Disclaimer: Bleach is owned and written by Tite Kubo and Shonen Jump magazine. This story is not being written for profit or fame, but simply because I'm crazy enough to think I can write a major epic all by myself. :)
A thank you to SilverOsprey, Raging Berserker, Burn Shadow, Naomi Shihoin, Ero-kun, ChaosSerpent13, OutlawKnight, Animewarrior12, your local SIMUVAC, ShotgunWilly, mcinnes135, Phillbie, ZM, shadow8691, Isangtao, Culebra del Sol, satsuki75, deSloc1, and hi1235 (gee, that's a lot of names... :) for putting me on Favorite Story and/or Story Alert; the support is appreciated, and I've been listing names just to say 'Hi!', not to throw the story's apparent popularity in anyone's face (even if everyone knows this, I still think it should be said).
Once again I've kept people waiting for this...and waiting...and waiting...
I'm not going to do that anymore. I'm going to try and put out a new chapter at the end of every month (at least) for this story from now on. I feel like I've been majorly abusing the good graces of my audience the past year or so, and even if that isn't true, I still want to finish this story sometime before the coming of the next century... :)
With that in mind, here's the next chapter...
"Now that you have had some rest, what do you plan to do concerning Ichigo-san and Arisawa-san?"
Shaolin thought about the words as she made her way through the garden of her dojo. Her head was a bit clearer now that she had gotten some more sleep; she'd simply collapsed when she'd gotten back home from the Kurosakis, though whether from simple exhaustion or acceptance of the situation she couldn't say.
It did trouble her that something like that had happened. She couldn't afford to push herself too far, what with all the things happening in her existence and the lives of her friends right now.
One more change in her existence she'd have to deal with.
She shook that thought away and thought about an answer for Hana.
"Tatsuki-chan is easy enough. I think running into Shrieker like she did will probably put her off of wanting to get involved."
She held up a hand to silence Hana, even though she knew the mod-soul couldn't see the gesture.
"And if she does...well, I'll try to deal with that when it comes..."
"And Ichigo-san...?"
Shaolin stopped in the garden and closed her eyes.
"That's his decision, like I told him last night. If he really wants to learn how to be a shinigami...I'll see what I can do. Although there's not much I can do..."
After a moment, Shaolin started again, making her way to a small pine tree at the side of the garden, judged it satisfactory for her purposes, and then started doing what she'd come here to do.
"Speaking of which, would you mind telling me what you are doing right now?"
Hana's words made Shaolin stop again, before she realized that her friend was just asking a general question. It was sometimes hard to remember that the gikongan usually couldn't see or hear anything when she didn't have a body, like right now...
Right now she couldn't see the silver-gray piece of ribbon Shaolin was tying around a branch the tree. It wasn't much, and wouldn't be noticed by anyone who didn't know what it was, but...
The ex-shinigami thought about what to say, and then sighed as she realized that she was beginning to let go of some of her secrets; she didn't need to be making more, especially not with a friend.
"I'm working on dealing with Mei Xing."
Shaolin finished tying the knot off, took a moment to look over her handiwork, and then nodded in satisfaction.
"And what have you just been doing on that score?"
"Setting up a meeting with her..."
There was a long pause, and Shaolin braced herself for whatever Hana might have to say.
"Why...why on Earth would you want to do something like that...?"
Shaolin smiled wanly as she walked away from the tree.
"Because, instead of being concerned with the children, I thought about her after I woke up. I hate to say it, but summoning her seems the best option."
"That does not say good things about our situation."
The assassin shook her head, and took a moment to enjoy the post-dawn morning of the sky. It looked like it was going to be a beautiful early summer day, the current events notwithstanding.
"I need to take something off my plate, Hana, and this seems to be the easiest thing."
The pause that followed held the mod-soul's skepticism; Shaolin took that as an invitation to continue.
"Look, if she's been here for any length of time, she knows about Ichigo; you can't come near this place and not know about him unless you're spiritually dead. And if she's been here the last few days..."
She could sense Hana nodding her head.
"...she almost certainly knows about the 'new shinigami'. And if she had any real interest in him at all, she would have investigated him, much like Kuchiki-hime did."
"And I doubt Ichigo would have survived a battle with a fully-trained 4th Seat, and never mind her other talents..."
Mei Xing was a lethal ninja, from Shaolin's own clan; she'd always been ahead in the technical things that mattered for such work.
And the ex-shinigami had been wondering for a while if her cousin had achieved bankai yet. Shaolin had, and she thought she'd detected the 'hardening' of one's energies that accompanied that lofty state the last couple of times the two of them had met.
But she didn't know and...
"And yet that poses the question of why you are inviting the woman here, to your home."
The assassin took a moment to get her thoughts back in order, even as she paused before the door to her house.
"Because I need to know why she's here so I can get rid of her. I can't bluff her, since I don't know what lie to tell. And I don't even want to think about fighting her in the middle of Karakura..."
She could sense Hana nodding her non-existent head.
"The best result would involve you ending her existence, and then the Gotei 13 sending someone else to 'deal with the situation'."
"Especially if a member of the Kuchiki is involved in the mess."
As she entered the house and made her way to the kitchen, a thought occurred to Shaolin.
"Do you think maybe she's here about Kuchiki-hime?"
There was a pause from Hana.
"That might explain a few things, such as why the Kuchiki themselves seem not to have taken an interest in their daughter's disappearance. But that brings its own set of problems..."
Shaolin nodded her head.
"Such as seeing what it's going to cost to keep her from bringing anyone else down here. And why she hasn't done it yet."
"Hence your apparent need to talk with the woman. And are you going to mention this to our illustrious guest?"
Shaolin thought about it, and then decided to shake her head.
"No, she doesn't need to be frightened. Besides, Mei Xing is discreet; if she hasn't paid Kuchiki-hime a visit yet, then she isn't going to bother her now."
She ignored the feeling of worry coming from Hana, instead focusing on a thought that had come to her. She changed direction, going for her bedroom instead of the kitchen area; As soon as she arrived, Shaolin opened up the closet and went for the trunk hidden away in a corner.
There were a couple of the items she'd placed in a chest there, locked away when she'd given up going out all the time. Now she reached in and took out a pair of them, examining them in the morning light coming through the bedroom window.
A pair of bracers made of thin iron, laced through with a filigree pattern that was of some silvery-blue metal that she'd never been able to identify. Karl hadn't bothered to tell her what it was, though it seemed to be more than effective against anything made of reishi.
Even when she'd gone out to deal with Hiyori's find...had she been on the other side of the world only last week?...the ex-shinigami had kept these things put away.
She had no need of them in Karakura.
Shaolin closed her eyes and sighed at the feelings flooding through her with this action.
It was another reminder that what she had earlier hoped for around here was over now. The peaceful existence, the hope that Ichigo would grow up in something resembling a normal human life.
At least she wasn't as conflicted about this as she had been with the idea of summoning Mei Xing here.
"Well, try not to be too somber this morning, Shaolin."
The assassin smirked a little as she opened her eyes and shook her head.
"I have good reason to be..."
She looked out the window of her room, to the tree and the cloth fluttering in the morning breeze.
"Not really."
The gikongan's words jolted Shaolin a little, even as she started to leave the room.
"After what I just told you earlier?"
She could feel Hana shaking her non-existent head.
"No. I will admit having to deal with your cousin is a far from pleasant prospect, but we – you – have dealt with things like this before. And the Hollows as well. You will get through this."
Shaolin stopped, feeling as though a hand had been placed on her shoulder, and she could feel Hana smiling at her.
"Besides, there is some good with what is going on with Ichigo-san. This may be the end of one era for you – for all of us – but try to think of it as the beginning of a new start with the boy. With his family, even..."
The ex-shinigami thought about her friend's words as she started moving again, and then decided to smile and nod her head.
"You're right, Hana. I am going to get through this. It's just going to be a pain in the butt..."
As she entered the kitchen Shaolin could see Rukia sitting at the table in her high school uniform, looking over some papers while only half-concentrating on breakfast. It took a moment before the younger woman noticed that she had company; Rukia looked up, took note of who it was with a slight sourness, and then looked back down at the papers.
Shaolin found herself curious enough to come a little closer, and found herself staring at a pile of homework from the school. It made her smirk, and when Rukia looked up again, she raised an eyebrow.
"What, you thought I didn't do stuff like this?"
The assassin actually did think on that for a moment, but then realized what kind of person she was talking to.
"Actually, I guess I shouldn't be surprised; you are a shinigami, and you have a bureaucracy to deal with."
She looked down at the papers again.
"I'm sure paperwork was part of it."
Rukia nodded, and then smiled a little.
"I have to do paperwork sometimes at the barracks; Taichou likes to delegate some of that stuff to the rank and file. Keeps us involved in the affairs of our unit, or something like that."
Shaolin nodded at that, and then noticed the characters Rukia was writing. She couldn't help but smile in approval.
"Your handwriting is very good, Kuchiki-sama."
The girl's face flushed a little at the praise, and for once turned a genuine smile on her host.
"Thank you. It wasn't very good, but I've been getting help on it; I have to because of the name I carry."
Shaolin walked away from the table and started getting her own breakfast when she thought of something.
She turned around and bowed low to Rukia.
"Speaking of that, I want to apologize about the way I treated you earlier."
The girl stopped what she was doing and looked at her host in surprise.
"After the things you said I did?"
The ex-shinigami stopped and looked at the floor.
"You did do those things, true, but...I've been under a great deal of stress lately, and Ichigo is very dear to me."
She took a moment to look Rukia directly in the eyes.
"Wouldn't you act a little crazy if a loved one was being threatened by events?"
The younger shinigami seemed like she was thinking about it, and then she nodded.
"I accept your apology, and I understand how you feel."
A rueful smile crossed her lips as she seemed to think about something.
"I guess I can be a pain sometimes. I apparently am to my 'dear brother'..."
The mention of that man piqued Shaolin's interest as she came to the table and started into her own meal.
"By the way, how is Lord Kuchiki Byakuya?"
"Why would you...?"
Rukia turned her head up from the table, a look of mild shock on her face.
"He's fine as far as I know. And how do you know him?"
The ex-shinigami shrugged.
"I ran into him a couple of times a long while ago. He looked like a fairly decent person, though pretty stiff; I mean, he is a high noble..."
She didn't bother to mention 'long while ago' referred to the time she still walked the lanes of the Seireitei herself.
Shaolin noticed the look on Rukia's face was still slightly stunned, though some bitterness had crept into it.
"Yeah, he's a high noble, and I'm just..."
The ex-shinigami arched an eyebrow.
"You're just what?"
The girl just shook her head a little.
"Never mind, it's of no import to someone like you..."
The young shinigami decided not to continue and Shaolin didn't press her. The two women sat at the breakfast table quietly eating their food for several minutes, with Rukia continuing with her homework.
Then she stopped and looked at Shaolin with a calm curiosity.
"May I ask a question?"
The assassin thought about it for a moment and then shrugged.
"Go ahead."
For a moment the girl looked like she was thinking about whether to continue.
"Last night, when you were talking to Ichigo about how his mother died..."
Shaolin felt a twinge of the old guilt enter her.
"Yes, what about it?"
Rukia paused again, still looking unsure about broaching a sensitive topic.
"Well, how do you know Ichigo and his family?"
The assassin lowered her eyes a little as a mix of emotions flooded her – sadness, happiness, desire to keep what she knew hidden – and she thought for a moment about what to say.
"His mother was a dear friend of mine. She helped me out a bad time in my life, and I've never really been able to repay her for that."
Rukia nodded a little.
"I gathered from the way you acted last night. And I noticed that you also seemed to know Ichigo's father...well."
Shaolin started a little at the jab, and then nodded her head as an embarrassed smile threatened to creep up her face.
"Yeah, you could say that. In fact...that was probably what got Masaki-san killed."
The ex-shinigami found she couldn't say anything as she felt the shame begin to well up in her; she was trying to keep it down, so as not to disturb her guest. Rukia seemed to think on the matter for a moment before answering.
"You wanted to be close to them, but got a little 'too close'."
Shaolin found she couldn't quite keep all of the emotion out of her voice.
"I don't have many friends-"
"I wonder why..."
Shaolin decided to ignore the interruption and the raised eyebrow from across the table.
"I wanted to stay near to the ones I had. So that's why I live here now."
Rukia nodded her head again.
"And like I said, you got a little too close for comfort."
The ex-shinigami resisted the impulse to sigh sadly, and then gave in and made a nod of her own.
"I started going 'out' just to give them some space, and then..."
Now the emotions were becoming stronger; Shaolin was surprised that she could feel this way still, even when talking fairly abstractly about those days.
"I wasn't fast enough. I..."
She couldn't speak now. The image of Grand Fisher looming over the mangled body of Masaki in the rain tore its way through Shaolin's mind, and again she could feel the desperation, the anger, the self-loathing. She could still feel the tensing of her muscles as she poured every last bit of energy to close the distance between herself and the monster who'd killed her friend...
It took the ex-shinigami a moment to find her voice.
"I did manage to hurt that bastard. Badly."
Some small part of her mind conjured up the sound of Grand Fisher's shriek of pain as blades had met flesh. It was the only thing about that afternoon that had comforted her since.
When she managed to pull her mind back into the present and look up, she found herself surprised at Rukia's expression.
The teenager had a haunted look in her eyes, and it took a moment for the assassin to realize...
"You too...?"
Rukia closed her eyes and looked away. For a moment, Shaolin wondered if the girl was going to say anything.
"I managed to get mine, but... I lost someone I cared lot about myself."
If anything, the younger shinigami looked even more troubled than Shaolin.
"It would seem you two have a great deal more in common than either of us thought."
The assassin couldn't help but agree with her friend, and for once she was feeling bad with herself about her attitude concerning Rukia; she felt selfish...maybe even a little dirty.
The teenager managed to gather herself a little.
"I had to kill him, you know... I don't think his family's ever going to forgive me..."
Shaolin had to nod sadly at that as her own memories flooded into her.
"Masaki-san didn't have blood family other than her children, really, but I don't think any of her friends forgave me, either..."
Rukia nodded in response to that, and they spent a moment in silence.
Another minute or two passed in silence with breakfast until Rukia took out a small device that Shaolin thought was a cellphone, and then realized was something more...
The assassin pointed at the object.
"Isn't that the thing you use to track Hollows with?"
Rukia nodded again, still looking the information on its screen.
"It doesn't really track Hollows, though it can do that too. It's basically a communicator my superiors use to tell me when a Hollow is going to arrive in the Living World."
Shaolin could feel Hana's interest being piqued.
"Imagine that..."
The assassin had to agree; such a thing would be invaluable in what she had done over the last century.
Perhaps she'd see if Kisuke could get her one of those...
Rukia didn't seem to be done, though, as a mischievous smile crept across her face.
"It also works in the other direction; I can communicate with Soul Society whenever I want. Think about that... I could have told Soul Society about this; Ichigo would have been gone by the time you even heard anything about it. But I decided not to."
The words shocked the ex-shinigami, as her mind ran through the implications.
"She has you there, Shaolin."
Shaolin almost ignored her friend's words as she took another moment to absorb what Rukia had said, and what that said of the girl.
Feeling compelled to do so, she got up to her feet and bowed to the girl again.
"Thank you, Kuchiki-hime, for letting my godson live. I-"
The younger woman waved the matter away, something which caused a flash of anger to flit through Shaolin.
"Don't worry about it. As you said earlier, I owe Ichigo quite a bit. Not getting him killed would be the least I could do."
The ex-shinigami supposed her younger counterpart was right, but the dismissal still stung a little.
Then again, Yoruichi-sama used to do that sort of thing all the time...
As she sat back down, Shaolin noticed Rukia looking at the bracers on the table with more than a little curiosity, tinged with fear.
"What are those things?"
She arched a suspicious eyebrow at the assassin's lack of response.
"Those are Quincy artifacts, aren't they?"
Shaolin just shrugged.
"What if they are?"
Now Rukia's eyes narrowed.
"You're a Quincy, aren't you?"
The ex-shinigami just shook her head honestly.
"No, but I had a lot of dealings with them over the years. Why? Is that a problem?"
Rukia looked like she was going to argue for a moment, and then thought better of it and just started shaking her head in mild despair.
"I can't believe this..."
Through it all, Hana had remained silent, though Shaolin could feel a certain uneasiness coming from the mod-soul.
"You never did tell me how involved you were with the Quincy, Shaolin..."
And she didn't really feel like saying right now.
"Whatever they might be, I figured I needed them; Ichigo's inexperienced, and as for you..."
At the dark look given her by Rukia, the assassin shrugged.
"I mean no personal offense, but you have to face facts..."
Shaolin held up one hand and started counting fingers off.
"You have no zanpaktou, your kidou spells are on the fritz, and you're largely relying on hiding out and hiding behind Ichigo for survival. I'm just taking what precautions I feel necessary. If that causes you problems, then I again apologize."
The young shinigami started shaking her head slightly in denial, even though her expression seemed more reasonable to the idea.
"This is crazy, I..."
Then something seemed to crumple in Rukia and she just looked downward at the pile of homework in front of her.
"I should be hunting Hollows, doing my job, not...not this. My existence is going straight to hell, and...it isn't even my fault."
She looked earnestly up at Shaolin, and the assassin felt another pang of pity for the girl.
"Okay, great...I screwed up talking to Ichigo when I should have been looking for the Hollow, but... I'm going to lose everything, aren't I? I mean my reputation's going to be shot, and it'll probably be forever before I'm given another assignment."
Rukia looked away and her mood darkened again.
"And never mind what 'nii-sama' will do to me for 'sullying the family name'..."
Shaolin absorbed the rant, and took her time to answer; she wasn't sure how to feel about the girl right now. In the assassin's mind Rukia still had a great deal of ownership over this mess; the reminder made it so the assassin couldn't find it in herself to feel entirely for her guest.
But the younger shinigami did have a point; she wasn't going to get out of this mess unscathed either, was she?
Shaolin made a show of sighing in sympathy.
"Look, I understand you; I think I've made it clear I don't want this state of affairs to continue either."
Rukia cast a tired glance across the table.
"Yeah, you've made that very clear."
The ex-shinigami chose to outwardly ignore the verbal swipe, though it did sting inside.
"Well, Kisuke-san's agreed to look into the matter of what happened to the two of you. He sounded pretty intrigued about it, and I'm sure he'll put you two through a very...'thorough' examination."
Rukia took a moment to stare at Shaolin.
"Him? He's just a..."
The older woman smiled at her counterpart.
"Let's just say that he's more than he seems even to you and leave it that for now. Trust me, if there's anyone in this city who can reverse this mess and get you and Ichigo back to normal, it'll be him and his associates."
Now Rukia was looking at Shaolin like the older woman was crazy. The assassin just shrugged.
"What? Were you planning on just waiting for this mess to wear off naturally?"
The fact that the girl started spluttering a little confirmed the question, and the ex-shinigami found herself trying not to slap a hand over her face.
"And just when you two were making progress..."
Shaolin couldn't believe this; the girl had made no effort to actively reverse her situation, even though she knew it was pretty dire.
Then again, what was Rukia supposed to do, when she had no creditable people she knew of to help her?
The assassin just hoped that after the time that had already passed, Kisuke would be able to do something. At best case, tomorrow he'd figure out what was going on, give Rukia her powers back, and then Shaolin could start training Ichigo in the use of his powers.
That part she wasn't going to go back on, not now.
Too many things had happened.
As she tried to figure out what more to say to Rukia, the ex-shinigami found herself thinking about how much easier things had been in the old days.
Back when Ichigo and Tatsuki were children, and the concerns of the spirit world seemed far away...
"What are you doing?"
"You know you look stupid, don't you?"
"You aren't looking for ghosts, are you...?"
The child's teasing words kept coming back to Tatsuki's mind, making their way through the years since they'd been said by her younger self.
She'd made fun of Ichigo back when she'd said them, back when she and Uryuu would see their friend staring off into what seemed to be empty space.
Now the words just sounded stupid...and more than a little cruel, given what she knew now.
She wondered what else he'd seen, and she shivered a little at the thought of a boy being able to see...monsters like the one she'd run into last night, to know the bogeyman was real and not just made up.
It was a miracle her oldest friend wasn't in a mental institute...
Tatsuki took a moment from her thoughts and looked up from the tiled floor. Her eyes widened a little as she found that she'd wandered into the halls of the school, as opposed to the roof.
Then again, there wasn't much point in doing that, not with Orihime in the clinic still resting from her injuries. The fact that her newest friend was all right for the most part helped, but Tatsuki still found herself feeling guilty about what she'd allowed to happen.
The events of the night before played through her mind now, and she could see it again.
That monster from...wherever the hell it had come from...
And it was searching for sensei...
She turned to one of the windows and rested her hands on the sill while looking out at the bright mid-day scene beyond. It was so utterly incongruous with what Tatsuki had gone through last night that a part of her mind just wanted to reject it as some fevered dream.
But she had the damaged clothes to prove what had happened.
Now her mind was trying to put all of that into the larger picture, trying to figure out what was going on in the larger sense.
Feng-sensei had admitted to hunting those creatures, like something out of an anime or a monster movie. It did sound crazy on the surface, but a lot of things made sense now that Tatsuki thought about it.
For one thing, the fact that the older woman was something of a...'spiritual dead zone' was probably most accurate, though it sounded a little too creepy for Tatsuki's tastes...would be useful in hunting down whatever those things were.
And the fact that she was very proficient in combat fit in.
So did the fact that sensei had, for someone of her abilities, kept a very low profile over the years. Tatsuki was sure the woman could have easily become a martial arts movie star, or a medal-winning athlete. But there were no trophies or posters in her home, no stories of professional competitions or tournaments, nothing like that...
And maybe that was why she hadn't married, or even gone dating for as long as Tatsuki had known her.
The brunette student gave a small, sad smile for her teacher.
"Thank you, Feng-sensei. For giving us some peace..."
As she made that connection, a few more began to leap into Tatsuki's mind.
She couldn't imagine there was just Sensei going around and hunting monsters; that would be ridiculous. There had to be more out there, quietly doing their jobs to keep the country...maybe the whole world...from being overrun by those things.
Maybe they operated alone...maybe there was a secret order...
And then it hit Tatsuki like a fist in the face.
That was why those childhood memories of her and Uryuu and Ichigo were coming into her head right now.
The white uniforms that Uryuu and his grandfather had gone wandering around in. And the fact that Uryuu's father had very much the same color scheme in his wardrobe...
Granted, Tatsuki had never seen her mentor in a white uniform, but she spent a lot of time with the Ishidas, had known them very well...
At least before Masaki's death.
All of a sudden, Feng Shaolin was becoming an even cooler person; Tatsuki's mind saw the woman wearing a white cape and hood, battling monsters with...well, whatever they used to fight monsters with.
It was something that was way out of Tatsuki's league...
"Arisawa-san...?"
She turned at the sound of Uryuu's voice; she couldn't keep the annoyance from her expression at the fact that he was using that distant form of address again. He was as cool as usual except...there was some actual concern in his eyes, even as he adjusted his glasses.
"Coming to check up on me again?"
He started at the arch question.
"Why would I...?"
Tatsuki sighed and shook her head.
"Never mind...if you don't want to talk about it..."
They stood in silence for a moment, Uryuu still looking at her with a slight unease, which she could see was starting to turn into shame. There was a part of her that felt bad about doing that to him, but there was also the part of her that was glad to make him feel like that.
After all, if he was a monster-hunter, where the hell had he been the night before?
"Are you all right...?"
The words were hesitant, spoken in a way that said Uryuu didn't really want to admit he might know what concern was. But Tatsuki could still feel some of the shame coming off from him, and she just...knew that he was aware of what had happened earlier.
"I'm fine, thank you. Orihime's still in the clinic, but she's going to be all right. You can go visit her if you're that concerned."
His cheeks flushed slightly, and it took some willpower for Tatsuki to not arch an eyebrow at the show.
"No thank you...I..."
She sighed at her former friend's continuing floundering on the subject.
"Did you want to talk to me about the monster that attacked us last night?"
That got a shocked reaction from Uryuu.
"Monster? What are you talking about-?"
Now Tatsuki couldn't help but glare at him.
"Uryuu, you may be good at sewing, but you suck at lying. Especially around me."
She walked up to him, to get literally in his face just a little; it gratified her just a little to see him sweating even more.
"Yes, there was thing out there, and it damn near killed Chad on top of everything else. I'm going to probably have nightmares about it."
Tatsuki got close enough to almost touch him, craning her neck back so she could continue to lock eyes with him.
"Don't tell me you don't know anything about it."
She let him stand there, looking more than a little unnerved, and then he decided to answer.
"You can see those things now, can you?"
She nodded, and Uryuu looked for a minute like he wasn't sure what to do or say. There was something in his eyes that said he was mad about something, or maybe someone.
Tatsuki could guess who that might be and it made her sigh even as she nodded in response to his question.
"You're still taking orders from your dad, aren't you?"
His expression turned into one of shock and then a little anger.
"That's none of your business, Arisawa..."
The use of her surname again got Tatsuki's blood up, and she raised her hand to slap him. Then she thought better of it and just threw her hands up in the air.
"Fine, whatever... As you can see, I'm perfectly fine, just a little banged up and...well, maybe I'm scared, but..."
She shook her head, even as she saw Uryuu regain his composure.
"What happened to us, Uryuu. I thought we were friends, you and me and Ichigo. I mean...what happened to that...?"
The young man sighed and adjusted his glasses. He seemed to be annoyed, but for some reason Tatsuki could feel the same kind of sorrow that she was feeling.
"You know what happened."
She crossed her arms over her chest and looked heavenward.
"Yeah, Ichigo's mom gets herself killed and then your dad has a snit about you getting near Feng-sensei..."
She locked eyes with him again.
"Or me...or Ichigo... And you've been a credit to your father ever since."
He nodded at that and then turned to leave.
"I think that about sums it up. I'm glad you're all right; I'd hate to think that something had happened to you, regardless of how you feel about me."
He took a few steps, and then stopped and turned his head to look at her again. There was a little pity in those eyes, and it made her mad to see it.
"I'm sorry you've gotten caught up in this. I really am."
Tatsuki wanted to say something, but found herself sighing in frustration as she watched Uryuu walk away.
There was a part of her that wanted to follow along and try to talk to him, but she decided against it.
She wanted to be alone with her thoughts again, and it didn't look like talking further would do any good, so she made a point of turning and walking in the direction opposite of the one Uryuu was following.
It still made her sad when she thought about it, about what might have been had Masaki lived.
But the woman had died six years ago and the friendships centered around Feng-sensei had fallen apart.
And there had been nothing Tatsuki could do but watch it happen.
Nothing any of them could do.
She shook her head and forced her mood to improve.
Nothing also stopped her from at least trying to make things better, and who knew what the future held in store.
She had to believe in that.
"I can't believe this..."
The sound of Rukia's voice coming from a nearby door stopped Tatsuki in her tracks.
"To think that this would be happening to me..."
The young martial artist thought about just going on her way; she was wandering around the halls of the school herself, so she had nothing to complain about if she saw someone else doing the same.
But it still intrigued her a little what Rukia might be doing here and what she might be talking to herself about.
The door was a little ajar, and that helped add to Tatsuki's curiosity. So she decided to just walk up to it and look inside.
A typical classroom, neat chairs in rows an large wooden desk at one end, sat empty with the noonday light streaming through the windows.
Rukia was standing near those windows, looking...
'Depressed' would have been the word Tatsuki would have used in this case; the transfer student had her arms crossed over her chest and she was looking at the floor more than anything else.
"I'm sure nii-sama would be having fun with this..."
She looked heavenward.
"Can you see me now? Are you passing judgment on me 'brother'?"
Tatsuki was confused by that; it sounded like Rukia was talking to a ghost, though in the way a normal person would do such things. The brunette seriously doubted there was a ghost in the room, especially as she couldn't feel one here.
She also couldn't feel Rukia's presence here, either. The girl seemed to be lacking an...aura, much like Feng-sensei...
Could she be...?
Tatsuki stood there, thinking very hard about what she wanted to do, whether she wanted to disturb what she was beginning to realize was another monster-hunter, or at least one in training. But that made her want to know more, and so she sighed, steeled herself and pushed the door open.
The motion of the door caught Rukia's attention, and when she saw who was there her face gained a frown.
Tatsuki sighed again, though internally this time as she tried to plaster a smile on her face.
This was going to be difficult, wasn't it?
Rukia closed her eyes for a moment, and then produced a smile of her own as she opened them again.
"Hello, Arisawa-san... What are you doing here?"
Tatsuki shrugged her shoulders
"Just wandering around, I guess... And you?"
The petite transfer student returned the shrug and looked away a little.
"I was just wandering around, thinking about the test Ochi-sensei just gave us. I think I blew it and... What?"
Tatsuki cursed herself inwardly, but she couldn't help the feeling she'd just had at the other girl's words, and she also couldn't help the frown that had formed on her face.
She thought about what to say, and then decided to just screw up her courage and say the truth.
After all, Feng-sensei sounded like she'd been doing some of that just the last day or two.
"You're not telling me the truth, are you?"
Even though Tatsuki had tried to express the words in as neutral a voice as she could, she could see Rukia's expression grow brittle.
"Are you...accusing me of being a liar?"
Tatsuki stopped and then sighed, letting her shoulders slump just a little.
This was going to be a mess, but there was no use for it now.
"It's not that, just... I can just...tell when something isn't right, I guess. Like I can tell you're not telling me the truth right now. And if that means I'm calling you a liar, then I guess I am."
She braced herself for Rukia's response, and the other girl was mad for a moment.
Then something seemed to change in Rukia's eyes, as though she had a revelation of some sort, and then she just closed her eyes and sighed in frustration.
"I should have known..."
Tatsuki's eyebrows raised.
"What?"
Rukia seemed to take a moment to decide whether to say anything.
"Nothing...nothing... It's just..."
She shook her head, a look of resignation now on her face.
"What kind of a mess did I get dropped into anyway?"
Even as she watched the other girl going through a minor meltdown, Tatsuki had another epiphany about the situation.
Feng-sensei was getting on in years – at least for someone who hunted things like that monster the night before – and had no children that her student knew about. Taking another look at Rukia, Tatsuki considered the possibility the transfer student could be such an heir, and then dismiss that; she could never see Sensei just leaving her child off...wherever Rukia had come from.
But if there was an organization of sorts, surely they would have sent someone to be Sensei's eventual replacement.
That did explain a lot...though why the new girl would be hauling Ichigo around...
Rukia took notice that Tatsuki was zoning out a bit, and an annoyed look crossed her face.
"What do you...?"
And then it came to her...
Rukia couldn't see spirits, could she?
She knew Ichigo had denied it and tried to hide it, but she was sure he'd been able to see ghosts, or at least something...
And the fact that a putative monster-hunter couldn't even see what she was hunting...
No wonder Feng-sensei had been so exasperated with this girl.
All of a sudden, Tatsuki felt a lot of the strain she'd been feeling melt away.
She'd been an idiot, about Ichigo and about Rukia, and the realization made her start to laugh to herself and at herself.
The other girl, of course, didn't understand this, and grew more than a little annoyed at what she probably thought was laughter directed at her.
"What?"
Tatsuki managed to calm herself down some, and smiled as warmly as she could manage to Rukia.
"I'm sorry...please forgive me. It's just...I...I don't know what I was thinking, Rukia. I had seen you with Ichigo and you're always dragging him off everywhere... And I thought..."
A tired frown came over the transfer student's face.
"You thought we were really...'involved'."
At Tatsuki's nod, Rukia closed her eyes and sighed, and then she gave a rueful smile.
"Don't worry, I already have someone...just if..."
Before she said anything more, she seemed to think better of her words and waved the whole matter away.
"Well, it's better than some things people have been saying about us."
Tatsuki froze as a bout of self-consciousness surged through her. Maybe that was another reason why she'd come to this part of the school, to get away from the 'harem talk'.
Not that she was too upset by ridiculous high school goings-on, but...
Rukia spared a glance at Tatsuki.
"I do wish you'd thought of that before Feng-san started all that stuff."
Before the brunette could say anything, Rukia's expression became conspiratorial.
"Though with your concern about Ichigo, I wonder what your feelings about him really are..."
Tatsuki could feel her jaw drop and her eyes practically pop out of her head. She couldn't think, she only...
"That's none of-!"
Rukia waved the outburst away.
"Forget it. But I am curious now: what do you think is going on?"
Tatsuki hesitated; it took her a moment to calm down from the jibe and then she wasn't entirely sure what she should tell the other girl. Then she figured she had nothing to lose and that she probably wasn't telling Rukia anything she didn't already know.
She explained her theory about what was going on with Feng-sensei, Rukia and Ichigo. After she finished, she saw it was now Rukia's turn to have her jaw drop.
It took the shorter woman a moment to be able to say anything.
"This is unbelievable! I..."
She sighed and turned her face away from Tatsuki.
"It's too late to try and wipe your memories...and it probably wouldn't work anyway..."
The idea of wiping memories made the brunette student feel momentarily upset, but then she calmed herself down.
After all, these monster hunters had to have some way of cleaning up their messes; people would probably panic if they found out about this stuff.
She knew she had...
Tatsuki affected an apologetic look.
"I'm sorry, but it happened and-"
The petite transfer student turned her attention back to Tatsuki.
"I'm not blaming you...it's just that... Gods, this is ridiculous..."
Rukia sighed again and rubbed her forehead for a few moments, and then she spared Tatsuki a wary glance.
"I suppose you want to get involved in this stuff, now that you've seen it? Like Ichigo seems to?"
Tatsuki felt a surge of instinct wanting to say 'yes', but then she stopped herself.
After what had happened last night, after what she'd seen and went through...
She looked away a little from Rukia and crossed her arms over her chest, unsure of herself for one of the few times in her life.
"I don't know, really..."
She hated the feeling, but she had to say it.
Rukia nodded, a serious look on her face now.
"Then your sensei did you no favors. You know about this, and yet you can't do anything about it. For someone like you, that has to be torture. Or it will be if it isn't."
She closed her eyes and shook her head a little.
"That woman's obviously second-rate. Why did I have to get stuck with her...?"
Outrage surged through Tatsuki at the words and she raised her fist threateningly.
"Don't insult Feng-sensei like that!"
All Rukia did was calmly look at the fist and seemingly dismiss it; the look both infuriated Tatsuki and made her feel a little more respect for the other girl at the same time.
"I'll say whatever I want about that woman. And whatever you think about..."
Then her shoulders sagged and a forlorn, tired look came over Rukia's face.
"...I'm sorry. I've just been under a lot of stress, especially since Feng-san arrived. And what with everything that's happened."
Tatsuki wasn't quite sure what to say about that; Rukia's tone matched her expression, and it made the martial artist lower her hand. For just a moment she got the idea that the transfer student seemed to be much older than she looked.
After another moment, Rukia seemed to shake off some of the weariness and turned to Tatsuki.
"By the way, how are Chad and Orihime?"
It stunned the brunette to see genuine concern for other people on the other girl's face. For some reason she could tell it wasn't being faked, and it made her wonder if she'd misjudged Rukia.
She sighed as she tried to figure out what to say.
"They're okay, the last I heard. Chad's going to be in the hospital for a while, though."
Rukia nodded at that, looking a little relieved.
"That's good. It must have been pretty scary having to be chased by something like a Hollow."
Tatsuki's face screwed up a little as she heard the unfamiliar term...at least she thought it was a term.
"Is that what they're called...'Hollows'?"
The other girl nodded her head slowly.
"Yeah...I think it's because they're empty inside, always hungry for peoples' souls."
Tatsuki wasn't sure what made her face pale more, the thought that it was her...her soul that the thing was after…or the fact that Rukia said it so calmly, in such a matter-of-fact way...
She'd heard of people getting desensitized to things like this, but...
Rukia seemed to notice her companion's discomfort; she didn't smile or take any kind of obvious pleasure in it, but did seem to have an air of vindication about her.
"'Feng-sensei' didn't mention that, did she?"
All the martial artist could do was shake her head.
Rukia kept her features controlled, but a slight smile crept onto her face.
"Just keep it in consideration the next time you leap to her defense."
Tatsuki waited for a little to get her emotions under control, and remember that the thing was gone and her encounter with it was in the past.
And these people almost certainly had things covered...
"At least that thing's going to be gone for a while..."
The statement made Tatsuki turn her head in interest. A slight chill ran down her spine at the casual air in Rukia's words, and she began to wonder if things were under control.
"What do you mean?"
Apparently, the petite transfer student chose to ignore the rising worry in Tatsuki's voice. That, or she didn't even hear it.
"Hollows don't generally come back to an area for a while, especially if they've taken a beating. They may look scary, but they're all cowards inside."
The news helped, she supposed, but Tatsuki still felt like something was wrong. Rukia finally noticed an arched an eyebrow in a mixture of annoyance and interest.
"What is it?"
Tatsuki hesitated, wondering if the other girl knew anything, and then realized she probably didn't know and hadn't been told.
"That thing was going after sensei. He told me so himself."
Rukia nodded at that, putting a hand to her chin as she seemed to think on that.
"And the reason he went after all of you was for hostages..."
She closed her eyes and began to shake her head.
"I don't think-"
"Are you sure that thing won't be coming back soon? Maybe it'll try to take another hostage."
The other girl gave a dismissive snort at the interruption, one Tatsuki didn't appreciate.
"That's silly, I mean..."
And then Rukia's voice trailed off, even as the color began to drain from her face. She turned to look Tatsuki in the eyes again, and the young martial artist could almost feel the growing fear in the other girl.
"Have you seen Ichigo anywhere today?"
At the words, Tatsuki felt the chill in her spine become a river of ice. She made a show of looking around the room, as much for herself as for the person she was talking to.
"Not at school here. Did he come by sensei's place?"
Rukia just shook her head.
"No..."
A few moments passed, and then Tatsuki noticed that Rukia had paled and started shaking her head a little.
"No...no...that couldn't have happened..."
Tatsuki realized what the other girl was thinking, and began to worry a little more herself.
"Look, it's probably not that bad. Ichigo disappears like this sometimes; he's done it since he was a kid, especially if something's upsetting him."
Rukia gave a nod at the news, and it seemed to visibly calm her a little. Tatsuki waited as the other girl pulled herself back together again.
"Okay, yeah...sorry..."
The sight of what she hoped was a professional starting to lose it frightened the brunette, and she decided to see if she could find something to get Rukia to continue calming down.
"You guys know how these things operate, don't you? I mean, their powers and everything?"
To Tatsuki's surprise, Rukia shook her head vigorously.
"No, every one of them is different, and we don't have the time to catalog them all..."
That made another chill run through Tatsuki, and she braced herself against the fear it brought. At the same time, the fear on Rukia face faded as though Tatsuki were absorbing it.
She looked at the martial artist with dawning realization.
"You mean you know what that thing is capable of?"
Tatsuki gave a nod, thankful that they weren't completely clueless about their situation.
"Yeah, some I guess..."
Rukia quickly grabbed Tatsuki's arms, getting a yelp out of the taller girl, and then stared forcefully into her eyes.
"Tell me right now."
Tatsuki told Rukia about the monster she had run into, about the small creatures and their exploding slug-thingies, and its aggressive, arrogant behavior. As she did so, the other girl just nodded her head occasionally, as though it was now a meter for showing how much information she'd absorbed.
When Tatsuki was done, Rukia turned to the room's doorway and started walking.
"Now we need to tell Feng-san right away. And we need to find Ichigo as soon as we can. If anything's happened to him..."
She knew it was stupid, but some evil part of Tatsuki could help taking advantage of the opening, even at this kind of moment.
"I thought you said you weren't 'involved' with him?"
Rukia just stared at her in shock and outrage.
"This is no time for...! We need to go now."
Tatsuki smiled for just a moment, and then agreed internally with the other girl. The school day was only half over, but if it was Ichigo and sensei's immortal souls that were at stake.
The fear she felt was still there, but Tatsuki felt it being subsumed by other emotions: excitement and a sense of purpose in finally being able to do something about what had been going on the last while.
Rukia still looked a little shaken, but also had determination in her features as they exited the room.
"I'll go look for Ichigo, you take Feng-san. Let's hope that monster decides to stay away from Karakura for a while."
Tatsuki nodded and then started down the hallway at a run, cursing her lack of a cellphone or something to talk to Sensei with.
She thought she knew where the older woman would be this time of day, though; Sensei had some set routines, and Tatsuki was pretty sure she wouldn't be too hard to reach by foot.
Maybe everything would be all right.
She sincerely hoped this would be all over nothing...
"You know...it's kind of strange."
"What is?"
As she walked through the streets of Karakura, Shaolin shrugged her shoulders.
"I just feel...not as stressed as I did this morning."
The sunny early summer weather almost certainly helped. It was around noon, and the brilliant blue sky was dotted with just enough puffy white clouds to make it interesting. It was warm, but just enough to be comfortable, with a slight breeze to take the edge off.
It was just a wonderful day, despite the reason for her being out here.
She needed to see what had become of Ichigo.
Not that she was too worried about him at the moment; he was probably sulking somewhere. But he needed to be at school and she needed to be sure, so she was walking the streets of Karakura looking for his reiatsu signature.
"Perhaps you are feeling that way because you have gotten to know Kuchiki-san a little; you do not have such a stranger in your house."
Hana seemed to think for a moment.
"Or maybe it is because you have finally made a decision about Ichigo-san that you can live with."
The assassin sighed at that.
"Maybe. But...I don't know..."
"What...?"
Shaolin sighed and let some trouble ease into her features.
"You know that device Kuchiki-hime carries around with her?"
"The one that she claims tells her about when a Hollow is to appear in the area?"
The ex-shinigami could hear the note of skepticism in Hana's voice.
"You've had time to think about it, and you also think the thing's too good to be true, don't you?"
There was the feeling of the mod-soul shrugging her shoulders.
"Maybe technology in Soul Society has advanced since my time there. But I am incapable of detecting a Hollow at any time before they appear in this world. And since they can appear and disappear from any location they please..."
Shaolin nodded her head at that, the trouble deepening on her features.
"...it's impossible to have tracking systems in Hueco Mundo itself."
She stopped and closed her eyes as she thought about the implications of that.
That it meant that the Hollows facing Ichigo and Rukia had to have...
"Shaolin...!"
The wave of Hollow reiatsu hit the ex-shinigami like a stiff breeze. It was foul, even for one of their kind, and she knew that whatever had formed the base soul for it had been an evil person even before their death.
She opened her eyes and saw the massive bulk of a winged Hollow, its mask grinning with pleasure as it sat in the middle of the sidewalk in front of her.
Shaolin kept her face neutral, even as she took a moment to notice the damage that had been done to what she was sure was the Shrieker; a few residual cracks in its mask on one side, and a wing that had only just recently been healed.
He would have some hesitancy to fly...that would be good if they started fighting here.
This wasn't the best place to have a battle...it never was.
But at least it wasn't Ichigo facing this thing.
"I take it you need something from me? Or did you just want to stand there and breathe all over me?"
"You really are nervous, are you not...?"
She was, but she wouldn't let Hana or this thing see that.
The monster before Shaolin chuckled a little, a deep, threatening sound that made the hair on the back of her neck stand up a little.
"Naw...I just wanted to have your soul for breakfast, that's all..."
This thing had already killed two of her kind...
Shaolin kept her features calm, and simply cocked an eyebrow.
"And what makes you think that will happen?"
Though he was trying to show a picture of strength, she could tell he hadn't recovered fully from his beating by Tatsuki, Chad and Orihime.
So what made him think...?
Shrieker lifted a...she hesitated to call it a hand...in the air and let something dangle from it.
And Shaolin felt her heart freeze as she recognized the battered form of a school backpack.
She looked from the backpack to the monster's face, where the rictus grin had gained more of an evil smile to it.
"I think maybe you'll be more...accommodating. That is, if you want this thing's owner in one piece..."
"Shaolin...what is going on? Shaolin?"
Shaolin could barely hear her friend's words.
She could barely think at all...
"Ichigo..."
Author's Notes: I hope this chapter wasn't too bad, considering how long I've kept everyone waiting. I've been looking at some of the constructive criticism people have been sending in, and thought I'd address some of it here, as well as ask a couple of questions.
I've heard that the story might be getting a little dark, and now that I've been looking a little closer at it, I'm beginning to see that that's true. While I am going to try and keep the story from getting too dark, I do have a defense for what I've been doing. Consider, for a few examples, that in the early chapters of Bleach Ichigo's home gets attacked not once, but twice; one of the major characters (Orihime) is nearly killed in her own home; and a Hollow is sent to Hell in a rather brutal fashion. Again, I won't be turning the story midnight black, but the story is going to be a little on the dark side just because the series is.
Another thing that was brought up was the mixed use of Japanese and English in the story, such as when I'm referring to the companies (like '2-Bantai'). I'd seen other stories doing the same thing and thought I'd try it out myself for this one; I've been more than reluctant to change the format beyond what I did earlier because it wouldn't be fair to the people who have already read and enjoyed the story to just unilaterally change it all of a sudden. But if it's causing problems for most of the readership, I do want to know; I don't want a relatively little (and easily correctable) thing like that spoiling this piece. (I've already heard what some people have said on the subject; if anyone else wants to chime in or has ideas, please feel free to say something or PM me.)
On that note, do you people care for the Author's Notes I've been putting in these chapters, as well as the responses to reviews? Or would you rather I cut out the Author's Notes as unnecessary and just PM my responses for reviews from now on?
And now for response to the reviews from the last chapter...
reality deviant: I'm glad you liked the chapter. And as for our parrot friend, I've got something in store for him... (As an aside, it always sat wrong with me that he would willingly, in any way, help the person he knew murdered his mother. That does not speak well of his morality.)
QueenPersephoneofHades: I thought Shaolin, being an experienced combatant who usually faces opponents who are larger than her, wouldn't have too much trouble dealing with Ichigo (this Shaolin taught him a lot of what he knows, and he also seems to have gone to the same swordsmanship school as Kenpachi Zaraki). And don't worry, it won't be too much longer before Shaolin's secret is revealed; Shrieker's going to force the issue...
anna (Guest): Thanks for the review, and I hope you like this chapter as much as the last one.
Ability King KK: I'm happy you liked the chapter; I had wondered if I put too much in. I'd also wondered if maybe I had done too much 'patching up' between Rukia and Shaolin, or had gone too far with the scene on top of the clinic, so I'm very gratified to hear that people think it turned out well. (Although, there's still going to be friction between Rukia and Shaolin, and Ichigo's going to have some things to say when he gets done with his 'thinking'...)
And thanks for the comment on the Rukia-bashing. I don't think she's a bad person, I just think her priorities are a little messed up because of her background.
Yonomori Hayden Yuki: Thank you for the positive review on the chapter! Mei Xing will be getting more involved in the story, rest assured. As for Ichigo going to Soul Society, that's still a ways off...but Shaolin will be going as well as Ichigo (though not necessarily with Ichigo...)
X3n0s: I'm glad you liked the last chapter, and the contents. I am planning on having Tatsuki getting more involved in the shinigami-Hollow war than she was in canon, so this is something of a start. And as for what Shaolin is going to do about her cousin...well, you've seen what I had her figure out, and I can say it won't be fun for everyone...
Fifth Horseman: Thanks for the reassurance about the update rate, and also thanks for the opinion on Rukia; as you can see from this chapter, I realize that she does have solid reasons for some of the things she's done, though I still think there's something of a deficit on Rukia's side.
As for Shaolin and her emotional state, I actually do have plans for her to crawl into a dark corner, both physically and psychologically (the latter will be especially interesting). And she is going to have to level with Ichigo pretty soon...at least as far as what she is, though not necessarily who she is...
(And don't worry about being in a funk; I think I've pulling out of one myself recently. :)
Isangtao: Thank you for the review and the constructive criticism. I'll try to do what I can about the flashbacks, and I'll see what I can do about how dark the story is becoming (truth to tell, I think I am probably going a little too far with both right now). I am glad that you liked the plot and build-up; I've been wondering for a while if the story was plodding along too slowly, and it's nice to get reassurance on that score.
As for the fact that the story is following the canon arc pretty closely – I plan to have some more divergence a little later, but I'll tell you now that this is intentional and also part of the plot. There's a reason I've let things go in a certain direction...
ShotgunWilly: I'm always glad to have a review from new people, so thank you! And thanks for the constructive criticism as well. I'm hoping to pick up the pace of the story a bit after this; it just started out kind of slow and continued that way. And as for the mixed use of Japanese in the story, see the author's notes above; I'm glad you brought up the point and see what I can do about it, and hope it isn't messing too much with your enjoyment of the story.