Don't own Bleach. Those of you still with me, I want to tell you that this story will be wrapping up soon. After seeing how this story has done in terms of reviews and views, I don't think I'll do a sequel. If I do, it'll be a quick five or six chapter to tie it all up. I think I'll move back to the Utsumi Kaito story. I hope you enjoy the rest of this story in the mean time.
How did I get here? She thought as she opened her eyes and looked around. It was all familiar. The white walls, the high ceiling, the smell. This place was destroyed. How am I here? Rangiku's eyes went left and right for any sign of her captors. Her eyes caught sight of more screens with lines of writing she could barely make out scrolling up. She couldn't feel the pressure around her wrists that had been a constant feeling for the time she had been captured. Not like it makes a difference anyway.
She stood up on and stretched out. It felt so good to loosen the muscles that have been too tense for Rangiku's liking. Now dressed in a plain, dark grey gown, Rangiku shuddered as she looked down at her garment. Ugh, who would wear something like this voluntarily? She rolled her shoulders and tilted her head from side to side, her neck cracking. The sound echoing throughout the empty lab. "I wonder if they are around here somewhere." Putting one foot in front of the other, Rangiku began to explore the room.
Her first stop was to the screens. It was pretty much all scientific and all over Rangiku's head. Unable to understand most of it, Rangiku kept reading. Most of it went over her head until she came across, a phrase that she didn't want to see, 'Sekkiseki destruction' if they were studying that then they must plan to invade the Seireitei. The idea of anyone being able to break through the outer wall protecting the Seireitei would make her laugh and joke with the other women of the Seireitei. This time, after seeing the size of the Giants and the idea of bigger ones being possible, she felt her blood turn to ice.
Daichi better have warned the Head Captain that this threat is huge. She thought back to the man in the orange kimono. His cocky smile and bright amber eyes that seemed to light up when he made a wise crack. Rangiku found it cute how innocent he looked when that happened. She began to wonder how he was doing. Was he captured as well? Am I sure he actually got away? What if they are just playing us? Keeping us separate, playing mind games. It wasn't the time for thoughts like that. She was in trouble and needed to find a way to get word to the Seireitei if Daichi couldn't.
Rangiku tore herself away from the screens. The fire inside her began to burn brighter. Her brow furrowed and her eyes searched the immediate area. There was no ladder, not even a stair was a flat, white walls and ceilings. No way out. She sighed, "Come on, this isn't a prison it's a lab. There's gotta be a way out somewhere." She took her first steps in her quest to find her way to freedom.
It looked entirely different from last time. There were little corridors shooting off to areas which she didn't want to go down. An uneasy feeling overcame her when she stared down the corridor. Rangiku turned away and kept going. Sure that an exit would be in the main area if anywhere, Rangiku kept looking around for signs, craning her neck just in case she missed something. The walls were all white, too white for Rangiku, she like a bit of color. Plain was boring and uninformative. There was no way for her to tell which way she was going or how close to an exit she was.
More screens with similar scrolling text and boards with diagrams and charts adorned the walls as she walked down the main hall. There wasn't much else to look at, other than the flash of the screens and the occasional board, the walls were all plain. She picked up the pace. Her feet softly padding against the cold tiles of the floor. Maybe there isn't an exit and this is one sick game. Just a maze with no exit. Rangiku turned a corner and another. It was all the same, nothing looked any different.
It felt like hours she had walked around the lab aimlessly. She found a door. It was a large, round door. The shine of the light on the silver was reflecting off and catching Rangiku in the eyes. She reached up with her arm to try and keep the light out of her eyes. There was a dark red wheel in the centre of the door. It was a vault like heavy door. Approaching it with caution, she gripped the red handle and tried turning it. The handle was cold and stiff, it wouldn't move. "Damn it, move stupid handle." Rangiku cursed.
She backed away from the door, and thought about what she could do to get through it. It was the only promising she has found up until now that could possible lead to an exit. As she thought about it, she remembered the other lab was underneath the barn. Maybe this led to a stair case, or a ladder or an elevator. You're getting ahead of yourself, Rangiku. You need to get through the door first. She was still weak from the torture, Rangiku tried to get leverage by standing close and pushing on it with her added weight. She swapped sides and tried to pull it round. Nothing seemed to make it budge. Rangiku took a few steps back, "Hado #31 Shakkaho." A small ball of fire, looped up and fizzled out as it reached the door. Damn it, this isn't good.
Rangiku exploded. Punching and kicking the door, willing it to open. Open, damn it! Open! Completely spent, Rangiku collapsed by against the door. She wrapped her arms around her knees. Tears of frustration escaped, it wasn't often for Rangiku to find herself in a position like this, a position she couldn't get out of by herself. Now, she found herself trapped in an underground lab just waiting to be the subject of the scientist's attention.
The feeling of helplessness was something she hated. It happened a lot growing up when Gin would wander off without telling her and she would be alone. Now the feeling is almost the same, except it wasn't Gin that had left her alone, it was Daichi. It never occurred to her that when he was told to leave, that this would happen and she couldn't blame him for following orders. But she wanted someone to blame. As the torrent of tears subsided, Rangiku stood up and tried to open the door again. She refused to be beaten by a door. Rangiku defiantly stood and gripped the door. Her knuckles were white and the muscles in her arms were tensed. The handle moved slightly. Come on. Putting all her strength into it, Rangiku managed to get the handle moving smoothly with a squeak. Nearly out now.