New story from a new show! Never wrote a Bleach fanfiction before, so this'll be fun. ALSO I AM GOING COMPLETELY OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE. I've never written a rated M fanfic before, so go easy on me. Not a lot of detail in this chapter, but there will in the future. Also, no lemons, but there will be implications of "that stuff" in here. Rated M for dark themes etc...
Extra summary: Toushiro and Rukia have gone missing for over a year. When found, a bond was formed in the least likely of situations. Can they still live a semi-normal life with what lies ahead?
Updates will vary depending on how much I decide to write. I'm still writing Royal Bachelorette so that is my main focus. Once that's over, I'll focus more on this one.
Reviews would be appreciated so I know how well my writing is going.
Also, I will be using the English Dub terms such as spirit energy, soul reaper, captains, lieutenant. None of that taicho stuff or subfixes. Too complicated for me. Don't like, don't read.
Anyways, onto the story.
"Ready?" Byakuya positioned himself near the large door leading into the building. A group of soul reapers surrounded the broken-down building, one possibly holding the two reapers they've spent a year searching for. Byakuya Kuchiki and Renji Abarai readied their zanpakutō as Kenpachi Zaraki stepped forward with his own zanpakutō in hand. The captain and lieutenant of the 6th Division threw open the doors, rushing inside with Kenpachi, and the ever-present Yachiru on his back, following close by for backup.
Inside looked like an old warehouse. Old crates and dirt-covered pavement decorated the area. The smell of rain water and mold seized their sense of smell. The darkness of night concealed their identities as the group invaded the building, searching for any signs of life.
Infiltrate the abandoned warehouse and capture the one at fault for the kidnapping of Captain Toushiro Hitsugaya and Rukia Kuchiki. That order came directly from the Head Captain, Yamamoto, himself.
"Go," Byakuya ordered Renji and the other reapers for reinforcements, "Search everywhere. Leave nothing unturned. I refuse to return empty-handed."
Renji nodded in acceptance, and together with Rangiku, Ikkaku, Yumichika, and Isane, they separated, each taking on a different section of the area. Unohana glanced around the room, searching for any sign of Rukia or Toushiro's spirit energy. For once, the pink-haired, cheerful soul reaper, Yachiru, remained quiet.
About a year ago, Rukia Kuchiki assisted Squad 10, Captain Hitsugaya and Rangiku Matsumoto, on a mission in the Fugai District in the Rukongai. Not soon after, an unknown man confronted them as Masuyo, a scientist searching for the very soul reapers before him. He overwhelmed them with his enormous amount of spirit energy. Masuyo only needed the two ice zanpakutō users, so Rangiku escaped with minor injuries. A year has passed, not one word from either soul reaper, even after months of endless searching.
"Captain Kuchiki, Captain Zaraki," Ikkaku Madarame called out from behind a large pile of broken-down crates, "I found something you might want to see,"
The others gathered around a trapdoor hidden beneath a wooden crate. Peeking a head inside, Byakuya concluded the ladder lead underground by at least four stories.
"I'll go in first," Byakuya said after a minute of calculations, "along with Zaraki. Follow however you wish," The heir of the Kuchiki clan jumped in without the use of the ladder, instead concentrating his spirit energy to catch himself before he landed on the cold, concrete floor. When Zaraki settled beside him, they immediately searched for any spirit energy they could sense. Taking a step further down the hall, Byakuya's cold eyes narrowed in suspicion as he felt two souls down one direction, but the fading energy in the other direction also caught his attention.
"Feel that?" Zaraki didn't bother toning his voice down, "Someone's in the process of dyin',"
"Go," the captain of the 6th Division ordered, "make sure it's not one of our own."
"Sure," Kenpachi nodded his head towards the opposite direction, Ikkaku and Yumichika following their captain closely.
"Go with them, Isane," Unohana asked her lieutenant. "They might need your healing abilities."
"Of course, Captain," Isane nodded her head. That left Renji and Rangiku to assist the two remaining captains.
Byakuya took the first step, unsheathing his zanpakutō just in case. The concrete walls dripped with rain water sinking through the cracks in the ceiling. Rangiku nearly screamed in fear as a rat scurried by. The smell of blood and flesh ignited a disgusting feeling in everyone's gut. Rangiku held her breath as they reached a thin door with a soul inside.
Renji stepped forward and kicked the door down easily, reveling a darker, and more eerie room. Unohana entered with a lantern, brightening up the room with its orange glow. Rangiku squinted her eyes before sucking in a sharp breath.
She screamed.
"Tsk," Kenpachi kicked the body aside with his foot. If he wasn't dead before, Masuyo was now. "Coward."
When the group of five entered the large room, they met the pale and dying face of Masuyo, hanging limp from a noose tied to a large bed tipped on its side. Scattered throughout the room rested operating tools covered in fresh blood. Kenpachi concluded from the slits on Masuyo's wrists, the man tried killing himself, but failed and resorted to hanging himself.
"Bastard knew we were coming, must've done it no more than twenty minutes ago," Five minutes before the group of soul reapers arrived.
A scream echoed down the long hallway.
A normal day in the human world for Ichigo Kurosaki when he received word of Rukia and Toushiro's rescue and return. Bidding goodbye and words of encouragement from his friends helped him as he flung into his soul reaper form and followed Renji through the senkaimon.
"How bad is it?" Ichigo dared to ask as the two friends raced through the dangai.
Renji remained quiet for a moment. "It's pretty bad." He retold what happened after Rangiku screamed his ear off.
Once her scream died out, the others unleashed their swords, preparing for danger, but found none. Renji watched as Rangiku stared at a particular area in the room, and followed her gaze…only for his eyes to meet the bloodied and broken down body of Captain Toushiro Hitsugaya. He definitely wasn't living the posh life down here. His captain haori and shihakushō obviously absent and replaced with a simple pair of black, baggy pants. His arms, lifted high above his head, wrists bound by chains drilled to the wall. His natural white hair, now a dark, dull gray. Renji guessed the man unconscious, but if he could see his eyes, he knew those would also appear dull and lifeless, void of color. Bare and bloodied chest, covered in open wounds, caked with dried blood and dirt, infected. Renji guessed more injuries on his backside, due to the bloodied walls. Now he knew why it smelled.
Unohana ran forward immediately and began a healing kidō on the younger captain. Byakuya cut the chains easily with his sword. The younger soul reaper fell forward into the ready arms of Rangiku, who held him while Unohana began the healing.
"Abarai," Byakuya snapped the red-haired man out of his shock. "Let's go investigate the other soul."
"Right," Renji agreed and left the women to the 10th Division Captain.
This time the two reapers from the 6th Division raced down the hall, hoping they found Rukia, not Masuyo. Byakuya ripped down the door, sword in hand, inspecting the room. A plush bed indicated a more plush room than before, a table full of food sat in the middle. While Renji continued to inspect the room, Byakuya cautiously trudged towards the bed, where the spirit energy radiated, or what's left of it. The dark-haired man lifted the blankets, revealing a small figure dressed in white.
Rukia rested there, pale and unmoving, but still breathing. Her thin arms covered her stomach protectively, and her white kimono looked sizes too large. Byakuya then took notice of the unnatural bulge underneath her arms.
"Captain," Renji spoke from behind him. Byakuya turned to see Renji staring at Rukia in fear, but the other man knew it wasn't fear of her, just the extra, unknown soul in the room coming from Rukia's body.
When the two soul reapers arrived at the 4th Division hospital, they weren't expecting chaos. The sounds echoed from the room Toushiro and Rukia resided in. Rushing forward, Renji snatched the first person he found. "What's going on?"
Ikkaku and Yumichika stood to the side, arms crossed and frowning facial features. Kenpachi and Yachiru sat against the wall, along with the rest of the captains and lieutenants, silent as the screams started up again in the hospital room.
"Get away from us!" Ichigo recognized the voice of Toushiro and risked a look inside. "Stay back!"
Toushiro crammed himself against the furthest wall he could find, Rukia held tightly in his arms. Clean, white kimonos replaced dirty rags. Toushiro's eyes blazed with rage, and dark purple circles surrounded the teal orbs. Even though he lost a lot of weight and muscle, he still managed to hold Rukia in his arms defensively. In her sleep, Rukia held her stomach protectively on instinct.
"Captain, we're here to help—" Rangiku tried to convince her captain.
"No!" Toushiro pressed himself closer to the wall. "Just stay away! Don't come close!"
Unohana prepped a syringe filled with a strange liquid. "Mr. Kurosaki, perfect timing. Could you and Lieutenant Abarai hold Captain Hitsugaya down while I inject this sleeping serum?"
"Hold on a minute," Ichigo interjected. "There's an easier way to do this, I'm sure."
"How do you propose we do that?" Renji asked, doubtfully.
"For one you shouldn't corner him like this," Ichigo removed his zanpakutō and set it on the floor. "He's obviously defensive from his time trapped down there. PTSD, remember? You probably triggered some bad memories."
Ichigo pushed his way through the crowd of nurses plus Rangiku and Byakuya. Toushiro eyed him warily but stayed silent. Ichigo approached slowly, never moving too fast. He had experience from his dad's clinic. When Toushiro decided Ichigo got too close, he growled. Ichigo immediately retreated two steps back and kneeled.
"Toushiro, you remember me?" Ichigo asked.
"Of course I do, moron," Toushiro narrowed his eyes. "it's not like you're easy to forget."
Ichigo laughed. "That's good. Tell me, why won't you let anyone help?"
Toushiro's eyes flashed with something Ichigo couldn't recognize. "No one can help us."
"Why's that?"
"We're beyond help," Toushiro's eyes softened as he glanced down at the sleeping Rukia. "We're beyond hope."
"No one is beyond hope," Ichigo replied softly. "You just need time."
"Dammit!" Toushiro roared. "DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND THAT WE HAVE NO TIME!?"
"No time?" Ichigo echoed, unaware of the growing tension in the room.
"Quickly!" Unohana rushed forward, serum in hands. "Abarai, Kurosaki, hold him down!"
"No! Get that needle away from me!"
Ichigo surrendered and rushed forward to grab one of Toushiro's shoulders, effectively pinning him to the wall. Renji stretched out Toushiro's arm and Unohana injected the substance into his veins. Toushiro's struggles and screams turned sluggish until he eventually collapsed, Rukia still unharmed and in his arms.
Minutes later Unohana exited the room with Isane behind her. Everyone in the waiting room rose in anticipation as Unohana pulled out a clipboard.
"After doing a thorough search on Captain Hitsugaya, I concluded his physical state will heal completely, given time. Whip lashes cover his back, most likely torture—" Unohana paused at the chorus of gasps. "His wrists are worn down from the chains we found him in. The prominence in his ribs indicates he hasn't eaten in almost a week. Like Mr. Kurosaki said before, both patients will be diagnosed with PTSD, any other mental health problems will be tested for when they wake."
The area dripped of silence and tension.
"What about Rukia?" Nanao Ise voiced up from beside her captain.
Unohana flipped a page. "Miss Kuchiki's a bit healthier, so to speak. She, like Hitsugaya, shows signs of whipping torture on her back, but her wounds are completely healed. She's been fed a decent amount of food in order to survive."
"Captain Unohana," Renji stepped forward. "What about the extra soul I felt?"
The others looked at the 6th Division lieutenant in confusion. "The extra soul is, in fact, still existent. The reason for the spirit energy being so faint is because Rukia's body is concealing it with her own spirit energy."
"What does that mean?" Ukitake asked, eyes narrowing as if he already knew.
"The only thing it could mean," Unohana sighed. "Miss Rukia Kuchiki is five months pregnant."
Muahaha. See you next chapter.
-EZ17
