Disclaimer: Kubo owns Bleach.
Chapter 5: Return to the Temple
Ichigo stares at the golden eyes staring back at him. He can see the annoying Chesire smile he is familiar with plastered on his mentor's face. They are currently by the lakeside which serves as Ichigo's training ground in the old times. He unconsciously cringes as the harsh memories of his training with her comes into his mind.
" My, my…it has been a while, Ichigo." He hears Shihoin Yoruichi—his father's long time friend aside from that shady merchant named Urahara—greet him with amusement plain obvious in her eyes as she slaps him heavily on his back. " Who knew that the Grand priestess that's been missing for months is actually hiding in our small village, right?! Who would have guessed?!" The scowl in his face deepens at the comment and this fuels his master's fun even further. "Ara! I heard your family took in the present grand priestess. I guess your father will be heavily rewarded for this by the temple." She muses as she slings an arm on his shoulder. " You can ask for a thousand gold as a reward. Or even ask them to do you a huge favour!"
Ichigo shrugs her arm off of him. " We don't need it. We would have helped anyone if they were in that state."
He hears his tanned mentor click her tongue in dismay. " You're still as naïve as ever, boy. You don't even know how to use the cards you hold to your advantage." Ichigo watches her as she distance herself from him and take a seat on a boulder. " I'm surprised you went out of your way to find me yourself though. You used to hate seeing me unless necessary." She grins at him with mischief.
" If you stopped ambushing me naked whenever you pleased, you wouldn't have been so bad!" Ichigo tells her, obviously annoyed.
Shihoin Yoruichi lets out a laugh. " My…that was part of your training Ichigo!"
" Which part of it was?!" The orange-head retorts angrily as he blushes remembering all the harassment she has done to his young innocent mind.
He sees her wear a condescending look. " If I've never done that, you'll end up fainting on your wedding night from embarrassment."
" I would not!" Ichigo barks and heaves, face now completely flushed. He has not accomplished anything and he is already worked up. This time, he does not hear any other witty remarks from his mentor but instead finds her looking at him with keen interest. " W-what?" He steps back unconsciously.
" You did change." She says, appearing to be thinking loudly rather than conversing with him. Wearing a satisfied look, she tells him. " So, let's hear it. What do you want from me now?"
Ichigo straightens himself up and looks at her with serious eyes. " Can you train me again?"
" Now that is some tall order you're asking for." Yoruichi starts, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. " Especially how I'm still offended by the fact that you literally kicked me out of your room on your birthday last time.
" You were lying naked on my bed!"
" That was my birthday gift for you! Even your father and Urahara agreed that it will help you man up a bit." She claims.
Ichigo gapes at her. " Do you know how embarrassed Yuzu was when she saw you in that state?! I'm thankful that she was the one who found you though it tarnished my image in her mind."
The tanned woman waved her hand in the air. " Well, your lose." Then her golden eyes flickers. " But I heard you received an interesting dowry for your wedding."
The bright-haired male blushes again. " How many times do I have to tell all of you that it's not a dowry! Who told you that? It's the goat-chin, isn't it?"
Ichigo sees her cover her snigger with her hand. " Ara, Ichigo. Stop being shy. You'll have to get married one day or another if you're not gay." She chides. " Why don't you show it to me and I'll think about if I'll help you train or not after. I heard you got a holy sword as a dowry. I expect no less from the grand priestess."
Letting out a sigh of resignation, Ichigo calls his sword. " Zangetsu!" Then appears the familiar thin black sword in his hand.
What he does not expect is to see extreme surprise cross his mentor's face as she eyes the sword intently. " That Isshin!" She mutters under her breath but not hiding her astonishment. "No wonder he wouldn't tell me what it was!"
" Yoruichi-san?" Ichigo calls out to her.
" Man, Ichigo. You're a really troublesome fellow aren't you?" His mentor tells him. " Fine, I'll help you master how to use that holy sword."
-000-
The three days passes swiftly and in the blink of an eye, Rukia finds herself donning the yellow sundress that Yuzu gifted her, the Temple's carriage in front of her, and surrounded by a dozen Templar knights serving as escorts. She does not own much aside from the clothing that the Kurosaki family has provided for her. She finds Yuzu and Isshin huddled together with tears in their eyes. " Rukia-chan!" They wail in unison.
Yuzu sniffles as she speaks to her. " Make sure you write us letters, Rukia-chan!"
" We'll be sure to drop by the Central Temple to see you often." It is Isshin who says it as he blows his nose into the handkerchief Yuzu hands him.
Karin gives her father a pounding on the head. " Idiot goat-chin! She's the Grand Priestess! She can't just take a tour to see us whenever she wants." And then the older twin—wearing a weird expression on her face margining between sympathy, pity, disappointment and betrayal—turns to Rukia and says, " Take care, Grand priestess." Her voice sounds bland as she speaks too formally, saying her title a tad bit forcefully.
Rukia feels a pang of sadness in her heart as she watches Karin with sadness beneath her eyes. Like Ichigo who she has not seen for days, she has not spoken with Karin since the day her identity has been revealed. " Thank you. You as well." Is all she ends up telling the dark-haired twin as she forces a small smile.
Rukia lets her eyes wander further behind them, through the open front door, and finds nothing. Her lips form a thin line, and obvious dismay traces her face. She feels a hand on her shoulder and Renji's voice tells her, " We have to leave now."
The grand priestess sighs in resignation as she turns around towards the carriage. She enters the carriage where she finds Inoue and Ishida inside sitting side by side. She occupies the cushioned seat across them. Renji closes the carriage door and orders the coachman to move the carriage. Rukia peeks on the carriage window and gives the Kurosaki family a final wave before settling herself once more.
" Grand priestess-sama, I'm glad that we found you safe and sound." She hears Inoue chirp gladly with the usual cheerful look on her face. " The whole temple panicked when they figured out what happened in the shrine. The bishops were so scared that something bad happened to you."
Ishida, who wears a stern look on his face, joins the conversation. " Well, judging by what a wreck the shrine looked like and Abarai-san being out of commission for nearly a month, the bishops' worries were justified." Rukia sees him stare at her sharply. " Everybody almost believed that you were already dead despite not finding any trace of your corpse." She sees him study her appearance in full. " But you seem well without a scathe. But then again, according to Kurosaki-san, you were heavily wounded when they first found you. Your recovery must have been due to the goddess' blessings." She quietly listens to him as he continues, " Are you not going to tell us what happened, grand priestess? The whole temple went into amok because of your disappearance for three months. Not to mention what seem to have been a brutal attack in the Shrine of Reflection which should have protected by the holy barrier as it is still inside the temple's territory."
" You're chattier than usual, Ishida-san." She says to him. She earns a displeased look from him as he pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose. " Aren't I allowed some authority and privacy because of my status as grand priestess?"
She sees a vein pop on the dark-haired male's forehead. He must be really irritated of her. " That is the very reason why I am asking you this, grand priestess." She hears him emphasize her title. " Anything that happens to you relates to the temple's and the people's welfare. Especially in this dark times when the Dark Shadow remains reigning in the people's hearts through fear. To everyone, they believe that you are their salvation! The very fact that you went missing agitated the whole kingdom…the reason why we had to keep it quiet until now." It is he who begins to be agitated.
She notices how Inoue Orihime becomes uncomfortable in the tension inside the carriage as the girl squirms in her seat, her caramel eyes darting back and forth between her and Ishida.
Rukia sighs and looks out the window. She understands where Ishida Uryuu is coming from and she cannot fault him. " Calm down, Ishida." She commands him. " I know my responsibility more than anyone else."
Getting ahold of himself, Ishida cools himself down and heaves a long sigh. " I apologize."
They remain quiet the rest of the journey towards the temple.
Rukia's return to the temple becomes nerve-wrecking. Inoue and Ishida dismisses themselves as she is led by Renji into the Central Temple's meeting room where she finds twelve of the thirteen bishops of the temple inside awaiting for her, eager to listen to her explanation. These people serves as the leaders of the temple and wields authority over the temples activities across the land. They form the council which decides all things within the jurisdiction of the temple governance.
She sees the head bishop, Shunsui Kyoraku—sloppily wearing the standard white cloak with gold seams on the sleeve lines as indicative of his status as bishop—come forward from the group to greet her. " Ya, grand priestess-chan. We're so glad to see you looking well and back." Is the head bishop's playful remark as he approaches her and gives her a warm welcome, releasing her immediately at arm's length. " You made quite a mess in the Shrine of Reflection, grand priestess-chan. You didn't even leave a note to where you're going." He tells her.
Rukia looks at the head bishop whose influence in the temple is in par with hers. She, as grand priestess, is ordained by the goddess herself represents power. Meanwhile, this unkempt man across her, the head bishop, represents authority. While Rukia serves as a vessel of the goddess' powers, Shunsui Kyoraku serves as the temple's leader—overseeing the temple's governing power throughout the kingdom. " I apologize for causing an unnecessary commotion, head bishop." She steps back from him and gives him a nod.
She sees him flail his arms in the air. " Well, the dark shadow has been quiet as well so it did not inflict some irreparable damage to the temple's reputation as well." He says almost dismissively. " Any way, you look lovely in that yellow sundress. It's quite refreshing seeing you out of the white priestess robes you always wear. Right?" He regards the rest of the bishops beside them who glares at him in opposition of his opinion. He then whips his head back to her instead. " Well, I'm quite sure you had good reason for what happened anyway." His playful nature vanishes as he stares at her with slight seriousness. " The grand priestess was attacked in the Shrine of Reflection inside the Central Temple's grounds and vanishes without a trace for three months. We really can't just dismiss this as nothing, grand priestess-chan. Especially that it seems obvious as to who is the assailant."
" I presume this is due to Renji's report of the incident." Rukia concludes.
" That and the fact that the security of the temple has been breached and your life put in danger. Only one man—if he is even a man—is capable of doing so." The head bishop points out.
" And the fact that he has been without activity afterwards. We presume you have managed to inflict a huge damage on his countenance during that time. You are the only one capable of doing so anyway." She hears Hitsugaya Toshiro, the youngest bishop in history, input in the conversation as the rest of them gives a nod of agreement.
Juushiro Ukitake, another bishop, voices his worry. " However, what concerns us is the disappearance of the blessed weapon in the treasury. We assumed it was a thief but the rest of the holy swords remain, only the sacred sword is missing. I don't believe the Dark Shadow would be capable of destroying it since he has never attempted to do so in the past. But we can never rule out that possibility." He contemplates.
" It doesn't matter. It is nothing but ordinary swords if not wielded by its recognized owners." Rukia cuts in.
The comment causes disapproval among the people in the room. " Even if you are a grand priestess, your comment remains uncalled for." It is Komamura Sajin, a large hairy yet gentle looking man, who speaks. " It matters not if it were just another holy sword. But it is the sacred sword we are talking about, the only thing we all know could defeat the dark shadow."
" The sacred sword is safe." She announces, putting out the sudden unrest amongst the bishops in the room. " I've kept it somewhere safe."
" Is this related to your disappearance as well?" It is Toshiro who speaks again.
" Yes." Is all Rukia answers.
Then she hears Komamura Sajin let out a sigh of frustration. " Grand priestess," He begins. " this is a very grave issue and please treat it as so. According to the report that Ishida Uryuu sent out, you were badly injured and was found in a village far away from here while nobody in the temple noticed any of this happening. As it stands, you are the only one with the greatest holy powers among us but even then…even if we combined all our strength, we are still no match against dark shadow who seems to be capable of wreaking havoc every path he threads." Everyone else in the room is silent, wordlessly agreeing with him. " It worries me how he seems to be growing in power the longer he exists while we all pin our hopes to the unknown."
" You know I cannot and can never wield the blessed weapon—the sacred sword." Rukia declares. " I may have been ordained to replace the previous grand priestess but I am not its chosen owner." It is an established fact among them yet she still reminds them of this. " The goddess chose me to led the path of the chosen, not to be the champion of the people like it has believed for generations. All of you know that."
Komamura remains adamant with the issue. " But the—"
" Sode no Shirayuki!" The grand priestess calls forth and a sword of pure white with a long ribbon tussled on its hilt appears in her hand. " Only one sword can be linked into a person's soul. And I already have mine."
-000-
" Aaaaaaargh!" The pained scream fills the silence of the night in a dark forest, startling what's left of the birds that are residing by the trees and sending them into flight to flee.
A man owning a pair of brown eyes, shakes in fear as he helplessly watches the slaughter of his comrades. He, the last one alive in his squad, becomes more aware of his imminent death as he sees his murderer pull out the sword stuck in his captain's heart.
If he is frank, nobody in his team has expected to meet this notorious creature on their way back to the Central Temple. But they were immediately proven wrong. Contrary to his imagination, the real deal across him turns out much smaller than he has expected in contrast to the image he built in his mind of the infamous murderer he has never once met, so much so that he almost thought for a moment that the legends are nothing but mere fiction. However, like the stories handed down from generation to generation, this monster is as strong as they make him out to be or even more than that as he watched his whole group wiped out in a blink of an now.
A flash of lightning traces the night sky, allowing him to have a clearer look of the white mask that is about to bring him to his end. He takes a moment to burn the image of this monster in his mind. The man raises his sword, letting out a battle cry as he speeds towards the masked being is the embodiment of people's fear. He makes a slashing motion towards his unmoving assailant.
" Ha!" He exclaims then begins to lose his balance as his vision blurs. He loses grip of his sword of which he finally learns is broken into pieces. He heaves blood as searing pain attacks him. He ends up kneeling in front of him—dark shadow—the infamous myth. Never has he thought that he will meet his end in this way. He manages to grab unto dark shadow's cloak and feels a prickling feeling in his hand upon contact. " T-the goddess will destroy you. Y-your reign will not last forever." He then looks up to look at the mask of his murderer. Another flash of lightning appears and he sees himself reflected in dark shadow's eyes. His discovery makes him laugh. " A-are you a h-human or a monster?" He retches some more blood as he feels cold steel enter his gut. " A-a monster t-then." He utters with much difficulty and manages to let out a dry laugh. He grabs the garment in his hand tighter until he feels his strength leave him. " N-no human w-would cry while…while stabbing another." They are his last words before he takes his final breath.