Chapter Seven: Over-reaching*
Ichigo opened his eyes and groaned – every inch of his body hurt. He looked around and tried to remember how he had gotten here - the last thing he knew, he was tumbling down the side of the mountain. He remembered Ikkaku standing there, watching him fall. He rubbed his eyes as his vision began to clear, embracing the pounding in his head with resignation. He was lying on the floor of what looked to be a small cave. Small beams of light entered through cracks above him, illuminating the space.
"How did I get here?" he wondered, trying to stand up. He felt a sharp pain in his leg and looked down to see a makeshift splint there. "Damn," he thought. "I must have broken it in the fall." He surveyed his body for more damage, but saw nothing worse than some deep scratches which he assumed he must have gotten from the rocks.
"Rukia," he thought, with alarm. The last time he had seen her, she was lying, unconscious, on the ground. "Why did you have to help me?" This was becoming far too complicated, he realized. All he had wanted was to get back to his ship and think things through – figure out what he was going to do about the Soul Warrior and her captain. "Damn," he thought again, "I should have listened to my instincts and stayed away from her."
Rukia. She was more than just a complication, she was becoming an obsession for him, it seemed, and the thought left him feeling very uncomfortable. He was so used to getting what he wanted from women, and owing them nothing – but now…now he was beholden to her. "I owe her," he thought, with frustration.
He saw something catch the light a few feet away, and dragged himself over to see what it was. He smiled when he saw his sword, leaning against the wall of the cave, undamaged. "How the hell did that get here?" So many questions, so few answers. He reached over and put his hand on the weapon, gripping it tightly.
"Ichigo."
He nearly jumped out of his skin. It was the same voice he had heard in the cave, outside of Thyilea.
"Who's there?" he asked, looking around.
There was no answer.
"Great," he said to himself. "Now I'm hallucinating again. Just great."
"Feeling better?"
This second voice, however, he knew well. He raised his sword in the direction of the cave entrance.
"What are you going to do? Crawl at me, Kurosaki?"
"What the hell are you doing here, Renji," he said, scowling at the redhead. "Come back to finish me off?"
"Hell, no," Renji replied, now standing over Ichigo and smirking. "If I'd wanted to kill you, I could have just left you on the mountain to die."
"You brought me here?" This fact simply did not register with Ichigo. "Why would you do that?"
"Because, Kurosaki, I had no idea that when I went after you, she would be the one to try and save your sorry ass."
"You didn't know Rukia was with me, then," said Ichigo, finally understanding. "You thought…"
"Whatever I thought you were up to, I'm sure I was right," growled Renji, his face red with anger. "Rukia is far too trusting. You were after the Warrior all along, weren't you?"
"Yes," answered Ichigo, honestly. "But since then…"
"Since then, you've grown a conscience?" laughed Renji, bitterly. "That's really great. Your conscience will be a great help to Rukia when they hang her."
"Hang her?" said Ichigo, startled. "But I'm not turning her in. Nobody's going to hang…"
"It won't be your Royal Navy doing the hanging, mate," replied Renji. "It'll be the Assembly."
"That what?"
"The Assembly of Elders," Renji replied, impatiently.
"But why would they…?"
"It's a capital offense to allow outsiders into Thyilea, Kurosaki," explained Renji.
"She didn't allow me in," Ichigo protested, "I followed her."
"But she didn't turn you in when she discovered you," replied Renji, "although I can't understand why not. Either way, though, it's the same thing."
"Then I'll go and explain…"
"If you go explain, you'll be just as dead," replied Renji, darkly.
"Wait a minute," said Ichigo, finally starting to see through the fog that shrouded his brain, "you carried her back to town, didn't you?"
"So?" Renji asked, eyebrows raised.
"So why didn't you just let her go?" Ichigo asked.
"Ikkaku would never have let her go," replied Renji, with frustration. "And, besides, if it got out that I had helped her escape, the next thing you know they'd be asking a lot of questions of the crew, and there'd be others with their necks in the noose. I want to keep my crew out of this."
Ichigo looked down at the ground. This was too damn complicated. Too crazy. Too…
"You want me to rescue her, don't you?" he said. It was the only explanation. "Dream on, Abarai."
"You owe her, Kurosaki," said Renji, the heat rising in his cheeks.
"Like hell I do," said Ichigo, laughing. "You act like this whole mess is my fault. You're the pirates."
"We're not pirates," said Renji, turning pink. "She must have explained that to you."
"She explained, alright," said Ichigo, shaking his head. "She's Robin Hood and you're the Merry Men."
Renji could restrain himself no longer, and grabbed the front of Ichigo's shirt. "If she dies, I will kill you, Kurosaki, mark my words."
"You love her, don't you?" marveled Ichigo, the realization dawning.
"Shut up," snarled Renji.
"You're jealous."
Renji punched Ichigo on the chin and let go of Ichigo's shirt. He fell backward onto the cave floor.
"Damn," said Ichigo, rubbing his chin. "I think you got the one spot on me that wasn't sore."
"You slept with her, didn't you?" Renji asked, gritting his teeth.
"We…"
"Forget it," Renji interrupted. "I don't think I really want to know."
Ichigo said nothing. It would have been far too cruel to say anything more.
Renji dropped a small canvas sack onto the floor. "Your dinner, Kurosaki," he said.
"Thanks," said Ichigo, grinning.
"Don't thank me," said Renji. "Thank her. She's the one who wanted you alive." He turned to leave.
"Not joining me for dinner, then?" asked Ichigo.
"I'll be back to check on you tomorrow," Renji replied, without turning around. "Maybe a good night's sleep will help you realize that she's worth saving."
Ichigo bit into the stale bread.
"Oh, and Kurosaki," Renji added, "you can thank me for healing your leg. You should be able to walk on it again in a day or two."
"Thanks," said Ichigo, his mouth full of food. Renji shook his head and walked out of the cave.
******************************
They were going to hang her? What sort of insanity was that? Ichigo looked at the remainder of his dinner and decided he was no longer hungry. He wrapped the food up and put it near his sword, at the side of the cave.
Damn her. This was all her fault. If she hadn't…
He stared off at the entrance of the cave.
"It's my fault," he said, aloud. There was no getting around it. He was the reason she was going to hang. "Stubborn woman," he thought, with frustration. "Damn frustrating, aggravating, irritating…"
"Dammit," he said, his voice echoing about the cave. She had gotten under his skin, and he knew it. He hit his fist against the bedrock in frustration, wincing with pain as the hard rock made contact with his bruised hand. He knew what he had to do.
"I'll probably hang for helping a known criminal," he thought, laughing to himself. How ironic.
"Ichigo."
That voice again – he really was losing his mind. He leaned his sword back against the stone wall, rubbed his eyes and lay down on the hard ground. He needed rest and his body needed time to heal. Sleep came swiftly.
"Why do you ignore me, Ichigo?"
"Go away," he said, "I'm trying to sleep."
"I'm waiting for you, Ichigo."
He awoke with a start and realized there was something in his hand: his sword. It was morning, judging by the light in the cave.
"Strange," he thought, looking at the sword, "I don't remember picking it up."
"You called me, Ichigo."
He looked at the sword again then, using it as a makeshift crutch, he got to his feet. Instinctively, he held the sword parallel to the ground, aiming it a rock that sat some fifty feet away. He closed his eyes…
Nothing happened. "Well, it was a thought, anyhow," he thought to himself.
"You must lend me your power, Ichigo."
Ichigo shook his head. "This is crazy," he said, out loud. The sword vibrated gently in his hand.
"Focus your strength through me, Ichigo."
He stared at the sword, willing it to respond. It vibrated again, and he saw the hilt begin to glow bluish-white, where his fingers met the metal. He took a deep breath and willed the blue glow to grow larger.
The blade began to glow the same color as the hilt. He blinked, just to be sure he wasn't imagining it, but the glow remained. He aimed the sword at the rock again, and this time, imagined the light reaching out to touch it. There was a huge explosion, and he fell back onto the floor, his bad leg failing him.
"Damn!" he thought, amazed. "I did that?" He looked over to where the rock had been. It was gone, along with several other, larger rocks behind it - all that remained was a pile of rubble and dust.
"Zangetsu?" he said, aloud.
"I am your servant, Ichigo," replied the sword.
"Been busy, huh?" said Renji, walking into the cave. Startled, Ichigo tried to stand up, but ended up only on his knees.
"Damn you, Abarai," Ichigo growled. "Do you have to surprise me like that?"
"You should have been paying more attention," Renji replied, coolly. "You think your enemies are just going to knock?" The truth of Renji's words just made Ichigo want to strangle the man even more than before, and he glared at the redhead.
"What do you want, Abarai?"
"Rukia told me she had her suspicions about you, Kurosaki," Renji said, surveying the pile of rubble. "It seems she was right."
"Right about what?" asked Ichigo, playing dumb.
"That you're one of us or, at least, your ancestors were," Renji replied, evenly.
"Your swords," said Ichigo, tired of the banter and interested to learn more, "how do you summon them?"
"Summon them? You mean like magic?"
Ichigo's scowl deepened markedly. "You know what I mean, Abarai," he said, darkly.
"Your sword," - he gestured to Zangetsu - "is a focal point for your power. You do not summon a sword, you make it solid."
"You mean that your sword is with you, even now? It's just that I don't see it?" Ichigo asked.
"Exactly," replied Renji, watching Ichigo like an older brother might watch a younger sibling learning to walk. The look was not lost on Ichigo, but he bit his tongue - he needed to understand, and he was willing to put up with the other man's attitude, at least temporarily.
Renji raised his hand and, in it, his sword materialized. "If I desire my weapon, I imagine that it is solid, that I am holding it in my hand." He flicked his wrist, and the weapon vanished. "It is the same when I no longer need it."
Ichigo looked at the sword in his hand and pictured it disappearing. He felt a slight vibration from the metal and watched in amazement as the sword became transparent and then vanished entirely. Then, he called the sword's name and imagined it, solid, in his fingers. The sword reappeared. Ichigo grinned broadly.
Renji laughed under his breath.
"What's so funny?" said Ichigo, irritated.
"You look so smug, Kurosaki," Renji laughed.
"Shouldn't I be?" Ichigo asked.
"Any small child knows that simple maneuver," said Renji, dismissively. "I think I was about six years old when I…."
"Shut up," Ichigo said, pointing Zangetsu at Renji's chest. Renji laughed.
"You're dreamin', Captain," he said. "You couldn't even catch me if I crawled – not on that broken leg."
Ichigo stood up slowly, teeth gritted against the pain in his leg. "Try me," he said, his face set.
Renji shook his head. "Glutton for punishment, eh? Fine. Let's see what you've got, Navy brat." He raised his hand again and drew his sword.
Ichigo lunged for Renji, who dodged sideways with incredible speed, easily avoiding the blow. Renji laughed again, and turned to meet Ichigo's blade, hitting it in the center, and sending a shock of energy up Ichigo's arm which burned like fire.
"Like that, Captain?" Renji taunted.
"Nice little trick, Abarai," said Ichigo, smiling now. "But I'm guessing you're not the only one who knows it." He swung his sword hard against Renji's, and he could see the look of surprise on the other man's face.
"Not bad, for a beginner, Strawberry," he laughed, resetting himself. "But, you see, that's just the tip of this iceberg." He spun around and jumped into the air. Sparks of silver fire flew from the tip of his sword towards Ichigo.
"Damn," Ichigo thought, as he struggled to dodge the sparks. He rolled onto the floor, landing on his broken leg, and biting his tongue to keep from crying out – the pain was excruciating.
"Nice move," said Renji, smirking.
"I'll be wanting you to fix this damn leg again when we're done here, Abarai, so you'd better not let me kill you," Ichigo blustered, getting back to his feet with a wince.
"Not a chance, pretty boy. I'm guessing I'll need to mend a few other spots while I'm at it, though." Renji swung his sword over his head and sent another shower of silver fire at Ichigo. This time, Ichigo stayed where he was and swung his sword against Renji's attack. A cloud of blue haze rose up from the point of impact, and Ichigo could feel the burn of what felt like tiny ashes on his skin.
"Enough of this," Ichigo thought, gritting his teeth and focusing on his sword. He gripped it with both hands and concentrated as hard as he could on Renji's shoulder.
A blast of clear blue light issued from the tip of his blade. Renji tried to dodge the attack, but he was too slow, and it caught his sleeve. Smoke rose from the point of impact, and Ichigo saw what looked like blistered skin underneath.
"What the hell was that?" shouted Renji, clamping his free hand over the wound. Ichigo saw the familiar glow underneath Renji's fingers.
"I'm not sure," Ichigo replied, with a grin. "But I'm liking it. Should I try it again?" He raised his sword and aimed it squarely at Renji's chest. Renji's cheeks grew slightly red and his upper lip curled back, then he released his arm and vanished.
"What…" Ichigo began, but, before he knew it, Renji was standing behind him, his blade pressed against his throat.
"Apparently, that's one trick you haven't learned, Kurosaki," laughed Renji.
"Show me," he thought, gripping his sword tighter. For a moment, Ichigo felt as if he was floating, then his feet landed, hard, about twenty feet away from Renji.
"Damn," Ichigo said, as he felt the bone in his leg crack underneath him and he landed, with a thud, on the ground.
"Well," said Renji, shaking his head. "You had the right idea, anyhow."
**********************************
Rukia stood before the Assembly, the Elders of Thyilea: four women and four men. Behind her, fifty or sixty townspeople sat, spectators to an ancient ritual rarely seen. Rukia was neither angry nor nervous about her predicament – she had always known that she risked her life by doing the work she did, although she had never imagined it would be her own people who would want to see her dead.
She couldn't really blame Renji for chasing after Ichigo – one look at Renji's face through the bars of her jail cell had told her that he had no idea she'd been helping Ichigo escape, and that he felt terribly guilty that she had been jailed as a result of his actions. Renji, she knew, had done what he was supposed to do – he had protected his people. This whole mess had been her doing, and she knew it.
"Kuchiki Rukia," said the Chairperson of the Assembly, a red-headed woman named Ishikawa Haruna. Rukia stood, hands behind her back, head bowed. "You have been accused of harboring an Outsider and assisting him in his escape. What say you now to the Assembly?"
Rukia took a deep breath. She knew it would matter little to the Assembly that Ichigo was, most likely, a Druid like the rest of them. Only her actions were on trial here, and she would answer for them and protect Renji and her crew, even if it meant her life.
"Assemblywoman Ishikawa," Rukia said, formally, nodding her head slightly, "I am here to admit my wrongdoings. I have done as you say, and I will accept my punishment." There were stifled gasps from behind her as the townspeople, who knew her well and thought of her and the entire crew of the Soul Warrior as their protectors, realized the gravity of the situation.
"You understand, then, that the punishment for such behavior is death, by hanging?" the redheaded woman said, her voice betraying her own astonishment that Rukia would not fight the accusations against her.
"I do," Rukia replied, stoically. "I make no excuses for my actions." More whispers from the gallery, as several of the Assembly members looked at each other with obvious discomfort.
"Kuchiki Rukia," the Assembly woman said, drawing herself up to her full height now. "Is there anyone here who will speak on your behalf?" More murmuring from the gallery and then footsteps on the stone floor.
"I will speak for the Captain," came a man's voice from behind her, "since the rest are too afraid."
"The Assembly recognizes Urahara Kisuke," said Haruna, stiffly.
"No," thought Rukia. "He doesn't need to do this…"
Urahara Kisuke. The only elder in the Thyilea community who had ever refused a position on the Assembly. He had been, for years, a dear friend of Rukia's and a mentor, of sorts. He had, in fact, trained her to wield a sword and to pilot a sailing vessel. Urahara had commanded the Soul Warrior before her, and had handed her the captaincy of the ship only five years before - she had been his first mate for nearly ten years before. Urahara was also known as a trouble-maker in the Thyilean community, often advocating positions at odds with the Assembly and putting himself in difficult situations.
"Good morning, revered Assembly members, members of the community," began Urahara, peering out from under the hat that he wore like an appendage, wherever he went. "It is a pleasure to see you all here together again."
There were some stiff nods from the Assembly, and more murmurs from the gallery. Urahara was well-known as a colorful and combative figure, and it was clear that the audience of citizens from the community were eager to see Urahara take on the Assembly, once more.
"What do you have to say on Captain Kuchiki's behalf, Kisuke?" asked Haruna, the irritation in her voice clear.
"Ah," replied Urahara, smiling broadly now, "an excellent question. Although, I might ask what would I not say about the Captain." There were sniggers from the gallery.
Haruna's face darkened, but she said nothing, instead waiting for the sandy-haired Urahara to continue. She knew his game, and she was not going to play willingly.
Urahara walked over to Rukia, smiled at her and winked. Despite the precarious position in which she found herself, Rukia found herself smiling back at him.
"Captain Kuchiki has, for the past ten years, risked her life to allow this community to thrive," said Urahara, the smile now fading from his face. "She served me ably aboard the Warrior, and she has done an outstanding job as its captain. But, of course, you all know this, don't you?" He grinned again.
"Kisuke," said Haruna irritably. "We know that you respect the Captain. And we acknowledge the assistance she has provided our community, but can you give us any reason why we should not find that she has violated the laws of Thyilea? She has admitted as much."
"A reason?" queried Urahara, still grinning. "Hmmm. That is difficult. Unless you consider that everyone now present in this room would likely have starved to death several times over had it not been for her bravery and self-sacrifice." He walked up to the Assembly members and looked each one of them in the eyes. They shifted uncomfortably in their seats. "But, of course, you have considered this, have you not?" he asked.
"But have you also considered that no intruder to Thyilea has been captured? Or that, perhaps this intruder is not the man you believe him to be?" Urahara turned back to look at Rukia and smiled again.
"What do you know, Kisuke?" asked Suzuki Jirou, an elderly man with a long, stringy white beard and sideburns. "Do you know the identity of this man, this…intruder?"
"Perhaps," replied Kisuke, evasively. "But seeing as you have already determined that the Captain here is guilty of the crime, why do you care?" More murmuring, this time from both the gallery and the Assembly members.
"Urhara Kisuke," said Assemblywoman Ishikawa, "you are ordered by the Assembly to explain what you know of this. This Assembly will not be seen as…"
"Of course, your Honor," replied Urahara, interrupting her.
"Kisuke," whispered Rukia, "don't do this. You'll only risk your own…"
"The intruder's name is Kurosaki Ichigo," continued Urahara, winking at Rukia again. "Perhaps you do not recognize that name, although, I am told that the Kurosaki's were relatively well-respected amongst our people.
"But there is another name that you may recognize," Urahara said, with a twinkle in his eye and the supreme confidence of a man who feared no one. "That of his mother, Masaki."
Ishikawa Haruna stared down from the high bench at which she sat. "Go on, Kisuke. I don't intend to sit here all day waiting for you."
"Of course, your Honor," he answered, still sporting a broad grin. "Captain Kurosaki - ah yes, he is indeed a captain in the Royal Navy - Captain Kurosaki's mother is a direct descendant of the High Priestess, Reika. She was a Yamamoto." The entire room erupted in conversation, cries of surprise and movement.
Rukia sat, mouth open. She had no doubt it was true - the sword, the unusual ability Ichigo had to track her, the way he was able to enter through the gate with so little effort - it all made sense. But why was it that Ichigo had no idea of his ancestry, of the connection to the powerful Yamamoto family?
Haruna pounded her gavel on the bench, and the noise in the room died down. "Do you have anything more to say, Kisuke?" she asked, her face impassive.
"No, your Honor," Urahara replied, formally. "I have said my peace." He bowed deeply, and walked towards the back of the room.
The Assembly spoke amongst themselves for several minutes. Rukia tried to hear what they were discussing, but could not follow. Finally, Haruna turned back to face Rukia.
"Captain Kuchiki," said Haruna, her voice resonating throughout the room. "The Assembly has discussed your plight. We have decided that you will not be executed for your crimes - at least, not immediately." Rukia felt her shoulders relax, and she took a deep breath, trying to slow her pounding heart.
"If this Kurosaki Ichigo presents himself to the assembly within one week, and if we are able to ascertain from him that what Urahara Kisuke has said is true," Haruna continued, without emotion, "you will be released. If, on the other hand, the Assembly is given no proof of the intruder's status, in one week, you will die by hanging, as our law requires, in the town square at midnight. Do you understand?"
"Yes, your Honor," said Rukia, still bewildered by the turn of events.
"I suggest that you, Urahara Kisuke, devote yourself to finding the elusive Captain Kurosaki and returning him to Thyilea your earliest convenience. Otherwise, you may also find yourself hanging alongside the Captain," Haruna finished, her eyes narrowed.
Urahara nodded, then turned and left the room.
"Take her back to her cell," Haruna ordered the guards.
********************************
An hour later, Rukia found herself face to face with her former captain. She shook her head in disbelief.
"You still have a flare for the dramatic," she said to him, laughing softly. "To think that Ichigo is a Yamamoto…"
Urahara cocked his head to one side and smiled. "It is, of course, a possibility."
"A possibility?!" she choked. "You mean, you guessed about who he is?"
"I often guess correctly," he said.
She said nothing, but sighed.
"He is alive, you know," said Urahara, grinning at her.
She felt herself involuntarily breathe a sigh of relief.
"You care about the man, don't you, Captain?" asked Urahara, coyly.
"He's more trouble than he's worth," she retorted, turning away from him and looking out the small window at the top of the cell. "If he's smart, he'll get the hell out of here."
"You're worried he'll expose Thyilea?" Urahara asked, studying her. "Do you really think he'd do that?"
"I'm not sure," she replied, back still to him. "I don't what to think about him."
"Hmmm," replied Urahara. "But you do think about him."
"Drop it," she said, turning around, hands on her hips. "Don't go playing matchmaker with me, old man. I can guarantee you there's no chance that I'd willingly go there again…not with him."
"Abarai-kun seems to think you will," Urahara said. "He's quite jealous, you know."
"Jealous?" she spluttered. "Renji? But he's…"
"For someone so intelligent, Captain," replied Urahara, with a smirk, "you are surprisingly blind." Then, turning to leave he added, "Be well, Captain Kuchiki. I'm quite sure we'll see each other again soon." She watched him walk down the stone hall and out of sight.
"Renji?" she thought. "Jealous?" She shook her head. It was bad enough, putting him and the crew at risk because of her actions. But to think that she might have somehow done something to lead him on…
"This is all your fault, Rukia," she said to herself, shaking her head. She sat down on the straw bed and leaned her head on her hand. "Kurosaki Ichigo," she thought, with a frown. "If I get out of this with my neck, I hope I never see your sorry face again."
Over-reaching*– When tacking, holding a course too long.