Hello there, I enjoyed writing this chapter very much so, and to me, it was kind of a writing spur, while to other writers, it might be a small chapter.
I hope I managed to keep the characters as in-character as I could and that the reading experience is enjoyable to you, because that's the reason I write. :)
From this chapter on, I'll start responding to reviews, just because I am highly grateful for them, and feel I don't get to show that.
Darisuchan: Yeah, cliffhangers, much like with Kubo himself, are my specialization, and I'll make sure to integrate more and more of them! Mu-ha-ha. But no, not really. I believe cliffhangers are great for suspense, but I'll try not to overdo it. As for the perspective change; yes, I agree. I can imagine that it would be really confusing, but I deliberately tried to center the last two chapters around Ichigo's feelings and his panic at knowing that Rukia might be in danger. He may not be conscious of his feelings for Rukia yet, but even as a close friend, the idea of losing her makes him go haywire in fear and anger. The next few chapters will be mostly in third-person view again, to widen the radius, so to speak.
As for your ideas: Shh, a good writer doesn't spoil his plans. =)
Laughingspider: Yeah, fear my special bankai: It creates bankais, so don't get me riled up, or I'll use it! But nah.
Yeah, the story is a bit rougher and bumpier (a road) because I started where the manga left off, but as you can see, Kubo is already going in a different direction from mine, so this is as far as I can go. I will still integrate some highlights of the manga in the story itself of course, but I'll make sure it sticks to being my story and not an iteration of the manga in book form.
It actually makes me happy to hear(see) you say(write, ha-ha) that, because that means someone enjoys my stories, and while it may seem corny, it's really the truth that as long as a person -even if it may be a single one- enjoys a story of mine, it'll give me motivation to keep on writing.
The actual amount of reviews and faves are just a side-thing, as a matter of speaking.
So yeah, appreciated, and color me really happy. :)
Before I proceed to request reviews and/or critique, I'd like to put a very special writer and story in the spotlight.
Most Ichiruki fans will probably know this story and its writer already, but I figured that she deserved the attention because to me, she's a genius writer and her story is extremely enjoyable and inspirational.
I'm talking about Kurokuchiki, who is about a bazillion times a better author than I am and who puts a lot of work in creating and maintaining an enjoyable story for the fanfiction community that I'm sure non-bleach and non-Ichiruki fans may even enjoy.
The story is called 'Between Me and Thee' and it had me hooked from the very first chapter especially because the emotions in the story are so apparent and make for an impressive read.
/s/6430713/1/Between_Me_and_Thee, as a link to the story. Enjoy the story, and please give this great writer your reviews and possible favorites or eventual critique or just outright tell her how you enjoyed the story, in case you did read and enjoy the story, she'll appreciate it!
Thank you very much in advance!
Alright, now without further ado, please R&R, your critique is wholeheartedly appreciated!
Bleach or its characters are owned by Kubo Tite, and are in no way my creation.
Yuki looked over at Ichigo while he continued to routinely rub the swollen bulge near his left brow, muttering a few soft 'ouch'-es to no one in particular, "The lieutenant of the first division, among many other shinigami has been killed. Do you.. do you really want to come, knowing that? I think things are going to be depressive.."
The substitute shinigami's eyes narrowed, his mouth curling into a grim frown, his eyes revealing a scarred and wicked darkness to them, that Yuki hadn't expected.
"That's all the more reason why we should go."
Yuki turned his head away from Ichigo and looked over at his companion, whispering something along the lines of "He scares me..".
Ichigo however heard and placed a hand atop the shinigami's left shoulder, squeezing it once. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you, so don't be afraid of me.", he said with a forced smile, closing his eyes to conceal the darkness that he knew shone in his eyes. "Please open a senkaimon for me, Yuki."
Ishida did however object. "Kurosaki.. do you really think it's a good idea to go to Soul Society after such an event?", he asked, folding his arms across his chest.
"Ishida, the least I could do there is pay my respects to the deceased shinigami."
The quincy archer nodded and sighed slightly, turning to Orihime and Chad, who had looked expectantly at him.
"Open the senkaimon, Yuki.", Ichigo concluded, resolve flickering in his eyes.
With a nod, the small effeminate male shinigami unsheathed his zanpakuto and stabbed it in the empty air before turning it in a motion that seemed to gesture that he was going to open a lock.
Many captains and their respective lieutenants were gathered all around, not lined up or organized in any form or manner, and the Captain-Commander's presence was lacking too.
In the distance, three squads had however lined up. They were the fourth, sixth and eleventh squad, with their captains standing in front of them. A stray lieutenant was standing near the captain of the sixth squad, it was the lieutenant of the thirteenth division, Kuchiki Rukia.
"I have been told by the Captain Commander to perform a damage report of my squad, so I expect all of you to make your presence clear in the most sophisticated manner possible. I also expect you to report it, if a friend, family member or acquaintance of yours that was or is also a part of this squad is now deceased or heavily wounded.", Kuchiki Byakuya informed his squad with a tone that lacked any form of emotion whatsoever, which paired up nicely with his careless eyes.
Kuchiki Rukia looked up at her adoptive brother and smiled softly because she knew that deep inside, he cared very much about the loss suffered by any and all squads, and this is as close as he'd come to displaying his care.
Absent-mindedly, the petite lieutenant of the thirteenth squad reached for her left arm with her right hand, slowly stroking the first-degree burn wounds that spread randomly over parts of her entire arm, starting where the sleeve of her shihakusho had been torn off, along with the badge to prove that she was in fact a lieutenant of a squad.
"I will let you know that there is no shame to be had in loss, but I do warn you to be cautious from now on. These aren't opponents you are supposed to take on alone as a lieutenant, let alone as a shinigami that hasn't yet reached at least fourth seat.", Byakuya added, trying to set his gaze on every squad of his member at least once as he dragged it from left to right.
"These enemies are capable of manipulating condensed reishi and turn it into fire that can burn in any environment. On top of that, it is highly dangerous and I advise against trying your luck with this new invention of theirs."
The captain of the sixth squad laid a hand on the shoulder of his sister, trying to smile down solemnly at her before turning back to his squad. "As an example, I present Kuchiki Rukia, lieutenant of the thirteenth squad, who wasn't even been caught directly in the explosion, yet suffered burns to it, even if they may be minor."
Not far from the sixth squad was the eleventh, where their captain, Zaraki Kenpachi was doing the very same thing, in his own manner.
"Yo. Any of you pussies got hit or killed?"
Ikkaku, who was standing besides the captain vaguely remarked to correct his captain. "If anyone got killed, I doubt they will be able to tell you verbally.. captain.."
Kenpachi sternly turned around almost robotically, glaring at the bald third seat. "What was that? Don't be such a wise-ass, Ikkaku!"
Yumichika who caught the conversation from afar disrupted the one-sided bickering. "Captain. While I think that his way of telling you had no grace or beauty whatsoever, I do agree with the contents of his correction..".
A vein popped up on the captain's forehead. " 'the fuck? Get off my case, pretty-boy!"
Yumichika and Ikkaku both promptly sealed their mouths shut, and under different circumstances, the entire squad would be laughing their asses off at the whole event, but they all kept silent to make sure they survived.
A pink blob of hair appeared above Ikkaku's right shoulder before the entire face was seen. It was Yachiru, who now childishly slapped her hand to the smooth, hairless head of the third seat. "Yeah baldy! Get off his case, pinball-tan!".
Multiple veins popped up on Ikkaku's head and he looked down, shadow covering his eyes. It didn't help the case when the whole squad eventually could no longer hold it and burst out in boisterous laughter.
"Guys, I'll go ahead and hurry. You stick together. I need to make sure everyone's alright.", Ichigo told his friends before bending through his knees and leaping to a nearby roof of a building in the Seireitei, before his body narrowed and flashed away from sight, leaving a trail of dust in its wake.
The quincy archer sighed deeply and looked over his shoulder at all the other people. "Typical Kurosaki. Well.. let's get going then..", Ishida said as he picked up the pace, with the rest following him.
Leaping over rooftops without any strain, Ichigo hurried to the innermost part of Seireitei, where he felt the reiatsu of many captains and their lieutenants. "Good.. I can feel her reiatsu.."
Bending deeply through a single knee, he took a gigantic leap with speed. Looking around and watching the buildings flash by due to the abnormal speed.
"So. It has now been confirmed that my squad has suffered a total of seven losses? A mild amount, but a strong blow nevertheless. I apologise for my inability to protect my members from harm.", Byakuya told his own squad, the look in his eyes compensating where his tone failed to convey the sadness he felt.
Rukia, who was still standing next to Byakuya nodded, her expression displaying sadness in their own way. Suddenly, she blinked a few times and looked over her shoulders before she fully turned around, looking up at the sky. That reiatsu..
Byakuya, who was caught in his apology finally realized that Rukia had turned and taken a step back to look at the sky. "What's wrong, Rukia?"
The lieutenant looked over her shoulder at her adoptive brother and gave him a soft smile. Somehow, the sudden reiatsu of which she knew the owner had cheered her up a bit, just by being there. "Ichigo is in Seireitei. He is approaching quickly."
Byakuya turned around now as well, throwing her a smile that was almost irrecognizable. The only reason it was seen was because Rukia had become an expert at spotting Byakuya's emotions. "Ahh. So that baffoon has caught on as well?", normally, Rukia'd have frowned, but the small smile had assured her that he didn't actually mean it.
Rukia smiled back at Byakuya, but that smile faded when she was able to read the smothering reiatsu of the approaching substitute shinigami better. It was especially because the young-mature shinigami was approaching that she could read the reiatsu better than a few moments before. It's a slight change.. but there is a change in his reiatsu..I don't recognize what it is exactly.. but it feels darker and more heavy than before. Almost like the reiatsu of an espada.
"Captain! Captain! I've found a member of our squad. He had a lot of nasty wounds and he's on the verge of death, but currently, members of the fourth squad that remain in the division's barracks are tending to him.", Abarai Renji, lieutenant of the sixth squad had said as he walked up to stand in front of his captain, which shook Rukia out of her thoughts.
Byakuya nodded to Renji, who then did the same to his captain and then turned to Rukia, pointing to her left arm which was still recovering from the burns. "How's your arm doing, Rukia?".
The petite shinigami threw the lieutenant of the sixth squad a soft smile. "It's doing fine, Renji. No need to worry."
Before Renji could ask any more, their conversation was interrupted by the head of the Kuchiki clan, who tapped his feet impatiently. "Good, Renji. Now, could you tell the captain of the fourth squad that I wish to visit that member. What is his name?"
Renji nodded and then put his hands to his chin at the question. "Ehm.. I believe it was Aronaki Rokanazo, captain."
Byakuya nodded. "Very well, please inform captain Unohana of my request.", at which Renji placed his hand to his head to salute before turning around and running off to find the captain of the fourth squad, who had finished her squad's damage report more than an hour ago and thusly had already left to aid the rest of her squad with their healing duties.
Byakuya turned to Rukia, who was once again glimpsing at the sky expectantly. He placed a hand on top of her head and stroked her hair slightly. "I appreciate the help you've given. However, does your captain not require your presence?"
Rukia looked over her shoulder at her adoptive brother and threw a lopsided smile. "No, nii-sama, captain Ukitake has told me to take a day off to have some rest. I did insist that I would stay, but he nearly forced me not to do anything today."
The elder Kuchiki frowned slightly, but nodded his head at the small lieutenant. "Then hurry. That brat will arrive very soon. It is your duty to receive the substitute shinigami and make sure he feels welcome."
Rukia raised an eyebrow, wondering if it was meant in an ironic manner, but the captain followed up on his command. "Hurry up, Kuchiki Rukia.". The lieutenant was still rather confused, but nodded at her brother and turned around to head in Ichigo's direction. "Yes, nii-sama."
As she was about to run off and find Ichigo, she was surprised when the aforementioned substitute shinigami appeared in front of her with a flash and a buzzing sound just when she turned around. "Ichigo!"
The bright-haired shinigami straightened his body with a soft, yet audible crackle, looking down at Rukia to smile at her and did the same for her brother, who was standing just slightly behind her. "Yo, Rukia, Byakuya."
The petite, raven-haired shinigami crossed her arms and smiled up warmly at the young-mature, tall 'Hero of the Winter War'.
A bemused Byakuya however broke the calm silence. "I see.. I must have forgotten about granting you permission to call me by my first name, kid.", the captain proclaimed, with a tone of sarcasm that almost stung.
"Tsk!", Ichigo spat out as he dragged his head to the side, his eyes narrowing in restrained irritation.
Byakuya's frown turned into a grin, surprisingly enough. "Ahh, your brains have developed. You are actually capable of realizing whether a tone is sarcastic or not.", he replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm once more, attempting to lure out a response from the substitute shinigami.
Rukia smirked as she glanced up at Ichigo, her arms still folded across her chest. She tried to force back a chuckle.
Ichigo merely groaned at the repeated insults, moving a hand to the back of his head and scratching the wild, spiky orange hair. "Nice to see you again, Captain Kuchiki, Lieutenant Kuchiki.", he said, intentionally emphasizing the part in which he mentioned their names and titles.
Rukia frowned at Ichigo, wondering just why she had to be pulled into this silly verbal assertion of dominance.
The captain of the sixth squad followed up however with a gesture that implied "hurry up now" in the direction of his adoptive sister, which broke the arguing between the two.
The younger Kuchiki nodded and took hold of Ichigo's hand, trying to lead him away. "Whu? Wait, hu- see you, Byakuya!", he yelled, waving his other hand as he was guided away from the captain of the sixth squad who promptly turned round to address his squad, thinking to himself. "That man..".
The lieutenant dragged the substitute shinigami through various pathways and streets, almost tripping a few times. "Calm down, calm down. Oi, midget!".
Rukia finally stopped but not for the good reason. She turned to Ichigo and glared at him. "Ichigo.. I told you to..".
Ichigo waved her anger off with his right hand, smirking at the female. He loved to make fun of her height. Finally, he managed to ask Rukia something that's been nagging him. "What happened to you arm, Rukia?".
Rukia calmed down and glanced at her left arm. "Oh, I'm sure you heard already. After all, you have seen most of the captains and their squads standing there-".
Ichigo once more waved his hand and nodded. "Yeah-yeah, I know about 'them'. What happened to your arm, though? It's a burn wound. By the way..", Ichigo looked down at his own arm and noticed that she was still holding his hand and he turned slightly red at that. "- you can stop holding my hand now.", he added, grinning sheepishly to cover up his own blush.
Rukia turned red and immediately let go of Ichigo's hand, turning around on her heels swiftly. "Sorry. I didn't realize.", she stated, trying to act as if something strange was in the sky to excuse the fact that she promptly turned around to avoid having to face Ichigo.
"By the way.. eh.. Chad, Inoue and Ishida are coming as well. Oh, and two odd shinigami that replaced Imoyama-san.", the substitute shinigami said with a nod to affirm his statement, having already forgotten the names of the two presumably unranked shinigami that he saved.
The petite shinigami looked back at Ichigo and smiled gently. "You really know how to keep changing subject.", she said as her smile turned into a smirk. "I was caught in the explosion of condensed reiatsu fire which is the entire reason for those wounds. Don't worry, they're minor as you can see. More importantly.. do you think they will be able to find us?"
Ichigo smirked widely and nodded. "They have Ishida with them. Let's go.". Ichigo raised a hand and placed it atop Rukia's right shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze. "I'll make sure Inoue treats those wounds though."
Rukia smiled and looked down at the ground. "Yeah. Let's go. Follow me."
Ichigo nodded and followed Rukia who sprinted off in the direction of the thirteenth squad barracks.
"I see.. Ivan.. died", a voice echoed softly through the bland, yet spacy room. "You have done your job well, Luders. And now you too get to become a foundation stone that works to create and build the divine steps to peace."
Luders Friegen's eyes widened but before he could make any movement, his body fell down on the ground and his head was separated from it, the corpse coming to rest on the floor much like the arm that had already been torn off, laying in a pool of its own blood.
The apparent leader of the invasion group called 'The Vandenreich' smirked, placing his chin in the palm of his hand while the elbow was planted on one armrest.
"Fret not, Luders. You too shall be a crucial part leading up to complete peace."
Ichigo looked around the barracks of the thirteenth squad while he walked through the halls, surprised by how clean and well-kept everything was.
"It all looks so normal and not pink.. or filled with little bunnies.", Ichigo remarked. "You'd almost start thinking you weren't a lieutenant of this squad at all, Rukia.".
The lieutenant to which the substitute referred suddenly froze and looked over her shoulder, both of her hands shaking in irritation, trying to keep herself from harming Ichigo. "Oh, I'm sorry, Kurosaki-san, I didn't realize you were talking to me!", Rukia replied with that tone. She was playing the same role again, the one she played when she entered Ichigo's school. The substitute shinigami cringed at the act and decided to just continue walking.
Rukia finally walked after him, concluding that it had been enough, her lips curling into a wide smirk.
"Rukia.", Ichigo called to the female that trailed after him. "What's the plan? The enemies are apparently gone now."
The raven-haired shinigami passed by Ichigo and finally entered a room, with Ichigo following her. Removing the oversized meat-cleaver from his back and setting it against a wall as he sat down when Rukia offered him to sit down on a chair across from her.
"So.. spit it out, midget.", Ichigo told Rukia, who gave him a firm kick to the shin.
"Owch! 'the fuck, Rukia?", Ichigo howled, grabbing on to his shin and rubbing at the skin.
"That's for calling me a midget, you asshole!", Rukia exclaimed towards the bright-haired substitute shinigami, shaking her fist angrily.
Ichigo sighed but then smirked at the angered lieutenant. "Jeez.. gh.. fine, fine.. just tell me already."
Rukia calmed down and looked down at the table, placing her hands on them and entwining her fingers together, unable to keep them still. "I guess you've heard already. Many shinigami perished, and among them the lieutenant of the first squad. The Captain-Commander is actively mourning the loss, but however told us to get in gear, as this group.. this so-called 'Vandenreich' has declared war on Soul Society and will attack in five days from now. All captains are doing a damage-check and are trying to train their members as well as themselves. You know, the usual. War preparation.".
Ichigo narrowed his eyes at the news, their spark dimming out a bit. "Oh.. when is the funeral, Rukia?", he asked, trying to look the petite shinigami in front of him in the eyes.
"At night time. Five hours from now.", Rukia said, her eyes locking on Ichigo, while she actually wanted to avert her gaze from them. It was however, like some kind of magnetic pull held them there, the pull of his compassion.
"I'm sorry to hear all of this..", Ichigo said, reaching over to place a hand atop Rukia's shoulder, once more giving it a firm squeeze.
The lieutenant looked up at Ichigo and forced a small smile on her face. "I know you are, Ichigo. Don't worry about it."
Ichigo let go of the raven-haired female's shoulder and retracted his arm. "So.. I guess you are going to train as well?"
Rukia nodded softly, the smile fading from her lips.
"Don't worry, Rukia.. it'll all be alright.", Ichigo said, in a way that made it seem more like a statement and fact, his eyes softening up. Rukia wondered how he could always be so confident.
"Jeez.. you fool.. I wish I had at least a quarter of your confidence..", Rukia mumbled, causing Ichigo to widen his eyes in surprise.
The substitute remembered how he had been back in fake Karakura Town, when the Hogyoku had started to augment the powers of Sosuke Aizen.
"Nah.. I'm not confident when I have no reason to..", he smiled softly at Rukia, who felt the power overflowing. Flowing into her from just the resolve in his eyes. Oddly, she could swear she saw a tinge of light blue burning in his chocolate-colored, brown eyes.
"Rukia.. I want to train with you.", Ichigo promptly said, breaking the tranquil silence and causing the adopted Kuchiki to blink five times in a row. "You what?"
"Yeah, I thought it'd be nice to spar or train with you some time. Without bankai of course, unless you want that."
Rukia suddenly smiled. "Silly, you don't have to do that. I'll only hold you back, hero-sama.", replied after a few short moments of contemplation. Her smile contorted into a mischievous grin when she called him "hero-sama", thinking she'd tease him by calling him that.
Ichigo's cheeks lit up at the title, but not enough for the oblivious Kuchiki to spot it. "Of course you don't hold me back, you foolish midget! You're really strong! If anything, you'll kick my ass!"
Rukia, surprising herself, giggled at that, placing a few fingers to her chin. "I wonder if I should 'kick your ass' for calling me a midget, or spare you from the humiliation of getting your ass thrown around seireitei and beaten!".
Ichigo turned beet red at that. "Rukia.. could you please not refer to it as 'beating my ass' and instead as 'kicking my ass'?"
The petite shinigami raised a brow in confusion for a moment, before she realized his implications. "You filthy, perverted, hormonal thing!", she exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at the bright-haired shinigami, whose face was even brighter than his fiery hair by now.
"N.. no I'm not! Shut up!", Ichigo hollered back at the female, growling at her.
The arguably young Kuchiki folded her arms across her chest with a wide grin. "Or else what? You'll 'beat my ass'?"
The substitute shinigami groaned and slapped his hands to his face, trying to cover up the haze of crimson that spread over it even now. "Stop it! Shut up!"
Rukia now realized what she had implied without thinking too much about it before actually blurting it out and would've turned pale and bleak by now, but in the stead of bleakness, a red complexion overtook most of her face, painting her cheeks. The lieutenant quickly and conveniently turned her head away.
The bright-haired young adult noticed her blush, whilst his own faded away. He seized the opportunity to mock her now, snickering wildly, before his snickering turned into a chuckle and eventually complete laughter.
"Ha-ha-ha! You should see your face! What a dumbass you are!", the substitute shinigami exclaimed loudly, now repaying the favor by pointing a finger at the embarassed raven-haired shinigami.
"S-shut up, fool..", Rukia meekly said, attempting to demand that Ichigo stopped, but failing miserably.
Ichigo's laughter was cut off abruptly when Ishida arrived. "Finally.. I thought you were being killed, Kurosak- .."
Ishida's glance went from Ichigo to Rukia and back again. ".. Okay.. what were you guys doing?", he inquired as he pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose. While he was still gazing at the two and their red faces, he failed to notice that he was joined by two other people: Chad and Orihime.
After an uncomfortable silence by the two, tortured by the unending gazes of the three that had just entered, they finally snapped and yelled at them. "We were doing nothing at all!", trying to convince them that nothing happened. "And why doesn't anyone ever knock?", they both added, much like their first outburst, also nearly synchronized.
"Well..", Ishida replied, sticking out his clenched and placing a finger on his index finger, which arched inwards into the palm. Ishida then removed the finger and stuck out the index finger. "First of all, there was no door to knock on..".
Then Ishida stuck out his middle finger as well as his index finger to indicate a second point. "Second of all.."
Orihime promptly silenced Ishida by chiming in. "Kurosaki-kun, you were making weird sounds, so we thought someone may have been busy killing you!"
Ishida and Chad both closed their eyes and nodded their heads in agreement at Orihime, folding their arms. "Yes.."
Unlike Rukia, Ichigo saw the humor in their points and started chuckling and eventually laughing again. Ishida's eyes narrowed inquisitively.
"There you have that sound again", both Chad and Ishida said, now nodding their heads to themselves.
A vein popped up on Ichigo's head and his face contorted into a frown, growling through his closed lips. "What the hell?"
Rukia finally turned to the group, the crimson complexion having faded away by now as she started giggling at Ichigo's angered response.
Ichigo turned to Rukia and shot her a fake glare. "What are giggling at, you garden gnome!", he growled through his teeth, raising a fist and shaking it angrily at Rukia, who suddenly pounced the substitute shinigami and punched his shoulder angrily.
"Ow-fuck, you fucking shrimp! I'll get you!", Ichigo yelled in the lieutenant's face, who suddenly donned a sadistic smirk before she placed both of her hands on Ichigo's sides and started tickling him.
"Ooh-aa-, eagh-oahahaha, stop, stop!", Ichigo screamed, kicking around and trying to escape from the raven-haired female's grasp. "I can't breathe - stop, I CAN'T breathe!"
Rukia, who sat ontop of Ichigo's chest and actively continued to tickle the bright haired shinigami without a care in the world was disturbed by Orihime's concerned cries. "Rukia, Rukia, stop! You're killing Kurosaki-kun!"
Letting out a relieved sigh and praising Orihime for interrupting Rukia, Ichigo plopped his head back down on the ground, completely spent.
Chad remained silent and Ishida did so too, for a few moments, but pushed his glassed back to the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Yeah.. next time, hire a room for your lovey-dovey stuff.."
By now, Ichigo would have scolded Ishida, but he was still trying to regain a proper breathing rhythm as he in- and -exhaled a lot faster than usual, his chest heaving up and down. "Rukia, I trust you to handle this one..", he thought to himself.
The petite shinigami looked down at Ichigo with a wide grin, apparently completely ignoring whatever Ishida said. With a huff, she gave the bright haired young adult another punch on the same shoulder, prompting him to howl out in pain. "Ow-oow, you bitch..", Ichigo growled once more, scowling at the female who seemed impervious to his scary faces.
Chad looked disapprovingly at Ichigo and stuck his hand up. "I don't believe Kuchiki-san is a female dog."
The raven-haired female looked up at Chad, smiling and nodding before turning back to look down at Ichigo from her spot on top of his chest, smirking widely at the substitute shinigami, who smacked both of his fists to the floor angrily. "You know very well that that's not what I meant!"
The perpetrator herself smirked down at Ichigo once more, but her smirk slowly turned back into a smile as she got off of the young shinigami, offering her hand to him. "Come on, you big dummy.".
Ichigo however moved his head to the side and huffed, having his pride stepped on by getting beaten by the midget.
"Well? Will you admit defeat and consider peace, or do I have to help you?", Rukia asked rhetorically, grinning down at Ichigo who finally took hold of her small hand, using it to pull himself up from the ground. "Ugh.. this one time.."
"Come on, Ichigo, get yourself back in gear, we need to make sure we get clothes to look presentable at the funeral.", Rukia said with a short nod to herself, looking at the small group in front of her. "Are you coming too?".
Ichigo answered Rukia's question, still trying to regain himself. "Of course they are.", he stated, scratching the back of his head idly.
The petite, raven-haired female looked over her shoulder and smiled, nodding her head again. "All right, then let's get going.
Chad and Orihime nodded and followed Rukia out of the room, and Ishida remained a few moments, to stare at Ichigo before he too turned around, trying to walk out of the room.
"Ishida, can I talk to you?", Ichigo asked the quincy archer - who froze at his question - as he walked over to the door and yelled at Rukia, who was already walking out of the barracks pretty hastily, accompanied by Chad and Orihime.
"I need to have a talk with Ishida, we'll be with you soon enough.. leprechaun!", Ichigo yelled, his lips curling into a wide grin as he heard the angered groan that the lieutenant spat out, even from afar.
Ishida turned to Ichigo, who now walked back and sat on the table, folding his arms across his chest. "You really need to stop insulting Kuchiki-san like that..", Ishida stated, walking closer to Ichigo, looking down at him. "Now what did you want to talk about?".
Ichigo briefly averted his gaze before returning it to Ishida's. "Where do your allegiances lie, Ishida?".
The quincy archer's eyes widened behind his clean glasses. "What do you mean?".
Ichigo's eyes narrowed in seriousness as he looked back at Ishida. "Don't think I haven't realized it, Ishida.".
"These enemies are Quincy.".
I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I did writing it. Things will become darker soon enough, much like in the manga, with excessive bloodshed. If I need to, I shall change the age rating to -M-, but I am not sure if I need to.
Have a nice day and see you soon!