" I think I was followed today. I don't think it was Aizen. The reiatsu felt different. Were you followed too?" Hoshi had to ask her friend. She was getting more tense as she thought about it . Who would want to contact them? "I hope everything is okay." Hoshi got quiet. She didn't like feeling so tense all the time.

((odd...are you getting notifications that the RP is being updated?))

"Now that you mention it, I think I was followed as well," Tatsuki replied. "Who do you think wants to try contacting us?"

Ichigo made his way towards the two girls for a few seconds before he heard the bell ring. Cursing lightly under his breath, he made his way towards class as school started.

(I do sometimes. The email notifications have been very slow for me lately. )

" I don't know. I hope we get a chance to talk to Ichigo about this. I don't like that both of us were followed today." Hoshi whispered as they made their way to class. Hoshi took her seat and got her math homework out. She hoped she and Tatsuki were to talk to Ichigo about the both of them being followed. She wondered if she would feel it again when she walked home. It made her more tense that both of them were followed. Hoshi would definitely ask if anyone lived near her.

((alright))

Ichigo was surprised to see that his homework was done, especially since he was being put through the torture that Shinji was putting him through. At least he wasn't in school with him. He then saw a note at the bottom of his bag.

All the note said was 'just this once, Rukia'

It was lunch time,and Hoshi hoped she and Tatsuki could talk to Ichigo. She had a difficult time focusing in class. She knew she had to relax enough to pay attention. She waited outside the class room with her lunch in her hands. She was feeling a little better but was still tense. Trying to figure out who else would want to talk to her.

Tetsu felt the reiatsu as soon as Hoshi left the house. It wasn't familiar to him. He didn't think whom ever was there was hostile but he couldn't be sure. He would bring this up with Hoshi tonight . He left for work worried about his daughter .

Ichigo noticed Hoshi waiting outside with her lunch box in her hands. "Hoshi, you alright?" he asked with concern for his friend as they both headed up to the school's roof.

((who exactly should be tailing them, someone associated with Aizen, or the Vaizard?))

(The Vaizard)

I'm okay . I think I was being followed to school today. I turned around a few times and no one was there. I felt a little reiatsu but not enough to identify what it was. I don't think it was Aizen. Tatsu was followed too today." Hoshi said in a low voice as they reached the roof. She didn't feel hungry , but she knew she better eat.She wanted answers badly.

((kk))

Ichigo frowned lightly at what Hoshi said, not liking the fact that Hoshi and Tatsuki were being tailed by someone. He looked off into the distance after eating, thinking on who could possibly tail the two girls. An idea came to his mind, and he quickly suppressed the growl from coming out of his mouth.

The only people he could think of that would be interested in both Tatsuki and Hoshi while not coming after them were members of Shinji's group. "I think I have an idea of who's tailing you. Call your dad and meet me at the gate after school." He said, making a mental note to talk to Tatsuki as well about this. If what he was thinking was true, then they would realize just why you don't wake a sleeping dragon or threaten a person that he was trying to protect.

" You do? So it isn't Aizen?" Hoshi relaxed a little but still was a little tense. " I'll call my dad . Do you happen to know of anyone who lives close to me? If you do could you ask them if they could walk with me to school? That's the only thing I don't like about where I live in town. I'm too far away from you and Tatsuki. I hope it isn't too much trouble to ask you that. " Hoshi finished her lunch and excused herself to call her dad.

Tetsu said it was alright if she hung out with her friends , but only if she was home by 7:30. Tetsu had a feeling it had to do with the reiatsu he had felt this morning. He turned back to the blueprints he was looking at.

After school Hoshi waited for Ichigo at the school gate. She was wondering what Ichigo had in mind and if she was going to find out who was following her and Tatsuki this morning.

"It's not Aizen, I can say that for certain," Ichigo said as he saw Hoshi relax just a little bit. He noticed that she was still a little tense, but not as much as she was before. "I'm surprised you haven't noticed, Chad lives about a street or so away from you. I could ask him if he'd help, if you want," Ichigo said before Hoshi excused herself to make the phone call for her dad. He waited patiently for her to come back before they both heard the bell ring. It was a shame that Tatsuki couldn't join them though, seeing as she was currently serving detention for physically defending herself and another student from an upperclassman.

After school, Ichigo saw both Hoshi and Tatsuki waiting outside for him. Rukia was already on her way towards Urahara's shop to head back to her brother and to tell him what Tetsu told her. Ichigo waved towards the two girls.

((timeskip to the warehouse (13)?))

((sure. ))
Hoshi waved back. She did ask Chad to walk her to school . She knew her dad would feel better that she wasn't going to walk alone."Who are we meeting with?" Hoshi asked . She sensed reiatsu coming from somewhere. It was different than this morning, but it still was faint . Almost like it was repressed enough for her to feel it. They were waiting for someone ,but who?

Chad agreed to take Hoshi to school, not minding at all. He knew that Ichigo wouldn't have trusted one of his long time friends with anyone else who lived over there if they were there in the first place. He also sensed that Ishida wouldn't have liked taking her to school in the morning. For some reason that Chad couldn't understand, Ishida did not like nor trust the young girl.

"We're going to meet a friend of mine, who has been training me with my Hollow powers," he whispered to Hoshi. Before she could respond, "I also think that someone from his group are tailing you for whatever reason." As soon as he finished, he noticed a blonde-haired male standing next to the school gates.

Hoshi shook her head , understanding what he had said. Why would someone from that man's group tail her Tatsuki? It didn't make sense to her. She saw the blond haired man by the gate. Was he the one who was helping Ichigo. She looked Tatsuki and then at Ichigo. She was a little nervous but did her best not to show it.

"Shinji, answer me truthfully. Has anyone been tailing Tatsuki-chan or Hoshi-chan?" He asked in a serious manner, wanting the truth from the vaizard. He wouldn't budge from the spot if he was lying or didn't answer.

"A couple of my people were interested in them, since the older female gained her shinigami powers in a similar fashion as you regained yours as well as gaining Hollow powers. Someone is keeping an eye on her in case she shows any forms of Hollowfication," he said before being hit in the jaw by Ichigo.

Ichigo growled as he brought his fist back, ready to hit Shinji again, "And what about Hoshi? Answer me!" he growled out extremely angered. He didn't like the fact that Shinji kept this information from him.

Coughing, Shinji stood up slowly as he nursed his bruised jaw, luckily it wasn't broken. Spitting out some blood, he answered that he truthfully didn't know why members of his group were watching Hoshi. He assumed it was either because of her powers she inherited or because she had the possibility of gaining Hollow powers due to being in close association with Ichigo for long periods of time.

"How do you know about the powers I inherited?" Hoshi said in a nervous voice. As far as she knew, not many knew about her being a Seer , unless Shinji ment the ones from her dad. But how would he know about those too?She didn't understand how she could gain an inner hollow just by being around Ichigo. There was alot of things Hoshi didn't understand about her Shinigami side." I don't like being followed. I'm nervous enough as it is."She said in a low voice.

"Sorry about that, and I'll let whoever was tailing you today know that you don't need to be followed," Shinji said, apologizing for his group, not wanting to tell them that he knew his father before he chose to become a mortal.

"Thank you. I shouldn't be so jumpy. I've been that way since yesterday. I am sorry . " Hoshi said . She noticed Shinji didn't answer her question about her powers. She had the feeling he knew something about her that he wasn't saying. But she didn't pursue an answer about it. She looked at Ichigo to see what his reaction was.

Ichigo noticed that Shinji wasn't saying something about Hoshi, but he figured that it had something to do with his past. He then turned to Tatsuki, noticing that she was being unusually quiet. "Ryu-chan, you okay?" he asked, noticing that she lightly jumped since she wasn't paying attention.

"Sorry...Ryu-kun was telling me that there wasn't any version of a Hollow hidden within my powers, at least none that he could feel." She replied sheepishly, glad to know that she wouldn't have to deal with any Hollow.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "Your spirit?" He asked, getting a nod from the girl.

Hoshi heard what Tatsuki said, so she decided to do the same. Indigo told her she didn't find a hollow as far as she knew. Hoshi snapped out of that state quickly. "My spirit said the samething . " Hoshi wondered if it was someone from Shinji's group who was at her house yesterday . She did remember hearing voices. She wondered if she should mention it later.

"Anyways, we should get going everyone, assuming that you two females want to give certain people in my group a piece of your respective minds, but only if you want to." He said as he waited to hear what both Tatsuki and Hoshi said. Ichigo was going to come; he had no choice in the manner.

Hoshi wanted to know who was following her today. She would go if Tatsuki did. She had the nagging feeling she would find out who was there yesterday . " I'll go. I just want to know who it was that followed me. " She said . She hoped she wasn't getting in over her head if she did go. Just as long as she was home by 7:30.

"I'll go, but only so I can beat some sense into someone," she said, getting a chuckle out of Shinji. "What has you laughing funny man?"

"No offense to your skills, but you won't beat us. Only an experienced Vaizard or a highly powered shinigami could threaten us." Shinji said as Tatsuki growled, not liking the fact that he thought he was better than her.

Ichigo saw Tatsuki ready to attack the downed blonde. "Tatsuki, enough."

Tatsuki looked at the orange-haired male with a fire in her eyes. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't."

"Because you don't have a chance in hell of defeating him. I should know, I'm the closest in terms of power that could take him on and I can't defeat him...yet." Ichigo said nonchalantly. Tatsuki glared at him for a few seconds before cooling down slightly.

"...fine" she said, annoyed, hearing her zanpakuto spirit also annoyed.

Hoshi knew that Tatsuki would want to beat some sence into those that followed them today. She was as equally upset about being followed.

Tetsu was wondering who was following him. He knew it wasn't anyone associated with Aizen or with Shinj's group. He felt it had to only be one other group. The Soul Society. If someone was sent to convince him to go back he would listen and go back, but only if he was allowed to return.He didn't want to leave Hoshi alone , not while Aizen was still alive.

((skipping to the warehouse))

Ichigo grimaced lightly as he saw the warehouse show up. He knew it was needed, but he still didn't want to train in using the one power that he thought he would be killing. At least he was getting control over it, not that his Hollow liked it. If Ichigo gained complete control over his power...he knew that he would never become the king.

Hoshi felt tense as they approached a warehouse . She did her best not to show it on her face. Hoshi knew that in order to find out who followed her today, she had to do this. Things had to go well for Ichigo. She didn't want to lose one of her best friends if his hollow side gained permanent control. She continued on with the group.