This doesn't feel like school...Rukia looked around at the stundents chatting away, most of them talking about summer. No body remembered Ichigo, it was like he never existed. Renji and the others were were engaged in the usual conversation, and Rukia was present in it, agreeing to this and that and answering questions, but her mind wasn't completely present. They have no idea of him...maybe that's what happens when you go to Soul Society. Your entire existence in this world just obliviates.

Rukia went through the whole day thinking about what had happened, and what was to come. She was scared, but still determined to go. She didn't allow her face to fall, she didn't need anyone to worry about her. If I die...

"Well, I guess I have nothing left for you." She heard her sensei say. "Alright you guys, don't die before September! Dismissed!" The students cheered and cleared the room hurriedly, and from the open windows she heard the shouts of a few students how had run out of their classes already and the halls became noisy. Rukia grabbed her school bag and was at the back of the big line of kids wanting to get out of the class quickly.

Ishida didn't come to the last class? ...What's he doing? Does he remember anything? After explaining how she can't hang out with anyone in summer and enduring the complaints.

She heard footsteps nearby at one point while she was walking home. Startled, she turned around only to find a surprise. "Ishida? How long were you there?"

"Just now," he simply replied. "I need to ask you something."

Rukia gulped. "What?"

He fixed his glasses, they gleamed brightly and covered his eyes. "What happened to Kurosaki?"

Her eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"He's gone, and it seems like no one remembers him."

He knows... "Ichigo...he's..." for some reason, she avoided eye contact. Maybe it wad the overwhelming guilt. There's no way I can just save him...

"Was it Soul Society?"

"...Yeah. He can be killed any moment..."

Ishida turned around. "Then you should prepare to go save him." He began walking away.

"Why?" She suddenly asked, without knowing the reason for it herself. "I thought you hated shinigami."

"Yes, I do. But he's your comerade, and didn't he save your life as well?" Was all he said.

That's right...I need to go to- She began running towards the place as her mind finished the sentence - Urahara's Shop.

~

"Ah, it's Kuchiki-san~!"

"I'm ready to train." Rukia said.

"Already. Don't plan on enjoy at least a day of summer?"

"There is no time to waste."

"Got it. I guess we're being serious right from the start." he dropped the playful act. "Tessai-san~! Do we have a training area?" It's back.

~

Hey there, readers! The author has decided to jump right to the battles in Soul Society instead of really trying with this story! :D You may continue (^ ^)/

Running. That's all Uryuu and Rukia have been doing for the past ten minutes down in these...sewers. Or tunnels? Rukia didn't really know what they were, but those two were as lucky as hell to stumble across an entrance. It seems like the other shinigami didn't know about them. "Ishida." Rukia began. "Let's take a break."

"Sure." he cooly said and they both slowed down to a stop. It was mostly dark, only some torches each about 10 yards away from eachother along the walls. "Looks like they stopped chasing us."

"That move back there was pretty impressive." Rukia joked. "Where did you get that speed?"

Uryuu pushed his slipping glasses back up his nose. "Unlike what Shingami do, called shunpo, a Quincy manipulates reishi to..." He looked off to the side.

Rukia was confused. "Uh, manipulate what?"

"Shh." He was serious, and Rukia caught on right away.

"What is it?" She followed his gaze and saw something just at the corner...barley move. I can not sense reiatsu at all... "You!" she shouted; Uryuu ran over to it before her. As soon as they were at the corner, they heard a gasp and the next thing Rukia knew, Ishida was lying unconscious on the ground next to her. "Ishida!" She turned to the attacker, eyes angry, drawing her zanpakuto.

"Ahhh! I'm so sorry!" It was a woman. "I just reacted out of haste! I thought you would hurt me..."

"Apologies won't help!" Rukia scolded, causing the shinigami kneeling before her. She sternly held the blade right before her face.

"Wait wait wait!" The shinigami pleaded weakly and pushed the blade aside. "I can help him, I promise! I really didn't mean it!" Rukia took a second to decide, then sheathed her blade with a sigh. She finally got a better look at the woman. Obviously she's a few hundred years old - being a Shinigami...but she looks so young. She could be a student. The shinigami had dark grey eyes, long carmel brown hair down to her back, and is...a little bigger than average if you understand. "Oh, thank goodness! Your captain wouldn't be very happy with fights, you know." The girl continued cheerily, a smile on her face. She's beautiful... (rukihimeftw)

"So, you can fix him?" Rukia asked.

She nodded. "Yup! I'm Inoue Orihime," she slowly stood up, and Rukia noticed right away the belt with a wooden badge with a number on it. She's a--!? "Vice-captain of Squad 4. Nice to meet you!" She sqeaued politely, smile still bright.

"A Vice-captain..." Rukia repeated.

"Shouldn't you know who all the Vice-captains are?" Orihime innocently asked. "You should know...are you new?"

"Uhh..." Shoot.

"Now that I think about it...I don't recall seeing you around...squad four has access to these tunnels only...." Rukia gulped and made plans to draw her sword once more. She's onto me...I have to... Orihime's eyes suddenly had shock in them, just barley, and then she went in to acting mode. "Which squad are you in?"

"I'm..." Rukia's heart raced in fear. I'm screwed...If I pick a fight with a Vice-Captain... Think of a plan, think of a plan!

"You guys...you're the intruders!" Orihime accused. Rukia's hand went to sheath her katana, but half way through Orihime grabbed her forearm. To Rukia's surprise, it wasn't violent at all, and Orihime didn't look like she was looking for a fight at all. "Wait. I don't want to spar with you." The cheeriness dropped. "I just wanna ask why you're here."

Rukia slapped her arm away and stepped back, bringing the sword out. There's no way... Think, dammit, think! Do I grab Ishida and run with him? Do I try to fight her? Rukia froze when she saw the Vice-captain unsheath her own sword. I guess I have no choice...

Orihime didn't point her sword at Rukia, however. She instead just held it at a slight angle, and the flower-shapped hilt glowed golden. "Santen Kisshun." A single petal flew out from the hilt and zoomed over to Uryuu's head, turning into an oval and glowing above it.

Rukia took a step forward. "What are you doing?!" She lunged at her and their blades clashed.

"Please!" Orihime begged, having no choice but to use force and shove Rukia away from her. "I don't want to fight! I'm healing him, look."

Rukia turned to Uryuu; the red mark he had gradually faded and his face became more relaxed.

"Please, answer my question." Orihime stressed, sheathing her sword.

"I'm..." I have no other choice. "I'm here to rescue Ichigo. And I'm going to no matter who I have to go through." Rukia said this with somewhat fake confidence; part of it was real but most of it still had some doubts and fear. But her friend of just a few months who had done so much for her... If she never ran into Renji just before...

"So, that's the story?" He asked.

"Yeah. Go ahead, call me crazy." Rukia said.

"I beleive it."

"What?"

"Did you not just hear me?" The red-head joked. "I totally believe that insane story. It explains why I see you run around in that kimono all the time."

"Wait, you can ... see spirits!?"

"I have recently." Renji admited.

"Why haven't you told me about--?"

"So what are you gonna do about Kurosaki?"

"Uh...I'm..." Rukia sighed. "I've already told myself I would go there to save him, but...truthfully... I don't'-"

"-You want to. Right? To me it sounds like what's only fair."

"Then you have a weird sense of balance." Rukia laughed. "I just don't think it's worth it... yet if I don't, I'll be guilty for the longest time."

"Knowing you," Renji said "you normally don't mind going to extremes for simple things. I don't think this task is exactly simple in detail, but you also love challenges. You kept up with a strong one without even trying - so what if you actually do try?"

"Rescue Ichigo-san?" Orihime repeated, snapping Rukia out of her thoughts.

"You know Ichigo?"

Orihime kneeled down and sat on her feet, smile returning to her face. "Yeah. I was assigned to watch over him at one point. And...I don't want him to be executed."

"You're on our side?" Rukia asked, surprised.

"Part of me doesn't want to betray Soul Society, but I really don't want...He's such a nice person." Orihime went into story mode. "I'd never think he was a death row prisoner. When I first greeted him, he scolded me...he scolded me not to adress him so formally." She smiled, cheeks tinted with pink. The sight caused Rukia to relax, returning a soft grin. "He told me a lot of stories about the human world. How you taught him all the tricks to eating food and drinks, to know what they wear, to live with less than half the endurance souls have."

"Is that so?" Rukia asked, calming down.

"Yeah" He would do that. Heh, damn Ichigo. "He talked about this one person a lot. A girl, named... Is it you?"

"Depends. What did he describe her like?"

"Short, short-tempured, packs quite a punch! Pretty arrogant, un-naturally colored eyes..." Orihime looked at her, squinting her eyes to fully see Rukia's. Purple eyes...they're sooo pretty! Orihime thought.

"I am so kicking his ass when I save him!" Rukia yelled, a dark aurora surrounding her.

Orihime joyfully laughed. "Then, is your name Kuchiki Rukia-san?"

"It is."

Uryuu stirred beside them. "Oh!" Orihime called back the glow and it flew back to becoming a petal of the flower-hilt on Orihime's zanpakuto. She leaned over to the Quincy, her forehead about a foot from his. "Are you feeling better? I'm terribly sorry for hitting you..."

"Yo, Ishida." Rukia said and leaned over as well. "C'mon, rise and shine."

His eyes fluttered a bit, and then his head turned to the side. Orihime bent down a little closer. "Do you think something else is wrong?" Uryuu's eyes opened, and a second later he screamed and sat up, Orihime moving back just in time. "Ah, there you are! ^ ^"

"What-what-who-when-huh!?"

"Ishida, relax." Rukia said. "She's on our side."

"What?" He fixed his glasses. "Who are you?" He cautiously asked Orihime.

"Inoue. Inoue Orihime. It's very nice to finally meet you :D I'm sorry for knocking you out..." she scratched the back of jer head nervously. "It was a bit of a reflex, kinda. Or instinct? No, not instinct, uhhhmmmm... hmm."

Ishida was surprised at this persona. He noticed the Vice-captain badge. Don't tell me that she is actually... "What do you want with us?" He asked sternly.

"Ishida." Rukia scolded at his tone.

"What do I want?" She repeated. Orihime looked up in thought. I want to...help. Do I? Yes, I do. "I want...to help you guys rescue Ichigo-san!" The human/shinigami and quincy's eyes were widened in shock. "I'd be a great help! If you guys get into any serious battles and sustain injuries, I can fix them within hours."

"How severe?" Uryuu asked.

"Let me show you." Orihime stood up and took a few steps back, drawing her katana. "I don't just use kido, I have the most unique healing ability in all of Soul Society." What she did next was un-expected. She lifted her arm up and straight up cut it, right to the bone. Her eyes shut tightly and she flinched with a grunt of pain.

"Hey!" Uryuu stood up and lunged to her. "What do you think-?!"

Orihime threw on a smile. "Ha! You think that hurt?" She withdrew the blade from her skin, blood soon following. "Pretty intense cut, huh?"

"You can't be joking about something like--!"

"Santen Kisshun!" Rukia saw what she had seen her sword do before. A petal, one of the six that she counted, flew out while glowing, it covered the wound on Orihime's arm. "Look look!" Orihime chanted. In less than ten seconds, she ordered the petal to return and her arm was as good as new - no scar, no blood. In fact, it looked better than it did before. "See? And that's nothing!"

"Inoue-san!" Uryuu scolded.

Orihime innocently tiled her head to the side. "What's wrong?"

Uryuu sighed, slightly annoyed. This girl... "Nothing."

"Inoue, that's...incredible!" Rukia praised, walking over to her arm and checking it. "And that's really nothing to you?"

"Yyyup!" The girl brightly sang. "I can use this for direct wounds, and kido to help with reiatsu at the same time."

"That's..."

"Is your captain even superior to that?" Uryuu asked.

"Of course. Unohana-taichou is definitely something..."

"Wait," Rukia started. "If you had to watch over Ichigo even though someone of your abilities is clearly needed elsewhere..."

"I can actually leave my Santen Kisshun with pateints and be elsewhere aswell." Orihime explained. "I want to be as of much use as I possibly can. The more the merrier!"

"That's insane..." Rukia said.

"Anyways, we should move on." Uryuu finally said. "Do you know the way around these tunnels?"

"Yes. Squad four members use these to get around Soul Society the quickest. I also know how to get the the towers where Ichigo-san is being held."

"That's great! Let's get going!"

"Oh, and another thing." Orihime added as she led them through the tunnels. "I realized that Ichigo-san is actually a really close friend of a close friend of mine! And I didn't even know! Heehee~."

She's really bubbly. Rukia thought. "Who?" She curiously asked.

"Arisawa Tatsuki-chan."