Gifts and Curses
A/N: Ok, I'm sorry for distracting POVs. Just tried writing using first person POVs and I realized I suck at it. -.- Now I'm going to use Third Person POV... It's not too late to switch, right? XD
italics - thoughts;
Disclaimer: Bleach is mine! In my dreams. XD
Chapter 3: Forbidden to Meet
It was mid-day when Rukia saw a shore. The man she had rescued was still unconscious. He was on her back, arms on her shoulders and she held his arms for his own support. She swam her way carefully inside the inviting mouth of the rocky cave. She can't risk any more human seeing her. That would be a treason and punishable by death. It was every merman's duty to protect their own race and homeland. So, this was the perfect place to leave the human behind.
Upon reaching the land, she immediately flipped the man on her back so that he would lie with his back against the ground. The water reached him as it waved slightly but it was as far as Rukia could crawl onto.
So… this is what a human is. She gazed at the man she had rescued. There was nothing out of the ordinary from him except that he had two feet instead of a tail and his hair is bright orange, like the sun. He wore a white shirt and navy blue pants and most noticeable of all, he had this scowl on his face… even as he slept. Her face was a few inches away from his as she poked his cheek lightly without the intention of waking him up. He didn't move or react to the light poke. This man is sleeping like a log… A sudden realization hit her. What if she had rescued a dead man all along? Well, atleast his body wouldn't be lost in the sea but then again, all her efforts would be in vain. She lowered her head and placed her right ear on his chest. There it was. She could feel his chest expand and contract as he inhaled and exhaled. There it was…
The sound of a beating heart…
Relieved and satisfied, Rukia took one last glance at the man before deciding it was time to leave. Farewell, foolish man. She pushed herself back slightly into the water and half-turned when a hand gripped her hand tightly.
"You… you're the girl…" he spoke weakly. He coughed up water and Rukia took this opportunity to shove his hand away from hers and swim away. Except that half of her body was still on land and she had to push away real hard to fully submerge in water and swim as fast as she could. Even if she did push herself, by then the man could've already stood up or ran and grabbed her or worse, her tail. It was damn hard to escape.
He quickly grabbed her hand again and pulled her against him to meet his savior face to face. And then he saw it…
The most alluring purple eyes…
Accentuated by that dark short hair…
The light pinkish captivating lips…
And the soft and porcelain white skin…
She had a beautiful white shell on both sides of her hair and on her neck was a necklace made of black and white pearls. Suddenly the man beamed as he noticed that she wore nothing except the purple-colored shells that covered her bosom. What shocked him more was what he saw behind the girl. A beautiful light purple tail that seemed to glisten in the sunlight… Am I… dreaming? He thought as he continued to stare at the mysterious woman in bewilderment.
Looking at the reaction of the man, Rukia struggled from his grip. What the hell… I'm already exposed… how do I get out of this? Maybe I should just kill him instead. Dammit!
The man sat up. "You… were the one who saved me?" he let go of her hand and blinked a few times thinking he may be hallucinating.
Yes… man… I am... and pray to your God to save you 'cause if you try one foolish attempt at seizing me, I am gonna freeze you to death! She glared at him, sending him shivers down his spine.
"Okay, okay. I get it. No need to glare at me like that." He said, fully recovering from his shock of a lifetime. "The name's Ichigo Kurosaki… what's yours?"
The foolish man just asked for my name! But he can't read my thoughts anyway… I guess only our kind can communicate through thinking. The mermen never once used their mouth to speak. Their communication was carried through their thoughts. It was futile to try and speak underwater anyway. Rukia just looked at him and Ichigo understood that she didn't want to interact in any way possible with him. Finally seeing that the man would not be hindering her anymore, she turned away to leave.
He watched her crawling figure, the legend from his childhood had just became a reality. He was saved by a mermaid, like the story in fairy tales except that his life was not a fairy tale and he was not a prince. He was a treasure hunter and he had just found a treasure. Besides, she probably knew a thing or two about what he was looking for. He could use her.
He chased her before she could finally swim away but the ground suddenly shook violently. The cave started to collapse as the earthquake intensified. Rocks started falling from the ceiling and Rukia was half-way away from the cave exit. A few of those rocks fell on her and she quickly lost consciousness when one of them hit her head.
After watching the woman get hurt, Ichigo worriedly ran to her, dodging falling rocks along the way. He carried her bridal-style and sped away from the cave.
It was either destiny or ill-fated-ness
That led to this forbidden meeting.
A/N: Yay! Finally, they get to see and ogle each other. Lol XD Please review! ^-^ Much appreciated. Thankies! :D And thanks to those who reviewed btw. ;)