:

Normally, Kisuke could sleep through just about anything. Traffic, kids yelling outside, doors slamming, loud knocking, even his old lieutenant pounding on the other side of his door back during his time as a captain couldn't even wake him up from a nice nap. He had once taken great pride in the fact that he had even once successfully slept through a small earthquake. There was no damage, just shaking earth like a massage bed.

However, tonight was another story. Sometime during the middle of the night, Kisuke woke with a start for no apparent reason and sat up in bed. He blinked and looked from left to right, then up, then in front and then behind. No one was there. Turning his attention to the window Kisuke could see that it was a pleasant night. No rain or snow of strong winds. All was calm. So what had woken him?

He ran his fingers through his matted hair with a long sigh. He recognized this feeling. It had been at least 100 years since the last time he felt it. It didn't spell good news. "Ah, damn… What kind of trouble are they in now?"

The next day, Ichigo woke to the sound of Kon climbing up onto his bed and cursing at him to pay attention to him. He rolled the covers off his body and threw them over Kon, muffling his words. When he finally managed to claw his way out, Kon jumped on Ichigo's shoulder and started to pound away at his face and neck with his plush arms.

"Would you listen to me, you idiot? I'm trying to tell you something!"

Ichigo grabbed him by his head and threw him to the floor. "Not now, ok? I just got up. I gotta get ready for school, too. Can't it wait 'til later?"

"I know I sure can't."

That wasn't Kon's voice. Ichigo turned around and saw Kisuke looking in through his window. He jumped, stepping on Kon's head by mistake. "What the hell are you doing here, Hat-and-Clogs?"

He waved the fan in the air casually. "Oh, just passing by. So how are you doing?"

Ichigo moved to close the window.

Kisuke threw his hand out to stop him. "Wait, wait, I do have something to tell you. Don't be so rude, alright?"

Ichigo stopped, hand on the lock. "What do you want?"

Kisuke's face suddenly became very serious. "Have you noticed anything strange around here lately?"

"Strange like how?"

Kisuke looked around over his shoulders, as if expecting to see someone standing there eavesdropping on him. Then he looked back at Ichigo and leaned in a little closer. "I'm expecting some old friends to be stopping by soon. But they're not your average souls. I knew them from my time as a captain back many years ago."

Ichigo listened closely. He took note of the sad expression on Kisuke's face and his sympathetic eyes.

"I promised to help them, but I couldn't live up to that promise. I was banished from the Soul Society before I could do anything to help them. Worst of all, I left before I had a chance to tell them. It's been at least 100 years since the last time I saw them. They don't even know that I'm not a captain anymore."

Ichigo's tone matched Kisuke's. "Who are these people you're talking about?"

Again, Kisuke peered over his shoulder before looking back at him. "Old friends from many years ago. Like me, they liked to experiment. One day things went horribly wrong and now they're stuck between the two worlds."

"Wanna run that by me again?"

"They're dead, Ichigo. But they're unable to cross over into death. They're like ghosts. They're dead so they can't go back to their bodies, but at the same time, they can't go to the Soul Society. They're trapped between the two worlds of Living and Death. I was trying to help them cross over when I was removed from my position. I've been unable to contact them during this whole time and I haven't seen them since that day." Kisuke's eyes flashed. "That is, until last night. I didn't see them, but I sensed them. They're back and I know they're looking for me to help them again."

"Why can't you just perform that Konso thing and be done with it?"

"If it were that simple I would have done it by now. I told you that they're trapped between this world and the next. They can't cross over. That's why they need help. Not only that, but their bodies aren't stable. As I discovered, they need Spirit Energy to survive. Without it, they disappear."

Ichigo was having a hard time wrapping his head around this. "And if they disappear..?"

"Then it's all over for them. They cease to exist. There is nowhere for them to go. It's worse than Death if you ask me."

"Ok… Go back to the Spirit Energy thing. What's that about?"

"Without Spirit Energy, they disappear. So seeing as how they don't have any of their own to sustain themselves, they have to borrow some from Soul Reapers. They just suck it out of you and they're good to go for a while."

Ichigo held up his hand to stop him. "Wait a minute, wait a minute… Now I'm confused… I thought my family was also high in Spirit Energy. Does this mean that it can be taken away from them? I don't get it."

"Ichigo, humans and Soul Reapers have different types of Spirit Energy. Not only that, but there are different kinds and levels of Spirit Energy. It's not the same as Spirit Pressure, either. These guys drain a certain level of a Soul Reaper's Spirit Energy. Humans won't do. They need a certain type which only Soul Reapers have. The part of a Soul Reaper's Spirit Energy that they take away is a direct correlation to a Soul Reaper's energy. Their strength and energy are two different thing, though very similar. What happens when they take away that section of a person's Spirit Energy effect how energetic that person is afterwards. Basically what that means is that the Soul Reaper victim becomes weak and exhausted as a result of having their Spirit Energy taken away. It doesn't take away their power, it just weakens them. The level of their exhaustion depends on how much Spirit Energy was taken. Get it now?"

Ichigo gave him a blank stare. "I didn't ask for such a long and confusing explanation. I just wanted to know if it was the same as I was thinking. All I needed to hear was that they take away a certain part of a person's Spirit Energy so it only effects the energy that person has and makes them temporarily weak. That's it." With a big sigh, Ichigo sat on the edge of his bed. "So what you're saying is that they're here in this world in my hometown and they are looking for you because they still think that you can help them with this crossing over thing but you really can't and I need to find them for you, is that it?"

Kisuke suddenly smiled and fanned his face. "Bingo! We have a winner!"

Ichigo slammed the window shut on Kisuke's fingers and called through the glass at him. "No problem. I'll keep an eye out for them even though I have no idea what they look like. In the meantime, I've got to get to class."

Kisuke pulled his fingers out from under the window and gave the red skin a rub. "That's all I'm asking… for now. But what I just told him was only the surface. There's much more to it than that. Much more…"

Squad 10 had been dispatched to a foreign location to put an end to a Hollow attack. This was a place Hitsugaya had never been to before. It was very far from the Seireitei and very few people had ever traveled this far. A couple members of his Squad informed him that they had once lived in areas such as these before becoming Soul Reapers and even Rangiku mentioned that she and Gin may have passed this place by as children wandering around. This place was still very strange to him. Not only because of its location, but the way it looked.

The area was more or less flat and patches of earth were overgrown, long vines and other plants running wild around his feet. There were no animals in sight, as he suspected there wouldn't be. Aside from a few areas of overgrown earth, the ground looked as if it had seen a very severe drought. There were huge cracks in the ground and the hard sand-like soil made it look like a desert. Dead patches of yellow straw-like grass were scattered everywhere. This place was clearly very old. There were large oddly shaped rocks framing there area where he stood, which he later realized had been the remains of a no longer existing building made of stone. Only one part of the structure was still standing. It was a large tower a short distance away from where he and his men stood now. Part of the ceiling was missing as if a wrecking ball had mistakenly smashed through it. The outside of the building was covered with long thick vines and overgrown moss. Clearly that tower was once a part of the building that had now been reduced to a pile of degrading stone and rubble. Judging from the distance of the stones, the structure must have been quite large like a mansion.

"Sir!" a Soul Reaper called out to him. "There's someone here!"

"Over here, too!"

Hitsugaya turned. "How is their condition?"

They checked. "Stable."

"Dead, sir."

He clenched his teeth. They were too late to save one. "Get the survivor out of here. We'll treat them when we get back to the Seireitei. In the meantime, search the area and see if you can find anymore."

"Yes, sir!"

The ground started to shake beneath his feet. There was a loud rumbling like an earthquake and he called out to the others. "Look out!"

They all jumped aside as a huge Hollow appeared from underground just a few feet away.

"Hollow!"

"Protect the survivor!" Hitsugaya pulled out his sword. "I'll handle this!"

He ran forward and jumped onto the Hollow's tail and ran up its back. It roared and tried to turn around to bite him. He jumped up at the last second and pierced its mask with his blade. It shrieked and fell over, dead. It vanished in seconds. That Hollow was no trouble at all for him to handle.

He looked up at the large tower overhead. There may have been someone hiding in there from all the Hollows. Maybe someone was hurt in there and couldn't come down. Maybe they were trapped. Sword in hand, he turned to his squad. "I'm going to look in there. All of you keep searching for anymore survivors. And keep on your guard. There may be more Hollows hiding nearby."

"Yes, sir. Understood."

Hitsugaya ran towards the building and over to the only door he could find. The large wooden door was laying on its edge, clinging to the frame by one hinge. He peered around for any signs of danger. Certain that there were none, he went inside.

He looked inside the building. It was all made of stone and wood, much of which was now covered in long vines and flowers. Beams of light shot in from the open windows lining the sides of the old structure, illuminating his path. The strong scent of blooming flowers and wild plant life was almost overpowering. It looked like something out of a storybook, only a little sadder. He wondered what kind of history these old walls held within them. It looked like it could have been a part of another structure that no longer existed due to whether conditions and time. But it didn't look like anyone had lived here for a long time.

Still, he had to be sure. "Is there anyone in here?" he called loudly, his voice echoing off the long stone staircase. He waited for an answer. He heard something shift from above and a small stone fell from the top of the structure and landed at his feet. Someone was in here.

Determined to find the person, Hitsugaya put away his sword and began his long climb up the spiral stone steps.

At first he was worried that the old building wouldn't be able to support his weight and that the floor would collapse beneath his feet. But after charging up the first three flights of stairs, his fears subsided. The structure seemed solid enough so he pressed on. Just like the outside of the structure, the interior was made out of stone and iron. Iron bindings were placed over the wooden doors as well, making the old tower look more like a castle. For just a moment, he felt like he was a knight trudging up the castle steps to rescue a princess. Hearing a crunching noise, he quickly looked down. Thick vines were being crushed under his feet as he ran up the stairs. Even this high, the vegetation had grown. This building must have been even older than he had thought. He ran past a glassless window, light shining in his face. He could catch glimpses of his squad still searching the premises for any other survivors. There appeared to be none.

Rose vines stretched across the ceiling above his head once he reached the top of the long, tall spiral staircase. They extended through the open windows and cracks in the walls and floor gave the structure a splendid appearance and the healthy fragrance from all the plants and blooming roses helped to mask any gloom or negativity the building may have held. All the doors lining the walls had been covered up by the thick vines that grew in every direction of this building. They had all been sealed shut. It looked like no one had lived here for a long time. And no one could have gotten into any of these rooms without breaking the moss and vines that sealed off the only entrance way. At the end of a long hall was another staircase, but this one was considerably shorter than the first one he had to climb. There was only one place left for him to look before giving up.

At the very top of the stairs was a single door that hadn't been covered up by vegetation. And it was open. He hurried forward. He pushed the door open and peered inside. Part of the ceiling had collapsed, letting in beams of light from outside. Despite the open exposed areas, Hitsugaya could no longer hear the voices of his squad from below. He wondered how high up he was. The room was empty of all furniture and massive amounts of vines had come in through the windows, covering the floor and walls. There was a carpet of thorny vines sprouting many red and white roses and in the middle of this sat a girl. She had her back to the captain, her head cast downward.

Worried that she may have been hurt, Hitsugaya hurried over to her. He placed a hand on her shoulder and checked to see if she was still alive. Her body was warm. That was a good sign.

"Are you hurt? Did you get attacked by that Hollow?"

She didn't answer him.

She must be in shock… He tried to pull her to her feet. "Please, we have to get you out of here. My Squad will tend to you. Stand up."

She didn't budge.

"Can't you stand? What happened?" He didn't know what to do. This girl was taller than he was and he could tell that just by looking at her. There was no way he could carry her out of here on his own. "I can get help. My lieutenant can carry you if you need. I can…"

That was as far as he got before the girl grabbed onto his hand and pulled him down. Caught off guard, Hitsugaya fell into her lap and she wrapped her arms around his tiny frame. Hitsugaya found himself staring straight at her chest and averted his eyes immediately. That was when he noticed her strange outfit. This girl was wearing a long light-purple dress and her long dark hair was braided off to one side and draped over one shoulder and tied off with a pink ribbon. This was an odd sight. Another thing he noticed was that she wasn't wearing shoes. How did she not managed to cut herself on all these thorns?

She moved, breaking his bewilderment. She held him by his shoulders and studied his face. She gave him a loving smile. "My, how cute..!"

"Uh…" He blinked, trying not to get mad at being called 'cute' by a total stranger. But there was something more important at the moment that he had to address. "We have to get out of here. You can't stay here. I can-"

She cut him off again, pulling him into a big hug. He flinched with both surprise and pain. Despite looking like a gentle young girl, she was very strong. Clearly she couldn't gauge her own strength. She loosened her grip on him slightly. "Sorry… I didn't mean to hurt you. But you're so scrumptious looking."

"What?"

She held him closer and started to removed his jacket with one hand. He started to struggle against her, fearing what was to come next. A thousand things ran through his mind at once and none of them were good images. But she stopped once his left shoulder was exposed. He could feel her warm breath on his neck and shoulder and shivered. She brought her head down.

He suddenly felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. He felt like something had just taken a bite out of him. It was a good possibility, though. The pain soon subsided and was replaced by a new sensation. He felt like something was being pulled from his insides. His strength was leaving him. His eyes widened once he realized what was happening to him. His Spirit Energy was being drained from his body.

His tongue went dead in his mouth and couldn't speak. His strength drained from his arms and legs and his body went numb. More of his power was sapped and he started to feel very drowsy. His body felt so cold compared to hers. He lost all sense of balance and everything around him started to spin. His head fell against her chest and everything went black.

"Captain, are you in here? Captain!"

The girl looked towards the entrance of the room and realized what she had done. She slowly lowered Hitsugaya's body to the ground and stood up. She gingerly stroked his head and carefully moved aside any thorns from his face, not wanting him to get cut up. Not wanting to stick around, she ran to the nearest window and jumped, leaving Hitsugaya alone in the empty room.

The door opened and in came a Soul Reaper. "Lieutenant, he's in here!"

Rangiku, followed by several other squad members hurried inside. They all gasped and ran inside. She was the first one to his side. "Captain!"

She gave him a nudge but he made no movement of his own. His body was limp and lifeless. He looked like he was dead.

"Captain!" she called louder. She picked him up in her arms and cradled him. "Captain, please wake up! Say something!"

He moaned into her shoulder.

She gasped happily. "He's alive!"

One of the men looked at his face and checked his body for injuries. "I can't find anything wrong with him. It looks like he just fainted."

"Fainted? But why?"

Rangiku took him in her arms and carried him out the door. "We have to get him help. Take the survivors and let's hurry back!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

Hitsugaya reached up toward his lieutenant. "Matsu… mo… to…"

She looked down. "Captain? Can you hear me?"

He nodded his head weakly. He was awake but just barely. He tried to raise his arm up higher, but it fell back down and dangled at his side. His strength had run out. He no longer had the energy to even lift his arm. He mumbled something she couldn't make out and passed out again in her arms.

Worried for her captain's sake, she ordered the others to head back. "Let's move out!"

"Right!" Everyone headed for the exit.

Unohana walked over to Rangiku with a soft smile. "He'll be just fine. Much of his Spirit Energy was gone, though. He must have just pushed himself too hard and passed out as a result. I couldn't find any injuries on him, however. He's alright."

She jumped to her feet, happy to hear the news. "Where is he now?"

"Still sleeping it off." She gestured to the room down the hall. "He needs to rest, that's all. No missions for a couple of days and he'll be as good as new. As soon as he wakes up, he's free to go. Just tell him not to exert himself too much, alright?"

"Got it. And thank you." Rangiku went straight to her captain's room and looked in through the window. He was fast asleep on the bed. He looked exhausted. She went in and tiptoed over to his bedside. She sat in a chair and watched him sleep.

Within the next hour, Hitsugaya began to stir. He bent his knees under the white blanket and moaned, attempting to wake up. His aqua eyes fluttered open and he slowly started to sit up. He blinked and looked around. "Where am I?"

"Squad 4 division… The sickbay."

He rubbed his head. "Why am I here?"

"You collapsed on the mission. Don't you remember?"

"I… blacked out..? I don't remember anything…" He shut his eyes and tried to think. "Let's see… I remember those Hollows… I remember that building… I remember going inside and up all those stairs… But I can't remember anything after that. It's all a blur… I can't recall what was a dream and what wasn't. Was I attacked by something?"

"Captain Unohana couldn't find any injuries on you at all. She thinks you collapsed due to fatigue. She says that you overdid it. You shouldn't push yourself so hard."

"So I fainted? That's all?"

"Apparently."

Hitsugaya crossed his legs under the covers. "That doesn't seem right… I feel like I'm missing something."

She gave him her usual smiled and gave him an enthusiastic pat on the shoulder. "Well, no work for you for a while! You need to rest up, Mr. Workaholic!"

He winced at her tone and the pat. Then he started to yawn again.

"Still tired?"

He nodded. "I still feel a little sleepy…"

She found his response so utterly cute, but didn't tell him this. Instead, she helped him to his feet and make towards his office. She knew without him having to tell her that that was where he wanted to go. He staggered for a little bit, but that was to be expected seeing as how tired he was and the fact that he had just woken up from a sound slumber.

Along the way, Hitsugaya started to get these strange new feelings he never expected. For once, he didn't want to work. Not at all. But it only got worse from there. He had this strange urge to brighten up his dreary little office with some flowers. Pink ones. Suddenly, he liked the color pink. He was also suddenly very hungry.

"Matsumoto."

"Yes?"

He looked up at her. "I'm hungry."

She smiled at him. "Well, that's to be expected, since you slept all day. What would you like?"

"I'm kind of in the mood for some chocolate-covered strawberries. And for some reason, I also want some sushi."

It was a strange request, but who was she to deny his request. "Want some tea, too?"

"Please. Also, if you could, get some roses in here, too. It's too depressing in here. Some nice pink ones would be great."

She stared at him. "Pink roses?"

"Yeah."

"Why pink?"

That was a good question. "I just feel like having them in here for some reason. I… I kind of like that color."

"You do? Since when?"

He shrugged. "I dunno."

He was too cute to deny. She hurried off.

Hitsugaya turned back to his office and put his hands on his hips. He looked over at the couch with a pout. "I really hate that color," he said while looking at the yellow pillows. "I like pink. Pink is a nice color. Oh! And blue, too! I also like purple! Purple's nice."

Why was he feeling this way? This was getting odd. But not as odd as his next impulse.

His eyes lit up and sparkled. "I want a bunny! I want stuffed animals… Lots and lots of stuffed animals! I want a bunny and a kitty and a puppy and…"

He had to slap himself in the face to get himself to stop.

"What the hell's happening to me? I'm turning into a girl!"

Then another feeling struck him and he suddenly felt like singing. As he took a breath in, he shoved his fist into his open mouth, gagging himself. What was wrong with him? Did Unohana drug him while he was in that bed or what?

Then in came his lieutenant and things went back to being as normal as possible. She handed him the box of strawberries and a vase of pink roses were placed on the table. Hitsugaya's eyes sparkled as he looked upon them. He loved the color pink. And roses were his favorite flower. Then he grabbed the box of strawberries from her and started to gobble them down. Rangiku stood off to the side and watched. Was it her imagination or was her captain acting rather strangely? Hitsugaya sat on the couch eating one strawberry after another. He seemed quite content with his little snack.

Halfway through the box he looked up at her. "Where's the sushi I asked for?"

"I could only carry so much."

He gave her a grumpy look, but this look was different from his others. This one looked more bratty than actually grumpy. "Well, then go get them," he ordered her. He wasn't yelling or demanding, but there was a bit of an attitude with his words.

Not knowing what to make of all these sudden mood swings, she thought it best to just do as she was told.

Once Rangiku was out of the room, Hitsugaya went back to eating. Then he ran a hand through his hair. Then another feeling hit him. He wanted to grow it out longer. He wanted to braid it. He imagined what it would look like. He could picture himself with a nice braid over his shoulder tired off at the end with a ribbon. A nice pink one.

The End! JUST KIDDING! XP

I hope it's good so far. More to come. Please review!