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-Use Bleach When Required-

Ni: A Girl Called Sanae

Life is but a dream for the dead.

-Gerard Way

The lamppost flickered overhead as an orange haired teenager passed underneath with two plastic shopping bags filled with groceries held in one hand. His free hand scratched the back of his head and then moved to cover his mouth as he yawned loudly. He walked underneath another post before moving off into the darkness once more.

"Why couldn't the old man go and get this stuff?" He grumbled to himself. His tawny coloured eyes glanced down to the two plastic bags for a second before he let out a sigh and titled his head back to stare up at the clear night sky. The bright stars lit up the sky, constellations staring back at him as the crescent moon illuminated his path. Another yawn came over the boy, "Damn that Rukia. Keeping me up all night to fight a damn Hollow."

His brow furrowed as he glared down at the sidewalk, counting the cracks in the pavement. It had only been a week since Rukia had barreled into his life. He was doing her work willingly, protecting his town and friends from the horrible monsters called Hollows. A week ago his life had been normal. Well as normal as it could be with the ability to see Spirits that had yet to pass on, and a father that constantly tried to assault him. His sisters didn't count as normal also…

Anyway, Rukia had him doing her duties. He was eliminating Hollows and sending the Spirits, or Souls to a place called Soul Society. A so-called afterlife if you will. His friends and family had no idea what was going on with him; none showed any ability to see the monsters that he did. The only one who could fathom what he was doing would be his younger sister, Karin. She was only eleven, and he had no intention of letting any Hollows near his family again.

Ichigo turned the corner into another street; he would almost be home. He could give Yuzu the groceries and then go to bed early, he really needed a good nights sleep for school in the morning. Even though his grades were still above average he hadn't had a chance to do any sort of homework whatsoever in the past week, kudos to Rukia for that. He had also been dozing off in classes that resulted in a swift hit up the head by his sensei.

Ichigo sighed. He rubbed his neck as his eyes spotted the turn he would take to go onto his own street. He was nearing it when suddenly out of the blue he heard a small yelp and something hard hit his back, causing him to loose his footing and fall face first onto the ground. The bags filled with groceries went flying out of his hands as he felt another pair of legs tangle up in his own. Realizing that someone had in fact tripped him over Ichigo looked over his shoulder, a frown on his face as he opened his mouth to yell at the person.

"Watch where you're going!" he yelled.

"Gomenasai," a little timid voice replied.

Ichigo's eyes settled on the person who had knocked him to the ground. It was a girl, no older then him. She was currently rubbing her face where she had fallen, a red spot blossoming on her forehead. She was currently facing away from him as her chocolate coloured hair fell over one shoulder, perfectly straight. She seemed to suddenly realize what had happened as she spun around, jumping to her feet.

"Forgive me! I wasn't looking where I was going," she said hastily, gathering up the fallen food and placing it back into the bags.

Ichigo pushed himself onto his feet. "Don't worry about it," he muttered as the girl practically threw the bags onto his wrists once more.

"It's a bad habit of mine, I tend to always stare at my feet then in front of me," she chatted away, seeing a loaf of bread still on the pavement as she hurried over to it. "I've walked into many things, signposts, walls, bus stops, you name it." She shoved the bread into the bag as she finally stared up at the tall orange haired boy.

She had brilliant sapphire eyes, framed by long lashes. Above sat dark brows matching her chocolate hair that came just below her shoulder. She wore a large black hoodie, with blue jeans and white sneakers. Her head came in line with his shoulder. It didn't surprise Ichigo, as he was taller than nearly everyone in his year, with the exception of Chad that was.

"If anything's damaged I'll be happy to pay for it," she continued with a charming smile. Ichigo shook his head.

"I'm sure everything's fine," he said to her, peering into the bags for himself. As his gaze was cast down he noticed something on her leg, her shin to be exact. "Your leg." He pointed as the girl followed his finger.

She gasped and bent down to the ground. She rolled up her jeans until a graze was visible, blood staining her flesh. "It's just a scratch. I get them all the time," she said nonchalantly.

"My dad's a doctor. He can help you." Ichigo offered as the girl stood back up and waved him off.

"It's ok, it's just a little scratch. Thanks anyway though…" she trailed off, realizing that she didn't know his name. She cleared her throat as Ichigo got the gist.

"Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Kagawa Sanae," she replied. She turned her body, moving off until she stopped and faced Ichigo again. "Sorry about running into you. Sayonara, Kurosaki-kun!" She said with a wave as she hurried off into the night. Ichigo waited until he couldn't see her anymore before he shrugged off the strange encounter, turned on his heel and continued on his way home.

X

Sanae was staring up at the map of the school intently, a piece of paper in her hand as she tried to reference up the location of her classroom from her timetable in her hand. Her sapphire gaze darted over the different rooms as she huffed and frowned at the map.

She glanced up and down the hallway, the bell for first period had already rung so there was no other students around to help her get to her first classroom. She fidgeted with the hem of her grey skirt, biting on her bottom lip as she peered at the map once again.

"You…"

A voice to her left had Sanae turning her head, spotting Ichigo in his uniform. He looked tired, bags under his eyes and his uniform was unkempt. His shoulder bag was across his chest as he approached her.

"Kurosaki-kun, right?" Sanae said hesitantly, testing the name making sure she had gotten it right. Ichigo nodded back at her.

"I didn't know you went to this school." Ichigo stated.

"I just started today," Sanae replied, a blush suddenly appeared across her cheeks as she bashfully looked away. "Ano, could you possibly help me find my classroom?" she asked quietly.

Ichigo reached for her timetable as Sanae passed it to him, he looked over it quickly, "It's easy to get lost here; it's takes a while to get used to the classrooms." He mused as he handed back her timetable. "Most of your classes are up on the second floor, we have math together right now, let's go." He said, beckoning her to follow him as Sanae quickly gathered her things and hurried after him.

As they walked Sanae quickly fixed her hair, which had been hastily pulled up into a ponytail in her rush in the morning. She tucked in her white blouse and fixed up her red tie.

Ichigo led her up the set of stairs as they walked through the hallway until they came to a door; Sanae took note of the classroom's number as Ichigo slid open the door.

"Kurosaki! You're late!"

Ichigo stepped aside to let Sanae in as he jerked his thumb in her direction, "I was bringing the new student." Ichigo left Sanae at the front of the classroom as he took his seat next to a keen eyed Rukia who was studying the Substitute Shinigami as he sat down.

"Oh," Ichigo's teacher, Nakita stuttered as he faced the new student. "Welcome, I was wondering where you had gone off to. Everyone I want you to meet Kagawa Sanae, she's transferred from…"

"I was homeschooled—" Sanae clarified.

"Anyway, make her feel welcome. Take a seat next to Arisawa." Nakita pointed to the plum haired girl who waved her over. Sanae ducked her head and hurried to the empty chair next to Tatsuki. She sat in her chair; she didn't get any of her books out but instead chose to listen to the teacher for the duration of the class for the time being.

When the bell rang for lunch a few hours later, Sanae watched as her fellow peers collected their things and left the room. Sanae noticed that the girl next to her, Tatsuki, walked over to her desk.

"Kagawa-san, wasn't it?" Tatsuki enquired. Sanae nodded meekly. "I'm Arisawa Tatsuki."

"Hello," Sanae said quietly.

"I'm Inoue Orihime!"

A chestnut haired girl suddenly appeared by Tatsuki's side, Sanae averted her eyes from the girl's obvious…assets—she had never seen any so huge on a young teenager. Sanae suddenly felt very self-conscious.

"I'm Kagawa Sanae," she replied, her face flushing at the bubbly personalities of the two girls in front of her.

"Would you like to have lunch with us, Kagawa-chan?" Orihime asked the chocolate haired girl. Sanae was frozen to her chair, she didn't know how to reply to that, from the countless books and magazines she had read about a high school experience, most of them had the new student sitting by themselves for the first few days until they were able to make friends, she hadn't prepared for this.

"I—uh…um—ok?" Sanae said timidly.

"Great, let's go!" Orihime exclaimed in glee. Orihime and Tatsuki gathered their bags as Sanae did the same, pulling her bag over her shoulder and following the two girls out of the classroom.

X

After a few days Sanae settled into a comfortable routine at Karakura High School. She greeted Tatsuki and Orihime every morning before class started and would eat lunch with them everyday. Sanae had been introduced to the other classmates that the two girls frequently hung around with. She had a few encounters with Asano Keigo, who tried nearly three times a day to ask her out on a date which she politely refused with a smile, causing Tatsuki to nearly beat him to a pulp for bothering her after she had just started at the school.

As the groups of girls were discussing their activities for when school finished Orihime turned to Sanae. Her hair had been left down for the day, the brown tresses parted down the middle and swept over one shoulder. Sanae was currently looking off to the side, her neat brows knitted together as her sapphire eyes were focused on something beyond the school fence.

"Kagawa-chan?" Orihime called the girls name softly as Sanae jumped and turned to Orihime.

"Gomen, Inoue-san. What is it?" Sanae asked with a kind smile. Orihime let her previous quiet behavior go as Orihime beamed.

"Are you coming with us after school? We're all going to the shops to have milkshakes."

Sanae looked round at the other girls, they were all waiting for her response as Sanae smiled, "Of course, I'd love to!" She replied enthusiastically.

The bell rang for end of lunch as the group of girls packed away their lunches and headed back inside. Sanae hung back with Michiru, the short haired brunette was equally as quiet as Sanae and both were comfortable with walking in silence together as they listened in on the loud conversation between Chizuru and Tatsuki.

Sanae was trying to listen to Misato-sensei through her boring history lecture, but the need to pee was becoming too strong. She was too nervous to raise her hand and ask to use the toilet, she had always been used to just going whenever she wanted. Now she had to ask permission, and what if she said no? Sanae paled at the thought of peeing her pants. Her hand shot into the air as Misato-sensei stopped reading and looked over at her.

"What is it, Kagawa?"

"May I please use the restroom?" Sanae asked loudly, her face flushing red in embarrassment from the whole class staring at her. Misato-sensei waved her hand at her, not replying but instead going back to her reading.

Sanae, with a flushed face, rose from her chair and hurried to the door. Sliding it open and shutting it behind her. When she was out of the classroom she sighed in frustration, why was she being so awkward? She only needed to use the restroom; it wasn't like the class was going to laugh at her.

Sanae returned to hear raised voices from inside the room, "Oi! Kurosaki, Kuchiki, where do you think you're going?"

"I need to use the restroom!" Ichigo replied.

"I don't feel well, I'm going to see the nurse!" Rukia said.

Sanae reached for the door when it was suddenly thrust open and Ichigo barreled into her, knocking her to the ground. Sanae yelped as Ichigo stumbled, Rukia running into his back.

"My bad, Kagawa!" Ichigo said hurriedly. Rukia stepped around them, running off down the hall.

"Ichigo, hurry up!" she called, disappearing around the corner. Ichigo turned to Sanae as the brunette was standing up.

"It's ok, Kurosaki-kun. I could hear your voices coming to the door but I didn't move out of the way," Sanae said timidly as Ichigo gripped her upper arm and helped her stand.

"Sorry again, Kagawa!" Ichigo said to her as he spun on his heel and raced down the corridor after Rukia.

X

"That Ichigo is about as idiotic as they come," Tatsuki drawled later that day. Sanae and Tatsuki were walking with Orihime at the front of the group as they were heading into downtown Karakura for their milkshakes. "He's always been clumsy."

"You've known Kurosaki-kun for a long time then?" Sanae inquired as the three girls turned onto the street with the bustling shops. Behind them Chizuru, Michiru and Mahana were all talking loudly together in their own conversation.

"Yeah, I've known him since we were kids. He used to go to my Dojo," Tatsuki said, a smirk coming over her face as she tossed a look over her shoulder at Sanae, "He was a little crybaby and a weakling back then." Sanae looked ahead, seeing the name of the shop up ahead.

"Are you going to be joining any after school clubs, Kagawa-chan?" Orihime asked the brunette next to her as Sanae glanced over at her and shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm not sure I'll be joining Karate," Sanae said with a smile pointed at Tatsuki as Orihime giggled. "I used to be in the Kendo club in my old home, maybe I'll give that a try?" Sanae said, a finger on her chin as she lifted her head up to the sky.

"Really? That's awesome, Kagawa-chan!" Orihime said in glee.

"Where are you from?" Tatsuki asked her suddenly, realizing that they didn't know much about Sanae still. Sanae smiled.

"Osaka."

"That's so far away, Kagawa-chan. Why did you decide to come to Karakura Town?" Orihime asked her.

"My guardian is originally from here, he was a close friend of my parents and when they died he moved to Osaka for me to stay where I was; but eventually he needed to come back here so I decided to move too." Sanae explained.

Orihime and Tatsuki quickly shared a sad look, not realizing that Sanae had in fact lost her parents, they had remembered on her first day that she had mentioned something about a guardian; but no one had asked her about it.

"I'm sorry to hear that they died," Orihime said sympathetically.

"It's ok," Sanae replied. "It was a long time ago."

As the group of girls reached the shop, they were waiting in line to order. "Orihime!" Chizuru came up to the chestnut haired girl and wrapped her arms around her shoulders, "Sit with me, Orihime! Or on my lap, either way!"

"What have I told you!" Tatsuki exclaimed, prying Chizuru's hands away from Orihime and launching her a few feet away. Chizuru whimpered and glared at Tatsuki, muttering under her breath and tucking the few strands of red hair behind her ears.

"Next!" The cashier called from behind them as Tatsuki and Orihime turned their attention to the front of the line. Orihime and Tatsuki placed their orders and turned to Sanae.

The girl was once again staring out the window, a frown on her delicate features.

It's near, Sanae thought to herself.

She could feel the pressure weighing down on her as she thought about what she should do.

"Kagawa-chan?" Orihime called to the girl as Sanae made up her mind.

Sanae faced Orihime and Tatsuki, "Gomen, I need to leave. I'll see you tomorrow at school!" Sanae called as she maneuvered around the group of her friends and burst out onto the street. Her feet slapped against the hard concrete as Sanae sprinted down the street, she effortlessly dodged the pedestrians on the street as she crossed the road. She caused two cars to slam on their breaks and honk their horns at her. Sanae didn't pay them any heed as she ran along the pavement and turned into a large park.

If you've made it this far I'd love to hear what you thought about the beginning of the story!