Dark Blade 3 Rukia

"Rukia-chan?" she must simply be on a mission. Hollows have been showing up more and more lately and I can't take on all of them at the same time. I shrug and get ready for bed.

Bip, bip, bip. I sit up and grab my pager. It's early, but there's already a Hollow on the move nearby. I quickly get out of my gigai and use flash steps to get to the area. Buildings crash and I catch sight of the Hollow.

"There. Got you." I run after it, but when I get ready to hit it, it disappears. "Damn." I run back to the house and get back in my gigai. I have to get ready for school.

"Yuki-san, come look at the news!"

"What?" I get to the dining room and stare at the TV. That's the place where the Hollow was. "I have to be at school early, so I'll see you guys later." I grab a piece of toast and run out of the house. Bip, bip, bip. I check my pager and change course. It looks like that same hollow from before. As I run, I swallow a pill and separate from my gigai. "Stay out of danger." I run ahead and catch up to the Hollow. "Kurosaki-kun?" he turns when he hears me.

"Kuchiki-san?"

"You can see me?" he nods and looks back as the buildings explode. Great. A girl runs toward us. A spirit. I can see the chain attached to her chest.

"Onii-san!"

"Run!"

"Kuchiki-san, run!"

"No." I reach back to grab my Zanpakuto and run forward, past Kurosaki-kun.

"What are you doing?! Come on." A black butterfly flies in front of me and I stop. Rukia-chan. She lands in front of me and unsheathes her Zanpakuto. I back up to let her handle the Hollow. I face the girl that was with Kurosaki-kun.

"Are you lost?"

"Not really." I turn my blade around and go to touch her forehead. "What are you doing?"

"Sending you to Soul Society. Don't worry. It's fun there." She nods and I tap the end of the hilt on her forehead. She disappears and I sheathe my blade.

"What the…?" Rukia-chan's reiatsu disappears just as quickly as she appeared.

"Kurosaki-kun. We should get to school." He nods slowly and goes to school. My body should already be there, so I just walk with him.

"You're not going to school dressed like that?"

"Will you shut up? You're the only human that can see me, you idiot."

"Huh?" I sigh.

"Listen. I'm not really supposed to tell you this, but I'm not human. My body should already be waiting for me outside."

"If you're not human, then what are you?"

"Shinigami desu. Don't laugh. It's true. I'll explain better later, after school maybe."

"Ohayo, Kurosaki-kun!" I roll my eyes and get back into my gigai. "Let's get to class."

"Rukia-chan!" I can sense her. She's in the house. Crap and I forgot to explain things to Kurosaki-kun. Damn my forgetfulness! I get up and run down the hall to Kurosaki-kun's room.

"Who…are you?" I hear a sword jangling. She can't be thinking that the vast reiatsu here is a Hollow? "Who are you? What are you doing?!" Tapping as she touches the floor.

"It's near."

"What are you talking about?!" Then I hear a bang as Kurosaki-kun probably just kicked her to the ground. I sigh and walk in, turning on the light.

"Kurosaki-kun, keep it down! The others are trying to sleep."

"Gomen, Kuchiki-san." I shrug and help Rukia up.

"Rukia-chan, daijobu desuka?" She nods and stares at Kurosaki-kun.

"You can see me?"

"Don't be so surprised, Rukia-chan. Your jaw is hanging open."

"Oh! Gomenasai, Onee-sama." I hit her over the head.

"Rukia-chan! How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that?!"

"Now you're the one going to wake everyone up, Kuchiki-san…" I smile and back up.

"Gomen. Anno, Kurosaki-kun, this is my little sister, Kuchiki Rukia. Rukia-chan, this is Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Little?" I nod.

"Yes, believe it or not, Rukia-chan is younger than I am."

"And I'm supposed to believe the whole Shinigami thing, right?" I nod again.

"Hai. Anno, Rukia-chan. Why are you here?"

"Orders. Same reason you're here."

"Oh."

"Huh?" We turn towards Kurosaki-kun and I sigh.

"Right, I haven't explained yet. We're Shinigami, from Soul Society. You would call it heaven. We are here on orders to destroy evil spirits like the one that attacked that girl earlier."

"And the girl disappeared."

"I sent her to Soul Society. Just like I sent that other ghost before."

"Okay…I'm inclined to believe you, since I saw you earlier…but…"

"What did he see?"

"Me getting back into this cumbersome gigai."

"Oh." I look around and sigh.

"Great." I get out of my gigai and roll my shoulders.

"Onee-sama…what's wrong?"

"You can't sense it? Oh right, you're not used to having to look around this idiot's spirit energy. There's a Hollow outside." Kurosaki-kun starts for the door. "You're staying here."

"No, if that thing's a monster, I have to protect my family."

"Let us do the protecting in this situation, Kurosaki-kun. Bakudo no Ichi: Sai!" I bind Kurosaki-kun and start for the door.

"I don't sense anything."

"Of course you don't. If you want, you can stay here, explain this to Kurosaki-kun, and I'll go handle the Hollow." Rukia-chan nods and I go outside. I can sense it better out here, now that I'm out of the aura created by Kurosaki-kun's reiatsu, but I could sense it while I was in the room. I run downstairs and look around outside. The Hollow shows up and I sigh, drawing my Zanpakuto. I run at it and cut it in half. Another shows up. "What the hell?"

They swarm towards areas with a high concentration of spirit energy. This house currently has two humans with a high reiatsu, one Shinigami, and two humans with an above average reiatsu inside, as well as one extremely strong Shinigami outside. I cut through this one and dodge the sudden attack of the next one to appear. They're coming out like ants from a hill! It lands a good cut across my stomach and shoulder before I manage to cut it down. One gets into the house, destroying the side and grabbing Yuzu.

"Yuzu-chan!" I run at the Hollow and free Yuzu-chan, but he has Karin in the other hand. "Kurosaki-kun! Rukia-chan!" I help Yuzu-chan up and she starts running to Kurosaki-kun's room. I fight the Hollow until I can't stand anymore. "Karin-chan! Damn it!"

"Onee-sama, daijobu?" I nod slightly.

"Yea, this is just a flesh wound. Help the girl." Rukia-chan nods and runs outside to attack the Hollow. Kurosaki-kun falls down the stairs and I stare at him.

"Bakayaro! Get back!" He sees the Hollow and starts trying to break the spell I cast.

"Baka! No human can break a Kidou spell! You'll only hurt yourself!" He manages to break it and runs outside.

"Kurosaki-kun!"

"Ichi-nii! Run!" The Hollow swings its arm and sends him flying. I try to get up, but I can't move. I've lost too much blood from these cuts.

"Kurosaki-kun!" I can't hear or see what's going on out there. Damn it. I dig in one pocket of my kimono for my pager and open it.

"Urahara Shoten, Tessai desu. Can I help you?"

"Tessai-san, Kuchiki Shirayuki desu. Urahara-san ha doko?"

"Kuchiki-dono. Hold on one moment."

"Hai."

"Kuchiki-san, it's been a while."

"Cut the chitchat, Urahara-san. Do you know where the Kurosaki Clinic is?"

"Yea, why?"

"I'm sure you can sense the Hollow here. It's almost at a Menos level. And I'm injured."

"How bad?"

"A shallow cut on my shoulder, and a medium depth cut across my stomach."

"Can you move?"

"No, I can't. And I can't see what's going on outside. There's another Shinigami here, Kuchiki Rukia. Nani?! Kurosaki-kun! Bakayaro!"

"What's going on?"

"This guy just stepped right in front of the Hollow and challenged it. Rukia-chan!"

"Now what?"

"Rukia stepped in between Kurosaki and the Hollow, getting the blow. That could be fatal."

"Tessai and I are on our way right now. Just don't die on us before we get there."

"We'll try, Urahara-san." The line goes dead and I put the pager back in my pocket. I force my body to move and I stagger outside. Then I see her. "Rukia-chan!"

"Kuchiki-san! What happened to you?"

"Does it matter?" I try to run to Rukia, but fall forward instead. Rukia looks at me and I nod. She's in more danger of dying here than I am. And if she dies, and I can't move, that Hollow will devour every soul it comes in contact with. She'll have to do that. She does. She explains what needs to be done and pushes her powers through her Zanpakuto and into Kurosaki-kun. An absurd amount of energy fills the area, nearly blinding me. And suddenly the Hollow's arm is flying through the air, severed from its body. Then the dust settles and I see Kurosaki-kun. His Zanpakuto is huge! He cuts the Hollow in half and it disappears.

"Kuchiki-san, daijobu desuka?" I nod.

"Get Karin-chan inside and go to bed. We'll clean up out here." He nods and carries his sister inside. Almost immediately after he gets inside, Urahara-san shows up.

"Looks like we weren't needed to take care of the hollow." I nod.

"Kurosaki-kun…took care of it. Rukia-chan needs a gigai. She won't be able to return home until she is fully recovered." Tessai-san picks up Rukia-chan and Urahara-san helps me up.

"How many were there?"

"Total? Three showed up before that one. It was the third one that injured me."