disclaimer: i do not own bleach or any of its characters or locations mentioned in the manga or anime. i just own this story line and the OCs

Thanks to: nikkato20 for joining in on all the fun, and all my other wonderful followers.

enjoy guys =]

Chapter 8

"You deaf or something?" he snapped at me.

"What?" I blinked a few times and shook my head a bit. I had been staring at him openmouthed for the past minute, during which his question had clearly gone unheard. His eyes narrowed, and his mouth turned into a nasty grin as he let out a disgusted laugh. Turning away from me, he lifted his sword and rested it over his shoulder. He looked back at me with such an annoyed expression, I was taken aback.

"I said go home, kid. The park's not safe after sundown, 'kay?"

I couldn't tell if it was the fact that he called me kid or the way he was completely writing me off, but suddenly I was on my feet feeling incredibly angry. My hands balled up into fists and I could feel the heat in them rising quickly as well as a heat in the pit of my stomach. Something inside me was snapping, my anger beginning to rush through my whole body like I had never felt before. After the past few days I had had it with people telling me what to do and how to feel. He didn't even know me, or what I had already done to the damn snake before he got there. Where was he ten minutes ago?

My face was hot and I glared at him so ferociously I was scaring myself a bit. Turning back to me, he raised his eyebrows as he took in my furious face, my size compared to his, and my disheveled appearance. Well I'd like to see him get thrown a hundred feet, hit the ground, and try not to look crazy. As he fixed his eyes on mine, I felt my anger waver for a second. They were hard and cold, completely unyielding. And yet, there was a flicker of softness deep within them. The more I focused on it, the more I felt my mind beginning to expand. Something brushed the edges of my consciousness and I reached for it, flailing around blindly in the darkness.

"What?" There was that grin again. I'd love to just reach out and smack it off his face. Usually, Jinta was the only one capable of setting me off within a matter of seconds, but this guy broke that kid's record easy. Steeling myself, I stared back at him.

"I've actually got this covered, thanks." An amused look crossed his face, and he laughed again, this time not so coldly.

"Clearly," he said, running his eyes over the dirt and grass stains covering me. I could see him linger on my scars a bit too long, so I took a step closer to him. Tilting my head back farther than I was used to, I realized just how tall this guy was; he had a good foot and a half on me.

"I don't need your help, I was doing just fine."

"Hm. I'm sure the branch that almost crushed you was thinking the same thing." It took all my strength not to punch him right in the stomach. I could tell this was not the start of a beautiful friendship.

A noise from behind him caught my attention, and suddenly his face became serious.

"Let's go," he said, more to himself than to me. Before I could react, he had reached forward and wrapped his arm around my waist.

"Hey, wait!" I pushed hard against his chest, but his grip on me was so tight I could barely move. I felt my feet leave the ground and air sweeping past us so quickly it was alarming. I had felt that sensation before in Urahara's shop and on my run to school. But I wasn't the one running, he was.

We landed atop the jungle gym as a crash sounded from where we had just been standing. I felt the man's hold loosen a bit and took the moment to push him as hard from me as I could. We both staggered to opposite ends of the small bridge connecting the two towers of the playground. I looked over the side and saw the snake coiled up and staring at us right next to a huge crater I assumed it had just created with its tail. Its eyes were fixed on the man, but as I looked back at him, I saw that his were still fixed on me. He was looking at me strangely, like he was waiting for something. It was a bit unnerving.

"Who are you?" I whispered quietly. Despite the distance we were standing apart, he heard me clear as if I had said it in his ear. For a split second, he looked disappointed. Like he was hoping I'd say something else. But then his expression became annoyed again and he stepped towards me.

"Not important. Just stay here and don't do anything stupid ok? You've caused enough trouble already."

"I've caused trouble?" I could feel my cheeks get hot as he regarded me with that amused expression again.

"Yes, you have." He placed a hand on my head and pushed me to the side, much like I had done earlier to Jinta. "So just stay." I grabbed his arm with both my hands and held tightly. He looked at me and I could tell he was getting angry. His emotions were so easy to read as they crossed his face. It reminded me a lot of Ichigo, who was never able to hide how he was feeling either.

"Not until you tell me your name." I pulled his hand off my head and held onto it. I squeezed a little harder and let my frustration flow into my hands, heating them up, to let him know I was serious. After several moments of just staring at each other, he let out a little huff and rolled his eyes.

"Renji. Now let go!" He shook me off and hopped off the jungle gym with an agility I wouldn't have expected from a guy of his size. Renji. I felt a twinge in the back of my mind. I knew that name. I had heard it before, but I couldn't remember where.

I watched with a feeling of apprehension as he raced towards the monster, unsheathing his sword as he ran. It looked different now. The blade was thin and straight, much like a regular sword. But I hadn't seen him switch weapons, and there was no second sword hanging at his waist.

The snake swiped its tail towards him, but Renji dodged it expertly. At first he moved so fast that I could barely figure out where he really was; it seemed at moments as if he were in three places at once. Suddenly I could see him land on the tail, the monster unaware and as confused as I was. Leaping forward, he raised his sword above his head and it began to glow like red hot metal.

"Roar, Zabimaru!" The sword blade suddenly exploded in a flash of light and was back to the form I had seen it in earlier, the serrated edges glinting menacingly. As Renji brought the sword down, the sections split apart and extended, held together by some kind of wiring. It sliced through the air like a whip and opened a huge, ragged gash in the snake's body that made me wince. Blood gushed out at a rate that put even the goriest horror movie to shame. My stomach lurched a bit, but I swallowed my disgust and stayed focused on the action. Everything was happening so fast, I could blink and miss it all.

A howl tore through the air as the monster writhed in pain. Renji appeared on the ground a good distance away from the snake and watched as it coiled in on itself. Then he leapt forward again, swinging his sword and opening a few more gashes on the snake's body. What was he waiting for? He should finish it off instead of jumping around so much. At this rate he'll just piss it off….

The snake stopped squirming and fixed Renji with a look so venomous I thought he would drop dead where he stood. For what seemed like an immeasurable amount of time, the two just stared at one another. As I watched, I could feel the pressure on my chest getting heavier, making me gasp a bit. I could feel swarms of energy racing past me and towards the monster. Its presence grew more ominous every second. It was powering up, and was going to strike with full force, I could just tell.

Closing my eyes, I reached out with my mind like I had done earlier. I could sense the energy flowing past and latched onto it, following its path all the way to a black hulking presence which I assumed was that giant snake. I felt a resistance there, like I had reached a brick wall. But something inside me made me want to break it down, to get inside that monster. I reached out and put all my thoughts into breaking a hole in the wall. Far away, I could hear the creature howling with rage. Just a bit further, I thought, feeling the power draining out of me as I forced my consciousness forward.

Finally, I felt a miniscule crack form, and almost like a camera lens, I zoomed in on it. Wriggling my way through, I could feel myself really gasping for air as immeasurable amounts of energy swarmed around me. It was almost heart stopping the amount of blackness that was within that snake. A flash of light passed in front of my eyes and I followed it. As I focused on it, I realized I was seeing the snake's thoughts.

There were flashes of me from the moment I left Urahara's shop until I had reached the footprint in the park. Flashes of raging, red hatred cut through me like knives. Flashes of the darkest evil I had ever felt, an evil that was used for one purpose: killing. It had been following me since then, which explained all the pressure I had felt and why I sensed I was being followed.

Then there were flashes of Renji as well, followed by the same horrifying feelings. I could see the snake's huge head rearing back, and then lunging at Renji who was still standing on the ground. With a sinking feeling, I pulled myself back as hard as I could. I needed to get back to my body. It felt like I was moving through quicksand, the air around me was so thick and clingy.

The blackness swirled around me and it was getting harder to breathe. But I had to get back. It was going to attack Renji, and I had to warn him. Wrenching myself away, I finally freed myself from the hold and felt my mind racing across the grass and back up the jungle gym. Right when I opened my eyes, I could see the snake rear back.

"RENJI! RUN!" I screamed at him, throwing myself over the railing he had told me to stay behind. He turned his face towards me with a look of frustration, causing him to completely miss the lunge the snake made at him. Seeing the terror on my face, he turned back around, but it was too late.

With a crunch that made me come to a complete halt, the snake's head made contact with Renji's body. He flew backwards, skidding along the grass as he did. A fountain of red liquid followed him and I watched in horror as he came to a stop and didn't move. Oh my god. Please get up. Please please move.

For what seemed like an eternity, my body was frozen. I was in complete and utter shock. I had never seen someone die before, and now, right before my eyes, a man had been cut to shreds. A man who was trying to protect me. As I watched the grass around him overflow with a dark liquid, I felt my stomach lurch and my knees weaken. I felt myself hit the ground, but never once did I turn my face away. I couldn't quite wrap my head around the fact that I had just cost someone their life. I thought I was going to be sick.

A singing noise reached my ears and a burnt smell wafted its way up to my nose. Looking down, I saw my hands clenched around wads of grass and dirt. The small sparks were back and wreaking havoc, setting blades of grass on fire upon impact and then disintegrating them altogether. The rolling in my stomach turned from a stone cold fear, to a white hot rage in seconds. Not again, a voice inside me hissed. Not today. I will not let someone die for me again.

Pushing off the ground, I slowly got to my feet. Breathing came easier suddenly, overcoming the pressure on my chest rather than succumbing to it. Each breath was heavy and the sparks were getting larger with each one. I felt my eyes widen as one of the sparks shot its way up my arm and wrapped itself along the track of my scar. The same happened on my other arm as well as both my legs. I felt my hair rise off my shoulders from the static electricity I was emitting, but instead of standing on end, it flowed behind me as if caught in some nonexistent breeze. I was surrounded by a pulsing, white light. New developments always seem to come just when you need them don't they?

The pressure was building up inside me and I felt my jaw clench in rage. I had no idea where this feeling of rage was coming from, or why it seemed so familiar. But, the longer I looked at Renji, lying on the ground before me, the hotter the lightning got and the more furious I became. I turned to the snake that was currently coiled up on itself, staring at me smugly.

"You'll burn this time," I heard myself say in a low voice that sounded nothing like me. It was laced with the venom dripping from the snake's fangs and sounded so hollow and empty that for a split second, I felt terror rip through my body. I suddenly felt disconnected, like it wasn't me in control any longer. Like all that mattered was tearing that snake apart bit by bit. But as soon as the feeling came, it was gone.

"Sssssssoundssssss exccccciting," a voice hissed. The snake's tongue shot out a few times and it smiled at me. So you can talk too, huh?

"But not for much longer." I shot forward, running at full speed towards the creature. It swung its tail at me but I dove forward and out of the way. Rolling cleanly out of a somersault I threw a bolt of lightning at the snake's body. It was larger than the previous ones and sparked as it flew through the air. When it hit, there was an explosion and chunks of snake meat flew everywhere. A spurt of black liquid landed on me, but I was still too angry to be grossed out. I watched as the monster writhed in pain, and I felt a small flame of hope ignite somewhere inside me. I could beat this thing. I had a chance.

Focusing my energy on my palms, I watched as two spears of lightning formed, sending sparks shooting off in all directions. Catching the snake off guard, I flung the spears at its head. One hit the snake right in the eye, which exploded on impact. Its tail began thrashing around wildly and I had to dodge it several times before I was far enough away to be safe. Slow it down, Sayuri, you'll get nowhere if you just keep hacking away at the thing. Find a weak spot.

A weak spot. A weak spot…. My eyes took in every last inch of the snake's form as it curled in on itself and then back out in pain. There!

My eyes landed on the giant black hole just below the monster's head. I had no idea what it was or if it was even anything more than a design, but I had to try something. Standing up, I let all my energy flow into my left palm. Lifting my hand, I held it with my palm facing the monster and tried to aim, which was rather difficult since the damn thing wouldn't stop moving. Taking a deep breath in, I held it for a few seconds and then exhaled, letting go of the lightning as well. I watched as it raced towards the snake, smashing right into the center of the hole, sending another howl tearing through the air. Yes! But, before I had time to celebrate, several things happened all at once.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Renji's body move. Looking over, I watched with an overwhelming feeling of relief as he pushed himself up on his elbows, breathing heavily. He lifted his face which was spattered with shiny red blood, and his eyes found mine. In the same moment that I looked away towards him, the snake began writhing violently. Its tail lashed out and just as it smashed into me, I saw Renji's eyes widen. There was no time for a warning.

I felt the cracked bone collide with my side and for the third time that night, my feet left the ground. I landed with a thud in the grass not far from where Renji was still lying. This time I didn't get away unscathed. Part of the crack left behind on the tail from my earlier attack jutted out into a sharp spike. During the moment of impact, an intense pain erupted in my chest, just below my collar bone as I was roughly impaled.

Still lying on the ground, I tilted my head down and saw a good deal of blood flowing out over my shirt from a spot I couldn't quite see. I tried to sit up, but an excruciating pain shot through my upper body and I fell back down.

"Damnit," I breathed shakily. A cold sweat was breaking out across my forehead. My heart was pounding in my ears and small bursts of color popped up before my eyes. I was losing a lot of blood and soon I would pass out. What would happen to me? Would I die? Was Renji strong enough to stop that monster on his own?

As if he could hear my thoughts, suddenly the man was leaning over me, speaking loudly. He placed his palms against my cheeks and gave my head a little shake. I watched as his lips formed my name, but they began to slipping in and out of focus. How does he know my name…? I saw him move his hand to hover above my wound.

"What are you doing?" I tried to ask, but it only came out as garbled nonsense judging by the confused and annoyed look Renji gave me. My vision was suddenly overcome by a soft golden glow coming from the palm of his hand. There was a tightness in my chest, as if my skin was getting pulled tight. I tilted my head up a bit and felt my jaw drop open.

The blood around the gash in my chest was gone, and I could clearly see the cut now. The skin there was beginning to fuse back together. I watched as both sides slowly crept toward the middle of the gash and pushed together becoming one layer of skin again. It felt prickly, like I had slept on my stomach too long and my chest was now covered in pins and needles. The glow faded and I let out a breath of air that I had apparently been holding.

Sitting up slowly, I reached up and touched the area where, moments before, my skin was torn in half. It felt completely normal, like nothing had happened. I no longer felt dizzy or cold. I heard a soft laugh from beside me and looked over to see Renji sitting on the grass, one knee pulled up to his chest and leaning back on his arms. He grinned at me again. Even with specks of blood on his face, I couldn't ignore the fact that he was quite attractive. In an irritating, obnoxious, macho guy kind of way.

"You done playin' pin cushion?" he asked. And there went that grateful feeling. Right out the window. I rolled my eyes and stood up.

"Depends," I said, brushing the grass off my t-shirt. "You done playing rag doll?" Renji stood up too and flashed me a smile. Then he got serious and gripped the hilt of his sword which was sheathed at his waist.

"Just stay here while I finish this, alright? I'm tired of saving your ass tonight." He pushed past me and I grabbed a handful of his robes.

"Hang on there, Superman." He turned his head around and shot me an angry glare. "I wouldn't have needed saving if you had just finished this thing off when you got here instead of playing snake tag. Now," I let him go and he turned to face me. "I think we both screwed up. But we'd finish this much faster if we both went at it together. One of us distracts while the other attacks." Renji looked back at the snake still flailing around. He suddenly smiled.

"Sure. Sounds fun." He held out his hand to me. A bit shocked that he accepted my plan so quickly, I smiled back and reached out to shake his hand. Grabbing my arm, Renji pulled me past him then pushed me down on the ground. "Unfortunately, I've got no time to share with you."

As he turned and started running, he looked back and shot me a triumphant grin. You should have recognized the way that smile just screamed Jinta…stupid. I punched the ground.

Renji took off at full speed, bobbing and weaving around the snake's tail. He leapt into the air and unsheathed his sword.

"Roar, Zabimaru!" Again, it exploded into that terrifying serrated…thing. The sections separated and lashed out towards the snake, lodging themselves in its hide. With a tug, Renji moved the blade upwards toward the snake's head, leaving an oozing black trail behind.

"Nooo-" the snake began to hiss, but it was cut short as Renji's sword split its head in half from jaw to forehead. He fell back to the ground and landed rather gracefully. Suddenly, the snake stopped moving. A sizzling sound filled the air and I watched with wide eyes as it began to disintegrate as if on fire, the particles being carried away on the wind.

For a few moments, I just stared at the place where it had been, unable to accept that it was really gone or that it had been there in the first place. Then, looking around, I realized that it had, unfortunately, all been very real. Trees were broken and scattered all over. One had even fallen on the jungle gym, causing it to collapse in towards the middle. Grass was ripped up in huge clumps and deposited elsewhere, bushes had been uprooted, and there was a pool of blood where the snake had been. This is gonna take a lot of explaining….

A shadow fell over me, and I looked up to see Renji kneel beside me. There was a strange look in his eyes, an expression I couldn't understand. Was it sadness? Reluctance? He looked torn, as if he was about to do something he really would rather not. I felt uneasy, and leaned away from him.

"Well," he sighed, reaching into the folds of his robes and pulling out something that resembled a cigarette lighter. Was he going to offer me a smoke or something? "It's been real, kid." I rolled my eyes.

"Don't call me that." He smiled, a genuine smile, for the first time since I met him.

"It's been real…Sayuri." My eyes widened and I sat up straight, remembering he had called my name earlier before he magically healed me. Before I could ask how the hell he knew my name, he shoved the lighter in my face and clicked it. There was a bright flash of light and a popping sound. Everything went white, and then black as I felt myself drifting out of consciousness. As I fell over, I landed on something soft, and looking up, I saw Renji wrap his arms around me and lift me off the ground before I passed out.

ooo

When I woke up, it took me a few moments to realize where I was. I was under the covers in my bed. In my pajamas. Not what I had been wearing the last time I checked…. Which meant someone had changed me while I was unconscious. My thoughts flew first to Renji, since his was the last face I had seen before he knocked me out with whatever the hell that thing was. I felt a hot blush creep up my neck and set my face on fire at the thought of Renji even touching my clothes.

Throwing back the covers, I slid out of bed and headed for the door. When I passed in front of my mirror I stopped. Turning to look at my reflection, I felt extremely confused. I had just been thrown around through trees and bushes for an hour, yet there was not a scratch on me. Walking up to the glass, I ran a hand over my face. Completely smooth. No scars or anything. Pushing aside the strap of my tank top, I touched the skin below my collar bone. Still intact like it had been before. Even my hands were completely clean, with no dirt under my nails or anything. There was no way I dreamed all that up…just no way.

I wrenched open my door and almost ran into Emiko who was standing right outside with a glass of water, her hand stretched towards me.

"Oh my," she said, jumping back a bit.

"Sorry," I breathed, my hand tight on the door handle.

"I was just coming to check on you," she said walking past me into my room. "I thought I heard you moving around up here." She placed the glass of water on my night table and sat down on my bed. "How are you feeling?" I didn't move from my spot in the doorway.

"What happened?" My confusion and slightly questionable sanity must have shown on my face, because Emiko's expression suddenly became lovingly pitiful. She reached out her arms for me to come give her a hug. Suddenly too tired to object, I walked over and sat beside her, letting her wrap me up and hold me close.

"You don't remember?" she asked, running her hand over the top of my head and smoothing my hair down. I shook my head. "Urahara brought you home a little while ago. He said you fell asleep at work and he didn't want to wake you up. He was worried you wouldn't make it home on your own if he did." I pulled back from her.

"Urahara?" She nodded. "Are you sure it was him?"

"Who else would it be, dear?" She tucked my hair behind my ears and looked at me confusedly. I was silent for a few moments, lost in thought. Did Renji carry me back to Urahara's? But what about my clothes? They were torn and bloody and disgusting…Emiko would have freaked out. Looking around I spotted my work t-shirt with the Urahara Shop logo on the front folded up and placed on my dresser. It looked perfectly clean, brand new almost. Did they change me at the shop…? Again I blushed, as Renji's face popped into my head.

"Isamu helped carry you up here and then I put you in these," she tugged on the light flannel pants I was wearing and smiled. "Didn't think you'd want to sleep in those denim shorts." I forced myself to smile back, trying to hide the million questions brewing in my mind. "You really need to be easier on yourself," Emiko said getting up. "Next time you're tired, just ask if you can leave early. We were worried." She twisted her hands a bit, her eyebrows furrowing together, and I hung my head.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you worry." I felt terrible. I always did when I hurt Emiko and Isamu somehow, even though they insisted it never happened. I'm sure they were freaking out when I didn't get home in time for dinner, and then who knows how much longer after that. And no phone call or anything. Some stepdaughter I was turning out to be.

Emiko took my chin in her hand and lifted my face. She was smiling and rubbed her thumb back and forth on my jawline.

"We're just glad you're ok and that Urahara was the one who brought you home." She leaned down and kissed my forehead before leaving the room and pulling the door shut behind her.

"Yeah, speak for yourself." I had no clue what was going on, but when I went to work the next day, Urahara and I were going to sit down and have a nice long chat about a few things. Like, oh…what the hell was wrong with me and what he knew about it. Because he knew something, I was sure of it. And maybe…why crazy, psycho snake monsters were allowed to just roam around the city. And also why obnoxious, red haired, ponytail men were allowed to carry swords around. Who used swords anymore anyway?

Lying back down, I ran my fingers over the skin just under my collar bone and thought about Renji. I wondered where he was and if he was ok. He had suffered some nasty cuts in that fight too, ones that had bled much more than mine did it seemed. After a while, I finally fell into a restless sleep, filled with fragmented dreams about snakes, swords, and a pair of golden eyes.