Well, I'm back! I've finished my pilgrimage, am currently suffering jetlag, and felt super inspired to continue this story. I'm publishing this from a different computer than usual, so if anything is off, please just tell me. I haven't gotten quite used to this one yet.
Enjoy!
Part I
Rukia felt… nervous
She was standing in front of the wide doors of the hideout, manga clutched tightly in her hands, and for some reason she felt nervous. It was weird, really. She hadn't felt like this when coming on other days, not even when she was coming for a fight, but now, coming in to simply relax had her pausing, feet shuffling in place as she tried to just…
Open the goddamn door!
The door swung open without prompting, forcing Rukia to take a giant step back.
"There you are!" Mashiro said with a grin. "The others were starting to wonder." She was notably out of her usual onesie, instead wearing her more casual exercise wear.
"I thought today was a lazy day in," Rukia wondered aloud.
"It is," the Visored agreed cheerfully. "I normally jog at six, and it's almost eleven. I'll be back soon, though. Volume three of Fruits Basket is calling to me!"
The human cracked a smile. "Have fun, I guess."
"Rukia. I'm training my body and mind to work at maximum efficiency. Of course, I'll have fun."
Offering a wave and a grin, the green haired girl sped off, and without really noticing it, Rukia felt a good several degrees more at ease.
Confidence growing, Rukia fully stepped in the door. The very first thing she heard was the sound of a heavy guitar riff, a male singer that she didn't recognize accompanying it. On second thought, haven't I heard this on the radio before…?
"Eyy, you're here," Aikawa said from his lounging position on the couch. Beside him Rose acknowledged her with a simple nod, Hirako shot her a grin from his spot on the floor, and Sarugaki, leaned against the bookshelf and flipping through a copy of Dragon Ball didn't acknowledge her at all.
"Sorry I'm late," Rukia said quickly, plopping down on the rug. "I ended up sleeping in." It wasn't intentional, either, something that was pretty rare for her. She made up for it by doing some Hakuda training on the way. (She didn't fall down even once!)
"It's fine. Shinji was sleeping until about five minutes ago, so you're alright," Rose said casually, or at least he tried to, smile hidden poorly behind his book. Rukia could hear Sarugaki's muffled chuckles.
"Ha, ha, ha," Hirako sounded sarcastically. "Just read your fuckin' book."
Everyone laughed at this, Aikawa reaching down to nudge him playfully on the shoulder. Rukia chose to hide her hint of a smile behind her book, using that moment as an excuse to finally crack it open.
Her eyes scanned across the art of the first page, the chuckles died down, and within seconds Rukia found herself sinking easily into a wholly unfamiliar atmosphere.
As it turned out, there was something incredibly satisfying about sitting on a ratty carpet, flipping through manga, and listening to a rock album. Otherwise, it was near silent, though, no one so much as saying a word. (Occasionally Aikawa made a sound or two in reaction to whatever was on the page, Rose jabbing him in the side for it almost every time.)
Outside the sun was shining, but here she was in the cool and shaded shelter of the warehouse, comfortable and at ease. It was during this peace that Rukia allowed herself to get lost in the first volume of Cardcaptor Sakura.
The story was pretty simple. A young girl gets tasked with finding escaped magical cards that caused chaos around the city. Hijinks almost always ensued.
It was lighthearted, cute, and honestly Rukia liked it a lot. She wondered if she could scrounge up enough money to buy the other volumes sometime soon…
Then, Sarugaki raised her head, hastily putting the book in her hands on the shelf behind her. A focused expression went on her face as she gazed at the wall. Shinji reacted soon after, cursing under his breath as he slammed his copy of Chobits on the ground.
"You're kidding me," Aikawa grumbled. Rose simply clicked his tongue in annoyance.
Rukia was the last one to catch on. Well, maybe "catch on" wasn't the right way to put it, not when "it" hit her with the subtlety of a metal baseball bat.
There were Hollows, powerful ones, not too far away. The fact that this was the same time Paku and Renji tended to patrol only made her feel that much worse.
Before she even realized it she was already grabbing for her Soul Candy dispenser. She was out of her body, a frightened looking Gikon holding her manga and trembling in place behind her. In the meantime, the Visoreds talked amongst themselves.
"…isn't normal, Shinji," she heard Sarugaki say in a low voice.
"I know, I can sense it, too," he grumbled. "We need to be cautious. Hiyori, you're with me. The rest of you are on standby. We might need backup, here."
"I'm coming, too!" Rukia interjected.
For a moment Hirako just stared at her, considering. He finally asked, "You can use your mask right?"
"Yes," she said confidently. Internally she felt much less sure.
"Good, you'll need it."
Part II
"Too easy!" Paku declared. Her body extended into a languid stretch as the quickly disintegrating remains beneath her feet disappeared. Dang, she was getting pretty good at this.
Nervously, Keigo peaked around a large half-destroyed tree. "Got it?"
Paku nodded, a wide grin on her face. "Now, gimme, gimme!" she urged, sprinting towards him. He tried to meet her halfway, but only made it about one tenth before she descended upon him.
He held out their treats, the popsicles (blueberry for her, strawberry for him) that he'd left to get just as that ginormous Hollow first appeared. She reached out for one, taking his hand for the journey as she brought the popsicle up to her face taking a giant bite out of it.
His face turned about as red as his popsicle in the span of a second. Paku noticed, of course, and burst out laughing, hand still tight on his own.
"C'mon," she said, tugging his hand towards her, "let's find somewhere to sit that isn't covered in splinters."
They didn't bother going very far before just sitting down under the first shady tree they found. Paku chose then to finally take her popsicle, taking a grateful second bite.
"Mmmmmm!" she squealed, hand to her face. "It's sho good!"
"You do realize these are just convenience store popsicles, right?" Keigo asked with a crooked smile. "They costed like a hundred yen."
"So?" Paku questioned with a pout. "You humans take way to much for granted…"
She positioned herself protectively over her treat, cheeks puffed out, and lips turned pink from the cold. This had Keigo's heart pounding for reasons he had trouble articulating beyond the simple:
She's just too damn cute!
An impulse went through his head, then, one that he didn't give himself time to consider. His mind went a little blank. He took one bite of his popsicle for courage, and he leaned over, kissing her right on the cheek.
"Cold!" she yelped. She brought a hand over it so quickly Keigo almost flinched at the sound. Then, slowly but steadily a blush crawled up her neck. Nailed it, he thought smugly.
She shoved against him, pout turned angry, though there was little malice in it. She didn't draw away after, though. Instead she settled against him, head against his shoulder as she averted her eyes.
He felt so goddamn happy he wanted to scream. That'd probably be a total mood killer, though, so he didn't. Instead he just settled carefully against the tree, a huge dumb smile on his face.
A sound tore through the air, the resulting BOOM! like the impact of a meteor. The trees shook, Paku's hair whipped around wildly, and within a second the Mod Soul was on her feet, a bewildered look on her face.
"What the hell was that?!" he yelled.
"Hollows," she hissed out, and then after a moment added, "…I think."
"You… think."
"I've never felt one like that before!" she snapped.
Her hands were trembling, he realized. Her eyes were darting towards the impact and then away to the comparatively safe streets in the distance. He'd seen her fight a lot of Hollows in the last couple of weeks. He'd never seen her react to one like that.
"If you see a powerful Hollow… run," Rukia had said. The words rang through his head right then, and for a moment he considered grabbing Paku's hand and dragging her right to the street.
She faced the impact sight, taking a step forward. "Let's go," she said shakily. Despite everything she had determination in her eyes.
He looked back at the street and then back at her.
"Okay," he said.
The ran for the impact site, unable to see much through the brush and trees. Whatever it was they were looking. For, it had crashed to the ground hard, and almost foolishly, Keigo found himself looking up to the sky, as if that would provide any answers.
As it turned out, it did because in the sky he saw a slowly closing crack, the other side leading to an indiscernible abyss. He just about fell over his feet, and well, could you blame him. This was some eldritch shit, right here.
(Oh sue him. He liked a bit of American Literature. That book was maybe the one he'd read in school that didn't make him fall asleep, and that was because after reading it he was so scared he couldn't.)
(No, he was not stalling!)
It took him a moment to even realize they'd reached the scene, not because it wasn't absolutely obvious, but because for a moment his mind didn't want to realize it.
(It turned out he wouldn't be sleeping tonight, either.)
The two arrived to what used to be a picnic area in the middle of the park. "Used to" because all Keigo could see of it now was a five meter wide crater, nearby park goers collapsed around it either groaning and unconscious or aware and deeply confused. A few closer to the center of it weren't moving at all.
In the middle of the crater were two men, though "men" might not have been the right word for it. They didn't look like any people that Keigo had seen, after all.
There was a large one with tan skin, ridges in his head, and a terrifying grin. Beside him stood one of a much more normal build, the other "man's" polar opposite in just about every way. He was slender and pale with a sullen expression, his piercing green eyes scanning the area.
Both were in white, both had a piece of what Keigo recognized as a Hollow's mask attached to them, and both had holes right through their chests. Yeah, they definitely weren't "men."
"Are you shitting me?" the large one groaned. "How the hell are we going to find one pathetic human in this fuckin' place."
"There are only three humans of notable strength in this sector of the World of the Living. The rest are utter trash," the other said. "It shouldn't be difficult."
His eyes swept across the field in an instant, stopping solidly on Keigo and Paku. That alone had Keigo breaking out into a cold sweat.
Were his legs shaking? He was pretty sure his legs were shaking.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" the large one asked with a grin. He took a step forward, and then another, and for some odd reason Keigo's vision started swimming.
The other one scoffed. "Trash," he spat out. "A few steps in his direction and his Spirit's on the verge of collapse."
Collapse, huh? He… he kind of believed him.
Keigo could hear his own harsh panting, could feel himself tremble as this monster approached. He couldn't move. He could hardly goddamn breathe, and by the time the Hollow got within reach black spots started dancing around in his vision. His legs buckled, though he barely felt his knees hit the ground, barely saw the fist coming down on him.
He did see Paku's terrified eyes twisting and warping into something else entirely. He definitely saw her block that fist's path with one powerful leg.
"Don't touch him!" She kicked away the arm, sending the Hollow back with a growl and a frown, and suddenly Keigo could draw in a shaky breath. His vision steadied slightly, enough to see clearly her leg turning a nasty red as she placed it gingerly behind her. It probably wasn't supposed to bend like that, right?
"Ulquiorra!" the large one growled out. "Is she it?"
"Yammy, if you'd ever bothered to improve your observational skills, you'd realize that this one wasn't even human. It is trash, too."
Yammy's grin came back in an instant.
"Keigo," Paku urged, "I need you to run, okay? Go find–!"
The Hollow was on them in an instant, his giant meaty fists in the air. They had slammed down on Paku before she even had time to react, the force flinging her across the field and into a tree so hard that it broke.
"PAKU!"
Keigo was running at her, never mind how he still couldn't feel his legs. He stumbled and all but refused to fall. His sight blurred as he skidded to a stop right in front of her.
(That might have just been tears, though.)
He took in her labored breathing as well as the blood seeping through her white blouse. He wanted to pick her up and run. He was too afraid to even touch her. The Hollow was right behind him and he knew it.
He lowered his head.
"Dance! Sode no Shirayuki!"
The Hollow screamed in pain.
Part III
Rukia's chest heaved, breaths coming out harshly but steadily as she pointed her Zanpakuto at her enemy. She had run in without even looking, but taking a gander at him now didn't clear up any of her questions or confusions.
He had the Reiatsu of a Hollow, even the hole of a Hollow, but she'd certainly never seen a Hollow quite like this one. Caution was key, in this case. Mentally she reached for her Bankai.
Eyes catching on a still frozen Keigo, she stopped herself just in time. She didn't want her own lack of control to make that earlier turn of phrase painfully literal.
"Next Dance!" she shouted instead. She swung her sword, saw the moment that the Hollow's eyes widened in surprise, his free hand tensed in pain over the one that Rukia had managed to freeze solid. With an angered growl he dodged back, finally out of reach from her injured friends. She jumped forward, landing into a solid stance in front of the two
"Run," she growled. "Get Paku somewhere safe."
He didn't say anything, maybe couldn't judging by how white his face had gone. He nodded shakily, gathering the Mod Soul in his arms before darting for the trees.
From the corner of her eye she could see Sarugaki, a dangerous look on the girl's masked face as she pinned the slender looking Hollow with a sword to his neck. She wasn't sure where Hirako had gone, and—
Shit! Where'd the other one g—
In the next moment she was on the ground. She didn't even feel herself fall, and fuck she should have been paying more attention…
Her ears were ringing. Her shoulder hurt like hell and something wet just slid down the side of her face that she didn't want to think about.
Through her spinning vision she could finally see Hirako, grappling with the giant Hollow, slashing at him with such intense speed that her vertigo only got worse in her attempt to follow them.
"Stay still!" the Hollow yelled. He brought his fist down on where Hirako was just a split second before, the ground underneath buckling. Judging by his surroundings he'd been at this for a good while.
Hirako blurred forward, and in the next moment a frozen arm was lying on the ground as a Hollow screamed in pain. It took Rukia a second to even realize what had happened.
"Y-you little shit!"
"I'm surprised you're still standing," Hirako said, humor clear in his voice.
It was probably time for Rukia to get standing, too, wasn't it?
Rukia raised herself on her palms, a hand going for her still activated Shikai. The moment her vision steadied, another hand going up to brush away the blood that had gotten in her eyes (she could already hear Madarame chastising her) she whispered out her command.
"Third Dance."
The effect wasn't huge. Her sword simply extended a centimeter or two, but it would give her just the boost she needed to make her next move count.
With a thought she pulled down her mask, and like magic her vision steadied. She ran into the fight, greeted by Hirako's look of pure glee.
The two danced around the Hollow, dodging blows and watching as he grew more and more frustrated. He had just about the foulest mouth that Rukia had ever seen but didn't seem terribly creative about it. He just flung curses alongside punches, rocks, and kicks.
It wasn't too long before those curses had left him turning into unintelligible snarls. Now this was the type of Hollow she was used to.
Just as she thought that the corner of her mask cracked, a sharp pain stabbing through her head. Great, she was out of time already. She'd better finish this, and quick…
There! Right there, she could see, as clear as day, he left his stomach open. Eyes sharp she dove in, readying a killing blow. She glanced up just in time to see the Hollow's mouth open, energy gathering inside for a clear Cero.
Rukia was jerked back by her collar, Hirako throwing her behind him just as he released his own similar attack. The two met in a blaze as hot and bright as the sun. The sound was indescribable. She didn't even realize her mask had left her until after the fact.
The air settled, the heat died down, and heart pounding Rukia opened her eyes, looking up at Hirako.
She saw a piece of his mask fall away, disintegrating before it had the chance to hit the ground. It was then that she finally noticed the ground around them, as cracked, caved-in, and burned as the crater that now marred the center of the park.
She gulped heavily, suddenly very glad that she had someone like Hirako there with her. The Hollow wasn't so pleased.
"What the hell?!"
"Deflecting a Cero with a Cero," Hirako said with a shrug. That movement was all it took for his mask to fall away entirely revealing a smug toothy grin. "Not the cleanest solution, but hey, if it works…" He brought his sword up beside him, grin widening. "Now, I think it's about time we finish this, eh, Hollow. Collapse! Sakana—"
Hirako choked on his words, suddenly grappling with the Hollow's previously inactive ally. Eyes widening he jumped back, dragging Rukia with him by the front of her robe.
The pale Hollow stood in front of his ally, eyes cold and sword drawn.
"Ul…quiorra?" the large Hollow gasped out. The next moment had him gasping in pain, his ally's fist buried in his stomach. Hirako stilled, brow furrowed.
"You idiot," Ulquiora scoffed. "This man is Shinji Hirako. He's far above your skill level. At this rate we're going to lose…"
He extended a hand behind him, and suddenly the air parted revealing a portal, misty and dark.
"…Unless we escape, that is."
Hirako barked out a laugh. "Really? You're just going to run?"
Ulquiorra's face remained impassive. "Take this as a kindness. You have wounded allies to see too, after all. Besides, we've accomplished our mission."
He stepped back into the portal dragging his moaning partner with him, the Hollow's frozen arm slung over his back. Fading into the darkness, his green eyes nearly glowed, and with a shiver Rukia realized they were looking right at her.
The door closed with barely a sound.
"AGH!" Sarugaki cried. She slashed through the portal just a moment too late, stumbling as her sword went through air. The remains of her mask fell away then, revealing a nasty gash along her temple, blood running down to her chin as well as a look chock full of rage.
She spun around, sword pointed at Hirako.
"Why the hell did you let them get away?!"
He sent the girl a pointed look, allowing his Zanpakutoto disappear before bending down to Rukia. With one hand he brought her to her feet and with the other he steadied her when it looked like she was going to fall right back down.
"Because, Hiyori," he started steadily, "that Arrancar had a point, and despite what he said, I'm not confident I could have beaten him."
The last statement had Rukia's mind stuttering (though that might have been her concussion and oh geez she's going to throw up isn't she?)
Sarugaki scoffed, her own sword disappearing, a hand coming up to wipe away the blood on her face. All she managed to do was smear it further into her light blonde hair, though.
Hirako let out a shaky sigh. "We've gotta take you two to Hachigen."
"But… Paku… Keigo…" That was all Rukia managed to get out before having to slam her mouth shut.
"…Huh?" Hirako questioned.
"She's talking about that human and his Mod Soul girlfriend," Sarugaki said with an eye roll. Barely suppressing a stumble she leaned back against a tree, eyes on the ground.
"Oh, yeah," he said, scratching his neck. "That girl wasn't looking too hot, was she?"
"They'd be headed to Tessai's if they were smart, and that boy didn't look like he had too many brain cells on him," she muttered.
"I have to go to them," Rukia said, stronger this time. "I'm not even sure if Keigo knows who that is and… Paku needs help."
"That plan of yours involve getting yourself looked at any time soon?" Hirako huffed out.
Rukia looked up at him, somehow glaring even with her unfocused gaze. After a moment or so Hirako broke away, exasperated.
"Fine! I'm sending Mashiro after you, though."
That was all the approval that Rukia needed. With a nod she ran ahead, hoping that she was headed where Keigo and Paku were (hoping that her memories weren't as scrambled as… everything else right now). Almost immediately she heard something that had her paling.
"…oh god, oh god, oh god…"
With a sharp inhale she ran to the voice.
"Please wake up… Why aren't you waking up?!" Keigo's voice cracked at the end, and in that moment she realized she never wanted to hear him like that again.
The moment Rukia reached them, Keigo stiffened, arms tightening around Paku and visibly ready to bolt. In the meantime there lied Paku, stiller than Rukia had ever seen her.
"Keigo," Rukia said calmly. She hoped she wasn't slurring her words here. "Do you know where the Shiba Shop is?"
"Rukia!" he cried. His mouth seemed to finally catch up with his brain, there. "I…" he stuttered for a moment before nodding furiously.
"We need to take her there," Rukia half mumbled. "They can fix her… understand?"
He nodded again.
"Lead the…" She trailed off, eyes squeezing shut as the earth tilted. Adrenaline gone and effects of the mask faded away, Rukia felt like she'd just been hit by a train.
Keigo must have understood, though, because barely a moment later he was picking Paku up and running to the edge of the park. Rukia chased after trying to keep her stumbling to a minimum.
A mere few minutes later and they were there. It was so fast Rukia wondered if she'd blacked out somehow mid way through. Still, it was a relief to see that dusty front lot. Seeing Ganju sweeping the porch, his eyes widening as his broom fell out of his hands almost had her crying.
Then, she was falling.
Part IV
Keigo's hands were shaking. Rukia was unconscious on a cot against the wall. His girlfriend/partner-in-crime had just been carried off by some large man he'd never seen before. There was blood on his shirt and oh god it was hers oh god oh god oh god—
He squeezed his eyes shut. He tried to breathe.
The sound of the door creaking open was what snapped him out of it, and with bleary eyes Keigo looked up to see the other weirdly large man that seemed to live here, the one that caught Rukia right when she passed out.
That man looked at Keigo carefully, seeming to be sizing him up.
"So…" he started suddenly, voice deep and gravely. "You're the one, huh?"
"The…" Keigo's voice croaked, "…what?" The man sat down next to him a hand tearing the bandana off his head to sweep up the sweat that had built up on his neck and chest.
"The one Paku won't stop talking about," he said plainly. "You know, she even wants to go to school for you, right?"
"…R-really?" Something in his heart warmed at that. Just as quickly it clenched. The man visibly grimaced at the reaction.
"C'mon," he sighed out, "Don't be like that… She's a Mod Soul, remember. Worse comes to worst we'll have to get her a new body and you'll be carrying her around as a stuffed animal for a day or two."
Keigo sniffled. "…Is that true?"
The man averted his eyes so quickly that Keigo found tears welling up in his eyes all over again.
"Okay! Okay!" the man rushed out. "It's not that simple, but she'll be alright! Tessai's one of the best, so you really don't need to worry."
Keigo's shoulders slumped, a few tears escaping. He'd never felt this drained in his entire life…
The man frowned, scratching the back of his neck.
"You should go home," he said sadly. "Get some rest. She'll be back on her feet soon."
Keigo shook his head resolutely, sniffing so loudly it was as if he was trying to suck all the tears and snot back in his face by sheer force of will. "I'm staying," he said. "I'm not leaving this spot until she's awake."
"…Suit yourself, kid."
The man went silent after that, gaze settling on Rukia while Keigo chose to just look at the ground.
He almost died today. That fact was finally starting to sink into his thick skull. Paku had gotten even closer.
What's even worse? He couldn't do anything. He couldn't fight, he couldn't run, he could barely even move. He was completely useless against that… that thing.
Were those really the monsters that his classmates went up against every day?
Keigo wasn't a fighter, he knew that. He didn't even want to be one, not after that. What he wanted…
What I want…
He wanted to not be so scared.
He wanted to stay out of crazy super-human fights.
He wanted Paku to be alright.
…
A second quiet creak startled Keigo awake. He sprung up from the wall, a quick hand wiping away the drool on his chin. He glanced around, saw that Rukia's cot was empty, looked up to see—
It was a one-armed woman, one that if Keigo weren't a taken man he might have dogged after pretty much immediately. He had to remind himself that she more likely than not settled into that crazy super-human category that he really didn't want much to do with anymore.
She looked down at him, face a mixture of exhaustion and amusement. He tried to meet her gaze unflinchingly.
"Paku's finally out of the woods," she said.
Keigo nearly slumped over in relief. The man next to him gasped out, "Thank the gods." The woman let out a humorless chuckle.
"She might not be on her feet for a while, but it looks like our work's going to pay off. She should be awake pretty soon."
One of his wishes would be granted today, it seemed.
Arrancar arrive! I can't even tell you how excited I was to have this as my first update after the break. I, like everyone in this fandom, LOVE the Arrancar. I have a lot of plans for them, and the fact that I can finally kick those plans into motion makes me unreasonably happy.
(It's not like I'm fishing for Arrancar centered comments or anything… It's not like your comments give me life or anything… b-b-baka! UWU)
((kill me))
