The End Begins
Yoruichi sat on her faded, padded throne, her head resting in the palm of her hand. She had sent out scouts to try and search for Ulquiorra and the others were preparing meals for their return. Things were boring. Nothing had happened since Grimmjow's wild gang attacked the hotel. Rukia also hadn't visited either...It couldn't be ruled out that she was dead, but it was what ran through Yoruichi's mind.
She sighed and closed her eyes, almost drifting off. There was not much to stay awake for anyway. She was just on the verge of sleep when pounding footsteps alerted her. She sat straight up and traced the sounds which were in the next room now.
Is this a raid?
Two panting women appeared in the doorway. One was Hiyori, the other Lilynette. Both were doubled over, breathless and overstimulated.
"What's up?" Yoruichi asked.
"The fence!" Lilynette wheezed. "It's been...Knocked down!"
Yoruichi's face lit up. "Really?"
"Yeah!" Hiyori gasped. A hijacked bus crashed through while we were on patrol! Quickly we have to get out before the guards discover it!"
Yoruichi rose from her throne and called the others in. Soi Fon approached her leader and stood beside her. The others assembled before her with wide eyes. The world was theirs for the taking, they could be free. Now was their chance! The black cats charged as one...towards the gate...towards freedom. It had been cruelly taken from them once before, but out here they outnumbered the guards anyway. The confusion could work to their advantage and if needed they would use force to escape.
The girls cheered as they made their way across town.
One of Grimmjow's scouts observed the fleeing women and grinned. He kneeled down and took out a radio which was clipped to a dead guard's belt. He had snatched it hours ago when he found some guards lying dead in the road.
He pressed the speak button and raised the receiver to his lips. "Grimmjow, they are headed for the North gate. Apparently there is a giant hole in the fence. We should check it out."
The radio crackled and Grimmjow's reply came through, coated in static. "We'll meet you there. Prepare yourself; those bitches can put up a fight when they need to."
"It's gonna get fun now!" The prisoner chuckled.
Ichigo stood out in the street. He had heard screams, banging and also smashing glass. He had no idea what it all meant but it didn't sound too good. He travelled to the roof of an apartment building across the road. From up high he could see smoke coming from the North gate. He frowned and went over to another side to look out over the town.
There were several telegraph poles that had fallen down, over near the old hotel.
"Rukia..." He ran down the stairs and stormed off down the road. As he ran he discovered fresh tire tracks in the dirt. He studied them and noticed they led in the same direction he was going. With a shrug of his shoulders he set off again, sprinting down the empty streets to find his beloved.
Kariya watched from a rooftop as the prison transporter slammed into Ulquiorra. He winced as he followed Ulquiorra's flight into a car on the other side of the street. The sickening thud brought a smile to his face and he dusted himself off.
"Well, that's taken care of Ulquiorra. Now I just have to deal with our uninvited guests." He waited for the driver and passengers to get out. When he laid eyes on them he was stunned. "No! It can't be! It's those police women! Mabashi and Yoshi were both sent to stop them! That's impossible!"
Next out of the bus was a white haired guard.
"What? Ugaki and Sawatari have also failed? That's impossible! They were the prime choices from all the prisons we visited. They were the most aggressive and cunning of criminals. How could they be beaten by...By them!" Kariya clenched his fists and snarled.
"I guess I'll have to take care of everything myself! Kaien will be displeased if the plan does not succeed."
Rukia felt gentle hands lifting her. Her eyes drifted open and her first sight was of Isane, the police officer who had helped her long ago during the cage incident. Isane smiled and set her down on a seat inside a prison transporter.
"It's okay Rukia. You're gonna be okay."
"What...Happened?"
Isane chuckled. "We were hoping you could answer that. What were you doing going up against Ulquiorra? He's as dangerous as they can get!"
"Kariya...Made me..." Rukia poked her chest and Isane spotted the piece of tubing sticking out of her bust.
"Is that...A wire?" Rukia nodded. "That's insane! No-one could deceive Ulquiorra; he's a cold blooded killer. Usually the victims are dead before they even know Ulquiorra's there, let alone be able to have a conversation with him."
"I did..." Rukia whispered. "He...Sympathized with me...He wanted...To help...But..." Rukia began to sob and Isane patted her forehead softly.
"Shh, it's okay. You can tell me later. Just get some rest. You took some nasty hits."
"Ichigo...Where is Ichigo?"
Isane looked around as if looked around sheepishly as she would find him just outside. "I don't know. We actually had no idea there were prisoners here. We thought Kaien would be hiding out here..."
Rukia's eyes narrowed at the mention of that name. Her cheeks paled and she began to shiver. "Rukia? What's wrong? Are you alright?"
Rukia curled up into a ball and grasped her stomach. She groaned in agony and began to sob. Isane worried about her condition, but Rukia was blind to the world again. She was having another jumbled memory, another haunting taste of the truth, the truth that was breaking her apart, inside and out.
"So, Rukia...You really want to be a cop?" Kaien asked.
"Yeah. I've always wanted to make my brother proud..."
"Well...With the boss on leave I'm in charge. I'm pretty sure I could pull a few strings and let you into the force." He flashed her a smile and Rukia smiled back.
"Can you really do that?"
"Of course!" Kaien chuckled. "There's something I like about you Kuchiki..."
That memory cut off and another began.
Rukia and Kaien sat in a police car. Driving rain poured on the windows. Kaien glanced sideways at his companion, a wry smile on his face. "You know, it's such terrible weather...Are you sure you don't want to come inside until it blows over?"
Rukia was about to refuse his offer but then the rain got worse. She shrugged her shoulders and grinned. "Sure."
The short, ten step walk over to cover got them both drenched. Rukia shook her head and large droplets of water sprayed off. Kaien led her inside his large home and she left her soggy shoes at the door.
Once inside Rukia began to shiver. Kaien approached her and laid a warm hand on her shoulder. "You're going to catch a cold. Here." He handed Rukia a towel and a blanket. "Take off those drenched clothes and warm up in the blanket. I'll put your clothes in the dryer and they should be dry in a few minutes.
Rukia frowned cautiously but then another shiver rocked her body. Without hesitation she slipped out of her soaked uniform until she was stark naked. She dried off in front of Kaien and then draped the blanket around herself. She smiled sweetly and thanked him for his generosity.
"No problem. I'd do anything for you Rukia." The two met each others gazes and seconds later they were in each others arms, lips locked together. Kaien snaked a hand through the folds in the blanket and began to caress Rukia's bare flesh. Her skin tingled at his touch but she let him do as he wished. Soon the blanket was dropped to the floor and the two remained standing, trapped in their embrace.
Rukia shuddered at the thought of doing such things with such an evil man. It repulsed her beyond belief but worse was yet to come.
Rukia sat alone in her home. She sipped at a cup of tea while staring longingly at a wedding photo on the table, their wedding photo. She whispered loving words to the frozen couple and then took another sip of her tea.
The phone rang and she leisurely strolled over picking it up and greeting the caller casually. Then her expression faltered and in the frame of only a few seconds she was as pale as a ghost, her knuckles white.
"What? That can't be! Why?"
#Look, stay calm. They shouldn't come after you. Their fight is with me, just...Just remember that I love you Rukia.#
"Where are you?"
#No, I won't let you follow me. It's dark outside and it's too dangerous!#
"But-"
#NO! Stay where you are and be safe. I'll take care of myself!#
The phone disconnected and Rukia dropped the wireless device. "Kaien...No..." She observed her shaking hands and whimpered. "Why would the Yakuza want to kill him? It makes no sense, he did nothing wrong..."
A loud screeching outside caught her attention. She ran outside and watched an expensive black sedan speed off down the road. A logo was painted on the back of the car and Rukia's eyes narrowed.
"Yakuza!" She jumped in her car and began to give chase, desperate to protect the man she loved. "Kaien...Please be okay..."
The memories stopped there and Rukia began to scream. "Why? Why did I ever love him? How could I? It can't be real!"
Someone slapped her roughly and she fell back onto the seat, her body momentarily numb. Isane glared at her. "Calm down Rukia. This is tough for all of us but you aren't helping! We need to keep a low profile. There are guards all over the place now and they are all armed. We have to hide."
Rukia nodded and slid underneath the seat. Isane risked a peek outside and immediately sank down to the floor. Rukia looked over at her and Isane raised eight fingers. Rukia nodded and they both hid under the seats.
"Ulquiorra must be restrained! Make sure he can't move! I'll deal with the other two!" A familiar voice commanded from outside.
"Kariya." Isane whispered.
"We meet at last Officer Unohana. How nice it is to meet you. Say...where is your partner?"
"Partner? I have no idea what you are talking about." Unohana lied. Her voice was muffled through the walls of the transporter, but Rukia and Isane could still hear her clearly enough.
"Officer Kotetsu. You were her partner weren't you?" Kariya asked with a brooding menace in his calm tone.
"Isane was promoted, we work independently now. We are no longer partners." Unohana explained.
"Oh really? The why did I see her get off the bus?" Kariya suddenly roared, going over the edge. Something slammed into the side of the bus and Unohana's cries made the two women wince. "People of the law should not lie. You know that don't you officer?"
"Fuck you!" Unohana snarled.
"Oh dear, we have a fighter. Well I can fix that." Something was rammed into the side of the bus four more times and by the end there was a loud thud and then Unohana's sorrowful whimpering.
"I'm sure your friends wouldn't want to find you dead would they? Tell me where they are and I will let you go."
"Sure you will." Unohana groaned.
"I have no quarrel with you, it's just that your policewoman friend has disappeared with a prisoner and trying to sneak a prisoner out of jail is an unlawful act. As a guard it is my duty to bring her back to custody where she belongs."
"Rukia did nothing! You're just going to kill her because she knows about your organization!" A resounding slap echoed from outside and Kariya began to laugh.
"My organization? I do not manage anything. My yakuza days are behind me now. I am merely a reformed man, a defender of the law now."
"You're just a lap dog for Kaien Shiba! Where is he?" Unohana demanded.
"Kaien will turn up eventually. For now you must answer to me. Speaking of answers...Where is that police girl?" Another loud bang made the transporter shake.
Unohana coughed violently. "You'll never get any answers out of me! Give up now!"
There was a brief silence and then...
"Fine."
For a moment nothing happened, then there was a sickeningly loud bang and a wet splash. The wall of the transporter split and Unohana's mangled face burst through, right in front of Rukia. Blood gushed out from the mess that was her head and Rukia screamed hysterically.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Unohana has been killed by the cruel leader of the guards and ex-Yakuza member Kariya. How will Isane and Rukia fare up against him? Will Rukia ever find out the truth between her and Kaien or will the web of mysteries merely spread wider? Chaos reigns in this desolate little town and the battle is only just beginning!
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