Sorry for the delay guys! But you know how Christmas schedules are always never balanced.
frozensnow: The mysteries will be solved...eventually.
Please be patient! Me writing the story takes way longer than you reading. And while I'm writing, I have to do research to match the characters' powers (In Japanese) and believe me, it's more work than you think... :D
Here's the next chapter: Chapter 12!
*****Sorry, I failed to upload this chapter, so you guys ended up with only half of it... DX
Chapter 12:
Hitsugaya's POV:
That stupid, arrogant butler. Thinking that he could take on the head captain of the Gotei 13 when he's only a third-seat. Whatever gave him the idea, I'll crush it with my Hyorinmaru in a second.
"Don't. Don't fight him." Rukia whispered beside me. "He's trying to provoke you into fighting him. You don't even know what he's capable of doing. I heard that there is a Ichigo that reached Bankai in three days. I forgot what squad he was in but I'm sure he's the same Ichigo."
I looked at her, asking if she was serious. "You underestimating me? Remember that I'm the sou-"
"You being a soutaichou and being powerful are two completely different things. Mind I remind you that the last time we spared, you lost control?"
"Hey! I only wanted to see your Bankai! But you didn't even budge!" I retorted. Rukia paused for a moment, studying my face.
"What?" I asked.
"Nothing. You're cute when you're pissed off." She said. I blushed. Did she just call me cute? I must have been dreaming.
"Oi! I'm talking to you! Don't just pretend that I'm not here!" Ichigo yelled as he started walking from the wall of the courtyard to us.
"Ichigo. Before you spar with the soutaichou, why don't you war up with me first? I want to see how strong you are. From what I've heard, you were pretty strong when you left, let's see if you still are as strong as you used to be. Besides, didn't you achieve Bankai in just three days?" Rukia offered.
"No. No way am I letting you spar with him. You don't even know what kind of power he's got!" I said. I will not let her get hurt again because of me. Rukia just became a captain, not to mention that she achieved Bankai just recently.
"Now look who's underestimating people, Hitsugaya-taichou." She teased me with a smile on her adorable face. I kept quiet, unable to come up with a comeback because I knew what she said was completely true. I had forgotten that Ichigo was still here until he spoke again.
"Think you can take on me, midget? Let's see what you-" He didn't even get to finish his insult when Rukia's foot connected with his face. Ichigo bent over, howling in pain, his hands clutching his 'oh-so-precious' face.
I couldn't help suppress a laugh. What was there not to love about her? Staring off into the distance, I thought about our entire... little adventure. When I first brought her to my mansion, I thought I only felt this way because Unohana put a spell on me, but now I'm having second thoughts about my theory. I realized that even if Unohana took the spell off, I would still be head-over-heels in love with my little snow princess. Before the question was how to get her to love me, but now it was: does she have any feelings for me? Even if it was only a drop, it would be enough. I only needed that much to make an us.
I adverted my eyes back to Rukia as a slim smile crept up my face. Whatever it was that attracted me to her, I know will always be there, even with the spell removed. It was only then did I realize that the mood in the courtyard had lightened up a whole notch.
Rukia's POV:
I giggled as my sandal footprint started to show on Ichigo's face. I took a step back to examine my art.
"If you want someone to spar with you so badly, I'll do it. Hitsugaya-taichou should not have to be bothered with something so small like this. I'm sure he has paperwork to do, right taichou?" I stated. I needed a distraction really badly, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Hitsugaya-taichou shake his head.
Wow. I'm starting to go back giving him honorifics again just days after vowing to stop calling him by honorifics. Ugh.
Ichigo was hesitant to accept, but agreed.
"Stupid midget, you'd better not underestimate my power." He warned, meaning every word -with the exception of the first two, of course.
"Don't worry, it's battle instinct not to underestimate your opponent 'cause you don't know what... amusing powers they have. Underestimating your opponent will always get you killed... but overestimating them is even more disappointing, no? I hope you'll show me your Bankai sometime, strawberry." I teased, unsheathing my sword.
'Wonder if you might be able to make me activate it.' I thought. 'Don't worry, Rukia-sama. I will tell you when it is the right time.' Sode no Shirayuki assured me.
Ichigo smirked and came charging at me at full speed, raising his sword high above his head and sent it crashing down on mine. Sparks flew as our unreleased swords struck together. Well, mine was unreleased but his, you couldn't really tell.
I felt his reiatsu build up around him, flowing from his body into his sword. I quickly pushed him off, sending him back a good 20 feet.
"Getsuga Tenshō!" Ichigo yelled. Next thing I knew, a crescent-shaped reiatsu fang came headed towards me. I flash stepped away and looked back, analyzing at what kind of damage Ichigo's sword could do. Sure enough, the poor walls that had taken on the damage were left completely destroyed into rubble.
"Impressive for a former third seat, Ichigo. But you've got guts to ask a taichou to spar with you and have an attitude that shows that you think you're going to win." I said. "Mai. Sode no Shirayuki." My sword turned pure white and a long ribbon began to form at the end of the hilt and a rush of cold air rushed towards me in all four directions.
Awe flashed across Ichigo's face, followed by determination. Our swords struck together again and again and continued for the next few minutes. But as the seconds went by, it got boring just striking swords against each other. Meanwhile, I figured out Ichigo's fighting style: shoot a Getsuga Tenshō and chase after the enemy right after and strike them when they are caught slightly off-guard. It was a good plan to use exterminating hollows and weaker opponents, but on an experienced captain, you better come up with a better plan, Ichigo.
"Rukia! Attack me seriously for once will ya! Show me your Shikai's special ability! It's getting boring just doing this." He complained.
"Idiot. Have you even realized that your swordsmanship skills have increased in just this short time frame? But if you really want to see my Shikai, very well. Some no mai. Tsukishiro!" I commanded. A circle of ice appeared at Ichigo's feet, but being smart for once, he jumped diagonally and was spared from being completely frozen.
His eyes widened in shock, but I wasn't finished.
"Tsugi no mai. Hakuren!" I pierced the ground in front of me four times, held my sword up and sent an avalanche towards him.
"Argh!" I heard him grunt in the distance. To be honest, I was a little bit worried that he might not survive.
"Bankai!" Ichigo's voice bellowed in the chilly air. The avalanche dispersed, and Ichigo appeared, unscathed with only a few scratches. His entire outfit changed. He was wearing a much longer Shinigami coat and his zanpakuto was pure black. It was a regular-sized daito but I could sense vast amounts of reiatsu coming from him and his zanpakuto. But how could something so small possibly be a Bankai?
'Careful, Rukia-sama. That blade is no ordinary blade. I think that instead of having a large Bankai, his is compacted into that sword, which makes it twice as dangerous and powerful than a larger Bankai, if not three times.' Sode no Shirayuki noted.
'Thanks for the obvious advice. Now can you tell me something other than common sense?' I asked.
'Patience, Rukia-sama. You many activate it if you wish. She replied.
O.o Rukia's Bankai might or might not be revealed... Thank you frozensnow for the review. I swore that I wrote it in Doc Manager sometime. Sorry for the incomplete chapter!
And let's just say that this will be my update for today...
Review!
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