Potential
A Bleach Fanfiction
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, Tite Kubo does.
A routine day finished in the routine way. Rukia disappearing inside of the closet and Ichigo scowling ever so slightly with his hands behind his head, slowly drifting off to sleep.
But what was out of the ordinary was the either incredibly weak or very far away reiatsu that kept Ichigo from sleeping. He couldn't identify it. It definitely wasn't hollow, but it wasn't human either.
It feels kind've...familiar. Like I've felt it before...
The ominous feeling that came with this odd familiarity with an as of yet unknown reiatsu was thoroughly ignored by the brash 16 year old. He decided instead to actually sleep.
Controlling one's reiatsu output was child's play for anyone who bothered to practice. A rather tall figure stood just outside the Kurosaki Clinic, leaning against a light post. The flickering orange light of the old bulb illuminated the stranger briefly, revealing a simple outfit. A pair of jeans, 'stylishly' or otherwise worn at one knee. A white muscle shirt accentuating toned biceps. A pair of rugged and definitely used combat boots and a black or else dark brown fingerless glove on the right hand, which held a burning cigarette to his mouth.
The light flickered out, leaving the stranger's face to be lit by the fading glow of the cigarette from the last pull on the cancer stick.
"Che."
The following morning was chilly. Cold enough to warrant a jacket on Ichigo's part, and a zip up sweatshirt on Rukia's.
"I'm gonna fail the Algebra test. I just can't pay attention with all the Hollows that've been showing up." as Ichigo spoke, soft tendrils of water vapor formed a smooth fog that drifted silently upwards, meshing with the cold air.
"Oh quit whining" she shot back "You've been learning this longer than I have, I've had to catch up to you and the others. Besides, you're at the top of our class!"
They stopped at a crosswalk, waiting for the vehicular traffic to disperse.
"Oi, Ichigooooooo!"
Keigo's annoying voice splintered the otherwise calm morning, and without thinking Ichigo stepped to the side and raised his arm. Keigo fell to the ground with a thud as Mizuiro waved in greeting.
"Good morning Ichigo, Rukia."
They both greeted Mizuiro and Rukia greeted the still grounded Keigo as he picked himself up.
The four continued, chatting animatedly as they walked. Finally being intercepted once more as they entered the School grounds.
"Kurosaki-kun!"
Inoue Orihime and Tatsuki Arisawa caught up with them and fell into step, exchanging pleasantries. Ishida and Sado were already in the classroom when the six walked in. Ishida, in his usual way, did not speak to them until Orihime struck up a conversation. Sado gave a brisk wave to Ichigo as they all sat down.
Just outside, below the classroom window stood the mysterious man, garbed as he was the night previous. Carelessly cracking the knuckles on his gloved hand, he began walking away, muttering to himself.
"You have Potential, Ichigo Kurosaki."
The students who were still arriving gave him a wide berth as he exited the schoolgrounds. Ichigo and the others sensitive to reiatsu were too preoccupied to notice the strange reiatsu even though it was in such close proximity.
Apparently the Hollow were not fussing over Algebra tests.
BLEEP. BLEEP. BLEEP.
Ichigo's substitute badge blared angrily, though most of the class and the teacher seemed not to hear it. Ichigo suddenly came down with a serious case of the flu and Rukia decided she needed to use the restroom. Both excused themselves and shot out of the classroom. After shoving Ichigo's body in the nearest closet, they set off. The Hollow was a weak one, according to her phone, so she didn't bother to get out of her Gigai.
They set off down the road, Ichigo in the lead. They arrived at the Hollow's location just as a red blast of reiatsu slammed into it, killing it instantly. Ichigo scanned where the blast may have come from, spotting a man standing a scant thirty meters away, he starting running toward him.
With a blurr and a slight wind, the man disappeared and Ichigo barely caught a glimpse of him passing, heading toward Rukia.
She stopped dead in her tracks as the mysterious man suddenly reappeared standing uncomfortably close to her. The wind took a second to catch up, but the wake created by his incredibly fast movements pushed against her, fluttering her skirt and pushing the stray bangs backwards. Her eyes were wide, registering nothing but shock. Her gaze slowly went down to where his fist was pushed into her gut.
"Rukia!" Ichigo's yell was more than just angry, as it usually was when she was injured. It was pained, worried. He was anguished.
She coughed, blood bubbled from her lips and rolled down to her chin, dropping to the ground. You could hear the figurative pin drop.
"RUKIA!"
His anger was released. With a shunpo(flash step) he instantly dashed towards Rukia as the man jumped off to the side, no emotion shown on his face. Rukia's body seemed to give in from the hit, and she fell to her knees. She would have fallen to the ground if it were not for Ichigo catching her at the last second.
Her breathing was shallow, but steady. Her eyes were unfocused and she was clearly unconscious. He slowly lay her down on the sidewalk, eyes blazing as he turned to stare at the man. His hand grabbed Zangetsu and he pulled it to his front, the bandages defying gravity as they flowed off the black blade.
"You will pay."
The man shrugged, cracking the knuckles on his ungloved hand.
"I hope so, Ichigo Kurosaki. Or all of this would have been a waste."
But with those words he was gone, vanishing before Ichigo could so much as lunge at him. His trademark scowl turned to a rather concerned expression as he moved back to Rukia, picking her up off the pavement as the trickle of blood slowly dried.
He soon arrived at the Kurosaki clinic, climbing through the bedroom window with Rukia in his arms. He took care to lay her on his bed and clean the slightly dried blood. Her breathing had been steady so there was no reason to assume she was substantially injured.
Without a word he left the clinic, reappearing soon after back in his body. He gently pushed a few stray strands of hair from her face, frowning as he sat on the edge of the bed.
"Rukia...you can't keep getting hurt like this." his voice was not it's usual edgey and arrogant tone.
"I wasn't trying to, stupid."
She spoke so suddenly that he jumped slightly, falling off the bed. He disguised this slip up by moving to his knees and turning to face her. She gave him a faint smile, her eyes only half open.
"What...happened, Ichigo?"
He retold the events that occured after she was knocked out, and furrowed his brow.
"What do you think he meant by 'I hope so'? And how did he know my name?"
She put on an unusual scowl. "How should I know? I was unconscious, idiot."
"I'm sorry, Rukia."
"For what?"
"For not being able to keep you safe."
"Shutup, stupid. I'm perfectly fine."
As she said that, however, she coughed heavily, convulsing in the bed and causing her body to lean upwards as she coughed.
"Rukia...Rukia I'm going to go get Inoue. Don't try to move"
She didn't argue, for once. She felt decidedly warm in Ichigo's bed. Content and sleepy, her eyes slowly closed and she succumbed to sleep. When she finally woke up, She was under the blanket, feeling considerably more warm than before. It took her a minute before she realised there was a body with her under the blankets. Ichigo was lying there, a serene look on his face as he slept.
His arm was lying idly on her side, and she was facing him, with a subconscious smile on her face. She pushed herself closer to him, and closed her eyes again. It was nice, not arguing for once or beating him up. Maybe she should try getting injured more often.
The antagonist of the day's events was conversing with someone who was hidden in shadow not far from the Kurosaki clinic. He was smoking again, and grinning.
"He has potential. More than you, and probably more than me as well."
"Did you have to hurt Rukia Kuchiki?" the voice was female, slightly rough, as if it was unused,
"It was the only way to guage his true Potential. It only comes forth when he is trying to protect someone. As you well know, Yoruichi Shihouin."
"Tsche."
Bit of a surprise there!
My first fanfiction, so please be brutally honest. At the same time, the more positive reviews I get the faster I'll update the story.
Blarggy