A/N: Hello to anyone who happens to read this! I appreciate your intrest in my fic.

Sooo this is my first fanfic, revolving around Renji and my own OC, Azami. Just so that everyone knows, I am not a short winded writer. So this first chapter revolves strictly around my OC, because I believe that her background and overview is important to her development, and the plot of the story. So please, bear with me for the first few chappies. Also, I want everyone to know that this fic will probably be resonably long. Ive just started the 7th chapter and am already 35 pages into it. In other words, if you're willing to deal with good detail and story line before jumping right into the love story, than you should enjoy it.

Special thanks to my buddy LuminousWeb, who is my editor and good friend... You rock.

BTW, Irezumi is the Japanese word for "tattoo". Flash backs are indicated by italics, and I dont own bleach, only Azami.

Enjoy!!!!

Chapter 1

22-year old Azami Donelly walked another step closer to her small apartment. It was the same venture she made every day. Walking from her apartment to the bus stop in the morning; and then back to her apartment from the same stop after a long day at university. She hummed tunelessly to herself and adjusted her iPod in her messenger bag as she strode on down the sidewalk.

Most people Azami's age would have readily driven or taken a cab home from school. Then again, she was firm in her belief that most of her fellow students were relatively lazier than she was, and she almost prided herself in the fact that she took public transportation and walked. She lived relatively far from her small college in Karakura town, in a smaller town to the north called Oita. Her daily circuit gave her time to think. Think about her day, her school work, and her life in general.

She pulled her grey cargo jacket closer to her body. She had to admit, she wasn't dressed for the sudden snow, and she was feeling the sting of the cool wind through her relatively light coat. There were only about 4 days left in the fall season, and the snow had just started falling when she had stepped off of the bus that day, as if it had been waiting for her to start her tread home before coming down. Mother Nature is out to get me, she thought spitefully. For some reason though, she couldn't help but laugh as she thought of how ridiculous that thought had sounded in her head.

She switched her iPod to shuffle mode and looked up at the sky while walking a few steps farther. When her gaze returned to the sidewalk, she saw a group of young girls walking towards her, shuffling down the pavement. When one of the young girls noticed Azami glancing at them, she muttered something to the other girls, and they made a point to put as big a gap between her and themselves as they could when they passed. Azami scoffed and adjusted her jacket again as she hunched against the cold wind. She supposed she looked a bit intimidating, but she was nothing to fear, per se. She stood about 5 foot 7 inches tall; she had a slim, athletic figure, though you'd never be able to tell under the fall clothes she was wearing. Her hair, black-brown with shocks of dark auburn, hung sleekly past her shoulders with a slight wave. She had pale but beautiful skin, which was flushed slightly in the cold air. She supposed the feature that shocked the girls the most had been her eyes. They were green…a rather shocking green, if she was completely honest with herself. The color was accented by the line of black eye liner that she religiously wore on her upper eyelids every day. She didn't wear much makeup; in fact, she hardly wore any except for what she wore on her eyes. A relatively modest cat eye and some mascara, and she was good to go. The only other accessory that she constantly wore was the scowl pasted to her face. She wasn't a mean person necessarily; she had just gone through too much in her life to walk around with a fake smile on her face, like so many other people in the world did. She had suffered, she was stronger for it, and there was no reason to hide behind a mask of constant cheerfulness.

Azami had been born to two wonderful, loving parents in Boston, Massachusetts, in the spring of 1986. Her father, a full blooded Irishman named John Donelly, had married her mother, a beautiful Japanese woman by the name of Shiori, right out of medical school. He had worked hard to get his career off the ground while in the Boston, and after 6 years of hard work and stress, he had finally built enough of a nest egg to start a family and begin settling down. In fact, he had become one of the most prominent surgeons on the East Coast. Azami grew up in a wealthy neighborhood just outside of the city, and was a happy, privileged child. She was adored by everyone in the family, and people that met her in the neighborhood instantly fell in love with her. She was clever, she was cute, she was affectionate, and most people swore she was the most beautiful child they had ever seen, with her mixture of Japanese and Irish traits. She had only ever made one true friend in her childhood years, but that friend was all she had needed. Lauren was a pretty young girl; her father was a prominent lawyer, and her mother, the cookie cutter version of the perfect housewife. They had met for the first time at a neighborhood block party, and had bonded instantly. Lauren would be the only friend Azami would keep until adulthood.

At the age of 13, Azami's parents had dropped the bomb that they were uprooting her, from her perfect life in Boston, to move to a smaller town, in….Japan. Her father had gotten an excellent job offer in a hospital, in one of the bigger cities there, and they wanted her to leave everything to go with them, obviously. They said it was because "It would be good for her", and "They wanted her to see the other side of her family, and learn about her Japanese background" but she couldn't help but be furious with them anyway. She had said some terrible things, that she hated them, that she would never forgive them, but it had ultimately made no difference. They were moving, halfway around the world, to a country she had been told about extensively, but had never actually visited. She would leave her school, her dad's parents, and her house. It would be awful. The thing she had been worried about losing the most, was Lauren. They were like sisters now. It would be terrible to leave her only 2 years before starting High School, something they had been looking forward to tackling together for some time now.

The next 6 months before the move went by far too fast for Azami. Her parents spent a lot of time making sure she knew everything about Japan before they actually took her there. Conveniently, she already spoke a fair amount of Japanese, because her grandmother had insisted on her learning it growing up. Her dad spoken it proficiently enough, because he had learned it in college to help his relationship with Shiori's parents improve… It did little to help them like the idea of their daughter marrying "The giant Irish brute," as her grandmother so fondly called him. She always seemed to forget that he was a reasonably affluent member of society and a well educated doctor as well. Azami's parents still insisted on sending her to a tutor twice a week, to polish her off and get her speaking the language fluently. She resented it greatly, seeing as she felt it was cutting away from her time to be with friends before the move.

Before she knew it, she was standing on Laurens doorstep while they both hugged each other and cried. Her parents were parked in the driveway, waiting to head to the airport, to cart her away forever. Azami had to admit, their parents had worked out a decent agreement. The girls would spend the summers together at Azami's house in Oita, and then they would see each other in the winters: Azami would come back home to Boston, and stay with Lauren and her father's parents over the holidays. It wasn't enough, but it was a lot more than Azami had ever planned on having, so she relied on that time together to keep her and Lauren's friendship alive.

Azami had planned to hate Japan from the moment she arrived there. She had already hated it for the 6 months before the move; so, keeping that feeling alive would not be hard once they landed on the island…. She couldn't have been more wrong. She loved Japan, from almost the very moment she was out of the airport. She would never admit it, and she still sulked around her parents for the first two weeks of living there, steadfast in trying to prove her point. The more time she spent there, the more she loved it, and soon, she couldn't hide it anymore. She loved the constant flow of people whenever she was in the city. It was just like being in Boston, but more colorful, and friendly. She loved the smell that rolled off of the grass near her new house, and the fact that her neighborhood was so open and fresh. Sure, she still missed Boston. In a way she missed the gruff personalities of everyone on the east coast, she missed the changing leaves in the fall, and mostly, she missed Lauren. But their friendship was thriving, despite their long distance. The girls talked almost every night, and on top of seeing each other at every single school break, they were doing well. Azami had made some friends at her school, and they got along wonderfully, but there would never be another Lauren, and as long as they kept in touch, they were both happy.

High school started for Azami, and she was one of the most popular girls in her class. She never knew it, or even picked up on it, but the boys loved her, and the girls that weren't jealous of her thought she was one of the sweetest people they knew. She had grown up very well, for the most part. By the age of 16, all of her adolescent awkwardness was nearly invisible, and she looked much older than many of the girls she studied with. She really kept mostly to herself, and though she had boyfriends, she was never really very interested in any of the guys she went to school with. She had that mischievous side, and preferred to date boys a bit older than her from other schools. She began getting exceptionally bold her sophomore year, sneaking off during lunch period with said older boys, going to get lunch in the city, or just running off to the car to fool around, like normal 16-year olds do. She got caught a couple times, and was reprimanded by the school, usually with extra laps at her track practice, or maybe a short detention, but it was never a big deal. Her parents had hardly ever reprimanded her at all. She was always home on time, got excellent grades, and was positively pleasant in their presence. She was a Daddy's girl, and it was evident by her severe lack of ever having really been disciplined. But she knew that if she followed almost all of the rules, she could certainly break one, like closed campus, in favor of some lunch somewhere else…she always managed to hide the fact that it she may have actually been in the car of a senior boy from another school…But her parent trusted her, and respected her enough not to hover.

The end of her junior year was when everything had changed. Lauren was set to come out about a week before the end of school. She was going to spend most of her days before Azami's school year ended with Azami's mother at the house, and then come to Azami's school and sit in and observe a couple of her classes, just to see what school in Japan was like. Azami imagined it would be very boring for her, seeing as she spoke little to no Japanese, she would really have no idea what was going on. What Lauren would love, though, was the fact that every boy in the school would be following her around like a love sick puppy. Having a beautiful blonde American girl in your school doesn't happen every day in Japan. She would love the attention. That was one thing Azami could count on. Then they would have all summer to spend together, going into the city, walking at the gardens, going to their first real high school party, or even just hanging out. Azami had her license now, and they were mobile…The world had better watch out.

Azami and her parents left to pick Lauren up from the airport right around sunset. It was going to be about a 45-minute drive, and her parents didn't want to be late. Her mother fretted over the possibility of Lauren being in the Japanese airport by herself at night. Azami knew better though, she and Lauren could both take care of themselves, and Lauren knew the airport like the back of her hand at this point, so there was really nothing to worry about. They drove, talked about Azami's final projects that were due in the next week. Her dad made fun of her not having a boyfriend yet, and while Azami rolled her eyes, her mother chided him for teasing their daughter. They were all so happy and relaxed that they hardly saw the car on the other side of the road cross the median before and slam into the front of their Honda.

Azami sat up in the middle of the street. She felt funny. Her eyes focused and she saw her family's car. The front half of it was gone, completely smashed in. The car that had hit them was now tipped on its side, she could hear someone was groaning inside of it, and her stomach turned. She looked at her hands, they seemed unscathed. She then looked down at her legs…what the hell had happened to her right leg? It was clearly broken, why couldn't she feel it? People were starting to gather around the accident. Where were her parents? How did she end up outside of the car? Why the hell couldn't she feel any pain!? She heard one of the onlookers holler something, and footsteps began approaching. She turned around, and was appalled by what she saw. She looked down and saw…herself. But it wasn't her, because she was sitting up, right? If she was sitting up, how was this mangled version of her lying beneath her? She gasped, stood up quickly, and then she noticed the chain that hung from her chest, to the shell of a body on the pavement. She grabbed it and tugged at it, it felt odd, as though it was bolted right into her sternum. One of the observers was at her side now, or, her body's side anyway, his hand pressed over the gash in her neck, stopping the blood that was quickly falling onto the street, while his eyes appraised the damage done to the rest of her face and body.

Other people were heading towards the cars; the man in the other vehicle had already been pulled out and laid on the ground. Somehow, he was conscious. People were working on getting her parents out of the car. She ran over the vehicle, but was stopped short by the chain holding her to her body. She screamed for somebody to help them, but was not surprised when no one even turned to look at her. She had a fair idea of what was happening at this point, and she was sure, that whatever had just occurred…She was not among the plane of the living right now. She heard sirens and cries of relief from the people around her. Somebody please, just help my parents, she thought silently. The EMTs were out with the stretchers, and immediately went to pick her body and the unknown man's body off of the ground. They carted her into the truck while another team worked on getting her parents out of the car. She turned away from her body, to watch her parents, and then, she saw them. Both of them were standing, outside the car, dazed, holding one another's hand, looking around, presumably for Azami. They had chains attached to their chests too.

Azami made to jog towards them and they walked over to her in response. They stood there, in the middle of the road, each of them with the most peculiar look on their faces. When they finally each snapped out of their own internal reverie, another presence had joined them. Azami glanced to her right to see a short, blonde girl wearing a black Kimono and carrying…a katana? They looked at the stranger questioningly, and Azami's parents' gaze wandered to their daughters devastated body in the back of the ambulance. Her father choked, and her mother wailed; they had just figured out what was happening.

"I don't want you to be afraid," the woman in black stated, "but I assume you realize what just happened to your family?" She shot Azami's father a questioning look. He only nodded in response, his eyes still locked on the body in the back of the medical truck. Azami seemed to be the only one with the ability to talk.

"We do," she responded quietly, "But who are you? I'm assuming you're the only one that can see us?" She had wanted to ask about the sword, but she honestly figured that the woman couldn't explain who she was without giving some explanation for the weapon she so casually carried.

The woman smiled at them, and it was a kind, warm smile. "I am a Shinigami, and I'm here to help you. You may call me Saita," she patted Azami on her shoulder, "I'm here to send you to the Soul Society." She smiled again. Upon seeing their confused faces, she continued with her explanation. "It's very similar to your world here on earth…some people compare it to heaven." They all let out a sigh of relief, as if they had been expecting her to cart them right off to Hades, and Saita smiled even wider. "Though, I can't say that you'll all be in need of my help today…" She motioned to the ambulance, and Azami's eyes widened as she felt a tug on her chain, a tug that seemed to correspond perfectly to the jolt of electricity being sent into her body from the defibrillator in the EMT's hands. She shook her head and turned back to her parents. Their looks had changed into two of the most relieved expressions she had ever seen. She didn't understand why they looked that way. They were trying to save her life over theirs. If she lived, in the human world, didn't they realize that then they wouldn't be together anymore? Were they stupid!? They wouldn't be a family anymore. She would be alone! Why did they look so happy at the thought of her being dragged back into her physical body? Why would they want her to go through the pain of living without them? Tears welled up in her eyes as her father and mother reached out to her.

"It's just not your time, HHHHHoney." Her father stated simply, hugging her and ruffling her hair with his big hand. His tone held a mixture of severe sadness, and overwhelming joy. It was in that instant she understood why they were acting this way. Her parents didn't want her to go with them, not because they wanted to be without her; they would always wait for her, she knew that. She realized that they didn't want her to die because she deserved to live. She was young; she was meant to live a full life, to be happy, and die a long time from now. She stopped crying as the realization washed over her. There was another, stronger, pull on the chain.

She looked over at her mother. Her beautiful mother. She would miss her. They embraced shortly, and then separated, looking at one another, memorizing each other's faces. Her mother smiled, wiped away a tear from Azami's face and then placed her hands on her daughters shoulders and pulled her close again. "I love you baby." She whispered softy into Azami's hair. A third, almost painful pull at the chain, and Saita smiled at her again.

"I suggest you walk over a bit closer to your body, Azami" She stated simply "It will hurt more if you get pulled back from a distance". Azami smiled sadly at the Shinigami. She was ready to go back, or, at least, she thought she was. Her parents walked her closer to her body, though it was clear that they hated to see Azami's physical vessel in such a state. They smiled at her, the EMT was charging the defibrillator again, and it was almost time for her to return to the human world. He pressed the paddles to her chest, and with one short glimpse back at her parents, she was yanked back into her body.

All she had really remembered after that was the pain, reaching out and grabbing every bone and piece of tissue in her body. She had wanted the scream, but was struggling to breathe. The EMT above her had pressed some sort of mask to her face, and it made breathing easier. Her leg had been throbbing, and her neck had felt as though it were on fire. Though, the worst pain had been in her abdomen, searing agonizing pain radiated from beneath her ribs. She had felt so weak. Utterly andimpossibly weak. She couldn't manage to move, even if she put all of her effort into it. Her lolling eyes had wandered to her left, and she had seen…her parents, and the blond Shinigami, looking at her while the EMT's worked on her. She hadn't thought she would be able to see them after returning to this body. She lifted her left arm, with every bit of strength she had and reached for them. The Shinigami took a step back, looking puzzled, and her parents smiled. She felt her consciousness waver, and she began to go numb. Her parents and Saita faded out of her view, and into darkness.

She had woken up three days later at the hospital. Lauren was there, after having been brought to the hospital by her grandparents. She was visibly upset, and after the doctors told Azami what her body had been though, she could see why. She had been thrown over 15 feet from the car. One broken leg, a collapsed lung, some internal bleeding due to a ruptured spleen and a damaged kidney, and apparently she had nearly externally hemorrhaged from the glass that had cut her neck. The doctors told her about her parents, that there was nothing they could do, and that she was lucky to have gone out the window, rather than getting pinned in the car. Everyone said she handled their death very well…too well, actually. People were worried about her. The truth was that she had just already known that her parent wouldn't be there when she woke up. She knew where they were, and that they were together, which was comforting. What that feeling of comfort didn't help protect against was the aching pain in her heart. It never went away. In a way Azami had never wanted it to, she thought it helped her to remember them, even if it caused her emotional distress, it was worth it to keep the memory of her parents alive.

The day of their funeral was the day she had seen her first "other"soul. She has been walking around the cemetery, after the funeral services had ended. She had seen no reason to stand next to the coffins holding her parents corpses. The bodies weren't who her parents were anyway… they were just shells that had housed her parents' souls in this world. She had said her goodbyes on the day of the accident, and she didn't need anything more than that. Everyone watched her as she walked off, her black pea coat wrapped tightly around her slim figure. Everyone left her alone, even Lauren. They had been smart in assuming that she had needed her space, because she did. She really hadn't wanted to be around people that day anyway. As she meandered down the dirt path, through the green grass, and suddenly, she thought she heard a noise. A shuffling, and then…a sniffle? She hadn't been sure, but when she turned the corner, behind one of the large trees, sat a girl, dressed in a green jumper, and she was definitely crying, but the most noticeable thing about this girl was the fact that she was mildly translucent, and that a big, heavy chain hung from the middle of her chest. Azami gasped and jumped back, and the girl just stared at her with frightened eyes. Azami had been certain the reason she could see, and hear the girl, was because of her experience with "the other side", two weeks prior to the funeral. Azami bent down, unable to kneel due to the heavy boot that kept her lower leg immobile. It was a cumbersome device, but necessary if she wanted her leg to set properly. She looked right at the girl before speaking.

"Hi, I'm Azami." She paused for one moment. "What's your name? What's wrong?" The little child looked up at her with such a look of shock that, for a minute, Azami was sure she had said something to upset the girl.

"You can see me?" she asked in a shaky tone. Azami nodded and the girl went on. "Can you help me? I can't find my family, I'm afraid that they may be very worried about me." She paused briefly, "…my name is Kiyoko."

Azami looked back at the procession of people still gathered around her parents' gravesites; no one was even glancing over to see where she had gone. She had reached her hand out to the girl, confident that no one was watching, and Kiyoko had taken it eagerly, and then, they proceeded to walk, or limp, in Azami's case, all of the way out of the cemetery, and on down the street.

They had walked for hours. Azami had no clue where they were going and she didn't think that Kiyoko really did either, but they were comforted by each other's presence. When it started to get dark, Azami had wondered what she would do… Her grandparents and Lauren would be looking for her, but she couldn't just leave Kiyoko. She steered them in the direction of her grandparent's home. Maybe the girl could stay with her for a while, it wasn't as if the girl would take up space, or eat all of the family food. Perhaps it would've worked, just until she was able to help her find her family… She wasn't sure, but she knew that she couldn't abandon the girl, when she was the only one that could help her.

When they were less than two blocks away from the house, there was a sudden shuffling noise and a swift movement at Azami's side. She tightened her grip on Kiyoko's hand and stopped them in their tracks. Before she could even get a word out of her mouth, the figure stopped right in front of them, and to Azami's surprise, she recognized the fast moving creature… It was Saita, the Shinigami that had taken her parents the night of the accident. Saita looked at Azami and then at Kiyoko, and then to their hands, still grasped together.

She sighed and made eye contact. "Azami…You can see us both, can't you?" Saita asked quietly, motioning to the girl and herself. Azami had only nodded before speaking.

"Should I not be able to?" She paused, and glared at Saita. She hadn't known why, but she was offended by the shimigami talking to her as though it was her own fault that she could apparently see dead people…or should, now. "Isn't it normal after having an experience like I did, to be able to still see…you people?" She spat icily. She motioned at Saita with a flick of her free hand. She felt Kiyoko shudder slightly while looking at the Shinigami, she was afraid; she had never seen the stranger with the sword before. Azami immediately softened upon looking at the young girl. She pulled her closer, and knelt down in front of her, ignoring the excruciating pain in her lower leg. She winced and put her hands on Kiyoko's shoulders. "Kiyoko…" She stated softly, "This woman is named Saita, and she's here to help you find your family." Kiyoko looked confused, and Azami had expected that. "She's going to send you to a place called the Soul Society. You'll be safe there, and I'm sure your family is waiting for you. Will you let her help you?" She asked quietly. Kiyoko smiled, she had formed some bond similar to trust with Azami over their hours together, and with a smile, she turned to face Saita.

"Will I see my family where you're sending me?" She looked eagerly into Saita's eyes. Saita smiled in response.

"You might have to look for them, but yes, I believe you might find them there." She stated it confidently. Kiyoko stepped forward, and while she was still holding Azami's hand, Saita unsheathed her katana, and using the butt of it, stamped Kiyoko's forehead. As she began to dissipate upwards into the sky, she mouthed a "thank you" to Azami, and then, she was gone.

Azami had stood up and promptly walked away from Saita. She was in no mood to talk to the Shinigami. She was fully aware that it had just been Saita's job to collect her parents, and lost souls like Kiyoko, but she couldn't help but feel a small amount of resentment for the girl. Saita followed after her quickly.

"Azami, wait!" she jogged after her. Azami did not respond. "Amazi, there are things you need to know about the new…" She paused, "Power that you've acquired." Azami stopped dead in her tracks.

"Look, Saita. I'm not going to go around sticking my nose into every…..soul's business…" She felt confused with how bizarre the statement had sounded. "In fact, for the most part, I'll probably just ignore them. I just couldn't ignore that little girl…" She drifted off as she limped down the street. She could hear Saita's light footfall behind her. Suddenly, someone grabbed her arm, and Saita pulled Azami around to face her.

"No, Azami, you don't understand." Saita looked right into Azami's eyes. "With this new gift you have, you could be in danger." Saita sighed and continued speaking. "This will sound insane, so I'll just be as forward as I can about it…there are creatures, called 'Hollow'. They're souls that have been so consumed by their sadness, or anger, that they have turned into a monster….of sorts. Hollow feed off of earth bound souls, like Kiyoko…" Saita saw the disgust in Azami's face at the mention of the Hollow's diet. "Azami, the only thing a Hollow loves more than feeding on the soul of the deceased, is feeding on the soul of a human with high spiritual power. You have that now, so you have to keep an eye out. It's my job to kill the Hollow, and send souls to the Soul Society," Saita paused, and shot Azami a look of genuine concern, "But please, just be careful. I may not always be around to help you out." Azami continued to glare at the blonde. Saita looked surprised at how unfazed Azami seemed by the information she had just delivered to her. In Saita's eyes, it was as good as a premature death sentence. Saita continued in spite of Azami's bad attitude, "Just….if you ever feel funny, like, you do when you sense a soul…but more unpleasant, get inside, or run in the opposite direction… I know that doesn't make very much sense…" Saita voice drifted off. She didn't seem to know what to say to her in this situation, and to Azami, her advice had seemed pointless and bizarre.

"Yeah…" She pulled away from Saita, "I'll be sure to watch out for that," and with that, she walked away. She only saw Saita a couple times after that, and only from a distance. She really felt no need to keep any contact with the Shinigami, and she never saw, or "felt" the supposed Hollow. Even now, at the age of 22, she rarely spoke to the souls she saw, and just like when she was a teenager, she only helped the children. Even then she didn't do very much; she avoided the blonde Shinigami, or any Shinigami, as much as possible.

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Second A/N: I give cookies to everyone who reviews... Okay, that's a lie, but I will give every review a personal response. I know I dont have any yet, but my readers are important to me! So tell all of your friends about this story if you like so far, and please, PLEASE review, even if you think its crap!