This is my second Bleach fanfiction…I hope that I will be able to update this one better…and actually keep an interest in it. Anyway, I hope that you all enjoy reading this, and don't forget to feed my inspiration to keep writing this by giving me reviews!

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, it belongs to its respectful owner/creator. Im only writing this for my own amusements.


Shadows tempting a pure heart,

To enter, accept the dark,

A serpent of shadows

Awaits the one pure of heart…


"Okaa-san! Are we at the new house yet?" a teenage girl of sixteen, with long bright, blood red hair that is pulled back into a loose, but neat braid, and tied with a wide black ribbon, asked her foster mother from the back seat of the car that they were in.

The blood red haired teenage girl had stormy gray eyes that seemed to be filled with a permanent, heavy sadness. She had a naturally dark tan on her skin which complimented her hair and eye color, making them stand out. The girl was wearing two eyebrow piercings in her right eyebrow and multiple piercings in both of her ears. Her bangs were long and covered the left side of her face. A pure black choker was around her neck, covering a part of the tattoos that curled their way up from her right forearm to the right side of neck, stopping just below her ear. Her clothing was varying shades of gray and black.

"Azura, that's the fifth time that you've asked that question! If you ask that question one more time you're not going to get dinner tonight!" the older man that was her foster father snapped at the teenage girl. The older man was the one that was driving the car.

The car that held Azura, the blood red haired teenage girl, and her two foster parents in it, pulled into the drive way of a house with a moving truck right behind them.

"Well, excuse me~ princess, but it seems like we have arrived at the castle." Azura muttered angrily under her breath as she glared at her foster father as he got out of the car.

Then, the next thing that Azura knew she was being pulled out of the back seat of the car violently by her braided hair. It was her foster father. Azura did not make any sound though, it was clear as day light that she was in pain. She refused to give her foster father the satisfaction of seeing her in pain.

"Stand out here and stay out of the way. You can go where ever you want and you know what happens if you're not home on time for dinner. Now get out of my sight you demon tainted child!" Azura's foster father snarled at her before he shoved her out of the drive way and onto the neighboring yard.

Azura glared bloody murder at her foster father before she hissed at him as she turned around and walked straight into something as hard as a rock. She promptly fell and hit the ground painfully hard. She looked up to see what she had walked into and found a tall, orange haired teenage boy that was around her age and a lot taller than her, staring, no wait, glaring down at her.

"I –I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention to where I was-" Azura started to say to the boy when her foster father suddenly came up behind her as he snatched her braid and extremely violently pulled Azura up off of the ground by it.

"Watch where you are going you little bitch. I don't need you causing me any trouble!" Azura's foster father snapped at her as he was about to slap her across her face.

Azura closed her eyes as she waited for the hit and the pain to come, but they never came. As she cautiously opened her eyes, she saw that she was no longer being held by her foster father anymore. Azura's foster father was being forcefully restrained by another man that appeared to be the same age. The man had black hair and looked similar to the orange haired teenage boy that she had walked into.

Knowing that she had caused her foster father, who was in charge of her "welfare", to get into the situation that he was now in because of her, Azura's eyes went wide with a slight feeling of fear. She then turned around and ran down the street like she was being chased by a demon, no caring about where she was heading. Even if it was in the direction of a hollow that had felt her strange spiritual pressure and wanted to devour her because of it.


'Oh my god, I am so dead when I go back' Azura thought to herself when she had finally stopped running once she had reached a park and had found an isolated spot among some trees. She sat down on the ground with a depressive sounding sigh.

'Why does this always seem to happen only to me no matter which foster family or where my foster parents take me?' Azura thought to herself. She sighed to herself once more.

That was when she felt the spirit pressure that she has gotten to know all too well. Azura spun around and found the hollow that had been following her since she had started running. Azura gulped and paled as she slowly started to back away from the wolf- like hollow in front of her.

"Oh, I wouldn't do that if I were you lass. You're going to be eaten by me anyway. Yes, I do know that you can see me." The wolf- like hollow chuckled to itself, "All of your kind can. It's a shame that I've already eaten your family, they tasted just so good. How about you join them in my stomach?"

The hollow lunged at Azura with a speed that surprised her, but she managed to jump out of the way just in time. The wolf- like hollow's claws were closed around the empty air that she had occupied only seconds before. The hollow let out an enraged howl that made Azura drop to her knees, covering her ears against the assault of the sound, that made her head feel like it was going to explode.

Suddenly the howl from the wolf- like hollow was cut off. Azura looked at where the hollow was and saw that it had been injured by a strangely dressed man in all black with a sword that had to be as long as he was tall and had bright orange hair.

'Don't you recognize him Azura…?' a deep baritone voice echoed through Azura's mind.

Azura's eyes widened when she recognized the strange man that had injured the wolf- like hollow. He was the teenage boy that she had walked into earlier.

'What is he doing here and what is with the strange clothing and the giant ass sword in his hands?' Azura thought to herself.

'His name is Ichigo Kurasaki …' the same deep male baritone voice from before whispered through Azura's mind.

Azura knew that voice very well. It was the voice of her inner shadow, her demon soul shadow. Azura started when she was jerked from her thoughts as she heard the hollow roar loudly in rage and then completely ignore the teenage boy in front of it. It lunged straight at her with its claws outstretched. Azura then reacted completely out of her trusted reflexes and instincts when she had summoned a pure black scythe that had blood red rune like carvings all along the length of the blade with two gold bells that were hanging from the top of the scythe.

Azura used the scythe to block the wolf- like hollow's claws from ripping a hole through her chest.

"You children of nightmare flames are a rare treat. Not only can you see me, but you can even defend yourselves as well. Ha ha ha, you're the only one that was able to realize that you were being attacked. Your family was completely helpless!" the hollow taunted Azura, "Now, I'm going to let you see them again!"

The wolf- like hollow brought its other claw down on Azura, but before it could make contact with its intended target, the boy, Ichigo, blocked it. By that time, Azura's scythe had disappeared.

Ichigo took his sword and in a movement that was almost too fast for Azura to follow he slashed downwards. The next thing that she knew the hollow was sliced in half and was disappearing.

Azura stood and brushed her black tripp pants off before she walked over to the orange haired teen. Once she was close enough, Azura shyly tapped the teen on his shoulder to get his attention. She jumped back a little ways when Ichigo whirled around, ready to attack. When he saw Azura, his hand lowered and his expression was that of a slightly confused one.

"Th-thank you, your name is Kurasaki Ichigo, right?" Azura stuttered out.

"What~? You can see me like this? How?" the orange haired teen exclaimed in surprise and complete shock.

"Hai, I can see you. Why would I not be able to see you? Oh, I'm sorry about bumping into you earlier and about my foster father's behavior. He's always like that." Azura said in a matter of fact tone.

That was when a giant shadow seemed to start to become a solid thing next to Azura. The shadow took on the shape of a male person that towered close to seven feet tall. When the shadow had completely solidified, it had the appearance of a dark skinned, blue spiky haired, extremely well built, shirtless teen boy that had the same tattoos that Azura had on her right side on his left side.

"She can see you because she is of a similar race as you, Shinigami. . . Oh, I should warn you though… If you make any attempt to harm her in anyway . . . I will not think twice about killing you, Shinigami . . . for she is my charge . . ." the spiky blue haired man warned Ichigo in a deadly calm, deep baritone.

"Who the hell are you?" Ichigo exclaimed, his sword ready to defend himself if he has to.


END CHAPTER

Before I post the next chapter on the coming Thursday, I need at least 8 (eight) reviews so that I know that people are actually reading this and enjoying it. If you have any ideas feel free to let me know! Criticism is also welcomed, including flames. Like my favorite quote states: Criticism is NOT for the weak. Anyways, R&R!