The Other One

by I've got Rhythm in my Soul

Enter Mai Li, new student, non-conformist, social retard and all around doomed teen. Meeting Ichigo Kurosaki just made it worse...

4. End of SoCalled Normalcy Part 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach... obviously. It wouldn't be pretty if I did.

So hey, I got some reviews. Here's a shoutout:

doctoremrys22: Thanks! I really wanted to produce a character who had real feelings, who reacted just the way we all do really. As for what's currently happening to her... it's completely integral to the story. It will come in bits and pieces.

Oiten: Your review made me smile. I felt warm. Seriously, it's gratifying to know that you're not as crap of a writer as you think you are. Anyway, Mai has a backstory... it's huge, but so is Ichigo's etc. She's a main character but so are all the others. The whole note taking thing between Ichigo and Mai is something I used to do in school... I'd get in trouble for it too. I wanted to make it somewhat more personal. There's a reason for this too... won't tell.

My DEGREE EXAMS ARE FINALLY FINISHED. AU REVOIR! Freedom is bliss... until your realise you've got nothing to do once you're done.

Also in case you're all wondering the normal events and timeline of the Bleach story will eventually become more and more non-existant. Much will change, some will stay the same. There will be some scenes in there that I just love and couldn't throw away; if you're a fan you'll recognise them.

Oh one last thing. I promise to check for spelling errors but some of the words in my fanfic were, mysteriously, replaced with an exclamation mark... I have no idea why. Will investigate. Adios!

Chapter 3:

End of (So-Called) Normalcy Part 3:

The Price We Pay…

Ichigo

She actually told me not to tell anyone.

The insane soul reaper just appeared in his class, demanded his absolute silence in the form of a supposedly very painful (he'd seen her with a sword, he didn't doubt that) death and made him follow her outside…

…Where she said he would now have to do the job of a soul reaper in her stead.

…Because she'd lost her powers…

…And had given them to him.

…Which meant that he now had soul reaper powers…

Shinigami powers…

This wasn't like some slapstick superhero character, this was death personified.

He was a death god.

It wasn't exactly a sunny career.

And she hadn't given him a frigging choice.

He wasn't so altruistic that he'd lay his own life on the line to protect strangers. But then she'd forced him out of his own body by use of a glove (she had to explain that one later) and taken him to a park with directions taken from a phone that transmitted data on Hollow's and their estimated time of arrival (just thinking about them make him shiver) and made him watch as the ghost of a kid almost got eaten by a monster.

So of course he'd ignored her and saved him anyway.

He didn't have to enjoy the job nor could he promise that he'd be brave enough to never run away but he could promise to help her since it was his fault she'd given him her powers in the first place.

Hopefully she'd get them back quickly so he could return to his so-called normal life.

But the real problem wasn't his new responsibilities.

It was now the fact that in some way he'd have to close himself off from Mai; a person to whom he'd only just managed to persuade to open up and give him the time of day.

He' been this close to telling her what had actually happened the previous night when Rukia had arrived. Rukia had said to keep this whole ordeal a secret. The less people who knew, the less there was to clean up.

But he still didn't like it, not when all he wanted to do was sit in class with his friends.

…Especially since Mai had arrived at school today looking as bad as he'd felt last night. Her eyes had looked amazingly clear.

This also didn't help.

When he'd returned with Rukia to his body (which she oh so helpfully left lying in the middle of the school yard) they found a male teacher performing CPR a little too vigorously on him.

Apparently Mai had found his body…

…Which only confirmed that she had been looking for him, probably in response to his note?

When he'd entered back into his body with the disgusting view of a teacher's pair of lips in front of his face he saw her behind him, her eyes wide and apprehensive, defined nicely by the darkness surrounding them he could see a multitude of what he assumed were pale greens surrounding a gold ringed pupil all focused heavily on him.

She was far from stupid.

And yet when he'd stuttered out what he could only describe as the lamest excuse on the planet for why he was lying face down on the ground outside she'd tilted her head and had given him a searching look. Dissecting and completely destroying the lie.

…But then she just smiled softly at him bringing him to a halt.

...And make him almost blab it all to her anyway. But after what he'd seen he didn't want a new friend wandering around him (she was the curious kind; she'd definitely follow him) as he was being chased by hollows.

It was safer this way.

Plus he promised himself that the very second Rukia got her powers back he'd tell Mai everything. That was the beauty of having a friend like her; someone who could and would understand.

But it still didn't tell him why, for the love of god, was she looking as though she'd almost been eaten by a hollow?

And it looked like he wouldn't receive an answer any time soon.

Luckily however whatever was wrong with her cleared up by the next day…

…And Ichigo Kurosaki had a lot to deal with anyway.

Hollow duty was an all night job after all and Rukia's supposed training was just… stupid.

A hint: in involved a cricket bat and a ball machine.

---

Mai

It wasn't very discernable. His act was almost perfect as was Rukia Kuchiki's. Whatever they were up to, the two of them hid it well.

I've always been nosey but I felt drawn to the new activity anyway.

Every time Kurosaki came back from whatever he and Kuchiki were up to they smelled different.

And his aura had changed.

It felt covered; the powerful brightness dispelled and hidden in pretence of controlled force.

But I let it be.

He didn't tell me what was up and I didn't tell him that I'd seen a dark creature; that I'd had strange dreams since Kuchiki showed up. In fact I tried my very hardest to stay as far away from the bickering idiots as I could. And they did bicker.

Whilst eating my lunch I occasionally saw them talking. They were easy to notice what with her height: very, er…short… raven black hair and big, dark, blue eyes. They seemed to be predisposed to argue a lot with one another. About anything. It was like they couldn't agree on a single choice but that might have been about lack of familiarity more than anything else.

It was true that I felt marginally annoyed to be so left in the dark after he'd told me that he wanted to be my friend, a friendship based on trust and unusual circumstances.

He had kind of… reneged on that deal. Not like we'd shaken on it or anything though.

And it wasn't as if he didn't know it.

…Because he didn't stop with the stupid antics that he'd previously circum to before. For example, he started the whole staring thing again once I didn't explain to him why I looked like death itself. And when I stopped talking to him he'd do any and all to irritate the crap out of me.

Then, following his strange pattern, when I'd get worked up enough at him to elicit a response he'd look at me as if confused and say, "What did I do?"

I really didn't understand him at all.

I'd made it easy for him to back away; he didn't need to do this. I'd even smiled at him as he attempted and failed to produce mediocre lies and tried to tell him I understood that sometimes lies are necessary no matter how poorly they are delivered.

And he had to pay the price for lies.

Just like I still do.

I may have been looking better but feeling better? Not a chance.

I felt like Frankenstein's monster after a hard night on the Liquor.

My insides were relentlessly unsatisfied.

I couldn't exactly see a doctor either; what would I say? Oh hello Dr, No-Face I saw a humanoid creature the other night and straight afterwards I collapsed. Also I see dead people and as such haven't had a decent night's sleep in a while. Is there any medication you can prescribe for such a diagnoses? Oh and make it quick; my body's about to collapse again under the strain of seizure number 4.

I can see the men in white coats already coming to carry me away.

…

Anyway past that, currently I was sitting absorbed in my history class. We were covering the cultural connections between historical dates and events, precursors and fables.

Today's lesson: Oni.

"The shift between how we see the mythical demon now and how human's perceived them a thousand years ago is pretty staggering. Now the hideous gargoyle, the creature hiding under a child's bed, the monster of darkness, the one to whom the key's of the gate of Rashomon have been placed are all stigmas of an evil nature. They are subject to baleful acknowledgement and are solely used to describe the seedier more threatening parts of the human psyche."

The teacher paused for breath and took a look at his class; brow twitching when he realised only half were listening anyway. I was there; nerd personified, poised in my note taking.

There Kurosaki was looking at me as I if were insane.

His frowning face flashed between honest curiosity for what the hell I saw that was so intriguing in the lesson and incredulity at the copious amount of notes I'd already written compared to his single paragraph.

What could I say; I loved legends.

The fact that he was making me uncomfortable with my used to be comfortable position at being vigilant in my classes seemed to pass him. He couldn't go a single lesson without drawing attention towards me.

At these times Rukia Kuchiki would observe the two of us like the tiniest class spectre I'd ever seen and seemed quite absorbed with something so trivial and monotonous. Sometimes though I'd catch her reading books; manga mostly, like an obsession. Then I'd catch Kurosaki glancing at them with distaste and foreboding. Yet again another unexplainable habit.

The teacher continued to drone on, diligently ignoring how Keigo was already falling out of his chair, how Mizuiro was texting, how Orihime was gazing out of the window, how Chizuru was watching her, how Tatsuki was threatening her, how Sado was watching the class interact instead of listening to the teacher and how Uryu Ishida was already reading a book titled: the history of myth and legend, Japan.

I was probably one of the few who enjoyed the lesson.

It didn't say much about me did it?

Oh yes. Uryu Ishida: the boy who'd looked at me with confused menace.

It didn't take long for me to recall his name and even less time for me to wonder what his problem was.

"…Once a ruling race of supposed protectors who held sacred vows to defend us humans from other supernatural creatures or from ourselves. When the shift occurred the great demon exterminator, the Shoki, the great exorcist, the noble priest, the warrior who defended several of our great emperors from harm appeared. Many books have entitled this person as ageless."

The teacher took another breath. "Ornamental figurines of such creatures where employed above house doors to ward to evil. Now however it would be an indication to sin. We'll continue this next week. Class dismissed."

BBBBRRRRIIIIIIIINNNNNNGGGGGGG!

As the bell rang the students all started to yell happily at yet another end to a school day.

I made to pack my things away and heard Keigo exclaim. Should I listen? Yes I should. Be a normal teen Mai.

Of course I really should have checked to see the topic of conversation first before stopping.

"I-Ichigo's got a girls number on his mobile! WHAT THE HELL MAN!"

Huh?

I watched Kurosaki whirl around from across the room, glance at Keigo before furiously checking his pockets for his phone in the vain hope that Keigo didn't have it in his fingers.

…And unfortunately failed.

He looked back up at his friend with self-conscious, aggravation filled eyes. "Keigo! Give that back right now!"

Kurosaki was… blushing?

He really did have a girl's number on his mobile?

Keigo wouldn't shut up as he stared down at the phone as though it were the most unbelievable concept in the world. His eyes were comically wide and he was rapidly punching buttons.

"It isn't under the friendship section… wait, ICHIGO HAS A FRIENDSHIP SECTION?"

"KEIGO!"

Incensed, Kurosaki practically sprinted and jumped over several desks in the effort to get to him as Keigo fumbled through his address book.

"IT'S UNDER THE SECTION FOR… PERSONAL NUMBERS! SPEED-DIAL!"

"KNOCK IT OFF!"

He rammed into Keigo's stomach, both of them falling over the side of a desk. Some of the class girls squealed and several more outside the room stopped to peer inside and point at Kurosaki as he straddled Keigo and wrenched his phone out of the now crying guy's grasp. Most of them swooned and blushed like crazy as they snapped homographic pictures and I watched from the side too stunned to say a word.

Keigo pointed up at Kurosaki and wailed as if betrayed.

"YOU'VE GOT A GIRL'S NUMBER ON YOUR PHONE!"

Kurosaki whammed a fist into Keigo's abdomen and pointed back at him. "AND YOU'RE A REALLY BIG PERVE KEIGO ASANO!"

Not bad Kurosaki.

And suddenly there was a Mexican wave.

"Did you hear? Keigo Asano's a really big pervert." A girl said from the side.

A dude joined in. "Keigo Asano?"

"He's a perv? Really?" A pretty girl from the class above pointed out.

"Kurosaki said he was."

Keigo's hand shot out at them. "No wait!" He shouted panicked and everyone backed away from the deprave.

He twitched. Then the tears just wouldn't stop.

"Why Ichigo? Whyyyyyyyyyy!"

"Shut up." Kurosaki said, exasperated with him and walked off towards his book bag.

As he walked by me he glanced in my direction with an indescribable expression and then I knew.

It was my number.

Well if he wanted to show me that my friendship was worth something… he just did.

And a smile blossomed out of me that made my own breath catch, because in all my teenage years no one, no girl or guy had ever done something so chummy for me.

…then he tripped.

Ichigo Kurosaki tripped himself up.

For a moment everyone stared silently.

He got up, brushed himself off and, without glancing in my direction again, walked as dignified as possible out of the classroom.

Mizuiro looked at me as Keigo blinked, still on the floor. "Erm, what was that about?"

---

Something was wrong with Orihime.

Something had been wrong with her for a full week what with getting injured all the time, not that that was anything new. And how her injuries reeked of fowl energy, not if there was someone more accident prone I would probably never meet him/ her.

And then I realised that she'd been followed by the ghost of her brother.

The next day at school… Kurosaki reeked of Sora Inoue. Her brother.

I was getting really good at remembering these names that I come across only once.

And suddenly she was all better, sprouting stories about how there was a huge hole in her wall and by hole I mean the whole left wall was gone. Obliterated. She said something to me about sumo wrestlers with bazookas wrecking up her living room. That girl's mind works in mysterious ways I don't want to know about.

Except the fact that it was all completely true of course. I went to go visit her and found the entirety of her left wall gone. She was staying at a hotel for the time being.

After the incident however her stares at Kurosaki only increased and he became even more nonchalant. He was making it into a talent.

That very day; the day Orihime told me about her accident I saw something puzzling on the morning news.

A small wave of gruesome attacks had occurred in various areas in and around Karakura.

And it didn't help the tide of nerves that sprouted in me every time I heard of them.

I kept seeing people in town; their faces were meaningless. It was their eyes that drew my attention.

They weren't human eyes. Other …and devoid. They were gone within moments and so I would think they were appearing right out of my dreams.

Also… I kept feeling that I was being followed.

---

That same day I decided to accompany Mizuiro and actually go see Kurosaki for once instead of dodging him.

I… felt connected somewhat to the guy and I didn't want the sensation to leave quite yet, not when it was all so new.

Friendship was interesting but it was so difficult to maintain.

Up on the roof, the usual haunt for the guys I approached Kurosaki and Kuchiki with some hesitance as I stood behind Mizuiro who looked back at me with amused perplexity.

Then Mizuiro said something that made me gawk.

"Together again? You must be in love or something." He pointed at the two oddities with his lunch in his hands.

My mouth dropped open while Kurosaki didn't look even remotely phased.

His scowl didn't even worsen. "Moron. Does this look like love to you?" He pointed at Kuchiki with a lazy eyebrow raise.

I nodded to myself and said as blandly as possible. "Sorry Casanova. Not all of us work like you do." Mizuiro had the good sense to look slightly abashed if not impudent.

"…Mai?"

Kurosaki looked at me. The surprise in his eyes was not unexpected; I'd been unable to think of the right thing to say for the past four, five days after he so obviously wanted to keep himself to himself.

So I smiled timidly at him. "Hey."

He nodded a little absent mindedly. I fidgeted for a moment, uncomfortable and he frowned.

"Mai?"

"Hm?"

"Get over here."

I blinked looking at his finger pointing to the seat next to him. Kuchiki next to that very space on the other side looked like she was having trouble with her juice; she was even sweating. The liquid clearly meant a great deal to her. So while Mizuiro asked Kurosaki something I shuffled to where he'd pointed and slowly, gently, took Kuchiki's juice from her fingers.

She looked at me puzzled and I almost smiled.

Straight away I knew I'd like her. An even mixture of secrets, sass, and… insecurity.

"You looked like you needed a hand." I offered.

"Oh… thank you!" She said with a smile too sweet to be real for her.

Mmmm…

It took me a moment to place why it bothered me before I shook my head. I opened the straw with exaggerated movements allowing her eyes to follow me curiously… as if she'd never opened one before.

"You don't need to do that you know."

Kuchiki's eyes flickered at me. "Do what?"

"Fake your smile."

I passed her the juice and she took it. She didn't taste it. She just looked at me.

I saved myself. "I have a feeling that your real smile is somewhat more devious." I laughed at myself but she didn't even twitch, I'd been a little too slow.

Turning to Kurosaki to try and shake my blunder I found him already listening as he drank from his own juice. His expression was unreadable.

Then, after a last gulp he let out a slow breath. "So… are you talking to me again?"

Even Kuchiki glanced towards us at this.

I frowned at him, confused as always by his contradictory personality. "Actually… I was sort of sure you were, um… avoiding me… somewhat…" Cue another awkward moment of screwed up vernacular.

He looked at me for a moment before sighing and scratching his neck.

"Hi Rukia!"

The girl jumped to attention as Mizuiro looked sweetly in her direction. Already my eyes were rolling and I nudged Kurosaki whose shoulders uncoiled slightly. I hadn't even known they'd been tense. My friendliness relaxed him and that only added to the unusualness of the movement.

"Um… you're Mizuiro right?" She looked so pleased with herself.

"That's right! I'm Mizuiro Kojima. I really like-"

"…Picking up chicks." Kurosaki interrupted, dead pan.

I spat my drink all over the floor in front of me.

He raised an eyebrow at me side on. "Smooth." He said in a patronising tone. I used his trick and scowled at him. Again he ignored me. "Watch out Rukia, he may look like a kid but he's a real layer, trust me."

Mizuiro jumped up. "C'mon Ichigo that's not cool! You know I only go after older women!"

"Like I said Rukia watch this one."

I almost laughed again at first, she looked so small and her pupils looked like pinpricks as she stared at him, clueless. Humans are such daft creatures I suppose.

I looked at the girl to my left. "Why, how old are you?"

She paused in her attempt to sip her drink. A thoughtful frown drifted over her features as she stared into space, pondering so hard that I started to frown and Kurosaki's forehead began to twitch.

"I'm your age-"

"She's our age." Kurosaki responded quickly after a too long stretch of time.

He didn't say what any other student would. He'd said that she was our age. She said that she was my age.

The look in his brown eyes… it was almost daring. As if he was trying to push me into something.

I raised my eyebrows at him and the corner of his mouth tugged up.

Then the sound of a straw sucking up juice disturbed my thought pattern and I looked back at Kuchiki. "Good?" I asked as she sighed with contentment.

"Good." She confirmed; a genuine expression of pleasure on her features.

I held out a hand. "I'm Mai Li."

She looked at my fingers as she mechanically linked our hands; it was as if civilised manners were downloaded in her cerebral cortex.

"Rukia Kuch…" She drifted off and her eyes flickered back at our hands.

They clouded over, darkening the swirling tide held at bay there and a tight frown sowed itself across her forehead.

I felt a mass of something grow between our hands… I didn't feel threatened.

…But she did.

"What is it?" I asked quietly and I felt her jolt as if I'd shouted.

Immediately she released my hand. I didn't miss the way her eyes focused warily or how her fingers flexed by her side. "…It's nothing."

And for some reason I verbalised my thoughts. "I didn't shock you did I?"

Not hurt, shock; as in surprise, not energy discharge.

Did I disturb her? In the same way I seemed to disturb so many people, so many ghosts.

Her gaze was intimidating. For a moment her mask slipped and I saw the face of a hundred years, of a thousand different emotions all attempting to dissect my whole being. She could be from any period: a 15 or 22 year old, she'd fit any profile she set herself for.

Who was this girl… woman?

Slowly she shook her head as she examined me. Then she blinked at something behind me. I turned…

Kurosaki was observing us rather than listening to Keigo… wait, Keigo! When did he arrive?

And why was Kurosaki spying on our conversation.

He shrugged and my eyes narrowed. He was sniffing for information on me, since I wouldn't willingly give him any.

Really though, I thought as I watched him, his expression returning to nonchalance as he watched Keigo… he's actually more playful than he lets on.

…Well he did chase me through school that one time.

Then again he also looked cautious. More than once he and Kuchiki had exchanged a look that could only be described as such while we'd talked. What was the big secret?

"Lunch party! Right here, right now!"

And I was snapped back to reality once more. Keigo was there hoping around like an idiot as Mizuiro watched him go with an expression somewhat akin to pity.

"Yeah, a juice, milk, yakisoba and bread party." He said straight faced.

Keigo rounded on him, his manly tears of a masculine nature flying everywhere. "Shut up! It's the feeling that counts!"

And then I felt another presence on the roof. I know; way to sound like a star wars reject but it's hard to totally ignore a face like Oshima Reiji's.

"Oh crap-a-doodle…" I whispered and Kurosaki peered in the direction I was staring… and returned to his food looking once again like he really didn't give two shades of…

A knee whammed into Keigo's back.

"OOF, ow man, what the f-fu…"

He turned only to tremble as Oshima's less than pristine form loomed over him. His hair was as dreadful as ever and I could smell bad aftershave dispersing across the rooftop.

"Kurosaki."

God man, give it up. He paced your backside back into last week the last time you tried to rumble with him.

I raised my head. "You're off suspension already Chicken Head?" Why hadn't we been told?

Keigo turned to me as if I'd run away with the fairies. I wasn't afraid of this guy, he was easy to beat. Even if he had a friend with him, that just proved he couldn't do jack by himself.

Kurosaki snorted into his sandwich and that more or less made the snide worth it.

"…You talking to me?" Chicken Head grumbled with narrowed eyes. I could tell his partner was staring at his hair and thinking the exact same thing I was.

I nodded, happy that he'd caught on so quickly.

He tilted his head at me before looking at Kurosaki who was so uninterested he looked like micro organisms might give him more entertainment. "Who's the bitch?"

Kuchiki choked as I raised a delicate eyebrow.

"Excuse me?" I asked in a dangerously silky tone as I saw Kurosaki tense in my peripheral vision.

"…What did you say?" He said quietly, lethally.

Then Oshima blinked in recognition. "Oh wait a sec… You're that cow from the entrance exam!"

Wow, upgraded from bitch to cow.

I wondered vaguely if the reason his lisp had gone was because of a tongue piercing.

I sighed and let go of my anger. 'Bitch' was no way to refer to a lady.

I squared a glance at an increasingly hostile Kurosaki. "He's offensive and he's getting on my nerves. Plus he's here for you so…"

Kurosaki frowned at me, deterred from his eventual venting. "…What?"

I shrugged. "Get rid of him."

It seemed like a simple enough suggestion to me.

"WHA…!"

"Come on, it's a fair request."

Oshima may have finally realised he was being ignored.

"It's stupid!" Kurosaki yelled in my face.

"How is everything I say suddenly always labelled as stupid?"

"Well… why don't you get rid of him?"

The vein in Oshima's neck started to twitch. "…Hey!"

I ignored him. "You're the idiot! I was giving you a chance to be all heroic! Way to blow it!"

"I didn't blow anything!" Kurosaki yelled.

Huffing and crossing my arms, feeling silly as though I really shouldn't have said a word I tried to drop it. "It doesn't matter! Just forget I said the stupid thing already!"

But it seemed that I'd pushed him a little too far this time.

"You want me to do it huh?" He asked at me, practically a growl.

I blinked feeling perplexed, defiant and apprehensive when I saw his eyes stare down at me too pissed off to see reason. "What?"

"You want me to get rid of him that badly?"

I lifted my hands up an effort to placate the inevitable bomb. "Look! I didn't say…"

He finally exploded and his eyes lit up with demonic anger; his forehead throbbing from about 100 different angles.

"FINE! I'LL DO IT! I'LL GET RID OF HIM!" He stood up quickly and headed over to Oshima with aggressive strides.

Oshima smiled stupidly and reached a hand into his blazer. "Today's the day I finally get to set you straight dingle berry!" He pulled out brass knuckles and shoved his fingers into them. "Let's see whose thtronger!"

…Thtronger? Seriously…? I think it safe to say the lisp hadn't gone completely.

Mizuiro sweatdropped while Kuchiki just observed the whole thing as if she was doing a student study of the interactions between nonsensical class mates. Most girls would look scared or, I don't know, anything else but not this one.

And yes, I was just referring to myself… and Kurosaki. I caused this because I forgot that sometimes I'm simply too literal.

"WAIT A SECOND!" I shouted in a last ditch attempt to gain Kurosaki's attention back.

It didn't work and I apprehensively watched the manic smile that spread over his features. Oh dear…

"WELL OSHIMA… MAI LI COMMANDS YOU'RE REMOVAL!" he shouted condescendingly.

Ass…

"DON'T BE SUCH A JERK!" Yeah, tell him Mai! I mean, tell him me!

He twisted back at me. "YOU STARTED THIS!"

Oshima was getting impatient again. He brought his brass knuckle coated fist in the air as he took aim. "Kurosaki-"

"SHUT UP DRAG QUEEN!" Kurosaki shot in his face as he moved with the speed of an experienced fighter.

He tugged Oshima's knuckle dusters away with a swipe of his hand and twisted them in his grasp making it easier to slam them into his abdomen. Oshima's eyes bulged as he sagged.

Kurosaki looked down at the bully more irate than I'd ever thought I'd see him. "AND STOP WITH GETTING ON AT ME ABOUT MY VERY NATURAL ORANGE HAIR YOU FREAK!"

…And he judo throw-ed the loser across the roof, hitting the ground after a moment and skidding the rest of the way.

"OWOWOWOWOWOWOW… OUCH!"

"Oshima!" His gang member friend whipped after him with a girlish shout.

Hmmm… This was vaguely reminiscent of what he did to that skater gang almost a week ago. Tranquillity described the surrounding noise perfectly at least for that one moment.

Then Kurosaki turned his head, so very slowly, to look at me with narrowed eyes. His anger seemed to drain from him; in fact he looked kind of exhausted.

I tried to make myself look as small as possible against the railings as he walked quietly back, Kuchiki was observing with a raised eyebrow and Keigo seemed to have fallen into dysfunction; his mouth kept opening and closing as if he weren't sure what to do or say.

Mechanically Kurosaki stopped in front of me, then sat; snatching the remainder of his lunch that I had saved from my grasp, dropping down on his butt beside me and tearing into his sandwich all while glaring resignedly into space from the side.

Okie dokie…

Passing a weak smile in contrition towards Kuchiki she returned it with a big one of her own as if the whole thing was a play, like an automatic reflex reaction to mine.

It wasn't long before I spotted Sado across the roof. From the perplexed expression on his face he'd watched the whole thing.

I deflated and waved at him as he came over.

He sat and immediately we all saw the bandages covering his wrist.

Kurosaki snapped out of his funk and I released a relieved breath. "Hey Chad, how did you hurt your hand?"

Apparently an I-Beam fell on him… then he hurt his hand during grocery shopping… he'd ran into a motorcycle… but it was the driver who suffered more than he incidentally and Sado had carried him to the hospital on his already injured back…

"Geez, you must be made of steel… like a tank." Kurosaki offered with a sweatdrop.

It wasn't until he introduced his cockatiel that the atmosphere turned tense for three of us.

Never mind that Sado had an unusual like for all things cute…

…His bird had two souls within its tiny body. I could see that immediately, and from the aura alone (even if I still had a few problems in that arena recently) the other soul, the one that didn't belong there was human.

…Which explained the bird's proficient use of Japanese and English vocabulary.

It sounded like a young boy… trapped in a bird…

One for sorrow…

But the thing that got me was that both Kurosaki and Kuchiki tensed along with me.

Sitting in-between them I could see that they wanted to do or say something that they couldn't or wouldn't do in front of me.

I briefly closed my eyes and moved to get up. The terrible duo obviously had business to discuss… they were both staring uneasily at the bird… Hmmm… suspicious behaviour; a penalty for secret keeping.

I bent to reach my bag.

"You're leaving already?" Kurosaki asked surprising me.

I nodded and gestured towards the bird. "A lonely soul right?"

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

His frown made me frown. Couldn't he see it? He wouldn't have to say anything about it if he didn't want to but a nod of the head would have been nice.

"The bird." I specified. No reaction yet I knew he'd seen it.

So I smiled at the two of them, their expressions nonplussed. "Did you know that in folklore, lonely or abandoned spirits, especially children would sometimes inhabit live animals?"

Kurosaki just looked at me with a tilt of is head. He knew I could see ghosts but for some reason he looked kind of taken back at the idea that I could sense one soul beneath another.

But Kuchiki… her expression was carefully blanked.

"See you." I said and Kurosaki nodded at me.

I saw them bend their heads together to mutter the moment I was out of hearing range and wondered for the tenth time what the deal was with the two of them?

On the floor beneath the roof I passed a tall, glasses wearing stranger who was gazing solemnly out of the window.

"Uryu Ishida?"

I'd stood behind him so it only made sense that his surprise at being snuck upon was evident in his expression.

He blinked before he got his emotions under control.

"Li san."

Li san? How proper… well, to each his own.

"You could have joined us up there you know?" I pointed upwards towards the roof.

Again I'd surprised him; his eyes widened and he seemed to blunder through his thoughts a little before answering again with that same cold composure that really was only skin deep. A shield.

"…I'd rather pass. I prefer to eat alone."

I nodded, understanding completely. "I use to feel the same before coming here." Until I made friends…

He inclined his head towards me politely and I got the feeling he was already terminating the incredibly tiny conversation. He moved to walk by me towards the stairs.

"…Why do you dislike him so much Uryu?" I spoke softly, quietly.

The use of his first name came quite easily to me… more so then the idea of using Kurosaki's first name. Saying 'Uryu' felt like a handshake. Saying 'Ichigo' felt like a plummet off of a steep cliff into residing waters.

He stopped and stiffened behind me.

I turned to glance at him side on finding him doing the same, piercing me with sharp blue eyes.

"Really, what did he do to you to inspire such contempt?" It was in his every move, in his aura. Perfectly controlled, it hummed and seethed every time I'd found him focusing on my orange haired friend.

For a whole minute he just stared at me. Then he raised a finger to push his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"With all due respect… I don't see how it is any of your business."

Sheepishly, I scratched the back of my neck. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. Sorry about that Uryu… Jesus, Kurosaki's right, I really am a nosey one."

He looked at me. He seemed taken aback, as if he couldn't quite figure out what I was up to.

"I-it's alright." He shifted as he were about to say more but decided against it and made his way towards the stairs.

"See you tomorrow."

Blinking he glanced back at me as I waved genially at him before turning on my heal and walking in the opposite direction. Sometimes being just a little friendly reaps its own rewards.

Or at least that's what I figured as I thought about the bemused and bashful look on his face.

---

Message to Mai Li from unknown number:

A lonely soul?

Message to Unknown Number from Mai Li:

The soul of a boy, I… thought you'd already sensed it. Sorry if I made a mistake.

Why are you apologising?

You looked at me oddly when I said it earlier.

Oh… didn't mean to. It's just… I was surprised you could sense it in there. I really shouldn't have been.

It's fine.

Fine is what my sister's say when they're pissed or upset.

…

Thanks for coming up here today. I thought you'd stop speaking to me for good.

What with you constantly pushing my buttons in class it's not something I can avoid for long periods of time. Besides I'm pretty sure you're the one who backed off first.

I didn't… it wasn't like I…

Kurosaki… I get it.

Get what?

Some secrets can't be shared… and some have really bad timing.

You got that right.

I'm not good at the whole friendship thing; in fact it's been too long since I can remember having a real friend. I didn't know what to do when you held back so unexpectedly after opening up so honestly…

I knocked you for a loop huh?

You could say that.

My friendship is still on the table you know… always will be.

You don't have to say that.

I don't say things I don't mean Mai.

So earlier when you said I was stupid… you meant you actually think I'm stupid?

Er…

Hah, you dug that hole yourself Kurosaki.

Shut up stupid.

Ouch! … Was everything alright today? You and Kuchiki seemed tense when I left.

Yeah. I had a long night and Rukia was bugging me about it.

Don't go thinking you can talk the boy in the bird into moving on just yet Kurosaki.

Huh? That was abrupt.

I'm being serious. It's being hounded by something. To be honest I'm more concerned with Sado's involvement.

Why?

Whatever is chasing the bird will be chasing him.

Good point.

You're a smart one Kurosaki, you'd come to the same conclusion if you just thought about it for a moment.

A compliment?

Thinly veiled but… also fact.

…Thanks.

If you're with Kuchiki apologise to her okay?

Why?

I don't know how or why but I think I wigged her out at lunch.

Er… alright. Will do.

Unknown Message Sender changed: Ichigo Kurosaki… speed dial.

---

"Hey, Sado!" I shouted cheerily.

I saw the kind giant leave class almost two hours ago and head out without his friends. After so tenderly watching over the little bird all day I'd wondered if everything was alright; he'd taken to it a little too seriously.

Following him as far as Kasazaki I'd started to worry at the broken pathway he was taking. For some reason he'd stop and turn in the opposite direction to go the longest way around.

It was if he was trying to loose a tail…

…Please say it wasn't me. That would be unbelievably sad.

So I figured I should just announce my presence if he already hadn't picked up on it.

And judging by how wide his eyes became he hadn't.

Oh yeah… I was good.

"Mai?" He muttered as he tucked the bird cage more securely under his arm affirming my previous observation nicely.

"Are you alright? You've been acting a little odd all day… can I help with something?"

He paused and shifted. "…No… I'll be fine."

Sure he would.

It made me wonder if he knew about the soul that had latched onto his precious cargo.

"What's so special about the bird Sado?" I asked gently.

He looked back at me surprised. "What do you mean?"

I ventured on. "Why are you protecting it so fiercely? Where's the danger?"

I'd read him a little too perfectly. "How did… you…"

I shook my head. "You shouldn't be doing this alone, let me help you."

Sado grasped the large cage in both his arms. "I'll be fine alone." He repeated and I almost slumped in wasted effort when the bird actually spoke too.

"We don't want you to be put in danger too. Mister won't leave me… he just wants to help me. Please don't be upset with him."

Whoa… I slowly looked up.

The boy inside the bird sounded so sweet and sad.

But I was unable to clarify that I wasn't actually upset with Sado, that I was just worried about the weird feeling in my chest…

…Because at that moment, just as Yuichi stopped talking a large white object bulldozed into Sado's back sending him hurtling into the evening traffic.

"SADO!" I screamed.

The white thing jumped onto the main road, attempting to further kick my already injured friend. Cars honked and squealed as machines crashed into an invisible object.

Sado was lost amidst the sea of chaos as three cars collided leaving a wreckage of broken windows and twisted metal. Screams of the passengers echoed into the din and I saw Sado crawl from amidst the debris.

"Over here!" I yelled.

He moved towards me at first; by his limp I'd say the huge white thing hurt his back when he kicked him. Well it wasn't really fair; the monster's foot had been about the size of well, me.

Then he tried to move in the opposite direction before falling over.

"Sado!" I ran towards him only to get buffeted by a great white arm.

I went rolling into some garbage bags at the end of a street closest to the road. I looked up and gaped. The creature was about ten feet tall; it had a skull impediment on its face… which may have actually been its face and its body was structured for large leaps and swipes. A long and pretty disgusting tongue lashed out of its mouth as the creature, monster, seemed to get excited by the surrounding destruction.

"Yuichi… kid, you make this too easy…"

It… could… talk…?

And far too late I recalled how creatures such as these terrorised my dreams on occasion. They… they went after people… adults, kids or something in order to survive; they fed off of the connection of love and loyalty that the dead have with the living.

Some of them were sadistic death players that liked to have fun with their pursuits.

Through a flash of intuition I realised that this monster was here for the small boy in the cockatiel… the kid with the sweet smile.

…Because it had killed him and his mother and had been hunting him ever since.

The boy was bait?

I flashed back to the day I found blood on the roundabout in the park. A white monster had taken him too perhaps. And I hadn't done a thing about it afterwards.

That thought stil aggravated me. I pushed myself up from the garbage.

"Mister! Mister, please get up!" The bird pleaded with Sado to rise but unfortunately Sado didn't look like he had much energy left in him.

The white monster thing seemed like he was distracted; as if he couldn't decide where he wanted to go or who he wanted to devour.

Sirens could be heard in the background.

"You brought an unusual scent to the party this time- …w-WHAT THE HELL!"

The trash tin lid and bucket torpedoed into the creatures face splattering bits of rubbish all over the place. Before it could recover (and shake off that annoying piece of lettuce hanging from the tops of its skull head thing) I rammed a foot into its rock hard head and it rolled away.

I was a teenage girl shaking with fear and yet I was actually thinking about luring it away from Sado.

"Sado, get up! You're about five minutes away from the Kurosaki clinic! Go!" I took a quick glance at his wide eyes and dumbfounded expression. His eyes couldn't seem to focus; it looked like he couldn't directly see what it was that was attacking him.

The Shrieker, a name that came out of nowhere but seemed to be quite the apt description of such a monster, moved to get up and I jumped into the air.

It looked up too late and I landed behind its skull head. I yanked back on it with both hands and, somehow, was able to throw a bulk five times my weight over its own back and down a back street.

Unfortunately it got away with scraping a monster claw down my right shoulder blade. I managed to hold in the cry of pain but struggled badly with the whimper.

The pathetic sound seemed to rouse the white mass several metres in front of me.

"Oh ho… that was sneaky of you girly…"

Feeling a small amount of blood trickle down my back and into my pants I looked up at it through a curtain in my fallen fringe. I didn't have much of a plan past this… but I was certainly intrigued by whatever this creature of loathing really was. It sounded like the cockiest of mafia hitters.

"…You smell… different…"

I didn't like the pause between the words 'smell' and 'different'.

Stinging pain lanced through my shoulder as I spoke. "Good smell or bad smell? …Because you know, I need to know if I have to change my deodorant spray." Great Mai, just egg it on why don't you…

"Hehehe… ballsy. I like that in my prey. It only makes for a greater exciting downfall later."

Anger rise in accordance with my dread. "Why, so you can bask in their fear?"

The creature's head sifted sideways: I mean really, it turned to a 45 degree angle.

"I was referring to you my dear. Your smell… is tempting. Too tempting for me to allow it to escape."

I gulped. "I'm a 'she' not an 'it'."

"You won't be an any-thing soon!"

I heard a clatter coming around me from all sides before I saw them. Little creatures about one foot long each that were less offensive and certainly less intelligent versions of itself. They perched on the surrounding fences, coiled and ready to spring.

This masked monster was a servant user kind.

I didn't know what the hell that meant but it didn't sound pleasant.

Anyway, moments later, before my muscles had even tensed to move several of the little suckers leaped into the air and latched themselves onto my back.

The buggers were kind of heavy for their size.

They immediately and forcefully gripped and pushed me down into the concrete.

The moment my front hit the floor a wave of tingling energy fluxed down my body as if the fall caused a pulse to gather. I blinked and wondered why in a dangerous situation my body chose now of all times to break down.

"You're slow… and naive enough to think that I might not have friends." It, he, it… whatever, goaded me while I was down. Coward.

Friends… heh.

I tried to wriggle out of position but the creatures had clawed grips that dug into the skin of my back.

The hollow stepped closer. "I was going to go eat the other guy first, as an appetiser of course… but you smell far too enticing for your own good…"

I snorted as the cells in my body wouldn't stop pulsing. The strain was becoming difficult to resist. I sent the Shrieker a dull glare. "You were some psychotic serial killer in life weren't you?"

I swear the thing grinned. "How'd you guess?"

Oh man.

Time to get up Mai.

With an almighty push upwards I used all my determination to somehow make the power oscillation shift to burst through my back.

To my supreme surprise and pleasure it worked.

"What?"

An… an aura surrounded me that hadn't existed seconds previously. There was a greenish tint to it and to have it so formed like that; protruding from my skin, outwards from my body… that was individual… even for me. It was a full blast of this that scattered the small servant like things off my back.

I vaulted up and it leaped towards me.

My body just… moved. I'd jumped and kneed the sucker with both knees and it roared. Like the cry I heard that night a week or so ago, that terrifying sound of lonely hollowness pending from Kurosaki's house.

My legs hurt but I felt great… must be an adrenaline thing.

As I landed I felt several small pats on my right side, neck and thigh.

I looked down. "Eww… leeches." I tried to pull them off but I bled worse when I tried.

The thing started laughing. My kick hadn't done anything but aggravate and motivate it.

"These leeches of mine are special little girl! Once they stick they don't come off too easily"

I sucked in air at the thought that trespassed in my head. "They're your artillery."

A tongue with a rectangular hole at its tip protruded from behind teeth as long as my forearm.

"Not bad."

RRRREEEEEEEEEEEEENNNN!

Its tongue vibrated to issue a high pitched ring. It must have been some kind of signal trigger because when it did the leeches on my body blew.

As in blew up.

On me.

Little bombs were blowing up all over my body.

I cried out this time and fell to the floor in shock, landing on my knees and elbows.

"They're little bombs! Triggered by the sound my tongue makes!"

"…I figured that out already." I rasped.

The white monster poised its large arms as if it was getting ready to take flight. My blood was beginning to dribble down on the concrete and it seemed to take a sniff.

"You know… you don't smell human at all. At least not in the usual sense."

I wasn't even going to try to make sense of what that was supposed to mean. "That's great but… I don't really feel like talking about it."

And I scampered probably a bit too swiftly and unexpectedly for the creature as it jerked in disbelief. Then it laughed and I saw over my shoulder as I ran past the first corner that it had taken to the air.

Crap.

Sprinting, trying mightily to ignore the screaming pain down my torso a few of the small soldier things started following on foot and burst a large string of disgusting leeches aimed at my legs. I leaped over them in what was probably the most risky hurdle I'd ever performed. When I clambered up to tread the fences the large creature roared again and a hidden soldier spat some more leeches on me; down my arm. I was knocked off the fence.

RRRRREEEEEEEEEEENNNNN!

My arm burst and it stung like a…

"Watching you run away with your blood dripping really… gets… me… OFF!"

Thank god for adrenaline. I moved again to avoid another servant and understood that the chase was just for fun. The thing could have taken me out easily during this run. It was making me work for my death. As it landed I twisted to face it at the other end of a lane.

"Why are you doing this? Why do you have to kill? Why are you chasing me?"

Retarded though the question may have been I just didn't understand what it was truly after. If I weighed up all the information I got this: it was a monster from my nightmares, it behaved like a serial lunatic killer, it liked the smell and appearance of blood… but what was it after?

It stomped in my direction. "I'm a Hollow girly. This is what we do. We hunger for souls… and yours is practically a silver platter."

…Souls.

It wanted to eat my soul.

Immediately my body tried to reject the concept but my brain wouldn't listen.

They didn't just chase and menace over spirits. They had to consume them… They ate them… in order to survive. And here I was thinking that they were just monsters.

There were living beings in this screwed up world and universe that devour spirits. Living spirits.

I wonder what other twisted existences waited to encroach their treacherous nature upon us unknowing, illogical and emotionally led humans that allow our fears to best our inner strength.

"I won't just hand over my soul to you." I said in as calm a voice as possible.

"I wouldn't want you too. In fact I think you should run some more! Make me work for it!" I couldn't help it, my eyes were widening. "And then, when I've had my fill, I'll eat your giant friend back were we left him."

My gut clenched tightly. "And then what? You'll just let the boy go free… to hunt him some more?" Evil hedonistic.

"Hehehe, well it's his fault little girl. He's the one that made the deal to save his mommy!"

As sheer disgust and horror raced through me the hollow rushed forward.

It was going for the kill. Maybe I'd asked one too many questions. Whatever the reason it was diner time… and I had no intention of being the main course.

As if in slow motion my bleeding, aching arms came up in front of me. With grace the palms of my hands faced outward towards the incoming terror. I should have been scared to death but my head was buzzing again and my body was tingling, my heart racing, I felt so sharply present in the moment that the resounding terror at being eaten by this thing had worn to a dull nag.

His weight, his two large, retracted-winged claws rammed against my aloft arms…

…And they held. I didn't budge except to slide across the floor.

Again the faint green tinted aura enclosed my arms and covered my eyes. For just a moment I felt incredibly strong.

I was in the right place, at the right time.

I knew that apart from this creature there are just so much… so many different forms of life out there. And I could hear them…

They called through the black unknown and whispered so many unrecognisable things.

"What? What are you doing?" I flared the … whatever it was fluxing around me and it seemed to pain him, it. It couldn't pull its arms back. "WHAT ARE YOU?"

I…

…Was slowly loosing the small amount of increased power I'd managed to procure.

I built it up, allowing it to climb, to pressurize until it threatened to blow.

I heard a shout… someone was calling my name, somewhere far off. And I heard the sounds of cars honking, of sirens and yelling.

The voice calling my name sounding reassuringly familiar. For a moment my eyes focused over the surface of my raised arm and my jade blur of vision tried to centre on the distant figure; the tiny human running towards me in a black… something.

I pushed up against the burly and monstrous arms of the… Hollow? And it, he, pushed back.

Then I let it all out.

And the power crashed in between me and it catapulting us backwards; me far further in distance than it. I hit something hard, much harder than flesh… steel. And glass.

My body didn't hurt anymore but I felt unbearably weak and my back was wet.

Darkness filled my vision and my hearing fogged returning only in fragments. It made me feel somewhat detached.

"Mai! … Dammit! Rukia is she alright?"

"Ichigo, get the hollow!"

"Wait… are those leeches?"

"It looks like they were used as explosive devices."

"Son of a…"

I blacked out for a moment.

"…We can't just leave her there! If it wasn't for her we wouldn't even know that there was a hollow going after the kid!"

"I'll make sure she's alright… just go."

Chaotic noises and shouts; amidst the stress of it all I heard her voice as she wiped something off my forehead.

"What are you? …What did you just do? I couldn't see anything but I felt a spike…"

She wasn't expecting an answer.

"I'll make sure you're who you say you are another time."

Gee, won't that be a blast. I couldn't move a muscle… I felt numb.

"A substitute soul reaper huh? Wish I'd known you were out there but… I can't really decide which one of you smells tastier."

More fractured noise.

"…You attacked Chad, you hounded the soul of a kid, you used him… and you attacked my friend who was defenceless against you!" His voice turned to a justifiably antagonising attitude. "Heh…You're a four star wanker."

"She wasn't that defenceless you fool! Do you even see the wounds on my arms? I can't fly!"

"Don't care. The fact is she's unconscious and your still standing. What, did you think I was going to let you run because you were injured?"

I heard some movement.

"So you like bombs? Then here! Have your friends back!"

There was a crash followed by the hollow's grunt of pain.

Kurosaki was a master at goading persuasion.

"What's wrong? Aren't you going to detonate them with your tongue? …Well if you won't use it then I'll just TAKE IT FROM YOU!"

Some time later I heard a slice, a crack and a wail. The bellow was so fearful that I forced my eyes open and saw for a moment an image that would for ever be painted in my skull.

A pit of red and black horror… Twin gates with skeletons poised to stand halfway inside the solid matter and halfway outside that stood about fifty metres tall. It vibrated and came to a standstill which made me think it had grown from the ground. Not much of a stretch really seeing as how it looked like it could have easily sprung from a hell dimension.

Then I'm pretty sure I heard Kuchiki mention something about Hell Gates.

Jigoku…

The Hollow was imbedded on a huge axe and dragged backwards into hell as it screamed in absolute terror… more fear than any of his victims felt before they'd died.

That's when I really fell unconscious.

---

Kurosaki Clinic

Where… am I?

Dull overhead lights dim as they were still glared in my view as my eyes squinted open. I was lying on something soft but not too comfortable; as if too much bounce would impede recovery.

And I was in mending.

I couldn't look to my side properly; something was wrapped around my neck, maybe gauze and it prevented me from turning my head too far round. Taking a deep breath I tested the waters just to make sure I actually could budge before pushing myself up from the clinic bed.

Clinic bed.

I was in the Kurosaki clinic.

…Meaning I wasn't at home. God, what time was it? 10 O'clock? I hadn't been unconscious for more than three hours.

My head flashed back to the events of the evening. Hell Gates… Hollows… Kurosaki…

Kurosaki stopped the Hollow somehow.

I'd gotten my ass well and truly whipped and yet he'd been able to take it out in a matter of minutes. These past few weeks I'd been asked more times then I can count about who or what I was. Well I wanted to know who Ichigo Kurosaki was.

And I needed to vacate the premises and get home as soon as possible.

Sat in bed I checked my self over and found bandages covering half of my body. I shimmied forward towards the edge and tested my weight on one foot. All was well. Then a second foot. Good so far.

I limped around the bed to check my chart and froze when a door opened to the right of the bed behind the large green screen.

Quiet footsteps closed in on the partition and a shadow became still.

"Mai… you awake?" Kurosaki asked softly.

I didn't know whether to sigh in relief that it was him and no one else who came in or freak out because I didn't know what to say to him.

I was actually trembling a little from the strain of standing too still. The silhouette of his hand reached out for the curtain and I wanted to shield myself from sight as the soft glow from a side lamp hit my form. I looked like the proverbial deer trapped in the headlights. He stood silently and blinked, probably wondering what the hell I was doing.

"What are you doing up?" He asked slowly. Then he seemed to come to his senses. "Wait! You're injured! Get back in bed… now!"

I paused for a minute before speaking, taking in his clothing; dark slacks and a white t-shirt. Bed clothes. Oh…

He'd come to check on me before bed?

Well… that was nice of him…

I swallowed and shook my head weakly. "I can't, I've got to go home."

He hushed me. "You can go home tomorrow. Rest up…" His eyes roamed to my neck slowly travelling to my shoulders. "Please." His voiced was laced with a pleading guilt that fogged my already buzzing brain.

I reached a hand up to pat the areas his eyes were concentrating on and felt extra gauze etc fastened there. It felt like over kill.

"I-I don't need this." I whispered and started to pull it off.

Maybe my brain wasn't co-operating due to drugs or something but I really did feel fine. Just ridiculously tired and sore.

His reaction however made me think twice.

"What are you doing? Don't pull that off!" Too late. The wrapping around my neck fell away and he cursed.

"What the hell?" His voice though irritated and exasperated and worried was kept quiet. There were probably others in the building around us; it was connected to a house after all. He bent to pick up the bandages with an almost growl sound.

"I'm alright, see?" I said soothingly.

He rounded on me with his funny but mad twitching expression; the same one he used when he was feeling one too many emotions and he didn't know which to use first… and anger usually predominated the rest.

"You were thrown onto the roof of a car! Your neck was gushing blood! You are not…"

He stopped abruptly as his eyes once again paused in their travel to my now uncovered neck.

"W-what is it?"

He blinked dumbly as he peered from the side. "…It's nowhere near as bad as it was."

Oh… why not, what with everything else that's happened this evening.

I smiled hesitantly at him.

He sighed and shook his head.

"I still don't think it's a good idea for you to go home just yet." He shoved his fingers into his hair tiredly.

I sagged against the bed frame and pondered. My house wasn't too far from his but add to it my more than up-beat form and it would be somewhat like climbing Mount Everest.

"Do you have my bag?" I asked.

He looked around and walked over to a desk unit. From underneath he withdrew my bag. He raised a questioning brow and I pulled out my mobile. I sent a subtle text; given that I was used to living alone I'd been given a lot of lee-way in relation to curfews. There were three increasingly anxious texts already there for me to feel guilty about.

I waved the phone at him. "I'm just calling my family… they already knew I'd be out late anyway so… I put your number in by the way…" As you can see I'm so the expert at babbling.

But I wanted to demonstrate that I valued this new and utterly bizarre friendship that he'd offered, just as much as he seemed to.

He nodded with a bit of a shuffle.

I messed about with the bag for a moment, placing it beside my bed as he watched me.

Then I remembered. "Is Sado going to be okay?"

He made his way over to the cot. "Yeah, he's in the room next to yours."

"How about the bird… and the boy?" I wanted to know what he would say. Would he confirm the facts? Could he?

He cleared his throat. "The bird is fine. And the boy… yeah, he moved on."

I watched his eyes flicker. "What about the… whatever it was that was hunting him?"

He swallowed but his eyes didn't move from mine this time. "Just another angry ghost."

So that was it. He couldn't tell me anything. He was being held at an obligation though it was obvious from the soft apology held in his brown eyes that he wanted to talk about it, and from his earnest stare that most would miss that it wasn't a snub aimed at me.

Still my gut tugged.

I had to ask, to make sure… and on the off chance that he might say more. "I saw those gates…" I closed my eyes. "And I swear I saw a monster… and I heard you shouting…"

I let myself trail off but kept my eyes firmly closed.

It took him a moment before he spoke. "Mai you… you banged your head pretty badly. There's a good chance you hallucinated…" His tone was hesitant, cautious and with some trepidation, the same kind one would use when worried about the emotions of a patient.

And it reeked of self repugnance.

He was lying to me and he hated it.

It didn't stop the pull in my diaphragm but… there was nothing I could do. I was fearful toward the reaction he may give me if I were to tell him I fought with a creature named a Hollow; that I'd heard him fight it too… that deep down I wondered if I really was delusional. That I wasn't focusing on that I'd nearly died, that I knew Kurosaki was lying to me proved how insecure I really was.

It proved how much I wanted his friendship and I didn't know how to handle the residual impact the emotions from being lied to have on me.

I opened my eyes and without looking at him crawled back onto the cot. "You're probably right." I muttered quietly.

"Yeah…" He whispered, playing along.

I moved under the covers and watched his hand out of the corner of my eye as it fisted in the sheet at the bottom of the cot that he was leaning against.

His back was to me so I couldn't see his expression.

"Mai?"

"Hmm?"

"Do me a favour?"

"…Sure."

"If you find another ghost that's being… hounded on by another bad spirit, come tell me. Don't go off looking for a way to help it… its too dangerous." He spoke low and calm as if he were talking about a homework assignment.

I nodded then winced at the painful jolt it made down my back. "…Alright." …Lie after lie.

He nodded back.

He pushed of the frame and finally looked down at my curled up form. It made him yawn and he brought a hand up to smother it.

I bit my lip. "Kurosaki?"

"Hmm?"

I looked away from him for a moment. "Thank you."

He tilted his head. "For what?"

"…For saving my life." I said quietly.

He tried to dismiss it with a frown. "I didn't really do anything…"

I shook my head into the pillow. "No, you brought me here. And I did hear you… you did more than just stand there."

He pressed his lips together and leaned on one leg as if he weren't sure what to say or do. He caught me watching him and quirked up the side of his lips.

"You should go get some rest Kurosaki." I said as I brought an arm up to accompany my head on the pillow. "You look like you could sleep for a week."

He snorted. "Look who's talking."

He walked towards the door before a thought made my eyes snap open.

"Wait!"

Startled he turned back.

I gulped as I half sat, half lay on the cot. I could trust him with this, I had too. "Your father, he didn't take a blood sample did he?" I asked hurriedly.

He stood there with his hand already on the door knob, a slowly furrowing brow bringing back the scowl fully on his tired face.

"..No he didn't."

I closed my eyes in relief and lay back down on the pillows facing the ceiling.

"Why?"

My eyes didn't open at his tense question. It didn't matter anyway; he couldn't possibly know why I'd asked anyway.

"Just… don't take any of my blood… okay?" I whispered without looking to check his face. Mine was scrunched into a pained grimace as my head began to throb and pulse again. But he didn't answer. "Please just trust me Kurosaki."

"…Alright." He said finally.

I turned my head to the side to look at him feeling suddenly guilty. He stood there looking at me curiously. I let a soft smile grace my face. "…We all have our secrets Kurosaki."

He raised an eyebrow with a definite smirk lining the side of his jaw. "You know… I'll figure it out eventually, whatever it is you're hiding."

"Not before I figure out yours."

His scowl returned. "Is that a challenge?"

"Hardly, I'm already halfway there." I closed my eyes again, more than ready to sleep.

"Game on Mai."

His quiet provocation made me grin like nothing else.

---

Ichigo's Bedroom

"How is she?"

Ichigo's forehead twitched; he'd entered his bedroom to find his shinigami guide reclining on his bed next to the window, calm as you please making herself at home.

He sighed with an eye roll; the woman would never listen to him about the boundaries of his bedroom. Guys have boundaries; not many, but some which they need others to adhere to.

"She's fine. She's sleeping."

He didn't mention how stunned he'd been to find her standing, to find her capable of doing so without toppling over.

When they'd brought her in (with the help of two complete strangers from the car accident) blood had poured all down her back and side.

He'd figured his dad would have sent her straight to the hospital and for a single moment he'd dreaded over the idea of having to explain how sorry he was to nameless, faceless strangers that were her family.

But he'd found her standing.

His dad said she was doing well but… Christ.

"The wounds on her back were made by the hollow." Rukia said unnecessarily.

Yeah… the large claw marks raked into her right shoulder blade.

He should have figured that if she could see ghosts as well as he could then she could see Hollows too.

But what the hell had she been doing toying with a hollow?

…No. He knew full well…

She was trying to save Chad and Yuichi… by making herself the target.

Stupid…

And so …good.

But still…

She was a freaking idiot!

"Ichigo?"

He snapped back to attention. "What?"

Her arms were crossed as she stared out of the window, her expression pensive. "Mai Li… what do you know about her?"

"Huh?"

She looked back to stare him in the eye and while they were relaxed the rest of her; her body language and facial expression was on edge.

"Are you friends?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "…Yes."

She watched him. "Why did you pause?"

He sighed again. "It's complicated." She raised a curious brow and he relented. "I met her on the first day of school but it took a little while for her…" He paused to reconsider. "…I wanted her to…" He frowned when it still didn't sound right. "She holds back a lot a school. I want to be her friend but I kind of sabotaged the trust issue recently." He added with a grimace.

"She can see ghosts." Rukia added softly.

He nodded stifling a yawn. Mai's secrets were hers to tell Rukia, not for him to go blabbing about… not that he knew much but…

"Maybe I should use the Kiokuchikan on her…"

He stopped abruptly in between yawn and stretch.

"…It wouldn't do for her to have memory of the incident and to go around blabbing it the next person she-"

"No. No way. We're not going to do it to her, not like what we did to Inoue… Not this time."

Rukia paused as she watched him; the conviction in his eyes and the more serious tilt to his eyebrows.

He stared her straight in the eye. "…Not this time Rukia, we can't."

"Why? Keeping your identity secret Ichigo is of the utmost importance. Humans are not supposed to know about the existence of soul reapers."

It took him a minute to answer. "This is different… it's complicated." He sighed. "…She saved Chad's life, it would be a pretty crappy pay off if she was to have her memories erased just for that."

"Substituted, not erased."

"Whatever."

He couldn't even understand it himself, not really. All he knew was that it didn't feel right. The very idea felt like a betrayal and he didn't think he could go through with it. He knew that Rukia was only trying to keep him and his friends/family safe, that 'substituting' Inoue's and Tatsuki's memories was as much for their safety as his but…

Mai was different.

It wasn't necessary.

"Get some sleep Ichigo." Rukia said, interrupting his thoughts. She jumped off his bed dressed in his sister's pj's and walked towards the closet were she slept.

Small though it maybe that tiny cupboard was blissfully comfortable. No way was she telling anybody else that; it was all hers… not like anyone would actually care…

Grateful that she'd dropped the subject he nodded. "I don't need telling twice." He said as he stepped forward.

And crashed into his covers, out like a light.

Rukia Kuchiki's mind however dwelled. How had Mai Li known about the Hollow before she and Ichigo? Hollow: Shrieker. Servant user. Level two and above. Sadistic impulsive.

She was far from ungrateful; the hollow was a notorious trouble maker for soul reapers and it earned her a pretty penny with Urahara but…

How could Mai have sensed its arrival hours before it attacked?

And how could she see ghosts?

She didn't have quite the same feeling of spiritual energy coming off her that Ichigo had and his was by no means stable… But hers…

For that small moment it had been a shot of the most refined of energies.

Rukia had felt it vibrate the air before a shot of greenish… something had escaped Mai Li's body. She'd arrived a few seconds earlier than Ichigo and had glimpsed the strange phenomena. And the Hollow: the injuries on its arms had been so severe it couldn't move them even a fraction.

The worst thing about it though was that Kuchiki couldn't deem Mai a friend or foe.

She couldn't sense anything from her in that particular sense. This alone unnerved the small soul reaper. Normally she was good at getting a read on an individual. Now, she couldn't even scratch the surface.

---

Mai

At night the room was a home of shadows likened to my dreams.

The dark could be noted peaceful or frighteningly intense.

And I never knew when a vision or an apparition would visit me in my most vulnerable state of self. I couldn't always tell, whenever this happened, if I was asleep or really awake.

But there was no doubt with this one.

Something had awoken me so suddenly I had to question whether or not I had actually been asleep at all. I'd blinked sleep out of my eyes only to feel the air around me shift and turn cold.

I shivered and received that prickle on the back of your neck when you know you're not alone, when the small hairs stand up on end.

Slowly I lifted my head from the pillows to stare into the darkened areas of the clinic room.

A boy was standing in the darkest corner.

What little light was available from the faint glow through the gap in between the green bed curtains reflected upon his white school shirt. The moonlight through the small window made the blood look quite black.

He was talking but no words, no sound whatsoever came out of his mumbling mouth. His eyes were wide and vacant.

My heart was pumping like mad but I managed to whisper. "I…I can't understand what you're trying to say."

In the night his hand stretched out towards me, as if he wanted to show me something.

Then the darkness around him seemed to contract and he disappeared.

I sucked in a breath.

Never had I been visited during my sleeping hours before… It felt like an invasion.

Especially in a room not my own. I felt vulnerable. I wondered for a moment why he hadn't visited Kurosaki who was just one floor up from me.

Why was he trying to communicate to me? What could I do?

Needless to say I didn't go back to sleep.

---

The Next Day…

The next morning I'm ashamed to say that I snuck away from the clinic before anybody woke up. I narrowly avoided bumping into Dr. Kurosaki on the way too. I didn't want any hassle so I'd left the address of the Onsen so that the bill could be sent there.

It wasn't as if I were ungrateful… it was just that I wanted to avoid the questions and inevitable grilling Miss Rukia Kuchiki would put me through.

Plus… the vision the night before hadn't allowed for even a remotely peaceful slumber. Understandably I was a little spooked. But unusually enough my body wasn't suffering too badly; I'd say I was doing much too well after my little accident… I was diligently ignoring the fact that I'd toyed with a hollow. Even after so little sleep my body was alight with anticipation.

Needless to say however that once I arrived home Chiyu wasn't impressed by my appearance; especially after I'd told her there had been a car wreck down in Minamikawase.

That had made her stutter to silence.

I tried not to feel guilty as hell about it too.

After disbelieving shouts I still decided to go to school but was surprised by the scowler standing choc full of attitude a few yards in front of the Onsen.

I blinked. "Kurosaki…?"

Arms were crossed over his chest, his glare screamed just how unimpressed he was with my behaviour and a muscle in his cheek twitched every other second. He seemed determined to glare the crap out of me even if his eyes flickered occasionally from me to the striking looking Onsen and back again in obvious curiosity.

I gulped and tried to smile apologetically. "…Sorry." It came out like a question.

He snorted. "Did you have to run off that early? Dad went nuts thinking you'd been taken or something and Yuzu, my little sister, almost cried!"

His lips turned upwards when he saw the shame in my eyes. His sister worked as a kind of helper nurse to her father, I remembered hearing her voice. Impressive in one so young.

Still… I grimaced. "Hitting a little below the belt don't you think?"

He raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "Er… no. You freaked me out too." My eyes widened and he sighed. "Even Chad stayed to get checked up on."

My tone turned attentive. "How is he? …Does he remember…?" I let my voice trail off when Kurosaki's eyes found mine again.

"…His memory's a bit jumbled. He took a pretty good knock to the head… but he's going to be fine." He replied seriously before adding, "He's waiting around the corner with Rukia."

I blinked. Oh, what, really? Unexpected. Nodding my head and quietly closing the door behind me I stepped into line with him. Today Pei was sleeping in an extra hour and Jihi was already at the school for his kickboxing and wrestling session with the first/second years.

Kurosaki kept close as if to male sure I didn't go anywhere.

Noticing that he didn't wear a tie (not all guys did) or the obligatory undershirt he gestured towards the corner and led the way.

"So…" He scratched his neck and indicated his head in the direction of the Onsen. Enough said.

"Oh, right, erm… my family owns a chain of them. They moved here when it started to do well."

He raised an eyebrow at me. "They moved here? Not you?"

I shook my head. "Not at the time. I stayed for the rest of the year so that I could finish middle school."

His brow furrowed. "Was it that important to you that you had to stay behind?"

I looked at him side on. "When I start something I finish it… preferably with as good an outcome as I can possibly achieve."

He looked me in the face for a few seconds before a sigh like chuckle escaped him.

I blinked. "What?"

He shook his head with a slight grin. "Nothing. I'm just getting a solid glimpse of what you're personality is really like."

I frowned confused. "…Is it humorous or something?"

He just shook his head leaving me all the more baffled.

We reached the end of the street to see Sado sitting on a low wall and Kuchiki standing with her arms folded.

When she saw me her body language immediately turned defensive and her eyes held a kind of curious suspicion within them.

Great…

She raised an eyebrow and without her usual buoyancy asked. "How are you feeling?"

I shrugged and tilted my head. "So, so. I'm not in any pain or anything." Not much anyway.

As Kuchiki's brow began to furrow Sado stepped up. "…That's good." He seemed relieved. His mouth opened again as if he wanted to say something else and I waited. After a moment I was rewarded. "Sorry. You got hurt because you tried to help me…"

I shook my head good naturedly and out of the corner of my eye I saw Kurosaki and Kuchiki have a silent eye conversation. "It wasn't your fault, what I did was dumb, incredibly so… in fact I'd thank Kurosaki…"

Said person jerked round upon hearing his name, distracted from whatever he and Kuchiki were discussing.

"…He did save us after all." I finished with a smile.

Kurosaki blinked at me as Sado looked at him in surprise. Obviously he'd completely missed his presence the previous night.

I moved past them and started onwards to school ignoring the look of unease Kuchiki threw my way.

It wasn't until I'd reached the end of the lane that footsteps thundered behind me. I turned my head a few inches just to have Kurosaki deliberately nudge his bag into my good shoulder. Looking at him he just scowled as he walked by my side. Sado and Kuchiki joined us within moments and we travelled silently, companionably, yet tensely to school.

Had I said the wrong thing before? I saw the small look Kurosaki gave me; of begrudging friendliness and baffled inquisitiveness. Maybe, just maybe I wasn't so bad at this friendship gig.

The day at school was normal for the most part apart from two things.

First there was a rumour circulating about a missing first year in class 1-A. Not one person knew the name which made me think that either he was a nobody without friends or he had a close knit crew of just a few of them. It turned out I was correct on the latter as we passed a group of four people whispering and muttering behind their hands with worried eyes.

It didn't help that whatever description I could gather about the boy was eerily similar to the vision that paid me a visit last night.

All day I looked for him. He didn't show.

Most people however had their attention captured by the arrival of a new fairground. The attraction had hosted its third consecutive night and had another week to go before it took off. Keigo was already having kittens about going to it one night this week.

When I entered class with Sado we were swamped with questions by our friends about our bandages and hidden injuries. There was really nothing to say on the matter. We were fine.

However when Keigo saw me and the plasters on my neck he completely ignored the fact that I might be in pain and jumped on me. Again he reminded me of Pei and her tactics during some of her more memorable and overenthusiastic displays of affection. Where they twins separated at birth? All I knew now was that two people gave me daily bruises. And it was one of the reasons why I never stopped her from doing it.

Keigo shouted with crying eyes. "MAI! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU? MY HERO GOT HURT BEING HEROIC!"

It went on like that for awhile.

Eventually Kurosaki had to bop him on the head calling him an idiot as Chad- no Sado! No! Kurosaki calling him Chad all the time was rubbing off on me. Anyway SADO helped me up.

OH… apparently his bird flew away. I felt sorry for him, especially after his forlorn expression; he really did like small and cute things. Maybe he'd like Pei.

I half expected Rukia Kuchiki to intercept me at some point during the day but… zip.

She'd watched me out of the corner of her eye like a hawk though, as though she was waiting for some sort of sign of my character that she could act upon, some possible negativity to latch upon.

Everything was rolling by at speed. The air itself seemed to change. It was only a matter of time before all was altered.

"…ai…"

And yet I felt as if Kurosaki was already aware of the change and experiencing it for himself.

"…Mai."

I was behind on some universal memorandum and yet the hands and various energies simultaneously pulling at me refused to allow me time to adjust.

"Mai!"

Locks of auburn hair drifted in my view followed by a pair of unusually and emotionally perceptive grey eyes.

"Mai? Are you in there? Oh no… maybe space aliens invaded her brain! Mai, come back to us!"

Pulled from my deeper thoughts I snapped awake to gape slightly dazed at the hands waving rapidly in front of my face.

"Er, Orihime?" I blinked and sighed. "Sorry I was deep in thought." I peered up at her as she looked down at me.

Well I did look a right sight today.

Her head tilted. "Are you sure you're alright?" I nodded with a strained smile. Then her hands clasped. "Maybe if you came to the fair tonight… Oh wait…" She said and deflated with a small pout. "I won't be able to make it…" Then she perked up again with bright sparkly eyes. "But it's bound to be fun and Tatsuki's going too!"

I peered at her. "Still sorting out your apartment?" Or what was left of it.

She nodded perkily and beamed at me.

I felt suddenly extremely undeserving of her presence.

Afternoon found us sat in one of the lower floor classrooms waiting for our teacher to arrive with his copious notes; lunch had been a rather deflated affair and I felt an unconscious tug in my stomach that Kurosaki was avoiding sitting near me… but that didn't stop him from watching me.

And right after the bell rang for fourth period I'd sensed the unwavering flux of activity round near the corner of the school and as soon as I'd done so I'd involuntarily searched out Kurosaki and Kuchiki. The energy emission was a Hollow. It was much clearer to sense now that I'd personally faced one. I found the duo walking on opposite sides of the corridor and yet they were still… together in a sense.

In that single moment Kurosaki chose to look back at me and paused in his walk, searching me with a deliberating frown.

Then Kuchiki's phone went off and he jumped. In a flash it was out oh her pocket and she was reading the message. She looked at Kurosaki and I almost missed the nod she threw his way before she pelted passed me and down the hall way.

Kurosaki followed her immediately.

Well… that was unexpected. Two guesses where they went. I felt pretty dumb about how long it had taken for me to figure it out actually.

Afterwards I was accosted once again by Keigo and everyone else. The topic of discussion was the fair ground and they all wanted to know if I would be going and if I wanted to be picked up.

I immediately answered with a solid no, Jihi not withstanding, I wasn't sure I had the energy for new introductions, not today being as discombobulated as I was. The very image of my friends meeting my family made me sweat.

But the moment I'd explained to Keigo that I lived next to an Onsen that my family owned I immediately wished I hadn't.

"An Onsen… one of my girlfriends lives in an Onsen…" He whispered dreamily.

One of my girlfriends? I raised a brow over at Tatsuki and saw her shaking her head darkly at Keigo as if to say 'dream on'.

Kurosaki just happened to be passing by (cough, eves-dropping, cough) and looked over at me.

"Oh yeah, I never did ask you about that."

"There's not much to tell." I answered quietly and diffidently; I preferred never to speak about myself.

Unfortunately for me Kurosaki seemed to have the natural propensity to a) bring unwanted attention down upon me and b) be unnaturally nosy about my life.

Which meant that he wouldn't let up any time soon.

The determined look in his eyes said more than enough about that.

All my subtle hints had given him a kind of thirst to understand, more than probably, why I was the way I was.

And now I had the attention of Keigo, Mizuiro, Tatsuki and Orihime… the princess looked more than a little surprised to find that Kurosaki knew where I lived and that I lived in an Onsen… double the affect. Then again I never did let up much about myself as was my way.

I swallowed.

A thoughtful look spread over Tatsuki's face. "So your family owns an Onsen huh? You never did say…" She trailed off.

"We never did ask." Kurosaki replied as he side glanced his long time friend.

He placed his bag to rest on the floor against the desk he half leaned, half sat on. He scowled and gave me a one over.

"What?" I asked.

He pointed a single finger at me. "You're going to run an Onsen? You?" I don't think he was trying to be insulting… It was the natural assumption to think that I would inherit the place.

I shifted and shook my head. "…No." God no. When he nodded appeased I spoke again. "Why?"

He shrugged and embellished. "I just couldn't imagine that being the… kind of life that you would want… in the future."

I tilted my head. "What kind of life does it look like I'd be suited to in future?" If I was being honest I actually wanted his opinion. I myself had no clue to the intricacies of my own mind. I couldn't see myself doing anything beyond the tomorrow so the fact that he may have seen something I hadn't was a compelling thought for analysis.

And it was that same expression on his face. The infuriating way he'd stare at something with his overly powerful scowl and the pointed ridge of his constantly furrowed brow; how he'd suck on a pencil and just… stare.

The kind of look where you weren't entirely sure whether he just really disliked you, whether he had in fact caught a glimpse of food stuck in your teeth or some gum in your hair, or if he was just bored and looking for something to find interest in.

Of course it was kind of analytical too… not that someone with his personality would ever be caught analysing anyone. I fought to keep a passive expression.

I caught Tatsuki scratching her neck. "Hmmm… I think you'd be good doing something that involved kicking butt." She seemed to ponder for a moment before she blinked with a start and looked at me quickly. "Hey! You'd be a good teacher!" She added with some bounce; it was the only time Tatsuki showed a more bubbly side to her persona, when Martial Arts was involved.

I dropped my forehead into my hand as Kurosaki's eyebrow drifted upwards and looked away to Tatsuki. "Teacher?"

She nodded satisfied with her conclusion. "At my dojo." She shrugged. "It shouldn't be much of a stretch to believe, she pretty much proved that the last time we went at it."

With wide eyes I looked up at her in disbelief. This was not a subject I wished to approach.

But Tatsuki didn't waver; she just shrugged again. To her there was no problem… but for me the damage was now done.

"Wait…"

I grimaced when I heard his voice and turned to face him again. He looked between me and Tatsuki. "You sparred?" I didn't reply so much as moan but Tatsuki nodded her head smiling.

His eyes lightened in interest. "How did it go?"

"Great, great, Tatsuki's great!" I butted in, hoping to shift the attention onto Tatsuki through a compliment.

Kurosaki lifted an eyebrow at her.

"She kept up." She replied simply. "…She impressed the other students there; half of the class want her to come back for an encore." Tatsuki added after a moment.

I smiled uneasily. "No more than you Tatsuki." Kurosaki's scowling face turned from Tatsuki to me than back again. She frowned at me too confused as to why I was becoming increasingly anxious.

"No more than usual. They see me practice every day."

I shrugged. "Well then it was probably because they aren't use to seeing anybody else practice with you." End of discussion.

"Oh yeah…" Tatsuki continued as with an airy yet patronising nod and I felt a moment of foreboding. "…Very impressed they were… to see me on the floor with your knee in my face and your hand fisted in my hair." She finished with a grin and walked off towards her seat with the Princess in tow.

I pressed my lips together. Well there goes that plan.

My eyes flickered to Kurosaki who hadn't moved off his desk. His head was tilted and he was looking at me again with that scowl.

"…Not bad. You beat Tatsuki." He finally uttered.

"We tied."

He shook his head. "No, Tatsuki said you kept up. That means that you're at least as good as she is… maybe better if what she said was true."

I raised an eyebrow. "Does it matter?"

"…No."

But he was still looking at me. Trying to draw out my secrets and yet completely at ease with how slow the process was going. I wasn't very enthused with the idea of people knowing I was a good fighter. If anything Tatsuki's teacher would come-a-knocking and then the entire school would know. Not that they'd care or anything but if anybody ever received the slightest whiff of my past they would immediately know who to go to.

Kurosaki seemed to deliberate for a moment before moving up off the desk. He scratched his neck and looked down at the floor as if to pick up his bag.

"…We should spar sometime." He muttered.

Quickly I looked at him completely caught off guard. I remembered Tatsuki saying that after sparring with her once he never did again… because he beat her. Even though she could still improve, even though that's what sparring partners do he still hadn't wanted to again. At first I thought that maybe it was because he'd secured his position as top. Then I thought maybe he didn't want to hurt her. But then I came to an understanding… he just didn't feel the need to.

Sure, Kurosaki was the competitive kind but… not with Tatsuki.

And that must have hurt her... and not just for the fact that he didn't consider her as opposition but because there are certain emotions involved with having a competitive streak… Passion. Anger. Frustration… Desire… satisfaction… fulfilment…

Emotions that were absent between them.

He didn't feel any particular kind of inclination or intense feeling towards sparring with her… which probably meant that he also didn't see her as anything more than a friend.

Being more perceptive with the feelings of others than my own, it was in some ways easier to scope out Tatsuki's feelings than Orihime's. She had a crush on Kurosaki too.

But the guy was oblivious.

…And he was waiting for some kind of answer. I cleared my throat and nodded. "Sure… I mean if you'd like to… sure." I uttered quietly.

I may be less than enthusiastic about my peers being privy to the more sordid details of my life but I did enjoy sparring.

He blinked. "Yeah? …Great, we can-"

"Excuse me… ssccuuussseemmmeeeee! This is your cell phone! Pick up buddy! Pick up, pick up, PICK UPPP!"

We both froze as the LOUD whiny sound reverberated from his pant pocket. His scowl grew comically rigid and I fought down the urge to laugh out loud.

"Er… was that um, your phone?" my voice wobbled in amusement.

Kurosaki's face was slowing turning into a deep red, still frozen in his former slouch.

The people around us were staring at him.

The obnoxious ring tone started again and he immediately snapped in fingers into his pocket to turn off the sound. He stared in livid disbelief at the phone as an eyebrow twitched.

"…Keigo…" He breathed furiously.

"IIICCCHHHIIIGGGOOO!"

Impeccable timing.

Keigo came running through the door of the class room and immediately bounded for his orange haired friend who stuck his foot at the last possible second causing Keigo to go flying on the floor.

He moaned as he moved to turn on his back. "H-hey Ichigo… buddy…"

"You're no buddy of mine! You see this?"

Kurosaki shoved his phone into Keigo's face. "What the hell did you do to my phone?"

Keigo blinked at device ignoring the threatening look he was receiving. "Do?"

"You changed the freaking ring tone!" Kurosaki shouted in his face as he bent over him. "WHAT'S WITH THIS WUSSY 'SCUSE ME' DEAL?" He shouted with wide eyes.

Pathetically Keigo tried to smile in order to placate. "O-oh t-that… I-it was a… joke?"

Oh man… what a noob.

Some time later a fairly bruised Keigo and a completely satisfied Kurosaki sat near to me.

"RIGHT!" Keigo jumped up despite the bruises. "MAI YOU ARE INVITED TO COME-"

"And by invite he means you have no choice in the matter." Kurosaki added his five cents with his usual scowl.

Keigo ignored him and pushed on. "-TO THE FAIR GROUND TONIGHT!"

Hadn't we already been over this? The day had finally moved on and Keigo had exploded with un-declared enthusiasm.

He wouldn't take no for an answer.

Unfortunately this meant that everyone else had to suffer alongside his outrageous smiles.

I tried my hardest to once again ignore my complicated and confused feelings that had been so abounded lately; the bright light of Kurosaki not withstanding.

So, according to Keigo's plan, poor Tatsuki would be dragged by an extremely deprived Keigo and (oddly enough) Mizuiro who would then burst their way into Kurosaki's place. They would haul him unceremoniously from his house regardless of any due-in-tomorrow homework to spend time with their two needy friends kicking and screaming to go pick up myself.

The moment Keigo mentioned this plan Kurosaki slapped a hand over his eyes.

The fact that I lived in the most talked about place of rest only seemed to spurn him on.

"Er Keigo, I said this before, I could just meet you there." I said with a kind smile. If they came to fetch me they'd meet Jihi and that was a scene I wasn't quite ready to deal with.

Ichigo huffed and crossed his arms, his scowl showered on us all. "It doesn't matter what you say, they'll just do it anyway." Then he smirked mercilessly. "On second thought, why not? They're going to make me come, why not give you the same treatment! Heck, it'd be nice to see the same thing happen to someone else for a change."

My eyebrow twitched before I fake sighed. "Oh, you're so hard done to."

"I am, believe me." He said, his voice long suffering.

Keigo looked scandalised. "But Ichigo! You'd never play with us if we didn't drag you out too!"

A tick formed on Kurosaki's brow as Mizuiro looked to his pathetic friend. "…Play?"

Today wasn't a day I would have dreamed about nor was it a day to expect great things. It was just another day. And yet after today my life would change forever. Change was swift after all and the consequences of ones actions being what they are I would step forth into a world that Kurosaki opened a door to…

The prequel was over.

But the life altering event, the exact moment when my existence becomes a target for scrutiny, where up becomes down and left turns to right…

…Starts with a funfair and a haunted house.

---

Evidently I'd no choice in the matter but in the end I managed to convince Keigo and everyone to meet me there. It had been too easy to leave the Onsen; I'd practically been forced out of the door.

And Pei was expecting details.

"Sorry Pei." I'd said quietly so as to not alert Jihi or Chiyu.

For the first time it would be Pei that would be missing out and not myself. But she took it gracefully.

Pei had shrugged. "No biggy… I'll want details later." She'd added with a suggestive smile.

I'd tilted my head thoroughly nonplussed. "…Details?"

Pei nodded once. "Details."

I'd raised my eyebrows. "…Okay, but-"

"PEI! PEI WHERE ARE YOU? IT'S TIME FOR YOUR LESSONS AND DADDY'S NOT FEELING THE LOVE HERE!"

We'd both cringed in wide eyed alarm as the sound echoed from the back of the house were my uncle was awaiting his daughter's presence.

"Go!" Pei had hushed at me as she pushed me down the yard.

I'd ran and pulled on my jacket as I tore past the letterbox.

Luckily I was out of sight by the time Jihi emerged in all his teaching glory to lecture Pei who just rolled her eyes and stomped back inside.

But really, what kind of details was she expecting. I could hardly explain about the few apparitions or ghosts I'd seen on my way over here or the fact that I was constantly on the lookout for Hollows. Stupid seeing as how I couldn't do anything against them, at least not without the aid of Kurosaki… the perfect and unwanted recipe for a damsel if I ever heard one.

A lot had happened in just 24 hours and I wasn't sure how to take it all in.

Kurosaki's casual intrigue… Kuchiki's suspicions… Keigo's idiocy… Pei's assumptions… Jihi and Chiyu's mysterious behaviour… Uryu Ishida's stigma…

And my chaotic dreams; dark and full of miscellaneous content.

I would wonder what it all meant some other time but right now… fun was calling to me.

The rhythm of the fair pulsed even from half a mile away; the various echoes of energy making my own hum. I could see it so clearly I started to smile reduced to a child like innocence when first shown the delights of carousels and candyfloss.

It stood out like a neon bright Christmas tree in a shopping centre at night in the middle of summer.

The fair was quite a bit larger than I thought it would be and the rides were numerous varying from the ever popular Waltz to the classic Ferris wheel. Bright lights flashed in an array of colours and you couldn't really help but be swept away by it all. May had only just started and the weather had gone from 'chilly' with 'rain showers' to 'dry' with 'warm wind flowing from the west' or so said the weather girl.

It had been years since I'd last been to an amusement fair. I tried to enjoy myself but it was difficult knowing Pei would have so much loved to have joined us. But then we would have run the risk of suffering the wrath of Jihi.

It didn't take long for me to locate Kurosaki.

Curiously he was alone; passively staring up at the bright lights or the stars, whichever. There wasn't a single thought expressed upon his face and his frown though hard-lined wasn't angry or focused.

"Hey." I spoke quietly not knowing if I were intruding on his quiet.

He blinked turning his head sharply in my direction. Eyebrows raised, he moved towards me. "Hey… you're early." Then he frowned incredulous. "Did you want to come here that badly?" Apparently the mere thought of more 'Keigo time' was too much to stand.

I looked at him dead-pan. "Hardly." Actually I'd wanted an early night. I shrugged. "I had the time."

He sighed. "I wish I did."

I tilted my head as I watched him focus once again on whatever he was staring at. "Then why did you come too?"

"You're kidding right?"

I blinked at him.

"You do realise that Keigo would never let it go if I hadn't decided to show. Besides…" His eyes flickered to our surroundings. "…I had things to do here too."

"Like ghost hunting?" I asked.

Startled auburn or brown or tawny (pick one, his eyes fit a range of a multitude of brown colours) eyes glanced at me, slowly relaxing. Then he nodded in acceptance as he brushed a hand over his naturally spiky hair. "A little girl named Sen was here… I wanted to get here to… talk to her before she…"

"Before she was eaten?" I finished gently.

He flinched and narrowed his eyes as he considered me. "How much do you know Mai?"

I just looked at him. That was direct. Much more direct than I thought he would be or could be with me. I played dumb for a minute; I had no idea why he was asking anyway.

"About what Kurosaki? …I know that 2 + 2 = 4." His eyebrow twitched in irritation. "…That he that wants money, means, and content is without thee good friends…I know that my right shoulder is still killing me from last night…"

"Yes, well you shouldn't have rushed off so damn early in the morning." He reprimanded me as his eyes rolled. Good, he'd been knocked off course.

I lifted one side of my mouth. "I know."

"Why did you? …Run, I mean?" He added suddenly.

I sighed. "Being looked after makes me uncomfortable. And…" And Rukia was already suspicious enough about me as it was; I didn't want to add fuel to the inevitable fire.

"…And?" He insisted.

"And I didn't want… I knew I'd sound crazy if I started going on about what I'd seen." I laughed in self-derision but he didn't do anything but look at me. "I mean I hit my head pretty hard!"

He didn't smile. "…Right."

Then he did a 180. "Wait… what was that thing you just said? That quote er…"

"…he that wants money, means, and content is without thee good friends?"

He nodded, interest seeping through him like a wave. I smiled fully this time.

"Yes, it was Shakespeare."

He raised a disbelieving brow. "Shakespeare."

I scratched my neck a little pink faced. "From a play: 'As you like it'."

He almost smirked. "Really? …Didn't know that." For some reason he sounded sort of…amused.

I stared at him. "Why are you smirking?" I felt like I was missing out on something.

He shook his head as he swallowed down what I assumed to be a laugh. "Nothing, really."

"THAT WAS SO INCREDIBLE! IT'S GOTTA BE SOME KIND OF A RECORD! I FEEL SO ALIVE! LET'S GO AGAIN!"

"NO!"

Straight away Kurosaki's face fell back into his ever suffering scowl as he slowly turned to observe the arguing trio as they walked towards us.

He doesn't really have a permanent scowl on his face… it's just hard lined; like he's practised at making it look that way. He probably took the time to sit stiffly on his bed for hours as he concentrated on making his face stay filled with attitude.

"Really, lifting your hands up in the air as you go around at ungodly speeds does not equal to any kind of a record!" Shouted Tatsuki at Keigo who wasn't even fazed.

"Oh yeah? Then how about the slinky trick? It lasted all the way down to the bottom! IT NEVER ONCE STOPPED! IT WAS STILL GOING WHEN WE GOT OFF!"

"Again, Sliding a slinky down a rollercoaster as we go round the tack does not equate to this level of noise so quit it!"

"And it starts…" Kurosaki muttered.

Keigo looked over at us and I gave a nervous smile.

"MAI'S HERE!" He cried.

And crashed into me.

"Well done numb-nuts." Said Tatsuki dully.

From the floor I looked up towards a frowning Kurosaki and groaned as I tried to gently shove the Keigo shaped lump off of my stomach. "He really does remind me of Pei…"

Tatsuki's foot appeared in my line of sight and kicked him off me; he rolled with a squeal on the floor.

"Pei?" Kurosaki asked as he held a hand out for me to grab.

I slipped my hand into his and allowed him to pull me up. "My cousin. I live with her."

Unsurprisingly he was more than capable of pulling me off the floor; he wasn't weak. At such a close proximity I could feel his energy flux from within him and it confused me. Having two different sensations running through the same system brought on a kind of derogatory effect. It felt like him: the epitome of power, but it also felt foreign and overlapped.

My fingers shook in his grip as I steadied myself and I saw his eyes flicker down towards our joined hands. Then my hand slid out of his, fingers brushing over solid knuckles and I saw him turn towards Keigo untroubled.

Electric jolts between two people were something I'd only read about in fiction novels so I didn't mention the slight shock that coursed between the palms of our hands. I looked down at my own and frowned.

I didn't see Kurosaki flex his hand as we moved towards a candy stall.

It wasn't long after this however, just five minutes that Kurosaki got kidnapped …by Kuchiki, and both disappeared like ghosts, no joke intended.

As soon as it happened Keigo had keened, afraid that he was missing out on something.

The whole thing had been uber quick; one minute Kurosaki was there talking to us about two minutes away from having a good time and the next a streak of black barged into his side and he was gone.

I'd stared in shock seconds before my face became stony and Tatsuki and Mizuiro started talking about how this had been happening a lot recently. So she, Keigo and Mizuiro had tried to cheer themselves up by dragging me away with them and wandering around the fair and failing miserably in their mission.

The night was going swell.

Approaching the closest food vendor to stock up on much needed sugar I heard a loud teary squeal. I whipped around and wasn't so surprised to find Keigo in the midst of some sort of seizure. I admit that I thought it wouldn't have taken this long for him to blow… I sighed.

I turned to watch this latest episode (admittedly Keigo was fascinating; I'd never met another human with his skewed understanding of how the world was supposed to function around him) and looked over to Tatsuki in the hopes of eliciting some information about what had set him off… I received a dull stare back. This depressing atmosphere needed to change.

Keigo's eyes were bulging. "This is so amazing we're out on a school night surrounded by beautiful lights, beautiful girls and beautiful possibilities just waiting to be explored! But more importantly…" He whirred on poor Tatsuki and pointed in accusation as if his wretched situation was all her fault. "WHY THE HELL DIDN'T ORIHIME COME? AND RUKIA! IN YUKATAS! WHY AREN'T THEY HERE WEARING BEAUTIFUL CLEAVAGE CREATING YUKATAS? WHY ARE WE JUST STUCK WITH YOU?"

He almost fell to his knees as he looked towards me near tears. "AND MAI! YOU LIVE AT AN ONSEN… AND YOU COULDN'T WEAR A YUKATA?! ICHIGO! WHERE ART THOU?" He shrieked.

Already apparently too exposed to this kind of behaviour on a daily basis Tatsuki replied with an eye roll and a cynical sigh.

"Girls shouldn't wear yukatas to funfairs. It would be like an advertisement allure for creepy middle aged men. Or perverted, pathetic morons like you."

Said perv quieted suddenly and started moaning to himself. I shook my head and, carrying my coke cans began moving back towards the trio. Tatsuki appeared a little peeved. I looked back at the idiot mumbling and figured that it would take maybe another minute of this before she was hitting him… again. Like Chizuru, Keigo earned many of Tatsuki's punches and I know from personal experiences how hard they are.

"…no… no of course you wouldn't like a yukata you being a-sexual and all… but we teenage boys have needs! …Wouldn't have been too bad since Ichigo agreed to come but then he up and vanished with Rukia the only REAL source of inspiration for male imagination around here. Whimper…sigh… probably on second base already-."

SMACK! BASH!

"OWWWW, TATSUKI WWHHHYYYY?"

Like I thought. I scratched the back of my neck wondering about what to do.

"Quit your perverted mumbling idiot we came here to have fun and since I was dragged all this way I'm going to have some. Oh and Ichigo…second base… heh…with Rukia? Ha! Right! The day Ichigo shows that he has the capacity for physical attraction and the balls to acknowledge said attraction is the day I kiss you Keigo. So basically…NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN!"

Somehow I doubted that whatever relationship Kuchiki and Kurosaki shared was even remotely romantic… it seemed too filled with a sense of righteous duty.

Keigo sulked at the floor. "Who'd wanna kiss you anywaAYYYY NO WAIT! I'M SORRY DON'T HIT ME AGAIN!"

"The idea of Ichigo in a relationship is pretty hilarious. Especially with Rukia. But then again he's only fifteen, sixteen in a little over two months so he may change given time…a lot of time", said Mizuiro still texting on his mobile.

"Yeah that's true I sup- oh thanks Mai." She said as I passed her a coke. "So what do you think Mai? About Ichigo, could he be romantic?" Tatsuki laughed at her own question.

I shrugged. "I have no opinion on the matter."

I just wanted to be given a chance to be his friend.

Keigo pushed himself up of the floor, glumly wondering about recent events. A look into his current psyche perhaps?

Owwiieee, Tatsuki reeeaalllyy hurts. Does she always have to hit me so hard? I do ask for it though but I can't help it; if only she was a little more feminine…sigh…

He looked at Mai… I wonder if she has a sister. That would be so… hmmm…

Onwards from that…

"You know…" I pondered. I channelled Pei, unsure of how they may react. "…since were all here… why don't we all go on a big ride binge, eat until we puke then… ride some more!" Random I know. "…We should at least enjoy ourselves… right?" I shrugged.

They all blinked at me; a little shocked for a moment. Then Tatsuki and Mizuiro split into almost identical happiness/slightly indulgent grins at my eagerness. Keigo looked like he was about to spontaneously combust with pleasure. Obviously I said something to make him very happy.

"Yes! This is what I'm talking about! We are all young and free and should be acting as such! Well done me!"

Tatsuki frowned. "Er… you're complimenting yourself?"

He nodded. "I am the Master! I made friends with someone whose brainwaves obviously sync with my own!" Suddenly he was beside me and putting an arm around my shoulder.

I sweatdropped. "I wouldn't put it that far." I muttered.

Tatsuki shoved some candy at him. "Here…have some candyfloss freakasuarus, wouldn't want to burn out of energy before the fun even started."

"I need all the energy I can get dealing with a misery like you!"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?"

Mizuiro shook his head at Tatsuki. "You know giving him sugar is like asking for trouble." He said smirking.

I looked between the trio. "What is he, five years old?"

"More or less", was Mizuiro's reply.

He looked at me. "… Seriously though, can we really binge on the rides here? Enough for us to puke? There are many but not that many."

I nodded seriously. "Oh yes. Where there's a will there's a way and I have a way. It all depends on the order in which we do this…"

Fun. That was the term. We actually had fun. Lots of it. And we obviously needed it too. We rode almost all the rides but left out the rollercoaster's until the end. The Waltz was hilarity waiting to happen. We all squeezed into one compartment- Mizuiro actually turned off his phone - I held tightly onto the handlebars and Tatsuki laughed at my concentrated expression. The last time I had been on one of these things I flew right out of my seat because instead of holding on and staying still I decided that waving my hands around whilst spinning at ungodly speeds was cool… I was rather stupid when I was a kid. Jihi still makes fun of that incident; one of the reasons why I would never want him to accompany me to a funfair ever again.

Of course Keigo decided to be even more of a pillock than I had been and decided that being 'cool' meant standing as well as waving his arms around like an idiot whilst spinning. He almost died! Had I not been as quick as I was and, even weirder, stronger than most girls he would have flown out at high speed and hit the metal of the Waltz wall. Being the awesome palls Tatsuki and Mizuiro were, they kept a death grip on my jacket as I pulled Keigo back down to us as well as being forced into the seat myself by the speed at which we were spinning. It ended in Keigo being crushed into the side of the tiny compartment whilst the rest of us were laughing our asses off at him …and in the aftermath of shock at his incredibly dumb act.

His brain must be smaller than a pea.

Or at the very least his level of capacity for forethought into his own actions was limited.

So basically… he was a dumb Ass. But a dumb ass I found that made everyone laugh.

Of course afterwards I was profusely thanked and hailed once again a hero and we stopped to eat odangoes, hotdogs and fries. I sat in relative peace for a while listening to the laughter of kids on the faster rides and the jingle of the music from the slower ones.

It all came to a roaring halt when I glimpsed something dark and fast slide into my peripheral vision and just as speedily vanish.

My ears filled with a kind of white noise as the laughter and screams from the surrounding attractions ceased to mean anything to me.

The moment I turned my head to follow the supposed apparition another flickered to my right and disappeared just as quickly.

I kept looking into the shadows of the fairground only to catch a tangential glimpse of the humanoid forms of vanishing creatures. At each corner, around each attraction, near the food stalls just outside of the view of human eyes they moved at inhuman speed travelling in between the many bodies at the fair without disturbance.

From my stiff position on a bench I tried to locate the point of origin. Yet with the swiftness of their manoeuvrability I sometimes had to wonder if I was really seeing anything at all. Was it just inside my head? Why was I the only one?

And it was cold all of a sudden. I caught Tatsuki shiver once before pulling her thin jacket close around her. It was an abnormal chill… not created by nature but by intrusion of something… other.

"Hey guys lets move a little." Tatsuki muttered as she disposed of her trash. "It's getting chilly all of a sudden."

I nodded slowly and stepped to my feet keeping a sharp eye on my surroundings. We weren't alone.

"Merry-go-round!" Shouted Keigo.

Mizuiro raised an eyebrow sardonically. "Merry-go-round? Really Mr. Asano?"

"Come on, we haven't been on one yet!"

Merry-go-round?

Oh outstanding.

…Did I mention that I disliked merry-go-rounds? …Oh so very much.

They're creepy… ridiculously so, and that's not even talking about the music… In my mind I must have created some sort of symbol for them but… there was just something sinister about them. When I was younger, about seven years old, I used to think they were created to lure children into a realm that adults couldn't see. And when said children got on the ride they never came off and were never seen again…

Well… I did say I was an odd kid.

But the mind provides numerous ways of entertaining itself as well as scaring oneself or more specifically stupid children.

However I was still wary of them today even though my dumber than dumb reasoning was unfounded.

The ride was surprising popular since we had to actually cue for it. It was easier for me to ignore my unusual deductions about simple attractions when I kept seeing dark shadows all around me.

Eventually my eyes fell upon a gap in between two food vendors and saw, briefly, another dark shape. It was looking at me but it was blurred and it moved too suddenly for me to discern any detail. Almost straight afterwards a pair of school shoes walked into view and through the small space the boy looked at me too; dead in the eyes. The missing first year… the one who'd awakened me from a dead sleep in the clinic…

…He pressed a finger to his lips then used his hands to gesture towards me… to follow him.

There was a ping… I looked away from the boy to find that our turn on the dreaded ride was here. If I left my friends now to do some ghost searching of my own (if that really was what Kurosaki was doing) it would upset them. Besides I didn't have an excuse.

Feeling no better about the situation (and feeling increasingly on edge) I stepped towards the ride.

And then everything froze.

As if the dimension itself had been pushed to the limit somehow and simply couldn't take anymore as it lost its traction.

Like an old age camera shot. For a split second everything went black and white and everybody in the frame froze. Everyone but me.

That time in the dark side street on that night… it was exactly like that.

The black and white world.

And… you know the feeling you get when you know you're in danger. The one that settles deep in your stomach. Like dread liquefied? Well I was feeling that. It was in my stomach and it spread to my spine, shooting up and around to my shoulders and back down my legs.

There was something here that shouldn't be. And it was insidious. Everyone was in danger. And I didn't know what it was or what to do about it.

I was being observed.

The area had a slightly burnt edge to its colouring. And there was silver…How was I even here anyway? I wasn't supposed to be here. And as if the universe was agreeing with me this happened next.

I felt something move behind me and slowly exhale a breath across the back of my neck. It was hot yet it made me shiver. I wasn't by myself in two instances: physically and spiritually and I didn't know what that even meant. I had to put all my effort into moving my body around and facing said …thing. But as I did everything unfroze like nothing had happened and to everyone else nothing had happened.

I was scared whit less.

And there was nothing behind me!

You could say that my ability was like an internal light switch. It could activate on its own but I had to be prepared for a shock at what was revealed each and every time. It allowed me to 'see' and 'experience' the danger.

And boy did I feel it.

My head was clearer than it had ever been… no crazy blurriness, no pain or at least not just yet.

But I hummed internally.

And I was shivering.

I was pushed from behind where I'd stood solid for the past minute to see Keigo looking at me, smiling. The smile said 'everything's alright when you're having fun'! He practically dragged me over to a horse and carriage; my tongue tied in knots. I was the horse, he was the prince lording it over the carriage. The merry-go-round started and I was still in shock. My ridiculous fear of this ride seemed absolutely incomprehensible now after the world had stopped moving.

Every time the ride rounded another bend I caught a fleeting image of a dark creature in the trees or flashing through the crowds…

Those things… that feeling… it hadn't been human. It had been other. Something that could move through the 'layers' of the world. Something that shouldn't even be here in the first place. Well I did say Karakura had layers. Many layers.

And it nothing to do with hollows.

This is where my mind turned to mush. And stayed that way until my new, and now newly freaked out friends had to drag me off and away from the ride when it ended; all the while asking questions of concern while I stared into space with a glazed expression.

---

It wasn't very often that I felt compelled to start screaming "danger, danger, high voltage" to anyone who would listen but I was very close to trying to evacuate the entire area.

At the same time… there was a part of myself that didn't feel even remotely pressured to do anything at all. As if nothing was wrong. As if darkness was my bread and butter.

And there was a part of me that didn't think that Kurosaki would be of any help in this situation.

I'd felt a breath on my neck by something that hadn't actually been there at all.

Something had reached out to me.

My friends were currently playing on the stalls of assorted goodies and souvenirs but I needed to find the ghost of that boy; he knew what was going on.

Not long after this all four of us realised that the fair seemed to be slowly draining of people. I looked at my watch and realised with a thud that I had been out…having fun – minus time freezing moment of doom… with people I consider friends (big shock for my once socially inept self) for more than three hours…

It was 11:00pm. Cool.

Being as daft and clinically peculiar as Keigo Asano we apparently had to end the night in triumph i.e. being able to brag at school about seeing ALL the attractions. This however meant seeing that we had to take part in the finale of the fair.

But of course… it WOULD be a FREAKING HAUNTED HOUSE.

Generally haunted houses suck but if the awesome fair was anything to go on it would be surprisingly good. And it was. You could tell from the outside it actually did look frightful. Fantastic. Brilliant.

I needed to be scared shitless after being scared shitless.

Unfortunately… the ghost had gone towards the house too… Which meant I'd have to go in there anyway so I nodded reluctantly.

God I was on edge.

It didn't help that, in the distance I could hear a horrible howling noise, which I first suspected to be emanating from the haunted house (it was emitting some rather discouraging sounds). But I realised quite quickly that not only was it genuine, it probably wouldn't stop anytime soon.

The sound of yet another hollow.

And in my gut I knew that Kurosaki wouldn't be far behind.

Like all haunted houses the interior was pretty dark.

The walls told a story. Some kind of gruesome murder with the victim coming back to haunt you…quite literally if you went off the adorned and extremely yet bizarrely realistic ghost/corpse that appeared suddenly from a wall and tried to pull any innocent stragglers back into said wall. Hmmmm… Lovely.

There were stairs too covered in authentic spider webs and authentic spiders. Great.

Then of course there were the five different paths, several staircases, attic, dungeon, and basement of horror waiting for us innocents.

What a great way to get lost.

Oh and of course there was still the howling of a Hollow outside just adding to the already amazingly taut atmosphere inside said haunted house. Delightful! And encouraging!

I want to leave.

The feeling I'd had earlier, you know the one of dread? Well it had been easier to deal with outside the haunted house but inside…whole different story.

In the night I still couldn't find those creatures. Where are they? Had I actually witnessed them flitting through the park or was it some sort of secondary sight… thing… or something.

I knew the house was all fake but still I felt like I was in danger and the feeling of exposure only grows when your friends run off and disappear mere seconds after entering the place.

I pushed out my… whatever it was (I didn't really know what it was)… ability. My inner eye or so to speak. I looked around the dark room across the walls and floor and saw…

Absolutely nothing.

…Bit of a let down really.

But I didn't turn it off. Something still didn't feel right.

The air seemed… foul to me.

I continued up a flight of stairs to my left and saw distantly the aura's of my friends or rather the echoes of their presence. Like residual energies.

I was surprised by Tatsuki's residual signature. Unlike the others it fluctuated from the normal energy I see in most people to something a little…more. It was like the energy itself couldn't decide on its own level of power. Like it was alive. Which it might be.

Just because I could see auras didn't mean I understood really what they are.

I ascended the stairs. My friends had gone down but I went up furthering the distance between us. Stupid maybe but I was being drawn upwards.

As I reached the landing I turned left and screamed for all I was worth.

Not like anyone would come running in a haunted house but one's gotta hope.

Yet again I was being an idiot but ghosts are silent after all.

And I hadn't quite expected to see my vision in person, even though I'd searched for him. He stood before me and he looked tired.

But also relieved; confirmation that he really had been waiting for me.

"You came."

Bingo.

"Did you… did you bring me here?" I asked carefully; remembering the feeling of being drawn here.

"You could say that… but I didn't really do anything… I just am and you are just you…so…there." He frowned at his own statement. Then he looked at me, my own frown descending, and smiled sheepishly.

"…Right… not exactly helpful."

He laughed a little miserably. "…I know. I just don't know how to explain." He looked at me again with those dulled eyes. "It's… it's like you're a signal flare. So much light…" He trailed of in a whisper.

I'd found this guy scary?

"I still don't understand what you're talking about."

"I was sent to you." He said resignedly. "You're like a beacon you know."

I frowned. "Beacon?"

He nodded. "You're like pure light…It hasn't been noticed before because you've been blocking it, but your energy… It's unlike anything that's been seen by the living or the dead in the past millennia."

He continued as he looked at me seriously. "You're energy…it's attractive… it IS attracting people, creatures and well," he gestured to himself, "ghosts too. But it's so different from anything else… different from humans, different from ghosts and soul reapers alike, different from any creature known to man it's-"

"Why did you appear in my room last night?" I interrupted. "Well, the Kurosaki clinic room." I elaborated. Yeah, that's what I focus on?

He blinked. "Kurosaki…"He muttered. Then he looked down. "I had no control over that."

"What do you mean?"

"Precisely that." He shrugged depressed. "I don't understand it myself. It was like I was… between."

I frowned and backed up. "What do you mean I'm different to humans? I am human." I said quietly.

"I don't know the specifics." He looked weary again and sad which made me feel unaccountably worse. He was 15… and he was dead.

I closed my eyes and sighed. "OK, I know how hard my own abilities must be to explain… I'm an odd one."

"Yes you are." He said unashamedly quick. "It isn't reitsu for one thing… "

Reitsu?

A sound made its way over the fake noise of the haunted house. A roar. I'd forgotten for a moment that we were in a haunted house and that sooner or later my friends- ah friends… I have friends again- would come looking for me. He: the ghost was thinking along similar lines.

"Listen I don't have much time. It's dangerous enough for me here as it is at the moment," the howling started again outside, only much closer than before and for a moment a panicked expression crossed his features before continuing.

That I could understand completely. "…But I was asked to warn you. Don't ask me who because well…I don't know who asked me… I just died and when I came to, as a ghost, I knew that I was supposed to find you. And I'm not the only one asked, just…the only one… who was able to get to you."

I didn't like the sound of that ominous ending. Others, ghosts had been asked to find me but only he managed it. What happened to the others? And why the emergency? I didn't know what to say first yet so I stayed quiet to hear the rest.

Then I remembered the woman I saw on my second day in Karakura. The drowning victim (I'd researched her later) had tried to reach me too but she'd been pulled away before she could do anything.

"Things are beginning to change and move in Karakura. And from what I can feel whilst being… you know… dead, things are beginning to change everywhere with Karakura being at its epicentre. You're apart of the change. And you're going to be put through the ringer if I do say so myself." He shifted hesitantly for a moment. "…There are people here, in the places even you can't venture yet who are watching you and waiting for the right moment. You're being called to… and I think you know now that I'm telling the truth so… DON'T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT! I'M JUST THE MESSENGER O.K.?"

How was I looking at him? …Like he was talking to the wrong person maybe. That he was insane maybe, that I was just a heap of broken memories and dark recesses? Who'd want me to take up any sort of mantle?

But…

There really was something funny (I'm fed up with saying strange) with Karakura. I knew that the very day I landed here and I knew it when I went to school.

I knew it when the world suddenly stopped an hour ago.

"There's been a crack."

I opened my eyes in a snap. That sounded eerily familiar. I'd dreamed of cracks in an area of unfamiliar surroundings… somewhere in the layers.

I looked at him. "I know."

He paused and then let it go.

He looked up again and clicked his fingers. "Yes erm… sorry…not quite finished yet I'm afraid." He finished lamely. I cocked an eyebrow in question.

"I need a favour."

"What kind of favour?" This seemed a little anticlimactic after that explanation but we weren't going anywhere.

"I was murdered." He paused and I sucked in a breath. I already knew this but to hear it from the victim… it made me sad…

And not so surprisingly, angry. Where was the fairness here? Heh, there wasn't any.

Then I wondered why this guy hadn't gone to Kurosaki for help instead.

"My body was never found. But I know where it is… I need your help… but it'll be pretty gruesome." He tried to smile and failed. "My parents need closure." This he said quietly like he needed to give me more motivation. How asinine.

And then I shivered, again.

"It's here isn't it?" I whispered. I don't know why I did but I felt like it was necessary; as though the walls had ears. I knew a body had been here when he started talking to me. I could feel its residual energy; surprisingly potent for one so young and… dead. It was in the room behind him. But I hadn't known it was his until I assessed its energy in relation to his spirit. Why was the body here of all places?

"It's ten metres in front of you, behind me."

I frowned. "I know." How?

He hesitated for a moment. "…There's something else in there too… with my body."

…Excuse me?

"It's part of the escalation I was talking about… well…" He stepped aside. "For you it starts here."

I looked at him like he was deranged. Or I was. Was I seriously going to go on my own, through the door to the pitch black attic, to find a mutilated (from the state of the ghost and a week's worth of decomposition) body and… something else? Why did I get the really nasty feeling that whatever this something else was, it was both unfriendly and was also possibly related to the thing that breathed on me and made my body react so far into fear that my ability went mad.

Oh the universe just loved me.

I took a step forward.

"Don't be too afraid." He said "That will only make it stronger."

Oh just… bloody… marvellous.

I was so far beyond scared I couldn't feel anything. Just numbness. My heart beating a million miles a minute. And yet I knew I had to go in there. Because I could still feel that feeling. The feeling of being drawn in both physically and spiritually. Like curiosity. The feeling that I had to do something.

I could just sense the room in front of me. It was almost literally vibrating from anticipation. It was waiting for my entry. Whatever was in there was waiting. And I was going in.

Plus my body… the cells inside me were pulsating. It was all I could do to keep from running into the room like a Blitzer.

"You're name? It's Seigi Aisega isn't it?" I asked quietly, my hand on the doorknob.

He tilted his head to the side. "Yeah, I heard you were good with names." Wonder where he heard that? "Good luck."

Yeah, because curiosity killed the cat.