I was so embarrassed, my body literally froze. I was paralyzed, and my bits were just out in the open, like fruit ready for the picking. I swear, I was like a statue—I was too mortified to even breathe; but then, I heard something I totally wasn't expecting from the doctor.
He was…laughing.
"Uh, just what is so funny?" I scowled as I turned around and tied my robe together.
"You are," He said as he got the last of his laughs out. "You honestly don't think that I haven't seen a women's body before? I'm a surgeon, for God's sake."
Part of me just wanted to lash out at him, but somewhere in my brain, there was a teenage me squealing in glee because he called me a 'woman'.
"Why are you here?" I crossed my arms as I leaned against the doorway, analyzing him.
Unlike me, he was dressed in 'normal' clothes: he wore a loose, long-sleeved, sleek royal purple polo with the top two buttons undone and underneath, some straight-leg navy jeans that hugged every limber and supple muscle on his legs. His slightly edgy ebony hair, that was oh-so-naturally-out-of-place yet rugged and sophisticated at the same time.
"I'm the person who agreed to take care of your wounds, free of charge? That ring a bell?"
"Right," I enunciated the last consonant sharply.
"Well?"
"Well what?"
"Aren't you going to invite me into your room? It'd be a bit too personal if I just barged in."
"You just saw me in my lingerie just a minute ago. I don't think it gets any more personal than that."
"Then don't mind if I do," The doctor nodded as he stepped inside and slid the door shut behind him. There was a bit of an awkward silence between us, but I shrugged it off as I hopped on the bed, hearing the giant, old springs creaking as I bounced on the mattress.
"Alright, now I'm going to have to check your wounds to see if they got infected. Give me your wrists."
I did as was told and gave the raven-haired my hands and he examined them with precision. His thumb moved over the crescent-shaped wounds in both my wrists. They hurt whenever they were touched, but they weren't as bad as yesterday; but once he put some pressure onto them, I yelped and jerked away my hand, clutching it to my breasts.
"Okay, your wrists are still healing. Now, let's see your back."
I blinked twice. "I-I'm sorry, what did you just say?"
"I said I need to see your back. For your wounds?"
"Oh, right," I swallowed my anxiety, reminding myself that this man was strictly professional and was only doing his job.
I turned away from him and shrugged one corner of the robe off, but I only heard dead silence. I look at him over my shoulder and gave him a blank stare. "What is it?"
"The wound is much bigger than that. I will have to see your entire back."
Oh, Lord, help me now. I already got enough guilt on my shoulders, please don't let me do something I'll regret with this guy too.
"And how do you figure that's gonna work out?" I asked.
"Just lay down on your stomach and I'll just take a look from there. Problem solved."
"Aren't you a smart ass," I mumbled.
"What was that?"
"I said all you needed to do was just ask," I coyly smiled as I lay down and slipped both arms out of the sleeves and shook them off, folding the arms underneath my chest.
As the doctor slowly pulled down the robe (though not that far) to examine my back, I felt the hairs on my skin prick up as his warm, callous hand touched it. I prayed that he wouldn't notice.
"You cold or somethin'?"
Crap.
"Yeah, it's kinda chilly," I nodded. "But how is it? My back, I mean."
"I'll actually need to unhook your bra, since it's in the way and covering a huge chunk of it."
And now, teenage me had passed out from a nosebleed.
"Okay," was all I could mutter, and I had to bite down on my lip while he did so, no joke. "And? What is the doctor's analysis?"
He was quiet for a moment, which made me slightly nervous, but then spoke. "I don't how this is possible, but it got worse. Far, far, worse. I'll have to put some rubbing alcohol on it and-"
"Oh hell no!" I shouted as I pulled my robe over my unhooked bra and sat straight up, gawking at him. "That stuff burns!"
"It's supposed to burn. But…" The man chuckled to himself. "You do know I was joking, right?"
It took me a minute to put tow and two and two together, but when I did, I couldn't believe that he had tricked me.
"That is not funny," I growled as I pounded his chest with my fists. "That is not funny at all!"
"Oh, it was hilarious. Actually, you're just perfect. Everything's healing up just fine, and your wounds are getting better. If anything, you just need some penicillin to treat any infections."
And now, the hare was going to trick the fox into the hunter's lair.
"Do you honestly mean that" I asked, locking my eyes with his Arctic blue ones. "Well, Damir? Is your patient as perfect as you say, or does she need a 'personal' prescription from the doctor himself?"
"If said patient requests it, then I suppose I could squeeze in an up-close and personal examination, say, now?" His husky breath trickles on my neck as he slipped an arm around my waist, never taking his eyes off of me.
I giggled as I licked my top lip. "Then what are you waiting for? I'm a patient in need."
"Then I have to give the patient what she wants," The chiseled man grinned mischievously as he leaned in forward to kiss me, but I held up a finger, which was the only thing separating us.
"What's wrong?"
I was having so much fun with this, I knew I'd hang this over his head for life.
"You know Damir," I looked down (batting my eyelashes every now and then) and sighed. "This doesn't feel right. We barely know each other, and you're taking care of my brother."
"But this can just be our little secret, Rukia," He whispered heavily into my ear . Damn, he was good.
"No, and not only that," I continued. "But I'm…I'm seeing someone at the moment."
"And where are they now?"
"In New York but-"
"He's a considerable distance away from here, so what's the problem?"
"The problem is that I can't do this."
"And why not, babe?"
Okay, now he's laying it on a bit thick.
"Because I," I muttered as my lips were only mere inches away from his ears as I slung an arm around his shoulder, bringing us closer together.
"Tricked ya."
I backed away from the man, and the second I saw his face, I burst out laughing and kicked my legs up with glee, like a child hooting, even when it hurts to do so. I didn't think I could pull the trick off, but the sheer success of it had cracked me up so much, I had to hold my stomach because it hurt so badly. Tears of joy and mirth trickled down the sides of my face as I caught my breath,
"Alright, alright," Damir held both of his hands up. "You got me."
"I swear, I was about to die when you said 'Then I have to give the patient what she wants'," I mocked him, seeing the start of a scowl on his face, but I couldn't help it—it was so funny!"
"Okay, I get it."
"Awh, is someone upset because their little 'pardner' down there got all excited for nothing? Poor bay-beh."
"Rukia, it's not that funny."
"No, it's not. It was friggin' hilarious."
"Okay, then I guess I'll just take my leave without telling you the important news I needed to tell you," He chimed as he went for the door.
"Wait, wait, wait, hold on," I hopped off the bed and pulled on his sleeve. "I'll stop laughing, I promise."
He turned back and shot me a questioning look. I gave him a dull one in return and he shrugged his shoulders. "Good, because what I'm about to tell you, it's not something to laugh about."
"Is it really that serious?" I piqued.
He nodded solemnly, losing all sense of humor he once had.
"In that case, let's take a walk. The cold air will help clear my mind."
I took the time to get all of my clothing in order before walking out of the room, but right as we're about to head out the door, my maid (there's too many of them, so I'll just refer to her as 'mine') saw us and gaped at me with wide eyes. I quickly sped-walk over to her, making some considerable distance between us and the doctor.
"I know it looks sketchy, bu-"
"Who's that?" The brunette looked over my shoulder and tried to hide the grin that was forming on the corners of her mouth all while giddily waving at him.
"That's the guy that I asked about earlier. But that doesn't matter. We are just going on a walk, and I just need you to keep quiet about this."
"Is he John?" She whispered.
"Oh, no, no, no, no, no! He's just a…an acquaintance!"
"But why are you leaving? It's cold outside."
"He and I just have some personal matters that need sorting out. But I should be back within half an hour. And if anybody asks, you didn't see anything, got it?"
"But what if som-"
"Got it?" I asked again, getting a hesitant nod from the maid. "Thank you," I said as I walked over to Damir and exited the house.
Oddly enough, there was a stone path that I didn't see before, so we took that road. Judging by the looks of it, it led up a mountain, but it was too dark to see the top of it. I took a look at the man next to me, and it was obvious as day that he didn't want to tell me the bad news, but I didn't rush him. By all means, I would've let him take his time. In fact, I kind of pitied him. Being a doctor, he must've had to do this countless times; and the fact that he's still like this after so many confrontations—it shows that he's a good person and actually cares.
"Dr. Milović," I began, but he held up a hand, cutting me off.
"Please, just call me Damir. We're outside of the hospital room."
"Well, Damir, I wanted to ask you how my brother has been doing."
He was quiet then, sighing as he put a hand through his spiky hair, and it was then that it hit me.
"Oh my God, that's what you had to tell me about, isn't it? What's wrong with him? He didn't die already, did he?"
"No, no, he's in stable condition. But this morning, when I went to go check on him, he had reported severe pains in his chest and shortness of breath. So I took a look at it, and the machine detected something, so I and a couple of doctors went to go take a look at him. He then admitted that he felt as if his back was on fire and he could barely talk at the time. Is this normal with him?"
"Yeah, he'd mention some pains a couple of times, but they would come and go, like a cold."
"Is he diagnosed with anything? Did he go to a doctor for his pains?"
"Why are you asking me this? Why not him?"
"He couldn't speak. He said it hurt to talk."
"Uhm, all I know is that he's diagnosed with asthma. As for his doctor visits, I'm not so sure."
"And have you visited him recently?"
"Yeah, a couple of days ago, but he looked just fine. I thought the only thing wrong with him is that he got shot."
"Well, yes, but that was before he collapsed."
"What? When was this?"
"Yesterday."
"Why didn't the damned hospital call me?"
"It said your number was disconnected. We checked what was wrong with him and as luck would have it, he has a heart tumor that has been blocking the airflow to his lungs."
"…I need a moment," I mumbled as I walked to the side of the road and steadied myself against the trunk of a tree.
"Are you okay?" Damir asked as he walked on over, but I shook my head and held my stomach.
"No, I'm not."
"You want me to take you home?"
"N-No, I just need to take all of this in."
"Just say what's on your mind. Rant."
I turned around at him. "You want me to rant? Fine. I'm sick of all of this craziness that doesn't make sense anymore—it's ridiculous! First, my brother got robbed and shot, and now I find out he has a tumor, a day after I was actually supposed to know, and who the hell is going to pay for all of this, hmm? Oh, and not to mention that my best friend that has known me my entire life is now pissed at me for seeing or dating or whatever the fuck his problem is about me and this guy, who I don't know shit about. And since my luck is just fucking fantastic, he's probably mad at me too, for dancing with this other guy that I met at this party too. And this other woman is too, because she thought that I was flirting with the guy I was dancing with, but now that I think about it, yes, I admit that I flirted! So what? The only reason why I was talking to the guy in the first place was because one, the party was full of fucked-up snobs and drunken, horny bastards, and he actually had some sense left in his brain; and two, me and the guy that I'm 'seeing'—I don't know what the fuck we are. Whether he just wants to deceive me, fuck me, and then cut me up or whatever his purpose his for talking to me. For all I know, this could just be one giant trick or something. I dunno what to do. But I and that guy didn't even kiss or anything at that lame party because, oh, guess what? There was a human bomb that went off in the kitchen that we were at at that same time. And the only reason why I was at that party in the first place is because this nice girl invited me to go, but she turned out to be a psychotic bitch that tried to murder me with a butcher knife and she kept on saying how I fucked up her life because I 'stole her man'. First of all, you insane nut, I just met you today, so how exactly did I ruin your life if I don't even know you? And I don't even know your 'man', but seeing what a insane bat you are, I don't blame him for leaving your deranged ass, you reject Barbie. But it's all whatever, since the world is mad at me, and I'm all alone. I was going to tell the guy, the one I'm seeing, about my mini-affair and apologize, but I'm afraid he'll-"
And right then, the doctor did something I would never forget for the rest of my life.
At my emotional climax, the point where I was the most insane, he knelt down and wrapped his arms around me, as the first tear fell. I crumbled like a cookie. As the fifth tear fell, the first sob came out, and the arm that was resting on my back moved its hand up and down in a soothing manner while the other one cradled my head like a newborn. All I wanted to do was just cry, and you bet your money I did just that.
I dug my head into his shoulder and my arms folded up against his torso. I couldn't help but feel that this was strangely familiar, but I shook it off while purging out everything I have been bottling up for the past month.
"I don't know what to do," I sobbed.
"Hey."
I looked up, and one hand held my chin tenderly as a finger wiped away the tears, but they still kept on falling, though their advance had slowed. His hand had stayed on the side of my face as those icy azure eyes looked at me with compassion, but he was distancing himself away from me…why?
"Feel better now?" He asked. I couldn't help but laugh, realizing the things that I had just said. I went with the simple approach and just nodded. "Good, because I'd like to think I helped some. It's a shame if I can't."
"Thanks…for listening. I really appreciate it, Damir."
"Hey now, it's no problem. You just have to tackle the biggest problems first. That way, your sailing will be that much more smooth."
"My biggest problem would probably be confronting my…uh…you know, my-"
"Boy friend?"
"U-Uhm," I stuttered, feeling my cheeks heat up immediately, and I turned away, wiping away that last 'tear' that actually wasn't there.
"Do you not like him like that?" Damir inquired, seriously this time.
"Oh, no, no! I like him…a lot, believe me. But I don't know if he is on the same page, much less chapter as me. No offense, but it feels kinda awkward telling a guy about my relationship."
"None taken. But as your boy/not boyfriend, don't sweat it. I'm sure that if you two talk it out, you two can work something out."
"Yeah, I hope so. I just miss the people and my friends back in the city, you know? It's hard…having that distance between people. And today, I wished more than ever to go back home. I need New York more than ever."
"So, why don't you just leave?"
A number of reasons popped into my head, but there was one that stood out from the rest, as if it was bolded, underlined, and sparkling.
"I can't…I won't leave here…until I finish a promise."
The doctor looked at me for a moment, almost a bit solemnly, and then nodded, accepting what I had said. "And how long do you think that'll be?"
"In all honesty, I have no clue," I shrugged. "The terms of it all are complicated, but I don't think it should last any longer than a week or so," I guessed.
"I see," He mumbled, staring at the ground while scratching the back of his head.
And it was then that it hit me.
The strangest image popped into my head: when the doctor scratched his head, I saw John doing that exact same action.
We were at that café, and I had just opened up to him a bit about my past and how I was a streetrat growing up. He asked me how long it had been since I left, and I told him I was 19 when I left that life. John then gave me the option of keeping the life I had, with him and Nel and everybody else, or just go back to the way it was. I didn't know what exactly he meant, but I went with the second choice (though hesitant) and then, he picked me up and hugged me, as if he hadn't seen me in an eternity and a half. It was almost as if I had selected the other one, I'd never see him again. Backing away, not realizing that he had gotten carried away (although I wasn't complaining), he was like a boy, blushing and staring off elsewhere. He scratched the back of his head, adverting his eyes to the ground—just like the doctor. Just thinking about John made me a bit empty on the inside, and dare I say, a tad depressed.
"I remember," I said, grabbing Damir's attention. "A couple of weeks after Matthew, my brother, had found me, I was so rigid and uncivilized, I thought that he'd kick me out for sure. In fact, that was my goal—to drive him to that point where he would loathe me so much, he couldn't stand it. I was about as cultured as an ape. But Byakuya didn't give up on me, like the rest of the world.
I remember, it was exactly one month since he had took me in," I paused, closing my eyes as I recalled the memory with the cold winter air kissing my skin. "January 7th, 2001. For the first time ever, I woke up, in a completely empty house. I panicked, thinking that he had just gone and abandoned me, as if I was an orphan all over again. I was furious. I was so hateful. I was so malicious; I just wanted to break everything in my path, as if I was some kind of monster of some sort.
And that's exactly what I did. The savage in me came out, and I was on a rampage. I went straight to his room and knocked over each and every little thing in sight and tore it in half. It was hard to find something that wasn't in one piece. And then, I came across this picture: it was taken in the spring time and it showed Byakuya and this woman smiling and laughing and they looked so…happy, it made me spit up my own envy.
'Why couldn't I live a normal life like them?' I thought. Enraged, I threw it on the ground and stomped the glass into a million little pieces. But in my rage, I didn't see the man that was standing in the doorway. It wasn't until he cleared his throat that I stopped and stared at him, with a gaping mouth and wide eyes.
Embarrassment. Humiliation. Guilt. I felt all of these in an instant as I looked up at him. He walked on over and I was sure he was going to beat my ass to a pulp; but instead , he just bent down and picked up the broken frame and stared at it for a moment.
'Sorry I missed you, I had some business to attend to," he said. I was skeptic, so I asked him what exactly he was doing. He set the picture down on the desk, with some shards of glass falling out and then asked me, 'You really wanna know?'
I nodded.
He pointed to the woman in the picture and said, "Today, I went to go visit her. Do you know who that is?"
I shook my head.
'Meet your sister, Hisana. She died two years ago. Today's the day she died, and I went to go pay my respects'," I swallowed as tears started to form again, and once I began, I choked.
"This had hit me like a hurricane. Was I really so blind and so selfish? I was at a loss for words—I didn't know what to do nor say. I looked at the picture and studied at the woman for a sec before looking back at my brother.
He then said, 'You know, it isn't the fact that whether or not someone's dead or alive that hurts people, but the distance between them instead. When you're with them, you really don't think twice about when they leave. But when they do, it hurts. And knowing the fact that the distance between you and that person is always going to be there, it's almost as if a part of you has been cut out, but there's nothing you can do except to move on'
What Byakuya told me that day, I haven't forgotten, even to this day. So, I promise, I won't be gone long. Long enough so that you'll miss me, but not so long that you'll forget about me. We'll meet again, I promise."
"You really set on staying here?" Damir looked at me for approval, and I nodded.
"Yeah, I have some stuff to settle here. But as soon as I go back to New York, I'll be sure to pay you a visit," I assured him with a smile.
"Then let me give you something before I go," The doctor muttered as he pulled me right next to him, hand 'round my waits and his fierce eyes locked on mine. His hands moved up my back as the gap between our lips shrunk, but right as he placed his lips over mine, I froze, making him stop in return. He backed away slightly, and his mouth was now hovering over my forehead and we just stood like that for a moment.
I sighed as I placed both hands on his torso and stared down at the ground. "I'm sorry, I just can't do this."
But it seemed that he wanted me to look at him, seeing as how he lifted my chin, getting the eye contact I was hesitant to give.
"You avoiding me on purpose or are you staying loyal to your boy?" The raven-haired man cocked an eyebrow.
I laughed. "A bit of both. Forgive me?"
"Hmm…no," He growled as he gave me a tight hug, holding onto me a bit longer than needed, but hey, I liked hugs.
"I'll visit you, I promise."
"You better. I'm sure your brother is concerned, being that he hasn't seen you in awhile."
"Don't you worry, I'll be back before you even know it. It'll be so quick, it's as though I had never left New York in the first place."
Or so I had thought.
"Well, in order for you to do that, don't you think I should walk you home? It's getting late and you might catch a cold an-"
"I'm a big girl, Damir. I can take care of myself. Besides, I kinda want to be by myself right now and think some things over. I hope you don't mind."
"Not at all. But don't stay out too long, or you might collapse from hypothermia like you did last night."
"Yes, father," I said mockingly as I bid him goodnight. "I'll see you in the morn' then."
"Alright, see you later, Rukia."
And with that, we parted our ways. I realized then that me and the man had walked a considerable distance, and the same hill from before was closer now. Perhaps this was the hill that Kyoraku was talking about? Either way, the stone road I was on looked like it led to it and I walked this far, I might as well finish this path.
Along the way, I took note of how serene my surroundings were. Every now and then, there would be a streetlamp illuminating the road with warm, yellowish glow, and the maple and seasonal trees to the side were down to their last couple of leaves. Not to mention that the moon was out tonight, and there was a fiery orange tint to it that made you want to stare at it all night. I know I could. It was beautiful beyond words. This was the perfect setting for a "romantic evening". Too bad I ruined that, twice, with the doctor. But I had a reason behind it. And a good one too.
Looking up at the knoll, I knew I had a ways to go before I reached the top. I took a breather on one of the trees nearby. I put up my long hair, along with my bangs, into a messy ponytail because it was starting to be a bother as of late. I had even thought of cutting it. It was 3/4ths of the way down my elbow and it was a pain to style. It was gorgeous, but a pain nonetheless.
If you're a girl, you know that we constantly re-do things over and over again, and I just wasn't satisfied with how it was put up, so I gave up and let it down, fidgeting with its ends.
And then, I heard a sound that made my entire body lock up with fright. It was some kind of guttural cry mixed with agony and animalism, followed by growls, snarls, and the same rustling in the bushes as before. I knew I had to get out of there before whatever the hell was behind those bushes got to me first, but my body wouldn't move.
"I'm gonna getcha," A voice said, but I didn't know if the thing was human or beast. It sounded like a monster, but thought like a human.
Oh no, the fuck you aren't, I thought and immediately jetted out of there like when a white man finds out he knocked a girl up. I took off and ran like a bat out of hell, but that thing had taken chase. With each step I ran, the beast's paws/claws would increase by double, and eventually it caught up with me as I felt talons shear into my backside, making me fall. There was no use in crying in anguish, since there was no one to hear my cry, so I just swallowed my pain instead. I wish it was easier said than done, because it hurt like a thousand stinging hells.
"Heh, you'll make a nice midnight snack."
I lifted my head up from the cold pavement and saw the behemoth right on top of me, nearly making me puke. It was a cannibal…or it at least looked like a human, but its gigantic claws and the disgusting tail that jutted out from its spine waned back and forth like a curious cat's. On the pale, almost translucent skin, there were these disgusting open sores and warts all over his body. How did I know it was a he? He was butt-naked, genitals and all.
But it was probably the look in his eyes that scared me the most. It was far from human. Actually, it leaned a bit more towards 'hell-bent' on the 'Just How Insane Are You?' detector. His eyes were pitch-black, like a Martian, and there were trails of dried blood still on his mouth.
"Oh, just you wait, my dear. I'm going to gauge out your eyes so you can't see the pain that I'm going to do to you. I'm going to rip out your tongue so you can't taste anything. I'm going to screw you a hundred ways 'til Sunday, and at the end, you'll be left without a head."
"You creep!" I shrieked as I kicked him in the face, getting a violent, and not-so-happy growl in response. But then I realized, how could he talk and not talk at the same time? I don't think he was faking—this was just too bizarre for that to be happening. However, that wasn't on my mind. At the time, I was trying to live. The beastly man licked his lips, revealing saber-toothed incisors, which looked like they wanted to rip some flesh really badly.
I gulped my anxiety and accepted my fate of being devoured, then raped (seeing as how his little buddy was "eager" to go) by a cannibal. I was going to die a lovely death. I braced myself for the inevitable and screwed my eyes shut as my entire body tensed up with fear.
"What have I become?"
What had happened then, I would have never seen coming in my entire life, much less my wildest dreams. It was so out of this world, I didn't believe it myself. But that was before I saw silver talons through the cannibal's chest. It croaked, and a waterfall of black gunk poured out of its mouth and onto me, making me scream in disgust. I looked at the corpse's eyes, and noticed that they were no longer black, and had reverted back to normal, which were white sclera with blue irises. The beast/human's body was then lifted up and thrown to one side of the woods as the claw shook it off, hearing the crash of the corpse break several trees. I gawked at the creature in front of me and I didn't know whether to be scared, or just simply amazed.
Standing there, right in front of my very eyes, was an ivory-scaled, ebony-maned dragon. A dragon, of all things! It was beyond beautiful, but I knew I probably looked like an idiot staring at it. Its body was more similar to a ferret's rather than a dragon's: it had no wings, and it had a long, slim body, but it had a mane trailing down its legs and lean arms and legs. It's deep, indigo eyes studied my closely for a second. But if this thing killed that thing, then it only meant one thing.
"Holy crap!" I shrieked, backing away from it as I got to my feet. But when I tried to runaway, the wyvern simply leapt over my head and blocked my path. I tried running the over way, but his long tailed curved around me, leaving me no exits.
"What do you want from me?" I yelled. "If you want to eat me, fine, just make it quick. And just so you-"
It growled, almost as if to tell me to shut the hell up. And I did just that.
The beast walked over to me and was literally a foot away from me. It was so close, I could see the rainbowy misty glare on each of its scales and the dark hues of the black and indigo in its mane. Everything about this creature was just majestic, I couldn't believe it was standing there, right in front of me. And then, even more craziness ensued.
As if things couldn't get any more weirder, the stupid necklace started glowing and floated up, and I immediately tucked it under my robe; but when I thought about it, I had no reason to hide it, in front of a mythological deity of all audiences. It was surreal, the dragon was surreal, and I was just plain weird.
I let it out and the dragon looked at the pendant with interest in his big, crystal eyes. I looked at it and lifted it closer to the creature's eye level so that it could see it.
"I know, it's an odd little trinket," I remarked as I looked into the swirls of sand and dust inside the shard. "But then again, I guess I'm an odd one myself."
It only stared at me for a moment, making me feel a bit dumbfounded.
"What?" I asked.
It gazed at me still, and then closed its eyes for a moment before snorting its nostrils. And then he (I'm going to assume it's a "he") just laid down, in the middle of a stone path and blocked my way. What possessed it to do such a thing, I didn't know, but I wasn't going to spend all night figuring it out.
"Excuse me," I muttered as I swung one leg over the beast's body, but when I tried to get the other one over, it then stood up on all fours and I had to grab its mane so I wouldn't fall off. Suddenly, huge gusts of wind started swirling around us, like we were in a mini-tornado. I shimmied right behind its head and clung onto its horns as the winds around us started getting faster and more powerful by the second until the dragon literally leapt off the ground and was gliding 1000 meters above the land. I had my eyes closed and was screaming the entire time. That is, until a fluff of fur flew into my mouth and made me gag.
But when I opened my eyes, it was un-believable. I was in the air, flying hundreds and hundreds of feet up in the air…on a dragon. If someone slipped something into my drink, I want to know just exactly what that is, because you never know when a good hallucination will come in handy. But the last thing I need to do is completely fucked up.
Everything was just…breath-taking. The mountains, the trees every single inch of the ground beneath us. I would've held my arms out to feel the wind of my skin, but…now that I thought about it, why the heck not?
Swallowing the chunk of fear that was wedged in my throat and slowly closed my eyes as I extended my arms out, elbows first, and then hands, and let go. I felt like that lady off of Titanic when she was at the edge of the liner, but instead of a gigantic ship, I had me a dragon. Take that, Kate Winslet.
I felt like I was on top of the world. No, not even that. I felt as if today was my last day, and I was living life to its fullest. All of my worries and stress—they were all back down on Earth. I was up with the moon and stars, smiling and laughing my days away.
And then, we came across something peculiar: on top of the hill, I saw its entire surface blanketed in this thick haze, and you couldn't see anything but the tops of rocks and rubble from this distance. But when the dragon started to descend, I then realized we were going down there, but why? What was so significant about the place that appealed to the creature? Either way, I was going to find out, whether I liked it or not.
The ivory reptile landed right in front of the gates, prompting me to get off. However, there was one problem—I couldn't. I was literally paralyzed with fear. I looked straight ahead and the gate…was that of a graveyard's. It looked like Death's home itself. Everything was so gloomy, so lugubrious, and so…dead. Although I couldn't see much from the entrance, I got that whole "eerie" vibe by just being there.
"Why are we here?" I looked up at the dragon as I got off, who simply turned his head in the direction of the gate and walked towards it.
However, I was too chicken to follow, much less walk, so when the creature noticed that I wasn't beside him, he wasn't amused. It only let out a warning growl and wrinkled its beige nose before strolling on into the yard, leaving me behind. I didn't like either idea, but I figured that being with a supernatural (but dangerous) beast is better than being in the woods alone where another cannibeast might attack me again.
I heard the ebony iron doors creak open, and turned around to see the creature push it all the way open with its silver claw. Though hesitant, I followed anyway and was slightly amused to see its tail swish back and forth like a curious cat. Strange, but cute.
As we walked, the fog had started to lessen with time, but I was still careful to watch my step. From what I could tell, the small rubble of grey that I had seen from the aerial view were actually gravestones, which caused an involuntary shudder out of me. Thing started to become more and more clear, and the place wasn't as bad as I originally thought. In a sense, it was peaceful. No life, just the crickets chirping and the occasional wind blowing through the trees' branches.
And then, I came across something peculiar. There was this strange mass of something entirely wrapped in ivy at the base of a bare tree. Piqued, I walked over to it and knelt down to get a closer look. I analyzed it and peered on all sides, seeing that it had a square-ish frame, but I still couldn't figure out what the heck it was. I couldn't see anything just by staring at it, so I ripped off the vines, but it took me a bit of time because the vines were really thick. I felt the eyes of the beast on me, but I kept on tearing the plants down, regardless if he thought I was some kind of crazie. But to my surprise, it was actually right beside me, helping me cut the flora. It didn't take long for the vines to be torn off with razor-sharp claws. And when it was all said and done, I was piqued by the little statue in front of me.
It was a simple dollhouse, a bit larger than usual (obviously) and it even had an adorable petite chimney and windows and all that jazz. Everything was sculpted to perfections, including all of the cute little details a dollhouse had. From the wood outside of the house to the small patches of grass on its front lawn, it was exactly like a dollhouse; and on the door, instead of a regular ol' number or knocker like most would have, this one had a heart on it. In fact, there was another heart on the doorstep too, but then I noticed something on the heart. I bent down to take a closer look at it and realized it was actually an inscription, which meant that the dollhouse was actually a tombstone.
She touched everyone a love so tender, it was believed that she was not human, but an angel instead.
It would only take a smile of hers to bring joy and happiness on peoples' faces.
Although departed, but always in our hearts, is Riruka Dokugamine.
"Riruka," I muttered to myself, hearing the name out loud as I stared at the grave. "It's a pretty name. Must've been used for a pretty girl."
I guess I got all caught up in the moment that I didn't realize I had that single tear in my eye. Wiping it off, I swallowed my anxiety and gave a quick moment of silence before getting up from the ground. I stared at it for a second and thought to myself who this girl really was or what she looked like or even how she liked her eggs, but this only made me slightly depressed. But I couldn't shake the feeling that there was something awfully "unique" (other than its appearance) about this grave. It wasn't about the fact of whether it was peculiar or not that caught my eye. Unlike the others, it just didn't feel like a headstone. It's almost as if this "Riruka" didn't die. I know I sound crazy, but there was something telling me that this girl wasn't dead dead, yet here I was, staring at her grave.
With a quick snort and a shake of its head, the dragon went on its way, and I followed it, even though I had no idea where it was going. In reality, I was more concerned with who or even what would jump out me rather than where we were headed. Hey, you can't blame me. How would you feel if some kind of demonic cannibal jumped at you and was trying to kill you and rape you on the spot, and next thing you know, a mythical creature kills it inches away from your face? Yeah, you'd be paranoid too, buddy.
Over time, I had started to calm down and slowly take all of this in, bit by bit. I mean, sure, it's hard, but what's the point in denying what's in front of your own eyes? And for some inexplicable reason, it seemed as if the beast was on edge and was really nervous about something, which made me nervous. If that guy was worried about something, then I should be worrying too. What could be so bad that made him so anxious?
And then, it stopped. At the crest of the hill, at the very top, the dragon just went completely stationary. Hesitant, I walked over to it and shot a curious look. When it saw me, it was almost as if he snapped out of a trance of some sort. I think my eyes were trying to fool me, but he almost looked…sad, but I didn't know why. Was there someone dear to him here?
"Why did you take me here?" I asked, clearing my throat to get his attention. It was even quiet then, letting out a sigh through its nostrils as it continued to walk off, yet again.
"Hey!" I cried. "I'm talking to you!"
But that didn't stop its course one bit.
"Don't you walk away from me! I'm talking you, dammit!"
"Shut the hell up."
"Why, I never!" I gasped. "If you're gonna tell me to shut up, at least have the balls to say it to my face!"
He froze in his tracks, and then, ever so slightly, turned his head in my direction, eyes full of shock. "You…can hear my thoughts?"
"May~be."
"But how? And why didn't you say anything earlier?" It blinked twice.
I shrugged. "I dunno. It all just happened one day, and I have no idea how the whole she-bang works. And I didn't even knew you had thoughts for that matter. Well, at least the human kind. Speaking of which, just what are you?" I raised my eyebrows.
"I am Kyuuaba, and I patrol this area for any supernatural occurrences conflicting humans, like your little confrontation with that Souless earlier. If I had been a second late, you would've been dead."
"Well, I should thank my lucky stars that a dragon, of all things to save me, came to my rescue," I scoffed.
"You should grateful that I didn't let that beast kill you! Where's your respect?"
"Out the window, just like my sanity right now."
"Regardless of whether you want to believe me or not, this is real. You may be thinking that this is just a bizarre dream, and that's fine, but you won't get anywhere by thinking all the complications in life are just nightmares. If you want answers, you're going to have to find them yourself."
I froze. "Are you here because of that?"
"Perhaps," It whipped its tail to one side, its edge slyly curving. "Or maybe I'm just your conscious telling you to do something about it. Either way, dream or no dream, there's something I need you for to see," Kyuuaba strolled to the massive willow in the center of the crest of the hill and into the doorway of hanging branches. They were so thick, I couldn't see him inside. I was quick to follow, but I wasn't as smooth nor graceful as the creature, so I had a bit of trouble entering; but when I did, I was mystified.
There was an entire myriad of butterflies with tails clinging on to the tree and flapping their wings, and they were like the tree's own light inside. When I walked in, there were a couple flying about, and one even flew right in front of my eyes. It showed every single color in the spectrum reflect on their wings, and I had to see it up close to realize their "tails" were actually just rods flowing from the ends of their wings. The one that had fluttered by was a black Swallowtail with a crimson ribbon on the edge of its flaps, with a bit of violet shining on the front. And in the centre of all of this, was the actual tree itself that cloaked this entire beauty from the outside world. There was Jasmine adorned all over, around, and even through the tree. I didn't know how a flower could overtake a willow, but it was possible, apparently. Kyuuaba walked on over to the trunk and stared intently at the heart of it. I was curious too, so I went to go see what he was staring at.
"What are we staring at?" I asked.
"There's something written in the tree, but I can't read it. Do you mind?"
"Sure thing," I nodded as I hopped over the tree's massive roots and approached the inscription. Interestingly enough the "text" that he was referring to was actually a craving inside the heart of the tree. I moved a couple of the hanging weeds out of my way, needing to squint at the tiny craving in the wood.
"And so the Princess tamed the beast. The beast of sheer chaos, destruction, and evil. With each step she took, a jasmine—the flower of elegance—grew in its place. With each laugh that came out of her mouth, a smile would be born. With each kiss she threw out to her people, one less heart would be broken. Our lady was our sun, shining down on us with her glorious rays which gave us life. And now she's been robbed of her life, we are no long alive. We seek death, since we have no reason to live anymore, but we're immune to the Reaper's scythe. Why her, not we?"
I paused, taking a sec to catch my breath. "Mournings of the Rukons. Is this some kind of poem?" I look back over my shoulder at the dragon.
"I suppose. Does it say anything else?"
"Oh yeah," I looked back at the tree. "Here lies Hisa…"
"…Hisa…what? Is that all?"
I gulped down my anxiety, but my bones still shook like an earthquake. My mouth instantly dropped and I was just staring at the carved name with eyes wide open. All control I had in my legs had gone kaput and I fell to my knees, in utter shock. My hands were the only things holding me up, and for the first time in a long time, I breathed.
"What is it?" The beast walked towards me with caution. "What's wrong?"
"What's wrong?" I laughed, and with each one, I got more and more insane by the millisecond. "What's wrong? What's wrong? What's wrong?, he asks. I'll tell ya what's wrong, buddy boy," I got up and looked him dead in the eye, swinging a finger to the wood. "I'm at my dead sister's fucking grave, that's what's wrong! But," I chuckled, getting out a couple more howls of mirth. "You knew all along. That's why you didn't answer my question. That's why you were nervous on the way up here. And you wanna know what else I 'found the answer to'?"
My shit luck just had to top it off by having the necklace start acting up again, and that was the last straw.
I grabbed it by the stone and yanked it off, hearing the chain break, and threw it into the ground in rage.
"That's it! I've had enough of this fantasy and dream shit! I sick and tired of nothing making any sense anymore! I'm done with it! I'm done with you, this stupid necklace, and this stupid dream! Can't I have a normal life?"
"But I-"
"JUST GET OUT OF MY LIFE!" I half-shrieked and half-sobbed. All in hysteria, of course.
The dragon stared at me for a moment before turning to exit the tree. An exasperated sigh escaped from my nostrils, and I crossed my arms with an almost silent 'hmph' as I turned my back towards Kyuuaba. But when I heard the sounds of ferocious winds and gusts beating up the silent air, I was alarmed, but paid it no mind.
However, it went on for some time. Then, I got a bit suspicious; but by the time that I climbed out of the jungle of plants, the commotion had died and left. Not a hair nor scale was left of the dragon. It wasn't until I saw the giant snake-ish shadow on the ground that I looked up at the sky and saw the creature, and realized he had abandoned me.
"Hey!" I cried. "You can't leave me here! How am I going to get back home?"
But it was no use—it had gone and left, stranding me in the middle of nowhere. This was just great.
At that moment, there was a crackling sound, like glass breaking and moving, and my ears twitched (you know how they do that sometimes) in its direction. I was curious, yet ready, just waiting to see what else could possibly top a dragon in a contest of the supernatural.
It came from inside the willow, and at the bottom (because the branches were so long, they were only an inch or so from the ground), there was this weird, pale light radiating from it. I treaded warily to the tree and moved pieces of flora out of my way gradually, in case whatever was inside would attack.
With the first string I moved, my entire body flinched the second I touched it, because it fell. I was paranoid that whatever was in there, it'd jump out at me with claws and fangs galore.
One minute…nothing.
Two minutes…nothing.
Ten minutes…nothing.
All the time, I kept thinking, 'Okay, it's gonna get me…now. Okay, maybe now….now? Maybe now.' And so on and so forth.
So, after whatever amount of time that I spent waiting for nothing, I was pretty much convinced that whatever was in there was at least asleep.
I proceeded with care and sneaked carefully into the willow, a bit careful about confronting it. Letting out and a quick and silent sigh, I cast away my apprehension and just charged in there like a bull gone wild—but I stopped immediately the second I saw a sharp edge catch the edge of my robe, nearly stabbing me.
In front of me was a flower where I had thrown the flower. Only thing was, this was no ordinary flower. This one was made of ice. Yeah, you heard me. Like the ice they use for wedding décor. Its was a little bit over my boobs (in terms of height) and inside the tundra petals that spread out like a pad, there were layers and layers of even more petals, like a lotus. And in the middle of all of it, was the necklace I had broken and thrown away.
I looked around and noticed then that the entire inside of the willow looked like a frozen forest. It was hard to believe that everything was normal just five minutes ago. Even the butterflies had been frozen, some in mid-flight. Poor butterflies. And it was all connected back to the four foot flower that stood in the middle of it all. String-like ribbons of ice coupled everything—from the insects to the branches, to the start of the flower's roots to its sepals. Only reason why I didn't notice it was because most of them were hidden all the way above me.
Carefully, I maneuvered my hand around the jagged edges and successfully retrieve the pendant. When I got it, I couldn't believe it—it wasn't broken anymore. In fact, in the same place where the chain had broke, the two chains had been molded together. It was still big, so I put it over my head, still wearable, no problem. The problem was how it got fixes and just where the heck this ice flower came from.
I had enough for one day, so I decided to I just needed some shuteye and everything would just poof away. I just wanted to go home. I tried backtracking where I cam from, but then I remembered I had "flown" to the graveyard, so my only option was to just follow my instincts.
Finding my way to the gate, I began walking down the stone path, which looked a lot like the one that led from the house, so I figured I must be heading in the right direction.
Along the way, I heard some strange rustling (déjà vu, perhaps?) in the trees nearby, but they weren't like before. They were much more quick and nimble, and they had a bit of silence in between their intervals. I turned around and saw a body running through the trees and took chase, thinking that maybe they could have some answers on how to get back home. Luckily, I was a good runner, so it didn't take long for me to catch up with the person; but they kept on running. And swerving. And turning, and it all made my head spin.
By now, we had been running for at least a couple of minutes, and we had started to slow, but the chase didn't end. That is, until the person suddenly turned around.
"Will you quit it?" She yelled in my face, with her wheat and beige rabbit ears standing erect a foot above her ears. Looks like I found a ringer to top a dragon—a talking rabbit humanoid. She had a human body and platinum blonde hair, with the exception of buck teeth, extremely long hands and fur ears. I wondered if she had a white cotton tail too.
"What?" I asked, blinking twice
"Is there something wrong with you or you just like stalking people for fun? Good God, what if I feel and hurt myself because I thought you were some serial killer? Yeah, you'd feel real bad, wouldn't you, knowing you did someone wrong. Jeez, what if I choked on air? I don't have anyone to save my life, and for all I know, there could be some hungry werewolves lurking around. You should be ashamed of yourself!" She shook her finger at me.
I put both hands up in protest. "I didn't do anythin-"
"You scared the Bejeebus outta me, that's what you done did! Stalking someone for your sick amusement—you're crazy! What if I creeped on you, all eerie and whatnot, hmm? Unless you gotta problem with me. Then we can settle it, rabbit to human. Just lemme file my teeth and nails and I'll be ready to go like Ali, floating like a bee."
"Uh, lady," I hesitated, not knowing how to approach her since it seemed like everything I said just backfired. "I wasn't stalking you. I was trying to ask you a question, but you kept on running. That's why I chased after you. I don't want to fight or anything, I just want to go home."
"OH! Why didn't you just holler?" The rabbit adjusted the tan cloth that was covering up her boobs and tightened the strings around her skirt. It was funny, but although she was part rabbit, she acted 100% human. Or more appropriately, a girl. "It would have saved us both the trouble of getting worked up for nothing."
Speak for yourself.
"I just need directions on how o get home. It's the only home-a human home—out there. Have you seen it?"
"Hmm…nope. But ooh, pretty necklace!" The critter awed at the jewel. "Hey, this looks really familiar. Where'd you get this?"
"A friend," I answered simply.
"You…didn't happen to pick it up somewhere?" She looked at me skeptically.
"No. Honestly, a friend of mine gave it to me."
"Uh-huh. Kiddo, lemme ask you something: do you even know what that stone's made of?"
"Blue topaz?" I guessed.
"Okay, sure, let's go with that. Say this topaz was extremely rare. Like, there's only one. Obviously, there's going to be a high demand for it. But with a thing being so popular, you're think that there'd be someone or something guarding it, right?"
"Yeah," I agreed. "But where are you going with this?"
"Hold on, I'm not done," The blonde held up a finger. "So what I can't see is how you got your hands on such an item."
"For the last time, my friend-"
"Gave it to you, I heard you just fine," She groaned. "But I don't think you're telling me the whole truth."
"Even if I wasn't, why should I tell you anyway? I don't even know who or even what you are, for crying out loud! And just why is this stone so damn special anyway?" I hissed as I held up the necklace, seeing immediate change on her face.
"You mean…you don't know anything about it?"
"No…should I?"
"Well," She laughed as she got something out of the pouch that was slung across her hip and toyed with it. "You're gonna find all about it, sooner or later."
"Wait, what do you mea-"
"Toodles!" She grinned as she threw down the bag, making a whole storm of purple powder to cloud everything in sight. I tried to keep my eyes open, but I could feel myself slowly succumbing to slumber. I looked around and saw that the she-rabbit had already fled, leaving me to choke and heave to my death in this violet haze. Eventually, I had gotten so drowsy, everything in my body had just shut down on me until I was simply lying on the ground, with my eyes slowly closing until all I saw was black.
So then, was it all a dream?
I was in a sea of comfort and heat as I creaked my eyes open, seeing yellow all over.
Too damn bright, I thought as I rolled over, away from the glowing ball of fire that was preventing my sleep. I wiggled around for a bit before closing my eyes and breathed calmly. Sleeping, take 2. Only thing is, I knew I wasn't going to get any sleep once I heard the sound of dishes breaking, followed by a fit of yelling from a bitch in the house. What a peaceful morning this was.
And then, I heard two taps on my paper door. "Rukia? Are you awake?"
I yawned, answering the maid's question. She slid the door open and then back again, and I stared at her lazily, since I was half-awake. The girl stared at me with huge eyes, and then out of nowhere, she hugs me, as if I'd been gone on some dangerous journey or sorts.
Oh, wait, does almost getting killed by a cannibeast not count?
"I know I'm not as "focused" as I usually am, since I just woke up," I mumbled as I sat up, staring blankly at the brunette who hopped on my bed with her two long brown pigtails and bangs. "But did I miss something?"
"You idiot!" She growled, grabbing one of my pillows and then swinging it at me, nearly making me fall over the edge of my bed. "You had me worried sick last night! You said you were only going to be out for 30 minutes, but no, somebody just had to stay out late and make me worry! Oh my God, Ginrei was furious when the doctor came back with you. He nearly-"
"Wait," I cut her off. "I cam home with Damir?"
"Oh, so now you two are on a first-name basis? Okay, I see what you two are really doing now."
"What are you talking about? Do you think…do you think that me and him hooked up out there?"
"…Didn't you?" The brunette titled her head to the side, like a confused puppy.
"God no!" Especially with him, of all people! He's my brother's doctor! And that's just disgusting. That, plus I was freezing my ass off outside."
"Then it's no wonder you passed out last night, dressed the way you did."
"I passed out? From what?"
"Hypothermia. The doctor said he would force you to bundle up next time, but he left that to us, since he's gone,"
"He's gone?" I asked.
"Yeah, he left this morning. He waited for you to wake up, but you were knocked out. But seriously," The brunette laid on her tummy, staring up at me intently. "What's going on between you two? I know there's something going on. You may not know it, but he's carrying a big one for you."
"Nu-uh," I gaped with disbelief.
"Uh-huh," The girl nodded with a huge grin on her face. "It was so obvious. I'm surprised that Master Ginrei didn't say anything to him about it."
"So, he went back to New York?"
"Yeah. He said that he wants you to come and visit him as soon as you come back, but…"The maid stared at the ground, tapping her indexes together in nervousness, hesitating to say what was on her mind.
"But what?"
"But…do you have to go?" She whined. "Your coming here is the most funnest and interesting thing that's happened here in a long time. It'd be all boring and stuff again if you left. A-And I still want to learn more about New York!"
"Awh," I leaned over and gave her a hug of comfort. "Don't you worry—I'll tell you everything there is to New York. And truth be told, I have no idea when I'm going home. The conditions of it all depend on the Old Man, so let's just enjoy it while it lasts, hmm?" I ruffled her hair.
She scowled at me, but then that turned into a somewhat satisfied/neutral grin. I was guessing she wasn't one for showing people how she really felt.
"Then I guess we will. But before that, I have so many places for you to check out over here! I asked the Master if I could show you around and he said yes! Can you believe it? I haven't been outside the house in years, and now to hear this," The girl laid back on the bed again, kicking her legs up and down in glee and squealed. "Oh my God, I'm so excited! Hey, can we go to the town? I wanna go visit the town, and the orchard, and all of the other places!"
"Oui, oui, we shall visit them all! I'd like to see the town at least one more time before leaving. And call me crazy, but I think you changed," I remarked, seeing a slightly cautious expression on the maid's face.
"Changed how, exactly?"
"Like, when I first got here, you were all quiet and shy, and now, it's like a complete 180. You're over here squealing and laughing, and actually calling me by my first name-"
"Oh!" She gasped, putting her hands to her mouth. "I'm sorry, I completely forgot! I was just so happy, I forgot my duties!"
"Screw your duties," I waved my hand. "You're much more fun like this."
"Well," The maid cleared her throat, and tried to hide the smile that was tugging at the corners of her mouth. "I better go get your breakfast ready and then," She said as she pointed a finger to me before exiting my room. "You will have to tell me what happened between you and Dr. McDreamy last night."
"Wait!" I shouted, and she immediately opened the door again, looking at me with a puzzled look in her eyes.
"Si?" Her pigtails swished as she poked her head back in.
"Riruka Dokugamine," I said. "That's the name I picked out." There was such a sudden silence, I kinda felt like an idiot for just randomly blurting out a name out loud. "But, ya know, it you don't like it, it can always be changed-"
"No, no," She sniffled as she turned around to wipe a stray tear. "I love it. It's a pretty name."
"Then it's settled. You are officially Riruka Dokugamine, and you better tell the Old Man that, you hear me?"
"Oh my gosh, thank you so much Rukia!" The brunette beamed with glee, nearly breaking my back in half with a hug and gave thanks once again while exiting, her giggling and hooting still audible from a distance, putting a smile on my face. I felt good about helping her out. But I'll keep the part about where I got her name hush-hush. Maybe I should've put ivy or something over the dollhouse, just in case.
The events of the night prior played in my head, and I was questioning myself if they really happened. I knew the part about me leaving with Damir was true, but the other part of the tale…did it just go poof? Maybe I was dreaming and all of that fantasy and being attacked by a cannibeast never happened. Maybe Kyoraku slipped something into my drink while I was visiting him. He did look a wee bit shady…but does that mean everything was a dream? Kyuuaba, the dollhouse, Hisana's grave, were they all in my head?
I got out of the bed and tried to clear my head as I brushed my hair as I stared at myself in the mirror. My eyes then caught the necklace, analyzing it, almost as if to patrol it and stop it from acting up again. But it stood still.
Trying to forget about it, I sighed and walked away from the mirror and headed for the closet, but then, I felt something weird on the back of my neck. I figured it must've been some lint or something caught in the chain.
I turned it around to see what was wrong, but when my hand touched something rock-like and hard, and not lint-like, I didn't know what to think. I slowly took my finger off of the necklace, and my mouth instantly dropped. There was the same mold on the exact same place where I broke it.
Which meant that Hisana's grave was real.
This meant that there was an actual dragon with me last night.
So…
It wasn't a dream.
Author's Note: Hey boos :D Happy late Christmas/Hannukkah/Chinese New Year and all that jazz, I hoped y'all had a good one. Anywho, next SP chapter, we're going to be going to see how our friends back in NY are doing and Rukia's going to be finally going home, but when her welcome back goes horribly wrong, it's not only our little midget who's traumatized. But before that, I'm going to let y'all know that I'll be taking a little break from SP, and once I get a chapter (each) for LPF, TNB and finally finish a (HichiIchi) one-shot I'm writing for my friend, then SP will be back in business. The next chapter will kind of be like, a mini-filler, but not really. I just get tired of Rukia and I need change, ya know? AND, KEEP YOUR FINGERS CROSSED FOR MY FOR GETTING INTO EARLY COLLEGE:D I really hope I get accepted. Dammit, now I done rambled again.
READ, REVIEW, AND ENJOY~ !