Genre: Romance, AU
Characters/Pairings: IchiRuki, etc.
Rating: Still a T until further notice!
Disclaimer: Me no own Bleach! I don't profit from writing this fanfiction, just so you know.
Summary: On the run from Seiretei, Ichigo, Rukia, Inoue, and Ishida arrive at Karakura to meet Urahara Kisuke and attempt to live like humans. Now, with the help of Urahara's gadgets, the hollows better be wary of the new shinigamis in town.
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Recap of previous chapter:
Rukia's hand clenched the phone. She wasn't fully recovered yet. Stupid phone, stupid settings. Low signal, medium signal, high signal – lame terms. Couldn't Uurahara get anymore creative and develop something cool-sounding that helps speed the return of reiatsu?
"Oi. Which button will we press for it to be activated?" Ichigo asked after he looked back at Rukia, checking if she was alright. Well, she looked mightily pissed and he couldn't blame her.
"Ah! I'm glad you asked!" Urahara said brightly, as if eager to dispel the lingering dark cloud that loomed above him; courtesy of one mad shinigami. "All you need to do is dial 1; press send button; raise the phone, shout the transformation phrase and clip it on your robes after turning into shinigmi! Its actually very easy!"
"And just WHAT is it?"
Urahara smiled at Ichigo before he cleared his throat a few times. "Ahem…" Then, taking a deep breath, he shouted in a falsetto voice "Guardian of Peace, Truth, and Justice! Protector of the weak! Defender of the Innocent! Scourge of Evil! Let the Power of God Descend and Cloak me! Shinigami Power-Up… Initializing…. TRANSFOOOORRRMMMMMMM!"
Inoue leapt up to clap her hands enthusiastically, "WOW! Amazing! Can I do that too?"
"Of course, Inoue-san!" replied Urahara in a likewise perky manner "I didn't forget about you! The transformation phrase will activate your cloaking apparatus – to hide you from shinigami and humans!"
"That was wonderful, I always wanted to be a SUPERHERO!" The buxom female cried out as she placed one foot on the table "Then I'll use Tsubaki to hit and slice hollows! I'll protect and defend my comrades, and I will be their official team healer!"
"That's the spirit, Inoue-san!"
Ishida's jaw dropped as he looked at the two in horror. "Can we just leave the hollows to the other shinigamis? I need to focus on my clothing designs."
"I am now glad I haven't recovered my reiatasu." Rukia murmured to the side, eyeing the phones with disgust and loathing.
Beside them, Ichigo banged his head on the table repeatedly "I should have just stayed in the 10th division and let them execute me at the Soukyoku Hill."
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The damned phone was beeping madly.
"OH!" Inoue cried out as she whipped her phone out "Look everyone – it's a hollow, just a couple of blocks from here!"
Ishida pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose as Ichigo muttered "Well good luck to the shinigami there."
"There isn't any!" Came Inoue's excited voice. She then turned to Rukia "Shall we go and help out?"
Rukia looked on ahead "I don't have enough reiatsu." She said. Pausing for a split-second, she frowned a bit, as if in deep thought. "Why not ask Ishida or Ichigo, instead? I'm sure they can turn into their shinigami forms."
Behind her, Ichigo glared as hard as he could. Bitch.
Urahara (who was walking them home) laughed gaily. "Oh, Kurosaki-kun, Ishida-kun; weren't you two so excited to use your shinigami abilities once more? This is the perfect opportunity!"
"No freaking hell, Urahara!" Snarled Ichigo "Like I'd give you the opportunity to make me look like a fool."
"Idiot!" Exclaimed Rukia, as she turned around and jumped to whap him behind his head. "And you call yourself a shinigami taicho! How dare you take your duty less seriously asshole?"
Looming over Rukia, Ichigo shouted "Oh? Like I see you jumping on the chance to play hero? I thought you were all-too-willing to act rashly just for DUTY?"
"Just take out the damn phone and transform!" she gritted out.
"Hell no!"
"Do it!"
"NO!"
"Don't make me open a can of whoopass, Ichigo."
Ichigo snorted before looking down at his wife "Is that supposed to scare me, Rukia? 'coz you know, when you're UP here, things look pretty much different." He sneered. "Am I supposed to cower now and –
WHAM! Rukia launched herself onto Ichigo, throwing both of them a couple of feet backwards. Landing on top of him, she then proceeded to beat him.
"Ah! Marriage – full of bliss is it not, eh Yoruichi?" chuckled Urahara as he and the others watched with interest as Rukia attempted to punch a hole in Ichigo's gut while the other squirmed and tried to push her off him.
"Asshole!"
"Midget!"
"Jerk!"
"Stuck-up bitch!"
"Bastard!"
"Lunatic!"
"Kisuke," mused Yoruichi "I don't think that you're seeing a variation of S&M here."
Finally, Ichigo was able to throw Rukia off him as he stood up. "All right, you harpy! All right! I'll do it, okay?"
"Ah, its so easy to predict who'll be the one to wear the pants in this relationship." Urahara stage-whispered to the others.
Giving the shop owner a glare, Ichigo took out the red phone grudgingly from his pockets. "Do I really have to?" he asked in a whine that clearly conveyed his opinions on the matter.
Urahara shrugged "I'm sure the souls can wait for a moment while you debate and gather courage to use it, Kurosaki-kun." He said blandly, as if they were discussing the merits of using a plasma TV over a regular flat-screen one.
"The moment I get a chance, you're dead, Urahara – you got it?" Ichigo ground out "Oi, Ishida; get your phone."
Ishida debated on whether or not mentioning that since they were not officially shinigami of the 14th division anymore – Ichigo's orders do not really have that much merit. However, the expectant look in Inoue's eyes made him take out his blue phone. With a heavy sigh, he opened the clam-shell cover. The screen showed that he had enough reiatsu to transform and that there were really no other shinigami aside from them present. Oh bullshit…
"Now make sure you say it loud and clear – this is important." Urahara stressed, waving his fan under their noses. "Now, raise the phone up and say the needed words!"
Ichigo and Ishida looked at each other for a while. Then, they raised the phones awkwardly up in the air (a bit lower than what Urahara may have liked, but hey, you can't always get what you want) and said – or mumbled, if that was the case – "Guardian of Peace, Truth, and Justice…Protector of the weak…. Defender of the Innocent… Scourge of Evil… Let the Power of God Descend and Cloak me… Shinigami Power-Up… Initializing…. TRANSFOOOORRRMMMMMMM!"
Then out burst a light that was so intense, the others needed to close their eyes or shield them for a while. It seemed that the wind became stronger for a moment. And when it was over, Ichigo and Ishida stood in the middle, in their shinigami forms, gigais nowhere to be seen.
What was surprising was that the others were not sensing any reiatsu. Despite the fact that you could literally see reiraku ooze out of their pores.
Ichigo flexed his hands experimentally "Are you sure we won't be recognized?"
"Postive." Urahara said "Next time, make it a bit more snappy. You know like in those Sunday Super Sentai shows on TV. More shouting and more hand gestures." He reminded them, as he stood up in a pose that was even weirder than Don Kanonji's "Like this."
"Wither and die, geta-boshi." Snarled Ichigo as he and Ishida spun around to run after the hollow.
"We should go and be the back-up, Rukia-san." Inoue suggested.
Surprisingly, Rukia agreed and soon, they were running after the two at full speed.
Yoruichi chuckled "I didn't know that they'd DO it, Kisuke. The expressions were priceless."
"Not as much as this." Urahara said, laughing as he held up a small video camera hidden under his sleeves. "I got it all on tape!"
The two burst out laughing like crazy.
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The hollow roared loudly, sensing the presence of a soul. Ahead, it spied the ghost of a young man looking around him with a confused expression on its face. Judging by the way it was touching the chain dangling in front of its chest in a fidgety manner, the soul just got out of its body.
Smiling in a way that only a predator knows how, the hollow jumped from the building and proceeded to make its way to the still shocked soul. Stopping suddenly, it noticed the foul stench of another hollow that was ambling towards the same direction. Snarling, the hollow decided to run – there was no way anyone else would get the meal standing on the street.
Nearing the soul, the hollow then saw the other hollow emerge from the corner. Before it can even run, there was a blinding blue light that burst from behind, hitting the other and purifying it as it roared in frustration.
What was it? The hollow asked itself. Where did it come from, because the moment it turned around, no one – nothing was there? Except for two women who were watching intently. Was it them?
Suddenly a blur appeared just ahead of him, to where the wandering soul was still standing. It was of a man, with glasses and dark hair, wearing… shinigami clothing? But it wasn't holding a zanpaktuô, not at all. Rather, it had a slim silver bow on its right hand.
"SHINIGAMI WILL DIE!" Roared the hollow as it sprinted towards the bespectacled shinigami. "SOUL WILL DIE."
"Not today, buddy." Someone said from behind.
Turning, the hollow saw orange – a whole lot of orange standing right in front of its eyes. After a second, a face registered. It was smirking as it held up a cleaver-like zanpaktuô, which it swung down and –
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Ichigo landed on his feet just as particles from the hollow disappeared. "Oi, Ishida – get the soul, will you?"
Behind them, Inoue was clapping like there was no tomorrow. "That was so cool! It looked wonderful!" spinning, she faced Rukia "Impressive, wasn't it? Two shinigamis fighting against the forces of evil, saving souls and damsels in distress –
"Inoue, I don't see a damsel in distress here, do you?" Rukia asked dryly as she eyed the soul burial.
"Not now of course, but soon there will be." Inoue said confidently. "Kurosaki-kun and Ishida-kun will rescue a fair maiden, a princess from the clutches of an evil overlord with an army of dragons all breathing fire and smelling like brimstone. Then… the princess will fall into a slumber that only the kiss of a… of a…" she trailed, just as a thought occurred.
They weren't friends for nothing, because Rukia immediately knew what she was thinking. "Ishida-kun needs to kiss the princess?" she asked gently. "Is Ishida-kun the prince?" because definitely, Ichigo wasn't. More of a… knight in tarnished armor perhaps… or a mercenary… whatever.
Inoue frowned as she looked at the tips of her shoes. "Well… he does seem princely…"
"So he has to kiss the princess?"
"Yeah." Inoue said forlornly, in a small voice.
Rukia glanced at her friend. "Well then, we definitely have to protect you, right?"
"Eh?"
"Orihime. Princess. Yup," Rukia said as she nodded at Ishida "He definitely has to protect you – after all, he's the prince."
Inoue did not reply, but the faint reddening of her cheeks was answer enough to what she thought of the idea. "Thank you, Rukia-san." She whispered quietly "You seem to know what to say."
"Ah." Rukia suddenly said as she looked at the phone. "There's another hollow two blocks from here. OI! ICHIGO!" she called out, "move out to the next one!" turning to Inoue, she held out her hand "Well, shall we go and see to it that we're there to provide back-up?"
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Fighting hollows made him think about a lot of things. Ichigo mused as he stepped out of the bathroom, wiping his face with a towel. There were some things he took for granted, and the source of his abilities were one of them.
Back at Seiretei, Ichigo trained hard in order to maintain his ability at taicho-level, and he was able to reap the fruits of his tiresome labor, enabling him to draw out his powers easily, effortlessly. He was often considered to be one of Soul Society's best because of his knack of having multiple unknown reiatsu reserves which he often tapped into when fighting. He could easily regain his strength even after fighting continuously for an extended period of time with just a moment's rest.
Today however, Ichigo's energy reserves were practically useless, considering that he only had 30 minutes to spare before he became useless in battle. What would happen then if he faced of with a vasto lorde (which was highly unlikely) in Karakura? What if it happened after he already used half of the limit he was given? Repressing a shudder, Ichigo scowled.
It meant training; additional training for him. There really was no time to mope about what could happen – especially if Rukia made another stupid attempt to join in the fray like she did earlier. The midget was lucky the hollow was a small fry and that her kidō confused it for a moment, giving Ichigo enough time to hack it.
Hell, keeping track of the damned woman was already taking most of his energy in the process. If Ichigo didn't shape up, he'd be looking at the pointy end of Byakuya's Senbonzakura when he finds out that a hollow ate his sister. Yes, tomorrow would be a good day as any to practice and workout. Running around Karakura would be a good idea, and he'd better do it in the morning before the sun was up, so as not to make people wonder about his speed and the number of times he ran around. Also, if he pushed the
stuff in the tool shed to the side, he might have enough space to install weights or something.
As he climbed up the stairs to the bedroom, Ichigo groused that life would have been easier if Rukia just stayed at home to be safe instead of looking around for a job in a restaurant.
Opening the door, he chanced upon a peculiar sight. Rukia was perched on a stepladder he made, and she was struggling to refasten the cover she had him place over the mirror of their bed's canopy. Judging by the looks of it, the said cover fell off again. "That's going to fall off again later and you know it." He said dryly as he looked on with amusement.
"Then you obviously have to put it up again." Came Rukia's dry response.
Pajamas. Rukia in pajamas was definitely a funny sight.
"One day that's going to drop down and smother us to death in our sleep."
"We're already dead. And if you have a problem with it, make a solution." She admonished "I fail to see why you made a bed for Inoue and Ishida when you didn't even take the time to saw off these annoying posts."
"I'm not used to making a bed yet." Groused Ichigo as he stalked off to his side of the humongous bed. "Unless you want to fall off from your side."
"Wiseass." Rukia started, looking at him to glare. Then: "WHY AREN'T YOU WEARING A SHIRT?"
"Jeez woman, I'm sure there isn't anyone in Karakura who didn't hear you." Complained Ichigo. "The air conditioner is busted and it's hot."
"Then why don't you turn on the fan?"
"It's already on, and haven't you heard of El Nino?"
"Open a damn window then." Came the retort.
"This isn't like in Seiretei where you can just fling open your window, Rukia." He reasoned, "You don't know the place well to let your guard down."
"Propriety, Ichigo, haven't you heard of it?"
"Oi, stop with all that Kuchiki proper behavior lessons, Rukia. You're making my headache worsen."
Angrily, Rukia slowly stepped down to the floor "Perhaps if you tried to behave like a civilized person, we might have gotten along easily." She said as she climbed to her side of the bed. As usual, there were pillows between them, to prevent him from encroaching her sleeping space. Quickly, she closed her eyes and hoped that sleep would come and take her away.
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"You know, I think that I should sleep on the floor." Ishida said as he stood by the bed.
Inoue paused from arranging the pillows to look at him curiously, "Is this because I pushed you off the bed last night? I'm really sorry, Ishida-kun, but I'm not a pleasant sleeper. Did you get hurt?"
Ishida shook his head. "No, not really. Its just that… this isn't proper."
"Proper?" Inoue asked in confusion "But it would be improper if I let you sleep on the floor when we have a bed."
Trying hard not to flush as she said 'we' as if they were in an intimate relationship, Ishida unconsciously grimaced. "Inoue-san, you are unmarried and –
"Or is this because I hugged you last night?" she asked, making him turn even more red in the face "Because it was accidental – I swear. I'm really used to sleep with a stuffed bear, Rukia-san gave me and I miss it so much." She looked at Ishida with horrified eyes "I promise not to do it again! I wasn't taking advantage of you or anything!"
Inoue-san really was naive. Ishida thought with a slight trace of panic. SHE was taking advantage of HIM? Preposterous! As he spied her nightgown-clad form (and what an impressive form it was), he quickly diverted his eyes to a chair standing beside the window. It was safer that way. There was no way he was going to behave like a pervert like Urahara; and neither would he act like a maniac like Kurosaki and just grab Inoue-san. No, no, no. It certainly will not do.
"Ishida-kun. Come back to bed so I can turn off the lights and get some sleep." Inoue said sleepily.
Damn. Did she have to phrase it THAT way?
Quietly, he settled on his side of the bed, closing his eye. It was somewhat fortunate that Kurosaki made a bigger bed. The last one they had was a bit… cramped. He was sure Urahara got a field day laughing over it. One of these days, he'll definitely make him pay…
"Ishida-kun?"
Ishida opened one eye to take a peek… and almost had a heart attack.
"Ishida-kun?"
Because there was Inoue-san, leaning over him.
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…
It was a barely audible thump. Normally, it could be ignored; after all it was just a random thump, wasn't it?
But then there was another thump. The walls were really thin. Then there were faint sounds of creaking. As a carpenter, Ichigo knew that the bed next door had been installed with rollers to move it around the room easily. Now he swears that the bed was rolling slightly – based on the sounds, that is.
Then another thump; this time louder, as if… the headboard banged against the wall.
"Ishida-kun!"
Without another word, Ichigo's eyes flew open. What the hell?
"A bit more push please, Ishida-kun."
That was Inoue, wasn't it? Why was her voice sounding… breathy all of a sudden?
"That okay enough for you, Inoue-san?"
Hell no! Suddenly Ichigo was wide-awake, sitting upright like a hollow appeared beside him.
"Push a bit more harder, Ishida-kun."
"Oh, now you're awake." Hissed a tousled Rukia beside him. Like him, she was wide-eyed and carried an extremely confused and angry expression on her face. Angrily, she kneeled and turned around; intent on letting the two next door know that they had an audience.
Suddenly, Ichigo grabbed her arm "Are you nuts?" he whispered in panic "Don't let them know you're awake!"
"What the hell?" she shot back, in a similar vein "Your friend is getting my friend debauched and you're telling me not to let them know that I know it?"
"It's embarrassing to let him know that!"
"And its not embarrassing that we KNOW what they're doing? Pervert! You're encouraging him!"
Ichigo glared, his face a bit red "Idiot!" he hissed back, "You're not even sure if they're doing what you think they're doing!"
"YES, Ishida-kun! That's it!" came Inoue's voice, sounding oddly… excited about something.
"Wait, Inoue-san… not… yet…"Boggle-eyed, Rukia grabbed Ichigo by the shoulders and shook him furiously "Isn't that proof enough?" she hissed "What do you propose to do now, bastard, let them continue?"
"Are you saying we get them to stop?" he groused back. Damn that Ishida and his hormones. Couldn't he be more… discreet and quiet? "I can't believe he's getting laid." He mumbled in a baffled tone. "Ishida's getting laid…"
Suddenly, Rukia slapped him across the face "Pervert!" she gritted out "That's my friend he's with!"
There were more noises, more so with the headboard slamming against the wall. With each sound, Rukia's eyes bugged out in horror and mortification. If it wasn't embarrassing for him, Ichigo would have laughed at her face.
Except that Ishida was getting laid.
"Push more, Ishida-kun!""Really, Inoue-san, the way you're doing it, its not helping us in anyway."
Oh god, this was ridiculous. Ichigo tried to clear his head before it started making images as to WHAT Ishida meant by THAT.
"I ought to go there and…" Rukia started to say as she tried to climb off the bed, but stopped. Wryly she shook her head at her insane idea. "I so do not want to see them right now."
He was the one married here and Ishida was the one getting laid. Stealing a glance at Rukia, he winced. She looked like a mess, wearing freaking yellow, checkered pajamas, and that was not his image of sexy – not in a million years. Hell, she was bossy, loud-mouthed, stuck-up, cold, unfeeling, short, temperamental –
Sleepily, Rukia wiped at the corner of her eye as she suppressed a yawn. "Damn; I better talk to Inoue about that habit of hers to sleep without any light." Turning to Ichigo, she asked "You ARE going to talk to your fukutaicho about this, right? I mean, I'm pretty sure its consensual and all. They're adults and they can make decisions on their own –
Her still sleep-glazed eyes blinked twice. Damn, Ichigo cursed inwardly, he did not just find it cute.
Well, at least cute was okay. Cute can be lumped into the category of Yuzu and puppies. Definitely it was safer if he just saw her as cute. Because the last time he didn't, he ended up necking her!
"- But I so don't want to KNOW what they're doing. Not if I want to end up having nightmares for weeks. Then I'd be unable to look at them because all I'll be thinking of is that they're having a sexual relationship." Mumbled Rukia as she threw back her head slightly and sighed in annoyance. "That's just gross and too much information."
Oh god. Her neck. Just how much of a bitch could she be? Why was it the she taunted him like hell anyway? Exposing her throat like that to him… did she have no idea how –
"Oh damn." Rukia sighed, feeling the kinks in her back muscles. To loosen them somewhat, she arched her back for a while. Trying to fight hollows while in a gigai was a real pain.
Ichigo's hand clenched as he glared at Rukia.
"What?" she asked, eyes narrowing. "What got you in a snit?" She leaned in for a bit, causing the collar of her pajama top to slide a bit off her shoulder, showing a teasing glimpse of white skin.
That was it! She was officially tempting him! Ichigo's mind cried out as it snapped. His hands immediately shot out to grab her, pulling a wide-eyed Rukia straight to him. Oh, did she think she could get away like that easily?
"Ichigo? What -
"Ishida-kun, not like that!" Inoue's annoyed whine wafted through the wall."I'm doing my best, here Inoue-san." Ishida said helplessly. "This is all Kurosaki's fault!"
At those words, Ichigo's hand dropped from Rukia's arm, causing her to be sprawled over the pillows "What the hell?" he snarled.
"Do not bring Kurosaki-kun in this, Ishida-kun! Don't hurt his and Rukia-san's feeling by blaming him!"
Damn straight!
Blowing the bangs off her face, Rukia looked wryly at Ichigo from her position "What did you do this time, Ichigo?" she asked in part morbid curiosity, part amusement.
"The hell should I know!" Ichigo thundered, not caring if he woke the entire neighborhood.
From the opposite wall, Inoue suddenly spoke out "Oh, did we wake you two up? We're really sorry!" She apologized cheerfully.
"Pipe down, will you?" shouted Ichigo, as he pounded at the wall "Some people are trying to get some sleep. If you two want to have se –
His words were cut off as Rukia immediately pounced at him to cover his mouth with he dainty hands, causing them to fall, flailing limbs on top of each other, on the bed.
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"Oh my." Inoue said, her face red as she heard the thump resound from the opposite wall. "Whatever are they doing, Ishida-kun?" she whispered.
Ishida grunted as he pushed the heavy mattress. "I don't know and I don't want to know, Inoue-san."
"Oh dear…"
"Look, this is apparently another reason why I should sleep on the floor." Ishida said quietly as he continued to fix the bed. "The legs on my side don't have the same height with the ones on yours. The mattress will continue to slide off unless the bed itself is fixed." He explained as he double-checked the bed to see if it was in its original position.
Shaking his head, Ishida gave the bed one last push to settle it against the wall before he moved on to set the mattress back in its proper position. "If I were to sleep here as well, I might risk tilting the bed more and it may break the frame. The wheels were a good addition so we can move it easier. But as its not fixed to stay immobile, we could end up pushing the bed against the nightstand again."
"Or we could remove the other furniture out of the way and have a rolling bed!" suggested Inoue. "Won't that be nice?"
Ishida chuckled. "That won't do; Kurosaki definitely has to fix this tomorrow." He told her as he stood up "Ow…my back hurts like hell."
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…
Due to circumstances beyond his control, he was back in the place he never expected to be in sooner. True, he would much rather be here than anywhere else, but he had duties that needed his immediate attention.
No one dared to disturb him anyway. It was a blessing that he relished as he continued on his planned tasks, working silently behind his desk. So he worked, from the moment the sun was just taking its place in the sky, to the time it slumbered and faded into oblivion. The faster he finished this, the better.
Even Renji was uncharacteristically quiet today. And though such an event was a reason for celebration, he knew his fukutaicho well enough to understand that he was holding back so many things to say that he was in danger of imploding.
"That will be all for today, Renji. You may go now."
Renji darted a furtive glance at him "Taicho…"
"There is no news about Rukia yet."
"But taicho…"
"She will be found, Renji." He said, sensing the nervous worry in his fukutaicho's posture. Better later than sooner, he added silently before he squelched any thought about his sister.
Slowly Renji stood "Well… if there's nothing else, I'll be going on ahead, Taicho."
"Indeed." He replied quietly. "Be sure to be back early tomorrow, there are much reports to be finished."
"Yes taicho. Good night."
As his fukutaicho left the room, Kuchiki Byakuya resumed his task, focusing on it than on the previous conversation. He was not supposed to think of such things. He was a taicho of the 6th division and he was a noble clan's head. Lawbreakers should be punished accordingly.
Familial ties notwithstanding.
Rukia, like Kurosaki Ichigo was branded as a traitor. What was worse was that she was also the primary suspect of Aizen taicho's murder. As it was, she and Kurosaki already had enough shinigami looking for them. However, if Hinamori fukutaicho had her way, the whole of 5th division would have gone to the living world looking for her.
Luckily they were still at war with Hueco Mundo. If they had enough manpower at their disposal…
Byakuya let the thought trail away. Thinking about his sister escaping Seiretei's forces was betrayal enough in his book. As a taicho of Gotei 14, he had no business placing a petition in favor of Rukia. Neither would he offer to head the investigation probing Aizen taicho's untimely demise. He would leave that to the 10th.
His eyes narrowed imperceptibly. Was this Kurosaki's doing? Did he put Rukia up to kill Aizen as they were escaping in order to draw attention away from him? There had to be a motive and there had to be another person who killed Aizen. Because Byakuya did not believe for a moment that Rukia did it. Realistically speaking, her level of abilities were not even fukutaicho class, it would be next to impossible for her to kill a taicho of Aizen's caliber. He was her mentor, he knew more than her as he knew her limits.
It had been a mistake to let Rukia study kidō. It had been a mistake to allow her to be a shinigami in the first place.
He had been foolish to think that he could steer her away from danger by taking her off the list of potential candidates for seating promotion. She would have been far safer in the Kuchiki household, closeted and kept under the watchful eye of the council and himself.
There was nothing more he could do now.
"Hisana…" he murmured quietly, almost brokenly, as he looked at nothing in particular "Forgive me."
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…
"Give me what I'm asking for and I will spare your mother." Aizen said in an unnervingly calm voice. "Can you do that, Ichigo-kun? Can you get me the hougyoku?"
Ichigo shook his head "I don't know where it is…"
"Are you sure, Ichigo?" Aizen asked, a hint of restrained impatience coloring his tone. "Didn't your mother say that you have it?"
Confused, Ichigo looked at his mother's deadened eyes… they were saying nothing… nothing at all. "No… please… I don't know…"
As he looked up, he saw Aizen's eyes harden. "Give it to me, Ichigo."
"I don't have it!" persisted Ichigo in earnest, tears falling anew from his eyes "Mother… mother I don't have the hougyoku."
"Then give her to me."
Who?
"Ichigo." A voice called from beside him. Turning, Ichigo was surprised to see… Rukia.
The shinigami was seated in a traditional seiza position, her dark head bowed. As if sensing his gaze, Rukia looked up, showing eyes full of unshed tears, holding a small, round thing in her small palms.
"Rukia?" he asked in a surprised voice.
"Ichigo."
"Ichigo-kun, give her to me now." Aizen said.
"Ichigo."
Suddenly, Ichigo was wide-awake. Blinking, he frowned as he realized he didn't end the nightmare by screaming or thrashing. Hell, even his breathing was within the boundaries of normalcy.
Surely what he had was the strangest of all dreams. True, his dreams often made him see the scene differently (Unohana taicho once mentioned that his dreams were often his escape from the harsh reality of what happened to his mother), such as talking to Aizen and hearing about the hougyoku. However, tonight's version really got the vote of weirdness because it had Rukia in it.
Rukia. Come to think of it… Ichigo turned slowly, raising himself on his elbow slightly to peer behind the wall of pillows. Only to find a midget-sized form missing from its customary position.
Jeeze, Kurosaki, Ichigo thought to himself, customary? It sounded really bad, like he was a pervert, as if he had been looking at his sleeping wife these past few nights. Well, it was true anyway. Not the pervert part, but the checking up part. He just wanted to be sure she was safe after all, was it wrong? In the first place, it was because of him that she was in a predicament like this, so it was obviously, his responsibility to watch out for her.
Speaking of which, where was she anyway? It couldn't have been a hollow – his own phone would have waked him with a shrill alarm.
Feeling his eyes adjust to the dimness of the room he realizes two things: One, the curtain covering the window was parted slightly, letting in a white glimmer of moonlight. Two: Rukia was seated at the bay window, looking out into the night.
Quietly, with all the shinigami skills honed in battle, Ichigo made his way out of the bed to slowly creep behind his wife. He didn't want to disturb her by making noises; plus the reaction on her face when she realizes she didn't even sense him was going to be priceless.
Once he was directly beside her, hidden by the shadow of the heavy curtain, Ichigo realized that only a hollow in front of her would get her attention. Rukia was looking at nothing and everything at the same time. Her violet eyes were unfocused and almost murky, yet she seemed to be seeing something tangible only to her. There was a melancholy air about her that only served to reinforce her seeming vulnerability as she sat there, enveloped by the fabric of her pajamas.
Ichigo's eyes fell on Rukia's lap. She was holding, in both hands, a small glass dome. With a second glance, he knew what it was: a snow globe. He wondered where she got it. Though he was aware that his father packed some keepsakes for her, it was highly impossible that it came from Seiretei.
"A snow globe?"
Rukia flinched as she gasped "Ichigo?" she cried out in surprise "What – Why – Why are you awake already?"
"Couldn't sleep." Came the reply as Ichigo pushed aside the curtain so he could sit down as well. He nudged Rukia's feet further against the glass before he leaned back comfortably "You're supposed to be asleep."
Rukia raised an eyebrow. Okay, so this was a mature conversation, no need for her to snap back at him. She frowned "May I ask when my sleeping habits became your business?"
Gods, this man was annoying, butting in where he was not welcome. Couldn't she get a moment's peace where she could just think back on her actions? Did he think it was funny to pry?
"You'll get premature wrinkles, you know." Ichigo said dryly as he pushed an index finger against Rukia's forehead.
"You're older than me, remember? You'll get wrinkles first just because of your god-awful scowling." She retorted back, matching his glare. Immature bastard, acting like a damn 15 year old. He even looked like one, for crying out loud. Was there any warranty to the damn gigai Urahara gave them? Rukia was starting to be suspicious that they looked like teenagers when a woman asked her yesterday why she wasn't at school.
A quick glance at Ichigo's finely developed shoulders squashed the idea that THEY looked like teenagers. It was probably just her anyway.
"Get some sleep, Rukia." Ordered Ichigo.
"I'm fine… I'm not sleepy."
Ichigo frowned. "I realize this galls your pride but –
"Stop, Ichigo. If you're going to talk about me not going after hollows, or just staying at home to pretend I'm a housewife, spare me." Rukia said flatly, getting too irritated to think about her words.
"Bitch." He said bitterly "If you faint from exhaustion, don't expect me to haul your ass back home."
"Didn't expect anything from you – bastard." Rukia snarled back, rolling her in annoyance. Her hands once again touched the glass of the snow globe before she shook it.
"You bought a snow globe?" accused Ichigo as he looked at the offending item "Aren't we on a tight budget? You already bought a crapload of manga – trashy shoujo-y ones. Hell, you even bought a hentai!"
Rukia's face turned red. "I was just curious… besides, I haven't read it – yet."
Ichigo gaped "Curious?" About what? Somewhere, in the back of his mind, Ichigo wanted to blurt out that he was willing to explain things if she only asked, but he restrained himself; knowing that he'd be called a pervert for a week or so.
Besides, explaining really wasn't in his agenda, more like…
"Yaoi." Rukia said flatly. "I heard people at the bookstore. These girls… they couldn't get enough of yaoi. Shonen-ai. Shota. The likes."
Feeling his face burn in embarrassment, Ichigo grimaced. Really, it was a good thing Rukia did not know how to use a computer yet. Urahara had shown him one, plus he demonstrated the use of the Internet. Unfortunately, his idea of a search topic was yaoi… or pictures of naked women. In hindsight, Ichigo should have at least chosen the naked pictures, or at least explained WHY he didn't want to see naked women. Not when he was living with the embodiment of cruel temptation 24/7. Now it would be embarrassing if Rukia caught him… cooling off. Or worse, catch him with a glazed look on his face. He'd rather get eaten by a menos than explain that the image of the woman starring in his recent fantasies were of a dark-haired, vertically challenged shinigami noble with violet eyes.
Urahara mock-cried that marriage might not be as blissful as he thought if Ichigo was – in his terms – playing for the same team.
"Don't read it, if you don't want your brain to fry and shut down." He said emphatically, suppressing a shudder. "Trust me, that's right up Urahara's alley."
Rukia's face showed revulsion. If it was something Urahara was aware of, chances are it WAS perverted. If it were, then why were people – decent looking girls at that – falling in line just to read it? It couldn't be THAT perverted, right?
Maybe she ought to take just a little peek.
"When did you buy that?" persisted Ichigo, cutting into Rukia's curious thoughts. "I thought we agreed not to buy anything without the other's approval. That snow globe looks expensive."
Rukia looked intently at the offending item. "I… I didn't buy it. Your father placed it in my pack."
"The old man gave you a snow globe?" Ichigo asked incredulously "That's highly unusual you know. Trinkets I can understand; perverted manuals, I can even expect; but a snow globe?"
Clutching the snow globe protectively over her chest, Rukia looked away for a moment before she lifted her eyes to stare at Ichigo. "No, your father didn't…. it wasn't from him. And no," she added, guessing correctly what he thought next. "nii-sama didn't buy it for me either."
"Hell, a rich admirer with no taste then." He groused, shaking his head.
"Idiot."
Ichigo's senses were immediately on alert. It was not like he was jealous or anything. Hell, it was in the past and it was an innocent gift. Why was she so damn secretive then when he was just asking? Unless… unless she thought that he'd be mad about it.
Which brings about the question: Why would he be mad about it? "Rukia. Aizen gave it to you, didn't he?" he asked tightly, half dreading that he was wrong, while the other half knew it was the right question.
The way Rukia held the snow globe closer was answer enough.
"Give it to me."
"No."
"Rukia," he gritted out "that THING is from Aizen. It could have something in it that will blow you up into pieces."
"This THING has none." She replied emphatically. "I had it with me for months Ichigo. Don't be so damn paranoid. If he wanted to make it explode he would have done so already!"
Ichigo glared "Well I don't want it in the house!"
"Well I do, so leave it alone!"
"GIVE IT TO ME!"
Angrily, Rukia thrusted her hand out, holding the snow globe to him. "Take it then asshole!" she shouted, "Take the only thing I have to treasure from the only person who saw me as a good shinigami! Take the only remembrance I have of the person who gave me a chance when no one would or could!" Glaring, Rukia pushed the snow globe against Ichigo's chest harshly. "Break it, smash it, and throw it outside for all I care. It's from Aizen, so it's evil; never mind if it was Aizen who picked up the pieces in my life when no one was there to do so!"
Suddenly, Rukia felt her body tremble. To her mortification, she realized that she was close to breaking down in front of Ichigo. "Take it," she said hoarsely, dropping the snow globe on his lap as she stood up. "No matter what you think; for whatever fault he may have done, Aizen at least made me feel like I was wanted."
Without another word, she fled from the room to try and stop whatever tears that was threatening to fall.
Ichigo could only stare at the door after she slammed it shut.
…
…
…
C. LeShay's corner:
Ugh. There. Another royal spat for the married couple. Some OoC-ness for Rukia here. And melodrama – a lot of it. What the hell, add it anyway; I'm a firm believer in having a bit of melodrama in life to prevent it from being too boring.
Yes, we know Aizen manipulated Rukia, but look at it from her point of view before you say that she's overly dramatic. LOL. Truly, Aizen is such a sick person to twist anyone's emotions. Manga-wise, I can say that I understand Hinamori and why she went all cuckoo and stuff (no offense to Hinamori fans, I mean no disrespect), unable to believe how evil her beloved Taicho is. If anything, Rukia respected Aizen enough to stay engaged to him even if her instincts were warning her to stay far away.
But don't worry; we all need dirty laundry to be aired and its Rukia who has to go first. The girl has so many issues to be resolved before she can open her heart again. I know Ichigo has issues as well, but lets save his for later.
Sick, sick shinigami. *Snickers*
Anyway, I promise that we will deal with more IchiRuki fluff and um… stuff that will skirt the line between a T-rating and an M-rating. That is, until we get to the part where C. LeShay brings out the big guns.
Please review, okay; I seriously need it. The whole hiatus thing has become worse. Sometime during October, my muse just upped and left, leaving me alone in the dust. She's back at my old fandom with a vengeance, drooling over a certain Jedi master… while I sit in front of my PC looking blankly at the 1st part of chapter 17, wondering how the hell I'd be able to write it.
I pretty much have the whole story mapped out – I think I even know the ending already, and I already wrote the LEMON… but as for the drive to write continue – its pretty much gone. Sorry guys, so I guess the next update will be… dunno, December or January next year, unless my prodigal muse returns. Until then, my apologies to the regular readers.