This was a bit of a hectic week for me, but I'm pleased to present this new chapter on time! Some more major changes are taking place here, though it should be for the best. I will speak in depth about them at the end of the chapter.
Part I
Awareness came to Rukia in waves. Sensations and realizations came slowly with consciousness, and all the while she felt as if she were wading through murky water.
The first thing she realized was that she was alive. She had no idea how, but she was, and that realization was difficult to reach. She could feel various aches from burns that were scattered about her body as well as a single pulsing pain in her stomach. She figured that the dead didn't feel the wounds that killed them. Therefore, it was reasonable to say she was still alive.
Luckily, sensations aside from pain came soon after. She could feel a warm breeze, could hear the rustling of leaves, and once she finally cracked her eyes open, she could see wood paneling illuminated by sunlight.
"Finally awake, huh?" The question was so sudden that Rukia would have jumped up in surprise if she could move. She instead had to settle for quickly jerking her head to the source of the sound. She was greeted by a face she hadn't seen in a long time.
"Auntie?" she mumbled, tongue thick in her mouth. Kukaku Shiba grinned back.
"In the flesh," Kukaku said, but Rukia still couldn't believe it.
She looked exactly as Rukia remembered. She still wore those bright red robes, had her ridiculous mullet, that cocksure grin, and her knife was where it always was, strapped to the bandage wrapped stump of her missing arm. Everything looked right, but…
"No, I must still be dreaming." Rukia settled her head against the pillow again, eyes glued to the ceiling.
"What, you don't trust your ol' Auntie Kukaku?" The woman teased. Rukia pouted. She did trust her, she really did.
"I haven't seen you since…" Actually, Rukia didn't remember the last time she saw Kukaku. It must have been years now. "I haven't seen you for a long time," she finished.
Kukaku said, "Sorry about that kiddo. I had a few things to take care of." She finished her statement with a wink like she was on the verge of sharing an amazing unknowable secret. "Good think I came back when I did. Those Shinigami sure did a number on you."
Rukia eyes went wide. She was fully awake, now.
"You knew," she gasped. Of course, she knew, Rukia thought to herself. Finally, it seemed her brain had caught up with the rest of her and had started working properly again.
"Hey, I know everything, remember?" Kukaku bragged. Rukia remembered thinking that about her Auntie at one point. Actually, she still believed it.
"Then, you know I have to go, right?" Ichigo still needed her, and it wasn't like she could just abandon him, not when she still had a chance. How she was going to do it was another matter entirely, but she'd find a way. Kukaku barked out a laugh.
"You've gotten feisty over the years, haven't you?" She asked with a smirk. "I know you have to go. Hell, I'm encouraging it. I am that idiot's Aunt, after all. It's not like I'm going to leave him to die."
Rukia groaned out loud. So, that was the connection. She probably should have seen it coming a mile away.
Kukaku was always just "Auntie" to Rukia, nothing more nothing less. As a small child, she didn't really think about her last name, maybe didn't even register that she had one. All she knew was that she had an Aunt that ran a place called the "Shiba Shop" and she didn't remember it well enough to connect it to the boy she'd spent the last two months getting to know.
Even putting all that aside, she should have at least caught on to the family resemblance! Looking at Kukaku now, it was all too obvious. The way her spiky hair fell around her face, her tough attitude, even the goddamn expressions she made. It was all far too similar to Ichigo to be mere coincidence.
"Hey," Kukaku stared with an odd smile, "don't beat yourself up over not figuring it out. I sure don't remember all the relatives I was dragged around to meet when I was eight."
Then, suddenly in the middle of Kukaku's placations, Rukia realized something else entirely. She forced herself up on shaking hands and went down into a low bow.
"Woah there, kiddo." Kukaku put her hand on Rukia's shoulder and tried to ease her back down, but Rukia refused to budge.
"I'm so sorry," she pleaded. "He's your nephew, and this is all my fault. I'll make sure –"
"Stop!"
Rukia quieted. Her head was still down. She couldn't see Kukaku's expression, but she sounded mad. The woman finally managed fully right Rukia. The first thing she did was sit her down back on the futon.
"This was not your fault," she said firmly. "Ichigo knew what he was getting into." Rukia still kept her eyes down.
"That doesn't change…" She sighed, shaking her head. "I still played a part in it. He might be…" She trailed off, hesitating to even say it.
"Executed, right?" The word was…chilling to Rukia. Chilling like getting dumped into the deep end of the pool in the middle of January chilling. It was enough to get her to look up for just a moment, and once she did, she couldn't take her eyes away.
Kukaku was livid, that was clear to see. Her eyes burned with hatred, her fist clenched in her lap. She was filled with such a rage it couldn't even be contained in her slight form, thick malicious Reiatsu flowing off her in waves. The words were spoken casually, but her appearance gave it all away.
"I know," she continued. "Isshin thinks he can reason with these people, negotiate something, but I've been dealing with those heartless bureaucrats since he was in diapers." Her grin creeped back onto her face, but now, it held a dangerous edge to it. Rukia was instantly reminded of Tatsuki. "You have to be a bit more direct to get their attention, and luckily, I've got an ally back in the Soul Society that agrees with me."
"So, we are going there," Rukia said, gripping the sheets tightly. Kukaku snorted.
"What's this 'we'?" she asked with a laugh. "I'm old! I'd probably break a hip or something! Besides, what could I do?" As she said this, she wiggled her stump arm in the air, that playful tone back in her voice.
If Rukia were being honest, Kukaku didn't look old. She looked forty at the absolute oldest (and a good forty, the type that would still be in modeling.) Then again, Ichigo was over three-hundred, so, who knew?
As for what Kukaku could do, well, she only got a taste with that Reiatsu of hers, but if she were to bet, she'd say it was a lot.
The woman continued, "It's better if you youngins go out there, have your fun, do the dirty work, all that."
Regardless of the reason, Kukaku didn't want to come along, and Rukia wasn't going to press her on it.
Wait, "youngins"?
Despite the odd phrase, Rukia had to ask, "There are others, then?" Kukaku nodded.
"Yeah, those friends of yours. I sent someone over to get them, but they probably won't be joining us for a while, and then there's also Ganju…"
"Then I need to get going immediately," Rukia insisted. She was already pulling herself up and out of the bed, shoving away the remainder of the covers.
"Hey, kid, you really don't want to do that…" Kukaku warned, but it came far too late. He was already here.
"You know," a voice said from the door, "if you keep moving around like that you could reopen your wound."
The voice was stern, and the words were said with such a seriousness that a shiver went down Rukia's spine. She didn't even have to look up to realize it was Tessai. She dropped the covers.
"Atta girl," Kukaku said, patting Rukia gently on the head. In less than a minute she was once again lying down fully and was more than a little annoyed by this development.
Tessai took that time to check Rukia's wounds while Kukaku asked her various questions to keep her distracted, mostly about how she's been doing.
You been doing alright in school?
Make any new friends?
How's that brother of yours?
It was all pretty standard visiting-relative talk, made all the more surreal by this odd situation. When Tessai replaced her bandages and the questions finally ceased, Rukia could barely stop herself from letting out a sigh of relief. The relief turned to mild joy when a still-warm plate of Tessai's homecooked food was placed beside the bed. The joy then turned to disappointment when she realized it was just a bowl of rice and a glass of water.
"We wouldn't want to overstress your stomach," Tessai said calmly. Kukaku gave Rukia a pointed smirk.
"I suggest you rest up," she added, "if you want to be ready for what we've got planned, that is."
The two left not long after that, Tessai only taking a brief second to remind Rukia to actually eat the food he left. After that, Rukia found herself alone.
The high schooler slowly sat up again, only struggling slightly, this time. Grabbing the bowl of rice, she stared at it for a long moment. Her stomach quietly grumbled.
Yeah, it was plain, but it would have to do.
Honestly, the rice didn't go down easy. There was just too much to think about, too much to be anxious about, and despite Kukaku's suggestion, Rukia knew she wouldn't be able to sleep. She wasn't even sure if she'd be able to stay still.
So much new information was buzzing through her head. Her Auntie was some kind of Shinigami (probably), Ichigo was her nephew (certainly), and Rukia's humble hopes of rescuing Ichigo from certain doom had been somehow been turned into an intricately planned operation (hopefully).
However, to Rukia's surprise, these thoughts didn't overwhelm her. If anything, they steeled her. An odd mix of grim determination and anticipation filled her veins, and that was what kept her awake.
She looked down at her now empty bowl of rice and figured that she had sat still for long enough. She dragged herself up on her feet and left the tiny room through old wooden sliding doors.
First, she peered down the hallway, satisfied only when she saw no signs of life, not even a hint of Reiatsu. After deciding that the coast was clear, she walked slowly down the familiar corridor, her steps near-silent.
(She remembered running through here with Ganju, who was frequently assigned by Auntie as her babysitter.)
Reaching the store front of the convenience store, she was surprised at its appearance. Though the lights were off, the store itself was fully stocked and freshly cleaned, everything exactly as she remembered it.
(She also remembered how she was allowed to take anything she wanted, as long as she asked ahead of time. Auntie called it the "family discount." She had to be careful when she got sweets, though. There was always the chance that Byakuya could find and take them to keep her from eating the whole bag at once.)
She lingered at the front of the shop for a moment, looking back to the unmanned cash-register. A sort of sadness, a longing, panged through her heart as she walked through the front doors and to the porch.
Well, it was pretty sorry as far as porches went. It was just a slab of concrete and a sandy lot, but she liked it.
"I'm gonna take a guess and say you shouldn't be up yet, Ruk," a joking voice said just to her left. She turned to see Ganju, smirking. A broom was in his hand. Yet another thing that had managed to stay the same. He raised an eyebrow in mock-suspicion.
"No," she decided to admit, "but I think I've been sitting still for too long already." Ganju chuckled at the statement, and Rukia turned a bit pink in response.
"You're the same as ever, huh?" He leaned his broom against the wall, at that, stretching out his back. "Don't worry. I won't tell."
The two sat down together on the porch, after that, looking up at the clear sky. The silence only lasted for a moment.
"How've you been, anyway?" Ganju eventually asked. "It's been a while, ya know. I mean, last time I saw you, you barely reached my waist." Rukia let out a deep breath through her nose, leaning back on the cement.
"I've been dealing with school, mostly," she started. "Well, that and the evil forces of Hueco Mundo."
Ganju let out a hearty laugh at that, and it hung in the warm summer air for a minute. Rukia couldn't help but smile, too, but it didn't last. Her face fell, and her hands clenched. She worried her lip trying to get the nerve to ask this next question. She hoped she wouldn't regret it.
"Ichigo is your nephew too, right?" she asked quietly. Ganju's eyes stayed on the sky, though they were unfocused, now.
"Yeah, he is," he sighed.
Rukia closed her eyes. She didn't know what to say at that, didn't know if she should try apologizing again, or if she should simply just leave. Ganju spoke again before she could make her decision.
His eyes were still far away when he said, "You know, me and him are almost the same age? I always thought it was kinda weird that he was my nephew, but I also kinda accepted it, even enjoyed it sometimes.
"I was always so proud of him, how he went on to become some great Shinigami, and…" He trailed off, but Rukia didn't dare interject. She stayed silent, waiting until he shook his head and continued. This time, his eyes were focused and were now looking at her. "We're gonna get him back, you and me."
He held a fist out in the air. Rukia bumped it with her own.
"Right," she said with a grin.
Their hands dropped, and a different sort of feeling settled in the air, this one not dissipating so easily. Rukia could almost call it excitement.
Still, another question stuck in her mind.
"So, where were you guys, anyway?" she finally asked. "Auntie said something about having 'things to take care of', whatever that means." She looked at him with a scrutinizing eye, and he shifted around, nervous.
"Well…"
"What are you doing out of bed?" Rukia froze. After a long moment of hesitation, she turned to see Kukaku. The woman didn't look too happy. Ganju somehow looked even more nervous than before.
"Just taking a walk…" Rukia supplied. It sounded weak even to her ears.
"Yeah, uh huh." Kukaku didn't sound impressed, at all. With a scowl on her face, she turned suddenly to Ganju. "And weren't you supposed to be sweeping?" He jumped up instantly.
"Sorry about that, ma'am!" In a second flat he grabbed the broom and started furiously sweeping the porch.
Kukaku watched her brother for a minute, not paying any attention to Rukia, and the girl felt herself squirm under the pressure. Her discomfort increased ten-fold when Kukaku finally turned to her again, a suspiciously amused expression on her face.
"So," the woman said, stretching out the "o" as long as humanly possible. "You're well enough to be going out for walks, are you?"
Rukia didn't dare answer.
"Ya know what that means, right?"
She shook her head dumbly.
"That means we're going to start your training early."
Rukia blinked for a moment. That was…exactly what she wanted. She felt like jumping for joy but feared that such a reaction would make Kukaku reconsider.
She settled with simply saying, "I'm ready for it."
"That's what I like to hear!" Kukaku cheered. She turned back to the entrance, motioning for Rukia to follow. "Well, it's not like we can do it here. Come on. I'm about to show you something cool."
Part II
When Renji woke up, the first thing he felt was something pressing against his face. It was small, soft, delicate, and not worth his time. Screwing his eyes shut, he shifted away from the annoyance.
This little nuisance seemed to shift with him, though. It kept poking at his cheek and sometimes his chin, insistently and consistently. It was only when the softness was replaced by the scratching of sharp claws that his eyes snapped open.
"Ow…" he mumbled, bringing a hand up to his chin. He didn't think it was bleeding, no thanks to this…thing currently resting on his chest.
He scowled down at it, a black cat staring intently black. He wasn't exactly surprised that four-eyes owned one, he seemed like the type, but he didn't notice it yesterday.
"Stupid cat," he mumbled, closing his eyes again. "Go bother your owner, or something."
"As if anyone owns me."
Renji's brain stuttered to a halt. His eyes opened slowly.
"And I'll ignore how you just called me a 'stupid cat' for your sake, human."
The cat was glaring at him with unnerving golden eyes. The cat was talking. What the fuck, the cat was talking.
Renji screamed.
The cat jumped off instantly at that, landing on the floor with an eyeroll filled to the brim with distaste. Ishida busted through the door seconds later, bow in hand.
"Abarai, what's wrong? Is there a Hollow?" He looked panicked, his hair frazzled and his glasses on crooked like he had only just woken up.
"There's no Hollow here," the cat answered, sounding…bored? Unimpressed? Why was Renji analyzing the feelings of a talking cat? How did his life get to this point?
"Why the hell is that cat talking?" Ishida asked, bow still raised.
"Really? You fight monster ghosts and somehow I'm shocking?"
Well, it wasn't wrong, there. (Or rather he wasn't wrong there, if his deep voice was anything to go by.)
"I suppose you have a point," Ishida ended up saying, lowering his bow a weary look still in his eye.
Renji's brain chose then to finally start working again.
"Wait, wait, wait!" he started, rubbing his temples. "I get that you can talk, and that we're supposed to just accept it for some deranged reason, but… Why are you here?"
The cat straightened himself out, then, tail flicking slowly behind it. "Actually," he said, "I was sent here. I'm afraid something quite horrible has happened."
"Something" ended up being a absolute horror story, one that Renji was glad he was sitting down for. Ichigo was captured. Rukia was badly injured in the process. Renji was breathless, like someone had just sucked all the air out of the room.
"That being said, we do have a plan."
Renji's eyes snapped to the cat once again.
"You two can be a part of it, if you so choose."
"Yes!" Renji rushed out. "I want to be able to help."
The cat nodded. "And you, Quincy?"
Looking back Ishida was leaning against the door frame, his arms crossed. He was staring out into the hallway at nothing in particular. He raised a hand to adjust his glasses.
"The affairs of Shinigami are none of my concern." Renji could barely believe his ears.
"Seriously?!" Renji stood up, fists clenched, anger flaring through him. "You'd really turn your back on them? You owe those two, and you know it!"
"I don't owe them my life." He still wasn't looking at them. "Perhaps is best if you go."
Renji walked right up to Ishida then and stood in front of him for a moment, fists still clenched.
He said through gritted teeth, "Fine by me," and he walked past, bumping into Ishida on the way out. The cat followed quietly behind.
They walked down into the quiet morning streets, Renji's steps lumbering, his back hunched.
"So," the cat said, breaking the silence, "is he really not coming?"
Renji let out a sigh, his squared shoulders drooping.
"He's coming, trust me." He glanced over his shoulder to the apartment building, a scowl on his face. "The guy may be an asshole, but he's not a coward."
Hell, even his "asshole" status was in question, if Renji was being honest. Assholes don't heal your wounds and then let you stay the night.
Shaking his head, he continues, "And if he decides to ditch us…" He let the threat hang in the air. He's not really sure what he'd do. He'd probably just beat the Quincy to a bloody pulp, but more than that, he'd lose any respect he ever had for the guy.
"Then I'll have to make sure to stop by again, later. I doubt he knows where the shop is."
"Wait, we're going to a shop?" The term took Renji by surprise. The cat shook his head.
"No, we're going to a makeshift training facility downtown. You have a way to go before the rendezvous date."
Honestly, Renji was hoping that the cat would take him straight to Rukia, but it seemed like he had other plans in mind. (And if Renji were to guess, he'd say those plans involved some training.)
The cat led him to what looked like a condemned factory, one that obviously hadn't been used in years. Well, maybe not so obviously.
Even though the building seemed abandoned, it was surprisingly well taken care of. Sure, there was rust and debris, and left-over junk, but all the windows were intact. There was no graffiti, no signs of looting. It was shockingly untouched.
The inside was somehow even better. There were a few boxes lying around, some of which looked new and a few of which were stocked in some old-looking metal shelves built into the walls. When the cat jumped up to press a button on the near wall, the lights stuttered on.
The cat gracefully landed on a nearby box, chest level with Renji. Gold eyes trained themselves on him, and he was suddenly sure that if cats could grin, this one would be smiling from ear to ear.
"My name is Yoruichi, and for the next ten days I will be training you."
Renji was ready for it.
The cat, Yoruichi stepped to the edge of the box, looking up at Renji and asked, "To start us off, could you show me your power?"
All it took was a thought and Renji did, summoning several spikes from his arm. Yoruichi looked at him with an appreciating gaze.
"Hmm," he hummed. "Very good. You can activate it at will."
Renji shrugged in response. He didn't think being able to do that was anything special, not when Ishida could basically do the exact same thing. (All he had to do was just try and remember what he felt when he first activated it, anyway. It came naturally after he established a kind of rhythm.)
"That makes things much easier for me," Yoruichi muttered. "I would like to hazard a guess, however, and say that you have no idea what this power actually is."
"Not a single clue," Renji said with a weak smile. Yoruichi let out a deep sigh.
"The power you have is called Fullbring," the cat explained. "A very small minority of humans possess this, and it's usually activated through strong emotions. The powers themselves are derived from Hollows."
Renji paled. "Are you saying I'm some kinda Hollow Hybrid?" He was suddenly reminded of how he never knew his father.
"No, no, not at all," Yoruichi assured. "You just got your powers from one. Fullbring users gain their powers while still in the womb if their mothers are attacked by Hollows at the time of pregnancy."
"…Huh," Renji said, a little dumbfounded. He supposed that was better than Human/Hollow hijinks, but…he had a few things to ask his mother when he next saw her.
"So," Yoruichi started, "now that we've gotten that out of the way, we can focus on what's important, getting you battle ready."
Renji took a deep breath.
Finally.
Part III
Uryuu watched as Renji left his apartment with the strange cat. He kept a steady eye on them as they walked out of the complex and into the streets. When Renji turned back and looked right at him, he shoved the curtains closed as quickly as he could.
Back pressed against the wall, he simply breathed for a moment.
Uryuu was many things. He was a Quincy, a high school student, occasionally an employee at a fabric store, but what he wasn't was an idiot.
Two weeks ago, he had challenged Rukia to a contest and had caused all sorts of chaos and commotion in Karakura Town. Two weeks ago, a report had been filed about Shiba's current whereabouts. He was found yesterday. He doubted the connection was lost even to Abarai.
He couldn't abandon another person to a demise had a hand in, Shinigami or not. He wouldn't be able to live with himself, and he was certain that his late sensei would feel nothing but disappointment if he did. He would come along with the others for this mission.
His training, however, would be done in private.
Eventually, he moved again, grabbing the first bag he could find and shoving all that he'd need for the next little while. He locked the door behind him and climbed down to the streets. He took one last look at the direction Abarai had taken, eyes lingering for a moment before he turned, walking in the other direction at a brisk pace.
Just along the edge of town, hidden in a thicket of trees and off the beaten path, an isolated place stood. It was surrounded by a Spiritual Barrier, and as a result, Uryuu could count the amount of people still alive that knew about it on a single hand. No random humans could stumble in here, and no Shinigami has succeeded in tracking it down, not yet at least.
(According to Uryuu's sensei, places like these used to be scattered all across the globe, but now…Well, no one really knew. They weren't active, of that he was certain. The only one that still saw any activity was this little one.)
It was his own little section of nature, cut out and preserved like the world's most vibrant fossil. Tall trees stood all around him, and through it ran a babbling brook, fresh and crystalline. The source of it was a waterfall about Twice Uryuu's height. He set down his bag on the first dry rock he saw near it.
He unpacked all his things, sorting through whatever supplies he had thought to bring. (It was mostly food, non-perishable things that either required no preparation or were tolerable without it.) He set aside a single item from inside, his bow, fully extended.
Zipping his bag back up, he picked up the bow and approached the waterfall. He briefly felt thankful for his skinny frame as he squeezed in through a comparatively dry zone between the spray of water and the rock behind it, slipping into a hidden entrance.
Squinting against the poor lighting, his eyes flitted through the cave. It was damp, a little unpleasant, and absolutely filled to the brim with old Quincy relics.
Bows hung on racks that were stacked upon other racks. A sizeable collection of books lied in a sealed chest (one that he had the key to). Things that he didn't even know the names of were placed on stands and in boxes and were practically spilling from every crevice.
On any other day, he'd stay, look through it all, and count every single item he found, but today, he ignored it in favor of a single wooden box that stood alone on a stand at the very end of the cave.
Uryuu brushed his hands against his jeans, getting rid of any left-over water before carefully opening the box. In it lied a single white glove, two large blue stripes going down the fabric that joined into one at the wrist which was lined with several tiny but powerful seals.
"Raidenhanto" as his sensei called it. "The Spirit Glove."
Uryuu remembered vividly what his grandfather said it could do. (He remembered all the lessons his sensei gave him, after all.)
The Raidenhanto enhanced the abilities of the wearer by quite a lot, but it wasn't as simple as putting it on and getting special powers. It required a full week of non-stop endurance training and was not to be used flippantly.
Sensei had made it incredibly clear that once it was mastered, it was not to be taken off.
Uryuu carefully put the glove on. At the moment, he felt nothing, but he knew that would change. He put his old bow on an available stand and stepped out of the cave.
Part IV
When Rukia saw where she'd be training, she felt…overwhelmed.
Right then, she was scaling down a rickety ladder into an underground area that was so large and strange as to not make logical sense. It didn't even look like it was underground. It was a vast desert with rock formations and a bright blue sky. The air was filled with a dry heat that was just on the edge of uncomfortable.
And the entrance to this "training area" was the basement entrance in the stock room that she was never allowed to go into.
"I told you it was cool!" Kukaku yelled from the ground. Rukia silently agreed, sandaled feet hitting the ground barely a minute after. It was time to get to business.
"So…" she struggled to find the proper word before settling on, "Sensei, what will I be starting with?" Kukaku hummed as if considering. Rukia frowned. She was kinda under the impression that her "Sensei" had this all figured out, already.
Kukaku eventually said, "My supplier did offer me these two kids of his to help with the training, but I ended up turning him down. So, I'm on my own here." She suddenly grinned. "I figured we'd just get to the good part, actually!"
"'Good part?'" Rukia did not like the sound of that, at all. Kukaku nodded enthusiastically.
"You've probably noticed that your power isn't what it used to be."
Rukia had. She'd noticed pretty quickly that she felt "emptier" than usual. An energy that she hadn't even noticed was there was gone, or at least severely diminished.
Kukaku continued, "You can thank Isshin for that. The guy somehow managed to destroy your Hakusui and Saketsu all in one blow."
Rukia looked at Kukaku blankly.
"That'd be what makes you a Shinigami and what boosts that thing that makes you a Shinigami."
Oh.
Wait!
"If that's destroyed, then why am I not a regular human Soul," Rukia argued. "Last time I checked, I don't have a chain of fate."
"Ding! Ding! Ding!" Kukaku cheered with a wink. "You're not a human Soul, quite yet. Don't worry, we can fix that."
"Fix it? I thought…"
"Yeah, it's a little odd, but I was assured that for this next part to work, we need to get you fully human, again. Of course, this whole process will take quite a while, but luckily you just got off school, and Byakuya doesn't mind you sticking around the shop for a bit to 'help me reopen.'"
Rukia was ready to ask about five questions at once, but before she could even open her mouth she was interrupted by a gust of wind and a very panicked voice.
"I came as quickly as I could!" Paku cried out. "I heard about everything, and whathappenedtoIchigoIcan't –"
Kukaku cut Paku off, hitting her on the base of the neck with her hand, now clad in a glove that looked just like the one Ichigo always carried. Tessai quickly rushed in to grab Rukia's body mid-fall, and barely a second later Kukaku caught a tiny green pill that fled from Rukia's mouth.
"Sorry about that, Mod Soul," she said with a smirk. "Rukia, climb in!"
With much hesitation, Rukia did. She wasn't even surprised when she was given the same treatment as Paku the moment she settled.
Kukaku finally pulled the glove off with her teeth, and only then did Rukia feel safe. She spit it out, handing it to Tessai who quickly hefted Rukia's body over his shoulder. Kukaku then handed him the green candy.
"Guess he was right," the woman said, giving Rukia a once-over. "It only takes a second. Feel any different?"
"Yeah, I feel awful," Rukia complained. She felt slow and lethargic. She was even weaker than she was in her human body. It took her a second to register the long chain trailing all the way from her chest to the body on Tessai's shoulder.
Tessai took out a very large axe, one that Rukia was quite sure he didn't have earlier and struck the chain with ground shaking force. With a loud SHINK! it snapped in two. Rukia paled
"You're a regular old Human Soul now," Kukaku said with finality. She forgot one thing, however.
"Did you just kill me?!" Rukia gasped.
"What?" Kukaku had a single eyebrow quirked. She jerked her head towards Tessai. "Check her."
Rukia felt herself grow paler as Tessai shifted her body from his shoulder and brought an ear up to her chest to listen for a heartbeat. After an impossibly painful moment, he nodded.
"See," Kukaku said with a smile, "your body's fine. You're alive…kinda."
Rukia felt like crying. She was pretty sure this couldn't get any worse. (How did she never realize that her Auntie was a sadist?)
"Now, time for the good part!" Kukaku cheered. She snapped her fingers, the sound echoing through the chamber.
Tessai's free hand glowed with the now-familiar light of a Kidō Spell, two spells to be exact. The first had Rukia's hands shoved roughly behind her, not a single millimeter of give to these invisible ropes. The second whizzed right past Rukia, landing on the ground behind her and leaving her ears ringing.
BOOOM!
The ground shook as she felt heat at her back. Her eyes widened as she saw cracks develop in the ground at her feet.
Then, of course, Kukaku decided to, with a single sandaled foot, kick Rukia over the edge.
Oh, her Auntie was more than just a sadist. She was a psychopath. Rukia hit the ground, mildly surprised when she wasn't pulverized beyond recognition by the fall. Still, it hurt!
"Are you alright?" Kukaku's voice echoed down the deep chamber. Looking up, the woman was now about the size of Rukia's thumb. (Not that she was able to check.)
"What the hell was that for?" Rukia yelled back. Kukaku grinned at her cheekily.
"A safety measure," she explained. "Again, more my supplier's idea than mine, but I thought it was a good one."
Rukia was pretty sure that when she met this supplier, she'd tear him a new one.
Kukaku continued, grin dropping, "Now that your Chain of Fate had been cut, you have two options, kid.
"One: have a good long talk with that Zanpakuto of yours, or two: become a Hollow. That chain of fate's going to give you three days, so I'd suggest getting started."
Kukaku disappeared from the mouth of the pit, and Rukia could only stare up helplessly, anger still going strong.
She wouldn't just rip the supplier a new one. She'd kill him.
Yeah, I pulled another switcharoo, and ya'll are just going to have to wait and try your hand at predictions for a while about what this switcharoo entails. For now, I'll bring up a few things that I don't consider spoilers.
First off, I changed the dynamic of the Shiba family a bit, here. In Bleach, Isshin is only tangentially related to Kukkaku, Kaien, and Ganju. In my story, they are all siblings, with Kukkaku being the eldest (and therefore former Head of the Shiba family, but we'll get to that later). The order goes Kukkaku, Isshin, Kaien, and Ganju, with Isshin being the current Head of the family. This change was mostly for the sake of streamlining the family politics that will inevitably come into play.
As a side note, I also decided to use the German names for Quincy abilities and items, but in this case it's for aesthetic reasons. Shinigami use Japanese phrases and names and Arrancar use Spanish phrases and names. I simply thought that Quincy using German phrases would balance things out. (Plus, they were all officially given German names so it was an incredibly easy thing to do.)
Thank you for your time, and remember, your favorites and reviews give me life.
