Author's Note: Chapter ten is here! I actually love this chapter more than I should. You all will soon get what most of you want! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own 'Bleach'. However, Birdie and Ru are original characters created by DeviantHollow23 and myself.
Rukia felt the chains on her leg being removed slowly by Tia as she began to adjust the small bomb they had created on the wall. Rukia handed Tia the trigger and that was when she noticed Tia's expression. She had her usually cold face, but in her green eyes, there was a bit of relief in her eyes. The two guards that had been watching over Rukia stood beside the door, guns ready as the sound of yelling and shouts bounced around them. The room was completely silent, until the sound of the door being opened made Tia and Rukia look at the guards.
"What are you two doing?" Tia questioned, getting to her feet as the two began to walk out.
"Ya wanna see berry? Imma bring 'im ta ya, Kuchiki."
"I'd rather get shot than stay with you two any longer. No offense, but you make me feel like I'm being smothered by a fuckin' emo cloud."
Rukia stood off the bed and crossed her arms, silently hoping the two women make it back because her pride kept her from saying it out loud. Tia sighed, closing her eyes when the door was slammed shut. Rukia and Tia turned to one another, both exchanging their worried glances before looking toward the door.
Aizen stood in his office, staring from the cameras as many of his men began to fall. His brown eyes darkened when he saw Ichigo Kurosaki strolling in after his men demolished Aizen's men. Gin watched from the corner of the room, laughing to himself until his eyes fell onto the screen that held the two guards assigned to Rukia walking over the bodies of the men. Gin turned his head toward Hichigo's direction to see his honey colored eyes staring at the same screen silently. After a few more moments, Aizen shut off all the monitors, except for the one that revealed Ichigo, and sat down on his desk.
"Hichigo, it seems your brother is making a mess. Get rid of him." Aizen ordered, placing his hands behind his back.
"Ya got arms. Why don'cha do it?" Hichigo said, grinning when Aizen turned his gaze on him.
"That's an order."
"An order I ain't gonna follow. Ya don' scare meh, Aizen. So take the tough guy act 'nd shove it up ya ass."
Gin could not hold back his chuckle at the words of Hichigo. Aizen seemed unfazed by the statement, but an obvious irritation could be seen in his eyes. He sighed before getting to his feet once again and reaching for the gun on his desk.
"I suppose someone as weak minded as you would not have the courage to kill his brother. No matter. I will do the deed gladly. Oh, and Gin, for laughing at his remark, I forbid you of killing anyone. Do have fun, gentlemen." Aizen said as he made his way toward the door.
Both pale men glared at the brown-haired man before smirking. Gin switched the monitors back on and sat down on Aizen's seat. Hichigo was leaning over the desk, on hand supporting his upper body and his fingers tapping on the hard wood as his eyes stared at his brother.
"King looks like he has sumthin' up his ass. Heh, ya think Aizen has a chance?" Hichigo asked, turning to the smiling man.
"Even though Ichigo has lots more men than us, the last remainin' men here are our strongest ones. Even fight in my eyes. Though, I do wish Aizen gets what he deserves fer all the shit he does." Gin purred, leaning his head on his hand. Hichigo snickered before looking toward the screen where the two women were seen walking calmly through the madness.
"Ya worried about the girls?" Gin asked after a few moments of silence. He was answered with a loud snort.
"Ya gotta be an idiot ta worry about those bitches. They can handle themselves. Besides, if anythin' does happen, it's their fault. I ain't gonna worry about 'em."
"How cold-hearted of ya not ta worry about one of ya closest friends. Meh, ya got a point. They're diggin' their own grave walkin' out in this mess. They gotta watch themselves. We ain't gotta clue what's gonna happen."
"Ichigo! Over here!"
Walking calmly toward the voice that called him over. Renji motioned Ichigo closer and stood behind him when Ichigo neared. Grimmjow stood beside a long, brown-haired man with a tired expression on his tan face. Ichigo knew the man as Stark Coyote, his appearance completely different from his actions he had done before. Grimmjow grinned at Ichigo before swinging his blade over his shoulder.
"I got a bone to pick with you for shooting me, Kurosaki." Grimmjow growled with his grin still in place.
Ichigo stared at both men with a look of complete uninterested boredom before turning to look at the nearby hallway. He began to walk toward it, ignoring Grimmjow's barks before waving his hand, dismissing the angry man.
"Renji, you and others take care of them. I'll keep looking." Ichigo said.
Ichigo heard shoots and the sound of vicious fighting, but he paid no heed. He was looking for two people, one of them being Rukia and the other being Aizen. He did not care who he would meet first, as long as he got his hand on one of them by the end of the day. He was about to turn a corner when he backed away, a bullet barely missing his head.
"Damn, ain't I got a great aim!"
"You do realize you missed him, right?"
"I did it on purpose, dumbass."
Silence over took the hallway before Ichigo stepped out of the corner and stared at the two women a few feet away from him. He glanced over at the younger one before looking at the one he spent most of his childhood with. The grin on Ru's face seemed as twisted and taunting as it was back when he was younger, but he could see some joy in her brown eyes. The barrel of her gun was still smoking, but she lowered it before putting it away.
"Ru, do you know where Rukia is?" Ichigo said.
"Oh, so I don' get a 'How are ya?' or 'Nice ta fuckin' see ya again after so many years'? Damn, ya cold, berry." Ru laughed, crossing her arms.
"Don't waste my time. Tell me what I need to know." Ichigo said, his voice thick with his impatience.
"I hate impatient people. They annoy me." Birdie muttered, rubbing the bridge of her nose before turning her back to them.
"Hurry up, Ru! This is getting boring!" Birdie groaned as she began to walk away from the two.
"Birdie, ya want meh ta take a disrespectful bastard ta the chica we been guarding fer days?"
Ru turned her head to see a gun pointed at her temple. Ichigo looked down at her, narrowing his gaze and raising his chin. Ru only smirked before chuckling, her own gun pointing at Ichigo's chest. Birdie smirked, raising the sunglasses that hid her eyes to stare at the two once childhood friends point guns at one another.
"Ya really are impatient, Ichigo. Follow meh 'nd I'll take ya where ya need ta go." Ru said, pulling her gun away from Ichigo.
"How do I know this isn't a trap?" Ichigo questioned.
With a loud sigh, Birdie walked toward Ichigo before grabbing his wrist. His hazel eyes stared in surprise as the black haired woman pointed the gun in his hand toward her own heart and raised an eyebrow. Ru only raised an eyebrow before looking back to Ichigo with the same confused look. Birdie smirked, narrowing her gaze before placing her sunglasses back on to hide her eyes.
"Consider me your hostage. If you see anything suspicious, shoot me dead where I stand. That make you feel any better, pansy?" Birdie said, earning a glare from Ru.
"He ain't a pansy."
"Would you like it if I call him a bitch instead?"
Before Ru could react, her eyebrow twitched when Ichigo wrapped his arm around Birdie's neck and held her close. His gun was now pointing at her head, making her move her head to a side for a moment before crossing her arms. Ru looked at Birdie before looking up to see Ichigo smirking down at her.
"You have a deal. Now, take me where I need to go." Ichigo said, tightening his grip on Birdie.
"Ay! You're gonna strangle me, ass!" Birdie shouted, holding onto his arm instead when she felt his grip around her tighten.
"Suck it up, wimp." Ru said before turning away from the two.
"C'mon. Follow meh."
Ichigo walked after Ru, ignoring the string of insults coming from Birdie and keeping his eyes opened. For a moment, when Ichigo passed a sharp corner, he saw a camera staring back at him. He stopped for a moment before smirking and pointing his gun toward the camera. He shot once, destroying the camera in a matter of seconds.
"Looks like ya student handed herself ova' ta King. What are they plannin'?"
Hichigo stood up straight when he heard movement beside him. He watched as Gin walked toward the door with his hands in his pockets. Before he reached the door, it was opened to reveal a very irritated Aizen. He said nothing as he brushed by Gin and walked toward his desk.
"I cannot find Kurosaki anywhere and I am lo-… What are those two doing?"
Both Gin and Hichigo watched as Aizen stared at the camera that revealed Ichigo with Ru and Birdie. His eyes narrowed and turned deadly when he saw Ichigo smile at the camera before shooting it once. His brown eyes stared at the two men in the room before he stood up straight and fixed his suit.
"It seems we have traitors in my organization. I think it's time we go visit Ms. Kuchiki."
Rukia grabbed the fresh clothing handed to her by Tia and dressed quickly. A faint sound of fighting could be heard, but it was too far away from where Rukia currently waited in. Raising her head, Rukia looked over at Tia to see her sitting on one of the sofas with a picture on her hand. Rukia walked over to her slowly, not wanting to disrupt the woman, and looked over her shoulder to see a picture.
A picture of a young Tia and Neliel waving back at the camera. Tia with an arm around Nel's shoulder and a soft smile while Neliel had a bright smile on her face and had her arms around her tanned friend.
Tia looked over her shoulder when she felt Rukia place a hand on her shoulder and stood from where she sat. A moment of silence fell over them, Rukia playing with the locket Nel had given to her before pulling it out. Rukia saw Tia's eyes widen for a moment before returning to their coldness.
"You know… Nel told me to burn this locket filled with her hair in her hometown. She said it would officially set her free. Do you want to be there when I do it?" Rukia whispered.
She looked up when the silence became too much and backed away when she saw Tia fishing into her pockets. Rukia believed Tia would shoot her, but instead of pulling out a gun, Tia pulled out a small bracelet and pushed it into Rukia's hands. Rukia was dumbfounded, but she stared up at Tia when she realized what the tan woman was trying to say. Tia's cold eyes, though they began to show some tears, told her everything Rukia needed to know. Yet, Rukia was silently hoping that the tan woman would have something else behind her motives.
"I don't plan to survive this night. I will be dying tonight with the blood of Sosuke Aizen on my hands. So, do me the favor and burn this bracelet when you burn Nel's locket. Set us both free, child. But only when the chains on your own life are gone. I'll be damned if my chains are broken by a bound woman."
Rukia only glared at Tia for a moment before putting away the jewelry in her grasp. They turned toward the door when they heard footsteps nearing and backed away. Tia looked over at Rukia one more time before smiling gently at her. Rukia felt sadden by the peaceful look in Tia's eyes, but only nodded before smiling back at her.
"When you see Nel, tell her I miss her." Rukia whispered.
"Gladly."
The doors were slammed open, blinding the two women hidden in the dark for only a moment. Rukia sheltered her eyes before taking a deep breath and putting her hand down. Her face went completely blank and she held back tears of anger in her eyes.
"You can let me go now! You're choking me!"
Tia sighed in relief to see Birdie and Ru completely fine. Ichigo looked at Rukia, ignoring the other people in the room. Both were frozen when their eyes met, neither of them speaking up to them. Ichigo had not released Birdie until he felt a sharp jab on his side. He turned his gaze to Ru before allowing her to pull Birdie from his grasp.
"Ya happy? Tia, let's step out so the two of them can talk 'nd Birdie can regain some oxygen to her mind. Berry here was practically stranglin' the chica on our way here." Ru said, dragging away a cussing Birdie as she attempted to strangle Ichigo. Tia stared at Ichigo intently before looking over at Rukia and patting her head.
"Free yourself for the sakes of Neliel and I."
The moment the door closed, Ichigo took one step forward. Rukia remained still, staring up at Ichigo when he stood right in front of her. She did nothing when she felt him cup her face and stare deeply into her eyes. Rukia kept her hands to her sides, but they trembled slightly when they saw warmth in Ichigo's hazel eyes.
"Did anyone try to hurt you?"
"No."
"Did a man try to touch you?"
"I was guarded by two insane women. So, no; No man dared to touch me."
Ichigo sighed, his eyes saddening for a moment. His finger slowly stroke her cheek before allowing his finger tips to brush against the tips of her short hair. Rukia looked down, her heart torn between a war inside of her. A part of her wanted nothing, but to leave the man in front of her. Another part wanted to spend the rest of her life with him.
What was tearing them apart was the blood between them.
Rukia allowed one silent tear to run down her face. Her hand grabbed the hand playing with her hand and squeezed it gently.
"I'm not going to runaway from you anymore, Ichigo. It's time I tell you why I want-no need, to leave you." Rukia whispered, opening her eyes to stare into his eyes.
"Tell me now. We don't have much time to leave."
"The last thing I ever want to see… is your death. The things you do, the things we do, will bring you closer to your death. I hate admitting this, but I love you. I love you and I can't bare to see you die for a worthless cause. If I ever saw you die… I don't know what I would do. Can't you see that you breaking me into pieces? I want to love you, but I can't deal with the fact that you will die because of this gang! You will die and I'll just become another Neliel. I'll be a woman in love with a dead man."
Tears soaked her cheeks and her heart was beating irregularly in her chest. Her eyes were squeezed shut, not wanting to see the judgmental gaze of the man she loved. A sob clenched her throat, and after a few moments, she released it. She felt weak and vulnerable. And she absolutely hated it.
A warm embrace covered her and Rukia wrapped her arms around his body. She clung to him, trying to press his body closer to hers. She felt his breath fan her ear, a sensation she truly did miss. She laid her buried her face deeper into his chest, now just silently crying into his chest. His hand wiped away the tears on her face when he stood up straight and he smiled down at her.
"Bunny, I would do anything to keep you by my side. If it means giving up my leadership, so be it… I look back at how I act and I feel some self-loathing for the things I did. The only thing I don't regret is making you mine. You and I are one. You helped me deal with things and I helped you feel like you had a home. If you wish for me to give this gang up and release you of your duties as my second-in-command so you don't have to worry about seeing me die a worthless death, I will do it as long as you stay by my side. Not as my property, but as my other half."
Rukia eyes were huge, more tears pouring down her cheeks. She smiled weakly, shaking with joy and relief. Her grip on him tightened and she allowed his lips to press gently against hers. Both had come to realize the other ones motives for their actions. Both of them understanding that they will need to sacrifice certain things to be together.
In all honesty, neither of them cared.
"Yo! Hate ta ruin the moment, but we got guest comin' our way!"
The three women made their way into the room quickly. Tia grabbed her gun from the table, Ru began to load her own gun, and Birdie had a small dagger in her grasp. Ichigo pressed Rukia closer to his body and watched the door. An eerie whistle was inching closer, making almost all of them go tense. Ru was the only one the recognized the cheerful tune and she narrowed her gaze before raising her gun.
"Reunited 'nd it feels so good! HAHAHAHA!"
Aizen appeared in the doorway, Gin and Hichigo standing by each side of him. Aizen stared at the three women that betrayed them before he fixed his gaze on the couple. He smiled warmly, stepping into the room with his men right behind him. Ru and Hichigo stared at each other, both not showing much except for their trademark smile. Gin had his gaze fixed on Birdie, who was trying to avoid his gaze. Aizen turned away from the couple before looking at Tia.
"Leaving me? How cruel, Tia. You three will pay for your actions. You will pay with your lives."
As if on cue, a two of Aizen's men appeared. Grimmjow glared heatedly at Ichigo before spitting some blood from the corner of his lips. Stark continued to have a bored expression on his face and groaned at the sight of an up-and-coming fight. Aizen smirked, crossing his arms and raising his smug face.
"You are outmatched by strength." Aizen mused.
"We have a plan." Tia said, pulling out a small trigger from her pocket.
Aizen and his men ducked as the wall across from them was destroyed by the bomb Rukia had placed just hours ago. Grabbing Ichigo's hand, Rukia followed Tia and Ru as they made their way to the gaping hole of the home. For a moment, Aizen and his men were blinded, but when they could see clearly, they saw Birdie standing right in the middle of the room with her blade pointed toward the men.
"Dumbass! Get outta there!" Ru shouted, glaring at Birdie. Birdie turned to her, chuckling before waving Ru away.
"I'll hold them off as much as I can while you four make a run for it. Go! Don't waste time!"
"If you die, I'm keeping your sunglasses!"
The two friends laughed at the other, Ru looking back one more time before heading out. Birdie allowed Hichigo to walk past her, knowing well that Ru would want to be the one to have her moment with the other brother. Her eyes narrowed at the other men, her hold on her blade tightening slightly before smirking.
"I always knew you were a fool, Birdie. Gin, I want you to kill this woman." Aizen said, turning to see Gin with raised eyebrow.
"Ya ordered fer meh not ta kill anyone today." Gin said.
"I make an exception for this one. Kill her." Aizen said, taking a few steps forward.
Birdie slashed at the direction Aizen was walking in, only to be blocked when Gin appeared in front of her and blocked her attack. Mentor and student stared at one another as Aizen and Grimmjow walked pass them. The Stark stayed behind, keeping an eye on the fight that continued.
"Where the hell is your friend?" Ichigo shouted as he lead the girls to one of his cars. Ru scoffed, running along side of him.
"She's tryin' ta hold some of 'em back fer us. Don't worry about her!"
"Ya'll should be worried about yourselves."
"Fuck!"
Tia raised her gun when Aizen appeared around one of the corners. Grimmjow and Hichigo stood beside each other, both staring at the group before grinning widely. Ichigo shielded Rukia with his body, glaring heatedly at Aizen while he only smirked.
"I only want your blood, Aizen. Get your men out of here, coward!" Ichigo barked, making Aizen chuckle.
"It's your blood that will be spilled tonight, Kurosaki." Aizen said, allowing Grimmjow and Hichigo to walk toward them.
Ichigo was ready, glaring at his brother only to have his vision blocked. Ru stood in-between the two groups, grinning with her own weapon pointed toward the two men. Grimmjow had a confused look on his face before stopping in his tracks. Hichigo's smile shattered completely and he glared at Ru before closing his eyes.
"Get outta my way, Ru." Hichigo said.
"Heh, ain't gonna do that, Hichi. Tia, take these two outta here. I'll handle these morons." Ru said, knowing that Tia was the one that wanted to end Aizen's life. Tia looked at the back of Ru's head before looking at Ichigo and signaling him to follow her.
"I hate cat and mouse games. I will kill them, Ru. You are sacrificing your life for a lost cause." Aizen said, making Ru look over at him.
"Ya know, as long as meh doin' this gets under ya skin, it's worth it." Ru sneered, making Aizen glare at her.
"End her life."
With that, Aizen walked down the halls by himself. Grimmjow backed away, crossing his arms and looking away from Ru when she quirked an eyebrow at him. He scoffed and turned his back to the two people holding guns.
"I ain't into fightin' girls. I'm done with this shit. I'm going home to try to find an actual job. Both of you can kiss my ass!" Grimmjow shouted, cackling soon after as he walked down the hall. Hichigo snickered, turning his gaze back to Ru to meet her laughing brown eyes.
"Ya know he's only doin' this 'cause he has a crush on Birdie 'nd ya her only friend. He's probably gonna make sure that bitch survives. Now… time ta deal wit' you. Why are ya ruining the only home we got, Ru?" Hichigo asked, genuinely asking her. Ru's face went cold and she sighed as she scratched the back of her neck.
"Aizen caused a lotta shit in my life. He be the reason why I lost my blood family. I want revenge, Hichi. If ya don't understand that, ya a bigger idiot than I thought. So, wha'cha gonna do?" Ru questioned, staring into Hichigo's eyes. Hichigo only raised his gun and smirked at Ru.
"We neva' fought in an actual fight. Let's play a bit 'fore I go 'nd kill my brother."
"Can't let ya kill him, Hichigo."
"Get over ya childhood crush, Ru. I'm the only man that can be in your mind 'nd King's return is ruinin' that. Ya mine 'nd I'll kill King ta prove it."
Ichigo smirked when he saw one of the cars he came in not too far away. He looked over his shoulder when he heard gunshots and was able to see Aizen from a distance. His hand shoved a pair of keys into Tia's hand, making the tan woman glare at him as he turned to face Aizen.
"What are you doing?" Rukia shouted as Ichigo began to walk toward him.
"Rukia, that man has tampered with almost every person close to me. It's time I get even. Hailibel, take her away from here." Ichigo said, pulling out his blade from his long coat.
"What? No, I will be the one to take that man's life!" Tia snarled, glaring when Ichigo turned to her.
"Unless you want to face the same fate as Aizen, I suggest you get Rukia out of here."
"You promised to drop this, Ichigo!"
The couple turned to look at each other. Ichigo smiled at Rukia's angry expression before patting her head. His lips pressed against Rukia's forehead and he felt her stiffen before relaxing. When he pulled away, Ichigo turned back to see Aizen making his way towards them with a smug look on his face and alone.
"I will drop it the moment this man drops dead, Bunny."
Cliffhanger! Ha, so did you all enjoy this chapter? The next chapter will be the end BUT an epilogue(which will probably be two chapters long) will defiantly be in this and a lemon will be in one of those chapters. Enjoy the madness and review!