NOTES: This chapter brings into detail more about Rina and Hisagi's past relationship and also the reason for their breakup. The next chapter will be posted this coming Friday!
Enjoy!
"We did it! Holy crap I can't believe we did it!" Rina bursted with impish glee.
Both Rina and Hisagi were stumbling out of the Senkaimon, Rina dressed in red and white Shinigami Academy robes, while Hisagi sported the navy blue one. They stumbled upon a roof in Karakura Town, laughing at their hearts content underneath the sunset's glowing orange sky.
They really didn't think their little sneak away plan would have worked, but surprisingly it did, bringing these two love birds into a fit of giggles.
Rina looked lovingly at her handsome boyfriend, who's hair was nearly at shoulder length than the style we know on him now. She slipped her index finger underneath his choker, pulling him in for a kiss to celebrate their win.
Rina pulled away as Shuhei was smiling back at her, "We are going to get in SO much trouble for this if we get caught, Shuhei!"
"I know. I can't believe I let you talk me into this."
Rina folded her arms pouting away from him, "Hmph. You didn't have to come you know!"
Hisagi laughed, pouncing onto Rina with a bear hug, "You're so cute when you get angry, you know that?"
The two of them shared another kiss as Rina leapt up, stretching her arms high above her. "So what do you wanna do as our first act of freedom?"
A conversation from below them had caught her attention from where she stood on the three storey building, Rina peering down at a black haired teenager speaking with an old woman. She couldn't guess his age, but he looked quite young, even though he looked like he dressed older for his age. Hisagi walked beside Rina, looking down at what her attention was so focused on.
"You shouldn't be staring at other men when I'm around, Rina."
Rina slapped Shuhei's arm playfully, "Stupid! I'm not checking him out, look at what he's holding!"
The two of them continued watching, as the young man was holding a bouquet of flowers and a pink box with transparent plastic top, revealing a delicious looking cake.
"Let's go ask him where he got that tasty cake from! Or if he'll at least share with us!" Rina finished off, leaping off from the roof's edge.
"RINA! WAIT!" Hisagi cried out.
'He looks like a nice enough guy to share!' Rina thought to herself, jogging her way across the street. But what she didn't see coming was a truck inching closer about to hit her. In the real world, Shinigami's cannot be seen by the human eye, unless they have that certain 'ability.'
"RINA!" Hisagi shrieked in horror, helplessly watching his girlfriend from above.
Rina turned her head, locking eyes with the truck driver who she could have sworn had seen her for a split second, instinctively swerving his large truck to avoid hitting Rina. The young man was quick to catch on, pushing the old lady out of harm's way, as all Rina and Hisagi could do was watch the young man's body illuminate from the truck's headlights, quickly disappearing underneath it.
It had taken the female Shinigami a moment to absorb the situation as Rina's knees wobbled from underneath her, crashing her weight onto the middle of the road as blood started to slowly stream from underneath the truck. The cake and pink box smushed underneath the oversized black front tire as the bouquet of flowers had been scattered around the road and sidewalk.
The truck driver jumped out, screaming at the top of his lungs calling Paramedics to the scene on his cellphone. Hisagi gripped tightly to the edge of the roof, he couldn't stop his whole body from shaking at what he had just witnessed.
If only.
If only they had never came.
Nobody would have died.
The sound of blaring sirens filled the still night air, as both Rina and Hisagi were unable to move from utter shock. A frenzy started happening all around Rina, watching paramedic's frantically wheel the young man's still body into the back of the ambulance. She jumped up to her feet, using her Shunpo to follow behind.
"R-RINA! WAIT FOR ME!"
Rina and Hisagi watched from across the street underneath a street lamp, standing in front of Kurosaki Clinic. An older man's booming voice was emerging from the clinic, "BRING HIM INSIDE! NOW!" It was the voice of Doctor Isshin Kurosaki.
Rina slowly stepped forward, making her way to the clinic's front glass windows. She couldn't see past the front desk but the reassurance of being close to the life she had accidentally taken was enough comfort for her. Shuhei put his hand on Rina's shoulder, as they looked at eachother in solemn silence.
If only they had never came.
Rina's body started wavering. All she wanted was to sneak off into the real world and create happy memories between her and Shuhei. Memories of stupid rebellions that they could look back on and laugh about, happy memories of the silly times they would've shared together. Happy memories … Not a nightmare. A nightmare where she had taken the life of someone's friend, someone's boyfriend, someone's co-worker, someone's brother.
"OLDER BROTHER! OLDER BROTHER!" A little girl's shrieks now pierced the air around Rina and Hisagi.
Rina watched in horror as a little orange haired girl dressed in her school uniform leapt out of a car, running straight into the clinic. Rina followed behind as Hisagi chased after her. The young man's body laid stiff, blanketed underneath a white cloth. The outline of his body peaking from underneath the white sheet was unnerving, but not as unnerving as watching this little girl cry onto her big brother's still body with utter hopelessness.
"OLDER BROTHER! OL – OLDER BROTHER! DON'T LEAVE ME! PLEASE, I DON'T WANT TO BE ALONE! OLDER BROTHER!"
A stream of tears were running down Rina's face, as Hisagi couldn't bear to watch anymore, turning his head away from this tragic scene.
Isshin Kurosaki put a comforting hand on the little girl's shoulder, "I'm sorry, Orihime."
Rina's eyes wandered off, seeing a sleepy little orange haired boy peak out from behind a half opened door, rubbing his sleepy eyes soaking up the situation. He didn't speak a word, seeing as it wasn't the time to ask his father what was going on.
Isshin looked over his shoulder, as Rina's body tensed up, 'Can he … See us?'
Isshin's eyes started to wander around them and then back to them, almost like he could some how. But gave up and turned back to comforting the young Orihime, who's arms were folded and sobbing onto the bed where her deceased brother lay.
Rina and Hisagi sat back to back to eachother in a darkened open park, they hadn't spoken a word to eachother since leaving the Kurosaki Clinic. There was not much to say, but to somehow comfort themselves in the guilt of silence.
Either one of them could have played the blame game on eachother, but now wasn't the time for it.
If only they had never came.
A chill went down Rina's spine feeling a gust of wind brush past them. Out of nowhere a large swinging arm descended onto both Rina and Hisagi, making them both jump away from eachother, snapping them both back into reality as the ground gave way to the Hollow's impact.
Hisagi and Rina looked at eachother from a distance, eyes searching for answers as they both had come to the real world unarmed. The Hollow turned towards Rina towering over her, Rina froze up in fear as this had been the first time she had seen a real life Hollow.
"RINA!" Hisagi yelled, dashing to her direction.
Hisagi let out his right hand, "Bakudo no shi! Hainawa!"
A stream of glowing yellow rope flooded from Hisagi's palm, grasping onto it with both hands as he tugged at the Hollow's leg. Without a mere katana in hand, Rina's horrible Kido skills would only do more harm than help, leaving this fight only to Hisagi.
The Hollow roared out of frustration, as an unexpected swinging right hand made Hisagi fly away, breaking his rope in the process.
"SHUHEI!" Rina shrieked at the top of her lungs.
The adrenaline started pulsating through her veins, raising her arm in front of her, 'I don't care if I get myself killed doing this, I need to save Shuhei!'
"Ye Lord. Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march onto the South! HADO NO SAN JU ICHI! SHAKKA—"
Rina's kido incantation was interrupted, watching as Hisagi was caught in midair by Vice Captain Ichimaru Gin. An arm then wrapped around her waist, as she was taken upwards into the night sky.
"Finish it. Gin." Aizen answered.
"Of course, Aizen Taichou." Gin cooed, unsheathing his Zanpakuto.
Rina watched helplessly as both she and Aizen were getting further and further away from the fight scene, watching Gin take the Hollow out with ease. She started banging her fists onto Aizen's arm around her waist, not giving a care if he was a Captain or not. "LET GO OF ME! I CAN'T LEAVE SHUHEI BEHIND! HE'S UNCONCIOUS! LET ME GO RIGHT NOW! I NEED TO GET BACK TO HIM!"
The both of them had escaped into safety, resting Rina up against the alley way's brick shadowed wall. She looked up at Aizen with fire burning in her eyes, "WHY?! WHY DID WE LEAVE?! I NEED TO GET BACK TO SHUHEI AND –"
"And then what?" Aizen calmly questioned. "Continue both your lives as if tonight's events never occurred?"
Rina looked to Aizen with blank eyes. "I – I don't know what you're talking about."
Aizen took a step closer towards Rina as she turned her head away embarrassingly, "I'm finding it quite difficult to understand your intentions, Haruko-kun."
"W-What?"
"To not only disobey, but to wager your promising future ahead of you, for only what? A mere ten seconds of hushed and sadly interpreted form of entertainment? To throw no caution to the wind of not only your secured spot into the 11th squad, but to go on and further risk Hisagi-kun's attained future of being a seated officer?" Aizen's voice deepened, coaxing it in a judgmental tone, "Quite selfish of you, isn't it?"
"P-Please. Aizen Taichou. I'm – I'm begging you." Rina's hands were shaking by her side, "Don't tell anyone in Soul Society of what happened tonight. P-Please. For Shuhei's sake."
Rina looked up to Aizen, searching his eyes for a definite answer.
"What you're asking is out of sound judgement, Haruko-kun." Aizen's calm smile curved into a slight frown.
Tears welled up in Rina's eyes as she shouted, "Then I will take all the blame for it! Please don't let Shuhei take the fall! I came here to the real world alone and I did what I did, because I was stupid! I don't care if I get kicked out of the academy! Just please don't let anything happen to Shuhei! It's all my fault!"
A small smile crept up on Aizen's lips, embracing the crying young woman into his arms as she sobbed hopelessly into his chest, "P-Please. Ai-Aizen Taichou. Not Shuhei."
Aizen started to pat Rina's head gently, "So be it."
Rina's eyes gleamed up towards Aizen, peaking up at him from his chest, "Really!? Thank you, Aizen Taichou! Thank yo—"
"So as long you end your relationship with Hisagi." Aizen concluded in a cold voice.
A flood of emotions took over Rina as she couldn't believe how direct Aizen was about it. He was joking right? It's gotta be a joke. What would truly benefit from the two of them ending their relationship?
'NO! I don't have a say in the matter. If it's the only way to get Shuhei in the clear, and to put me in the blame of things. Then I will do it, for Shuhei. I must!'
Rina's eyebrows furrowed of determination, "Okay! I'll end it!"
The corners of his lips widened on Aizen's face, patting her head once again as Rina buried her face comfortably against his chest. Truly trying to find comfort in Aizen's hug, inhaling his scent deeply.
"That's a good girl. Don't cry anymore. You're safe here." Aizen praised tenderly.
But she couldn't stop the tears, trying her best to silence her whimpers as this all felt too real for her. Not only after everything that had happened earlier tonight and even later on with the Hollow attack, her heart weighed even more heavily from knowing this underhanded blackmail would be the beginning of the end of her and Hisagi's relationship.
"My, my. Would you look at that? They sure look quite cozy together, hmm?" Gin cooed from afar, supporting a beaten up Hisagi over his shoulders.
The two of them watched Rina and Aizen in a tender embrace in the alley way, only dimly illuminated by the pale lights of the street lamps.
Gin's always smiling face turned to Hisagi, as Hisagi couldn't help but watch in shock and distress, "Well there's nothing to worry about. She's only but a freshman, am I right? Nobody worth ruining your promised and popular reputation for at the Academy." Gin took a pause, silently reveling at Hisagi's rising anger at his beloved girlfriend finding comfort in the arms of another man. "Am I right, Hisagi-kun?"
If only.
If only they had never come.