The Night We Met, and Everything Changed.

Today I bet my life

If you really love me
Don't try and change me
When you look in the mirror
It's not me you see

I don't want your choice as mine
No, that never crossed my mind
I want you just the way you are
'Cause boy, you're everything I'm not
And that's all I've ever wanted

If we ever come close
If we ever discover
How to hold on and keep our faith in each other
The difference between us
Will keep us together

The Karakura Dance Studio was filled with the sound of my music and me. Two months ago I was just a normal, fifteen year old girl. I went to school with my twin brother and older cousin, I worked as a nurse at my family's clinic, and practiced dance on a daily basis. But normal flew out the window when I met Rukia Kuchiki, a Soul Reaper.

A monster called a Hollow had attacked my family and Rukia was injured while fighting it. In order to defeat the Hollow and save our family, my cousin, Momo, my twin brother, Ichigo, and myself, Zakuro, offered to become Soul Reaper, by Rukia giving us her powers. Since then, we've been Substitute Soul Reapers, while Rukia was regaining her powers.

I would spend hours at the dance studio to retain some normalcy, and to burn off some excess emotion at just about everything. Sure, becoming a Soul Reaper was kind of a cool thing, but it was a tricky job and dangerous at the same time.

But there was one drawback that I saw that made me being a Soul Reaper, a complication in the relationship department. Since I became a Soul Reaper, my friend Uryū revealed that he was a Quincy, which are enemies of Soul Reapers and thus our friendship was a little rocky, and any chance of him becoming my boyfriend was off the table entirely.

I looked myself over in the mirror and sighed. My orange hair was pulled into a semi bun and some loose strands were falling out.

If we open our eyes
Don't look any further
'Cause we've found all we'll ever need in each other
The difference between us
Will keep us together

I tell you our love is everlasting
You promise to give your best every morning
We don't have to compromise
Try to live each other's lives
We can be ourselves tonight

If we ever come close
If we ever discover
How to hold on and keep our faith in each other
The difference between us
Will keep us together

If we open our eyes
Don't look any further
'Cause we've found all we'll ever need in each other
The difference between us
Will keep us together

I danced around the studio, leaping into the air and landing on my toes, striking a pose. I sighed, and decided to call it quits for the night.

As I unplugged my iPod, I felt the sensation that someone was watching me. I carefully looked around and caught the reflection in the mirror. I didn't look directly at it, but I saw someone standing outside on the telephone pole and he looked sort of familiar.

"Who could that be?" I thought.

I carefully got a closer look, without making it look obvious. The figure was a man with red hair, pulled up into a spiky ponytail, and he wore a black kimono. He was a Soul Reaper.

I turned and closed the window, and he vanished. I plugged in my headphones and threw on my jacket, and slung my duffle over my shoulder. I turned off all the lights inside the studio and locked the front doors.

I put my headphones in my ears and scanned through my music. I settled on the slower version of 'Titanium' and made my way home.

"I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose, fire away, fire away. Ricochet, you take your aim, fire away, fire away." I sang along. "You shoot me down but I won't fall, I am titanium. You shoot me down but I won't fall, I am titanium. I am titanium. I am titanium. Stone-hard, machine gun, firing at the ones who run. Stone-hard as bulletproof glass." I held out the last note on 'glass' and danced a little bit, spinning on my toes. "You shoot me down but I won't fall, I am titanium. You shoot me down but I won't fall, I am titanium. You shoot me down but I won't fall, I am titanium. You shoot me down but I won't fall, I am titanium. I am titanium."

I stopped and chuckled, then I heard the sound of someone clapping.

"You are aware that others could be around." Uryū noted, walking up to me.

I paused my music and put my iPod in the outside pocket of my duffle. "So I get a little carried away." I shrugged my shoulders. "Since when is that a crime?"

Uryū pushed his glasses up. "Since two unknown Spiritual Pressures appeared here a short while ago."

"Two unknown Spiritual Pressures?" I repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"I thought you had a handle on sensing Spiritual Pressure." Uryū reminded.

"I guess I just wasn't paying any attention." I rebuked, walking ahead of him.

As I walked, I did sense the two new Spiritual Pressures. My stuffed wolf, Tsuki, stuck her head out from the top of my duffle and hung over the side. In the case of a Hollow attack, Tsuki was the soul candy I would swallow and a substitute soul would occupy my body while I was doing my duties as a Soul Reaper. I always kept her close by stashing her in my stuffed wolf, which is something I've had since I was born.

I suddenly felt a rush of energy from nearby and froze in my place. "That power." I gasped. "It's stronger than anything I've ever felt."

"Told you there were others out there." Uryū said.

I looked over at him. "C'mon, let's go check it out." I voted, reaching to grab Tsuki.

Uryū grabbed my wrist, "Don't be so hasty, Zak." he rebuked. "Just follow me."

"Whatever." I sighed, following my friend down the block.

What I saw ahead of me made me stop. Rukia, my friend, was on her knees, gripping her arm. In front of her was the Soul Reaper I saw outside the dance studio earlier, only now he was holding a sword above Rukia's head.

"Uh, Uryū." I whispered.

He already had his bow ready and fired the arrow, and it flew right past the Soul Reaper. They looked in our direction and we walked forward, Uryū in front of me.

"Two armed men attacking a defenseless, young girl." Uryū noted. "It's not a pretty sight."

We stood under the street lamp and I placed my hand on my hip, shaking my head. Uryū used the excuse that we were just classmates of Rukia's on our way home, but I could tell the two Soul Reapers weren't buying it.

The red-haired Soul Reaper held his blade behind his head. "Since I don't really like your answer, I'll ask again." he smirked, "Who the hell are you?"

Uryū pushed his glasses up and introduced himself. "You should at least know the name of the person who's going to kill you." he said.

The red-haired Soul Reaper, named Renji, grinned. "I'm gonna cut you in half." he threatened.

I gripped Uryū's arm, "You're not seriously gonna fight this guy, are you?" I questioned.

"Just let me handle this, Zakuro." Uryū told me, stepping forward.

"You should've listed to your little girlfriend, kid." Renji sneered.

The fight was pretty bad. This Renji guy was pretty strong, and quick, and handy with a sword.

"I have to help him." I muttered, reaching inside my dance bag.

Rukia grabbed my arm. "No. these guys are dangerous. You won't stand a chance." she said.

"I'm not gonna stand here and watch my friends get hurt." I rebuked. I slipped on my soul glove and pushed the candy out of my stuffed wolf. "Hey, Renji!" I called, drawing his attention. "If you wanna fight, then fight me."

I popped the soul candy into my mouth and then, my Soul Reaper form shot out, and my body fell to the ground.

"Again, ouch." Tsuki whined.

"Tsuki, get somewhere safe." I ordered, stepping forward. "This is gonna be dangerous."

Tsuki nodded her head, "Yeah Zakuro, I got it." she scurried away and stood beside Rukia.

Renji took one look at me and narrowed his eyes. "So, it was you." he growled. "You were the one who stole Rukia's powers."

I shrugged my shoulders. "Well, one of them anyway." I corrected, reaching back to grab the pole of my blade. "Let's see who's blade is stronger; your sword or my scythe." I gripped the pole and swung my scythe around, holding it in front of me.

I jumped in, swinging it, blocking Renji's blade with ease. Even though he was clearly stronger than me, I held my ground, not budging.

"Your pretty good, for a human fighting with stolen powers." Renji said, pushing me back a little. "But, that doesn't compare to the full training."

I lost my footing and quickly dodged his swing. I spun my left leg in a semi-circle and blocked his next attack with my scythe. "Damn." I muttered. I felt blood run down my leg, meaning he must've nicked me when I dodged his first strike.

"That's some fancy footwork, girlie." Renji chuckled, pulling his blade back to strike again.

I chasséd to the side, dodging another hit. "That's eleven years of dance lessons, of all styles." I informed, smiling. "And don't call me girly."

I swiped my scythe and created a mild wind. Renji dodged my blade, but the wind tore at his pant leg.

"So, your Zanpakutō is a wind type, interesting." he noted, taking another stance. "But, I bet you don't know her name."

"Name?" I repeated, gripping the pole tightly.

Renji grinned and swung his blade, but it ended up being a decoy attack, and his second swing made contact with my sleeve, tearing at the fabric and nicking my arm, blood ran from the wound. That threw me off balance, and I could barely block his next attacks.

"Not so confident now, are you?" Renji taunted, aiming to run me through the stomach.

Thanks to my dancer's muscle memory, I did a motion known as a manège, which are steps that travel in a circle around the dance area, or in this case, I used it to avoid Renji's blade piercing my stomach. Somehow, he anticipated my dodge and Renji slashed his blade, and the recoil of energy sent me skidding down the sidewalk.

I struggled to stand up, but I think I sprained my wrist when I fell. I could feel blood running down my arm and leg, and I think a bruise was forming on my lower jaw.

"Zak." Uryū muttered, slowly sitting up and leaning against the guard rail.

I struggled to a kneeling position, and Renji's blade loomed above me. "You both were just talk." he scoffed. "Remember this as you part from this world, girl. Renji Abarai, the name of the man that killed you."

As he went to lower his blade, I braced myself, then felt the presence of two familiar people.

I looked up and saw my twin brother standing in front of me, his own Zanpakutō ready.

"Ichigo." I muttered, sighing.

"Who in Hell's name are you?" Renji asked.

"Ichigo Kurosaki, the guy who's gonna beat your ass." Ichigo answered. "No one hurts my sister, so you're gonna pay for what you've done to her."

I felt someone's hands on my shoulders. "I second that." she chuckled.

I looked behind me and saw my cousin Momo. She knelt down next to me, "You okay cuz?" she asked, looking me over.

I nodded. "Yeah, they're just a few scratches, I'll be ok." I answered.

Renji narrowed his eyes and looked at all three of us. "So, it wasn't just one person who stole her powers, but three." he muttered. "You three were the lowlife humans that stole Rukia's powers."

"Lowlife humans." Momo repeated, narrowing her eyes.

"Ignore him, he's an ass." I told her, holding up my hand. I leaned against the streetlight pole and winced in pain.

Momo took another look at Renji and nodded, "Agreed." she replied. "Kick his ass, Ichigo!"

Renji threw his blade down and tried to slash at Ichigo, but my brother blocked each and every blow. But one blow wasn't dodged in time and Renji's blade made contact with Ichigo's shoulder, making a small cut.

"You three have bitten off more than you can chew, here." Renji scolded. "Once I kill the three of you, Rukia will get her powers back, and return to the Soul Society where she will die." Renji looked at the three of us and shook his head. "You three are just fake reapers, you could never hope to compete with a real one, like myself. You couldn't even land a scratch on-"

He was cut off by Ichigo swinging his blade, creating a small scratch on his chin.

"You let your guard down, Renji." said the second Soul Reaper, who had black hair and wore a pale colored scarf around his neck. "I'm sure I've seen these three before, from a report we received from the Secret Remote Squad." he added. "They dealt the Menos Grande quite a serious blow, and forced it to retreat back to Hueco Mundo."

Renji laughed, "Come on, the Secret Remote Squad must really be slipping these days." he rolled his eyes. "These kids actually wounded a Menos? Who would believe that load of crap?" Renji laughed again. "And what's with their Zanpakutōs? They're monstrosities, these kids obviously can't control their Spirit Energy."

Momo rolled her eyes, "What the hell are you talking about?" she asked. "What does our Spirit Energy have to do with our weapons?"

Renji chuckled. "The size of a Soul Reaper's Zanpakutō reflects their Spiritual Energy." he answered. "Since yours are all larger than normal, you obviously can't control your energy. It's basic Soul Reaper knowledge."

I rolled my eyes and sighed.

Renji ran the palm of his hand over his sword and it changed shape, transforming into an even longer, 6-part segmented blade; each segment wider than the one preceding it from the hilt, with 2 pick-like protrusions on the front and back of each segment, with the ones on the front much longer than the ones on the back. He referred to his sword as Zabimaru.

He jumped up at the blade's segments separated, making contact with Ichigo's shoulder and slicing it, drawing a huge amount of blood. Ichigo fell to his knees.

"Ichigo!" Momo and I called in unison.

"That's it, I'm not gonna sit by any more." Momo reached behind her and pulled out her two dagger-like blades and held them ready. "No one hurts my family and gets away with it."

She charged forward and blocked Renji's next attack, standing protectively in front of Ichigo. Sparks flew from the focal point where the blades made contact. Momo pushed forward and swung her daggers in a semi-circle, creating a small heat wave

Renji retaliated by swinging his blade around him, then throwing it in Momo's direction. She tried to block the oncoming attack, but the segments somehow jumped the daggers and slashed across Momo's shoulder.

"Damnit." Momo cursed, dropping to her knees, blood pouring from her new wound.

Renji retracted his blade and smirked. "With this next attack, I'll finish off all three of you." he said. "Then I can leave here and return to the Soul Society."

As Renji aimed to deal the finishing blow, Rukia jumped on his back, holding his arm immobile.

"Hurry guys! Run!" she yelled.

I struggled to stand, leaning against the light pole for support. Momo put all of her weight on one knee and grunted.

Ichigo reached out and grabbed his sword, slowly standing up. I could feel his energy rising.

"Ichigo." I thought, watching him. I exchanged a glance with Momo, and the look on her face said she was just as confused as I am.

Ichigo was suddenly faster than before, and he managed to slice Renji's shoulder and cut through the black visor he had on his forehead. Blood ran down from his forehead and he was a slow to react to Ichigo's assaults.

Just as Ichigo was going to land a fatal hit, his blade suddenly fell apart. It took us all by surprise.

"What the hell?" Momo asked, looking around.

I looked at the far end of the sidewalk and saw the second Soul Reaper, referred to as Captain Kuchiki. He held a large portion of Ichigo's sword and dropped it to the ground.

Ichigo turned to face him and suddenly the second Soul Reaper appeared only a few inches behind him.

Blood spurted from a small wound in Ichigo's chest and he slowly fell to the ground.

"Ichigo!" Momo called standing up.

"Brother!" I screamed, my eyes widening in fear.

Ichigo's body fell to the ground, motionless. I looked to the side and saw Momo pick up her two daggers. They were radiating a dark blue and she gripped them tightly.

"You bastard." Momo grunted, tightening her grip on her blades.

She charged forward, aiming her daggers to pierce the other Soul Reaper. Momo suddenly froze and made a gagging sound. Captain Kuchiki appeared behind Momo and she slowly fell to the ground, blood running from two small puncture wounds in her shihakushō. When her body hit the ground, blood pooled around her.

I knew if I had any chance of helping them, I had to act quickly. My scythe was only a foot or so away from me, laying on the grassy hill. Renji glanced over at me and maybe knew what I was up to, but I had no other choice.

"This is it Zak." I thought. "If your gonna go out, at least go out fighting."

I bolted to grab my scythe and gripped the pole as tightly as I could. I jumped onto the railing with my scythe in hand.

Then, I felt a sharp pain in the lower left portion of my abdomen. The pain shot up to my right shoulder and I saw blood spurt from the wound. A feeling of dizziness washed over me and I heard the sound of my scythe clanking against the metal railing

I fell backwards and felt someone catch me. I looked up and saw Uryū looking down at me, his arms around my midsection.

"Zak. Zak, can you hear me?" he asked, his voice echoing in my ears.

I reached up and grabbed Uryū's hand, squeezing it. "Everything's going blurry, Uryū." I rasped out.

My head fell to the left and rested in the crook of Uryū's elbow. The voices all melded together and I couldn't make out a single word, or who said what. I felt the cold touch of fresh rain, feeling the water mix with my blood, and I knew my body was going into shock.

Through half-closed lids I saw Renji's blade glow red and he shoved it through, basically nothing, creating a swirling vortex. Out of the vortex, a gate opened and three black butterflies flew out of the white light. Renji's sword returned to normal and he sheathed it, walking into the blinding light, followed by one of the butterflies.

Renji stopped and turned his head over his shoulder and his eyes met mine for a few seconds and they softened, almost showing remorse.

My lids closed completely and my body fell limp, and everything faded into darkness.

Everything was slowly coming back into focus and felt the residual effects of the battle.

"Where the hell am I?" I asked groggily.

"You're at Urahara's Shop." said a male voice.

I looked over and saw Jinta standing by the door. I groaned. "No offense, but your face isn't exactly the first one I wanted to see."

Jinta scoffed. "Yeah, well I don't like being woken up at three in the morning, and being forced to tend to some half-dead teenage girl!" he rebuked.

I sat up and threw the bucket of water near my bed at him. That's when I noticed I had bandages covering my shoulders and midsection, and I was in my body again.

"Well Zakuro, great to see you're alive and well." Urahara said, leaning against the door frame.

"What happened Kisuke?" I asked, wincing at the pain I felt. "Where are Momo and Ichigo?"

"Momo is recovering fine, and Ichigo is still unconscious." Kisuke answered.

I sighed in relief. But, the silence was cut short when I heard ruckus going on in the next room.

Momo poked her head into the room, "Ichigo's awake." she informed.

I slowly stood up and walked over to the next room with Kisuke and Momo.

"If you move around too much Ichigo, you'll die." Kisuke told him, walking into the room. "We were barely able to patch you up, as well as the girls."

Momo and I walked in.

"Hey Ichigo." Momo greeted, smiling and waving.

I walked in and sat next to him. "You okay, Ichigo?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I should be asking you that." he replied. He poked my nose and chuckled, making me giggle.

"I'm okay, a little sore, but okay." I answered, smiling.

Ichigo looked around. "Where's Uryū?" he asked. "I thought he was there too. Is he alright?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I honestly don't know." I looked up at Kisuke. "Do you?"

"Uryū's injuries weren't as bad as the ones you three had." Kisuke told us. "I dressed his wounds at the scene, but he was worried about you."

"He was worried?" Ichigo questioned.

Momo rolled her eyes. "He was worried about all of us? Or Zakuro?" she elaborated.

"Both." Kisuke answered. He looked down at me, "Uryū's the one who carried you to my shop. After you were in good hands, he left and went home."

I sighed and looked down. "Despite his Quincy pride, he's still my best friend." I muttered.

Kisuke nodded. "Yeah, he told me that the only ones who can save Rukia, are you three." he told us.

"Me? What can I do?" Ichigo asked, crossing his arms. "Rukia's gone back to the Soul Society. How can I save her?" he looked down and sighed. "It can't be done."

"There is a way into the Soul Society." Kisuke told us. "And I will help the three of you get there, but on one condition."

"I knew there was gonna be something." Momo sighed.

"What's the condition, Urahara?" I asked, standing up and looking at him.

"For the next ten days the three of you will study and train with me." Kisuke answered. "I will teach you how to fight properly."

"Rukia could be executed at any second! We have to get to the Soul Society now!" Ichigo rebuked.

"The Soul Society usually has a one month waiting period for executions." Kisuke informed. "So that gives me ten days to torture the three of you. Then seven to get the gate open, and another thirteen days to get the job done."

After exchanging glances we sighed in unison and agreed with that Kisuke's condition. We would train with him for ten days, to become strong enough to fight on an equal level with those other Soul Reapers.

A/N: The phrases of the song featured in the beginning of this chapter are from "The Difference Between Us" by Jennifer Love Hewitt. Her song, "My Love Will Show You Everything" is the inspiration for the title of this story. So hope you enjoy and read and review^^