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

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"Could you please explain to me again," Byakuya Kuchiki said in an irritated voice, "why you brought these outsiders into our mission?"

"Hey, we're right here, you know," Maddie reprimanded lightly.

"Don't get too irked by it," Ichigo explained. "He's always like this."

Byakuya ignored Maddie's outburst as he continued to wait for Ichigo's answer. Needless to say, he was quite annoyed at the fact that Ichigo had brought strangers, and, even worse, foreigners, back to the main headquarters of the operation. Soul Reaper business was nobody else's business, as far as Byakuya was concerned. So Ichigo had better have a damn good reason for bringing them here, or he may have to teach the orange-haired Soul Reaper a lesson. Still, the man and woman who stood before him both had odd spiritual pressure...

"These 'outsiders'," Ichigo started, "are Madeleine Pilgrim and Carter Kane."

"But you can just call me Maddie," Maddie butted in.

"Anyway," Ichigo continued, "they told me that they have information about the reiatsu over the bay, and that they're willing to help us."

"Did you even bother to consider that they're claim on information was substantial?" Byakuya questioned.

Ichigo paused realizing that he didn't. He prepared for another droning lecture from Byakuya, but was abruptly cut short by Maddie's voice.

"Look, you can believe us or not, but if you get the rest of your team in here, then I'm pretty positive that we could convince you. I'd like everyone in here so I don't have to repeat myself."

"What's this about explanations?" Toshiro Hitsugaya had appeared in the doorway. He stared warily at the strange man and woman in the room, noticing their odd spiritual pressure. "And who might these two be?" he added.

"Ichigo brought them here under the assumption that they have information about our mission," Byakuya told him.

"But that's impossible," Toshiro stated, walking fully into the room. "This is strictly a Soul Reaper mission."

Maddie gave a small wave. "Hello, my name's Madeleine Pilgrim, but you can just call me Maddie. And this is Carter Kane," she finished, indicating Carter.

"Toshiro Hitsugaya, captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squad's Tenth Division." He kept the introduction short and curt.

Maddie smiled nervously, showing that she had no idea what Toshiro was talking about. "Not sure what all of that means, but I'll go with it."

"So what is this information that you have about our mission?" Toshiro asked.

"If this is everyone on your team, then I guess we can get started," Maddie answered.

"What's all the ruckus about?" A booming voice resonated from the corridor, and Ichigo's stomach dropped in dread. The enormous figure of Kenpachi Zaraki stepped through the door.

Maddie instinctively stepped in front of Kenpachi and offered her hand, having no idea what she was getting herself into. "Hi, my name is-"

Maddie had caught the glint in Kenpachi's eye when he spotted her. Without warning, he unsheathed his zanpakuto and swung downwards towards her head. Maddie quickly sidestepped out of the way of the descending blade, escaping just inches away from her face. Kenpachi then noticed Carter in front of Maddie, using his body to shield her. He didn't even notice that he even moved. Kenpachi smirked. "You both have quick reflexes. I like that."

"What the hell, Kenpachi? Do you have to try and kill everyone you meet?!" Ichigo blurted out, caught off guard by Kenpachi's surprise attack.

Kenpachi barely acknowledged Ichigo's stern tone. He threw a bored look at Carter, and noticed his steely expression. He sheathed his zanpakuto. "Don't get your panties in a bunch," he said. "I was just testing the waters with them. They have odd, but powerful spiritual pressure." He glanced at Maddie. "We should probably fight sometime. I could get a little fun out of you."

"Please don't let that be anytime soon," Maddie lamented.

"And don't bother with introductions. I know them already. I could hear you from the hallway," Kenpachi added.

After everyone had visibly relaxed, Toshiro spoke up. "We should probably get Rukia and the rest of the lieutenants to meet here. I'm sure everyone would like to hear what these people have to say."

"You mean there's more?" Maddie groaned.

"Please tell me they're not all the same," Carter joined in.

"Don't worry, not all of them are like this," Ichigo assured unenthusiastically.

The rest of the introductions were made with the rest of the lieutenants. Maddie really hit it off with Rukia, acting like they had known each other for years. Carter and Renji exchanged pleasantries, establishing an acquaintance. Rangiku acted a lot like Toshiro's caretaker, even though Toshiro was the captain. She took an instant liking to Maddie. Maddie thought Yachiru was cute, until she started spurring on Kenpachi's bloodlust nature. All in all, it appeared the group could tolerate each other. After everyone had sat down and gotten situated, all eyes turned to Maddie and Carter.

"Wow, quite an audience," she commented. She sat facing the group, right next to Carter.

"So please share with us this valuable information that you have about this fluctuating reiatsu over the bay," Toshiro started off.

Maddie cleared her throat, and rested her elbows on her crossed knees, entwining her fingers. "What you have out there, that you call rey-aht-soo," she began, still butchering the word, "is a large demonic aura that's growing stronger by the hour."

Everyone's faces became puzzled masks. "And what does that mean exactly?" Toshiro inquired.

"Well, with an aura of that size, it's too large to be any singular demon, so that means we're dealing with an object with a large demonic aura. In this case, a dimensional rift between our world and the world of demons."

Everyone was taken completely off-guard by that. There were demons trying to get into the Spirit World? The last time they had dealt with demons from hell, Ichigo came dangerously close to becoming a Hollow.

Maddie realized that everyone knew the gravity of the situation, but there was still more for her to tell. "And not just any demonic world. That portal opens up to the Ninth Circle of Hell."

"And what's so special about the Ninth Circle?" Toshiro asked.

Maddie's face became very serious. "The Ninth Circle is the lowest level of Hell, so low that it exists in a different plane of existence. That is also where the devil himself resides."

Toshiro immediately stood up. "Are you saying that the devil is going to come through that portal when it opens?"

Maddie looked up at him gravely. "I know this seems daunting, but I can assure you that he's not after you, or anyone in this organization that you're a part of."

Toshiro sat down. "So what is he after?"

Maddie abruptly put on a more lighter tone. "Well, to put it simply, he's after me. And at this point, we get into the long story about us. However, I'm just going to shorten it for you." Maddie indicated herself. "I'm sure all of you noticed that we're not normal human beings."

"Yeah, it was pretty obvious from the get-go," Ichigo commented.

Maddie continued. "Carter and I are actually drastically different from each other in terms of what we are." She threw her hands on Carter's shoulders, jostling him quite a bit. "Carter is really cool. He's a magician."

"What, is he gonna pull a rabbit out of his magic hat?" Renji noted dryly.

Carter was visibly annoyed for a moment.

"No," Maddie answered, as if Renji was completely stupid. "He's not just any magician, though. He's the pharaoh."

Everyone was getting more lost with each word Maddie was saying, so Carter decided to take up the stand. "I'm descended from a line of pharaohs going back to the first pharaoh that ever existed. People like us have a special ability to wield magical powers. We can draw power from certain magical objects, or from the gods."

"So, you're saying that the Egyptian gods actually exist?" Ichigo inquired.

"Well, yeah, as well as a number of others," Carter answered, glancing at Maddie. "I draw from the power of Horus, the god of war."

"Is there any proof to these claims?" Byakuya asked.

"Do you have anything that you wouldn't mind me breaking?"

Toshiro handed Carter one of their porcelain plates they used to eat their meals. Once Carter was holding it in his hand, he immediately dropped it, shattering it to pieces on the wooden floor.

"Watch this, this is really cool," Maddie gushed.

Carter pointed his open palm at the broken plate, and muttered a phrase in Egyptian. A golden hieroglyph, the symbol for repair, appeared between his palm and the open plate. A golden glow emanated around the pieces, and in a matter of seconds, the pieces swirled and reformed to make the plate whole once again. It lay still on the table, as if nothing had ever happened to it. "And that's just a simple parlor trick," he stated when he was finished, crossing his arms again.

"You should see when he fights," Maddie added.

Everyone in the room was awestruck, even Kenpachi, who barely even showed it on his face. He grinned after a short pause. "I have to say, that's quite interesting."

"Our flow of energy comes from the earth, so we can't have anything interfering with that connection," Carter explained.

"Is that how you detect spiritual pressure?" The question came from Rukia.

The same looks of puzzlement appeared on their faces again. "When you say 'detect spiritual pressure,' we're assuming you mean detecting auras. And no that's not how we detect them. Carter actually does it differently from me. You see, I can only detect the black and white aura of demons and angels, but Carter can actually see their colors through the Duat," Maddie continued.

"The Du-what now?" Ichigo asked in confusion.

Carter spoke up again. "The Duat is the underlying magical world that coexists with ours. It exists in layers, and the magic gets heavier the farther you go down."

"I personally never journeyed there, but I'm sure if I did, it would be really awesome," Maddie chimed in.

"When I gaze into the Duat, I can see the color and shape of every aura that exists within the normal range of my sight. That's also how I would be able to detect any entity unseen by the naked eye."

"I would like to see you use this detection system of yours," Toshiro commented.

Carter closed his eyes and put his hand on his chin. When he opened them again, he was staring hard at Toshiro. "Hmm, let's see," he observed. The colors of the different auras danced around his eyes, invisible to the group sitting in the room. He pointed at Toshiro. "You're a blue dragon that looks like it's made of ice." He pointed to Byakuya. "You're just a swirl of what looks like petals." He pointed to Kenpachi. "The only thing evident from you is a large wave of destruction." He looked over at Renji. "I see a monkey and a snake in the place where you're sitting." He looked over at Rukia. "A tall white-haired woman is standing over there." Finally, he looked at Ichigo. "Well, this is strange," he inquired.

"What is it?" Maddie asked.

"I see two different auras. One is a tall dark-haired man, and the other looks like Ichigo, but...different."

"Different how?" Maddie speculated.

"I don't know, it's just...different," Carter said eerily. He withdrew his sight from the Duat.

Everyone was shocked, to say the least. It was strange to see someone who wasn't a Soul Reaper to describe the appearance of each of the captains' zanpakutos, as well as Rukia, Renji, and Ichigo. Ichigo was especially intrigued. He didn't think anyone could detect the presence of his Hollow just by looking at him. It just reminded him that the entity he shared his body with still had a presence.

"And what about you?" Toshiro turned to Maddie.

"Now, we get into the thick of it," Maddie said. "I can't gaze into the Duat, but I can see your souls. They're just right under the surface of your bodies, always there, always burning. That's the fundamental shape of your soul, a burning flame. And like all flames, they produce light, even demonic ones, which are black. This light is your aura, and I can see that as well as your souls. All of your auras are glowing with a white light, although not at an intensity of an angel's. That's how I can tell that you're mortal."

"Are you an angel, Maddie?" Ichigo asked.

"Well, if you were to guess that, you would only be half-right," she answered. "The other half of me is human. This is what most of you would refer to as a Nephalem, but I'm different from ordinary Nephalem."

"How different?" Toshiro questioned.

"A bit more powerful, and burdened with a bigger responsibility," she answered. "I was granted the power to be the guardian of the entire world."

Everyone stared at her. To break the silence, Maddie started to speak again. "I know how you all fight, because I've felt it. You expand your auras, letting their energy escape into the air, and you use this release of energy to increase your powers. However, I do it a little differently." She held out her hand, palm facing upwards. Immediately, a white ball of flame sprang up in the middle of her outstretched hand. "Our souls generate our auras, but I don't release mine. I do use it, but the used-up energy stays inside my body, burning out. Then my soul creates more. Just like your souls create more after you release it. This flame could be thought of as my soul reaching out its arm, if it had an arm."

Ichigo did notice that Maddie's spiritual pressure increased slightly when she made the flame. However, it also fluctuated like the reiatsu out over the bay.

Maddie closed her hand, and the flame burned out. "Well, that concludes the story about us. Now, back to the matter at hand." She crossed her arms. "There is no way we can prevent that dimensional rift from opening. All we can do is close it right when it opens. The power that it'll be at by that point will be too powerful for any of you combined to close it."

"And who is?" Toshiro asked.

Maddie pointed both of her thumbs at her. "Well, you're looking at 'em."

"So why would you decide to share this information with us if you were the only one who could close the portal?" Byakuya inquired.

Maddie shrugged up her shoulders. "Well, Carter and I aren't enough to beat back anything that might leak through when it is open. I can't fight and close the portal at the same time."

"And that's why you would need our help," Ichigo finished.

"Exactly," Maddie stated. "If it isn't worth the trouble," she added, looking at Toshiro.

The captain of the Tenth Division sighed. "If what you say is true, that the devil himself will be bursting through that portal, then I believe we have no choice but to aid you in your task. But remember that this is still a Soul Reaper operation, so you will have to answer to me. Understood?"

"Of course," Maddie agreed. Carter remained silent.

"Then this meeting is adjourned. Rukia, will you escort our guests to the spare quarters?"

"Absolutely, Captain Hitsugaya," Rukia accepted the order blatantly. "I'll be back," she said to Ichigo as she walked past.

On the way to the spare quarters, Maddie asked the question that was on her mind. "Say, Rukia, what are Soul Reapers? I mean, I know that that's what you are, but I don't know what they do."

Rukia glanced at Maddie. She knew they were foreigners, so it would make sense that they wouldn't know what Soul Reapers were. "Soul Reapers are warriors that protect innocent souls from Hollows, demons that eat souls in the Spirit World and the Human World. We get assignments occasionally to send souls from the Human World to the Spirit World."

"Oh, so you're, like, grim reapers then," Maddie observed.

"Um, not exactly," Rukia said,

"Ah, well, same thing," Maddie shrugged.

"So, Maddie," Rukia started, "are you really tasked with protecting the entire world?"

"Yeah, pretty much. I protect it from demons and the father of said demons," she answered.

"Why?" Rukia inquired.

"Because he wants to take over the world," she stated simply.

"No I mean why were you tasked with that burden?" Rukia pressed.

Maddie's face became solemn. "Because I chose to. And believe me, a choice like that doesn't come without a price."

Rukia noticed that this subject darkened Maddie's and Carter's mood. But she still had to ask one last question. "Do you regret your decision?"

Maddie stared at Rukia like she asked the dumbest question ever. "Of course not."

Maddie's sudden shift surprised Rukia, and they remained silent for the remainder of the walk. After Rukia left Maddie and Carter to their quarters, she headed back to her own. She was also surprised to see Ichigo still awake, since the sun had already gone down. "Were you waiting for me?" Rukia asked.

The question seemed to have caught Ichigo off-guard. "Uh, n-no, I was just...," he didn't finish his sentence.

Rukia sighed, and sat down next to Ichigo in the middle of the room. "What do you think of them?" Ichigo asked.

"Why are you asking me? You're the one who first met them," Rukia was taken aback by the question.

Ichigo stared out towards the direction of the bay. "Do you really think the devil is going to come through that portal?"

"I'm doubting that he will, since Maddie will close the portal as soon as it opens."

It was hard for Ichigo to display his concern. "It's just that... out of all the enemies I've faced, none of those battles would have prepared me to fight the devil. Hell, I didn't even know he existed before today. And if I was defeated, I wouldn't be able to...," the thought was never finished.

Rukia put her hand on Ichigo's shoulder. Ichigo looked down at the gesture. "You worry too much, you big idiot. Those kinds of thoughts will make you lose your focus." She ended with a warming smile.

That smile oddly made Ichigo's heart beat faster. Rukia gave his shoulder a small squeeze, and stood up, moving to her side of the room. "Now, get some sleep," she said, blowing out the candles, leaving the room in darkness. "We have a big day ahead of us."

Ichigo lay down in his bed after Rukia did, content with the reassurance the raven-haired Soul Reaper had given him. He fell asleep quite fast that night.

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Author's Note: Hello, again! Longest chapter, woohoo! Sorry I haven't updated this in a while. I was going to on Sunday, but stupid family drama got in the way. And it wasn't just Sunday, it was yesterday too. I was just really upset and angry, and I didn't feel like doing anything except listen to music. For those of you who don't know, I love listening to music. I like variety, but my preferred genre is hard rock, or anything from Japan. I love J-pop.

I hope I'm not making anyone OOC in this story. It's a great fear of mine. Almost as great as my arachnophobia:P Seriously, though, I do have arachnophobia. I swear, one day, spiders are going to be dropped in radioactive waste, grow to the size of skyscrapers, and take over the world. Anyway, I'm rambling. Let me know what you think of the story so far.

Praise is appreciated and constructive criticism is encouraged. So don't feel bad for telling me how much my story sucks.

See you next time!

-The_Mayflower