"As you learnt, that was just the 12th division of Technology and science," Ukitake said, gulping audibly. Rukia nodded weakly. 12. Mental note: Do not go to division 12. He saw Rukia's 'pretty face' and decided she was worthy of his experiments.
"Ah, Ukitake-san?" Rukia asked feebly. He looked at her as he strode towards the elevators.
"Yes, Rukia-chan?"
"Could we perhaps, go to division 6? Where my Nii-sama is?" she asked in a small voice. She wasn't going in number order again. She visited 14, and 13, then 12 and look where that got her. Nearly played with like a Barbie doll. He pressed on number 6 and waited for the elevator to start moving upwards. Rukia looked at her reflection in the mirrors the elevator provided and blew softly at the strand that was in front of her face. She straightened up as she heard the ding sound, indicating that they reached a certain floor. She looked out and realized someone from 10th division needed to get on. Ukitake's face lit up as if he remembered something.
"Ah! Hold on!" the 10th division recruit was slightly startled by the captain's request as he stepped in the middle of the doors so that the door would remain open. Ukitake patted the front of his gi as if looking for something and sighed in relief. He ran out and waved to Rukia.
"Sorry Kuchiki-chan, but could you go on to your brother's division ahead of me? I need to drop something off at the 10th division's captain's office! Sorry!" he half shouted to her while the elevator doors closed. Rukia feebly attempted to put her hand out and at least, catch him in some way as she was left making small noises of surprise.
"Ah…ah… Ukitake-san…" Rukia said softly in disdain. The man next to her stood silently, holding a cream coloured folder. Rukia looked at him in the corner of her eye and sighed softly, scratching the back of her leg with her left leg. This guy's boring… Just a paperwork guy I'm guessing… Didn't he come from Rangiku-san's division?
She pondered this thought a little longer before she tripped over her other foot. She fell slightly and then hit her head on the support beam in the elevator. She crouched down in the corner and moaned in pain softly.
"Ow…" The elevator dinged again, but when no one came in or out, the man just closed the elevator door and pressed the button of which floor he had to go to. Rukia just sat there groaning until she realized the elevator was now moving downwards. She stood up straight and gasped.
"Ah?! Oh no!!" she looked at the man who stood still as a stone. She glared at him with a pout and just sighed. I'll just wait till this guy gets off…the doors dinged one more time before letting the doors reveal the 14th division. Rukia pouted. My god, not here again. She stood still with a dignified puff to her chest before she closed her eyes with pride, a small stuck out lip presenting either a pout, or another sign of pride. She opened one eyes as she heard another person walk in. Lo and Behold, there was a standing Ichigo next to her, staring at her like she was strange. She let out a frustrated shout before the elevator doors closed.
"Oh, for God's SA-"
Ding.
Ichigo just watched her in amusement as she started to repeatedly hit her head against the oak timber walls that trapped her with this masked man.
"Oh come on, I'm not going to rape you," Ichigo growled. Rukia glared up at him with her forehead resting against the cool oak.
"Living with you for 4 days was bad enough, now I'm stuck with you-"
Silence greeted the pair as the elevator suddenly stopped moving. Then, with a small sound that sounded like it hit something, the elevator jolted and the lights went out. Rukia shouted even more.
"Now I'm stuck with you forever, GET ME OUTTA HERE!" she screamed. Ichigo snapped at her.
"SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU PRISSY LITTLE BITCH!!" Ichigo screamed. Rukia screamed back.
"MAKE ME! I'M STUCK IN THIS DUMB ELEVATOR WITH YOU!"
"SO DON'T PANIC, SHUT UP AND STAY THE FUCK STILL!!"
"I'M NOT PANICKING!"
"FUCK OFF!!"
"I CAN'T!!"
"GAAAAAAAAH!!"
"YAAAAAAAAAAH!!"
The both screamed at the top of their lungs, which did nothing but piss the other person off more. Rukia let out a deep long breath of agitation that was mixed with a high and low pitched groan as she sank to the ground in the corner. Ichigo leaned against the other corner, tempted to take his mask off and take a deep breath. It's dark, and she's not looking, I could take it off…he thought. He couldn't breathe properly in elevators if he remained in it for a long time. He needed his mask off like he was tempted to show the world that he didn't care what others thought. But he did. He did care. Especially when a certain someone screamed and tried to get away from him. But that was long ago now.
He closed his eyes as the scene was starting to enter his head again.
"Hey, it's alright, it's me, Ichigo! You can come out now-"
"No…"
"It's alright, it's me! I took the mask off,"
A blood-curling scream replied to his answer.
He hadn't realized he took his mask off with his eyes still closed. Rukia stared at him. They weren't stuck in the dark for long, but her eyes had already adjusted to the dim light. She stared in wonder.
"Hey… Your eyes… Open them," Rukia called out softly from her little corner. She saw a flash of gold before she heard a sharp gasp and saw a quick swivel of his head. She looked at him with a slight tinge of sadness in her eyes. "Why won't you let me see?" she whispered softly. She stood up slowly and let her hand slowly reach up.
"Because I'm hideous. Everyone looks at me like I'm disgusting when I don't have this mask on. Like I'm vermin and I don't belong here," he spat out venomously. Rukia sympathized him.
"I won't," she promised silently. He let out a harsh bitter chuckle.
"Hah. That's what she said too, and look where that got her," he hissed. Rukia's eyebrows furrowed.
"Who's she, Ichigo?" she asked softly.
"Someone who was meant to have my back!" he snapped at her, looking at her with lightning speed. She flinched slightly.
"Why did she avoid you?" she whimpered.
"She didn't!" he spat. "She detested me! Looked down on me, feared me! Her COMRADE!" he shouted. "Then…" his voice was on the edge of breaking. "Then when she started to care again, she was taken away…" his voice faltered. Rukia looked at him softly. She placed her hand on his elbow softly. He flinched but didn't resist. He was looking down in a corner like he was hanging his head in… shame.
"Why… do you even have that mask?" she asked in a firmer, but still gentle voice.
"It's the way of being a Shinigami captain…" he started silently. His voice was a normal tone, no spitting, no venomous words, no snarling or hissing. Just… Talking.
"To be a Captain or Vice-captain, you must acquire 3 things," he began. "The first, is of course, the capability of handling hollows easily, managing paperwork, and regularly doing captain's work. The second, is to make sure you have Bankai, a technique that is the final stage of your Zanpakutou. That normally takes 10 years to obtain." Rukia's eyes widened. 10 years?! That is a waste of life!
"You were actually training 10 years to obtain one?!" she asked in awe. Ichigo shook his head.
"I learnt it in 2 and a half days, that made me popular for quite some time," he said with a small triumphant smirk that hid behind his mask. Rukia looked at him in awe.
"Anyways, the 3rd and most difficult requirement is…" his voice trailed off again. Rukia looked at him with worry. He cleared his throat and tried to put as much determination as he could with his stance and voice. "You must become a Hollow." Rukia looked at him with disbelief.
"A what?!" she half spat. Wasn't she taught not too long ago, Hollow's were bad?
"That's right. That's why so many people haven't become captains. Because they couldn't get past that one stage. In that stage, you have to give up to the chain links that may be connected to your chest, depending if your dead or not, and let the hollow overcome you for that split short moment. But you must overpower it at the last second. That, let's you become a Vaizard. A Vaizard is a Shinigami that has obtained Hollow powers, making you practically twice as strong. To use your hollow powers…" he began to trail off again. "You have to use a mask. A hollow mask." Rukia looked at him with a little bit of worry. So why do you never take yours off while other captains do? "My problem is…"
"Yes…?" Rukia whimpered. Ichigo just snapped at her after talking so nicely.
"Fuck off, actually, I don't want to talk about it!" Rukia looked at him with anger and shock.
"What happened?! You were explaining just fine!!" she half shouted.
"Well I don't feel like it now, so FUCK OFF!" he screamed. Here we go again…
"I TOLD YOU I CAN'T! WE'RE STUCK IN A BLOODY ELEVATOR!"
"THEN I'LL DESTROY OUR WAY OUT!" Too bad the elevator was right in front of Ichigo's floor. Number one. So it was a long drop when he grabbed his katana sheath and forcefully jammed it at the door. They both started to shout/scream at the sudden drop that caused them to jolt and land in front of a certain floor. The lights came back on, the machinery stirred awake and the doors dinged softly before opening to reveal a big crowd that stood behind a glaring Byakuya and a wanting-to-desperately-laugh Renji.
Rukia scampered out and hid behind her older brother. He looked at her with a soft glance and glared back at Kurosaki.
"You cause quite a commotion for my sister Kurosaki Ichigo," Byakuya seethed quietly. "Honestly, telling her to run away from you when she is stuck in an elevator?" he said quietly. Ichigo swore mentally. Fuck, he could hear us?
"And in case you were wondering, yes, we could hear your screaming, though I am afraid to whether you spoke to my little sister privately or not due to the sudden silence that fell upon you."
Good, so he didn't hear me explaining about Bankai and Vaizards.
"Yea Kurosaki-taichou, what did you talk about?" Renji sniggered, holding his mouth in an attempt not to laugh. There was no other moment stronger than this tension as Ichigo wanted to so badly behead the stupid man.
"He was just explaining the rules and requirements of becoming a captain!" Rukia stuttered quickly. Byakuya raised a brow at his little sister.
"She's right. For once, what she says is true," Ichigo hissed slightly. He walked back into the elevator with his eyes closed in annoyance, and then snapped them back open. He ran out of the elevator and thanked his mask for hiding his small blush as people started to laugh. No way in HELL was he gonna get stuck again. He decided to take the stairs 5 floors up. Rukia shook her head and stood at Byakuya's side quietly.
"Kuchiki-chan!" someone exclaimed. People started to scatter and move away from the elevator as the commotion was over. Rukia's face lit up with surprise as she saw Ukitake-taichou running towards her. "Kuchiki-chan!" he exclaimed again after reaching her. He bent down, hands on knees as he panted.
"U-Ukitake-taichou!" Rukia stuttered.
"Oh thank goodness you're alright, I was so worried! What was all that screaming about anyway?" Ukitake questioned at the end. Rukia blushed and looked away. He straightened up and affectionately patted her hair. "Don't worry about it. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." He looked at Byakuya with a blank face before smiling with a light bulb suddenly appearing.
"Kuchiki-taichou! Of course, how could I forget? Rukia, of course, meet your brother in action, captain of 6th division," Juushirou cheered. Rukia smiled at her brother while he nodded back. "And this young, spunky man is Abarai Renji, Vice-captain of 6th division." Rukia turned to look at the red head with crazy tattoos and smiled, bowing down.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Kuchiki Rukia," she said politely. Renji nodded his head and smirked.
"Hey there. The name's Abarai Renji as Ukitake-san just said," the man said, smirking. Ukitake clapped his hands before gently holding onto Rukia's shoulders.
"Well, I better continue escorting Kuchiki-chan to the other divisions. Goodbye!" he said with a kind smile and left towards the elevator, before abruptly steering to the right where the shunpo teleport was.
"Which one next Kuchiki-chan?" he asked brightly. Rukia tapped her chin in thought.
"Ano… how about… division 3?" Rukia asked. As soon as Ukitake looked hesitant, she immediately changed her mind and blurted out 8. He smiled at her choice and pressed the 8th floor button.
"You'll love the 8th division captain. His vice-captain's a nice woman too." Rukia nodded silently and hoped that her taste was the same as the gentle man.
The gentle ding of the elevator sounded, letting the doors open.
Author's Note -
XD Ichigo was probably gonna kill her in the elevator before it even started working. Next is Kyouraku's division! :O
