Wazzup faithful readers! Yeah I'm really excited today don't mind me! Thanks a lot for the awesome and sweet sweet reviews! They made me smile and grin and giggle and…well you get the point! XD
And another big thank you for the faves and follows.
Okay here's the much anticipated 9th chapter! Enjoy! And don't forget to review!
Warning: I suck at fight scenes, sorry -,-' and also this is a VERY VERY LOOOONG chapter so I apologize for the temporary arthritis your fingers may suffer from the scrolling..then again, I suppose its fine since people have been asking for longer chapters anyway.
Disclaimer: so I don't own bleach and bla bla bla bla…you know the rest.
…
6 hours before: Ichigo's room.
"Are you sure you're all right Rukia?", he asked voice laced with concern, "You still look like you're going to fall over any second now. You look really sick, you are deathly pale."
Rukia winced inwardly, 'that hit too close to home' she thought morbidly. She forced a smile onto her face, then stopped when it felt more like a grimace than a smile. She sighed and hopped down from her bed/closet shelf.
"No no, I'll be fine really", she said, swallowing to ease the dryness in her throat. 'I need to get out of here before I say something I'll regret'.
"I just need to sleep somewhere more open with air, I think I'll sleep in the twins' room." She said, forcing herself to walk to the door slowly when all she wanted was to run out of the room. "Night." She said softly as she shut the door behind her.
She sighed in relief as she leant against his door, trying to calm her racing heart. 'that was way too close for comfort'.
"Rukia-sama, why did you not tell him, that was the perfect time, no one would have interrupted you and no one would have overheard"
'I already decided I wouldn't tell anyone, especially Ichigo'. She thought back to her other half as she pushed herself off the door and slowly made her way to the twins' room.
"But…I know you wanted to tell him, I can hear your thoughts, that you know, but I can also feel what you feel, I know you wanted to tell him."
Rukia didn't respond immediately, listening instead to the light snores coming from Yuzu and Karin's beds. She crossed the room quietly and sat on the mattress Yuzu had laid out for her.
'You know how he is, Ichigo has this stupid need to protect me that always lands him in trouble, he's always rushing to my rescue, always risking his life to save mine, how many times have we seen him on the brink of death because of me? I'm tired of that, who knows what he'll do if I tell him that's why I won't.'
'But haven't you ever wondered why Ichigo-sama is always doing those things for you?'
'I wonder about that all the time, why is he always going to such great lengths for me? Not just him, everyone, they saved me, for that I'll forever be grateful to them but if I ….. tell them, and they know that I'm going to…die, and there's nothing they can do to change that, its only going to make everyone sad and unhappy, and I can't do that to them, especially Ichigo, he only started smiling recently, that's what Yuzu told me this evening I don't want to be responsible for taking that way from him, his family and everyone else.'
'But you're unhappy, you can't shoulder this burden by yourself, your friends are your family, they have a right to decide what they want to do, you are taking that choice from them, no one will be happy in the end, think about it, even if you do succeed and manage to keep this from them till the very end, how do you think they'll feel when they find out you were dealing with this by yourself? Think of Ichigo-sama, he tells you everything, and expects the same of you, but you're keeping this from him, he knows you're hiding something, and you know that and the fact that its making him sad, so why won't you just tell him? Put both of you out of your misery, he'll help you shoulder this, isn't that what Abarai-san said, he promised that the two of them would help you shoulder your burdens. He said you like to suffer alone for the sake of the happiness of others, which is what you are doing right now.'
'because it is necessary, I already decided this, I know they will be sad in the end, but that is what happens when a loved one dies, I will not watch them mourn for me while I am still alive. Ichigo and the others are strong they will eventually move on with their lives.'
'Why do you insist on being stubborn about this, at least tell Ichigo-sama.'
'Why him? Is there something you aren't telling me Sode No Shirayuki?'
'Well…'
'You have been acting strange lately, especially when Ichigo is mentioned, and why do you keep calling him Ichigo-sama?'
The sword sighed before she began fading back to the recesses of her mind.
'I cannot tell you, you must realize it for yourself.'
'No wait, but I …don't understand'. She muttered.
But it was too late; she had already faded completely to the back of her subconscious, intensifying the aftereffect of her ominous words. Rukia frowned again. Her sword had never disagreed with her on anything before and never this vehemently before either. 'Why is she so bent on getting me to tell Ichigo?', she asked no one. 'I can't think about this anymore…' she thought wearily as the events of the day…and night came crashing down on her. Her eyes fluttered closed and she drifted off into an uneasy and thankfully dreamless sleep.
She awoke again merely 2 hours later, any trace of sleep gone from her eyes. She blinked and got up, knowing full well that she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep even if she tried. She folded the bedding and rolled up the mattress carefully, raising an eyebrow in surprise when she noticed Yuzu's bed was empty and made already. Karin was still asleep and snoring softly. She glanced at their alarm clock. 6:47 am.
She walked out of the room and softly closed the door behind her so she wouldn't wake Karin. She padded to the bathroom to ready herself for the day, while she tried to ignore the dull ache at the back of her head and the fact that she felt dizzy and a wee bit nauseous. Her joints felt stiff, but she decided to write that off as aftereffects of the party.
30 minutes later she walked out of the twins' room, feeling refreshed after the shower she just had. The dizziness and nausea had passed, though the dull ache was still there, and the hot shower had eased her stiff joints. She smiled as she walked past Ichigo's bedroom door, his reiatsu was calm and low, so she concluded he was still sound asleep. Deciding she would let him have his much needed sleep, she walked past it. She descended the stairs, grimacing when she saw the living room, it looked like a warzone.
"Oh good morning Rukia-san", Yuzu said cheerily as her head poked out at the archway that led to the kitchen. "I was wondering who was up so early, would you like some breakfast? Dad has already left for the clinic, and it looks like Onni-chan and Karin-chan won't be waking up anytime soon." She finished with a smile.
"Morning Yuzu", she started smiling back at the girl, "no thanks on the breakfast though, I'm not really hungry, the living room looks like a tornado tore through, I'm so sorry, I'll help clean up"
"Oh that? Its nothing, I'm just glad everyone had fun at the party, and don't worry about the mess, dad already called a maid service to clean it up, they should be here anytime soon, are you sure about breakfast? I made pancakes…"
Rukia smiled endearingly at the little girl standing in front of her with one of the sunniest smiles she had ever seen. She found herself wishing she could have a little girl of her own that was just like her. Then her heart fell into her stomach with a dull thud, when she remembered that the chances of shinigami having children were very slim, and even if she were lucky enough to beat the odds, she probably wouldn't even live long enough to have a child. The thought brought a sad smile to her face as she faced Yuzu again.
"No I'm sure thanks, I'm really not very hungry."
"Okay if you say so, but Rukia-san, are you all right? You don't look so good, are you feeling sick? Cause I can call dad if you want…"
"No its fine really I'm okay, I'm going for a walk, I'll be back soon, see you later Yuzu." She called over her shoulder as she rushed out the door and closed it behind her.
Yuzu frowned at the door. 'I wonder what's wrong with her', she mused, worry lines furrowing on her brow as she walked back into the Kitchen.
Outside, Rukia sighed in relief as she leant on the front door. 'Man, Kurosakis are observant.' She stretched and breathed in deeply, reveling in the fresh spring air that was accentuated by the soft scent of flowers, she smiled and started walking down the road, not really sure where her feet were taking her but following them anyways.
She walked along slowly, lost in thought as she tried to figure out what her zanpaktou said she had to realize for herself, whatever it was it had something to do with Ichigo, but what? And why was she so adamant that she tell Ichigo?
She stopped suddenly sighing in frustration when no answers came, and her sword wasn't answering her calls to it either. She looked around in surprise when she noticed where she was for the first time. She was on the bridge. She smiled when she noticed that she was standing in the same spot they had stood, her cheeks darkening when she remembered how she stared at Ichigo, and then the smile faded when she remembered what was said after that moment.
She sighed heavily, then froze when she heard what sounded like Orihime's giggle. She turned and her eyes widened in surprise when she spotted the auburn-haired girl who was apparently not alone. Rukia's face softened into a smile as she observed Orihime and Uryuu standing on the river bank below the bridge where she stood. She went to call out to them, and then stopped herself not wanting to disturb their happy and seemingly very romantic moment. Their words carried on the wind and she was able to hear their conversation.
"But seriously Uryuu,", Orihime was saying as she giggled, "I can't believe you brought us out here so early just to watch the sunrise."
"I'm sorry I woke you up so early", he replied.
"Its okay, I don't mind at all, the sunrise was beautiful, and I'm always happy to spend time with you, besides this is very romantic." She said softly as she stepped closer to him as a breeze blew her orange locks all around her face.
"I'm glad", he said smiling as he tucked some of her unruly locks behind her ear with one hand, while he ran his fingers through her hair with his other hand. His smile widened a bit when he saw that she was blushing. "I like how your hair shines in the sunlight, I've always wondered if it's as soft as it looks…it is", he finished as he leant in and kissed her softly on the lips.
Rukia bit back a squeal as she watched them. 'Oh how cute…' she mused happily to herself. Then her jaw dropped when she heard what was said next.
"I love you, Hime-chan", Ishida said softly, panting slowly from their kiss.
"I love you too, Uryuu" she replied softly, also panting slowly as she blushed.
Rukia stumbled back, blushing slightly when she realized she had been eavesdropping on a private conversation. Still, she couldn't ignore the happiness swelling in her chest for her friends. She was truly happy for them; they were perfect for each other, Orihime's loud cheeriness balanced out Ishida's cool quiet demeanor.
She smiled as she thought it over. 'They're in love?'. Then she froze as Ichigo's face flashed in front of her. It was his face when he was smiling at her the day before, the sunlight shining off his blazing hair.
They're in Love. Ichigo. They're in Love. Ichigo. They're in Love. Ichigo.
She frowned at her incoherent thoughts, then shook her head a bit to clear it. Then it was like the puzzles fell into place. The memories and conversations flitted through her head. The first time they met, at school, the night she was taken back to soul society by her brother and best friend, her heart fluttering when she remembered the look he had given her as she frowned down at him as the tears threatened to fall as he lay there bleeding in the rain because of her.
Then came the memory of him floating before her as he blocked the Sokyouku behind him, she smiled slightly when she remembered how he had casually said hi at that moment. Her heart fluttering again when she remembered the look on his face. Then came a bunch of random memories from battles they had fought together, she was surprised at the number of times a memory appeared with him giving her a look that made her heart flutter in her chest. Then came some more random memories of them arguing. Then some more recent ones, the day she had returned to the living world. He was staring up at her, where she stood on the window sill. There was that look again. Then came memories from the party, from the roof, that look again, she smiled at the memory of her pulling his jacket around herself. Then lastly came his smiling face from the day before. Then it all crashed down on her like a ton of bricks.
'I love Ichigo?', she thought dumbly to herself.
'FINALLY! I thought you would never get it!'
'eh? Sode no Shirayuki?' she asked tentatively, not wanting to upset her sword into the silent treatment again.
'Sorry about that', she replied apologetically, 'I just couldn't take it anymore, I knew you loved him, but you couldn't see that yourself and I couldn't tell you, you had to figure it out yourself, so I decided to remain silent until you figured it out on your own.'
'You could have at least…' Rukia stopped mid-thought and winced when a sharp pain tore through her chest. She latched onto the bridge rail for support, her knees threatening to give out on her as the pain coursed through her in waves. Then just as suddenly as it had started, the pain was gone and she was left panting as she had doubled over.
'Are you alright my lady?', her sword asked worriedly.
'I'm fine now, but I better go see Urahara before that happens again. I hope he has made some progress in finding a cure.' She thought worriedly as she took off running in the direction of Urahara Shoten.
…...
"Uryuu, what are you looking at?" Orihime asked curiously.
"Huh? Oh sorry Hime-chan, I thought I saw Kuchiki-san up there that's all", he responded, looking thoughtfully at the now vacant spot on the bridge before turning back to face his girlfriend. She smiled at him, and he vaguely wondered how lucky he was to have a girl like her for a girlfriend, he couldn't remember a time when he was happier than he was now. He smiled back at her, thinking to himself how he would protect her and her smile till his dying breath. That thought reminded him of something.
"Hime-chan?", he started nervously, "I wanted to ask you something."
"What is it Uryuu?", she asked as she peered at him curiously.
"Well…I was wondering if maybe you could train with me?" he asked a light pink ghosting over his pale cheeks.
"Eh?", she squeaked out, eyebrows shooting up in surprise.
"Well I know I promised you and myself that I'd protect you with everything I have, but I know that I'm not always going to be there when you need me, so I thought you should train and get stronger because no one knows what could happen any moment…" he rambled on hurriedly before she chuckled and took his hand effectively shutting him up.
"I'd be happy to train with you Uryuu; I want to become stronger too, so that I can also protect you and the people that are important to me." She said smiling happily.
Uryuu smiled back at her. "But where will we train from?", she asked him frowning slightly, "we can't use that abandoned building, people are suspicious there cos last time Sado-kun and I trained from there, Sado-kun kind of destroyed a wall", she said chuckling.
"I know just the place." he said, "come with me". He said smiling as he took her hand leading the way.
…
"I see". Urahara said thoughtfully after Rukia finished relaying the symptoms she had been suffering from. "Could you please remove your gigai?" he said standing.
"Oh uh sorry I left chappy and my glove at home, do you mind using your cane?"
"Not at all." He said as he tapped her with his cane, he caught the gigai easily, and then called Tessai, who carried it to another room, where Urahara said he would examine it later.
He walked around her, observing her intently with a look that seemed to bore straight through her. She fidgeted under his intense gaze then relaxed slightly when he sat and motioned for her to sit as well.
"Well", he started, "Your reiatsu seems to be very unstable at the moment, I think using your shinigami powers is out of the question for a few days, at least until I can find a way to stabilize it again, I'm still working on that. I think if you continue to use your powers it will aggravate your soul's state and accelerate the bacteria's spread. So until I can negate that, you can't fight hollows."
"What happens if I do fight hollows and use my shinigami powers?" she asked fearing the answer she knew anyways.
"Well simply put, your death will come sooner than the estimated seven months." he said, voice thick with regret.
"Urahara-san…", she started before she was cut short by something she definitely wasn't expecting.
"WHAT?!" Inoue and Ishida shouted in unison as they burst through the door.
"Inoue-san? Ishida-san? What are you two doing here?", she asked in shock, dreading the fact that they had obviously overheard her conversation with Urahara. ' sweet sweet Karma', she thought bitterly.
"Well, we came here to ask Urahara-san if we could train in the underground room in his basement", Ishida started, putting an arm around Orihime's shoulders when her head lowered as her bangs covered her face. He continued talking as he soothingly rubbed her arm, "then we accidentally overheard your conversation with Urahara-san as we were walking down the hall, is it true? Kuchiki-san, are you really going to…die in seven months?", he asked his brow furrowing.
"Um..well…", she started then stopped.
"Is it true Kuchiki-san?", Orihime asked flatly not raising her head, surprising everyone in the room.
Rukia sighed and lowered her head, then answered simply, "Yes.", then feeling guilty that she felt relief now that two of her friends knew the truth. The guilt intensified when she heard Orihime gasp and unsuccessfully stifle a sob.
"Why didn't…why didn't you tell us? Does…Does K-Kurosaki-kun know about this?", she asked through her sobs, already knowing the answer. When Rukia shook her head, the tears she had been holding back flowed freely. She knew he would be devastated when he found out about this. Vaguely, she was aware of her boyfriend squeezing her hand in his, which only made more tears spring to her eyes as he thought of how there was a very good chance that Ichigo would never get to squeeze Rukia's hand affectionately or in support like that.
After squeezing Uryuu's hand back, she gently slipped it out of his and walked over to Rukia and enveloped her in a hug as she cried on the shorter girl's shoulder. Rukia bit her lip, refusing to shed a tear as she soothingly rubbed circles on Orihime's back in hopes of comforting the taller girl as she repeatedly mumbled an 'its okay' while Orihime also mumbled back a 'no it isn't' as she continued to cry.
Ishida watched them with a pained expression on his face, both from watching his girlfriend cry and being unable to do anything to stop her tears and also from the tragedy they were now facing. He knew that though they were yet to admit it to themselves and each other, Ichigo and Rukia loved each other. And now this was happening, he didn't know why Rukia was dying, but he knew that if she did die, though his body would continue to live, Ichigo's soul would die along with hers.
The tension in the room was almost tangible, and Urahara almost sighed in relief when the hollow alert went off on rukia's phone just as Uryuu's head snapped up. 'looks like he's got keen senses', Urahara noted.
"Inoue-san, we have to go and get rid of the hollow." Rukia said gently as she moved her hands to draw the girl back.
"No." she said firmly, surprising Rukia when she abruptly moved to stand with Ishida. "We will handle it, you're staying here, you heard what Urahara-san said, no hollow fighting." She said, her face determined as she wiped her face.
"But Inoue-san..", she started.
"No buts Kuchiki-san, Urahara-san please make sure she stays here. Let's go Uryuu." She finished after nodding at Urahara then at Uryuu, who nodded back at her gravely, she swiftly ran back out the door, Ishida following close behind.
She stared after them dumbfounded, and then turned to Urahara who was smiling at her sadly.
"They're your friends Kuchiki-san, they just don't want to lose you sooner than they have to." He answered the look in her eyes sadly. She lowered her head sadly letting the bangs cover her face as she whispered so softy Urahara had to strain his ears to catch what she said.
"This is why I didn't want anyone to know", she whispered, recalling the looks on Inoue and Ishida's faces.
She sat in silence with Urahara waiting for Inoue and Ishida to come back. Just as she started to wonder what was taking them so long, her head snapped up at the same time as Urahara's and their eyes widened as they both sensed the hollow's reiatsu skyrocket.
They were both on their feet in seconds. "Kuchiki-san, you can't go." He said firmly placing his hand on her shoulder, she was trembling.
"Well I can't just stay here doing nothing, you can feel that reiatsu, they don't stand a chance against it alone", she quickly dialed Ichigo on her phone, cursing under her breath when he didn't answer. "Damn it, Ichigo isn't answering, they need backup."
"Kurosaki-san may already be there with them", Urahara answered, "Damn it, I sent Tessai, Ururu and Jinta out for supplies an hour ago."
"Go and find them and come as fast as you can, I'll go and do what I can to help them fend it off until you can come back and finish it off." He hesitated, and she lost her patience. "We don't have any other options, go already!" she shouted as she shunpoed out of the shop and hurriedly headed for the immense reiatsu.
Urahara regretfully shunpoed in the opposite direction, hoping against hope that the teens would hold out until backup got there.
…...
Rukia shunpoed as fast as she could, her heart hammering in her chest, praying that Inoue and Ishida were fine. She almost sighed in relief when she was near enough to sense the two teens spiritual energies. Then she froze when she recognized the hollow's reiatsu.
It was King Fisher. It was the same hollow that killed Ichigo's mother, the same one that she had watched Ichigo almost die fighting, but something was off about it, it looked different, it was definitely more powerful than before and bigger, way bigger.
She stood paralyzed in fear for a few seconds before running forward towards Inoue and Ishida. She gasped when she saw the state the two were in. both of them had sustained serious injury, and it looked like Orihime didn't have enough time to heal either of them as they were both trying to dodge the deadly fast blows the hollow was swinging at them with his humongous sword.
"Dance, Sode No Shirayuki!", she shouted as she sped forward, ignoring the pain that flared up in her chest as her sword going into shikai mode as she made it just in time to block the hollow's sword as it swung for Ishida who was trying to move Inoue out of the way.
"Kuchiki-san!", they both exclaimed in horror, "You shouldn't be fighting Kuchiki-san! Get out of here!" Ishida shouted at her as he pulled Orihime to her feet. Inoue's eyes widened in horror when one of the fingers on the hollow's claw that held the sword, shot forward and pierced Ishida's shoulder when he moved in front of her to block it from her. He fell forward bleeding profusely, staining Inoue's hair and shirt as she caught his body.
"Inoue-san, hurry heal Ishida-san as fast as you can, and then heal yourself, I'll try to buy you as much time as I can!", she shouted as she marked out an area with her sword. "Tsugi No Mai, Tsukishiro!", she shouted as an ice tower solidified trapping the hollow's arm in it. The three teens jumped back from it.
"Hurry!", Rukia shouted as the hollow broke free of the ice like it was nothing. "We don't have a choice Orihime", Ishida gasped as he set her down before falling to his knees, coughing violently as he noted that he had a few broken ribs. Orihime winced. "Santen Kisshun", she said urgently focusing her reiatsu to heal him as fast as possible so they could help Rukia. She glanced up, watching in horror as Rukia tried to fend off the huge hollow by herself.
"What's this?", the hollow bellowed angrily, "Where is he shinigami? I want Kurosaki Ichigo, bring him here!"
Rukia bristled in anger as she blocked another strike with her sword. "How dare you come after him after taking his mother away from him and his family, damn you!" she shouted as she forced the claw back with her sword. She swore again when the next strike knocked her back, the pain in her chest intensifying as she focused her reiatsu to right herself on the ground. She shut one eye and grit her teeth tightly as she tried to ignore the pain. She had scratches everywhere now, and her body was aching everywhere while her chest felt like it was on fire.
She shakily raised her sword in front of her in a defensive stance in front of her. "Pathetic!", the hollow bellowed again, "You are all pathetic! Now tell me where Kurosaki Ichigo is before I kill you all!". When none of the teens answered him, he screamed in rage and lunged for the defenseless Inoue and Ishida; Inoue could do nothing but look at the claw shooting for them that she couldn't block as she had focused all her energy into healing Ishida.
"Some No Mai, Hakuren!" Rukia shouted, ice flowing from her sword and shooting for the hollows advancing claw, freezing it in place, mere inches from its target. Rukia sighed in relief, then gasped and doubled over, clutching her chest and dropping her sword which fell with a clatter, as wave after wave of excruciating pain wracked her tiny frame. She fell to her knees, breathing harshly as she tried to wait for the pain to subside, but it didn't, it only intensified as she fell to the ground, screaming as her reiatsu spiraled out of control.
"Kuchiki-san!", Inoue screamed as she ran for her friend, before being knocked back as the hollow broke its claw free of the ice containing it. She shut her eyes and braced for the impact, which didn't come. She opened her eyes when the hollow let out a blood-curling scream. She saw it holding its severed leg as it howled. She realized then that its leg had been severed by a laser that had been shot from Urahara's sword, who happened o be the one that had caught her before she hit the ground, when he set her down she rushed to Ishida's side to finish healing him thankful that back up had arrived, while Urahara rushed forward to help Jinta and Ururu finish the King Fisher off. As she healed her battered boyfriend, Inoue was vaguely aware of Tessai sealing Rukia and her still unstably spiraling reiatsu in a barrier.
Urahara and the two kids landed next to her, having finished off the hollow. Ishida sat up as Jinta and Ururu rushed to help Tessai. "Ishida-san, please go with Jinta and Ururu, split up and find Kurosaki-san.", Urahara started, "bring him to the shop, Tessai and I will get the girls there, I will need Inoue-san's help to heal Kuchiki-san. I recall Sado-san told me when he left after training yesterday evening that he would be away at a convention with his girlfriend today and won't return until tomorrow. Please hurry, I have something important to discuss with all of you regarding the hollow we just defeated."
Ishida nodded and ran off, as Urahara helped Orihime up.
Tessai managed to get Rukia's reiatsu under control and he carried the now unconscious girl as the group headed back to the shop. When they arrived they headed straight to the back room. After Tessai set her down, Orihime immediately engulfed her in orange light and started healing her. After a few seconds she frowned, "It's not working", she muttered, trying not to panic. "She's not healing". She said after a few more unresponsive seconds. The next second, Inoue got knocked back as Rukia's reiatsu spiraled out of control again.
"She rejected Inoue-san's healing reiatsu, Tessai, the barrier! Now!", the shopkeeper shouted urgently at the Kidou specialist.
…
Present time: Urahara Shoten.
"And that's when you and Uryuu showed up…", Orihime finished, not looking up from where she was healing Ishida.
"So that's what happened then?", Ichigo asked, his fists clenching beside him. Orihime had just finished explaining what had happened as she healed Ishida, while Urahara and Tessai fought to get Rukia's reiatsu back under control. Jinta and Ururu hadn't returned yet, they were probably still out looking for Ichigo. The shopkeeper and the kidou specialist had managed to do calm Rukia's reiatsu, as she was now asleep behind them. Orihime was still healing Ishida as she nodded in affirmation to ichigo's question.
"Inoue-san, you may heal Kuchiki-san now." Urahara said softly, not wanting to interrupt the healer as she healed her boyfriend, but knowing he had to as Rukia had sustained serious injuries too.
She nodded and stood, Ichigo following her and the two orange-heads knelt on either side of Rukia. Tessai got up and went to move Ishida to the next room, telling Orihime she could continue healing him from there when she was done with Rukia before he left.
Orihime raised her head and looked at Ichigo, the glow from her Santen Kisshen illuminating his grief-stricken face as he stared at Rukia's unmoving form. His eyes glazed over as he drank in her appearance. (A/N: Basically he was looking at her like he did as Orihime healed her after his first fight with Grimmjow in the anime)
"You should tell her the truth when she wakes up", Orihime said suddenly as she stood up, her fairies turning back into her hairpins. She crossed the room and slid back the door as Ichigo stared after her bewildered. She stopped with her hand still on the door and her back to him.
"Tell her how you really feel about her, while you still can", she said, sliding the door shut behind her.
"She is right you know." Ichigo had forgotten Urahara was still in the room, but he didn't respond. The shopkeeper didn't push him to do so either. He just sat behind the teen as Ichigo glanced at Rukia again. He waited patiently for him to turn to him before he started talking.
When Ichigo turned to face him, Urahara started talking.
"We need someone to go to soul society and warn them." He said seriously.
"Warn? Does it have something to do with that hollow?", Ichigo asked in confusion.
"Yes", Urahara nodded, "that hollow proved some suspicions I've had for some time, Aizen has started to move."
"Aizen?", Ichigo asked with wide eyes.
Urahara was about to answer when a different voice interrupted him.
"I'll go."
The two males turned to see Rukia sitting up, clutching her chest painfully, but with a look of determination on her face.
…
Okaay! That took FOREVER to write, I don't think I'll write anything this long for a while.
First off, this is the one and only fight scene you'll see in this fic. Second, this fic is drawing to a close. Third, I love this chapter, it explains everything, hopefully. XP
Oh before I go, I'll be publishing a new story tomorrow night. A new multi-chapter Naruto fic. Its my first shot at an AU story. So be on the lookout for that, check it out and tell me what you think, please?
Hope you liked this chapter, please review! Come on, I gave you 12 chapters of plot I came up with ALONE, show me that the hours of labor were worth it!
Chelty-chan.
