Reign Over Me
Chapter 36: Cross
Rukia stood on the wall of Karakura. She kneeled in order to keep from falling as she felt the explosions beneath her feet. She stood up once the rumbling on the wall ceased. Her eyes followed a line of destruction as the rest of the explosives went off like a domino effect in Karakura. What really affected Rukia was the screaming.
I totally forgot about the fact that the people would also be affected by this, she thought. Then she shook her head as the sound of rushing water filled her ears. She had a job to do as she draped the bloody shark bait around her.
She came to the edge of the wall where it had been blown apart. The trench was filling with water and sand quickly. She could see the spreading destruction ahead of her.
Rukia swallowed. "Swan dive," she whispered. She backed up, took a deep breath, and ran forward as fast as she could before jumping off the wall.
Ichigo blinked. He had just seen something fall into the water. He inhaled deeply. There was only one person it could be: Rukia. Her job was to swim from Karakura to Rukongai, laying the shark bait as fast as she could. Once she reached the end, she would be pulled to safety by Ikkaku or Yumichika.
Concentrate. Watch for errant sharks, he thought as he looked down at the devastation below him.
People were picking themselves up. Some were injured, severe or otherwise. But everyone was transfixed on the rapidly filling trench. It was not long before they heard another huge explosion, it being the wall that separated the Rukongai from Karakura.
Rukia let the current in the water take her body for the most part. She did not fight it; it would only tire her out just in case she did need to swim in earnest. She released the bits of bait in the water as she went along, feeling her body lighten. She swam to the top for a moment and smirked in her oxygen mask. She could see she was getting closer to the newly destroyed wall.
Almost there. I can see Ikkaku's shiny head from he... Rukia's thoughts were cut short by her leg getting caught on something underwater. She dove back under, wincing in pain. A large nail sticking out from the broken concrete had cute into her left thigh. Rukia grimaced as she slowly tried to remove her leg from it.
"Where is Rukia? The sharks are coming. I can see their fins," Yumichika said.
Ikkaku shrugged. He glanced up to where he knew Ichigo to be. He saw that the latter had his weapon trained on the trench. Ikkaku looked down it. There was still no sign of Rukia. Ikkaku could spot a few sharks coming up through the water... and fast. Then he spotted some bubbles where the water was being agitated.
Oh no, he thought.
"Yumichika, follow me!" he yelled as Szayel's voice started up again.
"By now, you've all noticed that big trench. You've all noticed that it's filling with an enormous amount of water; water from an as yet unknown source. If you're in the Seireitei, you've also noticed that the last two of your precious towers has fallen, completing our trench. But I'm not quite finished yet." Szayel chuckled softly beneath his mask. "Who likes sushi?"
"That bastard has a way of sounding really crazy. I do not envy princess," Grimmjow said.
Unohana looked at Grimmjow. She watched him pull something from his pocket. He fiddled with it for a moment before going inside the monolith. The two elders followed him inside.
"Princess?" Ukitake questioned.
Grimmjow looked back at him. "I can't very well tell you who the 'Espada Princess' is, now can I?" he said.
Unohana sighed. She knew who Grimmjow was referring to. She decided to let it slide for the time being and just continued to follow between the two men up the many stairs of the monolith.
Aizen walked outside of his estate. The destruction done to his domain was certainly substantial. Because his estate sat on something of a hill, he could take note of the odd design of the destruction. He smirked when he heard Momo come up beside him. The smaller girl gasped when she noted the destruction.
"Lord Aizen, wha..."
"Momo, what does that look like to you?" Aizen asked, gesturing out to the flooded trench.
Momo squinted. "It looks like a cross, Lord Aizen," she answered quietly.
"Indeed." Aizen smiled. "Momo, call Kaname to my office for me, will you?"
"Yes, Lord Aizen."
Hiyori flinched as she saw the first shark explode under water. People screamed as blood, water, and... shark got all over them. What confused Hiyori was that she had never seen Rukia get out of the trench. She glanced in the scope of the harpoon gun and searched the now somewhat murky water. All she could see was dirt, blood, and fish guts. Then she saw another shark. Apparently it had picked up something.
"Hiyori, where the hell is Rukia?" Ichigo yelled in her ear.
"I don't know! I never saw her..." Hiyori stopped when she saw a small body struggling underwater. "She's stuck on something. Ikkaku!"
Ikkaku flinched at Hiyori's voice in his head. "What?"
"Rukia's in trouble! There are," Hiyori counted, "a lot of sharks coming her way. Hurry!"
Ikkaku and Yumichika picked up speed.
Rukia felt a surge of water. Her eyes widened. Something just exploded, she thought. That means... She paused and turned her head. She could see the blood seeping through the water, mixing with her own. She saw pieces of shark go floating by, eyes wide in the goggles. Her efforts to free her leg doubled. Rukia looked at her leg and took a deep breath. With one violent tug, she pulled her leg from the nail, screaming in her mask.
No time to wallow in pain. Gotta get out of the water, she thought as she tried to swim. Her speed was greatly reduced due to the injury. Shit, shit, shit! She looked back.
"Come on, Rukia. Give us a sign of life. Pop your head up or something," Yumichika murmured as he and Ikkaku pushed their way through people. To his surprise, at that moment Rukia did pop up out of the water. She was looking around frantically. "Hey!" Yumichika yelled.
Rukia turned her head towards the familiar voice. Sighing, she started swimming as fast as she could. She swam to the edge and reached up for Ikkaku and Yumichika. Right before she grabbed hold, her eyes widened in pain.
"My... side..." she gasped into the oxygen mask.
"Ichigo! Hiyori! Someone shoot. Shoot damnit! Shoot!" Ikkaku yelled into the radio.
Orihime flinched and inhaled. Her eyes looked around frenetically as Szayel continued to speak. Something has happened, she thought.
"A trench. A trench filled with water. A river. A river filled runs red..." Szayel paused in thought. "A river that runs red? How would you say that, princess?" He looked over at Orihime.
Orihime felt the camera on her again. She looked at it. "The river ran red, and was as blood," she said.
Szayel chuckled softly. "That sounds almost deadly in your sweet voice." He looked back at the camera. "In a world that is filled with such whiteness and light, there's never been a dark day. The land knows not of the night; not of what it is really like. Ever wonder what exactly those monoliths do?"
The smile suddenly disappeared from Aizen's face. They wouldn't. They can't. He listened to the Octava Espada continue.
"I imagine Lord Aizen is watching this right now, practically slack-jawed wondering if I would do such a heinous thing. I mean, it is bad enough that I created a river of blood through the three districts and destroyed remaining two towers. But to destroy the monoliths, that's a bit much, eh? No one is even supposed to know what they're for. They are just for decoration, right?" Szayel looked at Orihime, who had a questioning look on her face.
"Right?" Orihime always thought the monoliths were just... there. She had never given much consideration as to why or what they were for. Every time she got close to one, she suddenly remembered something she had to do.
Szayel shook his head. "That's where you're wrong, fair princess. The monoliths are oh so important. I already said it; the land knows not of night."
The land knows not of night?
Yoruichi, Soi Fon, Urahara, Shinji, and Gin stood outside the monolith they had been in.
Urahara cleared his throat. "Perhaps we should move a safe distance away from here," he suggested.
"Right ya are, Head Twelve," Gin said. "Should go to mah lord's. He'll be mighty angry 'bout all this." His smile grew impossibly wide as he started to walk towards Aizen's estate.
Soi Fon rolled her eyes and looked at Yoruichi. "It's almost time to head to meet Quinta. Go now?"
"Yes." Yoruichi looked at Urahara and Shinji. "Kisuke, you and Shinji be on your guard and stay safe. You never saw us," she said.
Urahara smiled. "Of course not." They all went their separate ways.
"So what exactly are these things used for, Byakushi?" Yachiru asked.
Byakuya looked at Yachiru as they snuck out of the monolith. "Haven't you been listening, Miss Kusajishi?"
Yachiru's eye twitched. She took a deep breath. "No. He was taking too long to get to the point. Plus, he used some dumb riddle to explain it. I'm not in the mood to figure it out, Byakushi," she said. She glared at him. "And I'm even LESS in the mood now because you keep calling me that. You're the only person who calls me 'Miss Kusajishi.' Pineapple doesn't even call me that."
Byakuya hid a smirk and walked up beside her. "You are right. I am the ONLY person who calls you 'Miss Kusajishi'." He stared at her for a moment before continuing on. "We must be quick. It would be unwise to remain here."
Yachiru stared after Byakuya for a moment. Was that his way of giving me a nickname? She flushed and crossed her arms.
"Byakushi, wait up!"
Grimmjow held the detonator to the monoliths. He was back outside with Unohana and Ukitake. The two superiors watched somberly. Grimmjow continued to listen to Szayel speak, waiting for his cue.
"I wish he would just get on with it. He's so frustrating," Grimmjow muttered.
Ukitake smirked. "The Octava loves his job. As crazy as his plan is, it is quite clever. I would have never thought of destroying the monoliths," he said.
"I'm surprised at you, Jushiro." Unohana shrugged. "But, I'm also sure that Sosuke did not expect such a thing, either. I can imagine his ire at the situation right now. The monoliths are... important to him. The Octava is indeed very clever," she said.
"But Octava, we see the moon and stars every night. It even rains. How do we not know darkness? The people cry out those sentences." Szayel leaned forward a bit. "Why don't you all stick your hands in the river of blood? Touch the sediment at the bottom. Then take a look around you. Will the world still look the same?"
Grimmjow held up the detonator. "That's my cue." He pushed the detonator.
Aizen looked out over his dominion as his monoliths were destroyed one by one. He barely noticed Gin coming up by his side such was his focus on the destruction at hand. He vaguely heard the whistle his closest subordinate made.
"Tha's not a face I see very often on mah lord," an almost mocking voice said. "So much destruction in one day, mah lord. Ya think ya made'em mad enough?" Gin asked.
Aizen finally acknowledged Gin by slowly turning his head. He put on a smirk. "Gin, I guarantee you the fun is only beginning." He glanced up when he noticed a change in the light. "Come, Gin. We have much to discuss with Kaname."
"As ya wish, mah lord."
Soi Fon and Yoruichi paused right before getting in the van with Nnoitra. The sky was changing. The blue daylight seemed to be... cracking. Pieces fell from the sky but never reached the ground. Eventually, the whole sky shattered and darkness appeared behind it. It was the same darkness that was over Hueco Mundo.
"The sky was fake?" Soi Fon whispered. She looked at Yoruichi.
"Hey! I've got a lot more people to get! Get the fuck in or I'm leaving you here!" Nnoitra yelled at the two women. They glared at him and got in the black van.
"This is what it looks like where I come from. A mirage? I think not. What you were looking at was a mirage; an illusion to ease your simple little minds. How would you put it," Szayel looked to his left, "Cuarta?"
Orihime gasped. She had never seen Ulquiorra enter. He was wearing a mask, but his eyes looked even more intense and sad with the small cyan lines coming from them. It was reminiscent of when she had first seen him months ago.
When this all began, she thought.
"A darkness that spreads over the land; a darkness that can be felt," Ulquiorra said.
"A darkness that can be felt... A river of blood and a heavy darkness." Szayel tapped his chin. "Good people, this is the darkness of the true world; the darkness of those distant dreams you have. Embrace it, for it is the only thing that is real."
The transmission ended.
They were on their way back to Las Noches at breakneck speed in the darkness.
Rukia's eyes had glazed over as she drew in ragged, hitched breaths. The majority of her left side just below her ribcage was missing. Ichigo had managed to shoot the shark that bit her and distract it enough to get it to release her so Yumichika and Ikkaku could get her out of the water. The only thing holding her together was her spine.
"Ru-Ru-Rukia?" Ichigo checked tentatively.
Rukia blinked, silent tears running down her face. "Yeah?" she murmured.
"Still with me?"
"Yeah..."
"Almost to Las Noches. Just wait for Orihime. Wait a little longer, please."
"Yeah..."
Even though they had all succeeded in their mission, the mood in the van was uneasy. They somehow knew that if Rukia died, she would not be coming back, even with Orihime's abilities.
Ulquiorra walked in the foyer. Orihime was pacing back and forth at an alarming rate, rubbing her arms nervously. Her eyes appeared to be somewhat out of focus and she was lost in thought. Ulquiorra slowly approached her. He placed a hand on her arm as she passed him. She turned and almost backhanded him but he simply grabbed her hand.
"Ulquiorra!"
"Something wrong, woman?" he asked.
Orihime sighed and relaxed her shoulders. "A lot is wrong. I don't like this. I don't like anything. I know something went wrong. I can feel it. I know something bad will happen in the future. And I also..."
"ORIHIME!" Yachiru burst through the door, looking around anxiously.
Orihime turned around to face the pink-haired teenager. "What is it?"
"Come quick! We can't move her so it's best if you come to her!" Yachiru grabbed Orihime's arm and pulled her along.
Orihime followed quickly, but not before giving Ulquiorra a look that said "I told you so."
As she passed everyone, she noticed the grim looks on their faces. Yachiru apparently noticed them too. She picked up speed; so much so that Orihime could barely keep up with the pace. When they arrived at the van Orihime saw blood dripping from the back and gasped. She moved the door to the side and saw Ichigo cradling Rukia's head in his lap, the latter motionless. Orihime climbed up inside, ignoring the pool of blood.
"What happened?" Orihime looked at Rukia's injury. "What did this to her? Ichigo, speak!" she yelled at him.
"It was sharks." Orihime turned her head to see Hiyori standing just outside the van. "A shark bit her."
"She died just a minute ago," Ichigo mumbled. "She said she was sorry she couldn't wait..." he trailed off.
Orihime bit her lip. She looked at Rukia's blood on her hands and around the van. She looked at the gaping wound where there should have been flesh. Then she squeezed her eyes shut and balled her fists up. Yachiru and Hiyori noticed her distress.
"Orihime?" Yachiru whispered.
"I'm tired... of watching pain." She felt hot tears coming to her eyes. "I let Mila-Rose go. Loly, Luppi, Halibel... Rangiku. I can't do it anymore." She held out her hands.
Hiyori's eyes widened. "Wait! Orihime you're not supposed to..."
"Soten Kisshun, I reject!"
Something happened that was totally different as the orange light appeared before Orihime. She found herself sitting on her knees in a white void. She glanced around. Then she looked ahead of her, seeing that Rukia was there. Nothing was happening, though. Raising an eyebrow, she leaned forward.
"Soten Kisshun, I reject," she said. Still nothing. "Soten Kisshun, I REJECT!" she yelled. Still nothing.
What's wrong? Where am I? Why isn't this working? she asked herself.
"You wish to reject your friend's death?" a voice echoed from around her.
Orihime was immediately alert. "Ye-Ye-Yes. Why isn't it working?" she asked the voice.
"I want to make sure you realize something about rejecting death, Orihime Inoue. This gift of rejection you were given; you use it for good. That is most commendable. However, death is not meant to be rejected, no matter how unjust the circumstances. You disturb the balance of time when that is done. There is a price you pay for such a thing."
Orihime swallowed. A price?
"What kind of price?"
"It varies. Different lives are worth different amounts. Rukia Kuchiki is a very valuable life." It sounded as if whoever was speaking was directly behind Orihime. "Do you still wish to save Rukia Kuchiki?"
Orihime looked down at the lifeless body of Rukia. Without hesitation, she nodded her head. "Yes."
"How confident you speak. Just remember, for every life you've saved, a consequence will follow..."
When Orihime opened her eyes again, the orange light of her healing shield was surrounding Rukia and Ichigo. After about five minutes, the wound was completely healed. She removed the shield and they all waited. Rukia was still lying there, unmoving. Then she took a deep breath. They all relaxed.
"Thank you, Orihime," Ichigo said.
Orihime nodded. "It was nothing."
At least, I hope it was...
"You know their base of operations, Lord Aizen. Why do you not just take them now? Certainly this travesty is enough to warrant it," Tousen said.
Aizen nodded slowly. "You are right, Kaname. However, I must go about it in a methodical way. I do not believe they know I know where they've hidden themselves."
"What do ya plan ta do once you're there, mah lord? There is a lot of'em," Gin said.
Aizen smiled. "Yes, I know, Gin. However, I did not get this position by being an idiot, did I? I always have a few trump cards left to play and this time is definitely no different. My dominion just isn't the Seireitei, the Rukongai, and Karakura."
Gin raised an eyebrow. "Zat so, mah lord?"
"Exactly, Gin." Aizen nodded. "Hueco Mundo is mine as well. The Espada seem t have forgotten that."
"... for every life you've saved, a consequence will follow..." Orihime whispered, staring up at the bathroom ceiling.
"Where did you hear that?" Ulquiorra asked, walking in the bathroom.
Orihime fumbled with the soap until it slipped out of her hand and into the water. Water splashed in her face. She turned and looked at Ulquiorra, who looked placidly back. Sighing, she went back to gazing at the ceiling. "I actually don't know who it was that said it. But, before I healed Rukia, I was told that."
"You should not have brought her back, woman," Ulquiorra said firmly.
"I'm tired of seeing death, Ulquiorra. I'm seeing it all the time. Now I feel like it's going to be me that is the cause of more death. I have brought four people back. That's four consequences; maybe four deaths," Orihime said grimly.
Ulquiorra furrowed his eyebrow. He noticed her prune-like fingers. "Woman, you have soaked yourself long enough." He picked up a towel. "You have done nothing but keep us alive. Most of us would probably be dead anyway if it weren't for you," he said.
Orihime turned her head abruptly. She stood up in the tub. "Ulquiorra, I'm a walking contradiction! What good is it for me to be able to replenish life if all it does is cause someone else's death?" She lowered her head. "I'm a cross between an angel of life and an agent of death."
Ulquiorra frowned. "Woman, you are speaking nonsense." He approached her with the towel. She let herself be wrapped with it and stepped out of the bathtub. "You are no agent of death, as you put it."
Orihime looked up at him. "Then why does everyone keep dying?"
"Death happens just as easily as life does, woman. This is something you must understand. Just as you chose to bring four lives back, the holes that those four lives were supposed to fill have been left empty. Something needs to take their place." Ulquiorra released her, letting her hold the towel. "Think of it as retribution."
"Retribution?" Orihime scoffed. "Ulquiorra, how can you accept this so easily?"
He turned and looked back at her. "That's the way you were told. That's the way it is."
It was then that Orihime understood Ulquiorra's way of thinking and his aspect of death. He saw things in a straight line. He did not deviate from the path before him. The only times he had were for her and even then they were rare. She sighed and stormed past him, shaking her head.
"You are impossible, Ulquiorra," she mumbled.
"And you are stubbornly set in your childish beliefs," he countered.
Orihime whirled on him. "They are not childish. I'm not childish for wanting to believe that no one has to die; that no one has to hurt. Enemy or not, that is not the way I will ever think."
Ulquiorra placed his hands in his pockets and began approaching her. "Why do you think that is?"
"Huh?" Orihime asked, suddenly confused.
"Why do you think that you can see no evil? Why do you think that you can only spot the good? Do you think you are just that naïve?" Ulquiorra stopped a foot from her. "Or do you think it is just your natural perception of the world; to never have a negative thought?"
Orihime blinked. Never have... a negative thought?