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Chapter 10 Cats and snow queens
They had lost. Rukia thought it over again and again. Ichigo's dad had fixed up her arm so all she had to do now was to wait.
Rangiku put a comforting hand on her shoulder but she looked worried her self, "He'll pull threw, he has to."
Rukia nodded numbly and picked at the bandages on her arm.
Ikkaku nodded in agreement, "Yeah red's too stubborn to stay down fer too long."
Yumichika smiled at her, "It's all right to worry," he said softly, "We are all in a precarious situation."
"What's precarious about it,"Karin one of Ichigo's younger sisters asked, "We go an' we kick some sense into Ichia-nii then we go an' kick the guys who messed with him, simple."
"Ha if only we were all as optimistic as you kid," Ikkaku told her ruffling her hair effectionatly.
Karin glowered at him, "I was speaking to Ishida-san an' he thinks that they'll be heading for the soul society."
Rangiku nodded chewing her lip worriedly, "He's probably right and in that case we'll need to get a message to the captain-general as soon as possible."
The others nodded in agreement. Isshin emerged from the operating theatre and gave them a weary smile, "He pulled though but he's not out of the woods yet," he told them.
The assembled shinigami let out a collective sigh of relief.
"One of you can go and see him but he's nit up to any more than that," the doctor told them
Rukia smiled at Rangiku, "It's all right you go."
"Thanks," the strawberry bold haired woman said softly.
Rangiku stepped into the room and shut the door softly behind her self.
Renji looked pale and drawn but he was awake. He gave her a weak smile.
Rangiku sat on the edge of the bed, "You're an idiot you know," she told him.
Renji looked sheepish, "Sorry."
Rangiku ran her fingers absent-mindedly threw his crimson locks, "We're heading up to the seireitei, we think that's where Ichigo and the other's are going."
Renji nodded, "You gonna be okay?"
Rangiku laughed lightly, "Don't worry I'll have the others to watch my back, you just focus on getting better."
"Is the quincy going with you," Renji asked curiously?
Rangiku nodded, "Yeah he's all better now."
Renji grinned, "Good luck then."
Rangiku smiled and lent down kissing him on the forehead, "We have a lot of things to talk about when your better," she told him with a smirk.
Renji smiled back, "I'll be waitin'."
Isshin gently pulled Rukia aside as the others made ready to leave. "How are you holding up?"
Rukia sighed, "I've been better."
Isshin nodded, "If it helps the results of the test you took have arrived."
Rukia cheered up, "They have," she asked eagerly? "What is it?"
Isshin grinned and lent over whispering in her ear. Rukia looked delighted but then frowned, "I wil still be able to fight this time round wont I?"
Isshin nodded, "This time," he agreed.
Rukia beamed, "I think we might accentually have a chance."
Isshin grinned, "I hope so if not you have my permission to kick my lazy son's ass in to shape."
Rukia giggled, "Will do."
Kisuke stuck his head round the door, "Are you ready to go Kuchiki-san?"
Rukia nodded, "Yes lets go kick some ass."
Ichigo was puzzled by all the white streets and buildings. They all looked the same. He felt like he'd been here before. The place was familiar yet it wasn't. He frowned and shook his head, he was being silly again.
Leiko put a hand on his shoulder, "Do you remember what you have to do," she asked?
Ichigo nodded, come off it he wasn't that stupid, "Yeah," he answered.
Leiko beamed, "Great."
Tora rolled his eyes, "Oh shut it will ya your voice is giving me a head ache."
"Oh boo hoo," Leiko mocked.
"Quiet," Hound snapped, "Its time."
Ragiku, Ikkaku and Yuimichika sped down the white streets. An explosion went off on the distance and Rangiku knew that the fight had started.
As they rounded another corner she caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of her left eye. She swore spinning around whipping Haineko out to block the attack.
Tora's twin blades clashed steal against steal. Rangiku turned to her two companions, "Head to first division and alert the captain-general," she ordered.
Ikkaku looked torn but nodded curtly dragging Yumichika away.
Tora grinned, "No sign of your pretty boy what happened I didn't kill him did I," he teased?
Rangiku glowered, "Renji's alive and I'm going to take you apart piece by piece."
Tora snorted, "Oh I'm so scared, what are you going to do talk me to death?"
Rangiku shrugged, "That depends on you," she told him, "Growl Haineko!"
Tora swore and leaped back away from the deadly ash.
Rangiku made the ash chase him forcing him down one of the smaller side-alleys.
Tora snarled, "Two can play that game woman, Split and conquer Kagetamashii!"
His two blades turned to a black inky substance in his hands and slipped threw his fingers mingling with the shadows on the walls and ground.
Rangiku looked worriedly about, what did the bastards zanpakuto actually do? If it even was a zanpakuto.
Tora smirked, "I've got you now." he flicked his hand and the shadows surged at his command.
Rangiku cursed and leaped up wards to avoid being hit with the inky like shadows.
They sunk back into the ground and then shot out of the walls. A dark hand grabbed her ankle and she felt her skin blacken and peel beneath its touch. She hissed in pain and sent Haineko at the smug git on the ground.
She yanked her ankle free and landed on one of the many roofs. At least there were less shadows here. She wrapped Haineko around the murk in a deadly tornado.
Tora snarled and struggled but every were he turned was ash. It closed in on him lacerating his body as it swirled around him.
Pain swam over him and he cursed in out rage, he would not be beaten by some two bit shinigmai. He forced his vision back into focus and called his shadows to attack again.
Rangiku was prepared however and blasted them away with a well place kido. She pulled her ash cloud away and smiled sweetly at Tora, "What's the matter? Getting old?"
Tora bellowed an his shadows lunged at her. She dodged most of them but a few caught her legs scorching the skin black.
Haineko struck again and Tora's vision deserted him. He hit the ground with a heavy thud. He clenched his hands into fists and dragged him self to his knees.
"I will not be beaten by some jumped up shinigami," he ground out, "I wont."
Rangiku ladded in front of him, "Well that's just too bad. You can surrender and I might let you live or you can chances it, your choice."
Tora smirked blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, "Wrong move lady."
The shadows swarmed enveloping her. Rangiku felt pain like she'd never felt it before. Her bones felt like they were on fire cracking and splintering with the heat. She threw back her head and screamed.
Tora snickered, "Looks like you loose."
In desperation Haineko snaked out but the shadows swallowed her ash up like it was nothing.
Her vision swam and grew dark. Was this how it was going to end, she thought? It couldn't be she had so much she had to do. She hadn't even told Renji that she loved him.
And suddenly the pain was gone. She felt cool like some one had turned down the temperature. Slowly she cracked open an eye.
Ice covered the ally. It crept up the walls and layered the ground. The shadows were frozen in place and she her self was covered in a thin layer of ice which was soothing her scorched skin.
In front of her stood the familiar back of her captain. Hitsugaya Troshiro was more than angry, he was livid.
He pointed Hyōrinmaru at his vice-captain's assailant's throat, "That's enough," he said coldly.
Tora had never felt fear before I his adult life but he was quickly becoming reacquainted with the feeling and it embarrassed him to no end.
Before him stood a child masquerading as a shinigami captain, it was a joke. This boy had the audacity to try to intimidate him? Tora didn't like to admit that the kid was succeeding.
"You are going to surrender your self for questioning or I am going to kill you, its up to you," Troshiro hissed icily.
Tora tried not to shiver, "Never...I will never surrender."
Troshiro shrugged, "Fine by me." Hyōrinmaru swung threw the air like an executioner's axe.
Rangiku watched the body fall and winced. The shadows slowly melted away and the ice around her faded away.
Hitsugaya held out his had, "Can't I leave you alone for a second?"
Ragiku grinned sheepishly, "Sorry taicho."
The small captain shook his head, "Don't worry about it."
"Do you think the others are fighting some where?"
Hitsugayu shrugged, "Possibly. Did you send some one to inform the captain-general?"
Rangiku nodded, "Yes but I hope I don't bump into Kuchiki-taicho," she replied inspecting her damaged skin.
"Because you nearly got his vice-captain killed? A vice-captain I should remind you was not even supposed to be in the human world."
Rangiku winced and looked at the ground, "He came because Rukia asked him," she mumbled, "If any thing we are all at fault."
Hitsugaya smiled slightly, "My, my you're growing up what ever will happen next?"
Rangiku ruffled his mop of white hair, "Says the child," she teased.
A vain throbbed in the small captain's forehead, "I. Am. Not. A. Child," he ground out his right eye twitching.
Rangiku laughed softly, "Of course not taicho."
Rukia crept through the quiet streets. Sode no shirayuki was drawn and Rukia felt uneasy. It was quiet, to quiet.
She felt a the air around her self shift and she glanced up in time to see Leiko barring down on her from above.
Rukia swore and lunched her self backwards shirayuki swinging up to counter.
Leiko laughed and struck again. Rukia blocked but she found that she was tiring fast. Cursing her situation she parried.
Leiko drove her back her blade nearly taking her head off with a random sweep.
Rukia lunged forward and elbowed Leiko in the nose. The other woman's head snapped back blood gushing down her face.
Rukia smiled grimly.
Leiko dove forward like a viper. A short quick jab to the stomach then back again.
Some how Runkia managed to dodge but the blade caught her left hip. She hissed in pain and stumbled back.
Leiko beamed triumphantly. She went for the kill but Rukia struck first. She sent a kido strait into Leiko's abdomen.
Leiko cried out but remained standing even though blood streamed from the wound.
Rukia tentatively brought her hand to her own injured side and it came away sticky with crimson liquid. She swore softly.
Leiko swung at her again but it was sluggish. Rukia grinned, she had a chance now.
She smiled tightly, "Dance Sode no shirayuki."
Leiko gasped and took a step back.
Rukia held the blade out and turned it anti-clockwise as a thin fog enveloped her.
Leiko snarled and lunged shakily. She tore through the flimsy mist.
Rukia however was waiting for her. "Some no mai, Tsukishiro!"
Leiko grinned, she was suddenly a blur. She dodged the pilers of ice like they were moving in slow motion.
Rukia gritted her teeth in frustration, she was tiring and fast. She needed to wrap this up now.
She ducked low and swept shirayuki up. She saw the blade brush Leiko's cloths, saw the other woman twist away, saw her snap her blade round and knock shirayuki from her grip.
Wiriness hit her and she stumbled falling to her knees.
Leiko sneered, "Not so confident now are we shinigami," she gloated. She put her blade to Rukia's throat, "Time to say good bye."
The blade swung and Rukia squeezed her eyes shut trying and failing to create a kido.
She felt the zanpakuto swish towards her and clash against steal.
Ichigo had been watching the whole proceedings from one of the many roofs. He saw the ever so familiar woman fighting Leiko and wandered who she was.
His mind however was silent on the subject. A balmy calmness filled him and he settled back to watch the show below.
He watched as the strange woman elbowed Leiko in the face. Good that should to shut her up for a bit he thought.
He felt an unexplainable rage when Leiko stabbed the other woman in the side but he assured him self that he was being unreasonable.
Ichigo smirked in silent satisfaction as the unnamed lady hit Leiko in the abdomen with a well placed kido.
He wandered who the other lady was. When she released her zanpakuto he thought that she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
You've seen her before his mind supplied helpfully. Ichigo frowned but were? It was important and he'd given it to some one. Given what?
"Jeeze must you be so dumb," a voice sneered.
Ichigo spun around pulling his zanpakuto free. "Who's there?"
"I'm in your head ya idiot," the voice groaned.
My head Ichigo thought? That was impossible but then Zangetsu was in his head. The calmness pressed in suffocating him. Hollow, the word echoed around his mind.
"Wow ya got it right, ya'r a flipping genius ya know," the hollow taunted.
"Awww shoot, and after I thought I'd got rid of you," Ichigo answered feeling lighter by the minuet.
"Har de har," the hollow replied sarcastically.
"The woman fight in Leiko, who is she?"
The hollow grinned, "Hey I should just sit back an' let you remember fer ya self but I have tha feelin' that we'd be here for ever."
Ichigo was distracted from the conversation as he saw Leiko's blade out of the corner of his eye swinging towards the now weapon less woman.
Anger swelled up in side him battling against the calmness. Ichigo groaned his head felt like lead. His limbs like stone.
He moved in slow motion or it seemed to him that he did. He launched him self off the roof, landing in front of the woman. His gold on black eyes blazed with anger and as Zangetsu clashed against Leiko's blade the name came to him.
"Rukia, Kuchiki Rukia," he murmured.
Author's Note
sorry this one took a bit longer but real life caught up with me. :(
Here's a slightly longer chap to make it up to you. :P
Tora goes down, too bad Rangiku needed a hand from a certain prickly captain. :P
And FINALLY, we see Leiko getting her comeuppance (Ichigo's gonna kick her ass.) (giggles with manic glee). :P
thanks for reading silvermonkey