Yet another speedy update! I'm doing really good with these. I decided though to space out the updates, rather than doing it like two days in a row like last time. You don't get as many reviews that way, because everyone just skips reviewing the first chapter and reviews the second. It's not fun that way...plus I need to calm down. If I pop these out day by day I'll eventually tap out and then there wouldn't be ANY updates!

So, I hope you enjoy this chapter! I'm kind of iffy on the beginning, but it's the best I could come up with. I was having a little bit of a block on this chapter, but I came to the library and things just came out as smooth as ever!

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of the characters associated with the Anime/Manga. They belong to Tite Kubo and Shonen Jump Magazine. Please support the official release.

-Apex Predator-

"Where could he be?"

Ichigo and Rukia couldn't find Renji anywhere. They had spent nearly all day flying through the air in search of him, the sun starting to set under the horizon. They had checked all around the surroundings blocks of Renji's apartment building, finding nothing at all but a few kids playing at the basketball court and a quiet bar a few streets away. They then checked around their own homes, checking to see if he was looking for them as they were for him. But they found nothing, and both were getting frustrated as they soared through the air looking around in hopes of seeing him come by.

"Dammit, Renji, where are you?" Ichigo grumbled under his breath, looking down over the streets of Karakura.

"I can't see him anywhere," Rukia said from Ichigo's side, also looking down over the city. "Where on Earth could he possibly be?"

Ichigo shook his head. "I don't know. But we need to hurry and find him before he causes any more harm to others." He said.

She nodded. "Well, we have one place left to check before we resort to just patrolling the skies in search of him."

Ichigo turned to her, and he frowned in question to where this place was, and she answered with one simple word:

"The school."

–

The sun was coming close to setting, so there was a slight glare on the classroom window as the students dove deep into the burrows of learning. The teacher drew long, intricate lines on the chalkboard, counting up numbers and adding them together with variables and common denominators. With the glare on the window, no one could see very well outside of it. So when a figure appeared on the other side of the glass, no one moved or took notice until after the figure waved its arm and the window exploded inwards, scaring the students out of their seats and onto the floor with shrieks of terror and confusion.

The teacher, Ms. Ochi, and the rest of her students, stared at the now obliterated window in shock as the figure revealed itself to be Renji.

Renji glided through the now open window smoothly, landing on his feet as gracefully as a feather. He stepped over the glass, crunching it under his shoes as he stepped towards the terrified looking students and teacher, scanning the faces with hazy eyes, his drunk stupor not at all wavering from the cold air outside in the sky. He looked into their scared eyes, searching for that shock of orange he knew so well.

"Where are they?" He said.

"A-Abarai!" Ms. Ochi yelped, her mind having lagged in recognizing who it was that just flew in through the window- literally. "W-What's going on?"

Renji turned to his teacher, scowling deeply as he glared. "Where are they?" He said again.

"W-Where are w-who?"

Renji growled. "Where are Ichigo and Rukia?" He bellowed, a few of the desks near him being tossed through the air seemingly by themselves against the far wall. The loud crashing made the students squeal in horror, all looking around for what had thrown the desks when there appeared to be nothing but Renji.

"I-I don't know!" Ms. Ochi yelped, trembling. "They didn't come back from lunch! I alerted the office but they aren't anywhere on the grounds!"

Renji gritted his teeth in frustration. They must have known he was coming! "Damn them..."

"A-Abarai...what's going on? How did you just...-"

Renji ignored his former teacher's words, instead glaring at her as he raised his hand towards her. He twitched his index and middle finger, willing Ms. Ochi to have her sentence cut short as her body was lifted into the air. She shrieked, as did most of the students who watched the unbelievable scene before them. What was happening was impossible, yet there they stood watching it happening without any way of helping their teacher.

"I hated this class," Renji said, holding Ms. Ochi in the air. "I'm about to do what every high schooler wishes they could do..."

He began to curl his fingers, bringing them in to make a fist. Ms. Ochi began to tremble, screaming in pain as she felt her whole body being compressed. Her glasses cracked, and her bones began to creak under the pressure. She began to choke, and all she could do was stare in horror at the hazy eyed teen doing this to her.

"Stop!"

Renji was taken by surprise as suddenly one of the desks skidded across the floor and slammed into his legs, knocking out his footing and making him fall to the ground. His hold over the teacher was gone, and she fell to the floor gasping for breath as the students crowded around her to make sure she was alright.

Renji raised his head, growling in anger. He watched as Ichigo and Rukia came flying through the window into the classroom, Ichigo having been the one who yelled and moved the desk. Renji narrowed his eyes, pushing himself up to his feet.

"There you are..."

[–]

"Renji, what the hell are you doing?" Rukia yelled as she looked around at the terrified students against the far wall away from the destroyed window. Ms. Ochi was clutching her throat as a few students were tending to her, making sure she was alright.

"I was looking for you," Renji slurred slightly. "We have unfinished business..."

"You're damn right we do!" Ichigo barked. "What have you done Renji? Those men in the ambulances are dead! Do you realize what you've done?"

Renji snorted. "They deserved it." He said. "Policemen...they all are the same. Corrupt fascists who only care for themselves. You know how many times they brought my father home and sneered at me? Like I was no better than him!"

"You are better than your father!" Rukia retorted. "But what you're doing is proving the opposite! You want to be just like him, Renji? Look at you! You're drunk! I can see it!" She said, gesturing towards him.

Renji shook his head. "I'm not...drunk." He said, blinking his eyes rapidly. "I just had a few drinks...at the bar." He grinned.

"The bar...?" Ichigo whispered, his eyes widening in realization. "Renji...did you...?"

Renji smirked darkly. "I paid a little visit to my father at the bar...and now I can't be like him if he isn't around!"

Rukia gasped. "You killed your father?"

Renji nodded. "He deserved it most of all. As did all of those assholes in the bar."

"Renji! Listen to yourself! This isn't you!" Ichigo roared. "It's this power! It's getting to your head!"

"This power has saved me!" Renji yelled. "Like none of you even tried to do! Where were you guys when I needed you? When my father beat me? When I was getting fucked with by those thugs outside of my own home? Huh? Where the fuck were you two?" He spat.

"Renji, please-" Rukia tried.

"You were fucking each other behind my back! That's what you were doing!" Renji continued, ignoring Rukia. "You betrayed me! You left me behind! You ignored my pain! You allowed me to be hurt...so now I'm about to do the same!"

Ichigo's eyes widened as Renji reared back a fist, suddenly remembering the fight with the thugs and how he had done the same thing. He turned to Rukia, yelling, "Watch out!"

Ichigo pulled Rukia to him as she stared in shock as Renji threw his fist forward, blasting the air where Rukia had just been standing with a pulse of telekinetic energy. The shards of glass on the floor shot up into the air and out the window as the pulse dispersed out in the air. Renji growled, pulling back his other fist and sending another blast at Ichigo and Rukia.

"Shit!"

Ichigo shoved Rukia out of the way, letting the blast smack him hard against the chest, sending him back against the wall by the window. He wheezed, the air having been knocked out of him, and fell to the floor holding his bruised chest as he tried to regain his senses.

"Ichigo!" Rukia called out to him.

"Don't ignore me!" Renji roared, throwing a desk at her with a wave of his arm.

Rukia's eyes widened as the desk shot directly at her. She brought her hands up, blocking the desk with a wall of her influence, letting it smash to pieces against it. She watched as Renji picked up another desk, but she acted quickly and copied Renji's attack from before and thrust her fist out, sending a ball of energy at him. He was unable to release his hold of the desk before the blast hit him in the arm, knocking him back in circles through the air towards the throng of students, who all had been watching the scene with wide eyes. They yelled, dispersing apart away from Renji as he slammed into the wall, falling on his side with a groan as he tried to stow the dizziness.

With Renji incapacitated for a moment, Rukia ran to Ichigo's side as he pushed himself up against the wall. "Are you okay?" She asked him.

Ichigo nodded. "I'm fine," He said. "Just knocked the wind out of me." He said, shaking his head to clear his mind. "We have to stop him before he hurts anyone else."

Rukia nodded. "We need to get him out of here. He could hurt the students." She said.

"Right. We're who he wants. So it shouldn't be too hard to get him to follow us." Ichigo said, turning to Renji as he leaned against the wall for support as he shook his head.

"Hey! Renji!" Rukia called.

Renji raised his head, glaring at the two of them.

"You want us?" Ichigo said. "Come get us!"

Renji's eyes widened as Ichigo and Rukia both turned and hopped out the window, eliciting loud gasps from the other students as they watched the two fall for a second before being caught by the wind and jetting out into the sky away from the school.

"Get back here!" Renji roared, sprinting towards the window. "I'm not done yet!"

Renji didn't let himself fall from the window like they had, and instead launched himself with his legs into the air, flying after them with his teeth clenched in anger. He locked his brown eyes with the fleck of orange in the sky and followed it, his intentions dark and sinister.

[–]

Ichigo and Rukia soared through the sky, just below the clouds, trying to find a good deserted place to land so they could try and reason with Renji. They didn't want any more harm to come to any potential passerby, and they had already been seen enough. They began to see buildings below, the streets of Karakura busy as most were getting out of work by now.

"Where can we go?" Rukia yelled over the roar of the air whipping by their heads.

"I don't know," Ichigo said. "But it has to be out of town. There are too many people out now, and we'd be endangering their lives if we were anywhere within the city limits."

Rukia nodded, about to open her mouth to reply, but was cut off as suddenly she felt a powerful tug on her leg, yanking her back with a yelp. Her eyes widened as she turned, watching as Renji gripped a fist in front of him, pulling her back with a line of influence wrapped around her leg. She gasped as she was jerked back once again, unable to break free.

"Rukia!" Ichigo stopped and turned to her, watching in alarm as Renji shot at her like a bullet. Rukia struggled against the line, trying to break with with her will alone, but unable to as Renji's influence was much stronger than hers by this point. She gasped a second time, Renji not slowing as he barreled towards her.

Ichigo gritted his teeth so hard he was sure he was grinding them into dust. He shot forward, entering Renji's path to Rukia to have him knock into him instead of her, and he coughed as Renji slammed into him, sending him back down towards the ground.

"Ichigo! No!" Rukia cried, having been released from the line as Renji crashed into Ichigo. She shot after them, diving head first to try and reach them before they reached the ground.

"Renji! Stop this!" Ichigo yelled, struggling with Renji. "Stop it right now!"

"You can't tell me what to do!" Renji bellowed, his arms wrapped around Ichigo's waist as he pushed him downwards. It was just like yesterday when he tried so send him through a building, and Ichigo remembered exactly what he did to get out of this situation.

Ichigo coated his arm in telekinetic energy, wearing it like a sleeve. He reached back, using it to empower the punch he sent at Renji's head. But Renji was expecting this, and placed a barrier around his head to protect himself. Ichigo's fist slammed into it, and it shattered, but so did the energy around Ichigo's fist. He yelled out as he felt his hand crack under the pressure, a finger most definitely breaking. He seethed in pain, his concentration split.

"Ichigo!"

Ichigo could hear Rukia's voice calling out to him, and looked up behind Renji to see her diving after them. Her eyes were wide with panic, and for a moment Ichigo wondered why until he saw a shadow fall over them all and he knew what was about to happen.

Ichigo barely had enough time to coat himself in a shield-like coat of telekinetic energy before Renji let him go and pushed him with a blast of energy to send him through the building. For a few moments all he could see were blurs and rubble falling as he crashed through the concrete and brick of the building, a few faint gasps and squeals of terror from the workers inside the offices he passed through. He held his breath, pain erupting up his back as the shield only held back so much force, and finally he felt his body slow and slam against the ground of one of the lower level offices.

He coughed, forgetting how to breathe for a moment as a few of the office workers crowded over him, holding their hands to their mouths in shock at the orange haired teen who had just crashed through their ceiling, surrounding by rubble. He felt his eyes roll, and he couldn't get up as he felt his stomach churn with the need to release itself.

"Dammit..." He cursed once he figured out how to breathe again. He groaned, feeling his whole body scream with pain. He was unable to process what the hell had just happened, and just lay there sucking in breath after breath as he let his head spin.

[–]

Renji panted as he stared down the hole Ichigo had left behind in his wake. He could see the many people standing around the crater that sunk deep into the building, all looking horrified and shocked as they tried to see what had caused such destruction. Someone noticed Renji floating in mid-air, and yelled out as they pointed him out to the others, who all gasped and stared at the red haired teen who floated outside the hole.

"Renji!"

He turned at the sound of his name, watching as Rukia halted a few feet away from him, staring in terror at the destruction. She turned to Renji, clenching her fists.

"What did you do? That's Ichigo! Your best friend!"

"No..." Renji turned to her. "I have no friends."

"Yes you do!" Rukia said. "We've all been together for years! Since grade school!"

"So what?" Renji spat. "You guy never gave a crap out me! I loved you for so many years, and you just ignored me! You chose him!"

"I'm sorry, I really am!" Rukia shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm so sorry! I can't help how I feel!"

"You don't have to worry," Renji said darkly, raising his hand. "Because soon you won't be able to feel anything at all!"

Rukia put up her arms in defense as Renji swung his arm, ready for anything he was about to throw at her. But nothing came, and after a moment she furrowed her brows in confusion. "Renji, what-"

Rukia was unable to finish her sentence, as she heard a loud honking sound coming closer. She snapped her head to the right, her eyes widening to their furthest as a bus full of people came flying directly at her.

"Oh my God!" Rukia threw her hands up to try and stop the bus, but it was too late as it smacked into her tiny body and knocked her out of the air and towards another building parallel to the one Ichigo had gone through. She was slammed against the building by the weight of the bus, the only reason she wasn't crushed being because she placed a ball of energy around her lithe body.

Renji grinned as the bus crashed into the building, the screams of the people inside the bus echoing through the air. He watched it fall, the front bumper and window having been smashed into pieces against the building, and crash against the ground, the wheels bouncing on their suspenders. He knew the people inside weren't dead, but could be severely injured. But he didn't care. They had been used for a good purpose.

He could see down below that people were jumping of their cars to look at the bus that fell from the sky, and some were screaming as they noticed him floating in the air. He ignored their frantic cries, their shocked expressions, and the fact they were calling the police. They were nothing but ants to him, lower beings that meant nothing to him. He was on top of the food chain now, more powerful than any of them could ever hope to be in a million lifetimes.

He was...an Apex Predator.

PROPS TO ANYONE WHO GETS THE ENDING!

Chronicle comes out this Tuesday! I'm so stoaked! I wanna get it on Blu-Ray. I entered this contest on the VisoTrailers Facebook page and am hoping I win the Bu-Ray! I have twenty-five points- you get points for every person who enters the contest through the link on yer Facebook and I got a few friends to do it to help me out- so I'm hoping, HOPING I win!

When it comes out I suggest you all watch and/or buy it. It's such an amazing movie! Plus, you can see just how different this story is from it. Same premise, a few similar scenes, but overall gone off in a whole different direction. I'm proud of this story and how well it's come out! Plus I'm glad you all like it. It started out as just a one-shot but now it's coming close to fifteen chapters! But, alas, the story is almost over. One or two more chapters to go, then the Epilogue. All good things must end soon...

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