Slayer Shinigami
Chapter 8
The day was beautiful; as they got further away from their old district the sun felt warmer, the colours were brighter and everything felt more peaceful. Buffy wasn't sure what it was, but her mood seemed to brighten as they got closer to their destination, and there was nothing that anyone could to that could bring her mood down.
Well, almost nothing.
"I'm bored," Ikkaku said with a sigh when they had stopped for a brief rest and some lunch. "It's too damn quiet around here, I don't like it. Everyone's staring at us because we're carrying katanas. What the hell is up with that?"
"You're whining," Buffy retorted, rolling her eyes. He'd been pleasantly quiet for the last few hours; it was only a matter of time before he started complaining about one thing or another. "Besides, it's not like the people around here need weapons; have you seen anyone else besides us carrying them? This place isn't exactly crawling with the lowlifes like back home."
"You calling me a lowlife?" Ikkaku asked. "'Cuz I gotta tell ya, you've been slumming it with the best of us so ya don't really have room to talk."
"I'm sure that's not what she meant," Yumichika said calmly. "Am I right, Buffy?"
"I've only been around here for a few weeks, I haven't had time to develop the violent and rude tendencies you have," Buffy retorted, sticking her tongue out at Ikkaku. "Besides, there are some good people, just not a lot. Like Yumichika."
"What about with those guys?" Ikkaku asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Self defence, they all attacked me first," Buffy replied with a shrug.
"And have you forgotten that fight when you first came here?" Ikkaku asked. "That one was all you. You challenged me."
"Because you'd just killed someone else, for no apparent reason except that they lost a fight," Buffy retorted. "You looked like you needed a good ass kicking to get your ego down to size, and I thought I could take you."
"But you couldn't, and you nearly got yourself killed," Ikkaku shot back.
"I was newly dead and disoriented," Buffy replied with a shrug. "I could so take you now, though."
"Excuses, excuses," Ikkaku said with a sigh. "And you so could not take me!"
"You do know that you just sounded really, really gay right there, right?" Buffy asked, arching her eyebrow. "Not that I have anything against gay people or anything like that; what you do and who you do it with are your business."
"I'm not gay!" Ikkaku exclaimed vehemently.
"Sure, whatever you say," Buffy replied with a roll of her eyes.
"And I think that's enough," Yumichika cut in, obviously annoyed. "Can't you two stop arguing for five minutes? It's so unpleasant, and it almost makes me want to go on without you."
"Oh come on, you wouldn't do that," Buffy replied. "Would you?"
"You two might just drive me to it if you keep it up," Yumichika retorted. Buffy stuck out her lower lip in a full pout. As soon as she did, Yumichika closed his eyes and turned his head away, effectively blocking the pout from his view. "That pout isn't going to work if I can't see it."
"But you wouldn't leave me alone with him, would you?" Buffy asked, jabbing her thumb at Ikkaku. "Come on, we aren't that bad!"
"Speak for yourself," Ikkaku muttered.
"Don't make me hit you again," Buffy said warningly.
"Not exactly scared of a little girlie punch," Ikkaku said with a scoff.
"You know, that bruise on your jaw is a really pretty purple," Buffy remarked. "Now, tell me again who gave that to you? Oh right, it was me."
Ikkaku scowled, but didn't say anything as they continued their meal in peace. Buffy smirked to herself but held off on doing a happy dance; after all, Ikkaku was quiet, so there was no need to provoke him.
"There, see?" Yumichika said, his voice dripping with honey. "I always knew you two could get along!"
"If I didn't like you so much, I'd smack you right about now," Buffy said with a grin.
"I'm not so generous," Ikkaku remarked sourly, moving quickly to tackle Yumichika. Buffy caught the move and sprang quickly to intercept the attack. Before long, they were rolling around in the dust, kicking up a huge cloud and mostly obscuring their scuffle from the view of the bystanders.
"What the hell is your problem, Buffy?!" Ikkaku exclaimed after Buffy had gained the upper hand. She straddled his stomach, leaning over slightly so that she could pin his arms down on either side of his head. He tried to struggle but she held fast, squeezing his arms tightly with her hands.
"Attack him again and I'll break your arm. Both of them," Buffy said quietly, her eyes narrowed. She knew, instinctively, that Yumichika could have easily handled himself, but she honestly didn't like the idea of someone harming a person she considered hers. Woah, where the hell did that come from? she thought suddenly.
"You're fucking crazy, lady," Ikkaku said, his eyes wide. She was still glaring at him; the gaze unnerved him. It also stirred something else inside of him, something he'd rather not think about. It was the first time he had seen any evidence of the strong, vicious fighter he had heard so much about, both from the rumours that had been circulating since she had arrived and the stories she told Yumichika a couple of times. She had sparred with Yumichika several times, and each time they had drawn a crowd. He had heard that, had she been going all out with an intent to kill, she probably would have been successful. Then, of course, there was that incident with the three thugs when he had been out and injured. Since he hadn't seen her in action, he had shrugged it off as the ramblings of half crazy people who had been hit in the head too many times and a crazy woman who liked attention far too much. However, he was beginning to believe the rumours were true.
"Buffy!" Yumichika's voice broke through the haze of dust. She blinked when he touched her shoulder, breaking her out of her semi-trance. She looked down, her eyes locking with Ikkaku's. For a moment, time seemed to stand still.
"You think you could get off of me any time soon?" Ikkaku asked with a lazy smirk. "Not that I'm complaining or anything, but I think people are starting to stare."
"Oh crap, I'm so sorry," Buffy said, her eyes widening before she scrambled off of him. Ikkaku easily got to his feet as Buffy scrambled away.
"Come on, let's get going," Ikkaku said, turning around and walking away. He glanced over his shoulder. "You two coming?"
"We'll catch up in a second, you go on ahead," Yumichika said as he grabbed Buffy by the arm and dragged her to where they had had their short-lived meal. He waited until Ikkaku was out of earshot, cleaning up and packing away their things as he did so. "What the hell was that all about?!"
"I – I don't know," Buffy said quietly, now ashamed. Jumping in front of him, protecting him, had to be one of the most insulting things she could have done. "I just… didn't like the idea of someone attacking you. I just… Iprotectmyown."
"Pardon?" Yumichika asked as he hitched the bag onto his shoulder. "I didn't catch that last part."
"Oh god, now that I'm out of the moment this is so embarrassing," Buffy said with a sigh. Oh well, might as well get this over with, she thought, taking a deep breath. "I protect my own. I think I've always been that way, especially since I got the strength to actually do it. I know it's embarrassing to be protected by a girl, especially one that looks all girly and ditzy and delicate, but I couldn't help it. It's just… instinct, I guess." She stood there, hanging her head and keeping her eyes to the ground.
"Is that all?" Yumichika asked, amused. Buffy looked up, her eyes widening when she saw that there were no traces of embarrassing or shame on his face. In fact, he looked downright please with a healthy dose of amused thrown in. "And here I thought it was just another unprovoked attack on Ikkaku."
"I rarely attack unprovoked. But I'm kind of like a mama bear – mess with the people I care about and I'll maul you beyond all recognition," Buffy replied She smiled hopefully. "So, you're not mad at me?"
"Mad, why would I be mad?" Yumichika asked with an arched eyebrow. "It's not like everyone thinks you're completely harmless anyway; nearly everyone in our old district had seen you in action in one way or another. Besides, it's been a while since someone has accepted me as their own, so I'm not going to complain about that."
"So… we cool?" Buffy asked, still apprehensive.
"Yeah, we're good," Yumichika agreed, slinging an arm around Buffy's shoulders, grinning at her. "Now come on, before Ikkaku starts to worry."
"Like he'd be worried about me," Buffy scoffed. "You? Yes. Me? Not so much. He's probably happy that I'm currently far, far away from him."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Yumichika said with a knowing smile as he squeezed her shoulder one more time before releasing it. Buffy was still in the dark about how Ikkaku had sat by her beside and watched as she slept. He didn't really plan on telling her anytime soon, either; there was no need to completely ruin Ikkaku's reputation just yet.
"What are you talking about?" Buffy asked, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.
"Nothing, never mind, forget I said anything," Yumichika said, waving his hand dismissively.
"Hmm, okay," Buffy said, although she had no intention of forgetting about it. She made a mental note to bring it up later, but decided that, for now, it was would be a bad idea to press the issue further. The time would come for that later. She smiled brightly and linked her arm through Yumichika's, leading him in the direction she had seen Ikkaku head when he had left. "Come on, let's go and find cue-ball and get this part of our trip over and done with."
"That's more like the girl I like to see," Yumichika said with a smile of his own, allowing Buffy to take the lead. "So, how do you propose we'll find Ikkaku?"
"I was thinking I would just look for the sun glinting off of a bald head," Buffy replied with a shrug.
"Don't let him hear you say that," Yumichika said with a sigh. "He's rather sensitive about his head, you know. Claims it's shaven."
"Really?" Buffy asked, arching an eyebrow. "Big, scary Ikkaku has a hang-up over his bald head? I seriously find that really hard to believe."
"Well he does, and I beg you not to mention it," Yumichika said, his voice pleading. "I don't want to deal with a sulking, moping Ikkaku. He's no fun that way."
"Fine," Buffy said with a sigh. "But you so owe me."
"And I'm confident that you'll collect in due time," Yumichika said. Something caught his attention, and he turned his gaze to something up ahead. "Hey, isn't that Ikkaku up ahead?"
Buffy followed his gaze and, sure enough, Ikkaku was several feet ahead of them, walking at a pretty fast clip. She smirked to herself; he didn't seem to realize that they were following him yet.
"Wait here, I have an idea," Buffy said quietly, disengaging her arm from Yumichika's and quickly but silently creeping up behind Ikkaku.
"What the hell is she doing?" Yumichika said to himself as he watched Buffy, hoping that this wouldn't end horribly.
She stalked Ikkaku, keeping out of his peripheral vision as she drew closer to him. As soon as she was close enough, she clapped a hand on his shoulder and leaned her face close to his ear.
"Gotcha," she whispered with a grin. Ikkaku jumped slightly, whirling around quickly to see who had snuck up on him. Relaxing as his face spread into a lazy smirk when he saw that it was only Buffy, who stood there with her hands on her hips and a triumphant smirk on her own face.
"I knew you were there the entire time," Ikkaku said with a scoff. "Where's Yumichika?"
"Sure you did," Buffy replied with a snort. She'd intended on leaping up and jumping on him, latching onto his shoulders, but thought better of it. Sneaking up and startling him seemed less life threatening than an all out surprise attack. Thankfully, she'd been right. "And Yumi…"
"Is right here," Yumichika said, reaching the pair at that moment. "Good to see you're still alive."
"Ikkaku wouldn't hurt me, would you Ikkaku?" Buffy replied, linking her left arm with Ikkaku's right before grabbing Yumichika and linking her right arm with her left. "Come on guys, let's get this show on the road."
"Okay Yumichika, what the hell did you do to her?" Ikkaku asked over her head, arching an eyebrow.
"No idea, but I like this version of her," Yumichika replied with a shrug. "Don't you?"
"Stop talking about me like I'm deaf or something," Buffy said with a huff. "Just because you two are taller than me and you can look at each other over the top of my head, it doesn't mean I can't hear you."
Both men remained silent, and Buffy smirked to herself. She had the feeling that both of them were slowly but surely becoming wrapped around her little fingers, especially Yumichika; Ikkaku was probably fighting it with everything he had, and he was losing. It hadn't been her intention, not by a long shot, but she was pleased about it all the same.
The slightly odd-looking trio walked through the crowds of Rukongai, breezing through the districts with ease. They garnered a few odd looks; after all, it wasn't every day people saw a tough-looking bald guy, an effeminate-looking dark haired man and a dainty-looking blonde girl – because at her size most hesitated to call her a woman – in the company of each other. Save for a few annoyed glares from Ikkaku, the curious gazes were largely ignored.
Before what seemed like no time at all, they were in the first numbered district of Rukongai, the closest one could get to Seiretei without actually being in Seiretei.
"And here we are," Yumichika said softly, looking forward. They could see Seiretei just beyond the boundary of the first district, shimmering a short distance away. Yumichika and Ikkaku disengaged themselves from Buffy and headed towards Seiretei.
"Uh guys, I don't think that's a good idea," Buffy said, following behind them, albeit at a slower pace. She couldn't quite explain it, but she had the feeling that things weren't as they appeared to be.
Sure enough, out of nowhere a wall slammed down into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. Buffy jogged slightly to close the distance between herself and her stunned companions.
"How… how did you… ?" Ikkaku asked, his surprised gaze sliding from the wall to Buffy and back again.
"Not everything is as it appears," Buffy replied with a shrug. "Something seemed fishy, and I was right."
"Yeah, yeah, don't rub it in," Ikkaku grumbled.
Just then, there was a huge commotion and another figure, a man, jumped down from presumably a great height and landed in front of them. But this was no ordinary man. He was absolutely massive, a thirty foot tall wall of muscle. His expression was serious, surveying the trio he dwarfed.
"I am Jidanbo Ikkanzaka, gatekeeper of the West Gate," he boomed. "What is your business in Seiretei?"
Yumichika grabbed Buffy by the arm and pulled her to the forefront of the group, nudging her forward.
"What do you think you're doing?" Buffy hissed at him over her shoulder, narrowing her eyes.
"Tell him why we're here," Yumichika hissed back. "He might be more likely to listen to you."
"Why, because I'm a girl?" Buffy asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Yeah, that's exactly right," Ikkaku replied, rolling his eyes. "Now do it! He looks pissed."
"You two so owe me," Buffy muttered before turning her attention to the massive hulk of a man standing in front of her. "Um, hi, we're here to apply to the Shinigami Academy. Can you help us?"
"What are your names?" Jidanbo asked.
"I am Yumichika Ayasegawa, this Ikkaku Madarame, and the lady here is my sister, Buffy," Yumichika spoke up, stepping forward. Buffy glanced at him, arching an eyebrow but remaining silent. He glanced back, his eyes pleading. She remained quiet, but that didn't mean she'd remain silent forever. There were definitely a lot of things that they needed to talk about, but this was definitely not the time.
"You may enter," Jidanbo said after a moment of consideration. He turned and crouched, wedging his fingers under the gate and lifting with all of his might. "Enter now, there will be some Shinigami on the other side waiting to help you. Good luck, little ones."
Ikkaku looked like he was about to say something about being called "little", considering he was approximately six feet tall, but Buffy grabbed his arm and dragged him through the gate before he could. They were almost there.
"So you're the three new Shinigami Academy hopefuls?"
They turned their attention to the voice. An old man was standing there, wearing a black and white outfit. They looked around; everyone they saw was wearing the same thing, in one form or another, so it must have been a uniform of some sort. Buffy didn't know about her two companions, but she was feeling rather underdressed and shabby.
"Yeah, that's us," Ikkaku said with a smirk. "Follow me, then. You need to pass the entrance exam before you will be allowed to register," the old man said before turning and walking away.
"Entrance exam?" Buffy asked as she followed the man. "No one said anything about an entrance exam!"
"We didn't know about it either, so don't blame us," Ikkaku said sourly.
Buffy bit her tongue and clenched her fists, choosing to keep quiet and in control of her annoyance. She was rather proud of herself; had they had been anywhere else, she would have at the very least popped Ikkaku on the back of the head for a remark like that.
"It's a simple exam, where we will test your fighting ability and your spiritual power," the old man explained once they had reached a large, imposing, pristine building. "It will also gauge which classes you will need to take at the academy; depending on your skill, you may be able to test out of some areas, which will shorten your training and make your entrance to the Thirteen Squads. Are you ready for your exam?"
"As ready as I'll ever be," Yumichika replied.
"Sure, why not?" Buffy agreed.
"Let's just get this crap over and done with," Ikkaku said, sounding cranky. Buffy glanced at him; even though his voice expressed displeasure, she could see a glint of anticipation in his eyes. He was as excited, if not more, about this as she and Yumichika were.
"Then follow me and we will begin," the old man said, leading them into the large building.
***
I'm really sorry this took so long; I honestly haven't had the time to write. Not sure when the next one will be ready; between cleaning, packing, moving and work, I won't have much time in the next few weeks.