Prey (Open)

[Kunamai Ren]

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Filled with warm orange tones the sky was barely lit, sunrise was beautiful in this small town, the town where she was heading for no particular reason did she end up here. Simply that her feet had taken her there themselves it could prove a good move or this town could be the death of her but fate would decide that and if she survived that is.

The town was quiet accept for the sounds of birds and the gentle dripping of warn red liquid that fell from the woman. She struggled to walk her thigh clearly sliced open from the large split through her black leather trousers. The past 24 hours had been a rough one for the raven haired woman but she ploughed on refusing to collapse, refusing to give up and die here. The culprits would not find her or follow she made sure of that but they had many other friends her whereabouts would be confidential for a few days at least before she would be found.

Taking a deep breath she slowly looked up and read a bright glaring sign, the light instant shrunk her black pupil as she squinted and the letters became in focus. 'Kurosaki Clinic'

[Kurosaki Ichigo]

It had been a long night, one in which Ichigo had been out dealing with hollow activity for most of it. Those things were small fry now more like an annoyance for him but it meant he'd be falling asleep the next day, or he'd just hibernate and not leave the house spending the day sleeping sometimes that happened but the summer holidays helped with the fact he wouldn't have to rush off to school in the next few hours.

This year had brought Ichigo a whole load more of challenges not that he was going to back down on them he'd fight his demons quite literally and his inner hollow was no longer a problem, in fact it gave him a new found boost of strength now that he had his hollow under control that was something of the past and he was completely used to pulling out a hollow mask in big battles as if it were second nature to him. There were now other problems like how he had been sensing a quincy's reaitsu around town maybe not just the one but more he wasn't all that sure but someone was lurking around nearby whenever he went on these hollow hunts.

Even now when he was destroying hollows in the early hours of the morning he could sense it. He didn't let it effect his slaying of hollows as he simply took them out with a mere swing of Zangetsu no effort needed bbut the reaitsu was getting on his nerves it was the fith time he picked up on it now and he decided enough was enough he'd go follow it and see what he'd find.

It seemed like a matter of minuites before Ichigo could feel the reaitsu getting stronger as he followed it. He scowled further his patience wearing whoever this was they were watching him and his every move when it came to hollow slaying. Just when he thought he was close the reaitsu just disappeared. Ichigo stopped in his tracks looking directly in front of him before he sighed after a pause he shook his head a little before he noticed the sun was coming up there were no more hollows in the area he'd taken care of so he flash stepped home quckly still with that strange precence in his mind until he stopped spotting a figure right but his place, they didn't seem in a fit state.

He approached the woman instantly noticing the injuries but he wondered if she could see him she had a reaitsu like that of a shinigami, yet she didn't appear to be wearing a shinigami's robes. His footsteps were loud enough for her to hear as he walked towards her ''...What happened to you then?'' Ichigo began.

[Kunamai Ren]

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The swirling reaitsu's of hollows, Shinigami and Quincies surpringly, was all a blue in the young woman's mind infact the world she could see before began to twist and turn and disorientate blood loss wasn't something even she could bear up with. She stopped feeling that if she walked anymore she'd collapse she slumped down on the floor allowing her leg wound to have some relief from putting pressure on it due to walking.

She was in so much trouble it was never supposed to end up like this, she wasn't supposed to end up this way. Her life seemed so simple back in her Shinigami trainng days happy as any young girl could be, surrounded by friends and family achiving great things with her training and papers. Here she was, no friends, no strength, no family, in fact they had all either moved on or passed away but she always remained level headed as much as she could nothing could get her down well at least on the outside it couldn't on the inside was a different matter.

A voice suddenly snapped her to the harsh reality the aches and pains in her worn out body returned like it had been numbed slightly from her thinking. The voice was deep definatly male perhaps a young man, it was a habit of hers to immediately scan someone by what she could gather be it someone's appearance or voice. She slowly looked into his direction seeing it was a young man, tall, Shinigami in good physic as they should be for that job and striking orange hair she smiled ever so slightly, she knew who this was. ''Kurosaki Ichigo I presume....'' she spoke in quieter voice than usual as she may of winced if she raised her voice any louder.

She stood slowly almost stagged but she stood none the less ''I got pretty beat up...nothing you couldn't help me with now could you Kurosaki?...'' she said.

[Kurosaki Ichigo]

Ichigo simply watched this woman carefully he had no idea who she was so he kept his distance and wondered how she had got so weak, especially if someone here had caused those injuries then it could be something dangerous on the loose in Karakura town. A quincy wouldn't do such a thing besides they were supposed to be exstinct or very rare he only knew of Ishida so why was that earlier reaitsu not one he recognised as Ishida's but just as a Quincy.

Ichigo's train of thoughts disappeared as he heard his name, surprisingly he was now used to random people appearing and claiming they knew who he was, as if they knew him completely despite having never actually me him. ''So your from Soul Society im guessing....you've got a Shinigami's reaitsu yet you don't look like one...what happened...were you kicked out?'' he asked trying to push the woman for some answers. He disliked that people knew more about him than he knew about them but then again barging into Soul Society and treading over their traditions was making a statement about him.

He raised an eyebrow slightly hearing that this woman was needing his help, he sighed stubborn enough to think that its expected of him but of course he'd help even if she was a complete stranger at least he knew she was Shinigami that was good enough for him at least. ''Yeah yeah....I hope you can walk though....the clinic's just behind you'' he said as he walked passed her towards his home.


He hoped she had decided to follow if she could that was, no way was he gonna carry her he may if he really saw she was struggling but she seemed to stand up fine enough. He walked into the clinic none of his family were up yet or so he thought. He raided a drawer and handed the woman some bandages ''That ought to fix everything up....unless there's serious injuries....'' he said.

[Kunamai Ren]

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Ren smiled quickly as the orange haired Shinigami assumed she was from Soul Society. ''I was, from that place...haven't been there for years....'' she said. She would leave it to his mind to fill in the gaps and figure it out. She raised her perfectly arched eyebrows at Ichigo's guess ''Correct!'' she said. ''Impressive...most people don't come up with that until later'' she said. ''I was kicked out of Soul Society....for killing a fellow Shinigami'' she said like it would shock. ''Im not dangerous if that's what you think....well if we fall out then I might be'' she smirked. ''My name is Renai....or Ren to most people....I am a former seated officer of the 2nd Division....Soifon was my captain and I learnt plenty while I was growing up...'' she said. The Shinigami she killed was yet to be discussed by her when she felt like it.

She smirked slyly as he hoped that she could walk ''Oh but my legs will give way....'' she said before sighing ''Im kidding....you wont have to carry me'' she smiled and followed the young man. Walking into the clinic she observed it was plesent to say the least ''So you and your family live here all together...and run a medical centre'' she began watching him raided some drawers before some bandages were tossed her way she caught them and sighed. ''And there was me thinking you'd be a gentleman and do it for me.....I don't bite'' she smiled as she split the material hanging from the large tear in her thigh. ''Damn....its pretty deep....this could really impair my movements...'' she said in annoyance. ''Kurosaki....do you have any painkillers?'' she asked handing him back the bandages as if she were expecting him to tend to her wound.

Ren flipped open a cell phone and pressed a few buttons. ''Tch....damn Quincy again'' she muttered. ''Hmmm...no seeking them out tonight though'' she added.

[Kurosaki Ichigo]

Ichigo's scowl deepened a little more as the woman spoke in past terms, it seemed the reason she was here could be because of something she had done in Soul Society and that could mean anything but he didn't speak up just listened until he heard that the reason was be she had killed a Shinigami it caused him to looked shocked ''Killed!?'' he managed to utter. Why and how had she done that. ''Bit extreme seeing as a Shinigami is on your side!'' she added shaking his head a little not quite understanding it. But perhaps there was a logical explanation, Ichigo didn't think there could be and his opinion on this woman was deteriorating fast.

Ichigo folded his arms ''You don't sound dangerous at all'' he sighed. He began to wonder just what had happened and what had drove her to do that, he hoped there was more to it than just mindless killing. ''Do I dare ask you why you did it?'' he asked not sure if he'd like the answer. He did however get her name, Ren he tried to think if knew of her but nope, nothing came to mind. Then she continued and it seems she was a former 2nd Division, that was interesting but he didn't know of her but he defiantly knew who SoiFon was she was no fan of him he knew.

He had quickly walked into the clinic searching for bandages, he nodded to her question ''Yeah, it belongs to my Dad but we help out where we can'' he replied before he had given her bandages before hearing her expecting him to go ahead and do it for her. ''I thought it was your leg that was injured not your arms'' he said before he sighed his father didn't seem to be about and his sisters were fast asleep. ''Sit down....if your not capable of doing it yourself'' as he took the bandages back and heard a request for painkillers he searched in a cupboard before he found some and handed them to her and pointed out the small sink in the corner if she needed water.

He stopped and looked over his shoulder hearing her mention Quincy ''You picked up on them too huh?'' he wondered. Now wasn't the time to find them but one day he would and he'd have questions seeing as Quincy were rare.