Finally... my corrections got accepted for my thesis... and I've made it through the probation period at my job without being sacked, which means they're stuck with me now (mwahahaha). Bleach is now lodged foirmly in my head, though I'm partially sidetracked by a strange need to write some Shuu/Ren/Kira/Hinamori stuff... eh, we'll see.

here it is, anyway - the beginning of the battle - please bear in mind my knowledge of fighting is mainly limited to a few terms of fencing, before I decided it was too much polite dancing and gentleman prancing about to be any fun (and I got told off for being too aggressive with a saber... ahem) thus there will be less actual battle than people thinking during battle... so much for me breaking my character writing thing...

Anyway, I hope you enjoy it :) Thanks so much to all those who have been sticking with me - your reviews make me haaaaappeeeeeeeeee!

The tension is palpable as Renji breaks open the flat black powdered disk that would – they hoped – attract Ichigo to them. In his head, he wills it to work. Not that Urahara has let them down before – this new and improved 'Ichigo bait' is apparently based on the hollow bait of the Quincys, but modified and strengthened to call out to… whatever the boy has become. Renji can only hope that the ex-captain has got it right, because if he hasn't – well, it'd be a hard enough battle as it is, without dozens of lesser hollows bearing down on them as well.

Though he doesn't turn, the redhead can feel them each of the others behind him, a knot of tangled reiatsu as tight as their muscles. In particular, he can feel the familiar diamond-edged reiatsu of Rukia, beside the soft glow that is Orihime. Each knows their orders. Renji will take the lead in facing the demon that is their friend.

Ishida, and Rukia, had argued, pointing out they were much stronger as a unit, attacking from all sides – and Renji had finally relented, to a degree, allowing the others to step in. But he would be the main opponent. He would ensure he was the focus of the monster's attentions. If it struck at one of the humans – or at Rukia – he would be there, and he would take the blow, if he had to.

When he had become a shinigami, he had sworn to protect humans. When he had become a fukutaicho, he had sworn to protect shinigami ranked below him. But before that, when he was just a dirty street-rat with torn clothes watching a small girl shiver in the corner of a broken shack, he had sworn that he would protect Rukia.

He had poured everything into training, for years, for decades, to be strong enough. He had seen his friends fall, one by one, in the dirty district of Inuzuri, and never had the power to save them. This… this, maybe, might go some way to making that up. To them, and to Rukia. He still remembers her amethyst eyes large with held-back tears every year they visited the hilltop gravestones of their friends.

He would die to save her that pain. And he would die to save her from fighting Ichigo. He remembers seeing her in corridors, looking like a puppet with broken strings, her spirit crushed, when Kaien had died. He didn't know if she would recover, if Ichigo were to fall by her hand.

That she might truly love him enough that she wouldn't recover if he fell here today never even crossed the redhead's mind.

Each of the humans behind him had helped save Rukia. And Ichigo… the brat had saved him from standing by and letting Rukia die. He would repay that debt. He would not let the idiot human hurt any of his friends.

He hears the slight creak of Ishida's bow at the same time as he feels the prickle of hairs rising on the back of his neck. Orihime gasps softly as it intensifies, a wave of pressure threatening to crush the air from his lungs and drown him in the roiling darkness.

And suddenly, it is there, in the shadows before them. Ghostly white bone, that haunting black-streaked mask, flowing orange hair – and irises of golden-yellow against fathomless black.

Renji slides fingers along the coolness of the zanpakutou blade in his hand, reaching in a way he cannot explain for something both within and outside of himself. He feels the answering surge of will in his kind, the nue's strength spreading through his body and down the blade in a tingling wave as Zabimaru comes to his call. The slim blade thickens, segments, each portion curving into a wicked silver tooth.

He steps forward, meeting the yellow eyes, his focus narrowing until it includes only his own body, the rhythm of his breathing, the movement of muscle and sinew, and the opponent stalking towards him. He cannot think of it as Ichigo. He cannot be distracted. He cannot fall.

The thing rushes, and the scream of claws against metal resonate around the area as his blade blocks the strike at his heart.

And then, quickly, too quickly, it's away, and behind him, and he tries to turn in time, Zabimaru barely lifted in time to block a second strike, talons too close to his body. But he pushes – because Ichigo was always quicker, but he was stronger.

And the beast is pushed away, back a single step, then another, enough time for Renji to recover his balance and send Zabimaru after it, segments parting to whip through the air. But the beast turns, and is gone, with only the screech of claws along the metal as the blade is diverted from its path.

It becomes a dance. Each time Zabimaru whips out, the beast is no longer there. Each time claws arrow towards his heart, they are blocked by steel. Renji doesn't know how he is keeping up with the speed of its movements, doesn't know how every time he gets the blade up in time, but somehow he is.

All he has to do is keep up the fight… wear it down, Urahara had said. Sap its strength enough that it could be trapped, in whatever contraption the crazy ex-captain had come up with. Ishida held the small cube, stowed somewhere – probably in that ridiculous cape – ready to use whenever he judged the thing's reiatsu to have dropped sufficiently.

Renji is almost surprised to realise that he thinks he can do it. He had been unprepared last time; not known how the beast before him moved, not expecting something so strong and so fast to be his adversary. His muscles burn from stopping the sheer strength of the beast's claws, and he knows his own reiatsu is being sapped also – but he has stamina. He has trained so hard for this, hours upon hours in the Eleventh Division training grounds, until his sword slipped from fingers raw with blisters and too numb to grip Zabimaru's hilt any longer. He hadn't been strong enough to protect those lost friends, who are now just headstones on a lonely hilltop. He hadn't been strong enough to stay by Rukia's side, to save her from Kaien's death, from Aizen's plot, from her own execution...

Ichigo had done that.

This thing had taken over Ichigo

This thing had hurt his friends.

Had made Rukia hurt.

This time, he will be strong

His anger rises, tinting his vision in red as the force of his reiatsu lashes the air around him to gale force.

Renji roars, redoubling his efforts, Zabimaru jarring in his hands as claws deflect the from the beast's neck, and the smooth flow of the blade turns into the clang of colliding segments. He doesn't stop, but immediately whips the blade around again to try for another strike… but the beast dodges, and Zabimaru is withdrawn.

One more try… the beast is keeping its distance, as if afraid to come closer, just watching him. Is it on the run? The moonlight glints from the blade as Zabimaru extends for the third attack, speeding sinuously toward the beast, and Renji feels the nue howl in his head as it reaches for blood…

And then the beast is gone, so fast he hasn't seen it move, and appearing in a flash a few metres before him. Yellow eyes strikes sparks from red, reiatsu dark and angry against fiery red.

It draws its sword, and that dark reiatsu flares, surrounding him, crushing the air from his lungs. And the beast charges, so fast Renji can barely see it, only the black blade arrowing toward his heart.

Zabimaru is already retracting, segments snapping back together to protect their owner – but compared with the speed of the attack he is facing, it seems to move in slow motion. Renji already knows the sword will not be able to shield him from the blow. He hears Rukia screaming behind him, feels the flare of her reiatsu. He feels the warmth as Orihime releases her power, but knows it will not be soon enough.

"El Directo!"

Sado's blow glances off the beast as though as it has barely noticed, but for a second it is distracted, and that second is all Renji needs to turn enough that what would have been a near-fatal blow becomes a sword through the muscle of his left arm. He clenches his teeth against the pain as the beast howls, and rips the blade from his flesh, sending blood spattering across the ground.

It withdraws, snarling, sniffing at the air as if taking in the scent of his blood, and Renji realises that it had only been toying with him. Testing him. And he…

He was going to lose…

But not yet. He only had to wear it down, didn't he? Maybe – just maybe – it would be enough.

The redhead raises his eyes to meet those feral yellow irises, red eyes afire with determination, as he tightens his grip on Zabimaru's hilt.

He. Would. Not. Fail.

Mwahahaha... cliffhanger. Ooooh, it's all hotting up. Will Renji win? Will the beastie kick everyone's arses? Will Byakuya pull the stick out his enough to show up? All will be revealed next time...

Yeah, I know the others probably wouldn't let Renji fight alone - but as I stated earlier, you can take the idiot out of the 11th but not the 11th out of the idiot, and Renji is so bull-headed I figured he'd want to kick the fight off. The others will get more involved now it's clear that he's not doing so well. Plus if it hadn't been mostly one-on-one it would've been REALLY disjointed without jumping to a 3rd person P.O.V. - but don't worry, I have a plan for the next chapter...

Hope you enjoyed reading... please tell me what you like and don't like *gives best puppy dog eyes* I promise I won't take offence!