Chapter 28 Ryuu's Guidance
Chiyo's point of view
We leapt through the air in the direction of the mountains. We didn't speak to each other, there was many things to be chewed over. Like the fact that we were now known to Shinigami, and the strange man named urahara wanted us for something. He let nothing about his plans slip, but something told me that they involved Ichigo.
The day had seemed to go very quickly. A lot of things had happened, and yet the sky was getting rapidly dark. It was hard to make out were we were headed being up so high. The hollow led the way. I could barely see him in his dark robes. In fact I couldn't see my hand in front of my face. Even the city lights down below us didn't do much good against the moody weather. The rain had almost stopped. It was just a light drizzle. The kind of drizzle that seems to soak you more than heavy rain. I usually didn't mind the rain, but now my hands were getting colder and the robes stuck to me like a second skin.
All of a sudden the Hollow stopped in midair and turned to me. I had to drag my heels into the air to make some form of friction to stop.
"What's up?" I asked him instantly edgy and glancing around.
"I don't know which way to go" His voice sounded annoyed. Now that he was facing me his skin seemed to glow a ghostly pale. Kind of like when the moon has a pale ring around it on a foggy night. I couldn't see his eyes they were after all darker then night. Not even the little gold in them seemed to stand out.
"I can't sense it anymore, I think it's the weather, the atmosphere feels heavy" He glared at the sky above us which looked even closer than normal.
I could feel it to. The clouds were thick with a storm. Even though the rain was slowing the clouds gave no evidence that the weather was going to change any time soon.
"I can't sense the way either, or even see it. This might help though"
I grabbed my seethed zanpaktu and pulled it from its case. The sword gleamed even in the dark. The rain splattered of its metal surface making a tinkling sound. The hollow looked at me his eyes going wider as he realized what I was about to do. He stepped back.
"SOAR UPON AND THROUGH THE EARTH RYUU!" I shouted the words that always came easily to my lips. They were words I didn't even have to think about. When I needed to speak them, they rolled off my tongue as if my very soul knew what I needed before my brain did.
The straight narrow sword in front of me changed. The colour turned to night, the handle felt bigger in my palm and I felt the blade shudder as if happy that I had called it.
The vine then wrapped itself around my arm like a snake until it stopped at my shoulder. Some people might think it would feel horrible, like being constricted but to me, it was like a welcoming grasp from a friend.
I then spoke the words that would release him further.
"REAPER OF LIGHT, REAPER OF GOOD, SOAR RYUU!" The blade shuddered again. There was flash so bright my eyes hurt but I knew what the light meant, and that only brought happiness.
The blinding light left and the hollow blinked a couple of times in front of me. A smile crept onto his face as he turned to face the dragon that hovered next to him.
He was beautiful. It was like seeing him for the first time again. His body made from leaves and twigs and earth, all brought and trapped together by a thin almost transparent green light, which can be seen between his leg joints and now and again in his body when he moved. His body was long like the style of a Chinese dragon. Two whiskers flowed from his long snout. His tail at the tip was a spear headed leaf just like the one attached at the end of the vine on my shoulder.
"Ryuu" I whispered at him and he sort of bowed his head, responding to my voice. His eyes were gold. A rich colour that made them appear endless. He stared at me like he knew every word I was thinking, like he knew everything there was to know. He didn't have any facial expressions but just staring at him I could feel the love and kindness he felt for me.
"Could you show us the way RYUU" He didn't need any more telling than that. He flipped his great body around and soared in the direction we were already headed. We both raced after him keeping a firm eye on his swishing tale in front.
"I still don't see how the shinigmi didn't realize the power you had" The hollow was gliding next to me and he was still facing ahead when he spoke.
"People see what they want to see"
"I suppose they do" He answered a crooked grin creeping onto his face again. I didn't understand it this time though.
Ryuu made a sharp turn right and we followed although both of us could never look as graceful.
"How do you feel about what happened today?" I asked him feeling his stare now linger onto me.
"Baffled"
"I guess I do too, although they seemed nice enough, well most of them anyway." I remembered the way Renji had glared. I knew there was good in him though, but something had really upset him.
"I don't know what Urahara's planning but I know it will involve Ichigo, and I don't like it." The hollow was staring ahead again. His hair flattened from the rain. His brows pulled into a scowl.
"Why?" I couldn't help asking.
"well…I think Ichigo just needs to be left human now. He's helped and saved a lot of people, but he hasn't got it in him anymore. He's given up already, the last thing he needs is a new plan involving him and showing him the life he lost. There's no way at all to get his powers back, and if Urahara wants me to go to him in that Gigai form he can think again. It would only upset Ichigo, or make him angry. Either way there's no point doing it."
The wind whipped at my face as I thought about what he had said. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea for Ichigo to know of his Hollow's existence. It might worry him. He knows better than anyone of the power the hollow possess, but this time he can't stop him if something goes wrong.
I shook my head. Nothing will go wrong. He hasn't touched a single soul since I've been with him.
A voice nagged at me from the back of my mind telling me that I can't baby sit him forever. I shook my head again as if cluttering other thoughts over that one. Hiding it away.
I looked down and realized we had left the city. No lights shone below. The only things I could make out were black shapes that must have been the tops of trees.
Ryuu's tale swished from side to side as he glided through the air without wings.
"I think we're getting closer" I wondered out loud.
"Yes I think I see mountains in the distance" The hollow shouted over the wind that slashed us even more furiously then before. My hair felt like it was being pulled from my scalp, but I wasn't thinking about that I was thinking about him. Thinking about how cold his lips had been on mine, and how my heart seemed to always react whenever he spoke. I stared at him while he looked on ahead. His hair blew out over him revealing his small forehead. He looked younger that way. Much younger.
Had he ever experienced kissing before? I know I haven't. Well, not on that level at least. We both seemed hungry for each other. It was difficult to grasp. Not because we were two different beings, no. But because I had never done this before, and he might not have. It felt strange. Almost fearful. But yet it was a good feeling. It made me feel alive.
"There it is!" He shouted again. I snapped out of my mind babble and followed his gaze. I could see it, the small cabin was a dark shape that loomed in the middle of a valley. The wheat fields were having a hard time in the gale and bits were flying everywhere. I had to shield my eyes every so often.
Ryuu started to descend and we both followed falling gently to the grass. The great dragon followed us to the door and then bowed down to me like he always did when he was ready to say goodbye.
I reached my hand out and scratched under his chin as if I were stroking a dog. His eyes closed over as he enjoyed the contact. Even now I expected the scales on his body made of out leaves to be soft, but like every time they were as hard as steal.
"Until we meet again" I told him, at that moment I heard a soft kind laugher fill my mind. Laughter no one else would hear. His laughter. He was willing to wait until next time.
The blinding light shone out again from the sword. It even caused its own breeze which ruffled my already wind swept hair. The sword was now just a plain sliver. I stared at it for a second and then smiled as I seethed it back into its case.
