Sorry for the wait...I had a little case of writter's block about how this chapter was going to be and...you know what I mean, I hope, no offense. All right, time for chapter four!!


Ichigo frowned, his sensitive hearing capturing her soft whisper. A soft growl tumbled from his lower lip as he glanced over his shoulder to notice that Renji was running to catch up, which only took a few seconds.

"Sorry if Rukia…ticked you off back there," the redhead grinned, shoving his hands into his pockets, "she's been like that ever since she went to live with the Kuchikis." Reddish-brown eyes glanced down on the vibrant haired teen. "She wasn't always like that, ya know."

Yeah, she usually was never like that… The red haired Abarai blinked as Ichigo's cell phone began to go off. Reaching into his pocket, the pale form pulled the electronic device out and flipped it open, placing it close to his left ear. I remember how she was exactly. So…lively.

"What is it, did something happen to Yuzu?"

"No," Karin's voice sighed, "Dad told me to call you and tell you not to bite Abarai at all costs, if you need blood, choose a poor sucker after school."

"Does he think I'm irresponsible?!" Ichigo snarled, his eyes flickering angrily, sharp canines increasing in size. "He should be worrying about Yuzu…she's the closest thing to being human in our house!"

"Actually, she finally got her fangs to grow in,"

"Really? Are they as long as they need to be?"

"Well…it's a centimeter or two off, but yeah."

The vampire released a relieved breath, "That's good."

At least I know she's all right…weird things have been going on with her lately, he thought as a small smile crept across his deathly pale lips, not even realizing that the redhead was staring at him with warm eyes.

"So…she's not loosing her taste for food, is she?"

"No, not really, neither have I…kinda odd…you had a false alarm with the loosing of taste at my age, so…I thought it might happen."

"No, it only truly happens when you both turn fifteen," he sighed, a little too loudly. Which caught the redhead's attention. "Then things begin to change a little too fast. I tasted some good b-" His mouth froze, finally realizing that Renji could hear him, automatically snapping his mouth shut. "Never mind…I gotta go."

Ichigo's POV

When I noticed that Renji could hear me, I froze up, quickly dismissing myself from the conversation, snapping my flip phone shut and shoving it back into my pocket. Turning my head in his direction, I offered a nervous smile.

"Family business, you know?"

The human's eyes fell down to the floor, making the heart I possessed sink slowly into the depths of my stomach. He lifted a pale hand and rubbed his arm absent mindedly, Glancing to the side with furrowed brows.

"Yeah, I understand." the pineapple complied, the saddened look in his eyes making my veins pulse. I just wanted to distract him from whatever was bothering him. Shaking my head rapidly, I coiled my left hand's fingers around his wrist, tugging him along to the locker we decided to share. "Hey, Ichigo…were you talking to your…siblings?"

"I have two," I replied with a sigh, "the youngest has an illness that we don't understand fully, and we're afraid she'll be…too…different from the rest of us. It occurred when my mother was killed years ago."

"I-I'm so sorry," Renji stuttered, obviously regretting that he asked about my family. "If…I knew I wouldn't have asked, I'm sorry."

"Look," I let my brown eyed gaze travel over my shoulder with a reassuring look, "no one knows a thing…unless they ask, and you're actually the first person to ask me about my family. It's actually…nice."

I guess I was slowly getting used to talking…or maybe…Renji was trying to open the lid to my darkened memories, trying…slowly, gently, to help me become more comfortable around humans.

Vampires weren't supposed to tell secrets, secrets about what they are, it's a strict rule. Yet, I never recalled in the text books that they couldn't tell the mortals anything about their family's well being.

Come to think of it…Yuzu's been getting skinner ever since mother's death. She eats healthy and always eats with the family…but still, I think something is seriously wrong with her health. And we can't take her to the hospital; otherwise they'll start asking questions and all that. Added bonus is that most evil fucking visiting hours are in the morning!

"Really?" Hope was echoing in the taller teen's tone, I could hear it so clearly, clear as a bell. "I mean…'cause usually…" He rubbed his hands together nervously, unsure of how to word his sentence, I'm sure, "people think I'm sticking my nose where it doesn't belong, and try to beat the shit out of me for it."

I shrugged, turning toward the locker once we finally reached it. Placing my right hand's index, middle, and thumb around the round lock, I spun it with complete laziness as the sound of the school bell ringing in my ears, the pitter-pats of shoes finally following soon after. Hell was about to begin once again, a miniature Hell.

"Kurosaki-kun!!"

There was one of them.

"Berry-chan!!"

There's a second…and I dread the last one. Clamping my eyes shut, I jerked the locker open, waiting…just agonizingly waiting for the last one.

"My lovely berry!!"

My eyes snapped open, glaring over my shoulder at my damned fanbase. God…couldn't they get a - wait. My eyes widened painfully. Lifting a pointer shakily and pointing at the one thing I didn't want to see at all.

"Is that a camera?!" I snapped, furrowing my brows and baring my fangs.

"Nope!" Thank goo- "It's a camcorder!!" Oh…God smite me now!!

I turned towards the wide eyed Abarai with a look of disgust, "You'll have to get used to it, 'cause you're sharing a locker with the most, God forbid, popular kid in the whole school, Kurosaki Ichigo."

And his jaw just dropped, a look of utter terror stitching itself onto his handsome features as I shoved my bag into my side of the locker, reaching into his side that held my stuff, tossing them into my side with a sigh, yet…I couldn't help but smile warmly at him.

"Just be glad they won't ask odd questions."

"B…but…" A flash went off, his head snapping into the direction of the light, growling and tossing his bag to the side. Oh…maybe that's why he was shocked and frightened…he hates cameras. Speaking of which…my auburn orbs following his advancing form towards the person who took the picture. "Gimme tha' camera…" he hissed. Uh…oh. "Now!"

I have a bad feeling about this, and I feel sorry for the fool who took that picture. Well, no, not really.

Renji's POV

If I would've known he was popular, I wouldn't have agreed to sharing lockers with him. But he was so nice, who could resist an offer like that, and with kindness echoing in his voice.

I know I couldn't put the offer off, I was just too nice.

Now, if I also would've known that he had people taking pictures, then the sharing would've been another story. And when that flash went off, my cheeks gathered the color of crimson. I hated those flashy things with a passion.

To find out that this girl took a picture of me…oh, this means war!

"Gimme tha' camera…" I hissed, glaring at her with reddish-brown eyes. "Now!"

She flinched back and stuck her tongue out at me while running off. Her eyes were a deep brown, and that only made it worse. I could tell she was either going to post it on MySpace…or sell it when I became as popular as Ichigo…which I highly doubt.

I turned with a grunt of defeat, blinking once Ichigo began pushing past the crowd of fangirls and even fanboys. This was kinda, really, creepy. My reddish-brown eyes widened as they caught sight of him holding my things with his own, grabbing onto my right wrist with his right hand, tugging me along.

My ears perked up to the swoons, some even squealing about how 'cute' we looked together.

Yeah…right…

I don't swing that way, at least I'm sure I don't. I've always concentrated on my work instead of going out with people and figuring out my sexuality. It just seemed like something that could be put off until I was sure that the person I was near was right enough for me.

I blinked, wondering why I was remembering this now. My heart pumped hastily, my blood circulating through my veins with demand, demanding something I didn't understand.

Not that I wanted to understand in the first place.

I sighed as I glanced over my shoulder, blinking once I saw Rukia's face in the crowd, saddened and broken, staring after me with her soft violet eyes.

Seeing this made my heart shatter. Looking back at Ichigo, I noticed that he was looking from side to side frantically, his grasp on my wrist tightening, causing me to wince.

"Can you let up a bit, Kurosaki?" I spoke, a chuckle falling from my lips once he jumped at my sentence, loosening his fingers a bit, looking over his shoulder with a scowl, but that thought was thrown to the wind once I noted that his brows were tilted into a concerned look. "You all right?"

"Sorry," he replied softly, "you just got here and…you've got a lot to deal with, and all because you're sharing a locker with me."

I lifted my left hand, swinging it from side to side, closing my eyes and furrowing my tattooed brows. "Don't put too much thought on it, everyone at my old school pestered me because of these tattoos," My eyes opened, using my left hand's pointer to point at my neck, decorated in the black ink as well, "I don't even know where they come from. I wake up…and more just appear on my skin."

"Hey, that almost reminds me of the de -" he stopped talking, glancing to the side as he bit his lower lip. I had to admit that the sharp fangs he possessed suited him, but they looked almost exactly like the canines of vampires that I've seen in horror films that I used to watch as a kid. "Demons, from movies, you know? Markings appear on their skin and they can't explain it."

I nodded, blinking as a thin strand of my red hair fell into my face, causing me to blow at it out of irritation.

Looking up, I noticed that we stopped in front of our first class, the door open and revealing a chemistry lab inside, my reddish-brown orbs staring with shock. Everything was clean, so clean that someone could eat off of the floor. Okay…that was pushing it…but still. And everything was in order, lined up perfectly and accurately.

"Wow…" slipped past my lips and Ichigo noticed because he looked at me directly with a smile, which only lasted for three seconds before everyone started filing into the classroom. "Uh…where do I sit?"

"Next to me," he sighed, shaking his head, "sit anywhere else and you'll be ganged up on."

"And if I don't wanna sit next to you," I challenged.

Ichigo's bright orange colored hair glistened brilliantly in the morning rays and the lights hanging above, but the image didn't last long while he dragged me along with him to his seat, two empty chairs.

"Because there's no where else to sit," he smirked, sensing the challenge I had thrown in his direction, "and because no one wants to be beside me at all times, lucky you." He plopped the books onto the table and sat in the seat on the right, while I pulled out the chair on the left and slowly sat down. Yeah…lucky me…