I don't own Bleach or any of it's characters, only my own.


Chapter One


On the sidelines, I'm waiting to step up to plate. People around me are already saying stuff like, "We're going to lose" and "All hope is gone". Okay, I admit I've struck out a few times; everybody has them. Though, I do admit a twenty-four strike-out streak is sort of bad. But it wasn't always like this. Before you couldn't stop me, but then...Bam! I'm stuck as "The Jinx" instead of my name, Rua.

"Hey Jinx! You're up!" The pitcher hollers at me. The pitcher was my best friend, and his name is Toshio. He's the one who started the whole Jinx nickname in the first place, but I know him and everyone else mean it as a joke. Well, almost everyone. This kid named Ichigo Kursaki uses it on a daily basis. So one day, I couldn't take it anymore and threw the entire bowl of Jello at him during lunch. I was chased all around school for that. It was worth it, even though he hates me to this day.

"Hello? Anybody in that head of yours?" Toshio teases loudly. I snap out of my thoughts and grab the bat from the umpire, who just shakes his head. I shoot a glare at the pitcher before slinging the bat over my shoulder, ready for the pitch. It goes soaring right past me. The umpire throws the ball back, and I sling the bat over my shoulders again, ready for the next pitch to come my way. I try to hit it, but I just land on my butt.

"Everybody in! There's no way he's going to hit my fastball!" Toshio calls out to his team. Of course, his team moves in, and everybody on the sidelines starts taking out money. They must be betting on whether they'd win or not. I dust myself off and sling the bat over my shoulder again. This time... I hit it.

"Whoa!" Toshio and his teamates watch it go over the home run fence. I circle the bases and hop on home plate. People on the sideline high-five each other and are cheering my name, which is why I wasn't sure why they suddenly stop cheering. All their eyes are still on the flying ball, so I think they are amazed at how far it was going. I look up and watch it soar like a bird... right through Ichigo Kurosaki's living room window. It hit with a crash and we all hear a thunk, so it must have hit something awfully hard.

"Uh Rua? Do you think someone got hit?" Toshio asks me, coming over. Everybody is waiting for something, anything. Usually someone will come out and scold us; today wasn't that case. The door is kicked open by none other than Ichigo Kurosaki himself. Judging by the bump on his head (which everybody winces at), he was the one that ball hit. I slowly inch behind Toshio to make it look like I wasn't there.

"Alright, which one of you hit me with this ball?" Ichigo asks, taking the ball out from his pocket. When he isn't looking, I toss the bat away before grabbing other people to make a sort of human shield, blocking Ichigo's view of me. He must have noticed something amiss because he starts walking towards us.

"So, who's behind you guys?" I could easily tell that everybody was scared. I feel Toshio's shoulder, and he's sweating like a pig. He does that whenever he's either scared or nervous, which in this case was both. Ichigo tries to see behind the human wall, but Toshio blocks his path. He tries again, but Toshio kept getting in his way. Ichigo finally decides to shove him out of the way and I am exposed.

"Hello Ichigo," I greet like nothing's wrong. His eyebrow twitches some as he stares at me.

"I should have known it was you." A dark aura starts surrounding him, and me plus everyone else is scared shitless. It's like the suspense you have during a scary movie when you think the bloody parts are coming. Everybody just starts inching away from me, until they go all out into full-blown running, even Toshio is booking it!

"Technically, you don't have any proof. I don't have a bat on or near me, so it couldn't have been me." I say, backing away some. I hear rustling from a nearby bush and see one of the kids I usually play ball with. He didn't make it to today's game, but why did he have to show up now?

"Sorry I'm late! Rua, is that your bat in the bushes over there?" I look at him stupid for a second before looking back at Ichigo. I open my mouth, but couldn't find any words to say.

So, I ran like the wind.

"Get your ass back here! I'm going to fucking kill you!" I hear Ichigo scream behind me. I also hear footsteps, and my friends screaming, "Run for your life, Rua!" and "If you die, can I have your TV?" Their screams fade away as I got farther away from baseball field. I had to get home and hide, which is twenty blocks away.

"Twenty blocks away. Think of it as a mad dash home run, Rua, a really long and terrifying dash to home base," I say to myself. I ran into the street, hoping to lose him through traffic. But that didn't work because he started chasing me through the streets. I then run through an alleyway, hoping it would cut my travel times in half. Instead, I hit a brick wall smack in the face and have to double around.

This is going to be a long run home.

In two hours, I'm able to get home and lock the door. Ichigo bangs on the door a couple of time, but finally leaves after calling me a few swear words. I breathe a sigh of relief and walk upstairs and into the bathroom. When I walk in, I almost scream at myself in the mirror.

My hair is a tangled, greasy... greasy... something. I couldn't use mess because it was an understatement. An understatement! And my favorite shirt! Not only is it stained with sweat, but it's also ripped from when Ichigo almost caught me. I sigh and start fixing myself up.

"Rua! Are you alive in there?" I roll my eyes at Toshio's voice. I walk towards my bathroom window and see him holding what looked like... flowers?

"Well, he's dead," he says to himself, "I'll leave these flowers here in his honor and then get his flat screen." He then tosses the flowers into the bushes and walks towards the front of my house. Thinking enough was enough, I open the window and stick my head out.

"Toshio, what are you doing?" My "best friend" jumps at my voice and looks up. He puts a sheepish grin on as I glare down at him, one elbow propping my head on the windowsill.

"Oh hey, Rua, buddy! Thank god you're alive!" he says nervously.

"Yeah right. Besides trying to steal my tv, why did you come here?" I ask. He looks away, obviously trying to remember what he came here for. Then, he snaps his fingers and puts another goofy grin on his face.

"You need to get the ball back from Ichigo. You know the rules: 'If the ball is hit out of the park, the person who hit it has to retrieve it.' No matter where or how far it was hit," he answered. I just stare dumbly at him.

"You've got to be shitting me," I say. I then groan and look at the goofy face of my friend. All I could think of is...

Shit.


End of Chapter One.