YAY! CLIMAX! Read and enjoy!

After all that had happened to me, after all my memories had been confiscated along with my sight, after regaining them all in one piece just after playing my flute for three hours straight, and after figuring out that I actually had a life other than the one I had been living, after all that, I STILL HAD TO GO TO SCHOOL! I still don't know which of the many geniuses came up with that one, but it sure wasn't funny. What were they going to say at school if I suddenly regain my sight? If I suddenly improve at all my subjects? If Hitsugaya and I are suddenly friends again?

"AYUMI!"

"All right, all right already. I'm coming." And after all that, I'm still stuck walking to school with none other than Ishida Uryuu. Correction, being pushed along in a wheelchair by Ishida Uryuu. What could be worse?

"Sorry, but the wheel chairs broken. I might have to give you a piggy back."

My bad. That is definitely worse. This was not going to be one of my better days.

I arrived at school looking like a ripe tomato growing on Ishida's back, and I could see the kids at school staring at me. It was such a different experience for me to be able to see them, that I almost smiled. How good it felt to see again!

He dropped me off at my roll call, where Emi was waiting to greet me. She gently grabbed my hand, and led me to my seat. She sat on my desk, and we started talking. Not about anything in particular, but about my newfound past, the memories I uncovered about me and her, etc.

"And do you remember that time when you told them that you only wanted to go in for a minute, and came out half an hour later drunk as anything and we had to run for our lives?"

"Only a little, it was really hazy. All I remember clearly was walking into a wall and getting my senses knocked back into me."

"How about the time when we went to the play ground, and sitting on the swing was none other than -"

"Mind if I join you?" I looked up to see none other than Hitsugaya Toshirou standing above my desk, and I immediately went red. Old memories resurfaced. It happened so long ago, but I still couldn't get over it. Hitsugaya, telling someone he loved her? Hitsugaya, kissing someone? That sounded physically impossible, so did my mind make that up? And if I didn't make it up, did he still like me?

I could pretty much tell the answer when I saw his face go a little red as well. I nodded in response to his question, and watched as he pulled up a chair to joing us.

"So what are you talking about?"

"Nothing really important - just the good old Rukongai days."

I blushed a little, remembering one particular incident, which lead me to finding Hitsugaya. I decided to change the topic, so that it wouldn't lead to that. Emi didn't know about that particualr one. Yet.

"So what did you do about Karin?"

I watched Hitsugaya go even redder, which wasn't very red by my standards, and saw him look away.

"I erased her memory." Came the reply, and I could hear the embarassment in his voice. I felt like laughing at him, but knew that it would be mean.

"Ahh." I responded intelligently. I didn't know what else to sat, as the subject had turned awkward.

RIIINNNG!

All three of us sighed in relief as the bell went, and we all moved to where we were supposed to be.

Roll call seemed to last for ages, and I hated it. It was the first time that I actually wanted to go to Science early. I tried to pass the time by looking at the clock on the wall, but it was broken. How fun! The time had literally stopped.

"Five." I heard the boy sitting next to me mutter.

"Four." More people joined into the chant.

"Three." Ahh, whatever. I will join in too.

"Two." The teacher looked at us longingly, as if she wanted to join us but knew that she shouldn't.

"One."

...

...

Awkward Silence.

"Oops, I was ten seconds early..."

Everyone turned to glare at the boy sitting next to me. I saw Emi crack up into silent laughter.

RIIINNNG!

Everyone jumped out of their seats, and ran for the door. I resisted the urge to, and instead waited patiently for Emi to help me. But instead of Emi, Hitsugaya helped me up, and I immediately went red. He lead me out of the room, and lead me to the handrail. But he did not drop my hand. So unlike him. Maybe he was changing...?

We arrived at Science a little late, because I had been walking slowly, admiring every little feature that I didn't know had existed. The teacher excused Hitsugaya for helping me, but for some strange reason sent me to get a detention. And people asked why I hated science...

I walked out of the classroom following the handrail, and immediately let go once I was out of sight of anyone. He hadn't sent anyone with me, because he assumed that the office was the only place I could go to, because the handrail lead there. Mwahaha, he was wrong!

I kept walking around the school, and after a while found myself sitting against my favourite tree. I looked to my left, and I'm sure a look of shock crossed my face. For there, right infront of me, was a scene that was so sad that it made me cry.

There was a funeral procession going on, in the school grounds, right underneath the very same tree I was leaning against. There weren't many people in attendance, but the few that were present were all wearing black, and I could see many tear streaked faces. A coffin was being placed in the ground, and I noticed that it had a very pretty bird design on it. A design that looked really familiar, but I couldn't place my finger on it.

A priest stood up to say a few words, and the sobbing quietened down. He didn't have much to say, and soon asked for someone to deliver the Eulogy. A boy dressed in black walked up to the front, his white hair sticking out from underneath his black hat. His teal green eyes were watering, and a few tears were rolling down his pale drinks. He looked like he hadn't slept for weeks.

"Hitsugaya Taichou." I whispered, and I could see him slide his eyes in my direction. He shook his head slowly, as if he imagined something that he wanted to get rid of. I reached out my arm, and tried to get closer to him. But I was distracted by the smell of smoke, coming from the school behind me.

I turned to face the school, and saw the smoke leaking out of one of the bottom story windows. I took one last glance at the funeral procession, and was startled to find it gone. I shook away the nagging feeling of regret from my mind, as I tried to concentrate on what was happening.

I could hear the fire alarm go off somewhere inside the school, and many screams followed. Students started to pour out of the school at unsually high speeds, with teachers trying vainly to control them. They all ran onto the oval, and I suddenly got hit by a wave of Deja vu.

I saw a bleak landscape, covered in ankle deep snow. The once tall trees now no longer reached for the stars, but lay discarded in the snow, small flames jumping on and about them. The fire is melting the snow. The oval is full of people, all screaming and running around, panicking. Everything is chaos. But once again, this is not the main part of the artwork. My eyes are drawn to where I am pointing. Towards the majestic tree, one that holds many secrets. Emi is standing there, pulling down a branch. Snapping it, and motioning for me frantically.

But I turn around to face the flaming school building.

I knew that I was going to die anyway. Me having a vision of my own funeral proved it. So I knew that when I heard the lone voice on the second story of the school, that I would have to go help them. I knew that I had to save their life. I knew that if I didn't, and ended up alive while they dead, that I would never forgive myself. That coffin belonged to one of us, and I didn't want it to be them.

So I ran into the school building, and heard many cries from behind me. But I blocked out all their voices, and my ears were overwhelmed with the sound of the crackling fire. I could hear the burning objects melt, and fall from the places where they once stood. I could hear the fire calling out to me alluringly, trying to get me to walk into its fiery depths. My own personal little hell.

I could feel the heat radiating on my skin as I ran through the corridors, making my way to the second floor. I could feel my skin actually burning, and I shivered. I felt the smoke sting my eyes, and I started to cry. The smoke was slowly killing me - I inhaled it with every breath and felt it roll down my trachea and into my lungs. The smoke was blocking my eyes from seeing the angry red flames that were jumping about me. It was blocking me from seeing that I was burning alive.

My brain seemed to numb after a few minutes, and all I could feel were my survival instincts - telling me to get out of there right now. But I persisted, and I eventually made it to the second floor. There was no fire on this floor, yet, and I felt cool air against my burnt skin as I left the fiery floor behind. I was coughing violently, and I could barely see. Tears mixed with sweat were pouring down my face, leaving black smudge marks behind. I tried to dry my eyes and take big breaths of fresh air, but I couldn't. And I didn't have much time. The fire was migrating to the second floor now. I could become toast at any minute.\

"HELP!"

I followed the sound of the voice and found the little girl in the room next to the stairs. She was standing by the window, and I could see tears streaking down her face. She turned to face me, and I saw her eyes widen as she gasped in surprise.

"It's all going to be alright now. I'm here, there's nothing to worry about."

I wondered what I must look like to her. She was only a little girl, maybe about 6 or 7, and probably didn't really know what was going on. She probably didn't know what happened to me. But that didn't matter. I had to save her.

"Who are you?" She asked in a scared voice.

"A friend." I tried to sound as nice as possible.

"What's happening?"

"Nothing. Just try to stay calm."

"What's going to happen to us?"

"Nothing, as long as you trust me."

"Ok, I trust you."

Is she sure about that? Did she know what I was planning to do?

"Ok then, close your eyes."

If she couldn't see, then maybe she could save herself the fear, the scaredness, and whatever else she might feel. I watched as she closed her eyes, and I went and gathered her in my arms. She was so small, I could easily hold her whole body to my chest. I walked up to the window, and looked down. I took one giant breath, closed my eyes, and jumped out the window.

We seemed to hang in the air for a couple of seconds, and I opened my eyes. I could see the shocked look on everyones faces, and I could hear things being screamed out at us. I knew that we should have waited for a fire truck, but also knew that if we hadn't jumped, we would have turned into living furnaces.

We plummeted, and I saw the girl start to open her eyes. I quickly put my hand over them, and prayed that she would not scream. I did not want to scare her to death. She struggled against gravity to push my hand away, but her attempts were useless. I only had to stay in my tortured state for one more story, and then It would all be over...

The girl plunged down from her great height, a look of pure fear on her face. Yet after all she had been through, all that she felt, she still protected the child in her arms. The crowds of people watched as the girl fell, none moving to do anything. The fear on their faces could have rivaled that on the girl herself.

She landed in the slushy snow, and the whole world held its breath for that one moment. But the silence was shattered by the sound of the girl breaking, her legs crushed underneath her body. A scream of pain echoed through the school yard, and all was silent. Nobody moved. Nobody knew what to do. It looked like the girl died from the fall. Yet the child...

"SHES ALIVE!" Cried the many spectators, as the child unwrapped herself from the girls arms and stood up, unknowing. She looked up, and then realised what happened. She cried even harder, and was immediately enveloped by the hundreds of arms waiting for her. The crowd seemed instantly happier, before remembering the one who had sacrificed her life. They backed away from the unmoving body, as if scared to catch the disease of death.

But one boy and one girl ran forward from the crowd, both screaming out the dead girls name. They ran out to her, and tried to get a response. They tried in vain. The girl was crying, and her tears dropped onto the body, making the ashes that clung on stubbornly flow away. The boy was trying to control himself, but he couldn't help the few tears that ran down his face. He put his ear to her lips, and immediately sat back up with a suprise. The girl also sat back in surprise, as she was holding the girls hand.

"Shes alive!" The cry came once more that day, except that this time it was whispered. It was whispered through the crowd of watchers, and eventually became a loud roar.

"SHES ALIVE!"

She slowly opened her eyes, and looked straight up into her friends face. The girl looked right back up at her, screaming her name. The girl stared at her blankly, before breaking out into a wide smile.

"Thank you, Emi."

And her eyes closed once more.

It was at this moment that the ambulance and fire trucks decided to arrive. The crowd started to disperse, except for Hitsugaya Toshioru and Emi. They stubbornly clung to their friend's side, and stayed even after the medical officers told them to go away. The medical officers checked over the rescued girl quickly, and announced that there was nothing wrong with her. She left happily, not even glancing in the direction of her saver. Hitsugaya and Emi were glad that the girl was safe, but still stuck around to stay with their friend.

They finally left when the girl was put into the ambulance, and they heard her final murmered words.

'Who knew that death would be like this?"

Next Chapter is my last chapter! I hope you liked this chapter, I myself wasn't very happy with it. But as long as you get the storyline, Im happy! Please review and tell me what you thought. And if you want anything special to happen in the last chapter.

Love, Nettie.