Chapter 2:
Ichigo went back into his body and helped clean up the kitchen. Yuzu insisted on doing it herself since she handled all the cleaning, but Ichigo pitched in, telling her that he didn't want her to get hurt on the shards of glass. Unbeknownst to him, Nathan was already cleaning up. Still dressed in his torn suit, Nathan had rolled up his sleeves and set to work, hand-cleaning the disaster of a kitchen.
"Don't do that," Ichigo told him. "You'll cut your hand."
Nathan looked at the large piece of glass in his hand. "It's fine. This faux body of mine is awfully resilient. I should have been hurt a lot worse than I was, actually."
Ichigo watched as he continued to clean the kitchen. He handed him a trashcan. "You don't have to do that, you know."
Nathan gave him a sideward glance before chuckling softly. "It was my duty back when I was alive. I suppose old habits die hard."
"But I thought you were just her playmate, not a slave."
"No. I was sold as a slave. But I was taken in and made her constant companion. However, I was still a servant."
Ichigo tried to remember some of the memories he had gotten from Nathan back when they were temporarily linked. After Nathan had sucked out some of his Spirit Energy, he had gotten some of Nathan's memories in return. They flashed into his mind whenever he had lost consciousness and was able to see into Nathan's past. He remembered how the other servants had treated him. The chefs especially were very cruel to him. Only one maid ever stuck up for him, but even she had to admit that he got in the way and did more harm than good.
"But didn't you have any of the same rights as the rest of the family? I mean, you were taken in, weren't you?"
Nathan gave a little smile. "It was… complicated. You see, I was Rosalia's playmate, but at the same time, a servant. I was given a roof over my head and allowed the food from their table. I was given my own space with a bed to call my own. But I was still a servant, at their beck and call. I was still a coworker, therefore, I wasn't allowed to use the servants for my own needs the way that they could. The family was allowed to command them, but not me."
That was a complicated relationship, Ichigo had to admit. To be a guest as well as a servant in the home. It must have been hard to place him in the household. Where do you draw the line between the two things? Allowed to be at their table and have his own bedroom like a guest, but at the same time he was also expected to do as he was told like any other servant and given chores to do. How do you place a guy who was both? The two were incompatible.
And yet, that's exactly what Nathan was. He was expected to carry out the orders given to him while living as an almost equal. Maybe even that was a bit of a stretch.
Ichigo helped Nathan to overturn the smashed table and throw it out into the yard. Together, they stuffed as much debris as possible into trash bags and left them out on the curb for pickup. Only one chair was salvageable. Nathan's and Yuzu's were smashed beyond recognition and Karin's had two missing legs and a crooked back. They needed a whole new kitchen set now.
Nathan got down on his knees to pick up the remaining shards of glass in the crevices between the floor tiles with his fingers. "Hang on, don't do that."
Nathan stopped. "Why not? We can't get them with a broom. I was taught to get it with my hand if a broom wouldn't do."
"Yeah, but there's been an invention in the last century that makes it a whole lot easier. Hold on." Ichigo went to the closet and took out the vacuum.
Nathan looked at the strange device and watched as Ichigo plugged it in. "What is that thing?"
"This?" Ichigo held up the hose attachment. "It's called a vacuum cleaner."
"A… vacuum cleaner?" That's right. Nathan had never seen one before. They hadn't been invented yet during his time alive.
"It sucks up the things you can't get at with a broom. Watch."
Ichigo flipped it on and at once, a loud whirling filled the room. Nathan jumped onto the countertop as if the device were an attack dog and watched wide-eyed as Ichigo cleaned the floor. He pushed the instrument across the floor with one hand while keeping the cord back with the other. Once every part of the floor was cleaned, Ichigo shut it off. The vacuum shut down with a quiet whirl and sat on the floor motionless. Slowly, Nathan climbed off the counter and gave the device a nervous look.
"Relax, it's not going to bite you."
Nonetheless, Nathan cautiously approached the strange object and gave it a curious look. He very slowly reached out and gave it a small poke. "It's still warm."
Ichigo smiled. Nathan was like an ignorant child. "It makes cleaning a lot easier, I'll tell you that. Wanna try it?"
Nathan jumped away, shaking his head. He was a little scared of it.
"Ichigo?" Yuzu and Karin had appeared at the base of the stairs. "Did I just hear the vacuum?"
He nodded. "Yeah. We were just cleaning up. Now we can walk through here without getting stuck with something sharp."
Yuzu hurried over to where Ichigo stood. "You cleaned?"
"I can do it, too. Nathan helped me out a little."
Nathan pointed to the vacuum proudly. "Ichigo used the vacuum!"
Yuzu held up a mop. "I'll get washing!"
Ichigo tried to stop her, but it was pointless to try. Karin got her sister a bucket and Nathan grabbed a soft brush and started to scrub on his hands and knees. Once they were done, the floor was shining like new.
Karin pointed out Nathan's back, remarking how cut up it was. Concerned for their guest, the two girls pulled him into the living room and removed his coat and shirt. His injuries weren't that bad, actually. The gigai he was in must have been reinforced or something in order to protect him.
"Oh, my..!" Yuzu was looking at Nathan's back.
Ichigo moved behind him to get a better look at what she was seeing.
"How'd that happen?" Karin asked.
There were multiple scars across Nathan's back. Some were irregular and others were easily identified as the result of a riding crop and a hot iron of some sort. Seeing these injuries weighed heavy on Ichigo's chest and made him so angry. He knew what these were. These were Nathan's first master's punishments for making mistakes. When he said that he was beaten every day, he meant it.
"It's nothing. Just something from a long time ago." Nathan lowered his head and his back stiffened. These were the marks of a clumsy slave with a cruel master.
Ichigo's sisters cleaned and bandaged his back and gave him one of Ichigo's clean shirts to wear until Yuzu could sew up his torn jacket.
The two were still a bit shaken from the sudden attack, so Ichigo stayed with them in the living room and watched a little TV until their father returned home. Nathan and Ichigo managed to convince the two that the blast was the result of a car crash, but the driver didn't stick around.
It was after 10:00 when their father finally returned home to find a gaping hole in his kitchen and a stranger in his living room. At once, he rushed over to his girls and embraced them. Then he turned to Ichigo. "What the hell happened here?"
"Nothing. Just a driver smashed into the kitchen and drove off. No big deal."
"We're ok, daddy." Yuzu pointed to the chair. "Nathan saved me!"
"Who did?" He turned around and saw Nathan spring to his feet. He bowed low with a hand over his heart.
"Sorry, sir. My name is Nathan, sir. Please forgive the unexpected intrusion on my part. I should have announced myself sooner."
Isshin looked him up and down. "Wow." He looked at Ichigo. "See, boy. Now that's how you talk respectfully to your elders."
Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Give me a…"
"So, you saved my sweet little Yuzu, huh?"
Nathan shrugged. "I didn't really… I mean, I didn't do that much… I just sort of threw myself on top of her when that blast hit. She didn't get hurt so I-"
Isshin grabbed him and pulled him into his arms in an extremely tight bear hug. "That's my boy! Oh, words cannot express how grateful I am to you for protecting her! Clearly I haven't been raising Ichigo hard enough. That's his job. Welcome to the family, Nathan, my boy!"
"Come on, dad!" Karin butted in. "Don't you think you're being a little over the top? How dramatic can you get?"
Nathan's face disappeared in their father's chest as the hug grew tighter.
"Hey, old man, you're crushing him!" Ichigo pried his father's arms off from around Nathan and pulled him away. "Dammit, you'll kill him like that! He can't breathe!"
Nathan gasped for air and cracked his neck back into place. "Thank you for your gratitude, sir…"
X
After being told their part of the story and informing him that Nathan had nowhere to spend the night, Isshin had to let him stay over. He wheeled a cot into Ichigo's room and drew a bath for him. Nathan wasn't used to being treated this way and wasn't sure how to react. No one had ever drawn a bath for him and he was very grateful for the cot. That meant that he didn't have to sleep in the closet again. He barrowed some of Ichigo's clothes for that evening while his were washed and mended.
As they settled down, Rukia came in through the window and went straight into the closet. Ichigo looked at her. "Well?"
She looked up. "Well what?"
"Any word on that Arrancar?"
She shook her head. "No. He got away. But I'm sure Nathan's told you that there are at least two of them out there, right? My guess is that's where he disappeared to in such a hurry. He must have gotten word from his partner to retreat."
Ichigo thought back and remembered something. "Yeah, that makes sense. Just before he ran off, the guy looked at his wrist and then scrambled off."
"That must have been his partner calling him to fall back." She tucked her pager away. "But I got word back from the Soul Society to stay here and keep a look out in case they return and if possible find out what they were looking for."
"Then what are you doing here?"
She shot him a look. "I'm here to rest. I scanned everything within a four block radius of your house for the past couple hours. Your family's safe. I doubt they'll be coming back tonight now that they know we're looking for them. Rangiku and the others are searching everywhere else while I stay here and catch up on some rest. Don't worry. We've got this covered."
"The last time you said that, my sister nearly got killed," he muttered under his breath. Secretly, he was mostly angry with himself for not being able to protect her and relaying on Nathan to do it in his place. If only he didn't suck at detecting Spirit Pressure…
"Good night, you guys," Rukia said closing the sliding door.
"'Night," Ichigo pulled the covers over his shoulder.
"Good night, Miss Rukia," Nathan called to her through the door.
Ichigo turned to look at him. "You don't have to call her that, you know."
"It's a term of respect that's been drilled into my head from childhood. And I haven't been asked to stop yet."
"Whatever." Ichigo rolled over. "'Night."
"Good night."
X
Ichigo woke up unusually early that following morning. The sun was just barely beginning to rise. A dark 5:30 morning sky flowed into Ichigo's bedroom through an open window giving it a peaceful and drowsy feeling. This was the time before day when Ichigo debated between going back to sleep or getting up early. Everything was still quiet. There was just enough dim morning light to make out parts of his bedroom. The closet was still shut tight with Rukia still sleeping inside. On the cot next to his bed was a slumbering Nathan, sprawled out and tangled in his blanket. Ichigo watched him sleep for another minute before falling back asleep himself.
Two hours later, his sisters woke him up by calling through the door. He stretched and sat up. Nathan was still sleeping soundly, now laying on his stomach, one hand under his pillow, the other tucked under his chest. Ichigo nudged him awake and helped him detangle himself from his blanket. They allowed Rukia to sleep in a little longer and went down for some breakfast.
"Good morning… Ichigo!" Isshin came down from the ceiling and onto his son's head.
"You stupid old man!"
"Good morning, Ichigo! Hi, Nathan!" Yuzu pointed them into the living room to eat on account of the unlivable kitchen. "Hope you don't mind having eggs and toast for breakfast. I couldn't really…"
"That's fine." Karin opened a cupboard to get a plate, door snapping off its hinges. "Great."
Nathan took his seat quietly and waited to be served. "Are you sure there isn't anything that I could do?"
"Nope, we're fine." Karin pointed to the hole in the wall covered up by a very large sheet of plastic. "Unless you wanna help us pay for that, that is."
"Karin!" Yuzu scolded.
"I was just kidding."
After they ate, Ichigo took Nathan out to see the town. And this time, it was for fun. The last time he did this, they were looking for his lost mistress. And this time, Nathan could experience things from a living point of view thanks to his gigai. Ichigo took him down the road and into town. He took him to the park and on a walk through a pedestrian mall. Nathan looked at everything in shop windows with wide eyes and an open mouth. Such things that were unheard of 100 years ago were now displayed in shop windows and along the sidewalk. So many things he had never seen before were now within reach. He was like a kid in a candy store.
"What's this thing?" he asked, pointing to an object Ichigo saw just about everyday.
This wasn't the first time he had been asked this by someone from the Soul Society. And yet, he couldn't help but chuckle. "That's a vending machine."
Nathan looked back at the multicolored plastic and metal rectangle with a curious look on his face. "What's it do? What's it used for?"
"It dispenses drinks. This one does anyway. There are others that have food in them and other stuff." Ichigo dug around in his pocket for some change. "Wanna try it?"
Nathan moved away from the machine. "I… I don't know. Should I..?"
"Don't worry about it." He started putting in the money. "Ever have soda before?"
Nathan blinked. "Soda?"
"Come on, you haven't heard of it before?"
"Well, I have. It was a new product that come out around my time. But I was never given it. It was a rich person's drink. Rosalia's father could afford it, but they never had it around the house. I've never tasted it before."
"Then you have to." Ichigo selected the drink he wanted and it popped out of the machine with a clang. He picked it up and held it out for Nathan. "Here you go."
Nathan took it in both hands and stared at it. He turned it onto its side and upside-down then right side up. "How exactly do I open it?"
"Here." Ichigo took it and popped the top, handing it back to him. "You like oranges, right?"
"Yes, well enough."
"Then drink. It's orange soda."
Nathan gave the can a nervous look before lifting it up to his lips. Very slowly he took a drink. He shut his eyes and pulled it away.
"Well? Like it?"
Nathan blinked a couple of time. "It's so… so…"
"Carbonated?"
"Yes. The bubbles tickled my nose. But it tastes like a very sweet orange juice."
"Like it?"
Nathan belched and his cheeks turned red. "Pardon me."
"Yeah, it'll do that."
Nathan smiled. "I rather like it. The drink, that is."
Ichigo smiled back.
Nathan clutched the drink in both hand, staring at it. His smile was still there, but it had become a bittersweet one. "I…" He broke off as if debating his next words. "I'm really glad I could be here. Thank you for showing me this."
Ichigo put a hand on his hip. "You know, you could stay here a little longer. I can show you more things."
"You don't have to bother. I don't belong in this world anymore so why should I know about the things today? It's pointless."
Ichigo looked at him for a while before speaking. "I just wanted you to enjoy yourself a little. I mean, I know what you've been through. I've seen it, I've helped you through it. And you've been through a lot more than I realized. I had no idea about the scars on your back."
Nathan cast his eyes down to the ground. "Funny, actually. He wanted to leave an impression on me. I say he succeeded. And I remember what each one of them were for. The one on the small of my back was for dropping the milk. It came in glass bottles back then. He hit me with a switch. The one over my shoulder is from when I went to get firewood and tripped on the rug coming in and got dirt and wood shavings everywhere. He took a metal rod from the fireplace and beat me with it. It was hot and burned through my shirt. With him as my master, I remember each and everyone of my mistakes. All of them left scars, just not all are visible. They're a constant reminder of how imperfect I am."
The look in his eyes told Ichigo that he was in real pain. It never went away. But he didn't pity him. He felt sorry for him, of course, but that wasn't why he wanted to treat Nathan to a good time. He knew that he deserved one. Ichigo was about to speak again, but Nathan cut him off before he even started.
"I know that you have seen through my eyes before. You've been in my memories. And I know that you've seen what Rosalia was like back then. I know that you thought of her as a brat. But understand that for someone like me, that was a welcomed change. For someone who was cursed at night and day and always told how useless he was, her command of 'now' was like a chorus of angels to me. I'd much rather hear that than 'remove your shirt for punishment, you useless cur'. Compared to that old life, how can I not see her in a celestial light?"
Ichigo put his wallet away in his back pocket as he answered. "I wasn't going to call you foolish for loving her. I know I've seen her in such a way, but I never doubted for one second that she was a good person at heart. After all, she did save you, didn't she? And the way she cried for you when she thought you were dead meant that she really and truly loved you and that you always had a special place in her heart."
Nathan ran a finger over his ring with a tender smile.
"I'm very glad that she's your wife now. You were made for each other."
"Thanks, Ichi-"
"Move!" Ichigo managed to pull Nathan clear of a surprise attack from above. It was another cero. This one was red and yellow.
"Where is it?"
"What?" Ichigo and Nathan looked up from behind the smashed soda machine and up at a new Arrancar.
The man was dressed in a white formfitting robe with an orange sash and had a Hollow mask on top of his head like a pair of horns. His pointed chin and wily yet vicious eyes made him look like a humanoid fox.
"Who the hell are you?" Ichigo shouted up at him.
"I am Raposa. Who the hell are you?"
"I'm Substitute Soul Reaper Ichigo Kurosaki."
The Arrancar sneered. "Hm. Soul Reaper, huh?" He drew his sword. "Let's see about that!"
Ichigo only had an instant to make his move. In one thrust, he threw Nathan into an alley while taking out his Soul Badge.
Raposa cracked his sword out like a whip with enough force to cause the ground to tremble. It sent a shockwave down to where the two were standing moments ago. The attack was like a bomb, causing a massive dust cloud to form upon impact. Raposa peered into the dust cloud, waiting. When the dust settled, Ichigo was knelt with his sword standing before him like a shield, protecting himself and Nathan.
Nathan sat on the ground with Ichigo's empty body in his lap, wedged between a couple of trashcans.
"Stay here and take care of my body." Ichigo grabbed his weapon and jumped into the air, on the attack.
Their blades clashed. Raposa held his in one hand while Ichigo pressed against his with both hands. They sprang apart and attacked again. They clashed five different times before Raposa fired off another cero. Ichigo ducked and let it pass over his head into the sky. Then he dove straight down, sword pointed forward.
"Too slow!" Raposa unleashed yet another cero, but this one was more like a whip. It crashed against Ichigo's sword, slicing into his forearm. The mist of blood that grazed his skin was like a slap in the face. He could feel it dripping down his chin, put he had no time to wipe it off. Raposa was attacking again, never giving him a chance.
Raposa plowed into Ichigo like a battering-ram and into the side of a building. The concrete wall shattered, sending a tremor throughout the structure. Ichigo tasted blood.
This guy's good, he thought, staring into his light green eyes. The other guy was tough, but he was slow. He couldn't even keep up with my normal speed. He was all brute force. This guy's powerful, but he's also fast. He's a lot faster than that other guy. But I've seen better.
Ichigo pushed against his sword and threw him into the air.
He sighed as if disappointed but his lips unveiled a smile revealing an opposite reaction. Raposa raised his sword again. But Ichigo didn't give him the chance. Ichigo managed to graze his shoulder just before the attack. Raposa turned and slashed at Ichigo's back. He missed and Ichigo was on the offensive. He charged in the air straight at him. He didn't have time to get out of the way, so he chose to block. Their blades hit was incredible force. Ichigo half expected his sword to snap clean in half. The air trembled enough from the impact to rustle his hair. Even Raposa felt the impact of the defensive attack. Despite the blade never touching him, his hand was all cut up as if he had been cut by a razor.
He cursed Ichigo and slammed into him. Ichigo skidded in the air for a few yards then came to a stop, just in time to see Raposa's sword coming at his face. He held up his own weapon and blocked. It hit was much more force than he had thought. With blood streaming from his mouth, his long body twisted in the air as he crashed through a metal guardrail before slamming into the ground.
Nathan, watching from the sidelines, called out to him. "Ichigo!"
That was nothing.
Ichigo zoomed out of the dust cloud and, using it as a veil, went straight for his enemy.
But Raposa was waiting for him. He held his sword like a baseball bat, ready to swing and slice Ichigo clean in half. Anticipating this, Ichigo flashed away at the last possible second. As he left Raposa bewildered, he made his next move. He came around behind him and got ready to swing.
But now it was Raposa's turn to fake. He leapt into the air and came down on his chin with his right knee, forcing him backward. Ichigo spat out more blood and looked up. His opponent was gone.
Then he sensed something. A large mass was rushing towards him. It was the vending machine from before. Just before it tackled Ichigo, he twisted his body backwards in the air like a high jump, clearing it by mere inches. It sailed under him harmlessly. Completing a full loop, Ichigo was on his feet less than a second before he had to dodge yet again from another attack. Raposa filled the space where the machine had been, continuing its path straight at Ichigo. Ichigo twisted his body to block the next attack. To his surprise, Raposa wasn't attacking with his sword, but his bare hand.
He pushed Ichigo's sword aside with the back of his hand and got up in Ichigo's face. "Stop trying to hide it and just hand it over!"
"I don't even know what you're talking about!"
He grabbed a fistful of Ichigo's hair and pulled him in. "Don't lie to me!" He smashed his forehead against Ichigo's. "Stop playing games with me and give me what I came here for!"
"You mean an ass-kicking, because in that case I'm willing to give!" Ichigo kicked him in the stomach and threw him aside.
Raposa dug his heels into the air to stop himself and growled at Ichigo. "I had no intention of fighting a Soul Reaper if I could help it. But I see I have no choice but to beat the answers out of you. Clearly you're hiding it. Keeping it safe."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"You know damn well, you moron!"
Ichigo honestly had no idea what he was saying. Hiding what? From who? Why?
Raposa sprang into the air and headed straight for him. "If you value your life, you'll tell me!"
By the time Ichigo had raised his weapon, the Arrancar was gone again. He looked around. He was nowhere to be found. "What the hell..?"
"Ichigo!" It was Nathan from the ground below. He was pointing over Ichigo's left shoulder. "Above you!"
Ichigo turned around with his blade out and heard a deafening clash as it made contact. Taken by surprise, the Arrancar met Ichigo's block with wide, hatful eyes. He looked down at the man on the ground beneath them.
"Damn that interfering twit!" He looked back at Ichigo. "Just tell me where it is!"
"I don't know what you're talking about. Didn't you hear me the first time? Now who's the moron?"
They sprang apart once more. They stared each other down. Then Raposa's eyes fell to Nathan once more.
"He isn't a Soul Reaper, is he?"
Ichigo didn't take his eyes off him when he answered. "No."
Raposa narrowed his eyes at him. "Then there's no need for him. I'd better finish him before he has a chance to stop me again. I have no use for this boy since he isn't involved in anyway. He's just a nuisance."
Ichigo wouldn't let him. Before Raposa could move, Ichigo attacked. Their weapons clashed again and again. Finally fed up, Raposa jumped over Ichigo's next attack and got him from behind.
"Ichigo!"
Nathan's warning came too late this time. The Arrancar smashed into Ichigo's back with the force of his entire body behind it. Ichigo was sent careening down towards the ground, Raposa following after him, looking to finish him off after he landed.
Ichigo didn't have a lot of time. He opened an eye to look for something to help himself. To his left, he found it.
To stop the fall, Ichigo reach out and grabbed onto a flagpole as he passed by. Using the momentum from the impact, Ichigo turned his body into a horizontal pendulum and extended his legs for a powerful kick. Caught off guard by the sudden change in direction, Raposa locked eyes with Ichigo for only an instant before his legs made contact with the small of his back and sent him down in the path Ichigo had been traveling. He crashed into the ground with a boom.
Ichigo still had enough momentum going to circle the pole four more times before finally coming to a stop. He stood on the ground over the spot where Raposa had landed. There was no sound other than the cracking of concrete and the falling of stones. Then he saw a silhouette shift and rise up behind the veil of smock and debris.
With a loud battle cry, Raposa charged. Ichigo took a step back to prepare himself for the impact.
"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!"
The two stopped mid-attack.
"Some no mai, Tsukishiro!"
A large ice circle formed around Raposa's feet, intending him as her target. The circle began to freeze the ground. To escape the attack, Raposa jumped into the air, but was chased by an extending pillar of light and ice. Raposa's body was quickly encased in ice, freezing him in his current position.
Rukia stepped out from nowhere and over to Ichigo. "Are you ok?"
"Yeah."
She stood in front of the ice pillar with a stern look. "He isn't dead yet. Then again, I wasn't really trying to kill him."
"What? Why not?"
"Because of what he said. Remember?" She turned to him. "He said that he was looking for something. We have no idea what it is but he seems to think that we do for some reason. Which is why we should take him back to the Soul Society for questioning. We need to figure out what it is that he's looking for. The other one must have been looking for the same thing as well, meaning that whatever this is spells bad news for us. Anything more than one Arrancar wants can't be good."
"So then it's true."
They both jumped aside as the ice shattered, freeing its prisoner. Raposa came out and stood above them in the air. He looked beat up, but mostly very pissed off. He looked as if he had just been banished from his home by total strangers. He clenched his fists and turned up his nose, looking down on them.
"If not even a real Soul Reaper knows, then it must not be here in this world. And we were so close, too. But you can't fool me and tell me that you're not protecting it. Maybe not you, but the rest of them are. I know you are. We found it so close to the Seireitei, therefore you must be keeping it safe."
"What is this thing you're searching for?" Rukia asked. "And what do you want it for?"
"That bastard Aizen didn't put you up to this, did he?" Ichigo remarked.
To his surprise, Raposa shot him a death glare. "Why in hell would I care about anything that bastard has to say? I no longer follow his command! Why would I after banishing me from the Espada?"
"Espada..?"
"Yes!" Raposa held his sword out over his head proudly as he declaired, "I was Espada number 9!"
"You were… the ninth?" Rukia was more surprised than Ichigo this time around.
"Yes, until that two headed freak in a jar had to show up and bested me. Aizen said that he had more skill than I did so I was out. They mocked me, saying how I could always be his Fracción, but I refuse to be a subservient slave to anyone who took away my spot on the Espada!"
"I thought they killed anyone who they thought were-"
"Don't you see? I ran away before that could happen! I knew he was going to kill me. Maybe not in front of Aizen, but he would. Before I could let that happen, I ran off. I took two other Arrancars with me and fled. They were happy to come. Now they can be my Fracción." He turned his head to the side. "Of course… at our levels and my current position, I'm not really fit to call myself boss. We each have our own skills so… Why the hell does it matter? I'm here now, aren't I? What more do you need to know?"
"What this object is that you're looking for? And why would the Soul Society have it in their possession?"
"You tell me." Raposa snapped his fingers and began to open up a Garganta. "In the meantime, I'll return to my humble little desert cave I call home. You can thank Aizen for that dried up little hovel."
As he started to leave, Rukia tried to follow after him. "Stop!"
But there was no way they could capture him here and now. Not like this. And he knew it.
Raposa turned and waved as the portal closed. "Later."
It closed before anything could be done.
They stood there in silence.
Then Rukia pulled out here phone and started to page. "I've got to report this. By the way, How's Nathan? Is he with you still? Did the Arrancar threaten him?"
"He…"
Ichigo started thinking. Why hadn't he seen it before? Now it was becoming clear to him. All of it. But he didn't want to think like that. And yet…
"Rukia."
"Huh?" She kept pushing buttons.
"By any chance… would you be using Nathan in all of this?"
She stopped. "I have no idea what you're talking about." She didn't face him.
And that was all Ichigo needed to understand.
"Now I get it."
"Get what?"
"The real reason why you allowed Nathan to come here. Why you put him with me and told me to take him out, to look after him. All this time I thought… but you were really…"
She turned around. "What are you saying?"
"It was no coincidance that those Arrancars attacked while I was with Nathan, was it? And the real reason why he was allowed to come here. They normally don't allow souls to do that. And why you want me with him. Why you want me to keep an eye on him and why you just happened to show up at just the right moment. You were there watching the whole time, weren't you?"
Rukia bit her lip and turned her back on him, typing more buttons. Ichigo stood behind her, breathing down her neck.
"You're using him as bait, aren't you?"
She stopped. She stood there in silence. Then she lowered the phone. "Ichigo-"
"Aren't you?"
The tone in Ichigo's voice shook her about as much as he himself was shaken.
She avoided his eyes as she spoke. "It wasn't my call. The Head Captain thought that if the Arrancars only appeared to him that he might have something to do with all this. He wanted to test it. He allowed us to bring Nathan here and told us to report if the Arrancars showed up again with him present."
"But he's not involved with them and he's not the thing they're looking for." Ichigo pointed in the direction Raposa had gone. "That last guy looked right at him and tried to kill him saying that he was useless to them. And that first guy was up in his face and said nothing about anything! It's not Nathan!"
"We had to be sure. Like I said, it wasn't my decision. But don't you think it's weird that so far they've only shown up whenever Nathan was nearby? Or is that just a coincidence?"
"It could be. But there's something else you've overlooking, Rukia. I've been here every time they've attacked, too. How do you know I'm not the one they're after? Besides, they said that they're looking for 'it'. The last time I checked, Nathan was a who not an it."
"Ichigo-"
"No!" Ichigo pulled away from her disappointed and angry. "I can't belive you would put his life in danger just to see if he was involved with them in some way. How could you guys do this to him? Hasn't he been through enough? And what if he was involved somehow? Then what? Would you have him scarificed or kill him or what? I can't believe this!"
Ichigo turned around, facing away from Rukia. This was a lot to let sink in. What else were they not telling him?
"Ichigo…" Rukia's tone had softened and he felt her at his back, inches away. He heard her sigh. "That's not the only reason why I placed him in your care."
It was another minute before she continued.
"After the konso was properly preformed, Nathan lost all his powers."
Ichigo turned around. "What?"
"All the powers he once had during his inbetween state. The power to steal away someone's Spirit Energy, possession, everything. Rosalia and Sashiro are the same way. They lost everything. They're just normal souls now, meaning that they're vulnerable. He won't be able to defend himself at all now. He's useless in a fight."
Ichigo looked down at Nathan in the alley. He was still sitting on the ground with Ichigo's empty body in his lap. He was brushing off all the broken glass and dirt from his back and hair. He was cradling his body in a secure and gentle way as if caring for a child.
"Funny," Ichigo muttered. "That's the word everyone keeps calling him."
He flashed over to where Nathan was positioned and stood over him. Nathan stood up in a hurry causing Ichigo's body to slide off his lap and onto the ground, smashing his head on the sidewalk.
"Eh… Sorry about that." Nathan chuckled nervously and picked up his body again, brushing it off.
"That's fine. I'll get it."
Nathan held out his body like a large stuffed animal and Ichigo slipped it back on. Ichigo brushed off the dirt from his chest and ushered Nathan out.
"We'd better get going before there's a scene."
"Agreed."
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