A/N: EDIT: Well, those trolls certainly came out of the woodwork this time T_T

Added some more content too, hopefully folks enjoy it...

*sigh*

Still, here we go~! I honor my requests.

Dipping a toe back in this fandom again feels strange, if only because I'm so damn rusty after all these years. Used to be Bleach was all I wrote when I was younger; my pen-name stemmed from that, in fact. Alas, they were lost back in the great purge -like so many other authors- for being too violent with their fight scenes, swears, etc. Which is a crying shame, but I understand.

But with Bleach returning soon, I decided to give this one a go.

As ever, we're sticking with the tried and true "Embers" Rule for this story.

If folks don't like it, it won't be continued. So speak up! Make yourself heard! Your voice matters! That's no joke!

I have precious little time to write these days, so feedback plays a huge part in this. Daily updates ensure that I'm constantly busy working on one project or another. I cannot afford to stop and write something that folks don't like; if only because I feel that would be a disservice to those of who who have stuck with me for so long.

As ever, I own no references quotes, themes or memes.

One last thing. Clearly, the story name is based on "Strike a Match" by Zayde Wolf. Fits Bleach rather well, it seems...

Set Your Heart Ablaze should be updated next, by the way~! Then New Gods of Remnant, Arcane, and the like...

It only takes one spark to burn away the darkness.

A single spark becomes an ember. An ember becomes a flame.

So go ahead. Strike a match. Burn that man's schemes down to cinders."

~?

Strike a Match

There was a hole in Naruto's chest.

Why? Why was there a hole in his chest?

Was this somebody's idea of a joke? If so, he wasn't laughing. Try as he might, he couldn't make sense of it. Blasted thing didn't even hurt. Wasn't a wound, either. It was just...there. Right where his heart should be, just visible beneath his tattered orange jacket. He could stick his hand right through it, flail his fingers around and everything. He did just that and felt perfectly fine. Well, not fine fine per se, but still pretty strange, you know?

He should be panicking, he knew.

Hell, he had panicked three hours ago when he'd woken up here.

Now the panic had bled away, leaving only morbid curiosity behind.

"Well," he thumbed his chin as he considered the perfectly tear in his torso. "This is a problem."

"That's putting it mildly." Kurama didn't sound much pleased with it, either. "How are you even alive?"

Naruto didn't dare answer that question. Instead he cast another glance to his surroundings. That, at least, remained unchanged. Blue eyes rose to behold the vast wasteland before him. Nothing but sand, sand and more sand as far as the eye could see. A ghastly moon hung high above, bathing the dark sky in perpetual night. A dead world. Even the land of Wind looked livelier than this; an endless and vast wasteland that stretched on into eternity.

...I don't think we're in the Elemental nations anymore."

"You think?!" That was putting it mildly.

Was he dead?

He didn't feel dead.

If anything, he'd never felt more alive.

He could feel the Sage's power still coursing through him, warming his blood and opening his eyes. If he cut his finger, he'd probably bleed. On a whim, he dug a finger into his palm. A thin bead of blood welled up beneath his thumb, the wound sealing almost immediately thereafter.

"Ouch!" A quick pinch to his arm confirmed his suspicion. "Yup, felt that. Still alive, I guess..."

"Of course you're alive, fool!" Kurama's voice thundered in his head. "I wouldn't be here if you weren't!"

"I just wanted to be sure, ya know!"

"Honestly, you're denser than a brick sometimes...

Well, that settled it; he didn't know where he was, and he didn't much like it. The last thing he remembered was a terrible clash with Sasuke, a burning pain in his right arm. And then...nothing. Hopefully he was alright, wherever he was. He'd been on his last legs, and even with time to recover, he didn't much fancy his chances in an empty world like this.

"Oi. On your left."

Craning his neck, Naruto spied a building in the distance. At least he assumed it was a building. Some strange structure of a sort. Maybe a fortress? Castle? He couldn't tell from here. But it was something, and something, as they say, was better than nothing. Maybe they had food, or barring that, hopefully a bed. He felt strangely hungry, and not the good kind...

Oddly enough, it helped to have a destination; if only to settle his mind.

He set off at a brisk jog; from there it didn't take long to reach once he actively exerted himself. Kurama's chakra didn't fail him; in no time at all he found himself standing before it. Turned out the "castle" was a lot bigger close up; great looming grey walls swelled before him, seeming to touch the heavens themselves. No door to be seen. Seemed the only way up was through.

"Alright, then." he cracked his knuckles. "Guess I'm walking up that...

A dull crack of sound snapped at his flank, causing him to jump.

"Who approaches the walls of Las Noches?!"

Gah! Sneaky little...!

He spun and found himself face to face with a well-endowed woman clad in black and white, slender as she was tall. Hazel eyes blinked back at him, set within a stern visage crowned by long, flowing emerald hair. A single crimson line ran the length of her face from one cheek to the other, tracing across the bridge of her nose. Stranger still an odd, skull-like mask sat atop her head, bearing curved horns. There was a sword at her side, and by the look of her, she knew how to use it.

Naruto couldn't help but frown at that last bit. What was someone doing with a sword all the way out here...?

And why was she glaring at him?

"Why are you here, intruder?" she planted a fist on her hip, fingers straying perilously close to her blade. "Speak, lest I cut you down."

She'd do it, too. Naruto found he could still sense that much. Her emotions were a tangled knot, but beneath it he sensed a steely resolve. That sword of hers would come out if he held his tongue. Luckily for her, he didn't have any intention of picking a fight here.

"Well," he crossed both arms behind his head with a sigh, "I was hopin' you could tell me. Kinda lost, here."

"You are a hollow. An arrancar." she didn't quite scoff at him, but it was close. "How are you lost?"

Confusion twisted his brow into a furrow. "Hollow? Arrancar? What're those? I'm human."

Silence stretched between them and in it, Naruto wondered if he'd said something wrong just now; because the woman was looking at him like he'd grown a second head. He scratched his cheek. That seemed to reactivate her, if only for a moment.

"Are you mad?' Her frown redoubled. "You are far from human, lost soul."

What in the log's name was she on about?! He'd never heard of those.

And a soul...?

"Alright, that's just rude." Anger stirred and his right eye began to twitch. "I may be lost, but I'm pretty sure I'd know if I was this...hollow or whatever."

"There is no "if" about it, intruder." The swordswoman shook her head, green hair swaying side to side. "You are one."

"I am not!" Here at last, his temper slipped its leash; he flung up his arms with an aggravated growl. "Look, if you're just going to keep calling me names, I'm leaving!"

"You're daft." Her eyes flicked down to his chest, then met his again. "There is," she stepped forward, "A hole," her finger stabbed into his collarbone, "In. Your. Chest." here at last, a touch of heat weaved its way through her words. "Humans do not have those!" her forehead smashed against his, bringing with it a faint, earthy scent as those steely hazel eyes drilled into his flickering azure. "They cannot live with such a wound!"

Ohhhh. Was she worried about him?

"Eh, it'll heal." he nudged her hand down. "I've lived through worse. Remind me to tell you the time my best friend blew out my lungs. If I healed from that, I can heal from this."

The woman retreated, blinking at him. "You are...strange."

"Lady, you don't know the half of it."

Anyone could see that there was nothing to be gained from this argument. With a brisk nod, Naruto made to move past her. "Look, I'm leaving-

She caught a tattered sleeve in hand. "Halt! I'm not done with you!"

"Now, what?!" he pivoted to face her. "I'm getting hungry and you're startin' to make me mad, miss...?"

...Neliel." she offered him her hand. "I am the Third Espada. You would do well to show me respect."

"Oh, sure." On a whim, he reached out and shook her hand. "If its names your after, I'm Naruto."

Nel's brow shot into her hairline and mask alike. "A strange name for a strange soul."

Well, she wasn't wrong there. "Don't blame me, blame my parents...

That got a quizzical blink out of her. "You remember your past?"

"Well, yeah." Naruto squinted at her, still clinging to he rhand. "Its my life. Kinda lived it, you know? Why wouldn't I remember it?"

Her mouth opened and closed, struggling to find words. At length, she managed a weak-sounding, "Hollows don't remember their past lives."

A muscle jumped in his jaw. "Like I said! I! Am not! A hollow!"

"You clearly are! There's a mask fragment on your jaw!"

Was that why his face felt so itchy? He touched his freen hand to a whiskered cheek and felt the faint fragments of something there. Without a mirror, he couldn't be sure.

"Who knows? It might improve your ugly mug."

"Do you understand now?" Nel's frown returned with a vengeance that would've made Sasuke proud. Really, Neliel was too difficult for him to remember, much less pronounce. Easier to shorten it to something he'd be able to recall. Speaking of which, another question was nagging at him, one of many he'd had since bumbling his way into her.

"I gotta ask though...

A beat of silence passed between them.

At length Naruto tilted his head. "...what the heck's an Espada?"

"Surely you jest." A faint spot of color hit her cheeks as she yanked her hand from his. "Are you trying to make me angry?"

He felt a flicker of something from her then, a vague sense of pressure bearing down on his shoulders in some unseen weight. Naruto shrugged it off like so much water off a duck's back. If she thought to intimidate him, she had another thing coming. He'd stared down gods and monsters; fought things that would drive men mad. Kaguya made Neliel look like a harmless child by comparisons. That said, he wasn't here to pick a fight.

"No, no!" he waved his hands to fend her off when she reached for her sword. "Not at all. I'm just really confused about all this. I woke up here, you know!

Slowly, almost reluctantly, her fingers uncurled from the hilt. "You mean to say you died and awakened as an arrancar? That shouldn't be possible."

"Lady, I don't know what that means!" he clicked his tongue at her. "And I ain't dead! Kurama would be gone if I was!"

"Hmm. You don't have a sword on you, at that." Long lashes fluttered in a slow blink. "Nevermind. What is a...Kurama? Is it a dish humans eat?"

Naruto nearly choked on his spit.

"I like this one." Kurama's low growl pervaded his mind. "Deathwish aside, she's got spirit...which I'm starting to think we might be."

Wait. Spirit? As in deceased?! A knot of dread began to coil in the young man's stomach, bringing with it the a rare touch of fear; the first he'd felt since he'd found himself. Dead? To hear such words from a stranger was one thing, but from the partner he trusted his life with? Well. That was a whole 'nother kettle of fish. He couldn't be dead. He...he just couldn't. There was still so much he needed to do!

He flicked a thought inward. "...are we?"

"You tell me. I've been pushing chakra to that hole for the last five minutes, and it still isn't healing. Everything else seems intact...

His world lurched, threatening to bring him to his knees. Dead. Which meant someone had killed him. Likely Sasuke. Had he killed him, too? Had they died together in their final clash? They'd both been on their last legs during their final battle; exhausted and nearly out of chakra. It wasn't a stretch to imagine. But dead?! He still had all his chakra, and the Sage's power to boot! How could he be dead?!

"You're asking me?!" Kurama sounded just as lost. "I knew your old man bound us together with that blasted Shinigami, but to think it would transcend death...

It was too much. His pupils shrank as he made a keening noise.

Some of his concern must've shown through, too; because Nel took pity on him.

Once more she approached, but slowly this time. He didn't truly notice her until she touched him; couldn't bring himself to react until her fingers threaded with his. The sudden tenderness startled him; when he looked to her he found no anger, no irritation, only calm; placid understanding for his plight.

"Come with me." Slowly -gingerly!- she turned and took a step back, guiding him towards the castle. "Worry not, I will see you tended to."

"Eh?" Naruto found himself stumbling after her, still dazed. "Tended to? Hey! Wait a minute! Whaddya think I need...?"

Hazel eyes flicked over her shoulder, down to his ruined outfit. "A change of clothes, for starters."

He whined a little, head drooping as he realized what she intended. "Aw, but I like orange...

"That may well be," she said, "But you can't go about wearing those rags."

Naruto grumbled, yet let himself be led along regardless.

He...he couldn't really be dead...could he?

A/N: Naruto strikes one as the sort that's just too stubborn to die properly.

That said, Nel has noooo idea what she just signed up for.

To clarify, this story's less a serious take and more of a laidback one, with Naruto and Kurama bumbling their way through their new "unlife" at it were. And to clarify, this is very much Pure!Naruto, in the era before Nel was attacked, with none of his power lost.

Well! Aizen's in for a nasty surprise once he shows himself...

As ever, the Embers rule remains.

If folks don't like this story...well, that'll make me sad, and I'll not continue it. So by all means, speak up! Every bit of feedback matters here! Truly, it does! That's no joke! I really don't have much time to write these days and feedback is the wind beneath my wings. Silence is a lead weight that just drags me down.

As ever, reviews/feedback keep me writing them. Without them, I lose all hope, creativity and imagination.

So...in the Immortal Words of Atlas...

...Review...Would You Kindly!

SPOILER! SPOILER! SPOILER!

PLOT DETAILS AHOY!

YE BE WARNED!

(POTENTIAL PREVIEWS. Be sure and vote for what you want to see~!)

"A man who insists he isn't dead. How amusing...

...how do I look?"

Nel tilted her head. Then tilted it some more.

"What?" Naruto spun in place, suddenly feeling self conscious. "What's with the look?"

"Not bad." She thumbed her chin, nodded once, and smiled, a rare and happy thing. "Black and white looks good on you."

It was the first time a girl had smiled at him like that.

His heart skipped a beat.

"Still needs some orange, though."

She touched a finger to her lips. "You really do like that color...

Way I see it, a heart is a heart. Everyone has one. Doesn't matter who or what you are.

What's that? Who am I? Heh, thought you'd never ask.

After all, my name is...

Steel met flesh. The former yielded.

"Nnoitra, right?" Naruto smiled. It was not a nice smile, Neliel thought, watching the weapon cracked in his grasp. "Don't you know ambushes are for weaklings? Leave Nel alone."

"Tch!" he struggled, to no avail. "This isn't any of your business!"

"Oh, I think it is." his smile grew. "Now say you're sorry."

His adversary bridled. "Or what, you little shit?!"

His body blazed gold.

"Or you'll be sorry."

"Naruto, was it?" The strange man smiled at his words. "Would you mind looking at my sword?"

"Sure!" he hummed. But you have to look at my fist, first."

The man blinked, not quite comprehending." What-

Clenched knuckles barreled into his face.

STAY TUNED! R&R! =D