Heart
Chapter 4 – Bring You Back
"I woke up in a dream today
To the cold of the static, and put my cold feet on the floor
Forgot all about yesterday
Remembering I'm pretending to be where I'm not anymore
A little taste of hypocrisy
And I'm left in the wake of the mistake, slow to react
Even though you're so close to me
You're still so distant, and I can't bring you back"
- With You by Linkin Park
-----h-e-a-r-t-----
Counterbalance the sword. Quick slash. Retract.
She ignored the spatter of blood that sprayed onto her cheek, not making the mistake of taking a hand off of her sword to wipe it off. The Menos reeled back, surprised by the strength that such a fast hit could hold, and promptly disintegrated as it hit the floor.
Rip. Slash. Tear. One by one they fell, a forest of a million Menos Grande being beaten down by just three amateurs.
Silence. There were no more roars from the Menos Grande, just the reiatsu that once would have overwhelmed her, but now were even beneath her level. All the same, these were the reiatsu of her nakama, and she had to find them, only then could the three of them save their friend.
She sheathed her sword and moved onwards, her two fellow fighters right beside her.
We're bringing you back, Orihime.
-----h-e-a-r-t-----
His brown eyes narrowed. He faced upwards slightly, trying to pinpoint the exact location of those incredible reiatsu, his brown curls resting on the back of his shoulders, as his companion followed suit.
"Eh? Who da ya think tha' is, Aizen-sama?" Gin asked, his smile widening, his eyes narrowing even more.
His question went unanswered for several moments, every second that ticked away adding to his secret agitation, before a calm voice said, "the question is what, Gin…"
"Eh? Then whada ya think, Aizen-sama?" He instantly slipped back into his charade, yet dying to know just who that reiatsu belonged to.
"It's strong enough to belong to fifty captain level shinigami, yet that's not what they are at all…"
He resisted the strong urge to scream himself into apathy, and calmly said "So wha' are they then, Aizen-sama?"
The voice that answered him was not the voice he had been expecting. He had expected the calmness to pour from his superiors words, his self-assuredness evident through the confident way in which he smirked, but the voice that answered him was strained, sharp…
"They are a threat that must be taken care of."
…the voice that answered Ichimaru Gin was worried.
No, Gin later told himself as he walked towards his room, his eyes open and a frown in place. Aizen never worries. He continued to walk into his room, closing the door behind him and collapsing onto his bed.
It's ironic, Ran-chan…pretending to be here when really, the only place where I ever really was is the one place I can't go back to.
-----h-e-a-r-t-----
"Inoue."
Tears streamed down her red cheeks, her eyes brimming with sadness and disbelief.
"Inoue." His voice was hoarse, sounding as sorrowful as Orihime felt. "Inoue, we have to keep going."
She clenched her knees, her fingernails drawing blood that blemished her white dress, although she didn't seem to care or notice.
"Inoue-"
"-Are we going to go and save Kuchiki-san, now?" Ichigo frowned slightly at the coldness and sharpness in her voice.
"Yeah…yeah, we are."
Inoue simply stared straight through him. Several seconds of silence passed before she spoke. "Why did you come here, Kurosaki-kun?"
The question caught him off-guard. "Wh-what?"
"I said, why did you come here?"
He looked at her, his amber eyes looking straight into hers, but hers looking right through his. "I came here to save you, Inoue. We all did."
She clenched her knees even more. "That's funny, Kurosaki-kun." He frowned. "It's funny, because I didn't come here to be saved. I came here to save all of you." She looked away as she stood up, standing right in front of him. "I came here to save all of you."
"…Inoue-"
"There are two of us, Kurosaki-kun. And there are two of them." She looked straight at him, a small smile finding it's way onto her face, and Ichigo was reminded suddenly of the old Orihime.
"Inoue, what are…" He looked her face, and in an instant he understood. "No."
"Listen to me, Kurosaki-kun. There are two of us, and two of them. I came here to save you, all of you. Go and save Kuchiki-san. I am going to save Ishida-kun."
"You can't do that, Inoue!" he nearly shouted. "He's…nobody can bring him back, Inoue. It doesn't matter how strong your healing power is, and it doesn't matter how much you want to, he's gone, Inoue."
Her head snapped up, and a slight smile formed on her lips. "Of course! You don't know, ne?"
He frowned. "Know what?"
"It's not a healing power, Kurosaki-kun. My power…wherever it came from, whatever reason I have it, I don't know…but my power is not to heal. It's to deny and reject." Ichigo's eyes widened slightly, his eyebrows furrowing. "I can fix anything, just by using Shun Shun Rika, focussing on the object and denying that anything bad ever happened to it. And if I can do that, I can do it with people too!! I can save Uryu!" She laughed slightly, and Ichigo failed to notice how forced it sounded.
"Inoue…are you sure you can really do that? All I mean is, how did you work that out?"
"I didn't; Aizen told me."
His expression softened. "Inoue. Aizen is a liar. He's a liar, a manipulator…how can you believe him?"
"I don't; I believe Matsumoto-san!" She smiled.
Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "Eh?"
"Matsumoto-san…she trusts Ichimaru Gin, I know she does, even if she denies it and hates him, she believes him, right? And Gin trusts Aizen, so that means I do too. If I trust Matsumoto-san, and she trusts Gin, and he trusts Aizen, then I do aswell! You see?"
"…That's – that's so stupid!"
Orihime's eyebrows raised and furrowed. "Eh? Well…it makes sense to me…"
Ichigo refrained from hitting her. "Inoue, I'm sorry, but I don't want you to put all your hope in something that you can't be sure about."
"But I am sure, Kurosaki-kun!" Her eyes began to glisten with unshed tears. "I…I have to at least try! If I don't try now, that means that if I make it back home, I'll always be thinking, 'What if I could have saved him and didn't?' Kurosaki-kun…please…" Her tears began to roll down her cheeks. "Please, you have to let me try…"
Ichigo folded his arms and frowned. What the hell am I supposed to do?
Let me back out, of course.
Like hell.
The hollow inside him screamed in anger, sending a painful throb through Ichigo's head. You're wasting our time! We're losing her, every single fucking second that you spend wondering what would be the right thing to do is another second of my time fucking wasted!
You think I don't see that?! But all of us came here to save Inoue, and I'm not just about to throw her away on her own while I go after Rukia!
Well I am!
Don't you fucking dare!
What else am I supposed to do?! You're going about this the entirely wrong way! Let me OUT!
No way!!
LET ME OUT LET ME OUT--No fucking way, you psychotic bastard!
"Kurosaki-kun, please?" Her voice broke Ichigo away from his inner argument.
"Inoue, I can't just let you go out there again. They'll take you back."
"I don't care, Ichigo!"
"Well I do!" He shouted, finally losing his temper. "We risked absolutely everything to come and save you, Inoue! If you're caught before you actually reach Ishida, then he'll have died for no reason!"
Look, KING. She's not our problem. Let her go save the Quincy. She's only holding us back.
There's no 'us' in this at all, you asshole.
Fine then, you and I.
That's the same thing! And anyway, keeping Inoue safe is just as important as saving Rukia right now!
Not to you.
…What's that supposed to mean?
Heh. Just why didn't you go and save Sado? He was still alive, still breathing. But Rukia-chan wasn't breathing at all. It would have made more sense to go to Sado. So why not him, eh?…Because. Chad's…different. He can survive anything-
Bullshit. You don't think my little Rukia-chan can?
What? Your Rukia?
The hollow seemed to contemplate his answer, and a few moments of silence engulfed Ichigo's mind. And then, Of course. She's always been my Rukia.
What the hell are you talking about?! And why the hell are you so hell-bent on saving Rukia anyway? You're just a hollow!
An unnerving laugh, a sickening jolt in Ichigo's stomach. We'll see about that, King.
A sick feeling of dread formed in Ichigo's stomach. Huh?
The hollow didn't answer him afterwards, no matter how much he tried to make it respond. It seemed he had disappeared into Zangetsu's world.
"Kurosaki-kun?"
Ichigo turned to look at her, realising he hadn't heard a word she'd said. "Hn?"
"I said, I think Abarai-kun is coming."
Ichigo concentrated, eyes narrowing slightly. "I think you're right. Is he coming this way?"
"Yes, he is…I wonder why?"
You're distant, Ishida-kun, you're so far away, but I'm bringing you back.
-----h-e-a-r-t-----
Amazing was the word she was looking for. She had been walking aimlessly through the trees for around an hour, happiness welling inside her as she once again experienced what she thought she'd lost years ago, trying to find a word that described what was happening. And amazing was the only coherent thing she could think as she walked through this place once again, side by side with the person she had least expected to see again. The sun shone, the sky was blue, the grass beneath her feet rippled in the wind, the birds –
Pain erupted in her forehead as a fingernail connected with it in a flicking motion.
"Kuchiki! Stop spacing out."
"K-Kaien-dono!" She gritted her teeth. "That was painful!"
"Well, you're being kinda antisocial, don't ya think? You're with everbody's favourite, Fukutaicho Kaien!" She glared up at him, but she could feel the corners of her mouth tugging upwards. "You could at least try to be in awe of me, you know!"
She turned her attention to the trees that were thinning ahead of them, glimpsing the hill that Kaien trained her on all those years ago. She smiled to herself. "I forgot how egotistical you can be."
"Hn? Egotistical? I'm not being bigheaded Kuchiki, I'm being honest – huh? Forgot?"
Silence engulfed their ears until Rukia spoke again. "It's nothing. Forget it, Kaien-dono."
They walked onwards for a few more moments until they reached the peak of Mt. Koifushi, standing at the edge. They were in the third district of West Rukongai, on the hill where Shiba Kaien first trained her, and had often trained her after realising that the vast space and secluded area made it the best place to teach Rukia to fight.
"Oi!" Two arms gripped her shoulders and shoved her towards the edge of the cliff before pulling her back sharply, causing her to scream slightly and turn to glare at the man behind her. He shrugged his shoulders and smiled innocently. "What?! You were spacing out again."
"So?!" She slapped him on the arm, making sure it wasn't too sharp. "You'd have felt terrible if you hadn't pulled me back in time!"
He laughed softly as he looked over Rukongai. "Don't worry Kuchiki. I'll always pull you back in time." The next couple of minutes were spent in silence, both tired from their training earlier that morning, content to just sit in the grass and observe the world below them.
"Hey, Kuchiki."
"Hai, Kaien-dono?"
"You alright?"
She smiled brightly as she looked up at the sky. "I'm wonderful, Kaien-dono. Why?"
"You just seem even weirder than usual these past few days."
She inwardly frowned. Past few days? Have I really been here that long? She counted it up in her head, the number of mornings she had woken up in Kaiens room, the number of days she had spent going walks with Nii-sama and Renji – wait. Nii-sama? Renji?
"What's wrong, Kuchiki?" She turned her head to look at Kaien, and saw that he was frowning slightly.
"Just a headache, Kaien-dono," she said, thinking quickly.
"You want to go back?"
"N-no, it'll go in a couple minutes, I'll be fine." He nodded and left her to her thoughts, apparently satisfied with her answer.
Nii-sama? She felt a strange twinge in her stomach, almost like a feeling of dread mixed with confusion, the feeling when you realise something isn't quite right. I…Why was I walking with Nii-sama? I…I don't even…do I even talk to Nii-sama? I only talk to Nii-sama when I am replying to something he says to me directly…but no, I've been talking to him…these past few days? Yes, I've been talking with Nii-sama…I've always talked with Nii-sama, haven't I? Or have we only begun speaking to each other these past few days? Rukia refrained from hitting herself over the head to knock sense into herself. She had a terrible feeling that she just couldn't explain, but she knew something was wrong. I know that I talk to Nii-sama often, but for some reason…somehow, I feel as though barely any words have passed between us in my entire life… And Renji…I have not spoken to Renji in years now…I know I haven't, and yet I walked with he and Nii-sama just yesterday, and the day before that also!
"Kaien-dono, I'm not feeling too well. May I be excused?" She decided to go and talk to Byakuya and Renji. Something was wrong, she could feel it.
"Eh? Course Kuchiki." He stood at the same time as she did. "Your headache?"
"Hai, Kaien-dono."
"I'll walk you back, then."
And somehow, as she walked by Kaien Shiba's side on her way back to the Kuchiki manor, she couldn't remember what she was so confused about.
Did I forget something? It's almost as if…as if I woke up in a dream…
-----h-e-a-r-t-----
"You're telling me you won't let her save him, Kurosaki?!" The red haired shinigami shouted at the shinigami representative standing before him.
"If she goes, she'll probably be caught before she can even find him!" Ichigo shouted back. "Besides, there's no guarantee it'll work, is there?!"
"Ano…are you forgetting, Kurosaki-kun? Grimmjow-san let me bring you back. I brought you back to life, Kurosaki-kun, remember?"
Ichigo for once was silent, not able to find an argument to what Orihime said. Several seconds passed before he spoke. "So…you can really do this, Inoue?"
"Hai, Kurosaki-kun."
And suddenly, Ichigo's chest began to sear. It was like sensing a reiatsu that was countless times stronger than his, which he realised a split second later that that was exactly what it was. He looked to Orihime and Renji, their wide eyes and gaping mouths mirroring his.
"What in the hell is that?!" He asked nobody in particular.
"I'm surprised you can feel that at all, Kurosaki. I figured the chance of you being able to sense a reiatsu like that was about as likely as you dying your hair a normal color, but hey – I stand corrected."
"Urusai! This is my real color! And you're one to talk, aren't you?!"
"This is real, actually!"
"About as real as your eyebrows!"
"Th-this is…" They both turned to look at Orihime, her eyes wide, a look of both wonder and horror on her face.
"Inoue?"
"Kurosaki-kun…can't you feel them? I…I'm so sure…"
"About what? Inoue, what is it?"
"Hey…I recognise that one," Renji spoke, suddenly serious. "It's like I know it from somewhere, but it's different to how I remember…"
"Hai, Abarai-kun…"
Ichigo raised an eyebrow. Am I missing something?
"I definitely know that reiatsu…dammit! Why can't I tell?!"
"I…I can't really tell either, but…I know them, I know I do!" Orihime shouted, a rare expression of frustration crossing her features.
"Them?" Ichigo and Renji said at once, and then looked at each other in confusion.
"I can't pick out any of them, it's all a jumble to me," Ichigo frowned.
"What did you expect? You suck at this." Renji ducked a punch to the face. "I know there's more than one, but there's only one that I can feel really clearly…but I can't feel it clearly, if you know what I mean."
"You really are with the words today, aren't you?" It was Ichigo's time to block.
"I can feel all three of them," Orihime spoke softly, quietly. The two shinigami turned their attention to her. "Hai, there are three of them…I know them, I know I do… it's like when you go back to a place that you often went as a child, and most of it is very different."
"Yeah…I know what you mean, kinda," Renji spoke hesitantly.
Several moments went past before the overwhelming reiatsu seemed to die down.
"Eh…hey, I might not be the best at this," – Renji shot him a look that clearly said 'no shit Sherlock'- "But are they fading away or something? I can't feel them as strongly as I could before."
"Hai, I think they're going in the other direction, Kurosaki-kun."
Silence engulfed them once again, before Renji spoke. "If we're going to help Ishida, me and Inoue have to go now, Kurosaki."
Ichigo locked eyes with Renji. "Don't let her out of your sight."
"And when you find Rukia, don't let her out of yours." And at once, Renji and Orihime turned and began to run in the opposite direction, while Ichigo shunpoed onwards.
I'm bringing you back to me, Rukia.
-----h-e-a-r-t--c-h-a-p-t-e-r--f-o-u-r-----
Hey hey hey! Hope y'all enjoyed that ;)
Thank you to all my reviewers. You're the mac to my cheese.
Have any of you seen any of the Bleach musicals?? I advise you to youtube them. They are complete genius. My brother walked in and started saying it all in a "Japanese" accent though…-.- ''
My brother is a fool. Well, whatever. He thinks it's stupid; I THINK THE BLEACH MUSICALS ARE GOD.
It's totally frickin awesome, man! They jump and dance about singing "BREEAACH!!" It made me laugh so hard.
Thanks again! And sorry for being a lazy arse! XP
Oh yeah, whoever guesses who the intruders are wins a spoiler xD
Much love, Wait-For-Sleep –mwah!-