A/N. Yo, this is my first Bleach Fanfic. Ichigo is younger in this one, and is a girl, he, now she, also looks different from her older male counterpart. Instead of strawberry blonde hair, I decided to go for an extremely pale blonde, almost white hair color. This fanfic will follow canon somewhat, but from the perspective of being in Seireitei, rather than in the human world. Ichigo is still the main character. Also Kaien Shiba is still alive, and Gin and Tosen are good guys.

Summary: 12 year old Ichigo "Shiro-Shiro" Kurosaki has been able to see the souls of the living dead since she was born. One day, her life is turned upside down, when Rukia Kuchiki, a shinigami from Seireitei, appears in her bedroom one day. She soon after meets two other shinigami, Toshiro Hitsugaya, and Kaien Shiba. Her home is attacked by a hollow, causing her to awaken a dormant power inside. When she wakes up after wards, she finds herself in Seireitei. How will she deal with this new change of events. Will she survive? Warning: Fem!Ichigo fanfic and oocness. I have some trouble keeping characters in character sometimes, I'm just coming up with this as I go. Aizen is still evil! I don't like him.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach in any way, shape, or form. All rights belong to Tite Kudo! I'm just a silly little author writing fanfics for my reader's amusement! Also I didn't come up with the plot that was Pokepika's Haunt.

I do not like the rain...You do not like it either...So why must you torture the both of us? ...Is your grief really that important? ...Is it really that important to trap yourself in the past? Tell me, is your pain so great that you cannot let go of what is not your fault? What is your answer?...Tell...Me...

Episode 1: The Mirror of the Moon Appears!

Name: Ichigo "Shiro-Shiro" Kurosaki

THRACK! "GAH!" a teenage skateboarder hit the ground, his nose broken and bleeding, as a child-sized shoe-print made itself quite apparent on his face. His friends panicked as they watched the chaos unfold. One of them screamed,

"My GOD! That little girl's a demon! A monster! She just dropped Little Toshi!"

Age: 12

A young girl stood over the unconscious body of the guy she just kicked in the face. Her pale blond hair, which was border lining on white, blew slightly in the breeze as her brown eyes looked toward the downed teenager's friends. All of which were screaming like three year old girls, quite annoying no?

Occupation: Student at Karakura Elementary

She glared at them before placing a hand on her hip, and pointing to one of the skateboarders that was still conscious.

"YOU! SMELLY GUY!" said Smelly Guy, yipped in fear before answering, his knees quaking under him,

"Y-Yeah..." she pointed toward the base of a nearby electric pole behind her,

"What is that?"

Special Talent:...

It was a tipped over vase, somewhat broken, with flowers that had been crushed by a set of small wheels running over them. Smelly Guy stuttered as he answered.

"Uh-uh...An offering to some little girl that died here?" She gave a menacing smirk to him before asking,

"Oh yeah! Then why is it knocked over?" they began to fear for their lives.

Special Talent:...

"I-i-it...w-w-we kn-kn-knocked it over...w-w-with our skateboards!" he said, still stuttering in fear. Her smirk only grew. Suddenly she decided to have her foot introduce itself to Smelly Guy's face. He dropped like lead. The others all jumped back, yelling and hollering nonsense and various degrees of gibberish.

"Well then..." she began, sauntering over the now two unconscious bodies sprawled across the alleyway. "APOLOGIZE TO HER!" she jabbed her thumb in the direction behind her, and for a split second, the goons thought that they saw the ghost of a nine year old girl hovering behind her. The conscious ones screamed as they grabbed their injured friends and fled.

Special Talent: The ability to see and communicate with the souls of the dead!

She hmphed and turned to face the ghost behind her. It was Sumia, a young girl who had died in an accident at the young age of nine. The thugs from earlier had knocked over the vase of flowers that her mother, who had felt responsible for her untimely death, had placed there for her.

"There! That should take care of them Sumia-chan! I doubt that they will ever come around here again." she said to the ghost. Sumia nodded gratefully,

"Thank you, now I can rest in peace finally!" she said clearly happy with what Ichigo had done for her. She gave a mischievous grin in response.

"Well I'll be back tomorrow with a fresh batch of flowers. I gotta go home now though, so see ya!" she waved to the ghost girl who nodded in response and faded out of view as Ichigo disappeared around the corner.

Kurosaki Clinic-

"Yuzu-nee-chan, Karin-nee-chan, I'm home!" Ichigo called as she opened the front door, only to be greeted by white sock wearing foot. She ducked underneath, grabbing the upper part of the leg as she spun her attacker around, slamming said person into the nearby wall,

"ICHIGO! MY DARLING DAUGHTER YOU"RE LATE! YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN HOME 3 HOURS AGO! HOW-" she implanted her fist into the crazy man's face, effectively shutting him up.

"CAN IT YOU OLD MAN!" she ordered as she removed her hand from his face. She headed for the kitchen in search of her two older sisters.

Karin and Yuzu were fraternal twins and couldn't be any more different. Yuzu was motherly, sweet kind, and gentle, but also strict at times. She had strawberry blonde hair, like their mother, but hers was short. She was very girly, and only raised her voice, and not even that much, when the others got slightly out of hand, or took things a bit too far. Karin was her exact opposite almost. She had short black hair, a little longer then Yuzu's, and took everything in a somewhat disinterested manner, settling for being sarcastic and cynical then sincere and cheery like Yuzu. She was a tomboy, plain and simple, not into wearing the girly dresses and having cute stuffed animals that Yuzu seemed to pride herself on collecting. She had no problem yelling at them, though she never yelled at Yuzu.

"Hey Shiro-Shiro!" it was Karin that greeted her, sitting at the dining room table. Ichigo greeted her with a wave and a smile.

Shiro-Shiro was a nickname that she had been given by Yuzu when she was born, as she was quite pale as a child, and almost listed as an albino because of it. Yuzu had apparently said that she looked more like a Shiro-Shiro then an Ichigo, seeing as the fact that she didn't look anything like a strawberry. Their father had explained the name, telling Yuzu that she was not a strawberry, but one who protects. Still it stuck, and her parents decided that that would be a nickname, as Yuzu, being five years old, obstinately refused to call her by her actual name, as Shiro-Shiro was much better. She then proceeded to argue about it with their parents weeks, actually months afterwards. It didn't help that after bringing them home one day, and hearing her family call her that, it had proceeded to infect her friends, all of which called her Shiro-Shiro from then on. She sighed at the memories of that day.

Yuzu came out of the kitchen, food in hand, and greeted her sister as well.

"Hey Shiro-Shiro-chan!" Ichigo gave her a smile and a nod too. She quickly ducked though, as a clothed foot came flying over her form, efficiently allowing her father to take himself out for her. She glared at the man, or at least his butt, which was stuck up in the air, and walked up to her father's fallen form. She then commenced to have her foot get to his butt quite well, making sure it was as painful as possible.

"CRAZY OLD MAN!" she called before turning to sit down at the table and eat. The three girls suddenly found themselves staring at the sight of their father, weeping at a giant poster of a beautiful woman with strawberry blonde hair that reached at least three inched past her shoulder. It was their deceased mother, Masaki Kurosaki. Their father's name was Isshin. Ichigo sighed, a tic mark appearing on her forehead, at Isshin's crazy antics, before standing from her seat,

"Sorry Yuzu, but I'm not hungry anymore. Karin can have my food." she said as she turned to leave the kitchen, and headed for her room. Leaving Yuzu to scold their father while Karin pigged out on her cooking, effectively ignoring them all.

Somewhere in Karakura Town-

A Japanese sliding door appeared in the skies above Karakura Town, opening as a black swallow tailed butterfly fluttered out. It was followed by a young girl, though she looked like a boy, with short black hair. Her eyes were a deep purplish blue, and her expression was serious. She stared at the darkened town spread out before her.

"It's close...The Hollow!" she disappeared suddenly, leaving nothing but a small leaf floating on the winds, and the black butterfly fluttering toward a neighborhood.

In a back alley in some neighborhood-

Huff-huff-huff "Please somebody, anybody h-AH!" Sumia tripped as she ran frantically down the filthy road. She looked above her as a looming shadow cast over her. A monster, with a whole in its chest stood over her, drooling. It lunged at her as she screamed, devouring the poor soul hungrily. It looked up licking its disgusting lips.

"Kekehkeh! I feel a large amount of spirit energy...I must have it!" its voice was inhuman, as it leapt away, leaving a bloody smear and a crater the size of a small car in the ground.

Back at Kurosaki Clinic-

Ichigo opened the door to her room, tossing her bag onto the desk, before flopping unceremoniously onto the bed. She turned over, completely exhausted. Suddenly she heard the sound of feet hitting wood, but the floors of her room were carpet. She looked up, eyes widening. On her desk was a girl, wearing a strange black outfit.

"It's close..." the invader declared quietly, completely ignoring Ichigo as she leapt off the desk and continued on toward the door. Ichigo's eyes narrowed as she got off the bed, and silently cursing her luck, immediately resorted to her favorite activity, kicking idiots! She planted her foot firmly into the intruders back, bringing them to the ground very quickly.

"What's close! The Safe!" she demanded to the strangely dressed intruder. She looked back in shock at Ichigo,

"Y-you can see me?" she asked, Ichigo tched at this. How could she not? She wasn't blind! She glared at the intruder when Isshin came blasting through the door in some crazy attempt to attack her again. She grabbed his foot and slung him back out the door, making sure his head hit the wall at least once before letting go.

"I'm trying to stop a burglar here, your crazy old man!" She declared. Her father looked at her weird, then replied,

"But Shiro-Shiro! Nobody's there!" her eyes widened slightly,

"Regular humans can't see me. Only those with high enough spiritual powers, like you." she explained, clearly forgiving her for kicking her, possibly more concerned with her ability to see her.

"So you're dead?" Ichigo asked the intruder, the intruder seemed to get a thoughtful look on her face before giving a small nod in response.

"In a way yes."

A little later in Ichigo's room-

"So do you understand why I'm here now?" The strange dead girl had explained to her about what she was. Strangely enough Ichigo believed her, and truth be told, she had seen others dressed similar to the one in front of her all around Karakura town every once in a while. Usually they were just sitting on high places, or jumping across buildings.

"So you're a shinigami, from a place called Seireitei, And you're here looking for a Hollow, a blood thirsty monster that once had been human, but lost its heart...I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually believe you!" the soul reaper brightened at that, realizing that she was perfectly serious. Before she could say anymore though Ichigo spoke up, "So I guess there are others like you around and about correct?" she said, surprising the girl. She blinked in confusion, before asking her,

"How did you know?" she seemed to have expected herself to be the first that she had come across.

"I've seen others around Karakura Town before, some of them were kinda hard to miss. Like that boy with white hair and the white coat, I see him pretty often actually. This is the first time I've ever been close to one though." The girl's eyes widened at that one,

"Wait...You've seen a captain level soul reaper? How long have you been able to see spirits for?" she asked, shocked that there was no way she could have gone undiscovered for so long if she managed to be at a close enough distance to see a captain of the Gotei 13, and not be seen, or have them take notice of her. Not unless, that is, she had some ability to hide herself that she wasn't fully aware of...

"Since I was born...why?" her answer caused her guest's, she had taken to calling the strange girl that at some point during the explanation, eyes to widen slightly. Ichigo tilted her head in confusion, as the girl seemed to be somewhat shocked,

"W-what is your name?" she seemed tensed when she asked this. Ichigo looked at her curiously before she answered,

"My names Ichigo, Ichigo Kurosaki! But my some of my friends, and all my family call me Shiro-Shiro!" she said, then she leaned forward slightly, "What's yours?" the girl blinked in surprise before giving a gentle smile,

"I'm Rukia, Rukia Kuchiki. It's nice to meet you." She, Rukia's, soft expression, reminded Ichigo of her mother, causing her to frown as her whole face took on a look of pain. Rukia, seeing this, quickly made to change the subject,

"I understand that you have had the ability to see, and apparently touch us as if we were living since you were born. What shocks me is that none of the soul reapers have noticed you." she seemed to be thinking deeply, trying to figure out how she could have hid so easily.

"Well, when I was younger, my mom used to say that she used to completely miss me, even when I was standing right in front of her. She said that I seemed to reflect my surroundings and hide from people sometimes. I never meant to though." Ichigo offered, she then asked Rukia a question that had been bugging her for a while now, "So if you're here to kill a hollow., why are you in my house?" Ichigo watched as Rukia's expression became dead serious,

"I followed its spirit signature to your home, but I seemed to have lost track of it. Though I think I now know the reason why..." Ichigo looked at Rukia, watching her carefully. "It's you." she seemed to be thinking about this somewhat, before making a signal with her hand, calling a black swallowtail butterfly onto her index finger. A voice that sounded like that of an irritated young boy came through the insect, much to Ichigo's shock.

"What is it Rukia Kuchiki? I thought you were supposed to be hunting hollows? Did you kill it already?" Rukia tched slightly, knowing full well that the person she was talking to probably wouldn't like her answer.

"I'm sorry Captain Hitsugaya, but I haven't." she spoke, wincing as the person's, apparently a captain, voice rang out again, louder than before,

"Then why the heck are you calling me?" He seemed to be really angry, which was probably an understatement. Rukia sighed before answering,

"I managed to track it down to a house in a residential area, but lost it when I entered. I think I've found out why though." she seemed slightly pensive when she told the person that she may know the reason for the interference with her job. Ichigo just sat back observing the events unfolding in front of her.

"Well...THEN WHAT IS IT?" both Rukia and Ichigo winced at the volume of the speaker's voice. Rukia sighed again, worrying her bottom lip slightly, before answering,

"Have you seen a young girl around Karakura Town? With extremely pale blonde hair?" the voice took a while to answer.

"I think so. But only on rare occasions, why?" Rukia waited a few seconds before responding,

"She's sitting right in front of me...We've been talking. She can see us. She's the reason for the interference." she said closing her eyes as she motioned for Ichigo to come closer. Ichigo obeyed, though she didn't know why. She suddenly found herself in a one armed hug under the taller girl as she held onto her, Ichigo felt like she was in her mother's arms again. This made her upset slightly, but she didn't object or push away, quickly getting over it. Rukia released her a few moment after wards, though gave her a look to stay nearby.

"Wait...How the heck can she see you! Or more importantly how the heck can she interfere with you sensory abilities?" he seemed surprised, and rightfully so most likely. She highly doubted that they had ever come across a human who could see them, let alone interfere with their abilities. Rukia tried her best to explain without getting him any angrier then he probably was,

"She's apparently had a high amount of reiatsu since she was born, and has seen us around the town, though she hasn't spotted any hollows. As for the interference. She told me that a family member explained it as her reflecting her surroundings, effectively hiding from anyone and everyone. She may be reflecting the hollows reiatsu signature from detection, unintentionally hiding him from me. I'm sorry but I need your help." she requested. There was silence on the other end for a while, before she finally got an answer.

"Okay, I contacted Kaien, and we're both on our way. Try to keep the girl close by, and make sure she doesn't leave the house. IF she can hide the hollow, then that means that she is most likely hiding the whole house, and anyone inside as well." Rukia gave a sharp yes in agreement, before Captain Hitsugaya, which Ichigo had remembered as his name, "And Rukia, next time use your soul pager, not the Hell butterflies! They were given to us for a reason!" Rukia agreed , laughing nervously before allowing the butterfly to flitter away. Ichigo watched as it disappeared through the ceiling. She was distracted by Rukia though,

"So your friends and family call you Shiro-Shiro huh. It fits." Ichigo perked up at this and went into a somewhat animated talk,

"Yeah, I guess. Yuzu-nee-chan came up with it when I was born, and it stuck. She insisted on calling me that when my name was already on the birth certificate as Ichigo. You...can call me that if you want..." She looked to the side tentatively as she said this. It was the first time Ichigo had ever given anyone permission to her that. Rukia gave a gentle smile, before asking

"So what does Ichigo mean. I highly doubt it means strawberry." this got both girls laughing slightly before Ichigo began to explain.

"Ichi like one, and go means protect. So Ichigo; one who protects!" Rukia nodded in understanding at Ichigo's elaboration of her name. Ichigo grinned slightly, before both turned their attention to the window. The sound of it opening had reached their ears, and in stepped to men, both clad in the same uniform as Rukia. One was far shorter than the other though, looking more like a boy in Ichigo's eyes, he looked familiar. The boy had pure white hair, and blue-green eyes. He was wearing some sort of white cloak, which Rukia immediately explained as a captain's haori. The man standing next to him was young looking, appearing to be in his late 20's at least. He had short, messy black hair that spiked every which way. His eyes were a very pretty blue, as Ichigo soon found herself tilting her head slightly as she stared at them. Suddenly she snapped at them though,

"WHAT THE HECK! GET YOUR FILTHY FEET OFF MY BED! I HAVE TO SLEEP THERE YOU KNOW!" She suddenly jabbed her finger at the new comers. Causing all attention to fall on her. Shrugging, both stepped off the bed, the man with black hair speaking,

"Sorry about that, we didn't mean to upset you. My names Kaien Shiba, and this is Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya." Ichigo just huffed, defiantly crossing her arms over her chest, as she glared at them,

"Name's Ichigo. Ichigo Kurosaki..." she looked to the side, letting the information sink in as she walked over to her desk, sifting through paper and looking about until she spoke again, "Your Toshiro, right?" she asked seemingly disinterested. Said boy had tic mark forming on his head, before he spoke up,

"It's Captain Hitsugaya! Not Toshiro!" she said, growling at her. Ichigo just looked back at him with mischievous smirk on her face,

"Yeah, yeah...Shiro-chan!" she burst out laughing as she jumped onto the bed. She flopped down, cackling madly, as the young Captain fumed at her.

"It's NOT SHIRO-CHAN!" he yelled at her. Rukia and Kaien were holding back laughter, at the coincidental happening of her calling him that when only several people in the Gotei 13 knew about that nickname, them included. Toshiro finally sighed in exasperation before speaking up,

"So you're the human that can see us, and apparently block our powers." he began, examining Ichigo slightly before turning to face Kaien, who nodded,

"The hollow you were tracking Rukia, is outside the house. But there seems to be some type of barrier keeping it out. I don't know how long it will hold. It's constructed from the same reiatsu that's coating this whole room, meaning that..." he didn't finish, instead turning his gaze back to Ichigo who at some point, fell asleep on the bed, most likely exhausted and overcome with today's events. Kaien and Toshiro both gave half-hearted grins. She didn't act like most humans her age, acting more like someone who was far older then she really was. Toshiro spoke up, breaking the sudden silence,

"We need to figure out how to deal with the hollow, the barrier that the girl unwittingly put up is holding it off, but it's only a matter of time before it breaks in. And when it does we need to make sure that nobody gets hurt. She's obviously got family, and from what we saw from the outside, there's the girl's father, and she seems to have two older sisters as well." he seemed to be silently plotting, Kaien and Rukia both nodded their heads in agreement. Rukia was about to speak up when two blood curdling screams echoed through the house, one of which came from a now thrashing Ichigo, as she flung herself out of bed, clutching at her head as if someone were attacking her mind, which may not have been far from the truth. That's when they felt it, the sudden dispersing of a large, concentrated amount of reiatsu. The barrier had failed, and Ichigo's mind was paying the unfortunate price right now. Kaien quickly went to hold the girl down, making sure she wouldn't hurt herself until she woke up, which happened quite quickly. Her eyes opened as she lurched forward, panting heavily from the sudden effect of her abilities breaking.

"Rukia, Kaien, let's go! The hollows gotten threw. We need to take care of it before it kills." All three were about to dash out when Kaien was slightly thrown back. Ichigo had run out of the room, and straight toward the hollow. "BLAST IT ALL!" he yelled as the three dashed down the stairs following the young girl.

Downstairs-

Toshiro, Kaien, and Rukia all reached the bottom of the stairs, just in time to see the hollow fling Ichigo's small body crashing into the wall next to them. She hit the ground, struggling to get back up. Rukia immediately went to her side, hoping to keep her from hurting herself any further. Toshiro and Kaien ran to challenge the hollow.

It lashed out at the two captain level shinigamis. Both leaping over its arm before drawing their swords, taking slashes. They missed though, as the hollow brought its arms back and grabbed the two, before chucking them into the same wall that Ichigo had been flung at before. Both dropped, and having hit their heads, crashed to the ground unconscious. Rukia was the only one left to fight. Ichigo managed to stand up finally, before placing herself in front of the three shinigami.

"HEY UGLY YOU WANT ME? COME AND GET ME!" she stood defiantly at it as it lunged at the girl. As it approached, everything went black, Rukia's voice calling out from some faraway place.

Do you want to die...Or do you want to live?...Living is winning, dying is losing...Do you want to lose or win? I will always be by your side. But only if you let me.

Who are you, what are you, where are you? That is your decision, not mine.

Where will you go? Which path will you take? Will you live the life of a powerless, naive little girl. Or someone who is strong, no matter their age? Which do you pick?

I am you, you are me...But we can only work together, when you make the decision to move on! Will you choose death or life...

Now choose!

Ichigo's eyes flashed open as she glared at her attacked. Suddenly her reiatsu flared out, causing her outfit to blow out slightly as well. Her hair became as white as the moon, and glowed with an ethereal beauty. Her outfit slowly changed from a pair of shorts and a night shirt, to a short, black shihakushō, with a somewhat frilly skirt for the bottom half. Her hair grew out, growing to be past her butt, as it curled at the edges slightly. A very thin katana materialized at her waist, a pure white ribbon and what appeared to be a long chain of prayer beads keeping it secured there. Her eyes began to glow slightly before changing from a chocolate brown, to near white blue. Kaien and Toshiro, who had woken up at some point, stared in shock at the sudden transformation of the nine-year old girl. Rukia almost fainted at the shear volume of reiatsu that had rushed out from her and practically drowned the room.

Ichigo got into battle pose, as the hollow got closer, hand on the hilt of her sword. She drew it slowly as she spoke,

"You wanted to know what I choose huh? Well I choose life, I choose winning! Dying is out of the question...I WILL NOT LOSE! "She began before fully drawing the deadly sharp blade, "Han'ei shite iru! ZANGETSU!" the sword sang as it cut through the air cleanly. Completely slicing the hollow in half from head to toe. It disintegrated as she sheathed the blade, flinging any and all blood in one fluid movement. She released a breath she had no idea she was about to speak, Ichigo turning to face her when her body went rigid. Ichigo collapsed, physically and spiritually spent.

Toshiro, though injured, was about to leap out to catch her, when a flash of pink appeared behind Ichigo. Along with several other flashes of white. He looked around himself, shocked. Kaien got to his knees slowly, looking up as a hand grabbed him under his arm. It was Captain Ukitake, his boss. He gave a gentle smile as Kaien looked around. Nearly all the captains and vice captains of the Gotei 13 were present. Including, and to his slight horror, the Captain Commander, Genryūsai. He wasn't sure if this was good or bad. He looked back toward Ichigo, in slight concern for the girl's safety, only to see Captain Kyoraku holding her securely in his arms. He sighed, relieved that she was still alive, if only for a few more moments. Captain Unohana walked up to Toshiro, Rukia, and himself.

"Are you three alright? That hollow was stronger then we all expected..." She gave a gentle smile, everyone knowing that it wasn't really all that gentle at all. There were at least six captains not counting the downed Toshiro, and five vice-captains, not including him. Captain Kyoraku spoke up,

"I highly doubt that the hollow had a chance to cause any real damage to the three. This little girl seems to have made sure of that!" He gave an amused grin, gesturing slightly to the unconscious girl in his arms. Nanao, his vice-captain, slapped him upside the head for his behavior. Kyoraku just laughed it off. Suddenly everyone turned their attention to Captain-Commander Genryūsai, as he spoke,

"Captain Kurotsuchi...your analysis on the girls abilities?" he wasn't asking, and everyone knew that. A pasty, strange looking man slowly approached Kyoraku. He squinted his eyes at Ichigo,

"She's definitely human. But she's got an abnormal amount of reiatsu. Nearly the level of a trained captain. Heck, it almost dwarfs Kenpachi's in comparison, but almost. She seems to have portions of shinigami powers mixed in, which are now spreading quickly throughout her reiatsu..." he seemed to be trying to come up with a simpler way of explaining it, "The girl's becoming a shinigami. Most likely, she was already becoming one, but at a more slow pace then now. The hollow just triggered a sudden surge in the progress, quickening the process. I'd give her a day at the most to complete the transformation." Genryūsai nodded at the explanation as he contemplated what to do with the girl.

She was powerful, able to cut a single hollow cleanly in half in under a second, and having just awoken to her powers, able to summon her zanpakuto, and even knew its name. He could probably seal her powers, if by just a bit. He couldn't kill her, she was just a child. Ukitake spoke up, hoping to keep anything bad happening to the girl, and trying to keep Mayuri, who was probably already planning on dissecting the girl, as far away from her as possible.

"Why don't we bring her back to Seireitei? Mayuri said that she had at the most, a day before she was a full shinigami. Maybe not even that much! She would fair far better in Seireitei and under one of the captain's watch. She might even be of some use. She's definitely more knowledgeable about the human would then anybody here except maybe Hitsugaya-san! If it makes it easier, I or Kyoraku will take her in." he said, receiving a nod of agreement from Kyoraku. Mayuri Kurotsuchi, who was still examining the girl, seemed to take notice of something, and spoke up suddenly.

"That may be the better idea actually. As I don't think it's possible to seal her powers, let alone kill her. She's got too much reiatsu to seal into her body. And her reiatsu won't allow you to even harm her." They all looked at him in confusion, expecting him to explain,

"What do you mean her reiatsu won't let us kill her?" It was Tosen, a blind man with dark skin, who spoke up. He looked at the girl in concern for her fate. She was so young, and to be ripped from her life was a cruel thing to do, of course he didn't want to kill her either. But it was sounding more and more like taking her back with them was the best and safest idea right now. A man with a cheshire grin nodded his head, Captain Gin Ichimaru,

"Yeh, what d'ya mean, Mayuri?" he also questioned, giving a discreet wary glance at the calm man beside him, Captain Aizen. The crazy scientist straitened before answering,

"It's a really peculiar ability, but it seems that her reiatsu reflect the surrounding environment...here let me show you." he brought out a scalpel from his sleeve, and lowered it swiftly onto Ichigo's arm. They were worried, and several panicked, but to their relief and utter amazement. The scalpel snapped in two, the sharp end flying off somewhere as her arm glowed with reiatsu. To them, it looked like it had been reflected off by a protective mirror. "See?" he gave an insane grin. Genryūsai nodded again in understanding. Before giving a wave of his arm.

"Kyoraku, hand the girl over to Unohana. We're taking her back with us." The man nodded in confirmation as he gently put the girl in Unohana's arms. A sliding paper door appeared before them, and opened. With help for Toshiro and Kaien, they all left the world of the living, taking the 12 year old Ichigo Kurosaki with them...

Episode 2: Shock of Change and Sleepy Nights

Inside the Seireitei HQ-

The Captain-Commander sat at the head of a low, extremely lengthy, wooden table. The other captains of the Gotei 13 were sitting to either his left or right, numbering from one-six on his left, and seven through 12 on his right. He observed all of them, as he silently contemplated on where to place the girl that they had found a week ago in the human world. She had long since, according to Mayuri, completed the transformation from human to a full-fledged shinigami. According to Unohana, the girl hadn't stirred though, not even a bit. Toshiro had told him that the girl's name was Ichigo Kurosaki, Rukia contributing to it by adding that friends and family called her Shiro-Shiro in the human world.

He needed to figure out who she would be more comfortable with. He didn't count himself as the girl needed to be watched over carefully, and he was too busy with the affairs of the Gotei 13 and all of Seireitei. Soifon was far too serious, there was Gin but he might be a bad influence. He carried on through the list of names until he reached the last of them. He had settled on the 8th 10th and 13th squads. After some more debating in his mind, he finally settled on the squad he would put in charge of her. Unohana, seeing that he was finished sorting out his thoughts, asked,

"Captain-Commander...I'm sorry, but why have we been assembled here. The girl, Ichigo, may wake up at some point, and I need to be there to make sure she doesn't become traumatized by the sudden change of environment." Her voice filled with worry at the girl's mental health, which was already somewhat unstable from what she had gotten concerning her background in the human world. Her mother had died when she was four, the circumstances clearly signaled a hollows involvement as the mother's body was found lying protectively over top her, but the girl most likely blamed herself. Unohana really just wanted to make sure she wouldn't wreck anything or go into shock over it.

"Do not worry yourself Unohana. This meeting will be short, and it concerns the young girl in question anyway." he spoke to her reassuringly. His eyes opening slightly as he gave her a gentle, almost fatherly expression. She sighed, attempting to calm herself down so she could hear what their leader had to say. The others quickly became alert at this news. He began, "I have been contemplating on where to place the girl, who should watch over her, and who can properly train her in the ways of the shinigami." he waited a moment thinking about how he was going to word his next sentence. "I decided that it would probably be more comfortable, and easier to handle if she were put under the care of someone she was familiar with. This meant that only two squads were qualified to take care of her. I would have picked Squad 13, but I think it would be better to put her with someone who is closer, in appearance at least, to her own age. So I have decided on Squad 10. Squad 13's vice-captain will be helping of course, along with Rukia Kuchiki. Unohana will oversee the girl's physical care. Personally." she nodded, not needing to be told as she had already planned on that. Toshiro looked concerned, but didn't object, not wanting to anger the old man who was hundreds of times older than he. He waved his hand in the air, signaling that they were all dismissed. Unohana took Toshiro's arm and motioned to follow her. He gave a tentative nod, flash stepping off after her.

4th Squad Medical Barracks (Seireitei Hospital)-

Unohana and Toshiro flash stepped into view at the door to the Medical Barracks, when Hanataro, Unohana's fifth seat. He was a nervous, shy boy, but worked hard to earn his place in the squad, even when the others picked on him. He seemed unusually frazzled as he stopped, slumped over in front of the two captains,

"What's the matter Hanataro-san? You seem quite frazzled-" she was interrupted when she heard a boom echo throughout the barracks, and possibly the whole Seireitei. Hanataro looked back toward the barracks before answering,

"Uh...Ichigo-san's awake. But some injured 11th squad members may have pissed her off..." he went silent as another loud bang resounded, followed shortly by two burly men getting flung through the wall. The trio sweat dropped at the sight, as a huge hole was now apparent in the wall. Ichigo appeared, her long hair up in a ponytail, only barely managing to keep her from tripping over it, and dressed in a pure white yukata. She glared at the unconscious men laying sprawled out in front of her, before kicking in the side. She then walked around them after hearing a satisfying grunt from the downed men, and walked over their limp bodies. She strolled nonchalantly up to the trio. Immediately stopping by Toshiro's side. She looked over the three before speaking,

"Yo! I have no idea what's going on, or where I am...but thanks for helping me and my family. Now can I ask a question?" Unohana nodded. Ichigo gave an innocent smile, before completely snapping at her,

"Okay...THEN WHERE THE HECK AM I!" Unohana flinched slightly while Toshiro winced at the volume of her voice. He took three steps to the side, a small attempt to keep from having the girl shatter his ear drums. Unohana blinked slightly, before replying.

"You are in Seireitei. We brought you here under orders of our superior, the Captain-Commander, for medical care. You've been unconscious for a week now. Do you remember what happened?" she spoke with a calm voice, giving her a gentle expression. Ichigo glared at her some more before answering,

"I remember that this girl Rukia, came into my room and explained a bunch of stuff concerning hollows, shinigami, and Seireitei...I also remember her contacting this guy-" she jabbed a thumb at Toshiro, causing said boy to growl at the girl's rudeness, "-and how he brought another guy with him. I also remember the hollow attacking, and that I heard a voice right before it hit me..." The two captains blinked at this...

"What do you mean by voice, what did it say?" Ichigo thought for a moment, trying to remember what it asked her, she perked slightly as that part of her memory returned,

"It asked me if I wanted to win, to live, or to lose and die. I said I wanted to win." Unohana looked slightly shocked at this, while Toshiro kept a stoic expression, both were surprised by this though. It was the first time they had heard of a zanpakuto talking like that. They all had different personalities, some were exactly like their wielders. Others were the exact opposite. But this was the first time they had ever gotten world of a zanpakuto asking questions like that. It sounded almost like a test or challenge of some sort, like the zanpakuto was testing it's wielder.

Ichigo watched the two closely before speaking up,

"He likes to test and challenge others. He's very fond of riddles, tests, puzzles, anything really that requires a lot of effort. Challenges would be putting it simple." They both blinked at her. How had she known about their thoughts. She gave them a cheshire grin that would have made Gin jealous before elaborating, "I saw him while I was sleeping. He said that I was kinda like a mirror, but not really. I reflect what is around me, not what I am. He said I was like a challenge, a sort of treasure hunt. And that even in plain sight I am difficult to find. He says that I sometimes reflect his personality and not my own." (1) They nodded in understanding. Toshiro thought that it fit her perfectly. As in the short time he had known her, he noticed that she sometimes acted far older then she really was.

She acted like a grown adult, having seen more about this world then they cared to admit. She also seemed to like puzzles and riddles, as he had noticed when he looked at her room. It had had shelves full of books about riddles, and puzzle pieces were strewn about in the corners of her room. There was a puzzle on her desk that hadn't been completed yet. She obviously liked a good challenge.

Ichigo watched for a minute before turning to Unohana,

"So when can I go home?" she asked. Unohana hesitated in her answer, "I can go home can't I?" Ichigo asked. Unohana looked her dead in the eye before responding,

"I'm sorry, but under the Captain-Commander's orders and for your and your family's own safety, it has been decided that you will stay here, only to go back to the human world for missions when it is deemed that you are ready, and if you decide to become a shinigami. You will be staying with Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya from now on at Squad 10's barracks. Again, I'm very sorry." Ichigo's eyes widened as she collapsed onto her knees, not fully hitting the ground as Toshiro caught her.

"No, it can't be...BUT THAT'S NOT FAIR! WHAT ABOUT MY FAMILY? THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW I'M HERE DO THEY?" she yelled out, completely in shock at this turn of events. Her whole life had been turned upside down, and she hadn't even been awake very long. Toshiro pulled her back slightly as she broke down crying, trying to sooth her somewhat by gently patting the back of her head, her face in her hands as she sobbed helplessly.

"I'm sorry, but they don't even remember you. To make sure nobody would go looking for you and there wouldn't be an incident, we erased the memories of everybody that knew you back in the world of the living. Even if we were to send you back, nobody would recognize you." she reached her hand out to comfort the girl, only to have Ichigo swat her hand away as her sobbing got worse. She shook furiously, not wanting to accept how her whole life could just be taken from her like that.

Toshiro's grip on her tightened, closing his eyes as he now got a full grip on why the Captain-Commander had picked him. She needed someone her own age, or as close to it as possible, someone who could understand what she was going through when she found out that she couldn't go home anymore once she woke up. That this place, that was completely and unfamiliar, was her new home. He sighed, before gently pulling the girl to her feet and guiding her away, he only barely noticed it when Unohana told him to bring her back later when she was calmer. He gave a slight nod, wondering if he could truly handle this.

Several Hours Later inside Toshiro's office at 10th Squad Barracks-

Ichigo had long since fallen silent, her sobbing subsiding into the occasional tremble of her body. Toshiro sat a little ways away, knowing that pale girl needed her space. He had come in with food and a change of clothes for her an hour ago, guiding her to the baths so she could properly clean herself up. She now sat blackly on the sofa in his office, starring forlornly at the floor as if that would grant her wish to go home. Toshiro sighed for what was probably the hundredth time today, before speaking up,

"You know if I knew you were gonna be such a crybaby, I would have brought a teddy bear and a blanky." he said, sarcasm heavy in his voice as he teased her in an attempt to cheer her up. Ichigo raised her tired eyes in a half-hearted glare, giving a small sniff, before she spoke up,

"Yeah right!" she gave a smirk as an idea came into her head, "Shiro-chan!" she said playfully, some of her former cheeriness coming back into her features. Toshiro tched at her before snapping,

"IT"S CAPTAIN HITSUGAYA! NOT SHIRO-CHAN!" he yelled at her, calming down when he saw her break into a fit of laughter at his reaction. Glad to see color come back into her complexion as she continued to laugh hysterically.

Ichigo sat back up as she finally calmed down. She seemed to be thinking for a moment,

"Hey Toshiro...Thanks for putting up with me like that. You're actually the first person who kept his distance when I got like that, all the others got to close and just made me angry." she told him. This surprised Toshiro somewhat. Had none of her friends not known how to handle her properly. She wasn't like most kids her age, very similar to him in that particular trait, and Toshiro, seeing that small similarity, figured that like him, she didn't want people near her when she was upset and near or already in tears. He remembered that it had taken a while for his childhood friend, and sister-figure, Momo, to figure that out, three years in fact.

Toshiro scratched the back of his neck before answering her,

"Yeah sure...You're welcome." he looked at the ceiling somewhat before looking at her again, "You can call me Toshiro if you want, but no Shiro-chan! Got that?" He got a nod and giggle in response. Ichigo looked at him before getting up, and suddenly plopping herself down right next to him. Surprising Toshiro, she didn't give him a chance to complain as she spoke up,

"Fine, and you can call me Shiro-Shiro!" she gave him a grin, before commencing to stare at the ceiling vacantly. Toshiro gave her a nod, before looking toward the clock. It was late he realized, and he should probably get her to bed.

"It's time for bed, c'mon. I'll show you your room." He got up, motioning for Ichigo to follow as he walked out of his office.

Around midnight at Toshiro's room-

Toshiro was fast asleep when a knock on the door woke him up. He grumbled irritably as the knocking persisted, before tossing the covers of his futon off and somewhat stomping groggily over to the door.

"Wh-" he almost shouted out, but stopped himself when he saw who it was. Ichigo was standing in a light-blue night yukata, a pillow tucked under her arms. Her long hair was a complete mess, and she looked tired. The young girl shuffled slightly in front of him before speaking up, her voice abnormally quite,

"Um...Shi-I mean Toshiro, I can't sleep. Can...Can I stay with you for tonight?" she shuffled around some more, moving the pillow in her arms. Toshiro's gaze softened as he watched her silently for a while, before he responded,

"Fine...but only for tonight! Now c'mon in." he rubbed the back of his neck, motioning for Ichigo to enter, seeing her perk up slightly at his answer. She quickly, but quietly scurried into his room, looking about curiously, before speaking.

"You're room looks kinda pretty..." she said, shocking Toshiro with how she could see, the room was almost pitch-black, and Toshiro was just used to it. She saw his expression and quickly explained, "I've always been able to see a little better than most people. My dad said it was because I had the eyes of an owl. Mom just said that I was designed to work with the moon." (2) She quickly sobered at the mention of her family. Toshiro, not wanting her to feel bad again, quickly got into bed, gently pulling her along.

"Goodnight" he said before settling down. She nodded in confirmation, laying her head down on the pillow she had brought with her.

After an hour had passed, Ichigo spoke, feeling a little lonely still,

"Hey Toshiro, you still awake?" He nodded slightly giving a grumble as a response. He turned to face her, having had his back toward her beforehand.

"Yeh, wha is eh?" his sentence was slurred from exhaustion, Ichigo realized,

"Well...You know how you hate to be called Shiro-chan?" she asked him, he gave a tired nod, close to falling asleep. She gave him a gentle smile before speaking up again, "Well I don't think you have you have to worry about that anymore though." This cause Toshiro to straighten up slightly, he looked at her weirdly,

"What do you mean?" she gave him another cheshire grin like earlier.

"Because! If your Shiro-chan and I'm Shiro-Shiro! That can't call the both of us Shiro, right? That would just be confusing!" she elaborated. Toshiro thought about this for a moment, before giving a short chuckle as he realized she was right.

"Yeah, your right about that one!" he said laying his head on the pillow again. Ichigo smiled as she layed her head down as well. Slowly the two drifted off to sleep. All the while Toshiro thought; 'Hm, maybe this won't be so bad after all!'