Disclaimer: The only bleach I own is the on that whitened my clothe—wait... I don't even have that one!!
A/N: Chikichi! I'm back...! Anyways, yes, the plot will be revealed in this chapter, please tell me whether you had read something like this before or not. I thought out this plot carefully and I'm pretty sure it's original, since I haven't read any plot that is similar to mine... Oh, and an arrival of an OC is in this chapter as well! I'm sorry if you don't like OCs very much, but I need this character to... yeah... read to find out!
Thanks to Ericd, anonymous, xRukiaxx, Sierra77 and auburn-haired-sadist-XD for reviewing! It was very much appreciated!
Ericd: Nye he he... I'm evil aren't I? Xd
anonymous: You shall know what they want as soon as you read this chapter. MUAHAH! Well... I don't k now anything except that it will be out in Japan at 13th of December, it's Rukia-centric (it's a good guess) and Tite Kubo is involved with the... uhm... movie-making (I dunno what it's called but it's something like that) XD
xRukiaxx: Wooh! Thanks for saying I have a sense of humour! Not many people says that X) Read and find out!
Sierra77: Whee! I have a new fan! I'm glad you love my story! I have a lot of fun writing it XD
auburn-haired-sadist-XD: I'm sorry! I couldn't end this now, I've planned chapter fourteen already (Yes, I am a lazy bum, so planning a chapter ahead of me is usually out of my league)! Gomenasai! But if you want, you can always think that it ended and this is some kind of... weird... epilogue or something... riiight? :D
I am sorry in advance for any spelling/grammar mistakes. Enjoy!
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Perfection
Chapter Thirteen
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"Kurosaki-san? Kurosaki-san! Are you dead? Oi, Kurosaki-san!"
Kurosaki Ichigo felt a poke on his side. Then another. And then another. It gets harder each time and it started aggravating him a little.
"Kurosaki-san! Wake up!"
The pokes continues. Okay, maybe it's aggravating him a lot. He slightly flinched to avoid the next poke. It's no use. It's like... the finger is following him everywhere or something! He turned to his side with much effort and not to mention, pain. It doesn't feel comfortable. It ain't his mattress, that's for sure.
"Come on... Kurosaki-san... Kuchiki-san is waiting for you..."
Ichigo's eyes flicked open at the mention of Rukia's name.
"Aah! Kurosaki-san! You're up!"
Ichigo stared at the pale green ceiling. Yep, it's not his room alright. It's too... green.
'Right!' he thought, 'This is hat-and-clogs—I mean, Urahara-san's place!' He sat up lazily as he tried to remember what had happened. It was all hazy to him, but he was sure of one thing. Quickly, he turned his head to the owner of the annoying voice, this place and the pokes and asked, "Where's Rukia?"
Urahara flapped open his favourite fan and hid half of his face. "I believe you know the answer to that, Kurosaki-san," he deadpanned.
"So that wasn't a dream," Ichigo whispered softly. "Uh... Oh yeah! How am I here? Last thing that I can remember is dying on a sidewalk..." he inquired.
"You see, your friend has found you and so, she went over to my place and asked for my assistance and Ta-Da! Here I am!"
"Ah... Wait, did you said she?"
"Yes, I did," Urahara nodded. "She also helped me on the task of healing you," he flapped his fan close and pointed it at Ichigo, "Which I didn't succeed much. The gash was just a little too deep, so I did all I can and bandaged you up. She was very worried about you, Kurosaki-san. I must say, you're quite a ladies man, aren't you?" he grinned.
"Urusse," Ichigo spat back.
"Ano... Urahara-san... Can I come in?" a shy voice asked from behind the shoji screen.
"Ah, yes! Of course you can! Suit yourself!" Urahara answered happily.
The shoji screen slide open slowly, as if hesitating. Ichigo gaped as he saw his friend coming in. "You're..."
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"Ungh... Huh? Where am I?" Kuchiki Rukia woke up in a small cell. She looked around, asking herself where the hell she is. There's a small white couch on one side and she's sitting on a plain white bed across it. On her right was a door of bars and rectangular mirror was behind her. The cell was plain white and it reminded her of Hueco Mundo, which send an involuntary shiver down her spine.
She stood up and searched for a window. It wasn't hard at all, considering that the window was big and shone from the sunlight. She walked over to the said window and put both her hands on it, leaning forward slightly.
Outside was evening, the sun was setting as the moon rose up. Orange and purple sky blended together splendidly. She continued looking up at the sky until she realizes something. She couldn't see the ground. She crouched down and squinted her eyes, trying to make out the detail of the ground that seemed so far away from her. From what she could see, the ground was very swampy. Knowing that she wouldn't be able to get anymore detail of the ground from her cell, she slowly raised her gaze and locked it at a huge tree far, far away from her. Its many branches and leaves provides shade for those who need it. 'Which is who?' she added as an afterthought.
Rukia decided to lay down on the couch and think for awhile.
"So... How did I get here, again?" she whispered softly, lost in her own thoughts. "Ah!" she snapped her fingers without much success -she can never figure out how to snap- and looked down at her own fingers, annoyed that they didn't make any noise when they were suppose to. She shook her head a little and continued.
"Ah! The Brown-haired-chin-guy took me here! Hey, wait a minute!" she ran to the bars and grabbed two of them, shaking them in a violent manner, a move she learned from television and those crime movies. "Hey! Let me out of here! Oi! Brown-haired-chin-guy!"
"What is it?" the said Brown-hair-chin-guy replied lazily from the doorway. Rukia shifted her gaze to him and yelled, "Ah! You! Brown-haired-chin-guy! Let me out of here!"
The Brown-haired-chin-gu—ah! Let's jut call him Guy Y until we know his name, 'kay? So, Guy Y looked at her with stupefied expression. "Do you really think that that would work?" he asked in an incredulous tone.
Rukia nodded furiously. "It works on TV!" she exclaimed.
Guy Y raised an eyebrow at her. "What's a TV?"
"YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT A TV IS??" Rukia hollered, a shocked expression plastered on her face.
"O-Of course I know what a TV is!" Guy Y stuttered, crossing his arms in an attempt to make him somewhat... superior.
"Well then, what is it?" she questioned, a smug smirk appearing slowly on her face.
"Ah! It's... uhm... Maa na! Listen, superi—wait, did you just called me 'Brown-haired-chin-guy'?"
Rukia nodded. "Yeah. What of it?"
"Why did you call me 'Brown-haired-chin-guy'? I mean, I get where the brown-haired and guy came from but chin??"
"What? You seriously haven't noticed?" Rukia asked.
"Noticed what?"
"Your chin, stupid!"
"What's wrong with my chin?"
Rukia sighed and took the mirror before shoving it right at his face. "Here. Look. Your chin."
Guy Y raised his eyebrow after turning his face in more than one way to get a different view from the mirror. His chin is normal, if not slightly sharper than everyone else's. But in the eye of the observant Rukia, that slight sharpness of his chin makes it look like it's as sharp as a stalactite.
"Well whatever. Back to the topic, I'm your superior, okay? So no smartass comment will be heard from that witty mouth of yours. Got it?"
"Wha—Who the hell are you to decide that you're my superior? Heck, Ichigo would make a better superior than you. At least he know what a TV is!"
"I so know what a TV is! And you precious boyfriend--"
"He's not my boyfriend! God! Why does people keeps on assuming that he is?!" Rukia interrupted.
"Yeah, I could care less about that, but he's dead already! I killed him!"
Rukia stared blankly Guy Y. "What did you said, Brown-haired-chin-guy? Ichigo's dead? THE Kurosaki Ichigo is DEAD?" she said and then bursts out a loud guffaw. "Yeah, right! As if!"
"What the hell?! I killed him myself, idiot!"
"Did you see him die?"
"Yes."
"Are you sure? If you are, did you check for his breathing pulse?"
"Um... No..."
"Then for all I know, he's still alive then."
"How would you know?!"
"I just...do," her expression softened.
"Fine, wanna make it into a bet, then?!"
"Huh? You're betting whether he's alive or not?" her soft expression changed.
"Yeah, that's what I'm saying. I bet he's dead, lying on the cold, hard asphalt, regretting his past mistakes and sins," Guy Y reached out his hand into Rukia's cell.
"You're on!" she took his hand and shook it.
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"You're..." Ichigo gawked. "Wait, who are you again?" he scratched the back of his head.
"Ara? Don't you know her, Kurosaki-san? She seems to know you," Urahara asked.
"I'm Sekai," Sekai a.k.a the girl who opened the shoji screen said, reaching out her hand. Ichigo reached out his hand slowly and shook hers cautiously.
"Uhm... No offence or anything, but do I know you?" Ichigo questioned as he pulled his hand back.
"Uhm... yes?" Sekai answered skeptically. Ichigo look was that of the bewildered ones. He eyed her suspiciously. She has a blond hair that passed her shoulders, side swept fringe and blue eyes with a hint o foggy grey. He could've sworn he never saw this girl before in his life.
"But, you probably know me as Sofia," Sekai continued.
"Sofia?!" he asked her in surprise. "You're not Sofia! You're Se...Se...kai? Yeah, that's it! Sekai and if you haven't noticed, you're not a turtle!!"
Sekai raised an eyebrow. "Oh, right! Well, I have noticed that I'm not a turtle and yes, my name is Sekai. Rukia-sama had somehow managed to change my name to Sofia. The things she can do..." she said with an awed expression.
"Well if you're not a turtle, then you're not Sofi—wait, can you morph into a human?"
"Yes. Yes I can."
Ichigo blinked. Twice. "So... you're actually a turtle..."
"No! That's not what I meant! I can morph into a turtle, this... is... my... true... form," Sekai explained in a relatively slow way so that Ichigo can understand.
Five seconds have passed.
"Aaaah... I see, now..." Ichigo nodded. "So you're like, another Yoruichi or something?"
Sekai shrugged. "Basically."
"So... are you a shinigami or something?"
"No..." Sekai bit her lip.
"Then... what are you?"
Sekai glanced at Urahara, her blue-grey eyes flashing with worries. "Uhm, well... it's a long story, but I'll tell you..."
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"So... Where am I again?" Rukia asked as she lay down on the couch, her eyes fixed at the evening sky.
Guy Y sighed deeply. "For the last time, we are in La Infernal!"
"La Infernal?"
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"La Infernal?" Ichigo asked.
"Yes," Sekai answered. "It's a small place that Aizen created for his failure experiments. It is not a world, nor a planet. It's simply a place."
"And what do you have to do with this La Infernal?"
"I... well... I'm one of those experiments."
Ichigo raised an eyebrow.
"They... I mean, the others drained most of my powers when I objected their plan."
"Their plan?"
"Yes," Sekai nodded. "Their plan is..."
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"To squeeze the what power from who??" Rukia yelled as she jumped to her feet.
"Sheesh, woman. Calm down," Guy Y plugged his ears with his index fingers.
Rukia inhaled deeply before exhaling. "So let me get this straight. You guys are called the 'las incógnitas' and you're going to experiment on whether I have any traces of the Hougyoku power and squeeze them out of my soul??"
Guy Y nodded.
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"WHAT THE HELL??" Ichigo shouted, standing up. "Like hell I'm gonna let them!" he rushed to the shoji screen. Urahara quickly took his cane and hit Ichigo's stomach with it. The teen doubled over in pain and fell down on his behind.
"Now, now, Kurosaki-san. Don't be rash. This information is confidential. Not even the Soul Society knows a thing about this," Urahara said in a serious tone as he set his cane down.
"Yes, Ichigo-san. You have to let your wound heal before saving Rukia-sama. You of all people knows that she's strong enough not to die in a few days of experiments. She'll think it's her fault if you died mid-way because of your wound, you know," Sekai said.
"Stupid Rukia and her stupid pride," Ichigo coughed out. Sekai's eyes glinted and she elbowed him on his side.
"Don't you dare talk that way about Rukia-sama," she threatened.
"And speaking of prides, Kurosaki-san, don't you have the same problem?" Urahara snickered behind his fan. Ichigo glared at him as he grimaced in pain, which triggered Urahara's all-too-famous laugh. "Ara, Ara! Don't glare at me as if I insulted your beloved Kuchiki-san!" he waved his fan up and down.
"Dammit! Shut up!" Ichigo yelled.
"Isn't it true though?" Sekai tilted her head to one side questioningly, a method which Ichigo remembered Sofia does.
"You people are impossible!" Ichigo stood up and walked out of the room.
"Kurosaki-san! Where are you going?" Urahara said in a sing-along tone.
"Toilet!" the carrot-top yelled from the hallway. The sound of his steps slowly faded.
"But Urahara-san, isn't the toilet that way?" Sekai pointed her index finger at the opposite direction.
Urahara nodded happily. "And he didn't deny it!"
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At Karakura High...
"Ishida-kun," Orihime walked over to Ishida's desk. The said guy fixed his glasses position and looked up from the book he was reading. "Yes, Inoue-san?" he replied.
"Ano... Did you noticed a weird reiatsu just before the school started?" Orihime asked, her index finger nervously twirling a lock of her warm orange hair.
"Yes, I did," Ishida nodded and put down the book he was reading. The title says: How to Shut Up a Stuffed Lion While You Put It In an Elegant Dress. "And don't you think it's strange that Kurosaki and Kuchiki-san isn't here yet? They missed three whole periods. Besides, when the first period started, I thought I couldn't detect his reiatsu."
"Are you guys discussing about the strange reiatsu this morning?" Sado came from behind and joined the conversation.
"Yeah, Ishida-kun just told me about how he can barely felt Kurosaki-kun's reiatsu," Orihime informed the Mexican teen. He nodded as a gesture of understanding.
"But now that I think about it, I can't feel Kuchiki-san's reiatsu at all," Ishida rested his chin on his palm.
"It's weird, isn't it? This is just like when Kuchiki-san went to the Sou--" Orihime froze in the middle of her sentence, realizing what she had just said. She quickly looked at Ishida and Sado, whom both had the exact same expression as her. 'It is happening again!' they all thought. Quickly, Ishida stood up and grabbed his book along with his bag.
"Ishida-kun? Where are you going?" Orihime asked.
"To Urahara-san's shop. He must know something about all this and I'm pretty sure that Kurosaki is there," Ishida answered.
"Ah..." Orihime ran over to her desk and grabbed her bag quickly. "Where's Sado-kun?" she asked Ishida.
"Are you guys coming?" Sado asked from the front door, his bag in his clutch.
"Un!" Orihime answered for both herself and Ishida. The three quickly dashed out of the classroom, hoping that they would make it out of school before recess is over.
"Hime-chan? Don't go! I'll come with yo—oomph!" Tatsuki interrupted Chizuru, who almost chased after Orihime.
"Don't go after her, dammit! If she wants us to come, she would've asked us herself! I'm sure she has her reason and I don't want you to stalk her like a stalker you are!" Tatsuki punched her red-headed friend. "I'm sure that those two would protect her. They better..."
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At Urahara's Shop...
"What are you three doing here?" Ginta asked the three panting teen in front of the shop. He swung his broom to his shoulder and called, "Oi, Tessai! I think someone is here to meet the manager!"
Tessai slide the door open. "Hmm? Aren't you Kuchiki-dono's friends? Come in! Come in! Kurosaki-dono has arrived earlier and is having a discussion with the manager and Sekai-dono inside. Here, I'll guide you there," Tessai went back inside with the three fifteen-year-olds following him. They looked around as they walked through the hallways. They stopped as Tessai raised a hand to their face. "We're here," he said.
The three looked to their right and found themselves in front of a shoji door and they all could hear some snickers and yells from the inside. Tessai knocked on the door softly.
"Come in!" Urahara's voice said from behind the shoji door, followed by a yell and some snickering. Tessai slid the door open and gestured the three to get in. After they did, Tessai slid the screen close and went back to his job.
"Why didn't you tell me that I was going to the crocodile pit instead of the toilet?? And just how did you manage to get all those crocodiles in the first place?! They almost freakin' chopped my head off!!" Ichigo yelled, obviously irritated that Urahara didn't warn him about the crocodile pit. "Guh!" he grasped his stomach moments later, feeling the pain from the gash.
"Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime gasped. "Are you okay?"
"Inoue! Since when were you here?" Ichigo asked, still clutching the shirt which is now bloodied up from the blood coming out from his opened gash. "Ishida! Chad! You're all here? I mean—How did you get those damned crocodiles anyway?!"he turned his attention back to the grinning shop keeper.
"That's classified information, Kurosaki-san. You were too busy being angry to hear my warnings!" Urahara said happily. 'Not that I gave him any,' he added as an afterthought.
"Angry? Why was he angry?" Orihime asked.
"Ah... We just teased him about his beloved Rukia-sa-" Sekai answered but was interrupted.
"I WASN'T ANGRY DAMMIT!!" Ichigo roared.
"Ah... So then you admitted that Kuchiki-san is yours, then?" Urahara teased.
"GAH!" Ichigo went beet red and turned around with a 'hmph'.
"Um... Do we know you?" Ishida stepped forward and asked Sekai.
"Oh, I'm/she's Sekai/Sofia," Sekai and Ichigo said at the same time.
"Okay..." Ishida blinked twice, trying to recall what her name is.
"Hajimemashite, Sephia-chan! I'm Orihime! Inoue Orihime!" Orihime reached out her hand to the blond girl.
"Sephia?" Sekai took her hand and shook it.
"Yep! And I'm Orihime!" Orihime replied brightly, pointing at herself.
"Ah... Yorishiku onegaishimasu, Sephia-san," Ishida nodded at Sekai. "I'm Ishida. Ishida Uryu."
"Eh?" Sekai turned her gaze to the guy with the glasses.
"Hey, Sephia-san. I'm Sado. Sado Yasutora," Sado said in his signature low tone.
"Eh?" Sekai turned her head to the tough looking guy. Ichigo slapped his forehead as Urahara laughed behind his glorious fan.
(For those who don't understand why they called her Sephia, it's because if you combined Sekai and Sofia, you get Sefia. I just wanted to spell it Sephia 'cause it looks cooler XD)
"Ano... Kurosaki-kun, where's Kuchiki-san?" Orihime asked out of the blue. The whole room went silent. Ichigo avoid meeting anyone's eyes while Sekai and Urahara glanced at each other.
"She had been...abducted," Ichigo mumbled, still looking away. Orihime gasped as Sado and Ishida's face turne serious.
"When? By who? Why? How?" Orihime blurted out a series of question.
"A-Ah! I'll explain it to you!" Sekai cut in. "Uh... It was in the morning, she was abducted by one of the las incógnitas for some experiment and..." she drifted off.
"And?"
"I let him took her away..."Ichigo whispered softly but everyone heard him clearly.
"Oh..." Orihime bit her lip. She probably shouldn't have asked. Tension lingered in the air.
"A-Ah! But isn't there a way to safe her?" Orihime asked.
"Is there a way, Urahara-san?" Ishida asked.
"Well," Urahara sighed. "All we know is that she had been taken to La Infernal to be experimented on Hougyoku. I'm sorry to say, but I have no idea on how to get there."
"Ah... I see..." Ishida fixed his glasses position. The tension lingered once again.
"A...Ano..." Sekai spoke up. Everyone turned and looked at her. "I don't have much power left but... I can at least open the gate there."
The tension immediately left. "Really Sephia-chan? That would be wonderful!" Orihime smiled as she clasped her hands together.
"But it's risky though..." Sekai warned.
"I don't care. I'm going. I'm the one who let her go and I'll get her back even if it means dying," Ichigo stood up.
"I'm going, too," Ishida said.
"Same here," Sado agreed.
"Ah! Me too!" Orihime chimed in. "But, can I please heal your wound before we go, Kurosaki-kun?"
"Sure," Ichigo replied.
"Shun'o! Ayame! Soten Kesshun! I reject!" she commanded two of her Shun Shun Rikka. The said two flowers formed an orange barrier that glowed warmly around Ichigo. He let out a sigh of relieve as he felt his wound dissappeared.
"Ano... It will probably take me about two hours to gather all of my power before I can fully open the gate," Sekai explained. "And I probably won't be able to fight alongside you all. I'm sorry," she casted her gaze downwards.
"It's okay, Sephia-san. You did all you can for us," Ishida said.
"Yes, Sephia-chan! So wait for us to come back, ne?" Orihime smiled sweetly at her. She nodded.
"Now then... What to do in those two hours..." Ichigo said as Orihime stopped her Soten Kesshun.
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"Kuchiki-taichou! Sorry I'm late!" Abarai Renji bursts into the main office of the 6th division panting, small droplets of sweat running down his forehead.
"Abarai fuku-taichou," Kuchiki Byakuya nodded slightly in acknowledgment. The red-haired shinigami sat on one of the chairs Byakuya had prepared in front of his desk.
"I have an objective for you, Renji," the noble said as he shuffled tthrough some papers.
"Yes, Kuchiki-taichou?" Renji inquired.
"I want you to go to the real world and check on Rukia," Byakuya set the papers on his desk neatly. "I've taken care of all the business and I will attend the meetings you have to attend to while you're in the living world. You can go now, the Senkaimon is already prepared."
"Ah, Ha-Hai!" Renji bowed and walked out of the room. He shunpo-ed his way to the Senkaimon gate as he checked his waist for Zabimaru. He couldn't help but wished but his captain would just loosen up. He mean, it's fine to worry about your sister once in a while, right? He stopped in front of the gate, nodded at the guards and stepped into the Senkaimon with a hell butterfly guiding him.
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