Author's Blurbs
Hello again. I just added this author's blurbs in after I released the story. Mostly because I was in a hurry (had to leave for a hard day of menial labor...err...being Army Strong). So I am going back and writing this intro. First the bad news. I've been busting my ass to get ready for a big FTX (field training exercise) that is slated to take place on Tuesday and last for the next two weeks (two weeks without a real shower...smexy). So, in that time, you won't see any updates and no forum crafting ( I can hear your wails now).
Good news. I'll try to put out another chapter before I leave. Sorry for the shortness of this chapter, it's short even by my standards. But I blame this again on wanting to put out a bit of content before I left. Plus, it just seemed like such an appropriate cutoff point. I used this time to also tighten up the story a bit. I plan to, when this is all over, actually edit this damn thing. But that'll probably be after my deployment in Iraq. Or during. Not sure yet.
As always, I don't own Bleach. I can't draw that well, and I barely can form a plot.
I love lamp.
Chapter 7: The Goddess Who Cried Wolf
"Heya, bro!" Yuzu greeted Ichigo as he walked into the door. The self-appointed housekeeper of the Kurosaki family was clad in her traditional apron, already hard at work chopping vegetables for dinner.
"Sup, Yuzu?" Ichigo returned the greeting, reaching over and ruffling his sister's hair as he shuffled past her to raid the fridge.
"Really, Ichigo, you're going to ruin your appetite." she scolded, crossing her arms and throwing him an annoyed frown.
"Calm down, just getting some milk."
Reaching inside, he pulled out a quart. It was half full, plenty enough for what he had in mind. "Since when did you start drinking milk?" His other sister, Karin, asked from the doorway.
"Hey now, I like milk." Ichigo retorted, opening up the quart and taking a quick swig to accentuate his point. "But 'hi' to you too. Soccer practice end early?"
"Yeah." Karin shrugged, "Coach wanted to give us a bit of rest before the big game on Friday," she put a piece of bread into the toaster, "Where's Rukia?"
"Why?"
"Need her help on my homework."
Ichigo cast a critical glance on his fiery little sister. "Oh? And you decided to ask her first, before me?"
Karin laughed, practically doubling over in her mirth. After a few moments, she finally managed to calm down enough to manage to point a admittedly shaky finger in Ichigo's direction. "As if I'd ask you. With all the time you spend running about when you should be in school, I'd be surprised you even remember the difference between addition and subtraction."
He shrugged off the comment, muttering something about "still being on the honor roll". Reaching over Yuzu, he opened up the cupboard. A myriad of plates, glasses, and other common household eating implements greeted him. Well, there was one thing missing. "Yuzu, where are the bowls?"
"Dishwasher." she answered absently, fully enraptured in the chopping at hand.
"Thanks." Grabbing a white ceramic bowl, he took his precious load in the direction of his room. A loud attention drawing cough grabbed his focus before he could exit. Karin was staring at him with an annoyed expression on her face.
"Hey, you didn't answer my question."
"Oh..yeah. She has some extra work at school to finish up on." Ichigo chuckled a bit." Seems like our Science teacher didn't like her drawings of evolution. So she made her stay over and redo the assignment."
"Bah. I'll ask a friend of mine then."
Ichigo, ever the paragon of maturity, decided to show her his displeasure at once again being ignored by sticking out his tongue and making the standard noises that usually accompany said action. Then, acting on impulse tempered with a fine dosage of spite, he ran over and ruffled Karin's hair, knowing full well that unlike Yuzu, she hated it when he did that. Deed accomplished, he beat a hasty retreat upstairs, before Mt.Karin could register his action and explode appropriately.
Panting a bit as he cleared the stairs, he finally arrived at his door. It was a rather plain door, as far as doors went. Made of wood dust, glue, and metal, it certainly didn't stand out, but that didn't stop Ichigo from hesitating as he reached for the door knob. He couldn't help but wonder if Yoruichi was laying in wait; he imagined her perched over the door like some large predatory cat, nothing but two pinpricks of yellow to mark her location as she waited to pounce.
Well, I did bash her in the head with a baseball bat. Might as well own up for my crime. With a gulp, he placed his faith on the peace offering in his hands and quickly swung the door open, ready to take his punishment.
One second passed. Two seconds. Amazingly, even three seconds went by and still no whirling dervish of fur and claws had descended upon him. Ichigo opened his eyes tentatively . "Hello, Ichigo." The masculine voice almost made him drop what he had in his hands. It, of course, belonged to the black cat he wrongfully beaned. She was still laying in his bed, looking disarmingly at ease on it, though she was staring intensely enough at him to make the hairs on his neck stand on end.
"Hey, uh, Yoruichi. I brought you something!" Ichigo beamed far too brightly, holding up the carton of milk.
"How kind of you. If I didn't know better, I'd say you were feeling guilty about something and were trying to bribe me."
Ichigo chuckled nervously, "Yeah...about that. I'm sorry."
"What happened to the scratches I had left on your face?" Yoruichi asked, ignoring his apology.
"Oh, Rukia healed them on the way to school." He felt his own face, as if to reaffirm his words.
"You realize you owe me, right? If I wasn't so dizzy right now, I'd rip your head off."
"Wait what do you mea–" Before Ichigo could finish, Yoruichi's eyes suddenly rolled back, her head slumping down to rest against her chest.
"Shit!" Ichigo cursed, slamming the milk and bowl on the nearby dresser and closing the distance between him and his former mentor like the righteous fist of Superman. Thankfully she was breathing steadily, but he was still worried. I really must have hit her hard...perhaps I should get help? His mind ran through the possible list of people capable of such a thing. A vet was obviously out of the question, since he didn't have a clue if she anatomically similar to a cat even if she looked like one. As he mentally checked off each failure, he finally left with two possibilities. Rukia or Kisuke.
As if summoned by his thoughts, Rukia casually opened up his door at that moment. Sighing as she shrugged off her backpack, she stared at him with a puzzled look. "Damn teacher had me cleaning the desks, you wouldn't believe the crap people put underneath there. Something wrong, Ichigo?"
"I think I might have seriously hurt Yoruichi. She was awake and talking, then just fainted on me." he said, gingerly poking the cat a bit as if she might spring awake at any moment. It was obvious that he was worried, but was trying to play it off casually. Rukia found herself suppressing a smile.
She glared at the unconscious cat for a few moments, thoughtfully stroking her bottom lip as if internally grappling with something. Ichigo wished that he could read her mind. After a few agonizing moments, she turned to him. "Go to Kisuke for help. He should be able to tell, he's way more experienced with such things than I am. I'll stay here and watch over her."
Ichigo nodded, and it was testament to his concern that he didn't even grumble at being ordered around. Instead he was out of the door like a flash. Rukia waited for the telltale slamming of the door before turning back to the cat. "You owe me."
Opening both of her eyes, Yoruichi smiled a positively sadistic grin. "Come on, you liked playing this little prank on him."
"I must admit, when you texted me, it did seem rather amusing at first. But he is honestly worried about you."
Yoruichi avoided Rukia's gaze, but shrugged. "He hit me with a bat. I just hope Kisuke plays his part well. He better not make me regret deciding to let him know about the little 'incident' this morning. I can almost hear his little witty comments about me now. Anyway, I have to go follow Ichigo, got to keep him in my sights."
With a flash, the Goddess was gone, with nothing but the sharp slap of a window being flung open and the gentle flapping curtains to give indication that someone had exited.
Rukia looked on through the now open window, putting a hand on her cheek as she mulled things over. She did feel a little bad. Wouldn't it be easier to just let him know the danger? Easier, but perhaps not right. Still, Yoruichi's plan was pretty devious and would give her the perfect excuse to keep the boy in her sights. Rukia was committed now, she had no choice but to play what she had dealt.
I hate poker.
Something was missing though...She paced the room, half pondering the phantom limb, half pondering her thoughts on Ichigo's inner-hollow problem. Then it hit her. He'd be all over her by now. "Where the hell is Kon?"
