Thank you guys so much for reading our story. Also a big thanks to Hylla for reviewing and answering our questions. Also my awesome writing partner, Vie. Existence, has just finished drawing the cover. I will put it up soon.
-Rekishi! Come over here and do the disclaimer...
-I don't wanna!
-Do I need to go get Shindie?
-Ugh... Xander doesn't own bleach or its characters, just me and Shindie. Wait doesn't that make us slaves!?
-Yes. Listen to your master!
The next morning all the action boiled down. Gin Ichimaru was still missing and Aizen's body had been analyzed. According to Unohana, the corpse was a fake. Rukia Kuchiki's execution date was just 2 days away. That wasn't the worst though. The ryoka had split up and were taking down many of the shinigami that were sent to fight them. The captains of the seireitei were getting stressed and worried that by the time the execution takes place they would have no more people to insure that it is done.
"Orders from the head captain sir!" a man informed Kenpachi. He took the document from the messenger and threw it to Yachiru.
"Take this and make sure it gets done. I'm going to find someone to spar in the dojo," he said to her. He walked out and left passing Rekishī who had returned from training herself.
"Lex-Lex, the head captain said for you to go guard one of the entry ways. You may end up fight one of the ryoka!" Yachiru said with glee. Rekishī almost automatically leapt up and ran out the door.
"Thanks Yachiru! I will see you after I beat them and thank the head captain for me too!" and with that she was out of sight.
When she reached the entry point she drew her katana and waited for any signs of movement. Only five minutes later did she hear the loud pant of someone running hard and fast. When she was able to finally see them saw the person was one of the ryoka. He was tall teenaged boy with short orange hair and he had a huge zanpakuto strapped to his back.
"Hey you!" Rekishī called, "I have orders to keep you from going any further. We can do this the easy way or the fun way. Your choice."
The boy looked up from his focused run to see a blonde girl with her hands on her hips. She was average height and didn't look strong enough to be an actual match for him.
"No way. I am just trying to get by and save Rukia so move out of the way!" the boy replied.
"Well I guess that means I get to have some fun if you aren't handing yourself in. Though you may want to know who your opponent is… The name's Rekishī. Who are you?" Rekishī questioned the boy.
"Kurosaki Ichigo. I don't want to fight you, just leave before you get hurt ok?" Hitting a girl wasn't one of things on Ichigo's to-do-list.
Rekishī growled at his response. She unsheathed her sword and took a battle stance. Her spiritual pressure rose dramatically and she started to walk forward.
"You know, you shouldn't judge a book by its cover!" she said threateningly. "Lets see what you can do with that big sword of yours~!"
His face turned to one of annoyance and he grabbed his sword and held it in front of him in a sloppy fashion. Rekishī only laughed and lunged forward hitting him right in the face with the blunt side of her katana.
"You're going to have to do better than that Mr. Kurosaki. Or else, you're going to die before you even see Rukia again," she said in a falsely sweet voice.
Ichigo realized she was only playing with him. That was something he really didn't have time for. He didn't even know where Rukia was. He raised his sword and forced it back down releasing a white streak of reiatsu. The reiatsu reached where Rekishī was standing. She only jumped out of the way with ease. She then pushed off the ground with her feet. The shear force she used to do this left a small crater in the ground. She flew forward angling her sword so that she would hit his neck though he quickly brought his sword up to block the attack just in time.
Ichigo got serious with the fight now that he knew the strength of the girl in front of him. She would not go easy on him. He looked again and saw that she hadn't even released her zanpaktou.
Ichigo started to remember his training with Zangetsu, his zanpakuto spirit. He moved his sword in more calculated movements and focused all his energy on speed and strength. He fought with the same strength Rekishī was if not a little more. She was having to stay on defence more than earlier. Ichigo gathered all his energy and rose his sword high. That one strike was enough to send Rekishī back a few meters.
Rekishī felt a warm trickle of blood flowing down her cheek and red started to seep into the corners of her vision. Ichigo was using his emotion to power himself to fight. She knew what she needed to do.
"Hajimaru, Akuma no Mezame!" and within seconds her whole body was engulfed in dark blue and black flames. When she reappeared her normal sword was no longer there but in its place was a large double-sided black scythe.
Ichigo could tell her shikai was powerful. The reiatsu in the air got really dense and it was hard to even breath. Rekishī's zanpakuto, which was named Demon's Awakening, had transformed into a weapon that he had never seen before. Suddenly there was a sharp pain on his back and he collapsed forward.
He moved used his hand to feel his back and pulled it back seeing the color red. He looked back up to where she was standing but she was no longer there. He felt another sharp excruciating pain this time on his chest. Whatever hit him sent him flying back into one of the walls nearby. When he opened his closed eyes he say Rekishī standing right in front of him.
"It's over. You have lost Kurosaki, I guess you will never reach Rukia in the end," she told him and ready to give the final blow.
Though she never got far enough to strike him. Another shinigami had blocked the blow from hitting him. Although Ichigo was grateful, he was also curious about how just that one shinigami woman was able to stop Rekishī.
"Shindie, get out of the way! I am here with orders to stop and kill the ryoka. If you interfere, then I will not be hesitated to kill even if my opponent is you" Rekishī almost pleaded to the other women, Shindie, which surprised Ichigo greatly.
"No have you already forgotten the academy Rekishī? You promised we would all stay together! Don't abandon Rukia just because of one mistake. What you're doing now is not going to help!" Shindie yelled at her.
The look that was shared between both of the women were ones of hurt and anger. Rekishī didn't want to go against the orders of the soul society which was also her home but, she also was missing her friend and didn't truly didn't wish for her to die. But Rekishī knew that she had to choose among the only two choices she had.
Shindie jumped a few steps back and stood on the roof behind Rekishī.
"Utau, Tengoku no Yobikake!" she released her zanpakuto. After the white reiatsu clouds disappeared, Shindie was holding a big harp. The harp was almost as tall as Ichigo.
Sounds of music begin to flow in the ear and in both Rekishī's and Ichigo's ears. Surprisingly, Ichigo's wound began to heal . He was able to get up and feel no pain at all. Though then he heard another sound. It sounded like a scream of death. He moved out of the way but he saw that Shindie was not sending the sound wave in his direction but towards Rekishī. She started to scream and eventually passed out in pain.
Ichigo knew he won but he had only done so because Shindie interfered with the fight. Even though he really didn't want to just leave Rekishī on the ground but he still had to find Rukia. He quickly put his sword away and ran as fast as he could leaving Rekishī and Shindie behind.