A/N: First off, thank you all so much for the reviews. Everyone seems to be pretty positive and actually liking the story. I shall try not to disappoint. NOW:
The not-so-long awaited Chapter 3! I typed this up in one sitting, and primary function of it is to pan out Akihiko's personality, so that you all can truly get a sense of knowing him. More chapters to come on how exactly Rukia's and his relationship worked, promise!
Bleach: Bankai's and Gigai's
Chapter 3: Rough Divide
"Getsuga," Akihiko began.
Ichigo's and Rukia's eyes widened.
"TENSHOU," he cried, swinging that large sword like a baseball bat, the crescent moon of silver energy exploding from the blade and soaring at Ichigo.
Ichigo, with no time to dodge, swung his sword at the attack, attempting to stop it by force alone. Zangetsu collided with the wave, and immediately the attack exploded in a shower of all the colors of the rainbow.
No…force?
When Ichigo's attack struck the crescent moon of energy, the was no recoil, no explosion of power, he simply sliced through it.
"Ichigo," Rukia shouted, snapping the substitute Shinigami out of his daze—albeit too late. Akihiko was already on him, a fierce right hand coming down and striking Ichigo across the face. Time seemed to freeze for Ichigo as he careened back from the blow, before the sheer amount of force sent him careening into the ground, shattering the white stone walkway and forming a small crater.
Akihiko followed through the punch and spun around. As he turned to face the downed Ichigo, a rod of silver light appeared in his hand. He drew it back.
"Bakudou Number 62, Hyapporankan," he cried as he flung it down. The shaft sped down at Ichigo as he moved to right himself, before exploding into several dozens of rods, more than half striking his figure and nailing him down to the ground via spiritual energy.
Ichigo grunted as the rods nailed his form into the ground, attempting to move but finding himself stuck. He looked up at Akihiko's grinning figure as the larger man seemed to step down towards him via stairs of solidified spiritual pressure.
"Seems like the scrub isn't as good as he thought he was," Akihiko muttered.
"I, Ichigo," Rukia shouted, moving to run towards Ichigo, but his head shot to her.
"Stay back Rukia," he yelled, causing her to stop as Ichigo looked back to Aki, his own grin forming.
"You're pretty good, Nakamura," he muttered, attempting to sit up. His spiritual pressure raised, causing the ground to shake again—even the water from the fountain seeming to ripple from it.
"No use kid. That's a higher level binding spell. Raising your spiritual pressure wo—" He was cut off.
"BAN—"
"Shit," Akihiko muttered.
"KAI," Ichigo roared, a blue column of light exploding from himself, causing the rods to shatter as more sand and dirt were kicked up from the crater.
Akihiko leaned back as he caught movement, Ichigo leaping from the smoke filled hole, stopping just above him as he raised his thin black sword. "Tensa Zangetsu." The sword came down in a flash, ripping through Akihiko's upper tunic and spilling blood, the strength behind the blow causing him to be sent to the ground now.
Akihiko grunted as the air stung his open wound. He careened back, looking over his shoulder. He was heading for…
"Rukia," Ichigo shouted, a shunpo taking him to her, and then reappearing right where he was before in mid air, holding the smaller girl by her waist against him.
"I, Ichigo," she muttered. "LET ME DOWN!" She elbowed him in the side, causing him to double over before she made a bee line for Akihiko.
"Aki," she cried, the large man hitting the ground and ricocheting off, slapping a lamp post and them managing to right himself in mid air. He grunted.
His head was bleeding slightly, from striking the lamp post, and his tunic hung slightly ripped. His elbows were bleeding from striking the ground and trying to stop himself, but he was still standing.
Rukia reached him and inspected his wounds. "You…you idiot! What're you thinking," Rukia blasted, whirling back around to Ichigo, who was now in a slight daze.
"W, what you're talkin' about midget! He wanted to fight," Ichigo shot back.
"There was no need to use your Bankai against him," she shouted back across the distance. Aki spoke up.
"It's fine, Rukia," he said, his voice suggesting that was the end of the argument and she looked back at him, bewildered—before her fist came up to his face.
Akihiko reared back, holding his nose. "Gah! What the hell," Akihiko shouted.
"And you! How dare you bring Kaien into this! He has nothing to do with Ichigo! And then, after I warned, you insisted on fighting anyway! What the hell is your problem," she shot at him.
Looking between the two men she let out a sharp, annoyed shout before turning and stomping off. "Both of you need to grow the hell up!" When she reached a small distance from them, she disappeared, both of them sensing her reiatsu as she widened the distance.
Akihiko lowered his hand from his—now red—face and he looked back to Ichigo, watching as a black flame of reiatsu came from him, melting away his Bankai. Zangetsu was re-wrapped in the hilt wrap before the blade was placed at his back.
"Looks like I win, Bakamura," Ichigo said with a grin, though Akihiko merely waved him off.
"Eh, you cheated," he replied.
"W, what! I did NOT," Ichigo blasted back, and Akihiko shrugged, picking his ear in the same fashion as before as he spoke.
"You made up for your lack of knowledge by increasing your power. A wise tactic, but…costly, wouldn't you say," Akihiko asked, flicking his finger casually, emeralds raising to the orange haired man.
Ichigo growled before he turned away. "I don't wanna see you again."
Akihiko shrugged and Ichigo was gone.
Ichigo awoke to the sound of his beeping alarm clock.
Wait. Alarm clock?
Rolling over, the orange haired youth swatted the device and sat up, looking around his room-just as he had left it. Leaping out of his bed, the young man dressed in his uniform quickly before bolting down stairs, his bag of his shoulder. Reaching the bottom flight, he saw Karin and Yuzu already eating their breakfast.
"Ichi-nii," Yuzu said, raising her brows. "Is…Rukia still mad?"
"She didn't come down," Ichigo asked, somewhat shocked.
"Oh she did, and said she was leaving early," Karin said. "Way to go, with whatever you did."
Ichigo growled at the younger girl and headed out the door. "I need to go."
Ichigo raced towards school, catching sight of Rukia as he turned a corner, walking to school by herself. He reached her just as she turned and plowed him square in the stomach with a fist.
"No, Ichigo," she replied sharply as she turned and started walking again, before he reached out and grabbed her arm.
"Rukia will you wait," he asked, annoyed and aching from the blow.
"I said no! Let me go, Ichigo," she said, turning to smack him.
Ichigo released his bag and caught her other hand with his, looking at her with his usual glare. "I think we need to talk."
"I have nothing to say," she said in finality, glaring back at him.
"But I do," he shot back, closing his eyes in annoyance. "Look, I don't care what happened last night—who that guy was. I care about you! I'm…I'm sorry that I let my pride get in the way…"
Rukia looked up at him, he glare faltering before she closed her eyes and lowered her head, her small amount of struggling stopping before Ichigo released her arms. They fell to her eyes as she shook somewhat.
"I…I just…it's hard, Ichigo. He was….he was supposed to be dead…and now that he's back..I don't know what to do! I….never stopped loving him but..," she muttered, her feelings mixed and mashed. Ichigo looked down at her, his face softening in a small grin before he wrapped his arms around her small form, pulling her against him.
She opened her eyes as she felt his warmth against her, feeling the rumbling in his chest as he spoke. "It's okay, Rukia. I understand..I just wanted to apologize," he replied, causing her to smile faintly. Be it from his scent, his warmth, or just his kind words, she found herself wrapping her arms around him and pulling him tighter against her.
The two stayed like this for some time before Ichigo moved to part, but Rukia nuzzled her head into his chest. "Not yet…"
Ichigo smirked again and stopped trying to resist, pulling her back to him again.
Around the corner, several yards away, Orihime slunk back against the wall. "Kurosaki-kun..," she muttered.
Entering their class late, having spent a tad too much time, Ichigo nearly walked over Rukia as she stopped in the door way. "Rukia, what the hell," he shouted, though her gaze followed his.
At the head of the class, stood Akihiko, his eyes closed and mouth in a full smile as he waved in the cheesiest manner he could. "Ohayou, Kurosaki-san! Rukia!"
The class broke out in a mutter, and the teacher moved to quiet them. "Kurosaki, Kuchiki, get to your seats," she roared.
Rukia fumbled with her messenger as she made her way, numbly, to her seat, Ichigo sending a glare to the fellow male Soul Reaper as he did the same.
"Now, as I was saying" the teacher continued, "This is Nakamura Akihiko. Please, introduce yourself."
Akihiko did the same cheesy wave as he had before, but this time to the entire class. "Ohayou, hajimamashite! Nakamura Akihiko, at your service!"
A single male in the class raised his hand, and upon being recognized, spoke. "Um, how do you know Kuchiki-san so well?"
Rukia felt cold, freezing in her seat. Ichigo gripped his desk and Akihiko's emerald eyes flashed as his smile faded to a devilish grin.
"Ah! She and I grew up together," he said, causing the class to "Ohhh!" in response before he nodded.
Relieved, Rukia gave Akihiko a small, albeit less then wounding, glare and Ichigo merely placed his hand on his chin. Well, that was one mess avoided.
"Good lord, what did they feed you as a kid," Akihiko blasted. Inoue looked slightly taken aback, her cheeks flushing.
"E, eh," she asked.
Akihiko had joined Ichigo, Rukia, Chad, Tatsuke and Orihime for lunch. Uryu had polite declined, saying that he had a project to work on.
So they say, on the roof, and Akihiko was currently questioning the group.
"I mean, look at you! So well endowed! Rukia, you need to get on her diet," Akihiko said, nodding to the small petite girl who was shaking in anger.
"You wouldn't know a good woman if she beat you half to death," Rukia shot, and Akihiko hid grinned, his mouth half full of rice.
"But she has," Akihiko replied, causing a blush to rush to Rukia's cheeks, though she swatted at him anyway, Akihiko just leaning away from the attack. Swallowing heavily, he motioned with his chopsticks to the others.
"Please, continue though. I'd like to know how you all know each other, and have such high reiatsu for humans—except you" he pointed to Tatsuke, "you're 'ehhh' at best."
Tatsuke swung at him as well, the young man leaning away—straight into Rukia's fist—which sent him lying back, in a daze.
"Sado-kun and I went with Ichigo into Soul Society to get Kuchiki-chan back! Ishida-kun was there too," Orhime said, excited at the new group member.
Akihiko sat up. "Wait. What?"
"Ah" Rukia began, slightly bowing her head. "It's…a long story."
"I beat a Captain. Two of them," Ichigo replied, as if that settled the matter. Rukia gave him a glare and Akihiko merely raised his eyebrows.
"Oooo, one less then me, scrub! Keep trying," Akihiko said as he shoveled more rice into his mouth.
"Liar. You don't even have a Bankai," Ichigo shot back.
Akihiko lowered the bento so that his eyes were visible, speaking casually. "I was nominated for Captain," he replied, as if that settled the conversation.
"Nakamura-kun, you're a Shinigami too," Orihime asked, and Akihiko waved at her with his chopsticks casually.
"Aki's fine" he began, causing a death glare from Rukia, "but I was, yes. I'm more of…freelancer now."
"So what do you do if you're not a Shinigami," Tatsuke asked, genuinely curious at the notion.
"Ah, my fair Tatsuke-chan, I'm glad you ask—" Akihiko began.
"Arisawa-san works fine, thanks."
Ichigo let out a chuckle, Orihime giggled, and Chad smirked as Akihiko looked as if the woman had kicked him in the lower regions.
"You wound me.."
"Better answer the question or I will!"
Akihiko let out a laugh and nodded. "Like I said…I'm a freelancer. I train…and save damsels in distress—"
"No thanks," Tatsuke shot back.
"I wasn't talking to you, tomboy," Akihiko blasted back, causing Tatsuke to near leap at him, socking him in the jaw.
Rukia looked to Ichigo, who was grinning somewhat, though his grin faded at her look. She was…pained. Seeing Akihiko, here, acting as if everything was alright…it hurt her.
Rukia shifted closer to Ichigo and he placed an arm around her, not going un-noticed by the group around them. Chad, was silent as was Orihime who lowered her eyes, but Tatsuke spoke up. "Since when did you two become so close," she asked.
"Since last night," Ichigo replied casually, though he and Akihiko were sharing hard glares. Akihiko's bento was tossed into his bag as he stood, snatching it up.
"Thank you for lunch. Excuse me," he said, turning and walking off, the bag slung over his shoulder as he shoved a hand in his pocket.
A/N: And that's all! Hope you all liked it, as I had a lot of fun with the dialogue in this one. Can anyone sense a rivalry brewing? xD Hope you enjoyed, please R&R, and I'm off to muse over Chapter 4!
