Title: Another Deadly Spiral

Author Gabriel J Owen

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach Or the Characters

Sorry if some of the characters seem OOC at first, but I hope you enjoy this first chapter of Another Deadly Spiral, comments, whether they be flames or compliments or suggestions for future chapters are welcome. Enjoy.

A Life Light Dies

Ichigo sighed, now twenty six he wasn't what he used to be. He was out shopping for the necessities, food, toiletries bath and shower gels and shampoos, and maybe if he felt like being romantic, a nice bottle of wine for dinner. He fumed inwardly at himself before smiling as he blamed Rukia (thank god she was at home), for making him soft. Then again, all of his past experiences from his younger life had made him realize just what it was he'd been fighting for… her. He'd busted into the Soul Society and risked his neck more than once just to bust her out. And as it were he ended up marrying her after the entire incident.

He slammed his head against the wall instinctively and received many concerned or confused glances from the other shoppers, which were adamantly ignored. "What a life I've made for myself, wrought by all that crap." He thudded his head against the wall once more for good measure and sighed. "I've gotta stop thinking about that though or it's gonna kill me." He walked up to the counter and without a second glance at the cashier (who seemed oddly familiar); he paid for his groceries and made to leave after taking his receipt. "Jeez, how long has it been Ichigo and you don't even say hi? I'm insulted."

Ichigo whirled around and gasped. "Tatsuki? Is that you, working at a convenience store?" He stifled a chuckle and then checked himself as he received a deadly glare from the hot headed female. "Sorry, but I just couldn't see you working at a convenience store… just wait 'til I tell Rukia 'bout this." He began to chuckle inwardly and another death look from Tatsuki didn't change this. It was no use; he was now laughing his head off as Tatsuki picked some lint off her shirt.

"Ichigo…" Her tone was deleterious and Ichigo immediately stopped laughing as if he'd never started. "You have about ten seconds to vacate the premises before you have an out of body experience!"

Although Ichigo had already had plenty of out of body experiences, he didn't like the idea of Tatsuki forcing him out… it would be far too painful. So, in about a split second he found himself in his car and speeding from the parking lot.

Kai sighed as he trudged through the park, the twenty four year old university senior had walked these pathways many a time but one thing always bothered him…

The Ghosts.

Everywhere he looked he would see them just floating or walking about, whether he looked left, right, forward, back, up, or down…

Down?

He growled at the pasty white transparent figure of a boy no more than ten as it tried to tie his shoe laces in a knot (as he was walking), with no avail. "Will you cut that out?" He yelled rather acidly.

Looking hurt the boy quickly retreated to a shadowy fence as Kai knelt down to retie his laces, properly. He glared up at the boy momentarily then smiled. "Every time, it never fails kid. One of these days you're going to get me good." He sat down on a bench and patted the place beside him. This seemed to cheer the boy right up, for he smiled and raced over to sit down beside Kai.

"You're really nice sometimes mister!" The young boy said happily. Kai stopped for a moment and sighed, it would look awful strange if someone came by and saw him talking to someone they couldn't see.

Kai then chuckled when he decided that he didn't care what people thought. "Sorry I snapped at you earlier, what's your name?"

The boy smiled at the question and answered quickly. "Kyo."

At that very moment there came a loud roar, a terrifying, bloodcurdling sound that chilled Kai to the very bone. He turned to look over his shoulder just as the boy pulled him rather harshly from the bench which was no longer there. Splinters from the benches many boards flew as they crashed back to the ground. Kai looked through the dust at a looming figure with horrible yellow eyes; those yellow eyes had black catlike slits and froze Kai to the spot. "Come here little boy and hold still… It will only hurt for a moment."

The creature began to chase the boy relentlessly, when it caught up it would throw him to the ground and then toss him further ahead. It was enjoying the torment… so much that when it finally came to the time when the boy could run no more, the creature was awfully disappointed. Kai had remained rooted to the spot the entire time, his courage eluded him, he could no more help himself than he could help the boy. He looked over at the creature, and when he took into account the child ghosts predicament, his rage suddenly flooded into him like a tidal wave, crashing through the very walls of his being and it had begun to take control of him. He ran towards the creature as it swooped down towards the boy and harnessing every ounce of strength he could muster, he swung his right foot into the creature's masked face. The creature reeled back in surprise and its mask cracked down the middle.

"Hunh?" The creature looked down at Kai who had taken up an offensive Jujitsu stance and growled. "You're strong… for a human."

"How do you get off on doing something like this? You've got a brain now use it…" Kai froze the creature to the spot with an acid glare, "and scram."

The creature laughed at this and sighed. "Humans, always so over confident in their own abilities," the creature hissed and loomed above Kai; its very breath caused Kai to almost gag. "Now, you'll die for that mistake!" It moved with lightning speed and bit into Kai's shoulder, if not for Kai's equally quick reflexes it would have bitten him in two. The pain was almost unbearable, but Kai bit back the pain and gripped the top and bottom of the creatures' jaws. Kai grimaced as he struggled to remove the creatures' jaws from his shoulders; but it had bitten in deep, and its hold was firm and unmovable. "You'll never budge my grip human! And even if you did, you'd die from my venom soon enough, then your soul will be mine!"

Kai soon realized that he was indeed poisoned, a warm sensation spread through his arm first and then crept into his chest, seizing his heart. His heart pounded as the venom mingled with his blood and began to spread to the other limbs of his body, it was squeezing his lungs and crushing his heart, making it very difficult, and almost impossible for him to breathe. For the first time Kai noticed how snakelike this creature really was, and for the first time in his life he wasn't thinking about his studies. He was going to die, but not before this creature felt his pain… ten fold.

Kai's arms strained as he forced open the creatures' massive jaws, dropped back from them, and drove his left foot this time into the creatures' forehead. This just made the creature angry, very angry. It coiled its massive body and prepared to strike, and its tail, not his head came forward and shot straight through Kai's already weakened body, straight through his heart.

Kai gasped, the pain was even worse than the poison. His body shook with pain and convulsed as the tail was withdrawn from his chest. A warm liquid rushed to the back of his throat and there came a cough from which the frothy crimson liquid came forth to stain the ground at Kai's feet. Surprise and pain conflicted in Kai's visage. Was this, the end? Kai fell to his knees and gathered his bearings, or tried to; for he was unsuccessful. He looked up through clouded vision at the creature, and muttered a curse as he collapsed to the ground, blood spread out from his wound and pooled around him, but he didn't care, why should he? People were standing around him, gazing down at him, trying to help him; but nothing worked. Their voices were barely a whisper now as his consciousness slipped into darkness and he stopped fighting, allowing himself to be taken in by that peaceful darkness.

Kai smiled to himself and sighed for the last time. "I wonder if I'll be avenged? I guess that's a little bit too much for a guy like me to ask for this day and age." He closed his eyes and the pitch blackness overtook him, and as his last breath escaped his lips, and his heart stopped beating, he thought one final thought… I'm gonna kill that damn thing.

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Authors note: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter, the second chapter will be out as soon as I finish writing it, as I said I am open to flames compliments and suggestions so go nutz!