Disclaimer and notes: No. I don't own Bleach.
The fighting game was Guilty Gear XX. The best 2D fighting game in existence.
Ah. Which I don't own either.
So here's to ten. Pay attention, it's easy to get lost here XD
To
the Wind
Chapter 10
By Advent Wing
Rukia couldn't help but giggle. It's been too long since her full completely true laugh, although she's probably done one or two in Ichigo's presence. She checked herself mentally. Maybe more than one or two.
She smiled fondly at the two girls. It's been a while since I had company like this… She amended herself quickly. Not that Ichigo or AI-san is bad company… Her thoughts travelled a bit, taking in Tatsuki's tales and quietly appreciating their presence. It's just that…sometimes it is nice being able to be open with someone.
"Is Souryu-san done with the baths?" Orihime asked, hopefully. She wanted to get all she could from them before they could go.
Tatsuki, wondering herself, stood up with a stretch "I'll check it out." She said, waving Orihime back into a sitting position when she tried to get up.
Under normal circumstances, Rukia wouldn't mind being left alone with Orihime. So why, she asked herself, with an unexplainable pull in her gut, why do I wish she left with Tatsuki?
The silence was growing oppressive. She was growing desperate. What was wrong with being alone with Orihime? What was the difference between three and two?
What the hell am I doing? Strike up a conversation! She cried furiously. What did she know about Inoue that the two of them could talk about? Every fibre of her being wanted to slip on that happy-go-lucky persona she uses at school, but it would seem…
Wrong. She decided. It just doesn't seem right anymore…
"Your math grade is improving, huh?" Orihime began softly, as if subdued by the silence.
Rukia set upon the question tentatively, feeling a sense of relief cut through the sick bog of anxiety. "Well, I managed a D last test…Ichigo has been…" She bit off her words, his name popping up in the conversation was a little unsettling. Why? "Well…"
Orihime smiled. Sometimes you talk about the one you like when you don't want to. She reflected. Am I…was I like that? "I don't know much about you, Rukia-san. You're usually very quiet."
Rukia blinked. "I am?" She had always tried her best to be loud and amiable at school. What went wrong?
Orihime smiled at her confusion. "Well, you don't eat with us most of the time, you don't talk to anyone about family or your hometown…"
Rukia paled. "F-family…? Hometown?"
Orihime nodded. "F A M I L Y. You know," she giggled. "The people who you live with?"
Rukia swallowed. "Well…they're…back in…I mean…they're abroad…so…" Rukia managed a small nervous smile, at Orihime's innocently curious appearance. "W-well…I have an older brother…"
Orihime broke into a grin. "That's wonderful! I had one too."
"…He's…left this world…?" Rukia asked, remembering that she wasn't supposed to know.
"Yes. Actually. A while ago." She paused. "But what about yours?"
"…Oh…" She struggled to describe him. "He…he's very refined."
Orihime cocked an eyebrow. "Has Kurosaki-kun met him?"
Rukia went sheet white. "Kami forbid it."
"Oh…that's too bad. Is your brother a hard person to get along with?"
Okay. I don't like where this conversation is headed. "I suppose…"
"…Is one of the reasons why you can't be with Ichigo your brother?"
Rukia felt something grow cold inside. Something wretched, and twisting, and alive. That's right. Yet another reason why I can't be with him.
Never thought about it before? Said a nasty voice. Oh, please! You knew that the two of you were from different worlds even before the moment you laid eyes on him.
It wasn't that she had never thought of it before… She had just…accepted that no matter what she said or did, she couldn't change it…and that was that. It was like a stubborn itch, but she would scratch it, and it's go away…
My. I've changed…
Noting the wretched look on Rukia's face, Orihime clapped her hands suddenly. "Hear that?"
"…Hear what?" Rukia asked, suddenly unbalanced.
"That's the sound of Tatsuki running to tell us that—"
"—BATH'S READY!" Tatsuki cried, excitedly, slamming the shoji door open.
-----
Oh, the cleverness of me. Keigo had thought about inviting Ichigo, but he seemed to be busy with Ishida.
Ah. Let's not forget that he was too far whipped by his 'wife' to be of any help.
…come to think of it, he never helped. Ever.
Chad…
"Looks like it's just you and me." Keigo said, doing his best impression of a macho hero out of a kill-em-all blockbuster. He even had the 'set-jaw-of-determination™'. He hefted half their equipment in one hand, and tossed the rest to Mizuiro.
His partner in crime, in the meantime was pondering what kind of pain Tatsuki alone could inflict, should they be caught, while plucking at the sparkles that radiated from his partner. We go where angels fear to thread, he sighed.
But hey, what about Inoue? If she's anything, she's a bright side! He argued, allowing his mind to wander.
It snapped back quickly when a strangely believable vision of Miss 'Bright side' taking Karate lessons from Miss 'Dark side' walked over to meet him.
He paled.
And Kuchiki?
He nearly laughed this time. She was such a demure little girl. He couldn't see her beating the crap out of either of them.
How wrong he was.
-----
"Uh…Keigo…" Mizuiro began. "I don't think that…"
Keigo shushed him, winding the pulley around a tree. "If the rope breaks, it's okay. We'll land on the ledge. I studied the blueprints carefully, you know."
Mizuiro groaned, taking a quick glance at the cliff, and feeling a strong sense of vertigo wash over him. "…That's great." He continued. "We have a choice between Tatsuki's fists or those sharp and pointy rocks down there."
Keigo just nods his head; his mind is already lost to what he may see in the next hour. "That's right, we do have a delectable choice…I think I'll decide when we get there…"
-----
"So," Ichigo began. "They've been missing for…15 minutes?"
Ishida nodded, his face impassive. He didn't really hear him, he was loading yet another match. "One more."
Ichigo made a motion to put the controller down. "I'm going to look for them."
Ishida's stare was so filled with animosity that even Ichigo had to pause. He spoke in a low tone, eyes hidden behind his glasses. "One…more…" He repeated.
Ichigo shook his head, and placed the controller on the table, noting that Ishida had started to growl.
"There are groups for people like you." Ichigo muttered, backing away slowly, and then turning away quickly to find Chad.
-----
Rukia glanced around suspiciously. Hmmm…I sense nothing…but…
"Rukia! OI! Hurry up!" Tatsuki called. She was already neck deep in the water and enjoying it immensely. Orihime was at the cave entrance, admiring the view, awestruck.
"It's…incredible here…" She whispered, her hair up, watching the flight path of three black-tailed birds. She turned to Rukia. "It's really beautiful…"
Rukia smiled, deciding it was safe. She slowly inched her way in, keeping her senses alert for even a glimmer of reiatsu. She felt an unfamiliar pang of envy when she saw their figures—What's the point in feeling jealous? She asked her self irritably. Curves won't help me cleanse hollows, and besides, Ichigo doesn't seem to—
She blinked, suddenly realizing that they were staring at her. "…Er…did I…do something wrong?"
Orihime playfully splashed her. "Did you really get in the bath with Kurosaki-kun?"
Rukia flushed darkly, and turned away to mask it. "…Are you two that interested—"
"—Yes!" They laughed simultaneously.
"Well…"
Tatsuki grinned. "Start from the first night you two were at the house and we'll run from there."
-----
"I DON'T WANT TO DIE, KEIGO!" Mizuiro wailed.
Keigo looked up, shocked. "The hell? Get a hold of yourself!"
Mizuiro sniffled, his eyes big pools of shiny blue. "B-But…there are still so many women that haven't had the chance to meet me…!" He shook his head. "I can't do this, Keigo! I'm sorry but I just—"
Keigo smacked Mizuiro across the face with a backhanded blow, sending him spiralling to the floor.
Mizuiro blinked, clutching his nose. "OW! Keigo…" He cried nasally.
"Listen, Mizuiro! Listen!" Mizuiro was instantly pacified. "Do you know what's down there?" Keigo asked harshly.
Mizuiro looked like he wanted to say something, probably about pain and suffering but he was cut off sharply.
"NO! You do NOT!" Keigo roared.
He turned around to stare at the edge. "That is not death, comrade! That is the path to light! To Glory! The very essence of what guys like us strive for!" Mizuiro didn't open his mouth this time. Keigo continued.
"How many of us succeed? Out of the many who try, how many reach Paradise, how many reach Valhalla?" His gaze swept back to Mizuiro. "Too few, brother, too few."
With purposeful strides, Keigo went back to tying the knots. "To give up now…would be dishonouring to our noble brothers, who have tried and failed, and to our heroes, who have succeeded!" He paused. "Leave if you must. I will not have the unwilling live…or die with me."
Mizuiro choked back a new sob. "Keigo. That was beautiful—!"
Keigo turned around to pat Mizuiro on the back. "Be strong."
-----
"…And then, we cooked breakfast." Rukia groaned at their expectant faces. "Yes, together!"
-----
"Is everything ready?"
"Yes, I double checked all the ropes, the gear, the harnesses…where'd you get all this stuff?" Mizuiro asked.
"Souryu-san mentioned that some guests enjoy rappelling. This is the gear used to do it."
"I see…so…this rappelling…have you ever done it before?"
"No."
"Oh. Okay…" He coughed to hide his nervousness.
"But first…" He kneeled, clasping his hands in front of him. Mizuiro hesitantly did the same. "I send a prayer for our friend, Kurosaki Ichigo, who unfortunately, is no longer with us."
Mizuiro nodded in understanding. He closed his eyes solemnly. "Ichigo. So young." He sighed. "So naïve. Gone before seeing what the world had to offer him…"
"Oh, he could have gone far. Oh, fate…why? Why must you disregard him?" Keigo seemed to shudder, and then drawing himself up, he brushed away unshed tears. "This is for you, Ichigo! We two are on to better things now!"
-----
"A—choo!"
"Cold?" Chad asked.
Ichigo shook his head, rubbing his nose. "Dunno…something probably irritated me…"
"…You do mean your nose?"
Ichigo shrugged. "Well—"
"They aren't in their room." Ishida observed.
Ichigo scowled. "If they aren't in their rooms…"
"Then…the baths…?" Ishida suggested, tentatively.
Chad ahemed; it didn't take a PHD to figure out what those two were up to. "…The girls are having a bath now." The way he said it; it was more of a statement, than anything else.
He watched the realization bloom on their faces.
-----
"It's…a long way down…" Mizuiro muttered. "A very…very, long way down."
Keigo, lowering himself with almost frantic speed, ignored him. "I can hear them talking…!"
"S-Slower, Keigo! Slower!" Mizuiro cried, trying to keep up but also wishing his knees would solidify. Don't look down… His foot caught on a rock, and he winced. Okay. Look where you're going, but don't look down. …Is that even possible?
Keigo glanced down, noting a smooth white marble edge peeking out. "That's it!" He said, lowering himself slowly. "C'mon! We're nearly there!"
-----
"Okay. Wait. WAIT. Damnit Ichigo! WAIT!" Ishida grabbed Ichigo by the front of his yukata. He was met by a smoulderingly fiery glare.
"Now…I know your plan is probably to run in there demanding for Keigo and Mizuiro to show themselves. When they do, because you plan to be terrifying enough to make them squeal, you're probably going to rip them apart and beat their heads in with their own limbs." Ichigo blinked, because that was EXACTLY what he was thinking of doing. "However," Ishida continued. "I have no intention of running in there, because before we even start to explain why we're intruding on Inoue-san and the rest, we'd probably be dead."
Ichigo glared. "Then what do you suggest?"
He shrugged. "We inform Kato—"
"No."
Ishida growled. "You didn't even hear what I was going to say!"
"No. Any plan that starts with that screwball's name is bound to be crap." Ichigo snorted.
"…This is exactly what you always do. You just want to run in and hack stuff up with your—"
"What the hell! It's better than your pansy ass style of running off to get a better shot!"
Ishida snarled. A Quincy's fighting style is not to be mocked. "Oh, okay, since you mentioned it, I bet I could put five arrows through your stomach before you even had a chance to—"
Chad sighed. He didn't even get half of what they were saying.
…Some game, perhaps?
-----
"…And then we made up and we—we went to sleep." She was sure she was blushing, though in the bath, she couldn't really tell. Staring into the rising steam, she began to wonder, if Ichigo had really felt the way she felt then…
What are you? Asked a scandalized voice. Are you not a Shinigami? Control yourself! Screw you, she decided. When she thought about it…it was justice. She had teased Ichigo about his bashfulness, but in the end…
Orihime and Tatsuki frowned. "That's it?" They asked in perfect unison.
"Yes!" Rukia answered loudly.
"Okay, what about today, in the baths."
"And why are you always on his case anyway? Just asking." She added quickly. Change the subject, please?
Tatsuki frowned, caught off balance. "Well…it's because I was worried that he might have…er…but that was stupid of me." She said, sneaking a hasty glance at Orihime. Orihime nodded her head in reply. Tatsuki sighed. Well, it wasn't like she could just say 'I was pissed off because he didn't go for my best friend'. A little white lie would be okay…
Besides, if Orihime supported Rukia…
What about you? Do you support Rukia? Tatsuki reeled at the thought…then thinking back, smiled. Ichigo needed Rukia, not a childhood friend…
-----
"They won't die." Ishida said, peering at the marble ledge FAAAAAR below them. Quincy skills were not only useful in battle…his eyesight was sharp. Ironic, considering he wore glasses. "IF they fall, they'll be able to grab onto a ledge down there."
"That's really too bad." Ichigo muttered. "I want them to die."
Chad made a noise of disapproval as he examined the ropes, arms folded. "If we head back we can still warn the girls."
Ishida smiled creepily. "No…I like my plan," he declared, peering over the edge to watch two figures lower themselves further down the jagged rock cliff.
He turned back to Ichigo. "Don't you?"
-----
"Keigo."
"What?" Keigo asked, finally irritated with all of his questions.
"The rope. It won't go any further." There was a hint of curiosity in his voice.
Keigo looked between the cave entrance right below him, and his friend hanging above him. He sighed. "Hold on, I'm coming."
Mizuiro suddenly felt a sharp tug, and then he dropped a few feet. "Whoa!" He frowned thoughtfully and squinted at the cliff above him, where the roped led. "Hey Keigo I think that—WOOOAAAA!" He exclaimed, suddenly plunging further downward.
"NO! Mizuiro! That's too far!" Keigo cried, before he too, was suddenly dropped downward.
-----
"Okay?" Ichigo asked Ishida from his position on the pulley.
Ishida nodded, a grim look on his face. "You reap what you sow." Ichigo halted the pulley.
Wait a god damn minute.
"Ishida! You dumbass! The whole goal was to prevent them from spying on Ruk—on the girls!"
Ishida cocked an eyebrow in incomprehension. "We did that."
"No we didn't," Ichigo said, grabbing Ishida's shirt. "We HELPED them!"
Ishida seemed to mull it over, then shrugged. "They'll be punished adequately."
"THAT'S NOT THE FUCKING POINT!"
Chad, peering over the edge, almost shuddered. Tatsuki terrified him. The fact that she had given lessons to Orihime was even more terrifying.
And he wasn't blind. He could see what Rukia did to Ichigo when she thought nobody was looking.
He didn't envy Keigo and Mizuiro.
No, actually, he wished he had caught them sooner.
-----
"This…is…heaven…" Murmured Tatsuki luxuriously. "I could seriously stay here all day…"
Orihime would have agreed, if she weren't asleep. Tatsuki rolled her eyes and splashed her playfully. Sputtering, Orihime woke up. "Tatsuki!" She exclaimed accusingly.
Tatsuki grinned. "You would have drowned."
Rukia smiled. "It's not a good idea to—"
She stared. At the cave entrance, Keigo and Mizuiro hung from their ropes like living, breathing…piñatas.
Both parties couldn't believe that the other was there.
Keigo was the first to recover from the initial shock. "I can die happy." He said solemnly.
Mizuiro was next, quickly deciding that he believed in God, and that he needed a favour.
"Oh God in heaven…"
-----
Keigo and Mizuiro were unable to join the dinner that night. Shigure didn't ask why, neither did Ichigo and the rest. Katobeto-san mentioned them briefly, but a frosty glare from the three girls, and a nervous one from the other guys, were enough to silence even him.
After all, he was mad, not suicidal.
Ichigo really wanted to ask Rukia if they had gotten a peek, for reasons that even he didn't really understand yet.
What he WAS sure of was that if she said YES, he'd take their bodies from where the girls had left them hanging, and throw them off the cliff. The grim and satisfied looks they wore were reason enough to keep his mouth shut, though.
Conversation was strained until Shigure began to keep everyone entertained with tales of previous guests.
It was during one such tale of a volatile couple that Rukia had remembered that she needed to ask about the bath.
"The baths?" Shigure asked, laughing. "Has anyone died in my baths…?" He laughed a little more, pounding his knee with an almost hysterical flair. "No." he finally said, smiling though his eyes were not. "Nobody has died in my baths."
-----
"Where are you going?" Tatsuki asked, clearing away the various board games from the futon.
"To my room." Rukia said, trying to be nonchalant about it. She uncharacteristically tripped over Monopoly on the way to the door. Tatsuki laughed, as she recovered, flustered and walked hurriedly out.
Watching her go, she wondered if everything would be all right. Well, whatever. She thought, laying back on the futon. It'll be okay in the end.
That's how the story should go, right?
Right?
-----
And the Prince and the Princess lived happily ever after…
Orihime sighed, sinking even lower into the bath. Fine. Let's just say Rukia is a princess from another world. That balances it out…right? She resisted the urge to blow bubbles in the water. Ah. 'Kay. Say that Ichigo wasn't a Prince, but became one by…inheritance!
She frowned distastefully. Nah. The real issue wasn't Ichigo, but Rukia.
Did she make a better Princess than her?
The sudden sound of splashing water shook her from her reverie.
Her expression darkened considerably. She had let Keigo and Mizuiro down, with the promise that they wouldn't even think about it again.
If there was one thing that pissed Orihime off, it was broken promises. So, when she threw the bucket, she had not expected to hear Ishida's yelp of pain.
"Ishida-kun?" Orihime asked, in disbelief. "What are—"
"I didn't…" Ishida spun around. "Uh…I'll just leave."
Orihime sighed. Just Ishida. No. It was—"No, it's okay. Just…stay there and don't come any closer." She sunk back into the bath and tried to relax her tense body. "I'll probably get out soon, anyway."
"Right…"
The ensuing silence gave her time to realize that she wasn't embarrassed, because really, she believed that Ishida hadn't seen anything.
"So…Ishida-kun? What are you doing here? It's kind of late for a bath."
-----
Ichigo sighed heavily from his position on the futon. He was seriously beginning to doubt whether or not he could stand any more of this…
There's only so much a guy can take…this week has been hell.
He glanced curiously at Rukia, who was wearing a light, stripped yukata for sleepwear. "What are you doing now?"
"Oh. Nothing."
With a tilt of his head, Ichigo noted that she was bent over a sleek, silver laptop. "Nothing…right. Tell me when you need help." He heard a scoff and smirked silently. Some things never changed…. "So, what did you and the girls do?" He asked, a little curious.
"Nothing." She said, poking at the USB port.
"Cheh." Nothing, again.
"You seemed to be having fun. Why didn't you stay with them?" Rukia tensed, but said nothing. Ichigo frowned. "Okay, fine. I'll bite. What did they say to get you angry at me?"
Rukia shook her head. "I'm not angry at you…" She sighed. "We…talked a lot."
Ichigo's gaze softened a little bit. "And?"
"And I liked it, okay? I had fun playing games with them, and…" she shrugged. "It's nothing."
With a sigh, Ichigo got up to help her. "You'll never get that thing on. Here." He sat by her with a huff, and flipped the power button. Rukia had two things vying for her attention. One was the progress of the laptop; the other was Ichigo's presence beside her. It was hard not to notice every little moment of contact, every brush of his hands on some part of hers…
"He's happy when he's with you."Orihime's voice whispered to her.
She concentrated on the laptop.
"Are we going to go to the bath? It worries me."
Rukia nodded stiffly. "Yes. Tonight. We'll wait till everyone is asleep."
Ichigo glanced at a wall clock. "Shouldn't be too long…another hour or two. Or, we could go early morning…if we manage to stay awake."
Good evening, Sir, Madame.
Rukia clapped her hands excitedly. "AI-san!"
Ichigo blanched. "You brought him along?"
Rukia nodded. "Wow. This is incredible! I suppose this laptop is like a gigai…"
Indeed, it is like a fake body, Madame.
"What's he here for?" Ichigo asked, distrustfully.
"Hush." Rukia muttered. "Well, AI-san, I'm sorry for not waking you up sooner."
No offence taken, Madame. I shall now commence setting up security measures about your room.
Ichigo paused at that. "Uh…how?"
His eyes bulged out of his head when three cylindrical tubes were ejected from the laptop.
These are to be set up at all the major entranc—
"We won't be needing that, Alex."
Why, Sir? My earlier appraisal of Katobe—
"Murdering us in our sleep isn't his style." He said, rolling his eyes. "He'd much rather kill us slowly." Rukia smacked Ichigo, murmuring accusingly of putting ideas into AI EX's head.
I see. AI EX said, not really seeing.
"Besides," Ichigo continued. "We may…er…" He spared Rukia a quick glance before addressing AI EX again. "…Visit the baths later tonight." Rukia flushed, but understood his meaning.
…I see. This time he did see.
"Yeah." Ichigo muttered.
…In that case, I will appreciate it if you left me outside the room. In this way, I may keep the room secure while you and the Madame—
Ichigo practically threw him out of the room.
-----
Ichigo collapsed on the futon with a muffled sigh. Rukia prodded him with a pen. "Keep awake. We need to be ready." Ichigo groaned an affirmative. She glanced at him. "Oh, c'mon. It hasn't been half-bad."
Ichigo grunted. "…Running around with these…people…. It's tiring."
Rukia smiled. "Admit it. You're having fun."
She giggled when she heard another grunt. Ichigo raised his head at the unfamiliar sound, glancing at her curiously.
Rukia, hiding her smile under a hand, glared coldly at him. "What?"
He shrugged, barely hiding a grin. "Nothing." He said cheekily, suppressing a cackle as her frown deepened. "What's with the pen and paper?"
"Katobeto's assignment." He noted happily that she had dropped the sensei part of his name. "Have you done it?" She asked.
He paled. She sighed. "We'll do it together. My memory of the dinner is a little…fuzzy…"
Ichigo shook his head. "What? No way we're going to write down that we got drunk!"
"Why not? It happened."
Ichigo sighed. "It may not be a big deal in your world, but it sure as hell is here."
"But you said it yourself that Katobeto knew we were drunk." Ichigo rolled his eyes at that. Anyone would have realized that you were drunk.
"Yeah, but we're not going to advertise that to the school, right?"
Rukia frowned. "Ah."
Ichigo sighed. "Wake me up when you're done. I'm getting some rest. I'll be the one doing the sending, remember?"
Rukia shrugged nonchalantly. "You're going to have to do it sometime." She warned, but didn't argue that he might need some rest.
"Yeah, yeah." He muttered. "Sometime later."
-----
…with that I learned not only how to cook for two, but also how to put out fires.
Rukia blinked. Was this one of the things that she shouldn't mention? It's fine! After all, I learned something. That's what this project is about, right?
She ruffled her hair, irritably. Still a lot to go… She glanced at the clock. I could always set my phone to wake us up… Looking at the bed, with Ichigo and his soft measured breathing, she had to admit that she was tempted…
But it never did to leave reports for later in the Soul Society…
She sighed, giving in. Screw it.
Setting her phone the way that scientist in the 12th Division had taught her, she blew out the lamps, and crawled hesitantly into the futon beside Ichigo. She checked whether he was asleep first, before guiltily tracing the area on his forehead where his scowl should be.
"I don't want to hold back anymore…" She whispered gently. "I want to be able to…" I want to able to be with you. Just be with you, without worry…and that will be enough…
She swallowed, her throat suddenly constricted. She just couldn't be 100 sure of whether or not it would be safe to tell him…
You say 'safe'…for whom? Yourself? Him? "For both of us!" She whispered harshly.
As long as there was a chance it wouldn't end happily, Rukia wouldn't risk it. It wasn't in her nature…she had lost too much. I can't risk…feeling pain at losing him…
And yet as she lay beside him, facing his back, she thought to herself: Aren't I hurting now?
So—
So…
So…
…So why am I pressed up against his chest all of a sudden?
"What took you so long…?" Ichigo murmured sleepily into her hair.
Rukia froze. "Huh?" She squeaked.
He muttered something indiscernible, head drooping down to nuzzle her neck.
If Rukia hadn't been blushing before, she was blushing now. "How is it possible for you to make an ass out of yourself when you're asleep?" She hissed. As Ichigo obviously couldn't hear her, she settled into him with a sigh.
Admit it, whispered a now VERY smug inner voice. You would have done it sooner or later. Now you can tell him that it was all his fault.
"Quiet you." She muttered. Great. Now I know I'll have to visit a therapist…
-----
"Am I dreaming…?" Rukia said, her voice soft, disbelieving. Everything around her…was…
"This is…the Feudal Era." Something was wrong…despite the fact that the architecture was consistent with Feudal Japan…everything was misty…everything was…
"Am I in the spiritual world…?"
It's nice to see you again.
Rukia spun around, but, unlike the last time, didn't lash out with her foot. She stiffened. Last time? There was a last time? She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and when she opened them again, she was deadly serious. "Who are you? What are you? How and why did you modify my memory?"
I'm sorry. I can answer only one of your questions. Concerning your memory. I didn't modify it.
Rukia frowned. "You didn't?" Then…
She did. The miko.
"Are you—" She swallowed her next word. A spirit is neither good nor evil. Classifying it like that interferes with the Shinigami's role.
To cleanse.
"Tell me where you are bound." She said, her voice strong. She had a duty to fulfill. Only I can't fulfill it. Ichigo will—
She felt a soft breeze against her.
I am not bound, yet I choose not to leave. Like the miko…but I feel I belong here. She does not.
A figure appeared at the edge of her vision.
"I'm a Wind Spirit. I guard the mountain…in a way. I can't fight very well though. There is an object, a mirror that—" It jerked and cocked it's head, as if it had just heard a sudden, loud bang.
"It's taken them! It means to use their reiatsu!"
Rukia paled. The only ones with reiatsu were—
"GO! HURRY!"
Rukia woke up.
-----
"That question earlier. Whether or not someone died in your bath. That was a lie. It's been a story we tell all youngsters in the family." Katobeto smiled, reclining in his chair. It was late, but as he was leaving the next day, he had wanted to spend some time with his nephew. "I should know. I particularly enjoyed telling it to you and your cousins."
Shigure's face gave a twitch. It was small, but it was there. "Well. Can't let potential clients get scared of the bath, now can I?"
-----
"Screw this." Ichigo muttered, his spiritual footsteps echoing in the ethereal world. Right beside him, Rukia kicked his foot just as he took a long stride, the way Keigo did it in school. Tripping, and cursing her loudly, he hopped to regain balance. "Bitch!"
"In here!" she said, not big on wasting time on chastising him. The kick would have to do. She tore the shoji door open, dashing through the changing room, ignoring ritual.
Kami, please, Kami please. Inoue-san! What greeted her, made her stop dead in her tracks.
It wasn't just the spiritual pressure. It was minor compared to what she knew Vice-Captains were capable of. It made breathing constricted, but not impossible. It did not rend her to her knees, or force tears out of her eyes.
Ishida and Orihime were hanging, suspended in mid-air, clothed in a thick viscous shadow. Behind and below them, a huge spider-like being of the same material form, loomed.
A hand flew to her nose. The smell, it burned her throat. What the hell was it?
"HERE WE GO!" roared Ichigo, jumping over Rukia's halted form. Soul Cutter already out and raised above his head, he landed lightly on the floor, though his reiatsu caused it to crack.
"Cover me, if you can!" He called out to Rukia, with a slight hint of challenge. Jumping again to meet the shadowy mist, what he assumed to be a body, he heard Rukia chant.
"DOMINATOR!" She began desperately, intent on saving her friends. HER friends! "Mask of flesh and blood. All living beings. That which has the name human! Truth and Temperance, carefully imbed your claws into the walls of innocent dreams!" Ichigo reared back, ready to cut the thing in half.
"Destructive Art 33! Blue Firefall!" She cried, aiming so that it would hit a long snake like tentacle that had reared back to strike at an incoming Ichigo. It was torn off, and the Art engulfed the entire monster in blue flames.
Unhindered, Ichigo's Soul Cutter slashed straight and true, a burst of light emanating from the cut that stretched from the top of the mist to the bottom. It gurgled, sick and wounded, backing away and dropping its captives.
Ishida and Orihime fell into the bath with a splash, and Rukia rushed in to recover them. Dancing to the side, Ichigo goaded the Spirit away, allowing Rukia to drag their two friends out of the bath.
Already regaining consciousness, Ishida knocked her hands away, wiping water from his lips and nose. The cross that hung at his wrist glowed.
"No." Rukia said forcefully. "This isn't a Hollow. Let us handle it." She gestured towards Orihime. "Check if she's okay, and get her out of here!"
It was either following a Shinigami's orders, or doing his sworn Quincy duty, and Ishida hesitated, his conflict evident. Sharp and rasping coughs from Orihime, however, made the decision for him.
Seeing that he was following her orders, she turned around, and headed towards Ichigo.
-----
"Rukia! Mind telling me what it is?" He called, dodging an appendage, to stand protectively in front of her. She frowned, seemingly unable to come up with an answer that suited her. They were driven apart by a tentacle.
"Not a Hollow." She muttered. "A Demi, then? Something in between…" Her muscles were screaming protest at each step, and her breathing was no longer controlled, but ragged. Can't keep up much longer…
Ichigo, in an attempt to get closer to deliver a killing blow, winced as a tentacle grazed his arm, causing it to bleed. His Soul Cutter, shining with what little light there was, slashed at the middle of the enemy, his movements becoming desperate. A gap opened up by his slash, and his eyes widened at the sight. There, cloaked by the shadow, was a human head, its eyes turned dully towards him. It seemed to be in a state of decomposition…
…It was rotting.
"It IS a Demi…!" Her mind worked desperately, as Ichigo, sensing a weak point, dashed in, intent on slashing at the 'exposed' head. Something with reiatsu is keeping him from becoming a Hollow…leaving him something else!
Ichigo—
She gasped, her body freezing up.
How fleeting, our happiness was.
She doubled over, watching the scenes with horror.
She couldn't even summon up a destructive art to block the whispers, the sad, harsh voice of a dead woman.
A tentacle dripping with foam burned Ichigo's left shoulder. He pressed on, determinedly, his intent to cut the being cloaked in shadow.
I will keep you here.
She started forward with a gasp, running directly between Ichigo and the Demi.
I won't let you go.
"You're wrong!" she rasped.
This is where we shall stay, forever.
"Ichigo!" She shouted, finally coming between them. "Stop! STOP!"
Forever.
Ichigo turned his blade away at the last minute, clutching Rukia to his chest and barrelling to the side.
"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!" He cried, standing up; his face twisted with both fear and anger. "I could have—" He stiffened. "Rukia?" I didn't cut her. I couldn't have. And yet there was blood, bright blood that was coming out of a wound in her side….
She managed tiny bursts of breath, and between them, spoke harshly, urgently, commandingly into his ear. "There is a miko here. In spirit form. You have to send her!"
"Bleeding…" He muttered, afraid to check his Soul Cutter.
"Ichigo—" She stared, eyes wide at the Demi, who was lumbering towards them.
There was strained silence, until a female figure in miko clothes emerged from the mist.
She carried a mirror in both hands, and in it, a younger girl, clothed in a kimono, stared imploringly at Rukia.
The miko gazed at the two superciliously, evidently oblivious to the Demi that had stopped for her.
"Send her." Rukia murmured pleadingly.
Ichigo stood up, in a daze. Her orders kept him from screaming, kept something inside him from ripping apart.
When he lifted the Soul Cutter, hilt up, the miko's eyes softened. "If I choose not to go?"
Rukia, hand pressed to her side, glared at her. "You don't have a choice. The Court of Pure Souls will decide your fate."
The miko now addressed her. "All I wanted…was for he and I to share in the joy of others, for we could not enjoy it ourselves…" She held out the mirror. "If you two had been married…you wouldn't have known…"
Rukia eyes held no sympathy. "And that is what you've created."
Choosing not to look at the creature behind her, she accepted the hilt.
Ichigo didn't watch the Hell Butterfly take to the sky, and he didn't hear the mirror clatter to the floor with a crack. He was too engrossed in the Demi, whose shadow form was stripped away, by the wind, to reveal a young man, kneeling on the floor.
"Where…" He grunted, and he began twisting on the floor, as the Chain attached to him seemed to eat itself.
"Send him!" Rukia cried.
This time Ichigo watched.
They both did, weary and spellbound, as two Hell Butterflies floated into the moonlight.
Ichigo sat next to her heavily, quickly going to her side. "Let me see it." He whispered hoarsely.
"Do you smell that?" Rukia said, head against the wall. Ichigo took a sniff. "This is how it should be." She laughed, and he marvelled at the sound. Rukia did not laugh often. "Some Springs cure aches and skin, but no, this one had to be special, and heal spirits." She continued.
"So…the mirror?" He wanted to see the wound, why wouldn't she let him?
"It kept the guardian of this place sealed, using the reiatsu created from…" She stumbled. "…From married couples."
"Why?"
"An old story." Shigure muttered. They jerked in surprise, Ichigo dragging his Soul Cutter in front of him. "The mirror I placed here, every time new guests visit…it was supposed to keep away the curse of this place."
"Curse?" Ichigo asked suspiciously.
"One that suffocated every married couple to enter the spring…" He chuckled darkly. "It is said that…in a dream, my ancestor met a miko, one who claimed that she could end the curse…." He shook his head. "She showed him the mirror…ending a curse…but only so another could take its place."
Behind him, the entire inn's guests were staring, opened mouthed at the state of the bath, and at Rukia.
Orihime, Tatsuki, and Chad were staring pointedly at Ichigo, while Ishida seemed to be examining the varying levels of destruction, obviously nervous as hell, and without any good ideas to share.
Katobeto looked around. "Where's Ichigo?"
Shigure's eyes lit up in understanding, focusing on Ichigo. "You must be a Shini—"
-PHOOOF-!
-----
"That's the last of them. I put Orihime and Ishida in the same room by mistake, and I sure as hell aren't going to go back there and lug his heavy ass into another room." Rukia nodded, staring distractedly at the ceiling.
"That's not good." She mumbled. "What happens when she wakes up in the morning?"
He shrugged. "You did the flashy thing on them. It was a long way to their rooms, you know."
"Could YOU have picked a better time?" She retorted.
Well, they would have been hard pressed to get out of that one, he reflected. What better time than right then?
He cast an eye to the wound she had a bright red cloth pressed to. "Lemme see it." He grunted. Rukia, who had changed out of her torn yukata and into a clean shirt, he hesitated before lifting the cloth away. She allowed him to treat the cut, and watched, as his face grew more and more closed as he dressed it.
"Don't worry about it." She whispered, but hissed every time circumstance made him run his hand over it.
"…What does the aura in the bath do?" he asked, tending to the other cuts and scrapes she had, knowing full well that she had spared nothing in healing him of his injuries.
She couldn't hide the pink in her cheek. "It…relaxes you…spiritually. I suppose." She managed to act nonchalant. "It doesn't matter, and it's hard to explain."
He nodded. "We should soak in it tomorrow." Her eyes widened, and her blush darkened considerably. "—Separately!" He said quickly, mentally slapping himself.
She exhaled—Why did she feel a tinge of regret?—and let him work. His efficiency was startling, but pleasant, and he seemed at ease with the contents of the first aid box, applying burn medicine for the Demi's acid, placing a cold pack on a bruise…. She was thankful for these rare moments, when she saw his tender side. She nearly laughed at the irony. She was normally the one tending his wounds…
"That was pretty good." He mumbled.
"What was good?" Rukia asked softly, lost in his careful ministrations.
Seemingly startled that he had spoken aloud, he continued diffidently. "The way we fought. It was different. I liked it. We were…"
"…A team?" She suggested.
"Yeah…except for…" He glanced at her side furtively. She took his chin in his hands.
"Don't be stubborn. It's okay. It'll be fine tomorrow."
He pulled away. "Yeah."
Sighing, she leaned back to lie on the futon. "C'mon. I'm tired."
Did she detect a blush there? She couldn't really tell. The lamp didn't provide a lot of light. She watched him put away the first aid box.
This time she recognized it for what it was. She couldn't help but feel disappointed, when, after extinguishing the lamp, Ichigo turned face the wall. Frowning irritably, she settled down, wondering why he was so block-headed, and why the heck couldn't she stop feeling like bashing his head in?
"Hey. Rukia." He said quietly.
"What?" she asked curtly.
"The guy…and the miko…who were they? And how did you know about them?"
Rukia drew a breath. "Well…they were in love. But…the miko, who had been kept isolated since the day she was born, took his death…hard." She noticed his movement, and he noticed the strain in her voice.
"How did you know?"
"I…I could feel it. Her memories…they were…unpleasant. One of the downsides to being a—" Her breath caught. "Ichigo…?"
"Sorry." He whispered. "Let me do this."
She settled into his embrace, suddenly realizing how much she needed it. "It was horrible." She managed. "All that was left were her feelings. Wretchedness. Hate." Her grip tightened. "Longing." She relaxed, as he rubbed the small of her back soothingly.
"…It must have been hard…"
"It…yeah. It was." She could feel his hand brush her side gently. It was to be expected…she would have felt the same way if she had cut…if she had hurt someone…she cared about…
Kaien… A voice whispered.
"Did…I…cut you?" His voice was harsh, and Rukia felt his pain.
"Yes. And it doesn't matter." He stiffened. "It doesn't matter!" She pulled away harshly. "Stop this. Just stop! I ran in like that…things were moving so fast…" She sighed. "You know what?"
He blinked. "What?"
"You've got a head that could crack a Hollow's mask."
Ichigo stared, dumbstruck, and then frowned. "Hey…"
"You do. Now, go to sleep, and if you feel bad about it in the morning, I'll punish you."
Ichigo mouth went dry. "Huh?"
Rukia sighed. "PUNISHMENT. For your crime of NOT cutting me in half."
Okay. "Wait just a min—"
She pecked him on the cheek. "Sleep."
She settled into him, flustered, but pleased that she had gotten him to shut up. Pleased that she hadn't hit him.
Generally, she was just pleased. Ichigo was weak in this arena…very, very weak. She smothered a smile on his uninjured shoulder.
Ichigo stifled a groan. Like he was going to sleep now?
Tsuzuku
XD Whee.
It's safe to say that I love this chapter.
The conclusion to the Onsen-sub-plot is next!
Once again, if you've made it all the way down here, then realize, comments feed my muse.
That's the downside to being a muse, I guess XD