10...Sacrifice for Honour...
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INSIDE CLASSROOM
Lilinette dropped the large machine gun and hobbled inside, aided by crutches.
Stark leaned down and retrieved the gun and followed. "You know, those guys are closing in. We can't stay here or we're trapped."
"Where are they?" Rukia asked.
"They're all bunched up on the left side downstairs. We can rereat to the right until we find a suitable area where we can fight back." Stark replied.
They gathered their weapons and headed out into the corridor. Shunsui scouted the left path while the others went in the opposite direction. He detected no movement and left to follow the others. He didn't turn his back to check their back again. He didn't see the shirtless man with strange markings turn into the corridor. He also didn't see the man pull out an assault rifle and fire into Shunsui's back.
Ukitake turned back to see his friend fall. "Kyouraku!!" He ran back and returned fire.
The two friends fought back.
Ukitake felt his stomach burn, the pain was unbearable.
NO!!! NOT NOW!!
He threw up blood and fell to his knees. Soon he was on all fours, emptying his stomach.
Rukia turned back to help but Kiyone caught her arm. "Kiyone! He's going to die!! We have to help him!!" Rukia screamed.
"Rukia!! We have to leave him. It's hell for me too, but he wouldn't want us to interfere!"
Rukia pushed her away and darted towards Ukitake.
He turned back to face her and roared. "RUKIA!!! LEAVE ME!!!" Blood oozed from his lips as he commanded her.
Rukia ignored him and continued towards him.
"RUKIA!! THIS IS A BATTLE FOR HONOUR!!! REMEMBER WHAT I TOLD YOU!!!"
Rukia stopped dead in her tracks. The night she had tried to forget flashed through her mind. The night when she had to abandon her best friend as he fought an unwinnable battle.
She screamed through ragged sobs. "NO!! I won't leave you!! I cant lose another friend to honour!! I would rather have the one's I love than a stupid word with no meaning!!"
Ukitake felt a tear fall down his cheek. A bullet streaked past his face and hit the droplet. His eye's widened.
"Rukia listen to me! You have to leave now or you will disgrace yourself and me!!"
Rukia shook her head, tears flying through the air. She shot down two people who approached them. "I don't care!! Disgrace only takes away your pride. Honour takes away everything you care about!! I can live with disgrace!!"
"Well I can't!!" Ukitake brought his pistol up and aimed the barrel at his temple.
"No..." Rukia lowered her gun to her side. "NO!! YOU CAN'T!!"
Ukitake's gaze burned into Rukia's soul. He was dead serious.
"How can you place pride over your own life?!"
"Because we are soldiers." Ukitake replied.
"WE AREN'T FUCKING SOLDIERS!!! We aren't mercenaries, or warriors. We are people. People who have friends, families, loved ones." Rukia yelled.
"We are no longer people! We are souls, and souls die for the protection of people. They are the ones with families whereas we have nothing." Ukitake explained.
"That's not true!!"
"IT IS!!" Ukitake roared over Rukia. "All we have is pride and honour! So we protect it. Just like humans protect family and friends."
"But we make friendships. We cherish them because we have regained what we lost." Rukia tried to sway the argument.
"Friends come and go. They are not permanent. But honour and shame...they are eternal." Ukitake gazed into Rukia's eyes. "If a friend dies, you can replace them."
Rukia thought of Ichigo and suddenly realised she was in love with him because he looked like Kaien, the man she had to abandon for honour. She felt so stupid. She dropped her gun and weeped.
"RUKIA!! GO!!" Ukitake roared. A stream of bullets tore into his back and knocked him down.
Rukia extended a hand to help him.
"GO NOW!!!" A flood of tears descended his cheeks and he threw up blood again.
Rukia overheard him mutter under his breath. "I...have brought...shame...upon myself..."
Ukitake raised his head and glared with contempt at her. It soon faded into a weak smile. He lowered his head.
Rukia thought he was dead. She ran down the corridor to where the others had gone.
Once she was gone, Ukitake reached for her machine pistol and his own gun. He sat up and aimed both weapons at the army before him.
"FOR HONOUR!!! GRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHH!!!!!"
Rukia heard the battlecry and the many gunshots that followed. She turned around and was about to go back when the gunshots ended. She wiped away tears and followed the others.
*****
Orihime hugged Yuzu. They sat in the infirmary on an uncomfortable, rigid bed. She whispered to Yuzu that they would be saved. That Ichigo would show up with a machine gun in his hand, a grenade in his mouth and a red bandana flying from his head. She told her that Ichigo would say some awesome line and then mow down all the baddies. Then they would all get Ice cream.
Yuzu giggled but stopped instantly when a deep voice growled at her to stop.
The floating heads snarled at the two girls. The thing then stroked it's bone knife with a deformed tendril.
Yuzu gagged and turned away. Orihime whispered another Rambo-esque story about Ichigo.
*****
The real Ichigo couldn't even stand. Ulquiorra had grabbed his legs and repeatedly swung them into the meal pipe on the roof. His legs were swollen and bruised and he couldn't take much weight on them.
Ulquiorra shook his head. "Honestly, your sisters put up more of a fight than you."
Ichigo spat and then grinned. "Fuck you!"
"Amazing, still a cocky little rat, even when you can't walk." Ulquiorra stomped on Ichigo's hand, the fingers cracking under the force.
"AAAAGGGGGHHHH!!!"
Ulquiorra grasped Ichigo by the hair and lifted him off the ground.
Ichigo winced.
Ulquiorra hurled him into the railing that covered the edge of the roof. Ulquiorra opened his hand and a clump of orange hair floated to the ground.
Ichigo grasped his head and felt blood trickle out of where his hair was torn out. He turned his head and looked down. The coffin was smashed apart, but it was empty! He also noticed Renji lying next to a dead Espada surrounded by broken glass.
"Yuzu, she wasn't there?"
"Oh you found out." Ulquiorra gazed at the ground.
"Where is she?!"
"Safe for now."
"That isn't good enough you bastard!!" Ichigo growled.
Ulquoirra put his hands in his pockets and walked over to his foe. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "How about we finish this!"
"What?"
Ulquiorra knelt down so he was eye level with Ichigo. He then opened his mouth wide and bit down on Ichigo's neck. He sucked up the blood that flowed and then stood back up.
Ichigo stared wide eyed at his opponent.
He...he just...did he...suck my blood?
Ulquiorra wiped his mouthand frowned. "Hmph. Your arrogance taints your blood. It has a bitter taste! So unlike your father."
"What!! You drank from my father!! You fucking monster!! What are you!?" Ichigo roared. Blood started to flow from his neck again.
"Don't fuss too much. You will just drain yourself. I am glad I met you Ichigo Kurosaki. Thanks to you, I know that this war will be much easier than I anticipated." He then went downstairs.
"Wait!! Come back here!!! YOU BAAAAAAAAAASTAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRD!!!!"
*****
Rukia caught up with the rest of the group. Her head was bowed and a trail of tears had gathered behind her.
"Rukia..." Matsumoto started to talk but realised now was not the best time. She silenced herself and stared at the floor.
Hinamori started to sweat. Her heart was racing, it slammed repeatedly into her ribs, hurting her. She tried to calm herself. She knew she would seem suspicious if she carried on too much. She couldn't get found out otherwise she would die! If her betrayed friends didn't, then Ulquiorra surely would! She was so lost in thought she barely heard a voice yelling at her. It was Matsumoto.
"Hinamori!! Are you alright?!" The worry was clearly visible in her expression.
"Oh...Sorry...Um...I just sorta...zoned out." Momo replied.
"Oh thank god." Matsumoto sighed with relief. "When you didn't respond I thought you had passed out or something." She giggled.
Hinamori laughed as well but shakily. She couldn't be happy when she had to betray her friends again.
*****
Toshiro had just knocked his opponent out the window, but somehow he had caught the ledge and saved himself. Toshiro frowned. "Good reflexes."
The Espada smiled. He extended a hand and grasped Hitsugaya's foot. He pulled and dragged him down. The Espada then released his grip on the ledge and fell.
Toshiro was dragged down as well. His back scraped along the broken glass and then he fell through the air.
The Espada began climbing up his body.
Toshiro threw a punch and it connected with his jaw. Toshiro then placed the Espada underneath him, to cushion his fall.
They collided with the ground with a heavy 'thud.'
Toshiro groaned as he crawled off the dead Espada. He crawled over to Renji and helped him into a sitting position. "Renji? Renji? Can you hear me?" He lighly slapped him in the face.
Renji was still unresponsive.
Tohsiro checked his pulse. Renji was still breathing! He was still alive.
*****
Barragan gasped for breath. For his age he shouldn't be running up stairs. He gathered his forces and counted what remained of the Espada. There were four left, and three of them were ex-members. He frowned and the large scar creased under the wrinkles.
An incredibly large man approached him. "My king, we have lost them." He said slowly.
"Damn it!! We may have to use it! I wanted to save it for later but, oh well." Barragan pulled out a radio. He signalled for everyone to be silent. He spoke into it. "Hello, miss Hinamori?"
A radio beeped further up the hall.
Barragan paused for a moment and then ordered his forces. "Alright, fifth door up on the left! Move out!!" He waved a hand and the army of scared students marched on.
*****
"Momo, what was that?" Matsumoto asked.
Momo frowned. "It was...Um...Ichigo?"
"Ichigo?"
"Um...yeah...he was calling to say...that he needed...um...backup."
"Where is he?" Matsumoto asked.
"He...is..." She tried to think of a random location. "...The roof."
"Alright then. We'll go help." Matsumoto walked to the door and heard footsteps. "Uh oh. They found us." She loaded her gun and then opened the door slightly.
Two Espada conversed quietly. One had a large orange afro. The other stroked a thin moustache.
Matsumoto aimed and shot down both men. She then dashed out into the corridor and ran. She called out for the rest to follow and they obeyed immediately.
The small group raced down the corridor. They turned a sharp right and then leapt down the stairs. They had gotten to the main office. The office ladies all lay slumped over their desks, no longer alive.
They turned every chance they got and ended up at an interview room. They sat on comfy chairs and gazed at each other.
Kiyone turned to Rukia. "I'm sorry." She whispered.
"You weren't there." Rukia muttered.
"Sorry?" Kiyone asked.
Rukia stood up and glared into Kiyones eyes. Her stare almost hurt Kiyone who backed away. "You weren't there! If you had helped me we could have saved him!! You abandoned them to die!!"
"What? I would never.." Kiyone started.
"You left them. To be picked off by those bastards. You're just as cruel as the Espada!"
"But...Ukitake..." Kiyone was brought to tears. "He ordered me not to. I had to obey."
"No you didn't!! Now everyone is dead!! We're dead!! Why didn't you help?" Rukia roared.
"But he said...battle for honour."
Rukia punched her in the face. She then threw her onto the floor. "You dare say that in front of me!!"
"I'm so-"
Rukia growled and snatched Yachiru's gun. She aimed the barrel for Kiyone's pleading eyes.
"Please don't! Come on Rukia...We're friends! Aren't we?" Kiyone wailed.
Rukia pulled the trigger.
The bullet buried itself into Kiyone's shoulder.
Matsumoto restrained Rukia and took the gun. Yachiru took care of Kiyone.
"Rukia what happened to you?!" Kiyone asked, tears flowing freely.
"You know what happened!! I have seen my friends die one by one before my eyes. I have seen good people left for dead, just because of honour!! I have murdered innocent people for someones sick fucking games! I have had something worse than you can imagine happen to me, that hotel will haunt me forever!!"
"Remember what Ichigo said."
Rukia froze.
"He said to share your sorrow, that you should never carry the burden by yourself!! We're your friends. If you share the problems, then we can overcome them together!" Kiyone extended an arm.
Matsumoto released Rukia and she jumped towards Kiyone. Rukia wrapped her arms around her and hugged her tightly. She wept over Kiyone's shoulder.
"I'm so sorry." she whispered.
Kiyone stroked her back and comforted her.
"Uh don't want to ruin this sweet moment but they're closing in!" Matsumoto said.
The two girls let go and wiped their tears away.
Kiyone slid a new clip into her assault rifle.
Rukia realised she had dropped her weapon earlier and was now unarmed.
Kiyone patted her on the shoulder. "Don't worry. We can just take turns with this one." She waved the large gun in front of her face. She ran out of the corridor and stated the coast was clear.
The others filed out.
"So where do we run to now?" Hinamori asked.
"I guess we should help Ichigo, he's on the roof isn't he?" Matsumoto replied.
Hinamori had no idea but still nodded.
"Alright then. Roof it is!" Matsumoto jogged towards a staircase, the others soon followed.
*****
ROOFTOP
Ichigo used the railing to stand up. Every bone, every muscle ached. He tried to take a step forward but quickly fell. He cursed and dragged himself towards the door. He reached for the handle and turned it. He fell through the doorway and heard footsteps. A familiar voice spoke and his whole body relaxed.
Rukia's ran up the stairs with a group of female officers, followed by Stark and a tired girl on crutches.
"Ichigo!!" Rukia beamed. She helped him up with the aid of the others.
"Hmmph, I only wanted Ichigo to see this but the more the merrier."
The group whirled around as Ulquiorra ascended the stairs. He held a leash. Attached to the leash was a terrified girl with chestnut brown hair.
"Orihime! Are you alright?!" Ichigo yelled.
"I am going to let her go. Two hostages is too much to handle." Ulquiorra winked.
Hinamori started to shake
Oh no!! It's time!!
Ulquiorra cut the leash and Orihime ran towards Ichigo. She was several steps away when a deafening gunshot rang through the air.
Orihime collapsed as blood spurted out from her chest. She reached for Ichigo's outstretched hand but was shot again. Her hand fell and Orihime's head dropped to the ground.
Everyone turned around and gazed at the shooter.
A teary-eyed Hinamori gazed back at them, her gun drawn.