Rukia Baby

by

Mojo-licious

Chapter Thirteen

- Disappear -

Twelfth division..

They stood in one of the many underground labs of the twelfth division. A few twelfth division members were stationed at a control unit off to the side with Mayuri overseeing them; Nemu stood beside him. The other captains and General Yamamoto stood lined against a wall facing a large cylindrical chamber. The chamber was surrounded by a white force field with steel bars positioned around it for good measure. It was ridiculously large compared to its occupant, who continued lying perfectly still on the cold cement grounds.

Matsumoto Rangiku frowned at the sight of the helpless tot. The image conjured so many unwanted memories of her own childhood reminding her of a time when she too had been helpless and desperate to escape. An image of Gin flashed through her mind which she immediately discarded. There was no use in contemplating the past.

She bit her lip as her eyes absently trailed down to her captain who stood with his hands folded across his chest, a stance he often took when he was uncomfortable with something. The blue beams of energy surrounding the cell drew her attention and she was reminded of the caged birds she had seen in the pet stores of the living world; a helpless creature trapped behind gilded bars, very much like the toddler who lay awaiting the horrors of whatever the twelfth division had planned for her.

'Gomen Rukia-chan,' Matsumoto thought bitterly as her hands were tied in such areas. While Inoue's healing had come from her own powers whose origins had yet to be determined, Rukia's background was that of a shinigami, very familiar territory for the twelfth division, so conducting a few tests on her and extracting samples seemed more logical. The reasoning behind the tests was to find a cure for those stricken with the fever. With the fourth division working around the clock and a few more shinigami being added to the sick list, a cure was urgently needed to protect the Gotei 13 and Seireitei. The situation was dire; Matsumoto recalled her last visit to the fourth division to check up on a few of her squad members, their health hadn't changed much and they were always on the brink of death, all it took was a lapse in monitoring for their condition to worsen. She had witnessed exhausted members of the fourth division catching a few winks in the hallway, even Isane had looked terribly tired from her constant rounds.

"Matsumoto you can leave if you like," a voice spoke interrupting the busty woman's thoughts. She blinked before looking down at her captain. She was grateful to him for his consideration as she really did want to be spared seeing this, but part of her wanted to be there for him. She had always considered it her duty to support him and even now she steeled herself for whatever came.

"Arigato taicho, but I'll stay," she replied and Hitsugaya nodded to her, silently grateful for her support. He personally didn't want to consent to such a thing, but the thought of those stricken down with the sickness and the thought of keeping Mayuri in check was the reason he was there. He knew it was much harder for the sixth and thirteenth division captains, well not so much Byakuya, but more so for Ukitake.

Ukitake watched the motionless toddler. According to General Yamamoto's message Rukia had the potential cure for the Red fever. The message had been short and to the point preying upon Ukitake's conscience. Had Ukitake not cared for the sick, or for Seireitei's well being he would have sent Rukia back to the living world with Ichigo and crew, but he had cared for those stricken with the disease; and though he cared greatly for his subordinate enough to have risked Yamamoto's wrath against him during her execution, this was something unavoidable and in short, necessary. Despite his own feelings of guilt he knew that there was someone feeling the weight of such a decision. His eyes shifted towards Kuchiki Byakuya who stood betraying none of the emotions that lay beneath his tempered self. The head of the Kuchiki clan was once again thrust into the most horrific circumstances and was again forced to choose between Seireitei and his adopted sister. In the end he had chosen to save those stricken with the illness, but Ukitake knew from the man's stance that the decision was eating him up inside. Only a select few knew of Kuchiki Byakuya's temperaments and Ukitake was one of them. Having been with Byakuya before his entrance into the Gotei 13, he had watched Byakuya grow into the man he was today and was usually sensitive to even the slightest shifts in his icy exterior, which was why the slight widening of Byakuya's eyes had Ukitake reverting back to the toddler. A few seconds later a piercing scream shattered the silence as something gold flared up. The bright light was making it difficult to see and Ukitake used his arm to shield his eyes. Everyone else had taken a similar position and soon the light died down. All eyes fell onto the chambers.

Without a second thought Kurotsuchi Mayuri slammed the red button on the control console. Immediately doors to the twelfth division began to close as an alarm rang through the entire division alerting members to the new emergency; an experiment had escaped, in short Kuchiki Rukia had disappeared.

Seireitei, somewhere near the eleventh division..

Inoue Orihime sat against one of the many white walls of Seireitei. She had suffered a minor dizzy spell and ended up having to rest. The robust girl had felt guilty for depriving Chad and Ishida of their guide, but they had reassured her that they would be fine with the directions given to them.

Taking another sip from Hanataro's water pouch, she wondered where the short healer had gone off to. He had mentioned needing something or the other to treat her and had run off promising to return soon. Now she was alone, waiting for him. She wasn't dressed in shinigami robes, so she stood out like a sore thumb and hoped that she wouldn't attract too much attention.

'So far, so good,' she thought as her eyes drifted to the clear blue skies. The air was much cleaner and the scent of the place a lot sweeter. She could understand why Rukia had liked the place.

The sound of slurred speech caught her attention and she pressed herself against the wall and closed her eyes. It sounded like a bunch of drunken shinigami coming round the corner. There was quite a few as Inoue heard at least six different voices arguing about strength and being part of the eleventh division. She frowned realizing that she was probably close to the eleventh division. A sigh escaped her lips as she recalled Matsumoto Rangiku's advice on the eleventh division. According to her the eleventh division had some of the more rowdier shinigami who often drank, womanized and partied like the world would end. It was understandable as the eleventh division famed for its strength was often called into the frontlines of the battlefield. Still if Inoue remembered correctly Matsumoto had warned her never to head off in that direction without either vice-captain Yachiru, Yumichika or Ikkaku by her side. To venture into the eleventh division or meet any of its members outside was simply asking for trouble, worse was when the members were drunk. Inoue paled as the large group came round the corner. The group was much larger and she counted at least ten to twelve members. Almost all their eyes fell on her taking in her voluptuous figure. A few men snickered, while others leered at her.

"Ano.." Inoue began fearfully as she saw an almost predatory look in their eyes.

"What a nice looking woman," one man spoke and the others nodded as they approached her. Soon the group surrounded her. Despite the cheery façade she often projected, she knew exactly what these men wanted of her. She had seen it before, but had chuckled or done something stupid to shirk their attention elsewhere. Now however it wouldn't be so easy.

Elsewhere a short distance away from Inoue..

A small form appeared out of thin air and fell hard against the ground. Violet eyes opened and searched the area for anything familiar, all the form saw were white walls and cemented grounds. White hot pain lanced through her body making it difficult to move, but the form had tasted far worse injuries and struggled to rise to her feet. Once standing her vision swam and she quickly leaned against one of the large walls for support. Her head was throbbing, a pounding that started at the base of her skull and shot up into her brain. Weakened, she slowly made her way towards some unseen destination. The only thought that permeated her brain was that she had to get away. She wasn't sure from what or from whom, only that she needed to keep going in order to escape. Despite her weakened state, she trudged onwards with one hand placed firmly against the walls and her head bowed to hide her eyes from the glaring rays of the sun. Her breath came out in pants and she noted wearily that the air was much lighter, more fresher than what she was used to. As she began to wonder where she was, she was once again assaulted by another flare of pain. Digging her palm into the side of her temple she wished her pain to go away as it was making it difficult for her to move. Her ears picked up the feint voices off in the distance. Squinting her eyes she could make out a blob of black.

'Bodies,' she realized after scrutinizing the image further. They were huddled over something, or someone. She continued her slow pace towards the group, normally she would have run in the opposite direction, but her mind was urging her forward. The image became clearer with each step. Soon her eyes widened at the familiar shock of sandy blonde hair. The men dressed in black attire were attacking a girl who had a golden shield up in place. Katana's were drawn and pounded against the golden barrier. A name, somewhere in her mind there was a name for the sandy blonde but she couldn't quite recall it. Violet eyes turned crimson as her own powers flared to life. In a flash she was gone.

She could hear the advice of her flower fairies urging her to use more powerful methods to throw off the men, but Inoue refused to injure them merely because they were drunk. Her own strength was waning as she felt another dizzy spell approaching. Just as her hands began to lower a loud bang resounded and the men that were around her were thrown off instantly and rendered unconscious as they hit the ground several feet away from her. Her own vision swam as another dizzy spell hit her. She clutched her head feeling lightheaded. She could hear the concerned voices of the Shun Shun Rikka calling out to her. The spell soon passed and Inoue inhaled slowly.

"Maybe we should perform the Soten Kisshun," Ayame one of the fairies suggested as she looked at her mistress worriedly.

While Inoue got her bearings back, Rukia was eyeing the Shun Shun Rikka carefully. Her red eyes scrutinized each of the fairies that surrounded the sandy blonde. She was especially intrigued by the last one who stood glaring at her with his arms folded across his chest. He had a yellow scarf around his neck that hid his most of his nose and mouth and wore a black ensemble with odd black wings.

"What are you staring at brat?" the fairy asked.

Rukia being the curious child that she was merely poked the fairy to see if he was real. Tsubaki swatted the girls hand and was preparing to shout at her when he noticed her grimace in pain. Placing a hand on her head Rukia struggled as yet stroke of pain shot through her skull. Tsubaki turned to call his mistress, but found she was already up and behind him. Inoue had been watching the interaction between the two in silence, as she had been stunned by Rukia's appearance. Rukia was still a child, only a little taller than before and more scrawny looking, but what shocked Inoue was the condition she was in. Kuchiki Rukia was dressed in a dirty white tank top and drawstring cotton pants that were torn at the knees and frayed at the edges. It looked like her hair had been shaved off as her head was wrapped up neatly in pristine white bandages. Dirty blood stained bandages were wrapped around her left hand and lower arms. Cuts, scratches, and bruises lined her face neck, back and any exposed part of her body. From what Inoue could tell the child looked like she had gotten into a pretty bad fight or worse, had been experimented on.

Rukia fell on her knees wincing as the pain in her head worsened.

"Kuchiki-san," Inoue called, her hands were reaching out to the child version of her friend. Without a second thought Inoue wrapped her arms around Rukia's fragile form and embraced her, while summoning her own healing powers. Hot tears traversed down Inoue's cheeks as she wept for injured form, whom she clung onto.

"Orhime," the Shun Shun Rikka called out. Inoue smiled to reassure them, all the while pushing aside her own painful childhood memories.

"I'm fine," she whispered.

Confusion swept through Rukia as she was embraced by this girl. She wasn't sure what to make of it, but the pain she had felt moments ago was dissipating and her sore muscles were slowly starting to feel a lot better. She recalled something she had heard about those that healed, how their life force was reduced every time they healed someone. The memory at best was rather fuzzy, but the message was quite clear. Without a second thought Rukia broke out of the embrace and stumbled back.

"Kuchiki-san?" Inoue called startled by the action. Rukia looked at the older girl and then looked off to the side quite embarrassed. She wasn't used to people helping her, let alone hugging her and quite frankly she wasn't sure how to react. Inoue quickly summoned the Shun Shun Rikka to their previous forms, thinking their presence made Rukia feel uncomfortable. After a few minutes of awkward silence Rukia got up and dusted herself off.

"A- A-arigato," Rukia stuttered as she bowed formally to the sandy blonde. Inoue blinked at the sight of the injured girl thanking her. The truth was that she didn't do much of anything to be thanked for. In fact if anyone needed to be thanked it had to be Rukia for having saved her from the eleventh division men.

"Ano.. I should be to the one thanking you for saving me. Arigato Kuchiki-san," Inoue smiled and then returned the gesture.

"Eh.. that's alright," Rukia added feeling uneasy about the whole thing. After a few moments Rukia noticed something, the girl kept on referring to her as Kuchiki-san. Before the she could question the sandy blonde a voice interrupted.

"Oh.. Kisuke what a lovely atmosphere, almost a shame we have to ruin it."

Even before Rukia could react a swift punch to the gut and one precise chop to the back of the neck rendered her unconscious.

"Yoruichi-san!" Inoue exclaimed, her eyes wide in disbelief. The purple haired woman tucked Rukia under her arm while another form was draped over her shoulder.

"You're lucky Rukia-chan didn't attack you. She's been infected you know," the voice of Urahara Kisuke was heard from behind and Inoue felt his breath against her cheek. A sudden pain at the back of her neck was all Inoue felt before her world spiraled and went black.

To be Contd…

Where was Ichigo; who's the form the Yoruichi look alike is carrying.. you'll see in the next chappie.. Also Rukia's hell begins.. In case you're wondering.. in this chappie Rukia looks around four or five.. Many of you will be wondering what the heck is up with all these age changes and there's reason behind each change.. You'll see in the next chappie why Rukia changed her form this time.. and as the story progresses you'll understand why these forms are significant.. so please be patient.. Thank you all for your reviews, as I said it really pushes me to write even though I hardly have the time for it these days. Right now I'm focusing on this story; I wanted to start a new one, but that would mean putting this and Haunted on hold, so I'm just gonna try and get this done, then get Haunted done before tackling anything new.. Once again thx for the reviews and the great feedback.. I really appreciate it..