A/N: HELLO AGAIN! So true to my word this is my third update in three days and best of all we are slowly getting into some of the actual storyline! YAY STORYLINE. Anyway, thank you to the people who have favorite-d/placed this story in their watch list! Seeing the counts go up makes me incredibly eager to write! As always reviews are welcome! I would love to know (particularly after this chapter) what everyone thinks of my characters!

Also, as much as it pains me, I probably won't be able to post an update for at least a day or two. I broke my middle finger yesterday and typing has become a little difficult! -_-' Only me.

Anyway, I thank you for taking the time to read this story and would appreciate any feedback you can provide! Enjoy! :)


"Oi, excuse me," A voice called out after me, "You dropped this." I turned around just in time to see an orange haired boy. In his hand he held my pale pink pointe shoe.

"Oh! Thank you so much! I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to get much work done if I'd lost it!" I exclaimed taking the missing shoe from him.

"Hey, it was no trouble. Take care!" He gave me a friendly grin before walking off hurriedly. I tucked the stray shoe safely into my bag, before heading out towards my next class, which was regrettably biology.

The day passed in much the same fashion, I flitted from class to class until mercifully I was finished, although my day was far from over. I had ballet practice from four to seven, and then open studio from seven until ten. At least ballet is something that I enjoy doing, unlike biology. I shuddered at the memory of my biology lab. We were dissecting. Disgusting, I thought. The poor frog, pinned down to my pan, reminded me too much of my dream.

No! Don't think about it! We have to get this right tonight! I literally shook the thoughts out of my head, as I finished my afternoon stretches. Ludmilla-sensei, a very famous dancer from Russia, stood at the front of the room commanding our attentions. Time to get started! I flexed my feet once more before assuming first position.

Practice seemed to pass much quicker than usual and before I really knew what was happening, Ludmilla-sensei was dismissing class. I walked into the locker room with the rest of my classmates. I had been wanting to rehearse more of my piece tonight, but I suddenly felt very tired. I should heed Midori-sensei's advice. I think I pushed it too hard yesterday. I needed a nice long bath, and perhaps a small jog around my neighborhood. Yes, I thought shedding my sweat soaked leotard, a jog around campus does sound nice.

I walked the few blocks back to my apartment sluggishly. My body felt as though it were being crushed by a weighty presence. My apartment was nearly in sight when I felt the familiar chill spread along my spine. I couldn't move. It was as if the ice that crept up my spine, had spread throughout my veins, trapping me in place. Just breathe, I chided. I thought back to the earlier train ride. It's probably just a poor soul. I tried to slow my frantic breathing down. It was time to put a stop to this, I needed to perform a cleansing. This is much too public, I thought looking around at all my fellow classmates. I would look fifty shades of insane, if I started trying to communicate with a spirit right in the middle of campus.

I was about to set off in the direction of the park, when I felt the spirit's presence abbate. All the air left my body in a large whoosh. This spirit must be pretty pissed to have that much force. I didn't stick around to contemplate its motives, instead I chose to book it straight to the apartment! Maybe I would get to relax after all.

After my encounter outside with that spirit, I decided it was probably best to stay inside for the night. Although it was my job as a miko to cleanse souls, something about this spirit told me it was going to put up a fight, and I was in no hurry to tackle that alone. Maybe I can hold off a little longer, just until I go back to the shrine. I scrubbed my body a second time, relishing in the suds for just a little bit longer than necessary. There was no doubt in my mind that it wouldn't follow me back to my shrine in Karakura Town. It wanted something from me, that much was certain. But what?

I pulled the plug in my tub. I was exhausted. Time for some much needed rest. I dressed in my favorite pair of flannel pajamas and snuggled deep underneath the covers. I didn't care that it was barely nine o'clock, I was beat! It wasn't long before I drifted peacefully off to sleep.

I dreamed of a voice calling to me.

"...Hime-sama...Hime-sama…"

I opened my eyes slowly to reveal what should have been the familiar garden of my inner world. However, this visit brought anything but familiarity. The garden was cloaked in a rich darkness. The inky night extinguished all sources of light in the sky. I would not have known I was in my inner world, if it were not for the familiar position I found myself awake in and the smell of fresh cut flowers. "Seiza? Why must it always be seiza!?"

"Hime-sama…" the voice beckoned to me. I looked around for the source, but as always, I was alone.

"Who's there?" I called, I was surprised to hear my own voice.

"Go...they need….please…" The voice was very faint, no more than a gentle hush. I was only able to hear every few words.

"Who? Who needs me?!" Panic was beginning to set in now. That was a feeling I was not used to having in this world.

"Ojii….he's there...help."

That was all it took. "WAKE UP!" I screamed at myself.

I shot out of bed landing unceremoniously on the floor. Ojiisan, I thought. I ran to the phone, punching in the familiar digits of the main house. Something was horribly, horribly wrong. The phone rang and rang but nobody came to answer it. "Shit!" I threw on my shoes and a coat. Eleven thirty...If I run I can make the last train.

Even through my jacket the chilly spring air bit through my skin. This March was promising to be the coldest one yet, but I paid no attention. I knew my body would adjust the longer I ran. Once I reached the train station I hastily purchased a ticket, ignoring the strange looks I was attracting. Probably should have put on something decent. If this turned out to just be paranoia Ojiisan was going to be pissed. A nagging feeling clinging to the deepest part of me knew that it wasn't just paranoia; something was terribly wrong. I flipped my phone open trying to call the house once more.

Over the course of the forty five minute train ride back to Karakura Town I called the house over fifty times. Each phone call went unanswered. The small sliver of panic that I had on the train was threatening to blossom into a full blown anxiety attack. I ran the few blocks back to the shrine with icicles in my veins.

I approached the steps of the shrine with caution. Nothing felt out of place, still I knew somewhere in the murky depths evil was lurking. "Could my vision have been wrong?" I said aloud to myself. I wasn't expecting to be met with an answer so imagine my surprise when I received one.

"Ha...ha...ha, what do we have here?" I turned around to meet the voice. Nobody was there. I balked at the disembodied voice. I could have sworn the voice came from above. I searched the skies my mouth wide open. Nobody's there...unless… I gazed down tentatively at my locket which was blazing with an unfamiliar heat. This is no ordinary spirit. I peeled off the pendant around my throat, offering a silent prayer that Obasan wouldn't discover my broken promise.

Finally, I could see. A man, or something close, before me. He was dressed strangely. He wore a white hakama and haori, with a black jacket, and a large katana strapped to his waist. The katana that not the most troubling part by far. On the side of his face was a piece of what looked like a skull and he was floating high above me.

"A priestess, eh? You don't look like one, but orders are orders. You must be the one I'm looking for, although I kind of wish you weren't, my blade and I would love to get to know a sweet thing like you. I bet those screams are," he licked his lips, "delicious."

"W-who," my throat was desert dry, "who are you? What are you? What have you done with my family?" I implored as the man came to rest on the top of the torii gate. Ojiisan would roll over and die if he saw this type of blatant disrespect. I grit my teeth.

"Jeez, what is it with you broads and asking questions? Shouldn't you be more concerned with escaping?" His eyes flickered dangerously as he reached for his katana. He zoomed towards me, sword outstretched. A scream hitched in my throat as I jumped to the side. I've got to get away from the temple! I fled down the stairs, I could feel the man-er-thing's breath on the nape of my neck.

"Where to run little girl? That's the question isn't it?"

I ignored his taunts as I sprinted down the street. My pendant was still clutched in my hand. Curiosity killed the cat I thought as I ran into the wooded park area where just days before I had eaten dinner, or at least tried to. I got the feeling that this thing was responsible for all of my disturbing feelings.

"Run, run, run as fast as you can little one," The creature taunted as I borrowed myself deeper and deeper into the woods. I had to get as far away as possible, I didn't want that thing coming after anyone else.

"A most excellent choice in deed, priestess. Now no one can hear your screams," He said appearing in front of me. "My Lord told me not to kill you, buthe never said I couldn't have any fun with you," He placed on hand thoughtfully on his chin, his black hair gleaming in the moonlight, "I wonder how much pressure it will take to break those bones of yours?" He disappeared out of state, reappearing behind me.

"What do you think priestess?" His rancid breath sprayed over my neck. My breath hitched in my throat. I can't move...My grip around the locket tightened. "Why won't you answer me?!" He roared. Just having the locket near me made flooded me with a warming sensation, that served to chase away the icicles of fear that were gathering in my body.

"Honestly, I was too distracted by the smell of your foul breath," I spat my words vehemently at him. Using the necklace still clutched in my sweaty palm, I whipped the locket across his face. I was hoping to distract him long enough so that I could find somewhere to hide. My breath hitched in my throat as he touched a hand to his cheek. Not even a scratch. He tilted his head and laughed wildly, almost like a hyena crying at the moon.

"You little bitch!" The creature's arm snaked out from behind his back as he shoved me away violently. I sailed backwards across the forest, my back painfully colliding with a tree. The creature was almost an arms length away when I pulled a sutra out of the inside of my shirt, tossing the paper seal in his face, I quickly performed the hand sign and called out, "Evil spirit, be exorcised! Akuryō Taisan!"

"Hahaha, you think your pathetic spells will work on me? An espada?!" The creature chuckled prying the scroll off his face while I balked. Why didn't my sutra work? The failure of my charm confirmed my earlier suspicion: this was no ordinary spirit.

"Why don't you use those lips for something more pleasurable, like screaming?" The creature chuckled once more as he gathered me up by the collar of my shirt. "Perhaps my sword can make you sing." I watched as he raised his katana, the dark steel of the blade glinted in the pale moonlight. He placed the cold steel tip on the side of my abdomen and pressed. Slowly. Reluctantly, the tip of the blade sank into my left abdomen. At first I was able to quell the anguished cry that threatened to tear its way out of my throat, but the more The blade disappeared, the harder it became to repress. He jerked the katana upwards, a spray of blood oozed out of my punctured abdomen. I tilted my head back, my mouth frozen in a wide open "O" as the screams tore from my lungs. He jerked the blade once more, literally twisting the knife in my gut. Even though I knew he was delighting in my pained cries, I could not stop the outpour.

"That's my girl," the creature chuckled again close to my ear. His vile tongue snaked its way out of his mouth and licked a drop of blood off of my cheek.

"An arrancar huh? Don't you have anything better to do than pick on poor defenseless women?" A voice cut through the darkness. I tried to look back at the figure the voice belonged to, but the agony of my wound was too great. The creature ripped his blade from my abdomen before tossing me hard to the ground. I skidded twenty feet before collapsing in a tangle of limbs. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I tried to swim through the endless sea of pain. I welcomed unconsciousness, Hell, I even begged for it, but my pleas went on silent ears. All I could do was lay tethered at the shore, as the waves of pain crashed down upon me, trapping me within their icy depths.

"Renji, go to her," The voice called out.

"I think not shinigami," the creature roared, "My master requires her presence."

"Not that I really give a damn, but just who is this master of yours," The faceless voice chided. I curled my body into a small ball, my eyes pressed tightly closed. Shinigami? I suppose that makes sense considering that I'm dying. I was vaguely aware of another presence near me. I gave a frightened whimper which only brought the creatures cruel gaze back to me. I pressed my hand to my bleeding side, trying desperately to smother the rising flames that were licking at my flesh.

"What do you think you're doing?" The creature snarled, "Cerro!" a blast of red light discharged from the palm of his hand. I closed my eyes against the harsh light that threatened to envelop me. Although I could feel the heat of the approaching blast, no fire singed my skin. As the waves of pain rolled over me, I had the distinct sensation of floating.

"Renji! Get her out of here! I'll deal with this one," The voice called. I tried to open my eyes, but each lid must have weighed a thousand pounds, so it was with a half-lidded gaze that I peered into the face of my savior. Had I been in control of my emotional faculties I would have laughed. Saved by a red pineapple? Through the haze I was able to make out a few details of my savior. The figure whose arms I currently resided in, had a sharp angular face, with a mane of long red hair, that was pinned back in a fashion that reminded me of the top end of a pineapple.

"Where to take you?" the man said peering down into my face.

"...temple...please...save Ojiisan…"

"A temple?" The man's dark eyebrows knit together in confusion. I tried to guide him, but my jaws were cemented shut. The only sound that passed through my lips was a small moan.

"I can't take you near humans, they can't fix this," Red pineapple-san said grumbling.

"...no...please," I managed one small plea as I clung to him. I coughed a spattering of crimson into Red pineapple-san's chest, trying to ignore his disgusted yelp. "Please forgi-" I managed to get halfway through my apology before I was cut off.

"No, it's okay, but you shouldn't strain yourself. What's your name?"

"T-ts-tsu…" A shudder racked my body, "ki..k-" The man cut me off again.

"Hey, it's okay, don't push yourself. Is this the temple you spoke of? Abaroue, is that your name?" The man said reading the kanji characters in front of the shrine.

"...H..ai…" The pain crashed over me, strangling the air out of my lungs and making speech near impossible.

"Hush now Abaroue-san, we'll get you better soon," The man tried his best at reassuring me, but I could detect a hint of concern in his chocolate gaze. Please Gods...release me, I silently begged, as another wave of pain washed over me.

After observing my quickly deteriorating condition, Red pineapple-san wasted no time carrying me up the stairs. He approached the entrance to the main house, not bothering to knock. Strangely enough my Ojiisan was waiting at the door for him.

"I felt the unfamiliar reitsu, please come in!" Ojiisan said in a hushed whisper.

"Oh Tsukiko-chan! What's happened to her?" My Obasan's hand caressed my cheek. "Gods, she's lost so much blood. Please set her down here. What is your name, shinigami?"

"Oh uh, Abarai. My name is Renji Abarai," Red pineapple-san said as he laid me down gently on the parlor floor. "Wait, you mean you two can actually see me?"

"No!" I protested, "Your name is Red pineapple-san!"

Renji-san's face flushed as he swallowed hard. "Look little girl, my name is Abarai Renji and I'm the lieutenant of the sixth division so you had better show me some respect!" I could see him about to pitch a full on tantrum.

"Whatever you say…" I was drifting on a sea of consciousness now, "...red pineapple-san."

"You...what did you say?" I could almost feel the anger rolling off of him.

"Pine...apple...and I'm not little. I'm twenty two…" I tried my best to argue, but my body was overtaken by a bout of coughs.

"Yeah well you could have fooled me, Shorty-san."

Through the pain I tried to shoot him my best look. My Aunt wasn't the only one who could dole out harsh glares when the occasion called for it.

"Oi! Renji, why'd you take her here?" A petite female said running into the living area. I closed my eyes, the pain was bringing on bouts of nausea now. I reached a hand up to my mouth as if the layer of flesh could keep my dinner from coming back up. I felt something sticky smear my face and lips. I cracked an eye open to examine my hands. Oh Gods...is that...Without finishing my thought I leaned over and emptied my stomach's contents.

Blood. My hands, and now my face, were caked with blood. I don't consider myself squeamish, but there's just something about copious amounts of your body's own life source being smeared against your lips that makes you feel like hurling.

"Please," the female voice said sternly, "stand back." After my body's refusal to keep my dinner down, I was too embarrassed to look around and see what was happening around me.

"Can you fix her Rukia?" Renji-san's voice said all traces of humor gone.

"I will do what I can, but we need to get her to Urahara-san's shop. I don't want to be caught by surprise if we get anymore visitors. Radio the others, tell them to abandon their posts and meet us there immediately."

I felt two cold hands searching my abdomen. I struggled to flee from the roaming appendages as they approached my wound. Even through my closed eyes I could detect a trace of light, before a cooling sensation flooded my abdomen.

"...that...feels…" I tried to get out the last word, but now that the waves were no longer threatening to consume me I was suddenly so tired.

"What? Is she hurting you?" I could sense a hint of anger through my Ojiisan's tone. I tried my best to reassure him, but my head felt too heavy to move, and the cooling sensation was so pleasant I knew I only had a few more minutes of consciousness before I succombed to glorious sleep.

"No Ojii...feels…" I sucked in a breath, "...n-niiice."

"Hush, Miko-chan, you need to rest now," I wasn't sure who was speaking to me, and at that moment I didn't care. The idea of a world without pain was a welcoming one that I relished.