Author's Note: Here is the second chapter BUT it's short and doesn't play a BIG role. However, i needed to write it in order to continue the pace of the story and fill up some holes that might appear in future chapters. Hope it's not too bad...

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Bleach

Chapter 10: Who Are You?

Keitaro wiped off the sweat on his brow as he and the others in his dojo took a break. Being Monday, Tatsuki was training them extra hard. She reasoned that kids have a tendency to relax too much during the weekend.

"Man, I'm so tired," Hayato whined as he lied on his back.

"I agree," Ryo sat next to his best friend, "I think the instructors are having way too much fun torturing us right after the weekends."

Keitaro grunted as he took a swig of his water bottle.

Tatsuki came up to them and grinned. "I heard there was some excitement on Friday at the park."

Keitaro glared. "Why do you care?"

Tatsuki shrugged as she sat down with her students. "Whatever concerns my friends and their family also concerns me. Besides, I wanted to know if you fought back."

"There's no way we can do that when we don't have any powers," Hayato pouted. "Otousan said we'd have to wait until we're fifteen to train with him and okasan."

"Otousan wants to train me but okasan isn't letting him," Ryo lightly laughed before scratching his dark brown hair. "But he is teaching me how to shoot an arrow accurately."

Tatsuki looked at Keitaro. "What about you?"

Keitaro shrugged. "Nothing," he said with a bit of annoyance.

Noticing his obvious annoyance, Tatsuki ruffled his raven hair like she always did. "Don't be so bitter about it. You know as much as I know that Ichigo has his reasons." She grinned before continuing, "Man, you really look like your old man when you scowl like that."

Keitaro grunted as he crossed his arms across his chest and looked anywhere but his teacher. And his eyes caught something more interesting.

Kiyo was sitting on the opposite corner of the room, her legs neatly tucked under her as she took elegant sips of her water. If anything she looked like his Byakuya oji-sama. She let out a sigh of content and continued sitting there.

But what was really bothering him was the fact she wasn't opening her eyes.

Ever since Friday, he's been desperate —though he would never admit it— to see her eyes. Those dark green eyes that reminded him so much of that Hollow that saved him. For some reason they were present whether he was asleep or awake. He's been asking the 'stranger' about that Hollow but he would turn his head away from that topic and stay silent again before he 'forced' him to wake up.

Why is she avoiding eye contact? Does she know I'm trying to look at her? Could she be suspecting something? Does she know about that incident? Keitaro kept asking himself. At first, when he made the small connection of Kiyo having the same eye color as that Hollow, he began to wonder if there was possibly a bigger connection. He was sure she wasn't the actual Hollow because she was slightly shorter than him when the Hollow was obviously taller. Maybe an older sister that died and became a Hollow. Or her mom.

Keitaro hadn't noticed he was staring at Kiyo for that long until he felt someone tap his shoulder. He turned around but was forced to back off a bit when three heads appeared only inches away from him, all of them grinning. He raised an eyebrow. "What?"


Tatsuki grinned mischievously before letting out a small chuckle. "Does little Keitaro-kun have a little crush on his new classmate?"

If Keitaro had been drinking anything it would have sprayed out of his mouth by now. "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!"

The eldest of the three laughed out the hardest. "Don't be shy. Ichigo was like that too: always watching Rukia from the corner of his eyes. And he'd blush whenever we asked if he and she were a couple. He kept denying, but look at them now!"

Keitaro rubbed his face in annoyance. "SHUT UP!"

While Keitaro continued to curse and shout at his teacher and the two younger students in front him, Kiyo continued keeping her eyes closed.

She let out a long sigh. "I better end this soon…" she mumbled to herself.


Ichigo let out a loud sneeze.

"You okay?" Isshin asked.

Ichigo just nodded before going back to work. The famous orange head was reading through some patient charts with his father but wasn't really paying attention.

Noticing this, Isshin let out a sigh before talking to his son in a less goofy manner he was more known for. "Ichigo, are you listening?"

Ichigo jerked his head up and blinked. "Huh? What? What was that?" he stuttered.

Isshin smacked his son's head from the back. "When you're at work, try focusing on the patients and not your personal problems."

"Jackass," Ichigo glared.

The father shook his head. "I know you're still bothered by what happened on Friday but let it go. Besides, you're going to Soul Society this Friday and then everything will be fine."

"That's the problem," Ichigo sighed, "What if nothing changes? What if, even if Unohana-taicho performs another concealment, nothing happens? Would it be because he has a Hollow?"

"Is this what it's really about?" Isshin raised a brow, "The possibility of your son having an inner Hollow?"

Ichigo nodded.

"Well then, don't worry too much about it. Shinji and the others are keeping a special eye out on Keitaro, and so far there's nothing."

"What did they say about Friday's incident, then?" Ichigo asked.

Isshin rubbed his rough chin in thought. "Nothing much. They only suspected it was because of Keitaro's reiatsu, but there was nothing 'Hollow' mixed into it."

Ichigo nodded. "That's good then."

"I guess it is…in some way," Isshin mumbled the last part.


"What do you mean, 'in some way'?" Ichigo asked.

Isshin shrugged. "I still think it'd be better if they notice something quickly so we can get to work on Keitaro."

Ichigo turned away from his father, ignoring what he just said.

Isshin sighed, noticing his son's uncomfortable aura. "We heard from Yoruichi yesterday."


He paused before replying, "Pesche and Dondochakka have gone missing."

Ichigo dropped the chart in his hand. "W-what?"

"When Yoruichi returned to Hueco Mundo on Friday, Nell informed her about sending Pesche and Dondochakka off with Bawabawa in search for more clues. But they've been missing for some time and they couldn't even feel them. So the two ladies went on a search but only found Bawabawa. However, they found something more interesting."

Ichigo gulped. "What was it?"

Isshin paused as he tried to remember its description. "Some sort of tall, white tower. They believe Pesche and Dondochakka went in to investigate but they never returned. The two were able to force their way into the building but found nothing. If anything, she said it looked like the tower was getting ready break apart with a whole bunch of debris of what looked like stairs on the ground."

"Then what happened to those two?" Ichigo asked. "They couldn't have disappeared without Bawabawa noticing."

"That's the thing; we just don't know," Isshin answered. "Yoruichi made the possible conclusion that they might have been transported out without detection…or were killed."

Ichigo tried taking in deep breaths to calm himself but it didn't help. He was feeling nervous as hell with the news of his missing friends. "Does this have anything to do with Keitaro?"

Isshin looked at hi son in silence. "I don't know."

With a frustrated growl, Ichigo fell into a chair and buried his head into his hands.

Life was getting harder and the days were just not passing fast enough. He needed to take his family out of here as soon as possible before he finds out there might be some connection on what's happening in Hueco Mundo with his son.

I noticed how I've written more of Tatsuki then most other characters. I guess it's because I really like her (since I'm kind of similar to her). Hope that's not a problem. And I'm sure you guys figured out more about Kiyo (kinda obvious, huh?).

I'm not sure when I can update again since classes are starting. I will try to write as much as I can during breaks but no promises. I have the entire plotlines figure out but I still need to fill in the holes, which is taking some time. So please be patient! I love u guys!