When writing this story I was listening to 'Spooky Kids' by Itch. I normally don't listen to music like this but I love it. This isn't a song fiction it just helped the story along.

Also, many thanks to DIEREDPINAPPLE who always corrects my many mistakes. J

You all know I don't own Bleach, so off we go … …

He dogged to the left. An orange flash slashed at a grotesque creature whose claws lashed out to where the orange blur was a millisecond before. A sickening wail echoed across Karakura town as Zangetsu tasted his prey. As the hollow dissolved before the narrowed brown eyes of the resent substitute Shinigami a familiar presence could be felt from the opposite rooftop.

The narrowed brown eyes soon found the owner of the familiar reitsu. A muscular shinigami sat on an air vent, seemingly relaxed and sneering across the expanse of grey buildings. The crimson hair that was tied back in it uniform fashion was perfectly accentuated by the jagged black tattoos that ran up his neck and down the visible part of his chest.

"Yo Ichigo." The usual cocky smile that the substitute was so used to was firmly set on the red-head's face.

"Renji! What the fuck are you doing? Enjoying the show? You could have helped." Ichigo snapped, his muscles immediately tensed and he gripped the hilt or Zangetsu until it sting the callused flesh of his fingers. Renji was the last person he wanted to see today. He just wanted to tear up a few hollows, vent some anger that he couldn't unleash anywhere else. He didn't want to tear up his cocky best friend; unfortunately Renji had an uncanny ability to know how to get right under Ichigo's skin.

"Jeez, what's up with you? Time of the month or something?" Renji drawled lazily from across the rooftops. When Ichigo didn't snap back immediately, Renji looked up to see him crouched on the concrete roof clutching his head. "Ichigo?"

He jumped across the rooftops to his friend. His eyes were wide, and mouth slightly open, he handsome face contorted with some kind of internal struggle. His teeth audibly ground together, his muscles flexed in his forearms as he clutched his head tighter. Renji touched the side of Ichigo's feverishly hot face that was covered in a film of sweat.

"Ichigo? What's wrong?!"

The boy was purposefully averting his eyes. Renji tried to twist his face so he could look at his friend.

"Don't!" Ichigo croaked pulling his head away. Renji just ignored him and pulled a little harder at Ichigo's chin. They're eyes met. Renji felt his blood run cold. Black was creeping across the whites of Ichigo's eyes and the chocolatey brown pupils were turning a sickly yellow.

"Get away. Now!" Ichigo snarled a warning as he desperately tried to keep hold of a last shred of sanity. The hollow was howling triumphantly in his head.

There wasn't time. Inhuman strength smashed Renji against the wall and pinned him in place with his throat. Ichigo cackled as if he was insane. No, it wasn't Ichigo. The sound came from the same body but it wasn't Ichigo's voice. This voice made Renji's skin crawl and the sour taste of bile rise in his throat.

"Who the fuck are you?" Renji yelled at the monster that had taken over his friend. Another sickening cackle and the hollow looked at Renji with a deadly sneer.

"A Shinigami that doesn't recognise a hollow eh? Or are you just playing fancy dress? You can call me King if you like." The voice echoed in Renji's ears. He struggled against the hollow. He was debating drawing Zabimaru but he was reluctant to attack the hollow as it was inside Ichigo's body. He couldn't kill the hollow without killing the man he had grown so attached to in the last few years.

The hollow pushed harder against Renji's throat. Renji brought his knee up and hit the hollows chest. It should have been knocked back a few meters, any normal Shinigami or hollow would have been. He saw a gust of air from the kick punch a whole into the metal air vent he was sat on before. The hollow just sneered more. Renji's eyes widened. He had been training for over a year and a half to fight someone at Aizen's level, how had that had no effect on the hollow?

The echoing voice chuckled seeming to comprehend Renji's thought process. "I'm King's power. What makes you think you could hurt me with that?"

The hollow manically cackled again. "Don't worry, you'll get King back. After I've done what he's too scared to."

"What are you going to do?" Renji bit back the sound of apprehension in his voice; he would never show his fear to this monster.

"You see, my kings as much of a monster as me. He's a killer just like you and he like blood just as much as me. He enjoys fighting; he enjoys tearing his enemies to shreds."

"No! Ichigo's not like that! He's a good guy. He's no monster." Renji was firm in his opinion. He was staring into those yellow eyes loathing them.

"Really? You think so? We're all just animals, we survive and thrive on instinct. But right now fighting's not what King wants." Contempt swam across the hollows face.

"What does your King want?" Renji snarled. The hollow moved his arm restraining the Shinigami to his muscled chest to keep him pinned. The pale face moved right next to Renji's and breathed into his ear.

"You."

Renji's eyes widened in shock. He was so surprised he barely noticed the cold wet lips run down to the fleshy part at the side of his neck. He felt a sharp twinge of pain as the hollow yanked his hair to reveal more of Renji's throat and bit down. Renji yelled as his flesh tore under the hollow's teeth. Suddenly the hollow was gone and was kneeling on the floor. He could hear Ichigo's voice again, he was screaming. He felt a trickle of hot blood trickle down his neck. It wasn't deep. He ignored the sting and looked down at Ichigo who was cowering on the floor.

Ichigo choked at the tangy metallic taste in his mouth. It was blood. Renji's blood. It was smeared across the lower half of his face, as crimson as the hair on his dear friends head.