Disclaimer: *sigh* I don't own Bleach.
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"So." Aizen said, pacing back and forth, holding aloft the note Kendai had written.
"So." he repeated, and stopped in front of Kendai, Rukia, and Ichigo.
"You lied to me, went to the world of the living without permission, and risked being captured by the Soul Society. Do you have any idea what you've done?! And how much trouble you're in?!" he said angrily
"Maybe." she muttered. She didn't really feel like standing here in front of all the Espada (who were glaring at her, except for Yammy, who was looking the other way nervously).
"MAYBE??? Don't be a smart alec with me young lady! I-"
Rukia felt sorry for Kendai. Soul Society probably wouldn't have come if it hadn't been for those stupid arrancar, or whatever Byakuya had called them. Rukia didn't feel as if Kendai deserved to take the blame. Besides, what could one trip to the world of the living do? It wasn't as if the world was going to end or anything.
"AND you refused help from the Espadas that came there because YOU went missing!" he said, waving the note angrily.
"That was very irresponsible of you, Kendai." Tosen said, shaking his head. It was almost as if Rukia could not just feel, but also share her friend's anger. This was so unfair! And why did she have to get chewed out in front of all these arrancar?!
Rukia suddenly got an idea in her head.
"Not only that, but-" Gin was now talking, but stopped when Rukia spoke up.
"Hey, Ichigo." she said, tugging at his jacket sleeve. Everyone looked at her and Ichigo, and Aizen stopped in mid-sentence.
"What?" Ichigo asked. He didn't like the way those other arrancar were staring at him. Hell, he didn't even have a clue of what was really going on, and was just standing here until someone would explain to him what he got dragged into.
Rukia said nothing, but kicked him in the back, sending him flying into the shinigami and several arrancars. Rukia then grabbed Kendai's hand, and shunpoed away down the nearest hall, taking several turns. She wasn't sure if it was the best distraction…but it was the only thing she could think of…
"Where's your room?" Rukia asked Kendai, who was still being dragged along by her
"Take a right down the next hall and then go straight!" she said. Rukia did what she was told, and stopped in front of what she assumed to be Kendai's room.
She let go of Kendai, who got up, and pushed the door open. She growled.
"Those idiots. Going in my room without my permission, picking the lock, and then 'confiscating' my magazines and novels." she said under her breath, and motioned for Rukia to follow her. Rukia did, shut the door behind her, and locked it. She wasn't sure how much good locking it would do though…since the arrancar had picked the lock…
"Stand aside for a moment Rukia. I'm going to put a seal on this side of the door, so even if the lock is picked or destroyed, the seal will still keep the door shut." Kendai said as she walked towards the door, "I don't want those idiots coming in here or busting down the door."
Rukia stepped aside, and watched as Kendai traced a circle on the door with her right hand, and then made and intricate pattern in the center with her other hand. She started to chant softly, something that sounded like a kido spell. The places where she had traced with her fingers lit up and glowed for a few moments, before the light died down. When it did, the places where she had traced were made visible by black lines that now covered them, though it faded away after a few minutes, as if it were sinking into the door.
"I'm sorry about all of this Rukia…hey…what about Ichigo?" Kendai asked, turning back to Rukia. Suddenly, she remembered Ichigo.
'Oh yeah, I forgot about him up until now. I hope he'll be okay with those other arrancar.' Rukia thought.
"Hey, you know when we were in Karakura town; I sensed some unusually powerful reiatsu signatures that belonged to some humans. Actually, I noticed that a lot of the people in the town had enough spiritual pressure to see spirits, and that some even had reiatsu signatures more powerful that hollows below Menos level. Did you know any of them?" Kendai asked, while looking under her bed. She sighed and straightened up.
'Stupid, perverted, lazy, emo, idiotic, suck-up arrancar! Damn him Ulquiorra for taking my manga novels too!' she thought.
"Hm? Oh, well I didn't really know them well, but there were a few friends of Ichigo who were affected by the reiatsu he leaked out constantly. It seems even as an arrancar, he had enough reiatsu to affect his surroundings, though I was with him most of the time. Though…there was a Quincy there. I think he was truly the last of his kind, though I don't know if he had any family like him." Rukia said thoughtfully.
"HEY!!! OPEN UP!!!" someone yelled, and pounded frantically on the door. It sounded like-
"Ichigo? Ichigo, is that you?" Rukia asked, running to the door
"Yes it's me! Now open up before they kill me!" he yelled
"Before who kills you?" Rukia asked, confuzled
"Just open the damn door!" he screamed. Kendai placed her hand on the door, and muttered a few words. The seal glowed, and Ichigo pushed open the door. He was panting and looked freaked out.
They closed the door again, and resealed it. Rukia watched Ichigo straighten up and look around.
"So…who was trying to kill you?" Rukia asked.
"Well, it was an arrancar I fell next to after YOU pushed me into them without any warning!" Ichigo growled
"Well…I didn't want to just stand there and let my friend get chewed out for something that wasn't her fault!" Rukia snapped
"Ichigo…did the arrancar by any chance have blue hair? And blue eyes?" Kendai asked, interrupting the beginning of another one of their married-couple-like-fights.
"Huh? Yeah, how did you…"
"I thought Grimmjow would probably do something like that." she muttered, shaking her head.
"Grimmjow? Was that his name?" Ichigo asked
"Yeah. He was the sixth Espada. The one with long brown hair was Stark, and he's number one, then there's Barragan, the old-ish looking guy. He's number two. Halibel was the one with blond hair, and she's number three. Then there's Ulquiorra, the emo looking one, Nnoitra, the one who looks like a spoon, Grimmjow, Szayel, the arrancar with pink hair, Nel, the one with green hair, and Yammy, the oversized oaf. Though Szayel is actually the eighth Espada, because there's a gap between six and eight. We don't have a seventh…anymore." she explained
"…What does anymore mean? I don't like the sound of that." Ichigo said, getting an uneasy feeling
"Oh well…there…was sort of………………an accident."
"…Hey…what's your name shinigami?"
"Kendai Sosuke. Maybe as you can already tell, I'm Aizen Sosuke's daughter-"
Beep, beep, beep.
"What the…hey Rukia, is that your Soul Pager?" Ichigo asked, "Why the hell would have it turned on in a place like this?"
"I don't have the hollow detecting application turned on…so it must mean someone's calling me." Rukia said, and flipped it open.
"Hello?"
"Rukia! Rukia, is that you?! Do you know where Ichigo is?" Karin asked, and in the background, Rukia could hear someone crying. It sounded like Yuzu.
"Karin? Ichigo is here with me, don't worry, he's okay-"
"Other shinigami have come to the clinic. Their asking where you and Ichigo are and Dad's acting weird. I don't know what's happening!"
"What? Other shinigami…Karin…they…"
"YUZU!!! NO, LEAVE MY SISTER ALONE!!!" Karin screamed from the other side of the line, and it sounded as if the phone was being dropped. Then everything went quiet.
"Karin? Karin?! Karin, answer me!"
"We're sorry. If you would like to call again-" Rukia snapped her Soul Pager shut and looked at Ichigo.
"Who was it?" he asked
"Karin…" Rukia said. Karin had said that 'other shinigami' came. What did that mean? Was Soul Society really going to try to use them as bait for Ichigo? Would they really be so ruthless?
"Yeah? How'd she get your number? I didn't know you could make calls on that thing."
"I gave it to her before I left to find you earlier. I gave it to her so she could call in case of an emergency." she said, looking down at her feet.
"In case of…Rukia, what did she say? Tell me what she said."
"…She said that other shinigami had come to the clinic." Rukia whispered, closing her eyes. She knew what would happen next.
"Bakudo 63, Sajo Sabaku!"
Rukia opened her eyes, and looked up from her feet to see Ichigo by the door, on the ground. She realized that he had been put under a binding kido spell, one above sixty, which meant even with his enhanced strength, he wouldn't be able to break out of it.
"Let go of me! I have to go save them!" he snapped, glaring at Kendai. She knelt down beside him and shook her head.
"No you can't. That's exactly what Soul Society wants."
"But I can't just let them get captured!" he said desperately, and looked to Rukia for support.
"Think Ichigo. Once they take you, Soul Society will want to erase any evidence or traces that an arrancar was there. They'd kill your family anyway, and I wouldn't be surprised if they went after your friends too. It doesn't matter how strong you are. You won't be able to defeat Soul Society by yourself." Kendai explained, trying to make him understand.
"But…Karin and Yuzu…" he looked down at the floor. Was he so weak that he couldn't protect them?
"Ah, but I said that you can't save them because Soul Society would be on the lookout for arrancars…though I never said Rukia and I couldn't go." she said, smiling slyly.
"What? You mean you'd…"
"It's my fault that Soul Society came there in the first place. The Espada wouldn't have followed me if I hadn't come. I'm sorry, but it's the least I can do." she said, standing up and releasing the bind on the arrancar. Ichigo got up too.
"So what will I do when you're gone? And how are you going to get Karin and Yuzu without being noticed? And what about my dad?" he asked
"We'll figure out a plan when we get there, and we'll get your dad too…though as for what you'll do…" Ichigo didn't like the evil smile the shinigami was giving him.
"My father will have sealed off all Gargantas leading outside of Las Noches…though if we left Las Noches and got out into the desert…"
"Then we could open a Garganta there-but wait, I can't open one. I thought only arrancar could do that." Rukia said
"Well, there's actually a kido spell for opening one…though, to get out…" Kendai trailed off
"We'll need a distraction." Rukia finished, an evil smile similar to Kendai's slowly spreading on her face as she looked at Ichigo.
"Hey…why are you two looking at me like that?" he asked nervously.
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"Is the coast clear?" Rukia asked Ichigo. He nodded, and signaled for them to come out of hiding. Rukia and Kendai ran down the hallway, and over to Ichigo. So far they had encountered no Espada or arrancar what so ever.
"Um…Kendai? Didn't you say your dad had a zanpakuto that could create illusions, or produce some kind of hypnosis?" Rukia muttered
"Well, yeah, but I've always been able to see through them to a degree." she whispered back
"To a degree? That doesn't sound very reassuring." Ichigo whispered, and looked around. The hallway was just as deserted as before.
Kendai pointed to a door opposite from them.
"That leads outside. This is one of the closest places to the outside, and then out of Las Noches." she said, and Rukia and Ichigo nodded.
Ichigo ran to the door, and opened it, checking if there was anyone around. Once again, there was no one around. He motioned for the shinigami to come over, which they did, and then they started climbing a set of stairs that led up, but were open to the large black sky of Hueco Mundo.
"Hey, since I wasn't needed as a distraction-yet-and if I'm not needed as one can I-"
"No." both shinigami said in unison.
"Even if you weren't needed to distract someone-" Kendai said
"We still can't risk letting you come because Soul Society-" Rukia said
"Will find you and-"
"Find us-"
"And-"
"Then we won't"
"Be able to-"
"Rescue your-"
"Family." Kendai finished. Ichigo looked at them as if something were wrong or out of place.
"What-" Kendai began
"Is it?" Rukia asked, finishing the other shinigami's question.
"Are you two sisters or twins separated at birth or something? Because aside from the fact that you can finish each other's sentences, you're both the same height and look alike." he said as they ascended the stairs, glancing back at them.
"…"
"So…uh, back to the what-if-I-don't-have-to-be-a-distraction-thing?" Ichigo asked after a few minutes of silence.
"Hey…you know Ashido, don't you Ichigo? He told me you met him a while before I came." she said. Ichigo looked back at her in shock.
"You met him too?" he asked
"Are you talking about the shinigami-hollow thing in Menos forest?" Kendai asked
"Yeah. His name is Ashido, and I told him that I would bring him back to Soul Society…though, if we don't use Ichigo to distract the arrancar, I want him to go to Ashido until we return. I want you to tell him what happened and that he might not be able to go back to Soul Society with me…ever." Rukia said, and she couldn't keep the slight tone of sadness out of her voice. She knew that from the moment she gave Ichigo her powers, and from the moment that she understood what he had become, that she probably would become a wanted criminal.
"Hey, cheer up. I'm sure you'll get to be in Soul Society again." Kendai said, nudging her friend.
"Yeah, like on my way to the Sogyoku." Rukia muttered bitterly
"Aw, c'mon Rukia. Don't be like that. If you keep it up, you just might end up being all emo and depressed like Ulquiorra. I don't think you want to have tear tracks on your face for the rest of your life do you?" Kendai said, smirking playfully.
Rukia couldn't help but laugh a little as she pictured the fourth Espada. He did look quite funny, almost like a sad clown.
"No, no. I guess you're right." Rukia said, as she smiled. Maybe she would get to be in Soul Society again, one day. Maybe she'd get a chance to see Renji, Momo, Kiyone, and the others. Maybe she'd get a chance to see her Captain. And maybe, for one day, they could have a picnic out on the lake, like Captain Ukitake always talked about. Maybe…but then again, she was just dreaming.
But remember Rukia, every great accomplishment starts with a dream. , Sode no Shirayuki reminded her
'And it ends in either success or failure. I know, you've already said that.'
Yes, though remember this. The outcome, whether it is success or failure, usually depends upon the resolve of the dreamer. The only question is do you have the resolve to return and face your former comrades?
'I do. …When Ichigo went missing, you asked me about my resolve. And even though no hollows attacked me when I came here the first time…you still warned me. Why?'
Because Rukia, if you had not the resolve, he would not have come back. If you did not have the resolve, you wouldn't have gone into Hueco Mundo. You would have been scared of dying or trying, and because you would've also been afraid of failure, you wouldn't have tried at all. So remember. It is your resolve to win that makes your blade strong. It is your resolve to protect that will allow you to rescue those girls. It is your resolve to live that will keep you from dying. And it will be your resolve to reunite with your friends that will allow you to accomplish it. Your resolve…will allow you to do things no one ever thought possible Rukia. Don't forget it. , Sode no Shirayuki said, and her voice faded into the back of her mind, yet her words still echoed in Rukia's head.
'My resolve…then…I will resolve to see them again in Soul Society, and to have that picnic by the lake. It will happen. I will make sure of that…and bring Captain Ukitake more of my drawings.' she thought as they neared the end of the stairs.
"Almost there." Ichigo said, and ran up ahead of them. He stopped at the top, and looked around. No one was there.
"Okay, it's clear. You can come up now." he said to the shinigami a few yards behind him. They came up past him, and looked around cautiously.
Kendai was about to say something to Rukia, when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She whirled around to come face to face with-
"Ulquiorra." she growled softly. One of the idiots responsible for the whole mess. Behind him was Grimmjow and Gin not standing far off.
"Where do you think you're going?" he asked
""Out for a pleasant stroll at the edge of Las Noches. Care to join me?" she asked sarcastically, but her sarcasm was wasted on him.
"No. Your father wishes to see you." he said in his usual, always present monotone. He mechanically grabbed her wrist, and started to drag her away. She heard Rukia shouting something behind her but turned around and mouthed 'I got this.'
Kendai reached up, and put her hand on Ulquiorra's hand, the one that was closed around her wrist (and somewhat painfully). He didn't stop, or even glance back at her.
"You won't get away this time. Escape is futile-" he stopped talking and walking/dragging her when she tapped his wrist. His entire arm went numb, and fell imply to his side. He was about to turn around, but he felt her hand grab his helmet. Seconds later he was forcefully thrown through the sand, and right into Grimmjow and Gin.
Kendai rubbed her wrist, and ran back to where Ichigo and Rukia were standing. Ichigo looked at the tangle of men with a certain degree of curiosity.
"They won't be untangling themselves for a while." Kendai reassured them, and Ichigo decided to get a closer look. He half wished that he hadn't.
The shinigami and arrancar were tangled together in a very…odd fashion. Ulquiorra's horn had somehow stuck to the inside of Grimmjow's hole. He was also facing downwards, with his face pressed…somewhere. Since the two arrancar were glued together, they had somehow been wrapped around Gin, with Ulquiorra's feet in Gin's face, which was next to Grimmjow's. Actually, the shinigami and arrancar's noses were brushing they were so close. Ichigo felt slightly disturbed by the scene…especially the way Ulquiorra was…
Ichigo walked back to the girls, trying to forget everything he had seen in that last minute.
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"Did you feel that, Orihime?" Uryu asked. The spiritual pressure was very high, higher than the shinigami Rukia's had been, or Ichigo's.
"Yeah, I felt it. And it feels as if Rukia and Ichigo have disappeared. Though earlier…right before they vanished, I felt several different presences that were a bit like Ichigo's, only all of them were stronger." she said. She was still a little confused about all this new stuff and everything that was happening, but she could still understand enough to know what was happening was bad.
"You stay here. I'm going to ask my dad about this…maybe he knows who or what's causing this." he said, and left the room, leaving Orihime alone once more. She got up and started to observe the poster's and pictures that he had put up on the wall more closely. Though one picture in a silver frame on his desk caught her eye.
She walked over to get a closer look, and saw it was a picture of a young boy with black hair and glasses. Behind him was a smiling woman with long brown hair, thin lips, and a pretty face. She was beautiful. Standing next to her in the picture was the white haired man she saw earlier, Uryu's father, only he looked much younger and much happier. And next to him was white haired, elderly man, smiling. He reminded her of Albert Einstein. The woman was holding the boy, who was laughing, and Uryu's dad had his arm wrapped around her. They were all smiling and looked so happy.
Orihime was still looking at the picture when Uryu came back in, looking furious. The girl didn't notice him though, since she was so absorbed in the picture. Uryu tapped her shoulder, letting her know he was there. She whirled around, and came face to face with the Quincy, only inches apart from him.
"Oh, I'm sorry Uryu! I was just-" he ignored her apology and reached past her, picking up the photo she had been looking at so intently.
She watched his expression carefully, and then lowered her eyes to floor.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…" she said as she bit her lip nervously
"There's nothing to be sorry about, Orihime." he said softly.
"…Is that woman in the picture…your mother?" she asked quietly. He didn't say anything for a few moments, and she avoided looking at him.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked, I didn't mean to-"
"No, it's fine. And yes…she was my mother." he said, placing the picture back on the table. He sat down on the edge of his bed, and Orihime joined him.
"So…what did your dad say? Does he know anything about what's going on?" she asked
"No. He started to ignore after a while." Uryu sighed, and then, "I don't think I'll get anywhere with him, though."
"Oh…I'm sorry." she said, lowering her gaze to the floor. Uryu just looked at her.
"There's no reason for you to be sorry. It's not your fault he's such a self-absorbed, idiotic-"
"Ahem." a voice said. Both Uryu and Orihime looked to the door, which had been left open, but saw no one was standing in the doorway. Uryu got up and looked down the hallway in confusion.
Orihime watched him do this, until she heard a tapping sound. She turned around and saw a black cat sitting by the window.
"Hey Uryu, look at this! There's a black kitty in by your window!" Orihime said as she got up and walked over to the window. Uryu just nodded, barely listening to what she was saying. Had his father put hidden speakers in his room?
"Hello there Mr. Kitty! Do you want some milk?" Orihime asked, tipping her head to the side as she smiled at the cat. It stared at her unblinkingly.
"No thank you. There are more urgent matters to be taken care of." the same voice said.
"Huh?" Orihime looked around for the source of the mysterious voice, but couldn't find it. She looked back at the cat.
"Did you hear that Mr. Kitty?" she asked
"I can hear myself just fine." the voice said, only this time it sounded impatient. Orihime whirled around, looking for the owner of the voice. All she saw was Uryu still glaring down the hallway. Orihime looked back at the cat when an idea hit her.
"Did you say that, Mr. Kitty?" she asked. The cat nodded.
"Yes, yes I did. Now if you two would come with me so I can explain the current situation that would be nice. And by the way, my name is Yoruichi, not Mr. Kitty." it said, before leaping off the window sill and landing on the grass in front of Uryu's house. It waited there, tail swishing, a sign that it was beginning to grow impatient.
Orihime stared at the spot that the talking cat had been, before running across the room, and grabbing Uryu's hand, dragging him out the room and downstairs with her.
"Orihime?! What are you-we-what is this?!" he asked, shocked by the girl's sudden movement, and her strength. Her grip wasn't gentle as he might expect, but strong and firm. If he didn't know better, he could've thought that it was Tatsuki dragging him along with her.
Uryu's father, who was sitting on the couch reading the newspaper didn't even bother to look up from the article about the newest lenses for glasses he was reading.
"You two be good and have fun while you're out. Try not to die Uryu, and make sure that you protect your girlfriend." he said blandly, while Uryu just sputtered in shock at his words, before the last part sank in, and he turned red as a tomato.
Before he could shout at his father, Orihime dragged him out the front door.
She let go of his hand, and started to run.
"Orihime! Orihime, wait up!" he called, and started to run after the girl. He cursed under his breath when she rounded the corner and he lost sight of her. As he too came around the corner, he saw a flash of long orange hair, and kept running after it. He must've chased her several blocks because when he finally caught up with her, he was panting and felt like he was going to fall over.
"O…O…ri…hi…m…e…w…wha-" he panted, leaning over slightly. Orihime ignored him and started to walk towards a shack that was a few yards away from them. He straightened up and followed her. Once he caught his breath, he was finally able to ask her why she had been running.
"Orihime, why did you just take off like that? You know it's dangerous-"
"I led her here. Kisuke wants to see the both of you. I've already brought Chad here, so Kisuke can explain to all of you what's going on." the same voice that Uryu had heard in his room before. He looked around, searching for the source of the voice, but he felt Orihime tug at his sleeve.
"What is it?" he asked, and she just pointed at a black cat sitting in front of them.
"Wait…are you telling me that it's the cat talking? Orihime, for starters, cats don't talk. Secondly, it's just a stupid cat-" he never got a chance to finish, because at that moment, something knocked him back with a surprising amount of force. He lay there on the ground, glasses askew and slightly dazed by the impact. He blinked rapidly, and looked at his chest where he felt a small amount of pressure. The cat was sitting there, a displeased look in its golden yellow eyes.
"I would prefer if you both referred to me as Yoruichi, and not 'the cat' or 'a stupid cat'. I don't think you'd like it if I called you 'the Quincy' or 'a stupid Quincy'." Yoruichi growled before hopping off Uryu's chest and strolling over to the shop. It beckoned to them.
"Are you two coming, or will you just stand there gawking at me like pigeons?" Yoruichi asked impatiently, before hopping through a window.
Uryu was still lying there, staring in shock at the window the cat; um-Yoruichi had jumped through, when Orihime offered him a hand.
"Thanks." he said as she pulled him up off the ground with a surprising amount of strength. He tried to put it out of his mind, but couldn't help but notice that Orihime was anything but willowy, thin, and overall more compactly built like Rukia Kuchiki. Orihime defiantly had nice curves, but they weren't brought out as much as they should be, due to the stupid school uniform. Though the white buttoned top couldn't hide her impressive assets, which he found himself staring at as she helped him up. Uryu mentally smacked himself, shouting in his mind what a pervert he was for looking at Orihime like that.
"Uryu? Uryu? Are you okay?" the orange haired girl asked, waving a hand in front of his face.
"Huh? What? Oh, yeah. I was just thinking." he said, ignoring the concern in her voice. She studied him for a few moments before nodding.
"I was just worried that you might have hit your head hard when Yoruichi knocked you over." she said, and then, "Are you sure your alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine. Should we go in now?" he asked, and she nodded. Together they walked into the shack, and oddly, the door was already open.
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"They're not here." Rukia breathed. She and Kendai had just entered the world of the living about ten minutes ago, and had just arrived at the Kurosaki clinic. Neither of the shinigami could sense the presence of the house's former inhabitants.
"…You don't think…that-"
"No. I don't think that they would've been caught that easily." Kendai said quietly. She felt around for traces of their reiatsu, but couldn't find anything leading away from the house, or any other shinigami's reiatsu other than Rukia's and her own. It was as if the Kurosaki family had just vanished.
"So what now?" Rukia asked. She didn't want to go back to Ichigo and tell him 'We couldn't find your family-it was like they just vanished without a trace.'
Rukia squeezed her eyes shut. This whole thing was her fault. Ichigo and his family could have lived a normal if not for her. Now they could not only see spirits, but they were also spiritually aware as to what exactly hollows and shinigami were. That, and Rukia had turned their eldest and only brother into a hollow.
Rukia was about to ask Kendai if she had any idea where the family might have disappeared to, when she felt something press against her neck. Her vision blacked out and she knew no more.
"Rukia?" Kendai asked, feeling the other shinigami's reiatsu waver. She looked over to the place where Rukia had been standing, as saw that there was no one there. She suddenly felt another presence, but it was too late.
She felt something press against her neck, just as Rukia had felt, and muttered "Damn." as she too fell unconscious. The last thing she saw was a pair of black clothed legs before everything, her entire vision, went black as well.
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Dun dun dun DUHHH!!! Now, for a new segment! I got the idea to do this at the end of each chapter after watching some of the Shinigami work diary endings/Shinigami illustration endings. I'll be doing endings like this for the rest of all the chappies. This one was longer than I anticipated, but I couldn't resist but write the last part. And don't forget to review! Now for some random fluff! That takes place at a random time!
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Rukia gazed at it longingly. She wanted it so badly. It was so big…and so…so…
"Rukia, what are you staring at?" Ichigo asked, looking in front of her.
"That…" she said, pointing at something dreamily. Ichigo looked to where she was pointing, and sputtered.
"You want-"
"Chappy." she sighed, cutting him off. The orange haired teen blinked, and saw that she was actually pointing at a large Chappy plush. It was sitting among many other prizes that were up for grabs at this booth. They were at a carnival/festival, and it due to its size, set up, and how many people were there, it greatly resembled a picture of the California state fair. Ichigo had once seen a video of the fair and some of its attractions.
Ichigo looked at the booth, and saw that it was a ring toss. It didn't look too hard, but the people paying to toss rings found out otherwise.
Ichigo looked from the expression on Rukia's face, to the rings. He sighed and slotted his hand into his jean pocket and pulled out some money from his wallet. He walked over to the front of the booth, since Rukia had been leaning on the side, and handed the money to a girl working behind the counter. He exchanged the money for three medium sized throwing rings.
Rukia perked up and watched Ichigo. She walked over to his side and asked him what he was doing.
"I'm going to win you that over-sized rabbit you keep staring at." he said. There were several poles, and each had a number at the base. You had to get the highest score possible to get a prize from the shelf that Chappy was on, but the poles that had the highest numbers were the most difficult to get a ring on. Ichigo studied the distance between him and the pole behind the counter, before throwing the rings in a rapid succession. Seconds later the rings clattered together, and landed on the last pole, the pole with the highest number.
The girl behind the counter looked both surprised and impressed, as well as Rukia. The girl brought down the Chappy plush when Ichigo pointed at it, and the orange haired teen handed it to Rukia.
Rukia was speechless. Almost as far as she could remember, no one had ever done something like this for her before. It didn't matter that it was just a stupid plush, and it was just a stupid game, but the gesture itself…it meant a lot to her.
"Th-Thanks." she said, blushing when she stuttered. Ichigo just smiled, and then looked up at the night sky.
"Hey, maybe we can catch the fireworks. I heard that they'd be starting soon." he said, and Rukia followed him towards an area where there was a large amount of water. It was nearly a football field wide and half as deep. There was a large concrete bridge spanning over it where many people walked, and there were two-seater, swan shaped boats floating around in the waters below.
"Hey, that looks kinda fun." Rukia said, pointing to the boats. Ichigo looked over to the boats as well and blushed. Rukia seemed quite oblivious to the fact that it was something more…for…well…couples.
"Uh, Rukia, hold on a minute." he said as he followed after her when she started to walk towards the dip under the bridge where they were renting the boats.
She ignored him, and looked over the railing curiously. She looked back to the small dock where some boats were stationed. Then she looked over to a man in a red vest, standing by the dock.
"How much is it for a boat?" she asked just as Ichigo came to her side. The man answered, and Rukia nodded.
"Hey Ichigo, did you want to rent a boat? It looks fun, doesn't it?" she asked, and Ichigo could only nod. It seemed she really didn't know about the whole couple thing, but she did seem to want to rent a boat. Besides, Ichigo thought, it would be nice to observe the fireworks when they were on the water.
Ichigo paid the man in the red vest, and they went down the small dock. He let Rukia pick out the boat of her choice (even though they all looked the same) and he got in before her so he could help her get in. It was the type of boat that you had to peddle, but most…couples were just drifting around aimlessly, making out. Once again, Ichigo blushed at the whole idea of him and Rukia being here…
They peddled out just as the fireworks started, and after a few minutes, they stopped and just drifted along. A voice emitted from hidden speakers, booming over the sappy love songs that had been playing across the water.
"And now ladies and gentlemen, we will select the couple of the night! You will be able to view them on all screens across the fair. If you look up in the sky, you just might see our Cupid Copter!" the voice said, and people looked up at the night sky. Sure enough, there was a helicopter painted pink and red with bunches of hearts and arrows on it. On the bottom was a search light.
The light glanced over the crowd, until it shone on the water where the boats were, darting from couple to couple. It finally stopped on a boat, and on screen two people appeared.
"Oh god." Ichigo muttered as he blushed. Rukia was blushing as well, having realized what kind of situation they were in.
"So, will the couple of the night kiss or not?" the voice said teasingly, which only caused the shinigami and arrancar to blush even more. Much to their dismay, the crowd of people on the bridge had suddenly stopped and were chanting "Do it, do it!"
"Guess we have no choice." Rukia murmured, and leaned over on Ichigo, tilting his head slightly. Ichigo didn't resist, and his gigai seemed to go on autopilot, leaning towards the shinigami until their lips met.
People cheered and clapped, and then the spotlight moved over the crowd, and the voice from the speakers resumed talking, though neither Ichigo nor Rukia were listening anymore.
They were…apart…and not kissing anymore, but were looking away from each other, both blushing furiously.
"Um…Rukia? Could we…uh…"
"Forget this ever happened?" she finished for him. He nodded.
"Ye-Yeah, s-sure." she stuttered, completely and totally embarrassed by what had happened. Though she never did forget what happened, nor did the sweet, lingering taste of strawberries leave her mouth for quite some time.