Hi everyone! Am back, but unfortunately, not all that pepped up to make rapid updates since most of you prefer to read and not comment… but heck if am giving it up! HELL NO! Now, just like I promised in the previous chappie, I'll thank everyone who took their time to read this story:

Thanks to all my reviewers- Emobunny4eva, AratherClumsyNinja, kitten, Sakura-glow, 3××Riva×× and 9LunaYoruichi.

To those who have faved this story: To the lovely 3××Riva×× and 9LunaYuoroichi…again

To those who are following this: AratherClumsyNinja, 9LunaYoruichi, Regin, goldv4lley, TheRoseandtheDagger, 3××Riva×× and roserapier.

O.K back to the good stuff.

…

She remembered this lake from her younger years as a vice-captain. It was a cool clear pool that was refreshed by a waterfall in the far outskirts of the forested parts in Seretei. She didn't have the heart to take a shower at home. She needed the freedom the lake afforded; maybe even take a few laps to relieve her aching muscles.

She took a long hard look at her uniform, Zaraki had really messed it up. It was torn up in irreplaceable areas... and reeked of blood. Bleuch! Wasting no time, she took it off and dived into the frigid water. Aaah, damn it felt good. It was only after she was done, when she realise that she hadn't brought along a spare change of clothes. Crap! There was no way in hell she was putting back on what she just took off.

Looking cautiously around her, she felt for anyone's lingering reiatsu in the area, not wanting to risk witnesses on the feat she was about to perform. Sensing no one, she willed herself into her fox-form, something she was only able to do after nagging incessantly at Yoruichi sometime back in the REAL WORLD. In her new shape, the world looked so much bigger, not that she was much in size comparing that with an ordinary tom-cat. Picking up her soiled clothes through her teeth, she trotted towards home and ran gobsmack into the last person she would expect to see at this time of night.

"Eh, what is this?" Renji muttered to himself, staring at a most peculiar sight. Right in front of him stood a small strawberry red fox with a delicate looking bushy tail. Little beady eyes gawked at him wide with surprise as it clutched tightly in its mouth some alarmingly ripped up, bloodied remains of a Shinigami uniform.

Yachiru, startled by his sudden appearance froze. Damn it! What the hell was he doing here, taking a walk? She doubted it, but she wasn't given the time to ponder on that line of thought. Renji's mind was currently leaping on all sorts of wild explanations as he stared at the strange little creature. Were some of the guards attacked by some unseen enemies who had been executed a stealthy ambush and tossed of their bodies for the wild animals to feed from? Or maybe some of the 12th divisions' man- eating experiments had run loose and were currently waiting in the shadows to devour their next victims alive. No matter, he'd just take this evidence to his Taichou to see what he thought of it. Reaching out, he tried to tug the black cloth out of the fox's mouth but the stubborn little chit wouldn't have any of it, giving him furious glares and deep throated growls he didn't think the fox had it in him.

When Renji had first bent down to try taking her uniform away from her, she was a bit surprised, but she got over it quickly and yanked the thing back. The hell he was getting away with it. If she let I go, this little tug-of-war would turn into a whole new fiasco with her being the centre stage for a whole lot of trouble. How would she ever explain how her bloody uniform got into the hands of the 6th division fukutaichou? She could do without the extra attention.

Giving up in the end, he had no choice but to carry the whole package, fox included. He took comfort in the fact that it couldn't bite him. Those glimpses he had of sharp white little teeth were not attractive in the slightest.

Yachiru had almost let out a squeak when he abruptly stopped tugging and picked her up awkwardly in his arms. This was not how a lady was supposed to be held! She tried to wiggle free from his grasp but he wouldn't let go, all the while using her claws to he utmost advantage. It was with great relief that when Renji spotted his squad's dojo and walked in.

As expected expected his captain was still seated at his desk, finishing up his paperwork. Byakuya Kuchiki glanced up at his fukutaichou and frowned.

"What are you holding, Renji?"

Renji, who had managed to hold the fox's paw tight in order to evade those wicked ass scratches, thrust it in his captain's direction; giving out a quick report.

Yachiru wasn't even listening, (not that there was anything of grave importance she had to be listening to in the first place.) There, right in front of her eyes was all her girlish fantasies personified… and he looked even more delectable than she remembered. This night was starting to look better than she'd thought. A captor to her love… Ooh! Swoon-worthy! She thought dreamily.

Byakuya listened to his vice-captains' report with seeming disinterest. He assumed that since his fukutaichou had too much free time, where he was prone to dawdle, he must have come across this rag in the compound. He'd correct that anomaly soon enough with a good bout of hard work… but still, I wouldn't do to completely disregard this, this, thing that Renji had drawn his attention to and later evolve into a serious problem for the protection squads. The least he could do was to look into the matter, albeit reluctantly.

He motioned for Renji to hand over the fox and that was all Yachiru needed to fly into puppy-love heaven. He was holding her- in his arms! She was positively a star-struck mass of goo. If she was still human, she would have simpered.

Byakuya examined the creature closely. The fox had several slash like wounds on its body that looked suspiciously fresh. Teasing the robes out of his mouth he managed o the get the uniform at last and hand it to Renji.

"Take this to the 12th division for analysis. I'm sure Captain Kurotuchi who it belongs to and perhaps what happened to them."

Renji too the robes wordlessly, his captain amazed him even more; while he had gotten sliced up by that rabid demon trying to prise off those robes, all he had to do was hold and-wala! He had them.

Bowing quickly, he vanished into the night. Byakuya sighed quietly to himself; he had better get rid of this nuisance.

In Yachiru's lovey-dovey self induced haze, she didn't realise what he had planned to do all along. Motioning the two squad members he had sent for, he ordered them to take away the fox until it was needed at a later date. It was an entirely rude shock to find herself thrust into a cage, and that wasn't even the worst of it, she listened with growing horror as Byakuya ordered his underlings to take her to the Technological Department as soon as they ordered for her… to that freak scientist Mayuri! When she was younger she had always thought of him as a strange, passively amusing character, but now she was well aware how twisted he really was. This was just not her night.

And that brings us to the end of this chapter, since I doubt this was what anyone was expecting… (Sweat drops.) O.K, so some of you were keen on the fight scene but don't worry, it'll come soon. At least double the content in my normal chapters. (Cringes at the thought of all that typing.) Now please review? Review=MOTIVATION. Me need motivation. Motivation to chuck 'em out fast, eh?

Ps:/If anyone is interested in being my beta I'd be glad to know, since all the ones av'e come across are rather picky abut what their preferences are in regards to proofreading and I need some one patient and understanding, eh? Until l8r, BYE!

S.s