Woo~ This took longer to get out than I expected.
^^; eheheh
That aside, this particular song has two songs to it that I recommend listening to as you read. One is easy to find on youtube, and is called 'Sprinter' by Kalafina (you don't need to check the lyrics, I just listened to the tune.) And the second one is ridiculously hard to find (I couldn't find lyrics and had to translate them myself from kanji (using an online kanji to english generator, which was still off) I'll put the title down for you guys (it's pretty); just paste it on the youtube browser and it should go right to it.
【恋に落ちて】藤田麻衣子 PS2「緋色の欠片」OP曲
It's from a game called Hiro no Kakera, and the song is called 'Koi ni Ochite' or 'Fell in Love' (which is also this chapters title).
I'll even leave you guys the lyrics at the bottom of the chap.
Alright *tired sigh*, I'll move on to the review replies... I feel I'm talking too much.
ViolentxLove: Heheh, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Yeah, it was intense writing that chapter. I hope you like this one too--and don't hold your breath too much, you might get hiccups. ^^
grenouille-85: I know, I like Eishima a lot myself. An' yeah, Yume's just a bundle of bad luck--at least Kuro's with her.
Arrancar14: Heheh, I'll leave that up to you (regarding whether I was being nice, or just tormenting you.) I'm glad that you got a better idea of Kuro's powers, I knew i wasn't being clear enough. And yes, you are very correct. If it helps, the time limit on using that particular technique is five minutes, and any longer would prove too deadly and too dangerous to use. So yeah, glad I made your day! Oh and I know what you mean about a hollow Eishima--too hard to picture. ^^
Ivoryclaw: Heheheh, i gladly accept that title XD. Yeah, it's both my habit, and my writing style to do that. But then again, doesn't bleach tend to leave you with cliffies as well?
.dragon: I know, I know. Well, not everyone can have the best luck...it'll make sense soon enough, I hope.
SprinkleKissez: Eheheh, thanks ^^
ThierryMyst: Yeah, Eishima rocks XD thanks.
Grimmjow J. the 6th Espada: Well, you'll just have to find out XD. Thanks ^^
FreakingAgro: Yeah? I was doing my best to make the dreading part as realistic as possible. Thanks so much!
Gosh you guys rock, giving me such wonderful reviews~! Thanks to all of you!
and away we go!
Chapter 34
No…
The world—my world slowed to a screeching halt as I stared down and what I had fallen over…
Any shock I had felt earlier was nothing compared to this; Kensei lying face down, his captain's robe torn and soaked with blood.
My eyes numbly moved over the scene, taking in how his powerful hands were cut up and covered with mud, and the bloody trail behind him...he must have been trying to crawl, even though he was so heavily wounded…
I couldn't speak, I couldn't even think. All I could do was stare and move towards him, a heavy silence filling my ears.
No…no…no…NO!
My hand shook as I reached out touched his shoulder; it was cold.
"N-no…K....Kensei…" I gasped, my eyes burning with tears. My fingers balled into a tight fist around part of his robe, my fingernails biting deep into my skin.
He was dead.
I was never going to speak with him again. I was never going to see the smile he always had for me that no one else saw. I was never going to hear his voice, smell his scent—he was gone.
"N…NO!" I screamed, my voice breaking from the volume. "Kensei!"
I pressed my hands to my face, covering my eyes as if to force the vision away.
Why, Kensei? Why did you leave me?!
Everyone I loved was gone now; my brother, Mamoru, and Kensei. Why did this have to happen?! And to me! What had I done wrong? It made no sense!
Anger started to fill my chest as I cried, searing, burning anger. Things couldn't end up like this! They wouldn't!
With sudden strength and abandon I pushed Kensei onto his back so I could see his face.
Kensei…
His face was pale and filthy from lying in the dirt, his eyes closed. My eyes swam with tears as I saw the dried trail of blood from his mouth—his wound was the same as Eishima's.
My eyes lingered on his lips; lips that had kissed mine, lips that I had rejected, thinking I would have another chance…
I reached out and brushed them with my finger, feeling the softness. A sob came out of me when he didn't respond; I had hoped that just maybe he would move…but there was nothing.
He can't be dead! I thought frantically, my fingers moving to his neck to feel for a pulse. Please, Kensei!
I couldn't feel anything.
A frustrated cry came out of me as I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and buried my face against his neck, a sharp pain throbbing in my chest.
"You can't die!" I cried, hating the pitiful sound of my voice. "Kensei, wake up!"
I pulled back and shook him, my eyes searching for any kind of response.
"KENSEI!"
No matter how hard I tried, he wouldn't respond.
I stared at him, my world crashing down around me.
Kensei…was dead.
Yu-chan… I'm sorry…
My head jerked up at the sound of Kuro's voice as a thought dawned on me.
Kuro…Kuro! There's gotta be a way to bring him back, right? I asked, hopefully, frantically.
Yu-chan, the dead don't come back… I'm so-
"No!" I screamed, "He's not! He can't!"
Yume-
I shook Kensei's shoulders again, tears streaming down my face.
"Wake up! Wake up, damn it!"
YUME BEHIND YOU! Screamed Kurosasori in my head, before something slammed into sending me tumbling head over heels.
A deafening roar filled my ears, before I was sent flying even further back, my ribs creaking from the blow. I didn't even have time to react as I was hit again and again, my eyes flashing with red, white and black splotches.
I landed on my back for the fifth time, but this time nothing hit me. Instead, I was left lying there, blood pouring into my left eye from a gash on my forehead. I knew I had more wounds than just that alone, but the pain hadn't sunk in just yet.
I turned my head as the sound of heavy foot falls reached my ringing ears; after a moment I was able to make out a large pale shape standing a good twenty feet away from me.
A…hollow? I thought, somehow managing to roll over. I coughed as blood filled my mouth, before managing to grab Kurosasori out of his sheath. Using him as leverage, I was able to stagger to my feet.
A deep throated growl rumbled towards me from the hollow; I blinked the blood out of my eyes and tried to get a good look at it, but with my injuries and the distance between us I wasn't able to. But…it was standing over something in a threatening manner… My mind went straight to—
"Kensei!" I shrieked, stumbling forwards without thinking and breaking into a run of sorts.
I think Kuro was saying something, but I wasn't listening anymore. All I could think was that if I didn't save Kensei from the hollow, he would definitely be gone from me forever.
The hollow roared at me as I got closer; I screamed back, before holding out my zanpakuto and slicing at it. The blow bounced off of the hollow and sent me stumbling forward on top of Kensei's body, and without a second thought, I wrapped my arms around him and tried to shield him with my body.
The hollow continued to roar, and I could feel its sharp claws rake into my back, but I didn't care. I buried my face into Kensei's neck, my arms tight around him.
"Please live…" I sobbed, "Kensei I—"
A vice like grip caught hold of my leg, tearing me away from Kensei and into midair, before I landed heavily—and painfully—on the ground, face up again. I was stunned and couldn't move, my head swimming with pain and confusion.
A shape appeared in my field of vision; tall, with white armor and dark hair behind its mask…the hollow. But it was strange—too human looking.
I winced as it reached down and grabbed me by the throat, lifting me to its eye level.
Cold yellow eyes bored into me from dark shadowed holes of the mask; the mask was canine looking, complete with a pair of long fangs that went past its face. Detached from reality, I followed those fangs, only to realize that beneath the fangs and bottom of the mask, was a neck…a human neck. My eyes shot back up to its face in a second as I recognized that messy dark hair.
"M…Moru?!"
*Kensei's POV*
Someone had been calling me.
I knew I had heard a voice calling my name, begging, pleading, demanding that I respond…but I couldn't. I couldn't even open my eyes.
I was sinking into blackness—as heavy and strong as quicksand, and it was becoming harder to even think straight. But then I could hear that voice… with every sound I felt myself gain a little more strength—I fought to gain more.
Kensei…
It was faint, but definite.
Kensei.
I reached towards it with my hand, reached with everything I had.
Kensei!
I could hear it clearly now—hear her.
Yume?
I tried to answer her, but I couldn't seem to make a sound.
"Kensei, wake up!" she screamed, her voice odd sounding. With a start, I realized she was crying. Her voice was filled with pain—it hurt to hear it.
Yume!
I could faintly feel something tight around my shoulders, and something hot and wet pressed against my face.
YUME!
"Please live…" she sobbed, "Kensei I—"
She was suddenly cut off, her touch wrenched away from me with a high pitched scream.
No!
I tried to reach for her; she needed me, she was in trouble!
"Y…Yu…me…" I managed to breathe as the world burst back with full force. Along with all my senses came the pain—it was almost enough to plunge me back into the darkness, but…
"Yume…" I groaned, struggling to open my eyes.
I could hear something moving nearby, but it wasn't her. It was too large and—
A roar filled my ears; a hollow?!
No… That meant that a hollow had hold of Yume!
My hands balled into fists; I found myself slowly sitting up, my eyes shooting open in an instant.
"Yume!" I called, my voice hoarse, but loud enough to be heard.
The pain in my body had strangely melted away—I couldn't even feel it anymore. But I didn't care; I found my zanpakuto in an instant and searched for Yume. I found her a second later in the clutches of a strange looking hollow a good distance away.
With a war cry, I ran at it, my blade ready.
The hollow's head jerked towards me before it dropped Yume and charged at me, moving with unbelievable speed. I almost didn't have time to react before it tried to slice at me; I was able to sidestep it and slice at its stomach, before I realized something shocking.
Other than the hollow mask and few pieces of bone like armor, it had a human body…garbed in a shinigami's shihakusho.
Wha-?!
It came at me again, and this time landed a punch on my stomach; it didn't hurt, even though I felt the claws rip through me. It didn't make sense, but I couldn't think much on it as I had to fight back. Yelling, I sliced its stomach again, before spinning and sweeping its legs out from under it with a kick.
It let out a roar as it slammed into the ground, before rolling to its feet. I held out my zanpakuto and was about go into shikai, but the hollow let out a low growl, before turning and running away as fast as if it had used shunpo.
What?
Hollow usually didn't retreat like that; what was going on?
I let my shikai melt away, before I doubled over with a bout of coughing; when I pulled my hand away I saw there was blood—maybe I wasn't as okay as I had thought.
"K…Kensei?"
I raised my head towards the sound of her voice, my eyes slowly moving to her.
"Yume…"
In a moment I was staggering towards her, a mixture of relief, confusion and fury rolling through me.
She was staring back at me with tear filled eyes, her face bruised and filthy.
Shit…Yume… She was sitting upright, her shihakusho tattered and bloody; there was a small puddle of blood around her.
"Kensei…" she replied, the tears spilling down her cheeks.
I fell to my knees and pulled her against my chest, my arms wrapping around her tightly. She was shaking as she clung to me, her body convulsing as she sobbed into my shoulder.
"You idiot…" I growled, my hand on the back of her head, "You shouldn't have come here!"
"You were in danger!" she replied, her voice slightly muffled against my shoulder. "I didn't want you to get hurt!"
"But not at the expense of your own life!" I cried, pulling her back so I could stare down at her. She was staring up at me with pain ridded eyes, her tears still streaming down her cheeks. "Never at the expense of your own life! I don't want you killed, Yume!"
I was angry. Angry at myself, and angry with her. How could she do something so reckless? She could have been killed—and that would have killed me.
"I couldn't let you die!" she shouted back, before turning away, her shoulders rigid. "I can't lose you…"
"Yume-" I began, only to be cut off by her looking up at me, her eyes sparkling with more than just tears.
"Kensei, I love you!"
Ohoho...what will his reaction be to her sudden confession? And what's going to happen next? Find out next chapter!!! XD
Anyway, I'll put those lyrics down for you guys--you don't have to read it if you don't want, and don't take my word on the exact lyrics...I'm probably a bit off.
Koi ni Ochite-Falling in Love In mysterious feelings into which something may It is little until the reason admits something Quietly Embraced closely moreover, it cannot meet you for a little while the heart firmly recalls it i have not understood how it was before even such time to recall your word and gesture having fallen in love only at a moment
Having fallen in love at only a moment
I liked getting to know you
change on the day that we met
time between two people is understood repeatedly
and if the hand was clasped
it's only good
if that hand grasped is returned
i don't want to part soon, is it possible to meet again?
it is the time when it is far away and it
gives happiness brightly
it all meets in truth, as for the lie
though you laugh in the presence of the truth
because one person is dear
i liked getting to know you.