Alright, chapter 1. So, there's a lot, but not a lot going on in this chapter, if that makes sense. Basically, Ashwina's personality will slightly be rearing it's head, but not that much. Mostly, this is just a time filler chapter to get us up to where I want to be in the timeline, and forcing Ashwina into the plot.
Anyways, please enjoy, please review; it feeds my inspiration :)
Since I completely forgot in the prologue: Bleach and everything from it's original belongs to the great Tite Kubo. Ashwina and anything relating to her involvement are all mine.
Bounty
Chapter 1: The Silent Observer
She could feel the eyes on her, following her every movement. Closing her eyes, she lifted the cup of tea to her lips, taking a few sips, willing the eyes to just go away. Placing the cup back onto the table, she slowly opened her eyes. Only to find a set of grey perverted eyes staring right back.
"See something you like homes?"
A sly grin pulled at her lips as she leaned forward, pushing her breasts onto the table. They peeked ever so slightly from the collar of her shirt, revealing the bold edges of ink along the left side of her chest. Still grinning, she let her tongue poke out, licking it along the contours of her lips, tasting the sweet tea still residing there.
"OH BOUNTY HUNTER-TAN!"
Urahara Kisuke leapt from his seat, intent on crushing the young woman to his chest to pronounce his love and fealty.
SMACK
Without a glance, the girl lifted her hand to grab a cookie from tray being offered to her. She took a bite, letting her eyes fall to the man sprawled across the table with a bloody nose and reddening cheek.
"Aa, this cookie is really good, you should try one Urahara-san, instead of lazing about on your furniture."
The man sniffled, flopping onto the floor in defeat. "You're so cruel, Bounty Hunter-tan. Getting an old man's hopes up like that." The girl merely stared at him, shoving the remainder of the cookie into her mouth. "Old perverts like you deserve cruelty."
Suddenly, the man was back up, his ever so faithful fan covering his face. "Aa, if you say so Bounty Hunter-tan. Even though you're older then me." The girl choked, smacking her chest as the cookie crumbs assaulted her lungs, glaring at the man. He smiled brightly, waving his fan casually even as her eyes pierced his soul with daggers of hatred. "Idiot! I'm only 17! Se..ven..teen!" She threw the cookies at him, annunciating every letter with a well aimed hit.
Laughing the man continued to wave his fan even as the girl grumbled to herself, shoving another cookie into her mouth.
"Anyways Urahara, I need information."
The man stopped laughing, his fan stopping mid-swing to gaze at her with hooded eyes. "How valuable is this information?" Scowling, the girl reached into her pocket, pulling out a small jar and tossed it to him. He caught it right before it reached his forehead, bringing it close to his eyes to inspect it. The little jar was filled with a clouded smoke, the deepest color of blue. "Aa, then it is highly valuable." Pocketing the jar, he leaned forward, a thoughtful expression on his face.
"Kurosaki Ichigo has gained shinigami powers from Kuchiki Rukia." He smiled, raising his hands in surrender at the murderous look shot his way. "That's not all, so stop the mean look Bounty Hunter-tan." His eyes grew dark and the room lost it's air of taunts, growing serious. "The soul society has mobilized a captain and lieutenant to come and arrest Ms. Kuchiki. They will be arriving tonight, taking her back to the seretei to await execution. There, Aizen will be waiting. Ms. Kuchiki's execution will be the most opportune moment for him to obtain the hogyoku. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he was orchestrating her execution through the central 46."
The girl looked thoughtful at the information, another cookie dangling from her mouth. "Aa, so then she's no longer in my jurisdiction." Glancing at her right forearm, she swiped a finger across the tattooed scroll. Kuchiki Rukia's name warped, rippling across her arm before fading away, leaving nothing but smooth tan skin. "Well then, Kurosaki Ichigo, what will he do then?"
"Most likely, try to fight her captors and be killed on the spot," Urahara said, smiling jovially and waving his fan once again.
Ashwina sighed, smashing her head into the table.
"What a moron."
The sun had set, leaving the only light to guide Rukia Kuchiki as she ran the dim streetlights. He short sleeved dress flew around her as she sprinted down the desolate street, her backpack smacking against her body with every stride. She didn't even notice the red headed man, watching her like a hawk from atop the streetlamp. His canines glinted dangerously in the moonlight, like a wolf about to corner a defenseless bunny.
Ashwina scowled from her spot on the tree limb, a lollipop hanging from her mouth. These shinigami were always so dramatic, really. The girl gave her powers to a mortal, now she must die. Just an over dramatic reaction if you asked her.
"Am I...getting too attached to this world?," Rukia questioned aloud. Ashwina frowned at the petite girl.
"YES! So you knew after all?!" The red head shouted, his voice screeching against the sky. He drew his sword, taunting Rukia about her prolonged stay in the real world.
"You can only live for just a little longer, Rukia."
Rukia's eyes widened in shock, she stared stupidly at the man with her mouth hanging open. Ashwina sighed, knowing this was going to end terribly already. That other shinigami, with dark hair, was observing the interaction as well, hidden on the sidelines. Two fully powered shinigami to take in a powerless girl? Seemed like soul society had lost that damned pride they always boasted about when she had last seen a shinigami.
"Could that be you, Abarai Renji...?"
Rukia faltered, stuttering like a child. Then Abarai Renji leaped, just barely missing slicing the tiny woman in half. He taunted her, calling her too soft before demanding she call for the human she gave her powers to. Rukia kept silent, not uttering a word even as the man insulted her. Ashwina's scowl deepened, watching the two in silence.
That red haired brat had some nerve, talking down on the girl. Then again, Rukia wasn't making it any better on herself, what with that stupid shocked face and stuttering. It was almost painful to watch, like a wingless bird being circled by hawks. How utterly pathetic this entire scene was playing out in front of her eyes.
Sighing once again, she leaned back into the tree, observing the petite woman's sudden change in demeanor at the sight of the captain shinigami. She pulled the lollipop from between her lips with a small smack as the red head swung for Rukia again, the girl jumping away just in time. "Aa, this is boring. Why did Urahara ask me to watch this? It's like a bad soap opera with all this blabbering. Jesus, he sounds like a jealous lover scorned by Rukia. The human that stole your powers this, the human that, blah blah," she plopped the lolipop back into her mouth as her lips pulled down into a bored frown.
The silver haired girl lifted her hand, making it talk along with Renji's rant. The words seemed less stupid when she imagined them coming from her hand. Suddenly, a flash of blue distracted her ministrations. Her eyes slid back down to the street, observing the teenage boy with blue hair and glasses.
"A man with a weapon attacking an unarmed woman...? This isn't a good scene to walk in on..." Oh gag me. The over chivalrous idiot has arrived.
"Oh shit on me, this kid's gonna die. Are all these teenagers suicidal or something?!"
Is this town full of nothing but morons?
"SHIT! I CAN'T BECOME A SHINIGAMI WITHOUT RUKIA!"
Ichigo Kuosaki grabbed the lion plushie by it's head, shaking it back and forth as sweat gathered on his face.
"WHAT SHOULD I DO?! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO TOLD ME SHE'S IN TROUBLE WITH THE SOUL SOCIETY!" He shook the plushie more, violently squishing it's face in the process. His mini heart attack was slowly growing into real cardiac arrest as he continued his freak out session.
"Good evening~ I see you're in a predicament here."
Ichigo and Kon suddenly froze, their eyes wide at the sing song voice suddenly joining their conversation, or being screamed at in Kon's case. Slowly, they turned to look at the bucket hat wearing intruder sitting casually on the window sill, his cane outstretched. Ichigo stared at the skull engulfed in flames engraved on the very bottom of the cane, his mind slowly realizing it was the same as Rukia's glove.
"Could I be of any assistance...?"
This is just brutal, actually, boring and brutal.
"Well look at this," Renji smirked, smirking down at the slowly bleeding out boy.
His entire side had been slashed open, and Ashwina could only wince slightly at the growing puddle of blood covering the sidewalk. The dumb dumb was asking for it, but daaaaamn, that red haired idiot really didn't have to try and kill the kiddo.
"Come on Urahara, where the hell are you?" Ashwina's lollipop was long gone now, only the stick left as she nervously chewed it.
Her eyes narrowed as the red head suddenly lifted his sword, deciding to finish the kid off. Well, at least he was kind enough to end it quickly for the kid, instead of letting him bleed out. His last thoughts would probably be all about how he had lost to a shinigami. Whom he hates. Yeah, that he made crystal clear, many times. Her eyes lifted to the sky, not really caring to see the unnecessary slaughter of the kid.
"Dude, this is some serious shit I don't want any part of. Goddammit, why do I always get such shitty jobs?" She chewed the stick some more as a vein started to throb on her forehead. "And why the hell do I always let Urahara convince me to do things like this?!"
A shout brought her attention back to the street below. Renji was shouting at some blown up dust, commanding someone to reveal their identity.
A slow smirk spread across her face as the dust began to settle revealing very orange hair and a hunk of metal that somehow was a sword.
"The name's Kurosaki Ichigo! The one who will defeat you!"
Ashwina snorted amused at the ugly look on his face, apparently it was his determined face. Oh this kid had some balls, finally some interesting action.
"Remember it well!"
Yeah, that Ichigo kid got creamed. I mean, at least it wasn't by that red haired buffoon. Thank god for that, that would've been pretty damn embarrassing just to watch. He was currently laying face down on the ground, a very large amount of blood pooling around his body as Kuchiki Buyakuya stared impassively down at him.
Now that is one freaky mother fucker. Not once did he lose that complete look of apathy for a single second, even as he cut down the poor kid. Complete robot, man. He mercilessly cut the teen down, severing his... power outlet? Sue me, I'm not a shinigami, I don't know the correct terminology. Then, he just walked right over him, as if the kid had been nothing but a pesky fly. A big pesky fly that you have to stab, but a fly none the less.
The kid was being pretty pathetic now, and from the looks of it, he really might die. Again I ask, what the hell is wrong with the kids in these town? Jumping head first into fights they had no business even knowing about just to die? Suicidal the whole lot of them, I swear, they're just trying to make it look good. Silly gooses, these humans can never leave anything alone.
"This boy resembles him a lot, Rukia." Kuchiki Byakuya's voice was nothing but a monotonous tone that grated my ears. Either way, my attention was drawn back to the scene below. Ichigo's slither of energy had flickered at that statement. 'And the show continues.'
"What do you mean "Already dead" and resembles somebody?" The idiot actually grabbed robot man's pants, his fingers tightening as he lifted his head to look him in the eyes. "Don't talk about me without my say in it!" I couldn't help but deadpan at his proclamation, a sweat drop forming on the back of my head.
'What kind of idiot says something like that to his soon to be murderer?'
"Let go, Rookie."
"Can't hear you...look at me if you wanna say something." Is that idiot really smirking at robot man? That's it, I've decided, these kids were all born without the little warning bell that rings in their brains when they should be worried about self preservation. 'Ding ding ding, this is your life speaking, please don't kill us!' Nope, none of it. Actually, I think theirs just goes 'Ding Ding, let's die today, that sounds like a totally fun activity!'
Suddenly, Rukia kicked Ichigo's hand from her brother's leg, startling the poor boy.
"What the hell Ruki-"
"You are a human! How dare you grab my brother's robe like that!" I watched as Ichigo's face dropped, his mouth opening into a small 'O' of shock. "Know your place, Rookie!"
Aw, how sweet. She just saved the idiot's life. How interesting, she's off to die for giving him her powers. If it wasn't for that boy, Rukia Kuchiki would probably be back in soul society, fully powered, living her life like normal. Yet, here she is sparing his life, instead shouldering the burden of death for the both of them. 'This really is a real life soap opera.'
"I should've brought some popcorn..."
The shinigami then opened the doorway, leading back to the soul society. Rukia followed obediently, all the fight leaving her body with each step. "If...If you try to follow me..."Rukia looked back to the fallen boy, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. "I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!"
Ichigo looked like he had been slapped, his brown eyes wide revealing the torn feelings raging in his heart to the woman. He looked like he wanted to argue, to shout about how he was really going to rescue her, that she wasn't going to die. Of course, if he and Kisuke have their way, there's not a possibility that it's going to happen either way.
"You're going to die anyways, so just preserve your energy and hold on a bit longer."
And with those oh so kind words, which I'm sure the idiot missed the meaning she had laced into that single sentence, Rukia stepped through doorway, letting them close behind her without a glance back. Then, there was silence.
I frowned and raised a hand in front of my face. Rain had started to fall, turning quickly to a downpour. It almost drowned out the anguished and frustrated scream of the boy, bleeding to death on the ground. His scream pierced my ears and I winced, whether it was from the noise or the uneasy churning in my gut at the sound, I couldn't really say.
Leaping from the tree branch, I landed down beside the boy, watching as his eyes unfocused and he succumbed to unconsciousness. Picking the lollipop stick from between my teeth, I threw it into a nearby bush before leaning down. I touched my fingers to Ichigo's jugular, feeling the faint pulse of his heart before removing my hand and patting it on his head twice.
"It's alright homie, just chill out for a few more moments. That old pervert is on his way to wrap you up into his schemes." Frowning, I stared down at the broken sword laying on the ground as well. I could almost hear the anguished cries of the sword, it's failue in protecting it's master resonating deeply. "You did good kiddo, you did good."
Then, there was suddenly a black umbrella blocking us from the rain. I gazed up at the sullen bucket hat wearing man, and he gazed right back. For once, he didn't look like a happy idiot, even though everything was going as he probably had planned. He didn't say anything for what seemed like an eternity, just staring at the boy face down in his own blood.
Standing up, I clasped his shoulder, giving it a slight squeeze. He seemed to come to life, a spark lighting his eyes as he gave me a small smile. It was the smile of a man burdening a thousand secrets and sins.
"Did you enjoy the show, Bounty Hunter-tan?"
I turned my head away, a frown tugging at my lips once again.
"Let's get them back to the shop, Kisuke."
Alright, everyone's probably like: AHHHH SHIT, why did that douchebag just sit back and watch poor Ichigo and Ishida get shit on?! Well, that will all be explained in due time kidderinos. Unfortunately, our dear douchebag Ahswina cannot save our dear protagonist at this point in time, and probably wouldn't even if she could.
Next chapter, Ichigo will finally meet his mysterious stalker!
GhostDoor out baby~