CHAPTER THREE

SEINA
Nights were hard. Seina was still plagued by nightmares of life before. That was the worst possible fate for her, because her subconscious loved to punish her with the things which haunted her the most.

She was very little, maybe four years old. Her mother sat with her by the water. "Seina-chan, you must always keep your eyes shifted. Do you understand?" Her mother asked.

"Yes, Mama," Seina replied as seriously as a little girl could.

Time moved forward. Seina was eight. Once again, she sat by the water with her mother. "Okaasan," she began formally, hoping her mother would realize that meant she was serious, "will you tell me about my father?"

Her mother smiled at her. "I suppose it is time. Your father was a very special man. He claimed to be an American, but honestly, I think he came from a magical land."

"He was magical?" Seina asked in wonder.

"Just like you, Seina-chan. Your father has enormous magical powers within him. I could sense them, even as he worked so hard to cloak himself. We met in Kabukicho, when we were both trying to hide."

"To hide?" Seina repeated.

"We were both running away from our pasts, Seina-chan. Your father told me he came to Japan just to drink sake, sing karaoke, and watch horror movies. He was terribly charming, and he had the most beautiful green eyes, just like you. I saw beyond the illusion he kept up and realized that they had golden spirals in them."

"Like my eyes?" Seina asked in wonder. She'd never met anyone else with eyes like hers.

"Exactly, Seina-chan. Like you, your father could shapeshift. I think he had other powers as well, but I didn't quite understand what I sensed, and he never used his powers in front of me except to maintain his form. I do not know what he truly looked like, but his eyes... His eyes were beautiful."

"Mama, where is he?"

"I don't know. He was only passing through. He stayed for a month, but he told me he couldn't risk staying any longer. He knew people in Tokyo and didn't want them to recognize him. He never told me what he was running from, but I always knew he couldn't stay long."

"Did you love him?"

"I cared for him very deeply, but we were not in love. Our time together was too brief for that. But he gave me the most wonderful gift, Seina-chan... He gave me you."

"Did he know?"

"No. I didn't find out about you until he was gone for over a month. He would have loved you, Seina-chan. Of this, I'm certain."

Time moved forward again. Seina was thirteen. They were no longer by the sea. Seina and her mother were living in a house in the heart of Tokyo. They tended to move around a lot. Her mother insisted staying in one place wasn't safe.

Someone knocked on their door. Her mother ordered her to hide and remain hidden until she came to get her no matter what, because they kept to themselves and no one ever really visited them. She made her promise not to come out. Seina did as she said but watched from the shadows.

"Hello," the man at the door said. Seina couldn't see his face. "Do you speak English?"

"Yes," her mother replied in English. "How can I help you?"

"I have come to warn you that you and your daughter are in terrible danger. It connects back to her father. Please, come with me. I can protect you."

Her mother tensed. "No," she replied. "I believe that you are the very threat which you speak of. Leave my home. I will not ask again."

He chuckled softly. "You are wise. I did not give you enough credit."

He drew his sword. To Seina's shock, her mother jumped out of her body, but Seina could still see her. She wore a black kimono and had a sword of her own.

The man paused in confusion, staring at her mother's body. That was when her mother attacked him with her sword. He somehow sensed her coming and countered her attack just in time.

"I understand now... You have another form which I cannot see. That doesn't matter. I do not need to rely on sight to duel with my sword. In fact, I fight better without using my limited eyesight." He began to battle her mother.

The battle was intense. Seina watched the scene in horror as her mother showed skills she'd never known she had. It was going well until someone joined them.

"You can't kill her with an ordinary sword," the new person informed the man. "Use this. It is made purely from the energy of the souls of the dead to battle those who exist on the spiritual plane. It was crafted by the ancestors using ancient Shaman techniques."

"You are a Shaman?" Her mother asked.

"Not yet," the first man replied, "but one day, I will be." He paused before saying, "I am sorry it had to be this way. Had you simply come with me, I would have brought you to the girl's father."

With that, he began to duel her again. Seina wanted to help her, but she knew if she got involved it might make things worse. These men were after her, even if she didn't know why.

The battle went on for a bit until the man took a cheap shot and shoved his sword through Seina's mother. She fell to the ground as he pulled the sword out and stood over her. "You are skilled, my dear," he said, "however, you are also out of practice." He raised the blade again before striking a fatal blow.

Seina had to cover her mouth to keep herself from screaming. As the two men began to search through the house, she tried to think of a way to escape unseen. Finally, she shifted herself into the form of a mouse and scurried past them until she was able to sneak out by squeezing through the crack beneath the front door.

She kept running until she found her way to the nearest body of water. Only then did she shift back into her true form and begin to sob. Her mother was dead, she was alone, and she had no idea what to do next.

Seina spent nearly a year surviving on her own, becoming a skilled thief in order to survive on the streets. Sometimes people tried to hurt her. She learned to fight, and when necessary, she also learned to run away. She was swift and could shift into any form she wanted, so it wasn't that hard to lose the people who were chasing her.

Life was hard, but she usually managed alright. Even when she got hurt, she'd pick herself up and pull herself together and keep going. What other choice did she have?

Then, she met him. He found her sitting by the sea, and he realized quickly that she was staring at him. He wore a black kimono just like her mother had the day she died, and he had a similar sword at his side.

"Can you see me?" He asked.

She nodded. He studied her. "You are not a Soul Reaper, yet your spiritual pressure is tremendous. You have a distinct energy I do not understand. How old are you? Where is your mother?"

She wanted to lie, but he was obviously connected to her mother's world. "I'm fourteen," she replied. "And Okaasan is dead."

"You are on your own?" He looked at her cuts and bruises.

"I am," she replied.

"This is no life for a child. Come with me. I can help you."

"I don't go places with strangers."

"You can see me in this form. You aren't safe without training. Please, let me help you."

She refused. Later that night, a man attacked her. He was too strong for her, and once again, Seina was certain she was going to be attacked in ways she dreaded, but someone intervened.

It was the Soul Reaper, only he was in normal clothes now. He killed the man who'd attacked Seina swiftly before kneeling beside her.

"Are you alright?" He asked. He gently offered her his hand. She took it. "I followed you," he admitted. "I was worried about a kid being out on the streets alone, especially a girl."

"I'm fine," she lied.

"This has happened before," he guessed.

"Yes."

"What's your name?"

"Seina."

"Seina-chan, please, come with me. I will teach you to better protect yourself."

He seemed so genuine. Seina finally decided to go with him. After all, he'd saved her.

She woke up with tears in her eyes. What she didn't know when she went with him was that he would begin using her for her powers. He had moved her to Karakura Town, and they'd been there for almost a year now. He refused to tell her his name, so she rarely called him anything unless she wanted to annoy him by calling him Daddy. She thought of him as that or as The Stranger.

The Stranger trained her just as he'd promised, and he taught her about Soul Reapers, and he made her stronger... But the kindness he'd shown that first day vanished quickly. He was not a patient man, and unless she proved useful to him, she knew he'd hurt her. She made sure she remained a useful ally, which kept her fed, clothed, clean, warm, and safe. Beggars couldn't be choosers, so Seina made sure to do just enough not to make him turn on her.

She quickly wiped away her tears and ate a few pieces of candy. She frowned as she noticed she was nearly out. She decided she'd have to buy twice as much later.

She grabbed a soda and drank it, savoring the caffeine. Life was good as long as she had caffeine. Since her "daddy" was already gone for the morning, she took a shower and got dressed before heading out.

Urahara Shop wasn't far, but Seina didn't make it there before running into trouble. The hollow was big and pretty intimidating, and unlike the Stranger, Seina didn't have a Zanpakuto to use against it. Her mother had been a Soul Reaper, but Seina was only half. She wasn't sure if she had latent Soul Reaper powers other than seeing hollows and spirits and such, but if she did, she had no idea how to activate that side of her heritage. The gift she'd gotten from her father was very strong, but shapeshifting did little against hollows.

The hollow roared. "Quit your whining," Seina replied. Honestly, hollows just loved to make a scene, but most people couldn't hear or see them.

As it moved to attack and possibly eat her, Seina ducked out of the way. This only seemed to anger it more. "I'm not a snack, Buddy!" She said as she tried to figure out how to escape.

Just as it tried to attack again, someone moved between them. With his arm extended like a shield, he kept the hollow at bay. He used his other arm to attack it, and with one hit, he sent it flying backwards.

Seina recognized him. He was hard to miss, with his height, muscles, and dark skin. He tended to hang out with the Soul Reapers and the Quincy.

"Run!" He told her.

Seina didn't have to be told twice. She took off running in the direction of Urahara Shop. After all, it would be a waste if she'd just dealt with all of that for nothing. She was determined to get some candy out of this trip.

As she made it inside, the man at the counter smiled at her. "A customer! Welcome, my dear! I am Tessai. How can I help you today?" He asked excitedly.

"I'm here for candy," Seina replied. "As much of it as I can fit in this backpack."

Tessai seemed delighted by this. He began following her around making suggestions. Seina tried to relax and not worry about the mysterious Mexican boy who'd saved her. The hollow could have injured or even killed him, but that wasn't her problem, right? After all, he was one of them. He was the enemy.

Is he, though? She wondered. The enemy wasn't supposed to save her life. Now she was confused as to what to do about it.

She forced herself to focus on picking out candy. By the time she was done, she had a pretty good stash that should last for at least a week.

CHAD
The hollow had been pretty fierce. Chad had taken a beating, but he only had a few scratches to show for it. The hollow had finally retreated when it realized it couldn't kill him, and Chad went on his way.

He wandered into Urahara Shop, figuring he should warn them a hollow had shown up pretty close by. Chad was surprised to see the rainbow-haired girl he'd rescued paying for an enormous amount of candy.

"Chad!" Tessai greeted him.

"Are you stalking me?" Rainbow Hair asked.

"No," Chad replied.

"Do you two know each other?" Tessai asked.

"Not at all," she replied. "So, your name's Chad?"

"Sado," he corrected her.

"But Tessai called you Chad."

"My name is Yasutora Sado."

"Why the heck did he call you Chad then?"

Chad shrugged in response. "That is an excellent question," Tessai said. "Why does everyone call you Chad?"

Rainbow Head studied him for a moment. "Are you okay, Big Man?" She asked as she gently reached toward one of the scratches on his cheek. She couldn't quite reach it, so she jumped up onto the counter, sat there, and tried again. Tessai didn't seem to mind, and with the extra boost of height, she was able to touch Chad.

"I'll be alright," Chad replied. Her hand lingered on his face for a moment, and he was confused by her touch. She took it away before he could figure out why it confused him.

"If you say so... I should go," she said. She moved to hop off of the counter, but Chad stopped her, wrapping his arms around her and gently guiding her feet back toward the ground.

"Thanks," she said. He suspected she was thanking him for his help with the hollow, not just his help getting down from the counter.

As she walked toward the door, he called, "Hey, Rainbow Head..."

"Yes, Yasutora?" She replied. It was so rare anyone actually used his correct name anymore that it sounded strange on her lips. He decided it was kind of nice to have someone use it again after all this time.

"What's your name?"

She laughed. "Seina," she said, "but you can call me Rainbow Head if you like. I don't hate it."

He felt a slight smile playing at his lips as he said, "Be careful out there, Seina-Rainbow-Head."

She smiled brightly. "You, too, Yasutora Sado," she replied. With that, she skipped out of the door.

For a minute, Chad forgot why he'd come, until Tessai used a small bit of Kido to heal the few injuries he'd sustained.

"Thanks," Chad said. "Where's Kisuke?"

"He is off searching for Yoruichi," Tessai replied. "I have been tasked with watching over the shop, Jinta, Ururu, and Soi Fon."

"Soi Fon's here?" Chad asked in surprise.

"Yes. The poor thing's been unconscious since yesterday. I have her in a deep healing state. Someone did a real number on her. All we know is she was supposed to be with Yoruichi, but she arrived alone." He paused. "Would you mind contacting Orihime for me? Her power of Rejection might be able to fix Soi Fon faster so we can get some answers."

"Sure." Chad pulled out his phone and texted Orihime.

Come to Urahara Shop. Soi Fon needs you. She's injured and Yoruichi is missing.

Oh no! Orihime sent back. Be right there!

Tessai and Chad stood in a comfortable silence until Orihime arrived. Tessai led them to the back room where Soi Fon remained unconscious.

"Soten Kisshun, I reject!" Orihime cried as she knelt beside her.

The magic worked quickly. Soi Fon soon groaned. "Lady Yoruichi..." She mumbled.

"Soi Fon, you are in the world of the living," Tessai explained. "Do you remember what brought you here?"

"Tessai... Orihime, Chad..." Soi Fon said as she registered each of them. "We were ambushed. A man with incredible spiritual pressure somehow cloaked himself until he was right on top of us. We never even saw him. He must have used Flash Step. He moved impossibly fast... I can't remember much. He hit my head with so much power it nearly knocked me out, and I felt my energy rapidly draining. I refused to leave Yoruichi there, but she pushed me through the gate. I barely made it out. I used a final burst of energy to do as she'd instructed and get to Kisuke." She shook her head. "I wouldn't have left her until my final breath left my lips. She knew that, so she took the choice from me."

"Kisuke is out searching for her. Do you have any idea who did this to you?"

"No... I don't think I've ever seen him before."

"Did he give any hint as to why he attacked you?" Orihime asked.

"He didn't say a word..."

Chad noticed something then. "This mark," he mumbled. "Orihime didn't reject it."

Soi Fon noticed the burn on her arm then. Her eyes widened in surprise. "If I didn't know better..." She mumbled.

"What is it?" Chad asked.

"The mark of the royal family," Tessai said as he studied it. "Only it's inverted."

"What could this mean?" Orihime asked.

Soi Fon frowned. "Nothing good," she replied. "Let me go. I have to find Yoruichi."

"You're staying right here," Tessai said firmly.

"I am the head of the Stealth Force, Tessai! Banished Soul Reapers do not get to give me orders," Soi Fon snapped.

"Kisuke told me to help you."

"Then by all means, come with me, but I am doing this either way."

"We'll come, too," Orihime said. Chad nodded in agreement.

"It's too dangerous. Thank you for your help before, Orihime, but I can't bring you along on such a risky mission."

"Yoruichi is our friend. Please, let us help."

"Yoruichi may need to be healed," Tessai pointed out. "And Chad is very difficult to seriously injure. These two make excellent allies, Soi Fon."

She sighed. "Fine, but don't go getting yourselves killed," she finally replied. "As the Captain of Squad Two, I am in charge of this mission. Do exactly as I say, and if I order you to run, do that, too. I don't have time to save your lives if you disobey me. Yoruichi is the priority. Are we clear?"

"We understand," Chad promised.

"Just tell us where to start," Orihime added.

Soi Fon nodded. "Everyone, follow me. We're going back to the Soul Society."

URYU
The last thing he expected was to leave his home and run straight into his father. Uryu knew this couldn't be a good thing.

"We need to talk," his father said.

Uryu knew refusing wasn't an option, so he replied, "About what?"

"A battle is bleeding into our world. It involves a very dangerous movement that is trying to wipe out the Noble Soul Reapers. I would be all for that, except they have brought the battle here, where it may harm innocent living people, and we cannot allow that."

"Why have you come to me with this?"

"You always end up in the middle of their business. I demand to know whatever you know."

"I don't know what you're talking about. Honestly."

"Then find out, Uryu. This must be handled quickly before it gets out of control."

"Uryu? Is everything alright?" Kyori asked as she stepped outside.

"Who is this?" His father demanded.

"A friend from school," Uryu replied.

"Does she have a name, Son?"

"Oh, you're Uryu's father?" Kyori asked. She bowed before saying, "I am Kyori Hattori. It is nice to meet you."

He considered her for a moment before saying, "Ryuken Ishida." He moved to shake her hand.

Uryu stepped between them. "Enough," he said, not wanting his father to figure out Kyori was a Soul Reaper. Her energy was still masked enough that he probably hadn't caught on to that yet. "Father, I will tell you anything you need to know when I find it. Kyori, let's go." He gently took her arm and guided her down the street as his father stared after them.

His words had been deliberate. He would only tell his father what he absolutely needed to know. As far as Uryu was concerned, very little qualified.

"You live alone," Kyori said after a few minutes of Uryu getting lost in his head.

"My father and I don't exactly get along," Uryu replied.

"Yeah, I got that impression. What happened?"

"First, he didn't want me to be a Quincy because he felt it was a waste of time since it doesn't offer any financial benefit. Then, he decided he was the last Quincy because he didn't believe I had the skill or power to hold that title. When I lost my powers in the Soul Society, my father helped me get them back, but he made me swear to never associate with Soul Reapers and their allies again. You can see how well that worked out. I outsmarted him by using a loop hole. At the time, Ichigo and the others were going against the orders of the former Head Captain, so they were technically the enemies of the Soul Reapers."

"Why does he hate Soul Reapers?"

"For the same reason I used to hate them. They killed our people. They tried to wipe the Quincies out entirely, and they nearly succeeded. There are very few of us left in existence."

"Why did they do that?"

"The Soul Reapers don't destroy the souls that become hollows. They cleanse and purify them, sending them back to the Soul Society to reincarnate and have another chance. The Quincies didn't have the ability to purify them, so they destroyed them. That disrupted the balance, as souls were dying but not being reborn. I have to admit, the Soul Reapers had some valid concerns, but instead of working with the Quincies to maintain balance and still keep everyone safe, they slaughtered them. My grandfather was killed in front of me, and Mayuri Kurotsuchi experimented on him... The bastard bragged about it to me, and laughed about the terrified grandson who'd screamed for his grandfather... He didn't realize I was that boy."

"Uryu, that's horrible! What did you do?"

"We battled, and I defeated him, but I was in pretty bad shape. I barely survived. He's the Captain of Squad Twelve. I'm strong, but Captains aren't easy to defeat."

"He's still out there?"

"Yes. He's a mad man, but Jushiro tries to keep him in line more than the former Head Captain did."

"Does your father know?"

"That Mayuri killed my grandfather? Probably."

"I'm so sorry. How can you still handle working with Soul Reapers knowing that?"

"They're not all like Mayuri. Most of them are actually good people. My father will never accept that, but I've seen it with my own eyes."

Suddenly, the sky tore open, and a Menos entered the world of the living. "Kyori, stay behind me!" Uryu ordered. He immediately formed a bow and loosed an arrow at the Menos.

Three more entered through the same tear. Uryu knew they were in trouble then. He prepared a stronger attack.

"Shine, Hikaro No Tenshi!" Kyori shouted. Her Shikai manifested a shield of light in front of them.

A group of men wearing hollow masks approached them, but Uryu was positive they weren't Arrancars or Vizards. There were at least a dozen of them.

"What's going on?" Kyori asked nervously.

"I don't know," Uryu admitted. "Your instincts are strong, Kyori, even if your memories are gone. Trust yourself."

She nodded. Together, they fought off each Menos until only the strange men remained. Kyori and Uryu turned toward them.

"State your purpose," Uryu said firmly, holding his bow steadily aimed at them.

"We are here for the girl, Quincy," one of them spat. "Hand her over and we will allow you to continue living."

"Not a chance," Uryu replied. He moved protectively in front of Kyori.

He was suddenly attacked by multiple masked men at once. Some had Shikais and weren't afraid to use them on him. He was very good in a battle, but they were seriously outnumbered. He dodged as many attacks as he could, but a few did serious harm to him.

"Uryu, stop! Just let them take me!" Kyori cried as she saw how much blood he was losing.

"My honor as a Quincy won't allow me to do that," Uryu replied weakly. A Zanpakuto impaled him and blood shot out of his mouth.

"Uryu!" Kyori shouted in horror. Then she did the last thing Uryu expected. She glared at their attackers, took a deep breath, and firmly said, "Bankai."

The light that had previously burst from her Zanpakuto now turned into sharp golden spirals resembling vines. Each spiral had thorns, and as they wrapped around their attackers, the men began to bleed. Their screams were incredibly loud as they could not fend off Kyori's Bankai.

Several of the men fled. A couple were too wounded. Unfortunately, so was Uryu.

"Oh God... Uryu..." Kyori said as she tried to stop some of the bleeding.

"Move, you useless Soul Reaper," a voice said.

Oh great, Uryu thought. Just my luck.

"Mr. Ishida, help him! Please," Kyori begged.

Uryu felt his father tending to his injuries. Unlike Kyori, medicine was actually his father's area of expertise. Uryu hated to admit it, but unless Orihime showed up, he needed his father's help now.

"You're stable," his father said harshly. "I'll need to bring you to the hospital. You need surgery, but at least it's safe to move you." Without another word, he picked Uryu up in his arms and carried him toward his car.

"Mr. Ishida, may I come with you?" Kyori asked as he carefully put Uryu across the backseat.

"No, you may not," he replied in disgust.

"She tried to save me," Uryu said weakly. "I would have died if she hadn't released her Bankai."

His father growled a bit before saying, "Just get in the car. And wear a seatbelt."

Kyori got into the passenger seat and buckled up. Uryu refused to give into his pain and black out as his father raced to the hospital. As he carried him into the emergency room, however, Uryu knew he couldn't keep fighting.

"Stay with me, Uryu," Kyori begged him as she clung to his hand. "You're strong. You can survive this... Don't let go. Promise me you won't let go."

The last thing Uryu registered before he lost consciousness was Kyori's tears falling onto his hand.