I've had a new story idea, I know not much happens in this chapter, but I hope that anyone who decides to read this sees whatever potential the story might have. This Chapter is all about sowing the seeds of the story, so read and enjoy!

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Safe Arrival

Natsumi Hayashi pulled the soft edges of the pale sheepskin blanket tightly around her. She had turned the heater on full blast the minute she got home but the air conditioner provided little heat as it looked as if it had been pulled from a prehistoric epoch. The bone blanket wrapped tightly around her lanky body concealed the summer pyjamas she adorned; small red shorts spotted with rainbow butterflies accompanied by a singlet top of the same pattern. They were thin and made of cotton providing no protection from the icy Japanese evening Karakura town was experiencing tonight, unfortunately for her they were the only pyjamas she found in the one box that she managed to stash away in her new room.

Natsumi padded her way over to the navy cushioned window seat of their lounge room, pulling her knees up towards her chest, she tucked her naked feet under the cover of the blanket in a somewhat feeble attempt to thaw out the ice-blocks that were attached by her ankles. She hadn't found any socks in the box either. All she could do now was wait by the window for her father to return, he had taken some of her boxes that didn't fit in the moving van in his own car but he had called to say he'd be working late so she probably wouldn't be getting her stuff for some time.

"Just great! What am I supposed to do now?" she groaned wishing she had been foresighted enough to have packed a deck of cards, a book or even a movie to watch on the old T.V. that was pushed up into the eastern corner of the room; despite the dust bunny army growing lethally atop the machine, it was plugged in, with what looked like a fully functioning DVD player sitting idly beneath it and that was good enough for her. But she hadn't packed any of these things, she quickly recounted the contents of the box in her room; Polka-dotted lamp shade, matching polka-dotted curtains, sheep-skin blanket, my favourite summer PJ's,and Mr Snugglemuffin (Her favourite ally – a garish pink elephant with a missing eye and a patchwork top hat). "What use are curtains to me now?!" she grumbled dropping her head back against the small wall of the window seat. She tilted her head slightly, glaring through the French-paned window in hope that she could will her father's hasty return and claim her fluffy bed socks as well as a lazy pair of track pants, but there was no sign of the forest green family sedan through the pelting rain outside, proving to her dismay that she was definitely not clairvoyant.

She could see the large droplets hammering down outside flooding the front garden, the pathway to her door transformed into a fast-flowing stream before her very eyes. Though the intensity of the rain was not reflected by the light pitter-patter sound echoing through the ceiling. In her old house the roof was made of a thick foil sheeting so whenever it rained even if it was the equivalent of a sun shower, inside it sounded as if Thor the god of thunder and come to extract his revenge on the world via the Hayashi family residence. Natsumi decided she liked the terracotta tiles that artfully covered the roof of their new home much better.

Tearing her eyes away from the hypnotising water droplets that raced across the double-glazed glass, Natsumi checked the time. It was 7:34 when she came down stairs, and to her shock it was only 7:49. Fifteen minutes! That can't be right! It feels like I've been down here for hours! She puffed exhaling deeply blowing the dark red strands of her fringe off her forehead. They tickled the skin of her brow as they fell back down, she blew them away again. Her eyes strayed to the ticking analogue clock that her father proudly put up this morning before he went to work; she had officially killed ten seconds. Way to go Nat! She congratulated herself sarcastically, now all you have to do is repeat that a million-billion times and dad will be home before you know it! Dejectedly,her head fell back against the wall with a hard thump an she turned her attention back to the water splayed across the window. She watched the droplets race to the bottom, betting with herself on which tear was going to win.

Half an hour had passed and Natsumi was still in the same position, waiting for the 267th water race of the night to commence. Her eyelids had gotten fractionally droopier as she became more restless, but the ice-cold numb state of her toes rejected any thought of sleep to pass the time. Instead Natsumi was forced to bet again on the swift ability of the rain droplets, she focused on the window waiting for the dewdrops to reach the starting gate when a flash of white caught her eye. Natsumi reflexively refocused her gaze onto the tuft of slick white hair? Running past her house. The picket fence was low enough for her to make out a face that the snowy locks belonged too; she could see flashes of aquamarine but not much else through the dense rain. This stranger was the first person she'd seen walk past her house the whole time she's been there and therefore has become the most interesting part of her night. She was just watching the blur of a face run past her house when something alarming happened that made Natsumi leap up from the seat she had been occupying for the last hour.

The man (or woman – she wasn't sure) stopped all of a sudden, at the edge of her home lot and then their face disappeared. The figure dropped behind the picket fence obscuring them from her view. Natsumi had a really bad feeling about it. She couldn't make out much from where she was but she did see the way they moved as they dropped to the floor. It wasn't just someone taking a seat in the gutter, they definitely fell. And from the few panicked seconds she gazed out the window she knew they weren't getting back up. Oh my god! She panicked running towards the front door, the white hair! It was probably some old man who's slipped over in the rain and popped out a hip or something! Crap, Crap, Crap! I've got to do something! Natsumi flung open the door and in a blur ran outside to help the fallen stranger.

She was soaked and shivering within taking two steps outside the comfort of her house but she didn't let it faze her as a burst of what could only be adrenaline took over. She sprinted to her front gate, careful as not to slip before unlocking the gate and dashing over to the crumbled body on the sidewalk. As she got closer she noticed it wasn't an old man at all, but rather a young man. Maybe 16 or seventeen she guessed, slightly thrown by his preternaturally white hair. His rough skin was cold and wet to the touch, his thick snowy locks were slick and sticky against his scalp.

"Hello?" she yelled gripping the boy's shoulders and shaking him softly whilst pleading internally for him to wake. "Can you hear me?" she tried again, her voice rising in pitch as she tried to be heard over the thumping rain. She bowed her head to his mouth desperate to hear any sign that the boy was still breathing, even a few sharp harsh breaths would have calmed her rapidly beating heart; but alas she couldn't make out anything over the rain.

BANG!

The loud shot captured her attention for long enough for her to see the door to her house had slammed shut on her. She would have surely had some great sarcastic comment in mind if she wasn't so terrified about the whole situation; she was locked outside in the thunderous rain, barefoot in only her summer pyjamas with an unconscious possibly dead guy lying in a crumpled heap before her. Oh my god! Oh my god! I can't believe this is happening to me! Natsumi anxiously reached for his arm, wrapping her shaky pale fingers around his wrist, she carefully studied his lifeless face for any signs as she pressed her fingers down on his inner wrist, mimicking what she'd seen on all those ER drama's she'd watched over the years , in hope she'd feel a pulse. She couldn't which only freaked her out further. Crap, Crap, CRAP! His slightly parted lips were turning a faint shade of blue, AH! I am not qualified to do this! She cried, feeling panicky tears well up in her eyes what to do? What to do?!

She was clutching this boy's still hand between her two trembling ones as she contemplated what to do, when, like a heavenly signal from god, the neon white sign from next door flickered at her. With squinted eyes, she read the lit up letters through her watery eyes and nearly fainted with relief for the words read: Kurosaki Clinic.

"Don't worry! I'm going to get you help," Natsumi yelled to him though it was more to comfort herself than him. She almost added Stay here before she realised how stupid that sounded as she ran off towards the clinic door. She hammered away to no avail, she pressed her ear up against the door and deflatedly realised there was no sign of movement within the clinic. She perked slightly when she realised the Clinic was attached to a house. Fuelled totally by this adrenaline she didn't even know existed within her she bolted to the front door, slamming her fists like a crazy woman down on the wooden barrier between her and help.

Natsumi had to keep herself from falling forward as the door swung back at her revealing a rather unimpressed looking girl.

"What the hell do you wa-" she cut herself off taking in the drenched rat before her. The bored onyx eyes studied the pale trembling girl who was dressed completely inappropriately for this kind of weather. "Who are you? What's wrong?" Karin asked hoping this girl wasn't a crazy that had escaped from the nearby hospital. Natsumi's lips parted slowly the words formulating on her tongue.

"I-I- my name i-is Na-Natsumi I'm f-from next-t do-oo-r-r" her teeth were chattering so much it was hard to get a clear word out, "I need yo-your help-p-p! A boy-y! he's un-c-c-oncious-s-s! Plea-ase, help-p me" Natsumi watched the girls face contort as she mulled through her thoughts, her onyx grey eyes emotionless.

"Right. Yeah, lead the way," she agreed, flicking a switch on her door so that it didn't lock behind her she's already smarter than me, she'll know what to do! Natsumi predicted hopefully, grabbing the girls wrist and dragging her towards the boy. Karin ran behind the drenched girl, surprised at her strong grip.

"Plea-ase!" she cried as they approached the boy, she knelt beside the body reaching for his wrist, checking his pulse again. "We need to hel-p-p him! He j-just collapse-d-d!" Natsumi said in a way of explanation. Karin's eyes flashed with recognition the minute she spotted the tuft of white hair slicked back on a familiar face. She wanted to smile, but one look at the hysteric, tearful expression of the strange girl beside her and she thought better of it.

Karin dropped to the floor and mimicked actions that she'd seen her dad do millions of times before. She theatrically checked his vitals all while Natsumi hung on her every movement.

"Don't worry about him," Karin finally said, offering the girl a small comforting smile. "He's going to be fine,"

"Thank g-god!" she cried watching Karin get to her feet.

"You'll need to help me move him inside the house," Natsumi nodded assertively glad she was no longer making any life or death decisions. She wrapped her arms around his legs while Karin grabbed him under the arms; the two in a synchronised motion sashayed their way back to the Kurosaki house.

Ten minutes later the white haired boy had been fairly dried off, and was now resting horizontally under a blanket on a couch by the heat of the fire. After Natsumi had calmed down a bit, Karin introduced herself as Karin Kurosaki, Natsumi was surprised to find that the calm, level-headed girl was only in middle school while she, the irrational-panicky-hyperventilater, was in high school. Go figure.

After Natsumi presented her locked-herself-out-of-her-house-in-the-panic situation to Karin she was kindly given a warm mug of hot chocolate, with two complementary marshmallows bobbing around in the froth. She greedily sipped at it till there was nothing but faint frothy marks on the inside walls of the mug where the chocolaty liquid had been. She occasionally glanced out the window of their kitchen to see if her father had come home yet, but the green sedan was still nowhere to be seen.

"So what did you say your name was again?" Karin asked, her finger wrapped loosely around the half full mug. Natsumi blushed at her own gluttonous behaviour.

"Oh, I'm Natsumi," she offered an embarrassed smile, "Natsumi Hayashi, I just moved in next door,"

"I didn't know we were getting new neighbours," Karin said flatly, making Natsumi feel uncomfortable.

"Surprise!" she laughs awkwardly trying to lighten the mood between them.

"Yes, it is," Karin's monotone voice replied. "No wait!" Karin cried feeling guilty after watching her neighbours deep green eyes glitter unsurely in her presence. "I do remember seeing a van out the front this morning, so it was yours?"

"Well duh!" Natsumi scoffed patronisingly causing Karin to quirk up an eyebrow. "Oh my god! I'm sorry! That was so rude of me!" She panicked apologizing profusely. "I didn't mean to-" Natsumi's pleas were quickly cut off by Karin's out-of-character laughter.

"Don't worry about it!" the sides of her lips creeping upwards into an amused smirk. "It's good to see you're not as boring as I thought you were,"

"Ah thanks . . . I guess," Natsumi smiled wearily, clutching the ends of the blanket Karin gave her tightly. Karin offered her some warmer, dry clothes to borrow but Natsumi didn't want to impose more than she already was and insisted the blanket was just fine. She regretted that. "I'm sorry my dad's taking so long to get home, I hate to a burden to you," Karin shrugged over her apology.

"Don't sweat it," she watched Natsumi's teeth dig into her bottom lip to hold back her shivers, "You know you can go sit by the fire if you want,"

"Oh no, I'm fine! I just-"

"Hayashi-San you are a terrible liar." Karin exclaimed with a bored expression, "Go dry yourself off,"

"Oh! I'm sorry Kurosaki Karin I didn't mean to offe-"

"Stop apologizing already! It's getting annoying," Natsumi lips parted, a sorry written on her tongue, though she quickly realised what she was about to do and just settled for a simple nod instead before scurrying off into the longue room. Although foreign too her, the burning fire made the place feel more homey and relaxed her immediately.

Kneeling down she faced her back to the fireplace, relishing in the heat it offered, she inched herself back as close as she could without risking a burn. From where she was she had a perfect view of the boy her and Kurosaki Karin rescued. Now that Natsumi was no longer blinded by the rain or her own hysteria she finally was able to realise how unique this boy was. His hair resembled the snowy white fluff on a new born bunny; soft and unruly. The white of his hair contrasted greatly with the dark ash-black of his long lashes that splayed innocently across his cheeks. She could not believe that his hair was natural yet his naturally narrowed eyebrows were of the same colour, suggesting it was so. How unusual . . . she didn't have time to study the rest of his face before she was jolted out of her trance by Karin's irritated tone.

"You are such an idiot!" Natsumi jumped up ready for Karin's to rain down insults on her, but when she looked around Karin was nowhere to be seen, from the sound of her voice she still appeared to be in the Kitchen. "I thought you were supposed to be intelligent!" Natsumi heard no reply as Karin chucked a few more raging words at whomever it was she was speaking to. "Do I look like I care about that? Your stupidity nearly scared the girl in their out of her mind!" She paused as if listen to a reply, though Natsumi could only sought silence. She meant me! Who was she talking to? Curiosity getting the better of her she walked towards Karin's voice, looking in just as Karin was finishing a threat "I don't care if you are some big-shot Captain, do something as stupid as this again and I'll kill you! Understood?!"

"Ah Kurosaki-San?" Natsumi interrupted . . . she didn't even know what. She saw Karin, the raven haired, onyx eyed girl going beat-red in the face as she breathlessly scolded an empty pulled out chair.

"Hayashi-San!" Karin cried alarmed, her face paling as she glanced wildly around her.

"Are you alright? Who are you talking too?"

"No one. I mean, I was on the phone!" Karin laughed casually, though her voice was high and strained in pitch. Natsumi looked around the room curiously, I don't see a phone anywhere . . .

"Are you sure you'r-" Natsumi was silenced by the flash of headlights beaming through the kitchen window, as the intensity died she saw it was a green sedan, a tall figure jumped out of the vehicle and dashed inside the house. Thank god! She could finally go to bed, she had a big day planned tomorrow. "My dad's home," she announced to Karin, whose body sagged with relief, while Natsumi was looking out the window she glared at what Natsumi had thought was an unoccupied chair.

"I'll see you around then," Natsumi nodded smiling softly as she opened the front door. She didn't budge though, turning around she faced Karin wearing an earnest expression "I just wanted to say Thank you. I don't know what would have happened without your help Kurosaki-San. I was really scared" Natsumi admitted looking away, "But you were amazing." Karin flushed slightly at the kind exaggerated words, Karin felt it was unfair for her to receive such high praise when she knew the moment she saw it that the body lying on the floor was nothing more than an empty gigai; artificial matter not capable of death.

"It was nothing," Karin grumbled not able to meet the sea green eyes that were full of admiration.

"I didn't think I'd meet my new neighbours like this," Natsumi giggled "But I definitely won't be forgetting you any time soon I don't think. See you around Kurosaki-San,"

"See ya," Karin farewelled, shutting her door behind Natsumi's fleeting figure. Karin turned her blazing silver eyes towards the empty chair, her lips parted and she stretched her tongue preparing herself for a few more waves of verbal assaults that needed to be said.

Natsumi ran down the front path of the Kurosaki residence with her head down trying to protect her torso from the rain when her head slammed into someone, "Ahh!" she cried losing balance on the slippery ground. An arm reached out and caught her at the last minute; only letting go once she had steadied herself.

"You okay?" Natsumi glanced up at a hooded figure she had accidently assaulted, all she could make out from beneath the jumper was the numbers 69 etched on his left cheek.

"Yeah, thanks. Sorry about that," she apologized hoping she didn't hurt him to much with her thick head. He offered a sort of grunt in response before side stepping her small person and marching straight up to the Kurosaki house. Right . . .

Within half an hour of arriving home, Natsumi had bathed, changed clothes and was now tucked up under her quilt with Mr Snugglemuffin clutched tightly to her chest. She gave her father a brief outline of what her night entailed, though he seemed more interested about what the neighbours were like rather than the fact that she had been part of a make-shift rescue team that saved a boy's life.

"So were they nice?" he asked, tightly tucking the quilts ends in.

"I only met Kurosaki Karin, but she was nice, a little weird though," she confessed remembering how she had been verbally abusing an empty chair. Maybe she was part of the drama club Natsumi reasoned in her head.

"See my darling, you're already making friends," he smiled planting an affectionate kiss on her forehead.

"I guess," she mumbled her eyelids suddenly becoming extremely heavy.

"You've had a big night, and you've got an even bigger day tomorrow. Sleep tight my love,"

"Night dad,"

"Night Sumi,"

And with that her father left the room. The lights were off and she felt warm and safe, the light pitter-patter on the roof lulling her into a gentle sleep.

Had Natsumi stayed awake a second longer she might have seen the emerald green eyes with snake slits for pupils starring at her through her bedroom window. The pale man the eyes belonged to, raised a hand out of the comfort of his pocket and clicked his fingers, summoning a jaggard black port into Hueco Mundo. He was greeted in the underworld by a member of his Fraccion,

"Report to Lord Aizen with a message, the girl has arrived safely."

…..

I am happy to answer any questions any of you might have, also can I have some name suggestions, I'm not sure how well 'Natsumi" fits with her character- would be much appreciated.

So this is the first chapter, I would really like to know what you all think! Did you like, did you hate?! Suggestions on improvements I could make. . . yep.

Support for this story will only make the next chapter be written faster! So if you like, support!

Anything else . . . anything else . . ., oooohh! Pairings, there will be a few different pairings in the story but I haven't yet decided who should go with who, so would anyone like to see anything specific with any of the characters? Your wish is my command!

Thanks for reading.

Xx