Hello everyone! Long time no see. Please forgive me!

Here is the new chapter.

I hope you all love it.

-O-

Chapter 16:

Enter the Two Protectors

Every day, she found herself trying to find that same odd blur in the sky. Every day, she was disappointed. She had tried immersing herself in schoolwork, and she had even begun going on outings with her friends.

Still, the ashen man's existence haunted her.

Sayuri found that she could not sleep ever since the Espada's departure. Whenever she so much as blinked, her mind became entranced with images of his face, his mysterious boney armor, his mesmerizing jade eyes...

Annoyed with herself, Sayuri shook her head as if to shake off the images that continued to bombard her.

She sat languidly on the grass that had once been coated by the supernatural man's blood. Shin had been asking about Ulquiorra nonstop, and though Sayuri loved her brother, she could not stand being home for fear of being reminded of the ashen man.

The park was quiet. There were no people in sight. Perhaps it was because the temperature has been dropping recently. The forecast even called for snow within the week.

Sayuri loved snow, but her parents did not allow her to go outside during such cold weather because she was prone to illnesses. She did not know why this was so; her immune system just was not very good. She had been very weak since her birth.

Still, she loved the elegant and demure beauty of snow and its white perfection. Though it was very fragile, snow was strong. It had the ability to freeze cities and even kill life. Snow was brave for such a tiny little sparkle falling from the sky.

A soft and gentle wind caressed her bare neck, and with its prickling frigid touch came a sudden unease. She felt as though the odd feeling was alive as it squeezed her chest in anger.

Tense, the young woman stood abruptly and inspected her surroundings. When the wind came to caress her once more, it carried the same strange feeling. The passing air was speaking to her -warning her.

The noise from the tree branches grew discordant, and the once soothing sounds of the park turned into cacophony. The rustling of the leaves ever so slowly metamorphosed into a despicable and hoarse whisper.

Sayuri knew she was being targeted...again. The only difference this time was she had no Ulquiorra to rescue her.

With her brows furrowed, she scolded herself, "Take care of yourself for once Sai, and stop being such a damsel in distress!"

She knew she was weak by hollow standards, but by kami, she will fight back no matter how futile it will seem.

Her adrenaline coursed through her veins, bringing life and urgency to her languid form.

Although she was aware that it was Ulquiorra's strong spiritual pressure- he called it- that attracted the hollows, she feared for the day when it does fade away because it would seem like he had never been there to begin with.

Suffice to say, being chased by hungry, soul-devouring monsters, in a way, kept Ulquiorra real- as though he was still with her.

She ran deeper into the forest surrounding the park so that nearby civilians would not become the monster's unfortunate food. The lily girl felt the wind pushing her along, urging her to run faster, and so she did.

Sayuri knew that the thing was tracking her because she could feel it getting closer to her location. She had decent stamina, but she doubt that she could outrun it.

'I need to think of something...' she mentally noted.

For some reason, she felt oddly calm even though she can potentially become food to some dark monstrosity. Maybe because she welcomed the thrill after several days of depression. Maybe she had gotten used to the continuous dangers that have recently bombarded her life. Or perhaps, she had just gone insane. Whatever the case, she needed to outsmart the thing.

The familiar roar rang in her ears. It was gaining on her.

"Think, think, think!" she chanted.

Her vibrant blue orbs then held something in their sights. It would have to do.

Persevering through the ache that began to grow in her abused calves and the deafening beating of her chest, she sprinted towards the fallen branch.

She heard the hollow behind her and could visualize it leaping to catch its prey. Sayuri slid towards the branch much like how a baseball player slid onto the base. Both her hands wound themselves around the heavy object as she spun herself around on the ground.

Sayuri saw it. Its claws were glistening in the sun, and its mouth was opened wide so that its teeth could sink readily into its prey.

She sprinted towards it with the sharp end of her makeshift weapon pointing forward in a threatening glare.

Within moments, a throaty cry echoed in the forest as birds flew from the shaking trees.

Sayuri panted heavily as the creature's eyes stared into her own. Her shaking fingers trailed their way up to her shirt where a thick coat of life liquid had been smeared. The black ooze of blood dripped slowly onto the dying ground.

-O-

He sensed her. She was nearby, but he knew she was not alone.

He had felt a hollow's spiritual energy sprinting towards her location, but he was too far to get there quickly enough.

He aware that she was in danger.

However, he should have known better than to think that the hollows inhabiting Hitamura would suddenly leave her alone once he was gone. If anything, it made her a better target: a weak, defenseless, ambrosial human, who, to make matters even more appetizing for a hollow, contained traces of an Espada's spiritual pressure.

He should have known better.

-O-

Sayuri's eyes slowly took comfort in the darkness of her unconsciousness. She was so tired. She felt the wind trying to help her maintain her consciousness as it continued to howl around her. However, its cold touches were like an inviting but deadly blanket. The rustle of the leaves soon acted as lullabies, pacifying her into a sudden stupor.

She just wanted to sleep for a very long time.

As her blue orbs lost the vibrant light that they had once possessed, she saw the hollow on top of her begin to stir.

'No,' she thought, 'I can't rest just yet.'

The wind's sudden twist and turns began to revitalize her exhausted form, cooling her. She still had to get to safety after all.

Quickly, she slid out from another the thing. She looked for another weapon -anything to injure it. Noting a low and decently thick branch, she ran to it and tore it from the tree.

The school girl saw the hollow's claws twitching in the sunlight, and she knew she had to act quickly. Taking a firm hold on the branch, she stood before the hollow and drove the pointed end of the wood through the back of his head. The wind surrounded her weapon, as though it was lending its strength for her benefit.

She was aware that it was not enough to go completely through its head, and she knew that it may not even be enough to kill it.

However, perhaps it was enough to give her a chance to get safely away.

Sayuri heard its cry, and she felt a terrible sting in her soul. She felt like a murderer; this creature, no matter how monstrous, was alive. As she struck its head with the branch one more time, she felt a shard pierce her core. The Japanese female did not like doing this, but she knew that the creature would kill her without any bite of guilt.

She needed to live. She did not want to be a troublesome woman any longer.

Sayuri was done being weak.

Leaving the branch still embedded in the back of the hollow's head, she sprinted as quickly as she could away from it.

As she ran, she saw some dark liquid seeping through her shirt. She placed a hand on it, and the viscous liquid painted her palm with crimson. She should have realized that the hollow's claws had punctured the skin on her shoulder.

Her breaths became ragged as she saw black dots begin to cloud the edges of her vision.

'Have I lost too much blood?'

Sayuri did not know how far she had ran when her knees hit the unforgiving ground, her upper body following suit within moments.

'I h-have to get further away,' the injured lass thought as her blood began to form a carpet under her.

She managed to get back on her feet, her legs shaking from the effort. Sayuri was able to take several steps forward before she found her face digging into the soil once more.

The sweat from her forehead fell into her eyes and down her cheeks, making it appear as though she was crying as she had no tears to give. She was tired of crying.

The black dots united together to form a dark blanket on her vision.

"I still have to run further. I have to get awa..."

Her voice faded as did her consciousness. The last thing she heard was the hollow's roar.

She was going to die.

'I am still weak after all.'

-O-

A petite form began to stir amidst the still nature surrounding the picturesque scene. She woke up to the sounds of the nightingale's song. The young teen attempted to sit upright as her eyelids slowly peeled open, but she found her body protesting.

"You know," said a masculine voice, "You really shouldn't be sleeping out here at night."

When her vision had grown accustomed to the darkest, she saw the thick and barren branches of the sakura tree above her.

Sayuri painstakingly repositioned her body so that she was upright. A white and black jacket slid off her shoulders as she did so.

"How did I get here Ichigo?" she asked him.

Shrugging his shoulders, the tall male replied, "I don't know. I was just walking home from Hitamura and found you here."

'I was sure I had passed out in a different part of the forest though...' Sayuri thought.

"I tried waking you up, but you wouldn't," Ichigo commented.

With still aching arms, Sayuri lifted the jacket that had fallen to her lap and extended it towards the man.

"Thanks for loaning this to me while I slept," she smiled at him.

Ichigo gave his own smile. "It's no problem. I wouldn't be much of a man if I left an unconscious girl to freeze at night."

A tiny giggle slipped her lips. " Now who ever said chivalry was dead," she mocked, before she realized something very important, "...Wait...what happened to my shoulder!? I-It's h-healed!"

When she recalled the time since she had woken, she did not remember feeling any sort of pain or discomfort.

"You only had a minor scratch. I applied some medicine from my dad's clinic that I carry around with me in case of emergencies. It works quite well on small injuries," he explained smoothly.

Sayuri quirked her eyebrows in disbelief. "I've never heard of such a medicine before."

Ichigo chuckled before retorting, "Well, you've never been treated by my father before either."

The lily girl was exhausted. The long day had cost her a week's worth of energy. As a result she did not bother arguing.

"I suppose you're right," she acquiesced.

She was alive and well, so she decided to simply move on and forget the nightmarish ordeal.

"Um, I better get home now," she began once she noted the full moon embracing the dark night sky with its ethereal light, "I bet my parents are worried."

Jumping down from the tree's upraised roots, Sayuri felt her legs buckle. She knew she should have known better than to do that after the arduous exercise her legs had gone through just hours before. It seems her exhaustion was effective her ability to think clearly.

She braced her hands forward in preparation for the ground, but she did not have too. With startling reflex, Ichigo had maneuvered himself to catch her on his chest.

Stammering, Sayuri blushed, "U-Uh, s-s-sorry."

She quickly pushed herself away from him and began walking towards the light of the city in the distance.

"Be careful on your way back," Ichigo stated.

The young woman gave him a quick nod and a wave goodbye.

"See you around Ichigo. Thanks again!"

-O-

He watched from a distance, masking his spiritual pressure to an undetectable level, as the Soul Reaper trailed behind her, no doubt making sure that no other hollows would attack her as she made her way home.

He was near her now.

He dashed in the sky above the forest. In a tiny clearing, his observant eyes caught her lying underneath the giant monstrosity.

He saw that a pointed piece of wood had somehow pierced through the hollow's vulnerable throat. Suffice to say, he was rather impressed that she had managed to injure such a supernatural beast.

He knew, however, that it was not enough to kill it. He saw the twitch of the hollow's claws and knew that the shock of the injury was wearing off.

She, on the other hand, was not moving. Her eyes were becoming glazed.

'Is she dying?'

As he was about to come to her aid, however, he saw the young woman struggle out from under the large hollow and injure it further with two blows to the head through the use of a thick branch she had quickly gathered.

She attempted to run from the scene before the hollow came to its senses.

He had not faild to miss the torn cloth on her right shoulder and the crimson color that repainted the blue of her shirt. It was a deep wound. From his centuries of experience with fighting and killing, he was able to deduce that the injury she sustained was deep enough to be potentially fatal; he knew she could easily bleed to death if it was not treated soon.

Quickly, he sprinted towards her, but just as he was about to land behind her form, he noticed a strong spiritual pressure approaching.

'Kurosaki.'

Quickly, he leaped into an obscured branch just as the human male came into view. The orange-haired boy disposed of the hollow, who let out a final shriek before fading with the wind, and followed after the young woman.

The Espada and Soul Reaper found her some distance from the clearing, a scarlet pool forming underneath her.

He watched as the substitute Soul Reaper carried her into the same meadow he himself had once carried her to, and gently laid her on the tree's large roots. Kurosaki then transformed back into his body, and placed his jacket on Sayuri's unconscious form as the temperature began to decrease with the oncoming night. He then pressed a hand on her injured shoulder to help halt the bleeding.

With his free appendage, the human opened some sort of device and spoke into it, a rather feminine voice coming from the other end.

"Come quickly," he said.

Within an hour, a familiar face entered the clearing.

'Orihime Inoue,' he remembered.

He watched as the human woman with godlike powers rejected Sayuri's injured formed, most likely saving her from an approaching death.

An alien thorn began to gnaw at his mind. He realized that he had let out a slow breath, which was very uncharacteristic of him. He was not even aware why he felt the need to let out a sigh given the circumstances. It irked him.

He watched as the woman with orange locks left the two behind, and felt an unease come into him.

Hours passed before the unconscious woman emerged from her slumber to enter reality. He watched as she collapsed during her attempt to stand up and was rather intrigued by how the human male had caught her through the use of a technique Soul Reapers call flash steps.

Now, he looks on as the Soul Reaper is following her to insure her safety.

However, he has now watched enough.

With vividly green eyes, he gave one last look at the human female returning home.

He knew she would be protected with Kurosaki nearby.

At least she is safe.

-O-

Thanks for reading!