Chapter 14: Strawberry Meets Death
Huge Hollow- a specific type of Hollow. Where did I get this from? Well, check out… Episode… oh shit, I forgot which one! xD Oh well! =]
For those who don't know, "some no mai, tsukishiro" is "First dance, white moon" … or at least I hope it is =D
I'm a nervous wreck!!! AHHH! I hope I don't disappoint with my first attempt at writing the upcoimg scenes... (You'll know what I mean)
Disclaimer: I do not own the original concepts used from Bleach or its characters. The made up parts are mine.
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"I-Ichi…go!"
"Hai, Rukia. I have to admit, seeing you here just seemed so damn normal, but seeing you leave… well, it seems wrong."
Ichigo!
---
"I need to talk with you, Rukia…."
Rukia craned her neck back to look up at the boy, her small hand trembling in his.
She was in his shadow, the sun setting its last rays upon his back.
Ichigo….
"Ichi- no! ICHIGO, LOOK OUT!"
---
"So then, there is a chance of their friendship surviving? He came to learn of what she is?"
"Exactly so, Jyuu."
Urahara smiled as he could see the weight come off his friend's shoulders, a smile on Ukitake himself.
"Then we must-" Ukitake froze as a peaked reiatsu engulfed him, the shop, the entire neighborhood.
"This fear, this sudden defensive reiatsu…. It's Kuchiki! Rukia is fighting!"
The two men turned on their heel, speeding their way over to Rukia with shunpo, her Captain anixiously trying to locate her; "Hang on, Kuchiki! We're on our way!"
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"Wha- Rukia!" Ichigo felt her push against his chest, falling back from the sudden force.
A piercing scream reached Ichigo's heart as he grunted from the pain searing through his back as he landed, his arms scraping against the rough concrete.
"RUKIA!" Ichigo struggled to crawl towards the fallen girl, a gash ripped into her thigh, pouring blood at a ghastly rate.
"Ichi-nii, is that you!? Ichi-nii, what's going on?!"
Yuzu had swung the door open, hurrying outside when she heard the yelling.
"Rukia, wake up! RUKIA!"
---
She stood firm, her hands gripping her zanpaktou, its tip threatening its cut towards the Huge Hollow standing before her.
Rukia stood above her fallen gigai, Ichigo's screaming body beside it, Yuzu crying by his side.
How could I possibly miss this? Was I that careless, was I that surprised? I endangered their lives!
A piercing roar escaped the Huge Hollow's mouth, his fist smashing into the building beside it.
Rukia winced as the siblings screamed, Ichigo hugging his sister to protect her from debris, hovering over Rukia's gigai to keep it from further harm.
I need them to leave this area!
Rukia increased her reiatsu's flow, trying to paralyze the Huge Hollow, prevent it from moving.
People ran from their homes, the Huge Hollow continuing to smash his fist into the building, into the concrete bellow their feet, but staying put nonetheless.
I can't let up my reiatsu, or else he'll charge- I'll put them in direct path of being hurt!
Rukia could hear the siblings trying to revive Rukia's gigai, begging her to open her eyes.
I can't get back into my gigai, to tell them to run! I won't be able to leave it then, won't be able to protect them!
"Rukia, please wake up, wake up!"
What do I do, what do I do, what do I do?!
The yells, the roaring, the crying… Rukia slowly began to hear nothing; she slowly began to hear nothing but Ichigo and Yuzu.
"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki."
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"Damnit! Where is she?!"
Ukitake and Urahara hurried on top of the rooftops, trying to pinpoint Rukia's location, however; "Her reiatsu keeps expanding all over the neighborhood! Where could she be?!"
"Wait, Jyuu!" Ukitake came to a halt, whipping his attention onto his companion.
"If she's fighting with all her might… we need to reach Kurosaki's home!"
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"Way of Destruction No. 63- Twin Lotus of Crashing Blue Fire!"
An icy blue stream escaped Rukia's hands, colliding into the Huge Hollow, retracting a gruesome roar from it.
Damnit! I can't keep expelling all my reiatsu to keep him still, while attacking him! I need- Ichigo!
Rukia risked a second to look at the siblings again, feeling relief set upon her; Yuzu was just finishing bandaging Rukia's wound on her gigai, her ripped dress covered with blood.
Ichigo picked up Rukia's lifeless gigai, holding it close to his body, Yuzu's hand firmly grasped in his own as they ran away.
This is my chance!
Rukia relaxed her body, the flowing reiatsu easing, the difference clearly noticed by the Huge Hollow.
She jumped backwards, putting distance between her and the trashing Huge Hollow.
"Some no mai," Rukia took her stance, her gaze steady on the advancing Huge Hollow, "tsukishiro."
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"Kuchiki!"
Ukitake slowed his pace as he searched the scene for his subordinate.
"My, my, Jyuushiro- this certainly is Kuchiki's doing…."
Before them, among the debris and ruble, stood an immense Huge Hollow, frozen in place by shimmering ice, its pained look captured within the icy hold.
"Jyuu, I sense Kurosaki running with Rukia's gigai- he's heading towards the shop."
The two men nodded in understanding, words not needed to be expressed.
Within a second, Urahara was gone.
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"Kuchiki! Rukia, where are you?!"
Ukitake made his way closer to the frozen Hollow, circling it, looking for any sign of the petite shinigami.
"Ru-!" He froze as he finally found her, sitting against her frozen trap.
"Captain… Uki…take."
"Kuchiki!" The squad captain rushed over to Rukia, kneeling beside her exhausted form.
"Kuchiki, what happened here?"
"I was… I slipped, taichou."
Ukitake's eyes furrowed with confusion, silently urging her to explain.
"I… didn't notice it, until its sharp claws appeared right behind Ichigo…."
I pushed him away, but I barely made it out of the gigai before it caught its leg."
Rukia paused to catch her breath again, her Captain placing a hand upon her shaking shoulders.
"I couldn't warn them, I couldn't tell them to run from something they couldn't even see!"
Ukitake softened his gaze as the pained look from remembering it all took over Rukia's expressions.
"I couldn't let it hurt them! I couldn't!"
She gripped her zanpaktou, thrusting it over her shoulder, between herself and her Captain.
"Kuchi-!"
Ukitake's voice was drowned by the screeching shattering of the ice holding the monster prisoner, his arms trying to shield himself from the flying shards; the shimmering ice completely broke apart, destroying the Hollow's body along with it, disappearing into the air.
Rukia's sight went black, falling against the ground as the ice disappeared, hearing the sirens of the police arriving to tame the chaos just before she lost herself to the darkness.
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The second-hand seemed to click louder than ever, seemed to move that much slower, seemed to mock him with every click.
Ichigo stared at the clock right above the closed door, trying with all his might to burn it a million times over.
His gaze shifted over to his sleeping sister, however, when she stirred beside him.
Yuzu….
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"Ichigo, where are we going?! We need to get Rukia to the hospital!"
"Just trust me, Yuzu! This is the best place to take her!"
-
Ichigo frowned as he remembered his sister's look of confusion and fear, wondering where they were taking Rukia's bleeding body to.
At first, I really was headed to the hospital; then I remembered everything about her.
Urahara had met him at the entrance, grabbing hold of Yuzu immediately, placing a hand over her forehead.
Before I could do anything, Yuzu went limp in his arms. I was ready to kill him, but….
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"Surely you don't want your sister learning things beyond human's understanding, do you? Could she handle knowing about Hollows and shinigami?"
-
Ichigo returned his gaze above the door, slowly letting them fall down to the door's center.
Rukia….
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"How is it healing, Urahara?"
Ukitake took his place beside his friend, looking over Rukia's still gigai.
"It's completely fine now. Once dear Kuchiki awakens again, she'll be able to go back into it."
The two shifted their gaze beyond the gigai, onto the recovering shinigami.
"It's been quite a day, Jyuu. I don't think they would stand being apart any longer, especially after they saved each other…."
"He refuses to leave until she wakes up. Do you mind if he stays here until she does so, Kisuke?"
"Nope."
Ukitake stood, turning to leave the room; "I need to head back now that I've restored the area that was destroyed and erased memories… take care of her, Kisuke-"
-or else Bya will surely send our damned souls to hell."
---[Next Morning]---
"Ichigo…"
…
"Ichii-goo…"
…
"OI, ICHIGO!"
"Nani?!" Ichigo bolted up, groaning as the stiffness in his back caught up to his speed.
"It's about time you woke up, you lazy fart!" Jinta quickly dodged Ichigo's swing, jumping backwards to stay a safe distance from him.
"Why you little-!"
"Oi! Don't you want to see Kuchiki-san?"
Ichigo kept himself from tackling the red-haired boy, realizing the open door to Rukia's room.
Rukia!
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"Where were you yesterday, Jyuushiro?"
Kuchiki Byakuya's shadow loomed over Ukitake; "What business did you have in the living world, where Rukia finds herself?"
Ukitake paled as he remembered yesterday's events, remembered the desperation he felt as he searched for the youngest Kuchiki.
"About that, Bya," Ukitake glanced over his shoulder to his fellow Captain; "there are events I feel obligated to inform you about…."
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Ichigo's padded feet made their way towards the sleeping shinigami, careful not to creak on the boards.
The boy sat down beside her mat, his eyes focused on where her closed eyes would be if he could see her.
You were still in your body when you pushed me out of the way, weren't you?
He looked behind him, the gigai dull and still, completely healed.
That scream I heard… it was the last second you were with me, wasn't it?
Ichigo focused back on the mat, wondering if she was hurt in her soul form as well.
We survived, because of you… didn't we?
Ichigo bit his lip as he could only try to imagine the monster she could have be fighting against to have ending up unconscious and in need of Urahara's help.
"She only suffered from bruises on her hands and from extremely low reiatsu."
Ichigo felt Urahara's presence behind him, knowing he was able to see her no matter what form she took on.
"She kept the Huge Hollow from attacking you by nearly paralyzing it completely, using her reiatsu."
"And the bruises, Urahara?"
"… she was fighting with all her power. I expect she couldn't care how hard she gripped her pride at the time…."
"Hai…."
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Ukitake sat at his desk, holding a bag of ice against his head, gazing beyond his window.
When will he understand?
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"It is Urahara's responsibility to make sure she doesn't run into danger!"
"She was doing her duty to protect, Byakuya!"
"She was protecting a worthless boy."
A Huge Hollow is beyond her capabilities; she should have retreated and let the second assigned officer eliminate the Hollow."
"That other officer wasn't even aware of what happened today! The boy and the other humans would have been killed!"
Had it not been for Rukia, we would have suffered a great embarrassment as protectors of the humans."
"It was luck which allowed her to see the end of that reckless battle."
"When will you be able to see just how strong Rukia truly is, Bya?!"
"Rukia will return to Soul Society, Jyuushiro. After that, she will no longer be a member of your squad."
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"You're making a mistake, Little Bya."
Ukitake stood up slowly to ease the dizziness, retreating to his room.
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"How is your sister, Kurosaki Ichigo?"
Tessai picked up Ichigo's empty cup from the ground, replacing it with another.
"She woke up fine at home, headed to school on time. She doesn't remember yesterday evening…."
Tessai left the boy alone by the healing shinigami, retreating to the door, pausing just before he slid it shut; "I thought I should let you that… Kuchiki is awake now."
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=] Hehe
You have now all witnessed the reason why this isn't an action story, or why I don't fuss over Rukia's shinigami duties- I SUCK AT WRITING THOSE PARTS! =P
8 pages without ANs! Yay me =]
No beta. No one has complained about my horrific sense of tenses, so I'll just keep posting only with spell check and such. Tenses suck ass anyways! =]
Hmm… well, we finished with Friday morning-ishhhh.
I got the whole idea of "paralyzing" the Hollow from Rukia's Rescue episodes, where everyone just seemed to be "paralyzed" by high reiatsu left and right. AND YES, RUKIA IS STRONG IN MY EYES! =P
Hmm, what else? Episode 73's ending cracked me up, with Hisagi and all.
…I like Hisagi… maybe I can drag him into my story… =]
Heh heh heh….
Reviews are appreciated!
Much love, KurosakiLove!