Hiya guys! Woo I just updated the last story and here's this! This is mainly a chapter to introduce the new characters and make sure you like them. So yeah, enjoy!

Disclaimer: Tite Kubo owns bleach. The OCs are invented by you readers. Except for any I make myself.

Chapter 1 – Shinigami, Arrancars, Humans, Oh My

"Hey." Monty nodded at Violet and joined her under the palm tree. The two were relaxing on South Beach.

Monty's face was mostly covered in bandages which ended in a long scarf-like attachment; only his right eye and the skin around it were visible. His name was short for Montana, and he was an Arrancar. He was lean and on the short side; he was a little shorter than Stark. His eyes were red and gold, and his hair was sleek black with a streak of orange. He wore black military boots, white baggy pants, a black duster with crimson trim, and a pair of headphones around his neck. He was usually reticent, but tended to be a little more social among those he was closer with.

Violet was a female Arrancar of medium height. She had long, gorgeous, deep purple hair and purple eyes. Her hollow mask remains were two feather-shaped hairpins. She was usually in a good mood, and was outgoing and friendly. She wore black combat boots as well, with black pants, a gray and black tank with wings on it, and a black velour jacket with gold chains dangling from one end of each pocket to the pocket zipper and a gold zipper, zipped halfway to show the tank. The jacket fell slightly off one shoulder at times, revealing her slender frame.

The two were the only non-1-10 ranked Arrancars on the island. Since all the other Arrancars were Espadas, they had no idea why they were here, too – or where the other Espadas Segunda, Septima, Novena, and Decima were.

"It's strange, isn't it?" he mused, turning his face towards the sun, soaking up the warmth. "The way we're the only non-Espada Arrancars on the island."

"The thing I want to know is why a soul reaper is here. He says he just got here, but he's probably supposed to be here to monitor us," she replied darkly.

Monty looked up silently, aware of the Shinigami's presence.

"I'm not working for the Soul Society, if that's what you mean." A tall, lanky Shinigami with bushy brown hair and big blue eyes stood watching them. "Honestly, I have no idea why I'm here."

"It's not very polite to listen in on other people's conversations," Monty remarked quietly.

He just shrugged and sat down.

"Webb, we didn't invite you," Violet said, narrowing her eyes.

"I've told you before, it's Seth." He sat down with them anyways.

"…Okay!" she said, instantly happier. She was usually cheerful, but she could get moody when she was bored.

"Hey, wanna get some sushi?" he asked randomly.

"Sure." Violet got to her feet and pulled him up by his hands. Then she frowned in thought.

"No rice…oh well, fish and seaweed will have to do."

The two went off into the forest.

So much for him being a spy, Monty thought as he walked along the beach.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

After wandering about, musing to himself, Monty spotted a familiar face relaxing under a small bush at the edge of the forest. He was still on South Beach. There was a slight breeze now, which stirred the forest and palm trees with a chill. It wasn't cold, but it also wasn't warm because of the colder air blowing from the west.

MJL. The person was a male of medium height, with golden brown short hair and reddish-gold stubble on his chin. He had perceptive, alert hazel eyes that watched and calculated every move, every detail he took in. And he was human – one of two that were on the island.

MJL and Fell Everdeen were a humans with the ability to see and sense spirits as well as any Arrancar, if not better than most. MJL was quite introverted, and preferred to avoid loud crowds. He was sitting deep in some shady ferns, staring off at the ocean, seemingly lost in thought. He was often spacing, but his eyes were never blank. When he spaced, he thought, and Monty knew that those wheels were spinning quite efficiently. In fact, MJL was never really caught out-of-it when not thinking of something. If he wasn't thinking, he was down-to-earth and quite aware of his surroundings. As it were, he had been out of this world more and more lately, constantly going into his thought processes.

Monty knew that something was up with him; there was no way a human could have just happened to be here when they were, and just happened to be one of few who could see spirits, let alone sense them as well as the higher-ranking Arrancars. He didn't think MJL and the Soul Reaper were conspiring, but he had a suspicion that their presences were not merely coincidence together. He watched MJL carefully, musing to himself.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

MJL studied Monty through the corner of his eye. He had excellent peripheral vision, and MJL knew that well enough to understand that even Monty couldn't tell that he was being watched, and that MJL wasn't simply spacing out. MJL knew Monty was smart, but, being a master of his facial expressions, MJL looked blank when he was actually observing everything. People revealed much more than one would expect when they thought no one was paying attention or noticed them.

MJL had always been able to read those people.

In his view, there were really three kinds of people: those that could be read like a book, the airheads, with only silly and foolish fancies on their minds; then there were the people that could be read pretty easily, but had intelligence and depth, and could sometimes be fascinating to watch; those two groups made the majority of the population. Then there was the smallest group: the thinkers: the ones who were so brilliant that they were impossible to read, and even if one were able to read them, he or she couldn't possibly understand the complexities and intricacies of the mind. Most of the people MJL met were the simple type, one of the first two groups. Rarely had MJL seen someone of the higher group. Not even a person like Monty could belong there. Monty was smart, but he wasn't cunning enough.

MJL couldn't call himself one of those higher beings. He could change facial expressions, for sure, but he wouldn't consider himself so brilliant or genius. He was just an average guy with an eye for detail. Ok, maybe a little more. But if one could see into his mind, one wouldn't find the complicities and layers of a truly brilliant mind. For example, many of the great Jewish scholars were among this group; MJL had heard stories about them before. In fact, he had discovered that there were three separate distinctions that religious leaders often fit into: some were fools that pretended to be wise so as to cover up their folly, yet refused to accept their mistakes and instead blamed it on others. Others believed that they were great, yet were the product of great arrogance, wrapped up in their own importance. The last group tended to be the least overbearing in their manner. They were the group that were wise and often the quieter, more modest leaders. They were known for their patience and revered for their brilliance. Of course, there were also geniuses with fiery spirits, the complete opposite of their fellow leaders.

Scientists and mathematicians could be geniuses, as well. Einstein, for example, was one of the most famous physicists of all time. Riemann, Pythagoras, Euclid, and Gauss (all mathematicians) were some other examples of brilliant minds.

In music, too, there lay brilliance: Mozart, Beethoven, Bach… Not to mention the artists.

Even so, such minds were few and scarce. And MJL had yet to meet one in the flesh.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Fell strode along the North Beach, walking purposefully across the sandy dunes. She had sharp blue eyes and long hair. She knew that she was here for a reason. The island called to her, and so she came. The energy in this place was palpable. Soon, very soon, she knew, her abilities would go to use.

Fell had always been special. Since she was born, she had been able to see those who had already died. She saw ghosts, who spoke to her. She began to show her actual powers at age four, but it wasn't until she was ten that they fully developed. She rarely used her powers though. She never needed to. She had, in fact, only used them once since the incident…

Her ears perked up at the sound of a voice calling out: Grimmjow was hollering something about a meeting across the whole forest. She rolled her eyes irritably. What a loudmouth. Just like those stupid girls at her school…the morons who thought they were better than others.

Stark suddenly appeared out of nowhere in front of her. "Hey. We're having a meeting tonight, just be there in half an hour."

"Where?" Fell didn't mind Stark at all. He was pretty nice, not too loud, and not some kind of freak, either, unlike that pink haired Espada. She wasn't so sure about Tia Harribel. She seemed fine, not arrogant or slutty, despite her revealing clothing. Still, she was so silent and brooding. Stark was the only Espada she actually liked.

"Uh, try to be at the hollow. That's where it is."

"Ok."

He leaped off. Fell glanced around quickly – there was no one in sight. She stealthily made her way through the forest, headed towards her secret training ground. Well, it wasn't so secret, but most people didn't go there, as it was at a random site in the middle of the jungle-wood.

Unaware of the danger lurking underfoot, Fell continued on, failing to realize that she stepped on one of the man-eating plants. Suddenly, she heard a hiss and a dying rasp, and she whirled around, already beginning to pull her knife out of its sheath by her side. She stopped at what she saw. Grimmjow was standing there, half of the plant dangling from his fingers.

Fell didn't know what to say. This Espada had just saved her life, and he just happened to be the one that pissed her off the most. She opened her mouth to say something, than closed it and glared at him.

"What, no thanks? In case you didn't realize, I just saved your ungrateful skin." He growled his words out, and in disgust threw the piece of plant at her feet. "At least you could show a little bit of happiness, instead of that usual cold face."

"And maybe you should be a bit less rude when you talk to people," she spat back.

"Oh I see how it is! YOU feel indebted and don't want to admit that you were saved by an enemy. Because all you shinigami and humans think you're better than Arrancars, don't you? You think that just because you won the war, you can go ahead and do what you want, like you're our fucking masters? That what you mean? Well, go bitch off somewhere else! I'm sick of this high-and-mighty attitude."

Fell suddenly felt confused about the conversation. She was about to retort, when she realized she didn't know what she wanted to say; she bit her tongue, turned around, and walked off.

"Good riddance," Grimmjow muttered.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Fell broke into a run as she streaked towards her training area. She had no idea why she felt this way. She then realized that she felt guilty about her attitude towards Grimmjow. Sure, he was annoying, but she was pretty obnoxious to the guy who just saved her life. She had just felt angry about her stupidity. How could she not notice where she was walking? She knew what were in this forest. And she hated being weak, having to rely on others. She also hated being responsible for others. That was why she was solo. She didn't know why she was here, but she supposed it sure as hell beat school, so why not. Better to hang out with a bunch of super-powerful dead beings than with those popular elitists. If only they knew where she was now…those weaklings wouldn't stand a chance here.

She decided to be nicer to Grimmjow, as repayment for the plant.

Well, now it was time for the meeting. She headed back into the jungle…carefully, of course.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Seth and Violet laughed together, splashing water at each other and basically having a great time. They had gone in the ocean in search of seaweed, and had quickly forgotten about making sushi once they were in the water. Now they were having a blast, getting each other soaked.

Monty and MJL stood watching, a few feet away from each other. Nothing was said, no word was exchanged, and yet each was steadily analyzing and studying the other. Monty stood with his arms lightly crossed, and MJL stood with his arms at his sides. MJL was watching him out of the corner of his eye, but Monty was standing straight and looking out at the horizon.

Suddenly Monty spoke. "I see an island."

MJL's head snapped up in surprise, and examined where he was looking. His eyes searched the horizon, but to no avail. "I don't."

"It's there. I see it in the distance. It's small, but not like this one is. Trees, clean water…probably inhabited."

Try as he might, MJL couldn't see what Monty was talking about. He was surprised at the vision power that Monty had…unless he was faking it just to confuse him.

Monty studied MJL, a small smile coming to his lips as he noticed the frustration on MJL's face, and then the suspicion. He knew that he won this round, and turned to MJL.

"Want to tell Stark what we found?" he asked innocently. The superiority in the ownership of the word 'we' was not lost on MJL. He scowled. "Fine." Then he began to think. Monty was clearly someone who took pride in small victories and enjoyed feeling superior to others. Usually, this was a sign of dullness and stupidity, but sadly, in this case, it was merely a sign of immaturity rather than lack of knowledge. Oh, how he wished Monty's satisfaction was the gloating of an arrogant fool. Having Monty be so smart made it even worse to see the smirk playing across his face. It was small, too, another sign of quiet victory, rather than the boasting of a boisterous and loud rival.

This was an intellectual battle.

And MJL knew how to play the game, too.

"See those plants over there?" MJL jerked his head towards the forest. Monty looked at him, curious. "What do you think stimulates their reaction?"

"Well, when I was examining them I noticed small eardrums on the side of the mouth part, which is essentially the head. It seems there's actually an upside and downside to the head, unlike a regular Venus fly trap. The topside has a thin flap covering the eardrum, which is used to pick up vibration. The eardrum then lets the plant know where the target is, how big it is, and how quickly it moves. Also, it has bottom feelers, so if you step on it or brush against its head, it will respond aggressively and accordingly." Monty said this all without any smugness, though, actually interested in the discussion, rather than simply spouting bogus. He had been curious about the plants when he got here, but now he was curious about the strange butterfly-like creatures fluttering around the smaller leaves. They seemed to act and move erratically, as if desultory.

"So it's a stimulus-response, you think. Because some other things on this island are actually not, believe it or not." Now MJL did have in mind besting Monty this time.

"Oh, really? I find that hard to believe."

"Look at those butterflies. They act randomly. In fact, I don't believe I've ever seen anything like it."

"Huh. That is interesting. But then again, you've never seen how a hollow acts."

MJL narrowed his eyes. It was true that Monty had more experience with that type of things. He didn't know much about the lives of hollows. "I thought they just sought to kill."

"Somewhat. It's more of a type of hunger – like insatiable desire." His voice took on a hungry, lost tone, as if he were still yearning for something fulfilling. "The need to kill, to eat, to fill that gap where intelligence and rationality should have been. The delightful feeling when one devours a soul reaper, which only disappears seconds later and gives way to more fury and want. It's truly hell."

MJL was stunned. He never knew so much was behind a hollow.

Monty shrugged, returning to normal. "But you get over it. Anyway, I think we've got a meeting now. Come on, we better get them."

"…Oh, oh yeah…"

MJL stared off as Monty herded Violet and Seth up the shore. He was thinking about that feeling, the sensation of something missing always lingering in one's soul. He would never look at hollows the same again.

He slowly turned after the other three as they made their way through the forest.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Ladies and gentlemen," Stark said, standing on top of a log, "the – whoa!" A vine had stuck onto his shirt and pulled him off backwards. "Ooff." He looked up curiously at the tall tree with brown vines winding up the trunk, while the other roared in laughter. He pulled the vine off with some difficulty and plopped down on the fallen log. People were still snickering, and he saw amusement in the eyes of most of those who were silent, with the exception of Ulquiorra's moodless green.

He grunted and stated "be quiet." They were quiet. Until Lilynette exclaimed "you're so stupid! You're such a klutz!" Grimmjow hooted with laughter, until Stark stood up and loomed over him. He gulped and a few beads of sweat rolled down his face. "Shut up" Stark growled at everyone. "I want to get back to sleep.

"Now, I know, and most of you know, that another island has been found off the coast of this one. We believe that it is inhabited. Tomorrow I will go with Monty to check it out, and the day after that, I will send an expedition to explore and complete a list of tasks that must be done on that island. Those who will go are myself, Harribel, Szayel, MJL, and Seth Webb. The rest of you are to listen to Ulquiorra. Thank you." He got up and walked away to plop down for a nap.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

A:N:

All right! So that's it, the first chapter is finally here! This took some time because I have a lot to do, and also because I am introducing all of the characters so I had to gather a lot of info so that I can make them how you guys want! So this was more of a get-to-know-the-characters chapter, so I can make sure that I am portraying you guys well and everyone's happy, and to introduce everyone so you all know the personalities. Also, if you don't answer me, I can't help if it's not on what you want! If you don't answer, I'm assuming you're leaving it up to me.

If you are unhappy or want to let me know something or have a suggestion on anything, let me know! Also review this

If you want to leave the story, or make a new character, let me know, and tell me your new character. This will leave your old one with me to do what I like with it. This is in case you really don't like your character at all, or don't want to really be in the story anymore.

QUESTION: So my question now is about the story in general: do you guys want this story to follow along the same lines as Shunned and Dead, or do you want it to take a whole nother path? It's up to you, so review review review!