My bad about those two typo's! Anyways, on with the story! Will Uryuu and the other's arrive in time? Will Ichigo live to regret his foolhardy actions, or will it all work out in the end? Or perhaps something else entirely will occur? Read to find out!
Stare into the Sun...And into Death.
"What...
"Just...
"Happened?" Inoue tilted her head to the side, summing up everyone's confusion. It had all happened so fast, too fast to process at once. One minute Ichigo had been lying on the ground, the next, he was up, and making a mad dash for the gate. Then it slammed shut and he was gone.
"The fool just signed his own death warrant, that's what just happened."
For a moment, everyone remained just that, speechles. Yoruichi had a forlorn look in her eyes, and seemed content to stare at her paws for the remainder of the afternoon. Uryuu stared helplessly at the gate, Chad was angrily clenching his hand into a fist.
"You can't be serious!"
"There's no way Kurosaki-kun would-
"Yoruichi-san, there's no way!"
"Enough!" Yoruichi's angry hiss was more than enough to cut the Quincy off cold. "We'll just have to face the facts. Despite his training, it's more than likely that Ichigo won't live to see the next sunrise. Which is precisely why we have to hurry. We can't let his sacrifice be in vain."
"Hurry? You mean there's another way-
"Of course there is. And we'd be halfway there, if you stopped dilly-dallying!"
"H-Hai."
The feline paused to spare one last glance towards the gate.
'Run, Ichigo. Run hard, run fast, just run. And pray that Ichimaru doesn't find you.'
And then, they took off running.
--
From his well concealed hiding place, Ichigo suddenly sneezed. 'Shit! Of all the times to...It was too late to pray to kami that the shinigami below hadn't heard him, they were already beginning to mill about, searching for the source of the sound.
"Huh?"
"Hey, did you hear something?"
"Yeah, I think so-OI!"
"Shit!"
"There he is! After him!"
"Damnit!" Ichigo was now seriously beginning to think that the whole 'I can rush in here by myself, rescue Rukia and get out alive again' idea, was dead. Upon entering an enemy's base, you were usually supposed to find a good place to hide, then wait for reinforcements to arrive, right?
He hadn't done that. Or rather, he hadn't been able to, considering he'd been a stupid dumbass and left his friends outside the gate! 'Oh man, what the hell was I thinking?! Sure, just run right into the middle of the enemy stronghold, nothing's gonna happen! What a load of crap! I'm such an idiot!'
Well, this was your decision.Sode no Shirayuki interjected sternly. I had absolutely no part in it. In fact, I think that this idea of yours was rather arrogant, and bordering on sheer stupidity.
"You can't get away, you damned ryoka!"
I trust you intend to do something about our pursuers, Ichigo? We won't be able to find shelter if we constantly have an angry mob chasing after us.
"Tsugi no mai," Ichigo declared loudly, whipping Sode no Shirayuki towards the oncoming mob. "Hakuren!" A series of startled cries filled the air, then the onrushing white ripple completely blocked off the way he had just come, engulfing the rabble that had been chasing him to boot. As he stared at the massive ice-burg his technique had created-
Left.
He stepped in that direction, and was rewarded with a tsk, of approval.
"Not bad, you're not gonna turn tail and run again, are ya?"
Ichigo didn't answer, instead, he took a stance. Standing to the right, was a man in a shihakusho, much like his own. His most notable features being that he was bald, and had what looked like red makeup at the corner's of his eyes.
"If you ask me, I think you made a pretty wise decision."
"If you're really stronger than me, then there's no point in running." Replied Ichigo, killing the amusement in his adversary's stare. "If your power is greater than mine, then its useless to run, you'd catch me for sure."
"Is that so?" Snorted the bald man. "Guess you're not stupid after all."
With a small rasp, the bald shinigami drew a gleaming blade from the sheathe on his back. It was an elegantly crafted blade, its edge seemed to gleam like a thousand diamonds in the evening light. The stranger paused to marvel at the blade Ichigo wielded.
"However, if my power is greater, then I'll just defeat you and be on my way." Replied Ichigo. Running two fingers along the blade, he declared a single command.
"Mai. Sode no Shirayuki."
Now there was silence. His enemy sized up Ichigo and his zanpaktou for a moment, then smirked, leaning forward to stretch as he did so. "Nice sword ya got there, kid. Kinda small though, ain't it?"
"I could say the same to you." Ichigo retorted.
The air was rife with tension.
Each of them waited for a move to be made. In the distance, they were being watched by a pair of shinigami. One, more interested in the fight than the other, his companion looking on complacently.
Nanao blinked, then peered forward.
"Your friend isn't going to win."
Yumichika, sitting beside, her, blinked.
"What?"
"HYA!" Cried the bald man, lashing out with incredible speed, his blade digging deep-
Into the earth, asIIchigo stepped away.
(Background music: Bleach OST Frenzied battle)
'Again! He dodged it!'
Ichigo sklid back wards, gliding across a the coat of ice he had just created. Grabbing the wall for a handhold, he found one, via slamming his open palm into the eastern wall of the gondola, and creating a small hole. Smirking, the ryoka shoved himself forward, swinging overhead-
And was blocked.
"Using your sheathe, eh?"
He pressed down harder, struggling agains the unusually thick scabbard. His opponent smirked, revealing that he had switched hands, and now, the katana was sweeping towards his face. Ichigo didn't so much as flinch, slapping the blade away with his bare hand, not caring that it bit down into his palm. He figured it was a fair trade off, as it now prevented him with a counter attack.
Splashing that same blood into Ikkaku's eyes, Ichigo was rewarded with a brief moment of hesitation. His free hand now seized the bald man by the chest, and forced him down to the ground. There was a startled grunt of surprise, then a cloud of smoke obscured the two.
"I almost feel sorry for him." Murmured Nanao, as Yumichika tilted his head in confusion, watching the stranger turn the tables on his friend. "This ryoka seems to have an elemental zanpaktou. Those are nigh impossible to defeat."
A cry of surpise drew their attention back to the fight.
Ichigo stood over the man and shook his head in disappointment, Sode no Shirayuki held to the throat of the bald shinigami. They met a pair of startled, confused black eyes, which stared back up at him.
"Idiot. You're in over your head."
"You wanna say that again?"
The sword split the ground where the man had been just a second ago. Ichigo had somehow rolled away, and come up against the side of a building. Seconds later, he was gone again, as the wall was split down the middle.
He reappeared, crouching on his knees, panting slightly.
The warrior was indeed a stocky man, his sword lying on the ground next to him. Sweat dripped off his bald head and onto his chin, and his eyes, which had red marks at their corners, were narrowed into pained slits. The sweat fell to the ground in a slow drip-drip.
"That was...impressive." He admitted, bringing his sword back around, and then coming after him again, this time nearly taking an arm, before Ichigo rolled away. "Nice! I did not think you had that kind of speed!"
Ichigo frowned and slashed up at him-
Sode no Shirayuki never found her mark. Instead, a crimson trench opened down his chest, followed by a vicious kick to the gut that all but launched him into the wall. He stopped his fall by grabbing onto a nearby roof, then swinging his body back towards to the ground.
"Hakuren!" He snarled, having struck the rooftop before he fell. Now, the massive wave of white roared towards the sneering shinigami, who grinned lazily, even as he was presumably swept up by the the frigid current. Landing upon the frozen tundra, Ichigo paused, his eyes darting to the left, then the right...
"Where did you...
Behind you!
Ichigo swiftly placed Sode no Shirayuki behind his back, and was rewarded with a surprised grunt. His face still hidden from Ikkaku, the third seat was thusly unaware of how Ichigo's face suddenly split into a wide grin.
"Go?"
That was beforehis fist slammed into the Ikkaku's face. There was the sick crumble of bone as fist met flesh, weakening his lower jaw, then the unfortunately nicknamed 'cueball-head' found himself roughly deposited onto the frost slicked floor of the tenth division.
Much to Ichigo's surprise, the bald man smirked, laughed, taking up his sword as he rose to his feet. "Not bad! I haven't had a fight like this in ages! Can't blame me for being a little rusty now, can ya?"
Ichigo shook his head in exasperation and sighed.
"You, what's your name?"
"I only give my name to those I intend to kill." Stated the bald man proudly, holding up both his hilt and blade in a stance. "But lemme ask your name, just in case.
"Kurosaki Ichigo." He replied quietly.
"Ichigo, huh? That's a good name."
"You think so? That's the first time someone's complimented my name."
"Yeah," The shinigami grinned. "People say guys with 'icchi' in their name are handsome guys, bursting with talent. Name's Ikkaku Madarame, third seat of squad eleven! Whaddya say, eh Ichigo? As men, how about we be friends?!"
"'I don't think so."
"Too bad!" Replied Ikkaku, and the stranger swayed away from the low strike. The thrust had left the attacker wide open, and now the tables turned in a vicious display of blood. Whipping the sword around, the blond slashed at the bald man's face, nicking him just above the eye, then delivered a vicious boot to the face to accompany the blow.
Ikkaku was launched away, but dug his blade into the ground, slowing his skid.
'Fast! He's nearly on par with me!'
The blond stepped forward, and somehow got in front of him again. Not even wasting a breath to speak, he seized the blade by its edge, and ignoring how it bit into his skin, yanked the bald man forward, and into the air, so as to impale him on the blade. It didn't work, as Ikkaku kicked off with his feet in midair, twisting out of harm's way, and preparing his counter.
As he spun, he slashed at Ichigo's head, taking off a few strands of hair as the youth ducked under the assault. Had his enemy not thrust back with his own weapon, Ikkaku might've taken his head clear off.
"You're good." He smirked upon landing.
"You'rebleeding," replied Ichigo, noting how the blood was now pooling into the left eye of his adversary.
"Heh, no problem." Ikkaku removed the bottom of his hilt, and dipped a finger into it. "Unlike you, I'm not amateurish enough to take one hand off my sword. I've come prepared." It looked to be ointment of some kind, and he rubbed it over the wound. Almost immediately, the bleeding stopped.
"H-HEY!" Ichigo snarled angrily. "That's cheating! You've got blood clotting ointment in there, don't you?!"
"It's not cheating!" Ikkaku shrieked viciously. "It's knowledge, knowledge, you dumbass! You were supposed to be impressed and go 'Incredible, he's got a lotta experience, wow!'
"Eh...no thanks."
"Tch." Madarame snorted. "You're one seriously strange guy, ya know that? Aside from that little trick you pulled earlier, you act almost completely like an amateur. You definitely don't look like a fighter. But...
Suddenly, Ichigo found himself on the defensive. In the blink of an eye, Ikkaku had crossed the distance between them, and now, he was raining down a hail of strikes, thrusts, and jabs upon the bewildered ryoka.
"Your reaction time is first class!"
Parry, block, evade body blow.
"Your hits are violently strong! You're nearly as fast as me!"
Counter. Lure his sword arm away from his body, then strike at his chest.
Breaking apart, Ikkaku still wore that confident 'I'm gonna kick your ass' smirk.
"Don't make such a scary face. I'm complimenting you. You're too good to be written off as a fight loving amateur with good instincts. Who's your master, Ichigo?"
The strawberry held the blade before himself in two hands.
"Well, I can't really say he was my master, since I only trained with him for about ten days."
A moment of silence hung in the air.
"Who?"
"Urahara Kisuke.
This achieved a surprising reaction.
Ikkaku blinked, eyes widening for a moment, before they narrowed into slits. A feral smirk now tugged at his lips, pulling them upward into an almost psychotic grin.
"So that's it. He's your master."
He threw his head back and laughed abandoning his stance. "This is great! It really is my lucky day! Running into someone like you here, putting our lives on the line! Fighting you like this, it must be fate!"
'The hell was that? This one's friggin weird...
The ryoka blinked in surprise as Ikkaku's blade began to glow abruptly. The afterglow soon moved to the hilt itself, and then covered both sword and sheathe. The bald man was now exuding a strange energy. He stopped laughing, and took up his blade and sheathe, then pressed them together, end to end. "So, killing you without going all out would be seriously rude....
"What the-
"Grow: Hozukimaru!"
Much to Ichigo's surprise, the weapon transformed right before his very eyes. Both hilt and sword merged, forming a wooden spear with a long tip, and a red horsehair tassel at its pommel. He now jammed his pommel into the ground.
'A spear?'
Nanao frowned.
"He's using shikai already?"
Ikkaku laughed aloud."
"No time to be shocked Ichigo! Here I come!"
He now jammed its pommel into the ground.
"I'm not a kid." Replied Ichigo, preparing to move. "I thought you only gave your name to those you intended to kill?" Replied Ichigo, his right hand clenching around Sode no Shirayuki's soft hilt, prepared to either attack or defend at a moment's notice.
The bald man laughed.
"Exactly."
Sode no Shirayuki caught the first strike, her white ribbon wrapping around Ichigo's wrist to strengthen him against the blow. That little extra layer of defense likely saved his life.
Sparks flew as he slammed aside Ikkaku's thrust, embedding the pommel into the ground. Madarame yanked it out in a heartbeat, then spun it like a pole, clearly intending to drive his target back. This failed, as instead of falling back...
The blond held his ground.
Ducking low, he let the tip twirl over his head, then slashed up in a lightning fast motion. In doing so, he stopped the spin, and forced the spear up. Shifting his grip to a more underhand swinging style, he relished in the surprised expression Ikkaku now wore. Gripping tightly the hilt, then swung in a low right arc, clearly intending to cleave of the baldy's head.
Ikkaku just grinned.
"Split apart: Hozukimaru!"
Much to his surprise, the spear split into three separate sections. And now the tip of those sections was about to pierce his eye! Seemingly unable to do anything, Ichigo just stared. Blood sprayed through the air like a small geyser, and he skidded back.
"Does it hurt?" Taunted Ikkaku....
As blood dripped from his right hand.
"You probably can't even hold a sword with that hand anymore." He jeered.
Ichigo looked down at his hand silently.
"C'mon, give yourself up. Its over."
He clenched it into a fist.
"Don't talk like this is over." Brown eyes glimmered coldly. He began to wrap Sode no Shirayuki's ribbon around his injured hand. A white, icey glow shimmered from where the ribbon was bound, spreading to his entire body. "I still haven't shown you my real skills."
"This is just the beginning, Ikkaku. This time...you're gonna be the one unable to hold your weapon!"
"Well, ain't you talkin' big...you little shit."
"Where the hell does that confidence come from?!
Nanao swallowed once, "He's smiling." and everyone paled.
The ground cratered under his feet, and that was the only warning Madarame received. Ichigo's spiritual pressure, once a mere faint glimmer, barely higher than a child's-
Now became mind numbingly powerful.
A sharp headbutt jarred Ikkaku's senses, cutting off the swing before it could be completed. Ichigo had taken the offensive now, his once brown eyes glittering a deep, icey blue.
"I'm not allowed to lose to you. I can't lose to you!"
Hozukimaru nicked the side of his cheek, but the impassive Ichigo didn't seem to care, judging by the cold glare he wore. Never once did he let up his attacks, even as the spear slashed at his eye. He was getting bloodied now, but he seemed to be ignorantof it. "What's wong?" He asked, as he forced Ikkaku down and back. "I haven't fought someone like you in a long time, and weren't you just beating me a moment ago?"
He began to rain down a fury two handed swings upon Ikkaku, forcing him to stand his ground, endure. Each impact numbed his arms, every strike nearly buckled his knees. Sweat beaded off his brow and onto his neck. 'Impossible!' Each attack was coming faster and faster, and now the ground cratered beneath his feet. This was no man he was fighting, no mere human wielded this kind of strength! This man, was a monster!
Can't lose.
He was a demon!
Won't lose.
Ikkaku skidded back as something drove hard into his chest, then realized he had been hit by the rounded tsubasa of the blade. With a wordless scream, Ichigo leapt after him, Sode no Shirayuki trailing a thin line of frost as she scraped across the ground. Moments later, the flat of the blade found Ikkaku's ribs, cracking two, breaking three.
Never.
He clamored up-
NEVER!
And Sode no Shirayuki pierced the wall an inch from his face. Unable to take the blow, the stone crumbled and fell to pieces. Having lost his footing, the bald man stumbled backwards through the opening.
Ichigo was there again, and now Ikkaku had to whirl about, somehow catching the long blade on his pole. Unfortunately, this strike was even stronger then the last, and it took every fiber of his being to not go to his knees from the impact, as Ikkaku paled in fear.
"You...just what the hell are you?"
Blood dripped into his eye, and he pulled some hair out of it.
"No time for talk, Ikkaku. Here I come!"
The insult stung, but was ignored.
It took a lot to surprise Ikkaku Madarame. Even more to actually scare him shitless. But what he had just seen, bordered on the edge of demonic-no, it was demonic. That grin, that power, the reiatsu he had felt emanating from the man, was like nothing he had ever seen or felt before.
It was almost like a hollow, but it wasn't a hollow.
All this from a low-life ryoka like him?
Not wanting to take the chance of getting cut up like that again, the bald man took the opening he saw, when the berserker seemed to turn away for a second.
"Never let go of your sword!" Cried Ikkaku, springing forward with the spear-
Ichigo, the Ichigo he had just impaled, vanished, crumbling away into nothingness as the ice melted at his feet. It was a feint, he realized and his actions had proved to be a mistake.
A hand seized his shoulder.
The enemy was now behind him. His blade was raised high, and its edge now gleamed in the early morning light. His eyes were cold, but now they held a measure of respect.
His eyes shimmered for a second, brimming the massive power he held at his command.
"You fought well." He commended. "But its over."
Time seemed to slow as he began to mouth the words. Ikkaku's eyes tripled as the sun itself seemed to dip into the blade, radiating golden brilliance from the heavens itself.
"Kuso!"
Wounded as he was, Madarame simply didn't have the time to move.
A wall of ice slammed into him, with such force and intensity that it actually cut into his skin, ripping open gashes about his arms, chest and legs. Though he had tried to block at the last second with his spear, the current now effortlessly sliced through his spear, cut into him further, spiralling into an onrushing wave that carried him through several division blocks before he at last slowed to a halt..
Ichigo waved a hand, and the storm subsided. For a moment, Ikkaku seemed to just hang there. Then gravity desired to exert its claim on him once more. With a sigh, he fell to the ground, his spear broken, his body battered, bloody and beaten. Darkness took him then.
The blood began to pool under his body, and he had not the strength to get up and fight.
He had lost. He was losing consciousness, even as Ichigo stood over him.
"Later." Ichigo stated, blade slung over opposite arm, and turning to go-
A hand seized his leg, holding him fast.
"Wait! You have to end it!" Protested Ikkaku. "Why did you heal my wounds?!
The blond looked down over his shoulder.
"Eh? Why the hell not? You gave me a good fight. There wasn't any reason for you to die, was there?"
"Of course!" Ikkaku cried, struggling to his elbows, and failing to do so. "Any fight is a fight to the death! You've dishonoured me by tending to my wounds just now! Do you have any idea how much I'm shamed?! OI! ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING?!"
"Eh?" Ichigo, now a good distance away, placed one hand to his ear, steadily putting distance between them. "Can't hear you!"
"Zaraki-taichou won't let you get away with this!"
The victor frowned.
"Well, whatever. Thanks for the advice. If he's as dangerous as you say, I'll try to stay clear of him." Ikkaku didn't answer. By this time, he had already passed out from shock. Ichigo rounded the next corner, and slipped into an alleyway. Only then did he allow the exhaustion to take him.
"Shit." He gasped, staggering two steps, before abruptly slumping forward. His back slid against the western wall, leaving a thick trail of blood as he slid down to the street, gasping and panting for breath.
Ichigo...you're badly injured.
'No...shit.' He gasped, coughing up blood and phlegm instead of air.
"Ryooooka-san!" Ichimaru's voice suddenly came from somewhere behind the miniature glacier. "I know you've been havin' fun with Ikkaku-san, so I'll be givin' ya a three minute head start from here on out! Better get going!"
"Three minutes?" Ichigo scoffed quietly, rolling his shoulders, forcing his battle worn body to move. "That's plenty of time-
Ba-dump.
Everything froze. It felt like someone had just stabbed him through the chest. The sensation was horrifying and painful, but when he glanced down, there was no such wound to be seen. Still, the terror lingered, nearly freezing him in place as Gin's reaitsu drew steadily closer.
"There's the ryoka!" He didn't even bother to whip his head around as the cries of yet ANOTHER mob of shinigami came closer. Apparently he had been found out, but at the same time...he couldn't budge.
Ichigo!
'I...can't...move.'
You'll be caught! You need to move! He's only intimidating you with his spiritual pressure! He can't kill you with it, he's still too far away, but you have to hurry! Raise your own reaitsu and force his out before you're detected! Before you get yourself killed!
'I...I...can't.'
Ichigo! Sode no Shirayuki's pleas were becoming more high pitched, more ferverent a sure sign that she was worried about him. Do not die like this, I will NOT permit you to die like this, do you hear me?! Do...not...die! GET UP! GET UP NOW! PICK YOURSELF UP THIS INSTANT!
'I.....
"Bakudo twenty one: Sekienton! (Red smoke escape)
The sharp cry, coupled by a massive explosion of red smoke, broke Ichigo free of whatever spell Ichimaru had over him. With a gasping cry, he stumbled forward, covered in a cold sweat that seemed to pervade his very soul. His lungs refused to breathe, and he coughed violently amidst the crimson fog that continued to spill out through the street.
"Where the ryoka?! I can't see a damn thing in this smoke!"
"Maybe he went that way?"
"You men take this block, we'll take the next one! Spread out and find him! Don't let him escape!"
"Psssss!Over here!" Movement caught Ichigo's attention. There, to the left, he could make out a hand, waving towards him from a nearby alleyway. Moments later, a girl, with short blond hair, poked her head out of said opening and began to frantically beckon towards the oncoming shinigami. "Ryoka! This way! It's safe over here! Hurry!"
"Why the hell should I trust you?!" Ichigo shouted back at her incredulously, while squinting to make out anything other than her blond hair. He immediately failed, as the smog grew ever thicker about him, burning at his eyes, cutting off his oxygen. "You're one of them!"
"Would you rather end up dead?!"
'She's got a point...
Ichigo didn't hesitate, at that pouring that last little extra burst of speed he had remaining. Yes, it was probably a trick, and yes, saving Rukia was his priority, but at the same time, he couldn't exactly accomplish that with a hundred shinigami up his ass. If this girl could help him, then he had no other choice. Rounding the next corner, he darted into the opening, narrowly escaping the oncoming mob.
"Hold still." She instructed, moving behind him, placing both hands on his back, a faint emerald glow stemming for her fingers. "Before we go any further, at least let me tend to your wounds. In your current state, you won't be able to take another step."
"No shit-OW!" He yelped suddenly as an elbow rammed into his nose. "What the hell was that for?!"
"For interrupting me, ryoka-baka! Now hold still so I can bandage it!"
Eventually, after thirty seconds, the green glow faded from her fingertips.
"There." The girl wiped a bead of sweat of her brow. "It's a patch job, but it should hold. Just don't strain yourself, alright? If it breaks again, I won't be able to do anything, and I don't feel like using another one of my sleeves as a bandage, alright?"
"A-Arigatou." Gasping for air, Ichigo remained on his hands on both knees for another moment, determined to catch his breath. When he finally glanced up, he found himself staring into a pair of matchless sapphire eyes, eyes that scrutinized him harshly.
"You are Kurosaki Ichigo, right?"
"Yeah, what about it-whoa?! What the hell do you think you're doing?!" The girl had grabbed him by the wrist then, her grip surprisingly strong for one of her stature and build. In an instant, Ichigo found himself rudely hauled to his feet, then she was moving. "Good, now that we've gotten that out of the way," Dragging him with her by the arm, they rounded the next bend, then another, and another. Ichigo soon lost track of how many turns they'd taken.
"There," She suddenly stopped before a loosened tile. Giving it a swift kick, she dislodged the square, revealing a darkened opening, the sound of running water awaiting them at the bottom. Ichigo scowled at the thought of what might be waiting down there for him.
"Go down." She jerked her head towards the opening. Now that he gave it another glance, he could see a rusted ladder leading downwards, and a foul stench rose upwards to greet them with it. Despite himself, Ichigo turned an ugly shade of green and had to clamp a hand over his mouth.
"You've gotta be kidding me."
"Let's go!"
"Wha-waaaaaaaaaaaargh!"
Without further warning, Ichigo toppled forward, swearing like a sailor as he plummeted into the darkness. It wasn't a long fall, in fact, he hit something after only a few seconds. Mumbling curses into the concrete, he rolled onto his back, rubbing his throbbing nose tightly.
"Get up! This is no time for you to be taking a nap!"
"Urusei! Where in the hell are we?!"
"These are the sewers." She explained, slowing to a fast walk, instead of an all out run. Even then, Ichigo was forced to sprint, just to keep up with the chatty blond. "Only the fourth squad uses them, but no one should be able to find us down here, thanks to all the chaos you've caused."
"Who...are you?" Ichigo found himself asking.
"My name's not important!" The girl shook her head adamantly, never once pausing to glance back at the strawberry. "What matters right now is that I get you to Ukitake-taichou as soon as possible!"
Before she could take another step, Ichigo seized her by the wrist.
"Wait! Who the hell is this Ukitake guy, and why the hell are you helping me?! Damnit, give me some answers!"
Her stern expression seemed to soften, just a bit, just for a moment. Performing an about face, she reached up to his collar, seized him, and dragged his face down to meet hers. Then she slapped him. Stars exploded before Ichigo's vision, leaving him to reel helplessly in her grip.
When at last he recovered, there were tears in her eyes. "Why am I helping you? Why am I betraying my comrades? Because Rukia's my friend,too, ya dumbass!" She's like a little sister to me, and I'd do anything to help her! You want to save her to, don't you?! Don't you?!"
"Y-Yeah."
The long blade shot forward over his shoulder and into her stomach.
Kiyone's eyes widened as blood began to spill from her soft lips. Ichigo was so shocked he couldn't bring himself to move. He could only stare as the elongated zanpakuto retracted itself from the flesh of the blond, leaving her to fall to the ground in a helpless and bloody heap.
Ichigo's mouth worked silently, unable to form the words.
"Well now," the oily voice of Ichimaru Gin called out from over his shoulder, followed by the burgeoning presence of his reiatsu. "We can't have you going all softie on us. Can we, little Kiyone-chan?"
"T-Teme...
No...
Ichimaru's eternal grin seemed to widen, if that were at all possible.
Not here...
"Time's up, ryoka-san."
Not like this...
Pointing the wazikashi towards the horrified ryoka, the captain uttered the command phrase.
NO!
"Shoot him dead, Shinsou."
Stare into the Sun~Thrice.
Reviews make me happy, reviews make me update faster. So won't you please give me them?
~Nz
Next time: Horror! Ichimaru approaches!