Disclaimer: Bleach and all characters in it are the property of Tite Kubo and Shonen Jump. This fanfic is not being written for profit, but because I like doing this.
As before, reviews are welcome, as is constructive criticism. In the case of the later, be brutally honest, but don't be abusive, please. And flames will used to roast marshmallows and make s'mores.
No reviews since 6/5/11, but that's okay. I have some more people going Story Alert and/or Favorite Author; in this case it's The Kataklyst, Neo Juubi no Ryu, Nexus the 13th, unweymexicano and DarkScyther. Welcome aboard, people, I hope I don't wind up disappointing!
And now we have a little fighting for our heroines (after all, Bleach is an 'action' series)...
Tatsuki hadn't expected to see the new transfer student again that day, and certainly not in what was almost literally the middle of Karakura. But as she and Orihime made their way in the late afternoon rush of people and traffic, she could definitely see Kuchiki Rukia running down the sidewalk near an old shrine while messing with her cell-phone.
And Ichigo was nowhere to be seen...
Tatsuki couldn't help but smirk at the sight.
What, honey, you scare your new boyfriend off?
Maybe, just maybe, the two of them could avoid the short girl, if Orihime didn't notice-
"Oh, hey Kuchiki-san; what are you doing here?"
Well, so much for that small hope.
Rukia stopped dead and turned her head up, and Tatsuki couldn't help but note the confused and startled look on the new girl's face. It only lasted a second before Rukia put on a beaming smile, but it got Tatsuki's attention.
New girl trying to get somewhere in a hurry and thought she was all alone, and not in a bad way... Okay, what are you up to little Miss Kuchiki, and what does it have to do with Ichigo?
"Oh, hi there Inoue-san...and...uhm..."
"Arisawa...Arisawa Tatsuki...nice to meet you...again."
"Sorry about that. I'll try to make sure I remember it from now on."
Rukia was making a point of looking embarrassed at not knowing her other visitor's name. Which kind of tweaked Tatsuki; after all, if Ichigo was going out with this girl, the least he could have done was tell her the name of his oldest friend.
Oh well, it doesn't matter I guess; but still...
"Uhm, Kuchiki-san, wasn't Kurosaki-kun with you when you left school?"
Thank you, Orihime-chan...
Rukia looked even more uncomfortable, as though she didn't want to say anything for fear of looking foolish. But there was something real to her discomfort this time...
You really don't want us to know, do you? In fact, you really want us to go away so you can do...whatever...
"Well, you see, Ichigo had to take care of some business and..."
"...he left you by the side of the road; how romantic."
Orihime turned towards Tatsuki at the arch answer.
"Tatsuki-chan, that's just rude. I mean you heard her: when a guy's got to go, he's got to go."
Tatsuki looked down towards the shrine and sighed.
"Yeah, I'm sorry I shouldn't have been like that. Please forgive me, Kuchiki-san."
"You're forgiven."
Peasant: there was something in Rukia's words just now that made Tatsuki's mind tack that one to the end, and she couldn't help but feel her blood start to boil a little. The girl was trying to hide it but...
You think you're hot shit, don't you Miss Kuchiki? ... Calm down...Orihime-chan seems to like this girl...so don't blow up on her...
Tatsuki internally took in a calming breath and let it out, and then tried to rack her brain to figure a way for her and Orihime to gracefully exit. She could see that the ginger-haired teen was looking at her funny.
"Tatsuki-chan, are you okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine."
Tatsuki wasn't sure herself what was going on. Lately she'd been having little bouts of...'intuition' was all she could call it. And right now there was something about Rukia and what she was doing that made Tatsuki uncomfortable, something that made her feel Ichigo was in trouble...
Maybe it was just the presence of a shrine Ichigo had avoided the past half decade...
"Calling your friends back home about the shinigami shrine, Kuchiki-san?"
Tatsuki heard the cheery question from Orihime and quickly looked towards the shorter student to see her reaction. She was still about as peppy-looking as Orihime and still wanted to be on her way, but there was something in Rukia's eyes that said she was surprised about the nature of the shrine.
Tatsuki had been here plenty of times before; it was simply a stone pillar set in a small patch of grass, with a space out front for offerings and incense. It was no big deal, since nobody came here except to keep the place clean.
Rukia shook her head in apparent wonder and pointed at the object of conversation.
"Who would build a shrine to...well...?"
"...a death god?"
Orihime's cheery answer seemed to momentarily stun Rukia.
Didn't like that answer, did you?
Orihime continued, oblivious to Rukia's reaction.
"I don't know who would build something like that. But it's been around for a long time, hasn't it Tatsuki-chan?"
Tatsuki nodded.
"It's almost a local landmark, though nobody wants to talk about it. Actually, if you're really interested I think Ishida-san's family was the one that erected it. Good luck getting that iceberg to tell you anything, though."
Rukia arched an eyebrow.
"I think I could warm him up."
I bet you could...
"How about warming us up first?"
Oh, crap...
Tatsuki could hear the sound of motorcycles and a number of screams from around them as said bikes came up way to fast, and then went right up to the curb. She turned around fast enough to see...yup, it was some jerks from the White Tengu...parking their half dozen bikes and getting off them to begin swaggering towards their next victims.
She couldn't shake her head hard enough at the sight of them.
Seriously, where the hell did these guys come from, Central Casting?
All of them wore the long overcoat, open in the front to show taped up chests, all of them wore surgical masks to hide their faces, and all of them had their hair in greased up pompadours. The only real difference was in their height and builds, and the effect was of some Elvis competition gone wrong.
But there was nothing comical about their movements, or the fact that they were looking at the three girls as their next 'kill'.
At that moment, Orihime decided to turn around to face the approaching threat, and the bikers stopped and gawked as one at the sight.
Oh gods...
"Hey, would you look at that!"
"Whoo-hoo!"
"Not baaaad!"
Oh, for crying out loud...
"Hey, Hiroshi, you want that one? She's stacked!"
While the other boys – Tatsuki now refused to call them 'men' – laughed at the crude remark, a tall, lanky biker came up to Orihime with a more controlled, appraising look in his eye. 'Hiroshi' looked a now-visibly worried Orihime up and down, while Rukia just stood her ground, apparently not wanting to start a fight herself.
If that asshole makes Orihime cry...
"Hey, baby...you're looking good...looking very good."
"Well, uhm...thank you, I-"
Tatsuki looked and noticed that Rukia was trying hard to edge her way out of the area. At least until Hiroshi and a couple of the bousouzoku noticed and made eye contact with her.
"And where do you think you're going, little lady?"
Even as Tatsuki saw Rukia silently swear, 'Hiroshi' turned to his friends and waved his arm to include everyone present. Among them was the idiot with a length of chain who was getting entirely too close to Tatsuki for his own good.
"Gentlemen, how about we show these fine ladies a good time?"
The rest of the bousouzoku shouted in the affirmative.
Tatsuki was unimpressed and showed it.
"What, you boys are going to take us on a ride through the city? Well beat it, before you get your butts kicked!"
The bikers showed their own lack of respect for Tatsuki's words, and she could see Rukia and Orihime's resolve begin to build. Orihime faced down – or up, as the case was – Hiroshi and set herself.
"Yeah...Yeah! Get out of here!"
A bit of a smile came over Rukia's lips, something that reminded Tatsuki of her.
"Or come on, and see if all you tough guys can take on a bunch of girls."
I guess that girl's tougher than she looks...
Hiroshi just shook his head sadly and started walking away from the girls a safe distance, and then waved his 'men' forward.
"Guys, kick their pretty little asses."
The other five gang members started forward, and the one with the chain swung his weapon at Tatsuki. To his utter surprise, she caught the weapon and let it wrap itself around her forearm. She grimaced at the pain of iron through her school uniform while she looked to make sure Rukia and Orihime were readying themselves for the onslaught.
Then Tatsuki turned back to the biker and gave him a feral smile. She could already feel her blood begin to sing...
"Let's see how many of you martial arts extras we can kick ass on."
"You know, I've been having a few thoughts about our new friend from the Soul Society."
"I take it it's not a pretty picture?"
"Probably about as pretty as what is in front of you right now."
Even as she listened to Hana's words through the earphone, Shaolin kept her eyes on the massive Hollow in front of her. The thing had just come through a rift in the air a minute or so before, and the assassin had only just had enough time to throw her bag aside and pull the reishi 'sword' before the beast sized her up for a fight.
Several meters behind her on the small grassy field was the mother and son Pluses the Hollow had almost certainly come after. Both of them were obviously terrified, but they were staying put, the mother holding and trying to comfort her boy. Shaolin appreciated that as she tried to get an appraisal of her opponent; she hated it when a Plus tried to run or 'help' her.
The Hollow was a sort of humanoid, maybe the size of an elephant, walking mostly on all fours though it had hands and razor spines on its forelimbs. Its green-blue skin was offset by the obligatory bone white mask and gaping black hole in its 'chest'.
"Let me in on your dazzling insight, Hana."
And I'll try to kill this bastard while I'm in my gigai.
Shaolin actually didn't mind fighting Hollows in her gigai; it would make Kisuke and the Vizards less nervous, so there was that to consider. But it also made things more interesting.
Creatures like the Hollow before her had become so boring after she'd achieved bankai...
"Well, we know the shinigami is a 'she'; we are under the assumption that whoever this is has been stationed here as opposed to just passing through-"
The Hollow roared some sort of battle cry and began to charge at Shaolin. She merely held the sword like she would her zanpaktou, the blade along her arm as though she were holding a long knife.
"We also know whoever it is pressured Kisuke-san for something, probably grey or black market stuff."
"Yes, and they bought it on credit; you heard the children back there."
"Yeah, when Tsumugiya-chan calls someone a 'moocher' you know they're a deadbeat."
As soon as the beast came in front of Shaolin, it raised one of its forelimbs and tried to 'backhand' her with its razors. The assassin almost rolled her eyes as she whipped her blade around level with the monster's 'skin', slicing along the front of the thing's arm as she ducked her body out of the way. Behind her, she could hear the Pluses crying out in terror.
Natural armor met vibrating spiritual energy and lost big time; the blade sliced through the spines like paper and they soon dissolved, consumed by the blade as though it were itself a Hollow.
Even as the creature's arm finished its arc through the air, Shaolin swept the blade around and gave the thing a good cut across the forearm. The Hollow shrieked in pain and fell on its elbows as it tried to clasp the bleeding wounds with its good arm.
Shaolin shook her head; this was too easy. Maybe the others Hana had detected would be more sporting. As it was, the two Pluses had nothing to fear today.
"I am pretty sure we are dealing with a noblewoman, probably one of the High Clans."
"How so?"
Shaolin let the Hollow wallow in misery for a moment more, and then ran towards the mask that was its face.
"Jii-sama is from a noble family and was the head of the 3rd Division of the Stealth Force. Not someone who could be easily intimidated."
The Hollow seemed to realize the danger it was in and began to try and get up again.
Too late...
"You couldn't tell me which –ke Mystery Girl might be from, Hana?"
Shaolin avoided the arms of the Hollow as she approached her target. Then, to the creature's utter shock, the ex-shinigami grabbed hold of the bottom of one eye-socket and launched herself upward.
"I doubt she is from the Shihouin-ke; no one there would want to face the Shunshin's wrath."
"Unless they think Yoruichi-sama has reincarnated."
Almost before the Hollow could move, Shaolin let go of the mask and let her body's momentum throw her up and onto the back of the beast.
"Her purchasing something on credit also fits with this person being a noble."
The Hollow was trying frantically to throw Shaolin off, but she was having none of it. She raised the reishi sword and drove it to the 'hilt' into the creature's spine, causing the Hollow to give out another deafening roar.
"Yeah, Kisuke-san is a nice man, but he's not a charity worker; he'd have to know he could collect from someone."
As the Hollow's now-limp body crashed to the ground Shaolin raised her other hand and 'materialized' Suzumebachi. The wakizashi gleamed in the late afternoon sun, and then Shaolin drove the blade through the Hollow's cranium.
"Whoever this person is and depending on whether they have enough 'pull' to be assigned anything expensive or sensitive, I'm inclined to believe they are non-seated and a rule-breaker, or a seated dimwit."
Shaolin smirked at that last word, even as she pulled her swords from the now-disintegrating corpse of the Hollow.
"So they either got it and broke it-"
Shaolin jumped to the ground and walked a little away from the site of the Hollow's death.
"-or they didn't get it but wanted it anyway. Wonderful."
The two ghosts she had been protecting were now looking at Shaolin like she was some sort of superhero.
"Are you two all right?"
They both nodded.
"Well, stay there; this isn't over."
Even as she said the words, the sky over the field began to distort again. It was two rifts, not one, and Shaolin began to brace herself.
Maybe these guys won't be so pathetic...
"So, Hana, what do you think the newbie-"
"Who is not around while this is happening?"
Two insect-like Hollows had emerged from...wherever their kind traveled to get to the Living World and were starting to size her up. One looked much like a giant mantis, the only difference being its humanoid face mask; the other looked like a scorpion that someone had forgotten to give pincers to.
Shaolin sighed in irritation.
"Yeah, that. What do you think she got Kisuke-san to 'loan' to her?"
The ex-shinigami sometimes felt pity for the Hollows; they were just the corrupted remains of dead humans and animals, and had never consciously chosen to be monsters. It was the reason many of them weren't much of a challenge: it was like taking people off the street, handing them weapons, and throwing them into a gladiatorial arena.
But some had gotten a little beyond that. There was something in this pair of Hollows' movements that said they were working as a team; one point being the fact that they were slowly working their way to opposite sides of her.
"Most likely it was a gigai, maybe even one of jii-sama's reiatsu-blocking models."
"I wouldn't be surprised, looking at what we're coming up with."
Shaolin kept her eye on the two Hollows; the mantis had moved in front of her and was being careful to keep a safe distance, while the scorpion had moved in behind her. She almost wanted to shake her head in amusement; these guys were better than the last one, but they seemed to be ignoring the mother and child for now, and she already figured what the Hollows were going to do.
She could concentrate on the discussion with Hana without too many problems.
"So you think this girl actually intends to do any Reaping, or do you think she's playing sightseer?"
"... Shaolin, jii-sama was not lying when he said the Gotei 13 is not all bad. Remember, I have had bad experiences with them, as well."
"You haven't had a century's worth, Hana. I could tell stories..."
The mantis-Hollow roared a challenge and began advancing; Shaolin could feel the urge from Hana to try mock-roaring a challenge of her own. The creature raised its forelimbs and then began swinging them in what would have looked like an attack, but which the assassin knew was just a diversion. The scorpion-Hollow was standing back, behind Shaolin, readying its tail.
"And Karakura was such a nice place..."
The mantis swung at Shaolin's head; she dodged...
"There has been almost no Hollow activity in the area for a decade and a half."
...a swipe at the gut; she leaped back...
"Karakura would be considered a plum assignment."
...an upward swipe across the chest; Shaolin flung herself out of the way and rolled for a couple of meters before coming back up to her feet.
"Or a backwater; I knew a lot of shinigami who liked a 'good fight'."
"Either way, it would be a great place to put someone who was well-connected and either a troublemaker or an incompetent."
Shaolin nodded as she faced down the mantis-Hollow again; she was pretty sure it and its partner were going to do it now. And she became totally sure as the thing began swinging its forelimbs around in a major distraction.
Then Shaolin began to feel something that did distract her...
"Hana, do you feel that?"
"You mean that shinigami presence in the distance? Maybe we should wrap this up quickly, then; it would seem our new friend has managed to get up off her ass."
It sometimes unnerved Shaolin that Hana could sense shinigami as well as Hollows. Not quite as well, of course, but it still said something about the gikongan, something the assassin was too politic to ask about.
After all, she had her own secrets...
The scorpion-Hollow was coming up silently behind Shaolin, getting in a certain range before it would attack. The assassin never minded it; as far as she was concerned, this fight was over. What was more interesting was the new reiatsu she could sense.
Whoever it belonged to was very powerful, but not terribly well-trained; the energies Shaolin could feel were still wild and primal for the most part, with only the most rudimentary shape or form.
"Great, little miss rich bitch probably doesn't even know which end of her zanpaktou to hold."
"What was that?"
"Nothing."
Shaolin might have been distracted, but it wasn't enough for her to not notice the mantis lift its forelimbs and its body up into something like a lean-to. And there was something in its eyes...
Now.
Shaolin threw herself onto her back, even as the scorpion thrust its massive tail forward. The appendage surged over the ex-shinigami and then through the 'tunnel' made by its partner's body to almost lodge into the ground.
As she landed on the ground, Shaolin wondered what the new kid was doing.
"Hana, how fast is that shinigami presence coming toward us?"
Shaolin quickly rolled to the side towards the mantis' legs, even as the two Hollows took a moment to realize that their quarry wasn't skewered. She activated the reishi sword and then swung in an arc, slicing through one of the mantis' right legs and making the beast howl in pain.
"...Not very...what the hell are they doing...?"
Even as she heard Hana's words, Shaolin continued the roll and threw the sword at the mantis's other right-hand leg. The aerodynamic blade – really a misused arrow – found its mark, and the beast now began to topple to the ground as both legs on one side were gone.
Shaolin continued rolling until she had cleared the two Hollows; the scorpion wasn't so nimble, and found its tail pinned as the mantis crashed to the ground. As the assassin picked herself up she could hear the screams of fear and frustration coming from her enemies as they tried desperately to untangle themselves.
Shaolin could sympathize with her enemies' feelings; the shinigami was taking her sweet time getting there...
"That bitch isn't using shunpo, is she?"
"Probably not, and that means..."
She materialized Suzumebachi and ran back towards the Hollows; even now, the mantis' legs were beginning to regenerate and the scorpion was starting to pull free through use of main strength.
"Gods, she doesn't even take Reaping seriously, does she?"
Shaolin went to the scorpion, righteous anger fueling her as she hauled herself up its body, and then onto its tail even as that appendage finally started to pull free of confinement. Running along the moving tail like it was a treadmill, the ex-shinigami made for the mantis' face.
Lazy, good-for-nothing, gods-damned, corrupt bastards...
The creature realized what was going on, could see the instrument of its 'death' in her hands, and moved its forelimbs in front of it in a vain attempt to shield itself.
...sending in some worthless nobody...
Shaolin leapt over and through the blockade, thrusting her zanpaktou forward and putting her entire weight behind the blade. Even as the Hollow screamed defiance, Suzumebachi pierced the center of the creature's mask, and then shattered it to pieces.
Well, if they won't protect this place, I will.
Shaolin quickly pulled her blade free, thankful that her gigai had been built with an overpod gikongan in mind. Turning so as not to see who the Hollow might have been in life, she focused her attention away from the now dissolving mantis and onto its partner.
As she did, something occurred to her: the new shinigami had a familiar feel...a familiar scent...
She slashed the blade down and across the scorpion's tail, cutting through the appendage cleanly, and then back-flipped off it.
Ichigo-kun?
Coming to the ground a moment later, she could see the last of the mantis-Hollow turning into luminous nothing, while the scorpion was trying to come to grips with the loss of its partner and its weapon.
Shaolin almost ignored that as she focused on the still-incoming reiatsu. Whoever it was had a feel very much like Kurosaki Ichigo, though when she focused more on it she found that the signature was only similar to his.
Even though the tail was beginning to regenerate, the Hollow realized it had lost. The air behind it began to distort, and a rift began to form as the Hollow made some vain attempt not to get killed before it could leave the Living World.
Shaolin didn't care; the thing was dead anyway. She was more interested in figuring out the newcomer and who they might be. If their reiatsu was similar to Ichigo's...maybe they were from the Shiba-ke?
Now I really need to talk to Isshin-san...
The Hollow roared once again as the rift fully opened; perhaps it was some form of 'I'll be back'. Shaolin didn't care – it was an opening.
She pulled her arm back and hurled her zanpaktou at the beast. Even though Suzumebachi was nowhere near as well-designed for such as maneuver as the reishi blade, Shaolin's sword still found its mark. The blade went into the still-open mouth of the Hollow as it continued its roar, and for a moment the beast didn't realize what had happened.
Then a strange look came over the thing's face, and even as it realized it was dead, the rift behind it began to collapse. So did the Hollow, whose body deflated and crumpled in on itself as though it were a punctured balloon.
"Shaolin, she is getting close."
"Just in the nick of time."
"Sarcasm aside, what do you want to do?"
Shaolin walked over to where the reishi blade had landed on the ground and retrieved it.
"Let whoever it is see me, and see what her reaction is."
She went to the now-decaying remains of the scorpion-Hollow and recovered Suzumebachi.
"... Remember what jii-sama said about keeping a low profile?"
Shaolin nodded even as she made her way to the two Pluses.
"I will be; our friend doesn't know about another shinigami in the area, otherwise Kisuke-san wouldn't have said anything to us."
The woman and her son had picked themselves up by now and were bowing low to the ground; Shaolin felt more than a little embarrassed at the praise.
"Besides, after we just went through I want that bitch to know she isn't the only Hollow hunter in the area."
Shaolin stood there and waited for the two Pluses to rise from their bows.
"Thank you for saving us, whoever you are. I...I don't know what-"
"You need to leave."
The ex-shinigami saw their anxiety at her words; they looked like she'd slapped them in the face.
"But, Karakura is our home, and..."
Shaolin put on a pained and sympathetic expression and held up Suzumebachi to them.
"I'm sorry, but Karakura isn't safe anymore. There are more of those things...lots more and they won't stop until they've eaten the two of you."
The mother looked horrified and the boy seemed about to cry. Shaolin kept a stern look on her face, even though she wanted to comfort them.
"I can perform this thing called konso on you; it'll send the two of you to a place called Soul Society, where you'll both be safe from the Hollows."
"Soul Society?" The woman looked unsure.
Shaolin nodded.
"It'll be hard there; I won't lie to you about that. But would you rather take your chances with those things?"
"Or becoming two more of those things?"
Ignoring Hana's words, Shaolin waited for the ghosts' response. The two Pluses looked at each other for a moment, seemed to figure they had no choice, and then turned to the assassin to wait for whatever it was she was going to do.
I'd better do this quick; whoever the newbie is, they're actually almost here.
Shaolin smiled at the two Pluses and held Suzumebachi so the hilt faced them. After a moment of concentration, the end of the hilt started to glow a pale green. Shaolin moved up to the Pluses and tapped first the mother and then the son with the light, placing a brand on each of their foreheads. After a moment, the glow spread over the ghosts' forms and they began to dissolve like the Hollows had a couple of minutes before.
Even as she re-merged her zanpaktou into the gigai, Shaolin could see the glow fade and a pair of black Hell butterflies begin to fly off into the sky.
"Good luck you two."
Then she turned around and made her way to her bag, still laying at the edge of the field. There was still the matter of the unknown shinigami to be dealt with...
Shaolin took her time bending over the bag and checking its contents. She could feel the newcomers' presence getting very close; they'd be here any minute.
"Shaolin..."
"Before you get all over me, Hana, I haven't been to the Soul Society in a century, and I was hardly important back then. I seriously doubt some rich kid who got sent here to keep their deltoids dimpled will know who I am."
"And if you stay in the gigai, she is likely to think you are 'just some human'. ... What if she thinks you are a Quincy?"
"Do I look like a Quincy?"
Hana paused
"No... You would need to be wearing glasses, at least..."
Shaolin chuckled as she slung the bag over her shoulder, got up, and then started back on her way to west Karakura. The other reiatsu was almost on them now; now she'd see what this other girl was like.
Would she walk up to Shaolin and inform her that there was a proper Hollow fighter here, thank you very much?
Or would she take one look at the situation, see that it had been resolved somehow by someone, and take her leave?
Or maybe...
"Uh-oh."
"What?"
Shaolin managed not to betray her unease as she continued walking.
"She's stopped, Hana. And she's really surprised..."
"You mean they recognize you?"
Shaolin nodded, and resisted the urge to turn around and see who this person was; the resemblance to Ichigo...
"Yeah, but I don't recognize her."
"Which means we have a great deal of trouble ahead of us, don't we?"
Shaolin couldn't help but nod again; the next few weeks were going to be very interesting, she was sure.
And she decided she would be paying a visit to Isshin now...
That gods-damned bitch!
Even as Tatsuki continued walking over to Furin Hall with her friend, she was still pissed off at Kuchiki Rukia. Orihime simply stayed to one side, looking at the brunette with worry.
They'd had to spend a while talking to the police at the shinigami shrine, with the wreckage of the bousouzoku and their now unused bikes all around. Tatsuki couldn't suppress a slightly feral smile at that.
Offerings to the death god...
But what she couldn't stand was that Rukia had left them to answer for the mess. She shook her head in frustration.
That...if I get my hands on that slippery little...
Tatsuki looked over to Orihime again, and saw the small tears in her uniform from the fight; hers probably wasn't in much better shape. She wasn't worried about it, though; they could just pressure Ishida-san to repair the uniforms. And it wasn't like the damage had been for nothing; it had been a good workout...
The biker looked quizzically at Tatsuki's smile; he obviously didn't know the fatal flaw with weapons like his chain. Not only could you grapple and connect with your opponent, they could do the same to you.
The fact that the boy had used the chain merely for shock value didn't help...
Tatsuki threw a punch at the biker with her free hand. When he caught the blow, she gripped the now-slightly slack chain in her other hand and threw that into his face. Once, twice flesh and iron met, and then when he let go Tatsuki turned around and brought her back up to his chest. Pulling on the chain and using her body as a fulcrum, she lifted the ganger off the ground and threw him onto the pavement in front of her. A kick to the solar plexus put an end to him.
Tatsuki scanned the 'battlefield' and saw Orihime handling her own opponent nicely with a series of punches and kicks, while Rukia was simply dodging around trying to keep from getting mauled by two more of the bousouzoku. 'Hiroshi' was simply standing back, apparently watching his underlings get pounded with interest.
Asshole... Now where's the...?
A 'battle cry' from behind her alerted Tatsuki to the location of the last gang member. Smiling, she gripped the chain again and pulled it free from its former owner's hand, and then let it extend like a whip as she turned around to face her new foe.
He was the largest of the group, with an especially mean look in his eyes, so Tatsuki simply let the end of the chain catch him across the face. He stepped back, screaming in pain as his momentum was broken; Tatsuki used the opening to swipe the chain back across his chest and then swept it around and upward at his chin. The biker caught the chain, just as Tatsuki wanted, and while he was occupied with his new catch she let go of it and then leapt and threw her body behind a roundhouse kick. Her opponent had just enough time to see the attack before it connected with the side of his head; he was still holding the chain as he went to the ground unconscious.
Orihime still seemed to be doing okay with her opponent, who was just about done. Rukia was still struggling with the other two; even as she caught her breath, Tatsuki couldn't help but shake her head.
It's nice that she's dodging, but can't she fight?
Seeing as how the smallest of the three girls needed help and that bastard Hiroshi still wasn't getting involved – the coward looked like he was starting to edge his way to the parked motorcycles – Tatsuki decided to help herself to another of the thugs.
She could feel her blood sing again as she picked her target and ran to him.
"Hey you!"
The ganger turned to face her in time for Tatsuki to grab him by the 'lapels', fall backwards and hurl him behind her. She got up first, and as he tried to Tatsuki gave him a chop to the knee; he went down and she went for another chop to the neck, hitting it with the side of her palm. Then she grabbed him again and hurled him face first into the pavement, taking him out of the fight.
She looked at Hiroshi, and could see the fear in his eyes from her gaze. In fact, she could swear she felt the fear coming off of him...
Tatsuki turned to see Orihime had finished off her opponent and was turning her attention on the remaining underling, who was still going after Rukia.
The last of the bousouzoku made a lunging grab at Rukia, who jumped up and over his back. As she landed on the ground, the petite student turned and landed a kick on his butt, sending him stumbling towards Orihime. The ginger-haired teen had no time to react and soon had a biker plowing into her chest, much to her horror.
"Sorry!"
Rukia, her face turning red as she tried to help, ran up behind the ganger and gave him a swift kick between the legs.
"Let go of her!"
As Tatsuki watched the boy let out a high-pitched wail of pain, and did let go for a moment and fell to his knees. But then he started falling over and latched onto Orihime again.
The logical part of Tatsuki's mind understood that the boy was probably just trying to use Orihime as an impromptu column to keep his face from planting into the pavement. But the fact that he'd done this by grabbing hold of Orihime's rear and 'accidentally' planting his face in her skirt...
Tatsuki immediately saw red at the sight of her friend's scandalized face; she practically teleported behind the pervert doing this. Knocking Rukia aside, Tatsuki grabbed the biker by the collar and wrenched him free and pulled him away from Orihime...
...only to have a sneaker bury itself in his face as Orihime did a high kick. The determined – Tatsuki wasn't sure the girl could do 'mad' – look on Orihime's face made Tatsuki calm down a bit, and feel a little elated as well.
Feng-sensei's training was having more of an effect than Tatsuki had thought, apparently. Maybe hooking her up with Ichigo wasn't a lost cause after all.
Especially considering the competition...
As Orihime lowered her leg and Rukia picked herself up, Tatsuki let the bastard fall to the ground and turned her attention to Hiroshi. The bousouzoku leader, if that's what Tatsuki could call such a person, had already gotten back on his bike and was gunning the engine.
"This isn't over! The White Tengu are a lot stronger than this!"
Tatsuki smiled again.
"Send 'em over; we'll kick their asses too!"
"Yeah!"
Orihime's exclamation seemed to unnerve Hiroshi even more and he spared no time getting his motorbike in gear and leaving the scene. Tatsuki thought about trying to find something to throw at him – she was sure she could nail the bastard – but decided it wasn't worth the effort for now.
Besides, she had more important things to worry about...
The police had arrived not long after that; Tatsuki and Orihime had stayed and answered their questions. She liked a good fight, but Tatsuki wasn't going to be some delinquent like Ichigo, and they'd been in the right defending themselves from the bikers. Still, they'd been held up for most of an hour while the authorities had gone through their procedures and hauled off the bousouzoku.
And Rukia had been nowhere in sight.
"I wonder what happened to Kuchiki-san?"
Tatsuki turned to look at her friend while they continued walking down the early evening street, the shadows cast by the sun beginning to cover everything in a blanket of darker hues.
"That...bitch abandoned us, that's what happened to her Orihime-chan."
Orihime looked at her sternly.
"Tatsuki-chan, don't talk about her like that."
"Why not?"
"She's new and we don't know her very well. Besides, she was in a hurry when we met her; I'm sure it had something to do with Kurosaki-kun."
You figured it out, too, huh?
Orihime smiled brightly.
"Besides, it turned out well in the end."
Tatsuki sighed and looked away from her friend.
"I guess..."
And then Tatsuki looked up and saw Kuchiki Rukia standing up ahead of them on the sidewalk, looking like she was waiting for something. And then it dawned on her that the girl was waiting for them. As they approached her, the short transfer student looked at them with a sheepish smile on her face.
"Uhm...hi there..."
"Kuchiki-san, what are you doing here?"
"Well...I wanted to say I'm sorry about ditching you guys earlier. But I just need to see what was going on with Ichigo and..."
"And you decided once you found him that you might as well not come back for questioning by the police."
Rukia looked even more uncomfortable at the extreme irritation in Tatsuki's answer. Orihime, however, looked concerned.
"Kuchiki-san, you aren't in trouble with the police, are you? Like, you're some sort of Yakuza boss' daughter or something?"
Tatsuki's dark mood lifted substantially at the look on Rukia's face, and the fact that the shorter girl was trying to figure out what to say to that.
"N...No...I'm not!"
"Oh, okay!"
Orihime's easy acceptance seemed to blow Rukia even further out of the water. Tatsuki hoped she was keeping the smile off her face.
Thank you again, Orihime-chan.
As soon as Rukia had managed to collect herself again, she quickly changed the subject. She pointed back in the direction of the shinigami shrine.
"So does that kind of thing happen a lot around here?"
Tatsuki shook her head, both to answer the question and in slight marvel at the lameness of the distraction.
Let it go Tatsuki...
"Not really...I mean, not until recently anyway..."
Tatsuki could hear in Orihime's voice the girl's imagination having her face the bikers again; she looked like she was trying to decide whether or not to continue pounding some imaginary gangers.
The brunette turned back to Rukia.
"It doesn't matter; they're just trash messing up the streets. But you did find Ichigo-san didn't you? I want to have a word with him after all this."
Rukia just smiled.
"Oh, he's fine, and he said he's sorry he wasn't there. Since it's all over now, he doesn't see a reason to get involved..."
Tatsuki glowered a little. You're lying to us again, aren't you?
"Tell Ichigo-san I will be talking with him about this tomorrow at class."
The shorter girl just started looking uncomfortable.
"I will, don't worry."
Orihime looked at the two of them.
"Don't be so upset, guys; I'm sure...whatever it is...it'll all work out..."
The ginger-haired student wasn't so sure of what she was saying, but Tatsuki wasn't focusing on her. She could tell something was off with Rukia now, though what exactly she didn't know.
What have you gotten yourself into, Ichigo-san?
Tatsuki gave a smile of her own and tried to calm down a little; she didn't need to scare the new girl off that moment.
"You're right Orihime-chan; we'll deal with that when it comes."
Rukia beamed, and all traces of her earlier discomfort had disappeared.
"Well, if that's all, I'll be leaving now."
"See you tomorrow then, Kuchiki-san!"
Orihime waved goodbye as Rukia started walking away; not wanting to be rude in front of her friend, Tatsuki followed suit. But for the first time she was actually just a little bit worried for Ichigo...
Going out on a fling with some new kid...okay, they were all new to Karakura High School #1...was one thing. Ichigo was 16, Rukia looked about the same age, and so there was nothing unusual or wrong in what they were doing.
But still...
As Tatsuki and Orihime started their walk again, she thought on the fact that Rukia had been running to somewhere when they'd met her today. The girl wouldn't say what she was doing, where she was going, or what Ichigo had to do with all of it.
Then there was the fight with the White Tengu. Tatsuki was sure Rukia had been holding back, and she was more than a little concerned that Rukia hadn't actually seriously taken down any of those goons.
And, now that Tatsuki thought about it, Rukia had disappeared as soon as that last mess with Orihime had happened – a mess 'accidentally' caused by Rukia herself...
Tatsuki figured she'd talk to Feng-sensei about this; she was sure the older woman would know what to do...
Sorry about taking so long with this chapter, BTW. My old computer blew itself up as I was heading towards completing the old Chapter 4, so I basically have had to rewrite it on someone else's computer. I'm working on getting a new computer, but until then my rate of update will be necessarily slowed down.