Just before dawn, Rukia woke up, got ready and quietly slipped out of the camp. Before she left, Yoruichi gave her a silent nod of encouragement as a send-off. Rukia tried not to think of it as a 'farewell' gesture of sorts.
Following the instructions that both Kisuke and Captain Kurosaki had given her over the past few days, Rukia made her way towards the large structure. As it loomed over her, Rukia couldn't help but stare up at the impressive stone wall and gulp involuntarily. Then, giving herself a physical and mental shake, Rukia focused her attention on the part of the wall she could actually reach.
It took her a little bit, but Rukia finally found a bit of a weakness. Truthfully speaking, it wasn't much of a weakness, more of an opening just big enough for her to pass through. It was a grate through which a river flowed and that the fortress used as their water source. Had an army tried to siege the fortress, they may have tried to gain access through the grate, but they would have had to tear it open or something like that which would have also drawn attention to what they were doing. Being so petite and slender, Rukia was able to slip through the bars with only a little bit of trouble when it came to her shoulders and hips.
"Guess I'm not a complete stick figure then," mumbled Rukia to herself once she got past the grate before falling silent again. The last thing she needed was for her chatter to draw the attention of a guard and get herself caught.
Pulling herself out of the river, Rukia found herself in an underground chamber that was filled with large pots. Taking the lids off one of the pots, Rukia sniffed and dipped her hand inside to find out that each pot contained water from the river.
"They probably leave the water down here to keep it chilled until they need it," thought Rukia to herself.
Looking around, Rukia saw a staircase leading up to a door. Going up and testing the door, Rukia wasn't entirely surprised to discover that it was locked. Gnawing her lips as she tried to come up with a plan, Rukia's gaze fell once again to the pots of water.
"Could be some harm in trying," Rukia thought, "but it's not like I have much of a choice," before she went back down and walked over to one of the pots that was close to the river's edge, but also in the first row of pots.
Once again, Rukia lifted the lid off the pot, only this time she pushed against it, trying to tip it over. It was heavier than Rukia anticipated and so she pushed a little harder only to have the pot nearly crash into the floor before she caught it. She allowed a good amount of the water to flow out before setting it upright again. Then, taking a deep breath for no other reason than to brace herself for what she was about to do, Rukia climbed into the pot and pulled the lid over the top.
After what seemed like an eternity, Rukia heard the door above unlock and open to let in several people, probably men if Rukia had to guess from the timbre of their garbled voices. Bracing her hands against the sides of the pot, Rukia closed her eyes and hoped against hope that they took her pot. The men all trooped out, grunting under the weight of their burdens...Rukia's pot not among those burdens.
Flopping against the back of the pot, Rukia began contemplating the possibility of her sneaking out of the pot and up the stairs since she was fairly certain that the men had not closed and locked the door behind them. Before she could execute this new plan, she heard sounds of the men returning and once again braced herself to be lifted. This time, they picked her pot up and it was all Rukia could do not to squeal in shock when they tipped the pot almost completely sideways one way and then the other in order to get their hands underneath it.
Trying to remain as still as possible and not feel sick to her stomach as the pot seemed to heave up and down and up and down and up and...Rukia again shook herself to bring her senses back into focus. Having no idea where her final destination might be, Rukia just hoped that her pot would be left unattended for a while so she could sneak out without detection. All of a sudden, the men carrying the pot came to a halt and again tipped the pot from side to side as they set it down.
"Well," thought Rukia darkly as she strained her ears to figure out where she might be and what was about to happen to her pot, "if that little dip in the river hadn't been enough to clean me off, this little trip sure has."
Her heart leaped as she caught the sound of retreating footsteps. Just to be on the safe side, Rukia counted slowly to sixty before ever so carefully lifting the lid just enough to peer out at her surroundings. For a moment, Rukia panicked when she saw trees everywhere, thinking that she had gone to all the trouble only to be transported outside the army headquarters. When she looked again, Rukia realized that it was the orchard inside the fortress. Closing her eyes, Rukia tried to focus her mind's eye on a memory of Captain Kurosaki and Urahara drawing her a map of the fortress in the dirt. They had explained the basic layout of the place to her so that when she found a way inside, she would be able to find her way around to the side entrance that she was supposed to open for them before 11 o'clock.
"Now, if I'm in the orchard..." Rukia thought slowly as she tried to relax her mind in order to see the image more clearly, "that means that the stables are going to be over on the right. So I'll sneak out of here and up to the hayloft to lay low until it's time."
Set in her new plan, Rukia carefully put it into action. Lifting the lid a bit more and seeing that there was no one around, Rukia quickly set it aside and clambered out of the pot as quickly and silently as she could. She had another brief moment of panic when her shimmying out nearly sent the lid toppling to the ground, but she managed to reach out and grab it before that could happen. Replacing the lid, Rukia crouched next to the pots and caste about her one last time before she dashed across the orchard.
Just as she was about to put on a huge burst of speed, Rukia's peripheral vision caught a bit of movement and she immediately whipped her head around to see what was coming. A man whom Rukia guessed was a gardener came striding across the orchard carrying a sizable watering can in one hand and some sort of packet in the other. Quickly, Rukia scurried around to the other side of the pots and flattened herself against them while trying to keep her breathing silent and even.
The man whistled tunelessly as he came over before he stopped and said, "Ah, the apples seem to be doing well. Not so the pears, unfortunately. May be the bugs again..."
Hearing the footsteps approaching the pots, Rukia closed her eyes and thought frantically, "Please don't see me. Please don't see me. Please don't see me. Please don't see me..."
There was the sound of the lid being lifted off a pot followed by a loud gasp and the man saying, "Well, I never..." and Rukia realized with a sinking feeling that out of all the pots he could have chosen, he managed to pick the very pot she had stowed away in.
"Of all the-" Rukia's began to think until she heard the man click his tongue and say in a disappointed tone, "How many times do I have to tell them not to bring me the water left over from washing? It really is rather vexing that they don't realize just how much water living things need to grow properly. Maybe they'll think twice about it if their beloved fruit pies no longer appear at evening meals..."
The man heaved a heavy sigh and Rukia heard the sound of something clanking against the inside of the pot. There was a soft grunt and then more clanking and she realized that the man must have lowered his watering can into the pot to fill it with water. A soft ripping noise followed by a quiet whooshing sound and Rukia realized that he must have opened his packet and was now pouring whatever it was into the watering can.
It was then that Rukia felt all her extremities begin to ache and burn from freezing in such an awkward position and she feared that at any moment now her legs would finally give out beneath her which would lead to her discovery and then-
"Hey! Commander Shunsui! You're supposed to be at morning muster right now!"
The man stopped what he was doing and replied in an airy tone, "Really? I didn't realize just how late it was. I'll be right there."
"General Yamamoto said to tell you that if you're late to morning muster one more time, he'll be forced to-"
"Very well, very well," said the man and Rukia heard the sound of what she assumed was the man setting aside his equipment, "We shan't keep the general waiting."
Waiting as long as she dared after the men's footsteps retreated, Rukia bolted to the right without stopping to look around and make sure she wouldn't be spotted. Seeing an open doorway, Rukia plunged through it and immediately caste her gaze about for the entrance to the hayloft. Heaving a sigh of relief, Rukia saw a ladder that went up to an opening in the ceiling and she scaled the ladder in no time at all. Deciding to take a chance at hiding under the hay near the opening that allowed her to see out into the compound, Rukia concealed herself as best she could and tried to calm to racing heart and frantic nerves. No need to freak herself out when she had a long wait ahead of her...
Outside headquarters, everyone else had taken up positions among the trees near the side door that Rukia had been instructed to open. Had the door simply been made of wood, the whole plan would have gone a lot smoother. As it was, the door was something of a marvel. To the average passer-by, they could walk by and never realize the door was there since it had been designed to blend in with the wall surrounding it. The stone on the outside was attached securely to a steel frame and four strong bolts securing it from inside. Short of ramming into it with a stout battering ram (and even then it would take more time and manpower than the group had to even make a dent in the door), the only way to open it was from the inside.
Looking over at his protege with his arms crossed and legs bouncing with nervous energy, Ichigo called over softly, "Rukia's fine. If they had caught her, we would know."
Frowning, Renji whispered back, "We would?"
Nodding with conviction, the captain replied, "Yes, they would have sounded the alarm because someone had infiltrated headquarters."
"But...what if they caught her and are just keeping it quiet while they try to figure out what she was up to?" asked Renji in a tone that was a mixture of skepticism, concern and fear.
Urahara smiled as he shook his head and said, "If that were the case, the amount of wall guards would have increased and have been told to keep a lookout," pointing a finger, he said with a soft chuckle, "That one certainly wouldn't be allowed to nap while leaning against his pike."
Slipping noiselessly from his own hiding place, Chad joined Renji behind the huge tree the teenager was hiding behind and silently handed him a piece of wood. When Renji looked up at him curiously, Chad said under his breath, "To pass the time you could carve something small. Maybe give it to someone a little later."
Again, Renji frowned in confusion for a heartbeat or two before realizing what the man was implying. Ducking his head to hide the blush beginning to creep up his neck, Renji nodded and gratefully accepted Chad's carving knife to use. When his eyes connected with his friend's, Ichigo couldn't help the small grin that lightened his expression for a moment or two at the expression on Chad's face (one that was happy but that was also mixed with a bit of 'this-boy's-got-it-bad'). However, it was not to last as Ichigo then refocused his attention on his surroundings.
Several minutes passed with no change, until Ichigo heard a slight rustling off to their right. Once again making eye contact with Chad who gently nudged Renji to alert him, they all carefully laid their hands on their weapons concealed under their cloaks. Unconsciously holding his breath, Ichigo strained his ears and the next moment he heard two thuds on a hollow log in quick succession. At the sound everyone relaxed their tense muscles as they realized Yoruichi had just used the signal they had agreed upon before breaking camp that morning. Unbeknownst to Rukia, Yoruichi had relayed to Ichigo that she intended to watch over the girl and see that she made it inside without incident before carefully scouting around the outside to make sure they weren't hit with any surprises when they went inside. Like Tsukishima and Riruka not being there or something.
Even though he didn't hear her approach, when Ichigo turned his head he wasn't surprised to see the woman leaning against the tree next to him. What did surprise him was her expression, which was pinched, tense, displeased and maybe just a little bit irritated.
"What?" he whispered while feeling his stomach start to clench with unease.
Looking at each male in turn, Yoruichi reported, "Rukia made it in all right. She managed to squeeze herself through the river drain, so that's some good news first."
"And?" prodded Ichigo trying to keep his voice calm and level, "There's a problem, so what is it?"
Shaking her head, Yoruichi replied in a tone that matched Ichigo's own irritation level, "Of all the days he could possibly have chosen, looks like King Tamashi has apparently decided to make his quarterly inspection of headquarters today."
Closing his eyes, Ichigo allowed his head to fall heavily against the tree behind him. They had been planning on sneaking inside, locating Riruka, maybe spiriting her away somewhere secluded and dealing with the curse that way. Since they had no idea what her schedule for the day may be like, they couldn't come up with any specific ideas for locating her and there was a huge risk that she would be somewhere surrounded by people, but that was a risk they were willing to take as they had no other options. Now, they knew exactly where she was going to be during the solar eclipse, but there was no way they were going to be able to confront her privately. They were now going to have to literally face an army in order to accomplish their mission.
Just as his head started to veer towards thoughts of 'This is completely hopeless...', the memory of a pair of watery, silver gray eyes looking at him with such love and longing immediately snapped Ichigo back to attention. He'd known for a week that this plan was risky and definitely not guaranteed to work even if they did manage to get Riruka to look at them. But there was a chance. If he gave up here...Ichigo refused to let his thoughts wander down that path any further and instead forced himself to review the facts and think of a new plan.
Keeping his eyes closed, Ichigo massaged the bridge of his nose as he said quietly, "All right...Rukia's inside and she's going to let us in before noon. That gives us less than an hour to come up with something that hopefully will get us close to Riruka by the solar eclipse. With the king there, he'll meet with the commanders first and then head down to the training grounds just before noon like he always does to review the troops. So, everyone will be in the same place when the solar eclipse happens."
Looking around him, Ichigo asked, "Any ideas?"
A slow grin spreading across his face, Urahara said calmly, "I'm glad you asked..."
The hours crept by and at least three times Rukia just managed to catch herself before she fell asleep. While it may have been possible to eventually forgive herself had she not been able to find a decent opening into the fortress or if she had been caught, there was no way she would ever live down the shame of failing everyone simply because she got bored of waiting and fell asleep.
All at once, there was a flurry of activity in the stables, causing Rukia to panic for a bit as she worried about being discovered. However, she eventually realized that all the hustle and bustle had to do with tending to horses and whatnot that had just arrived and no one had any reason to come up to the hayloft.
While she didn't see the group arriving at the stables to have their horses tended to, Rukia certain saw them as they walked away. At first, she wondered if maybe one of those troops who had been out searching for Captain Kurosaki and the others had returned, but when the column of soldiers passed by her and she saw the emblem emblazoned on their cloaks, Rukia felt her stomach begin to roil and churn with anxiety. There was no mistaking the royal crest of the kingdom and while she had never before seen the king, he wasn't all that difficult to pick out as he passed by.
"Oh, for the love of seasoned meat..." muttered Rukia under her breath in awe and dread, "What're we going to do?"
Fortunately for her, the others outside had already come up with a solution. It wasn't fool-proof by any stretch of the imagination, but their plan never had been and like all of them had said and thought multiple times over the last week it wasn't like they had much of a choice. Do or die time.
Even with the entire fortress in something of an uproar over King Tamashi's unexpected arrival, Rukia's signal to go and open the door was still given: a loud booming noise from several large drums located in guard towers along the wall's ramparts to alert everyone that the afternoon meal would be ready within the hour. Only in this case, the meal would be postponed and everyone was expected to be lined up in formation on the training grounds for the king to inspect them all.
Flinching in surprise at the noise from the drums, Rukia remained where she was for a moment or two in dazed confusion until she realized with a jolt that she needed to get moving now. Brushing off as much straw from her hair and clothing as possible, Rukia knelt down next to the ladder and ever so carefully lowered her head through the opening to check and see if the coast was clear. If anyone had been in the stables, they would have been in for quite a shock to see a young, almost pixie-like, face with wide, violet eyes that seemed to take up half her head slowly emerging from the ceiling. Upside down, no less. As it was, Rukia was once again completely alone, besides the horses and livestock, of course. Very few of the animals even bothered to look at her, so absorbed were they with their food troughs in most cases.
Alighting on the floor, Rukia looked about her one last time and muttered under her breath, "Oh, don't mind me. I'll be out of your hair in a moment here." One cow with large brown eyes gave her a baleful, dumb glance while chewing its cud before slowly turning its head towards the closed stable door.
Shaking her head while grinning at the cow, Rukia nimbly jogged to the opposite end of the barn and cautiously opened the door to peer out. Seeing no one about, Rukia then focused her attention on the wall. It didn't take her long to locate the door there, but as she quickly approached it, once again her heart began to sink. The thing was absolutely enormous. How in the world was she supposed to open something that made her feel so minuscule in comparison?
For some reason, Rukia heard Renji's voice in her head say, "Yeah, so? Aren't most things bigger than you?"
Before she could become outrageously furious at the voice inside her head, Renji's imaginary voice then, for some reason, went on and added, "Nothing wrong with being small and fun-sized. It's how come you were the only one who stood a halfway decent chance of getting inside in the first place. Now, put that pretty little brain of yours to work and figure out a way to open this door. We can't do this without you. I can't-"
"All right, all right, already!" Rukia exclaimed in a furious whisper as she raised her hands automatically in front of her face to cover the blush starting to flood her cheeks...until she remembered once again that she was alone at the moment.
"Get a grip, will you?" she growled under her breath before Rukia looked up and more carefully assessed the door.
There were four bolts along the side that she would have to pull away. Two of them were within her reach while the other two were way over her head. Each looked to be about as thick as Captain Kurosaki's, or maybe even Captain Yasutora's, arm, so Rukia imagined they were fairly weighty to pull.
"Well, only one way to find out," muttered Rukia as she laced her fingers together and stretched them in front of her before using the part of the bolts jutting out from the frame as a kind of ladder to reach the topmost ones.
It was a bit of a stretch for the first one, but Rukia managed to get a good enough grip around the bottom to pull it out. Much to her surprise, the bolt slid out of its hole quite easily and she was so startled that she actually lost her footing and started falling to the ground. Instinctively, Rukia pushed herself away from the door frame and tumbled into the grass. Standing up, she felt a little banged up, but it was probably better than crashing head or back first into a steel frame.
"For crying out loud," Rukia whispered as she rolled her eyes, "of course the bolts would need to be easy to open and close. They're just big and heavy for when they're keeping the door closed and secure."
Stomping back over to the door, Rukia was able to open the other three bolts in a matter of seconds. Getting the door to open took a bit of effort initially, but once it was started, the huge contraption swung open almost of itself. Poking her head around, Rukia's eyes quickly scanned the area as she whistled two shrill yet soft notes, like a bird. Next moment, everyone emerged from their hiding places and swiftly yet silently raced towards the open door. Chad was once again carrying Orihime in his huge hands while Urahara and Renji led all the horses. Around the horses hooves, they had wound strips of cloth to try and deaden their footfalls as much as possible. Once everyone was inside, Yoruichi and Ichigo quickly re-bolted the door.
Turning around and scanning the grounds plus the wall top (the guard was leaning even more heavily on his pike now), when he was satisfied that they hadn't been spotted or noticed, Ichigo looked down at Rukia with just a hint of a grin as he said in a hushed tone, "Good work."
Nodding in acknowledgement, Rukia (for some reason) looked over at Renji, who grinned broadly at her and said, "Yeah. Couldn't have done it without you."
Immediately, Rukia remembered her earlier 'imaginary conversation' with Renji and before she was able to control her emotions, color flooded her cheeks and she whispered in a partially haughty, partially irritated tone, "I'm well aware of that fact, thank you very much," before turning her back on him with a huff.
"Huh? What'd I do?" Renji began in a tone fraught with desperate confusion before Urahara cut in breezily, "Well, on to the next step then. Can't dilly dally around here, now can we?"
Stealing a sideways glance at Renji, Rukia's heart did a sort of flop as she actually saw the almost 'kicked dog' expression on his face. Next moment, it had mostly vanished as he followed Urahara's lead and led their horses towards the stable. Trailing along behind the others, Rukia knew she was going to have to come up with some way to apologize to him. While it may not be very likely, she hoped that somehow she'd be able to do that out of earshot of everyone else. Much to her surprise, she got that very chance once they were all gathered within the stable.
Inside, Urahara passed the reigns of the horses he was leading over to Renji with a firm nod before heading out with the other adults to gather some items that they would need for their hastily constructed plan. Carefully, Chad laid Orihime in Rukia's hands with a small smile and then he too left.
Rubbing her hand gently over Orihime's feathers, Rukia looked over and saw Renji lead Uryu and Tatsuki into two empty stalls before relieving them of their other burdens and hanging their clothes on the stall doors. He then started to do the same with the pack horses, but he left their bridles and blankets alone. Brazo Gigante and Mugetsu were left as they were along with Yoruichi's own horse.
Trying and failing a couple of times, Rukia finally managed to say quietly, "I'm sorry."
Looking up at her in some surprise, Renji inquired with his eyes wide, "Huh? Did you say something?"
Her first instinct was to snap at him again, but Rukia stopped herself and took a few calming breaths. Renji wasn't trying to rub it in, he really and truly hadn't heard what she said and she needed to get a grip already.
Clearing her throat, Rukia looked him directly in the eye for as long as it took her to repeat, "I'm sorry," before dropping her gaze down to look at the hawk in her hands, who just so happened to be looking up at her, head tilted slightly to one side.
"Oh, don't worry about it," replied Renji in a sincere tone, "Everyone's on edge right now."
Just then, Urahara swept back into the room and said in a light tone, "Yes, that is true. Renji was so nervous not that long ago, so concerned about y-Oomph!"
To Rukia's amazement, Renji had bolted over to the man and actually clamped his hands over Urahara's mouth to stop him talking. Then, just as quickly as he had acted, Renji leaped away from Urahara as if he had been burned, his eyes wide and darting back and forth between Rukia and Urahara while his own visage started to color. Rukia could almost hear the gears in his head turning like crazy as he tried to think of some explanation for his actions. Even if she didn't have all the details, it didn't take her long to mentally piece together a fairly accurate assumption on what Urahara had been about to say and her reaction matched and even exceeded Renji's own.
Coming up behind her husband, Yoruichi gave the back of his head a less than gentle cuff as she muttered, "Honestly, I leave you alone for two minutes..."
Rubbing the back of his head ruefully, Urahara all but whined, "Why does my beloved always-" but he was once again interrupted, only this time by Ichigo as he returned, saying, "It's nearly time. We got everything?"
"Not quite," said a voice behind Rukia that she did not recognize. As her heart leaped at being startled, Rukia also noticed a slight shiver run up her spine as the deep baritone seemed to resonate within her. Taking a quick look at the others before turning around, Rukia saw varying degrees of shock mixed with wariness in their expressions, which obviously then heightened her own unease.
Turning around, Rukia automatically raised her gaze, but she found that she hadn't looked quite high enough to see the man's face, so she slowly lifted her eyes until she did. The man was tall (later on Rukia would compare and realize that Chad was actually taller than him), but it was his presence and aura that was so impressive. The dark brown eyes that were the same shade as his hair swept across the room and Rukia was sure that the man's gaze missed absolutely nothing. The corners of his mouth were uplifted and soft and almost congenial, but somewhere in the back of Rukia's mind she thought that he was, for lack of a better description, unsafe.
"Commander Aizen," said Ichigo in a tone to match the expression Rukia had seen on his face.
The words hung heavy in the air for a heartbeat before the commander's smile widened and his hands swept out as he said, "Well, it is good to see you all alive and well after all this time," then he held up a hand and continued in a soothing tone, "You have no need to be alarmed by my presence, Ichigo. Gin and I have come to offer our help to your cause."
Hearing the sound of someone stepping forward, Yoruichi's voice spoke next as she said, "I'm not going to bother asking if we can even trust you, but I will ask you one thing: what's in it for you?"
Chuckling, Aizen shook his head, saying, "As brutal and direct as I remember, Yoruichi."
"Just answer the question."
Sighing, Aizen replied, "I suppose there's just enough time to give you one of my reasons and you may take it for what it's worth," then he raised his gaze and his expression became serious as he said coolly, "I do not respect people who abuse power and authority. By slighting my captains, Tsukishima has also slighted me and I will not stand for that."
Composing his features once again into a calm facade, Aizen asked in a tone that was only half teasing, "Have I permission to join your cause now?"
Another pregnant pause before Ichigo said quietly and respectfully, "Thank you, Commander Aizen. Captain Ichimaru. We would appreciate your help."
His smile widening marginally and becoming a bit more genuine, Aizen said, "Good. Then why don't we quickly go over the major points of your plan and then we'll see how my men could figure into it."
Stepping forward with a smile to match Aizen's, Kisuke said, "Very well then. I assume you know that our overall goal is to get close enough to Riruka for her to see everyone in their human forms."
"I had my suspicions," replied Aizen.
"How?"
It took Rukia a few seconds to realize that she had been the one to ask the question. While her mouth had spoken before her brain had a chance to catch up, the next instant Rukia knew why she had asked. How could this man have possibly figured out everything, especially when he hadn't even been there when Riruka cast the spell? Or had he?
As if reading her thoughts, Aizen shook his head and said, "No, I was not there the night of Captain Kurosaki's disappearance, but it didn't take me long to put together one or two seemingly unrelated facts plus the others I have been able to glean in the last few weeks."
"What facts?" blurted Rukia again.
"Well, my dear, I'm not entirely sure we have the time," said Aizen as he looked back at someone.
Apparently, that someone was Kisuke, who said easily, "Oh, I think we can spare enough time to have you amaze us with your deductive skills, Sousuke."
Inclining his head, Aizen repeated, "Very well then," before returning his attention to Rukia and saying, "Firstly, I was actually with Tsukishima when he was tipped off about Captain Kurosaki's elopement."
Just before the stunned silence could be broken by angry outbursts, Aizen held up his hand and said, "It wasn't until the next day that I fully understood the significance of what we heard. Tsukishima and I were engaged in conversation when the boy who worked for Kisuke in his shop walked past us muttering to himself about getting ready before midnight and another word I didn't identify until later as 'ceremony'. At the time, I assumed that it had something to do with the shop."
Holding up a second finger, Aizen continued saying, "Secondly, the next day physicians were summoned to treat Riruka who was dangerously weak and feeble. Having a mage in my employ, I was able to identify the signs that the poor girl had cast an extremely powerful and taboo spell. She had been the picture of health at the evening meal the previous day, so I didn't believe it was problematic to assume that she had cast this spell late the previous night or early in the morning."
Raising another finger, Aizen said, "Thirdly, while I couldn't determine the exact nature of the spell, due to the fact that six people in total had gone missing and were now pronounced as traitors, I deduced that it had been powerful ensnare those who had disappeared."
Looking over at Kisuke, the commander then said, "In addition to Captain Kurosaki and his associates, the king also declared that mercy would be granted to those who came forward willingly and confessed to having aided the traitors."
"A kind offer, to be sure," said Kisuke in a breezy tone that didn't quite sound authentic to Rukia's ears, "but one I wasn't entirely interested in testing."
Lowering his hand and looking down at the hawk sitting quietly in Rukia's hands, Aizen said in a tone that could almost be described as 'soft', "And finally, while an honorable man takes excellent care of his animals, he does not risk his life and fight like a madman to save them when they are wounded in battle."
Gently clapping his hands together, Aizen returned his attention to the adults behind Rukia as he said in a more business-like tone, "Now then, if everyone is satisfied, shall we get to work?"
"Rukia."
Turning around, Rukia's eyes connected with Ichigo's and he said, "Please take Orihime into one of the stalls and lay her clothes out, then come see me for a few more instructions."
Nodding in agreement, Rukia did as she was told without question. As she finished arranging Orihime's dress and shoes within easy reach, Chad reentered the stable pulling a wagon behind him. Without a word, Chad took in the sight of Aizen and Ichimaru talking with Ichigo and Kisuke, but other than a momentary hesitation at the door, the large man showed no surprise at seeing his old commanding officers integrated into their group. Stepping forward, Renji assisted Chad in hitching the pack horses to the wagon and leading them outside, so Rukia assumed they would be using the wagon to transport everyone out onto the training grounds.
Coming up behind the group of men and Yoruichi, Rukia heard Kisuke say, "...so the big issue we have is separating Riruka from her squadron or at least getting close enough to her so that she can look at everyone clearly before the eclipse is over. Do you have any ideas for that?"
"I may have one or two," replied Aizen easily and with a grin to match, "Since my squadron will be assembled just across from Tsukishima's, Gin and a few others should be able to detain her without too much trouble after you all arrive. Correct?"
Answering the not-really-a-question, Gin inclined his head and said, "Nothing easier."
Looking over at Captain Kurosaki, Aizen said, "Well, Captain? Seems to me that there is something weighing on your mind."
Without lifting his gaze from his intertwined fingers, Ichigo said slowly, "There's just one thing I want to make sure we are all in agreement on before we do anything further."
"And what might that be, Ichigo?" asked Aizen evenly.
Lifting his gaze and making eye contact with each man in turn, Ichigo declared, "I'll be the first to admit that there have been times the last couple of years when I have been sorely tempted to make Tsukishima, Riruka and even in my wildest dreams Ginjou die slow and very painful deaths for what they've done to my friends, my wife and even selfishly myself."
With a light in his eyes that was partially commanding and partially pleading in a sense, Ichigo finished with, "However, our purpose today is to break a curse, not to carry out our own personal vendettas. We will defend ourselves and our comrades, but we will not shed blood unless there is absolutely no other choice. Are we all of the same mind in this?"
Laying a hand on Ichigo's shoulder as he came up behind his friend, Chad's answer didn't need to be spoken aloud. Same went for Renji, who nodded once in absolute agreement with his superior officer's words. Yoruichi folded her arms and arched an elegant eyebrow at Ichigo as if to say 'Isn't the answer obvious?', but Rukia had the feeling that the question hadn't really been directed to any of them. She was right.
Aizen said in a low, serious and what Rukia might describe as a 'sincere' tone, "Any outbreak of violence, justified or otherwise, will be dealt with most severely when this situation is handled. You have my word."
For a time, Ichigo and Aizen held each other's gaze until finally the former nodded in acquiescence and the superior turned to his subordinate and said simply, "Return to the others and inform them of what they need to know. I will be along shortly," to which Gin replied with a nod of his own and rose to his feet. As he turned to leave, Gin paused just long enough for one of his long, trailing sleeves to pass over Ichigo's hands. Immediately, Rukia's keen eye noticed the man nimble fingers slip a small piece of paper to the captain before blandly leaving the stables.
"It's about time," said Kisuke quietly, "We should get going."
Even still, no one moved right away until finally, Ichigo rose to his feet, turned and held out his hand to Aizen as he said, "No matter what happens, Commander-" but Aizen interrupted him, saying mildly, "Think that way, Captain, and the battle is lost before it even begins."
Taking Ichigo's outstretched hand, the commander said with a slight grin, "Give my regards to your wife when you see her next," and before Ichigo could recover himself enough to respond, the older man strode out of the stable.
Several seconds passed before Ichigo turned as if remembering Rukia was behind him and saying, "Right. Here, take this."
Looking down at her hands, Rukia felt the breath stick in her throat as she saw the long dirk sitting in them. Carefully wrapping her fingers around the handle, she instinctively knew that the grip was perfectly suited for her small hands and something told her that the blade's balance would be the same. It wasn't fancy or elaborate, but it was well-crafted and that's what really mattered.
The captain's voice cut through her reverie as he said, "There are two things you need to remember whenever you draw this blade. Because of the length of the blade, it is used predominately for defense and not offense. Should you need to use it, your opponents will definitely be taller and stronger than you are in addition to having longer arms and blades, so don't think for a second that you stand a chance if you try and go on the offensive. Knock their blades away with your speed and cunning and then get away from them as fast as you can. Don't let them back you into a corner. Got it?"
"Got it," replied Rukia before she asked, "And what's the second thing?"
Solemnly wrapping his fingers around Rukia's where she was still holding the handle, Ichigo said gravely, "Even in self-defense, do not draw this blade lightly. I'd rather you run away from the battlefield and never look back rather than use the dirk or any other weapon in a fit of uncontrolled emotion. Do you understand?"
Frowning up at the captain, Rukia shook her head and said honestly, "No, I don't," but before Ichigo had a chance to respond and maybe explain, Kisuke called from outside more insistently, "It's starting!"
Shaking his head, Ichigo firmly yet carefully gripped Rukia's shoulders and said, "I said I had some instructions for you, so here they are: I would like for you to remain by Orihime's side. You and Renji. Would you do that for me, please?"
Without a second thought, Rukia answered with, "Yes," to which Ichigo responded with a small, sincere grin of gratitude before walking over to collect the horses still outfitted with saddles and leading them outside. Hearing shuffling and clicking behind her, Rukia guessed that the others had just transformed and were changing into their clothes as quickly as possible. Tatsuki and Uryu were first out and ready, but even with her injury, Orihime was done about ten seconds after them. With every second being precious, Rukia merely gestured for them all to follow her outside, which they did in similar silence.
Stepping out, when everyone was finally face-to-face with those they hadn't seen in over two years, it wasn't surprising that it took a moment or two for them all to remember exactly how to breathe, let alone what their true objective was. It was Yoruichi who finally broke the stalemate as she gently took Orihime's hand and drew her up and into the back of the wagon before climbing over to sit in the front seat beside her husband who was to drive. Uryu climbed in next and as Rukia began to follow, her handhold slipped, but before she could tumble gracelessly to the ground, the solemn man grabbed one of her hands and pulled while Renji tucked his hand under her armpit and pushed her up into the wagon. With a sheepish yet grateful half-grin at both of them in turn, Rukia took her place at Orihime's side while also gripping the side of the wagon.
The moment of truth had finally arrived. There was no turning back.
The mandatory royal inspections were routine and as such mind-numbingly boring. A good number of soldiers had even developed the uncanny ability of napping while standing at attention with their eyes wide open. As a result, those who arrived on the training grounds fully expecting another typical inspection were in for a rude awakening. Quite literally in some cases, as it turned out.
Some of the more observant in the ranks noticed the change in the sky and surreptitiously elbowed their mates to make them aware of the eclipse. When the sky got a little darker, even King Tamashi looked up briefly, but then doggedly continued on with his royal duty.
Everything after that happened so quickly that those standing the back had to have events explained to them later on since they hadn't been able to actually see any of it.
It started with a rumbling noise. Most common soldiers (and even a few higher ranking officers who weren't particularly bright) looked up at the sky expecting to see dark clouds. Those few who were smart and quick enough to realize what the noise actually was, allowed their hands to drift towards their swords. However, none of the commanding officers gave any sort of command and as such none of the troops moved a muscle, so well-trained were they. The only exception was one man who stepped away from his squadron towards where the king sat atop his own magnificent steed.
"What do you want, Traitor Kurosaki?" called Tsukishima in a scathing tone, "Come to finish what you failed to do all those years ago? To kill the king?"
"I didn't come here to kill the king, or you or anyone else for that matter," Ichigo replied as he drew Mugetsu to a stop, "I came to right a wrong done to my comrades, my wife and myself."
"What are you going on about?" retorted Tsukishima in an almost taunting manner as he stalked towards Ichigo, "Where is this wife of yours?"
Due to the fact that he was on foot and that he was focusing all his attention on Ichigo, it wasn't until the wagon came to a stop slightly behind the captain that Tsukishima took a chance and glanced away from his hated enemy at the wagon's occupants. While the sun was currently unable to illuminate all of his features, it wasn't difficult to imagine the shocked and baffled expression quickly morphing into one of contempt and loathing from Tsukishima's posture and stance.
For the first time, King Tamashi spoke in a sonorous, monotone, "Captain Tsukishima, you are to arrest these traitors at once. Use all necessary force to apprehend them."
"With pleasure, my king," replied Tsukishima in a tone that did nothing to mask the relish he would take in his assignment.
Stepping forward, Commander Aizen bowed and said quickly yet firmly, "Your Majesty, I implore you to hear Captain Kurosaki's and his companions' stories before you pass judgement on their actions. Their motives for disappearing and running away were merely out of self-preservation and not treason as this man would have you believe."
"Those who have no guilt to hide have no need to run from their actions," answered the king coldly, "Had they returned within a fortnight after running, I would have shown them mercy and merely banished them from the kingdom. As it stands now, they deserve no such consideration and will be condemned accordingly."
Shifting in his saddle to sit in a more regal and haughty manner, King Tamashi looked down his nose at the commander as he said, "And from your words, I am forced to realize that you are also implicated in this treasonous affair. As such, I hereby find you guilty and order any man who is still faithful to his oath as a soldier of this kingdom to arrest you."
"Very well then," said Aizen as he raised his hand to signal his men, "It is regretful that it has come to this."
"Wait!" called Ichigo as he fairly leaped from his horse and strode forward a few paces to kneel in the dirt and say in an almost desperate tone, "As a former soldier in the king's army, I demand the right to prove the innocence of my companions by combat. Their actions were dictated by my orders and as such they deserve leniency."
Gripping her husband's wrist, Yoruichi whispered furiously at her husband, "Stop him! This wasn't part of the plan."
Laying his hand gently over hers, Kisuke replied solemnly, "No, but there is no other choice. It was probably part of his plan all along, anyway."
Before the king could approve or disprove of Ichigo's claim, Tsukishima drew his sword and shouted, "I accept!" and charged at his still kneeling enemy.
Not having enough time to rise to his feet and draw his own sword, Ichigo yanked a knife from his belt instead in order to halt the descent of Tsukishima's blade, which had been about to sweep down and through his chest cavity. Placing his opposite hand against the blade for more leverage, Ichigo pushed back against Tsukishima's blade and kept them at a stalemate for a full three seconds before performing an odd sort of twist that sent his opponent slamming into the dirt, which then gave Ichigo time to jump to his feet and draw his own sword. Ignoring the blood dripping from his left hand, Ichigo gripped the sword handle firmly with both his hands and was fully prepared for Tsukishima's next attack.
While the two combatants clashed and crashed their swords, Orihime had decided to get out of the wagon in order to be as close to her husband as possible. The others had naturally followed suit. To Rukia's immense embarrassment, she somehow managed to get her foot caught in a little rabbit hole and would have face-planted in the dirt had not Chad and Tatsuki each grabbed one of her arms and hauled her upright.
Testing her weight on her foot, Rukia mumbled, "I'm fine, thanks," and managed to keep her steps mostly even as she trailed behind Orihime. So absorbed were they all with the fatal dance unfolding before them that they failed to notice Gin and several others approaching them from the side.
"Excuse me," said Gin pleasantly, "I believe bringing this particular young lady over to see you all was part of my orders, correct?"
Even if Gin's tone was gentle and conversational, his grip on one of Riruka's arms was firm and unrelenting while another soldier held the other just as fast. Not that the woman looked as though she was putting up much resistance, she looked almost haggard and dangerously thin, but Rukia also saw Riruka's hands twitching and clenching in a way that made her slightly nervous and grateful for the men's precautions.
True to form, as soon as Orihime looked over and saw Riruka's state, her hand flew to her mouth and she said in a pitying tone, "Oh, Riruka..." however, any further words she might have said were interrupted when Ichigo let out a yell.
In the few moments they had taken their attention away from the fight, the unthinkable had happened. After Ichigo had managed to disarm and force Tsukishima to his knees in a clear sign of victory, a young cadet had broken from the ranks of Tsukishima's squadron and raced forward to plunge his sword into Ichigo's back. Reacting instinctively, Ichigo dove to the side and managed to avoid the worst of the blow, but the blade had still managed to slice a sizable wound along his rib cage.
Drawing his own blade, Renji charged forward, shouting, "Moe! You treacherous little-" and that was as far as he got before crossing swords with the other cadet.
While Ichigo tried to hold one hand over his wound to staunch the steady flow of blood, he dug the point of his sword into the earth to try and rise to his feet as he saw Tsukishima scramble over to grip his own sword again. With a scream of rage, frustration, defiance and desperation at this entire situation, Rukia's feet pounded against the ground as she rushed forward to defend the captain against his dishonorable opponent. Reaching out to try and grip Rukia's shoulder to stop her headlong dash, when she missed Orihime lifted her skirts and ran after the girl in an effort to stop her.
"Enough!" echoed the king's voice and everyone froze where they were.
Pausing long enough to be sure he had everyone's attention, King Tamashi repeated in his former sonorous tone which now also contained a hint of righteous fury, "Enough! Captain, you have carried on with your rebellious and treasonous acts long enough! I hereby order you and your comrades to submit yourselves immediately into the hands of my commander and pay the price for your misconduct!"
During this time, the moon had moved so that it was covering barely a quarter of the sun at this point.
Throwing his sword to one side while still remaining in a kneeling position, Ichigo said, "Your Majesty, I willingly accept any punishment you see fit to give me, but let my comrades and my...my wife go free. They have done no wrong other than to follow me. Please, I beg you to show them mercy."
Shaking his head, the king replied, "And as I have stated before, had they come to me long ago in search of my mercy, I would have pardoned them."
"We were running for our lives!" screamed Tatsuki with her fists clenched at her sides, "For two years we've been bound by a curse Riruka cast on us after she and Tsukishima found us and tried to kill us all in cold blood! For two years we have been forced to take on the forms of animals and hunted as if we were the same!"
"And what evidence do you have to support such a wild claim as this?" inquired the king.
The eclipse ended at that moment.
"Ichigo..."
Everyone's eyes turned towards Orihime, but not because she had just said her husband's name. Rather it was because a golden light had begun to engulf her.
"No...no!" cried Ichigo in a horrified whisper.
"Ichigo..." Orihime repeated as the tears began to shimmer and fall from her eyes while reaching out her hand towards her husband.
For the first time, Ichigo's eyes also began to fill and spill over as he mirrored Orihime's movements and choked out, "Orihime...please, no."
Their dearest, most ardent wish had come to nothing. They had failed.
Author's Note:
One more.
Don't have much to say about this other than I'm not entirely satisfied with it and it took me quite some time because there were certain elements that just didn't seem to flow right. However, while I may edit the middle at a later date more to my satisfaction, the ending is exactly how I wanted things to turn out, so now it's on to the last chapter.