Welcome once more to Ballad of the Shinigami. Not as much gaming this chapter but I hope you enjoy it all the same. There weren't many comment questions that won't be explained later thank you for my awesome Beta reader Noivad Neao-Nefarious Izanagi for being so amazing and fixing this chapter up for you awesome people. Without further ado, onto our feature presentation.
Ichigo was dumbfounded, genuinely confused. Why hadn't the Shinigami gone back to her Soul Society? He was drug out of his thoughts when he was poked in the face by Tatsuki.
"Hello? You okay Ichigo?" Worry clear in her voice as Ichigo tried to formulate a response before a hand was moved in his direction. The offending limb motioned as if asking for permission and Ichigo sighed before looking down at it.
'Say something and I'll kill you' Ichigo was flabbergasted. Rukia simply smiled brightly at him. Regaining his composure at the continued weird looks, Ichigo shook Rukia's hand before allowing the class to start. This was going to be a long day. He could tell.
"What do you mean you won't help me!" Rukia was, to put it lightly, furious. Why couldn't this Human understand that she couldn't fight Hollows anymore? She really should have requested a different assignment. They stood outside in an abandoned section of the school ground where Ichigo had dragged them for some privacy. It was quiet save for the slight breeze. Dust bouncing around in the wind.
"Yesterday I was only able to fight because my family was in danger." Ichigo started to walk back in the direction of their classroom. Turning back to eye Rukia's response he continued. "I'm not going to fight those monsters for complete strangers."
Determination crossed her face as Rukia quickly threw on a glove and rushed Ichigo. Turning at the last second Ichigo didn't have time to dodge as she open palm struck his face. To his surprise though it went through his body and so did he? As he sat on the ground dumbfounded Ichigo started to panic.
"What did you do? Is that my body? Did you kill me?" Rukia sighed about to explain everything before Ichigo sobered up and glared at her. "I'm a spirit now aren't I?"
So he did have a brain to back up his high spiritual power. She watched as Ichigo stood up and started to look at her with a trademark scowl.
"Yes, I have separated your soul from your body so I could show you something, follow me." She jumped and started running away. Ichigo for his part just glanced at his body and hoped nobody would find it while he was gone. Jumping away in hot pursuit of Rukia he slowly realized where he was going. Thinking back it was starting to make sense but he'd save the idea for after it's been proven correct.
The pair landed on the soft grass of the park. For the most part it was peaceful with the breeze shuffling the leaves in the trees and the grass swaying in its cool embrace.
"Why are we here Rukia?" He inquisitively looked around for anything that might bring him here till something struck him. "There's going to be a Hollow here, most likely after the spirit that usually resides here isn't there?" Rukia simply nodded in response as a phone, she pulled out of her pocket, started to beep dramatically.
Ichigo suddenly whipped around like lightning when a shriek shattered the park's soothing calm air. A Hollow crawled out of a gap in reality and started to chase the ghost of a small boy, not even 4 years old yet. Ichigo's chest tightened in response and he jumped to go save the poor boy from the spider-esc hollow. That was until Rukia reached out her arm to stop him.
"Where do you think you're going? Is he a family member?" Ichigo fought hard not to scream at Rukia as his eyes never left the scene in front of him. The Hollow slowly caught up with the boy.
"I'm not going to sit by and watch a helpless innocent get eaten because of my inaction." Rukia simply shook her head with disappointment and to Ichigo it felt like she just stabbed him through the heart. Again. "Whether you are watching or far away. It doesn't matter if you know them or not, it is a Shinigami's duty to save everyone. Youth, elderly. This is the oath you swore when you took my powers and you will enforce that oath with every ounce of power you contain or die trying." Her voice wavered at the end as the events of the previous night flashed through both of their heads. How willing Rukia had been to give up her life so that Ichigo may live a little longer. Schooling her features Rukia continued. "You have to treat all spirits equally because in the end you're all that they have, the only source of hope in this world of chaos. To think that you can or will only save those that are before you is naive and childish. You aren't that immature. I've seen it, I've seen your conviction. Now I need to see your commitment. Your commitment to being a Shinigami. If you don't then sit back and watch because it's pointless to give false hope to those with so little to begin with."
Ichigo was torn, he wanted to save the boy but he couldn't save him if it meant being forced into being a Shinigami as he knew he couldn't save every soul. His face settling into a scowl he drew his blade and activated a Reiatsu Pulse to alert the Hollow to it's impending doom.
An almost feral grin crossed contorted his features before he schooled them and put his usual scowl in place.
Jumping into action, Ichigo rushed to the Hollow and sliced off its front left leg. It reared back screaming at the top of its lungs.
"Who are you Shinigami?" Ichigo stood before it, head held low with Rukia looking hopeful in the background.
"So, you've accepted Ichigo." Slicing off another limb of the Hollow, Ichigo turned back to face Rukia, ignoring the wails of pain from the Hollow.
"Shut the hell up!" Ichigo stabbed his blade into the ground in front of the spirit the Hollow was chasing. "I saved him because I wanted to, now answer me this oh wise one, what is so wrong about that?!" Ichigo's schooled features didn't stop Rukia when she looked into his eyes. Fire, just like his. The will to protect, she went about this all wrong but she wouldn't have to worry about him much longer it would seem.
"You sacrificed yourself to save me last night. When you did that were you thinking about duty? Were you thinking about your job as a Shinigami when you stood in front of that Hollow and almost died to save my family?!" Ichigo was seething but he would press on because she had to understand, she would understand. "That's not what it means to sacrifice yourself!" Ichigo withdrew his blade from the ground and stabbed the oncoming Hollow in the mask and let it shatter without even looking.
Walking up to the Human turned Shinigami, she rested a hand on his arm.
"Ichigo," He shrugged her off.
"No, I don't accept any of your commitments. I'm not going to sacrifice myself for total strangers," Rukia hesitated on her previous thoughts as doubt clouded her mind before he continued. "However, I'm not going to be able to rest easy if I leave my debt, to you, unpaid. I'm going to help you do your job Rukia." Reaching out his hand, a small turn of his lips and any doubt Rukia may have had vanished.
Maybe this was a good decision after all.