Ichigo Kurosaki, that was the boy's name.
The alarm clock read the time as half past eleven in the morning, he had left her several hours before for school telling her she was under no circumstance to go downstairs. As if she was going to listen to him! That put her in mind of another…Rukia drew her knees up to her chest, withdrawing from inside the Yukata the ever bloom.
The Luna of four petals lay in her palm as ethereally beautiful as the night it had been picked. Ulquiorra…she brushed it against her cheek, the touch of the petals feather-light. How many days had passed by since that time? Was it just a week? A month? How had near contentment slipped by her again…was this just her punishment? But no, Kaien wasn't to blame for Ulquiorra. It had been his choice from the very start.
The bastard! If only he were here right now…she would give him a piece of her mind!
Rukia clenched her fists in silent fury then slowly breathed in, releasing the death-grip she had maintained on the fragile flower. It wasn't anyone's fault but his own…only his. Glancing once more at the faintly purplish tinged bloom she replaced it where it had lain before, making a decision then. She would go and find that boy…maybe getting out and about would erase him from her mind.
~Las Noches~
He screamed as his mask was torn off, ripped away in one vicious movement.
Rukia. Think of her. Remember the Lunas.
He was on his knees; the white mask of bone began to reform along his jaw line and along the crown of his hair. The Shinigami called Tosen scowled. More was needed. Rough fingers grasped the edge near his chin; he strove not to cry out as Aizen passed by the open doorway. Watching. Perhaps he had news of her.
The sooner this was over…
He felt it come apart. Break in the center and split upward in a fine hairline crack. The shards melted away in a dusting of particles. The weight was gone. His skin unused to the density of the air grew cold; he raised his hand and brushed it along the smooth expanse of his face. His fingers encountered the ridge of bone still curling like half a helmet and ending in a single horn atop his head. It was done. He looked up and glimpsed Aizen's nod.
He had become an Arrancar.
~Living world Karakura town~
She wandered up and down the unfamiliar streets glancing furtively about, unseen in the hordes of people walking the sidewalks. The sense of anonymity was great and she reveled in it, never liking to stand out in a crowd. Her adoption into the Kuchiki clan had placed her thus in the spotlight when attending the Academy. It had been most unwelcome attention. With a pang of conscience she realized she hadn't thought about her brother in years.
The cold, distant recently appointed Taichou of sixth Division, Byakuya Kuchiki. How was he? She wondered. How were Ukitake-Taichou and Kotetsu and Kotsubaki-san? She wondered if another had ever filled Kaien's seat and what they were like. And—
"Oi!"
Startled she looked up into the familiar face of the boy.
"What're you doing here?" they were on a less populated stretch so he did little to lower his voice. Over one shoulder his book bag dangled, clearly school had been let out for the day.
"I thought I told you—"
"I'm sorry but I was bored," she said unrepentantly enjoying the flash of annoyance pass over his face. His eyebrow rose and his jaw worked as his mind tried to come up with a fast comeback. "What if—what if someone had seen you?" he finally managed to get out, "then what would you have done then, huh?"
"Fool." Rukia flipped her hand through her hair, rolling her eyes piteously in his direction, "why bother when no one—"
Suddenly a screech of metal and tires squealing interrupted. He flew past her, running up to the intersection lights where an orange-haired girl knelt at the sidewalk's edge brushing dirt from her long skirt. Who was this? Rukia noted with irritation his worried look and exclamation. "Inoue! What happened? Are you alright?"
The girl looked up and registered his presence, jumping back with her hands thrown up defensively before her. "Kurosaki-kun!" she squeaked, "Ah you startled me!" Then much to Rukia's surprise she felt herself being surveyed by a pair of curious gray eyes. "Kurosaki-kun…who's this?"
Their reactions were simultaneous.
"YOU CAN SEE ME?!!"
"YOU CAN SEE HER?!!!"
Then she glared at him, "shut up! I asked first!"
"Oh yeah? Well Inoue's my classmate—"
"So what!"
"Shut up, midget!"
"You shut up, carrot top!"
"WHAT'D YOU CALL ME?!!!"
"You heard me, fool." Rukia sniffed haughtily, rewarded by the look of absolute fury that crossed his expression. She discovered she liked pushing his buttons. Throughout their exchange his classmate had stood off to the side, giggling a little self-consciously as though embarrassed to be witnessing such a scene. Rukia gave her another look over, her eyes alighting on the reddened marks made as if from claws marring the length of skin from the girl's knee to her sandals.
That almost looked like…"So anyway…" Ichigo turned back to the girl, after glaring at Rukia for a moment, "are you sure you're okay?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" Inoue giggled, she held the plastic bag of packaged items up for inspection; "I just stopped at the store to pick up something for dinner!"
"Er…well if you say you are then…" he scratched the side of his head, "I guess see you later."
They parted ways. Rukia watched the girl's back and then asked in quiet, thoughtful tones, "who was that exactly?"
"Orihime Inoue. Like I said, a classmate of mine."
"Oh…" they started walking again, "those marks on her legs, did you notice them?"
"Huh?"
"A set of claw marks almost as if something had grabbed her…"
~Las Noches~
Ulquiorra stared in the mirror. The track of the zipper came to his waist and was open exposing his chest. A large four gleamed on one side and above that his Hollow hole beckoned emptiness of heart. How would she react if she could see him now? He was sure she would know his face after seeing before what lay below the surface of his mask.
He touched a finger to the green trails beneath each eye. Five fingers on each hand now, no claws to harm when a touch was made out of gentleness. Aizen knew where she was, the living world. Staying in the dwelling of that human boy she had called Kaien. Ulquiorra observed his reflection as a whole in the oval frame; saw the tautness of his jaw and slight furrow in his brow. A singular thread of worry laced itself through his thoughts; what if she forgot about him? But that was absurd…she wouldn't forget him so easily. Not after everything they had gone through together.
It was his fault she wasn't here now.
Affixing his uniform with cursory but absentminded neatness, Ulquiorra slipped the scabbard of his Zanpaku-to through his sash the last effect before he reentered the meeting room as the Cuatro Espada.
Soon.
His expression changed and one of apathetic disinterest replaced that of anxious worry.
Soon she would be at his side again.
~ Living world Karakura town, Kurosaki clinic~
Rukia watched from the bed as he did his homework. Frowning in concentrated study as he attempted to solve a difficult problem. "Need any help? You could just ask, you know." She commented aloud, crossing her arms over her chest. "Help with what? How to do crappy drawings?" Ichigo ducked the pillow she had tossed.
Affronted that he had dared criticize her masterpieces, Rukia shuffled the pile she had created within the last half hour, smiling down at them. This was one was particularly magnificent… she sorted out one of a barren rocky landscape and a flower of four petals blooming under the light of a crescent moon.
"That one's…not bad." Ichigo had abandoned his work, swiveling in his chair to lean closer and look at the paper in her hand. "May I see?"
Her cheeks colored slightly at the hint of praise but she held it to her chest smirking, "I thought you said they were crappy."
He had the grace to look slightly abashed, "well maybe," he rescinded; "not all are." Rukia huffed but let it go. Ichigo looked at it carefully, his brow furrowing and then smoothing out, his usual scowl relaxing, "it's simple but nice. The colors are interesting." He handed it back to her across the space between the desk and the bed, "by the way…where did you get the inspiration for it? I've never seen a flower that looked like that."
Rukia was about to answer when a sudden shriek exploded above them. "What the hell?!" they both stared at the ceiling as a long arm covered in red scales swiped low upon the bed. She rolled off, hitting the floor; Ichigo shoved back out of the confined space of the desk, still staring in wide-eyed horror as the rest of the masked creature materialized through the wall.
"Hollow!" Rukia dove for Sode no Shirayuki lying at the edge of the bed. Her fingers had connected with the hilt when the creature lunged for her. She felt a stinging sensation bite into her shoulder but gritted her teeth securing her grip on the sword. She pulled it to her, tossing the scabbard aside. Her blade flashed through the skin of the arm and she leapt upward, bringing it in a wide arc over her head. The edge clove a line through the mask and the creature screamed enraged.
"Too shallow!" she cried, narrowly avoiding a hit that would have sent her flying. Dammit. Focus! She saw Ichigo on the floor against the closet; saw his frustration and worry knowing there was nothing he could do to aid her and was aggravated by it. Briefly their eyes met and she was forced to look away; I'll protect us both. Just stay there. She kicked off the wall, timing her strike for when the Hollow turned. Her bare blade seared across the face from ear to ear. A great cracking sound was heard and the bone mask split in two. The face was of a human, a young man with terrified eyes and dark hair hanging to his jaw line.
He screamed, his massive body twisting up into the ceiling.
Rukia landed neatly on the crushed bed, her head turned up to regard the damaged plaster. "That…that was…" she heard Ichigo begin to say. She glanced at him, "what?"
"That looked like Inoue's dead brother."
~To be continued~
AN: Thanks for reading and reviews are always appreciated. :)