Chapter 53: Part 2: Strawberry Meets Death

I really don't understand how dentistry is legal. Brutal and cruel, to the point not even a masochist would enjoy it.

Anyways, I hope I transferred my ideas and imagination well... I also hope the splitting headache I have didn't affect this chapter. It's short again, but wouldn't fit any other way. I hope you enjoy.

I'd like to thank you all in the meantime for your reviews. I need to get to them. Zellie, I hope the edited words in the last bit of Chapter 52 make more sense as a whole? I don't know. Blah. lol


The glowing barrier cracked under Hiyori's skull slammed against it, his maniacal laughter ringing loud in her ears, her small hands clawing at the hand easily closed around her throat, eyes wide beneath her cracking mask; n-no-!

Black eyes locked with hers as his own mask slowly crept across his darkened features, Ichigo tightened his hold around her delicate neck, Zangetsu brought up against her pulse beating frantically beneath her sweating skin, his Hollow nearly purring with dark satisfaction as Hiyori's mask broke apart, half of it shattering onto the ground far below her trashing feet.

S-shinji! Kensei, anyone-! "Shinji-!"

The barrier cracked further after he pulled back to slam her against it again, the blackness of her eyes retreating under her lids as her mask broke apart even further, his torn skin under her fingernails mixed with Rukia's blood her hands smeared onto his skin, her legs coming to a slow still; gasping for breath as Ichigo moved in, his sharpened features close enough to feel his hot breath against her skin, she felt his blade press against her pulse, drawing blood, her eyes rolling back.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, little Vizard! No one-!" Slamming her again, blood running down her neck into his fingers wrapped around it, his face pressed even closer, his mouth against her jaw; "-and I mean no one, hurts our queen!"

Hiyori still felt his hand tight around her throat even as air finally rushed into her lungs with a desperate gasp, the glowing barrier shattering around her as she fell onto the dirt beneath her, her strained eyes looking up to find Ichigo and his Hollow pinned down with her comrades' blades; their eyes struck with shock as they stared at her, Hiyori's eyes moved to the growing mask over Ichigo's wild features, her body shaking violently as she met Ichigo's gaze, his furious, black eyes burning into her damned soul-

I shouldn't be alive.


Violet eyes grew wide, the pained gasp caught in her throat, Hiyori's blade tearing through her flesh as she drove it into Rukia's abdomen, curving it up through her diaphragm, cracking bones and tearing flesh loud to Rukia's muted ears, Rukia unable to breathe.

Her wide eyes were mesmerized by the blood pouring out onto the fair-skinned hand grasping the hilt, her own trembling hands slowly coming up to- the hand… Hiyori's hand?

She didn't feel the fingers tangled roughly in her hair anymore, Rukia's legs giving out below her, her body falling to its knees.

She dragged one, long, deep breath down her throat into her lungs, a searing pain overwhelming her within her chest; her ears felt stuffed, muted even, yet gasps reached her ears, muffled yelling barely pulling through.

Wide eyes grew heavy, a small hand clutching her wounded abdomen, red with her own blood, weak fingers slowly curling around the hilt.

Her hand could barely close around it, let alone find the strength to drag the blade out from within her.

'Is this really it? Is this how I'm going to die…?'

Her skin was sweating, uncomfortably hot, but a chill still ran over her, Rukia surprised as a single tear ran down her cheek.

"No one-!"

Images of Ichigo writhing in pain burned within her memory, his reiatsu long gone, a heavy, dark feel to his usual reiatsu pressing down her before disappearing as well.

"-and I mean no one, hurts our queen!"

'That voice… I hear Ichigo somewhere within that voice….'

An onslaught of numerous reiatsu suddenly came at her, the glowing barrier shattering around her, strong arms wrapped around her.

'Ichigo?'


Shuuhei felt his stomach tighten horrendously, the kido barrier closed behind the black-haired female and blonde male, the strong arms around his neck and arms holding tight.

"Rukia!"

"Shut up-!" "No, Rukia! Let her go-!"

A hand released its hold of Shuuhei's arm, a large elbow slammed into his face, Shuuhei cringing at the certain crack of his nose, his body shoved to his knees; "Fuck!"

Heavy footsteps moved in front of Shuuhei, the male's grey eyes watching the blood drip to the ground from his cupped hand over his mouth and nose, his arm now twisted behind him, the dark-skinned male yet to release him.

The black combat boots before him separated as one came fast and strong at him, slamming into his ribs; wheezing, choking on blood, Shuuhei cursed as the male behind him threw him forward, considering him without threat.

"S-Shit." "I'll give you one last chance, Ichigo! Release your Hollow!"

"Kensei, Love- keep him alive! It wasn't supposed to come down to this!"

"Don't worry, Hirako; we'll just make sure he doesn't come again, uninvited…."

A large hand grabbed a fistful of his black, damp hair, pulling Shuuhei up from the dirt to his knees again, his head pulled back to look up at a muscular, silver-haired man, the barrier's glow behind him casting heavy shadows across his face; "You better-!"

Silence came upon Kensei as he looked down at Shuuhei, blood covering his mouth and nose, black hair teasing his brows above his eyes; but his tattoo… his '69' tattoo was clear to Kensei's own eyes.

'The fuck is he looking at-?'

Shuuhei froze as time seemed to slow, Hiyori spinning her blade in her hand to shift her hold, the blonde then driving her blade in and up through Rukia's body, Shuuhei screaming out for her, Kensei's attention turned over inside the barrier; a violent shudder over-took Shuuhei as Ichigo suddenly stilled and disappeared from view, the blonde Vizard shoved just as quickly from Rukia's side, the petite shinigami falling to her knees as the barrier shook from Hiyori's body slammed into it.

"RUKIA!" "Fuck, get in there-!" "Hachi, break it down, break it down-!" "HIYORI!"

Shuuhei staggered from his knees onto his feet, blades drawn from their sheathes around him as they slashed into the barrier, the large man recovering from his shock to collapse it; grabbing his abandoned zanpaktou from the ground, Shuuhei moved into shunpo with the Vizard into the shattered barrier, skidding onto his knees behind Rukia's trembling form, his arms immediately around her, angry snarling behind him.

"Rukia! Rukia, oh please-!" Holding her close, his hands moved over her smaller ones, his blood washed away with Rukia's, her breaths shallow and far from each other; "Rukia, stay with me-!"


He felt blades pressed into his hands, pressed along his neck and back, heavy weights pinning him down; eyes locked with the blonde, trembling female some feet in front of him, Ichigo growled as Shinji crouched beside his head, his hands moving the tip of his zanpaktou into the last crevice Ichigo's mask had yet to close up, jerking his blade over and out to break the mask.

Gasping at his Hollow's control suddenly severed apart, his eyes slowly beginning to lose their darkness, Ichigo remained held down against the dirt, his reiatsu wild and flaring from the sudden release before disappearing, his breath heavy under their weight upon him; "What… what the hell- Rukia-!"

"Quiet! Not a word or this won't end well!" Love glanced up at Shinji, Ichigo silent and motionless, his reiatsu reaching out in search of Rukia's.

Shinji stood as he sheathed his blade, looking over at Hiyori still transfixed on Ichigo beneath their comrades blades, his eyes narrowed on her, Hiyori finally tearing her gaze from Ichigo to look at him, a small hand around her bruised neck- silent.

"Any complaints, Hiyori?"

Still met with trembling silence, Shinji turned on his heel, quickly making his way over to the hunched male with Rukia bleeding in his arms- met with Shuuhei's reiatsu suddenly flaring out, grey eyes turned onto him over Shuuhei's shoulder; "Reap-!"

-Kazeshini!"


Blades suddenly came at Shinji, the male stepping aside with his hair barely avoiding damage, his eyes wide as Shuuhei jerked on the chain, Shinji turning in time to raise his blade against Shuuhei's, his blade violently clashed against before it retreated back to Shuuhei; "Wait, shinigami-!"

"Like you waited for Ichigo to come to you! Is that how I should wait!" Shifting his grip on Kazeshini's blade, Shuuhei launched it again, Shinji using flash step to avoid it.

Ichigo yelled out in struggle against the Vizard holding him down, Kensei leaving the orange-haired male to the others as he moved to aid Shinji, halted in step when the blonde male held a hand up in protest to Kensei's approach, his body whirled around to block Kazeshini again.

Shinji's brown eyes quickly looked about them as Kazeshini was pulled back again, his brown eyes on Hiyori before sweeping over Ichigo motionless on the ground, his gaze moving over to Shuuhei, the male blocking any view of Rukia; dodging the blade spinning with intent to tear him apart, Shinji moved around the two shinigami to their front, guilt pulling at his mind as brown eyes found the small woman in Shuuhei's arms, blood covering her robes and the dirt at her knees, the healing kido from Shuuhei's hand casting a glow into her dull eyes.

"Let me-!" Cursing as Shuuhei's blade found its way back, Shinji quickly materialized his mask, leaning aside to thrust his blade up from beneath the spinning blade, the two zanpaktou suddenly clashed together, Shinji grabbing onto the chain; "Listen to me!"

Pulling his blade from Kazeshini, Shinji removed his mask, his brown eyes locked with grey; "Look…shini-."

"His name is Hisagi Shuuhei, Shinji…." Kensei surprised every soul around him with his few words, Shinji's brown eyes moving with Shuuhei's onto the muscular Vizard slowly walking over to Shinji's side, Shuuhei following his movement; "How… who are you-!"

"You can't recognize me after marking me onto your own skin?"

The tension on the chain between Shinji and Shuuhei grew loose, enough for Shuuhei to still suddenly pull to bring his blade back, enough to let them know he was listening, his grey eyes filled with shock and disbelief.

Shinji gathered himself up before he stepped forward, his zanpaktou down by his side; "Hisagi… let us, Kensei and I, help her-."

"Leave us. Break the barrier and leave us."

Frowning, Shinji slowly lowered the chain between himself and Shuuhei, stepping back towards Kensei without a word, his eyes on Shuuhei and Rukia as he called out to their orange-haired male; "Oi, Ichigo!"

Be a good boy and let us comply to Hisagi-san's wishes."

Silence held throughout, hands around their zanpaktou's hilts, all eyes wary of any sudden movements, the building's walls creaking about them.

"Now, we'll be letting you go, Ichigo- I need Hachi for a moment- so stay on the floor, and no one will get hurt anymore…."

Blades and knees slowly moved off Ichigo, the male keeping his hands down on the dirt, his eyes on Zangetsu's tang by his hand; hurry up and leave… just leave….

"Good, everyone…." Shinji kept his eyes locked with Shuuhei's heavy glare, Rukia motionless in his arms, the small rise of her chest every few breaths Shuuhei took himself the only proof of the life still within her, Shuuhei's healing kido only enough to keep her blood from pouring further, Hiyori's blade still deep within her.

Nudging Kensei's arm beside him, Shinji pushed him towards the young male before them, his own eyes moving onto Hachi standing by Ichigo; "Hachi!"

Kensei slowly approached the two shinigami kneeling in the dirt, his eyes with Shuuhei's own, his hand by his short blade at his hip.

"Hisagi… we aren't going to hurt her…."

"Don't touch her." Shuuhei could feel Ichigo's reiatsu struggling to keep control behind him, the male's painful need to come to Rukia pulling at Shuuhei's heart beating against her back; "We told you to leave!"

Shinji's voice came at him, a large shadow cast on the dirt from behind him.

"He won't have to touch her and we'll be leaving as soon as Hiyori's blade is back in her hands, Hisagi."

A large man came around them, Shuuhei tightening his arm around Rukia, his hand grasping his chain, ready to-

Hachi slammed his hands together before him, a sudden gust whirling around Shuuhei and Rukia, her nails suddenly digging into Shuuhei's arm, his grey eyes wide with Rukia's violet ones as Hiyori's blade was dragged out from her body, her gasp unheard under Shuuhei's furious yell, Ichigo's reiatsu immediately intensifying.

Grabbing hold of Zangetsu's tang, Ichigo moved to his feet in seconds, his dark, brown eyes set on Shinji and Hachi, black creeping into the whites of his eyes; "Hirako-!"

"Don't move, Kurosaki." Surrounding him were four Vizards, Love and Rose holding their blades at his neck, Lisa and Mashiro materializing their masks, the blackness retreating from his eyes as theirs were lost to it.

Rukia.


Shuuhei released his chain without thought, his hands immediately over Rukia's wound, the female quiet in his arms; snapping his gaze up at the three males before him, his eyes burning into Hachi, he clutched her stomach, shaking; "You said you wouldn't hurt her!"

"I've isolated her wound, Hisagi-san…."

Smiling gently, Hachi jerked his chin towards Rukia's abdomen; "Just look for yourself."

Glancing down at Rukia's stomach, her ragged breaths barely closer together in time, Shuuhei slowly removed his hands from her wound, gently pushing aside the torn material of her blood-stained robes, a soft glow barely visible beneath her skin.

He looked up at the large male with strained, conflicted eyes, Hachi simply smiling down at them, a small frown pulling at it; "We… didn't mean for this to happen to her…."

Met with silence, Ichigo's desperate, anxious reiatsu pressing down on them, Hachi raised his hands before him, slamming them together- the barrier surrounding the building shattering.

With one last look at the shinigami at their feet and blades, the Vizard silently retreated with shunpo into the setting sun, Shinji scooping up Hiyori into his arms before catching up with his comrades, leaving the young shinigami behind with regret.

Shuuhei choked back a frustrated cry as he hugged Rukia closer to his chest, Ichigo immediately on his knees before Rukia with his zanpaktou abandoned on the ground by Kazeshini, hands brushing back her black, damp hair from her tired, dull eyes, his hoarse voice calling out for her.

Shuuhei grasping Rukia's small hand with his arm around her, Ichigo taking her other hand into his own, his warm palm gently cupping her smooth jaw, they closed their eyes as both males pulled their reiatsu in deep into their hearts- the building torn apart as their reiatsu exploded out from within their souls, yellow eyes looking up into the sky miles away, shadowed eyes behind a hat immediately at her door, both moving quickly to their calling shinigami.


"Live, fool!"


Part 2 of 2: Six pages. 2431 words. I can't make it exactly as I want it. DAMN IT.

Much appreciation for your patience of this plot-less, path-less story,

KurosakiLove.