Confrontation IV
"Husband?" Rukia choked on the word. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Why on earth would she have ever married such a vile snake? It had to be a lie!
"You seem surprised." Kariya observed. "You must have repressed the memories ever since 'that day'."
"What day? What are you talking about?" Rukia pleaded.
"You were married to Kaien for only a month before something terrible happened."
"What damn you! What happened?" Rukia yelled impatiently.
"I cannot tell you, but I'm sure Kaien will tell you everything."
"But he's not here!"
"You might be surprised. He'll turn up soon enough. For now you will have to wait, plagued by your nightmares."
"You bastard!" Rukia charged at him but she was on the floor in seconds, waves of pain shooting through her head and chest. Kariya had palmed her off and knocked her to the floor in an expertly trained manoeuvre. There was no doubt; this man was equally as dangerous as Ulquiorra...
"You have more important things to worry about for now. We have to fit your microphone and translator. There is little time to waste; the sun will be down soon."
Rukia sat up and rubbed the back of her head. She was led to a seat and she leaned back and sighed. She was feeling exhausted. She just wanted to rest for a while and forget about everything that happened. She lost herself in blank thoughts for a moment but a cold hand on her bare chest frightened her into waking up. She yelped and tried to recoil away from the creep, but she was held in place by a powerful grip on her shoulder.
Kariya flashed her a venomous smile. "I have to set the microphone Miss Kuchiki. It would be beneficial for both of us if you did not squirm."
Rukia closed her eyes and tried to ignore his freezing touch on her chest. A small device was taped to her stomach and then a wire ran up along her sternum, between her breasts and ending just beneath her collar bone where a tiny microphone was located. Rukia scowled at the device which had caused such a violation. She couldn't even make eye contact with Kariya any more who was adjusting the wire to make sure it was not poking out from her shirt. When he was done he stepped back and allowed Rukia to button up her shirt.
"The locator is inside the device on your stomach. We will have your location monitored the whole time and we will step in when needed. Act calm and make sure he does not find out about your microphone, it would be worse for you than us if he found out."
"Thanks." Rukia spat the word with utter contempt. "Am I free to go now?"
"Yes. I have business to attend to. But be wary. The sun is setting and within the hour it will be nightfall. Prepare yourself and do not fail." With that Kariya made his departure and left Rukia to huddle in the corner and weep.
Ever since her time in solitary confinement, her emotions had become uncontrollable and she constantly suffered mood swings and bouts of sudden sadness. She was overcoming it slowly, but the experience still had a lasting effect on her.
She sat there alone and stared out the window at the red evening sky which was gradually getting darker and darker. When the sky turned black, this town would become a living hell.
Unohana frowned as she noticed the settling sun. "It's getting dark. That may make things difficult..."
"No matter. If only Kaien is in here then we have nothing to fear. We'll ram down the gate and make a big scene. Kaien will come out of hiding to see what the fuss is about and then we take him down." Ukitake scratched his head. "But of course I'm not a cop so I don't know if that will work well..."
Unohana shook her head while staring at the road ahead of her. "You need not be a police officer to come up with an effective plan. Now is not the time to be making search warrants and following the book. We need to use good old fashioned police brutality to put an end to this." She looked over her shoulder and smiled thinly. "I think your plan will work fine."
Ukitake chuckled and then checked up on Isane. She was breathing comfortably now but she was still unconscious. Hopefully she would wake before they crashed through the gates of No Man's Land but there was no way to be certain.
"Will Isane be okay?" Unohana asked.
"She should be fine. I guess she'll be awake in about twenty minutes or so."
"You know quite a lot for an office worker." Unohana commented.
Ukitake smirked. "I didn't always want to work in a prison. I always wanted to be a doctor. I took first aid courses and the like, but I never got a proper degree to get me into anything. When that failed I had nothing to fall back on so I reached out to the nearest workplace...Karakura Prison. I originally wanted to be the physician but they said I was more suited to desk work, so that's how it started...What about you? Did you always want to be a cop?"
Unohana laughed warmly. "Funnily enough I wanted to be a doctor as well. I had the brains to do it but then I stumbled upon a bank robbery one day when I was younger. I watched the police go about their duty and save everyone. I thought they were like modern superheroes so I decided to become like them form that day on."
Ukitake nodded and gazed at Isane. "What about her?"
"Isane was a young intern when I first met her. I had been promoted high enough to be her mentor so I took her under my wing. We became best friends in only a few days. She always told me she wanted to be a cop, to rid the world of the corrupt and create a peaceful world. Unfortunately, such a dream can never come true..." Unohana bowed her head and sighed.
"That is not true." Ukitake said. "Such a dream can be achieved; though first we need people dedicated enough to see such a dream come to being. Isane is a shining example. If there were more people like her, then people like Kaien Shiba would not be around to make trouble for everyone."
Unohana nodded and looked up ahead at the darkened city which suddenly burst into light. Large floodlights switched on and illuminated the seemingly abandoned city. Night had fallen and now the town was preparing for something...Though what would it be?
"We're almost there." She said. "I'd say about ten minutes and we'll be at the gate."
"Great. The sooner we put an end to this nightmare the better!" Ukitake jumped at the sudden breathing on his shoulder. He turned aside and stared at Isane who was beginning to wake up. Her head rolled around lazily and her half-opened eyes studied him curiously.
"Where...Are we?" Isane whispered.
"We're on our way to see a certain criminal mastermind by the name of Kaien Shiba." Ukitake filled her in briefly.
"Kaien..." Isane repeated, slowly recalling her memory of the last few days. "So...We're going to end it?"
"Hopefully." Unohana answered as she pressed down on the accelerator. The large prison transporter roared as it was pushed over the limit. The giant vehicle charged for the gates which loomed ahead, only a few kilometres ahead.
Rukia watched the sun go down and she knew it was time. She headed out into the main room of the service station and gave a short goodbye to the guards in case she was killed din the melee. When she came to Ichigo they had a teary reunion. They embraced each other and whispered reassuring messages. When their ritual was over Rukia kissed Ichigo and walked out the door into the darkness.
The streets were pitch black for a few minutes until the street lights were switched on, as well as a few search lights. Rukia was momentarily blinded from the sudden bright light, but she resumed her casual stroll to the hotel. She remained as calm as possible, but she had a terrible itch right where the microphone was. She looked around and then scratched it to her hearts content before going further.
It took only a few minutes to reach the hotel. The burning skeleton of the old bed and breakfast was a haunting stage for tonight's events. She took a deep breath and walked up to the rotting doorframe. She instantly felt a chilling wave wash over her as she stepped within the front room. It was as if she had fallen into a pool of ice. She shuddered and approached a small fire burning in the corner.
A prisoner was sitting there warming his hands. He glared at Rukia and hissed at her.
"Stay away! This is my fire!" The man reached into his pocket and took out a knife but by then it was too late. From the ceiling, a shadow dropped down silently and within a matter of seconds the man was bleeding from a large gash in his throat. He doubled over and landed in his own fire, his gushing blood quenching it and causing the place to return to an ominous darkness.
Ulquiorra stood over the corpse and considered it disinterestedly. After a while he just kicked it and rolled it off into the corner out of sight.
"Rukia Kuchiki, were you followed?"
"No." Rukia croaked.
Ulquiorra's head snapped up and he glared at her. "Your voice..."
Rukia's heart began hammering in her chest. She thought up a suitable excuse and blurted it out desperately. "I'm uh...Still not used to the sight of blood."
Ulquiorra nodded. "You should get used to it soon enough. There is still more bloodshed to come if we are to be free."
Rukia nodded and stared down at the floor. "What is the plan?" She asked, stepping closer so that the microphone could pick it up.
"I have a hunch that a patrol will come through here shortly. I want you to lure them in here and I will finish them off."
Rukia gasped. How could he have foreseen such a thing? It was impossible! Unless...Did he know all along?
"What is the matter? I am not asking for much of you. Merely stand out there and they shall wander over. Tell them you have found something inside and that you want them to check it out. I shall kill them all and then we can move on with the plan." Ulquiorra spoke of a mass killing as if it was a trivial matter.
Rukia shivered and walked shakily out into the open. She stood there in the biting wind for a minute and then they arrived. A half dozen guards all armed and dangerous. They approached her and studied her with sour expressions.
"Found anything?" One of them asked.
Rukia nodded and waved a hand at the gaping doorway. The guards pushed past and approached the doorway. They stopped there and one of the guards threw something in there before stepping back. A large explosion rocked the hotel and Rukia flinched. She backed away and stared at the flames that began to lap up the building's already decayed structure.
Is that it? Is it already over?
Something burst out of the doorway. In the blink of an eye it had crossed over to the closest guard and torn his throat out. The others began to panic and opened fire on the rapidly moving killer. Ulquiorra felled two more guards with his bare hands, impaling them both and discarding their corpses with utter disregard.
Rukia screamed and hid under an abandoned street stall. She watched as the remaining three guards met their doom. As the last man fell gurgling and choking the enraged demon stepped out into the open. His body was lightly singed and he was covered in blood, a vision from a nightmare. He truly was a pale demon.
"They knew I was there. How?" The emotionless monster kneeled down beside the cart and snatched Rukia's hand. He dragged her out and slammed her against the cart. "You were followed."
Rukia could barely breathe. She ad been winded when she hit the cart. She raised her hands defensively and cried out. "I didn't know! I promise!"
Ulquiorra closed his eyes and dropped her. "Hello Kariya." He whispered.
Rukia looked down and noticed the microphone sticking out of her shirt. Her heart stopped beating and her blood froze in her veins. She slowly raised her head to look at Ulquiorra who despite his blank exterior was eager to kill. "I...I..."
"You betrayed me Kuchiki. I told you what happens to those who betray me."
Rukia closed her eyes and curled up in a ball. She would have cried out for help but Kariya would not turn up until after she was dead. She had to save herself.
Ulquiorra raised his hand and Rukia rolled under the cart just as he chopped through it. She ducked out the other side and ran, pumping her legs as fast as she could. Ulquiorra gave chase and caught up in only a few seconds. He slapped her with enough force to send her flying through the window of a roadside cafe. She struggled to get up but it was too late, Ulquiorra was already over her. He picked her up by her collar and then dragged her back out into the moonlight.
"Kariya is watching us right now. I want him to see his little toy die."
"Please? I was forced into it!"
"There is no excuse. You brought this upon yourself. Now I must end your life."
"NO!" Rukia tried to crawl away but the milk-skinned beast kicked her in the ribs so hard it made her bring up blood. She collapsed in the dirt and gazed into the vacant eyes of her executioner.
This was the end...Slain alone, in the middle of nowhere. Rukia attempted to make one last bolt for safety but Ulquiorra's hand drilled through her stomach and made a path right through to the other side. Her jaw dropped and her eyes widened as a pain unlike anything she had ever felt before assaulted every fibre in her body. She howled in agony and tears streamed from her eyes as she rolled about screaming.
"Remember this pain. It shall be your last memory before you depart from this world." Ulquiorra chanted menacingly.
Rukia leaned back, her body beginning to shut down. She used the last of her strength to glare at the vile creature that was to bring about her violent end. She set her gaze on him and anticipated the final blow...
But it never came. Ulquiorra was about to stalk and finish off his prey when something huge slammed into him. The giant mechanical creature charged right into him, throwing his body across the street where he slammed into a parked car, falling through the windscreen and into the front seat.
Meanwhile, Rukia blacked out, her last vision of a heavily armed trio bursting out of the armoured vehicle and approaching her.
What the...? What just happened? Is Rukia saved? Or is this just the beginning of something far worse? Find out in the next chapter!
I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please review!