Chapter 3
"Purgatory?" She repeated to herself automatically, as if her brain couldn't process the information properly. "I mean, yes of course. But still, why there?" She struggled between the astonishment and lack of understanding, which she was confronting with at the sound of this proposal; not quite sure, if what she had just heard was real and not her imagination flowing wildly.
"It's simple: you have to retrieve one of the lost souls from there and bring him back to the Court of Justice before the beginning of September. This soul's case needs to be discussed in the court and a final sentence must be given as soon as possible." Yamamoto explained briefly, as if there wasn't anything special in entering the world that separates Heaven from Hell.
"You mean I'll be gone for 4 months?" She continued, as if all she had heard until that precise moment was only the most unimportant part of it all.
"Is it to long for you to search for him? We can, of course, shorten the trip for you by 3 months, if you consider yourself capacitated enough of retrieving a spirit that has no spiritual power left and that can barely be sensed four meters away?" Gin interfered on an ironical tone as always.
"No I didn't mean that …" Rukia forced herself out of the ignoble situation she had just put herself into, by asking such a dumb and irrelevant question.
"That's what I thought." Gin ended letting a large, irritating grin spread over his face.
"Well…that being said, there is nothing left for us to tell you, except that we wish to see this mission dealt with the uttermost seriousness and precision. Good luck!" Yamamoto ended, leaving no space for further discussions.
"Thank you." Rukia answered mechanically, almost failing to acknowledge what she had just got herself into. She then stepped quietly towards the ivory door, which had once been the wall between her and her most restless desires, pushing it slightly open.
"Ah and one more thing Rukia…You should consider the fact that this soul is a former demon. His human name was Kurosaki Ichigo." Yamamoto added this last detail, as she was just exiting the Hall of Justice.
'Why on earth should I care about a demon's former name? It's not like they keep them after entering Hell…' She thought.
"You should, because this demon has refused to be called as one or act as one, even though he was condemned to spend the rest of his soul life in Hell. He has been abandoned in Purgatory after many dreadful years of torment in Hell. He is not an ordinary creature, so don't let his human looks fool you, Kuchiki." The unexpected answer to her unspoken question came.
'Human look? What in Hell are they talking about? Demons never keep the look they had as human beings. It's impossible! Unless…unless he was sent to Purgatory for not obeying the rules and withstanding the transformation. But that's, that's impossible…Even a strong angel that is captured by a demon can barely hold against being transformed, let alone humans that are sent to Hell after committing abominable crimes during their mortal lives.' She kept on telling herself, entirely disregarding the fact that she was yet on the verge of leaving and was now just staying still facing the exit, as if all of her motor senses were retained.
„Time is passing, Kuchiki…tomorrow at dawn we expect you to be ready for the passing. Don't bother taking anything with you, as you won't find it necessary in a place which absorbs spiritual power." Yamamoto finally spoke, trying to awake her from the trance she had just fallen into. And it seemed to work, Rukia gathering her last drop of serenity and closing the door behind her. She didn't really know what had just happened, but she was trying hard to recall the entire discussion in her mind.
'I've waited so long for an occasion like this to appear and they send me to Purgatory to retrieve the soul of a renegade demon. Damn it! Are they mocking me, trusting that I will need to be careful in capturing a wretched soul like that, with no power at all?' frustration was now spilling out of her, though she was desperately trying to find comfort in the fact that she was finally assigned on her first mission. 'I guess he needs a proper soul burial after all. He can't be left lingering between the two worlds forever and if he was thrown out of Hell, total elimination must be the answer…What a loss of time."
She fled from the chamber, still trying to understand what was the point in going on a dull mission like that. Frustration was no longer a problem, being overwhelmed by worries and doubt. So many unanswered questions that she had omitted. But it was too late now for regrets or any other foolish form of uncertainty. She turned the corner still drawn in her deep thoughts, when she realized she had just bumped into something. It was Renji.
"So…what did they say?" Renji let his anxiety show without further ado.
"You knew about this all along and told me nothing of it?" Rukia questioned him, pushing him violently in the nearest wall, barely ceasing her own anxiety.
"Well, I was forbidden to tell you anything before they did. Orders are orders." Renji tried to justify himself.
„Everyday you sound so much like my brother. Why do I even bother with you anymore?" the nervous look from her face was now replaced by one of profound disappointment.
She let go of her grip and headed back on the road she was first facing.
"Rukia! Wait!" Renji yelled after her.
„No Renji! There is nothing left unsaid between us and I won't leave space for any excuses this time. If you're interested, my departure is tomorrow at dawn at the Passing of Souls. What am I talking about? You must already know everything and as always, I am the last one to find out." She ended without even turning her face towards him.
It was not the first time when she was leaving him behind, but in a way, this time he felt as if she had really meant to do so. A few seconds later and he could barely see her brittle shadow sliding in the distance.
'I'm sorry. I don't want to hurt you. It's better this way. You'll see…' He ended and spread his wings in an unsuccessful attempt of leaving this whole event behind him.
The night crawled in rapidly, leaving even the smallest shade of light fade away quietly in the vivid sunset. Frail, flickering stars crowded the dark sky within seconds, barely leaving any space for the pale moon. A windy breeze gently guided everyone into their own chambers. Rukia though didn't seem to be bothered by it. She stood quietly outside her room, on the cold, trembling ground, gazing at the stars as they cascaded over the endless pool of darkness. The wind started blowing violently, toying with her suave tresses of hair, but she wouldn't move an inch. She kept on lying there, staring at the belated sun as it strained itself on the blue sky, pushing the persistent image of this lonely night away.
A beam of light rose at the horizon, signalling the brake of a new day. A small, delicate smile seemed to appear on the corner of her lips as she raised herself carelessly from the ground. It was hope or maybe the result when realizing that there is no astute way of opposing this treacherous fate.
After shortly entering her chamber, Rukia came out again, this time hardly recognizable, with a large cape sheltering her frail silhouette. The cape was covering her completely, making it impossible for her to spread her wings while wearing it. That though didn't seem to trouble her, as she passed swiftly along the stony alleys leading towards the Passing of Souls. Curiously on time for once, Rukia greeted everybody who was waiting for her with a soft smile. For him though, it seemed to be a false one, Renji sensing her uncomfortable state of uncertainty miles away.
All the angel captains were present. Renji though, didn't have the courage to wait for her in front, so he kept himself distant as she stepped gently towards the Passing of Souls. The long, black, silk mantle now covering her white dress, made it so hard to distinguish her traits under it; but Renji knew how she felt. He knew it was her. A bit frightened and hectic, but it was her.
She moved closer to the captains, exchanging a few words with each of them. Hinamori pulled her in a tight embrace and let a small, shivering tear slide on her chick. Seeing that it was all getting too sentimental, Yamamoto intruded, handing Rukia a silver medallion, before she could pull back the dark hood over her head.
"You'll need this to keep your spiritual powers when you enter Purgatory and to be able to cast an immobilizing spell over the demon. Whatever you do, don't take it off from your neck!" He added.
"Ay!" Rukia nodded in acceptance and then moved closer to the door.
„It's going to be over in a few seconds. You won't feel anything, just a slow dizziness from the turbulence." Yamamoto ended folding her petit hand in his with a parental gesture.
Rukia sighed in fear and passed through the open door, making a deafening sound behind her. A blast of light burst in her face, making it impossible for her to keep her eyes opened. Though she couldn't see, she could feel as if she was raised from the ground without using her wings, floating gently. Two minutes later, the awkward feeling stopped, as she found herself lying on the ground, in the middle of a valley immersed in poppy flowers. She opened her eyes delicately to see that Purgatory looked similar to the image of earth in its thriving period. An abundance of salient smells induced her to take a deep breath. The view from where she stood was overwhelming: hills of endless green stretching for miles over the earth, pierced over places by meandering lines of water.
As amazing as it all looked, she knew that her purpose here was not to admire the Creator's piece of art, so she started walking as soon as she regain her force. For days she walked through the deep forests, looking for a trace of life, hoping for it all to end. Today though, the sun was shining more powerful than ever and she was starting to feel as if she would faint from all the heat surrounding her. She climbed on a high cliff to gaze at the surroundings once more, before recommencing her journey.
To her astonishment, a human-like figure seemed to form itself in front of her. Down, at the foot of the mountain, a shallow image was floating in the glaring light.
"That must be him!" She thought while hastening her steps down over the cliff, towards the moving shadow. She tried to run faster, but she found it quite difficult to advance when all her powers were limited. She finally reached the place, which she was aiming, but there was no one there.
'It couldn't have been an illusion! The image was blurry indeed, but I was almost certain that there was someone staying right here.' She thought while catching her breath.
Suddenly a soothing warmness rushed in her small, frail body, enveloping her. She felt as if the calming and refreshing breeze of the wind, for which she had yearned so deeply, was once again caressing her rose cheeks. A feeling so relaxing, so serene that had made her feel at ease again, was now drowning her every sense. At first she thought that all the walking and searching had got to her, but she rapidly realized that it wasn't that. The feeling of almost falling asleep didn't bother her, but the fact that she couldn't move was troublesome. With her last remnant of power, she gazed down to see a hand raping tightly around her waist and then a smooth tress of auburn hair tickling her chick. A small whisper then slinked in her ear:
„So soon already?"
So there it is: the 3rd chapter to my story. I'm sorry for the late update, but I hope u guys enjoy reading it. I want to thank u for R&R and I'm expecting more reviews after this chap.
Ah and I must say I'm sorry BlackSun-WhiteMoon for disappointing you, but no, Ichigo didn't kill her parents, nor any other angels, as I've just explained in this chap, he was sent to Hell, but he opposed to being transformed into a demon. Other clues will be unfolded within the next chapters. :P
Thanks again to everyone and hope I'm not boring u :D…see u at chapter 4!
