A/N: Welcome back my faithful readers! …gah, okay, I have no idea why I said that… *ahem* Anyway, hello and welcome to chapter three! For simplicity's sake, please refer to the A/N in chapter one if you have any questions. And since I don't have to get into all that again I can just say: I hope you enjoy this installment!
Disclaimer: I still do not own Bleach in any way whatsoever. As you may've guessed, Hiryu is mine (along with a couple others…).
Second Chance
Chapter Three: Dangerous Situations I
The teams moved swiftly, doing their best to keep out of sight in order to prevent alerting their enemies to their impending arrival. Conversations were brief and hushed as the lower-ranking Soul Reapers followed their designated superiors. The Captains and Lieutenants made sure to stay close to their team, each following the group ahead of them, with Hitsugaya's team in front.
When they were well past the last village, and therefore undeniably in the forest that had been deemed 'the outskirts of Rukongai,' the large gathering of Soul Reapers slowed to a stop.
Toushirou turned to Hiryu and asked, "Are we close?"
Hiryu inclined his head. "Yeah, it's not far from here. In fact, if we're gonna split up, we should do that soon. Much farther in and we'll need to keep our eyes peeled for traps."
Toushirou nodded. "That's a good idea. Does everyone remember the report?"
One by one, as they met Toushirou's gaze, the other Captains and Lieutenants nodded in silent affirmation.
"Good," Toushirou said, "then what we're going to do is fan out. Shuuhei, I want you to position your team on the Eastern side of their position."
"Understood," Shuuhei replied with a sharp nod when Toushirou paused.
"Ikkaku, position your team on the Western side," Toushirou continued.
"Sure," Ikkaku replied, lazily balancing his zanpakutou over his shoulders.
"Orihime, are you willing to hold the front line?"
Orihime nodded easily. "Yes," she replied.
Inclining his head, Toushirou finished, "Excellent. Then mine and Renji's teams will come at them from behind. Hopefully that will discourage any running further into the forest, where it would be hardest to track them."
"Sounds good to me," Renji declared, one hand landing reflexively on Zabimaru's hilt.
"When everyone's in position we'll move in simultaneously," Toushirou added, again glancing around at everyone. "We'll use Hell Butterflies to orchestrate our movements, instead of spiritual pressure, in order to avoid tipping them off. And remember, we need to know what they're up to, so try not to kill them unless absolutely necessary."
Ikkaku made a face at this final statement, but when Toushirou leveled a warning glare at him he reluctantly nodded. "Yeah, alright, no killing," he grumbled.
"Any final questions?" Toushirou asked. When no one spoke up, he nodded and said, "Then let's get going."
"Right!" the others chorused.
Multiple, light, tinkling sounds filled the air as each Captain released enough Hell Butterflies to send one with each of the remaining teams. As soon as the tiny messengers had reached their destinations the teams split up, each flash-stepping to their designations.
"This is probably as close as we can get without alerting them," Hiryu whispered to the slightly-taller, and slightly-older, man who was acting as his superior.
Shuuhei nodded, piercing eyes staying forward as he crouched beside Hiryu. "I agree." With one hand, he silently signaled their men to settle in, and the Soul Reapers behind them immediately dropped to a crouch.
Now all they had to do was wait until the others were in position.
"If we go much closer," Yumichika began quietly as he and Ikkaku led their team cautiously forward, "Captain Hitsugaya's liable to be angry with us."
"Yeah, yeah," Ikkaku grumbled as he used his sheathed sword to gently part two leafy bushes, allowing them a view of the quickly-clearing foliage. "But from here we should be able to see when some idiot makes a break for it."
"Very true," Yumichika agreed as he leaned slightly forward in order to peer through the small hole.
Behind them, their team quietly settled, hands resting on their zanpakutous as they awaited the order to strike.
Renji's team had split from Toushirou's once they'd rounded the area that their foes had claimed, so that the two teams could better cover the potential retreat-zone. They were close enough that they could still sense the mostly-repressed spiritual pressure of the other team, but they could not see them.
"This is probably good," Rukia whispered over her shoulder to her husband.
"How the hell did you get ahead of me?" Renji asked, keeping his voice down but otherwise ignoring her comment.
Rukia rolled her eyes. "The old-fashioned way, honey," she replied sarcastically.
Renji dropped a hand on her shoulder, holding her firmly in place, and said, "Yeah, well, stay put. We don't wanna go any closer just yet."
"You really need to pay more attention," Rukia grumbled, crossing her arms but allowing him to keep his hand in place.
Renji knelt beside her, other hand again resting on Zabimaru, and the team took his actions as a silent cue to prepare themselves. The fight would be soon.
Toushirou held his hand in the air and the team behind him instantly stilled. "This is good, hold your positions," he instructed quietly. He was crouched, mostly behind a wide tree, leaning enough around to get a good look at the not-too-distant building. Despite the reports, it was larger than he'd anticipated.
Rangiku took up position beside him, her back pressed to the other side of the thick tree, and she whispered, "Is everyone ready?"
"Almost," he replied in an equally hushed tone. "Prepare yourself, Rangiku."
"Of course," Rangiku said, a hint of teasing seeping into her voice.
Toushirou huffed, cutting a sidelong glance at her, before returning his attention forward. As soon as everyone confirmed their positions, they would move.
Orihime had taken her team forward after the others had split off, moving quickly but cautiously until she was no longer comfortable continuing. "Ichigo," she whispered, casting a glance over her shoulder at the Lieutenant who was following her quietly.
Ichigo met her gaze immediately, his brown eyes asking his question silently.
With a sheepish smile, she asked, "Are you comfortable in combat situations?"
"You could say that," he replied carefully. "Why?"
"Well, I'm really not much of a fighter, which probably doesn't surprise you," she admitted softly, falling back enough to be beside him. "I can handle myself in a fight, but I'm not comfortable being in charge of others in a situation like this."
Understanding what she was trying to ask, Ichigo offered her a faint, rare smile and said, "Don't worry about it; I can take over, and you can just correct me if I make a call you disagree with."
"Thank you," Orihime replied with a smile. He inclined his head silently and then she turned around to address the Soul Reapers trailing behind them. Projecting her voice just slightly, she said, "Listen up, please. As soon as the fighting starts, Lieutenant Kurosaki will be taking charge."
When she stopped, seemingly done, Ichigo added, "That doesn't mean you can ignore Captain Inoue if she gives you an order, understand?"
As the men and women nodded, Orihime looked back at Ichigo, blinking several times as her cheeks flushed. She couldn't believe she'd forgotten to add that.
He smirked back at her briefly before turning his eyes forward again. Voice firm and low, he called, "Everyone take cover behind some trees or bushes; we're close enough."
As the Soul Reapers moved to obey Ichigo's order, Orihime attempted to duck behind a bush, and Ichigo grabbed her elbow to pull her with him, behind a tree. When she gave him a confused look, he grumbled, "We can see better from here."
Orihime said nothing, focusing on fighting down the unexpected blush that wanted to rise to her cheeks when she realized how closely they were standing. She only barely remembered to let the others know that they were in position.
Now all that was left was to wait.
When the last team rang in that they were ready Toushirou paused only long enough to ascertain that the few wandering men he could see didn't seem to be aware of them, and then he gave the signal.
"Let's move," he said, sending the message to the Hell Butterflies fluttering around him. He waited a second longer, to give the message time to reach the others, before he reached up and wrapped his hand around the hilt of his zanpakutou. Lifting his voice to be heard by his own team, he added, "It's time, let's go!"
Rangiku was hot on his heels as he sprinted forward, her own hand poised to draw Haineko as soon as she needed to. The rest of their makeshift squad followed obediently, some with swords already drawn, and some not.
Not too far away, they sensed Renji's team surging forward as well. And the spiritual pressures of Ikkaku's and Shuuhei's teams had increased enough to indicate that they were on the move, too.
Their team had only sprinted forward a few yards when the first wandering man spotted them.
The battle cry went up instantly as he shouted out and reached for the sword at his hip. He jogged a few paces back to put some more distance between them, and another man ran up to his side to join him.
"Take them down!" Toushirou commanded.
Around him his team spread out, engaging several of the individuals who were already pouring out of the large building.
One of the men aimed a projectile at him, and Rangiku knocked it off-course with a well-aimed kidou. It exploded mid-air, doing no more than ruffling her loose hair.
Toushirou pulled Hyourinmaru from his sheath, swinging the zanpakutou forward in time to crash against another as an older, angry man attempted to remove his head.
"What're you doing here, Soul Reaper?" the man growled as he pushed back.
"I believe you know the answer to that," Toushirou responded coldly. "But it's not too late to reach a peaceful conclusion if you tell your comrades to stand down, and perhaps you could explain to us just what you and your friends are up to?"
The man snarled and removed one hand from the hilt of his sword in order to aim it, palm-forward, at Toushirou. "Not a chance in hell!" he asserted, emphasizing his point by adding a command Toushirou hadn't wanted to hear. A kidou.
The resulting blast sent the Captain skidding back several paces as he swung Hyourinmaru out in a wide arc.
"Captain!" Rangiku cried from a few yards to the side, where she was currently locked in combat with another man.
"I'm fine," Toushirou assured her with gritted teeth. "Be on guard, Rangiku."
His opponent laughed and called, "Take your own advice, Captain!" With that he surged forward, swinging his sword violently.
Toushirou's gaze narrowed and he curved his zanpakutou up as he called, "Reign over the frosted Heavens, Hyourinmaru!"
Chaos had quickly erupted after the attack had begun. A small army had poured out of the building, and instead of trying to flee, they had immediately begun fighting back. The Stealth Force had been right – these people were incredibly well-armed and frighteningly well-prepared. It was a very good thing they had decided to bring the fight to them.
As the first wave had begun racing forward, Ichigo commanded the men to move, and Orihime had watched in unexpected fascination as he led the group to meet the enemy.
He raced forward, a determined set to his jaw that emphasized the scowl on his face and the intensity in his eyes, and as he neared his first opponent he reached up, wrapping one strong hand around Zangetsu's hilt.
Orihime had never seen him fight, or even spar, and she was caught completely off-guard by the overwhelming sense of déjà vu that hit her as she watched the white bandage unravel from the gleaming blade. For an instant the massive sword was poised over his back, and she had an excellent view of it before he leapt into the air and brought the sword forward.
Ichigo released a guttural battle-cry as his sword crashed into that of his first opponent. The man who'd targeted him was wide-eyed as his sword was easily destroyed. Zangetsu sliced through the thin silver blade like butter, and blood sprayed wide as the tip of the mighty zanpakutou tore through the man's flesh. Ichigo pulled back, swinging Zangetsu out to his side and subsequently shaking the blood off.
As the man fell, conscious but bleeding and seemingly weaponless, Ichigo moved on to another opponent.
The man Orihime had kept with her from Squad Four, who was standing beside her, started as he realized one of their enemies was injured already. Hesitantly, he asked, "…Captain? Should I tend to his wounds?"
Orihime glanced at the injured man, realizing her eyes had automatically followed Ichigo, and studied him for a moment. Then she said, "No, not yet. His wounds aren't life-threatening, but they should give him reason to hesitate before re-entering the fight, and right now that's what we want. For the time being, we need to keep our eyes peeled in case any of our own people get hurt."
"Yes, of course, Captain," her subordinate replied immediately, tearing his own eyes from the injured man.
Orihime's focus had already returned to Ichigo.
She was watching with rapt attention as he battled a larger man, who seemed able to parry his sword with some competence. That sense of déjà vu was still tingling up her spine, though it wasn't as strong as it had been initially. Every move he made seemed to keep it going, running through her and distracting her from everything else.
Ichigo shoved, putting just enough distance between himself and his opponent to lift his leg and deliver a sharp kick to the other man's abdomen. The man went skidding backwards but stayed on his feet, even – though barely – managing to block Ichigo's next swing.
Because of her intent focus, Orihime failed to notice two of the men sneaking past their forces and approaching her and her Eighth Seat. It wasn't until her subordinate made a startled noise, in fact, that she realized they were under attack.
Two men, with swords drawn, were lunging towards them. One had even leapt into the air, to better prevent them from ducking out of the way.
Fortunately, Orihime had quick reflexes, and she managed to pull her own zanpakutou free as she called, "Reject, Shun Rikka! Shiten Koushun!"
An instant before the attacks would have connected a shimmering golden barrier solidified between the two men and herself and her Eighth Seat. The younger Soul Reaper watched in fascination as, a heartbeat later, the two men were thrown backwards forcefully as the barrier flared for a moment.
The men were still struggling to gather themselves from the unexpected counter-attack, and Orihime was watching them carefully, unwilling to let them get another opportunity to attack.
"Captain!" her Eighth Seat called suddenly, his eyes cast beyond her.
Orihime turned, her Shiten Koushun remaining where it was, and realized too late what her subordinate was warning her about. Another man, wielding an already-released zanpakutou, was lunging at them.
Even if she could re-direct her shield in time to counter the attack, she realized they would be vulnerable still, as one of the other men was back on his feet. The attackers were too far apart for her to block simultaneously.
I can't risk us both. "Run," Orihime instructed as she prepared to attempt to intercept the new attacker with kidou.
Her Eighth Seat stared up at her, too shocked to properly reply.
His would-be response was interrupted, as well as Orihime's barely begun kidou, when Ichigo suddenly crashed into the airborne attacker.
"You bastard!" Ichigo growled as Zangetsu slammed into the other zanpakutou fiercely, sending sparks flying everywhere. Pushing heavily, Ichigo forced the other man back and sent him crashing to the ground.
Ichigo spun mid-air, turning his attention to the other two, and with a wide swing he bellowed, "Getsuga Tenshou!"
Orihime watched as the spiritual pressure flew off of the blade and slammed into the two men, sending them crashing back into the ground and knocking them completely unconscious. The déjà vu was back with a vengeance, though this time only for an instant.
Ichigo landed behind where she stood, keeping himself between her and the third attacker – who was still conscious and struggling to regain his footing.
As her Shiten Koushun faded, Orihime turned and smiled gratefully at him. "Thank you," she said.
"Are you alright?" Ichigo asked, holding Zangetsu down at his side as he studied her. His gaze flickered, briefly, to her Eighth Seat, before returning to her.
"Yes," Orihime replied reassuringly. "We're fine."
"Good," Ichigo said, turning his eyes away from her as a strange twinge of déjà vu rose within him. He had no idea where it had come from, but it went away quickly and he brushed it off. At least she's alright, he told himself.
For some reason, when he had glanced back to check on her and seen the man lunging at her, the strangest sense of panic had gripped his heart. He didn't even remember disabling his earlier opponent, though he knew he must have since he had broken away from him. But however he'd done it, and whatever it was that had worried him, everything was alright, because it had worked out. Or, at least, it had mostly all worked out – he still had the man with the released zanpakutou to deal with.
The same man who'd aimed his bladed weapon at Captain Inoue – possibly the gentlest, most harmless woman he'd ever met.
His grip tightened on Zangetsu's hilt as he squared his shoulders and focused his glare on his enemy. The man was on his feet now, and wiping a thin stream of blood from his jaw. He was smirking arrogantly at Ichigo, challenging him without words. Fine, Ichigo thought, reaching forward and wrapping his left around the bottom of Zangetsu's hilt. Let's see what he's got.
As Ichigo leapt forward, engaging the other man once more, Orihime took a moment to look back toward the battlefield. The rest of her team was still fighting as well, and though some of them had minor wounds, none were injured enough to require their intervention just yet. And then her eyes landed on the man Ichigo had been fighting earlier.
He was lying, unconscious, a notable distance from where they'd been fighting. His weapon was shattered into multiple pieces, the hilt discarded nearly two body-lengths from his hand. Only a small pool of blood was visible beneath him, and Orihime found herself surprised that Ichigo had managed to defeat him without causing more injury. Or, at least, more visible injury.
Orihime pulled her gaze away, looking around once more. She was determined to be more vigilant this time. She was a Captain, after all, and it was embarrassing to let three enemies sneak up on her. I don't think Captain Unohana would approve, she admonished herself silently.
A sudden, ground-shaking explosion rocked the battlefield, yanking Orihime's focus outward once more. Dirt, smoke, and intense heat rushed past her, forcing her to squint and lift her free hand to shield her eyes as she attempted to see what had happened. Beside her, she heard her Eighth Seat cry out as he wobbled with the quivering ground, both arms lifted to protect his face.
Ichigo cursed as the explosion threw him away from his opponent, sending him rolling several feet before he stabbed Zangetsu into the ground and caught himself. …the fuck? Ichigo wondered silently as he squinted into the resulting cloud of debris. Pushing to his feet, he pulled Zangetsu up and swung the blade out, hoping to disperse the smoke.
And then the screaming started. Just one voice at first, crying out in obvious agony. But it was quickly joined by another, and then another.
The screaming voices were not coming from one central location, but rather from various distances around the battlefield. A myriad of nightmarish scenarios were flashing through Orihime's mind's eye as she waited impatiently to see through the smoke. What happened? she wondered, worry settling heavy in her gut.
When the smoke finally did clear, a small part of her instantly wished it hadn't.
Five men from their team were on the ground and bleeding profusely. Even from her distance, Orihime could clearly see that two of them were already dead. Two more were unconscious, and probably so near to death that they would not wake up again of their own accord. It was the fifth man, who was furthest from her position, that she had heard scream first.
He was panting heavily, no longer screaming but groaning in pain, one bloody hand clutching the front of his shihakushou as he lay on his side. One of his legs was missing from the knee down, and judging by the amount of blood he was losing, Orihime doubted he'd be conscious for much longer. His zanpakutou was nothing but a hilt, gripped tightly in his other hand – which was also covered in blood.
And there were still more people screaming from further away. More Soul Reapers who seemed to have been caught in the explosion.
Swallowing heavily as her stomach did a slight flip – she had never been one for violence – Orihime gripped her own zanpakutou tightly and said, "Go and see if other teams need your help. I'll see what I can do here. And please be careful – I think the ground is littered with explosives."
"Th-the ground, Captain?" her subordinate stuttered, staring wide-eyed at the carnage ahead of them.
"Yes," she replied. "It makes the most sense. Now go, hurry!"
"Yes, ma'am!" he cried, half panicked, before he sprinted forward.
Orihime was about to follow suit, to aid the men who were alive, and see what she could do about the ones who weren't, when Ichigo called to her.
"Wait, Captain!" Ichigo called from off to the side. His voice was tight, but otherwise unreadable.
Orihime turned her head to look at him. He was once again in battle with the other man (who looked like he'd broken his arm in the explosion). "What is it?" she asked, suddenly worried that he'd been injured.
Ichigo grunted and forced the man back, into a tree, before he glanced at her and said, "I think you're right about the landmines, but if that's the case then it's not safe for you to run out there!"
She felt a small smile tugging at her lips. "I'll be fine, don't worry." Before he could argue further, Orihime turned and dashed forward. She was touched by his concern, but it was her job to take care of their wounded – and sometimes that meant risking her own life in the process.
"Captain Inoue!" Ichigo shouted, to no avail, as she started quickly forward.
She was running fearlessly ahead, into the thick of the fight, to save three men who were more dead than alive.
He wanted to call her crazy; he wanted to shake her until she realized what she was doing. But mostly, he wanted her to live.
To Be Continued…
A/N: There's nothing quite like a life-and-death situation to kick-start a romance, right? LOL Anyway, there's chapter three! I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope you're interested enough to go read the next one! (Although you're more than allowed to pause long enough to review if you'd like ^_~)