A/N: Alright… when did I get this request? I'm going to say sometime in January. I just got around to writing it last week on a 3 hour plane ride… So, this fic is the one you requested OtakuFangirlCrazyArtist! Don't worry, I actually proof read this one ;D
Written to - I Like It Rough - Lady GaGa; Cave In - Owl City; Come Undone - The Used; Choose - David Guetta; Breathe Me - Sia; Swoon - Imogen Heap; and Vena Cava - Angelspit
Warnings - meh… just some delicious gore at the end ;)
Finding Love Amongst Grief
Chapter 1: The Promise
Rukia embraced Byakuya, albeit rather awkwardly, as Renji looked on, waiting for them to finish their conversation. Yes, things had definitely gotten better between the two of them since her execution. He'd really started to open up to her, and this was her first trip to the World of the Living since then.
Renji watched as Rukia bid farewell to her brother and continued along to get the final orders from Ukitake taichou. The rokubantai fukutaichou approached his Captain. He'd like to think that things between the two of them had gotten better as well. The door between their offices was always kept open, and Renji had been at the Kuchiki Manor for dinner on several occasions. They worked a lot better together in the Division, and he'd like to think that Byakuya trusted him.
Seeing as Renji was leaving for the mission to the World of the Living, he figured that the Kuchiki noble just wanted to finish giving him a few last minute reminders about his assignment, but then again, with Kuchiki taichou, no one ever really knew.
The noble had resumed kneeling, his hands folded neatly on his thighs. "Kuchiki taichou." Renji said, bowing respectfully.
"Abarai." Byakuya said, gesturing for him to take up a place beside him.
The red-haired fukutaichou knelt beside his taichou and twiddled his thumbs. "Ano… you wanted to see me taichou?"
"Yes, Abarai, I did." He turned his head to look his Vice Captain in the eye, causing said man to fidget a bit. "You are well aware that you are going on an assignment to the World of the Living World with Hitsugaya taichou, Matsumoto fukutaichou, Madarame, and Ayasegawa, correct?"
"Hai, taichou…" where was this going?
"And you are also aware that Rukia is going with you?"
"Hai taichou, but I don't see what all this has to do with anything…"
"I am ordering you to make sure that no harm comes to her." The intensity with which those obsidian orbs held his brown ones was a bit unnerving, and caused Renji to squirm a bit again.
"Taichou-"
"Renji." He sounded a bit tired, and the shadows the setting sun cast across his face made him seem a lot older than he actually was. "I'm trusting you to make sure no harm comes to Rukia. Are you incapable of doing so?"
"Iie, taichou, it's just… do you think she's incapable of taking care of herself? Do you not trust her?"
"I trust Rukia, and I trust you to take care of her. It is Sousuke Aizen and Gin Ichimaru I don't trust."
"Ano… so it's just an extra precaution?"
"Yes, Abarai. Can I trust you with this?" he repeated, still holding his eyes.
Renji nodded without hesitation. "Hai, taichou."
Byakuya closed is eyes and nodded slowly. "That is all then. Rest for your assignment tomorrow and I shall see you at the senkaimon."
"Hai, taichou…" he stood. "Y'know, sleep might do you some good, too…" when he received no answer other than another small nod, he bid his Captain good night and headed back to his apartment.
Sousuke Aizen stood on the balcony of his room in Las Noches, looking out over the barren sand drinking a cup of tea. As he took another sip, he felt a presence behind him, and it wasn't long before he felt a pair of slim arms wrap around him and his right hand man's voice whisper in his ear, "Would ya like some cream 'n sugar w'that waste a'time?" (1)
Aizen quirked a brow. "I fail to see how plotting the end of the Spirit King's life is a waste of time, Gin…"
"S'not, I jus' thought ya'd like t'know 'bout how Rukia Kuchiki's gonna be in Karakura Town startin' tomorrow."
"Hm… what for?"
"Well, 'parently Yama's got his hakama in a bunch 'cause of Ulqui-chan 'nd Yammy."
"I see… and he's sending a team of Shinigami to help Kurosaki?"
"Mhmm… 'n then I got ta thinkin', and I says to myself, why not get t'Orihime, Rukia, Renji, 'n Byakuya while we have a nice openin'?"
"And what is it that you have in mind?" Aizen asked, genuinely interested.
Gin's grin widened. "I thought ya'd never ask…"
Renji Abarai shunpoed quickly to the senkaimon. He'd slept in late again, and last night's talk with the Kuchiki noble hadn't helped as he'd had horrid nightmares about all the different ways harm could come to Rukia on this assignment and then all the numerous ways Byakuya would kill him when he found out that Renji hadn't fulfilled his promise.
The brash fukutaichou skidded to a stop next to Rukia, and was met with a disapproving look from Hitsugaya and an unnoticeable seething aura from his own taichou. Ukitake grinned, "Well, now that everyone's here-"
"Yeah, yeah. Just get outta here and fulfill your duties." Kenpachi said, turning around and walking away.
"Hai, Zaraki taichou!" Renji, Ikkaku, and Yumichika chorused before dashing through the senkaimon (after Renji had hit his head on the top, causing the others to crash into them before they finally made it through, of course).
Toushirou sighed and Matsumoto giggled as they, too, followed. Rukia rolled her eyes and muttered something that sounded a lot like "boys" before bowing to the captains and flash stepping after them.
"The Eleventh breeds idiocy…" Byakuya said rather darkly before turning with a swish of haori and beginning to walk back to his division.
Ukitake chuckled. "Oh Byakuya… I knew you still had it in you to make jokes!"
"Oi! Renji! Ikkaku! Yumichika! Rukia! Rangiku! Toushirou! Over Here!" Ichigo yelled down the ally way as they approached the Shoten. Even though school was over, and the sun had nearly set, all of them were still dressed in the uniforms they had gotten this morning.
The vein in Toushirou temple pulsed. "That's Hitsugaya taichou to you!" he hissed.
"Aw… Captain, don't be so hard on him! He's only fifteen after all!" Rangiku said.
Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Maybe he's just PMSing…"
"Kurosaki… you are about to eat your words!"
"Kurosaki-kun, Urahara-san told me to tell you that he doesn't have any room at the Shoten so everyone's going to be staying with you!" Orihime said, sliding the door to the shop closed, smiling at everyone.
"Like hell they are…" he muttered darkly.
"Anyway… school was interesting, eh, Ichigo?" Renji asked, waggling his eyebrows.
"Shut up!" Rukia exclaimed, giving him a well disserved kick in the head. "This is a serious mission we're on! When we surveyed this town, there were tons of weak points where Hollows and Arrancars could come through! You're treating this like a joke and maybe if you had halfway decent kidou skills, you'd have been able to sense them!"
"I think we should go… before this escalates into something… ugly…" Yumichika whispered as he began to walk off.
Ikkaku shrugged and followed, "We'll see you later Ichigo… " although he highly doubted that he was heard over all the shouting… Toushirou flash stepped away, just wanting to look for someplace quiet before he exploded. Matsumoto followed eagerly, ready to annoy her captain to wits ends.
When things had finally managed to sort themselves out, Renji looked around, not failing to notice that the four of them were the only ones left. "So… I'm staying with you, right Ichigo?"
"Hell no! Rukia's staying with me!"
The raven haired Shinigami smirked, mirth dancing in her eyes, "I already agreed to go with Orihime."
"What? But you said…!"
"That was before Orihime offered, besides, wouldn't you just love to have a man sleep in your closet?"
"Whoa! No thank you! I'll stay here and work for Urahara!" Renji said, disappearing into the Shoten.
Ichigo glared, but eventually gave in and stalked back home.
"Oh my… look at the time!" Orihime laughed nervously, "It's getting dark… are you ready to go, Rukia?" she asked, smiling kindly.
"Of course, lead the way."
After a few moments of walking in silence, they walked up the stairs to Orihime's apartment. She unlocked the door and they were both greeted with a bright golden glow. No sooner had it appeared, it faded again to reveal Ichigo standing in the entry way.
"Kurosaki-kun! What're you doing here?" Orihime asked, surprised, but not alarmed at all by his presence.
"I forgot to show you something, and it's really important that you see it."
"Alright, where is it?"
"Come on!" Ichigo exclaimed, grabbing her arm and running off down the stairs, and into the streets.
"Orihime! Ichigo! Wait up!" Rukia shouted, running after them. It wasn't long before the two in front of her started to slow, and eventually stop. Rukia slowed still several feet behind them when she found herself being slammed into the opposite wall, a sword buried deep into her lower back, only to have it withdraw and her legs give way beneath her.
"Well, well, well… it seems ya've made some fatal errors…" a sickeningly familiar voice spoke, from across the way.
"Gin…" she managed to gasp out.
"Why, o'course… how could we possibly miss this?"
We? Rukia looked over to where Ichigo and Orihime had been only to find none other than Sousuke Aizen and the faint outlines of an Arrancar with long tailcoats leading her friend away.
"Hm… now, don' ya go thinkin' that we're gonna let ya get outta this so easily…" she said, Shinsou shot out again, this time slipping between the rips on her left side to puncture the middle of her left lung, her breath quickly becoming thick with blood. It didn't stop there however, as he twisted the sword, and forced it down, breaking the bottom five ribs, splicing her spleen and tearing the front wall of the stomach as well as nicking the beginnings of the small intestines.
For a few moments, her vision went black, but it soon cleared enough to see the blade bury itself deep into her thigh. Oddly enough, it didn't hurt at all, maybe because her chest felt like someone had lit it on fire and then poured gasoline into it… she was only half aware that something had burst and was gushing blood from the same point in her thigh even though she couldn't feel it. Rukia started to feel a bit light headed and the world seemed to spin and go dim around her.
"Gin, I think that is quite enough."
"Jus' one more thing…" he said, sheathing his zanpakutou and approaching her. Rukia barely had the energy to force her eyes to move in order to look at him before his foot was on her forehead, right above her right eye. He put all of his weight on it, and was satisfied with the snap that resulted.
Rukia, however, never heard the snap… she was already fading…
All around Karakura, each and every one of the soul reapers felt Rukia's reiatsu disappear. Shunpo-ing there in time to see Gin and Aizen step through the garganta, the former actually waving to them.
"Someone needs to go inform the Soutaichou. Abarai! Now! And bring Unohana taichou with you!" Hitsugaya said, as Ichigo clenched and unclenched his fists.
Quickly, Renji opened a senkaimon and flashed stepped as fast as he could to the first division. He threw the doors open, not even bothering to apologize for intruding on a captains meeting.
"Aizen… and Gin…" he panted, "Were in Karakura… we need Unohana taichou! Rukia is gravely injured!" He could practically feel Senbonzakura slicing his throat already…
He had broken his promise…
A/N: Well, there you go! The first chapter is done! ^-^ hope you guys liked it!
1 - heh… I had to put that in a fic I wrote, OtakuFangirlCrazyArtist, here is your credit for that witty statement (even though I didn't use it in a meeting…)! :)