B A Y O – B A Y O :

I'm back, and with another long chapter! I'm amazed at how quickly I'm updating—I guess I'm excited about this story too. X3 The funny thing is that when I used to be your average reviewer/reader, I thought that writing stories would be as boring as heck—but now that I've done it, I think it's one of the most exciting things in the world. Writing about an obsession you have and being able to write freely using your own ideas and characters, implementing them into a fiction that appeals to you and your readers—it's one of the most awesome experiences I've ever had. And the one thing I love about writing and this story, in particular, is your guys' love and support. I couldn't have done it without you guys—thank you!

Now you may be asking yourself 'why is she rambling on about this nonsense?' right? That's because, well…

THIS CHAPTER IS VERY FLUFFY (to me, anyway, don't know about ya'll) OMG.

Pretty surprising things happen here, despite that this is more a 'filler' chapter. I'm sorry if I happen to make anyone sound OOC here, but I did write half of this chapter after one o'clock in the morning. xD I hope you all like it, and I'm sorry if it turns any of your attentions off—but I needed to do this sooner than later, for it is going to be essential for the next set of chapters.

Don't know what I'm talking about? Then read on, reviewer—read on.

. F U R A R E T A .
… "reborn"… a bleach fanfiction

--

Furareta © b a y o – b a y o
Bleach © Kubo Tite

--

CHAPTER F O U R T E E N :
"Forbidden"

"Their curse is… death." Nodding solemnly, Gina's clasped hands gripped the skirt of her dirtied dress. Toushirou sat quietly beside me, pondering this surprising bit of information to himself. Even if it wasn't what people made it out to be, the 'House of Horrors' definitely lived up to its name. People, even if it was a long time ago, had died in this place. The mere knowledge of that gave me uncomfortable shivers. "That's horrible," I murmured after silence. "Why?"

"I… don't know. I only know what I've read," the spirit replied. "The Bounto turned their library into my dungeon, so I spend my time reading whatever's there."

"The prize for cracking this place's curse is the person's death." I still couldn't wrap my mind around the fact. Death was such a rare thing that entered my mind; but I was going to be encountering a lot of that from now on, I knew, so I had to get used to it. "Do they do this for their own sick pleasure…?" Subconsciously, my fingers dug into my palms. "Someone has to stop them."

"Maybe that's the reason why the Bounto kill them," Hitsugaya said absent-mindedly. With a confused expression, I turned to him. "They discover their ploy, and before they can escape and spread the word, they silence them."

"But what's the point of that? Why go through the trouble of opening this place up every three years if all they do is kill those who manage to win their game?" I questioned, becoming a little frustrated.

Toushirou's teal eyes turned on me, hushing me with just a single look. "That's what we're going to find out."

Gina's bloodshot eyes widened. "You don't mean…"

"We're going to beat this sick game of theirs," Hitsugaya decided, standing up, "and discover what they're really after."

"But if you do that then they'll kill you!" Gina retorted. "I've read about you Shinigami in their library; you're strong, but you alone don't stand a chance against the six of them!"

"It's not like we have a choice anymore," Toushirou argued. "Everyone else has evacuated, and they've locked every other escape route."

"What?!" I exclaimed. "What do you mean everyone evacuated?! … And that we're locked in here?!"

Hitsugaya regarded my panic with seriousness. "Exactly what it sounds like, Nagasuki. The only way out of here now is through the actual exit—and the Bounto."

Gina nibbled on her thumb nail, lost in thought. "They shut everything down? They don't do that until midnight. They check every floor in the mansion—that is, except the basement."

"The clock tower struck midnight thirty minutes ago," Hitsugaya stated. "They won't reopen this place until three years later, so we're going to have to force ourselves out before they discover we're still here."

"Why don't they check the basements?!" I exclaimed, lost in a panic. How could they be so calm when we're trapped in a place infested with Hollows—and especially in the headquarters of the six surviving Bounto?! "This is a floor, too!"

"They don't check this place because," Gina glanced at me, "this is where the untamed Hollow reside. Some menos are gathered here too, and the Bounto use them to scout for any disturbances in the headquarters."

I glared at Toushirou. "You said you didn't sense any Hollows down here, Toushirou!"

"I don't," was his response.

"They come out after the closing of the mansion to eat anyone who stays in after the doors are locked," Gina informed him. "They tend to stay as far away from this area as they can because of the light, but if you say its half-past midnight, Hitsugaya-san, then…" She paused to calculate. "They should appear around here in a few minutes. From then on, they'll be infesting this floor."

My jaw dropped. "And you're calm about that?!"

"I discovered a secret hallway behind this painting," Gina said, patting the wall behind her. "I've stayed there for a few days while trying to escape this place, and the Hollows rarely ever go there. I found a room where you can stay for tonight. Come."

I grabbed onto Toushirou's arm as he walked past me. "Wait, you expect me to sleep in this place?!"

He eyed me mutely before yanking his arm away. "You prefer to stay out here?" He stepped over to Gina. "Take us there, please."

She nodded, and tapped on a specific area of the painting—the very center. There was a small click that sounded. A few seconds later a regular door-sized section of the painting spun like a revolving door, albeit a lot more creakily. Toushirou stepped inside first, and Gina waited for me to follow him. I thought my palms were going to start bleeding if I clenched them any harder and my head felt like it was about to burst, but I nonetheless followed the Shinigami captain. The door closed behind us.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," I breathed while glaring into Hitsugaya's back. Visiting this place was one thing, but staying the night here was a whole different thing altogether! It was crazy, absolute madness!

"Your room is the fourth door to your right," Gina's voice broke my thoughts, and I followed Hitsugaya into the said room.

I would have commented on it if I could see what it looked like. But it was pitcher than pitch in here, save for a couple candles in the middle of the room. I found Hitsugaya's arm in mine again as we wandered in. "This was the cleanest room I could find—the rest are worn out and unstable because of time," Gina said, standing in the doorframe. "I'll bring more candles for you in a few more minutes." She left and came back with three more.

"Thank you," Hitsugaya said as he received them.

"You're welcome," Gina smiled. "I must go now before they find out I'm gone. It's best for you not to wander beyond the hallway, because I haven't gotten to exploring it yet."

I sat by the candles, hugging my knees to my chest. I refused to look up.

"I'm sorry you're caught up in this, Megumi-san." I could hear the sympathy in her voice. "I can understand your situation, and I know it'll be hard—but try to look to the bright side of things." With that, she softly closed the door behind her.

I heard the shuffle of wood in the corner, and Hitsugaya's white haori flashed as a clump of oak fell where the candles were. It ignited into a larger fire, brightening up the entire room and emitting much more warmth. I saw that it wasn't a very large room—big enough, barely, to be a den, with no windows whatsoever. I could see that Toushirou got the wood from a slightly worn down corner. "I can't believe this," I said as Hitsugaya sat across from me.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, ignoring my comment.

"Besides pessimistic, hopeless, and about to go insane? Just peachy," I responded sarcastically.

"We'll be safe in here. The door can lock."

"For some reason, I think Hollows can break down splintering wooden doors."

"It's better than no door."

"How can you be so carefree about this?!" I shouted, standing up and glaring at him over the fire. "We're locked in a house full of murders, there're flesh eating monsters four doors away from us, and we're sleeping in a room with nothing but a lousy campfire! There's nothing to be optimistic about!"

He was listening to me calmly with a stagnant look in his eyes.

"What's my family going to think when I don't come back tonight?! What happens when they discover I'm dead?! What'll they do, Toushirou?! What'll I do?!" I continued. My streaming tears sizzled as they dripped from my chin into the fire, and I wondered when I had begun to cry. My body trembled as I fought to keep pouring out my frustration on him. "It's useless, Toushirou! We won't survive down here! You heard Gina—there are six of them and only two of us! Actually, I don't even count as another whole person because I can't do a single thing to protect myself! Nothing! Nada! Zilch!"

Hitsugaya didn't respond.

"Well?! Say something!" I said, my shouting turning into pitiful cries. "Say something… anything...!"

"Nothing will happen to you," he stated nonchalantly.

I rolled my eyes while wiping furiously at my tears. "That's believable," I murmured. "What makes you so sure?"

"I won't let you get killed." His answer was simple, straight to the point. "I promised, remember?"

"But I didn't expect to be trapped in here to crack the code of some Bounto secret, only to be slaughtered at the end!"

"Nagasuki," Hitsugaya sighed. "I won't let you get killed. Do you trust me?"

I faltered. "Yeah, but—"

"Then trust me when I tell you that I won't let you die."

I finally sighed. "Promise?"

"Do you want my pinky again?"

He didn't say half as much as I did, but he always knew the right words to say when I needed them. I forced a weak laugh. "No, I'll take you for your word this time." I sat back down, pulling my knees to my chest again. My chin rested on my knees, and I stared blankly at the crackling flame that slowly began consuming the wood. Despite how warm it was to my skin, I still felt unbelievable cold. "… I'm sorry, Toushirou," I said after a moment of silence. "You didn't deserve to have my anger vented on you. I was just… I've never been in this situation before, of course. When I met you and you went through all the things I'd experience because of the memories that I was so stubborn to keep, I thought it would be no problem for me… but I didn't think that Shinigami business was this… significant, and that it really would affect me for the rest of my life. All this time, everything bad that's happened to me that related to anything beyond the world of living I've blamed on others, when it was really my fault to begin with. You, Matsumoto, and now Gina are protecting me and I've done nothing but whined and complained. I'm so selfish." My eyes hardened, and I gazed up to Toushirou, who had been listening to my prattle intently all along. "I now know what kind of situation I've placed myself into, and though it'll be very hard for me to get used to, I'll accept whatever this new life of mine has in store for me right now and in the future. Before it's been a silly game to me—a new piece to add to my life. But now it's the real deal—a struggle between life and death. I understand that now."

Toushirou and I held eye contact for a while, before an expression that I couldn't quite place came over him and he made a noise that sounded like a huff. He gazed down with a small smirk. "Like I said, Nagasuki, you're full of surprises. Come here."

I blinked. "Why?"

"Just come over here."

I meekly crawled over to him and plopped beside him. "What?" He didn't look at me when I glanced to him. I could see the flame reflect in his green eyes.

"I heard that maturity came with the passing of years," he started, before digging his hand into his kimono for something. I watched him curiously. "I didn't think that saying took effect until after you've died, but you've proven me wrong. You never cease to impress me, Nagasuki." When he withdrew his hand, there was a thin, neatly wrapped box in it. "It's a little late and I didn't remember it until now," he said, offering it to me, "but happy birthday, Nagasuki."

I stared at him blankly. My eyes flickered from his face to the present, not really accepting what was going on. Toushirou was giving me a birthday present. "Are you serious…?"

"You don't want it?"

"No, it's just… after I just yelled at you…" I murmured. I could feel my face growing warm; I couldn't tell whether it was from the fire or my new tears.

"That's been forgotten, Nagasuki. It's never good to dwell in the past," he shrugged, placing it in my hands. "You've matured within the first two hours of your new age. That's pretty impressive for a fourteen-year-old."

"Can I… open it?"

"If you want." When I began ripping off the paper, he continued, "It's nothing special, but Matsumoto thought it would be a good idea for you to get a—"

"What's this?!" I exclaimed, cutting him off. Inside the wrapping was a little box, which I pulled the lid from. Sitting there was brand-spanking new cell phone, which sparkled in the light of the fire. "You got me a cell phone?!"

Hitsugaya was surprised at my reaction. "Yeah. You don't have to worry about paying bills—Matsumoto and I have enough money to spare. Carry it with you at all times, just in case an emergency comes up. I already put our numbers in it, so—"

"This is awesome Toushirou! Thank you so much!" I squealed, ecstatic as I tackled him to the cold wooden floor. He tumbled with a surprised yell. "You and Rangiku are too nice to me! I can't thank you enough! I've wanted a cell phone for the longest time! And not only that, but paying for my bills, too?! Oh, I love you guys!"

Hitsugaya was busy trying to pry my arms off of him, which were securely wrapped around his neck. "You don't have to get that excited—it's just a phone!"

"But it's from you two, and on my birthday!" I added, not letting go of him. He glared at me from beneath me and I stared at him with a large grin. "You two are the best! The greatest Shinigami pair I've ever met! I love knowing you two and being able to talk to you… like… this…"

My sentence trailed as I realized that he now had a look of discomfort on his face. It took me a second or two to realize why. My arms were closely wrapped around him and I was right on top of him—not to mention the fact that our faces were uncomfortably close. Immediately I flushed a bright pink that totally went against the paleness of my skin; but for some reason, my body didn't make any move to remove myself from him. The coldness that I was engulfed in just seconds ago was replaced with complete warmth, and I never felt any happier. His expression told me that he had no idea what I was doing, and I felt the same way—only one hundred times more. But as I gazed into those eyes and saw how beautifully they sparkled in the overcast flame, my heartbeat sped up by one hundred and I really seemed to have lost myself.

I didn't even notice my face slowly draw towards his, disregarding the very confused look on the other's face; and it wasn't until he breathed my name did I realize what I was about to do.

Oh. My. Soul.

With a small yelp, I shot off him like a rocket and found myself six feet away from him in one second. I could feel my face drastically rise in temperature, which was impossible even with the fire right beside us. Immediately an onslaught of inquiries entered my mind as I stared in horror at him. What in the world was I thinking?! Why did I do that?! If he didn't say anything I would've… I would've… oh, crap, what's wrong with me?! I mentally scolded myself, my furious blush still coloring my cheeks in a burning crimson. I feared to look at Hitsugaya in case he let me have it, too. I heard him shift back into his sitting position. My grip on the cell phone between my palms tightened.

He coughed uncomfortably. "You should go to sleep now," he stated with a forced calm. I slowly looked up at him to see his eyes flicker to the ground right when we made contact. I did the same. "You can sleep there."

"R-Right," I murmured, facing the opposite wall as I awkwardly curled into a ball on the ground. "N-Night." Why was I stuttering? Why was I stuttering?!

"A-Are you going to go to sleep?" I wanted to rip out my tongue for stuttering again. What was wrong with me?!

"I'm keeping watch just in case something happens," he responded quietly.

"Oh." If I didn't feel as awkward as I did right now, I would've asked to stay up with him. I doubt he'd let me either way. Instead my silence resumed and I hugged my new phone to my chest, trying to ignore the massive headache that consumed my brain as I thought about what I had almost done. My heart was still beating wildly at the mere remembrance, and I squeezed my eyes shut to help block it out. It didn't work. I could still see myself from a different perspective, a wide, confused look on my face as it inched closer to an even more bewildered Hitsugaya's face; the slow closing of my eyes when I was just about close enough, and finally Toushirou's awkward whisper of my name, which brought me back to my senses.

What would I have done if he hadn't have stopped me? Would I have actually kissed him?

My hairs stood on end at the idea that seemed absolutely crazy. Me and Toushirou kissing—no, that didn't sound right at all. In fact, it sounded kind of sickening. Yet why? Why did I do that? Was I that happy about my present? I didn't feel like I was controlling myself at all then…

My headache worsened. I like Hikaru, not Toushirou.

I let that statement sink in for the next few seconds. My senses had begun to finally calm; before that one annoying voice that decides to converse with you whenever you don't want them to began talking to me. I tried my best to tune it out and cupped my face with my hands.

I thought I was running a fever because I was so warm.

I murmured a sigh. Okay, maybe I might like him a tiny bit. A small attraction—nothing more than admiration. But he definitely wasn't my type. My temples throbbed. It would never work between us, anyway. He was a Shinigami, and I'm a human. A living person can't like someone who's dead—that's too tragic. And kind of weird. Besides, the high-and-mighty, silent-and-strong Hitsugaya Toushirou would never like me, the unpopular and useless Nagasuki Megumi in that way. It would never happen. It was the most forbidden of forbiddens.

That guy is always making my life complicated. Most of it was my fault, but it was his fault for being who he was and catching my natural interest—and now that I'm admitting that I might probably, although definitely not to an extremity, have taken a small liking toward him, my life had just taking another sick twist.

First of all, my living as a normal middle school girl had mutated into a weak human girl trying to survive against Bounto and Hollow. And now, when I thought things couldn't have gotten any worse…

I liked Hitsugaya Toushirou, who, not only was the most popular and good-looking guy in school, but was a captain of a squad of the Shinigami. That made my past troubles look very small.

I shook my head.

Aarrgghh, I can't believe I almost…

Something white and warm fluttered over my shoulders, and my squeezed eyes shot open in surprise and I jolted away out of reflex. When I looked back, Toushirou was staring at me with an even more weirded-out look on his face. I noticed after a few seconds that he was void of his white haori—he had draped it over me.

"I thought you were sleeping," he said after a few seconds of silence. "You were shivering, so I assumed you were cold…"

"O-Oh," I murmured, as red as a cherry. Thank goodness it was dark. "Um, thanks."

He nodded and stood to walk back to where he was sitting. I watched him with wide eyes—he looked incomplete without his robe. Now he was just in a plain black kimono.

I sat there, watching him as he quietly eyed the fire; and before I knew it, I had gotten up and stood a couple feet from him. "Do you mind if… I sit here?"

His eyes flickered to meet mine, and he looked back down. "If you want."

I plopped down next to him, making sure to put comfortable space between us. I wrapped his haori tightly around me; it did help to fight against the biting cold. "Hey, um, Toushirou…" I barely said above a whisper. I could hardly hear my own voice. "About… about, uh… a couple minutes ago…"

I heard him shift uncomfortably.

"I'm sorry. I-I don't know what came over me. I, uh, I didn't mean to almost… you know…"

"You were excited," he said. I couldn't tell if he was telling me or himself that. "An exciting thing like receiving a gift right after having a near-death experience can make someone do things that their conscience has no control over. You weren't planning on doing anything before-hand, were you?"

I blinked in surprise. "No, of course not!"

"Then there's nothing for you to be sorry about."

With a small smile, I looked from his face to the fire, where his own eyes were fixed. "… It was pretty awkward, wasn't it?"

Toushirou scoffed. "I won't deny that."

"If you didn't stop me, that would've been my first one," I said sheepishly.

He looked at me. "You've never kissed anyone before?"

"Nope, I'm saving that for my one and only. What, you have?"

He smirked mysteriously at me and turned away. "That's none of your business."

My jaw dropped. "You did?! Who?!" I exclaimed, my interest suddenly aroused.

"Go to sleep, Nagasuki. I can tell you're tired," Toushirou sighed.

I faltered. "Do you… have a girlfriend?"

"Why are you asking me these personal questions?" he said, looking at me with a mischievous glint in his eye. "You're curiosity has a tendency of leading you to trouble, Nagasuki."

I pouted. "But we're friends! Friends tell each other these things!"

"Is our friendship your excuse for unlocking every detail of my life, now?"

"… You're so unfair."

"Hmm. You're fond of that Minamoto kid, right? Minamoto Hikaru?" he asked.

I almost answered 'it used to be', but bit my tongue. "… How did you know?"

"Matsumoto."

"Remind me to kill her the next time I see her."

"Hn."

"But, speaking of Minamoto," I murmured, my thoughts drifting. "Riana and Hikaru… their dad co-owns this place. Do you think…?" I had just remembered that now; Riana and Hikaru's dad worked here, and so did they. If this was the Bounto headquarters, then were they… could they be Bounto? … No, that's impossible! I've known Riana and Hikaru ever since grade school. They couldn't be anything beyond human. I'm sure the Bounto just knocked them out or whatever… yeah, that had to be it.

Toushirou didn't look at me. "We'll find out tomorrow."

I scoffed. "More like in the next week or so. If you're aiming to crack this sick mystery the Bounto have concocted, then you're in for the ride of your life."

"You're forgetting that I'm a genius," Hitsugaya stated with a hint of pride, throwing a smirk at me.

I smirked back at him, although I definitely couldn't be as effective as he was. "Yep, I definitely forgot about that."

"Shut up."

I began laughing, my heart finally feeling light. I was glad that Toushirou found an excuse for me to have done what I did—I'm happy that that he thought nothing more of it. Not vocally, anyway. When I erupted into a giggling frenzy, the white-haired boy backed away from me as if I had suddenly caught some contagious disease.

I spent whatever time I had before I fell asleep talking with him. His sparkling green eyes, his attractive smirks, his way of carrying himself—I was attracted to it all. My heartbeat quickened every time he cast even one glance at me, no matter how long it lasted.

I couldn't fight it anymore, I thought with a crippled smile.

I, unfortunately, had developed a small crush on Hitsugaya Toushirou. And I don't even know how, when, or why.

For some reason, I felt that this was only the beginning of my troubles.

A/N: Yup, Megumi finally realized her (even more) sticky predicament. Liking a Shinigami when she's just a simple human—how could that be? What does Hitsugaya think about all of this (you won't find out for a while, ha—more suspense!) and her? Will they be able to crack the mystery of the House of Horrors in one day, or will they be stuck there for even longer—or even worse—die? When I was writing this chapter, I was going to make this only, like, a quarter of it and jump back into the action—but I rambled on so much that I realized it was impossible and just turned this into a chapter solely dedicated to Megumi's twist in her life.

What do you guys think? Once again, I'm sorry if you think I'm moving fast with them—rather, with Megumi—but like I said, there's a reason for it.

Thank you so much for the 27 reviews! I really loved and appreciated them—you make me all so happy. :3 I'm amazed that I managed to get fourteen chapters of this story in within five weeks—and it's all thanks to you.

And also, a new addition: THEME SONGS FOR MY STORY! Yay!

Opening: "Colours of the Heart" by Uverworld
Ending: "Konna Chikaku de" by Crystal Kay

I love these songs to death, and thought they were perfect for the story. X3 I hope you all like them!

Once again, thank you SO MUCH, all of my reviewers! I'm glad to hear that you're all enjoying this story thus far!

KajiMori, BowlofRice, UchihaKinakae, MoonStarBeam, Hana Ryuuzaki, Seven Black Roses, erina destiny, TsukiKishuko, moogle in paradaisu, vCricket, Slothy Girl, Naruto-Lover227, Akiko Rivers, joster13, ih o w a l o n, Yorukirin, demogirl193, TideDrop, Feather's Shadow, Skylite, creaturekid, Courtmaster Rin, Chaotic Demon, DarkShadowMuffin, Uchiha Sasha, Mei Fire, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

I can NEVER get enough of it! Please keep sending them in!

-- bayo – bayo, signing out!