Welcome new readers, you know who you are ..:D
Rukia turned to face the newcomer. As she'd suspected it was Riruka, though her attire was decidedly un-Riruka-ish. Boots, jeans, and jacket weren't Riruka's usual garb and would almost lead a person to think the woman was planning to do physical labour of some kind. She was smiling too, though it didn't reach her eyes. Momo stood up and nodded in greeting.
"I wondered when you'd get here."
"I knew you'd wait for me. Why should I hurry?" Riruka flipped her long hair arrogantly and Momo compressed her lips, as if holding back a retort. Instead, she merely replied in her usual quiet tones.
"Well, we don't want to keep Rukia too long. You'll never guess what exciting news she has. Did you know that she and Ichigo have blood bonded? I'm sure he'll be keeping tabs on her now."
She strangely over-emphasised the words 'blood bonded.' Frowning, Rukia stared at her. What was Momo doing? It seemed a rather unusual way of delivering the news, almost as if she was trying to tell Riruka something without actually saying it out loud. Riruka however, didn't take the news well. She looked at Rukia, then at Momo, and back to Rukia again. Her mouth was opening and closing, but nothing coming out. Finally, words burst from her painted red lips.
"That's impossible! Ichigo's angry. He thinks you've been cheating! He wouldn't blood bond with you, even if you were the last female on earth!" Storming over, she grabbed the collar of Rukia's coat and pulled it down, revealing her neck and the mark from the bond.
Watching the woman's face turn purple with rage, Rukia couldn't help but smirk. "That's right, Riruka. Your plan backfired. Even after hearing the tapes, and seeing the false diary entries, Ichigo still wanted to bond with me." While that wasn't quite the truth, Rukia didn't feel the least bit guilty about altering the facts. After all that Riruka had done, she deserved it.
Growling in rage, Riruka tightened her fingers around Rukia's collar and pushed her backward. Stumbling, Rukia barely kept herself from falling, but she didn't really care. A feeling of triumph was coursing through her. At last, something good was happening on this miserable day. Sure, Ichigo wasn't even acknowledging her existence, but at least Riruka had finally been put in her place. It was with great satisfaction that she watched the other woman storming back and forth across the small clearing, running hands though her perfectly dyed pink, shiny long hair.
Eventually, Riruka quit pacing and stood with her back to the others, breathing heavily before spinning around and looking at Momo. "Now what do we do?"
Momo spoke calmly and slowly, as if speaking to a child. She was staring straight into Riruka's eyes. "We don't have to talk to her now about cheating on Ichigo. She and Ichigo are connected. He'll know the truth about what's going on."
Riruka began to protest. "No!"
"On the way here, we also ran into Tatsuki. She knows I'm with Rukia." Again, Momo seemed to be explaining something to Riruka. Rukia looked from one to the other. It was as if they were having their own coded conversation.
"I don't care. We've waited long enough. The original plan stands. I'll think of a way of dealing with Tatsuki." Shoving her hands in her pockets, Riruka glared at Momo.
Momo's voice became slightly louder. "You'll think of a plan! No way. I've kept a low profile through all of this, and I'm not about to let that change."
"It's too late to worry about that now. We can't pretend that we were just going to talk to her and let her go back home as if nothing was wrong. Even someone as stupid as Rukia must realise something is going on now." Riruka gestured towards her, and Rukia felt herself bristle at the comment.
Momo was silent for a moment, and then scowled. "As much as I hate to admit it, you're right. Tatsuki knows I'm with Rukia, so whatever happens, I'll have to think of an alibi." She turned to look at Rukia, "Sorry about this, but you're in the way of our plans." With that, she pulled out a gun.
Rukia felt her eyes go wide as she stared at the barrel pointed towards her. Whoever would have thought that sweet, little Momo would be in on this—whatever 'this' was!
"What are you planning on doing?" She knew it was a dumb question, but couldn't help asking.
"Killing you." Riruka grinned. "We're going to drug you, weigh your body down, and dump it in the lake. Ichigo will think you've run off with your friend Renji, and the way will be clear for me again."
An icy chill ran through Rukia. The two women before her seemed so calm and matter of fact, as if they were talking about getting their hair done rather than killing someone.
"We can't use that plan anymore."Momo rolled her eyes, as if fed up with her partner in crime. "If Rukia and Ichigo are blood bonded, he'll be sensing her fear. She wouldn't be afraid if she was running away with Renji."
"Momo, when are you going to stop being such a wimp? The blood bonding doesn't change anything. I've got Ichigo out of the way, he's busy with another oil spill. Even if he and Rukia are blood-bonded, his mind is occupied elsewhere. We have to do this. Too much planning has gone into it to turn back now."
"But we can't use the runaway bride story anymore. If Ichigo knows there was no affair, it wouldn't make sense for her to just run off." Momo pursed her lips and her fingers flexed on the handle of the gun. Rukia tensed hoping the woman didn't accidentally touch the trigger.
"True." Agitated, Riruka chewed her manicured thumbnail.
"Maybe we could hold her for ransom, and send a note demanding cash. Once it's paid, I'll transfer the money into the account I've set up for us so it will be untouchable. Then we can still get rid of her." Momo glanced at her absentmindedly and Rukia froze, but the gun wielding woman made no comment and just returned to her conversation.
Nodding, Riruka's eye lit up. "That's good, real good. You know, Momo, you continually surprise me. It's amazing what you can do with that computer at the bank."
Momo blushed at the praise, and Rukia rolled her eyes as she continued to distance herself slowly from the women.
"Now where can we keep her until the ransom is paid?" Momo furrowed her brow for a moment, but quickly brightened. "I know! At your apartment!"
"All right, but how do we get her there?" Riruka studied Rukia who was hugging her arms around herself and pretending to be passively awaiting her fate.
"Well, we could still drug her, but then you'd have to carry her to your car and get her into your apartment unseen." Momo decided.
The comment drew Riruka's attention back towards Momo. "Me? Carry her? Why can't you carry her?"
"I came up with the idea. You have to contribute something." Hands on her hips, Momo glared at Riruka, obviously not realising the gun was no longer pointing at their captive.
Sensing this might be her best chance, Rukia phased into her wolf and began to run. A shout sounded behind her when they realised what she'd done, and several shots rang out. The bullets whizzed past, thankfully missing her and hitting the surrounding trees, causing chunks of bark to fly out like miniature explosions. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw the other two women changing form and taking up the chase. Having a head start only gave her a bit of an advantage, she realised. She didn't know the terrain in this part of the woods well enough to run at full speed.
Keeping herself low to lessen wind resistance, she sped along as fast as she dared. A ravine was coming up, and she wasn't sure how wide it was. Could she clear it? It seemed awfully wide. Making a split second decision, she veered to the left, and ran along its edge while frantically searching for a way across it. As she ran, she berated herself for not having paid closer attention while walking earlier. She had no real idea where she was. All she knew was that the Alpha house was north of her present position. If she had the time, she could have simply follow their scent back into familiar territory, but with two wolves on her tail, it wasn't possible.
Quickly glancing over her shoulder, she frowned. Only Riruka was in sight. Switching her gaze forward again, Rukia strained to hear what was going on behind her, but could only detect one pursuer. Where was Momo? There was little time to think about it though. A fallen tree was coming into sight, and it spanned the ravine. If she could only make it that far…
Movement just ahead of her had her growling in frustration. Momo had obviously gone cross country and was coming at her from the side. Rukia dug deep, calling on all her reserves, and ran as fast as possible. The makeshift bridge was approaching. She could make it. Her lungs were starving for oxygen and she was panting heavily. She was almost there. Gathering all her strength, she prepared to leap, coiling her muscles, and launching herself through the air, just as a large furry object appeared in her vision. It hit her in the side, knocking her to the ground.
The momentum of their bodies sent Rukia and Momo tumbling. The edge of the ravine was approaching and Rukia dug her claws in, trying to prevent herself from going over the edge, but it was no use. The air was filled with the sound of breaking twigs and clattering rocks, cries of fright and gasps of pain. Her leg caught in a crevice and she twisted. A bone snapped. She yelped in agony, then slammed to the ground in a sudden stop.
For a moment everything was eerily still and quiet. Then Rukia became aware of her own laboured breathing and cautiously tried to move. Pain shot through her and she bit her lip, holding back a whimper. Opening her eyes, she noted that at some point during the wild tumble down the ravine, she'd phased back to human form. Shifting her glance sideways, she saw Momo's body lying a few feet away in a pool of blood, her neck twisted at an unnatural angle. Rukia shut her eyes and swallowed the bile that suddenly rose in her throat.
A sound overhead drew her attention. Forcing herself to open her eyes, she turned her head. Standing at the top of the ravine was Riruka. She was back in human form. Licking her lips, Rukia managed to call out.
"Riruka, you have to get help. I… I think Momo might be dead and I'm pretty sure my leg is broken."
"Aww, now isn't that a shame." Carefully, Riruka picked her way down until she was beside Rukia. Looking around, she dusted off a rock and sat down, cocking her head sideways and staring bemusedly at the woman before her. "You know Ruks, I'll never understand what Ichigo sees in you."
"What?" The woman's words were so unexpected that Rukia was sure she'd heard wrong. Momo was probably dead and Riruka was just sitting there! "You've got to check on Momo. She might still be alive and if we can get help in time—"
"You're so… so ordinary. Boring. Why he ever agreed to be mated to you is beyond me." Riruka continued as if she hadn't heard what Rukia had said. "Oh well, you'll be gone and then I'll get him back. He always comes back. Guilt can work wonders on a man with a conscience. You know, Momo and I had it all planned out. She lured you here and, just like she said, we were going to drug you, tie you up, and sink your body to the bottom of the lake. Then we were going to convince Ichigo that you'd run off with Renji. He'd be upset, but not overly surprised given your recent behaviour. Of course, I'd be there to comfort him." Riruka sighed. "It was all going so well. Ichigo actually saw you with Renji. I know he heard the messages and I set the diary out for him to see. How did he end up blood bonding to you? What went wrong?"
Rukia didn't feel inclined to answer. Riruka studied her for a moment shaking her head. "I guess Momo was right. The blood bonding has put a bit of a kink in our plan. Eventually, Ichigo's going to sense something's wrong—the oil spill will only keep his mind busy for too long—and when he realises it, he'll come looking for you." Riruka tapped her finger to her lips as she thought out loud. "The kidnapping and ransom story won't work now, so the question is, what to do with you? Hmm… I suppose I'll have to arrange it so that it looks like you were killed. Grimmjow can be blamed again. He's such a good scapegoat."
"Grimmjow's a scapegoat?"
"Of course. He's hot headed, but I could never get him to do any real dirty work. He's too full of annoying honour for that. I did manage to convince him to challenge Ichigo for the position of Alpha, but he just left the area after losing and has only come back once that I know of." She touched her face as if remembering the bruise Grimmjow had given her. "Luckily, I had a pair of his old boots and enough of his sweaty gym clothes at my apartment that I was able to convince people he was still around. I covered my own scent with perfume so no one ever knew I was there. Then I wore his boots and clothes, making it seem like he'd been present each time and ensuring he was the one that got blamed for everything that went wrong."
Stalling for time, in the vain hope that someone might come to the rescue, she decided to ask. "But why?"
"I need control of the pack." Riruka answered simply, while rising to her feet. She walked over and looked at Momo, then shrugged. "You're right. She's dead."
For all that she'd known Momo was dead, having it proclaimed out loud was upsetting. Rukia felt tears prick her eyes.
Riruka continued on in a conversational tone, as if she were discussing nothing more important than the weather. "It's a shame in a way that she's dead. Momo was actually quite clever, but no one paid much attention to her or ever suspected her of anything. You know the environmental report? I gave it to her and she altered the version that Ichigo saw, making it seem almost worthless while the original went to Northern Oil. They paid us a tidy sum for that. And your gushing diary entries about Renji? Momo wrote those too. She did a good job copying your penmanship, don't you think? And some of the cheques she's forged… Well, let's just say that if anyone ever does an in-depth audit of the local bank, it won't be pretty." Shaking her head, Riruka turned away from Momo's broken body. "It's too bad that she's gone though. I had a few more jobs for her before I severed our relationship. Still, I suppose this will save me getting rid of her later on. Grimmjow can be blamed for her death, too."
Rukia tried to shift into a more comfortable position, but nothing alleviated the pain. Her broken leg throbbed. Trying to keep Riruka talking so the woman held off killing her, Rukia brought up more questions. "Why do you need control of the pack? If you want to be an Alpha female, why not just go with Grimmjow and start over?"
Riruka laughed sarcastically. "Are you serious? As if I'd ever go off and live like a pauper while Grimmjow tried to establish a pack somewhere. Being Alpha female is only a means to an end. I want money and this pack is loaded. Northern Oil is offering a fortune for the land, but most of the pack is too stupid to take it. Only Momo, myself and a few of the others seem to see things clearly. If we sell out to Northern Oil, we'll be rich."
"But… you said that this was your home and you couldn't leave."
"I lied. Being a wolf isn't that great. Momo hated being the Omega of the pack and wanted out of that stupid hierarchy system. And me, I could happily live as a rich human for the rest of my life, and that's exactly what I intend to do."
"But how?"
"Don't you worry your little head, Rukia. I've been planning this for ages. First I got rid of Gin by cutting the brake line—"
"So that's why you pretended to be 'Reeka' and hung out with Maki!"
"Oh, what a clever girl you are." Riruka mocked. "You're right. Maki showed me enough about how an engine works that I can hotwire it or sabotage it. Once Gin was dead, I figured Grimmjow would be the logical replacement since he was older. When it looked undecided, I gave matters a little push. I thought Grimmjow would win a challenge, so I told him that Ichigo had sabotaged Gin's brakes. Being the impulsive, hot-headed type that he is, Grimmjow issued the challenge before he had time to think things through. Unfortunately, he lost and it set me back a bit. I'd been working on Grimmjow for weeks before then, convincing him that selling out was the right choice, and now I had to start all over again."
"With Grimmjow gone, I went to work on Ichigo, trying to convince him to sell out. I poisoned the water, set traps, had the electricity turned off, called the fire inspectors… Even that picture was part of the plan."
"The picture?"
"Remember how worried Ichigo was? How he thought someone might notice that the wolf in the picture isn't a real wolf? If someone comes to check it out, the pack could be discovered. I might even hire a few actors to do that, now that I think about it. People poking around town, looking for wolves is a guaranteed way to spook our Alpha. You see, Kurosaki cares too much about his pack and that's his weakness. If I can convince him it isn't safe here, he'll agree to sell out and move elsewhere. Once the cash is in his hands, I can electronically siphon it from his account into an untraceable Swiss one in my own name." Riruka stopped and looked down at Rukia, scowling. "Everything was going great until you showed up."
"If it's money you want, I can talk to Ichigo. I'm sure he'd give you some."
"Some!" Riruka scoffed. "I don't want some. I want it all." She checked her watch. "Well, as much as I've enjoyed this conversation, I'd better go get Grimmjow's clothes on again. If I'm going to kill you, I want his scent all over you." Winking, she kicked Rukia's broken leg. "Don't go anywhere while I'm gone."
Rukia tasted blood in her mouth from where her teeth were biting into her lip. She wouldn't cry out and give Riruka the satisfaction of knowing how much that had hurt, even though her body was screaming with pain. Closing her eyes, she listened to the sound of retreating footsteps until they could be heard no more. Finally she could let her aching body relax.
Running her fingers through her hair, she realised that the temperature must have risen. She wasn't feeling as cold any more. In fact, a thin film of sweat was forming on her brow and she unzipped her jacket, closing her eyes and relishing the feeling of the cool air as it hit her overheated body. Ah, that felt better. Suddenly she widened her eyes. Oh no! Not now! She was becoming used to reading the signals her body gave out, one of those waves was approaching again. A frustrated growl rumbled in her throat. The heat cycles were supposed to be fun and filled with hours of great sex. So far not a single one had lived up to her expectations.
Well, she wasn't just going to take this lying down. She'd funnel all the sexual frustration inside of her into trying to escape out of this ravine. Looking around she saw a few sticks that might serve as a crutch and slowly, painfully, pulled herself over to them. After testing several, she took the longest and sturdiest one available and, using the tree for support, heaved herself up into a standing position. Once upright, she swayed for a few moments until the world quit tilting and then slowly began to hobble in a northerly direction. After only a few steps, she was bathed in perspiration, the pain shooting up from her leg was almost unbearable, but she forced herself to keep moving. She had to get away. Riruka was returning with plans to kill her and no one knew where she was. No one was coming to rescue her, she had only herself to rely on.
Focussing solely on walking, she repeated the patterned movement over and over in her head: balance on the good leg, move the stick forward, use it for balance while hopping ahead, swallow hard and ignore the pain each lurching step caused, then repeat. Her good leg was starting to tremble with fatigue. Reluctantly, Rukia stopped and leaned against a tree, panting for breath. It felt like she'd been travelling for ages. Glancing backward to see how far she'd come, she wanted to scream, she could still see Momo's crumpled body. All her efforts had gained her was a few hundred yards.
The faintest of sounds reached her ears and she froze, listening intently as she tried to decipher what it might be. Heavy breathing, footsteps—no, make that paws—and a slight snuffling sound. Someone was coming in wolf form and they were sniffing, following a trail. She wondered who it might be. Was Riruka back already? Or maybe Tatsuki had decided to join her and Momo? Could it be Ichigo finally coming to rescue her? Rukia hesitated. Should she call out, assuming it was a friend? But what if it was Riruka? No use in tipping the woman off.
Scooting herself back towards a tangle of shrubs, Rukia attempted to conceal herself just in case. She'd watch and see who appeared. If it was rescue, she'd call out. If it was Riruka… Well, she'd stay hidden as long as possible, and then fight tooth and nail for her life when the time came.
Rukia forced herself to breathe slowly and lightly in order not to make a sound. She kept her eyes sharply fixed on the point where she felt the wolf would first appear. A large black wolf was coming into sight. Narrowing her gaze, she studied the animal. It stood poised at the top of the ravine almost exactly where she and Momo had tumbled over the edge. Slowly the wolf scanned the area and Rukia resisted the urge to move backward, aware that any movement on her part would draw the beast's attention.
Thankfully, its gaze passed over her and then fell upon Momo's body. With a yip, the wolf made its way down the slope and nuzzled the corpse. The wolf began to sniff around Momo's body and then, obviously picking up her scent, began to head her way. Reaching around for her walking stick, Rukia held it firmly in her hands. It wasn't much protection, but it was better than nothing. Closer and closer the wolf came. Rukia could feel her heart beating faster and her palms becoming sweaty. She shifted her grip on the stick and raised it in preparation for swinging as hard as she could. The wolf stopped just a few feet from her hiding spot and gave a whine. Licking her lips, Rukia hesitated.
The wolf was looking directly at her and had the most incredible blue eyes. The air shimmered and the wolf disappeared, only to be replaced by the best looking man she'd ever seen, after Ichigo.
This had to be the mysterious Grimmjow.
Standing at the edge of the woods, Ichigo wiped his sweaty palms on his pant legs and then shoved his hands into his back pockets. He'd faced a challenge fight to the death with fewer qualms than he had at this moment. For some reason, he was inexplicably nervous about opening up a connection with Rukia. What if Rangiku was wrong? What if she didn't love him? What if she really hated him for the blood bond?
"Oi! Ichigo!" The sound of Tatsuki's voice behind him broke into his thoughts. He turned to observe the athletic woman jogging down the lane way. "Are you waiting for Rukia?"
He cleared his throat before answering. "Yeah, something like that."
"I'm surprised she isn't back yet. I ran into her and Momo over an hour ago. Somehow, I got the impression that they were just taking a short walk." Tatsuki leaned against a tree and stretched her leg muscles while talking.
"Really? I wonder why they aren't back yet." He frowned. To the best of his knowledge, Momo wasn't an exercise fanatic and didn't go on long walks.
"Yeah, it is sort of strange, isn't it? And you know what else? Momo was acting odd. I mean, she's always quiet, but… " Tatsuki paused and then shrugged. "I don't know. Something was off. When Rukia asked me to join them,Momo had this weird look on her face. I think she was relieved that I couldn't go with them." She bent down to tighten her shoelaces. "At the time, I didn't think that much about it, except that maybe Momo wasn't feeling well, but now that they aren't back… Well, I suppose Momo could have gotten sick along the way. That would explain why they're so late."
Ichigo narrowed his eyes as he considered the fact. "Do you know where they were going?"
"They were headed towards the lake, but I'm sure they didn't actually go that far, since it's still out of bounds." Tatsuki stood and bounced up and down a few times, while efficiently readjusting her ponytail that had started to loosen.
"Thanks, Tatsuki. I think I'll just head out and meet them. They're probably on their way back by now, anyway."
"Sounds like a plan. I'll see you later." Tatsuki gave a little nod and then continued her daily jog.
Once she was on her way, Ichigo leaned his back against a tree and tilted his head towards the sky. He opened his mind, searching for Rukia. As his senses expanded—searching and reaching—his instincts were telling him something was off, but he wasn't sure what. Hoping his inner wolf was wrong, he focussed in on Rukia and felt his heart lurch.
Waves of pain and fear washed over him. Rukia was in danger! Cursing himself for not seeking her out sooner, he phased into wolf form and raced through the woods, following a voice that only his heart and soul could hear.
Ichigo ...
To all who believed in Grimmjow's innocence despite the falsified evidence pointed at him.. A million points for you.. Hehehe
For me Grimmjow was the hottest male character in Bleach after Ichigo of course. Sorry for killing Momo, I'm not really a fan of her, after she became- like ichiruki4ever pointed out- an aizen psycho.
No offense to her fans. Momo was a good character after all with an awesome zanpakuto.
Ichiruki4ever: the way they planned on killing ruki, u guessed right.. nice..hehe