Bleach – The Heart of the Matter
By Tayla Drago
A battle to be going on in a bowling/arcade/restaurant for many lives were in grave danger, even the B-Last Band members and crew people for Alucard to fight through the Lillie's vines to try draining them. Same with Urahara, Tessai, Yoruichi, Jinta, Ururu, Ririn, Kurodo, and Noba to do the same back outside; along with Sonia, Hayame, and Kon 'in Ichigo's body' to stop the rest back inside the building. So many vines of this deadly flower monster who works for Dracula! As for the other six saving the lives into hiding to face against Dracula's six powerful monster armies now 'well seven once since Urahara beaten Executioner' for these matches I'll try to make them a bit short, okay? There almost like the boss fights in Castlevania Legends from the Game Boy game.
Now for the third round for Rukia Kuchiki takes on Flying Wolf from inside of the bowling room from the back side. For this monster just does her job to do whatever it takes to win while tearing up her enemies like a real wolf would do in battle, and to never to get on her bad side either, or you'll be killed in seconds…As Rukia had her ice skating uniform, powers from the Belmont, and her Zanpakto then she was all good to go to battle.
The Flying Wolf was created by combining the abilities of a bat and a wolf. It is fought midway through the Clock Tower. When encountered, it will first place back and forth a couple of times and then go airborne, spewing three fireballs downward. It will then fly to the other side of the screen and repeat the same attack until defeated.
"Ah, so this is what a Soul Reaper looks like in person." Flying Wolf smells Rukia out. "Lame! But I guess it wouldn't be fun if you're standing around. I'm ready to fight by Lord Dracula's orders if you are."
We all know Rukia had face with deadlier enemies in her life time once for us to know about the rest of her fights she has come across.
"Like your words or looks will scare me, dog. Or rather—you dragon thing…" Rukia was lost. "Okay, serious! What are you? A flying type of dragon wolf?"
This made Rukia confused for Flying Wolf to find her to be already annoying.
"How dare you…I am a Flying Wolf! Part wolf mix with dragon abilities of a real beast. Can you tell?! Well, like that matters now. Let's play a deadly fight known as tag. My way that is…try chasing after me, the real me and you win. But beat the other copies of me, and then…" she then makes a lot of copies of herself to surround Rukia in a big circle.
Looks like Flying Wolf was ready to use her half dragon and wolf-like skills against a Soul Reaper like herself for Rukia must do everything she has to by stopping one of Dracula's monsters.
"(A lot of her to look very real. I can't feel out who's the real one!)"
Flying Wolf commands her other clones to make a move against Rukia, so here we go!
"Now then…Time for us to dance!"
For the Flying Wolf to be having some wolf instincts and dragon powers a little 'to almost look like one', it takes some time going around the room for Rukia to blocking attacks while trying to kill off the clones to not finding the real one at first; lots more Flying Wolves kept on appearing repeatedly. From Flying Wolf's clone making, claws, teeth, fur to be her spike-like shield, flying, speed, and her breathing fireballs are hard to avoid compare to her illusion making from her other clones, and they do cover a lot of spaces. For Rukia had to trust in her own skills by using her ice skills of the Belmont powers and Zanpakto to fight them off. She was good to gather some of them to see one Flying Wolf above her, for the rest to surround the Soul Reaper…she jumps to use an ice-skating move in the air and then uses one of her Kido moves from below.
"(Now I got you all! Here's my only chance and then the real one!)" she fires away. "Haudo Number Four, Byakurai (White/Pale Lighting)!" Rukia takes out the other clones to blow up in seconds to get the last one next. "And now for the real you-! Huh?!"
A hit from behind Rukia makes her fall! For the real Flying Wolf was behind her to have the fake one as a decoy for her to fall for. No fair! From a powerful teeth sneaking in Rukia' shoulders to then using lots of fire blast attacks.
"Ha! That trick never gets old!"
"Hey! That's cheating!" she said in pain.
Soon more clones try to go after Rukia to use her ice moves to block the other Flying Wolves off to make a run for it from her injuries to try healing herself while flying and using her ice moves to make her escape. Only for more of the Flying Wolf pack come from above her to clawing at Rukia to fall! Along with destroying some of the things that were in the room…Crawling her way out to use her other Kido/Bakudou spell to hold some of them off and then tries to make a run for it to hide and finish healing up.
"Now we got you!" said Flying Wolves to talk at the same time. "There's no place for you to run…"
"Stay…back-!" she fires another one. "Bakudou Number Nine, Geki (Strike)!"
This one can paralyze them in time for a few to be trapped, allowing Rukia to hide underneath the rubble to recover quickly before the real Flying Wolf and her other clones to fly and walk over to Rukia to finish the job. How will she get out of this mess alive?!
"How about we finish this match, okay? Come out and die, or we just come to tear you apart. Because either one of the two, you will be killed soon enough."
What now? I hope Rukia can recover herself from the bad bite from her shoulder quickly, or else…Still, she has been through worse to see bad things throughout her life time so far, it can't end like this from the day she was born and the rest from long ago – from back then….
Approximately 150 years ago, Rukia and her older sister, Hisana, were brought together to Inuzuri, the 78th District of Rukongai, after they died in the Human World. Unable to live there while caring for a child, Hisana abandoned Rukia when she was still a baby. Rukia grew up on her own for a considerable amount of time. One day, Rukia tripped an adult who was chasing Renji Abarai's group of friends, and urged them to follow her to avoid losing the water they had stolen. Rukia joined their group, becoming their spiritual leader, and they lived together as a family.
They all hated Inuzuri and the people there. Rukia exhibited some spiritual power during this time. Ten years after Rukia joined the group, with all their friends' dead, Rukia proposed they become Shinigami and live in Seireitei, noting she had heard it was pretty there. Renji agreed with her. As they were gifted with spiritual powers, they entered the Shin'ō Academy with ease, where they struggled to stand out from those from the noble families. The night before the welcoming ceremony for the new students of the Academy, against Rukia's advice, Renji slept in a tree. The following morning, he fell out of the tree and landed on a headstone where a startled Izuru Kira had been praying, for which Rukia scolded him.
Two months after entering the Academy, Renji, scolding Rukia for still not fitting in, informed her he was going to the Human World for field training to practice Konsō for the first time. Rukia complained about this being unfair, but Renji retorted that it is about talent, and that he will get stronger. Rukia said she will show him she is the stronger one, but trailed off. One day, while meeting with Byakuya Kuchiki and his entourage, Renji entered the room to tell her he had passed an important exam. Disappointed with the interruption, the nobles, leaving, told Rukia they were eager to hear her answer. After they had left, Renji asked her what they wanted. She told him they wanted to adopt her into the Kuchiki Clan, having her graduate immediately, and be assigned to the 13th Division, which Renji congratulated her on. Rukia thanked him and left. Rukia was told Byakuya adopted her into the Kuchiki Clan due to her similarity to Hisana, whom he had married.
Rukia was admitted to the 13th Division without taking their entrance exam. On her first day in the Division, she is shown into a room by a fellow Shinigami, whom she told to treat her like any other recruit. After he left, she heard him and others talking about her and the favoritism shown to nobles. Rukia was disappointed it was like that there as well. Lieutenant Kaien Shiba entered the room, introduced himself, and scolded her for her weak reply. Rukia was deeply happy she could have a normal relationship with her superior, rather than being treated as special. That evening, Rukia reported to Byakuya her first day had ended peacefully and she did not attain a Seated Officer position, but Byakuya asked her to leave. Later, Rukia, becoming Kiyone Kotetsu's assistant, went on a mission to the Human World.
During her time in the 13th Division, she became friends with Kaien. One day, seeing she was gloomy, Kaien told her if she was in his Division, he would stand by her, even if he died. They were interrupted by the drunk Kiyone and Sentarō Kotsubaki, who tried to encourage her. Kaien mentored Rukia, teaching her how to fight. Their first training location was Mount Koifushi of Hokutan, the 3rd District of West Rukongai, where Kaien taught her about the concept of the heart. He was present when she learned her Shikai's first two 'dances'.
Rukia greatly admired Kaien's wife, 3rd Seat Miyako Shiba, wanting to be like her someday. When Miyako was killed by a Hollow, Rukia, Kaien, and Ukitake went to its lair. She offered to go first in order to scout out its abilities, but Kaien asked to face the Hollow alone. When its special ability destroyed Kaien's Zanpakutō, Rukia attempted to help, but was stopped by Ukitake. He told her Kaien's fight was one of honor rather than a fight for his life. If she were to help, Kaien's life would be saved, but his honor would be forever damaged. After protesting about this, Rukia reluctantly obeyed his order. However, the Hollow, entering Kaien's body, possessed him.
The Hollow attempted to attack Rukia, but Ukitake, blocking it, sent Rukia away as he fought it. Afraid to fight it, she obeyed, but she came back because she wished to help Kaien and was afraid to face her cowardice in future. As it leaped at her, she noted it was no longer Kaien. Unable to bear seeing him like that, she stabbed Kaien. He thanked Rukia and apologized for dragging her into it. Kaien died in Rukia's arms. Rukia brought the corpse to the Shiba family estate, but was afraid to apologize out of guilt from her role in Kaien's death.
Forty years after her adoption into the Kuchiki Clan, Kiyone and Sentarō informed Rukia she had been assigned to the Human World. Rukia thought this was a transfer order, which Kiyone denied, reminding her of her previous mission to the Human World, which Rukia still failed to remember. Ukitake told her she was being assigned to Karakura Town for one month, which should be easy for her. Rukia thanked him for telling her. Ukitake asked if she had told Byakuya about it, but she stated he would not wish to be bothered with such a minor thing. Ukitake offered to tell him for her, for which Rukia thanked him. A sad life and then it all changed afterwards for Byakuya to care for his step-sister-in-law a lot more now, making new friends, and liking Renji more than a friend…Yeah, she can still fight.
Recovering some more from her shoulder, Rukia goes for it. As the Flying Wolves move the rubble to strike at her…but Rukia was gone to have some puddle of blood on the ground instead! But where was she now? Well, Rukia avoids them to use her ice skating moves some more to kicking some of them in a circle to use her ice moves.
"No…I choose to live for my brother, and for my friends!" she said. "It's time for us to continue playing because I'm still it! Dance! Sode no Shirayuki!"
For they try to watch out from Rukia's attacks for them to stay close as she makes more clones of herself to skill the other Flying Wolves to have one to be in the middle to try attacking the real Rukia by smelling out her blood.
"Not bad to have an upgrade power to make clones of yourself to distract me and my other ones, huh? Not bad. However, I can smell your blood to know who's the real one…" Flying Wolf smells out the real Rukia. "Ah…There you are. I've won-!"
So, she thought…this Rukia was not her but an ice to freezing up the real one in ice. Nice one! Allowing the real Rukia to appear to then make her snow-like blast attack on her to have the other clones to come together and stop the fake ones with one more move from the last one of her spells, one more time.
"I've found the real one. And now for the leftovers…! Hadou Number fifty-four Haien (Abolishing Flames)!" she fires away.
From one hit for the rest to be covered in ice to be burning up in seconds for the clones to disappear with Rukia's too. Leaving her to cut down Flying Wolf to finally get hit. Wait, was she…? As Rukia was still sore from be bitten to heal up, this was some battle to see who has fallen.
"That's it, huh? I'm surprise you got me as the the real me. But how did you fool with my nose? And how did you know I was the real one?" asked Flying Wolf.
"All I did was grab a hold of your fury to know you were taken a beating when you bit down on me. Allowing me to place my blood you bit me on the shoulder to cover the rest of my ice clones to fool with your nose." said Rukia. "I just needed some spare clothes with my hair to make it happen. It's over, Flying Wolf thing. I never like your type for hurting the poor rabbits."
So it sounds like for Flying Wolf didn't like losing like this to not get hit, she soon then starts to freeze up all over her body to spread very cold-like, painfully, and slowly. Rukia does strike back at her.
"No…I was fooled by my own prey? A Soul Reaper?! Impossible-! No! No! I'm so cold…I can't move!"
Rukia smiled, for the Flying Wolf was done for to be frozen to death forever in an ice statue.
"Good game. Now…enjoy your icy prison of doom."
For Flying Wolf to howling one last time to be beaten, she was now nothing but an ice statue to be trapped there and to be dead from it too. Now that was three down and three more to stopped, for her to see Ichigo and Chad to find her in the bowling room from the back to come out of a bit in pain, but she will be fine to try to battle again.
"There she is." Chad points out to Rukia. "She was fighting…"
Rukia sees the two boys to join with them.
"Ichigo. Chad. I see you two have fought off the other monsters like just me. It's a bit chilling in this room, so please don't go in there." she said. "Come on, the others need our help."
Seems like the fight continues to stop the Lilies of Doom's Vines right away, and for Ichigo to say this about his friend…
"Man, Rukia, don't scare us like that. Let just stay close for this next one, okay? (Nice fight you did.)"
For Rukia to smile at Ichigo and for him to do the same thing, she knows from believing on what she sees from Dracula, the Belmonts, and the monsters to make it this far to help her friends to fight on and live for her friends and family. Seeing that she cares for Sonia and Alucard, she'll make sure the whole curse thing will finally come to end soon enough for Rukia Kuchiki will not lose her powers or feel weak ever again. Yep, this female of a Soul Reaper is awesome and back in the game! For her to also hate wolf-like monsters only to hurt the only one thing she likes from cute living creatures. And one of them were rabbits, or bunnies. Why not? They are cute. :D
