Damn, I am NOT looking forward to the upcoming exams! But at least one of them involves a creative project, so I guess I have one of the three sussed. Now, all I have to do is slave away at all my notes and books. Crud. EXAMS SUCK!
Chapter 16
Inferno
"Ta-da!" Ren exclaimed with outstretched arms complete with jazz hands. Behind her was a pretty large house with red bricks, spotless doors and windows and a small front path that had a patch of grass on either side, making it look as if it has just been cut. In short, the entire house looked brand new. And, noticeably, there was a sign behind the wall in front of the house that said "For Rent". Toshiro and the other Soul Reapers stared up at the house.
"A house?" Renji said, looking at it from roof to foundation.
"Yup." Ren nodded, still smiling.
"And you kept this hidden why?" Toshiro asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I didn't keep it hidden, I just forgot about it." Ren insisted.
"Same thing."
"Nuh uh."
"The sign says it's for rent." Rukia said, noticing the sign. "I guess we'll have to go to this company on the sign."
"Paperwork?! Aaaaaw!" Rangiku whined.
"Oh. You don't have to do all that." Steph said.
"Yay! No paperwork!"
"We don't?" Rukia said. Steph shook her head. "Why?"
"I own it." Ren said simply, turning around to face them.
"…" The Soul Reapers all went blank faced after hearing that. Even Ichigo was dumbfounded. "Eeeeeh?"
"W-W-W-Wait a second, Ren." Toshiro stuttered, suddenly inches away from Ren and a look of sheer confusion on his face. "When you say "own", does that mean it's…it's yours?"
"Yup."
"You're the landlady?"
"Yup."
"You're the legal owner?"
"Yup. Is that a problem?"
"The problem is how you could forget something like that!" Toshiro exclaimed
"Well, it hasn't had much interest since that family that visited in November, and with all that's been happening since meeting you, it kinda slipped my mind. But, since you have new friends here, they can have this place."
"Ren, you really are one in a million." Toshiro sighed, hanging his head. Seriously. Nobody can just forget about something like this. It was unheard of! But, as he could clearly tell, Ren broke the boundaries of normality yet again.
"It's ours?" Renji said, looking at the building again. "This house?"
"That house." Ren nodded. "It's got a living area, a dining room, a great kitchen with modern appliances, five bedrooms, four bathrooms, and a big back garden, so if you wanna practice, then that's the perfect spot. There's also a field behind there if you wanna go someplace that' private."
"It's perfect." Rangiku said with a smile, clapping her hands together.
"We can't thank you enough, Ren. It's amazing how you could own such a place under your name."
"It's no surprise, Rukia" Ren said as Rangiku, Renji, Toshiro and Ichigo admired the house.
"Really?" Rukia said, turning around to face the house.
"Yeah. I am the village head's daughter, after all."
"Village head…" Renji said slowly.
"Daughter…" Rangiku said in an equally slow tone.
"That makes sense." Toshiro said.
"Hm." Ichigo agreed. Silence. Steph looked from the Soul Reapers to Ren, wondering how long it would take for them to process what Ren just said.
"WAIT, WHAT?!" Everybody except Steph and Ren exclaimed, spinning around to face Ren, who wore her usual blank and innocent face,
"Oh. That took a while." Ren said simply.
"You've gotta be kidding me! You're the village head's daughter?! He has a daughter?!" Ichigo exclaimed, pointing at Ren.
"Yup." Ren said. "Wow, I think that's turning into my word for the day."
"Wait, what's the village head?" Renji asked. "Captain Hitsugaya?"
"I don't know." Toshiro shrugged.
"Allow me." Steph said, smiling proudly at her time to shine. "There are five villages in this general area. Oakworth, Woolfield, Portsbury, Millsdale and Hazelford. Tom and I live in Hazelford's neighbouring village Woolfield, Nathan lives in Oakworth and Ren lives right here in Hazelford. Each village has its own council, and each one is led by a village head. They themselves have their own council, where they make the final decisions concerning the five villages. The village head has power over the village they live in, and the role is passed on from generation to generation. Even if they do have more privileges than most people have here, they're actually equal to everyone else, and act like any other villager, so it's not like we have a feudal system here. As I was saying, the village head's responsibility is to relay any decisions made in the council and by the village residents to the other village heads, where the ideas are discussed and either approved or rejected." Ren placed a hand on Ren's shoulder. "And Ren's father is one of them."
"Why didn't you tell us?" Toshiro asked, a little frustrated that Ren hid something from him. Again!
"You never asked." Ren said simply. "It's kinda obvious, if you ask me."
"I mean, why else do you think Ren lives in a big house?" Steph asked.
"It's not that big. And besides, how else do you think the students and teachers all know who I am? Plus there's the fact I'm a landlady when I'm still in my school uniform, which is one of the privileges of being the village head's kid. I thought you'd at least be able to figure that out."
"I give up." Toshiro said flatly, feeling pretty stupid for not noticing the signs that seemed so obvious to Ren. It was clear now that Ren had very different ideas to him on what it meant to be normal.
"Any questions?" Steph asked.
"Yeah. When can we move in?"
"So glad you asked, Rangiku. I happen to have the key!" Ren took a keychain out of her pocket and tossed it in her hand, where it jangled from the keys and vast frog key rings attached to it.
"Wait, so you forgot about the house, yet you carry the key to it with you?" Renji said, confused.
"Yeah. This has the key to pretty much everything I own. This is the key to my bike lock, this one is for my locker, this is for the back door, and this one opens the front door, this one-"
"I get it, I get it." Renji groaned, not wanting to listen to Ren go over her keys.
"Aaaaaand, here is the key to your new home. Come on in, and I'll give you the tour." Ren opened the front door and entered the house. "Don't be shy. You're gonna live here, after all."
"Come on, you two." Rukia was the first to follow Ren, and Renji and Ichigo followed after her.
"Sorry we didn't say anything, Toshiro. But, it doesn't really have anything to do with White Raven."
"I know. I'm not bothered about not knowing. What does bother me is how Ren is always hiding things from me."
"She does it for a reason. And you know it."
"Yeah." Toshiro said with a sigh. "The sooner Ren lets me in, the better."
"Just be patient." Steph said, and she went towards the house, and Rangiku followed her.
"Come on, Captain." She said cheerfully, already halfway up the path. "I wanna call shotgun on my room, already."
"Coming." Toshiro said in a rather dejected tone. He began to make his way towards the house, but as soon as he got to the gate, he stopped.
That feeling again… He thought. It's the same as last night. He looked to his right. All he saw was the empty road and houses. To his left was virtually the same. Nothing out of the ordinary whatsoever. If so, then what is it? It's not a Feather; that feeling is different. Toshiro looked behind him at his back. My back isn't burning, so it's nothing to do with Ren or Ryuki. It must be White Raven. But who? Is it one of the Twelve Masters?
"Caaaaaaaptain."
"I'm coming." Toshiro said in an annoyed tone, briskly walking into the house and slamming the door behind him. Meanwhile, in the shadows, Epona was watching the entire thing. She pulled her hood down, a hint of frustration in her sad eyes. She had more allies. Now, it was going to be even more difficult to get Ren alone. But, Epona will come up with an idea. She had to. Ren was the only person in the way of her goal. She will not fail. No matter what.
A tour and a couple fire alarms later
"Bon appetit!" Rangiku said happily, gesturing the food laid out on the table. It all looked extremely unappetising, if not unusual, and the Soul Reapers and the two humans stood around the table, looking down at it with faces that were both disgusted and nervous.
"This doesn't look edible." Renji muttered, poking at a fish head with a fork.
"I think living with Orihime has affected your culinary skills." Ichigo said, looking closely at something that looked like bread.
"I swear I saw something move in there!" Ren said with a very freaked out expression, pointing at a bubbling pot of what appeared to be stew.
"Aw, come on! You try cooking with whatever's in the freezer!" Rangiku exclaimed.
"Well, it's not like the food is expired. I checked the packaging." Ren reasoned.
"Yeah. I'm sure it just looks bad." Steph agreed.
"Oh! Almost forgot!" Rangiku picked up a bowl containing a beige liquid and placed it in the centre of the table. Everybody peered at it, not quite sure how to react. "It's for dessert."
"It that ice cream?" Ren asked.
"Nope! Sponge cake! Um, I mean, it was." At this point, a couple of bubbles rose up from the liquid and popped loudly.
"!" Toshiro held back a barf. He was going to have to taste something worse than Orihime's cooking all over again!
"Well, let's not let this go to waste. Rangiku worked hard. We should at least have one bite after she offered to cook lunch for us."
"Ren, I appreciate your kindness, but you have no idea how bad her cooking is." Toshiro said, ignoring the fact that his lieutenant was shooting him a glare.
"Okay, how about this. If it's awful, then I'll cook dinner for you all."
"Deal!" Everybody yelled, their forks at the ready. Sure, they had no idea whether Ren was bad a cooking or not, but at this point, they were all willing to take that risk. So, with that in mind, they each took a forkful of whatever was handy and ate it. Silence followed, their forks still in their mouths. Ren was the first to remove her own fork.
"Um…" She started. "Race you to the toilets!" She yelled, and with that, she left so quickly, there was literally a Ren-shaped hole left behind where she once stood. Likewise, everybody besides Rangiku left the kitchen promptly, a clatter of forks hitting the table being the only evidence that they were there.
"Ah! Where's the bathroom?!"
"I can't remember!"
"There's four of 'em!"
"Where?!"
"Second to the right, end of the corridor, first to the left, one of the rooms is en suite and there's a toilet under the stairs! Don't go there, though! It's mine!" Right after this, there were hurried footsteps and a door slam.
"This one's mine!" A door slammed, followed by several others
"Let me in! I order you to let me in!"
"Taken!" Footsteps. Knocking.
"Occupied!" More footsteps. More knocking.
"Engaged!"
"Yes! Found one!" A door slam.
"Toshiro, let me in!"
"That's Captain Hi-"
"Not now, Toshiro!"
"Fine!" A door clicked open and then was promptly shut again.
"I need a bucket! I need a bucket! Yes!" Silence. "Oh, wait. It's gone." Steph entered the kitchen, holding a red bucket in her hands and a relieved look on her face. "Um, thank you for the effort, Rangiku."
"?" Rangiku looked at her food in confusion. She took a fork and had a bite of one if the dishes. "It tastes fine to me."
"I'm sure everybody is just not used to your…refined skills." Steph said, choosing her words carefully.
"Why is it green?!" Ren's voice exclaimed.
Several minutes later
"Urgh!" Ren groaned, rubbing her forehead "Now that is an experience I wish to never repeat."
"You said it." Toshiro sighed, completely drained.
"I swear I'm hallucinating." Renji grumbled, collapsing on a sofa in the living room with a half-dead look in his eyes.
"I think it's apparent that Lieutenant Matsumoto shouldn't provide the food."
"I already came to that conclusion. So, is there anybody here who can even remotely cook?" Ren asked. Silence. Rangiku raised her hand. "Let me rephrase that. Is there anybody here who can cook edible food?"
"Aaaw! That hurts!" Rangiku whined.
"No offence, Rangiku, but we need somebody who can put food on the table, not barf in the toilets."
"Ren has a point. We need everybody in top form if we're going to fight White Raven, and that means no poisoning."
"Yes, Captain." Rangiku sighed, admitting defeat.
"Now, pur-lease tell me one of you knows how to cook." Another silence.
"I know a few things." Ichigo said, raising his hand up.
"Great. Ichigo is the cook." Ren said, clapping her hands together.
"Hey, hey, I said I know a few things. I'm not that great."
"But it's the best we've got. Don't worry, Ichigo. I know plenty of things about cooking. I'll give you some pointers."
"After that ordeal, I don't think your cooking is any better." Renji muttered. Ren glared at Renji, then she was instantly behind him and punched him behind his head before jumping back and sticking her tongue out at Renji while he rubbed his head.
"I'm the landlady, so I decide what's what."
"Well, if you have faith in me, then okay." Ichigo said with a little uncertainty in his voice.
"Great! Now, what's in the fridge?" Ren almost skipped over to the kitchen area and opened the fridge door, looking inside.
"Well?" Steph asked.
"Nothing, nothing, nothing and, oh, what's this? A big packet of nothing!" Ren closed the fridge door, scowling.
"Really? Nothing?" Toshiro said, dejected.
"Nope." Ren opened the fridge door again. "Just this box of baking soda." Ren produced said box and waved it around for all to see before putting it back in. "What about the freezer?" Ren looked underneath the fridge and opened the lower door. "Nothing." Ren closed the door and folded her arms with a huff. "That's odd. I could have sworn there was a lot more here."
"Rangiku…what exactly did you cook?" Toshiro asked slowly.
"Well, um…you see…" Rangiku said nervously, fiddling with her hands. She counted herself lucky that he didn't have powers right now, otherwise the entire room would suddenly get very cold. But, even without his powers, Toshiro's glare that was barely a borderline on rage was still intimidating. "I wasn't sure what most of it was…or how to cook it…so I just…I just threw in…every…thing."
"Everything you say?" Ren said slowly. Rangiku flinched and turned around to face Ren, who had an intimidating angry smile on her face. On Rangiku's right was a white haired captain with an icy aura. On her left was a human who looked like she wanted to cremate her right there and now.
"Yes…Everything." Rangiku squeaked, smiling.
"RANGIKU!" Ren and Toshiro simultaneously yelled.
"UWAAAAAH!" Rangiku jumped behind a sofa, hands on her head and prepared for the worst. Just as she was finished saying her prayers, the frightening auras were gone. Nervously, she peered over the sofa, and Ren and Toshiro had suddenly calmed down and had seemingly not noticed how she was cowering behind the sofa.
I think my captain has rubbed off on Ren. Rangiku thought. She's really scary when angry.
"This isn't good." Ren said with a sigh, scratching her head. "It can't be helped. I'm going to go down to the store and get some more supplies." Ren disappeared from the spot. Seconds later, she was back, and she had her green handbag across her body, and she tossed what looked like a car key in her left hand, only it had a charm that looked like two cherries, complete with a little plastic leaf, attached to it. "I'll be back in less than half an hour. I'm keeping the receipt though, 'cos the cost of this is getting added to your rent." Ren said firmly, pointing at the Soul Reapers with the car key.
So harsh! Everybody but Steph thought, sweat dropping.
"Don't destroy the house while I'm gone." With that, Ren disappeared from the spot again.
"Wait, how could she teleport?" Ichigo asked, pointing at the spot Ren was moments ago. "Her lightning Shackles weren't on."
"Ren could teleport before." Steph explained. "I saw her do it a few days ago. I guess it's faster when she has her Lightning Shackles on, you know, speed of light and all."
"Captain Hitsugaya, while Ren is gone, you have some explaining to do." Renji said, now less nauseous than he was before. "Who exactly is Ren? And what in the hell is going on?"
"Very well." Toshiro said calmly, leaning on the wall with his arms folded. "As you can tell, Ren is not like ordinary humans. She has her own powers that even I don't know much about. So far, she can use small abilities like sensing the Feathers and purifying the Feather cores." Toshiro took out his own small bag of Feather cores and threw it on the small, wooden coffee table in the centre of the room. "In there are some of the cores Ren has obtained. They only appear after the Feathers have been defeated. We have too many, so we've divided them up equally, so she has some, and so do I. We think there is another use for them, but we don't know what. However, we are still collecting them. If the core is silver, then Ren has to purify it with her touch, and it turns gold when purified. If they aren't gold, then there is a high chance the Feather will come back at a later point with no injuries. Besides the Feathers, Ren has other abilities. She can implant memories into other people, which is how Ichigo and I are able to live here. Doubtless, she'll do the same for you three, as well. She can also teleport, as you can see, and she has other psychic powers like telepathy. More importantly, she can also use something called Elemental Shackles."
"Elemental Shackles?" Rukia repeated.
"What are they?" Rangiku asked.
"I don't know much about them myself. All I know is that Ren has the potential to wield all of them. I don't know how many she has, or if there is more out there that she possibly doesn't have. Right now, what I know about them is that they give Ren jurisdiction over a certain element depending on which Shackles she is using."
"How many does she have right now?" Renji asked.
"Three. One is the Lightning Shackles, which you saw this morning when she fought those Feathers. She can also bring out a katana as her weapon when using those Shackles, and the sheath is just as lethal. I have used the sword myself in battle, but I can't draw out the lightning capabilities, so I doubt you could. Then, there are the Wind Shackles. Their weapon is a fan that looks like it's made of wood, but it's just as deadly as a sword and can produce wind at will. Finally, there are the Fire Shackles. I don't know what the weapon for them is yet, but they are Ren's most used Shackles, and she can use them to fly."
"Lightning, wind and fire." Rukia said thoughtfully.
"What other elements is there, Captain?"
"I'm not sure, but they might be water and earth if I should make an intelligent guess."
"Why does she have those powers?" Rukia asked. "She mentioned something earlier about reincarnations. Is that something to do with it?"
"Probably. It's not definite, but White Raven is suspicious that she is linked to a certain somebody. Her name is Zena, and she is the princess of a world called Cielvia. It resides hidden somewhere in the Earth's sky, but nobody knows where, as it is currently frozen. But, one thing is definite. I am gaining powers that are almost similar to the abilities Ren has."
"What do you mean, Captain?"
"I mean that I am linked to all of this."
"!" The three new Soul Reapers could not hide their reactions. They said nothing, but their wide-eyed looks silently told Toshiro to continue, so he did.
"I am the reincarnation of a person named Ryuki, who is Zena's Heavenly Guardian. Her bodyguard. Ryuki is currently frozen in Cielvia, but he has appeared through me. However, when I return, I have no recollection of what has happened. The only way to tell if it is Ryuki is that he has two birthmarks on his back. If you see them on my body, then it is Ryuki. As a result of Ryuki appearing, I am gradually gaining his powers. I don't know them in detail, but he can wield another Elemental Shackle called the Ice Shackles."
"That somehow makes sense." Rangiku said. Everybody nodded in agreement.
"He might also have similar powers to Ren, but I don't know yet." Toshiro decided to keep silent about the premonitions he had. He wanted to keep that one to himself. For now. "As for Ren, Zena also appears through her occasionally. When she does appear, markings appear on her forehead. Four dots." Toshiro indicated by tracing a vertical line on his forehead with his finger. "And, Ren also has no recollection of what has happened while Zena is here. But, you must not tell her about this. She only knows that she might be linked to Zena, and that's as far as I'm letting it go."
"Why?" Ichigo asked, confused. Toshiro closed his eyes.
"Just don't tell her." Was all he said. The Soul Reapers exchanged looks, but they looked back at their captain and nodded.
"We won't say a word."
"Good." Toshiro moved away from the wall, and picked up the bag of Feather cores so that he could pocket them again. "Ren and I are trying to figure out how to get our powers back right now."
"And have you found anything?" Rangiku asked.
"…" Toshiro hesitate for a moment. When he pocketed the cores, his fingers touched the Amber that he carried with him. The Amber that Zena's spirit gave to him. The Amber that was restoring his powers. He could tell them all about it. He could tell them all that there was a way. And yet, his answer is…
"No." Toshiro said. "My powers are coming back, but it is only because of Ryuki's influence."
"Damn." Renji hissed, snapping his fingers. Toshiro felt bad about lying, but Zena herself requested that he kept quiet, so he was trying his best to respect that wish. But, it still left behind that bitter taste that came after telling a lie to his friends and especially to Ren. No wonder Ren was so honest.
"So what you're saying is that Ren is the best ally we have." Rukia included.
"Yes." Toshiro nodded.
"I'm sure our powers will return sooner or later." Ichigo said, trying to get rid of the gloomy atmosphere. "That aside, I guess I'm living here now, since I'm supposed to be the cook and all."
"I can help you with your stuff." Steph said, realising that she had stayed silent for a long time now. "Toshiro, there's another room left over. Do you want that one?"
"Actually…I'm staying with Ren."
"What? Why?" She asked. Toshiro glanced away for a moment
"It's just…There's something I have to do there."
"…" Steph smiled. She knew why he was staying. He wanted to know more about Ren. It made her happy to know that somebody was actually showing an interest in Ren.
"And besides, I'm the main target of White Raven." Toshiro said briskly. "It's best I stay near Ren in case we're attacked."
But, like most guys, he's too shy to show his feelings. Steph thought, closing her eyes while smiling to herself.
"Smart move." Renji said, nodding to himself.
"But, that room will always be open. Just say the word." Rangiku said with a smile and a wink.
"Thank you."
"I'm back." Ren said, suddenly appearing next to Toshiro.
"Dah!" Toshiro was so surprised that he tripped over his own feet and fell over. Rangiku had to stifle a laugh behind her hand for fear of invoking his wrath once again. Now that she knew about the Ice Shackles, there was an even bigger danger of the room freezing over.
"That was fast." Ichigo said.
"What are you talking about?" Ren said, confused. "I've been gone for about half an hour." Ren looked at her phone. "Fifteen minutes. Huh. That's a new record." Ren pocketed her phone again. "Anyway, the stuff is in the car. Renji, fetch."
"I'm not your dog!" Renji snapped.
"But you're my tenant, and you will do as I say."
"Or what?" Renji challenged.
"Or I'll increase your rent for this month, which might be a problem, considering that the receipt will be added to your invoice after Rangiku's kitchen faux pas."
"Okay, okay. I'll get it." Renji said quickly, standing up and leaving the room.
"You'll need the key." Ren said, dangling the key by the cherry charm. Renji stormed back, snatched the key out of her hand and briskly waked back out, grumbling under his breath. "It's the red car." Ren said loudly before she heard the front door open. "So, do you guys know about what's going on?"
"More or less." Rukia nodded.
"I know we have a few gaps in our knowledge, but over time, they will be filled. I'm also trying to figure out a way for you to get your powers back, and I'll definitely let you know when I find one."
"…" This remark suddenly made Toshiro feel guilty, and his eyes looked away from everybody, not wanting them to see his guilt.
"If you have any more questions, you know where to find me."
"Actually, we don't even know where you live." Rukia pointed out.
"You don't?" Ren blinked a couple times. "Whoops! My bad!"
"Honestly…" Toshiro sighed, standing back up again. That was embarrassing. "See that house just over the field? That's Ren's."
"Ooooh, okay." Rangiku said, looking out the window and potting said house.
"Almost…almost…there! Whoa…alright…I'm in!" Renji, in that instant, staggered in, carrying so many white carrier bags filled to the brim, his vision was completely obscured. He wobbled a bit before he dropped the dozens of bags on the ground, wiping his brow with his arm. "Phew!"
"You know, you didn't have to carry them in all at once." Steph pointed out.
"Che. This I nothing." Renji said with confidence.
"Thanks for doing that, Renji. Don't try to put them away. I'll take care of that." In that instant, the carrier bags all floated off the ground, and with mere glances, Ren put the food and other supplies away in cupboards, containers, the fridge and freezer, all while humming The Sorcerer's Apprentice to herself. In less than a minute, everything was put away after the entire kitchen was filled to the brim, and the only evidence left behind was several carrier bags in one big pile, and a long slip of paper that Ren made float in front of her before taking hold of it. She then placed it in her pocket for later use and the cupboard and the fridge-freezer closed simultaneously.
"Hang on a second, if you could do that, then why did you make me carry them in?!" Renji demanded.
"You're not here to be lazy, Renji."
"That's slave labour!"
"That's pulling your weight. That goes for you too, girls. I'm going to make an errand list for you guys. You will take it in turns to do certain chores, be it cleaning or shopping. Actually, Rangiku, you'd better not do that job."
"Why not?"
"'Cos you'd just buy alcohol. That's right. Shiro has told me all about you. I will not have anybody wasting money on booze."
"You're only saying that because you don't drink alcohol." Ichigo said, folding his arms.
"Uuuu! That's got nothing to do with it! Besides, you haven't even touched alcohol since coming here! Anyway, I think all the repairs and stuff should be attempted by Renji, and if he can't fix it, then I'll call someone in."
"Why me?!"
"'Cos you look handy."
"You're just giving me all the hard jobs because you hate me!"
"What? No!"
"No?"
"No. I don't hate you."
"You don't?"
"Nooooo. I'm just not that excited about your existence."
"That's the same thing!"
"No it's not."
"Yes it is!"
"No it's not."
"Says who?!"
"Says me."
"I get it! It's because our names sound the same! That's it, isn't it?!"
"No. Yeah. Sorta."
"Aha! Gotcha!"
"Shut up, Red Pineapple."
"Don't call me that!"
"…" Throughout the argument, Toshiro barely listened to Renji's loud yelling and Ren's calm retorts. Instead, he smiled a little, as he was still uncomfortable about everybody seeing their usually stone-faced captain with a soft side. If only this kind of peace could last a little longer. But, knowing the situation they were in, that was impossible. Still, he was going to cherish each moment like this with his subordinates. With his friends. With Ren. Especially Ren.
…
Monday, 9.30am
"Hey, guys!" Ren said cheerfully, standing in the common room just in front of the doorway. Tom, Steph, Ichigo and Toshiro were already in there, yet Ren had just entered, Renji, Rangiku and Rukia following. All of them were wearing the same uniform they wore during their time in Karakura, with the exception that Rukia wasn't wearing the red tie.
"What's with that uniform?" Ichigo asked.
"To be honest, I used up most of my money buying food for you all, so I couldn't sort out their uniforms. But, they're pretty much the same, so it's fine. I "persuaded" Mr Watson to agree."
"Does that mean you used…?" Toshiro trailed off. Ren nodded.
"It's just like you said Captain! She just talked, and then these vibrations travelled out, and then boom!" Rangiku outstretched her arms, making her exposed chest bounce a little. "As soon as we left the room, everybody suddenly knew who we were."
"I told him they were exchange student, so that makes up for the tattoos Renji has." Ren looked over her shoulder at him. "I still don't understand why you won't let me cover them up."
"I am not wearing any of your make up! I'd rather die!" Renji exclaimed.
"And that's not the only thing that's wrong." Ren, with an embarrassed look on her face, jumped back and pointed at Rangiku's overly exposed chest. "Can't you make an effort in covering yourself up?!"
"Is there something wrong with it?" Rangiku asked, blinking innocently.
"Don't try that innocent look on me! Fix it! Now!" A pause. Rangiku moved her hands to her shirt, but instead of doing the buttons up, she undid one more. "That's not what I had in mind!"
"It's fine, Ren." Toshiro said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "That's the way she is." Toshiro suddenly noticed how Ren was staring down at him. "What?"
"Shiro…I think you've grown."
"Eh?"
"Hey, yeah." Steph agreed, standing up from the table she and Tom were sitting around. "Before, your spikes were down to here. Now, they're up to here." Steph indicated with her hand, first about Ren's ear length, then moving it to the top of her head. Tohsiro looked up at Ren. She was right. Ren seemed a little shorter than before. And, looking in his reflection on the window, the tips of his spiky hair were indeed up to Ren's head level. He had finally grown. He did wonder why his trousers seemed to be getting shorter.
"My captain's grown!" Rangiku cried happily, voicing what Toshiro had just thought of. She immediately hugged his head, forgetting about how big her chest was, and his face got buried inside it while Rangiku jumped up and down happily, ignoring Toshiro's flailing arms and muffled yells. "It's finally happened! You're growing! You're growing!"
"Captain Hitsugaya!" Rukia and Renji yelled at the same time.
"Don't kill Shiro!" Ren grabbed Toshiro's shoulders and pulled him out, and he promptly took out a long gasp for air before sighing from relief. "See? That is yet another reason why you need to do something about your uniform. They're not just breasts, they're death traps!"
"Sorry! Forgot!" Rangiku apologised, smiling happily.
"And she is your lieutenant why?" Ren asked Toshiro.
"Sometimes, I ask myself that question, too."
"Here's some cash. You might need a new uniform if you get another growth spurt." Ren handed Toshiro a few twenties, and he placed them in his back pocket. A benefit to Ren's generosity.
"Heads up." Tom said, looking at his watch. "First period just finished."
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
"Hey, are those the new transfer students?"
"Whoa! Look at that chest!"
"And what about that red headed guy?"
"He's not ginger?"
"Whoa. I guess there are people with red hair."
"Like Rihanna?"
"I meant natural red."
"Oh."
"What about that other one?"
"Yeah. She's kinda cute."
"Just my type."
"I wouldn't make the moves if I were you. That red-head is glaring at you."
"He kinda looks like a pineapple, don't you think?"
"Ha-ha-ha! Yeah! A red pineapple!"
"SAY THAT AGAIN AND YOU'RE DEAD!"
"Dah!"
"Renji! Try not to pick a fight, you fool."
"Sorry, Rukia."
"My. They sure are popular." Ren said with a smile, folding her arms. In mere seconds, the three newcomers to the school were surrounded by many sixth formers, boys and girls. Rangiku was lapping up all of the attention, while Rukia immediately put up the friendly transfer student front that Ichigo was all too familiar with, while Renji just scowled and shot glared at any boys who tried to talk to Rukia.
"Say, where's Nathan?" Toshiro wondered, looking around for that blonde hair he loathed.
"I heard he got suspended for a week. Two tops." Ren answered.
"How do you-"
"Village head's daughter."
"Right."
"Suspended, you say?" Tom said, staring outside.
"Yeah."
"If so, then who's that?" Tom asked, pointing to where he was looking. Ren turned around to look. Sure enough, standing several metres away from the common room was Nathan, wearing the same t-shirt, jacket and jeans as he did in the weekend. Yet, he did not have his trademark smirk on his face. He didn't have an angry look, either. It looked almost…empty.
"Nathan?" Ren said, raising an eyebrow. Nathan turned to his left and begun to walk up the path towards the school building. "Um, you guys keep an eye on things here. I gotta check this out." Ren said quickly, taking off her blazer and placing it on the back of a chair before running after Nathan.
"I'll go with you." Tom said, following Ren.
"Ren!" Toshiro protested, but they were already halfway into the building by the time he began to follow them. So, he just decided to let them sort it out. After all, it's not like Nathan was a great threat.
…
"Okay, which way did he go?" Tom asked as soon as they had entered the main hallway of the school.
"Dunno. He just disappeared." Out of the corner of her eye, Ren saw a pair of doors move. It was the entrance to the cafeteria. "In here." Ren cautiously went to the doors and pushed them open. The cafeteria was completely deserted. The tables were empty. The chairs were empty. Everything was empty. The only sounds were the whir of the refrigerators and the tapping of Tom and Ren's shoes as they walked inside, looking around for any signs of life. "Anything?"
"No. Nothing. Let's try the kitchen."
"Okay." Ren started to go towards there, but Tom's arm blocked her path.
"Let me check first." Tom moved towards the white wooden door towards the kitchen, the serving windows closed off by shutters. He clutched the door handle and slowly moved it down. It clicked, and it moved open a crack. "It's unlocked."
"Odd. You'd expect it to be locked."
"Nathan might be in here." Tom slowly creaked the door all the way open, revealing the pristine kitchen with all of its white tiles, storage rooms, fryers, stoves and metal counters, all of which were pristine and shining in the lights. The only things that had even a little bit of wear and rust were the orange metal propane tanks near the back of the room. "Hello? Anybody in here?"
"You know, that's a major hole in horror movies." Ren thought out loud. "They always wander around in the dark yelling "Hello?" and "Anybody there?"." Ren started to walk into the kitchen while she continued to talk. "I mean, they're not going to say "Oh, I'm in the kitchen making a sandwich. You want one? By the way, I'm going to kill you with the bread knife." are they, so why bother?" Ren mimicked the voice of a deep man almost perfectly as she ranted before reverting back to her normal voice.
"Ha! Yeah!"
"Yup. Complete and utter cliché." As soon as Ren was by Tom's side, the door suddenly slammed shut.
"What the…" Tom was immediately by the door. He moved the handle up and down and tried pulling and pushing at it, but it wouldn't budge. "It's locked."
"We're trapped. But who did this?" Ren spun in circles, looking in all areas of the kitchen. "Somebody! Anybody!" Ren yelled, completely disregarding what she said earlier. "Where are you?!" As if in response, Ren hear the sound of footsteps. Tom stopped struggling with the door, and listened to the ominous sound. A shadow of a person appeared form the back of the room, and soon that face became clearer. It was Dixie. However, she had now abandoned her gymnastics attire. She had replaced it with a blue short sleeved denim dress with a short skirt and a white belt across her waist, with the buckle bearing the symbol of White Raven, her hair hung loose and she had high heeled black boots that came to mid-calf length.
"You." Tom whispered, recognising her.
"Pixie?" Ren raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, I'm in the kitchen making a sandwich." Dixie said with a smile and in a mocking tone. "You want one? By the way…" Dixie brought her left hand up to head level. Ren and Tom's eye widened. In her hand was a knife that had a thick, black handle and a jagged yet sharp edge. "I'm going to kill you with the bread knife."
"Wh-Why are you here?" Tom asked with a tone of fear in his voice, while Ren looked extremely annoyed at how Dixie had mocked her. That impression was terrible!
"I think I just told you, dumbass. I was only here to take care of this bitch, but I didn't count on you coming here. So, I guess I'll just have to take care of the extra."
"Leave Tom out of it!" Ren said firmly, standing in front of Tom in a protective stance.
"Ren."
"Tom. Get outta here. Find Shiro. Now." Ren said urgently.
"Right." Tom nodded, but when he started to turn around, he heard a click. He looked in the direction of that sound. He gasped. Standing to his right was Nathan, who wore that same blank expression on his face that looked almost vengeful. But, what Tom was more drawn to was the black revolver he held in his hand. Without breaking eye contact with Tom or Ren, Nathan slowly moved in front of the only exit left. Tom and Ren were, effectively, trapped.
"You're not going anywhere."
"You brought Nathan in this? Why?" Ren asked.
"Simple. Revenge."
"Revenge? For what?" Ren looked away from Dixie and straight at the gun in Nathan's hands. Although, right now, she was more bothered about how he was able to get hold of a weapon like that in a country like this. Whatever the reason, a gun and a school did not mix well. She spotted a small red box shape on the wall not too far from her. A fire alarm. Seeing that, Ren knew he had to get everyone away from here.
"I think you know. And, for that, you will die here." Without saying a word, Nathan cocked the hammer back with a click sound. Quickly, Ren jumped forward and slammed her hand on the fire alarm, breaking the glass and pressing the button at the same time.
…
RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!
"Aw, man."
"A fire alarm?"
"But it's cold outside."
"That's strange." Steph said, confused.
"What's strange?" Ichigo asked.
"We weren't supposed to have a fire drill today. And I don't see any smoke."
"That is strange."
"Well, I guess we have to go to the fire assembly points. Guys, follow Ichigo and Toshiro. They know where to go." Steph said, starting to go outside. In clusters and groups, the sixth formers and the gang all filed their way out of the common room, talking amongst themselves. As they walked outside, Toshiro couldn't help but look at the door Ren and Tom went through minutes ago.
I'm getting a bad feeling about this. Toshiro thought.
…
"Why did you do that?" Dixie asked, her voice audible over the ringing of the alarm.
"I'm not having innocent people getting hurt. That and I always wanted to trigger the fire alarm. But, not like this."
"Selfless." Dixie said simply. "Both of you. But, if you're not careful…" Nathan moved the gun to point at Ren, who suddenly looked very scared. "Your selfless nature could get you hurt."
"Huh." Ren managed to utter fearfully. "Heh. Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!" Ren suddenly laughed, trying to get rid of the fear she was feeling right now. She was only supposed to feel this kind of fear when she was in dark spaces or if there was a spider in the room, not in a bizarre hostage situation. "Whoa, you got me there, Pixie! Nice gun you got there! You can't even get guns like that unless you have a permit! Ha! I bet it's not even loaded! Even better, it's probably a water pistol! Ha-ha-ha!"
BLAM!
"…" Ren went silent, all signs of laughter on her face gone. She slowly looked over her shoulder at the wall behind her back. Just inches from her head was a bullet hole, still smoking from the shot and surrounded by fresh cracks.
Crud. Ren thought. Now I have two things to worry about. One; how the hell did Nathan get a gun? Two, that thing is frikkin' loaded!
"I can assure you, woman, that this is very much real."
…
BLAM!
"Ah!" Some of the thousands of students started to scream and even duck down on the ground. The teacher instantly tried to calm them down, although they were also having a hard time hiding the panic they were feeling right now. The gang were all there, and they too heard that sound, even though it came from the front of the school, and they were all at the back.
"What was that?" Steph asked, fear in her voice.
"It sounded like a gun." Rangiku said, also starting to look worried.
"A gun?" Toshiro repeated. Suddenly, his back started to burn again. He barely managed to suppress a flinch from the burning before an image flashed before his eyes. It looked like a revolver, and a bullet fired from it, straight into a bunch of propane tanks. Then, there was an image of a part of the school exploding into fire. And just like that, Toshiro was back in the present, and the burning on his back disappeared as quickly as it came
Another vision? Toshiro thought. A gun, gas tanks and an explosion. But where? Toshiro's eyes darted around at the many buildings of the school, trying to think of which one would have something even remotely similar to what he saw. Where? In particular, he looked where the chemistry labs were and the science department in general, since that was where they often used gas the most. At the same time, he tried to think of other likely places, remembering the visions and trying to find any other clues. Where?
"Captain Hitsugaya?" Rukia said, noticing how distracted he looked.
"Is something wrong?" Steph asked. But, Toshiro didn't answer. He was too lost in his train of thought.
Those tanks. They were in some kind of room. A white room with tiled walls. Where is that? Have I seen it before? It was…It was… Toshiro thought back to all the rooms he was in with Ren during school hours. The common room. The classrooms. The school grounds. That only left…
"The cafeteria." Toshiro blurted out without thinking, and he dashed forward, ready to go there. He suddenly got a gut feeling that Ren might be there!
"Where do you think you're going?" A teacher said, blocking Toshiro's way.
"Get out of my way!" Toshiro demanded, moving left and right, trying to find a way out, but the teacher blocked the only possible exit out of the large netball courts.
"Sorry, kid, but nobody leaves until the protocol that comes with fire drills is executed completely. We will return inside the school building once everybody has been registered. Now, go back to your form group."
"But-"
"Go!"
"!" With a growl, Toshiro turned on his heel and marched back to the others, kicking an empty soda can away from him in frustration.
"What was that all about?" Renji asked.
"Nothing. I just got a bad feeling." Toshiro grumbled quickly. He looked over his shoulder back at the school.
Ren… He thought.
…
"You don't have to do this, Nathan." Tom said, trying to reason with him. "Just put down the gun, and we can get through it." No response. "Nathan!"
"I'm afraid he can't answer you." Dixie said, still smiling. "You see, I found him full of hatred for you, Ren, and he seemed more than eager to help. But, when I told him my plan, he downright refused. So…" Her smile became very sly. "I had to…persuade him." In that instant, Nathan eyes flashed green before going back to their original light brown. It wasn't around for long, but it was long enough for Ren to see.
"Alright, Pixie, what did you do to him?" Ren demanded, suddenly angry.
"Nothing much. I just brought out the deepest hatred inside of him that he held against you, and made it dominate his being. It is not a mind control spell. If you think about it…this is Nathan's own free will."
"Bullcrap! You just don't wanna get your hands dirty!" Ren yelled. In response, Dixie threw the knife she was holding straight at Ren, who dodged it just in time for it to barely miss her head and clatter onto the ground. She promptly backed away from the wall and straight for Tom, who held her shoulders protectively as she turned around to face Dixie.
"I am more than willing to get my hands dirty. I have killed plenty of people, but your death will be all the more sweeter." Dixie's smile grew wider, giving her an almost demented look. "All the rage I have kept inside me will be gone. The betrayal I felt will be soothed. I originally wanted to kill Zena, but that's impossible, so I will settle for you."
"Me?" Ren repeated. "Hold on a sec. Is this because I look like Zena?"
"Precisely!" Dixie cried out. "All those years I spent with Zena were truly great, but then, when I needed her the most…" The smile suddenly turned into an extremely angry scowl. "She turned her back. She left me behind to die. I…" Dixie looked at Ren, an enraged look on her face, "I was abandoned by Zena! I looked up to her! I loved her as though she were my sister! But when that day came, I cried for help, and she ignored me!" Dixie suddenly went quiet, although her fist were clenched, and the fire alarm finally stopped ringing, like the calmness of Dixie's mind had somehow triggered it to turn off. Tom moved Ren into a protective embrace, which she returned, still staring at Dixie with wide eyes. Dixie unclenched her fists. "But…all that ends today. I can finally rid myself of these feelings." Dixie looked at Nathan. Tom saw this, and his grip on Ren tightened a little. "Nathan. Do it."
"No!" Tom yelled as he pushed Ren away, pounced towards Nathan and grabbed each of his arms, prompting the two to wrestle for their lives. Nathan slammed Tom against the wall, but Tom kneed him in the gut and shoved him on top of a kitchen counter, pinning him down. "Ren, get out of here! Run!"
"No, I'm not leaving you!" Ren protested. "Wait…" Ren looked at the gun in Nathan's hand. It was flailing in different directions but in the struggle, Ren was the only person who noticed where it was pointing. Right at the propane tanks in the corner of the room. And nobody seemed to notice. Ren completely ignored how two of the people were trying to kill her. She had to do something, or this place was going to blow sky high! "Guys, stop it!"
"!" Tom gasped when Nathan got his left arm free from his grip and punched him across the face, making him stagger and let go of his other arm. Nathan, his eyes flashing green, then proceeded to point the gun straight at Tom. However, Tom grabbed a huge bag of flour from under the counter and hit Nathan across the face with it, covering his face in the white powder and showering most of the floor with it. Nathan staggered around, crashing into counters and making clattering noises as he hit pots and pans. While one hand tried to rub the flour out of his eyes, the other hand waved the gun around in different directions.
"Uh oh." Ren, knowing where this was heading, quickly clicked her heels once, and the Fire Shackles appeared instantly. Warning them didn't work, so she'll just have to go to plan B. "Tom!" Ren yelled, outstretching her hand to him, and he immediately took it.
"What are you doing?!" Dixie yelled at Nathan, getting impatient with this human's weakness.
"!" Nathan, his eyes still shut, looked in the direction he heard the voice. After that, everything happened in an instant, yet it seemed like time itself had slowed down.
He pointed the gun.
He fired.
Dixie cried out.
She ducked down on the ground.
The shot missed her by a hair.
It continued to travel across the kitchen.
Dixie finally saw the propane tanks.
Ren tried to reach Nathan while her left arm was around Tom's shoulders
Ren's hand almost touched Nathan's jacket.
The bullet…
…
"That's it." A female teacher said, closing her clipboard shut. It was the teacher who wore her brown hair in a bun. "That's the last group."
"Well, Mrs Roberts?" Mr Watson said.
"Two students are missing."
"!" Toshiro listened closely after hearing this.
"Who?"
"It's…" The teacher, now Mrs Roberts, opened up the clipboard again, looking down the names. "Tom Barnes and Ren Conner."
"Ren?" Mr Watson said, raising his eyebrows in a rare expression of surprise. "She must still be in the school. That's not like her. She hates the sound of the fire alarm. She'd do anything to get away from it."
"Well, let's just be fortunate that this wasn't an actual fire." Mrs Roberts said. "For now, let's start bringing the students back in the school. We've already missed half of the second period."
"…" Toshiro closed his eyes, relieved. Everybody was going to be moved back inside. That means the explosion probably won't happen. But just to be sure, he began to briskly walk towards the exit, and he made it out of the netball courts before anybody even noticed he had gone. Nobody except the Soul Reapers and the human. They all followed Toshiro out, wondering why he was behaving in such a suspicious way. They had just about caught up to him when he was almost at the school building. Steph noticed that Toshiro was going towards the door that led to the main corridor. Why there, of all places?
"Alright, everybody. Return back to your lessons!" Mr Watson said in a commanding voice, followed by many sighs of relief and exclamations of "Finally!" and "It's freezing!"
"Toshiro, wait!" Ichigo called out as soon as they were in hearing distance. Just as Toshiro grabbed the door handle.
KA-BOOOOOOM!
"AH!" The force of the sudden explosion was so great; it swept the gang right off their feet. Toshiro, who was closer to the explosion, was forced back when the door was ripped away from the building, and as he skidded on the ground, the door broke, leaving only the door handle in his hand, and he landed right in the middle of the Soul Reapers. In the distance, everybody could hear the screams of the students and the yells of the teachers trying to calm them all down.
"What the hell?" Ichigo groaned, sitting up with a wince. His eyes widened. Before them all, the main school area was on fire, and there was so much smoke coming out of open windows that the sky above that building was coloured a dark, ashen black.
"Is everybody alright?" Steph asked, helping Rukia back onto her feet, who couldn't take her eyes away from the burning building.
"Captain." Rangiku went to her captain's side as he picked himself up.
"I'm fine." Toshiro said dismissively, looking at the door handle in his hand, before discarding it. As soon as he looked up, he saw the burning building. His eyes widened. The premonition. It came true. The entire building was on fire. He couldn't see the flames, but the smoke was enough to show that this was a big fire. Suddenly, there was another explosion, which blew out most of the windows in that general building.
"Ah!" Everybody shielded themselves from the falling glass, and the flames finally showed through the windows, quickly tarnishing the red bricks with black ashes. However, Toshiro didn't even try to move away from the falling glass. He was too drawn to the fire licking the school. A fire that was caused by the very gunshot he saw in the vision. A fire that was in the same building Ren was.
"REN!" Losing all sense of composure, Toshiro scrambled back onto his feet, forgetting about the glass on the ground and it cut into his hands, but his panic completely nullified his sense of pain, and he broke into a run straight towards the inferno.
"Renji! Ichigo!"
"Right." Ichigo and Renji ran after Toshiro after Rangiku spoke, and as soon as they caught up to him, Renji restrained his arms while Ichigo had an arm in front of his neck, almost completely immobilising him. Despite his struggles, Ichigo and Renji kept their hold firm and strong.
"Let me go! Dammit, let me go right now!"
"Captain, I know that you're worried, but we can't have you acting so recklessly. You could get killed." Rangiku said, standing in front of Toshiro. The carefree attitude she originally had was gone, and she was acting like the lieutenant she was.
"I don't care! Ren is in there! I have to help her!"
"Toshiro, I'm just as worried as you are, but we can't do anything." Steph said. "We just have to wait for the fire department to come."
"By that time, Ren will be hurt or even worse!"
"Calm down, Toshiro!" Rangiku almost yelled. That name calling was enough to stun Toshiro so much that he stopped struggling and stared straight at Rangiku. She never called him by his first name. Not since he was a child who was still a student at the academy. It was like he was a child again and Rangiku was the Soul Reaper who discovered him. "I'm sorry." Rangiku promptly apologised. "It was all I could think of to get your attention."
"The fire department will be here soon." Rukia said, repeating what Steph said just in case Toshiro didn't hear. "They can take care of the fire."
"Ren will be fine." Steph said firmly. "I know it."
"Exactly." Ichigo agreed. "She's not going to let a measly explosion stop her."
"…" Toshiro, finally calming down, let his arms hang limply in Renji's hold, prompting him to let go to allow Toshiro's arms to drop to his sides. After a little hesitation, Ichigo also let go of the captain. The Soul Reapers were all surprised that their calm captain could panic like that, when he had always stayed composed and silent. That was just how much Ren meant to him.
"Hey! Somebody's coming out!" Steph gasped, pointing at the destroyed door.
…
"Tom! Are you alright?!" Ren yelled over the roar of the flames. The white pristine kitchen was now coloured an array of red and orange, and the heat of the fire was overwhelming. However, surrounding Tom and Ren was a red, transparent bubble. The flames brushed past the walls of the bubble, yet it did not mark it with a burn. In fact, the floor that the two of them were standing on was still white.
"I think so." Tom answered. "Quick thinking, Ren. If you hadn't turned on your Fire Shackles, we'd be ashes."
"It will protect us from the fire, but the smoke is another matter." Right after Ren said this, she coughed a little.
"We have to get out of here!" Tom looked around for any form of exit. Them he saw that there was a hole in the wall that led to the main corridor, which had also caught fire. "There! Let's go!"
"No! You go on ahead. I'm going to find Pixie and Nathan."
"But Ren…" Tom protested. Ren smiled her happy smile at him.
"Daijoubu." She said. "The Fire Shackles will protect me, too. The shield will stay around you until you get outside. You'll be fine. I'll be fine. We'll all be fine. I'll say it again; daijoubu."
"But…" Tom started. But, seeing the earnest smile on Ren's face made him stop. Ren wouldn't lie if she knew she would be okay. He nodded.
"Alright. Go. I'll follow you later."
"Right." Reluctantly, Tom let go of Ren's hand and he ran through the hole and down the corridor, looking for any form of exit. The red bubble around him protected him from all forms of the strong fire. There was now so much of it the whole corridor had an eerie red glow. It was like he was running in Hell itself. However, unbeknownst to him, the shield remained around him, but no such shield was around Ren. She was completely exposed.
"Be safe. "Ren said quietly, still smiling. Another explosion shook the building a little, but Ren kept her balance by holding onto a counter, but promptly whisked her hand away with a yelp and shoved it under her arm to try and soothe the burn until it regenerated on its own, like her body usually did. "Right. Metal. Metal conducts heat. Uuuu, that's hot!" After the shockwave of the explosion passed, wood from the ceiling collapsed in front of the exit. But, Ren didn't mind. She'll just make her own way out as soon as she found Nathan and Dixie. "Nathan! Pixie!" Ren yelled over the roaring of the flames, wandering through the fire. She didn't care about there not being a shield to protect her. Wherever she walked, the fire parted to let her through, and promptly close behind her as if she had never been there. She still had the Fire Shackles on, so she could control it to her will. Too bad she couldn't put it out, though. But, that didn't matter. Tom was going to be safe. That's all that mattered. Still calling out to her two enemies, Ren went deeper and deeper into the fire.
…
"Come on…Come on!" Tom muttered to himself, stopping in the middle of the corridor. There was another explosion that almost knocked Tom off his feet. "I have to get out of here. The fire is going to hit the chemistry block soon." That was when he saw it. A light. It wasn't red. It wasn't orange. It was white. An exit! "Yes!" Tom promptly ran towards it. A doorway. As he got closer, Tom could feel the sweet fresh air hit him.
"Hey! Somebody's coming out!"
"Steph!" Tom yelled as soon as he got outside. Sure enough, the shield disappeared with a small pop sound when he was outside. The sudden burst of fresh air made Tom cough, having already adjusted to breathing in smoke more than air.
"Tom!" Steph ran up to him and hugged him. She pulled away and looked at his face, surprised to see that it wasn't covered in ashes and soot, like she would expect. In fact, he wasn't even burnt. "Tom. You're okay."
"Yeah. Ren had her Fire Shackles on before the explosion. She protected me with a shield immune to fire. I might have inhaled some smoke though, but it's not serious."
"What the hell happened here?" Renji demanded, indicating the inferno.
"Nathan and Dixie had us cornered. Nathan is someone from Ren's past, and Dixie is a member of White Raven." Tom explained, remembering how the three new arrivals knew next to nothing about White Raven and Ren. "Nathan is being controlled by Dixie. He had a gun. I tried to take it off him, but he shot some propane tanks and then…well, you know."
"Where's Ren?" Ichigo asked, noticing how she wasn't with him.
"She's still in there."
"She's what?! "Toshiro gasped, going wide eyed.
"I tried to take her with me, but she insisted. She's trying to save Nathan and Dixie."
"But they're the enemy, right? Why bother?" Renji asked, confused.
"That's just the way Ren is." Steph answered quietly. "Friend or enemy, Ren won't save herself until everybody is saved first."
"What do we do?" Rukia asked, now completely worried.
"The fire department won't arrive for another few minutes." Steph said, looking at her watch.
"And there's no way we can go in there without getting hurt." Rangiku indicated the fire, which had now obscured the exit Tom had run through.
"We'll just have to wait. Ren will find a way out." Tom said with confidence, but that didn't stop him from looking back at the school with concern all over his face. "She has to." After hearing this, Steph looked up at the flames with clasped hands, while Tom placed an arm around her shoulders, trying to reassure her silently.
"…" Toshiro, meanwhile, was resisting all of the overwhelming urges that told him to run in there and save Ren with no regard to his own safety. Yet, part of him tried desperately to believe the reassuring comments everybody was making to one another to hide their own nerves. Toshiro had never felt more helpless in all of his life. Before, he would have dashed inside with confidence to save Ren, but now that he was powerless, he would only get hurt or killed. And so, he continued clinging to the hope that Ren will make it out alive. Ichigo was right. Ren won't let something like this hold her back. Besides, Ren had her Fire Shackles on so she was going to be fine, right?
Right?
Ren…Toshiro thought, clenching his fists. He still hadn't noticed how cut up they were, and blood leaked out and dripped onto the ground, but even through that Toshiro didn't notice the pain. He looked deep into the fire flickering out of the doorway just as some of the ceiling collapsed in front of it. Please be okay. Knowing that nobody was looking at him, Toshiro brought his bloodied hands up and clasped them together, closing his eyes as tightly as he could, and ignoring how much they were aching. Don't die. No matter what it takes, just come back to me alive. Please!
Whoa, that is intense! Will Ren make it out of the fire? What about Dixie and Nathan? What is their motivation for doing all of this? Find out in the next chapter! Advanced warning though. It's gonna be a little flashback-y. Without 'em, then it just won't make sense! So, I'm afraid you're just gonna have to grin and bear the next chapter if you don't like flashbacks. Sorry.