Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. It's property of Kubo Tite.

Author's Note: Before saying anything else, let me apologize for not updating sooner. I didn't lie when I said I had written most of it. It's true. However, editing can be a bitch sometimes and I haven't really had the time. I really want to finish this story before moving on to other projects. I hope I get to update soon. In the meantime, please enjoy this new chapter, which will probably leave you with more questions than answers, lol.

Thank you all for your support! Again, reading all of your reviews makes me really happy. I hope this next chapter is as well-received as the other one was.

See you until next time!

Reviews:

Bleach power: Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed last chapter! Hope you'll like this one too!

Chapter 2: Into The Forest

Shirayuki knew something was wrong the moment Gin came for her. He had hand-cuffed her and brought her to her room. It was a nostalgic sight. Nothing had changed in her chambers, and yet her life was mostly over. There, the maids had washed her body in warm water, and then they had put on her a blue dress her father had given her before her birthday. It made her heart hurt. They had braided her hair, and had put on her father's locket around her neck. One look at the mirror told her she looked beautiful. Too beautiful. Too soon Gin had come back for her, silently guiding her to the garden, and then out to where the fields could be seen and the dark forest loomed over them. She wondered what he would do to her. Perhaps Aizen was already waiting for her there with the priest, and he would make her his in a private ceremony. Or maybe Gin and the rest of his men would hit her and touch her until she broke and accepted. Whatever the case, Shirayuki knew this was the day she would die.

What she wasn't expecting was seeing a familiar face waiting for her. It was Renji, her childhood friend. They had played together as children, whenever Shirayuki sneaked her way into the kitchens. They would run around the garden, and he would show her all the secret passages of the castle. However, when they had started growing up, Renji had told her he wanted to be a knight. Somehow he had managed to become a squire, and was on his way to be appointed as knight. They had stopped seeing each other less and less until she hadn't seen him in years. She didn't know he was still on castle grounds. Much less working for Aizen. She became suspicious.

"Renji?" She asked when she saw him but Gin interrupted their reunion.

"My princess." He said bowing down. "King Aizen wishes for you to enjoy a day out. The dungeon has made you look sick. He thinks the fresh air of the forest will bring back the color to your cheeks. I will leave you in the hands of Sir Abarai. I will return in two hours. Have fun." With one last bow, he left, an unnerving grin present on his lips.

Shirayuki shivered and then faced Renji. He looked serious.

"I found a meadow filled with flowers. Come with me." He said and then turned around.

It would have been so easy to run away, but from this distance Gin would have been able to see her, and who knew what he was capable of doing after seeing her trying to escape. The only thing left for her to do was follow Renji, even if that meant her death anyway. They walked in silence, Renji never once looking at her. Meanwhile, Shirayuki memorized the path they were taking, just in case she had to escape from him. Then, they arrived to a meadow, just as Renji had said. It was a breathtaking sight. There were flowers of every color, and butterflies fluttering around. She would have felt happiness for being there in other circumstances.

"So you are a knight now." She said, trying to strike conversation with him, but Renji didn't answer her. He started looking around, seemingly watching for any danger.

Shirayuki shrugged. If this was her last day on Earth, she might as well enjoy it. She started walking around. She grabbed a bunch of flowers and made a crown with them, which she then put on her head. Next, she started chasing butterflies and singing to the birds which flew around. She wouldn't mind if she died right there, on top of the flowers and the grass.

Suddenly, a noise alerted her of danger. Curious, she approached a bush and looked around. It was a baby rabbit that was trapped between the branches.

"Are you lost?" She asked, as she freed it. Taking the rabbit into her arms, she started looking around for its mother. Sure enough, the mother rabbit was staring at her with apprehension. She put the baby rabbit down. "Off you go to your mother." She whispered, feeling a pang in her chest as she saw the rabbit going back home. She could never go back to her own for it didn't exist anymore.

Then, Shirayuki felt a presence behind her, turning around she found Renji right in front of her, a dagger on his hand. "Renji!" She exclaimed, taking a step back. "What are you doing?!" Although she had been expecting something like this, it didn't hurt any less. Memories of the two playing together flashed through her eyes as she observed him.

"I have to do it!" He shouted. His face was scrunched up, as if he were in pain. "If I don't, they will kill my family!" Of course he would want to protect them. There was no one Renji loved more than his family. Not even Shirayuki.

"You don't have to do it!" She said. "Run away with them!"

"Aizen will find us and kill us all! There's nothing we can do!"

She looked at him with sad eyes. She had been prepared to die until this moment. Something inside her kept telling her to live. Her father's last words played in her mind. Her father would have wanted her to fight, and so that was what she was going to do. She bolted, trying to run as far away as possible, but Renji yanked her by the arm and slammed her into a tree. She yelped in pain, flower crown falling to the ground. Her head throbbing, she looked at him. Renji was crying. He truly did not want to do it, but he didn't have a choice. Shirayuki knew that if there had been anything she could have done to save her father, she would have done it. No matter the cost. Her heart ached for Renji. Closing her eyes, she gave a deep breath. If she died now, she wouldn't die for nothing. Her death would mean Renji and his family would live. That would be enough for her.

"Hey, it's alright." Shirayuki called to him, opening her eyes. "You can do it. I'm not afraid." She said calmly, giving him a bright smile. "I'm glad the last thing I will ever see is you."

Renji raised the dagger and she closed her eyes, preparing herself for her final moments. She listened to the birds chirping and the wind blowing through the tree leaves. She felt the sun's warmth on her skin and the soft grass grazing her ankles. Then, she heard the unmistakable sound of iron swishing. Shirayuki thanked whatever God there was above for the life she had been able to live. She had been so lucky to be born to loving parents, even if she had never really known her mother. She had been born wealthy, so she had never missed anything. She was lucky to have had the friends she did, even if one was about to kill her. For all of this and more, she was grateful. But, when she felt the dagger inching closer to her chest, she had a spark of fear. And then, the dagger fell with a loud thud on the ground. Shirayuki opened her eyes and found Renji kneeling in front of her, the dagger missing from his hands.

"I… I can't do it." He said between heavy breaths. "I just can't kill you!"

"Renji." She gasped, touching her chest.

"Run." He said suddenly, standing up.

"What?" Shirayuki asked, flabbergasted.

"Run. You need to get as far away from here as you can. Aizen won't rest until he has killed you. So run and leave this kingdom. Never look back." He told her, thrusting the dagger into her hands.

"But, Renji, what about your family? They will know you didn't do it and they will hurt you." She said, staring at Renji in disbelief.

"Aizen ordered me to kill you and bring your heart as proof. He doesn't need to see your body. I will just present to him a deer's heart. And, when he's not looking, I'll run with my family to another kingdom." He told her. "So don't worry about us."

"But Ren─"

A kiss on her forehead stopped her from continuing.

"I've always loved you, you know?" Renji said, brushing her hair away. "If you head west, you will leave the forest and reach a town. Seek passage on the border and leave. Take these coins, they will help you." He gave her a small bag filled with money. "Now run."

And Shirayuki ran.

When Shirayuki was a child, her father's friends would often come to visit. Their names were Ukitake and Kyouraku, and both were much older than Byakuya. They seemed to be fond of the young king, and thus, they came whenever they could, carrying with them the stories from their adventures. Shirayuki used to listen intently to them, eyes wide and mouth agape, as they told her stories about dragons, witches, magical objects, monsters and ghosts. Her father was never amused by their stories, and told her to not believe a word they said. When she was a child, she had firmly believed those things existed outside of fairytales, but came to realize they weren't true as she grew up. Now, though, as she ran into the forest, she was starting to believe those tales again. She currently found herself in a deep and strange part of the forest. It was almost completely dark, even if Shirayuki was sure there were still a couple of hours left of sunlight. Furthermore, she felt as if she was being watched. With every step she took, she felt as if she would be attacked. The town Renji had mentioned was nowhere to be found.

"Maybe I'm lost." Shirayuki said out loud. "But I'm sure I went west." She added.

By all accounts, it did not make any sense. She should have been safe by then. But, at least, she had escaped Aizen's clutches. Even if he found out Renji had lied to him and sent a search party for her, she doubted he would find her. She had been traveling for hours after all. She hadn't even left a trail to follow. No. she was safe from him. She had to be. A growl distracted her from her thoughts. Shirayuki turned around, looking for the source of the sound. Just then, she noticed a pair of gleaming eyes hidden in the shadows. Then another one, and another one, and another one until she was surrounded by them. She knew what they were from Ukitake and Kyouraku's stories. Wolves. They had surrounded her. Without stopping to think, Shirayuki started running in the opposite direction from where the animals were. Immediately, the wolves pounced and started chasing after her. But Shirayuki was fast. She had often trained with her father, and he made her run laps on end in the training grounds. Not to mention she was small and agile. That made her faster.

As Shirayuki ran, she pushed branches away. They hit her face and scratched her, but she did not care in the moment. It would surely be ironic if she had been saved from Aizen's hands to then die eaten by wolves. Be brave. Her father's words resounded in her head. They kept her grounded. If she could outrun the wolves or find a safe place, she would be saved. Even if that was unlikely. She continued running until eventually she found a cliff. Thinking fast, she ran towards it, and, when the wolves got close, she jumped. Quickly, she grabbed a nearby branch and held it tight. A few of the wolves did not see the cliff, and they fell with loud cries. The rest looked down and, growling, left. Shirayuki sighed in relief and then looked down. It wasn't such a bad fall, but if she did fall she would get injured. Not to mention some of the wolves were waiting for her below. She tried to use her feet to pull herself up. But, just when she was just about to reach the top, she slipped and began falling. Shirayuki grabbed hold of a rock and slowed herself down. She had fallen a bit and now was closer to the ground. If she jumped, she could reach down without hurting herself. Shirayuki dropped down, crouching as to not injure herself. Without stopping to see her surroundings, she continued running. She heard the rest of the wolves howling and growling behind her. Shirayuki ran faster until she reached a narrower part of the woods, filled with bushes and thorns. She headed that way, believing the beasts would have a hard time following her there. What she had not taken into account was that her hair would get tangled in them. She had barely made it there, when her long braid got tangled in a thorn bush. She pulled and pulled to no avail. Meanwhile, the wolves had already reached her.

So this is the end after all. She thought, gloomily. Although she was armed, a dagger would never hurt the wolves. Wait! Dagger! Taking it out from her pockets, she started using it to cut her hair below her neck. She cut as fast as she could, but the thorns got in the way. The wolves kept approaching her, running at a high speed until they stopped a few feet from where she was. They prepared to pounce when, all of a sudden, one of them fell down with a cry. The other one turned to look at his peer and growled at what he saw. There, next to the fallen wolf, was a figure cladded in black. The person carried a sword, which he had used to kill the wolf. He prepared himself to kill the other one, which kept growling at him. The person didn't waste time. Quickly, he attacked, slashing at the wolf. The animal leapt out of the way, but it wasn't fast enough. The man attacked once more, this time cutting the wolf's head off.

Shirayuki watched all of these with wide eyes. She had been surprised at finding another person in this godforsaken forest. She genuinely didn't think that someone would be able to save her, but here this person was. Then, she grew fearful. The only other person that knew she was there was Renji and, even if she hoped it hadn't happened, Aizen might have discovered his folly and sent a party after her. Was this one of Aizen's men? She couldn't think about it any longer for the person started walking towards her. Shirayuki tried to pull away, only to remember her hair was still stuck. The man didn't say anything until he was right in front of her.

"Are you alright?" He asked with a gruff voice. He was close enough now for her to see his entire face was covered except for his deep brown eyes and his barely visible mouth.

"I'm fine." She managed to say, still fearful of him.

The man sighed when he saw that her hair was stuck. "Running around the woods with long hair? What were you thinking?" He scolded her.

"I didn't think I'd be running for my life today!" Shirayuki exclaimed, feeling offended he would be treating her like a child.

The man pointedly ignored her and, instead, he reached for the dagger in her hands. "It might not look good, but I'll finish the job." He said and, in one swift motion, he cut the rest of her hair.

Her black tresses fell on both sides of her face as she watched her braid still stuck on the thorns. She had really had beautiful, long hair.

"Thank you." She said as he gave her the dagger back.

"It wasn't a problem." The man shrugged, and scratched the back of his neck.

"What is your name?" Shirayuki asked him, impulsively.

"Why do you wanna know that?" He countered.

That sounded suspicious to her. "Why? Can't I know the name of my savior?"

The man rolled his eyes. "You can call me Kuro."

"Kuro?" Shirayuki said, testing the name. "As in black? That is such a strange name!" She pointed out.

Kuro glared at her. "What? As if yours would be any better!" He yelled.

"It is!" She retorted before thinking.

"Then, what is it? What's your name?"

"It's─" She started saying, almost revealing her real name, but she stopped herself. It wouldn't do if he found out who she really was. Her nickname would have to do. Maybe he wouldn't find her out then. "It's Shirayuki."

He scoffed. "Your name's Snow White, and you judge me for my name?!" He said ironically. She was about to reply when he stopped her. "Wait. Shirayuki? Like the princess?" Kuro asked her, with a raised eyebrow. She was about to say that she wasn't the princess, when he interrupted her again. "Come with me."

"What?" Shirayuki said, taking a step back.

"Come with me." Kuro repeated, this time more demanding.

"Why would I come with you?"

"Look, I know my way through the woods. I know how to get out of here. You can either come with me, where you will be safe. Or I can leave you here to fend for yourself. There are more wolves where those came from, and you're unprepared to be here." He explained matter-of-factly.

"Fine." She answered. He was right. Even if she didn't trust him completely, she had no clue where to go now. Wherever he was taking her, it would be far better than here, in the middle of nowhere. Besides, Kuro had saved her. That had to mean something, right?

With that, she followed him, leaving the rest of her hair behind and, with that, her previous life.

She wasn't a princess anymore.

A/N: And the plot thickens.

Btw, any of you know anything about the "troll writers" messages. I received a few in some fanfics, but I don't know what the deal was other than trolling. Where those bots or what?