Disclaimer: All Bleach characters belong to Kubo Tite.

Rukia: My Life As A Rabbit

Chapter Seven –Dinnertime

Rukia: There's a Hollow just 10 feet away and I can do nothing in my current form. Just where were the rabbits when the Creator handed out quills to the porcupines, scent glands to the skunks, and tree-climbing abilities to the squirrels?



The Hollow flicked out a long tongue, tasting the air for the reiatsu that had called out to its hunting instincts. The iridescent scales on its body glimmered as it snaked around on four clawed feet to face the scowling youth on its left.

Damn it. He hated it when they had tough hides like that. The Hollow made Ichigo think of the iguanas he had seen in the pet store. But, he knew no creature in Kingdom Animalia had a bone-white mask like that for a face.

Then, the creature charged him. Ichigo cursed. His prone mortal body was a handicap. He needed to divert the attack away.

Ichigo leaped over the Hollow, slashing deep into its shoulder. It hissed in pain and fury, jaws snapping after his feet.

That's right. Follow the Death God…

Just as Ichigo was preparing to slice the Hollow's mask –it turned away and darted back, straight towards Ichigo's abandoned body on the ground.

No, that's not right! Hollows go after souls, not flesh!

Why was this over-grown lizard targetting his body?

It lunged. And Ichigo saw that it wasn't his human flesh that the Hollow craved –it was the white rabbit scurrying through the grass.

Ichigo plunged Zangetsu savagely down onto the Hollow's whipping tail, pinning it down to soil and earth. That would stop it in its tracks.

But, to his shock, the fiend detached its tail –exactly like one of the house-lizards in the kitchen at home that had Yuzu throwing pots and pans, screaming for help.

Ichigo's shun-po brought him in a dive between the Hollow and the rabbit. He scooped the bunny up to safety in his arms, but he was not quick enough to avoid the teeth that painfully grazed his shoulder as he leaped away.

Ichigo landed awkwardly on the grass, knees giving out beneath his weight. He slumped to the ground, cursing the very existence of venom-producing glands. The quick toxins were paralyzing his limbs, and shutting down his vision.

Oh, hell… All I can do is lie down here while it chews my foot off.

Ichigo really detested it when Hollows were equipped to play chemical-warfare with him.

oooOooo

Rukia slipped out from Ichigo's hands. Rabbit or not. She was Shinigami no matter what.

Dominator…

Mask of flesh and blood…

Death Gods aren't trained just to wield zanpakutous. And Rukia was no stranger to the Demon Arts.

Truth and temperance…

Slightly imbed your claws into the walls of innocent dreams…

Rukia's indigo eyes flashed with determination.

Destructive Art 33-

There was an incandescent glow, as light bloomed out around Rukia.

Blue Firefall!

A supernova left Rukia's fingers as she stood her ground against the approaching Hollow. The incredible energy hit with enough destruction force to drive it back. The creature was injured, but not exterminated.

Rukia's eyes widened in surprise as an unfamiliar shinigami leaped up and dealt the final blow to the Hollow. The white mask disintegrated into fine dust, carried away by the sweeping wind.

Rukia braced herself, palms pressing down on her knees in the stance taken by runners struggling to recover their breaths.

She didn't need the harsh sound of her own breathing in the stillness to tell her that oxygen debt was not her only worry. The spell had drained her spirit power close to exhaustion.

"Yo, girl! You feelin' alright there?"

Rukia lifted her head to stare at the newly arrived shinigami. He hefted his sword on one shoulder and patted his afro-styled, black hair meticulously. "You were real lucky that I, Kurumadani Zennosuke –Elite Shinigami in charge of this territory, was around to save yer ass."

He paused to look down at the unconscious Ichigo at her feet. "Or asses, as the case may be."

This weirdo was giving her a headache. Actually, the whole situation was hurting her head and making her dizzy.

She was back in her gigai. Was her life as a rabbit over?

Rukia stumbled as a pain in her chest caught her by surprise.

"Whoa, what's your damage, girl? Do you need-"

The self-proclaimed Elite Shinigami stopped short as a brief flash lit the evening surroundings. Then, he stared in shock at the white rabbit lying where the girl had been standing moments before. "Hell! What in the world just happened?"

His loud exclamations of disbelieve woke Ichigo from his tranquilized state. The boy shook his head, one hand massaging the haze of confusion from his mind.

He got up to his feet shakily, scanning the area. Hollow –gone. And there was something else…

An impression of Rukia's silhouette in his mind.

But, it must have been a hallucination. All that remained was this noisy, afro-headed shinigami blathering unintelligibly nearby.

"Hey, the Hollow… did you take it down?"

The Shinigami stared stupidly at Ichigo. But, at least he had shut up.

"Ah, not myself… No. But, yes… I did cut the Hollow's mask!" He brightened up, and grinned. "A wonderful move, if I do say so myself. Perfect timing and…"

Ichigo rolled his eyes and tuned out the stream of self-commendation.

When the Shinigami turned around from executing a play-by-play of his most brilliant move, he found himself alone with the chirping crickets.

"Ho! He left without a word! I was just going to tell him about that girl… or rabbit. Rabbit-Girl?" He scratched his chin, musing on the question. "There's some serious shit going on here."

oooOooo

Ichigo walked quickly down the streets, the rabbit in his arms. It appeared to be unhurt. The Hollow hadn't made dinner out of the both of them after all.

Dinner!

Ichigo checked the watch on his wrist and swore.

I'm late for dinner!

Ichigo broke out into a run for home. The Hollow wasn't the only one who had missed dinnertime.


Author's Note: Ichigo's got bad timing for once. Dinner wasn't the only thing that he missed. But, he doesn't know that…

Zero-Vision –Giving Ichigo a hard time is too fun to resist.

Syneiam –Yes, those little things were unavoidable. Hope that the new scenes were not within prediction!

Sousui/Seaplue –Oh, I've been called Mochi Rabbit-chan! –grins..- I'm glad you enjoyed that chapter.

Umi Kanshisha –Wish that this double update could have been released earlier for your birthday!

september –I hear and obey the call to update.

Procrastinator-starting2moro –Ah, the ownership of Rabbit Rukia.. there's going to be a chapter addressing that issue in the future! ;)

inugrlluvsanime –Ah, Rukia… crossed the line from being 'difficult' to 'evil'. Have no idea where that came from! –looks innocent!-

SHiNiGAMiLENNE –Cliffhanger? Haha. If I were truly cruel, I would have left this chapter 'til next week! ;)

Kijarat –The boats thing… Heh. That was just me drawing a blank on how to describe really huge shoes.

LadieAnimeFreek –Ichigo in a rocking chair, knitting? Aah, the mental image! –Dies!-

kittyblah –Rukia –ability to remain cute even while torturing Ichigo! ;)