My Own Reasons: After another mistake just short of failure and seeing Renji once again be promoted, Ruki feels down. Then an accident occurs, causing Rukia to flee to the human world where she tries to start over as...a mom? NOT A PREGNANCY FIC
Rukia could hear as two girls in her class talked, "Didn't you hear? Renji-senpais been promoted to..."
Attempting to drown out their conversation, Rukia collected the rest of her materials and made her way to the exit.
She sighed, as always Renji was being praised by the many students that surrounded her-after all he was practiacally a prodigy for a guy from the Rukan District. While Rukia, even though she grew up next to Renji, was still getting gossiped about and everyone of her promotions or aknowledgments due to an achievement were all chalked up to her being a member of the Kuichki household.
Walking along the courtyard, Rukia held her hand out to catch the cherry blossoms that had recently began to fall. Sighing again, she retracted her hand and continued walking home.
...
"I am home brother." Rukia announced at the door, heading toward the back of the house where she knew Byakyua would be sitting if he wasn't off on a mission. Knocking on the door before entering, she sat across from him at a table. With a bow she presented her latest grade report and waited as he picked up the paper and reviewed her progress.
"You are not doing so well in some of your studies." He declared.
"Yes brother."
"A problem soon to be resolved I presume,"
"Of course." With another bow, Rukia exited the room and sought for the privacy provided by her own bedroom.
The room of course, was simple. Too simple. The only real pictures she had were attached on the inside of one of the doors to a cabinet. The colors were all simple.
Rukia layed down on her mat and layed an arm over her face. She wouldn't cry. She wouldn't cry.
Shaking her head, she got up and decided she would train for a bit. Grabbing her sword, she made her way to a training ground near the back of the house-one of which the rest of her family members would not be able to observe from any point inside the house.
After making sure the coast is clear, Rukia began to swipe away at the air before her. Each time she would change positions in a way that suggested each swipe was for a different enemy.
At the sky: Tall Hollow
On the ground: TIny Hollow
Jumping back: Dodging
Holding sword sideways: Defense
Quick swipes of sword: Offence
Rukia continued like this for a long time, until her head was finally cleared of all the stressors she had before.
Putting her sword away, Rukia made her way back into the house and into her own private bath.
...
After a while, the Kuchki household had all eaten and were preparing for bed. In Byakyua's case, he was preparing for a meeting with the rest of the captains. However, Rukia too was preparing for a night time training excercise.
Her class had all been exstatic when they first heard the news, Rukia was at first but then she was forced to hear about the accident that happened during the last excersice. One of which Renji had 'fought bravely'.
Rukia headed downstairs and gave a bow to her brother, walking out the door-but starting to run to ensure she would have time to spare once she got there.
...
Fortunatley, quite a few people had the same thought as Rukia. Many of her classmates were conversing with each other over the tactics needed to make a good grade. Some were even excited a the idea of killing their first hollow.
However, Rukia knew the size of the hollow would never be as big as the one Renji had faced during his training. Too many students had died then, while it was a surprise attack, it still diminished the number of future Soul Reapers.
Not long after she arrived, the sixth years appeared with further instructions. Once all was said and done, everyone was divided up into groups of three. Sadly enough, none of the students ever conversed with Rukia. Either they didn't because of her untraditional adoption into the Kuchki family, or they did with the ulterior motive of getting in good with the youngest Kuchiki family member.
It seemed to Rukia, she had both types of people in her group. One boy who absolutley hated how trash like her could be given a high class status and be allowed to graduate earlier without putting any effort in. While the other, was absolutley hanging off any detail she could give on Byakyua. Apparently, he wanted to become liutenant.
'Ha, sure- you become liutenant the day Renji gets promoted to King!' Rukia thought with a laugh.
Not at all on equal terms of introduction, her team prepared themselves for entering the world of the living.
...
'Where am I? What's happening? Where are you going? Don't leave me!' Rukia thought. 'H-how did I get like this?' She tried to move but her body layed still. 'That's right!'
After her team entered the world of the living, all of the teams took their positions and prepared themselves for the onslaught of hollows that would soon begin. This time, another accident happened.
Only...it wasn't a big allow-instead. Hundreds of small hollows. So small. Everything else happened in a flash. Her team broke apart. She got cornered. Everyone started to flee. The reenforcements didn't show up in time.
Rukia was now layed out in a secluded area, her Zanpakto was still fully gripped in her hands. She was forced to watch as every one of her classmates managed to escape with their lives. She shuddered as more small hollows crawled on her. All sucking out her spirit energy.
'This is it. I am going to die.'
...
The Captain's meeting for the night had been interuppted. Only to be informed, an attack of small hollows disarmed the students apart of the excercise and one student was missing. Presumedly she was dead.
"No," Captain Ukitake interupted. "Whoever this student is, she is not dead. In my own experiance these types of Hollows aren't large enough to consume a spirit whole. Instead they'll all take part in preserving her as they consume every last drop of her power. The unfortunate end to this is if she is not dead when we find her, she may be in a state of powerlessness."
"Meaning," Kenpachi asked.
"She may no longer have the power to become a Soul Reaper." Ukitatke said. The Captains and Liutenants were all silent.
"Who is this student?" Captain Aizen asked.
The Soul Reapers who were informing them hesitated.
"The female student that is currently missing from the class excercise and presumed dead...is none other than Rukia Kuchiki." One of them said.
...
"Don't get up so fast!" A voice scolded.
'Who...' Rukia thought as her head suddenly felt empty and she was left to collapse back onto the bed where she lay.
"This isn't safe Urahara. Byakyua will be looking for her." Another voice, this one gruffer than the first said.
"They won't be looking for someone they believe is dead." The voice from before said.
"They will if they are aware of the abilities of the smaller hollows."
"Then they'll search, if they can't find her-eventually they'll will give up. Its what happened to us."
"There are always exceptions."
"Yes, but I don't plan on forcing her to stay, once she's better she can choose to leave or not."
...
A few hours later Rukia woke, this time however, she didn't get up as suddenly as before. She slowly took the time to allow her eyes to get used to the light in the room. Then she tried to flex whatever limbs or muscles she could manage to.
'I have all my arms and legs, so thats a plus.' Rukia thought as she looked about the room. It was small compared to the one she was used to back at Byakyua's home. It wasn't as luxurious either, but not in the sence it could be called a dump or run down like her living quarters back in the Soul Society before she was adopted.
After a while, she finally tried to attempt to rise out of the bed she was in. No-not a bed. A mat. This little detail allowed her the knowledge of knowing what type of environment she was in. Whether she was still in the human world or back in the Soul Society was unclear however.
"Your up." A voice said, "How are you feeling?"
"What!" Rukia looked around. Nobody was in sight.
"I asked you, how are you feeling?" There was the voice again.
"What!" Rukia was up now, blanket thrown off and she was suddenly standing in the middle of the room. Looking around for the intruder. Where was her sword, she wondered.
"Calm down Rukia!"
"Where is the voice coming from?" Rukia asked herself out load.
"Down here."
"Huh?"
"Look down!" The voice ordered. So Rukia did.
"WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU!" Rukia yelled as she backed into the wall. "A-A CAT!"
"Oh calm down would you, your not strong enough to be shouting and moving about so quickly." The cat told her.
"Cat," was all Rukia could mangage.
"Oh, quit your dramatics-its not the end of the world. There are captain's in the Soul Society in the form of animals y'know."
It took a while, but the cat was finally able to persuade her to crawl back into the bed and stop screaming.
"Now that you've stopped being a complete maniac. Shall we start with the introductions?" The cat asked and continued to speak after earnining a nod, "I am Yoruichi, my friend Urahara and I saved you from having all of your Spirit Energy sucked out by the small hollows."
"Yes, um...thank you for that." Rukia replied.
"Of course." Yoruichi nodded.
"Wait, your names...they sound familiar."
"I expect them to." Another voice said. Rukia looked to the door where a man, wearing a striped hat and a pair of clogs now stood.
Rukia realized immeditaley why the names sounded familiar.
"Your!"
"Yes." The man said and shrugged off whatever questions she was going to ask. "Now before you try to collect your zanpakto and make a run for it, there are a few things I need to explain to you."
"What?"
"First of all, you are currently in a town in Japan. A place apart of the world of the living if you didn't realize. Second of all, we saved you from the hollows because your survival may prove to be useful to us. Thirdly, the Soul Society thinks you are either dead or being held as a meal in the Hollows world." Urahara finished.
"What else is there?" Rukia asked.
"Huh?"
"You're leaving details out, besides what you have already told me, what else it there?"
"From the short time you were being fed on by the hollows and the amount of preservation they enacted on you- your spiritual pressure is quite low." He explained.
"How low?" She asked, gripping at the blanket Yoruichi had wrapped back around her.
"It may take a long time before you can again use your zanpakto." He said.
"Meaning?"
"If you don't take the right precautions, you may not ever be a real soul reaper again."
Rukia nodded. "Just tell me one last thing."
"Of course." Yoruichi said.
"How long was I being preserved?"
The two hesitated. "Why would you ask this."
"I once spoke to Captain Ukitake about such an occurence, he explained it to me. At one point in time a Soul Reaper was fed on for 10 whole years-and his already small spirit energy being drained made him a regular spirit and later killed him. Then another occurence, where another Soul Reaper was held for more than 100 years until somebody found their nest that he was set free. His spirit energy was high enough, that he could still be capable of achieving at least the fourth seat of a squad and live a long life in the Soul Society."
"This is true." Urahara agreed.
"Then, how long was I being preserved?"
Almost 40(Calculate time Ichigo's mom died to his fight with Byakyua) years." Yoruichi said.
"That long." Rukia said.
"I'm afraid so." Urahara responded.
"Then, my brother...and Renji."
"Can you blame them if they eventually moved on."
"I guess not."
"What my question is, is whether or not you're going to return to them."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you have a choice you know. You can either go home to them and live-"
"NO!" Rukia interuppted him.
"Rukia-"
"I can already sence how low my spiritual pressure is. I know at this rate, if I were to return to the Soul Society it would take years before I could begin training again and even then, I may never be able to achieve a high enough position to make my brother happy." She clutched at the blankets tighter as she said this.
"You are weak now, that much is true. However, I should let you know that the Reiastu in the Soul Society may cause you to recover quicker."
"I understand as much, but why should I?"
"Then would you like to hear an alternative I am able to provide to you?"
"You have my attention."
"You can accept a gigai by my own creation and live here in the human world.
To be continued in the next chapter...