sorry for the long wait. Hope you enjoy =)
"Does it still hurt you?" he asked, his voice hiding any concern as he glanced back at the raven-haired girl when she appeared to be limping on her injured leg. Rukia pushed a stray branch back, passing through the small area before she released it behind her with a snap. She watched as Ashido expertly made his way through the traps the trees seemed to purposely set all around them. The path seemed to get narrower as they moved on, prickly vines entangling in her hair along with thorns brushing and nicking her sensitive skin. Rukia tried her best to follow in his footsteps, avoiding all the surrounding danger, "No." she finally responded, with a sigh, "It's fine, don't worry about me." She really did hate it when people fretted over her well-being; she never wanted to depend on anyone or display even a glance of weakness. Growling with displeasure, Rukia plucked the frail leaf out of her hair, flinging it angrily behind her as she stared menacingly at her captor's back.
Ashido couldn't help but smirk, he was amused at her rising temper, he could sense her frustration even if she was several feet behind him. Every once in a while he would glance behind to see the fuming girl as she flung all the nuisances out of her way, her eyes burning with anger.
"Where are you taking me, anyway?" she yelled over the ruffling leaves as they battled the turbulent winds that surrounded them. Ashido ignored her demands, closing his eyes briefly as the wind fluttered lightly against his flesh, tempting him to follow its wishes. After leaving the clustered forest Ashido walked a few steps before stopping in his tracks, the familiar surroundings silently welcoming as he stood tall before them. Rukia, who had been staring at the ground as her feet continued to move, made a small gasp as she almost ran into his sturdy back.
Blinking in confusion at his sudden stop, Rukia lifted her eyes from his back, stepping to her left to view the scenery that had captured all his attention. She felt herself smiling as her eyes took in the scene around her; they were standing several feet from a clear and crisp body of water. Every once an awhile little ripples would form where the cascading waterfall pummeled gallons of water into the pool, the sharp rocks jutting out of the surface as it sliced the contacting water.
All around them was a large expanse of land surrounded by the tallest pine trees Rukia had ever seen, the tree tops circling the scenery, letting the piece of sky peer down at the beauty. She stared in awe at the magnificent view; even the majestic, puffy white clouds seemed to admire their own reflections in the clear blue water below. Ashido inhaled the crisp air, the smell of pine and breeze filled his senses, this was his favorite place in the whole forest. It was calm, quiet and rarely discovered by the humans; he guessed they never ventured far into the woods for fear of him or other creatures that inhabited the dark forest. Rukia closed her eyes briefly, the wind carrying the mist of the waterfall as it tickled her senses, but, she returned her attention back to Ashido.
"Why did you take me here?" she asked, confusion gracing her features as she glanced at his nonchalant expression, his eyes glued on the running water. Ashido refused to meet her gaze, "Follow me." He stated, starting to walk once more. Rukia glanced around at the scenery one last time, she found herself yearning to stay there, to immerse herself in the clear water, to immerse herself in carelessness and forget all about her troubles. She watched the wind whirl around her, lifting the leaves from their place on the ground and carrying them, almost in a dance, all around her tiny form.
Pealing her eyes off of the dancing leaves Rukia followed behind Ashido as he walked towards the waterfall, his eyes glued on the trembling water before him. Following the outline of the water, Ashido walked further on, reaching the very corner of the water, the waterfall several feet to his left. Facing the fall, Ashido closed his eyes briefly, feeling Rukia pause behind him, her eyes searching his form curiously. Setting his hand on the cool, rock wall Ashido waited as light illuminated under his hand, the sound of moving rocks flooded their senses. Rukia watched in awe as a large slab of rock grew out of the wall, creating a make-shift path behind the waterfall.
Ashido calmly stepped up onto the rock, reaching out for Rukia's hand, watching the shocked look on her face as she stared at his extended hand. Glancing up into his eyes, Rukia slid her hand in his own; he pulled her up onto the ledge before he ceased his grip. Walking behind, Rukia followed him, scaling the large rock slab as they made their way to the middle of the wall where the rock path ended. The waterfall felt like a curtain, shielding them from the rest of the world as they hid behind its blanket of falling water.
Ashido stopped in his tracks, and Rukia watched his actions with curiosity, waiting for something as amazing as before to happen. Ashido closed his eyes, mentally picturing the desired outcome as his hands came up to rest gently on the sturdy rock wall before him. Rukia cocked her head to the side, her mouth falling open as she witnessed the supernatural light that circulated around his hands, crawling and twisting itself on the surrounding wall like greedy vines. The white light became almost blinding as it invaded her senses but she focused her squinting eyes on the sight before her, not wanting to miss such a magical sight. It was like a dream, she realized, as the wall seemed to crumble under the force of the light, submitting to its power as Rukia's whole line of vision was surrounded with that light.
She glanced behind and she could faintly see the waterfall as it was promptly swallowed by the blast of light, all other sounds of the outside world going silent; there was just pure, white light. Rukia felt like her head was spinning and she squeezed her eyes shut, preparing herself for a fall or explosion of some sort; but none came. Confused, Rukia popped open her eyes and her breath caught in her throat.
All around her was…bliss. Her eyes scanned the healthy green valleys, the large hills jutting up in the distance like green waves in an ocean of land. The wind was calm and soothing as it caressed her cheek and fled into the air, lifting flower petals with it. Butterflies landed on the flowers that clustered all around the valley, fluttering their wings with delight as they appreciated the flower's scent. The sun shone brightly, smiling down at the little piece of heaven that lay beneath it, making the blanket of perfect grass shine a bright green.
Rukia sighed with pleasure, her eyes drinking in the sight of the valley, it was so beautiful…it was breathtaking. Ashido watched with a smirk as her face lit up, her eyes shining with delight as she viewed the valley he escaped to occasionally. He gave the scenery a quick glance, he did appreciate the beauty, the tranquility of this place, but there was something about the woods near the village that drew him there. He didn't necessarily like staying in the woods anyway, but he felt as though it was where he belonged, a place he was silently confined to.
"Wow! This place…this place is…amazing," she breathed, looking intently at the scene ahead of her. Ashido smirked and shrugged, "Yeah, it's pretty nice, I guess…" he concluded as he began to walk down the nearest hill. Rukia shot him a confused glance, before looking behind her one last time, noting that there was no sign of the rock wall they had just entered through. All behind her was just space, empty space of nothing but flowing hills and light blue skies. Turning towards the place where the wall once was, Rukia reached her hand out hesitantly, groping around in the air for the solid structure. But, her hand just grasped nothing; it came into contact with nothing as it searched the surrounding area.
Panicking, the thought that there was no way out just crossed Rukia's mind; she knew she didn't have the skills necessary to escape if she needed to. Turning back to where she had last seen Ashido, she watched as his dark maroon hair disappeared as he descended down the tall hill. Pulling in a shaky breath, Rukia began to move her feet, stumbling down the hill quickly after his retreating form. He walked in a steady pace as he ascended up a neighboring hill as Rukia followed several feet behind him. Rukia glanced all around herself, and when they reached the top of the hill, she scanned the area shielding her eyes from the powerful sun as she took in the sight. 'What is he leading me to?' She asked herself, there doesn't seem to be anything for miles'… she observed. "Um, Ashido?" she asked him hesitantly, her voice low as she trailed behind him.
"What is it?" he asked automatically, sensing how tense she was.
"Yeah, where exactly are we going? I don't see anything for miles…and if there is something…what is it?" she asked him, studying the back of his form as he continued his journey, his confident strides displaying his movements as that of pure habit.
Ashido sighed but refused to meet her gaze, "Like I said before, you ask way too many questions." He smirked. "Besides, I can see it from here…it's just up ahead," he assured her calmly. Rukia spit out a loud, "huh?" as her eyes followed his finger that pointed to a direction in the distance.
Rolling her eyes with a huff, Rukia chuckled, "Right, another invisible place. Why am I not surprised?" she retorted, crossing her arms stubbornly as she continued to follow behind him silently. Ashido smirked, glancing back at the girl quickly, taking in the way she avoided his gaze, her arms crossed and her nose raised snootily in the air.
He couldn't help the amusement that overcame his being, couldn't help but observe how odd this small girl trailing behind him was. He figured that, like any other human, she'd be paranoid and scared out of her wits by now…but no, she remained stubborn and bitter. She was an odd one indeed; she walked with this air of dignity around her, a wall that refused to crumble under adversity.
Yet, he didn't have to drag her here; kicking and screaming but she didn't necessarily follow his every whim either. So contradicting. He didn't know whether he should scare her into submission or gradually gain her trust…which one was better? Which one would work more on her? These questions paraded throughout his mind, yet Ashido never realized that he hadn't had a plan yet. He was too busy thinking of how odd and contradicting this girl was, yet he hadn't established what he needed her for. Is it need, or does it fall under the category of want? Desire? These were the questions his mind was too preoccupied to ask. Too preoccupied to consider her fate.
Right now, it'd be safe to assume that Ashido is a man of many impulses. Every single element of his day to day life is built and composed of pure, animalistic impulses. He lost an ounce of his human thought every day it seemed…until it was likely that Ashido was governed by pure instinct. This might explain the rash decision to abduct a girl he laid eyes on only for a brief period of time.
After what seemed like hours of this silent trekking, Ashido stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes alert and his mind focused on the task at hand. Rukia simply stood behind him like a child cowering behind his mother in the presence of a stranger. She didn't know how to feel, she didn't know what to think. She mentally slapped herself for not composing decent thoughts or emotions…shouldn't she fight him? Run away? Yell, scream, kick…anything? But no, Rukia Kuchiki simply stood behind him, obeying his silent wishes as he worked at uncovering the invisible location.
Had she chosen to squeeze her eyes shut, she would've missed the explosion of light and sparks that exploded in the empty space before the demi-god. His hands outstretched, held still and calm in the thin air as he closed his eyes in concentration. Rukia stared at the scene in awe, the beautiful swirl of amber and magenta clashed to create a sunset of colors in front of her. The air seemed to transform into pieces of time itself, each piece contorting and fleeing to their proper places as he continued the ceremony.
The lights gave way to a solid structure composed of the most beautifully polished wood she had ever set her sights on. The wood caught the sunlight's attention and playfully shined right back at the glob of light in the sky. Rukia's eyes searched the perfectly constructed wooden cabin, it was one large and perfect square that seemed to extend its size farther behind it. The cabin was bare in the front except for one shiny door that stood exactly in the middle, standing tall with its slightly lighter shade of brown.
"It's just a cabin." Ashido stated, breaking through the thick silence. "You act like you've just discovered the meaning of life or something," he joked stoically. Rukia closed her mouth and swallowed, gazing at the marooned-haired man from the corner of her eyes. His eyes were set ahead of him as he stared blankly at the cabin, his eyes displaying a sense of familiarity. Rukia had no way of understanding that those sad eyes have landed on that building every time he was forced into hiding once more. Ashido sighed at the thought of being forced into this cabin again, he would really miss roaming the woods and messing with the humans…stupid entertainment seemingly the only element keeping him lusting for life.
"I don't understand," Rukia commented as he led her within the cabin. "Why are we here...In this place?" Ashido shrugged solemnly as he walked steadily behind her, her eyes scanning the interior of the house.
"This is the spirit world." He said simply, as if that statement clarified everything.
"Spirit world?" she asked her face turning towards his. Eyes filled to the brim with confusion.
Ashido sighed and ran his tan hand through his hair briefly, tousling the maroon strands lazily. "It is the dimension between that of the gods and that of the living. It is impossible to explain. It is nowhere, but everywhere at once. It is life, but then it is death. It is an illusion yet it is completely real. A mere human cannot grasp the logic of this place."
I know this chapter was pretty short...but I promise the plot will move on much quicker in the next chapter, so stay tuned!