A/n: The third installment of my Bleach story~! It is coming along nicely... And I've recieved nice comments on this idea of mine... This chapter, I strongly strayed away from the manga in the park scene because I show more of the friendship between Ichigo and Orihime... And trust me, you'll see a lot of banter between the two through out this story... Anyways, Enjoy~!
Warning: Err... Stupidity?
Disclaimer: I still don't own Bleach.
It was evening in Karakura town. The crescent moon was high in the sky, gleaming radiantly. The streets were mostly cleared, except for Orihime who was walking along the sidewalk singing to herself and carrying a small sack of food.
"Ra, a ramen's ra", she sang to her own little tune in her head as she skipped along, "Shi, a shingawa shoji's shi~!" She began to cross the street. "That'll bring us back to-" She turned her head sharply hearing a screeching of a car and hardly had time to comprehend what was going on before she was hit.
It was now the next day in Karakura. Rukia and Ichigo were both at a small park. Ichigo stood in the background hitting small balls being pitched to her as a practice mechanism that Rukia had told her to do. Rukia was sitting at a bench and reading a comic she had found.
"I know about it sister", she read aloud to herself, engrossed in the comic, "It's all hidden in that box, isn't it? The jade box mother gave you! Give me that box, my sister Marianne! Go on!! No! Don't open that box! Francoise! NOOOO!!"
"OI! What the hell are you doing", Ichigo asked in annoyance from behind Rukia, making the former soul reaper squeak in surprise.
"Oh", Rukia said in relief staring at Ichigo as she turned around, "You scared me! I'm studying the contemporary vernacular of this world!"
"You were not", Ichigo said rolling her eyes, resting her bat on her shoulder, "You were reading a stupid horror comic while I was training my soul reaper ass off? Where'd you find it anyway?"
"Huh", Rukia asked in confusion, "You finished your training?"
"I hit these stupid pepper balls a hundred times right", Ichigo asked as she pointed to the machine beside her, "I'm done. What's this supposed to accomplish, anyway? And where'd you get the weird pitching machine?!"
"Fool", Rukia said with an aggravated sigh, "Only the wrong balls had pepper in them!"
"Wrong balls", Ichigo asked.
"That's right", Rukia said, and silence lapsed for a moment, "You didn't hit every single one, did you?"
"Yes", Ichigo said in annoyance, "Great."
"You idiot", Rukia yelled as she stood up, "I told you to hit only the balls with heads! What's the point of the exercise?!"
"How should I know", Ichigo yelled back hold up a ball in each hand, one saying hand and the other head, and they both looked similar. "And it's impossible to tell the head from the hands the way you draw!!"
Not too far away from the park Orihime skipped along singing her odd little melody again. "Do, a drunk dragon's do", she said, "Re, an electric comic's re~! Mi, an electric comics mi~! Fa, an... alfalfa's..." She stopped as she ran out of words to use and as she passed by the park area, she noticed the tough orange headed teen she had grown to admire. "Ichigo", she said smiling to herself as she quietly made her way down to her friend.
Down below, Rukia held up one of the balls with a head painted on it. "Listen", she started as she sat crossed legged on one of the picnic tables, "The head is a hollow's weak spot! One good whack will split it open like a melon! This training will help you crack heads with precision, whatever the situation!"
"Why do I have to do that", Ichigo asked, "I'm been beating 'em just fine."
"Fool", Rukia said in annoyance, "When did you ever defeat a hollow with one blow?! Approaching a hollow from behind and killing it with one blow I the essence of hollow hunting! It's a miracle you've survived fighting them as you have!!"
"B-but hitting them from behind is unfair", Ichigo said in slight alarm, "I can't do that!"
"Save the code of bushido for human foes", Rukia said seriously, "Hollows are your prey! Fairness doesn't apply here! That kind of thinking will get you killed!"
Ichigo looked off to the side with a slightly remorseful look. "I-I just", she began quietly. Before she could continue her sentence, the life was being squeezed out of her by a hug. Ichigo knew exactly who the culprit was to, considering there was only one person who had the guts enough to actually hug her.
"Ichigo", Orihime gushed in a chipper tone, to which Ichigo cringed at the loudness.
"Orihime, air", she said, voice almost cracking to her high pitched voice but stopped herself.
Orihime soon released her hold on Ichigo and gave a grin. "How are you, Ichigo", she asked smiling.
"Fine", Ichigo said with a sigh, "What are you doing out here?"
"Shopping for dinner", Orihime replied with a chipper grin, "I bought leeks, butter, bananas, and bean jam jelly!"
Ichigo sighed lightly, used to her friend's odd eating habits, though couldn't help but wonder what in the world Orihime was making this time.
"And why are you out here, Ichigo-kun", Orihime said with a grin, remembering to add the term kun to Ichigo's name instead of chan. She knew how much Ichigo hated to be called Ichigo-chan, but couldn't help but laugh mentally at her friend's initial reaction to the nickname.
Ichigo rubbed the back of her head. "Err, well", she began, not sure of what to tell her. 'What do I tell her', Ichigo thought, 'I can't say the truth, cause she'll think I've gone nuts.'
Orihime looked over Ichigo's shoulder and noticed Rukia standing there. "Rukia", she asked, slightly surprised by the raven haired woman's presence.
"Eh, do I know you", Rukia asked with a confused look.
"Idiot", Ichigo said rolling her eyes, "She's Orihime Inoue... She's in our class!"
Rukia perked up. "In our class", she asked. She then turned to Orihime and put on her nice, proper girl act. "Well, hello Miss Inoue", she greeted the redheaded classmate with a curtsy, "How do you do, dear?"
"Oh, I'm fine thank you", Orihime replied, curtsying back.
Ichigo stood in the background, wondering how Rukia would act around the guys, and then wondering why Orihime was playing along. As Orihime looked towards the ground, Ichigo noticed the bandage on her arm.
"What happened to your arm", she asked curiously, "Did you fall again?"
"This", Orihime asked pointing to her arm with a smile, "No, I was run over."
"Run over", Ichigo yelled, "By a car?!"
Orihime nodded with a sheepish smile and a laugh. "Yeah", she said, "I went out to buy a drink last night and—bam! I've been getting run over at lot lately!"
"A lot", Ichigo asked in a slightly frantic tone, "What the hell?! You've gotta' be more careful! You could've been seriously injured! Or killed!"
Orihime blinked before beginning to giggle, to which Ichigo sharply told her that it wasn't a laughing matter, which only made the girl laugh more.
"You sound like a mother hen", Orihime said with a laugh, "Fretting over her chicks! Mother Ichigo!"
"Shut up", Ichigo growled in annoyance pointing at Orihime, "I have a right to be worried!"
Orihime laughed and grinned mischievously. "Mother Ichigo", she said thoughtfully, "That's a funny thought! I should tell that to everyone!"
"You most certainly will not", Ichigo growled as she began to chase Orihime around the small park area, to which Orihime was running and laughing.
Rukia stood in the background, watching the two converse and banter with each other playfully. 'Those two are close', she thought to herself, 'I wonder if she's one of the ones who knows... Most likely, as how much she teases Ichigo...'
The two came running back, Ichigo and Orihime both panting.
"So, does she get hurt a lot", Rukia asked looking over at Ichigo.
"Like every single day", Ichigo answered in annoyance, throwing a pointed look at Orihime who grinned sheepishly, claiming it to be daydreaming too much, which stirred up another bantering conversation.
Rukia mulled over about how she could just be clumsy but then noticed the bruising on Orihime's leg, recognizing the scent and shape immediately. It reeked of hollow. She kneeled down beside Orihime to look at it after asking if she could look at it.
"I must have gotten it last night", Orihime said, "It must have happened when the car hit me!" She was quiet as Rukia stared intensely at the bruise. "Rukia?"
"Hm, oh sorry", Rukia said snapping out of her thoughts, "I thought it looked painful."
"How did you know", Orihime asked pointing to her arm, "It hurts worse then my arm does."
"Then why haven't you gotten it looked at", Ichigo began in sight alarm.
"I'm okay, honestly Ichigo", Orihime said with a smile, "No need to fret over me... You sound like Tatsuki when you do that..."
"I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult", Ichigo said as a bead of sweat rolled down the back of her head.
Orihime laughed gently and then glanced at her watch. "Oh no", she said taking off up the steps towards the street, "I'm late!"
"In a hurry", Ichigo asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yep", Orihime said looking at Ichigo over her shoulder, "Shoten's going to start soon!"
Ichigo rolled her eyes. "I'll walk you home if you want", she called up to her.
"No thanks", Orihime said with a smile, "I'll be okay..."
"You sure", Ichigo asked, "I don't want you getting hurt again..."
"I'll be careful, I promise", Orihime said with a grin as she rushed off.
Ichigo gave a soft sigh. "That girl, I swear", she muttered to herself, "She wears me out..."
"You two seem close", Rukia commented with a light smile.
Ichigo looked over at her and nodded. "Yeah", she said, "We've been close for a few years now... As you can probably tell, Orihime does know my secret... She's known for maybe fours years now... She was the first person outside my family to find out I was a girl..."
"Interesting", Rukia commented, "And how did she come to find out?"
Ichigo scratched her cheek and looked away. "I sort of had to tell her", she said in a meek tone, "I had been sick and gone for a few days so she had offered to take me my homework... Well, when she had come over, I wasn't wearing any kind of bindings or anything. When she had knocked on my door, I didn't think twice about saying 'come in' because I figured it was Yuzu, Karin, or my old man... And thus, she found out..."
Rukia gave a small laugh. "So, what exactly do you know about her", she asked.
"Not much, sadly", Ichigo said with a sigh, "She never really knew her parents... She was taken away from them by her older brother when she was only three due to abuse... She lived with her brother after that... He was good to her..."
"Was", Rukia asked, looking over at Ichigo.
"Yeah", Ichigo said with a sigh, "He died three years ago... I remember that day... I was just about to leave for school... The doorbell rang before we were open... Orihime came in carrying her brother... They said it was a car accident... He was covered with blood. We didn't have the equipment to save him. He died while we were arranging his transfer to a big hospital... So, why exactly did you want to know? You worried?"
"No", Rukia answered flatly, "I'm not worried..."
"What's wrong", Ichigo asked in annoyance.
"C'mon", Rukia said turning away from the red headed teen, "We're going home too!"
Ichigo gave a snort while glaring lightly at the former soul reapers back before a thought occurred to her. "Where exactly do you go home to", she asked curiously, "You have a home down here?"
"What", Rukia asked turning her head with a sly look, "Does my private life interest you?"
Ichigo sent her an aggravated look. "Not in the slightest", she ground out.
"Then don't ask", Rukia said turning around once more, "Later!"
Ichigo rolled her eyes before heading out as well.
Later on, at the Kurosaki clinic...
"Ichigo", Yuzu called, as she poked her head out of Ichigo's room, "Do you know were my dress is?"
"Oi, enter before knocking", Ichigo said in slight annoyance.
"You were downstairs", Yuzu said stepping out into the hall, "Aw, you took a bath! I was going to take one too!"
"Crazy kid", Ichigo said rolling her eyes, "You're in fifth grade, take one by yourself."
Yuzu puffed out her cheek in a pout. "You've gotten mean since you entered high school", she said.
"No I haven't", Ichigo said walking past her, "And I don't know where your dress is..."
"What", Yuzu exclaimed, "My pajamas are missing too!"
"I don't know where they are either", Ichigo said in annoyance, "I'm not stealing your clothes Yuzu... They're too girly and far too small for me anyways..."
Inside Ichigo's closet sat Rukia on a makeshift bed. She was laying back comfortably in what was assumed to be Yuzu's pajamas. She heard a beeping noise and quickly pulled out her phone like device. She wondered where it could be this time before her eyes widened in slight panic at what appeared on the screen.
Outside said closet stood Ichigo, hair still wet and flattened. She looked around after starting to hear a beeping noise, wondering if Yuzu or Karin was playing a game before the noise stopped.
"Ichigo", Rukia said quickly as she opened the teen's closest door, startling Ichigo.
"H-h-how long have you been in there", she called out in annoyance as Rukia stepped out, "Those are Yuzu's pajamas!"
"Nevermind that", Rukia said in annoyance, "It's an order!"
"An order", Ichigo asked, "A hollow's coming? Where?!"
"Time and place", Rukia began as she pulled on her glove, "Here and now!" She pushed Ichigo's soul out of her body, sending her body off to the side as a hollow's claw came through Ichigo's bed. Ichigo stared in utter surprise.
A rip of space was created, where a gigantic hollow came through. The hollow had black hair from what one could tell and a long body, almost serpent like. It gave out a fierce cry.
"Aim for the head", Rukia said quickly.
"I know", Ichigo said as she quickly pulled out her sword and struck the hollow, but not cutting deep enough, only enough to cut off part of the mask, which went flying off as the hollow screamed again. Ichigo stared in shock at the hollow, recognizing the part of the face that was unmasked. The hollow roared once more and disappeared into the rip of space where it came from.
"It got away", Rukia said as she stood up, "Let's go!"
"Wait", Ichigo said, halting her immediately, "What's going on?! That was Orihime's brother!"
Rukia stared at her for a moment before dropping her head. "Didn't I say that killing them with one blow to the head from behind was the objective", she asked, more of stated, "To minimize the chance of injury... But... There's another reason for it... One blow to kill them... so you never know the hollow's human identity!" She turned to Ichigo. "All hollows were once living people", she said seriously.
Across town, Orihime and Tatsuki sat in Orihime's apartment talking and such. One a small table behind the two, next to a vase with a flower in it, sat a small teddy bear. While it sat there, a piece of its face was sliced open mysteriously and a dark presence lurked where one could not see.
Read and review dolls~!