"ONII-SAMA!" Yuki shrieked, twisting and writhing in desperation to escape whatever had her in it's grasp. Her little hands tugged uselessly at the creature that had her by the throat. She was suffocating, her attempts to free herself become more feeble than the last as the seconds ticked by. Eyes rolling in terror, she finally focused on the vague outline before her. It was huge, that much was obvious, but she couldn't make out any features. The fingers, or so she assumed, around her throat tightened, and she spluttered, trying in vain to get oxygen back into her screaming lungs. Her vision wavered, fading out at the edges and slowly moving in.
And then there was nothing.
"YUKI!" Ichigo shouted, horrified as he watched her struggle against whatever was holding her aloft. He threw a wild glance across the nearby wreckage, desperate for a weapon of some kind. Even if he couldn't see it, he knew what currently had the child in it's grasp. And that begged the question.
Where the hell were the shinigami!?
Ichigo, however, didn't have time to wait around, and neither did Yuki. Spying a jagged metal pipe a couple of meters away, Ichigo raced over and jerked it out of the ruins of the stand, eyes still glued to the feebly struggling child above. The pipe was heavy, sturdy metal. It's weight was comforting in his palm. Taking a stance, Ichigo vaguely realized that he was unconsciously readying himself like he would have if he had been holding a zanpakuto. Pushing this to the back of his mind, Ichigo rushed forward, pipe at the ready.
"YUKI!"
The shinigami raced towards the school, desperation and duty fueling their steps.
"WHO'S JOB WAS IT TO FOLLOW KUROSAKI!?" Toshiro shouted angrily. It was all their fault. They had been ordered to stick with Ichigo, and now here they were, desperate to simply find him, a huge hollow attacking the festival freely, and an unprecedented number of human lives already lost.
Lives they were meant to protect.
Toshiro growled, pushing himself to go even faster. The other shinigami struggled to keep up as they streaked towards the carnage, Toshiro and Byakuya soon leaving the rest behind.
Ichigo rushed forward blindly. He knew it was a complete gamble. Hell, he knew it was probably the single most idiotic thing he'd ever done.
But that also made it the single best decision he'd ever made; to save a life.
He swung blindly, and the jarring impact of the pipe against the hollow was shocking to say the least. Ichigo watched, amazed, as it released Yuki. He leapt forward, arms outstretched to keep her from hitting the ground. Arms wrapped protectively around her tiny frame, he rolled before straightening into a kneeling position. He had one shot at this. Focusing all his senses on the spot where the hollow had been, he felt the remnants of his spiritual pressure flare up just enough to allow him to see the vague, shadowy outline of the hollow bearing down on them. Jumping to the side, he felt a vicious blow graze his arm. Wincing, he looked around desperately for an escape route.
"Old man!"
Ichigo whipped around to stare at his granddaughter, who was giving him a look of dazed horror. Her gaze flicked to the unconscious
child in his arms before racing forward, arms outstretched, eyes riveted on a spot over his shoulder. Ichigo passed Yuki to Sayomi before jumping back just in time to avoid the hollow's arm as it swung towards him.
"RUN! I'll hold him off as long as I can, get her out of here!" He shouted at his granddaughter. She lingered for a moment, indecision flickering across her features before nodding, eyes blazing with the promise to keep Yuki alive. Casting one last look at her grandfather, she spun and raced away from the hollow.
Ichigo turned just in time to see the hollow shift, leaning towards Yuki and Sayomi's retreating figure. Then, without warning, it leapt towards them.
"NO!"
The shinigami arrived just in time to see Sayomi turn away from Ichigo and the hollow, a child cradled protectively in her arms as she raced away from the scene. They drew their zanpakuto, preparing to attack, when the hollow suddenly turned it's attention away from Ichigo, and zeroed in on Sayomi as she ran towards the exit. It suddenly tensed, letting out a blood chilling roar of hunger.
"Quick! Go-" TOshiro was cut off by the one thing they had feared most.
"NO!" A shout of fury. A familiar voice. The shinigami looked up just in time to see the hollow dive for Sayomi. They raced forward, knowing they weren't going to make it.
Suddenly a familiar blur of orange lunged between the girls and the hollow.
Blood sprayed the air.
Ichigo raced forward, watching in horror as the hollow's arm plunged towards Sayomi's unprotected back. He was racing against the hollow, against time, against the odds as he closed the distance between them. Just as the hollows claws were about to skewer Sayomi, he recklessly threw himself forward, praying to every god and deity he had ever heard of that he wouldn't be too late.
Blood sprayed the air, agony exploding throughout his abdomen as the hollows claws ran him through. He cried out in agony as they pierced his flesh, blood pooling in his throat. The hollow suddenly tore itself away from him, causing Ichigo to let out another involuntary cry. Blood rapidly soaked his shirt, dying the once white material crimson. He fell to his knees, hand pressed reflexively against the puncture wounds, though he knew it was already much to late. He coughed, blood spilling from his lips to splatter against the concrete below. Wincing, Ichigo threw one hand out to brace himself as he slumped forward, unable to remain upright. The ringing in his ears was unbearable, the taste of blood repulsive as he spit a mouthful to the pavement below. He couldn't breathe, his vision fading to black on the edges.
'Tunnel vision,' He thought dimly as his arms gave out. He lay on the pavement, his blood pooling around him, dying his skin red. He could hear voices through the ringing, multiple voices. His name uttered multiple times, each repetition more desperate than the last. But he couldn't answer. He couldn't draw a breath, let alone reply to whoever was calling him. He could feel his limbs grow heavy, the pain fading as it was replaced by a numbing cold. He winced soundlessly as the cold swept through, tremors wracking his injured frame, agitating the injuries. But he couldn't feel it. His brown eyes dulled, fluttered for a moment before slipping closed for a final time, and he found himself unable to open them again. He heard muffled screams, but soon everything faded away. He couldn't feel the bone-chilling cold that had gripped him moments before, nor could he feel the agony of his wound. He was numb. He was fading. Vaguely, he wondered if those two were alright. Though, for the life of him, he couldn't remember who he had been so desperate to protect.
Darkness pulled him under, and breathing his final breath, he succumbed.
"Old man? Oi, quite playing around! Stand up damn it!" The shinigami watched regretfully as Sayomi shouted at her grandfather, desperation tinging her words as she knelt beside him. Rukia bit her lip to keep her tears at bay. She hadn't expected to watch her best friend get slaughtered, that was for sure. If they'd been there even a second sooner, maybe Ichigo wouldn't have died. But there was no point dwelling on the 'what ifs.' What's done was done. And she would just have to live with it. Renji stood beside her, staring at the scene with troubled eyes. Ikkaku had turned away, staring off towards the school. Toshiro and Byakuya had walked away from the scene to compile a quick report to send back to soul society. Yumichika was staring morosely around the field, expression bleak. Rangiku was looking at Sayomi sadly, took a breath and walked forward to place a hand on the girl's shoulder. Sayomi glanced up at her, expression vulnerable and desperate. A sad smile graced Rangiku's face, her eyes full of remorse as she pulled the girl to her feet. She seemed to choose her words carefully before speaking, eyes locked on Sayomi's.
"...Your grandfather gave you a job. Didn't he?" She asked slowly, gauging the younger girl's reaction. Sayomi stared at her blankly for a moment before nodding numbly. Gathering the prone child in her arms, she cast a last, grief-stricken glance at Ichigo's blood drenched form before sprinting away from the scene, disappearing around the corner. The group was silent for a moment, heads bowed to honor the girl's loss. Byakuya was the first to break it.
"Split up and look for Kurosaki." He said simply. "We don't have time to stand on ceremony, there could be more hollows on the way. Who ever finds him, preform Konso. And, of course, any other souls you come across."
They all nodded in understanding before running off, searching carefully through the rubble and lingering smoke for a flash of orange hair. Rukia preformed countless konso, still with no sign of Ichigo. Just as she was about to give up and head back to find the others, a flash of color caught her eye. Turning, she drew in a sharp breath.
Ichigo opened his eyes, thoroughly disoriented. Sitting up, he was faced with destruction. Smoke hung in the air and blood stained the ground. Wincing, he forced himself up, stumbling slightly.
"What the fuck?" He muttered aloud, casting a furtive glance around for signs of life. Frowning, he started picking his way through the debris.
"...Hello?" He called, waiting for a moment to see if there were any replies. "Hello?" He shouted, louder.
"Ichigo."
Ichigo froze, his mind rebelling against what he was seeing. It just wasn't possible. He hasn't seen her, seen any of them, in over sixty years. So how...
"...Fuck. Rukia." He muttered. "Am I seriously dead? What the hell?" Rukia was staring at him strangely, eyes swimming with a combination of sadness and joy.
"What happened?" He asked her, curious. She started for a moment before bowing her head slightly, eyes hidden by her bangs.
"We were, um... too late." She practically whispered the part, Ichigo straining to hear her. He blinked, shocked, before thinking back to his last moments before passing out. It all came rushing back after a few minutes.
"Ah yeah. I guess you're right." He said speculatively. "Hey! What about Sayomi and Yuki?! They made it, right?" Rukia stared at him in confusion for a few moments before rolling her eyes.
"Typical. You're nearly hollow bait, you fucking DIE, yet you're still worried about others." She muttered to herself before looking up the meet his eyes.
"Speaking of which, you're surprisingly calm for someone who just died." She said absently. He shrugged in reply.
"I knew it was gonna happen someday. I'm just glad I went protecting them." It was then that Rukia allowed a soft smile to make it's way onto her face.
"Yeah, that sounds like you." She smirked, drawing her zanpakuto. Ichigo didn't have to ask to know what she was about to do.
"You ready?" She asked, studying him carefully. He smirked in return, shrugging.
"As I'll ever be."
Rukia stepped forward, drew a breath, and slowly set the tip of her zanpakuto handle against Ichigo's forehead. Pulling away, she watched as the sign glowed brightly for a moment before engulfing her friend in silvery white light.
"See you soon, Rukia." He said, smiling softly at her. She smiled, a small, genuine smile in reply. "Ah."
Their eyes met, and then there was a flash of light, signaling the completion of the konso. Rukia watched sullenly as a hell butterfly took of, rising higher and higher until it disappeared from sight. Letting out a soft sigh, she turned away, heading back towards the others.
"See you soon, Ichigo."
And with that, the prologue of sorts, is done! WOOHOO. Now we can get onto the real story, ICHIGO IN SOUL SOCIETY! :D
I apologize if this is confusing or badly written. I just scribbled it down as I went, and I don't have time to go back and read through it at the moment, so, I'll put it up as is, and have you guys decide if I should edit it or not. So please read, review, etc.
Get ready to visit Soul Society!
