Keeping the Light Chapter 7: Taking Chances, a bleach fanfic

If you haven't yet, check out my friend VanityIre's Harry Potter fanfic!

I do not own Bleach or its canon, only the non-canon in the fanfiction.

A/N: I have finally reached the 20,000 word mark for NaNoWriMo... which makes me behind by 10,000. Lord, if you'll kindly, help me!

This entry has 4,236 words.

Chapter Seven: Taking Chances

Ayame woke up early the next morning. She got dressed into her school uniform, and started packing her bag. The doorbell rang. Her digital clock sitting on her desk read six o'clock. It was extremely odd for someone to visit this early in the morning. She left her packing unfinished to check out who the visitor could be. Ayame's grandfather was already at the front door to answer. The sun peaked in through the windows and open doorway, brightening the inside of the house more than the florescent bulbs could. She stopped at the foot of the stairs and hid from view to spy on the conversation her grandfather had with the visitor.

Orihime looked up and gave a small, hopeful smile. "I see. In your own way, you're doing your best." She stood up and held her hands behind her back. "I'm going to think it over again carefully." Orihime looked up through the trees. "It's certain that I'm going through some changes. I'm scared, but I want to know more about these changes." Ayame found that she could relate to Orihime. She had only recently been exposed to her own abilities. "See you around?" Orihime, Yasutora, and Yoruichi left Ayame and Ishida.

"You have no business coming this early," she heard her grandfather grumble. "Do you know what time it is?"

"I am deeply sorry for coming at this hour." Ayame's eyes widened and her breath caught when the visitor spoke. "I couldn't come at a later time. Is Kawano-san awake?" She held her back to the stairway wall and held a hand to her chest.

There was a pause before her grandfather answered. "What do you want with her? She's got important things to do before heading to school." Her grandfather started closing the door. "You'll have to see her at school or after school."

"Ojii-san!" Ayame came running out from the stairwell, almost slipping in her socks as sshe sprinted forward. She latched a hand on the edge of the door before it closed on Ishida's face. Her grip was firm and she put more than enough force behind her swing to open the door all the way again. In her rush, her skin blushed and her heartbeat sped up. "H-he's just kidding. Right, ojii-san?" She looked down at the old man as she held the door open. Ishida stood with a slightly scared expression on his face. The burst of her energy must have spooked him, but Ayame did not notice.

"This will be the only time it happens, Ayame!" He turned around to leave her alone with Ishida. She could swear she saw him grin a little.

Ayame turned back to Ishida and bowed. "Ohayou, Ishida-kun!" She grinned happily. "What brings you here so early?" Her smile dropped and she put on a thinking face. "How did you know this was where I lived? You were only here once."

"I have a pretty good memory," he answered.

"Oh." Ayame grinned again. "What can I do you for? Would you like to come in?" She stood aside to allow him entrance. Instead of taking her invitation, however, he stayed outside.

Ishida pushed his glasses up. "Kawano-san, I'm here to take you to a training spot. Did you forget already that I was going to train you to control your abilities?" He folded his arms and gave her a serious look.

She looked a bit disappointed. "I haven't forgotten. What about school? I can't miss the day before summer vacation."

"Training comes before school. Oh, and you should pack some clean clothes."

Ayame's gaze drifted downward and she sighed. Her grandparents had high hopes for her to be a model student. So far, she has been a very good student: no missed days, never getting too sick, studying extra hard and long, and reading a lot. She would feel dirty, to say the least, if she missed a day for any reason.

"If you can't accept that, then I've clearly made a mistake in trusting you. I will be on my way, then. Bai-bai, Kawano-san." He turned around and started walking away.

She gasped and then shouted, "Wait! Ishida-kun!" He stopped and looked over his shoulder. She had both of her hands holding each other to her chest as she stood in the doorway. "Just… just give me a minute to change out of my uniform. Please, come in while you wait." Ishida turned completely around, bowed, and then entered the house. She showed him to the dining area, and offered him a place to sit. "Obaa-san! Do we have some fresh tea?"

"Of course, Ayame-chan." The older woman had a tray already prepared with two cups for tea and a warm teapot.

"Arigatō, obaa-san." Ayame smiled to her grandmother, and then looked at Ishida. "I'll be back down in a minute." She bowed to him respectfully before rushing off back up the stairs to her bedroom. When she got to her room, she closed the door and put her back up against it. She felt her face and found it warm. Was it from the running upstairs or the sight of Ishida at her door? Whatever it was, it made her heart pound really fast and her head dizzy. "Ayame, control yourself." She cleared her throat, stood up straight, and then walked to her closet.

Her school skirt was replaced by a plain blue skirt, and she changed out of her school top and into a white halter top which she covered with a dark blue cropped jacket. Before leaving with a pink-and-yellow-and-white flower print bucket bag, Ayame made sure her hair was brushed and made up. Clean underwear and three shirts and one pair of jeans were stuffed into the bag. She re-tied the yellow band holding a pinch of strands beside her face, and switched to a new clasp to put the rest of her hair up. There was no time to bother with make-up – the longer she made Ishida wait, the antsier she felt. The straps of her bag made it easy to not have to worry about dropping it somewhere and leaving her money and identification cards for someone to take. "Okay, Ayame, you're ready as you'll ever be." She took a moment to take a deep breath, and then put on a cheery face and a calm air.

Ishida was drinking the tea her grandmother had made when Ayame got to the bottom of the stairs. "I'm ready!" She held her straps in either hand and tried to look cute. He put his cup down before looking at her. His reaction was not what she had hoped, but at least he looked at her.

"Dōmo arigatō, Kawano-san," he directed to her grandmother. "The tea was nice."

Ayame went to the entrance and slipped into her white slip-on sneakers. She opened the door but waited for Ishida to approach. He put his shoes on and left the house. "I'll be back later, ojii-san, obaa-san!"

"Have a fun time!" Her grandmother called back before the front door was closed. She sighed and put a hand to her cheek. "I wonder if it's a date."

"It better not be! Ayame!" Ayame's grandfather stormed toward the door, but was held back by her grandmother. "Get back here! How dare you play hooky!"

Ayame could have sworn she heard her grandfather yelling. She shrugged it off because all she heard was his muffled shouting. "I-Ishida-kun?"

"Hmm?"

"Where are we going?"

"There's a place my grandfather used to take me when he taught me techniques. It's not too far."

"Okay."

She puffed her cheeks out after sighing. The walk was quiet. There had to be something to fill the silence. But what could they talk about? She was scared to mention something that would elicit a negative response from Ishida. Of course, she knew that nothing would be accomplished if she did not try. Her mouth opened, but dismissed her thought and she closed it again. Another minute went by and she opened her mouth again. She closed it once more. Seconds later, she opened to speak.

"If you're going to say something, say it," Ishida interrupted her. The only thing she could do is squeak. "You look like a fish when you do that."

Ayame's face flushed. "I was just going to ask what the training would be."

He sighed before replying, "Ok. We're almost there. I'll tell you then."

It was frustrating to walk in silence for ten more minutes. Ayame started watching her feet the rest of the way there. Seeing that her stride was in-sync with Ishida's renewed her happiness, however. She was confused when he stopped walking.

"We're here." He put his hands on his hips and gazed down a path.

Ayame looked up. "More walking?" she whined.

"Don't complain. Part of the training is learning patience. It's only a little further."

The spot they came to was serene. Her mouth hung open in awe, and she could not stop saying things like, "oh my gosh" and "wow". She took the straps of her bag off her shoulders. The bag fell to the ground with a soft thump. Ayame gazed at the waterfall from bottom to top to bottom, and then down the waterway. There were just enough shrubbery, trees, and rocks for privacy but not too much to be unaesthetic.

Ishida stood proud with his arms folded across his chest. "This is where I would sometimes train with my sensei. I still use it for training even though he's no longer alive. It's the perfect place for privacy." He walked up closer to the waterfall. Ayame turned her head to see him standing directly beside her. His expression told her he was lost in memories. She knew it was best to not break the quiet. It was nice, however, and she was rather happy with things as they were in that moment.

"Oh! Here they are!" Orihime's high voice brought both out of their thoughts. "Ishida-kun! Kawano-san! Ya-ho!"

Ayame looked over her shoulder before turning slightly to see Orihime and Chad better. Ishida turned around, too, with a trace of his wandering mind hanging in his expression. The moment he touched his glasses, he looked surprised that they were here. "Inoue-san, Yasutora-kun. What are you doing here?" He and Ayame walked up to their classmates, meeting them halfway.

Orihime stopped and put her hands in front of her below her waist. "We asked Yoruichi-san to follow your spiritual aura."

"Yoruichi?" Ayame asked, tilting her head to the right.

"Whatcha doin'? Are you two camping?"

Ishida glanced over to the duffel bag and wooden box on the ground nearby. "No!"

A voice came from nowhere. "You're training, right?"

Ishida was scared. He looked around and asked "Who's there?"

Ayame giggled. She happened to be looking at the source of the voice.

"Where are you looking? Over here," the cat spoke again, waving its paw in a human-like gesture to get Ishida's attention. Once Ishida found the cat, the cat smiled and continued. "I'm Yoruichi."

A split second later, Ishida was freaking out. He crossed his arms in front of him and screamed. "What? Huh? A cat? A cat is – ?" Ayame started laughing a bit harder.

"So? What's the big deal that a cat can talk?" the cat said. "Don't be a wimp."

"Yeah, Uryū," Orihime said energetically.

Ayame calmed herself down, but still had a big grin on her face, to add, "It's not that big of a deal."

Yasutora put his own thoughts to words, saying: "No… I think it's normal if someone is mildly traumatized by it." His own expression reflected his reaction, possibly the same one as when he found out the cat could talk.

Ishida was shaking, but stopped jerking about. His final pose was rather comical, especially with his spooked expression. The cat sighed. "Men have such a hard time adapting to things." Ishida quickly fixed himself into a normal pose and less dramatic expression. He turned to the side and pushed his glasses up.

"I'm sorry." Ishida cleared his throat. "What was it you wanted?"

"Well… " Orihime began. "Is it okay if we sit? We've been walking for a while."

They all gathered to sit on some rocks that were close together on the ground. Orihime sat between Yasutora and Yoruichi, and across from them sat Ishida and Ayame. "Ichigo is going to the Soul Society?" Ishida asked.

Orihime nodded. "He's going to go rescue Rukia. So, we all thought we should tell you, too."

"Unfortunately," Ishida replied and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, "it has nothing to do with either of us."

"But Rukia's life is in danger!" Orihime said.
At the same time, Ayame objected Ishida's answer with, "But she's our friend, isn't she?"

Ishida glanced to Ayame, gazing at her for a long time, and then looked straight at Orihime. "As a Quincy, I can't forgive myself for losing to a Soul Reaper. That is why I train." Disappointment overcame Orihime. The air flowing around everyone had a quiet sadness.

Ayame waved good-bye and watched them walk away until they were no longer in sight. Ishida had walked over to the wooden box, flicked open a clasp that held string around it, and then opened the box with both of his hands. "Are they gone?"

"Yeah." She turned around to see Ishida removing a glove from the case. The white glove had blue lines running up it to form a cross at the wrist, and the underside of the thumb and index fingers were blue.

"I didn't want them to see this," he said as he put it on. "This is the Sanrei Glove. My sensei gave it to me." Ishida stood up. "It's purpose is to enhance a Quincy's ability to collect reishi, spirit particles, and augment speed and stamina." He dropped his head a little and pushed his glasses up with his bare hand. "To train with it takes a week to successfully complete."

"A week?"

Ishida turned toward her and gave her a serious look. He frightened her with his furrowed brow and scowl. "I told you this would not be a walk in the park! Are you turning back now, when the opportunity to become stronger is right in front of you? You're such a fickle person! If I knew you'd be a waste of time, I wouldn't have bothered with you!"

Ayame cringed, stepped one foot back in reaction.

"Now," he calmed down. His brow was not furrowed anymore, and his scowl turned into a tame frown. "Because this is the only one I have, it seemed your training would not benefit too much by the end of the week." Ishida turned then bent over to the duffel bag, and pulled out an identical but smaller glove. "I couldn't make an exact duplication of it, but I was able to find a way to create something similar. It takes just as long to complete the training, but you can remove it easily without repercussions at the end of the week if you want."

She took the glove with interest, and then put it on her left hand.

"That's… the wrong hand."

"What?"

"You don't use your right hand to hold your bow?"

"Uhm… no." Ayame removed the cross hanging around her wrist, then put it back on over the glove. "When you're right handed, you hold the bow with your left hand." There was a brief silence between them. She felt like she was missing something.

"Okay." He adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat. "The first thing you need to work on now is summoning your bow."

"Well, that's easy." She lifted her hand, looking toward the waterfall, and concentrated. "I've done it before."

Ishida stood behind her with his arms crossed. When nothing happened, the silence returned with a huge hypothetical slap of awkward to the back of her head. Ayame stood, taken back by the surprise that she could not summon the bow.

A grin curled at one corner of Ishida's lips. "The glove acts as a restraint. It prevents the wielder from summoning their bow on a whim. You have to work harder to gather enough reishi for your bow." Ayame gritted her teeth and wished he had told her that before. "One more thing: once you have summoned your bow, you are required to keep it from dissipating. That is the most difficult part of the training."

She kept her eyes ahead of her and her arm out. "I know I can do this," Ayame said to herself. She squinted her eyes as she focused on her first task. It was an embarrassing half hour spent standing with her arm outstretched and gaze forward. There was no time to look to see how Ishida was doing, as much as she wanted to. The first step was turning out to be too much about summoning a bow and not enough about wielding it and firing arrows.

At the end of the first day, Ayame was on her back with her arms spread wide. She was on the brink of giving up. The sky had turned a light navy blue and the clouds were becoming sparse. Stars began appearing, and crickets and cicadas started an orchestra.

"We can set up camp here. It would keep us from drawing attention to ourselves and what we're doing." Ishida approached Ayame. She got up on her elbows and gaped at the bow he was able to summon. "What are you doing? You're supposed to be training. You could've had a bow already if you hadn't stopped trying half an hour ago." He did not wait for her to respond. Ishida opened his duffel bag and pulled out two sleeping bags and tent canvas. "We'll be here for the week, which means we can't go anywhere."

"What?" Ayame sat up and crossed her legs. "Are you serious?"

"What do you expect?" He said. "We can't risk exposing ourselves."

Ayame pouted.

"Help me set up the tent," he added. "It's only meant for one person. I'll let you use it."

Before this, she would have pardoned his behaviour for being such a gentleman, but right now she was not too happy with having to sleep outside. Mosquitoes were starting to come in swarms. There was an owl nearby that made her jump when it hooted. "Thanks," was all she could manage to say without too much acid in her tone.

She finished setting up the tent, and Ishida tossed her the dark green sleeping bag. "Don't worry about anything happening. Right now, there shouldn't be a Hollow problem because of Ichigo's attack on the Menos Grande." Ayame nodded and tossed the sleeping bag into the tent. She went into the quaint shelter, but turned around to poke her head out to say good night. Ishida was already back to training. His expression was permanently serious as he continuously fired one arrow after the other. It appeared that he was prepared for her first day of failure. Something inside her cursed Ishida and wished for him to make some clumsy mistake for once in his life. Ayame kept the tent open so she could watch Ishida. She kept her eyes open for as long as she could, but ended up falling asleep an hour later on her stomach with her head resting on her arms.

In the morning, she woke up to find Ishida still shooting arrows. Getting changed into the jeans and a plain white long-sleeved shirt was the first thing she did. Without saying anything, Ayame stood erect next to the shore and pointed her arm out. She was determined to not give up this time. Ishida looked unaffected by the effort it took to summon and hold his bow in constant form, and then continuously shoot one arrow after another. At first, it was difficult. Ayame was finally able to summon her bow, slowly, out of reishi. She gritted her teeth because she did not know it would put a strain on her body physically and spiritually.

"Good job," Ishida said between shooting arrows. "Now, can you keep it? Start creating your arrows, and fire at will. Remember to not let your bow dissipate. If you do, you risk the chance of losing your Quincy powers forever."

Ayame looked over her shoulder to gaze at him with wide eyes. A bead of sweat dripped down from her forehead to her neck. Why would he be so reckless and not tell me this before? She started to panic, but kept her poise. He had to be joking. Ayame felt her arms start to ache when she pulled her right hand back, drawing an arrow from the same reishi that made her bow. A very brief relief came over her when she released the arrow. The arrow dissipated when it hit the water, but it made no damage upon impact.

"Again, you can't stop!" Ishida instructed. Sweat beads already dotted his forehead as he continued to shoot arrows.

She repeated her previous action, and then shot another arrow. This happened for four more days. Ishida had to remind her to stay strong and fight through the pain. Ayame wanted to make him proud, so she did not argue. When the physical strain on her body become too intense, she could only grit her teeth. Her hands, fully healed when Ishida had gone to her grandparents' house to pick her up, were being cut up by untamed reishi and the strain the activity put on her body. Eventually, her arms were cut from the exertion.

"Keep your mind clear," Ishida told her on the third day. "Focus on the reishi and your bow." It was easier said than done. She saw that he had not yet been in as much pain or marked as much as her hands by the end of day three. Ayame fought to keep her mind clear, but once in a while her thoughts wandered to the pain in her arms, chest, back, and legs.

"Hang in there, Kawano-san," he would encourage her by the fourth day. "You're doing a lot better. Remember to keep your back and shoulders straight, and level your elbow out when you pull back."

"Yes, sir!" She could not respond to any of his encouragements or criticisms with variety. If she said more than four words, she feared she would mislay control and permanently lose her Quincy powers.

The last day of training finally arrived. Ayame's hands were bloodier than she had ever wanted them to be in her life. She had endured so much strain and pain all over her body for so long that her body felt almost numb to everything. "I-Ishida-kun?" Sweat dripped from her chin as she rushed another shot. She could not turn her head to glance at him.

He approached her, his own training finished, and put a hand on her shoulder. "You're still not straight." He repositioned her elbow, and then put a hand on her shoulder to hold her still as he put his other hand on the middle of her back to keep her straight.

"I'm s-sorry," she apologised through gritted teeth.

Ishida's voice became softer. "It's fine. You're newer to this kind of exertion."

She pulled back an arrow and released it after holding her breath for two seconds. When the arrow was gone, Ayame felt her body get weak. Ishida caught her around the waist from behind before she fell to her knees. "I… ruined your glove," she mumbled. Both of her hands had multiple cuts, and fresh blood flowed over dried lines of blood from previous days. Ishida did not say anything about the glove. He walked over to the duffel bag after making sure she could sit up-right on her own. From it, he drew out a bottle of water.

"Give me your hands," he commanded. Ayame watched him get into a crouch in front of her before showing him her open hands. His own hands had cuts and blood, but she noted that he took the time to treat her before himself. "I can fix it later," he added. Ishida poured the cool water over her palms. Ayame cringed and inhaled sharply in shock. Her body had regained feeling after the bow dissipated. Never before had she thought that she could withstand so much pain.

"What happens now?" Ayame asked.

Ishida finished tending to her hands, and then walked over to the river to wash his own hands. "Now, we pack our things and go find Kurosaki and the others before they leave."

Ayame blinked and slowly got up. "But I thought you said you weren't –"

"I know what I said," he interrupted. "The past two days, I've thought about it. We'll help rescue Rukia."

A/N: I do NOT edit this for the fact that this is for NANOWRIMO - editing is pretty much a taboo for NaNoWriMo participants. Because NaNoWriMo is more about quantity than quality, I am trying to find a way to have quality without dragging the story on. This may cause some parts to feel rushed or unfinished. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!