A/N: This is quite, well, somewhat informative? I really don't know how to describe this chapter. It's interesting. And well, yeah. Hah, just read. I'm an idiot. This chap is named after the song, "Leave Out All The Rest," by Linkin Park. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I want for Ichigo and Rukia to be together, so obviously I don't own Bleach.
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Chapter 11: Leave Out All The Rest
The shinigami entered Soul Society; one with more on her mind than the discussion that will soon be held to speak about Aizen's reappearance.
Well, she did it. She didn't think she could. She saw him coming and continued to step through the gate. 'This is how it's supposed to be.'
She just wished she hadn't taken him to fight that hollow. That might ruin her plan of letting him live out the rest of his life like a normal human being.
They entered the main hall where the rest of the captains and lieutenants were lined up, waiting for their return. The returning shinigami walked down the center of the room to address Yamamoto about their findings.
Rukia hadn't noticed it until now, but her companions seemed curiously quiet. She looked over at some of them, which normally would have made them turn to look at her; but instead, they just turned their heads the opposite way and wore a frown.
"Welcome back. We have much to discuss," Yamamoto said, breaking Rukia's interest in her friends' peculiar behavior.
Toushirou stepped forward alongside Byakuya and began to tell with great detail the events of two nights ago. Rukia drifted into her thoughts. She knew she should be listening, but what was the point? She was there. She knew what happened.
'I hope he's not pissed that I used bind on him again. Gah, why do I even care?! I'm never going to see him again. Stop thinking about him Rukia! Get a grip! Every time I show up in his life, I mess everything up for him. I wasn't even supposed to see him again, but I had to find him and remember. Damn my stupid heart. God, why do you like getting hurt so much?! Maybe you should get the point and stop trying!' she continued to scream in her head.
"We'll get started on that immediately after we take care of one thing first," Yamamoto said. "Rukia Kuchiki, you are under arrest. Matsumoto, Hisagi," he said snapping Rukia out of her thoughts and looking up in shock.
"What?" she asked softly, dazed and confused. Rangiku and Shuuhei each grabbed one of her arms and held them behind her back. "What?!" she said louder. "For what charges?!" she said struggling against her friends' grip. "If this is about giving up my powers again, then you have got to be kidding me!"
"No, that is not the reason, Kuchiki. You were given direct orders by a captain, who received orders from me, in which you did not follow. Strict orders, might I add," he stated coldly.
"What orders?!" she yelled, convinced she did absolutely nothing wrong.
"Captain Kuchiki ordered you to keep your distance from Ichigo Kurosaki. You were supposed to meet with him for a short time to see exactly how much he remembered. You disobeyed that order."
"I did not! I found out how much he remembered! He doesn't remember anything! He thinks it's all a dream!" she definitely lost her calm. She was letting her emotions fly.
"Yes, you did in fact find that out, but tell me Miss Kuchiki. Did you not try to force him to remember by talking him through a hollow extermination?" he asked in the same low volume.
Her eyes went wide and her mouth dropped. 'How did you-' She closed her mouth and closed her eyes. "I- I did," she admitted regretfully.
"You proceeded to do what was ordered for you not to do, knowing the reasons it should not occur. He is not stable. He has a creature inside him that is not fully tamed. You opened the doors for this creature to break free, and now he could be a great risk to the safety of Soul Society and the living world. This was all done out of a selfish attempt of regaining something that was never supposed to be reachable."
The words hit her like cinder blocks being thrown into deep water; sinking in and filling her empty soul with cold and heavy burdens. She had no words to say; speechless.
Yamamoto continued without receiving a reaction from the woman standing in front of him, whose head was bowed down in shame. "I would think that you out of all people would obey an order given after what you went through those few years ago."
She swallowed hard, looked up and opened her eyes, which revealed pain and anger. She stared straight into the older man's eyes. He continued.
"Rukia Kuchiki, for disobeying orders, unleashing a possible horrific foe, and endangering the living world and Soul Society, you are sentenced to death. This is quite fortunate for you because you won't have to see what will happen to these worlds when your faults finally take effect."
He finished with a nod and Rangiku and Shuuhei pulled Rukia away as her thoughts were still jumbled from what he just said. She was walking along, not realizing where exactly she was going.
Not caring at all and not realizing it at first, she spoke out loud, "I'm- I'm accused of endangering everything and everyone. I- I didn't mean t- I would never try to put myself before others… I don't do that, but… I did." She couldn't find any strength left in her body and fell to her knees.
Rangiku looked over at Shuuhei with a saddened frown. They let go of her arms, as she was already tied in restraints around her wrists, behind her back. "Rukia," Rangiku said.
Rukia broke in before they could reply. "You guys knew," she said softly looking at the ground. She paused and raised her head to look at them with disbelief in her eyes. "You knew and you didn't have the guts to tell me what I got myself into. That's why no one would look at me when we came back. How can you just drag me back into that god forsaken tower, knowing that I'm going to be kept there until I'm put to death?! How can you do that when you're supposed to be my friends?!" she was yelling but it started to slur into crying.
"Rukia," Rangiku said softly, kneeling down and putting her hand on her shoulder.
"It's orders, Rukia. Orders. Just because we follow them, doesn't mean we agree with them," Shuuhei stated calmly.
"This is tearing us up inside, Rukia. But wouldn't you rather us come with you than someone like Mayuri Kurotsuchi?" Rangiku asked with a gentle voice.
Rukia just sat there for a moment. "How can there even be a death penalty? Sokyoku was destroyed."
"There are other ways to kill a shinigami, Rukia," Shuuhei replied sadly.
She paused and then spoke up again with her cold voice showing calm and exhaustion, "Just bring me to the Shrine of Penitence."
Shuuhei and Rangiku were now showing pain on their faces. They stood up and pulled Rukia up as well. They continued to walk to the familiar white tower that Rukia had been locked in back in the days where she had the slightest hope of a rescue. Now was different. He wouldn't come this time. There was no rescue in store for Rukia.
Ichigo came storming in the restaurant. Everyone turned and looked at the orange hothead slamming through the front doors. To their disbelief. He was pulling Renji behind him.
"Kurosaki?" Ishida asked confused about the event unfolding.
"Everyone who's eating, I'm sorry but we're closing up!" Ichigo yelled around at the customers. They just looked at him confused and didn't move. "That means get the hell out!" Ichigo yelled again seeing no one moving. They all got up and started scurrying out of the restaurant.
"What the hell is going on, Ichigo?" Tatsuki asked taking off her apron and throwing it on a table.
"We're going to Soul Society," he stated simply.
Everyone's face twitched from what he said. They all had the same thought running through their heads, 'Did he just say what I think he said?'
And as if he was reading everyone's mind, he said, "Yeah, that's what I said. I don't know why you kept it a secret, but it doesn't matter now. We're going. Renji here, is our first class ticket," he said with a maniacal grin.
"Ichigo, how do you know about Soul Society, and why are we going?" Orihime asked calmly.
"I know because Rukia took me to kill a hollow last night and then she left. I went after her and saw her go through a gate and disappear. He was there and I stopped him from going through too," Ichigo said pointing to Renji.
"I know now, that I've known Rukia all this time. I don't know how, or when, but at one point, she was going to be killed because of me. It's happening again. Don't ask how, because I don't fucking know. What I do know is, like hell I'm gonna sit here and let the same thing happen again without trying to save her. So you coming or what?" he asked everyone looking at him with wide eyes. This consisted of Chad, Tatsuki, Orihime, and Ishida. Thank god Keigo was off that night.
Everyone just nodded with a serious look. "Of course," Chad said for everyone.
'I can't believe I'm in the exact place I was seven years ago, doing the same thing: waiting to die,' the small raven haired woman thought, sitting next to that familiar window where she looked out on Soul Society.
'I just hope they don't make me wait too long this time. No one's coming, so there's no reason in delaying it.'
She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall. Her life seemed to move in a circle, or perhaps it was just leading back to one thing: her making mistakes and dealing with the punishment. Only, someone has always been there to help her escape the said punishments. This time she was alone. She believed it was her fate now. There was no reason in extending it any longer just for her to make more mistakes.
'All I've really done is cause pain to people. All my life, that's what I've done. I come into their lives and somewhere down the road, I hurt them.'
So if you're asking me
I want you to know
When my time comes
Forget the wrong that I've done
Help me leave behind some
Reasons to be missed
And don't resent me
And when you're feeling empty
Keep me in your memory
Leave out all the rest
Leave out all the rest
'There's no need for me to push for a longer life. I lived long enough and I've been given too many second chances. There's a time when things come to an end and mine has finally come.' She opened her eyes and leaned forward to look out the window and into the sky, as if reaching out to one person in the entire universe.
Don't be afraid
I've taking my beating
I've shared what I've been
I'm strong on the surface
Not all the way through
I've never been perfect
But neither have you
'Despite all the chaos I might have caused, or will cause, I hope to not be remembered for my disasters, but for my desire to always be there for the ones I've cared for. Although I believe I've had many heroic moments in my life, the disastrous ones seem to overtake them.'
She looked down and let a soft and gentle smile form along her lips. She closed her eyes, 'There are certain moments in my life that I wouldn't trade for anything though… and most of them were with you.'
So if you're asking me
I want you to know
When my time comes
Forget the wrong that I've done
Help me leave behind some
Reasons to be missed
Don't resent me
And when you're feeling empty
Keep me in your memory
Leave out all the rest
Leave out all the rest
'I know right now I'm just convincing myself that it's okay, that I've had enough happiness in my life. But is it so wrong to be like everyone else? To want more?' she opened her eyes and leaned back to look out the window, into the sky.
'I actually believed that at one point I could actually stay there in the living world. I would have a job in a small flower shop, which would also be a small café. I would own a house and even a car, of course after I learn to drive. But most of all, I would stay with you.'
When my time comes
Forget the wrong that I've done
Help me leave behind some
Reasons to be missed
Don't resent me
And when you're feeling empty
Keep me in your memory
Leave out all the rest
Leave out all the rest
Forgetting
All the hurt inside
You've learned to hide so well
Pretending
Someone else can come and save me from myself
I can't be who you are
I can't be who you are
'I'm done pretending. No one will save me.'
They all stepped through the gate. A smile formed on everyone's face except Ichigo, who had a determined look displayed instead. But as fast as those smiles spread, they were gone. They hadn't been here in over five years, and it brought back so many memories, including the bad, that eventually brought good ones.
They started to step forward, knowing the exact location to get to. Ichigo stopped in mid-step though. He was overwhelmed by images he had missed unconsciously.
-Flashback-
They stepped out of the gate into Soul Society. It was only them and they were supposed to meet the rest of the Karakura Town entourage there. It was mostly a celebration of their victory in Hueco Mundo over Aizen.
Rukia began to walk away in front of him. He frowned and reached out to grab her wrist.
She jumped from his sudden action and turned around and glared. "What are you doing, Ichigo?"
"What am I doing? No, what are you doing? Where do ya think you're goin'?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I'm going to report to my squad! What's gotten into you?" she said ripping her arm out of his grasp.
"Well excuse me for realizing every time I let you go somewhere by yourself something happens!" he said walking up closer to her.
They were in each other's faces now. "Something doesn't happen to me every time I go off by myself!"
"Oh yeah? Wanna bet?!" he yelled back.
She opened her mouth to say something, but then thought. She sighed and looked down, but quickly snapped her head up wearing a goofy smirk.
Ichigo leaned back a little, surprised be her action. "What are you so happy about all of a sudden?" he asked with an eyebrow raised.
"Oh nothing!" she said turning around. She walked a step then turned her head to talk back at him, "Just the fact that you care so much about what happens to me, is all."
Shock was displayed all over his face. "Whoever said I cared about you?! Maybe I just don't wanna hear that red-headed bastard complain to me or deal with your emotionally detached brother hunting me down!"
She then made a face that showed complete understanding of the situation. "Oh, okay. So how about we get going then, so you don't have to worry about dealing those two?" she said grabbing his hand in hers and starting to drag him along beside her.
"Maybe I don't give a damn if you go by yourself or not anymore?" he said, starting to walk at her pace, but didn't pull his hand away from her grasp.
"Maybe you do, maybe you don't, Ichigo," she said continuing to look forward. He looked at her, watching her hair move in the wind and allowing him to see the genuine smile she held. He couldn't suppress one of his own from the site of hers.
-End Flashback-
"Kurosaki? You okay?" Ishida said, as everyone in the group was about ten feet ahead, looking back at him.
He stared straight at them for a few seconds, "Y-yeah. I'm fine. Let's go," he said, shaking his head slightly. He then looked around again noticing a member missing. "Wait. Where the hell is Renji?!"
The rest of the group looked around. "He must have- ran off?" Orihime questioned.
"How the hell do we end up losing a bastard with a stop sign as a head?!" Ichigo yelled running a hand through his hair. "Shit, he's going to inform everyone that we're here. We better get moving."
He walked in front of the group, leading them in the direction of the front gates to the thirteen squads. He thought of the memory that had just come back to him and couldn't help but smile. "I'm coming, Rukia."
"Everything is in place. All we have to do is wait for the execution date."
"And when is that, Yamamoto?" Byakuya asked in his usual monotone.
"Two days," the older man replied.
Byakuya's eyes widened slightly from his statement, but he quickly regained his serene state.
"Two days?! That's too soon, sir!" Renji yelled out.
"That is the date that was decided, Abarai. Please refrain from another outburst like that again," he said sternly.
"I'm sorry sir, but we don't have enough time to prepare! This day is almost over, which means we technically only have one day left!" he yelled again.
"Renji!" Byakuya yelled to silence him. Renji stepped back and was seen flaring his nostrils.
"Cool down, hothead," Shuuhei whispered to him as he continued to blow out air from frustration.
"Shut up," Renji growled in response.
"You may be right, Abarai, but if Kurosaki and his faction are already here, then we don't have a choice. We have to defend against them. That is the plan. We need to proceed in it," Yamamoto stated.
"Yamamoto sir."
"Yes, Hitsugaya?"
"I can sense their reiatsu coming fast. We should disperse," he said firmly.
"I believe you are correct. Everyone report to your stations and prepare for battle."
"Um, the front gate, it's open," Chad said as everyone looked straight at it.
"It's like they're just letting us come on in," Tatsuki commented.
They all walked in slowly, looking around cautiously for a trap. "Looks like the shinigami have just grown careless," Ishida said.
As they continued to walk they saw the path in front of them lined with a number of shinigami just waiting for them.
"You've got to be kidding me. We're going to have to go through another fight through this entire place again?"
"You remember the fight, Ichigo?" Orihime asked surprisingly happy, due to the situation they were in.
"Yeah, everything's coming back," he said staring straight ahead at the motionless group of shinigami.
Ichigo's view was on the shinigami but his mind was focused a few memories that seemed to apply to that exact moment.
"Wow, that's uh- She's an unusual shinigami too, that one," Ganju said sitting a little away from Ichigo.
"Yeah, she's unusual," Ichigo said softly, standing up. "That's why I came to save her."
He began to run down the long path in the sewers, remembering the last time he saw her before she left him in the rain, "I'm not going to let you die, Rukia!"
Another memory came through immediately following that.
"From here on it's gonna be harder than it's ever been," Ganju said staring him straight in the eyes.
There was a long pause as Ichigo turned to look away from him. "Tell me you're serious about this." There was another pause, "Tell me you're heart is on this."
And as if reliving the flashback, Ichigo said aloud, "She's… waiting."
He took one step forward and so did everyone of the shinigami. "Well this doesn't look good," Tatsuki said almost jokingly.
"Looks like we're gonna be forced to split up again," Chad said as the shinigami began to slowly approach.
"Orihime is staying with me," Ishida said moving closer to her. She nodded in response moving closer to him as well.
"Chad, go with Tatsuki," Ichigo stated pulling out Zangetsu from his back.
"Ichigo, are you sure you should be alone? You're only just remembering things. Maybe you shou-" Orihime said concerned.
"No. I remember enough. I'm going by myself. Head straight for the tower and don't wait for anyone," he said getting in a stance showing he was ready to sprint.
"Everyone ready?" Ishida asked as everyone got in Ichigo's stance.
"See you guys later!" Ichigo said running straight at the group.
"They're splitting up! Shit!" Shuuhei shouted, "I got Chad!"
"Tatsuki's going with him! I'll come with you!" Rangiku yelled following Shuuhei.
"Momo! Let's get the Quincy and Orihime," Toushirou yelled with Momo agreeing behind him.
"Is he seriously running straight at me?" Renji said, standing there alone. He grabbed Zabimaru and stood in position.
Ichigo continued to sprint at him, a smirk growing on his face. He was within twenty feet and he yelled to the redhead, who was anticipating Ichigo's attack. "Later Eyebrows!" and just like that, he used shunpo and disappeared.
"Shit!" Renji yelled turning around to run in the presumed direction of his opponent.
Ichigo was running now. Everything was a blur as he flew by. He could see the tower in the distance. He focused on the white structure and found yet another spark in his brain had ignited.
-Flashback-
"What is it with the living world and all these fantasies with dragons, knights and princesses? They believe in this kind of stuff but don't believe in shinigami? Weird…" Rukia said, lying on Ichigo's bed like always and flipping through a children's book.
"We don't believe in them, idiot. Those stories are for little kids to believe. As we get older we realize they're just a bunch of bull," he stated writing something down at his desk.
"Well then how come you have movies that deal with the same thing and I see adults enjoying the story?" she asked suspiciously.
"Because even if we know it's not real, it's still entertaining to pretend. Shouldn't you know this? It's not that weird," he said in disbelief.
"Stories told in Soul Society are true. Usually about a powerful shinigami or war that occurred."
"How do you know it's true? It could be all made up for entertainment purposes," Ichigo said trying to prove his point.
"Well if it is, then they made it sound pretty real to me. That makes it a hell of a lot better story than anything with dragons or princesses in it," she said continuing to look through the pictures of the book.
"I mean it has to deal with a princess being locked in a tower with a fierce dragon guarding it and this knight comes and rescues her. I don't understand how the hell he could fight a battle against that monster with a sword that doesn't even have bankai," she said pointing out the picture to Ichigo.
He reached over, took the book and shut it. "Hey! I was explaining something!" Rukia said as he set the book on his desk.
"Yeah, well listen to my explanation," he said going back to whatever he was writing on his desk, not looking at the petite girl sitting on his bed anticipating an explanation.
"You say that kind of story isn't real. Well to be honest, I used to think that too," he paused as he erased something with his eraser, but then continued to write. "Until I met you."
Rukia's eyes widened. She was about to say something, but Ichigo cut her off. "You showed me how some weird shit really does exist, but also, I lived through one of those fairy tale stories myself."
She raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? How so?"
He continued to look down on whatever he was working on. "You were locked in a tower and kinda guarded by the Sokyoku, which was like a frigen dragon to me. And then I came," he paused and looked over at the girl intrigued by his explanation.
"And saved the princess," he finished with a slight curve of his lips to show the beginning of a smile, but he turned his head back to his work before it could grow anymore.
Rukia was surprised by his statement, but smiled once he had already turned back to his work. She stood up and walked to the door.
She turned back to look at Ichigo working at his desk and whispered softly so no one would hear, "That makes you my knight, Ichigo," and she turned and walked out of the room.
Ichigo picked up his pencil from the paper and held it in midair. He heard her last remark before she left the room. He smiled completely now, "I'll rescue you anytime, Rukia," and he began to write again.
-End Flashback-
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You know those summaries that are shown on the story lists when you search for a story? They first thing you read to see what the story is about? Well, I suck at writing those. So I was gonna ask you guys to help me come up with a good one. I want it to tell what the story is about, but not give anything away, you know? So if you could please think of something and I'll replace it. It just isn't making me happy the way I write it.
I began to think about it, and I realized that every one of those flashbacks are kinda like one-shots, only I don't just leave them. I use them later in the story to do cute tid-bits with.
So, other than that: Make sure to let me know what you're thinking right now. Love your reviews and how they have a crazy effect on me by making me want to write more. So, I guess I'm done. Later