Well, just had my Med interview today, so why not mark the occasion with a new Bleach story? In any case, I do have most of the story planned out, so I can safely say, that for at least a good ten chapters or so, there is going to be zero action. There will be a lot of relationship building and self-exploration, before I move into that stuff. That will be good for Candice and Bambietta, given that they don't have a great deal going for them in the manga, so I can start to put a few of my ideas in and expand on what is given in canon. It will also help me show how Ichigo is influenced, slowly over time by the duo and his own thoughts, which we got very little of in canon, given that they just time skipped, meaning we only saw how he acted seventeen months later.
Not much else to say, other than check out my other Bleach story if you haven't already and just enjoy the story.
SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan.

Disclaimer – I don't own anything from the Bleach anime/manga. All I own are my original characters and plot twists.

'Talking'

"Thinking"

'Hollow, Inner Hollow or Zanpakutou talking'

"Hollow, Inner Hollow or Zanpakutou thinking"

*expression*

Flashback

Chapter 1 – The Preemptive Strike

Yhwach was many things. Leader of the Quincy. The progenitor of their race, with his blood flowing through each and every Quincy alive today. Yhwach was also one of the only people able to match Genryuusai Shigekuni Yamamoto in his prime. Yhwach was many things, including nigh-omniscient, able to see anything from the present to the far-flung future. Yhwach was all this and more. He also hated infighting. More than anything though, Yhwach loved his people. For this reason, hearing about the death of another Soldat, caused him to frown on his throne. He truly loved his people, but some were too reckless. It was then, that Yhwach decided to try a double-or-nothing tactic. He knew what the future would bring in just over a year and a half, he was omniscient after all. For this reason, he had called in Sternritter E and had decided that since she would die soon enough, he may as well try and secure his victory with a gambit. Truly, there was no downside. Should Sternritter E fail, there would be no consequence, his plans would still occur as always and succeed in the same way. However, it never hurt to strike early.

From his position on his throne, Yhwach gazed upon Sternritter E, Bambietta Basterbine, as she entered the throne room. Truly, her recreational habits were getting out of hand. Bambietta was a slender young girl with long, straight hair. Her attire was a variation of the Sternritter's typical white uniform, consisting of the order's signature hooded-cloak, a thigh-length trench coat, knee-high boots, a miniskirt, and black stockings. She wore a heart-shaped belt buckle and a white cap, which featured a black peak and the Wandenreich insignia, a modified form of the Quincy Zeichen, which itself was a five pointed cross, emblazoned on its front.

As she knelt in front of him, Yhwach hesitated for a moment in giving her this task. She had always shown exemplary skill in carrying out her duties… but she had a tendency to get frustrated easily and her revealing their existence to Soul Society prematurely, would not be good at all. With this in mind, Yhwach tweaked the parameters of this mission in his mind, before speaking.

'Sternritter E, I have a mission for you.' Begun Yhwach, causing Bambietta to look up at him.

'As you know, Special War Power, Ichigo Kurosaki, has recently lost his powers to defeat one of the other Special War Powers, Sosuke Aizen.' Continued Yhwach, getting a small nod from his subordinate.

'Your mission, is to watch Ichigo Kurosaki and attempt to sway him to our cause.' Said Yhwach, which caused Bambietta's eyes to widen in surprise.

'I trust you understand the magnitude of this mission now?' Questioned Yhwach rhetorically, but Bambietta nodded nonetheless.

'You are not to tell him anything of the Auswählen. You are not to reveal yourself as a Sternritter to anyone. Also, no matter what, you are not to kill Ichigo Kurosaki, nor are you allowed to let him die. His role will be indispensable for our victory.' Explained Yhwach.

Bambietta nodded at this, with a solemn expression on her face.

'You will have eighteen months to carry out this mission. It must be completed by then.' Continued Yhwach, to which Bambietta nodded again.

'Lastly, I wish for you to take one other Sternritter with you. You will carry out this mission together. I will allow you to choose, however, choose wisely.' Said Yhwach.

Bambietta nodded once more.

'Very well, you may leave now, Sternritter E, go forth and bring victory to the Wandenreich.' Declared Yhwach, and with a quick bow, Bambietta left.

-line break-

Bambietta was a rather smart girl. It was not lost on her that this mission was a huge responsibility and that failure would not be an option; not that it ever was for her. The dark haired Quincy walked back to her quarters at a brisk pace. Truthfully, she was excited, but also nervous. The weight of this mission was not lost on her. As she thought about who to bring with her, she immediately ruled out most Quincy. A mission such as this needed to be dealt with carefully, but she also needed power on her side. That being said, the power needed to be discreet, to pass in the human world and thus, she made her choice. Entering her private quarters, Bambietta waited, knowing that her fellow female Sternritters would be arriving shortly. As if on cue, four women entered her room.

'Well Bambi, what was that about?' Asked Giselle Gewelle, a girl with blue eyes and long, black hair extending down to her lower back, with two strands sticking up like antennae.

'Probably because of all the Soldats you've killed this week.' Commented Candice Catnipp, a tall and well-endowed woman, with long, green hair and blue eyes.

'You do make one hell of a mess, you slut.' Added a petite young girl, with chin-length blonde hair and purple eyes, named Liltotto Lamperd.

'You could at least do it outside after all.' Remarked the fourth girl, Meninas McAllon, a tall and well-endowed girl of slender build with light pink hair and green eyes.

'Can you four shut up for a second?' Ordered Bambietta quietly.

'What's wrong?' Asked Candice.

'His Majesty gave me a mission, a very important one.' Said Bambietta calmly.

'Really Bambi, what is it?' Asked Giselle, with a goofy smile.

'To try and sway one of the Special War Powers to our side.' Said Bambietta, surprising the other four.

'Really? You?' Asked Liltotto, with disbelief in her tone.

'What's that supposed to mean?' Growled Bambietta.

'Well, most of the Special War Powers are men… and you have a habit of killing them.' Said Liltotto, with a mocking smile.

'That isn't an option this time. His Majesty didn't say it, but I'm pretty sure if he dies, I'm next.' Said Bambietta calmly.

The four of them looked at her in surprise at this.

'You seem strangely calm about this.' Commented Meninas.

'While failure will cost us very much, if we succeed, our victory is more or less achieved.' Explained Bambietta.

'Why are you saying we? Isn't this your mission?' Asked Candice.

'Actually, it will be yours too, Candi.' Said Bambietta.

'What?' Asked Candice in surprise.

'His Majesty said I need to take someone with me as well… probably so I don't accidentally kill him.' Muttered Bambietta.

'Why Candi though? The both of you have big tempers and will probably double team this guy and kill him anyway.' Teased Giselle.

Candice was about to retort, before Bambietta beat her to the punch.

'If he dies, so will we, and we just might lose the war, from the way His Majesty was talking.' Said Bambietta.

'Seriously, who is it then?' Asked Candice in surprise.

-line break-

Ichigo Kurosaki groaned as he sat up in bed, his sheets dropping down to his lap. Ichigo had woken up a week ago, after his battle with Sosuke Aizen and with that, all of his powers had vanished. He couldn't see spirits anymore. It was something Ichigo had wanted for years, to be normal… but now, it didn't satisfy him. It was bad enough that he could no longer see Rukia or Renji, people who had become important friends to him. If he was only losing them, while painful, Ichigo would have managed. The problem though, was that he had dragged his friends and his family into this as well, due to his wildly uncontrolled power.

Over the last few months, Ichigo had caused Orihime and Chad to manifest powers, made his friends Tatsuki, Mizuiro and Keigo spiritually aware. On multiple occasions he had put Karin and Yuzu at risk, and to make matters worse, although Karin tried to hide it, Ichigo was starting to get the distinct feeling, that she was being accosted by more and more spirits. She had always been able to see them like he had, but now, with him out of action, it appeared that they gravitated to Karin now… who just like he had previously, wanted nothing to do with them.

Getting out of bed, Ichigo made his way downstairs. It had been a few days now since his friends had come around. He knew they were most likely busy with spirits. Even his father, Isshin Kurosaki, a man with very little tact, had not yet taken to his previously childish behaviour of attacking Ichigo and giving him morning wake-up calls.

Yuzu was just as kind as ever, nothing ever really seemed to faze her and Ichigo couldn't help but admire that about her. Truly, with the passing of their mother, Yuzu had stepped into the role very well, despite not even being a teenager at the time.

Ichigo quickly had a small breakfast and went back upstairs, changed his clothes, now donning a black short sleeved shirt, blue jeans and a purple jacket, before heading downstairs again, putting on his sneakers, and going outside. Ichigo casually walked around Karakura, noticing that the sky was cloudy and looked as though it may rain soon. Ichigo didn't mind this fact at all, in fact, it was fitting, especially given where his feet had just carried him. The body of water he now stood next to, was one he would never forget. How could he? His mother had died here after all.

Ichigo sat down on the grass, legs outstretched and palms behind him, facing away from him, keeping him upright. Looking up at the sky, Ichigo couldn't help but see his mother's smiling visage. Ichigo wasn't ashamed to admit it, Ichigo Kurosaki was a mama's boy. For that reason, losing her hurt. Believing he was the reason she died, hurt even more. Knowing that Grand Fisher had consumed her soul, was unbearable. Not knowing where she was now… gripped his heart with fingers of ice, slowly constricting until his heart burst.

Ichigo had lost count over how many times he had given thought, to what would have happened, had he not fallen for Grand Fisher's lure. Shaking his head in exasperation, Ichigo knew it was pointless. He had later found out that Grand Fisher had been taken down by his own father, which, in a sense, Ichigo found oddly appropriate. That Isshin Kurosaki was the one who freed his wife from eternal torment was fitting. Staying there for almost an hour, contemplating his life up to this point, oblivious to the outside world, Ichigo was startled seeing someone sitting next to him. At first, he thought it was Rukia, but then slowly noticed the differences between his short friend and the stranger sitting next to him. For one thing, the girl next to him had much longer hair than Rukia and had a more slender frame as opposed to Rukia's petite one.

Perplexed that a stranger was sitting next to him, Ichigo didn't know how to react. Sure, he had killed masked monsters, seen the afterlife and Shinigami, had friends who possessed supernatural powers and, at one point, he himself had turned into a monster of frightening proportions… but that had left his ability to deal with strangers, much less human, non-spiritually aware humans at that, rather poor, outside of violence and sarcasm. Unsure of what to do, Ichigo merely ignored the person sitting less than a metre away from him and turned his gaze back to the sky.

-line break-

'Ichigo Kurosaki is the one we are going after.' Said Bambietta plainly to Candice, after the two of them had arrived at Karakura town.

The two had changed, from their Quincy attire, to somewhat more regular clothes. Both had obviously ditched their caps and Bambietta her cloak. That being said, the style of their respective attires had not changed at all, merely the clothing making it up had changed. Bambietta still wore knee-high boots, a miniskirt, and black stockings, along with her white gloves, but her shirt was now a short sleeved brown one, which matched her eyes.

Candice still wore obscenely short, white shorts, with a black belt, just under knee high white socks and ankle length shoes. Instead of her normal jacket though, she had switched it out for a short, low cut green crop top, the same shade as her hair, which still showed plenty of cleavage and barred her midriff.

'Hmm, don't know why you couldn't tell the other three that.' Said Candice.

'No one can interfere, this mission is of the utmost importance, that's why.' Explained Bambietta, as the two slowly walked through town, heading to their new residence.

'Why me anyway?' Asked Candice curiously.

'We can't bring attention to ourselves, His Majesty made it clear that no one is to find out about our mission, not even the other Quincy that live here.' Answered Bambietta.

'And you choose me because?' Persisted Candice.

'Giselle was obviously not an option, a little bit of blood and she loses it. Liltotto, while reasonable, has a rather noticeable power… plus she's annoying and might make me blow something up.' Said Bambietta, with a small scowl.

'Why not Meni?' Asked Candice.

'True, she is rather controlled, but one slip and we are done for, her power isn't exactly inconspicuous.' Intoned Bambietta.

'And mine is?' Asked Candice, with a quirked eyebrow.

'At the very least, unless someone sees you launch an attack at someone, it could be passed off as the weather, mine can be passed off as an accident. Of course, that's only if we lose control anyway, I highly doubt we will need to use those powers at all during this mission.' Explained Bambietta, as the two continued walking, reaching a somewhat quieter street.

'I think I see a flaw here. Don't you and I both have pretty short tempers?' Queried Candice.

'Yeah, so I suggest both of us be extra careful.' Said Bambietta sternly.

'Alright, alright Bambi, I was just getting a better read of the situation is all.' Said Candice, trying to placate her fellow Sternritter.

Bambietta gave a small scoff, before noticing something on the edge of her vision: orange hair. Bambietta stopped in place, with Candice following suit right after, when she noticed Bambietta staring at their target.

'Candi, keep heading to our destination and make sure the Soldats have set up the house, I'm going to try something now.' Ordered Bambietta.

'Alright… just don't blow him up… you know, that would be bad.' Teased Candice, but there was a hint of worry in her tone.

Bambietta turned and gave Candice a wry grin, with an amused expression.

'I'll try.' Said Bambietta dryly.

As Candice continued on her way, Bambietta focused her attention on the possible threat to the Wandenreich. He didn't look particularly remarkable, although, then again, neither did she, and she had the power to blow things up with a mere thought. He was simply looking at the sky, seemingly deep in thought.

Bambietta walked over to him and sat down next to him, not minding the feel of the grass against her bottom, inwardly thankful it wasn't wet. She pulled her knees up to her chest, resting her head against it and merely looked out at the lake. Before Bambietta knew it, she had also become, seemingly lost in thought. It was starting to set in now, the actual magnitude of her mission. Not just her life, nor Candice's life were at stake. If word reached Soul Society about more Quincy appearing, things could turn disastrous for them all.

The two of them sat there in silence for a good fifteen minutes, each lost in their thoughts, before one of them broke the silence.

'Not to sound rude or anything… but who are you?' Asked Ichigo curiously, with only a little apprehension of the possibility that she may be a deranged psychopath.

'Well, considering I was the one who more or less intruded, I suppose I should introduce myself first.' Said Bambietta airily.

'Bambietta Basterbine.' Said Bambietta.

'That a… unique name.' Commented Ichigo cautiously.

'I know, its long and strange, my friends call me Bambi.' Added Bambietta dryly.

'Ah, well I'm Ichigo Kurosaki, nice to meet you I suppose.' Said Ichigo, causing Bambietta to raise an eyebrow.

'You suppose? Is there something about me that offends you?' Asked Bambietta curiously.

'Well, when a stranger just randomly sits rather close to you, you kind of get a little anxious.' Retorted Ichigo.

'Hmm, point taken I suppose. If it eases your mind, I'm not a crazed lunatic.' Said Bambietta mockingly.

Ichigo scowled at her taunt, before responding.

'That's good to hear.' Said Ichigo dryly.

'Yeah, hopefully you aren't a deranged madman either, although, given your expression for the past few minutes, I'd say your normal enough.' Added Bambietta mockingly.

'What are you? A stalker?' Questioned Ichigo, with a blank gaze.

'I don't know much about stalking, but isn't the idea that you hide from whoever you stalk, not sit next to them and engage in conversation.' Teased Bambietta, with a small smirk.

'Sounds like you know more about stalking that you let on.' Commented Ichigo sarcastically.

'Oh please, don't flatter yourself, I'm just new to town and was walking around.' Said Bambietta, with a smirk, as she stood up.

'Do you need help getting around?' Asked Ichigo.

'Now look at who is acting like a stalker.' Teased Bambietta.

'My mother always told me it is good manners to accompany a girl if she is alone.' Retorted Ichigo flatly.

'Hmm, smart woman, I'd like to meet her one day.' Said Bambietta, before mentally cursing.

'She's dead.' Said Ichigo simply, which caused Bambietta to curse mentally again.

'Sorry.' Said Bambietta somewhat awkwardly.

'You didn't kill her, don't be.' Mumbled Ichigo, before standing up and walking away.

'So much for you manners.' Taunted Bambietta.

'What? I thought you declined.' Said Ichigo, as he looked over his shoulder.

'I never answered.' Said Bambietta, with a smirk.

'Well then?' Queried Ichigo.

'Thanks, I would appreciate the help.' Said Bambietta, still keeping her smirk.

'After you then.' Prompted Ichigo, as he waited for Bambietta to start walking, before falling in step next to her.

'So what are you here for?' Begun Ichigo.

'What's it to you?' Asked Bambietta carelessly.

'I was trying to make polite conversation.' Huffed Ichigo.

'Don't worry about that, if you want to talk, you should talk about yourself first, give before getting, that is a universal rule.' Said Bambietta.

'What am I supposed to say?' Asked Ichigo tiredly.

'Well, do you have any siblings?' Asked Bambietta.

'Didn't you say: you should talk about yourself first, give before getting, that is a universal rule?' Scoffed Ichigo.

'Hmm fair point… well to answer your question, I'm here with my… sister.' Said Bambietta, as the two walked along the footpath, which was surprisingly empty, possibly due to the cloudy weather.

'What's with the pause? Not sure she if she is your sister or not?' Asked Ichigo sarcastically.

'I can say with absolute certainty, that the blood that runs through our bodies, is definitely the same. I was just thinking about her, she is… unique, that's all.' Said Bambietta.

'I see.' Said Ichigo.

'And you? I told you about me, didn't I?' Questioned Bambietta rhetorically.

'I have two younger sisters.' Said Ichigo simply.

'Not a lot of information there.' Pointed out Bambietta.

'I said it was good manners to escort a lady on her own, I'm not going to tell you personal details. You are a stranger after all.' Retorted Ichigo.

'I suppose that's fair.' Conceded Bambietta, before the two fell into a somewhat comfortable silence.

As Bambietta continued to walk, Ichigo was growing increasingly interested when they entered his street.

'Ah here we are.' Said Bambietta, stopping in front of a house.

Ichigo stared at the building, eye twitching in exasperation.

'You are so a stalker.' Muttered Ichigo.

'Hmm, what makes you say that, neighbour?' Quipped Bambietta playfully.

Ichigo fixed her with an exasperated glare.

'Whatever, guess I'll go home then… even if it is right there.' Said Ichigo dryly.

'You could come in. Isn't it polite to welcome new neighbours to the neighbourhood?' Teased Bambietta.

'That's more Yuzu's thing.' Retorted Ichigo.

'So I guess Yuzu is the name of one of your sisters.' Intoned Bambietta victoriously.

'Well, since we're neighbours now… then yeah, Yuzu and Karin are the name of my sisters.' Said Ichigo.

'Candice is the name of mine for the record. Would you like to meet her? I'm pretty sure she should be there now.' Offered Bambietta, nodding in the direction of her new house.

Ichigo sighed and scratched the back of his head.

'Why not?' Acquiesced Ichigo and followed Bambietta's lead.

'Oi, Candi, open up, I'm here!' Shouted Bambietta, as she knocked loudly on the door.

'Sheesh Bambi, don't smash down the door, I'm here.' Said Candice, as she opened the door and looked at her "sister".

Candice then looked behind Bambietta and saw Ichigo Kurosaki standing there, looking somewhat disgruntled.

'Hmm, we've only been in town for a few hours and you already got a boyfriend, you work fast.' Commented Candice appraisingly.

Ichigo spluttered denials at this, with a small blush on his face… which may, or may not have been, compounded in magnitude, due to the excessive skin Candice was showing.

'Relax, he is as smooth as… well not smooth at all. He's our neighbour.' Said Bambietta, getting Ichigo to scowl.

'You're not exactly a great talker either you know, stalker.' Quipped Ichigo.

'How cute, he even gave you a nickname, although, I think Bambi is better than stalker.' Teased Candice.

'Whatever. Can we come in now?' Asked Bambietta apathetically.

'Go ahead, although, already taking him to your house sends a message you know?' Teased Candice.

'Relax.' Said Bambietta, as she brushed past Candice.

'Hmm, whatever you say.' Said Candice, closing the door once Ichigo had entered.

The house was simple enough, exactly what you would expect in a suburban house. White walls, wooden chairs and soft beige coloured couches. The place itself was rather Spartan, although, that could have been due to the fact that they had only moved in recently. As expected, there was a television set in the living room and stairs leading to a second floor.

'Well, you may as well sit down, I'll go make tea or something.' Said Bambietta airily, as she waved Ichigo towards the living room.

Ichigo awkwardly made his way over to the three seater couch and plopped himself down in the middle. Ichigo looked to his left and noticed a small lamp set on a coffee table. With a small exhale he then turned to his right and recoiled at seeing a pair of blue eyes, staring at him rather intently.

'W-what is it?' Asked a flustered Ichigo, as Candice leaned forward slightly, giving him a scrutinising glance.

'Hmm at first glance, I would have thought you were a tough guy, but it looks like that is just a front, for your rather shy personality.' Teased Candice, as she leaned forward, knowingly showing Ichigo more of her cleavage.

Ichigo blushed hotly and looked away, finding the lamp suddenly very interesting.

'Aw, you're so cute. Such a prude. You can't even look at me.' Crooned Candice happily.

Ichigo kept silent, unwilling to speak lest he embarrass himself.

'Fine, fine I'll give you some space.' Said Candice, before standing up.

Ichigo felt the weight on the sofa shift and turned his gaze forward, only to find Candice sitting on the one seater couch in front of him, legs draped over the arm rest, as her back rested on the other. Ichigo managed to maintain his composure for all of five seconds as Candice carelessly swung her legs around over the armrest, which drew Ichigo's gaze to the ample amount of flesh she was exposing. Snapping out of it after a few seconds her turned to face Candice who was smirking at him.

'You might be a prude, but at least I know you aren't batting for the other team, that'd be such a waste of a cutie like you.' Purred Candice, which caused Ichigo to blush hotly.

Candice snickered slightly, before Bambietta returned with tea.

'Stop teasing him Candice, or he just might live up to his namesake and turn into a strawberry.' Said Bambietta mockingly.

'My name doesn't mean strawberry. It means to protect one thing.' Said Ichigo, through grit teeth.

'If I leave you to Candice, you're going to need protection.' Said Bambietta, with a smirk, which caused Ichigo to turn away with a blush.

Bambietta set the tea down, on the large coffee table in the middle of the room and sat where Candice had been previously. Candice stayed where she was, but took a somewhat more dignified position, sitting on the chair normally, with the exception of her resting her right foot, on her left knee.

'So, now that we're neighbours, would it be rude to ask why you came here?' Asked Ichigo curiously.

'Hmm, I suppose not. Our father wanted us to come here and enjoy ourselves and maybe meet someone nice.' Said Bambietta cheerfully.

'That's a really vague response.' Commented Ichigo dryly.

'Well, I'm allowed to be as vague as I want, I'm not asking you about your life story.' Retorted Bambietta.

'Now that's a story.' Mumbled Ichigo.

'Hmm, what was that, you need to speak up, I'm over here?' Asked Candice teasingly.

'Okay, yeah, I'll tell you my story. Do you believe in ghosts, like really believe in them?' Asked Ichigo mockingly.

'Yep.' They both answered, causing Ichigo to quirk an eyebrow in surprise.

'Oookay. Well how about this then, I spent the past few months of my life fighting imaginary creatures that eat the souls of people and I used a sword to do so.' Continued Ichigo dryly.

'Well, if that's what you want to do.' Replied Candice nonchalantly.

'Yeah, for all you know, we could be superhuman, with the powers to shoot lightning at people, or blow things up like magic.' Added Bambietta.

'You guys are mocking me now aren't you?' Questioned Ichigo sourly.

'Girls actually, and how is this any different to what you just said?' Quipped Bambietta.

'Fair enough… although, I have to ask, are you guys really sisters? You both don't look very much alike.' Questioned Ichigo, as he grabbed the tea set for him and sipped it.

'What makes you say that?' Asked Candice.

'You have green hair and blue eyes and she has dark brown hair and brown eyes.' Said Ichigo bluntly.

'What, do your sisters both have brown eyes and orange hair?' Questioned Bambietta.

'…okay, that's fair I guess.' Conceded Ichigo.

'Still, to already know the colours of our hair and eyes, after only knowing us for a short time… well, that makes me wonder why you were so interested in what we look like.' Teased Candice, as she stood up and sat next to Ichigo.

'Well, green is a unique colour.' Said Ichigo pointedly.

'True, more importantly, what do you think of it? Hmm, does it suit me?' Asked Candice fairly seriously.

'It looks nice I suppose. It definitely makes you stand out… although in my experience, having a unique hair colour… has a habit of drawing the attention of… annoyances.' Said Ichigo honestly, before ending with a small scowl.

'That's fine. Bambi and I might not look tough, but anyone who tries to get close to us that we don't approve of… well, we'll take care of them.' Said Candice, with a smirk.

'I'm here aren't I? I mean, sure, I'm your neighbour, but you guys don't know anything about me.' Refuted Ichigo.

'I'd say we know plenty.' Said Bambietta, as she sipped on her tea, causing Ichigo to look at her.

'I knew you were a bloody stalker.' Said Ichigo, with a small scowl.

Candice laughed and Ichigo turned back to her… and couldn't help noticing how her chest heaved with the action. Candice noticed his gaze and stopped laughing, her face adopting a predatory smirk.

'Like something you see, Ichigo?' Teased Candice, slowly sliding towards Ichigo.

Ichigo tried to backpedal before feeling another body stop him in his tracks.

'Hmm, was that your plan Ichigo? Try and take advantage of two sisters. Is that some deep seated fantasy of yours? Did you really want two older, attractive sisters instead of two little ones?' Teased Bambietta.

Ichigo blushed hotly and practically leapt off the couch, making sure the coffee table was between him and the two new residents of Karakura.

'*cough* Thanks for your hospitality and welcome to the neighbourhood. I'm leaving now.' Said Ichigo quickly, before heading for the door, opening it and shutting it behind him quickly.

Bambietta and Candice didn't react for a second, before both burst out laughing.

'Oh man, this might just be really fun after all.' Said Candice cheerfully.

'Yeah, he is such a prude. I'd say you'll probably have the most fun with the way you dress. He'll turn into a strawberry if you get too close to him.' Agreed Bambietta, with an amused grin.

'Although, I didn't expect him to start talking about Hollows and Shinigami… but then again, I really didn't expect you to start telling him about us.' Continued Candice.

'Well, he thinks we are normal, so why not mess with him a little?' Laughed Bambietta.

'What do you think though?' Asked Candice seriously.

'I honestly think we can do this. It is a smart move, getting to know him first and having him get to know us. At the very least, he will trust us this way.' Said Bambietta seriously.

'Yeah, that's true.' Agreed Candice.

'We have eighteen months, so I say we use them wisely.' Added Bambietta thoughtfully.

Candice nodded in agreement and the two were silent for a moment.

'Plus, he is really fun to tease.' Said Candice, with a smirk.

'That he is, he is also a momma's boy from what I picked up and maybe he might have a sister complex… but I think that's reaching.' Added Bambietta.

'Whatever, we'll find out soon enough, sister.' Commented Candice, with a smirk.

'Well, it's not untrue.' Defended Bambietta.

'Yeah, but, if I have any say in the matter, I'll make sure he doesn't see me as a sister, not a hunk like that. Bonus if we get him to join us.' Said Candice, with a grin.

'Well, I saw him first and did talk with him, you just mostly teased him. I'd say I have the better shot here.' Pointed out Bambietta.

'Whatever, since he is the only guy around now, or more importantly, the only guy we care about in this town, I'm not going to let you hog him like all the Soldats. His face when he blushes just makes me so pleased. I wonder if I can actually make him a strawberry in eighteen months… or pop his.' Said Candice thoughtfully.

'Eh, pretty sure that's a cherry you're thinking off, but, I'm not letting you hog him either, this is my mission after all.' Interjected Bambietta.

'Well, as long as he comes to the Wandenreich, that's all the matters in the end.' Intoned Candice.

'That's right, for the Wandenreich and His Majesty.' Agreed Bambietta.

'Right, for the Wandenreich, His Majesty and that hilarious blush.' Amended Candice, to which she and Bambietta both smirked, before bursting out into laughter again.

Edit: I changed the eye colours of the female Sternritter to match the manga. Candice has blue eyes, Meninas has green and Liltotto has purple.