I posted this before midnight it still counts.
Part I
Walking through the mess hall, Orihime kept her steps perfectly even, forcing herself to glance over everyone she passed by without batting an eye. She was getting strange looks, and she knew it. She even knew why. A ranking member of the Fourth Division getting her breakfast in a First Division cafeteria was pretty strange. She had to remind herself that the looks had absolutely nothing to do with her harboring two "dangerous" Ryoka right under their noses.
She still flinched whenever someone so much as brushed past her, but that was beside the point.
When Orihime made it to the volunteer cashier, hands shaking as she held a small stack of ready-made meals, she just about sighed in relief. She didn't even realize she was being spoken to, at first.
"E-excuse me?" she asked meekly.
"I said that will be fifteen hundred yen," the volunteer said with a smile.
"Oh!" Orihime fumbled for her coin purse immediately stuttering out apologies. She felt like hitting herself! At this rate they'd definitely get caught. The volunteer raised an eyebrow, but thankfully said nothing.
He said, with some amount of humor, "Don't overwork yourself too much, Miss Medic. We'll need you now more than ever."
"A-ah, yes," Orihime said, handing him the yen notes. "I suppose with everything that's going on…"
With a sigh, the man shook his head sadly, "You know, I have some friends in the Fifth, and after everything that happened… I just hope they'll be okay. I'm surprised you aren't there, actually."
Orihime blinked for a moment. "The…Fifth?" she asked quietly. The volunteer looked at her with a mixture of shock and pity.
"You didn't hear, did you? Captain Aizen was found dead yesterday morning. They're saying the Ryoka did it."
The words made Orihime's blood turn cold.
She couldn't even get any words out, couldn't ask any of the questions that were darting through her mind. She just accepted her change and left quietly, steps quick but unsteady. She knew she received even more strange looks with this, buts she didn't care.
Taking a roundabout route, she made her way to the safehouse much slower than she would have liked, but it at least made her harder to track. Even with her mind where it was, she didn't forget that. She supposed those were the perks of being old friends with an expert tracker like Tatsuki.
She needed that now more than ever, because apparently her companions were being hunted for allegedly murdering one of the nicest men she'd ever met.
Sure, she hadn't known him personally, but the few times she'd spoken to him he'd been nothing but polite and kind. His Division, especially Lieutenant Hinamori, never had a single bad word to say about him. Now he was dead.
She, of course, knew better than anyone that the Ryoka couldn't have done it. She was with them the entire time, she trusted them, if only because of their association with Ganju, and putting that aside, she doubted they even could kill Captain Aizen.
The Captain was a powerful, well respected man. She didn't think anyone could kill him so easily, anyone aside from…another…
"…Captain?" she wondered aloud. She slapped a hand over her mouth immediately, as if the word itself burned her. (She only relaxed when she realized no one else was around to hear it.)
She shouldn't be thinking such a thing. She didn't want to, really, but it was already cemented in her mind, along with the words that Ganju had told her last night.
"…or some kind of traitor."
She walked a little faster, not even noticing she had reached her destination until she almost passed it. She opened the door, stepped in, locked the door behind her, and leaned against it, feeling utterly exhausted.
"Food! Food! Food!" Ganju cheered with a grin.
"Good morning," Rukia said, much quieter. Then, the human's eyes narrowed slightly.
She was probably taking in Orihime's tired appearance, the worried look in her eye, the way she was clutching the meals just a little too hard. She cut right to the chase.
"What happened?"
"Huh?" Ganju asked, eyes going over the medic. He frowned.
Orihime worried her lip, wondering how she was even going to start. She sat down, placed the meals in her hands beside her, and took a deep breath.
She told them, in as much detail she could, just what she had heard, nothing more, nothing less. They took the news surprisingly well. (Or perhaps she had just taken it quite badly, she wasn't sure.)
"We'll have to be a lot more careful," Rukia said with a deep frown.
Biting her lip, Orihime said back, "We can't even move underground anymore. I don't know the routes as well here, so…"
"Well, getting caught ain't an option for us," Ganju groaned.
"We can make it," Rukia said with a resolute nod. "I'm sure."
Orihime let out an unsteady breath, nodding back if only because she didn't trust herself to speak at that moment. The second she breathed back in, she felt…better somehow, and looking into Rukia's eyes, seeing just how sure her companion was made her feel something that she hadn't in a very long time.
Maybe Tatsuki was on to something when she said Rukia and Ichigo were alike back there, because when Rukia said they would make it, Orihime believed her.
Part II
The First Division felt different from the others, Rukia thought.
Sure, the buildings looked about the same, a strange mixture of modern utilitarianism and an 18th century aesthetic, but this felt almost clinically clean. The buildings towered over them, just about every single one being white or gray, and the streets were almost deserted. They had come across exactly one stray officer, no more.
"What gives?" Ganju asked idly, patting down a recently knocked-out Shinigami for supplies. "This place is damn near deserted."
"The First Division is much more exclusive than the others," Orihime supplied, shifting around nervously while on the lookout. "They're a lot smaller." When she said this, she didn't sound too sure, which sent a jolt of worry through Rukia.
"Still doesn't explain where everyone is. Didn't you say the cafeteria had some people i–?" He cut himself off with a grin and an "ah-ha!" when he yanked something out of the officer's pack. "Soldier pills! Jackpot!"
Ignoring Ganju's discovery, Rukia was inclined to agree with his earlier observation. People were here. They knew this. So, where were they? Rukia supposed this was why she felt so on edge. If the Shinigami had reason to believe they were here, and were seemingly leaving them alone…well, that just reeked of a trap, or maybe something worse.
Rukia didn't have any time to think about what "worse" might be because just as she was going to voice her opinion, an intense pressure rung through the air, enough to have her stumbling, almost sending her to her knees. Her mind went blank. Her ears rung.
For a second, she thought it was some kind of Hollow, but no, this felt different somehow. She struggled to gain enough breath to speak.
"What was that?" she bit out. Ganju was struggling to bring himself back to his feet. Orihime had paled a few shades, a cold sweat breaking out on her brow.
"Run," Orihime whispered breathlessly. She said again with a bit more force, "We have to run." She tugged Ganju back to his feet, dragging him behind her as she did just that. Rukia followed without question.
"What's going on?" Rukia asked desperately. Her ears were still ringing. That pressure was still coming down.
"That's a Captain," Orihime rushed out, "and if it's the one I think it is…"
"…Then what?"
"Then w–!" Orihime cut herself off with a choked cry, and Rukia knew exactly why. She could feel it too, a sudden presence washing over her. She was sure, in that moment, that she knew what it felt like to be prey. Her legs froze, shaking slightly, and just out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone, watching.
He was crouched on the roof, staring down at them with a grin that nearly split his scarred face in two. Her fingers twitched for her Zanpakuto, but she just couldn't get her arm to move!
"What's wrong with you," he said in a low gravelly voice. "You just gonna stand and stare?"
Rukia couldn't move. She actually couldn't move. It was like her feet were nailed to the ground. Then, a hand clamped down on her wrist, forcing her forward.
"Didn't I tell you to run?" Orihime bit out, forcing Rukia along, Ganju just ahead of them. The medic was practically hyperventilating. Rukia could barely breath at all. "Blossom! Shun Shun Rikka!"
Rukia was stuttering along an orange glow at her back as she found her pace again. The first chance she had, she glanced over her shoulder through the reinforced Reiatsu shield seeing the Captain chasing them looking downright gleeful as he exerted more pressure on them. She glanced back ahead to see Orihime, stumbling and sweating under the pressure looking more exhausted by the second as the man grew closer and closer.
Then, in a moment, the shield shattered with the sound of breaking glass. Orihime stumbled forward, missing a step as she started to fall, her eyes rolling into the back of her head.
Rukia dove for the girl, keeping her from hitting the ground. She looked almost sick, and thinking back on it, this may not have been entirely the Captain's doing.
"Ganju!" Rukia cried out. He was on them in a moment, already slinging Orihime over his shoulder, the Captain nearly upon them.
They couldn't outrun him, not like this.
"Take Orihime!" Rukia yelled, finally drawing her Zanpakuto. "I'll hold him off."
"Are you kidding me?! Just come with us!"
"We don't have time for this!" she yelled back. "Just do it!"
Ganju glanced rapidly between Rukia and the Captain just behind her, pale. Gritting his teeth, he turned and ran, not looking back. Rukia almost felt relieved.
Almost.
With a few whispered words, Rukia summoned her Shikai, turning to face the Captain. He had stopped, looking satisfied.
"You're Rukia Orikasa, right?"
She swallowed heavily. "Yes," she said. She wanted to say more, her mouth struggling on some kind of quip to put herself at ease. She couldn't think of anything.
The Shinigami grinned ever wider looking like a kid at a candy shop.
"I'm Kenpachi Zaraki," he said, "Captain of the Eleventh. I'm here to kill you."
On instinct, Rukia's grip on Sode tightened. On top of his Spiritual Pressure and his impenetrable gaze she could now feel every ounce of his killing intent.
"Wow! Your Ryoka friends sure looked scared," a much higher pitched voice said.
Rukia nearly dropped Sode, fumbling for it at the last moment.
Of all the things Rukia was expecting it certainly wasn't a tiny pink haired girl peeking over Zaraki's shoulder, climbing over like he was a jungle gym. With a jerk of his shoulder he brushed her off, and the girl landed on the side with a sweet smile. Was she here the whole time or something?
And was that a Lieutenant's badge?!
No, Rukia didn't have time to focus on that. She had to keep her eyes on her enemy, the one that seemed different from every other Shinigami she'd come across thus far.
Putting aside his odd appearance, spiky hair, eyepatch, and all, he felt much wilder than the others. His power flowed out, unchecked, and he seemed somewhat unhinged. Rukia had felt traces of this from Madarame and even Tatsuki but comparing them was like comparing a pebble to a mountain.
There was something else there, though, something that Rukia couldn't quite put her finger on.
"What'd I say about standing there and staring, girlie. Are you ready for a fight or not?"
"Why are you chasing me?" Rukia asked immediately because it did seem like they were only chasing her. The two hadn't so much as twitched in the direction of her friends since they ran off.
"Don't get the wrong idea," he said. "I don't care about any of this Ryoka bullshit. I'm just here to fight you." He looked at her appraisingly. She readied herself for a fight. "Decent stance," he muttered, "Spiritual Pressure's alright… Hey, you're the one that does that weird shit with ice, right?" He didn't wait for her to answer, just saying, "No wonder Ikkaku lost to you. You'd probably beat any Lieutenant." He ended his tirade with a chuckle.
Rukia scowled as she watched this. She could feel her skin crawling.
"How about this," he suddenly said, bringing up a hand to his chest. Rukia went on guard immediately. She was terribly confused when he simply pulled the front of his Kimono open. "You get one free shot to the chest."
Rukia froze. Was he serious?
"…Or neck, face, I don't really care."
"You've got to be joking," she said flatly. As if she were going to fall for that. Zaraki scoffed.
"You kids, you're too fuckin' paranoid," he said, shaking his head. "It ain't a trick, girlie. I just thought I'd give myself a handicap, keep it a little fair, you know?"
Rukia frowned, still hesitating. Landing a hit was usually how she ended a fight, not how she started one.
"Oh, what?" he asked with a booming laugh. "You afraid you're going to hurt me or something? Are you that soft?!" She gripped her Zanpakuto tighter, hands shaking. "Killing, being killed, it's all just fun to me! If you don't have the guts to do it, I might as well save someone else the trouble and–!"
She cut him off with a cry before charging, aiming a blow right at his stomach. Somehow, things went very wrong after that.
She heard no grunt of pain, no telltale signs that anyone had just been stabbed. She just found herself stumbling as she was jerked to a halt. She looked up and saw the tip of her blade stopped perfectly by his skin. Looking up a little further she saw Zaraki's face. He seemed disappointed.
"You won't be able to cut Kenny with a blade like that, girlie," the young Lieutenant tutted.
"You're weaker than I thought," Zaraki said, bringing up a hand. Rukia jumped back in retreat immediately, not even relaxing when he only used the hand to brush off the frost on his stomach.
Meanwhile, her hands were burning with pain, and that was just from trying to stab him.
"My turn." He said it in a low voice, that smile back on his face as he drew his Zanpakuto, a mangled old looking thing.
Rukia took a cautious step back, and then another, and another. What she was thinking now, she knew Sode would hate her for it, but she knew she couldn't fight this guy, not as she was.
"Didn't I tell you to run?"
She turned and ran as fast as she could, tearing down the streets, turning around every corner she could, not paying much attention to where Zaraki was or even where she was. It was here that she remembered her fight with Kukaku, hiding behind terrain, sitting and waiting for something to happen, for a plan to come to her. At least then she knew that Kukaku wasn't going to kill her.
Then again, at least here she knew that Zaraki would kill just her. He wouldn't go after her friends afterwards. He wouldn't kill Orihime, or Uryuu, or Re…
She couldn't think like this, not now.
"Running away, really? I was hoping you were better than that!"
Great! She could still hear him behind her, gaining ground. Then, she felt it, a movement behind her, a sudden whoosh of air, and suddenly she was breaking left, pivoting on her heel to see Zaraki's blade come down on the ground she had just been on a moment before. Her eyes widened as that ground was turned to rubble. She spun back around, turning a corner, eyes searching desperately for anything that could help her.
She saw a door, saw that Zaraki had yet to turn that corner, and shoved her way through, closing it behind her, pressing her back against the opposite wall. She slammed a hand against her mouth, trying to silence her breathing only to tear it away immediately when something wet hit her face.
Glancing down at her hand she saw blood streaming down her palm dripping onto the floor below. Beside her she could see Sode's white hilt, stained.
Okay, they weren't as bad as they looked. She knew that. They were minor cuts. The bleeding was slowing already. They just stung a little, so, closing her eyes Rukia focused a bit of her Reiatsu into her hands. She let out a silent sigh of relief at the cooling sensation that it provided.
God, she felt pathetic, sitting here and hiding like this, but that guy out there, he was a monster.
But even monsters have their weaknesses.
Exactly. That was where her mind needed to be. She just had to think of what might take him down. Just cutting him with her sword wouldn't work. All she needed to know what would work, where the chinks in his armor were.
"You're never going to get anywhere thinking like that."
"I thought I was doing pretty well," Rukia said, her fists clenching. She hated her voice for how it shook. Sode clicked her tongue disapprovingly.
"Listen to yourself, girl. You're like a frightened rabbit. You think the Shinigami a monster."
"Isn't he?" Rukia asked morosely. Sode sent her a withering glare.
"The only difference between you and that brute, is that you're still scared," she hissed out. Rukia just curled in on herself tighter, not saying a word. "You're scared to kill, scared to die, the only reason you've made it this far is how you're even more frightened of your friends dying in your stead."
"…No wonder you hate me."
"Perhaps," Sode said, "but while those first two fears are detestable, I believe we can work with the third one."
Rukia's eyes went up to Sode in disbelief the very moment she disappeared, just as large cracks started appearing in the far wall. Her grip went back on her Zanpakuto.
"The only reason you've made it this far is how you're even more frightened of your friends dying in your stead."
That was why she was here, wasn't it? That was always why she was here. With that thought in her head, Rukia stood up on quickly steadying legs.
With a mighty groan the wall gave way before her, revealing a bored looking Zaraki.
"You finally ready to fight?"
"Next Dance! White Ripple!"
Zaraki had no time or space to dodge her attack. He took it straight on, it hitting him dead in the chest and forcing him back with a stumble. The ice didn't spread like it should have, but it stuck. It actually fucking stuck.
"Now that's what I'm talking about!" he roared.
"Let's end this quickly," Rukia hissed out.
"Quickly?" he asked with a quirked brow. "I'm just gettin' started."
He charged, and Rukia dodged the only way she could, jumping off the wall and going over his head, silently thanking the First for their incredibly high ceilings. She landed roughly out on the street, watching as Zaraki continued in his path, tearing through the entire building.
Rubble and dust spread outwards, Rukia bringing a free arm over her head to shield herself. She didn't have any time to be stunned by the impact. She just prepared a Second Dance, firing as soon as Zaraki arose from the rubble, blowing him back a second time.
He launched forward again, giving Rukia almost no time to call out "Third Dance, White Sword!" Hopefully, with this, she could finish it. Now, if only she could land a hit.
Dodging his attacks felt a lot less like evading an opponent and a lot more like tumbling out of the way of a speeding train. His power and reach were incredible, and it certainly didn't help that he was about twice her size (conservatively).
She kept an eye out all the while for the opportunity to arise, the moment she could give that final hit, but Zaraki didn't make it easy. He kept the fight going at his own insane pace, forcing her to keep her distance just to avoid grappling with him. She couldn't avoid it for long enough.
Just once, he was a little too fast, was on her just a little too quickly, and she was stuck holding her sword above her head, close to buckling under the force. Her arms burned, her legs shook. She could keep this up for maybe a few more seconds.
She took a good look at his sword, and suddenly an idea went through her mind. She smirked.
"You know," she said, "I've already hit you twice. If you don't release your Shikai, then at this rate–"
"Then what?"
The words sent a chill down Rukia's spine, but not nearly as much as his cold expression. Rukia's smirk dropped, and she found herself forced down, one knee on the ground.
"This is the only form my Zanpakuto has, and it's the only one it needs," he said with a snarl. "So, what, you can make me a little chilly."
He looked more than a little chilly. The skin on his chest was frozen, cracked, and starting to blacken with frostbite. It looked excruciating, but he didn't seem to mind at all.
"I've been holding back this whole time, just to make this fight a little interesting."
Rukia's breath caught in her throat. What?!
CRACK!
Rukia was on her back, a loud shriek of pain tearing from her lips as she pressed a hand tightly to where her shoulder met her neck. Blood was gushing out, pooling beneath her. Her free hand scrambled on the ground for her Zanpakuto, knocked clean out of her hand. Then, she looked at what she was reaching for.
Her Zanpakuto was lying prone on the ground, cut cleanly in half at the blade.
"Tch…How boring," Zaraki scoffed. She could see him out of the corner of her eye, back turned. The bastard was just walking away.
"You were scared," Sode chided with a frown. She was leaning casually against the wall just in Rukia's vision.
I know that!
Right now, she wasn't scared. She was pretty pissed off, actually, maybe even impressed. Zaraki took what she was trying to do and turned it back on her, probably without even meaning to.
She squeezed her eyes shut against a new wave of pain, crushing a groan in her chest.
"What will you do now?"
Not die, hopefully.
"Oh, is that all?" Sode asked with an eyeroll.
"O…of course…it…isn't," Rukia barely rasped out.
"Then, I repeat. What will you do now?"
Don't act like you don't already know. You want it too.
"Say it!"
Rukia grit her bloodied teeth. "W…w…win."
Sode looked down at Rukia after that, holding her gaze for a long while. Her face betrayed nothing. She just crouched down next to Rukia, her kimono trailing behind her.
"Then do it," she said. "Complete your Shikai and win."
Rukia took a rasping breath. She closed her eyes, opening them to find a trail of ice connecting her limp hand to the pieces of her Zanpakuto, the Ice-Rope.
"White…tree."
The ice followed Zaraki to where he was walking away, grabbing onto his feet and freezing them to the ground, keeping him from taking even another step.
"Huh, you're still alive."
When he turned, Rukia was standing up fully. Sode was whole again, hilt stuck fast to her hand with fingers too frozen to let go, even by accident.
"You've stopped bleeding, too," he commented, a tinge of confusion in his voice. She didn't really understand either, but right now wasn't the time to question things.
She just charged, White Sword still ready. She came at Zaraki before he had any real time to react, hitting the arm he brought up to block. Within seconds it was at his side, frozen and useless, and she didn't let up after that.
She went in for strike after strike as he guarded against her, one handed. He sent out a blow of his own, and she tumbled back as his Zanpakuto impacted into the wall next to him, sticking straight into it.
"I take it back," he said with a grin. "Now things are getting interesting!"
He left his Zanpakuto in the wall, bringing up his good hand to his face. He ripped off his eyepatch, and if Rukia thought his Reiatsu was heavy before, she hadn't felt anything yet.
The eyepatch was a seal (with an incredibly grotesque mouth on the inside). At this point she wasn't even surprised. The guy was certainly crazy enough to have something like that, and now that it was gone, Rukia was struggling to just stay on her feet for the umpteenth time today.
"Take this as a compliment, girlie. I'm going all out!" He ripped his sword from the wall, and before Rukia's eyes the entire building collapsed.
"Show off," Rukia murmured with a heavy gulp. She couldn't let fear get to her again. She couldn't let fear get to her again.
That was easier said then done with the tremors caused by the impact. Still, she managed it somehow, and she was ready when Zaraki turned back on her.
This time, when she was forced back into dodging, Zaraki was leaving a trail of destruction in his wake. He was so fast she was having trouble keeping track of him. She was sure he was having trouble keeping track of him with how he kept on crashing into things. He still managed to get back up each time, strong as ever.
She hissed out a curse when he sliced her cheek open and another when he grazed her back. The windows left for her to retaliate were nonexistent, but at least now she felt like she understood a thing or two about him. Rukia could now say with certainty what was so different with Zaraki.
He reveled in power in a way that others just didn't, maybe couldn't. He reveled in it in a way that seemed to be inhuman with open glee at all he could achieve and all he could destroy. She wondered why she had such a hard time seeing that before. Now, she could see it right on his face.
"His Zanpakuto is the same," Sode said at her back, an icy hand laying on her good shoulder. "It's quite funny how they understand each other so much yet so little. We have to be better."
When Rukia pushed back against Zaraki's strike she could feel another hand laying over her own, guiding her, adding to the strength she put into it, and she knew that this was what it was like to have a Zanpakuto. She delivered the final blow.
The fight was over before she even realized it. The ground was covered in rubble, the surrounding buildings in utter ruin. Rukia's Zanpakuto slid out of Zaraki's stomach as she stumbled back, falling flat onto the ground.
She looked up and saw him, grinning wide and standing proud, frozen perfectly in a moment of bliss. Rukia rested her head back on the ground, staring up at the sky. She realized she had won.
The corners of her vision were going dark, then. Clouds were blurring and spinning, and she felt that now might be a good time to rest her eyes for a bit until they stopped.
The last thing she heard was the voice of a little girl. She was thanking Rukia, of all things. Then again, that might have just been a dream.
Part III
Yoruichi led her charges quickly through the First Division, something that was easier said than done. The buildings around them were shaking, the ground cracking, and in the Soul Society, that really only meant one thing.
"Is this some kind of Earthquake?!" Renji yelled up at her.
"We don't get those here," she answered simply.
"Then what is it?" Uryuu asked, frustration clear in his voice.
Greenhorns, she thought to herself with a smile, though she didn't exactly feel like smiling.
"My guess is it's some kind of fight, and a big one at that," she finally answered. She could sense the flares of Reiatsu pretty easily from here, and both signatures were frighteningly familiar.
She knew she had to try and settle things before she suddenly had a dead human charge on her hands, but she also knew that dragging these two to that fight would yield a similar result. So, when the signatures started to head towards them, she made a split-second decision.
"This way!" she called, taking a sudden left. She didn't look back to see if the two boys had followed, just pressed further, frustrated for the umpteenth time that she couldn't go as fast as she wanted.
Maybe it was Kenpachi's crazy Reiatsu, or maybe Yoruichi was just getting flabby, but when she turned that corner, she just about rammed headfirst into someone on the other side.
"Ganju!" Renji cried out breathlessly.
"Is that a Shinigami?" Uryuu asked in a low voice. She could practically hear the kid's twitchy fingers.
"I'm surprised you got Orihime to come with you," Yoruichi said with a frown. The girl was currently passed out over Ganju's shoulder. She looked uninjured, but still…
"Yeah," Ganju gasped out. He looked pale, frazzled. "She's been, uh… Listen she needs some help and Rukia stayed behind to fight this Captain, and we haven't seen her since, and–!"
"Ganju!" Yoruichi cut off. He froze, eyes wide. "I can take care of it," she assured. "Let's find you kids someplace safe to rest for now. You can tell us what happened on the way there."
Yoruichi kept an ear open during her search for safety as Ganju launched into his explanation, a little calmer this time around. She could put together most of the story herself, but it did give her some better insight on what was wrong with Orihime. He was about halfway through when she stumbled across a supply closet with boxes of uniforms lining the walls.
His story ended just as Yoruichi finished checking Orihime over. Yoruichi was no medic, but this case was pretty cut and dry.
"She's exhausted," Yoruichi said. "It was probably all the back to back healing and fighting that did it. Let her get some rest and when she wakes up, give her one of those Soldier Pills."
With that, Yoruichi stood back up. She'd spent enough time here already.
"Stay put," she said. "I'll be back as soon as I can."
The others looked up at her, their faces a range of unsure to flat out worried. None of them said anything, and Yoruichi left, quietly closing the door behind her, placing a Kidō ward on the outside before running off, one meant to subtly trip up any trackers that might be looking for a couple of vulnerable Ryoka.
By the time she really got moving, the sweeping flairs of Reiatsu had already ceased. Yoruichi ran a little faster.
She arrived far later than she should have, (now she knew she was getting rusty) and what she arrived to was a complete wasteland. Surrounding her were leveled buildings, streets reduced to rubble, and enough collateral damage to make a seasoned paper-pusher blush. In the middle of it all, much to Yoruichi's shock, was a perfectly frozen Kenpachi Zaraki, grinning like the absolute maniac he was.
For a moment, Yoruichi thought Rukia actually managed to kill him, but upon further examination, she sensed a bit of his Reiatsu, pulsing underneath.
Goddamn cockroach.
Something about that had Yoruichi smiling, but with a shake of her head she forced it away. She still had reason to be worried. That reason was lying on the ground unconscious, and slowly getting paler from what looked like severe blood loss.
"Yoruichi! You're back!" called a voice that she hadn't heard in about a hundred years. Yachiru came at Yoruichi, arms wide open. The former Captain didn't hesitate to scoop her up in a hug, settling the girl on her hip.
"Hey, squirt! You still remember me!"
Yachiru nodded happily. Yoruichi may not have had much time to interact with Yachiru before she was suddenly off and away to take care of a centuries-old conspiracy, but the little time she had she looked back on fondly.
Yoruichi feigned a confused look on her face, quirking her head to the side as she brought up a hand to compare Yachiru's boosted height to her own.
"You're as tall as me!" Yoruichi cried out. The girl shook her head, giggling.
"I already called the Fourth," Yachiru announced, wiggling her way from Yoruichi's hold. "They should be here any minute."
Huh, she'd gotten a lot more responsible, hadn't she?
"Don't worry, squirt," Yoruichi said with a wink. "Kenpachi will be fine."
"I knew that!" Yachiru said, sticking out a stubborn lip.
"I know, I know."
With ease, Yoruichi scooped up Rukia in her arms, thankful that she'd already shifted out of her cat form a while ago. Her breathing was weak, but steady, not the worst sign.
"Make sure not to tell any of those medics I was here, okay?" Yoruichi asked. Yachiru made a show of miming zipping up her lips and throwing out the key.
Yoruichi took off then. Thinking quickly about what her next move might be. Orihime was unconscious (from overwork, no less) so Yoruichi would have to take care of Rukia's wounds, no two ways about it. She only knew one place in the Soul Society that both had the supplies needed and was away from prying eyes, and that was the old Hideout.
Yoruichi could feel her nostalgia coming back in full force.
So…I realized after the last chapter that some of you were having fun theorizing about who the bad guy for this fic is, and with this chapter I can safely say that was something I decided not to change in adaptation. I thought about it once. There's an outline in some notebook somewhere about at AU where Urahara's the villain, but in the end I decided against it, and as the story goes on, I hope you will understand why.
Sorry to any who were looking forward to a villainous Urahara.
Also, I know Soldier Pills are a Naruto thing. I quite like them as a concept, and thought they would be useful so I'm folding them into Bleach's lore, here.
Want to fight me about the above or just say hi? Hit me up in the comments section. (They give me life.)
