OMAKE: Ichigo running to his home from the mall first, allowing Rukia cover
As Ichigo twirls the knob of his front door he feels its sudden pull, causing him to tumble over his numerous bags. He quickly recovers, jumping to his knees to pull his bags together with great haste, all the while disregarding the glooming figure hovering above him.
"Whatchu' got there, son?" Inquisits Isshin as he bends down to aide Ichigo in gathering his bags, noting the periwinkle color scheme and pink tissue paper nestled within them. Ichigo snatches the remaining bags from his father's grip before allowing him the time to read the name of the store in which is boldly plastered on its sides. Isshin's eyebrows rise. "Did some shopping, I see." Ichigo mumbles in agreement, clinging to the bags and fleeting for the stairs. "Hey Ichigo… I think you forgot something."
Ichigo's head turns to face Isshin and sees a small lilac colored blouse within his grasp. Flush floods over his face. He keeps his head towards the ground as he walks over to his father to snatch the blouse out of his hands. He proceeds to go up the stairs, not daring to look back at Isshin.
"I think that top will be way too small for you!" Isshin calls out to his son and sniggers when he hears the slamming of his door.
"Here, throw this on!" Rukia tosses the outfit once more at Ichigo.
"There's no time." He huffs as he sprints towards Orihime's apartment.
"There's always time. There's a way of doing things and this is one of those things that's nonnegotiable." She sternly retorts, running along side of him. "This is our hallmark."
"That monkey suit?"
"Call it what you will, but you are wearing this EACH and EVERY time we are to face a Hollow."
"Fine." When the two finally make it to Orihime's apartment building, Ichigo tears off his pajamas in substitute for his suit. Donning the suit, he flies through the rows of stairs when he hears a scream echo through the, otherwise silent, night. "Inoue!"
"It's here." Cries out Rukia, sliding her sharp weapons over to Ichigo. Ichigo arms himself and with great effort and force, kicks above the door knob. At hearing a splinting sound, he kicks once more with increasing force, causing it to fly open. Upon first entrance, Ichigo sees, what appears to be, Tatsuki's unconscious body laid next to the chabudai, arrayed with tea and desserts. Orihime cowered at the corner of the room, crouched under a looming figure.
"Hey, Hollow! Looking for me?"
The dark-dressed form turned its head to face him and grinned. "My, my. A Shinigami in my midsts."
"Kurosaki-kun?" Peeps Orihime, peering out of the Hollow's shadow.
The Hollow side eyes Orihime before looking back at Ichigo. "You're mistaken Shinigami, I'm not here for you. I'm here for her." He points to the auburn-haired girl.
"Me?" Orihime questions despite her tears.
"You see, when this mission arose, I thought I must be dreaming. I practically jumped on the opportunity."
Orihime slowly arose to her feet. "Why? What do you want with me? Why did you hurt Tatsuki-chan?" Anger was building in her chest and seeped into her voice.
The Hollow laughed at seeing her so distraught, but his smile just as quickly disappeared and was replaced with a grimace. "What you have done, and what you continually do is unforgivable. It's about time that you suffer the consequences of your blunders." It unveils its weapon and light reflects against the blade, blinding Orihime's eyes.
"That's enough!" Roars Ichigo, interrupting the Hollow's bloodthirst. "You are the one who should be punished. Trying to harm a defenseless woman and harming another? Pathetic. What kind of man are you?" Ichigo unsheathes his aikuchi blade.
The Hollow growls, growing visibly angry by his words. He mirrors Ichigo's action by pulling out his own edge. "I've had it with you. You are the very reason she's in the mess anyways!" The Hollow plunges forward, aiming its slice for Ichigo's torso, but misses when Ichigo side steps. Ichigo twirls behind the Hollow, slicing its side in the meantime. It distances itself from Ichigo, assessing him thoroughly before rushing him once again. The Hollow uses one blade as bait while shielding another. Ichigo, unaware of the second knife, is nicked on his upper forearm, a slit running down his sleeve with a smudge of blood.
"Keep vigilante, Ichigo!" Commands Rukia. She continues to carry Tatsuki's body to safety, far from the fight's range.
This time Ichigo is the one rushing the Hollow, parrying each of its moves and being mindful of it's two blades. As Ichigo blocks one of the Hollow's stabs, it drops its other blade to ball into a fist. The fist makes contact with Ichigo's cheek causing him to lose his balance and stumble back.
Orihime gasps. "Kurosaki-kun!"
Before Ichigo is able to regain his footing, the Hollow throws out two shuriken in his direction. Rukia jumps out to shield Ichigo from their pierce, parrying them with her wakizashi. She places her weapon in front of her, egging the Hollow to attack. To which it delivers. The Hollow whirls its knives at her. She dodges them with ease.
"Sora didn't deserve this!" It suddenly howls as Rukia showers him in various sways and hits.
Orihime's ears perk at the name. "Sora?" Her head is now swarming with even more questions. Her emotional exhaustion gets the better of her. "Stop!" She cries out firmly, her voice now full of resolve. The Hollow turns towards her. "You...you said the name Sora. That is my brother's name. You have no right speaking his name." The tears that once flowed freely from her eyes now had dried and she could see its image clearly now. "You barge in here. You hurt my friend. And you deem to hurt them too. Why?" Orihime's voice slightly cracks, but she clears her throat and asks again. "Why? To hurt me? To punish me? For what crime? For Sora?"
The Hollow grabs at the collar of her t-shirt. "Sora did not deserve this." It repeats, gritting its teeth. "He adored you. You were his everything. And you? You forgot about him. Put his memory aside for new ones."
"That's not true." She retorts in defiance.
"What do you mean 'not true'? You used to pray every night to his alter. Then you became friends with that girl and the prayers became less and less frequent. Then there was him. Little to no prayers." The Hollow turns its eyes back to Ichigo, preparing to lunge.
"Kei-niisan?" Orihime shielded her mouth from the name, but it slips from her lips regardless.
The Hollow's shoulders tense up slightly. It remains silent for a few moments before it finally responds. "Kei…" It doted on the name. "Kei died. Died the night Sora did."
"Nii-san, why are you doing this?"
"Stupid girl, didn't I already tell you?" Kei kept his back towards her.
"Some brother figure you are." Ichigo pipes in, visibly annoyed.
"What do you know!?" Kei dodges Rukia, aiming his fury for Ichigo. As the two battle, blade against blade, Rukia runs to Orihime's aide.
"You got to get out of here." Encourages Rukia, pulling on Orihime's arm.
"Kuchiki-san?" Orihime blinks back at her. "Kuchiki-san… I can't." She takes her arm from Rukia's grip and walks gradually to Kei's side. At seeing Orihime so close, Ichigo distances himself from Kei's attack.
"Watch out!" He cries out, but to no avail.
In Kei's frenzy, he slices into Orihime's arm as she closes the distance between them. Orihime does not allow the wound to stop her, but continues to reach for Kei. She grips onto him, holding him tightly and resting her head against his back. Kei stops flailing about his arms, resting them to his sides.
"I'm sorry Kei-niisan. I'm so sorry. After Nii-san passed away, you… you disappeared. I'd never stopped to think how you took his passing." Kei doesn't flinch so she continues. "You've been watching over me for all this time." Orihime peers over to her brother's alter where a photo of him smiling hung. "After Nii-san passed, I was so consumed by grief. I wouldn't eat, sleep, nor even get out of bed in the morning without thinking about his death. I wasted away. Until I met Tatsuki-chan. She cheered me up, made me feel like I wasn't alone. I thought my brother would want that for me. For me to move on and not let the misery win over my life. But that does not mean I forgot him nor ever tried to forget him. I wear the pins he gave me everyday as a reminder of him." Orihime releases her hold, steps back, and reaches for the crystal blue pins in her hair. "You're right though, Kei-niisan. It has been some time since I have sat and spoke to Nii-san." Tears gather at the corners of her eyes and she clenches her fists tightly. "Do what you want with me, Kei-niisan, but please… don't hurt my friends. Don't punish them for my ignorance." She kneels down and hangs her head, tears splotch the floor below her.
Kei reaches for his mask, tugging away the black cloth to reveal his solemn face. His hazel eyes are hazy and weighed down. Water builds at the edges of them. The years have not been kind to him, rather have aged him beyond his actual age. He pivots to face her and gently places his hand on the top of her head, patting it. Orihime continues to silently weep. She cries for her brother, for Kei-niisan, and for herself. It had been too long since she had cried this hard. Maybe it was due. But what hurt her the most was seeing how grief had destroyed her beloved brother's best friend. They were inseparable despite all the obstacles. She saw so much of Kei that she referred to him as her second brother. Even now, when he seemed almost unrecognizable, she still saw him as her other brother. Broken and beaten.
"I told your brother I would watch over you if anything ever happened to him and I… I failed him and I failed you. I ran away. Couldn't handle Sora's death so I just ran from it. Ran away from you. By the time I was able to somewhat piece myself back together, it seemed you had moved on, while I hadn't. It was so much easier taking out my anger on you rather than reflect inward." Kei gets to his knees and grabs Orihime's shoulders, bringing her into his embrace. She clung tightly to him. "I'm sorry, Hime-chan." Kei took a moment to really analyze Orihime's face. How pretty she had grown to be, her flowing hair cascaded around her slim face. He remembered last seeing her with hair to her chin and her now oval shaped face was then round. Time had changed many things. He suddenly felt so foolish and ashamed. Kei releases his hold on Orihime and returns to his feet. "I must leave."
Orihime blinks through her tears to search his face. "Please stay, stay with me. We can start all over. We can take care of each other." She begs, desperately.
"I'm sorry Hime-chan." Kei does not meet her eyes and hangs his head low, clutching onto the mask within his hand.
"Then let me go with you!" Orihime pleads.
"Orihime…" He begins. "You have a life here. You are a student, a cook, and a good friend. You are needed here." Kei looks aside to take one last glimpse at her. "I'll always be here with you, just like Sora." He walks towards the front door of Orihime's apartment and stops when he stands next to Ichigo and Rukia. "You're right, kid, some brother I was." He hands Ichigo his mask. "But not anymore." Kei concludes as he walks out into the night, leaving behind his mask and his life as a Hollow.
...
"Will she be okay?" Questions Ichigo as he oversees Tatsuki's unmoved body.
Orihime looks up to see his worried expression. She then looks back down at Tatsuki, lovingly. "She just needs some rest, Kurosaki-kun." She has Tatsuki tucked into her bed, a cool towel covering her forehead.
"Inoue, you're bleeding."
Orihime catches the hint of concern in his voice and blushes slightly. "Oh, it's nothing. Just a little scratch."
"I'll get Rukia to bring in some alcohol so we can clean your wounds and patch you up." Ichigo goes to exit the bedroom.
"Kurosaki-kun?"
"Yeah?" He stops at the doorway.
"Thank you for saving me...I mean us. How did you know that we were in danger?"
Ichigo scratches his head. "Just got a feeling is all."
"And Kurosaki-kun?"
"Hmm?"
"Is there any particular reason as to why you're wearing a suit? Were you on your way to a formal?"
"Yeah, you could call it that. And Inoue?"
"Yes?"
"Would you mind not disclosing everything that happened tonight to Tatsuki? I don't wanna freak her out and have her ask a million questions."
"It'll be our secret."
"You're pretty good at playing nurse." Ichigo compliments Rukia as she disinfects a few of his wounds and bandages them up.
"What can I say, comes with the job."
"Hey Rukia?" Ichigo sits up in his bed. "About that Hollow back there… is it their choice to become a Hollow?"
Rukia situates herself in front of him and crosses her legs underneath her. "Yes. Much as it is my decision to be a Shinigami."
"You say that as if…"
"There may have not been a choice?" She interrupts. "Guess it depends. That Kei guy sounded like he didn't have much of choice. I could imagine that he was rock bottom with no place to go. Just like the Shinigami gave me a home and purpose, I suppose the Hollows gave him the same."
Ichigo smirks smugly, crossing his arms in front of him. "Life is not so black and white. I think that people can be a bit of both. Hollow and Shinigami."
Rukia places her fingers against her pink, pouty lips and looks out Ichigo's bedroom window to gaze at the midnight sky. "I suppose you're right. At the Academy, they made it seem you either were one or the other. Good or evil."
"Rukia." Ichigo gently huffs. His tone immediately catches Rukia off guard and catches her attention. When he said her name, it almost sounded endearing. She peers into his eyes to find them soft, warm, and inviting. His features are, likewise, soft, holding a small smile. Her gaping mouth causes him to smile wider and even snicker.
"What?"
He wants to tell her how naive she is. How innocent she is, in his eyes. How hopeful, how arrogant, how driven she is. He can't help but admire her despite her flaws. Despite her naivety and innocence. Because, it is those very qualities that he adores about her. He returns her stare, reading nothing but sincerity within her violent orbs.
"Nothing."
He wants nothing more than to protect her.
"Ichigo, there's no avoiding us this time. We have some questions!"
"Eh?" He rubs his finger against his ear canal. Keigo and Mizuiro have him pinned against the wall by the bathrooms.
"Spill it, Ichigo. We already know there's something going on between you and the new girl!" Adds Mizuiro.
"The new girl?" Ichigo appears to be genuinely confused.
"The transfer student in your major!"
Keigo throws his fists in the air. "Don't play dumb with us, Kurosaki Ichigo. We've already seen y'all together at the mall."
Ichigo irritably grumbles."You mean, you've been stalking me?"
"No, it's just that you expose yourself by going out to an open, heavily populated area." Mizuiro states, matter of factly.
"I'm not exposing myself. Her and I are just friends."
Mizuiro laughs. "Right. Just friends."
"Friends or not, what is her name!?" Intercedes Keigo, his mind flashes back to the petite young woman's beauty.
"Like I would tell you, creep."
"Ichigo!" Calls out Rukia as she walks over to the trio. "Are we going to head to class or not?" As she gets closer, she sees the wide grins plastered on the two men accompanying Ichigo. She quickly adapts herself to the strangers. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt." Her too-sweet demeanor, extremely high pitched voice, and over-the-top melodramatics sicken Ichigo. He finds her fake persona obnoxious. The men ignore Ichigo, turning their attention to the raven-haired beauty.
"No need to be sorry!" Keigo jumps to her side. "I don't think we've been properly introduced." He's quickly enamored with her. "My name is Asano Keigo."
"And I'm Kojima Mizuiro." Mizuiro extends his hand.
Rukia takes his hand in hers. "It's such a pleasure to meet both of you. My name is Kuchiki Rukia. I'm a recent transfer student."
"Ah. I see you've made good friends with Ichigo."
Rukia blushes slightly, but it goes unnoticed by the men. "He has been very kind to me. He's helped me to make my way through Karakura Town, let alone school."
"I'm sure that's not the only thing he's helped her with." Whispers Keigo to Mizuro, earning him an elbow to the belly by Ichigo.
"Well Kuchiki-san, we were planning on skipping class to get a bite to eat. Would you like to join us?"
Rukia's eyes flash over to Ichigo's, and she flutters her eyelashes at him.
"Ichigo's coming too!" Intercepts Keigo, jumping in front of the other two men.
"I never agreed to such a thing."
"I'd love to!" Rukia smiles brightly at Keigo and Mizuiro, and it causes Keigo to bury his face in his hands to hide his fluster. Ichigo throws her a solemn stare but she pretends not to see it.
"Wonderful! There's a small cafe not far from here that we had planned to meet Chad at. He's another one of our friends. Come on, I'm starving."
As Rukia and Keigo follow Mizuiro, Rukia turns her head aside to glance at Ichigo. "You coming, Ichigo?" Ichigo remains with his arms crossed in front of his chest and eyebrows furrowed, but eventually tails behind the others.
When the group reach the cafe, they see Chad seated outside feeding pieces of his meal to a dog that is calmly sitting to his side. "Chad!" Mizuiro calls out to him. Chad gets up to greet them, before they all sit down at the table Chad had reserved for them.
"Yo Chad, what's with the dog?" Ichigo asks, studying the docile animal watching them.
"A boy gave him to me." He simply replies taking bites of his sandwich.
"Did you know the boy?" Inputs Mizuiro. Chad swings his head side to side. Rukia spends some time assessing the dog, finding the whole encounter quite odd. Something, she could not put her finger on it, felt off. She looks to Ichigo and meets his eyes, reading a similar expression. But the two do not push for more information, rather they go on to order food from their menus.
