Chapter 37
Only They Can Decide
Inoue wakes up and feels horrible about last night. Even now, as she lays in her own apartment, she still can't feel Kurosaki-kun, or Kuchiki-san. She wonders when Ishida will wake up and come over to see her.
She has company, Matsumoto and Hitsugaya came back home with her last night, and Inoue blushes when she sees that they're cuddling with each other in their sleep. She's sure that they didn't do it intentionally, but she doesn't want to be in sight, when they wake up.
Inoue feels very uneasy, since she can't feel Kurosaki-kun, and she decides to sit outside of her house, to wait for her boyfriend to arrive. Within five minutes of her getting out of there, she can hear a crash from her apartment, and then Toushirou screaming at the top of his lungs.
"Matsumoto! What the fuck!" Toushirou screams, immediately after waking up, as he finds his head resting against her gigantic breasts, instead of the pillow that he fell asleep on when he went to bed last night.
Rangiku's eyes snap open and she giggles as she releases her captain from her grasp.
"Sorry captain!" Matsumoto sings out, and a few veins pop out on Toushirou's forehead.
"You're never allowed to fall asleep near me again! That's so wrong! Wait…where is Inoue Orihime?! Did she see us like that?! She's going to get the wrong idea!" Toushirou shouts, and Matsumoto laughs loudly at that.
"Captain, I didn't think you cared what she thought!" Matsumoto says with a wink. "Have you developed a crush on Orihime?" Rangiku teases, and Toushirou only gets more angry before he turns around and yells full force at her.
"I don't have a thing for her! I'm worried that she'll tell other people what she saw! Get a grip, I'm not into airheads, and that includes you!" Toushirou snaps, and Rangiku giggles.
"Orihime isn't that bad!" Rangiku says, and Toushirou loses his patience.
"Yet I have no trouble seeing why Kurosaki fell for the girl that he did…that's all I'm saying." Toushirou growls out. "I don't even like staying here! Isn't she saying we're unwelcome when she presents us her inedible meals?" Toushirou asks as he crosses his arms.
"Her food is delicious!" Rangiku defends.
"Yeah, if you're completely cracked out in the head it's good." Toushirou grumbles.
"Captain! Don't be like that." Rangiku says, and Toushirou gives her an icy glare.
"You know, I think I'm going to sleep at the site of the investigation. Oddly enough, I think it will be less stressful than being here with you two bimbos." Toushirou says, and with that, he flies out the window.
Outside, below, Inoue wishes she hadn't heard all of that. The window being open, had allowed her to hear things that simply twisted her heart.
When Ichigo wakes up, with Rukia in his arms, he smiles hugely. He can tell, that she's been periodically taking his reiatsu, to keep their positions hidden from the Shinigami that have come from Soul Society.
When Ichigo remembers his dream, he feels fairly freaked out. It featured him and his inner hollow, and he was left feeling like it was more real than dream. His inner hollow had at first acted normal, but when they were suddenly attacked within the dream, by a faceless enemy, they worked together to kill it.
Not only had they worked together, they had cooperated with one another, which is what has Ichigo feeling the most confused. Usually his inner hollow does his best to screw with his mind.
The thing that really bugs him though, is that it felt so fucking real.
Rukia stirs, and Ichigo kisses the top of her head.
"Ichigo?" Rukia asks, and he kisses her again.
"Morning, Rukia." Ichigo says, and he smiles when she yawns and makes a high pitched noise as she does so. It of course goads his inner hollow into commenting.
Isn't she ready to fuck you again yet, King? She's strong enough to handle it, just tackle her now!
"I have to get back to training." Rukia mutters, and she sits up. Ichigo sits up with her.
"You didn't go into detail, about how many times you have to actually slay your zanpakutou." Ichigo tells her, hoping she'll enlighten him now.
"When she first told me about it, the deal was I had to slay her one hundred times. Unfortunately I haven't had so much time to do my bankai training. I still have to slay her ninety more times." Rukia tells him, and Ichigo's eyes widen.
"It could be worse…" Ichigo allows, and Rukia laughs a bit.
"It's why we have no more time to waste. We should head down to train." Rukia says, and Ichigo nods his head.
When they get downstairs, Risa is waiting for them, with two cups of hot coffee, and donuts. Rukia's eyes widen in happiness.
"I went and got these, to thank you again for last night. That was the best orgasm I've experienced in decades!" Risa declares, and Rukia blushes deeply, even as she and Ichigo accept Risa's offering. Ichigo ignores his inner hollow.
That was so fucking hot! I want to see her bite some more girls!
"I didn't mean to do that though…" Rukia mutters in embarrassment, and Risa smiles at her.
"But you did. All I dreamed about last night, was you biting me. The effect of your bite is amazing!" Risa says, and Rukia exchanges a look with Ichigo.
"It's hard to be mad, when she brought breakfast." Ichigo points out.
"You all keep acting like my bite has this powerful and strange effect. It's making me wonder…" Rukia says, and she immediately has Ichigo's and Risa's attention. Rukia takes a big bite of her donut and smiles in pleasure at the taste.
"Wonder about what, Rukia?" Ichigo asks curiously, since he wants to understand it better too.
"Would it work if I bit myself?" Rukia asks, and Risa's eyes widen.
"Do it now." Risa says, wanting to be present if Rukia's bite does indeed affect herself. Rukia takes another bite of the donut, as she considers it.
"That's a good question. Want me to hold your coffee while you test it out?" Ichigo asks, and Rukia nods. She hurriedly finishes the rest of her donut, before she puts the top of her wrist to her lips.
"Here goes." Rukia mutters, and then she takes a deep breath, before she bites down on her own skin.
Nothing happens. No sense of dizziness, euphoria, or sexual release as displayed by the others. Her inner hollow speaks up in her head.
Duh! Of course we are immune to our own power! If you want to feel good, just grab Ichigo's cock!
"Anything?" Ichigo asks curiously, as he studies Rukia's face. She draws her wrist away from her face, and blushes at what her hollow had to say in her head.
"No, apparently I am immune to my own ability." Rukia replies, and Risa's face falls in disappointment.
"Well, at least now you know." Ichigo says, and Rukia nods, as she takes her coffee from him and takes a long sip.
"Well, enough playing around for now, I need to get back to my bankai training." Rukia says, and Ichigo nods. He looks at Risa.
"Is Hiyori going to train with me today?" Ichigo asks, and Risa shakes her head no.
"She's dreaming without screaming for once, I think it's because she was bitten." Risa replies, and Ichigo is surprised at that.
"So who am I training with?" Ichigo asks, and Risa grins.
"Love agreed to train with you," Risa replies.
"I'm off." Rukia says, then she pops her gikongan.
Rukia walks down to the underground training area, and Ichigo follows her. Risa trails behind the two of them, and since Love is still eating his breakfast, Ichigo sits down to watch Rukia train.
Rukia pulls out Sode No Shirayuki, and materializes her a moment later. Sode No Shirayuki isn't a bear today, instead she appears in her human form wearing a long white dress, with her long hair piled up on her head, and held in place with hair accessories made of ice. She has her own blade, in a sheath at her side, identical to how Rukia wears her own sheath and blade.
"You didn't feel like being a bear today?" Rukia asks, and Sode No Shirayuki gives her an amused smile.
"You would get bored of the same thing, wouldn't you? I know I would." Sode No Shirayuki says, and she pulls out her blade.
"I guess. I'm just in a hurry to get started!" Rukia says, and Sode No Shirayuki smiles.
"Just remember, with each time you slay me, it will get more and more difficult to do so." Sode No Shirayuki warns, before she flies at Rukia, with her blade out.
"I wouldn't expect anything less of you!" Rukia yells, as their blades meet.
"Your swordsmanship has improved a great deal." Sode No Shirayuki says, with satisfaction.
"I've been inspired!" Rukia says, and she nods her head towards Ichigo.
"As have I," Sode No Shirayuki says, before she jumps back, and flies at Rukia again.
Toushirou steps into the old hideout of the Vaizards, and lets out a big sigh.
He starts walking around the perimeter of the bottom floor, wondering if there is anything he missed, in his earlier investigation.
"Everything has become so confusing. How did Kurosaki Ichigo and Kuchiki Rukia fly in here, without ever being spotted to be leaving, and yet not be in here?" Toushirou asks, as he scratches his head.
None of this makes any sense. Inoue Orihime said there was a basement, yet we couldn't locate anything like that. What in the hell is happening around here?
Toushirou sits against the wall, and closes his eyes. No matter how much he thinks about it, none of it makes any sense to him. He decides to lay down, and he moves his head to get comfortable, once he's laying on his back. Then he sees something etched into the wall, so he gets a bit closer to read it.
"I will protect Rukia until my dying day…Ichigo." Toushirou reads, and then he notes the date.
It was before Inoue Orihime was even kidnapped, and taken to Hueco Mundo!
"So he's realized for that long?" Toushirou asks out loud, and he nearly jumps out of his skin when Rangiku speaks from the entrance.
"Realized what, Captain? She asks, as she steps inside.
"Come look." Toushirou tells her, and she hurries over to look at what he's pointing at.
"I'm glad Orihime isn't here to see this. It's hard for her to see them as a couple." Matsumoto says with a sigh.
"Whatever. I need to get in contact with Soul Society. I have to give my report." Toushirou says, as he pulls out his spirit phone.
"Finally! What has been taking so long, Captain Kurotsuchi?" Ukitake asks, and Mayuri's face is a picture of rage.
"Where in the hell is Nemu?!" Mayuri bellows, and Ukitake looks shocked at the question.
"I haven't seen her, I thought she was with you." Ukitake says, and Mayuri starts to exude angry reiatsu.
"If she had been with me, it wouldn't have taken me twice as long as usual, to get back to normal! Where is that bitch? I'll beat the snot out of her! She's trying to kill me!" Mayuri growls.
"I have no idea. You should be thankful that you weren't blamed for the death of those Shinigami." Ukitake tells him in a serious voice.
Mayuri rolls his eyes. He's killed countless Shinigami in his life, with no repercussions whatsoever. Of course he'd never needlessly killed anybody as powerful as the Shinigami who had accompanied him on their failed mission.
"How many times do I have to take that bitch apart, and put her back together, before she behaves the way I want her to?" Mayuri asks, in an annoyed voice. Byakuya walks in the room an instant later.
"That's not what you should be concerned about." Byakuya says in a hard voice, and Mayuri narrows his eyes at the nobleman.
"Oh?" Mayuri asks, and Byakuya doesn't hesitate to continue.
"Rukia and Kurosaki Ichigo are still missing. Their reiatsu is completely untraceable. All we know for sure right now is that they regained control of their bodies. Can you develop a way to find them, despite the fact that they've hidden themselves? We need to get on with the procedure as quickly as possible. The idea of Rukia with an inner hollow perturbs me." Byakuya says in a clipped tone.
"I'll get right on it," Mayuri says, aware that he's skating on thin ice at the moment.
Finding and punishing Nemu will have to wait until later…though not having her as an assistant will slow down my research…everyone else is more inept than she is!
"Notify me the moment there is any progress." Byakuya orders, before he sweeps back out of the room.
Inoue is glad that Rangiku-san and Hitsugaya-kun have left, since Ishida and she now have her apartment to themselves.
"What on earth were you doing awake so late last night?" Ishida asks, as he sips the strange tasting tea that Inoue gave him, without making a disgusted face.
"Rangiku-san, and Hitsugaya-kun asked me to assist them last night." Inoue says, and Ishida sits forward at that.
"Assist? How?" Ishida asks, since he's immediately interested in why the Shinigami would need Inoue's help.
"They knew that I had been to the hideout of the Vaizards in the past, when I went to warn Kurosaki-kun about Aizen-san and the King's Key." Inoue starts off, and Ishida looks surprised by that.
This must have been when I was training with my father.
"So why did they need you?" Ishida asks, and Inoue sighs.
"They wanted me to tell them if anything was different in the hideout. I agreed to help. On the way there, I could feel Kurosaki-kun's reiatsu, but right as we approached the hideout, it suddenly disappeared, and I couldn't sense it at all!" Inoue says, her concern evident on her face.
If I didn't have Nemu, I'd be bothered by this, wouldn't I?
"Why were you helping them to capture Kurosaki?" Ishida asks, since he doesn't fully understand.
"They have a way, Ishida-kun! Of getting rid of his inner hollow for good! Kuchiki-san too! I thought I should help." Inoue says, and Ishida shakes his head in disagreement.
"I don't think you should have helped Soul Society." Ishida says, and Inoue gasps.
"Even if it helps them?" Inoue asks him with wide eyes.
"I never thought his having an inner hollow hurt him." Ishida says, and Inoue shakes her head.
"How can you say that?! He'd be much better off without the hollow! Kuchiki-san too!" Inoue says, feeling a bit emotional. Ishida shakes his head at her.
"Something like that can only be decided on by the two of them. We have no right to interfere. He usually keeps his hollow under pretty good control, and having it has saved his life in the past. It's the same with Kuchiki-san. Nobody but them can decide whether or not they're better with or without their inner hollows." Ishida lectures her, but Inoue cannot agree.
"Friends help each other out, when they're in need, and can't help themselves." Inoue says, and Ishida raises an eyebrow.
"You can lose a friend's trust, if you interfere like that. They might even consider it betrayal." Ishida argues, and Inoue's face darkens at that comment.
"I hear what you're saying…but his inner hollow is scary, and evil. It's my duty to help him see that he doesn't have to live with that darkness within himself. Nobody in their right mind would actually want that." Inoue says, and Ishida sighs.
"Only the people in the situation, can make a decision like that. It's up to them, to decide for themselves, whether or not they like or hate having an inner hollow." Ishida says, and Inoue bites her lip. She doesn't say what she's thinking, because Ishida is her boyfriend.
The man I love wouldn't want to have such a scary inner hollow.