This time on TWIBW: Renji is a pervert, Uryuu is rational, Rukia is guilt-ridden, and Kisuke has an awful lot of explaining to do.
A/N: I promised myself this scene would get written, no matter what. It took a bit longer than I originally expected, though. Also, I broke up the chapters incorrectly, I think... the timeskip should really have come in between the plot-explanation part and Rukia's little runaway scene. I might do a merger later.
Hollows eat souls. I suspect that gikongan, being compressed souls, would probably taste especially delicious to a hollow, like eating standard candy. The reason Kai hasn't been digested is because Ichigo was in his gigai at the time, and failed to bite down. It all makes perfect sense. :B
There will eventually be a Draco Vigilans chapter, just because the name is cool. Peahen-bastard is going down so hard it's untrue.
Also good grief we've nearly hit the 200 mark! I wanna get all the way to 256, though...
Uryuu Ishida adopted his sternest possible face, resolute in the face of whatever Earth could throw at it.
"No."
Ichigo Kurosaki countered with the supernatural puppy-dog expression which could triumph over all. "Come on, it's not like it's going to be that bad!"
The Quincy raised an eyebrow at the adjuchas, which was currently half-buried in one of Urahara's stock boxes marked 'Gikongan'. Its back half was sticking out as it rummaged around with its front paws, making a distinctly worrying crunching noise as it did so.
Ichigo looked slightly sheepish. "I guess I could housetrain her?" he volunteered, just as Urahara himself entered the room with a large bottle of medicine.
"It should just be one pill per day, and there should be enough for - " he began, before noticing Uryuu's current subject of attention. "Ah."
"I'll get her out, it's fine!" Ichigo grabbed Kitty around the stomach before yanking the lizard out of the box. The process was made considerably more difficult by the fact that Kitty's claws were hooked into the box, causing it to be dragged along the floor.
Uryuu facepalmed.
Knowing my luck, Kuchiki-san's probably managed to blow up the kitchen while I wasn't there...
The lizard was finally detached from the now thoroughly shredded box, the end of a gikongan dispenser still sticking out of the corner of its mouth.
"...my... gikongan supply..."
Needless to say, Uryuu and Ichigo left the shop post-haste before Urahara actually snapped for once. Kitty had been summarily dismissed, the hollow returning back to Hueco Mundo with as doleful a look as it could manage. Ichigo didn't talk for a while; Uryuu suspected that he was sulking at the loss of the 'pet'.
I am not sulking! I was just thinking about Aizen...
I did wonder about that name. You knew it before?
...the hollows in Hueco Mundo. They said someone was offering power. Turning hollows into arrancar for an army, so they could wipe out the shinigami.
Uryuu blinked as he considered the implications of this. Arrancar were practically a myth, at least to the ordinary hollows in Hueco Mundo from what Ichigo had once said, and held a considerable amount of power.
Shit.
That... was pretty much my reaction, yeah. And Sandal-Hat said he created something that reversed hollowification, and he'd gotten rid of it. He didn't say what happened to it, though... but if it can make a shinigami gain hollow-like abilities, there's no reason why it can't do the reverse for a hollow and make them into an arrancar. Which means that this Aizen probably got his paws on that thing.
You're absolutely certain there are arrancar?
I ran into one. He was a Gillian originally, one who said he was the ninth strongest. Gave me a little trouble, but I took care of it and grabbed his sword. Problem is, there's a lot of adjucha around, and I'm fairly sure the only reason that guy stayed in the top ten was because he had so many abilities, not because he was really powerful... by his admission, he was probably one of the weakest.
The Quincy considered this as he followed the familiar route back to his flat. Well, it's not really something I can do much about. I'm not going up against someone who can go up against Urahara-san... I doubt I'd be able to take on an army of hollows, either. He unlocked the door before making his way up the stairwell, his personal stalker following silently behind. Not in my current condition.
"Nee-saaa - " The greeting was cut short as Kai flailed mid-flight, attempting to avert his inevitable collision with Uryuu's face.
He scowled, snatching the plush lion out of the air. "What is it?"
"Oh... I thought... maybe my nee-san came back... She left a note saying she was leaving, it's terrible! She should at least have taken me with her!" Kai shook a fabric fist at the injustice of the world.
Uryuu blinked. "Wait, she left?"
"Yes!" A piece of paper was thrust in his face as evidence. Uryuu unfolded it, inspecting the carefully calligraphed contents.
Why is there a ridiculous-looking rabbit in the corner? It doesn't even look like a rabbit... 'this is a hint'? What kind of hint is this that makes even less sense than the actual text itself -
"I'm leaving, please don't follow me, go into hiding along with everyone else and don't worry about me. Well, that... doesn't sound ominous. At all," Ichigo commented, peering over Uryuu's shoulder to inspect the note. "Oh, right. It's meant to be a raccoon, huh..."
"You can tell what that thing is?"
"Hey! Don't you dare insult my nee-san's drawing - " Kai landed on the ground as Uryuu dropped him suddenly.
"Eeeh? What's with that face?"
Uryuu reached for the door. "Stay here. Don't leave, no matter what."
"But - "
"I said no matter what."
"...fine," Ichigo conceded reluctantly. "But if you don't come back..."
Uryuu was already gone.
You knew they'd be coming, ever since the start. Why are you acting so suprised? And why are they so late? Given that Urahara-san said she was a noble, shouldn't they have noticed before now?
"Jeez... you've really lost your touch, haven't you, Rukia? Even though you're in that gigai..."
A shinigami with bright-red, ridiculously pineapple-shaped hair and tattooed eyebrows smirked down at Rukia Kuchiki.
Uryuu frowned, crouching on the rooftop. He seems to know her... I suppose that may make things better or worse.
"Why the hell didn't you report in anyway? You got so carried away pretending to be human?"
"I..." Rukia bowed her head. "The trasmitter broke. I was unable to make the regular reports after I was attacked by a hollow. It drained away the majority of my reiatsu, so I was not able to pass back through the senkaimon as a result."
The redhead scowled. "Dammit Rukia... why can't you just tell us the truth? Only just got this damn mission because it had your name on it, and next thing I know people're saying shit about fraternizing with hollows, defecting and kami knows what - "
Shit. But... I'm sure that nobody knew about Ichigo, other than herself. We haven't been monitored other than that... right?
Rukia stared up at the other shinigami, eyes wide.
"They even brought Kuchiki-taicho to find you, they were worried you got chowed down on by a Menos or something!" He laughed nervously as the second shinigami, the one who had been staying back, moved to his coworker's side in a brief burst of shunpo.
"Byakuya... Nii-sama..."
That's her brother?
"Rukia." The white-coated man looked impassive; his subject of attention might as well have been a lump of rock for all the emotion displayed on his face.
"...very well. In that case, I will return with you back to Seireitei and account for my actions there." She bowed her head. "I apologise for causing you this inconvenience, Nii-sama."
"Wait," Uryuu spoke, sliding off the roof and landing in a crouch.
"Uryuu?! What're you doing here - "
The red-head's eyes narrowed. "You know this guy, Rukia?"
She turned to him, silently pleading. "Renji... please don't - "
"I am a Quincy. She was temporarily lodging with me whilst she was regaining her powers."
"...what the hell is a Quincy?"
Ugh. Does nobody know about us any more? He sighed mentally, preparing himself to rattle off the standard spiel once more, when the bescarfed shinigami cut in.
"They are a race of humans capable of perceiving and destroying hollows. They were all but wiped out two centuries ago; I suppose that could partially excuse your ignorance."
"Taicho... I'm sorry! I read the mission report carefully though, they didn't say anything about - "
Byakuya ignored Renji's wittering completely, attention fully focused on Uryuu now. "What I would be curious to know about is why you are stepping in now."
...why am I doing this? For closure, I suppose...
"Out of personal concern for an acquaintance," he replied, finally. "While I appreciate that she does not belong here, it's still worrying to hear someone being punished for a crime that hasn't even been commited in the first place."
Renji hesitated. "There's... I dunno. There'll probably be an appeal or something, why the hell do you even care in the first place - "
"Just tell me what's going to happen."
The redhead suddenly looked a lot more human as he closed his eyes, swallowing convulsively at the thoughts going through his head.
"The way they were talking... she's probably gonna end up executed or something."
Uryuu's heart skipped a beat. "Without a trial? I can testify if I need to, it's not like - "
"You don't understand!" Renji shouted, before calming down. "There's nothing you can do for her, you're just a human and if you start messing around and shit it'll just make things even worse for her. Stay out of it."
"So I should just let her die, then?"
Renji didn't reply as the other shinigami shifted slightly.
"Stand down, Quincy." Byakuya stared him down. "The affairs of the shinigami are nothing to do with you, at any rate."
Uryuu hesitated, before nodding and stepping back reluctantly. Rukia had a pleading expression on her face; given the note that had been left, she'd anticipated something like this and had wanted both him and Ichigo well out of the entire affair. Going back and leaving her to her fate would be the sensible thing. I never wanted her here in the first place, there's absolutely no reason why I should show any concern over her death.
...damn it.
Renji drew his sword, raising it before giving it a half-twist. A gate began to materialize around the blade, before drawing apart; Byakuya stepped through first, before his subordinate followed with one last glance at the Living World.
Rukia did not look back as she stepped through.
Hopefully they'll be able to put together a decent case for her... I don't know what the judicial system is like in Seireitei, though.
He almost managed to convince himself that she would be fine without his interference. Almost, but not quite.
(In anticipation of the question which will probably be asked shortly: Operation Rescue Princess #1 is still go. Just... not in quite the same manner as the canon version.)