Here is the next chapter.

Disclaimer-I do not own Bleach or PJO/HOO

Enjoy! :)


A few weeks, meaning over three months, have passed since the new student, Kaien Ishida, arrived at Goode. Some of the students learned the hard way to not speak to him as they either got ISS or detention. Rukia didn't dare to look toward his direction for fear of the past coming to hit her in the face again.

It was the middle of December, which meant it was the last week of the first semester; it also means that winter vacation was starting in a week.

On this particular day, Tatsuki Arisawa was on edge. She would flinch away when someone would brush past her or touch her when she was in class. In the middle of the day, at the beginning of her homeroom class, her spiritual pressure began to rise with the soul-reapers and quincy noticing.

"Tatsuki?" Renji whispered reaching out to hold his girlfriend's hand. "You okay?"

She moved it away quite harshly but felt guilty as soon as she did. "Yeah," she said with a shaky breath, as it was not very convincing. "I didn't sleep well last night. It's nothing to worry about." Her boyfriend leaned over to kiss her temple before turning his attention back to the teacher, Mrs. Ochi.

Five minutes after the bell ringed, the freshman with black hair and dark eyes wearing gym clothes came barging in without permission. "Karin Kurosaki!" Mrs. Ochi yelled trying to get her attention. "What are you doing barging in here?"

The teenager ignored her as she made her way down the row. She stopped in-between Renji and Tatsuki. "Are you and Rukia going home during the break?" Karin asked the red-headed man, sitting on his desk.

"We haven't decided yet, why you ask?"

The soccer player pulled a small black box with a teal bow out of her pocket and held it out to him. "If you do, can you give this to Toshiro? It's his birthday present."

"Do I get to see what you got him?"

"If he decides to show it. I'm not even sure he'll like it. Oh!" She grabbed another box, this one smaller and white with a light pink ribbon instead. "And this one to Rangiku? It's a Christmas present for her."

"How do you know them though?" Rukia asked, she leaning forward to where her arms were resting against the back of Tatsuki's seat.

"I met them a week after you came back and when Ichigo went to a friend's." The Kurosaki explained kicking her legs up and down after she gave the gifts to Renji. "Toshiro helped my soccer team win a game while Rangiku was watching. Then that winter Toshiro helped win another game and stayed at my house for a couple days."

"Kurosaki!" Mrs. Ochi practically screamed hurting the students' ears. "Are you done with your intrusion?"

"Almost." Karin answered. She scooted off her seat now standing with her arms open to Tatsuki. She was given a strange look so she sighed exaggeratedly. "I want to give a princess, a.k.a my brother's childhood best friend, a hug. Is that a problem?"

Tatsuki smiled for the first time that day. She embraced the girl happily from her seat, whispering in her ear, "What are you doing?"

"Stalling," was the answer given.

"Why?"

Karin pulled away from her with a smile of her own as someone knocked on the door though it was open. That someone was Gleeson Hedge, Tatsuki's dad, with a paper in his hand. "Sorry to interrupt," he apologized as the freshman crept past him and while doing so gave her a subtle high-five which no one saw. "I'm here for my daughter. She has permission from the principal and superintendent to stay with me in the gym for the rest of the day and is allowed to bring her boyfriend."

Hedge handed Mrs. Ochi the note that he had given to all of Tatsuki's teachers. Taking a minute to read it she sighed. "Tatsuki, Renji, you may go."

The red-head stood, grabbed his and Tatsuki's things, and waited at the door for her. She stayed where she was until her dad went down the aisle to her seat. Hedge easily picked her up and carried her bridal style. She hid her head in his shoulders, one hand on his other, and began to shake. It took a moment for the class to realize they were seeing something no one else has seen before; Tatsuki was crying.


"I had a nightmare last night," she told her boyfriend as they were laying on the couch in Coach Hedge's office in the girl's locker room with the door shut. Kagine's office was in the boy's locker room like it always was. "It didn't feel like a dream though. It felt. . . real."

"What happened?"

"The same as usual," Tatsuki adjusted herself to where her head could lie on his chest, his arm around her waist. "My mother's horrible excuses of a boyfriend and husband were beating me to death. She was in the background, saying whoever kills me gets to have sex with her for three days straight."

Strangely a smile appeared on the tortured girl's face. "Every time I had those nightmares, Ichigo would know. At the beginning of the school day he would kneel at my desk and say 'My name is the one who protects. I will do everything I can as your knight to protect you'. It cheered me up instantly and I don't know why. All day he would carry from class to class. He would say, 'A princess shouldn't walk when she isn't well'. I wouldn't argue with him and let him do what he wanted."

"He's a good friend."

"He was," Tatsuki agreed. "Until his little sister took over his job for him."


December 20th, early in the morning, Renji was walking in Squad Ten's barracks to deliver the presents requested to the captain and lieutenant. He knocked on the office door, "Captain Hitsugaya, can I come in?"

"Give me a minute, Lieutenant Abarai," the captain's voice called from the other side. After a minute or two the door opened to reveal the captain going back to his seat at his desk.

Renji walked inside and closed the door behind him, noticing the Squad's lieutenant asleep on the couch with a blanket draped over her. "She came in early?"

"She didn't leave," the ice wielder corrected as he tried to finish the small stack of papers he had on his desk. "Rangiku stayed up all night to try to do all of today's papers and reports so I wouldn't have to."

"A birthday present?"

"How did you know?"

Renji pulled out the box meant for the captain and tossed it to him, which he caught with ease. "Your girlfriend from the World of the Living wanted me to give that to you on your birthday. She told me it was today."

Toshiro sighed in slight annoyance. "Why does everyone think Karin and I are together?"

"Don't ask me. Oh!" Renji tossed him another smaller box. "That's from Karin too, but it's a 'Christmas present' for Rangiku. Karin wouldn't tell me what she got you two."

"You might find out at the meeting today." He continued to sign papers as he insisted, "You should go and do your own so you have enough time to tell your girlfriend the news."

The Sixth Squad's lieutenant fled out of the room in a hurry. As soon as the door slammed shut the blanket on the couch was throne off. "Thank goodness!" Rangiku exclaimed happily, awake the whole time. "I thought he would never leave!"

"Was she getting restless?"

"She was starting to kick," Rangiku admitted sitting up holding a lively blue-haired baby with aqua eyes. "I don't think she likes hiding anymore."

"Can you watch her while I'm at the meeting again?"

"Sure," Rangiku agreed setting the baby girl on the couch so she can stand, "if you tell me what it's about."

"It's nothing big," Toshiro reassured. "Renji just wants his girlfriend to come here during New Years and is trying to get the other captains' permission."

"I'm assuming he already has yours and Captain Kuchiki's."

"Yes, and if the others don't agree I'll use the secret."

"So, what did Karin get you for your birthday?"

"This." Toshiro held the present up. It was a necklace with a metal sword pendant that looked exactly like his zanpakuto. A crystal dragon was wrapped around it with its head at the top. The dragon was an exact replica of Hyorinmaru.


"Why do you want the girl to visit you here in the Soul Society?" Head-Captain Yamamoto asked the red-haired man.

"I just think she needs time away from her home." Renji answered honestly.

"And why is that?"

"Well," he began reluctantly, "she's been having nightmares about her mother's exes abusing her again. I thought she should get away from the town where it happened at."

"And?" Byakuya Kuchiki, the captain of Squad Six, pursued. "You are leaving something out that you told me at the barracks."

The Head-Captain suddenly became interested. "Which is what?"

Renji explained nervously, "I was planning on proposing to her during the visit."

"How long have you been together for?"

"Over two years, sir," the lieutenant replied respectfully.

"Here's a personally question about her," Yamamoto warned as he leaned forward to ask. "How young was she when she first got hurt?"

"She was as small as Lieutenant Kusajishi. There was nothing she could do except to run because she hadn't learn anything."

The man in-charge sighed. "Alright, since I'm feeling generous today, she can stay for only three days."

"Thank you, Head-Captain."


Soon it was New Years Eve and Renji introduced Tatsuki to most of his friends, which included Ikkaku, Yumichika, Rangiku, Izuru, and Momo. She was introduced to all but two of the captains. (Renji reassured her that she wouldn't want to meet Kurotsuchi and the Head-Captain was busy with important matters.) A few of the captains asked her why she grew her hair out so long. Tatsuki answered repeatedly, "Because now I'm able to without fear. I'm not getting it cut any time soon."

There was still one last person Renji wanted to introduced her too. Tatsuki didn't realize he was a patient at the Fourth Squad until Renji asked the lieutenant (she thought her name might be Isane) if he's taking visitors. She commented that Ka-(Tatsuki only heard the beginning of the name) went in there five minutes ago.

Walking into the room, she froze. The man they came to visit had bandages wrapped around all over his body and connected to life support. Someone was sitting in the chair next to the bed. His skin was as dark as his long hair with a red outline that seemed to flicker. His clothing gray strips of cloth that left his stomach and chest exposed. Next to him, on the ground, was a blade that looked like it was made for reaping lives.

"Hey Kazeshini," Renji greeted, putting a hand on his shoulder. "How's he doing?"

"His breathing is better than before," he commented though he didn't sound happy. "According to Captain Unohana he's recovering faster, but I can't tell a difference. To make matters worse Kensei keeps trying to train me like I'm Shuhei, meaning he fights to where he almost kills me."

"He doesn't understand," the soul-reaper commented. "He doesn't know if he 'kills' a zanpakuto other than his own they brake forever and can't be repaired."

"You're a zanpakuto?" Tatsuki questioned.

Kazeshini looked over at the human. "You must be Tatsuki, Renji's girlfriend. Zabimaru and Shirayuki were right, you are pretty." He looked back at his friend's master. "I'm guessing you brought her to meet Shuhei?"

"That's right," Renji agreed. Smiling sadly at her, he continued, "Tatsuki, the man on the bed is Shuhei Hisagi, one of my close friends. Kazeshini is his zanpakuto."

"You see-"

"You don't have to tell me," Tatsuki interrupted. "I'm fine with not knowing. You can wait until he wakes up of you want."

"Deal." Kazeshini turned his attention back to Renji. "Would you mind letting Zabimaru free tonight? I need to spar against someone that won't try to kill me. We can spar away from the Seireitei so they-I mean, so we won't cause any trouble or damage."

"I was actually going to suggest that."


That night, there was less than three minutes till midnight, meaning less than three minutes till New Years. The lovely couple were sitting on the roof of the Sixth Squad's barracks waiting for the fireworks. The members of that Squad were partying below them and getting drunk.

"So. . ." Renji began uncertainly, holding his lovely girlfriend's hand. "You know how we've been together for almost three years now?"

"It's been the best three years of my life," she replied happily kissing his cheek.

He smiled down at her, knowing he was making the right choice. "I've been thinking lately, about how I want to take our relationship to the next level."

"The next level?"

"Yes," he detached himself so he was now facing her as the countdown to New Years hit thirty seconds. Renji went down on one knee and pulled out a beautiful ring from his pocket. "I love you, Tatsuki Arisawa. Will you marry me?"

Her heart beating a million miles an hour she exclaimed, "Yes!" At that exact moment the firework lit up the sky with the soul-reapers cheering at the show.

What a great way to begin the New Year.


Okay, I know this is updated late at night but it's still Wednesday where I'm at! And I bet you were surprised he wanted to get married! The cover picture of the story will be what the engagement ring looks like. (I spent most of the time looking for the best one.)

The next chapter will be the last for the school chapters, after that will begin the campers at the Soul Society chapters.

Please review!