Disclaimer: Bleach is not mine.
When they were about five minutes away from the marina, Rukia looked over at Ichigo and spoke for the first time since they had left the hospital.
"I don't think I can swim."
He had hoped that she would have perked up a little when they got closer to the lake, like she had the day before, but she looked worse than ever.
"You don't have to swim," he said. "I brought my scuba gear. I'm going to take you down to the cave myself."
She looked skeptical, and he knew why. He only had enough gear for one diver. "We can share the air tank," he said. At that moment, he noticed a pair of headlights in his rearview mirror. He slowed down a little bit. Whoever it was slowed down, too, leaving a gap of maybe ten car lengths between them.
"Uh-oh,"
"What's wrong?" Rukia asked.
"I think somebody's following us." They were approaching the road that led to the marina, which was on the right. Ichigo turned on his left-hand turn signal and pulled into the left lane. He watched the other car through the rearview mirror. It's turn signal didn't come on, but he saw it slowly move into the left lane behind him.
Ichigo immediately flipped his turn signal lever over to the right and pulled over into the right-hand lane. At first, the car continued on into the left-hand lane, but slowly edged its way back to the right. He slammed his fist against the steering wheel. In an instant, everything became clear to him. He knew it had all been too easy. He reddened with humiliation, feeling exactly like the naive college boy that Brawn and Brains saw him as. All that cloak-and-dagger crap with the nun's habit was a complete waste of time. He should have known that they would have had a backup plan, just in case he hadn't shown them the real location of the spring. They had just been patiently watching and waiting for him to lead them to it.
"What are we going to do?" Rukia asked as he pulled up to the stop sign. The car slowly pulled up behind him. He could barely make out the silhouette of two men's heads through the rearview mirror.
"I don't know," he muttered. He couldn't tell what kind of car it was, but it looked big. He was sure it could outrun his jeep. But… He looked down at the shift lever that put the jeep into four-wheel drive, then looked over at Rukia. "Maybe you better sit down on the floor."
She seemed to understand what he planned to do. She slid down onto the floor in front of her seat and rolled into a ball. He turned right and headed towards the marina, watching the headlights in his mirror. The car stuck close to them now, as if the occupants knew he was about to try to lose them. When he came to the road that led down to the boat ramp, instead of turning, he continued to go straight ahead, toward a fenced-in area where large sailboats and trailers were kept. He followed the road around a curve until the gate came into view. It was closed, as he knew it would be. There was a small rock wall on both sides of the road that led to the gate. Short enough for the jeep to jump over, but too tall for a regular automobile. At least, Ichigo hoped so.
"Hold on," he told Rukia ,dropping the shift-lever into four-wheel drive. Ichigo stomped on the accelerator and they zoomed directly toward the gate. He glanced in the rearview mirror—the car behind them had closed gap even more. It now trailed only ten or twenty feet behind. At the last possible moment, he jerked the wheel to the left. The jeep swerved and lurched over the rock wall, bouncing and bucking violently. Rukia let out a muffled shriek. He could hear tires screeching behind him. Through the mirror, he glimpsed the pursuing car as it lurched over the wall, or attempted to. The front end made it, but the rest of the vehicle was too low-slung to pass over it. Sparks flew from under its belly as it slid along the wall, like a derailed train. Two seconds later, it slammed into the chain link fence and came to an abrupt stop.
The jeep careened up the grass-covered hill for a few seconds before Ichigo got it under control. Rukia was still screaming—he knew all the bouncing and vibration must have been excruciatingly painful for her, but there was nothing else he could do. When he reached the corner of the fenced-in area, he turned right and began to slowly pick his way through the thick woods towards the water.
It was a good fifteen minutes before he finally found that they had reached an impasse. A huge fallen maple tree blocked their path. The top of it went all the way down to the water, and the other end was rooted in a gully so deep that Ichigo was afraid he might cause the jeep to overturn if he tried to go around it. But he had driven at least a mile from the marina, maybe farther, following the curve of the lake around to a point within swimming distance of the cave. He turned off the lights. Rukia let out a long groan. She was still curled up in a ball in front of the passenger seat.
"Are you all right?" he said, helping her up.
"I'm okay," she said weakly. She leaned back against the head-rest and gazed out through the woods at the water. The moon was out, about half-full. In the dim light, her face looked as white as porcelain.
"I'll get the scuba gear," he said, but she took hold of his arm before he could get out.
"Ichigo," she said, "I can't make it. I really can't."
"You'll make it, Rukia. You have to think positively."
"But I'm bleeding so bad."
He looked down at her nun's habit. Even in the moonlight, he could see that it was soaked with blood.
"Pretty soon my stomach's going to open up again and—"
"I brought some more bandages," Ichigo said, as he reached into the back seat and pulled out a paper bag. He got out of the jeep and went around to her side and opened the door. He ripped open one of the boxes of elastic gauze, and before she could protest, pulled up the bottom of her nun's habit and started wrapping the bandage tightly around her thigh, not bothering to remove the blood-soaked bandage that was already there. When he finished, he gently pulled the bloody black garment over her head and tossed it into the bushes, leaving her only in her hospital gown. The thin, light blue material was blood-drenched from the waist down.
"Let's do your stomach now," he said, helping her lean forward. He tore open another box of gauze, reached under her gown, and wrapped the bandage around and around her midsection. He ripped open two more boxes of bandages and repeated the process. "That ought to do," he said when he finished. He glanced down at his blood-soaked hands and arms—they looked like he had just delivered a baby.
He went around to the back of the jeep and started loading himself down with the scuba equipment—a tank, regulator, mask, fins, a weight belt, and an underwater light. Just as he set the light on the ground, he heard the tell-tale chop-chop-chop sound of a helicopter somewhere in the distance. He stepped around to the front of the jeep and scanned the horizon in all directions, but couldn't see much through all the treetops. The sound got louder and louder. Suddenly, a searchlight beam shot down out of the sky off to the left. The chopper was hovering just above the shoreline, perhaps a half-mile away. Rukia looked over at him, her face pale and frightened.
"Sit tight," Ichigo said. "I'll be back in a minute." He gathered up the scuba gear and toted it down to the water, keeping an eye on the helicopter. The chopper was steadily moving towards them, running its searchlight back and forth along the rocky shoreline. At the opposite end of the lake, perhaps three miles away, he saw a faint cluster of lights and what he thought to be another helicopter. It was in the same spot where he had told Brawn and Brains the cave was located, at least two miles from the true location. He hid the gear under some bushes and went back to the jeep. He had brought a cooler from home, and he unloaded it and set it on the ground. Inside was a bag of ice and eight sterile baby bottles he had bought when he had gotten the bandages. He began dumping the ice into the cooler and packed the bottles in it.
"You think it will work?" Rukia said, understanding what he was planning.
"It has to work," he said, glancing through the woods at the helicopter. It was no more than 200 yards away. He wasn't worried about their spotting the jeep—the trees were so thick he was sure it was completely hidden—but they would be completely exposed out on the shore. He trotted down to the water this time, dropped the cooler in the bushes, and ran back to get Rukia. He slipped his hands underneath her bandaged torso and legs and picked her up. She put her arms around his neck, and he wove his way through the woods as fast as he could without dropping her. She felt like she weighed no more than 80 pounds. He was aware of her looking up at him, her face plaster-white in the moonlight.
"Ichigo?" she whispered, as he slowed down to step over a log.
"What?" he said.
"I'm sorry I said you were a major snooze."
"It's all right,"
"If I don't make it, I want you to know that I-
"Shhh," he said. "Don't talk like that. You're going to make it. Just hang in there."
When they reached the water, he set her down gently on a rock. The helicopter was now only about 50 yards away, rounding the point where Rukia had entered the water the day before, where the fisherman had been. Ichigo stripped to his underwear and threw his clothes into the bushes, then started putting on the scuba equipment. After he strapped on the tank, the fins, and the mask, he reached behind his head and opened the tank's air valve. He held out the hose to Rukia.
"You remember how to be breathing partners?"
"I remember," she said softly.
He stuck the hose into his mouth and took a few breaths to make sure it was working. She laughed, surprising him.
"What's the matter?" he said.
"You look like the Creature from the Black Lagoon."
Ichigo smiled, not because he thought it was funny, but because he hadn't heard her laugh all day. He glanced over at the cooler. He had planned to take it down with them, but now that he had put on all the scuba gear, it didn't seem feasible. He would have to come back by himself and get it while Rukia was in the cave, nursing her wounds. He hid the cooler behind some bushes. He glanced up at the helicopter—it was still getting closer. Hopefully, they wouldn't spot the jeep while he was gone. He handed Rukia the underwater flashlight.
"Can you hold this while we go down?"
She nodded. He picked her up in his arms again and carried her into the water. Now, he really did feel like the Creature from the Black Lagoon, slipping and sliding on the rocks with his fins, descending into the murkiness, carrying a bleeding, maiden in his arms. When the water was up to Ichigo's waist, the helicopter's searchlight swept dangerously close to them. He could even feel wind from the chopper's rotor as it sent ripples across the surface of the water.
"Hold your breath," he said, as he leaned forward.
They both slipped into the chilly water. He immediately pulled her down to the bottom. A few seconds later, the searchlight beam whisked across the water above them, creating a blinding white flash. He only hoped the water was too cloudy to see through. He started swimming along the muddy lake bottom, pulling her with him. He kept one hand around her waist and followed the downward slope out into the middle of the lake, handing the air regulator to her and taking it back every thirty seconds or so. As they went deeper, the water felt ice cold.
After a couple of minutes, he was astonished to find that Rukia had started swimming herself. Within a minute or two, she was pulling him along. She slowed down a little bit, handed him the regulator, and after he put it into his mouth, she surged ahead again, picking up even more speed. The green water's got hold of her, he thought. He stopped kicking, realizing that now it was only slowing them down.
She drove them both forward faster and faster, the water pulling hard on the oxygen tank, the weight belt, and his fins. He had trouble relaxing, afraid that she would bump into something in the dark, but he knew she was tuned into some kind of internal homing signal that would lead to her sacred spring. He closed his eyes and finally felt himself relax, letting her pull him deeper and deeper into the blackness, picking up more and more speed, the water roaring past his ears… In that moment, he completely trusted her, and he felt a strange sense of inner peace.
They soon began to slow down. He sensed that they were approaching the opening of the cave. Not a second later, he felt the tentacle-like thing brush against his legs, as he had the first time. Rukia turned on the flashlight. The opening of the cave was no more than a jagged, two-foot wide hole in the rocks. He glanced below and let out a small underwater shriek. There was a huge catfish lying just underneath the opening. It was fat as a hog, its mouth open, its lips pulsating slowly, revealing a few teeth that looked like miniature elephant tusks.
Ichigo's skin crawled as he realized that he had brushed his leg against one of its thick, spindly whiskers, which were splayed out a couple of feet on either side of its head. Rukia nudged him and motioned for him to swim through the opening. He didn't move, wondering if there were more catfish—or worse—on the other side.
She seemed to understand his fear and handed him the flashlight, then swam through the opening herself. She looked like an injured mermaid in her bloody hospital gown, swimming gracefully through the water, her bandages leaking blood that left swirling, smoke-like trails. She extended her hand through the opening to help him. Just before he started to join her, the flashlight beam shined on something that scared him even more than the catfish. A boulder was poised precariously above and to the left of the opening, one edge propped up on another large, triangular-shaped rock. The boulder looked like it weighed a couple of tons. If it slipped, it would completely block their exit. Ichigo heard the sounds of Rukia yelling at him underwater. Before he could protest, she grabbed his wrist, her grip now strong, and literally dragged him through the opening. He reached for the air regulator and yanked him upwards before he could get a hold of it.
They quickly accelerated again. Fighting the pull of the water, he finally managed to get the regulator in his mouth. A moment later, they broke through to the surface at the same spot they had the first time, in the big room full of stalactites. Rukia let out a gleeful shriek and helped him climb out of the water. He took off all the scuba gear and laid it down on the rocks, catching his breath. She led him away from the water, up the flat boulder, towards the green light. They soon weaved their way through the gigantic plants and over to the shimmering pool of green water. Rukia threw herself into it, thrashing around, rolling over and over, drinking greedily.
"Thank you, God!" she yelled, her voice echoing crisply off the cave walls.
Ichigo just watched her for a while. She waded out into the water until it was up to her neck, then discarded the hospital gown. It floated on the surface for a few seconds, then disappeared into the greenness. She began to carefully unravel her bandages, moaning softly. But it was a moan of pleasure, not of pain. She became so engrossed in what she was doing that she seemed to forget he was there.
"Well," he said, "I better go back and get the cooler."
She turned his way, then cupped a handful of the green water and held it out to him. "Are you sure you don't want to… "
"No," he said, but with regret. Rukia looked disappointed and let the glowing liquid run out of her hand and back into the pool.
"I'll be back soon, okay?" he said. Rukia looked at him as if she didn't want him to leave, but then said, "Okay."
Ichigo swam back out through the opening of the cave, being careful to steer clear of the catfish. He didn't quite have his bearings, so he decided to swim directly up to the surface and then across to where he had left the cooler—that way, he wouldn't have to use as much oxygen. He flipped off the flashlight, in case the helicopter was nearby, and swam upward. It only took him a couple of minutes to reach the surface. When his head emerged into the cool night air, he at once heard the sound of choppers. He saw nothing but darkness, however. He was disoriented for a moment, then realized he was facing the cliffs. When he turned the other way, his heart sank.
The helicopter had landed on the shore, right in the spot where he had left the cooler. Beyond it, there were other lights, men, vehicles. He could hear dogs barking faintly. They had found the jeep, too. Now what? Ichigo thought, his mind racing ahead. There was another helicopter to his left, this one shining its searchlight along the edge of the cliffs, and another about a half-mile away, also moving in his direction. He dunked his head back under the water and descended again.
A few minutes later, Ichigo made his way back into the cavern where Rukia was, still wearing all the scuba gear, except for the fins. The mask was hanging around his neck. Rukia didn't even notice him. She was standing waist-high in the pool, completely naked, her wounds now gone, spinning around in circles, her arms outstretched, eyes closed, singing softly to herself. He watched her for a few minutes, spellbound. He had never seen anything so beautiful.
She suddenly stopped, aware of his presence, and opened her eyes. When she saw him, she covered her breasts with her arms, looking self-conscious. "Where's the cooler?" she said.
"It's… it's in the other room," Ichigo said, motioning over his shoulder.
"Oh," she said. She seemed to sense something was wrong, but this only lasted momentarily. She was soon lost in her euphoria again. She smiled and lowered her arms, then spun around and around, slinging glowing green droplets in every direction. "I feel wonderful!" she shrieked. He watched her play for a few minutes, knowing that she was happier than he had ever seen her in his life. A lump formed in his throat.
"Rukia?" he said softly.
She stopped splashing. "Yeah?"
"I love you."
Her eyes, widened with surprise. "I know that!" She grinned, then slowly walked towards him, blushing Ichigo looked away from her naked body. Rukia smirked at his embarrassed face and kept moving forward until she's right in front of him.
Still not looking Ichigo almost groaned when Rukia touched his hair and massaged his scalp slowly.
" I know that since the very beginning Ichigo, and as for saving me let me pay you back for that." Slowly she pulled him up, and as he was about to say something Rukia kissed him.
Ichigo groaned at the feeling and started kissing her back, slowly , gently. Rukia moaned on his mouth and starts touching him, that's when he realize what she meant earlier.
They made love, a couple of times until they're too exhausted to move and fell asleep. But Ichigo didn't sleep at all, he just wanted to remember everything happened that night. And surely he would cherish the memory forever. He lay there, with her while protectively wrapping his arms around her as if she'd vanish if he let her go.
Hours went by and Ichigo stood up, slowly without making any noise. He leaned down ,kissing her forehead and whispered in her sleeping form.
"I love you Rukia..". He swallowed as his heart starts to break. "I'm sorry but I have to do this. You have to live ."
He watched her for a few more minutes, then slowly made his way back to the opening that led to the first room. He took one last, long look at her, and he left.
Ichigo swam out through the cave's opening and set the flashlight on an algae-covered rock that was about twenty feet away. The catfish was still there, as if guarding the entrance. He positioned the flashlight so that its beam shined back against the crevice. He spotted a tree branch that was stuck in the mud on the bottom, and swam down to pull it free. He glided back up to the opening and stuck the end of the branch underneath the boulder he had seen earlier. He hesitated only for a moment, considering what he was about to do, then began to pull on the branch.
At first, he thought the boulder wouldn't budge, but after a few grunts and kicks, he managed to gain enough leverage with the branch to rock it back and forth a little bit. Tiny swirls of mud fell away from underneath it. He kept rocking it, driving himself against the tree branch with all his might in a steady, rhythmic motion. All at once, there was a deep, cracking sound.
The boulder slid sideways a few inches, but stopped again. He started to give it another push, but it suddenly broke free and tumbled downward, as if in slow motion. Ichigo scrambled to get out of its way. It slammed against the rock ledge that formed part of the cave opening, then rolled over again. There was a long, grinding rumble as it slid across the opening. It finally came to a stop, completely sealing the crevice.
Ichigo gazed at it for a moment, tears in his eyes, and then picked up the flashlight and swam towards the surface. He could see searchlights above him, crisscrossing the water. He turned and started to swim horizontally, following the edge of the cliffs, breathing slowly and steadily through the regulator. He would swim and swim and swim, as long as the oxygen would last, until he was far away from the searchlights and the helicopters and all the government men. And then he would walk.
The End.
Guest: I know, pretty much angst eh but that was I loved about this story..and its so Ichiruki. Lol
So thanks for the people who, Followed, Favorite, Reviewed and Read this story. I hope you guys have a good day and I will post another story , a little drama and romance this tym, Its Ichirui of course! See ya folks!:)
