A/N: Hey, hey! It's Wilder! Right so, I'd just like to say that I've secretly dedicated this fic to my Number One fan, MatsuMama to thank her for her support and encouragement towards my writing and my positive nature; if that doesn't make sense, read my profile and you'll find out.

Well, I guess it's a little late now, but Happy Birthday, MatsuMama. I know it was back in, like, January but I really do feel bad for not being able to give you anything. So, for everything you do for me, I dedicate this to you!

Lurve 'n' Huggles!

xXXx

Chapter One - Angel Whispers

"We just barely got out of that one!" Shunsui cackled, clapping his friend hard on the back.

"Barely? Barely is an understatement!" Jyuushiro roared, motioning to his school uniform which hung in tattered rags off his battered and bleeding body. His scowl was deep and impending, sinking into an aura that made Shunsui shudder.

"Well, at least we're alive, right?" The fifteen-year-old brushed some dirt off his navy blue jacket, then grinned stupidly back at the yard they had just gotten out of. The two had been late for class and decided to take a shortcut, finding themselves in a junkyard. Then it was the typical 'dobermans chase them to the fence and they make it by a thread' thing. Of course, Shunsui thought that had been more fun than a barrel of monkeys... only because he hadn't been left in the dust as dog bait.

"By a hair, Shunsui! A freakin' hair! It's because of you that I almost got myself killed!"

"But you're alive, so what are you worried about?" Shunsui's grin only grew wider and he laughed again, looking back at the chain-link fence where three dobermans threw themselves mercilessly, snarling and growling. The fence creaked and groaned in agony, slowly giving out from the weight of the dogs. Only, the boys didn't notice.

"What were you doing still in bed, anyway?"

Creeaaakk....

"Umm.... Sleeping?"

"I should've left without you."

Creeaakk... Creeee....

"Yeah, maybe you should've."

"Next time, I will and—"

Creeeeaaakk... SNAP!

The fence came down and suddenly, the two were running again. Shunsui was howling with laughter as he powered into the lead, taking off like a bullet. Jyuushiro, on the other hand, was lagging behind. He wasn't a very fast runner, and he hadn't pictured Shunsui to be, either; but of course.... It wasn't long before he tripped on something, perhaps one of Shunsui's textbooks which had been thrown to lighten the load and slow the dogs down; but whatever it was left Jyuushiro to be food for the dogs for the second time that morning. Instinctivly, he covered his head with his arms as the beasts tore at him ruthlessly. He couldn't help but realize that this could be the end. Death by dogs. And he's lose his pride with his life.

"Oi! Eat math!"

There was a loud, high-pitched yelp and a loud cracking noise as textbook connected with dog, and sent dog on a one-way trip to brick wall. Shunsui, cackled evilly, reveling in the glory of his new sport, textbook baseball. He hoped that he'd get to play more often, since smacking things with a math book, he found, was quite entertaining. As well, the look on Jyuushiro's face was priceless enough to take pictures of. Unfortunatly his camera phone had been one of the many things he had whipped at the dogs in the heat of the moment. His mother, no doubt, would kill him.

"Did you see that, Jyuu? I hit one; the rest run away! Pussies!" Shunsui's laughing died away as he looked down at his friend, broken and torn up, bleeding torrents. Jyuushiro uncoiled himself, trying desperatly to turn himself over. He wimpered almost inaudibly as his friend knelt next to him, purely concerned. "Jyuu? Are you okay?"

No answer was received.

"Hey, Ukitake, c'mon! Jyuushiro, get up!"

Ukitake layed there for a moment, shaking. Slowly, the shaking ceased and he found his body beginning to weaken even further as blood escaped him. His breaths came as shallow, ground-muffled gasps as he pressed his forehead to the pavement. It was only a few moments later that he realized he couldn't breath, and that he was sinking into a black abyss that swirlled around him, making him dizzy. Eventually, he gave out and closed his eyes.

Shunsui panicked at the sight of his friend blacked out on the ground. There was no one around to help him, he had destroyed his cell phone, and Jyuushiro had left his on the dining room table back at home. There was nothing else to do, he decided, but to pick Jyuushiro up and take him to the nearest medical facility. He ran as fast as he could, finding that his friend, built physically smaller and thinner, was heavier than he appeared. Once or twice he faltered, but was spurred on by the thought that it was his fault that Jyuushiro was in this state.

Shunsui and Jyuushiro had met at the beginning of that semester in Tenth Grade. They found that they took all their classes together, and hadn't truly met until one afternoon when Shunsui was trying his hardest to pick up a few girls in a higher grade and leaned back against an open window in his attempt to look somewhat distinguished for them. Unforntunatly for everyone he fell backwards out the second floor window and landed on Jyuushiro, beginning the nightmares of any teacher. They had spent the day in the nurse's office, lucky to have escaped with the few injuries that they had. Jyuushiro however, who had been Shunsui's mat, had never been the same afterwards. Perhaps Shunsui had done a little more than knock the wind out of him, but his physical performance began to suffer and his stamina dangled dangerously. As a result, he dared not run any faster than he ever needed to, or run at all if it wasn't absolutly nesseccary.

It was unknown to them at that point that this was actually the cause of something much greater; a major milestone in Jyuushiro's young life; something that would scar him forever, and hold him back from doing alot of the things that he enjoyed. The reality of death would be that much closer; more so than any of his classmates, any of his friends or family could even dream.

He didn't know it, but he could feel it. He couldn't place it, so he didn't worry about it. The night sweats and chills, sudden and rapid loss of weight, loss of appetite and constant disposal of what food he did force down. A high fever and the coughing. The coughs that were so painful to his throat and lungs. They all just sounded like the flu, but it was more than that and whenever he was really thinking about it, he knew it. He didn't want to become a burdon to everyone, though when he told someone it would be too late. He was already dying before he was certain he was even living. It was something that had claimed the life of his father only six years ago, and it had been passed on to him.

In a moment Shunsui had dashed past a girl in his class with hair the colour of milk chocolate. Her grey eyes were fixated on the sidewalk, at a parade of ants that made their way toward a bounty of sugary treats from the confectionary her parents owned. She sat on the steps of the shop, a can of Raid in-hand and prepared to spray when they got too close. She had a red lollipop held in frusteration between her teeth as she sat on the stairs, knees tucked under her diminuitive body, with the can of Raid ready. Ultimately, Shunsui had just done her a large favor by stepping on the army of ants, and she knew he loved her parents' sweets.

"Hey, Kyoraku!" She jumped up and waved at him, prompting him to stop and turn around. He stared at her for a quarter of a second before deciding to return, Jyuushiro laying almost forgotten in his arms.

"Kimura-chan? What d'you want?" His voice was rather icy, without meaning to be. He liked her. She was out-going, bright, and decidedly adorable. It would've been a surprize if he didn't take a quick liking to her. Today, her hair was pulled up into a wild, though short, ponytail, a few pieces of her bangs that she neglected hanging around her schist-toned visage. She was wearing her school uniform, but she wasn't at school, which wasn't odd for her. She was a unique girl; what wasn't to love?

"Well, fine then, Shunsui. I was going to thank you for stepping on those ants in front of the shop back there, and I was going to do it handsomely.... With sour keys and Swedish Berries." She turned her head to the side, knitting her fingers together behind her back. "What's with Jyuu?"

"Umm... dog attack." Shunsui looked almost embarrassed, but forced it back and exchanged it for defeated. The girl laughed softly and took Shunsui's arm. Her touch was almost ghostly, albeit warm and he leaned into it. She smiled taking him into her house behind the Kimura Confectionary, instructing him to lay Ukitake on the bedroll in her room. He did as told and she left for a moment to retrieve some things; a bowl of warm water and a cloth, some bandages and peroxide so as to clean and dress her platinum-haired peer.

"I called the Kurosaki Clinic. Miss Kurosaki should be here soon." She sat on the opposite side of the cot from Shunsui, staring down on Jyuushiro's calm expression. She dipped the cloth in the water, squeezing it out and giving it a breif shake before dabbing at a few spots of blood on his cheek. She watched him so fondly, a ghost of a smile haunting her thin lips. "Can you help me? Unbutton his shirt, please."

Shunsui did as told, russet eyes locked upon her the whole time. The care and love she put into cleaning Jyuushiro's wounds crushed him like a dead weight. She had been a friend to both of them for quite an extended period of time, several years actually. She had known them both since grade school, and had finally decided to introduce them the day Shunsui fell out the window. They had met eachother on their own; fate had brought them together, and she couldn't have been happier. But, now his head was a maelstrom of emotions; jealousy being the main component. Others were things he couldn't even name and he hated it. He hated the way Kimura-san looked at Jyuushiro, and not at him. And then.... Then it was his fault that she even looked at him in the first place. If he hadn't've fallen asleep in that tree, they never would've been late for school.

"Misao?"

Her ashen eyes flashed upwards at Shunsui as his chocolate voice flowed across the room. She had never heard him so sad before. Secretly she knew. She couldn't explain it, but she did. She could feel his jealousy rising, and felt as if it were her doing. She slowly rose and made her way around the bed to wrap her tiny mouse arms around Shunsui. She smiled gently.

"He's okay, Shunsui." she whispered, closing her eyes. Soon she slid off him and returned to her spot, dabbing at Jyuushiro's wounds until Kurosaki Yuzu showed up. She told Misao, the daughter of her dear friends, that she had done an exceptional job at cleaning the wounds. Misao beamed triumphantly as she usually did, then dragged Shunsui off to the candy shop where she was supposed to be.

The Kimura Confectionary was bright and happy, lightened with white lace curtains and chapagne gold walls. There was a large window at the head of the shop with a bayseat in it. The bayseat was white fabric and had a perfect view of the different columns of easily identifiable candies. There were small shelves of dark wood carrying namebrand and popular delicacies, and towers of chocolates that the Kimura's made themselves on golden platters at the end of each aisle. The Kimura Confectionary was a landmark in Karakura, and the biggest rival of Urahara Shouten, the only other candy shop in the city.

"So, why aren't you in class?" Shunsui asked after a moment of cool silence. Misao, picking at one of her favourite chocolates that had been taken off the market for their unpopularity, looked up.

"I wasn't feeling well." she replied dumbly, stormy eyes wide and confused. "Why, Shun-kun? Are you worried about me?"

"What is that?" He hadn't completely avoided her question, he had simply side-stepped, though he now poked at the little chocolate square in her fingers. She looked up for a moment, trying to remember, then she stared at the tiny delicatessan, examining it.

"Umm.... Dark chocolate with sea salt."

Shunsui grimaced, bringing his eyebrows together in confusion. "Ever wonder why you get sick?" He took it from her gingerly, throwing it in the small garbage bin at Misao's feet. She yelped at him in protest, grumbling a few choice words when she realized that her breakfast had been lost to the unsanitary depths of the little plastic pail. She went off into the storage room for a moment and came back with a banana which was going to be dipped in chocolate before Shunsui happened along.

"Where are your parents?"

"A candy convention, where else?" Misao sighed, biting off the end of the banana fiercely. She growled a bit at it, chasing away a few sticky chunks that had gotten stuck between her teeth with her tongue. She wasn't a banana fan, and that was the exact reason why she acted the way she did toward it. Unfortunatly, her parents had already caramelized an entire bushel of apples before they left early that morning, and the strawberries had all been dipped in their chocolates. Shunsui agreed with a soft sigh, in complete bordom.

Silence. Complete and utter silence.

Then, there was a howling. It was loud, in agony; shaking the shop and it's two occupants. Misao looked up and then around, unable to place it. Another howl and Shunsui's head came up. Simultaneously, they asked if the other had heard said howl, which pretty much confirmed it. They rushed outside just in time to see it in all its three-storey-high glory. It was absolutly horrendous, though magnificent. And it was something completely foreign to them. Misao's jaw dropped, and she tried to ask Shunsui if he even had the slightest idea, but he shook his head.

A flash of light was all it took and the monster disappeared. It was gone in a flash of red, and neither of them had a chance to register what had happened. They were entranzed, which made it easy for the destroyer to make his way to them.

"Enjoy the show?"

Shunsui was the first to snap out and took a moment to scan the man. He bore flaxen hair and eyes silver as moonlight. He was tall, proportioned handsomely, and though he had no obvious limp, he carried a cane. Shunsui had never before seen this man in his lifetime. "What was that?"

"That was a Hollow. Or don't you remember? Nah, I suppose you wouldn't," The man sighed heavily, tipping his brightly coloured hat over slate-hued eyes. "Guess I've gotta teach it to you just like I did with Kurosaki. This could get interesting... old friend."