Ribbons of Blood
Chapter Twelve
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, or any of the characters.
AN: Who watched the royal wedding? I did! XD gosh it took up so much of the morning...but it was quite nice (:
Any who, thank you very very much to the following folks for reviewing: High Prince Gasket, jinxedpixie, thatblueGRRL, TheBeginingsEnd, and crochetamommy (hugs). Also thanks to Karina Uzumaki, Lucaila, pip1309, Titeseve, I got mugged by a penguin and bleedingcrimson for faves and alerts (more huggles)
The night was filled with the sound of crickets buzzing. The darkness was complete, except for the small lamp that was lit on top of a small wooden desk. Ketsueki was bending over it, looking at her report one last time. For the next few weeks or so, she and Renji would be teaching and assisting a group of non-officers in the living world. She read her orders through one final time, stifling a yawn. It's late, I should probably turn in. She would be leaving the next day; it would be best to get as much rest as possible to prepare herself.
Ketsueki went into the bathroom and began to undress, her mind still trying to accept the fact that Renji was now in her squad. She was giddy with joy of all the long, uninterrupted hours she would have with him while the junior shinigami patrolled the living realm. She smiled, stepping into the shower cubicle and turning one of the knobs. Hot water splashed down, immediately drenching her hair and soothing her limbs. She stood there for a few seconds, listening to the rush of the steaming water. She turned round on the spot so the water would warm her back.
She froze.
And screamed.
A man was looking at her through the glass walls of the cubicle. His red hair was spiky and messy; trails of blood streamed down his face. He was shirtless, only wearing the bottom half of the shinigami uniform. He took a step towards her.
"GET BACK!" screamed Ketsueki, her heart hammering in her ribcage. She pressed herself against the wall behind her, oblivious to the cold. She covered her chest with her arms and sank onto the tiled floor, sitting in a puddle, bringing her legs up. She stared up at the intruder, her breaths coming out fast and shallow.
I'll scream. I'll scream so loud he'll have to fight against all the other shinigami in the building, she thought frantically. But the moment she thought this, the man had knelt down and pressed a firm hand to her mouth. Frightened beyond self-control, she flailed about and tried to kick him, though he was too strong. She couldn't look into his pale, wet face, his hair flattened and dampened by the shower so that it looked like dried blood. She hugged herself tighter.
"You will not scream," said the stranger, his voice deliberately calm. He stared at her with gleaming red eyes. "You will not scream. If you do, I'll kill you. Understood?"
Despite herself, Ketsueki nodded. Even if she wanted to scream, she couldn't; her lips were trembling too much to let her voice escape, and her throat had contracted in shock. Slowly, the man withdrew his hand from her mouth. Ketsueki drew her legs in closer, hiding her naked, exposed body from the kneeling man, who had turned off the shower nozzle. She was suddenly very cold.
"You're wondering who I am," he stated flatly, eyes boring down at her.
Ketsueki whimpered, and nodded again.
The man smiled. "You should know. I'm Injuken."
"Inju...Inju...ken," whispered Ketsueki, shivering violently. Understanding whisked her away, consuming her like a hurricane.
He...was her zanpakuto.
"Y-you?" she uttered, unable to accept the truth. "You're..."
"Yes, yes I am." Injuken stood up and picked up a towel lying by the basin. He tossed it towards Ketsueki, who didn't react as the towel landed on her head. "Get dressed, I'll be waiting," he said, and, closing the door behind him, walked out of the bathroom.
Ketsueki sat there in the shower cubicle, frozen and stunned. She did not want to go out there and face him. He was her nightmare. Those crimson eyes penetrated her soul, giving her nowhere to hide her fear. How was she going to get stronger because of him? He hardly seemed the patient, mentor-like type who would guide her progress.
Think of Zaraki, she thought. Think of him. You don't want to stay like this, do you?
The thought of her beating and throwing Zaraki off guard was the only thing that made Ketsueki stand up. She dried herself, wobbling on her feet, and put on her nightgown quickly. Before she opened the door to the single room comprising of her bed and desk, she took a deep breath, steadied herself, and channelled her thoughts towards Zaraki. Her anger turned into determination, and without any more doubts she pushed the door open. She found Injuken leaning against the sliding door leading outside. She couldn't help glaring at him for scaring her, then sat down on her bed mat and looked up at him. "So," she said. "We finally meet."
"Yes, we finally meet," he repeated with his arms crossed over his bare chest. Under closer inspection, Ketsueki saw that bloodstained bandages were wrapped around his lower torso, outlining his abdominal muscles and lines. She also saw that he had a band of rose-patterned tattoos around both arms, like two skin-tight bracelets around his upper arms.
Injuken noticed her staring at his body. He smiled, though his eyes remained cold. "Admiring my body, are we?"
"Don't be ridiculous," snapped Ketsueki. For some reason, she wasn't abashed, as she would be normally if it were someone else who had asked her. Instead, she felt like she knew Injuken for years and years, and could speak openly around him. True, the initial shock still lingered, but it was fading with each passing moment. "Anyway, what do you want?" she asked, even though she knew the answer.
"To make you stronger," answered Injuken, just as Ketsueki had predicted. "Admittedly, you are the 10th seat officer, but that's not good enough for me."
"You want to be the best," said Ketsueki warily.
"Naturally. I have high ambitions, as should you."
Ketsueki shrugged and sighed. "How do I do it? Every time I asked you for help you'd always try and kill me and then run off into the back of my mind. Why did you wait so long? And why do you always try and kill me?"
Injuken laughed, a clear, sharp, ringing sound that seemed capable of shattering diamonds. "Idiot, I wouldn't try and kill you. If I did that, I would die too-"
"Then why did you say you'd kill me in the shower?"
"That was to threaten you, to make you shut up. Anyway," he continued, ignoring Ketsueki's cry of outrage, "The reason you feel pain whenever you call me is because I require a sacrifice."
He looked expectantly at her. Ketsueki stared back.
Injuken sighed. "I see you're not as bright as I hoped you would be...you see, I require a blood sacrifice."
"A...a blood sacrifice?"
"Yes. When blood is drawn, either from you or anyone else, I am able to release my powers, and also my presence, to aid you in battle," he explained, and a cold chill ran down Ketsueki's spine. Of all the zanpakutos she could have had, why did she end up with one who needed blood to fight? He seemed a match for Zaraki, who would no doubt willingly spill blood for himself and Injuken.
"I expected you to know this," said Injuken. Ketsueki forced herself to focus on him.
"Why? How could I have known? I was trying to stay alive, wasn't I?"
"There's a much simple connection between you and me, really."
Ketsueki fell silent and thought hard. A connection? Did they share the same blood?
"Ketsueki."
Ketsueki glanced up.
"It's in your name."
And there it was. It was so simple, so straightforward, so out in the open that she should have known all along.
"Ketsueki...means 'blood'," she said to herself. Her eyes found Injuken's. "My name means 'blood'."
"Yes. So now you understand?"
"Every time I need you...I need to draw blood?"
"Precisely. I've been tolerant in the past, but you just calling my name won't suffice for long."
She glared at him. "That's ridiculous. So I'm going to have to bleed every time I need to chat."
Injuken shrugged. "It's up to you. If you don't care about getting stronger, I won't bother then."
"Don't use that on me!" said Ketsueki forcibly. She stood up and pointed at him. "You know if I don't get stronger, then you won't too. So why don't you shut up and give me a bit of respect!"
This seemed to have an impact on Injuken. His eyes widened as he observed Ketsueki, who was seething. He was exactly like Zaraki. Snobbish, arrogant, disrespectful. She found it so ironic and sad that she would have to work with someone she hated to be better than someone she hated even more. Her life was a strange one. However, she was momentarily satisfied with the look of surprise on Injuken's face.
At last, he responded, "You're right. Forgive me."
Ketsueki nodded, but said nothing. She didn't trust herself to speak.
"I think it would be best for me to leave now," he continued, shoving his hands into his pockets.
"But you haven't told me how to use you yet!" exclaimed Ketsueki, aware of how silly the sentence sounded.
Injuken rolled his eyes, annoyed. "Fool, you don't always need me to train. Remember, I'm your sword. You can still train your technique without my presence."
"Fine. Well...goodbye?" asked Ketsueki hesitantly.
"Until next time," said Injuken with a small sigh. Ketsueki nodded, and after she blinked once he was gone. In his place lay her zanpakuto, a slender, black silhouette on the wooden floor. She bent down and picked it up, turning it around in her hands, seeing if there were any changes to it. Finding none, she sat back down on her bed mat and pondered over his name. Injuken. It was a curious name. She wanted to see If it would transform into its first stage if she said its name out loud. "Injuken," she tried. Nothing happened. Too excited to fall asleep, she remembered how lieutenants always awakened their zanpakuto with a phrase, such as 'dance' or 'strike'. She tried a variety of these, but, again, none of them worked.
Injuken, damn you!
She thought hard, turned over every possibility.
Name. She knew his name now.
Injuken. It meant literally 'ribbon blade'. How could she use this?
And then she thought of her name. Ketsueki. It meant literally 'blood'.
"Bleed, Injuken."
She knew it had worked before it had happened. The blade transformed, elongating and losing shape. It became soft to the touch, and before long Ketsueki was staring down at a long piece of red ribbon, which twisted elegantly into the rose-patterned hilt. She ran a finger tenderly along the edge of the ribbon, and winced. The slightest touch had managed to pierce her skin. A drop of blood landed on the fabric and, amazingly, was absorbed into the ribbon. She felt it illuminating strength and power.
Ketsueki suddenly knew that Injuken would become stronger the more blood there was.
It seemed her zanpakuto's first stage was a ribbon of blood.
AN: INJUKEN'S FINALLY COME OUT OF HIS SHELL. HURRAH :'D
