Would you Love me if you knew what I was?
Chapter Twenty-Three: Fake out, Break out (REVISED)
Disclaimer: I don't own bleach nor do I claim to. But I call dibs on Yumi, Archer, and my other OC's! So, ha!
Listening to: Love Story by: Taylor Swift
I'm doing the beginning slightly (Or a lot) more different than the anime so that Yumi can fit in…so…I hope it's not too confusing
Gods, when I re-read the original I pretty much gagged. I messed up the order big time! Well, it was without reference so don't throw pitchforks at me!
The beginnings still the same though. Just the confrontation between Hitsu and Grin is more detailed and actually in order this time
"Kid…Oi, kid, wake up!" called a harsh voice that hid another emotion. "Damn it, do I have to wake you up myself?"
"Mm," Hinamori reopened her eyes slowly and adjusted to the lack of light in the room. Slowly, she sat up and scanned the room. On the floor beside her was a note folded neatly on top of her uniform. Dully, she opened and read its contents with little interest until she had finished the whole thing. The note shook in her hands but ceased to fall.
"Kid?" asked Reisha in a confused manner. Her cell was just a few across, maybe two.
"No…" Hinamori mumbled under her breath. It continued for a few moments with her saying it over and over again like a mantra.
A guard came by and saw her slumped on the floor on her knees. Almost panicking, he reached for the keys and went inside, "Hinamori-san?"
Reisha felt a spark of something dark and raised a brow in surprise. It was even more surprising when said guard was blown back from a large wall of reiatsu, almost like a bomb, and hit the cell bars. She almost bit her tongue when holding back her whistle. What did hold her back was the almost pitiless look in Hinamori's eyes that held none of its usual warmth in them. The cell door swung open and Hinamori took her sword. With not even a sideways glance to Reisha, she took her leave quickly and silently.
"I don't like the looks of this…" Reisha frowned but when she saw the discarded keys coincidentally close to the bars of her cell a wide grin spread across her face. "But I do like where this is headin'."
'I don't believe it…' thought a voice frantically as she ran through the hallway of the fifth division. Her eyes were misted and in her hands was a white piece of parchment. Written inside was what broke her heart though. 'Taicho…!'
"Hinamori!" called a strict voice. She hesitated slightly but continued on with her swift pace. Jumping up, she went to the exact same place where her captain had been slain by another's hand.
Once there, she stood stock still; even when he had called her name again in a firmer tone.
"I…I-I!"
"Hinamori…?"
"Shiro-chan," Hinamori said with a cracking voice, "You didn't…right? But it still said…!"
"What are you talking about?" asked Hitsugaya, a worried expression on his features and he took a step closer to her.
"Stay back!" she barked with a force that felt foreign to her and drew her sword that was aimed at his neck. Tears began to form at her eyes and an almost pained look struck the captain.
"I think she means that you did something naughty, Hitsugaya-Taicho." Spoke a sly voice and a figure seemed to step through the shadows cast by the night.
"Ichimaru Gin," he hissed and made a movement to draw his sword when she made a sharp movement with the tip of her blade to remind him that she held the authority of the situation.
"My, my, this is quite the situation don't you think?" the third division captain chuckled.
"Ichimaru, what have you done with Hinamori?" Hitsugaya demanded with a glare that could freeze a soul solid.
"It's not what I've done," he almost sounded like a wounded innocent there, "It's what you've done…with the fifth division captain, Aizen Souske."
Hinamori clutched the letter in her hands and Hitsugaya had only assumed that it was from her captain.
"Aizen-Taicho told me everything," she began shakily, "What you're planning to do with the soul society. Shiro-chan—no, Hitsugaya Toshiro," the way she had said his name almost made the captain flinch, "I won't let you. I won't let Aizen-Taicho's life be spent in vain!"
She made her advancements on her companion, all the while with tears streaming down her face. Not wanting to injure her, all Hitsugaya could do was dodge her frantic strikes and try to reason with her. From the corner of his eye, he could see Ichimaru grin and his anger flared up once more.
Quickly, he used Shunpo to move from his position towards Ichimaru in midair. Putting his hand on the hilt, he only got as far as half draw as Hinamori appeared once more, pain streaking her features. With a grimace, he took his free hand and struck her down to knock her out.
With a loud thud Hinamori fell to the ground like an abandoned rag doll. Ichimaru frowned, "Now that wasn't very nice, was it?"
Hitsugaya drew his sword wordlessly and simply watched Hinamori with calculating eyes. Where those eyes were focused on the bloodied hands of the one person he considered family. Crimson drips flowed down the hilt of her sword like wilted petals of the flowers of a peach blossom...
It seemed like such a sad way to go
History:
War of the Demon's Fall
'Click'
Daemon: Human souls fused with those of animals and demon. Founded the beginnings of Kido, or Demon arts.
87% of test subjects died within twelve hours of soul integration.
12% of test subjects suffered multiple and severe after-effects including fatal viruses and the high risk of unstable soul structure that led to either death or disposal of subject.
Surviving specimens resulted in heightening six of the five original senses. Only one in fifty specimens would survive symptoms long enough for souls to reconnect.
.0001% resulted in the perfect Daemon. Only five of the millions of subjects were found and traced to this day.
Currently, three are dead and two missing
Journal Entries:
Head: Dr. Saichi Kentaro
Assistant: Dr. Adachi Keichi
Co-assistant: Prof. Minato Sai
…the list went on
'Click'
Update: xx/xx/xx
A new project has come to surface. It's all thanks to Doctor Saichi, who founded and began the research by himself at first. Apparently, he had seen an interest in the tale and enlisted Dr. Adachi as his assistant and second in command.
Hollows were taken just as they were about to be dragged down to hell. They were brought back in a form of black crystal surrounded by a thin white layering. This protecting material was noted to be made of the hard substance of the hollows mask and the crystal to be forms by demonic energies invading the hollows internal system—
SYSTEM HACK
ABORT FUNCTION
"Aw, shit…" Daichi bit his bottom lip and closed all the screens after backing up the data. The black gem resurfaced and he grabbed it quickly. As soon as he did though, red lights flashed in the area. Cursing silently, he opened up a dark portal with the flick of his wrist and exited, but not without leaving just a trace of his escape.
The sound of an alarm woke her up from her slumber as Yumi opened her eyes groggily.
"Now what?" she groaned and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
After listening for a while, she noticed that none of the guards looked even the slightest bit interested. Now that she thought of it, the alarm felt more like a constant buzz in her head. A familiar burst of reiatsu took her by surprise and knocked the breath right out of her. Instinctively, her hand went to her chest and tightly latched onto the white cloth for dear life. She knew that reiatsu anywhere. It felt like a hundred needles had poked and prodded her soul without mercy.
She got up with some difficulty and ran to the bars of her cell, "Sir? Please, I need to ask you something!"
He grunted a sleepy reply and nodded, "Yeah?"
"Hitsugaya Toshiro, where is he right now?" she asked frantically.
"I dunno," he replied with a shrug and began drifting back to sleep, "Now get some sleep before I knock you out."
Knowing that his threat was empty, she hit the bars with her hands angrily, "No, he needs to know something!"
"Heh, he's got his hands full with trying to solve the murder case."
"Murder case…?"
"I forgot you don't get much Intel in there," he spoke with a hint of sarcasm, "The fifth division captain, Aizen Souske was murdered."
Yumi's eyes widened in disbelief and her grip on the bars tightened, "But…" Her left arm burned, seeming to remember an old wound not too long ago just there… "I just sensed him now…"
Archer felt a shiver run down his spine and looked up to the full moon outside. A dark cloud of reiatsu began to build up and the air seemed to chill.
"That kid… what's he doing?" he said to no one in particular and clicked his gun for good measure. Taking a deep breath, he focused his reiatsu on his objective and swiftly moved through the shadows of the night. The guards were unwilling to watch their posts and it was easy to sneak into jail cell. With a frown, he saw a guard already knocked out on the floor and one of the cells was wide open.
"What are you doing here?" asked a female voice with slight interest. He turned to his left to see his target with a smug look on her face.
"Isn't it obvious?" he replied and looked around for a set of keys, "I'm here to bust you out."
"It's a little bit late for that," she sighed and took out a set of keys from her kimono. Archer stared at her incredulously and crossed his arms.
"If you had the keys then why didn't you simply break out?"
She smirked and got up from the bed in the jail cell. She walked up to the bars and slipped her hand from between the bars. That hand went towards his chin and traced his jaw line. "You have something to ask of me, yes?"
"Why else would I be here?"
"In exchange, you need to help me with something," a wicked grin spread across her face and she opened the already locked door, grabbing her blade and change of clothes. Loosening the kimono to bare her back, she began to change, not caring if he was still in the same room or not.
Now, being Archer, he had a sense of honor and morals so he turned around. However, from the corner of his eye, he saw a strange mark on her left forearm aside from the black ink letters: IV.
"Get me into the records chamber," she said softly and pulled a black armband up to cover the unfamiliar mark, "and I'll make it worth your while."
Archer allowed a smile that never reached his steady gaze that now locked with her own violet orbs, "Always the seductress weren't you, Reisha?"
(Major edited part.)
Hitsugaya was silent and simple stared at her motionless body with an almost morbid fascination.
"Aizen wasn't enough for you?" he finally asked, "You had to make Hinamori suffer as well… Driving her crazy until she clutched her sword so tightly for blood to flow," His voice was rising now with barely restrained anger.
"Well now," Ichimaru began easily, "Whatever are you talkin' 'bout?"
A cloud of reiryouku surrounded Hitsugaya as he spoke low, his voice practically making hell freeze over, "I thought I told you…"
"Hm?"
"…If you made Hinamori spill blood," the young captain turned with his eyes as menacing as a raging dragon that had been set loose, "I'd kill you!" Blood flowed fiercely though his veins and his Reiatsu spiked even higher than before, his rage fueling the fire.
The third division captain furrowed his brow but the trademark smile was not absent.
"That ain't good," his hand drifted to the hilt of his zanpakutou, "If you pull your sword on me in a place like this," A silver wave of reiatsu surrounded him as well, "I'll just have to stop you, won't I, Hitsugaya Toshiro?"
The air grew heavy and the single onlooker stared at his captain, feeling helpless and nervous at the situation that was too late to prevent.
"I-Ichimaru-Taicho…"
"Stay back, Izuru," his captain spoke lightly. His eyes, although closed, held that sadistic glee that he was known for, "You don't want to die yet, do you?"
Kira felt his breath hitch in his throat and he would bet that his heart was beating spasmodically at the moment.
"Don't be stupid," Hitsugaya added and Kira could literally feel the malice dripping from those three words, "Just staying back isn't good enough. Freaking disappear, Kira! Even after you can't see us, keep going." The grip on Hyourinmaru tightened and those teal eyes hardened once more into ice cold diamonds, "If you're within twelve kilometers in any direction…I can't guarantee that I won't kill you unintentionally!"
And then, he drove forward.
It was at a stalemate. The third division captain continuously avoided Hitsugaya's blade with ease and the tenth division captain let rage cloud his mind. From the waves of reiatsu being released, Kira felt his body being blown back and his knees felt weak from the pressure.
'Little one, you must not let him get to you!' roared Hyourinmaru from within his sword but Hitsugaya only ignored it. Ichimaru would pay dearly for not only killing Aizen, but also harming Hinamori.
His friend
His sister
His Family
'I will not stand by and let this man live after what he's done, Hyourinmaru!' he replied and guarded against Ichimaru's quick stabs. Both pushed away soon after.
A sly grin played on his lips soon after, "Now there's the tenth division's Hitsugaya Toshiro for you. He really is the Heavenly Guardian that was said to come only ever so hundred years. Too close, too close…"
Hitsugaya said nothing as he held his stance while building his reiatsu once more around him.
"So you're serious," Ichimaru commented.
Kira looked on once more, almost debating to himself if staying here was a good idea or not. 'His reiatsu… At this rate…' Kira came down to a grim and possibly inevitable conclusion.
'At this rate, we're all screwed…'
"Let's go!"
Both charged at each other, clashing swords together and making a pass.
At first, it seemed as if nothing happened. At least, until Ichimaru felt a sudden numbness in his arms from the sheer force of the blow and his noticed that the sleeve of his left arm was almost sheared off.
He had no time to think any further because Hitsugaya sprung forward once again and smashed blades once more in an attempt to break through his defense. The third division captain felt the ring in his arms again and broke away. Taking this chance, he ripped the useless sleeve of his uniform and threw it at his opponent. The distraction worked and Hitsugaya had used his sword arm to push the black cloth out of the way. It had been a grave mistake and he realized it too late. Ichimaru exploited that opening and used it against him to use his short blade to make quick stabs at the younger captain. Hitsugaya could only dodge and block the oncoming blade from making contact with vulnerable flesh. From the corner of his eye, he could see the wall coming frighteningly closer.
'Shit,'
"How's it feel, Taicho," he mused playfully, "to be cornered like a rat?"
Ichimaru was silenced when a long chain spun 'round and wound itself around his zanpakutou. The crescent shaped blade at the end held it in place and the chain was connected to the butt end of the hilt.
Taking this opportunity, Hitsugaya leapt over Ichimaru for more ground to work with. Ichimaru frowned and pulled his blade clean of the metal bindings.
However, the smile soon returned…damn cocky bastard. "Oh, I see. I shouldn'a underestimated Hitsugaya Toshiro." He let out an almost rueful sigh, "Guess that's why they say no use regrettin' your mistakes."
At the words, Hitsugaya closed his eyes slowly. "No, not yet," Ichimaru paused in slight confusion in his reply and frowned again. "Your real regret hasn't even begun yet." When those emerald orbs reopened they shone with icy wrath as the dragon within him stirred, "For making me this serious…you can regret as much as you damn well please!"
His reiatsu spiked and Ichimaru masked his wince with a grim yet amused smile, "I thought as much. But really, is that how you should be acting when your reiatsu is so unstable?"
"What?"
Ichimaru grinned in mental victory and continued on with his onslaught, stabbing forward and letting it sink in, "You're weak. You may be the youngest captain in the Gotei 13 but that doesn't change the fact that you are a child. Your soul has not yet matured to the point where you can fully control it."
"Shut up!" he yelled and parried the short blade.
"All you're doing is stomping around like little kid that didn't get what he wanted. Pathetic," Ichimaru jumped back and readied his stance, "You act grown up, but on the inside you are no different than a lonely kid that was left to—"
"I said shut up!" Hitsugaya shouted and raised his blade, "Sit upon on frosted heavens, Hyourinmaru!" Shoots of ice and water swirled around his blade and extended to the endless midnight sky and stretched on further into the heavens above. The temperature dropped considerably and Kira could help but shiver.
He didn't know if it was because of how cold it was or if he wizzed in his pants
The sky darkened considerably and the moon was shrouded in thick clouds. A ring of ice surrounded the tenth division captain and formed into the icy dragon that was the legendary dragon of ice and water, Hyourinmaru.
When that happened, Ichimaru could only grin wider.
'Phase two is complete…' he readied his sword, already formulating a new plan in his head. 'Now, Yumi-chan… Where are you?'
Yumi was growling in the corner of her cell while glaring holes into the back of her guards head. It was bad enough for him to simply ignore her, but to take her meal away and eat it in front of her? Low…
Her stomach grumbled in protest and she sighed in defeat. God how she missed Ukitake already…
"H-Hey, you're not allowed here—gah!" the guard let out a sharp yelp before being knocked out by a dark shadow. It was so quick that by the time Yumi whipped her head around, he was already falling to the floor.
"Oi, get outta there, kid!" called an impatient voice. Yumi's eyes widened for a moment before she narrowed them and held her left forearm tightly on instinct.
"Reisha…"
"Now, now, you two. Don't fight the minute you see each other!" spoke another voice with a deep sigh. Yumi's ears perked up and she saw a male figure come through the shadows.
"Archer!" she grinned and ran over to him to hug him tightly, "I was so worried about you! Are you alright? What about your wounds?" She even pulled away slightly to check him over.
"Ha-ha, I'm alright. Unohana-Taicho helped me out," he explained after patting her head softly.
Reisha scoffed and crossed her arms, "I'm still here you know…"
"No one cares," Yumi narrowed her matching violet orbs at Reisha's and stuck her tongue out, "Slut!"
"Slut!?" Reisha fumed and felt flames burst out from around her in anger, "I'll show you who's a slut Bitch—"
"Both of you shut up! We're undercover damn it!" Archer hissed and smacked both of them on the head with a random encyclopedia (XD guess where that's from).
The two girls glared at each other for a good minute longer before turning away at the same time and huffing. Archer rolled his eyes and tossed Yumi a change of clothes.
"Here, hurry up and change so we can get out of here."
Yumi perked once more and looked at the pile of clothes curiously, "'Get out of here'? What do you mean?"
"What he means is that you need to get yourself off death row, quick. Apparently, this whole this is a hoax. Tch, someone seriously wants to kill you now," answered Reisha, smirking with the possible eventuality.
Seeing this, Yumi stared at her suspiciously, "If someone wants to kill me, then why are you helping me escape?"
She shrugged and took a hidden glance at Archer for a fleeting moment, "I have my reasons. Now hurry up and change. Another guard might have heard the cat's yowling!"
"Oi!" Archer growled but was shushed with a smack on the back of the head. He went out of the cell with Reisha to give her privacy.
Yumi quickly took the white kimono off and slipped the Shihakushou on. Surprisingly, it was her newer one with the tear-away sleeves. With a shrug, she took them off and hid them in her kimono for later. No use having it on now. Running to her bed, she lifted the pillow and swiped her good luck charm from under.
Archer saw this from the corner of his eye and chuckled. In her hands was the red ribbon he had given to her before. Yumi tied her hair up with it and let the bell resound once.
"Ready?" he asked.
"Yeah, let's go."
Omake Theatre
Mana: -sigh- finally...
Yumi: That was confusing
Mana: Sorry, I rushed again. T.T
Ichigo: So...uh, when do I go back on?
Mana: Soon, soon Strawberry... -tired-
Ichigo: !! IT'S NOT STRAWBERRY!
Yumi: Keep telling yourself that.
Reisha: Although now i'm craving a little fruit -smirk-
Ichigo: Oo
Archer: -pulls Reisha- c'mon, not in front of the kids
Everyone: OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Archer/Reisha: -innocent- What?
By the way... What sounds better?
A) Sit upon the frosted Heavens
B) Set Upon the frosted Heavens
C) Reign over the frosted Heavens
It may not sound exactly important but I worry about these things. Oo someone help. Oh, and how would you rather put demon arts spells? Like how I usually put it or just say Hado 63: Raikouhou or Bakudo. I usually put Demon art: yada yada yada or Way of Binding. I wanna know what you readers prefer. Enjoy and review please! It gets my chapters out faster
Oh, and tomorrows my birthday! ^^ February 25th
