Disclaimer: I do not own the Bleach characters, manga, anime, movies, etc. They belong by copyright laws to Tite Kubo et al.
Saying I Will
Partners Once More
Rukia didn't mind the fact that Ichigo had gone off with Toushiro to test the prodigy's "theory." It was in fact the perfect opportunity to ask Yuzu for more cooking lessons, something that she had put off for far too long. The younger girl was happy to be of help and immediately set about showing the petite Shinigami some simple meals that she could put together.
"Rukia-nee, has Ichi-nii been coddling you?" Yuzu paused in writing the recipe she'd found on a card. She looked up at her brother's girlfriend who was stirring a pot of stew on the stove.
"What do you mean, Yuzu? Ichigo knows very well that I'm capable of fighting and protecting myself just as well as he is."
"I don't mean against Hollows. I mean against things here in the Living World. He takes care of everything, doesn't he?"
"Not everything. The banking and the bills, yes but that's just so that my brother won't think that he's using my money for anything he's not supposed to. I go buy groceries and other supplies by myself. After he showed me how to do laundry, I was perfectly fine with doing that as well." Rukia paused, thinking about some of the things he did protect her from. "Actually, the only real thing he's sheltered me from is interaction with other males besides our friends. I think he's just a bit possessive and jealous. I knew that going into a romantic relationship with him though. Ichigo isn't exactly subtle when it comes to those things."
"I just asked because you don't seem to fight as often as you used to."
Rukia blushed, wondering if she should explain exactly why that was. "We have our issues, Yuzu. Ichigo is always going to want to protect me, regardless of what he knows I'm capable of. The heart and the mind don't always agree when you love someone. Before we weren't sure enough about the other's feelings and it was a time of war. I had to teach him things no teenager should have to know in a limited time frame. When I had lost my powers, I felt helpless, just like he has these past couple of years. I was angry and unsure of myself. And I was afraid."
"I see. You had the hots for each other."
"Yuzu!"
"Ah, come on, Rukia-nee. It's no secret. You slept in his closet for two months without complaint. At any time you two could have come up with the same excuse you used the last time." The younger watched as red overtook Rukia's face. "You didn't think of that did you?" she went on smartly.
"And here I thought you were a nice, sweet, innocent girl, Yuzu."
"I am fourteen now, Rukia-nee."
"I know." Pretending to wipe a tear from her eye, the raven haired girl grinned. "I'm so proud. Still, I didn't think that you were aware of such things." At least she hadn't gotten the sexual innuendo in earlier her comment about her brother being hungry.
"With the pervert that's my dad? Are you kidding? Ever since you and Ichi-nii finally started to date, he's been going on and on about grandchildren. Like that's going to happen anytime soon. I think he's just glad that you two are together."
Isshin, who had been listening from the clinic entrance came and hugged his daughter from behind. "Daddy is so proud!"
"Do you mind, Dad? Rukia-nee's trying to concentrate." Yuzu shrugged off her father, for once not in a mood to put up with his antics. "I have to get these recipes down before they go back to school."
"My third daughter is going to be cooking for her future husband? How wonderful!" He bounded over to taste what she was making. "My son is so lucky!"
"Oji-san…" Rukia watched as he chewed the vegetables, waiting to see what he thought.
"Excellent, my darling Rukia-chan." Truthfully he thought it was a little salty but for her first try it wasn't bad.
"Thank you, Isshin-ojisan." She smiled, relaxing. Cooking wasn't so hard.
"Well, I have done my job. If you need me, I shall be saving lives!" The ex-captain left, hoping to find some water to wash the stew down with.
"Cooking isn't so hard," Rukia told Yuzu, turning the flame down lower and coming to sit across form the sandy blonde.
"It can be but once you know the basics, it usually comes quite easily to most people. What should we try next?"
"How about eggs? I tried to make them for my brother once and it ended with a visit from the firemen."
Yuzu had a hard time stifling her laughter. Ichigo had complained long and loud about that for a long time. She could just imagine the mess it had made and her brother trying to reassure everyone that there was no fire, just some burnt pans and a lot of smoke. She was sure that it had created a mess although she still didn't understand how the whole wall had become coated in soot.
An hour later Yuzu was shaking her head. Even though she had seen the entire thing, it didn't make sense. "Rukia-nee, I don't think eggs are your thing. Better let Ichi-nii cook them from now on."
"I don't get it."
"Neither do I but let's just leave it as one of those mysteries that never gets solved." Both girls sighed and began the clean up, glad that at least the smoke detector hadn't gone off and alerted anyone inside the clinic to a problem.
"We don't need to tell anyone about this, do we?" Rukia asked.
"I wouldn't even know where to begin, Rukia-nee, honest."
"Your brother will never let me live it down if he finds out."
"I can keep a secret," Yuzu said.
"I knew I could count on you, Yuzu." Rukia hugged the youngest Kurosaki just as her pager was going off. "Now this," she said, scooping Chappy up, "I can handle."
The younger girl watched a blurry Rukia in Shinigami garb leave just as she was faintly hearing a Hollow in the distance. "Stay safe, Rukia-nee," she whispered before turning back to the counters. Yuzu knew that her brother and "adopted" sister were powerful Shinigami but that didn't stop her from worrying. It would make her feel better if they worked together, like they used to.
Being independent was all well and good but working as a team was even better.
Ichigo stiffened as he heard Toushiro's pager go off. The captain paused long enough to look at it and shrugged. "Kuchiki's got it."
"Are we done with these tests?" The daiko looked at his sister who was still fiddling with the cannonball that Kukaku had given him. That she had been able to form the larger sphere around herself within minutes still chafed.
"Not quite. Kurosaki-san, if you could drag yourself away from that for a minute, I could use your help." Karin shot him a dirty look but put it aside and came towards him. Even though she trusted him and he had warned her that he was going to attempt something dangerous, she still was wary.
"You should just call me Karin. After all, you and my brother are friends and we are relatively the same age."
"Hn. If you insist on seeing me in human terms, I am more your brother's age than yours. My height might not have changed much but that matters little in the grand scheme of things."
"What do you know? You have grown a couple of centimeters." She grinned, liking the fact that she could ruffle his feathers.
"Just get over here. You're starting to annoy me as much as Matsumoto."
Ichigo smirked, knowing that that was saying something. The busty lieutenant had only one person who could really compete with her for the one able to annoy the ice dragon as much as she could. Hinamori, by virtue of being his childhood friend had the corner on that privilege. "What do you have in mind?"
Figuring that being down in the training grounds was sufficient cover for what he was about to do, Toushiro concentrated his power and surprised both siblings by saying, "Bankai."
Karin, never having seen her brother's second release had no idea how much stronger Shinigami got when they turned to that stage of their Zanpakutou use. "Wow," she whispered, bending over at the reiatsu pressing against her senses. She saw the ice coating Toushiro had taken on; the wings, tail, and claws of dragon making him seem more like the supernatural creature that he was rather than just the white haori and sword. "That's so cool!" Ice suddenly surrounded her, making her a prisoner in a cold cell. So, this was what he had in mind.
"Toushiro! What the hell are you doing? Get my sister out of that right now."
"No. If you want her out, you'll have to get her out. Nothing less than your bankai will work. She's perfectly safe for the moment." Toushiro didn't add that she was at risk for hypothermia if he didn't release her or Ichigo didn't break the ice.
Ichigo growled, truly angry for the first time since learning about what kind of Hollow had gone after his sister. He knew Toushiro wouldn't unduly risk Karin's life; he wasn't like that so what was he after? "Toushiro, I can't access my bankai right now. If I tried, I could crush myself and everyone around here. Not to mention the risk of waking my Hollow up. For the moment he's secure but that could change at any time."
"So we'll sit here until either you can get it back or the ice melts. Which ever comes first."
"The ice won't melt unless you let it."
"Exactly." Toushiro sat on a nearby rock and watched as the struggle went on in Ichigo's face. While the conditions weren't perfect for the experiment, it should suit the purpose. "Your choice."
Ichigo was ready to pummel the little prodigy. From personal experience he knew that Toushiro's ice was nearly impenetrable by anything other than a force of equal strength. "What are you after, Toushiro?"
"I'm testing a theory. Can you, under these conditions get your bankai back?"
Staring at his sister, Ichigo felt helplessness start to crawl at his throat. No, I'm not going down that road again. "Do you realize what could happen? If I try this, there's a chance that my Hollow will wake up," Ichigo repeated.
"It's a calculated risk," Toushiro replied although he hadn't known that prior to being told.
"Fine," the daiko replied. Zangetsu, can we do it?
Together we can do anything. Concentrate Ichigo.
Closing his eyes, he inhaled and willed his power to build. It swirled around him and he tried to remember what had gone on the first time he'd used it against a captain. The other two still present (Kon had long since fled) leaned forward, impatient to see what would happen. Ichigo made the same motions he had before and instead of calling out the release, he simply whispered, "Bankai."
The explosion that happened knocked Toushiro onto his back although he had been expecting something like that. The ice protected Karin but it cracked. The roof of the training grounds blew and the energy emitted went all the way through the top ceiling of the shop. The training grounds apparently had a weakness.
Knowing that he didn't have a lot of time in bankai, Ichigo dashed forward and sliced through the ice. Karin stood there smugly, having been aware of the fact that she hadn't been in danger. "About time."
"Yeah, well, it won't last long." Ichigo looked up just as the Soul Pager went haywire. Through the hole in the ceiling he could see Hollows converging on the spot. Rukia was already there, wielding Sode no Shirayuki with skill and grace. "Pft, weak Hollows, I don't even need bankai. Hey, midget, leave me some!" Returning to his shikai state, Ichigo jumped into the fray.
Toushiro let his Zanpakutou rest and with everyone else went outside to watch the Black Sun and the White Moon dance. "They're so in tune. They haven't fought together in years. How…?" Karin asked.
"Two halves, one whole," Yoruichi answered.
Ichigo stood back to back with Rukia as they faced the group of Hollows coming at them. "Divide and conquer?" he asked, feeling the adrenaline run through his veins.
"Afraid I can't get them all on my own?"
"Hell, no. I'm afraid you won't share."
"Hmm, I am rather greedy."
"Don't I know it," Ichigo agreed. "Let's do this." With that they split, two black streaks, a white sword and a black sword never touching but always resonating.
Two halves of one whole, dancing, fighting, and partners once again.
