It's been ages since the last update, sorry. But anyway, here is the next chapter! Enjoy and review!
Confrontation
Rukia stared at the pale-skinned demon that stood before her. There was an unnatural presence about him, as if he wasn't human at all, but rather a beast from the depths of the abyss, intent only on the death of all mankind. He truly was a monster, yet he had not even laid a hand on her...Surely by now she should have been killed?
"Rukia Kuchiki...I have need for your services."
Rukia's jaw dropped but no words could pass through her lips.
"If you do as I say I can help you escape and rid you of these vermin that endlessly hunt you." Ulquiorra's voice kept a constant tone throughout, without even the slightest hint of emotion.
Rukia couldn't decide what to do. This proposition was almost too good to be true. Side with the most dangerous criminal in the world and be saved. It made no sense. "What...What would you gain from helping me?" She asked, her voice cracking fearfully.
"The foul creatures that are connected to you...They are also after me. I see no harm in aiding you if it will aid me as well." Ulquiorra shifted his gaze to a spot outside. "I've been followed...How irritating." He walked rigidly towards the entrance. He showed no signs of fear or irritance, or anything for that matter. He was as blank as the walls in solitary confinement and Rukia knew that all too well.
This man, an escaped prisoner from solitary...He reminded her of her own arduous time in there.
Ulquiorra strolled out into the front yard and stood still for a moment before returning; only this time his hand was stained in fresh blood which dripped down onto the ashen floor.
"Wha...What happened?"
"I dealt with the little rat. Another of the wandering scum. They are the prisoners who never found solace in others so they travel endlessly around this town searching for me. I've dealt with more than enough of them."
"How many?" Rukia asked, already fearing the answer.
"I don't keep count. I've slain so many I doubt there is even a number for it..." Rukia shivered and the sense of evil that hung around this cold-hearted man grew even worse. "It mustn't have been many. They only sent twenty or so prisoners here and there are three gangs which would take up the majority of the group."
"Three gangs?" Rukia cocked her head.
"Your group is large enough to be considered a gang. If I'm not mistaken it was five people including you..."
"Amazing. How did you know that?"
"I've been watching. Neither you nor the guards have caught onto me yet, but I've been watching you all the whole time. It shows how hopelessly outmatched you are." Ulquiorra glared at a fly which was hovering near his shoulder. His glance alone made the bug drop to the ground dead.
Rukia stared at it in awe. Surely she had not just seen that, but there was no other explanation.
"Your friends are missing since last night. I saw the attack but when the guards flocked I had to leave. I cannot tell you if they are alive or dead, but I'll tell you this...Grimmjow's minions will not last."
"What do you mean?" Rukia whispered.
"Their raid last night was costly. He lost three men, a considerably large chunk out of his forces. If he continues to be reckless his men will either die with him, or abandon him in favour of life."
"How can you be certain?" Rukia pressed.
"I have lived my life studying people. I disregard them, in my view they are an inferior species that has over bred. That was why I decided to cut down the numbers. But in my time, I learned much about them. If I was not confined to prison I could have been a psychologist or a doctor, but I have continued to put my talents towards a greater cause." He paused for a moment and shifted his vacant gaze on Rukia. Despite not appearing to look at anything, it felt as if he was probing her soul with his very eyes. "I shall eradicate the vermin of this world."
Rukia backed away instinctively and he closed his eyes and made a strange noise that was somewhere between a sigh and a cough. "Your emotions are getting in your way again. How you've managed to survive in such a world is beyond even my knowledge."
"Sorry." Rukia mumbled.
"Apologies mean nothing to me. I have never owed anyone, nor shall they owe me. I merely exist amongst others."
Rukia nodded and began looking around nervously.
"I need not waste my day talking with you. It is good to have met you. We shall meet again soon." He turned to leave and his foot hovered in mid-air for a second before he spun back around slowly. "Meet me back here at nightfall. I shall discuss our escape from this desolate little hell."
"Sure...Thank you?" Rukia was unsure what to say. Even when she wanted to believe she was safe, she couldn't help but feel a blade hovering over throat ever time Ulquiorra spoke.
"I shall be waiting. Remember, don't inform anyone. Even if you find your friends again, don't let them follow. If they arrive here, I will kill them." Even his threats sounded so blank and emotionless. It was so vague and inhuman that it only made it all the more menacing.
Rukia slowly walked out of the building and turned back expecting to see Ulquiorra frozen in the front room, though he was already gone. A final shiver assaulted her and then she ran.
Isane woke up with an electrified jolt. She looked around and found herself in the back-seat of a police car. She sat bolt upright and stared out the windows. She was parked by the side of a road in the middle of nowhere. There was a sign indicating her proximity to the prison. It was then that she remembered last night.
~Isane jumped out the window and landed in the bushes in the front yard of the Kurosaki Clinic. The empty squad cars were lined up on the lawn while their drivers were inside talking to Mr Kurosaki.
The cars were mostly locked up, but one of them still had the door wide open. The owner had been in such a rush he forgot to even lock up his car.
Isane bolted out into the open and entered the car. She was about to hotwire it when she noticed the keys still in the ignition. She smiled and started her up. The engine roared as she pulled off into the road.
Officers began spilling out of the house like ants from a nest, though by the time they reached their cars Isane was a whole street away.
Isane gunned the engine and stormed through the quiet streets. The shrieking wails of the pursuing squad cars were getting quieter and quieter. She was losing them slowly but surely.
She continued her reckless high speed escape until she reached the highways. The lanes were empty bar a few trucks doing late night deliveries. She dropped speed and kept to the speed limit while constantly looking back at the expanse of road behind her.
She could no longer hear the sirens and there were no flashing lights in sight. She had evaded capture from fellow police officers and now she was free to continue with her investigation.
She kept going, driving for what felt like all night when she eventually pulled up by the side of the road. She parked behind a bush to make it look as if she were watching the speeds of passing cars. That way she wouldn't appear suspicious.
She set up a camera on the windshield but never turned it on. She then crawled in the back of the car and curled up in a ball to allow her tall body to fit in lying down. When the discomfort was overpowered by her weariness she drifted off to sleep.
Now it was morning. Commuters were speeding past on their way to work. The painfully loud roars of hundreds of engines made it impossible to continue her little doze off.
Isane groaned and climbed back into the driver's seat. Before driving off she checked her reflection in a mirror and fussed with her hair. Even if she was on the run from the police and her friends were abducted, she was still a woman. When her little routine was over she got back on the road and continued along the highway.
She would arrive in the town soon enough. She would regroup with Unohana and then they would go and get some answers from the Con-men running the Karakura Prison. As she drove down the road with no views to distract herself, she began to wander off into her own thoughts and relived her encounter with Kaien Shiba's mercenaries.
She led herself into the information she received from the defeated henchman, Ryo Utagawa.
Two prison transports...One with just him, the other with a bunch of prisoners...The prisoners must be a decoy for himself to escape...Unless it's the other way around...Dammit, this son of a bitch is clever. He sure knows how to weave a web...But what is he planning? Why go to all the effort?
Isane sighed and focused on driving. She was still in the dark. She would discuss it with Unohana when she met her, but even then there is too much they didn't know. She would have to go to the prison and force the answers out...
Isane cursed and cast her mind back to a thing she always used to say to herself...
It's times like this when I wished I had a gun...
Rukia strolled through the barren dust-coated streets. She made footsteps in the thick dust that formed over the road as if it were sand on a beach. She coughed as she inhaled the stuff. It had been a constant irritance since she came here and it was great to stay indoors during the day when the wind picked up.
She made her way towards Black Cat territory. She would confide in her new allies while she waited for Ichigo to turn up...Alive or dead.
The thought of Ichigo brought a tear to her eye and suddenly lost her breath. She sat in the gutter and sobbed with her head between her hands.
She felt so lost now without him. She didn't know whether to go along with Ulquiorra's plan or to hide and wait for things to blow over. She had always relied on Ichigo to be there for her and to comfort her when she was down, as well as standing up for her. Now she was all alone.
Her tears settled in the thick dirt and became mud.
She couldn't stop crying. She cursed herself for being so fragile. She always relied on others rather than herself. Now was not the time to be crying. She had to make her own decisions. She tried to convince herself, but the heavy burden of loneliness made her feel more hopeless and weak.
She continued to weep endlessly when the sound of footsteps startled her. She snapped up and stared at the man who approached her.
It was that leader of the guards, Kariya. He stared at her as if she were as insignificant as one of the specks of dust that covered the whole town.
"Kuchiki, is it?" He asked in a tone that seemed to sting. "Missing some friends?" Rukia's eyes widened and she snapped. She lunged at him with a bunched fist. Something happened and she ended up lying in the dirt with blood streaming from her nose. She gazed up at the cruel guard who was dusting himself off.
"Don't push me. I could easily kill you but I don't like getting my hands dirty." He coughed and then focused on his prey. "As I said, you appear to be missing some friends."
Rukia shakily wiped a tear from her eyes and Kariya laughed mockingly.
"Don't cry over spilt milk. Your friends are all well...In fact they are waiting for you."
Rukia shot up like a rocket with her mouth agape and her eyes wide.
"That got you didn't it?" Kariya chuckled. "They've settled in the gas station for now. It's just a few blocks away. I suggest you hurry."
Rukia jumped up and sprinted off down the road no longer interested in the oddly helpful guard. She dashed through a narrow street and then ducked out onto the main road where the gas station lay nestled between a tyre shop and a small house.
She ran across the road and almost collapsed through the door of the station. She tripped on her own feet and landed on her knees just in front of a newspaper stand. She got up and found Toshiro and Kyouraku reading month old issues of magazines.
"Kyouraku! Toshiro! You're alive!" Rukia ran to them and hugged them.
"Rukia-Chan!" Kyouraku smiled warmly and began laughing. "We thought we'd lost you as well!"
Toshiro nodded. "Grimmjow's gang had claimed our camp and we thought you might run into them and get killed. Thankfully, both our theories were wrong. We're all alive and well."
Rukia looked around anxiously. "Where's Ichigo?"
Kyouraku frowned. "He's actually out looking for you. We told him to wait here but he wouldn't listen. He said every second he wasn't in your arms was a second wasted. You hit the jackpot with him."
Rukia giggled at the sweet words of her friend. Her merriment caught the attention of someone else. Kiyone jumped up from a pile of women's magazines and began cheering. "RUKIA! YOU'RE ALIVE!"
The two girls met with laughs and smiles. It was a joyful reunion but there was still one thing missing. Rukia would only be truly happy when her knight with orange hair returned.
"What's with all the noise?" A familiar voice roared. A silhouette stood in the doorway and even without seeing his face Rukia knew it was him. She ran towards him with her arms outstretched and Ichigo opened his arms and welcomed her home. They entwined their arms around each other and cried tears of joy. Their fears had been put to rest and they were together once more.
Rukia suddenly shied away from him and gritted her teeth. "Something smells weird in here."
Ichigo laughed. "It's hair dye."
"What?"
Ichigo pointed to a shelf next to him. "Look. Kiyone's been going through it all day so no wonder it reeks of it in here."
Kiyone pouted. "Hey! The dust has been making my hair go brown! I will always be a blonde! Always dammit!"
Rukia returned to the arms of her lover and closed her eyes. She was once again happy. For now...She was home...
As our heroes regroup, the time nears for action. Isane and Unohana must raid the prison and Rukia and co need to decide what to do about Ulquiorra. Needless to say, you can' miss the next chapter!
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