Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. Tite Kubo does. Any other references in this story belong to their respective owners. I only own the OC characters.

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The next day their mission began. However, Ichigo was the only one who was sent out to gather information from the village located only two miles from their quarters. Captain Hitsugaya had said that they needed information about the flux of reiatsu before coming into contact with it, since they didn't know what would happen if they did.

"Important assignment, my ass," Ichigo grumbled, as he trudged through the village. "I'm not some sort of errand boy."

He began asking the townsfolk for any information about the immense spiritual pressure, but either some were too scared, or they had no idea what he was talking about. Ichigo was about to call it quits, when he felt an odd spiritual pressure. It definitely wasn't a Soul Reaper or a Hollow, but he knew it was very close. Looking around, he was able to spot the person emitting the strange reiatsu. It was a figure standing in the shadows of the buildings of the village, with a hood drawn over their head. They appeared to be clad in tight, leather clothing, and leather boots donning their feet. And they were staring directly at Ichigo.

Without thinking, Ichigo moved towards the figure. When they realized that he was walking towards them, they turned around and began running. "Hey, stop!" he shouted chasing after them. The figure was as nimble as a cat, dodging all the debris left in the alleyways, leaving Ichigo just barely behind them. 'Damn, they're fast' Ichigo thought, as he barely dodged another pile of debris. "Slow down!," he shouted to the figure ahead of him. When they showed no indication of stopping, Ichigo flashstepped so that he was in front of the figure, facing them. He grabbed them by their shoulders. The figure was wearing a white tanktop underneath a leather jacket, leather pants, and long, black combat boots. Simple human clothes. It just didn't make any sense. "Stop running," Ichigo demanded in a rather harsh voice.

"Woah, man, I wasn't spying on you or anything. Your aura just surprised me." The figure's voice was oddly feminine.

"What?" Ichigo was baffled. What on earth was an aura? The figure drew back their hood to reveal the face of a young woman, sporting sparkling blue eyes, and long, golden-brown hair tied back in a high ponytail. However, her facial features looked foreign. 'An American?' Ichigo thought.

When the woman's face was completely revealed, she spoke. "You know, your aura. It's very strong. It almost hurts my eyes looking at it, it's so bright."

Something was very strange about this woman. She wasn't a Soul Reaper or any type of Hollow creature, yet her strange spiritual pressure was very powerful, almost rivaling his. And she didn't do anything to hide it either. "Who are you?" Ichigo asked, taking his hands off her shoulders.

The woman flashed a big smile and extended her hand. "My name is Madeleine Pilgrim, but you can just call me Maddie."

Ichigo just stood and stared dumbly at Maddie's outstretched hand. For someone who had such an odd and powerful spiritual pressure, she acted like any normal human being. After standing there for an awkwardly long period of silence, Ichigo reached up and shook the stranger's hand. "I'm Ichigo. Ichigo Kurosaki."

"Ichigo Kurosaki, huh?" Maddie mused, taking away her hand. "Very interesting. Say, you have to tell me how you moved so fast. I've never seen anything like it, like you just appeared out of thin air."

Ichigo blinked. She must not have been from around here if she didn't know what a flashstep was. "You don't know what a flashstep is?" Ichigo asked.

Maddie shook her head. "Nope. Never heard of it. But I think I'll learn about it more from you. But first," she stopped, holding up a finger. She tilted her head up towards the sky, and called out in a loud voice, "Hey Carter, it's alright. He's not an enemy. You can come down now."

Ichigo was wondering who she was talking to right when a large falcon dropped down from the sky, just behind and above her head. At first glance, the bird of prey was perceived very ordinarily. However, Ichigo was immediately transfixed when the falcon began to transform.

A golden glow spread out from the falcon's body as it began to grow, the feathers disappearing as it increased in size. The falcon was shaped into the normal proportions of a man, forming a head, legs, arms, and a torso. When the transformation was complete, a young man stood where the falcon once was. He wore a simple dark, long-sleeved shirt with matching pants and shoes. His eyes were the same color as his skin, a dark chocolaty brown. His hair was the same color respectively, curly, and long enough to just curl around his ears. He was just about as tall as Ichigo.

Maddie pointed to the young man standing next to her with her thumb. "Cool trick, isn't it?" she remarked, noticing Ichigo's baffled and amazed expression. "This is my partner in crime, Carter Kane. Carter, this is Ichigo Kurosaki."

"I know," Carter said. "I heard when I was flying above you. I have sharp hearing as a falcon, you know." The last comment was directed at Ichigo.

Needless to say, Ichigo was speechless. Who were these people? The man, Carter, had a completely different kind of spiritual pressure than Maddie. And he wasn't a Soul Reaper or anything either. Ichigo wanted to ask them the question he had wanted to ask ever since he felt their reiatsu. To his surprise, Maddie asked the last thing he expected to hear.

"So, Ichigo, what are you doing all the way out here? It's dangerous being so close to a demonic aura this size."

When she said 'demonic aura,' Ichigo assumed that she meant the giant flux of spiritual pressure out over the bay. Without even realizing it, Ichigo pointed to the spot, and found himself answering her.

"You mean the enormous amount of reiatsu over there? I'm here investigating it with my... team." It felt strange to him putting the captains who were with him on a 'team' with him. He had never thought of them in that way. Maybe, except for Rukia.

Maddie and Carter both gave puzzled looks. "I'm not sure what ray-aht-soo is, but I'm going to assume we're talking about the same thing," Maddie said. She put on a confident smirk. "I'll tell you what," she decided, "Carter and I will help you and your team with the demonic aura you're investigating, because I believe we have some invaluable information about it. So," she continued, walking forward and past Ichigo, "let's go then." She continued walking down the path, very sprightly.

Ichigo didn't think that inviting a couple of strangers he just met into their mission was a good idea. Carter saw Ichigo's hesitant look, and said, "Just roll with it, dude. You're not going to convince her otherwise." He ended that sentence with a small smile.

Carter's reassuring words made Ichigo think that, if they had information like they said they did, then it wouldn't hurt. There was just one problem, though. "Hey," Ichigo called out to Maddie, who was still walking down the path. "Where we're staying is the other way."

Maddie immediately stopped dead in her tracks and turned around, her expression embarrassed and slightly apologetic. "Hehe, sorry," she said. "You lead the way then."

Ichigo heard Carter chuckle slightly. By the time Maddie caught up, all three of them headed towards the Soul Reapers' quarters.    

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Author's Note: Uuuuggghhhh, this chapter's so short. But this seemed like the only logical place to end it. I also wrote this a long time ago, so it sounds really rushed to me. But, this is the introductory arc, so I guess it makes sense.

I've realized that I might have come off as a self-absorbed jerk sometimes in these author's notes. So I want to take the time to thank you guys for looking at my stories. It really means a lot to me. I know that no one has complained about it, but to me, I don't want to seem like I'm full of myself, because I'm not. So, sorry if I came off like that to any of you.

I also want to draw my OC characters, but I literally can't draw to save my life. I just can't. I think writing is more my strong suit. Anyway, let me know what you think of the chapter and the OCs. I actually have had this character in my head for years. I plan for her to appear in many stories in the future, so please let me know if I am giving her enough of a personality. I want to know what I can improve on. Thanks again!

Praise is appreciated and constructive criticism is encouraged.

See you next time!

-The_Mayflower