Chapter 4:
When Ichigo and Rukia got up to the school roof, Rukia is relieved that her body was still on the roof; Rukia walked up to her body and looked at it not quite sure how to get back into.
"Ichigo, how do I get back into my body?" Rukia asked while looking back at Ichigo helplessly.
"You just pick your body up and just focus on entering it, that's how I entered my Gigai." Ichigo answered while looking out to the school yard.
Rukia tried what Ichigo had said and it had worked with little difficultly. The lunch dismissal bell went off as Rukia was getting back into her body.
"Come on Ichigo time to go back class." Rukia said as she stood up.
Ichigo turned away from the railing and followed Rukia to roof exit heading back to class.
When they walk back into class Keigo ran up to Rukia and tried to get her in to a hug but instead of a hug he found Rukia's right fist in the centre of his face knocking him straight to the floor. Rukia sighed and stepped over Keigo who's holding his face and moaning in pain. Ichigo looked down at the boy on the floor and then shrugged his shoulders as he stepped over him.
As Rukia was walking to her seat she noticed that Orihime was staring towards her with a tint of red on her checks and a dreamy look on her face. When Rukia looked behind her she noticed Ichigo was right the behind her heading for his seat. 'Ah, it seems Orihime might have developed a little crush for Carrot-Top. Well he does have an extremely sexy body and breathe taking eyes.' Rukia thought with a blush and shook her head at the last past of her thought as she and Ichigo took their seats.
"Okay class can everyone please go to their seat and copy what I write on the board into you books." The teacher said as she walked into the classroom. Rukia looked over her shoulder to the seat behind her were Orihime is sitting in and saw that see was taking quick glance at Ichigo while copying the notes the teacher is writing down. 'Well Orihime sure has developed feeling for Ichigo.' Rukia thought to herself before she continued on with her note taking.
After school Rukia and Ichigo side by side down a road on their way home and Rukia decides to ask what has been on her mind since she fought that hollow at the park.
"Ichigo what was that black butterfly I saw after I did that Konsō thing to that kid back at the park, it looked like the one I saw the morning I saw you kill that hollow and the one that flow into my room the night the other hollow attack my mother?"
"That black butterfly you saw today and the times before are called Jigokuchō or hell butterfly. We Shinigami's use them to travel between Soul Society and The world of the living; we use them to relay important missions or messages. And when you do a Konsō on a soul the Jigokuchō takes them from the world of the living to Soul Society." He answered.
After they walked silently for a few minutes they heard noise of screeching car tires and ran in the direction where the noise had come from. It took them a couple of minutes to get to were then noise had come from, and when they got there the car had taken off and was driving down the street. And on the sidewalk next to the crossing is a teenage girl with burnt Orange hair and in a Karakura High school uniform and on the floor next to her was some groceries she had brought from the grocery store on the way home.
"Orihime" Rukia yelled as she sprinted to her with Ichigo running right behind.
As they were running towards Orihime she was getting up slowly but was having a bit of trouble. Rukia was the first to get over to Orihime.
"Orihime are you hurt, what happened?" Rukia asked as she helped Orihime get to her feet.
"Oh hey Rukia, I'm fine nothing happened. I was just crossing the road and I wasn't watching were I was going." The burnt orange haired teen replied.
"God, Orihime! You have to be more careful." Rukia told her with a worried tone.
"I'm sorry Rukia I'll be more careful for now on." Orihime replied in an apologetic voice and continued." Now where is my grocery bag?"
Orihime blushed when she saw that Ichigo had picked up the groceries for her and was now holding them out for her to take.
"Here these are yours." Ichigo replied in a bored tone.
"T-thank you Kurosaki-kun for picking up my groceries for me, t-that was very kind of you." Orihime stuttered.
"No worries um what your name?" Ichigo said haven already forgotten her name.
"I said her name before like a couple of seconds ago strawberry." Rukia said.
"Shut up midget, I wasn't paying attention when I was picking up her groceries." Ichigo growled back.
"I-it's okay Rukia, my names Orihime Inoue Kurosaki-kun." She replied with the blush still on her cheeks.
"Well your welcome Inoue." Ichigo replied back.
Well thank you again Kurosaki-kun." Orihime replied with a smile and then looked at her watch and continued. "I would like to stay and chat but I have to get back home. See you tomorrow at school Rukia, Kurosaki-kun." Orihime walked across the street but not before checking if no cars were coming.
"Hey Rukia did you see that bruise that was on her leg?" Ichigo asked her when Orihime was out of site.
"Yes I saw it, what do you think caused it?" Rukia replied back.
"I don't know but whatever it was saved her life that's for sure." Ichigo said with a serious look on his face.
Rukia and Ichigo were walking side by side in silence with the setting in the east. They continued to walk in silence until Ichigo broke the silence.
"I going to head home midget see you tomorrow." Ichigo said as he continued to walk down the street. Rukia stopped walking and asked. "Where do you live?"
Rukia breath was caught in her throat when Ichigo stopped and turned to face her. His bright was blending into the orange light coming from the sun, and the orange rays gleaming of his face and his eyes looked peaceful. 'God he looks hot. Wait what.' Rukia was taken out of her thoughts by Ichigo when he spoke.
"Wouldn't you like to know midget?"
Rukia blushed and had a scowl on her face when she replied. "Not when you put it that way strawberry."
Ichigo just laughed then turned around and continued to walk. Rukia just glared at his figure until it was out of her sight then her eyes went wide as she looked at the time. 'Shit its 6:50 already I'm going to be home late again because of that idiotic strawberry.' Rukia thought as she ran across the road and ran the rest of the way home.
After thirty minutes of running Rukia made it home and as she walked through the door she was picked up into a tight bear hug by her older look alike.
"M-mum let me go. I c-can't b-breathe." Rukia said gasping for air.
"But Rukia you are late again, I was so worried." Her mother said then continued. "You didn't get into another fight did you, are you hurt?" her mum said in worry as she check Rukia's arms, legs and her face for bruises.
Rukia sighed then replied. "Mum I didn't get into another fight I'm fine."
"Hisana calm down Rukia is fine." Rukia looked into the lounge room where she saw her father sitting on is black leather couch.
"Byakuya, how come you are so calm about her being home so late? What if she was with a boy?" Hisana asked her husband.
"Rukia would never go out with a boy because she knows what would happen to them don't you Rukia." Her father said with a cold tone.
Rukia sighed and nodded her head as if saying yes she knew what her dad would do if any boys tried to go out with her. "Anyway mum, dad what's for dinner?" Rukia asked.
"Tonight were having pizza for dinner because you came home 20 minutes late and worrying me like crazy." Her mother said.
"Okay how long till it gets here mum?"
"It should be here in ten or 15 minutes."
"Okay I'll be up in my room doing my homework till the pizza comes." Rukia said then she went up her room, closed her door, put her bag next to her desk and took out her homework for the night. It took twenty minutes for the pizza to arrive at her house and by the time it got there she had finished her homework. Rukia put her finished homework back in her school bag and went down stairs to have dinner.
After dinner Rukia went back to her room and grabbed her pajamas then had a shower. After her shower Rukia got dressed into her Chappy pajamas and went back to her room where she was laying on her reading one of her manga. Rukia looked up from her manga when she heard a knock at her door and saw that her father was standing there.
"Rukia have you seen my pajamas?" Her father asked standing at the door.
"Sorry dad I haven't seen them." Rukia said giving her father an apologetic look.
"Do you know where they could be?" he questioned.
"No sorry dad I don't know where they are and I haven't seen them sorry, try asking mum." Rukia replied.
"Thank you Rukia I will ask her. Good-night Rukia." Her father said as he closed the door. Rukia just continued her reading till she heard a beeping sound.
"What the hell is that noise?" Rukia asked herself as she looked around her room for the thing making the noise. As she looking around her room her eyes lock on her closet and as she is looking at it the closet door is opened and she sees Ichigo in black pajamas with red stripes and has that glove that's able to take her soul out of her body on his left hand.
"I-Ichigo what are you doing in my closet?" Rukia yelled as Ichigo jumped at her and he grabbed the left side of her face and pushed her soul and picked up her body and jumped of the bed as a massive red hand went through her wall and crushed her bed. Following the red arm was a mask of a hollow as it was howling; the hollow had the appearance of a red and brown Naga like hollow with a long tail and black patterns on the tip of it, black hair and red eyes. Rukia glared at the hollow from where she was now standing. Rukia and the hollow eyed each other for a couple of seconds until the hollow tried a dive attack to Rukia. She dived out of the way and slashed her sword at the hollow. The hollow and Rukia just kept trading blows and blocking each other's strikes. As they were trading attacks Rukia saw an opening and tried slicing the at the hollows mask. It saw the sword going for its face and caught it just inches away from its face with his hands. Rukia was pushing all her weight onto her sword trying to get to the mask and the hollow was trying to push the sword away. But Rukia put more pressure into as her sword got closer to the mask making the hollow narrow its eyes. And within a couple of second her sword connected with the mask cracking off half of it and showing half of a human face behind it. It had a face of a male with long brown hair and greyish eyes. Rukia widen her eyes and jumped back. The hollow was howling and screaming at the same time as it went through a black hole and disappeared.
Rukia just stared there with her eyes wide open as the face she saw was running through her mind.
'I've seen that face before, that's the face of Orihime's older brother Sora.' Rukia thoughts were interrupted by Ichigo started talking.
"Rukia we need to go aft-"Ichigo never got to finish his sentence he had Rukia fist connecting with his jaw.
"What the hell was that for midget?" Ichigo asked rubbing his now bruised jaw.
"That was for going being in my closet and taking my dad pajamas." Rukia replied
"Okay, now can we go-"Ichigo didn't get to finish his sentence once again because of a fist connecting to his jaw. "Now what was that for?" Ichigo asked rubbing his once again sore jaw.
"That was for calling me a midget." Rukia said then punched him in the centre of his face making him fall the ground holding his face before she continued talking. "And that was for not telling me that hollow are just human souls and have me kill them you arsehole."
"Okay midget you are not killing the hollows you are purifying them like I said before. And by purifying them you are cleansing there soul and you are freeing them and the souls they have eaten and sending them to soul society where they can rest in peace." Ichigo explained to her and continued when she nodded her head. "Okay now lest find that hollow and purify it."
As they were running down the road side by side searching for the hollow, Rukia asked the question that was on her mind.
"Ichigo can anyone became a hollow?" She asked him
"Yes, anyone can become a hollow but it takes time. Why do you ask?" Ichigo replied and asked back as he looked on what seemed to be a mobile phone for the hollow.
"Because, the face behind that hollow's mask. Was Orihime's older brother Sora Inoue who died around about three years ago when me and Orihime were in middle school." Rukia said in a sad tone.
Ichigo stopped running as his eyes went wide in horror.
"Rukia the thing that pulled Orihime out of the way of the car was her brother, and now he maybe going to kill Orihime because he failed to kill you." Rukia eyes also went wide in horror at the thought of what could happen to her.
She stopped in her tracks and ran in the opposite direction towards Orihime's apartment.
"Wait up." Ichigo said as he ran after her.
'Fuck she can run.' Ichigo thought as he chased after her.
After following her for a couple of minutes they arrived at an apartment block. Ichigo stopped next to Rukia trying to catch his breath. They stood at the front of the apartments until they heard the noise of a hollow. Rukia ran up the stair and ran through Orihime's apartment door were she saw the hollow that attacked her before holding Orihime in his hand, and talking to her. The hollow was saying Orihime why have you forgotten about me, why did you stop preying form, and saying look what you did to me, look what you made me become. Orihime was asking him how he knew her name and asking him to leave her and Tatsuki alone. And a couple of meters away from Orihime and the hollow was Tatsuki with her shoulder bleeding and knocked out cold.
As the hollow kept blame her for what happened to him saying that he should kill her. And after Rukia heard him say that he was going to kill Orihime she jumped and sliced of his forearm off and he screamed in pain as his forearm and Orihime fell to the ground.
"How dare you say you going to kill Orihime?" Rukia said with anger in her voice.
"Why do you care Shinigami, you and that Tatsuki girl are the reason she stopped praying for me." The hollow said in pure anger.
"But what kind of older brother try's to kill his own younger sister?" Rukia yelled back at him.
Orihime's eyes went wide when she heard Rukia say older brother 'Rukia said what kind of older brother try's and kill his own younger sister. Does that mean that monster is Sora?' Orihime thought with tears starting to stream down her face.
"She is more like a daughter to mean. She was born when I was fifteen. I took her from our parents and raised her when I turned eighteen." the hollow had said to Rukia before he attacked her.
"Still you don't have the right to kill her." Rukia yelled at him them screamed in pain when he hit her with his tail and smashed her through the wall.
Rukia slide on her feet in mid-air and stopped.
"Rukia be careful I don't want you getting hurt because of me." Orihime screamed with tears falling down her face.
'How the hell is she able to see me?' Rukia thought as she attacked Sora again.
"Don't worry Orihime she with be fine." Orihime looked beside her and saw Ichigo standing beside her. Orihime nodded her head and watched as Rukia continue to fight her brother.
'God I cannot get his mask he won't stay still.' Rukia thought as he dodges another one of her attacks.
"Shinigami, why are you trying to stop me?" The hollow asked Rukia.
"What a stupid question. For one you're a hollow, and two you're trying to kill your younger sister and you attack me at my home before." Rukia replied back.
"But Orihime made me feel so lonely and because of that I became the monster I am now." Yelled as he hit her with his tail and knocked her on to the road.
"Oh no Rukia I need to go and help her." Orihime yelled as she ran out her front door with the chain on her chest following behind her...
"Orihime don't go, damn it." Ichigo yelled as she ran out but she didn't hear him. Ichigo ran to the whole in the side of the wall and put his right arm out with his palm facing the hollow and his left hand connected to his forearm.
"Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south! Hadō #31. Shakkahō! (Red fire ball cannon)" Ichigo chanted but instead of firing it at the enemy it back fired on him and he was shot into the wall behind him and he groaned on impact. 'What the hell is going on I can't do any kidō spells.' Ichigo thought but was interrupted when he heard a groan next to him, he looked down next to him and saw Tatsuki was waking up?
Outside Rukia was still fighting the hollow or Sora. During the fight they had been trading strikes but only to be block by each other. As Sora went to attack Rukia again she jumped in the air and tried to slice him down the face with her sword only to have him spit some type of green acid onto her hand making her let go of her sword and then he hit her down to the ground with his tail where she landed gracefully on her feet.
Rukia saw Sora coming to deliver the final blow to kill her so she closed her eyes but then open them and saw in horror that Orihime had jumped in front of her and saved her.
"Orihime, why did you jump in front of the Shinigami for?" Sora asked Orihime as she fell to her knees.
"I had to save Rukia Brother, it's my fault that you became the way you are. All because I beg you not too leave me all lone. And that's why you weren't able to find peace." Orihime said as tears fell from her eyes.
"Orihime" Sora said
"Since you died, I always had this feeling that you were watching over which is why I have this mark on my leg cause you pulled me out of the way of the car after school today when I went shopping because I asked you to always look out for me, then one day I realized if you had to stay by my side you would never be able to rest in peace, which is why you're like this isn't it."
"So she could see the bruise on her leg." Ichigo said giving Rukia a little fright.
"How long have you been standing there Ichigo, and why is your face all black." Rukia asked.
"I just got here because Tatsuki was waking up so I had to modify her memory, and as to the black face I tried firing a kidō at the hollow but it kind of back fired, now shut it." Ichigo said and yelled the last part because Rukia was laugh at how Ichigo blow himself up. Rukia stopped her laughing when she saw that Orihime had fallen over and Sora calling out her name and his mask started to disappear and reappear.
"Ichigo what's going on with him?" Rukia asked.
"It looks like the part of him that is still human is fighting the hollow for control, which means he didn't become hollow by choice." Ichigo said.
"What do you mean by choice?" Rukia asked.
"What I mean is he was devoured by a strong hollow and was manipulated by it." Ichigo replied back. Rukia nodded her head and just watched as the mask turned blue and dissolved into the air leaving a human face.
Ichigo walked up to Orihime and checked if she was alright.
"She is still alive if the chain of fat is still connected to but before I put her back into her body I must heal her shoulder hopefully that will work." Ichigo said as he crouched down and started to heal her.
Rukia walked up and stood behind Ichigo as he was healing Orihime and saw that Sora was staring at the hairpins in Orihime's hair and smile when said. "Those were a gift from you weren't they." Rukia continued to talk when she saw him nod his head. "She said she was wearing them in honour of your memory."
Sora smile and turned around to where Rukia's sword was lying on the ground and picked it up and held it to his throat.
"What are you doing?" Rukia asked
"I'm ending this before I turn back into that monster." Sora said.
"Let him do Rukia he will still be purified and will be able to rest in peace. God how many times do I have to tell you?" Ichigo said before she could protest.
Sora was stopped when he heard his sister's soft voice. "There's something I want to say, something I should have said the day you went to work. Have a nice day brother." After Orihime said as she looked up to him and Ichigo had stopped healing her. And when he heard that Orihime he smiled and stabbed the sword through his throat making his body glow blue and dissolve in the air.
After Rukia's sword fell to the ground she walked up to it picked it up and sheathed it to her side and help Ichigo inside get Orihime back into the apartment. After Ichigo got Orihime back into her body he told her he had to modify her memory like how he had done to her friend who was now asleep on the floor. Orihime nodded her head in acceptance and Ichigo pulled out a thing that looked like a lighter and push a button and then pink smoke came out of it and Orihime was left there in a daze.
Rukia and Ichigo went back home and when they arrived back Ichigo jumped into the closet once again just stood were her now broken bed is because of the first fight she had with Sora.
"Ichigo looked what happened to my bed." Rukia said in a sad tone and the only reply she got from him was laughter.
A\N: Okay finished Chapter sorry for making you wait for this but I had been on a week holiday and then when I got back I had to go to therapy because I suffer from anxiety attacks from time to time and get depressed but I hope this chapter was worth the wait and please review thank-you.