The Bird of Hermes is my name; eat my wings to make me tame.
I really am sorry that this update is so late everyone, but life gave me a run for my money and I just didn't have time to write at all, chapter's a bit shorter than some of the last ones , but I felt like I was beginning to ramble as I kept going. My thanks to everyone that reviewed the last chapter and I hope you will enjoy this one.
Disclaimer: All characters are property of their respective owners, of which I am not.
"Normal speech"
"Kido/Zanpakuto release"
Thoughts
"Alucard/Kurohime"
'Ichigo and Tatsuki's link'
XXX
Chapter 13: Sweet, Sweet Revenge.
As Ichigo, Rukia and Tatsuki were making their way back to the Kurosaki household, Ichigo broached the question that had been nagging him since Rukia showed up, "Rukia, why exactly are you here? First Renji shows up and now you, while I don't mind you two being here, it seems as if the talk I had with the old man to leave the town to Tatsuki and I was pointless."
Rukia looked at him, while he kept his eyes forward. "I don't know Ichigo, it is strange to have more than one soul reaper here, but I was ordered to be assigned here to assist with the solving the town's current troubles."
"I see," Ichigo said as he continued walking.
"What of your powers, have they fully returned to you?" Tatsuki asked.
"Unfortunately no, I'm still stuck in this gigai whilst I'm here, thankfully this one won't be trying to drain me of my powers," Rukia said as she stretched her arms in front of her.
They continued on in silence, sneaking into Ichigo's room through his window. Rukia slid open the door to the closest seeing the futon she used still laid out inside.
"Hang on Rukia, are you telling me that you used to sleep in Ichigo's closest when you first stayed here?" Tatsuki asked peeking over her shoulder.
"Well yeah, I needed to be near him to both relay orders and help him out of his body," Rukia said confused as to why Tatsuki was asking.
"A girl in your closest for several months and you don't try and get her in the sack? I'm surprised at you Ichigo," Tatsuki said as she turned back to her boyfriend.
"Give me some credit," Ichigo said as he entered his body once again and stretched himself out on his bed, "back then I was more focussed on other things and I wasn't as forward as I am now. Anyway what exactly are you going to do tomorrow Rukia?"
Crawling into her bed Rukia looked over her shoulder at him. "I would've thought that was obvious," she said as she slid the door closed.
"What? But that didn't answer anything," Ichigo complained while Tatsuki curled up next to him.
"Quiet down you, I'm trying to sleep here," Tatsuki said mumbling into his chest.
Ichigo stared between his sleeping lover and the door to his closest in exasperation as both of his female friends silenced him. Hearing laughter coming from his inner world he raised an eyebrow.
"Forgive me master," Alucard said still chuckling, "but you are so whipped." Ichigo gritted his teeth as he imagined his zanpakuto spirit rolling on the floor laughing his head off at him. Still grumbling to himself he fell asleep a few minutes later.
XXX
Hours later as dawn began to break over Karakura town, Ichigo found himself roused from his slumber. Peering around he noticed nothing out of the ordinary and his senses told him that neither Rukia nor Tatsuki had yet to wake up. A mischievous grin spread across his face as he gently eased himself out from under Tatsuki and tip-toed toward his closest. Sliding the door open as quietly as possible, he lifted Rukia free of her bed, carrying her over to his where he laid her down as gently as he could next to Tatsuki. As he finished tucking them in he drew down the blanket slightly exposing them both, before moving to open the window slightly. As the cool breeze swept through the room, he watched as both girls reacted to the cold by unconsciously moving closer to each other. He bit his lip to stifle his laughter when Tatsuki wrapped her arms around Rukia's waist pulling her in closer, while Rukia responded in kind. The grin still plastered to his face, he crept out of the room with his clothes in hand, and hoping to have a shower and make it back in time before either of them woke up.
XXX
A few minutes later Ichigo walked back into his room fully clothed and nearly fell over laughing at how the girls positions had shifted in the time he was gone. They were still facing each other, but now Rukia had nuzzled between Tatsuki's breasts while Tatsuki absently rubbed the petite soul reaper's derriere. Approaching them as quietly as possible, Ichigo nudged Tatsuki's shoulder slightly.
"Hey Tats, it's time to get up now," he said.
"Just a few more minutes Ichigo," Tatsuki said as she nuzzled into Rukia's hair, "And since when did you use a lavender scented shampoo?"
Tatsuki's fidgeting had roused Rukia slightly causing her to grumble from their voices as she nuzzled deeper into what she though was her pillow. "Can't you two be a bit quieter, some of us are trying to sleep," she mumbled.
Tatsuki moaned from Rukia's actions giving her bottom a squeeze in return. "Sorry Rukia, but Ichigo's being less than fair in waking me up," Tatsuki breathed out.
"Uh before you two go and get any more comfortable with one another, might I suggest that you open your eyes and look where you are," Ichigo said with a grin on his face.
Confused as to his meaning both Tatsuki and Rukia opened their eyes taking in their surroundings. When the head below her was more black than orange, it was the first sign of confusion for a half awake Tatsuki. Then when she ran her hands up the petite soul reaper's body from where they had been resting she blurted out, "Since when did you get so short Ichigo?"
Rukia was having similar thoughts as she couldn't remember when her pillow had been so lumpy and yet so soft. Tatsuki's comment about being short though drove home the point of where she was causing her to blush ten shades of red from her compromising position.
Tatsuki also caught on once she heard Ichigo's laughter from behind her and not from the body she held in her arms. The scene played out almost comically as both girls shot off in opposite directions from each other, though as wrapped up in the blanket and each other as they were they didn't get very far. Landing in her lump of blankets and limbs Ichigo burst out laughing from how tangled they were, leaving the room as they hurled curses in his direction.
XXX
As the three walked to school Rukia and Tatsuki still had slight blushes while Ichigo was grinning from ear to ear. Arriving at the school grounds, Ichigo was not surprised when everyone knew who Rukia was, though hearing Uryu's squawk of surprise almost had him rolling on the floor in laughter again.
"I'm guessing you modified everyone's memory," Ichigo whispered to Rukia as they headed to a shady spot near the trees for lunch.
"Of course," Rukia said pulling out a strange sweet dispenser with a rabbit head attached by a spring. "This is a Kikanshinki Deluxe; it allows me to modify the memories of humans. So as far as anyone else knows the student Rukia Kuchiki has been here since the start of term."
Lunch proceeded as normal with Orihime offering her strange creations to everyone to try, while everyone politely declined already prepared with varying excuses.
Ichigo smiled as he watched his friends with smiles on their faces. While he wouldn't assume that they were happy, they were at the very least content for the moment. His thoughts were interrupted when Ririn poked her head out of Tatsuki's pocket slightly whispering to her.
'A Bount has appeared not too far from here,' Tatsuki said over their link while she shared a look with Chad, Orihime, Rukia and Uryu. The six of them sprang to their feet, charging off in pursuit, sparing only a brief word of explanation to their friends. Along the way Ichigo and Tatsuki swallowed their respective mod souls freeing their soul forms from their bodies.
"Kon, you and Ririn are to assist Uryu and Rukia when we get there, Noba and Kurodo assist them where you can. Orihime, Chad I want you two to focus on helping their victim. Tatsuki and I will be on the frontlines to draw their attention," Ichigo called over his shoulder as they drew near to where they sensed the Bount.
When they finally arrived they found themselves in the shipping and receiving area for a nearby warehouse. Looking around they spied the remains of one victim while the Bount from the last night, Ryo if Ichigo recalled correctly, restrained another.
"More pointless distractions yet again," Ryo said in boredom. "Why is it you can't simply allow me to have my meal in peace soul reapers?"
"Are we really going to have to go over this again?" Ichigo said with a sigh. "You're consuming the souls of living humans, thus killing them and I have no intention of allowing that to continue."
"So a fight is inevitable then, very well I'll humour you. Show yourself, Fried," Ryo called as he held a gold pocket watch in his hand. After a moment though, it had transformed into a long gold whip, which he proceeded to gouge lines into the ground with.
"Well now that's new," Ichigo said as the group leapt back to avoid the blows, "What happened to your pet snakes that you paraded around last night?"
"All in good time soul reaper, Fried are the preparations complete?" Ryo asked his doll.
"Of course, it was simple," Fried said as she coiled herself around Ryo's neck. Her began eyes to glow as her ability activated, creating grey replicas of herself from the gouges in the ground.
"I see, you can create more minions from the lines gouged out in the ground, but that's not the extent of your ability is it? After all we both know you first tried to restrain me using iron pipes yesterday," Ichigo said as he watched the snakes surround the group.
"So you're not as dumb as you look," Ryo said slightly surprised. "You are correct of course; I can turn almost anything I want into a snake using my imagination." As if to prove his point, Fried activated her ability once more causing ropes, the strap that Orihime used to carry Kurodo with and the nearby barricades to transform into snakes.
"Well this is annoying," Tatsuki said as the snakes charged at the group. While she and Ichigo flitted around in flash step dealing vicious blows that caused the snakes to revert back into their original forms, Orihime, Chad and Rukia were trying to reach the unconscious woman.
Unknown to them, several of the snakes were closing in on Uryu while everyone else was occupied. As the three of them reached the woman and pulled her to safety, a strangled gasp cut through the air. Turning to its source they found Uryu in the coiled grip of one of the snakes, its teeth a fingers breath away from his jugular.
Ichigo's scowled as his eyes scanned the area for the mod souls, only to see they were also fighting off several snakes. Reaching into his coat for a weapon he was stopped by Ryo's voice.
"Now, now we'll be having none of that," Ryo said as the snake holding Uryu slithered over to him, "after all I wouldn't want to spoil what would most probably be a most interesting meal."
Before any of them could retaliate, a fireball rocketed toward them causing them to scatter. Looking up they saw the Bount that Ichigo had fought last night. As they prepared to counter this new threat, they were further surprised when her doll attacked Fried's clones. Diving into the fray, she grabbed Uryu before leaping to the rooftops once again and disappearing with her doll in tow.
"Tatsuki, you and the others go after her and get Ishida back, I'll deal with this guy," Ichigo said sharing a look with her.
Nodding her head in understanding, she and the others departed after Yoshino.
"You're not getting away," Ryo said as he directed his minions to cut the group off. They were decimated though in a hail of gunfire. Looking for the source, his eyes landed on Ichigo with both pistols drawn.
"I didn't give you permission to leave yet," Ichigo said as he holstered them both. "In fact you've really gone and pissed me off now and since there's no one in the immediate area anymore that could be hurt by it, I think I could afford to use a little bit more of my power on you," Ichigo finished as his fedora dispersed into reishi and his eyes gained their black sclera and red irises. The wind picked up greatly, kicking up dirt and debris causing it to spin around the yard as Ichigo's reiatsu swirled around him. The sky darkened and left Ryo confused as it seemed the sun itself was being swallowed.
Ryo felt a very real shiver when Ichigo directed a glare filled with hate and madness at him. Tasting the air around him, he flinched as it reflected nothing but pure intent to maim and hurt those in the area. "Just what are you, no soul reaper possesses an aura of such malevolence," he said in a combination of anger and fear. His fear increased tenfold though when Ichigo's body seemed to disperse into thin air.
"Really now, this taste of my power and already you're ready to bolt like a scared child?" came Ichigo's voice from the darkness, causing Ryo to whirl around trying to find him. "Really now I was expecting much more of you. Don't you have some sort of trump card left to help yourself in this situation, if not I can't promise you a quick death."
"Don't underestimate me soul reaper," Ryo called out into the darkness. "Fried, are your preparations complete?"
"Of course," the doll said as a glowing rune formed beneath Ryo's feet. As Ryo scanned the area, he noticed several pillars of snakes erupting from the ground.
"Do you see now soul reaper, it doesn't matter if I cannot see you for here in the area of Fried's snake net, the faintest vibration is enough for us to attack you with," Ryo gloated as he watched the pillars continue to erupt. His laughter was ended though by Ichigo's voice behind him.
"You Bount really seem to enjoy not looking at your enemy, is it some kind of fighting style?" Ichigo asked. Ryo could not answer as he felt an immense pain erupt from his chest. Blood leaking from his mouth and staining his clothing, he looked down at the source and found Ichigo's arm had stabbed him from behind, cutting through his flesh with ease.
"H-How?" Ryo managed to stammer out as he looked at Ichigo over his shoulder. He cried out in pain as Ichigo twisted his arm before withdrawing it from him.
"How did I evade your ability you mean?" Ichigo asked as he observed his foe dispassionately. "Quite simple really, you're not the only one that has minions at his beck and call. And since you were so interested on where they appeared to be, well it was child's play to walk up to you."
Ichigo looked on curiously as Ryo breathed his last breath causing his body to age rapidly, before turning to dust and scattering in a gust of wind. "Well now, I wonder how the others are coming along," he said as he donned his fedora and walked off supressing his reiatsu once again and allowing the light to filter back into the area.
XXX
As the rest of the teens rushed off after Yoshino, Tatsuki growled as the Bount easily outstripped the gigai or human bodies of her friends. "You guys catch up when you can, I'm going on ahead," she said as she tapped into her aspect of speed, the obsidian wings sprouting from her back as her outfit shifted. Leaving the rest of them in a cloud of dust, she leapt to the rooftops to pursue their target more easily.
As Yoshino looked over her shoulder, she was surprised by the speeding teen about to intercept her. "Goethe!" she called as Tatsuki was just a fingers breath away from grabbing her.
Tatsuki caught sight of a flaming fist in her peripheral vision with the intent of taking her head off and ducked at the last second. Off balance, she slid to a halt on the roof of a warehouse, gouging the roof tiles from her rough landing. Looking up she saw the same flaming doll that Ichigo had fought last night.
"Going to have to do better than that big guy," she taunted as she adopted a fighting stance.
In response to her taunts, Goethe began charging a fireball in each hand before sending them hurtling towards her.
Grinning like a madwoman, Tatsuki raised her hands as if to catch them while summoning her gauntlets. As the fireballs were about to hit her, the gauntlets ignited in flames as she caught the two projectiles.
"You're not the only one that can throw fire at other people, now why don't you just give up and put down my friend and I won't hurt you," Tatsuki said as her face turned serious.
"I'm afraid that I can't do that," Yoshino said as she gripped Uryu tighter. "Goethe, get rid of them."
"Get rid of them? Understood," the doll repeated as it charged its attack once more.
Assuming a guard stance, Tatsuki was caught off-guard when the attack was instead fired at the area behind her. Tracing its path she cringed as it closed in on her friends who had yet to notice the speeding projectile. Pushing herself as fast as she could, she narrowly absorbed the flames as her friends rounded the corner into its path. As the flames died away revealing her unharmed, she looked around for the doll once again and was frustrated when she saw it and Yoshino had escaped in the distraction.
"Ririn," she yelled turning to face the mod soul, "can you still track her from here?"
Ririn scrunched up her face, or rather Tatsuki's face as she concentrated trying to discern the Bount's reiatsu. Opening her eyes again she sighed in defeat. "I'm sorry, but she's too far gone for my senses to track," she said as she faced the group.
Cursing to herself, Tatsuki shook with anger, stilling when Ichigo's voice carried over to them.
"I take it you guys lost her then?" his tone while gentle, shook them to their core.
"Unfortunately," Rukia spoke up, "but it couldn't be helped seeing as she caught us unaware, forcing Tatsuki to step in to protect us." Ichigo turned his gaze on Tatsuki and she felt herself fidget under his piercing gaze.
Seeing her nervousness, he smiled at her reassuringly. 'My little protector, don't worry too much over this, for if you hadn't acted how many other friends would we have lost today. I doubt that woman is planning to feed on Ishida, for all I felt from her was sorrow,' Ichigo said over their mental link.
Turning back to his friends, Ichigo continued "I took care of the other Bount, so at least he will no longer be a problem. For now let's head back to Urahara's and think up a plan, while we get everyone looked over." The group nodded in agreement and set off to Kisuke's shop to regroup.
XXX
As they arrived at the shop Kisuke invited them inside for tea. While Jinta and Ururu served everyone, Ichigo broached the subject that had been on his and Alucard's mind.
"Urahara-san, do you know why the Bount have chosen this time to surface exactly and why break from their normal ways now?" Ichigo asked accepting his cup.
"As to why they have surfaced now, I have no answer to that. What I do know is that they are gathering their strength for some purpose unknown," Kisuke said as he brought out his fan. "What will you do now Kurosaki-san; by all accounts it seems as if they are picking you off one by one."
Ichigo smirked at Kisuke, "For now we wait. From what I could tell from the barest of emotions, she's not planning on harming Ishida in anyway. As such we wait for them to make a move and if they attempt to kidnap someone else we'll be ready to deal with them. I'm sure you remember how I deal with such acts."
Everyone at the table except Rukia and Tatsuki, shivered at the memory of how Ichigo had acted in his rage. Rukia because she had yet to hear the story, while Tatsuki knew that sometimes such actions were necessary.
Their meeting was interrupted when Tessai burst into the room. "We've just received a message from Ishida-san, it seems that he's in the hospital, but fine overall," he said and everyone let loose a sigh of relief.
"Well then," Ichigo said as he stood up, "why don't we go pay Ishida a visit and find out what happened to him."
XXX
And that's chapter 13 finished. Alas poor Ryo I knew him well, A Bount of infinite jest. But then again honestly did anyone really expect him to live past his second encounter with Ichigo?
Just a small bit of insight on why Tatsuki reacts the way she does whenever Ichigo gives her a task and she either completes it or fails, she is just unconsciously trying to please him. A fact he knows of, but something she has yet to realise, as such he feels the need to reassure her that she is doing well.
I've been hinting at it of course, but the next lemon I write will probably be a TatsxIchixRuki threesome, not due for a while though. Poor female soul reapers I simply can't decide whether the teasing is worth it to them. Now I honestly do not want to include Orihime (personal preference as well as the sister-like relationship she shares with the two of them) as a guest appearance for IchixTat's relationship, but what do you guys think of their classmates being at least teased as well?
So like, love, hate or meh. Let me know which parts could use work etc. in your reviews please.