Wheeee, I told you I'd update sooner! I'm trying to stay a chapter ahead of myself now, so I already have the draft of the next one... I am thinking of changing the characters listed on this (admittedly in an attempt to broaden my audience even more, because I'm greedy) possible to Ichigo and Orihime... or Orihime and Renji.... or Orihime and Rukia... agggh! Why don't they let you put in 4 characters, dammit?

So after nothing much happening in the last few chapters, it seems everything's happening at once! Finally some action lol!

Hope it reads ok – it might seem a little unpunctuated, a little disjointed, but I think that brings across the whole adrenaline-racing, no-time-to-think kind of thing… I could be wrong though, so as always, suggestions and criticisms welcomed!

Reviews make my day, my week and cause me to do a little dance, so as always, let me know what you think...

Got to keep up, got to keep up, got to keep up…

Her heart beats too loudly in her chest, and her pyjamas flap around her ankles as she runs, eyes trained on the dark haired, dark uniformed figure running just ahead of her.

She catches the glance Rukia throws back over her shoulder, catches the fear in her eyes. Have to keep up… have to keep up… she reminds herself as she pushes her body to the limit.

She had been startled awake by Rukia turning on the light, and by the time her eyes had adjusted to the brightness and her brain pushed aside the cobwebs of her sleep, her friend had already been paused at the window, shihakusho ruffling in the wind, one hand on her sword.

Rukia could move so much faster than her, if she wasn't guiding Orihime to the fight. If her senses were stronger, she'd be able to find them herself, and Rukia could go ahead. But they weren't, and she wasn't familiar enough with Renji to locate his reiatsu.

It was hard to locate anything though, as they got closer to something. Something with reiatsu so strong and so other that it scared her.

What is that thing? What could be that strong?

It was worse even than Kenpachi's, that sharp-edged blood-drenched and oh so very pointed reiatsu that pressed like a blade to the chest just being within 10 feet of him. That was fierce, angry, but there was purpose to it. This was… something else. a dark maelstrom that seemed to crush the breath from her lungs, a storm raging around them, unfocused and angry and wild.

She can hear something now, over the panting of her own breath and the pounding that was her heart or her feet on the pavement or both – a wailing roar that sent shivers down her spine. And the clash of swords, shrieking metal.

"Renji!" Rukia is screaming ahead of her.

It must be bad. Please, oh please, let him be alright. Let them not be too late because of her. Rukia… Rukia would never forgive her. She would never forgive herself. She had tried so hard to get stronger… Kurosaki-kun had been hurt because of her, Ishida-kun had been hurt because of her – her own brother had hurt because of her. Because she'd got it wrong. She couldn't bear for anyone else to be hurt, not because of her own weakness.

And then Rukia is pulling away in front of her, and she can't keep up, but it doesn't matter – she can see it through the auburn hair that flaps in front of her vision. Something up ahead, big and white and roaring at the sky, something held in its hand.

She can't see Renji.

Rukia is running ahead of her, hand on her sword, toward the shadows… what does she see? Is there another monster there?

But then she sees it, the crumpled, slumped figure, shards of broken bone littered around it. Red and black. Red hair and black uniform and blood, red blood, staining the blackness blacker in the dim light.

The world seems to slow and blur before her eyes, playing out like a movie – she wants to hit pause, wants to hide her eyes, but she can't...

Rukia is running, screaming something – she thinks its Renji, but all she can hear is anguish in her friend's voice. And then Rukia notices the thing, and draws her sword – slowing, edging carefully toward the slumped body, ready to guard Renji against the roaring, monstrous thing that stands in the middle of the street, something glinting in its hand.

As the small, dark figure stops beside the bloody body of her lover, the thing's eyes fix on them. The figure of white bone turns to her friends, yellowed eyes shining like those of an animal in the night. And it throws back its head and roars its rage to the night sky, and a light begins to build between the vicious curved horns.

She's nearly there… so close… just hold on, Rukia! Renji!

Orihime pulls to a stop just metres away, reaches for the pins in her hair, and does the only thing she knows how.

"Santen Kesshun!"

And – thank kami, thank the heavens – the glowing orange shield springs into being before her friends.

And it looks at her.

If time had slowed before, now it stops. That crushing reiatsu is now brought to bear on her, and Orihime almost buckles beneath its weight. Black eyes with glowing yellow pupils regard her, from a mask of horned, skull-shaped bone, red lines tracing a curve of blood over each side and running, like blood, down its neck. The lines converge on the gaping hole in its defined chest, tatters of black cloth clinging to its waist, wrists, ankles, part covering the bone-white armour of its torso and legs.

It takes a step closer to her, its eyes fixed on her. The light between those wicked horns has died, but she waits breathlessly, frozen under that gaze. It advances another step, long orange hair vivid against the white and red of its body. All she can hear is her own heart pounding in her ears – so loud, so loud, does it hear that? – and once again her knees threaten to give way, but somehow she is able to stay upright, keeping her trembling legs straight beneath her.

Any moment now, it will attack. She can see the glint in its right hand… a sword. Any moment now it will lift that sword, and pierce her, and devour her. The shield… the shield is protecting her friends, and she wouldn't call it to herself for the world. She will be strong, this time. She will save them. She will stand before those animal eyes, and she will not give way…

"Orihime!"

Rukia's voice. It breaks the spell, and somehow Orihime finds herself able to move. In an almost automatic move, her hands go to hairpins.

"Tsubaki!"

But even as the tiny figure speeds in a glowing slash toward the monster, it is simply… gone. The crushing weight is lifted from her, the reiatsu gone.

And now, she falls to her knees, her body shaking, her breath coming in short gaps of shock and relief.

Still alive.

And then Rukia is beside her, helping her up.

"Orihime? Are you ok? Did it…?"

She shakes her head frantically. I'm ok I'm ok I'm ok…

"Oh! Abarai-kun…" She realises, looks up frantically at her best friend.

Rukia's eyes are wide with fear, tear tracks streaking her cheeks. So unlike her normal composed self that Orihime's heart twists in her chest.

She'll never forgive me…

And you thought the last one was a cliffhanger - I'm not telling you – you'll have to wait for the next chapter.

Yes, I know that's just cruel. But I've got to keep you reading somehow, right?

Hope you enjoyed it :) As always, constructive criticism is welcomed (and begged for - pretty please with sprinkles?)