Author's Note

Hello Long time no see, eh? I'm back after a long year (please don't be mad). I was tied down with writing for another website for a while and I was having a massive writer's block for all my Bleach related fan fictions because I stopped watching Bleach for a while. Recently, my friend bought me the manga for Bleach which sort of sparked my interest again, pressing me to write. So, I'm back with a new one and let's hope I can get going on both of my fan fictions! Without further ado, I present you with "Learning to Love"!
P.S. You'll have to read on for the pairing, it's ??xOC. Who is "??"? Well, read on and don't jump to conclusions
P.P.S. By the way, just because Renji is listed as the character doesn't exactly mean he's "??". What I mean by that is that he's the one that we would think to be "??" for now. Keep reading, because Renji may or may not be "??"!

EDIT: I also wanted to add one more thing... I'm thinking of adding more OCs to the fan fic so if you would like to be one please leave a review or e-mail me!

.:Hanako:.

Who'd have thought it? I try to help a stranger to find his way around town and in return receive the strangest gift ever. I never asked to become a shinigami. I never asked to be able to see the dead either. I guess sometimes we don't hold much power over our own destinies...

- - - - -

It was late and I was regretting not having accepted Yura's offer for a ride home. The storm clouds were rolling in and I knew that I would be running around blindly in the rain in no time. I really shouldn't have been walking around alone in the streets so close to midnight. Mom would have gotten worried sick if she wasn't off on a conference in Tokyo for the week. Mom was always fussing over me, when she saw me with a boy, when I hurt myself, when I'm sick and especially when I'm late. I mean, I only came to meet her when I was nine but it never felt awkward at all between the two of us. It was like she was there all along.

I was lost, drowning in my thoughts when I heard him.

"Damn! Just where in the world am I!?" an agitated voice called loudly with a grunt. My head snapped up and the first thing I noticed was spiky red hair. It took me a second to take note of the black samurai outfit and the sheath at his waist. A cosplayer? "How'd the hell am I supposed to find this place!?" I could really tell that this guy was annoyed. He didn't seem too scary from where I was so I decided to take a risk for the day and step forward.

"Excuse me, are you lost?" I asked with a friendly smile. The guy didn't seem to hear me. I stepped closer. "Excuse me," I tried again but I still got no reply. I raised my right hand and lightly tapped his shoulder. "Excuse me, are you lo-"

"WOAH!" the guy screamed and jumped back. His hand flew to the hilt of his sword and his eyes were wide with shock. Was there something on my face? "You can see me?" he demanded in what appeared to be confusion. I nodded suspiciously. "Wait, you can see me!?" he confirmed.

"I did just talk to you didn't I?" I inquired, lost.

"You're human though?" How rude! What else could I be?

"I think you need to see a doctor," I muttered quietly to myself. "But as I was asking; are you lo-"

"It's near," the guys said in a low serious voice as he turned away from me. Alright, so I was stuck with a cosplaying psycho, I thought as I rolled my eyes. I was thinking of some smart-aleck remark to make when I heard it. A low hiss like that of a lizard from the trees. The sound was loud enough to break the disturbing silence and only lasted a second. A slight rustle, then silence... "Get down!" the redhead ordered and I obediently ducked, barely catching a glimpse of a large clawed hand that swiped across my arm.

"What is that thing!?" I demanded in a flurry of panic. I was too shocked to notice the pain in my arm. I stared at the monster; at least eight feet tall. It had a white bone-like mask in the shape of a lizard's head with small slits for its thirsty crimson eyes, a large scaly tail and two enormous clawed hands. I was still frozen in place when it howled and lunged again. I had never seen anything like it before.

"Don't just stand there! Move!" The redhead commanded and roughly pulled me towards him, just missing another swipe to my head. "That thing's called a Hollow, it's an evil spirit that feasts upon other souls and humans with high levels of spiritual energy. You can see it correct?" I was too stricken to reply so I nodded, jaw hanging open. "Then, I believe it was looking for you," he explained as he angled himself so that he was standing between me and the Hollow. "My job as a shinigami is to vanquish the Hollows as well as to help other spirits pass on safely."

"Shinigami?" I squeaked. The guy turned his head to me. "How come they can't see it?" I asked, indicating a couple walking down the trail about a dozen feet from us. "Why isn't it going after them?" I inquired in a tiny mouse-like voice.

"You can see souls can't you?" Well, yes. But I'm in denial, if I leave them be they should too. "It means you have a higher level of spiritual energy than other humans. Also, it won't go after them because- Umph!" the shinigami grunted as he deflected an attack from the charging Hollow. "Hollows attack opportunistically, meaning that you're the one it's after." I always knew it wasn't normal, being able to see these invisible people nobody else saw but I never thought that there would be evil ones...

"Shinigami, watch out!" I shrieked as it came up from his right. The shinigami lifted me into his arms and jumped to dodge it.

"Damn it, I can't fight while carrying you at the same time!" he fumed in frustration. Gee, well I'm sorry for being attacked by some evil spirit, I thought sarcastically. I was surprised I even had time to be bothered by that comment in such a life-or-death situation. I didn't even have time to warn him when I saw the Hollow's tail swing at his back. The shinigami lost his footing and fell back, with me slipping forwards, out of his arms. The pavement was hard against my back and by the time I scrambled to my feet it was too late. The Hollow was coming at me with its teeth bared. I shut my eyes in horror and waited for the pain to come...

CRUNCH!

I opened my eyes at the disturbing noise and saw the shinigami before me and the Hollow's teeth clamped around his right shoulder. The Hollow had also been wounded by his blade and drew back, throwing the shinigami to the ground.

"Shinigami!" I cried out in panic and rushed to his side. I pulled him up so that he was leaning against the nearby bench. "Are you alright? I'm so sorry, this is all my fault isn't it!?"

"It's too late now." he said quietly with his eyes closed, wincing in pain. "It's only a matter of time before we both become its meal. There's nothing more I can do..." He groaned in pain. Suddenly his eyes snapped open at an idea. The idea that changed my life. "Unless..." The shinigami's eyes locked on to me. There was something I could do.

"Unless?" I pressed. "Just tell me, I'll do anything!" I sputtered in a rush.

"You must become a shinigami yourself."

"I can't-"

"Yes, you can!" the shinigami pressed. "It's the only chance we have!" I didn't have the time to think it over, I needed to react on a whim.

"I'll do it, shinigami," I said with a firm resolve. "Just tell me what to do."

"Place the end of my zanpakuto over your heart. I'll transfer a bit of my powers to you, temporarily giving you the powers of a shinigami. Oh, and by the way, my name isn't "shinigami", it's Abarai Renji." He grinned.

"Tachibana Hanako. Pray this won't be our last meeting, Renji-kun," I returned the grin as I led the end of the katana over my heart.

"Ready?" I could hear the Hollow coming at us again.

"Let's do this." the pain was sharp and quick and in that short instant I felt something new in my veins. An ancestral power that was very familiar yet new to me. When I opened my eyes the Hollow was just a few feet from me. I drew my katana and swung towards its arm, severing it completely.

Renji whistled. "Not bad for a newbie." The Hollow screeched in pain before lunging again. "Aim for the head!" Renji shouted and I raised the sword as high as possible and brought it down on to its mask when the Hollow was near. I was shoved back from the impact but the Hollow, reduced to dust, blew away with the breeze. I scoffed before realizing how exhausted I was. I dropped my sword and my arms dangled limply and uselessly at my sides, my knees buckled and I felt myself falling but a pair of strong hands supported me and I was strapped onto somebody's back.

"Is it over?" I asked with my eyes closed.

"It's over. Well done, Tachibana Hanako." With that the world fell away from me and I plunged into the darkness of sleep.