A/n: Thank you for all my beautiful reviews, it makes me so happy, even the somewhat mean ones. To know that someone cares enough about me to critique me! THANK YOU AND NINTENDO WII'S FOR ALL!! (Imaginary wii's of course)
Chapter 10: To Makai?
"All Captain's, Lieutenants, and Second Seats report to 1st Squad barracks immediately," Isshin's voice boomed through the hell butterflies, and in a matter of minutes everyone was in the Captain's meeting room. They all entered silently and got in 2 lines by Squad, and then rank with Rika, Yusuke, Isshin, Kurama, Inoue, Botan, Rukia and Ryuken filing in the ends. Ichigo stood in the middle as they all seemed to make a large circle around him.
"Yamamoto is to be arrested for the kidnapping of Koenma the great, but when the Spirit Detectives arrived he has been 2 steps ahead and has left. He took the prisoners Renji, Ishida, and Chad along with him. Also it is thought that he has taken Koenma along with him. We all need to spread out and search this whole barracks in search of any clues, or anyone for that matter," Ichigo said looking around at everyone who seemed a little surprised that he was now taking charge of the situation.
"What gives you the right to order us around like this?" Captain Kuchiki said eyeing Ichigo with a death glare. Ichigo was supposed to be an outlaw what gave him the right to call a meeting and tell them what to do?
"Koenma gave him permission," Kurama said walking into the circle and looking at everyone. "I was the last person to see him, and he gave us the orders to arrest Yamamoto."
"And who do you think you are demon?" Byakuya asked questioning not only Kurama but Rika as well.
"Hey buddy, you just found out that your leader kidnapped everyone's superior and you are gonna sit here and," Rika started to scream and walked up to Byakuya's face, "You are an idiot then."
Everyone in the room gasped, Byakuya was just called an idiot what would he do?
He looked at her sternly and opened his mouth but quickly shut it when Rika started at him again.
"Listen to me, don't try and call me an idiot, because I may be a demon but I am all your superior in every single way you can think of buddy, and I give Ichigo permission to run this whole thing because he knows more about what is going on then any of you," she said and he looked away from her and over at Ichigo. "No look here," she said grabbing his shoulders and forcing him to look back at her. "If you are just here to cause problems then you can leave and I will make sure that when we do find Koenma that you are stripped of your rank and kicked out of the Soul Society all together," she said finishing up and he gave her an understanding look. She nodded and then walked back over to her spot.
"Thank you?" Ichigo looked over at her and she just shrugged, "Right, now go."
Everyone but Ichigo and Rika left to look for some clues or somebody who would know where Yamamoto had gone.
"Sorry, I just get stressed and the only way for me to feel better is to let some jerk like that just have it," Rika apologized as she helped Ichigo look around the room for anything. The room only really consisted of a fireplace and an empty desk. She walked over to the fireplace and began to push every brick around it.
"It's okay," he said closing the last desk drawer; he looked up at her, "What are you doing?"
"Well there could be a secret passage behind this thing," she said making her way down to the second row of bricks. "And the trigger could be one of these bricks," she stopped at one that looked like it was sticking out farther than the rest. She put all her weight and strength behind pushing the brick but it didn't move.
Ichigo rolled his eyes at her and walked over and pointed his sword at it, "Get out of the way," he said and she quickly got behind him. He blasted it with his sword and blew a huge hole in the wall. They both ran over to it and looked out to see the dark sky and moon.
"Nope I guess not," she smiled at him and he was instantly regretting listening to her.
"What are you doing?" A voice behind them said and they turned to see Soi Fon.
"We thought there was a hidden room behind the fireplace," Rika said defensively to the woman.
"Why didn't you just try to push all the bricks in?" She asked them and Rika looked over at Ichigo who was growing pink in the face. "Anyways, I just wanted to say, Ichigo I think you would make a fine General and Squad 1 Captain. If that option ever came up I would vote for it," she said looking directly at Ichigo.
"Oh well, thank you," he said and looked at the door as Kyoraku and Nanao dragged in a blue looking guy.
"George!" Rika said running over to him and hugging him, "How are you?"
"They took him, I was sleeping and I was stupid and wahh…MASTER!" George cried as he was let go and he cuddled up against Rika.
"George it's not your fault, I'm sure Koenma doesn't blame you for anything, you are his best friend," she said trying to comfort the sobbing ogre.
"You really think that I'm his best friend?" He looked hopefully up at her.
"I know you are," she said and he smiled before beginning to cry again.
"Then I'm a horrible best friend," he screamed and Rika's eyes widened as she looked around at everyone in the room and Ryuken had just appeared holding some sort of book.
"George, do you know where they took him?" Rika tried just skipping past all the horrible best friend stuff and trying to get information out of him.
"Makai," he said through sobs and he took in a deep sniff.
"Right, so this is the work of a demon," Kyoraku said and everyone around him agreed and he ran to call everyone back to the meeting room.
"What did you get?" Ichigo looked over at Ryuken.
Ryuken turned to look at him and his glasses gleamed in the process, "Nothing."
"What's that book?" Ichigo pointed at the book, this man was impossible.
"Nothing that will help you, trust me," he said coldly looking down at his book and he held it closer to him.
Once everyone had gathered in the room they all sat around the room and Ichigo stood in the middle again. "Alright we need about 5 or 6 more people to go to Makai with us," he said looking at all of them.
"If she's in charge of Makai why do we need to do this?" Yachiru questioned and everybody looked over at Rika.
Rika suddenly snapped to attention, "Um, because I won but left right after and um," she paused and looked at some people who were shaking their heads, "Yes, I know I'm horrible, but demons are way worse than any hollow. I didn't wanna have to be responsible for those crazy's things!"
"Who cares, the truth of the matter is that whoever is behind this is strong and not only is soul society in trouble all the dimensions are as well, including this one, earth, Huecco Mundo, and even the one where the high and mighty lives," Ichigo said trying to rally people to the cause.
After a while it was decided that Zaraki, Ikkaku, Soi Fon, Kyoraku, Hitsugaya, Mastsumoto, Rukia and Yachiru would all go to Makai. Isshin, Inoue, Botan and Ryuken would stay with the rest of the captains while Ichigo, Rika, Kurama, and Yusuke all went to Makai with the others.
"Are you sure you want me to stay here?" Inoue asked Ichigo as he was catching up with Rukia.
"If something happens here they will need you, I don't know what these demons are capable of," he said and she smiled at him, she really didn't want to go she was just making sure.
Inoue walked over to George who was still sulking and tried to cheer him up and Ichigo turned back to Rukia. "Are you sure you are up for this?"
"Well yeah, I'm really disappointed that I wasn't including in being a traitor," she laughed and Ichigo didn't see how it was funny.
"You really would want to be where Renji is right now? He is probably driving
Ishida and Chad crazy!" now he laughed and she did too.
"Ready Buuuuddy?" Rika said bouncing up to them with way to much enthusiasm.
"Rika," Kurama called from the doorway his face registered urgency. Rika sighed and slowly made her way over to him. As soon as she reached him he pulled her out into the empty hallway. "I don't want you to go," he said flatly.
"Well screw you I'm going," she said turning to go back into the room.
He didn't know how to tell her this, he grabbed her arm and she turned back to him. He guessed he was just going to come out with it. "No one in Makai is very happy about what you did. You know they must be plotting for when you return, what if this whole thing was just a plan just to get you to return?" He was just in Makai he had gotten his fair share of demon's going after him because of her. If there was someone really strong behind this then she was finished, not even he would be able to protect her.
"Kurama," she said quietly looking down at the floor. He was making her nervous, nervous to be talking to him alone again, nervous to go back to Makai, nervous because she was worried about him as well. "I can't just sit here while my kingdom is being threatened."
"What? Rika it's not yours anymore, it hasn't been since you left it. When was the last time you actually lived in Makai?" He said feeling a headache coming on, why was she so damn difficult?
"Well I lived there when I was a little kitten," she said trying to remember exactly the last time was, she was pretty sure it was when she was a little. She wanted just to get away from him, who knew what he was secretly trying to pull. "Don't worry about me, there are plenty of strong people going with us, and if you haven't forgotten I am a lower S-class!" Rika was now going from nervous to anxious; it was time to get out of there. She ran back where everyone was so that Kurama couldn't stop her again. "Let's get this show on the road!"
Everyone huddled around Rika and she told them to close their eyes and then open them and they were there. They stood in front of a large black forest and the sky around them was red with purple clouds. Everything around them looked dreary and dead, even the soil looked like it was deader then the sand in the desert. Everyone just looked all around them; it was just like an endless forest everywhere around them. There were dead trees on all sides of them and even behind them. When they finally turned around they saw the only building in Makai, well at least the northern part of Makai. It was a large circular castle, it looked like a seven layer cake.
"Welcome to my," Rika started but Yusuke quickly covered up her mouth, and he whispered shut it in her ear before letting her go. She kept her mouth shut and no one really knew what to do next.
"What do you think you all are doing here?" A dark voice came from one of the trees around them.
"HIEI!" Yusuke screamed excited and a small man with black spiky hair jumped out of a tree and landed on the back of Zaraki.
Hiei didn't know what he had jumped too but, it felt weird, he looked down and saw it was a large stature man. He quickly jumped off of Zaraki and landed on the ground next to Hitsugaya. Again he felt something was off and he looked down to see he was on the ground. He looked over and noticed that the man he was standing next to was the exact same height as he was. The man turned to look at him and a very annoying woman scooped Hiei up into her bosom.
"Oh look Captain! He is exactly like you but his hair is opposite," Matsumoto squealed loving that she had finally found Hitsugaya's twin.
"Let-," Yusuke started but he stopped once he saw it was too late. Hiei had forcefully pushed the woman off of him and she had gone flying into a nearby tree. Hitsugaya not liking the fact that his lieutenant had just been man handled drew his sword and took a stance in front of Hiei.
Hiei liking the challenge threw his cloak off and drew his sword as well, his aura around him began to glow red and a fire dragon appeared behind him. Hitsugaya smiled and screamed Bankai and turned into his ice dragon.
"Oh Jesus," Ichigo and Yusuke said at the same time, watching as they began to fight. Hiei threw a Dragon of the darkness flame at Hitsugaya who easily dodged the attack and flew at Hiei.
"Stop!" Rika finally screamed as she leapt up at Hiei and grabbed him by the shoulders and threw him against the ground but he landed on his feet and the flames around him dissipated. Hitsugaya floated back down to the ground and went back to normal. "He is not the one we need to be fight," she said to Hitsugaya but pointing at Hiei.
"Hiei has anything abnormal been going on lately?" Kurama asked knowing that anything happening in Makai Hiei would know.
"Like what?" Hiei looked at Kurama before looking at Ichigo who almost looked like Kurama now that he had short hair.
"Like large gathering demons?" Soi fon said stepping forward, liking this little gothic looking man in front of them.
"There are always large gatherings of Demons, especially lately wanting to find and kill her," Hiei said pointing to Rika who took a large gulp. "I did sense something weird a few hours ago though, a very large spirit energy along with a few weaker ones."
"That could be Koenma, and the others," Ichigo said and everyone agreed that it must have been them. "Where do you feel them now?"
"I can't," Hiei said looking back at Hitsugaya who was helping Matsumoto up.
"Which means they are probably in the southern part of Makai," Kurama said and him and Yusuke sighed, they hated the south. "It's where all the little C and B-class demons hang out and fight each other until they die."
"What! They fight until they die, what do they do with the bodies?" Rukia exclaimed as she pulled out her hand-dandy notebook and began to draw little penguin demons ripping each other's heads off.
"Oh that's very good," Kyoraku said watching her and pointing out little things here and there for her to add. Finally she was finished and she showed everyone her drawing.
"Like this?" She asked and the 4 spirit detective's including Ichigo sweat dropped, but all the others thought it was an excellent drawing.
"Not quite," Rika said and she took the paper and flipped the page and started to draw her own little picture. She drew about 5 furry monsters all poking each other in the eyes with bloody fangs and blenders as hands. "More like this," she said showing everyone and they all gasped except for Ichigo and the 3 remaining detectives.
"Oh so you mean like this," Rukia took the book back and started to draw again.
Ichigo grabbed the notebook from Rukia, "Enough with the drawings!" He threw the book and it hit some tree and pages went flying everywhere. "Lets just get going already," he looked at Rika and they all were excited.
"Well you see, it's like nighttime right now and this is probably the safest place to stay the night, so lets all rest and then head out in groups in the morning," Yusuke explained and they all remembered that it was night in the Soul Society as well and they had all been waken up by the hell butterfly message. He told them how they should start a fire in the middle of a clearing and it should stay burning all night, and that the best place to sleep was up in the trees.
Rika and Rukia set up a fire and everyone else climbed into bed in the trees. All of them had complained that it was uncomfortable but once they had actually gotten up on a branch they fell asleep instantly. Rika sat down in front of the fire and invited Rukia to sit with her for a while, if she wasn't deadly tired that was. Rukia decided that she could stay up for another ten minutes or so and plopped down next to Rika.
"So, you love Ichigo?" Rika said blatantly and Rukia looked very taken aback.
"Um, no," she said, her and Ichigo were just friends there was no romance involved, not even a little. His family was like a second family for her, she loved him as a brother figure.
"Oh, I see, so when you heard about him and Inoue's little display of affection," Rika tried to see Rukia's face in the dark redness. "You didn't feel any pang of anything?" Rukia shook her head and Rika was becoming confused, "Well, I did, and I've only known him for like 2 weeks now." She pulled her legs up to her chest and rested her head on her knees and looked at the fire.
Rukia yawned and apologized and Rika let her finally go to bed. Rika wasn't tired in the least, maybe it was her nap, and maybe it was the insomnia. She sighed and stared at the flickering flames as they licked each other and crackled. She thought maybe watching it would make her tired, but nope, not even a little bit. She groaned and flung herself backwards and stretched all her limbs at once. Being hyperactive at the age of 5,839 years old was not a good thing; it was a pain more than anything.
'Maybe I will finally die,' she bravely thought looking up at the glowing black moon in the sky. It was weird how it was black but still gave off light and was luminous like earth's moon. She hated Makai, the moon, was her least favorite. Not only did Makai have 1 moon but they had 3 moons that rotated through all 3 corners of Makai which was how they originally split it up in the first place. There was a lord in each third and you knew you were in the next part when you could no longer see one moon and you saw a completely different one.
She heard someone sit next to her and her eye's flew open and she looked at Ichigo sitting next to her. She sat up and turned to face him, but he seemed to be in a sort of trance. She watched him for a little while; there was something about him, something that she loved to look at. Rika was waiting until he noticed that she was looking at him but he just kept looking forward, "Can't sleep?" She couldn't stand the silence any longer.
"Nah, I really don't sleep usually, and when I do I don't need very much," he said finally turning his head and catching her eyes in his. This was probably the first time he had felt she wasn't being annoying, it seemed like she wasn't trying hard anymore. "Are you scared?"
"Demon's don't get scared," she said smiling at him, but he gave her that yeah right look. "Okay I'm scared out of my mind, and I'm anxious, nervous, excited, and want to throw up all at the same time."
He laughed a little and pulled his knees up and crossed his arms on top of them. "This moon is very strange, eerie even," he said looking up at it and Rika did as well.
"This is probably one of the plainest moons in all of Makai," she said thinking it was weird how she was just thinking about it and he brought it up.
"I don't see any other ones. Do they rotate through different times in the year?" He asked curious still looking up at it as a chill blew through him. He started to get goose bumps but it was no big deal.
"No each different part of Makai has a different moon, it is how they originally split up the territories, like on earth countries are decided based on rivers and landmarks," she felt the wind against her skin, though it felt like it was blowing against her bones. Another thing she hated in Makai, the wind, it was like artic gusts. Makai was not the best place to live, Rika could image that it was probably one of the worst worlds ever.
There was a large scuffling sound from a few hundred feet away, and Rika perked up and listened closer. Ichigo watched as her ears were instantly on top of her head and became cat like and alert. Rika stood up and told him she heard voice's of demons, he stood up as well. He tried to hear them, but he was unable, so he tried to sense them. Strangely he could, they didn't feel very strong but they were distinct and almost brought a foul stench to his nose. It was a completely different feeling from feeling the reaistu's around him.
Rika started to run towards it and Ichigo had to follow her, what if these guys were here for her? When they reached them there were three of them and they were the ugliest little things Ichigo had ever seen. They all had many arms, or eyes, and were different strange colors he never knew existed. As soon as they saw them arrive the demons picked something up and ran away from them.
"Scavengers, they are the lowest of the low," Rika said before she felt it and froze, Ichigo felt it as well and looked to where the large aura was coming from. A huge Triceratops emerged from their left and Ichigo looked at Rika.
"Is that a Dinosaur?" He asked her and she was still looking at it when she nodded her head. "What is one of those doing here?"
The angry Triceratops started to snort at them and rear up before it let out a high pitched screech. Rika quickly grabbed Ichigo's arm and started to run, and she ran fast, Ichigo had to flash step to keep up with her. He glanced behind them and the dinosaur was some how keeping up with them.
They ran for a little longer and then Ichigo could feel another strong energy like the triceratops and he looked behind and saw a gigantic T-rex emerge and grab the other dinosaur in its huge teeth. "Rika," he said and she stopped and turned to watch as the t-rex threw the triceratops up in the air and let it land in its mouth and swallow it whole. It was like the T-rex was just throwing a piece of pop-corn up and catching it in his mouth, like it was some cool trick.
Yet another reason Rika hated Makai, well at least northern Makai, the dinosaurs, and all of them were carnivores. "Fuck, that's a big guy," she said as she was still holding Ichigo's hand, and it was shivering in hers. She looked at him and his whole body was convulsing, was he going to die of fright? The Tyrannosaurs looked directly at them and Rika swore to god that Ichigo had wet himself.
The monstrous dinosaur walked slowly over to them and Rika told Ichigo to stand his ground and hold his breath. Ichigo of course did as he was told and watched as Rika walked out in front of him and he could see her tail flicking back and forth behind her. The dinosaur stuck its nose right up to Rika and started to sniff her. Rika held her breath and quickly shoved her hand up into its right nostril. He instantly reared back and took Rika with him; she had clawed him so she could hold on for the ride. Once he had bucked his head up she let loose and jumped up so she was on its head in between its eyes.
She never understood why it was illegal to kill these things; hell if it was going to kill her she wasn't going to let it. She put her hands together in a gun type fashion and blasted the thing right in its little brain and it began to wobble back and forth. "Shit," she screamed and jumped towards Ichigo. When she landed on the ground she slipped violently but Ichigo had regained control of himself and caught her before she forcefully slammed her head in the ground.
She stood up and brushed herself off and looked at Ichigo, "I know I am amazing."
"I could have done it if it wasn't the first time I had ever seen one," he said as if it was no big deal.
"You know what, those things are actually illegal to kill here," she said pointing at the fallen T-rex.
"Why is that?" he wondered looking at the ugly beast with its brains all over the place.
"You can use anything on them to make something evil, its how they try to keep people from creating dangerous weapons," she said walking up to it and examining it's greatness. "I kill too much."
A/n: Yeah, so I bet a lot of you are wondering who Rika Gato is, well she is my own character, she is in most of my stories but in each story her past is different. So I hope that I am adding enough background information on her. And if you really like her character you can check out my other stories with her in it, like 'How to find peace' and 'Love is Revenge' and my all time favorite 'Captives'. R&R peace out y'all. OKANE