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"Ban...kai."
Ume gasped softly, watching in silence as Mayuri's zanpakutou began to twist and turn,
'Why...why is this happening??'
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I've been able to see the future...for as long as I can remember...
A tiny girl in pigtails and a pink dress gasped softly as she and her mother reached the crosswalk. She spotted a boy on a bicycle coming towards them. The light hadn't yet changed for them. Her mother sighed, shaking her head,
"Teenagers...thinking they can do anything."
"He's going to get hit."
She glanced down at the tiny girl, smiling,
"Well, I'm glad you know not to do anything dangerous like that, Ume."
"No. He's really going to--"
The woman gasped, pulling Ume back from the curb as she heard the sound of tires screeching. A bright red Camaro swerved, the driver trying hard to avoid the bicycler. It was too late, however. Bouncing off the side of the Camaro, the bicycler went flying into the middle of the intersection. Ume's mother screamed, calling for others to go assist him,
"Someone call an ambulance!! Somebody...!"
"It's too late for that, Mommy."
Glancing down in horror at the little girl, she swallowed hard,
"Wha-What did you say?"
Ume gazed at the bicycler, who stood just a few feet away from his body. A severed chain dangled from his chest, a chain similar to the one she'd seen hanging from her father's two years ago. He had died when she was only three, and the image of his spirit standing behind her mother at the funeral was her very first memory.
So why...?
"Can I go play with them, Mama??"
Yuri pleaded, tugging at her clothes. She smiled, nodding shortly,
"Just be careful, all right? And wait for me when you reach the street. I don't want you crossing by yourself."
"Okay!!"
She smiled as she watched the boy toddle up the steps after his friends. They were on their way home from a birthday party that afternoon, and Jicchi, Yuri's best friend, had asked her if Yuri could come over to their hotel and play for a little while longer.
She'd agreed, of course, knowing how much Yuri missed the boy since they'd moved here from Osaka two years ago. Apparently, switching houses for a year had not been enough to keep Kurotsuchi and his dogs from finding them. Tired of narrowly escaping his sudden visits, she decided to pack up and leave Osaka for good. Yuri protested, but there wasn't much choice. If they hadn't left, they would've been killed. So far, she had been able to keep them off the radar. But she often wondered...for how much longer would this last?
Her eyes widened as she reached the top of the steps. She screamed in horror. Yuri was out in the middle of the street, a gigantic semi-truck barrelling down the road toward him. She ran forward, and the vision of a young man leaping out into the road to save the boy came into her mind. Gasping she began to step out,
'If I don't do something, they'll both be killed. I have to save Yuri!'
"YURI!!"
She suddenly flew backward, eyes widening as she spotted the young man from her vision dashing out into the road,
'NO!!'
"YURI!"
She watched in horror as the semi screeched to a halt, surely crushing them both under its weight,
"YURI!!"
As the truck started again, she gasped, spotting them across the road,
'How...?'
The boy let Yuri down, making sure that no cars were coming before the little tyke ran back to her.
Why is it...that I'm resigned to stand back and watch!!?
"St-Stay with me, Hayato...!"
He smiled at that, coughing again as he leaned his head back,
"Ume...don't..."
"No! I'm not losing you!!"
He smiled wistfully, his voice barely a whisper,
"You know...I'm sure you could still fit in it if you tried...that little lime bikini...I bet you'd still be a knock out in it..."
His body loosened, his lips barely able to form his last words. His voice was so soft that it could no longer be heard, but she knew what he'd said,
"I love you."
And when I finally am able to do something...when I finally stop it...
"Inoue!"
Inoue grunted as Ume slammed into her full force, the two of them falling to the ground. Ume quickly pushed herself up and glanced backward, her voice crackling as she screamed,
"Uryuu-kun, STOP!"
The boy skidded quickly to a halt, the chain whizzing past his face, just inches from his nose.
----
She gasped, gazing at the horrific height of Mayuri's bankai,
'...it only gets worse.'
Ichigo glanced up from where he lay on the street, eyes wide as he stared at it,
"Wh...What the hell is that thing!?"
"Konjiki Ashisogi Jizou."
He rolled his head to the side, blinking as Ishida continued,
"I faced it once before...back in Soul Society."
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The battle almost killed me...
He frowned as the area around him began to glow red, and the tiny mouth on Ashisogi opened, emitting somesort of eerie yell. Glancing around, he tensed, clenching his fist tightly,
'What is this...? Ban-what?'
Suddenly, the sword began to twist, and it exploded into the gigantic formation of a baby's head with a silver halo. He stepped back, heart racing. Mayuri cackled.
"Attack!"
The giant baby-caterpillar rushed forward, several swords protruding from under it's chin. Ishida cursed, drawing a final arrow that split the transformed sword clean in two.
...but in the end, I won.
He fell against the rocky wall, cursing softly,
'The ransoutengai is fading away. Damn... I guess this means...my time...as a Quincy...is finally near the end.'
Pushing away from it, he staggered onward toward a high staircase,
'Inoue-san, I...-- no... She of all people should be fine...'
----
He cursed, spotting the purplish smoke pillowing from the baby's mouth,
'Damn...the poison!'
"Sado-kun! Abarai! Gather everyone up and get them out of here! I'll take care of this!"
Renji cursed, drawing his zanpakutou,
"Are you insane!? That's suicide!!"
"You trusted me then, Abarai. Don't tell me you've forgotten."
Renji straightened, images of the battle they had endured against Grantz in Hueco Mundo flashing through his mind,
"Yeah, but that was different. We didn't have any choice--"
"And you think we have one now?"
He glanced back at the red head, a set look in his eyes,
"Go."
Cursing, Renji grabbed Ume by the wrist, yanking her up off the ground,
"Rukia!"
The petite shinigami nodded, running forward to get Inoue as Chad hoisted Ichigo over his shoulder,
"Inoue--!"
"No!"
She grabbed hold of Ishida, shaking her head,
"I'm not going!! I won't leave you here alone!"
"Inoue-san."
She gasped, glancing up at him with teary eyes. He returned her look, his hard gaze softening only slightly,
"This is no place for you to be. You'll only be a distraction. Please... if you want to help me. You'll go."
The honey-haired girl straightened, reluctantly stepping back from him. Rukia took the opportunity to grab her wrist, dragging her back down the road.
Ishida straightened, drawing back an arrow,
"Get as far from here as you possibly can, and don't stop for any reason--!!"
"You really think it'll do them any good...Quincy?"
A loud roar suddenly echoed throughout the area, and the raven-haired boy glanced back, cursing,
"Hollows!?"
"I suppose you could call them that, yes..."
He glanced back at Mayuri, gritting his teeth,
"What...?"
"These 'hollows' you are seeing now are all creations of mine. A customised gigai joined with a modified soul...much like my Nemu. I suppose you could say, these are her siblings. I use them to study hollow, and also to train my squad members for battle."
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Rukia cursed, motioning to Inoue as she drew her zanpakutou,
"Stay behind me."
Inoue nodded, stepping back a little as she placed her fingertips to her hair pins. She glanced back at the raven-haired boy a few feet behind her,
"Ishida-kun..."
Renji cursed as he drew Zabimaru, narrowing his eyes,
"How many of them would you say there were, Rukia?"
"Hmm...maybe 1500."
"Do you think we can take 'em?"
"You'll lose if you try."
They both glanced back Ume, the woman lowering her head,
"I've already seen it..."
Renji straightened, blinking curiously,
"A clairvoyant?"
She nodded shortly. Inoue straightened, swallowing harshly,
"Ume-san...if you know what's going to happen...please, tell us! Maybe we can stop it!"
"It would be no use."
She turned in the direction of Mayuri's bankai, eyes narrowing,
"In a few seconds...it will all be over."
The honey-haired girl straightened, turning her gaze to Ishida as Rukia and Renji prepared for battle.
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"Looks like your time is up Quincy...You should've run when you had the chance!"
"I thought running was your department, Kurotsuchi."
Mayuri snarled, sweeping his palm outward in an arc,
"Begin your assault, Konjiki Ashisogi Jizou! KILL THEM!"
Ashisogi reared back, taking in a heap of purple smoke with one deep breath. Ishida's eyes widened at this, and he called back to the others,
"Everyone, hold your breath! No matter what, don't breath that stuff in! Because if you do, you'll die!!"
Inoue gasped as it released the purple smoke, the cloud surging down the street. Quickly, she halted her breathing, the smoke breezing past her.
Mayuri cackled, minutes passing as the purple fog settled in around them,
"And what do you intend to do now, Quincy? They can't possibly hold in their breath forever...and neither can you! Give up! Admit that you've lost, and perhaps I'll make you a specimen..."
Ishida cursed, his vision beginning to blur,
'He's right...and can't hold my breath for much longer...'
He glanced back, almost finding humour in Inoue's bluing face. Her puffed out cheeks almost reminded him of a chipmunk...perhaps this was not the route his thoughts should be taking. He turned back to Mayuri, drawing his bow silently. His vision was constantly blurring on him. He couldn't hold back any longer. Cursing mentally at himself, he let the air out of his lungs, quickly drawing a bow,
'No other choice...I have to fire now...before I breathe in the poison!'
"I win. Boy."
Ishida cursed, weakly firing an arrow at the masked captain. He fell to his knees, eyes wide as he refused to take in a breath,
'I can't...if I do...I'll...'
He straightened, a strange wind blowing in from behind him. It was a cool wind, like the winds one feels in autumn. It lifted the purple haze, and Ishida gasped in air, rising to his feet,
"What...?"
"Burst into life...Akihanazen!"
The boy's eyes widened as the cold winds rushed passed him, and the ethereal image of a chestnut-haired shinigami appeared before him. He held a large scythe in his grasp, strong winds surrounding his body. Mayuri's eyes widened at the sight of him,
"No...it's not possible. I killed you!! You're supposed to be dead!!"
Ume's eyes widened, and she stood, hand at her heart,
"Hayato...?"
The man remained silent. Gritting his teeth in anger, Mayuri clenched his fist tightly,
"Kill them, Ashisogi! Don't leave one of them alive!!"
Cursing, Hayato crossed his arms over his chest, his body glowing a bright blue,
"Bloom."
Suddenly, a brilliant light burst from the scythe's blade, creating a dome around he, Mayuri, and Ishida. Mayuri cursed, as a series of vines climbed up from the earth, and he turned his sour gaze to the shinigami. Ashisogi began to move forward, and the glowing man glanced back at Ishida,
"Now's your chance, Quincy! Fire!"
Ishida straightened, quickly drawing a bow as he rose to his feet. Narrowing his eyes, he fired with all his might. The arrow soared searing Ashisogi clean in half, just as it had before. The caterpillar-like body of the zanpakutou exploded in spectacular brilliance, shattering the dome that surrounded them. Ishida's eyes widened. The last thing he saw before being enveloped in white was that of Mayuri's head being torn in two by his arrow,
'I did it...I did it... Sensei...'
He fell backward into the light, his eyes fluttering closed,
'I finally...'
'"Ishida-kun!!"'
-øOne Week Laterø-
"IIIIIIICHIIIIIIGO--!!"
The orange-haired boy held out his fist, the dumb-witted Keigo slamming into it head on. As the boy slid to the floor, Ichigo sighed, shaking out his hand,
"How many times have I told you not to do that?"
"S-Sorry..."
He sighed again, taking his seat beside Rukia. Glancing toward the window, he lowered his head,
"No Inoue, again...huh?"
The petite shinigami beside him shook her head, flipping calmly through her book,
"No."
An exasperated sigh sounded nearby and Ichigo glanced up, raising an eyebrow as he watched Chizuru stagger across the room,
"'Hime...! She's not here again! I hope nothing's happened to her! Oh, I'm so worried...!"
"Chizuru, what the hell are you doing?"
Tatsuki raised an eyebrow ath the girl, folding her arms as she watched her nuzzle Inoue's desk. Chizuru sniffled, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief,
"I'm worrying over my precious Orihime! She hasn't been here in over a week! I'm afraid something might've..."
The girl then scowled, coming right up into Tatsuki's face,
"Hey! Wait a minute! You're her best friend! Surely you know where she is! Spill it, Arisawa! Where's my 'Hime?"
The raven-haired girl sighed, turning her gaze to the empty chair toward the head of the room. She sighed deeply, eyes downcast,
'Orihime...'
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The phone rang in an empty apartment, a cheery message clicking on after about five or so rings,
"Hey, this is Orihime! I can't come to the phone right now because I'm probably doing something very important...or I'm just being lazy! Hee! Leave a message please! And I'll get back to you as soon as I can! Thanks!"
"Hello, Inoue-san? This is Ume. You know, Uryuu's friend? Well, anyway. How are you? I was just calling to check up on you. You seemed troubled when you left here. I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay. Call me if you need to talk. You have my number. Bye!"
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Ume sighed as she set the phone down, heading back over to the stove. She gazed into the pot of water before her, smiling slightly,
'"Ishida-kun!!"'
--One Week Ago--
Inoue screamed frantically as she ran to the boy, catching him in her arms as he fell backward. She shook him violently, tears streaming down her cheeks,
"Ishida-kun! Ishida-kun!!"
"Don't worry."
She glanced up at the ethereal shinigami as he knelt down beside them, placing a hand on the boy's forehead,
"He's just tired, is all. Let him rest a while and he'll be fine."
The honey-haired girl nodded, glancing back down at the boy in her arms,
"O-Okay..."
The chestnut-haired man smiled, straightening at the sound of her voice,
"Hayato."
He stood slowly, smiling as he turned to face her,
"Ume."
She stepped closer to him, reaching a hand up to touch his face. It went right through. He smiled sadly,
"Sorry..."
She shook her head, wiping the tears from her eyes,
"No, you don't have to be sorry...I should've known..."
He sighed deeply, cocking his head to the side,
"So...how've you and Yuri been--?"
"Miserable!"
She cried, bursting into tears as she raised her gaze to look at him,
"Ever since...ever since that day... there hasn't been a single moment... a single moment where I've thought about how I could've stopped it! How I could've saved you...! I can't stop thinking about it. I should've been there! I should've been able to save you..."
He shook his head, tracing the tear trail on her cheek with his index finger,
"No...Ume, none of this was your fault. I went after Kurotsuchi because it was what I wanted. I wanted to make him pay for the terrible things he did...and the things he was planning to do. I wasn't going to allow him to hurt you or Yuri...even if it cost me my life."
She lowered her gaze from him, and he turned to Rukia,
"You know how to perform a konsou, do you not?"
Rukia blinked, nodding shortly,
"Yes, I do."
Hayato smiled at that, placing one hand behind his head,
"That's great! I've been itchin' for a konsou for 3 years now! I think I might go hollow if I wait any longer."
Ichigo's jaw dropped at the jovial tone in the man's voice, especially considering the state he was in. No sane person, or shinigami for that matter, was supposed to joke about becoming a hollow. Hayato laughed, placing both fists on his hips,
"So, do you think you can help me out?"
She nodded, preparing her zanpakutou,
"Kneel, please."
He did as instructed, Ume stopping her,
"Wait, please!"
Hayato straightened, glancing up at her as she knelt down beside him,
"Ume...?"
"I love you!"
She shouted, wrapping her arms around his form. Her voice wavered and cracked as he watched her, teas streaming down her cheeks,
"I love you, Hayato...and I...I cherished ever day we spent together."
He smiled at her, his grin soon becoming mischievous,
"You tried on the bikini, didn't you?"
She blushed, pulling back from him with a clenched fist,
"NO!!! How many times do I have to tell you!!? If I put that thing on again, I'll look like a beached whale!!"
He laughed, lightly laying a hand on her head,
"I'll miss you..."
He then turned to Rukia, nodding shortly. Sighing deeply, she pressed the hilt of her zanpakutou to his head. With one last smile, he turned to Ume, a single tear streaming down his cheek,
"Goodbye...Ume."
She smiled back, wiping her tears away as he slowly dissipated, sailing into the sky as a small black butterfly,
"Goodbye."
Leaning far over, she began to sob, Rukia kneeling down beside her,
"Don't worry... he's in a better place, now."
Inoue gasped as she watched the woman's unceasing tears hit the pavement, tears welling in her eyes. She straightened when Ume softly called her name, blinking,
"Ume-san?"
The woman didn't even look up, her sobs breaking up her sentences,
"Inoue-san... hold onto him. Hold onto him as tightly as you can and never let him go..."
The honey-haired girl bit her lip, glancing down at Ishida silently.
"B-But, Ume-san!"
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"I-I can't just--!"
"'Can't just' what?
Ume grinned, patting the girl on the shoulder,
"Just tell him how you feel! I'm sure he'll understand!"
"B-But I..."
"I know you're scared, but in this life you can't just sit around and wait for him to come to you. Uryuu-kun's not that type of boy..."
Inoue bit her lip, gasping as Ume spun her around and pushed her toward the subway car,
"Listen...just tell Uryuu-kun how you feel. And if you're not quite ready yet, get to know him a little better, but NEVER let him out of your sight. You never know when another girl could come along and swoop him out of your reach--"
"B-but Uryuu-k----I mean, Ishida-kun likes Kuchiki-san! Not me!!"
Ume stopped as the girl turned to her, bursting into a fit of laughter,
"Is that what you're thinking!? That Uryuu-kun will reject you because he's in love with Kuchiki-san?!"
Inoue sniffled, wiping her eyes,
"I-It's not funny!"
Ume smiled bringing the girl into a strong hug,
"Oh, you silly little thing. Just tell him how you feel. I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised by his reaction."
"Are you sure?"
She nodded, turning the girl back for the train,
"Now go before the train leaves. And you have my number so call me when you and Uryuu-kun hook up, okay!"
Inoue lowered her head climbed on the train, her face burning,
"O-Okay..."
----
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Inoue sighed as she stood outside the hospital, leaning back against the wall. She lowered her head, smiling slightly as she watched a tiny snail crawl across the ground. She leaned down, petting it's shell gently. She didn't even hear the sound of his footsteps walking up,
"Inoue-san?"
Jumping, she glanced up, smiling nervously as she spotted Ishida,
"I-Ishida-kun!"
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They walked through the park, Ishida raising an eyebrow at her,
"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in school?"
She laughed a little, lightly tapping a fist on her palm,
"Um...Actually I haven't been in school for a couple days now. I've been feeling under the weather lately, so I haven't been able to go. In fact, I've not been able to get out of bed until today! Tatsuki-chan even told me that went I vomit, it's like the scene of a horror movie or something. Like I'm possessed by evil demons, and my head'll spin around in a full circle at any minute!"
She started to twist her neck around, mostly to hide the horrified look on her face,
'Oh great...! Like he's going to buy that one!'
Her neck then cracked and she jumped, rubbing it sorely,
"Owie..."
Suddenly, he grabbed her wrist, dragging her toward the hospital doors,
"W-W-Wait, Ishida-kun! Where are we going?"
He turned to her, a concerned look on his face,
"To get you checked out. You shouldn't be out of bed in your condition, Inoue-san! And just looking at how flushed your face is, I'd say you're fevers probably risen into the hundreds!"
He placed a hand on her forehead, then frowned,
"You don't feel hot."
Inoue stepped back from him, smiling sheepishly,
"W-We-Well, what I forgot to say is, I suddenly and miraculously feel better now! Yay, look at that! All better!"
She began doing arm curls to prove to him how much 'better' she felt. She then smiled, looking up to him curiously,
"Um...Ishida-kun. What are you doing here?"
"What do you mean?"
"You came out of the hospital didn't you? Were you hurt or something?"
He shook his head, sighing deeply,
"No."
"Then...?"
"I was visiting my father."
Inoue straightened, noting the look on his face with concern,
"Ishida-kun...?"
----
"So, you decided to show your face here?"
Ishida remained silently. Ryuuken turned to him, frowning deeply,
"Well?"
Still silent.
"I suppose promises mean nothing to you, then--"
"I'm sorry."
He straightened, glancing over his paper at the boy. Ishida swallowed harshly, his fists tightly clenched at his sides,
"I'm sorry, Ryuuken. But...that promise I made you...it was an impossible one for me to uphold."
"And why is that? I simply told you to stay away from shinigami. They aren't that difficult to spot."
"And I simply couldn't just leave my friends to die."
He turned to leave, straightening as he heard a laugh from behind,
"So, you've finally realised it, then?"
Glancing back, he raised an eyebrow,
"Wh--?"
Ryuuken swiveled his chair around to face the window, sighing deeply,
"Nevermind. Just get out of my sight. And don't bother coming back here. A son that can't even obey his father's wishes...is no son of mine."
----
Inoue sighed as they sat down on the front steps, wringing her hands about in her lap,
"I-I'm sorry Ishida-kun..."
He straightened, glancing down at her with a smile,
"You don't have to be sorry, Inoue-san. You didn't do anything--"
"You broke your promise because of me... if I hadn't been caught by Aizen, you wouldn't have had to break your promise to your father..."
He smiled slightly, straightening,
"I...I probably couldn't have kept it anyway..."
She glanced back at him, noticing the slight smile on his face. Blushing, she lowered her head, smiling as well,
"Thank you...Ishida-kun."
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Ryuuken sighed as he watched them walk on down the sidewalk. He almost felt like smiling. Almost. The boy had still broken his promise, and that was something Ryuuken could not easily forgive. But nonetheless, he couldn't help but feel proud. Ishida had finally figured out the reasonings behind his words. Even if it had taken some help from that old fool to help him realise it. He turned back around, going back to his paper. It looked like the stocks were going up in his favour today...
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Inoue smiled as they strolled beside the water, blushing as she glanced up at Ishida,
'Today's the day. No more waiting...today, I'm going to tell Ishida-kun how I really feel!'
Unconsciously, she took hold of his hand, causing the boy to jump,
"I-Inoue-san?"
She didn't seem to hear him. Sighing, he smiled, remaining silent. Perhaps it wouldn't be a bad thing if they stayed that way a little longer. It was a nice feeling after all...to be wanted.
--THE END--
A/N: Wow! I can finally say I'm finished with this story!! W00TZ! I'd like to thank everybody so much for taking their time to read this little thing! I appreciate your comments more than words can express. Some of them even made me fall out of my chair, cackling in sheer evilness for leaving cliffhangers here and there. lol Group hug!! øhuggleø And everyone gets a cookie!! Yay cookies:D