"Hi Ichigo", Rikuo said and started to walk towards Ichigo. Ichigo grabbed his zankpaktou´s guard and pulled it out. Rikuo looked curiously at Ichigo, when he pointed his zankpaktou at Rikuo.
"There is really no need for that Ichigo", Rikuo said and stopped about two meters away from Ichigo. Ichigo lifted his other eyebrow; questioning.
"What do you mean by that?" Ichigo asked, without letting his guard down though.
"Because we´re not enemies, Ichigo. We´re allies", Rikuo said and opened both of his arms. Ichigo looked at Rikuo like he had gone insane.
Allies? Never, that guy had just few hours ago kidnapped Rukia and before that he had almost killed both of them. Also he had turned Rukia in to that kid, which could lead to her death. Not to mention everything else he had done to Rukia before . So no, if it depended on Ichigo they were not even close to allies. Still, Ichigo couldn´t help him from asking.
"What do you mean by that?" He asked. Rikuo looked at Ichigo like he was a ten-year old kid.
"Can´t you see Ichigo! Seireitei was once your enemy, and it will still be your enemy in the future", Rikuo said with calm voice. Ichigo had to lift his eyebrow again; what the heck was this guy talking about? Did he mean the time when Rukia got taken away by the Soul Society, or the countless other times, he had gone against the Soul Society; and made them turn against him. Anyways all of those things were in the past, besides the Seireitei had come with him to save Rukia.
"It´s true that sometimes I don´t agree with the Soul Society, but it doesn´t mean that we´re enemies; besides they came here to help me save Rukia", Ichigo said, remembering once again what he had come here to do.
Rikuo looked at Ichigo like he was a stubborn child; his patience was clearly running out.
"They didn´t come here to help you, they came here to kill me! They don´t do these things to help you, they just do things that only benefit themselves", Rikuo said, but then he realized Ichigo´s face and decided to give up. He dropped his head and sighed out of frustration.
"You are impossible", he mumbled and pulled his zankpaktou out. Ichigo put both of his hands around zangetsu and got ready; but Rikuo just looked at his zankpaktou.
"Did you know that zankpaktous are shinigamis best friends?" Rikuo asked, eyes fixed on his sword. Ichigo looked first at him and then Zangetsu.
"They reflect our inner world, our dreams, our souls and when two strong shingami clash their zankpaktous together, they might be able see glimpses of that other person´s past."
After saying that Rikuo lifted his face and looked straight at Ichigo; Ichigo´s face looked shocked.
"Sounds familiar doesn´t it? That´s right, when we last time clashed our swords together; you were able to see some of my memories. Weren´t you?" Rikuo asked and lifted his other eyebrow. Ichigo remembered immediately those pictures, and they flew immediately back to him; and once again his body went completely numb from the questions that were flowing in his head. Then he suddenly shook his head and tried to keep his thoughts together.
Rikuo smiled his confident smile and pointed his sword at Ichigo.
"But I was also able to see some pictures of you past as well", Rikuo said. Ichigo looked at Rikuo cautiously; what he had seen? Rikuo noticed Ichigo´s cautious look and his smile widened.
"I saw some interesting things; you desperately training to gain your shinigami powers again, you desperately fighting Kuchiki Byakuya, and many other things; but those weren´t the things that got my attention…" Rikuo took a small brake, before continuing.
"Ichigo, it seems that you had a mother."
When Ichigo heard his words, his face turned completely white. All the blood escaped from his face. Rikuo seemed very pleased of the expression he had made on Ichigo´s face.
"If I remember correctly; she was killed by a hollow, because you tried to save a human soul which was actually a hollow´s bait", Rikuo said staring at the same time to the ceiling. At the same time Ichigo bit his teeth together and squeezed his zankpaktou more tightly in his hand.
"You loved her very much…", Rikuo said slowly and then glanced at Ichigo, to see his expression.
"If there was a way, would you bring her back?" Rikuo asked curiously. Ichigo lifted his face and looked straight at Rikuo. From his face Ichigo saw that Rikuo wasn´t joking.
"What?" Ichigo asked with a quiet voice.
"I asked if there was a way, would you bring her back." Rikuo asked and looked straight at Ichigo. Before Ichigo could answer, Rikuo spoke again.
"I won´t be able to bring her back, but you can. All you have to do is travel to the past and kill that hollow before it kills your mother", Rikuo said, like it was the simplest thing to do in this world.
Ichigo was clearly shocked, not because of the Rikuo´s proposal, but because it was true; if the time machine actually worked he could go to the past and stop himself from running to save that girl. He could save his mother! When the thought came into his mind, he was filled with hope, and strange but yes, happiness. He felt like everything could be saved by this.
When Ichigo lifted his face to look at Rikuo; his eyes were caught by two violet orbs, which were staring at him from the other side of the room. Rukia had woken up! She hadn´t said anything, she didn´t do anything; she just stared at him from the other side of the room. The look wasn´t angry, or disappointed, or in any way negative, in fact it was little bit…sad. Ichigo was shocked of her expression. He didn´t understand why she looked at him like that; when at the same time he was selling her out, because of his own desires. Rukia should hate him, but she didn´t, she just had that sad expression on her.
Then Ichigo realized why Rukia was looking at him like that; because she was letting Ichigo decide. And whatever he decided; Rukia wasn´t going to hate or despise him, because Rukia knew how much that accident ate him inside, even now. She knew that if Ichigo decided to go on with Rikuo she would die, but she still allowed to Ichigo decide.
He lowered his face and his hand, he couldn´t bear to look at Rukia. He hated himself! How could he even think of selling her out! She had done so much for him! She had saved him countless of times! She had changed his world! He would own her for the rest of his life, and even that wouldn´t be enough! And still she didn´t care even if Ichigo would sell her out! She still didn´t realize how much she was worth!
"Idiot…" Ichigo said still looking to the ground and at the same time biting his teeth together. Rikuo looked at Ichigo with surprised face.
"Did you say something?" Rikuo asked and then Ichigo disappeared from his sight. Before he realized it Ichigo had appeared in front of him; and he was just nearly able to avoid his attack.
"You´re an idiot! A big idiot!" Ichigo yelled and looked at Rukia. It took Rikuo a while to realize that he wasn't talking to him, and turned to look behind him; then he realized tha Rukia was staring straight to Ichigo.
"Don´t look at me with those eyes which say that you´re ready to die! Don´t look at me like your life has no value! It has! To me! You big idiot!" Ichigo yelled as loud as he could to Rukia.
Rikuo looked at Rukia this whole time, when Ichigo was finished; Rikuo realized that a small tear dropped from her eye, but at the same time a small smile spread across her face. Rikuo was clearly shocked and turned to look at Ichigo. What had this young boy done?
"Rikuo!" Ichigo yelled and turned his face to look at Rikuo.
"I´m afraid; that I have to say no to your offer, and I´m going defeat you here and now, and take Rukia with me!" Ichigo yelled with confidence and pointed his sword at Rikuo. This seemed to wake him up.
"That´s too bad, I thought you might be a little bit smarter than you look, but no matter I´m going to kill you here and now! Then this whole act will be over!" Rikuo yelled as he lifted his zanpaktou.
For a while they just stood there staring at each other. Then they suddenly disappeared and a loud voice was heard, as their swords met. Rukia looked as both of them attacked each other, and wondered how all of this had happened, and why? Fate clearly had a sick humor. It was like everyone around her were destined to disappear. How lucky of her! She thought bitterly. Then she looked at her hands and legs, they were tied up really tightly.
She sighed and lay back in the chair, she wasn´t going anywhere that was for sure. And even if she got herself free, she was sure that her legs wouldn´t be strong enough for her to walk. She had realized it a while ago, but her body was finally giving in. She wasn´t sure for how long she would be able to maintain her body from shredding to pieces. She just hoped that as long as it was necessary.
Ichigo hit Rikuo with everything he got and so did Rikuo. They were fighting so evenly, and it was hard to guess who would actually be able to win, but neither one of them backed up. For few times Ichigo had to look at Rukia, to make sure that she was still there. Her reiatsu was so weak that it was hard to detect it and it was getting weaker and weaker by every minute. This was the thing that Urahara had warned him, after he had brought the small Rukia to him, after their first encounter with Rikuo.
Ichigo remembered the conversation he had with Urahara after he was done examining Rukia. And the moment when Urahara delivered the deadly news.
"I´m not sure how am I supposed to say this, so I´m just gonna say it straight on. Ichigo, if we can´t find a way to turn her back to normal, she´s gonna…die."
When the last words sank in, Ichigo felt like the ground had disappeared and that he was just floating in thin air.
"What…what do you mean by that!" Ichigo yelled when he finally got his voice back.
"Quiet Kurosaki, you´re going to wake her", Urahara said with calm voice. Ichigo put a hand in his mouth and tried to listen if he had woken her up. It seemed to be okay, so he spoke up again, but this time with a lot more quiet voice.
"What do you mean?" He asked again.
"What I said Kurosaki, if we can´t find a way to turn her back to normal, she is going to die", Urahara repeated, but when he realized that Ichigo didn´t understand; he sighed and started to explain.
"Even though she has turned in to a normal soul, the stress on her body is still too big. Like you said earlier, yes her powers will return to her, but they are too great for that small body to handle them, not to mention the damage she took when her powers were forcibly removed. In other words she will die without her powers but at the same time those powers are killing her. So we´re in a corner", Urahara said with serious voice.
Ichigo´s head dropped down, he didn´t know what to do. If he didn´t do anything Rukia was going to die. But what he could do about it?
Yes that conversation had been one of the worst conversations he had ever had. The moment he heard that Rukia was going to die, his heart was shredding to pieces. She was dying and there was nothing he could do about it. And it was killing him! But now he was battling against the person responsible and he would make this guy tell him how to save Rukia. All he had to do was defeat him.
Then he decided to finally take the battle on to the next stage, just stepping on one place would get then nowhere. So he suddenly stopped and so did Rikuo. He pointed his sword in front of him and yelled as loud as he could.
"Bankai!" He was covered with dust and all Rikuo could do was watch. Soon Ichigo reappeared, in his bankai.
"Tensa zangetsu", Ichigo said. Rikuo looked curiously and leaned his head to his left side.
"It still amazes me; how something so small can be bankai", after he had said that, Ichigo disappeared from his sight and lashed him to his back.
Rikuo didn´t try to avoid it and he fell to the ground. Ichigo landed to the ground and pointed his sword at Rikuo.
"Give up", he said with low and ordering voice. Then Rikuo started to laugh at the ground, Ichigo looked at him like he had gone insane.
"Don´t get cocky kid", Rikuo said as he stood up from the ground and turned to look at Ichigo.
"Don´t think you´re the only one who has bankai!" Rikuo yelled and lifted his sword to point in the ceiling.
"Bankai!" He yelled as loudly as he could. Because of the great air pressure Ichigo had to jump back from him.
After the dust cleared Rikuo was still standing in the same place as before, but he had changed, a lot. His zankpaktou was gone, but he himself had turned completely white, like snow. He had something in his back that looked like pair of wings, but they were like bat´s wings. And when Rikuo opened his eyes they were completely red, like rubies. He just stared at Ichigo with his empty eyes.
Then he suddenly disappeared and the reappeared right in front of Ichigo. Ichigo looked shocked when he appeared in front of him.
"Don´t look so shocked, Kurosaki Ichigo." Ichigo heard his voice inside his head and was just nearly able to avoid, when Rikuo lashed him with one of his wings.
"You´re fast I give you that", Rikuo said and turned around to look at Ichigo. Ichigo hadn´t been completely able to avoid him because his left arm was bleeding.
"Better keep your eyes open because there is more to come", Rikuo said as he rushed towards Ichigo.
Rukia had been looking at the battle this whole time, but the sight in front of her was a shock to her. She knew that, even though Rikuo had been in the Shinigami Research and Development Institute it certainly didn´t mean that he was weak. Quite the opposite, he was one of the strongest fighter in the whole 12th squad. It was hinted that his powers were over lieutenant and close to captain´s.
But not even in her wildest dreams she could have believed that he had already a bankai. But it was also true that she hadn´t seen him in the last few years, and who knows what he had been doing that time. Rukia let her head drop and bit her teeth together.
"What happened to you?" Rukia whispered and lifted his face to look at Rikuo.
"Rikuo…"
Disclaimer : I don´t own Bleach or it´s characters