Supernova

By Willow Athena

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, or any of its characters, but Rien is definitely mine, as is this story.

Author's Note: Thank you to all my reviewers for the encouragement. I write for both our pleasure, so I hope you enjoy it as I have.

I'd like to dedicate this chapter to Julie, Soralake, Sanjin, and XTeddybear…who all ache with the absence of him.

Summary: The story, from this point, is largely situated 10 months after their escape from Soul Society, although, this chapter in particular, outlines her first four months after their escape.

Chapter 10 – Adjustment Disorder

For months, all was peaceful.

Renji was already the official shinigami assigned to Karakura Town. And, on the special recommendation of Ukitake taichou, Rukia had been assigned as the shinigami in charge of watching, Shihouin Rien. Although Soul Society had decided not to pursue Rien, they had determined that the possible threat she may pose was enough to warrant constant surveillance, and this had become Rukia's job. This all worked out perfectly for Rien, as she got to see her friends everyday. It had been ten months since their escape to the real world, and Rien was…content.

Rien could barely remember her first four months in the real world, they had ached so searingly with the absence of him. She would revel in all Rukia's news about Soul Society, hoping that she would let something slip about Byakuya, but she never did – Rukia had probably done this on purpose, due to a kindred need to protect her, but Rien didn't need reminders of him to hurt her, she ached silently in his absence. To have a heart simultaneously alone and broken was unfathomable – excruciating. Now, she knew what pain kept him from her, isolated both their hearts, and shattered hers…his, she knew, was already broken, long before she had dared to love him.

She had quickly learnt the need for deception, its ability to protect those she loved, and in time she had become adept at this art, to the point where people assumed her to be content, happy even, but, she was neither. There was no other way for her now family to be happy, she had to conceal her agony to preserve their joy. She was not unhappy, she thought, and there had been many moments when she had actually been undoubtedly elated, but when she was alone, the emptiness would always creep back, engulfing her in its shadow. Her memories of him were like torture, which she had frequently administered to herself for the first four months, until she had realised the masochistic nature of the ritual.

She had stopped looking at her reflection in the mirror, her eyes screaming the truth of her lies out to her, all she saw as she looked in the mirror was the emptiness he left behind, and her heart rebelling against her conscious decisions. She had since banished all thought of him from her mind, vowing to forget even his name – it was a necessary task, she had told herself, so she could enjoy the love she now received from others – they surely deserved at least this from her, she finally thought.

Rien was surprisingly intelligent, more so than Ishida had hoped for. During her first few months at university, Rien had either shadowed Ishida or Ichigo, mostly Ishida since he had faked all the documents to get her into medical school with him. Forgery, it seemed, was another one of his talents, as well as 'breaking and entering' the Dean's office. Medicine had been her choice, to try and help people as she had been so mercifully helped, and she was surprised to find she had a gift for it.

Although she spent most of her time with Ishida, no one at university was under the impression that they were dating, now that Rien understood what the term meant, she wondered why others did not infer that from her close proximity to him. Rien was frequently asked on dates, while sitting next to Ishida who would say nothing in response, as the sometimes attractive men would leer over her. She intuitively understood the guilty pleasure he would receive from her flatly turning them down, and then continuing a conversation with him – he felt no need to chauvinistically deter any of her admirers, especially knowing their certain fate. Rien had frequently heard some of the men who asked her out say things like 'Ishida must definitely be gay, if he's not tapping that' and 'Think he's going out with that Ichigo guy he hangs out with'. At first Rien had no idea what they meant, until she asked Yoruichi who rolled around on the floor, laughing, tears filling her eyes, for at least 30 minutes before she finally explained it to Rien.

She decided to defend Ishida's honour the next time she heard the sentiments. Although she couldn't be absolutely sure, she got the feeling he liked girls, and assessed that his crafts club was only an opportunity to scope out new prospects…though, she had to admit, she hadn't seen him date anyone in the months she had been there. It made her feel a bit guilty, to be driving his lovers away, as such, she decided to at least save his reputation.

Yoruichi was extremely protective of her 'adopted' little sister, and for a while, constantly worried that Seireitei would change their minds. Life with Yoruichi and Kisuke was wonderful and Rien would often just sit and watch the ways in which they interacted. When Rien initially suggested to her friends that they were involved, all the boys laughed at the idea, only Rukia, Tatsuki, and Inoue understood. That's when Rien learnt about the vast difference between men and women.

For the first few months, Rien was shadowed by one of her friends…everywhere she went. Even when alone, which infrequently occurred, Rien felt like her every move was being watched. After her first four depressive months, Rien decided that she needed to be more independent, and began to frequently give her friends 'the slip' and venture out alone…mostly to the beach at night, though, besides the serenity of it, she could not understand her attraction to the isolated location. But, during one of her midnight strolls on the beach, she heard a frightening sound that chilled her to her very core. Rien had read about them in Urahara research files, strewn in hiding places, like under the floorboards, and though she had previously encountered them, while on patrol with her friends, she had never faced this danger alone before.

Rien ran, knowing it was all she could do, but the hollow pursued her. She tried to hide, but it would always find her too slow movements. She tried to remember some of the bakudo(binding) and hado(destructive) spells she had read about, but she had never practiced them – she had judged it futile with no reiatsu to strengthen the spells. Her mind had not gone blank, perhaps tempered from her time, daily facing death, with Mayuri, it was awash with ideas she had read, but never had the inclination to practice. The hollow's pace was beginning to quicken, and she would soon be unable to dodge its attacks.

She stood, facing it in the distance, and spoke the foreign words, but nothing happened. It was closing in on her. Again she tried, this time with more determination, "Way of destruction, 4: Byakurai," it was the only one she could truly remember, for obvious reasons, and she reluctantly used it. She had used the recommended alternate hand gesture in Urahara's notes, her left arm, at 90 degrees, holding onto the elbow of her right hand, which itself was taughtly held in front of her, two fingers facing forward.

At first, nothing happened. She kept her head down, unable to peer at the close proximity of the approaching hollow, ready to endure the hit. She felt it slowly build inside of her, then exponentially expand, as though the force would rip through her if she did not release it. She looked up at the hollow, only a few feet away from her…it released itself though she had not known how to. A long tendril of pale white lightening, jaggedly formed in the now growing static of the air.

It hit the hollow!

She fell to her knees, only then realising it had only lost an arm and continued to approach. As the tentacle threatened to crash down on her, she was suddenly standing behind it. She realised she had somehow shunpo'ed, and tried to outrun it now, leading it away from any nearby people it may hurt. The shunpo felt effortless, like breathing – she felt she could do it all night. She assessed after a few flashes, that the more she used it, the faster it became, and the greater the distance she could cover in one flash. She felt she was almost outrunning it now, but she wondered if it would ever stop chasing her. She did not know if she could trust the daemon magic, it was erratic at best. Though she knew the earlier spell was poorly aimed due to her hesitation, she did not trust the feeling it awoke in her.

But there was no need. The hollow disappeared in a flash of red light. Urahara stood behind it. Disapprovingly staring Rien down, he said nothing to chastise her, but the look had been enough to cause a flood of guilt to wash over her. As her legs gave way, Kisuke caught her and shunpo'ed home, with the exhausted, but still conscious Rien. Rien feared Yoruichi's reaction above all, knowing how overprotective she was. She now contemplated that perhaps being eaten by the hollow was not such a bad way to die, considering the caring wrath she would now have to endure.

Since their return, there had been a sharp increase in both hollow and arrancar appearances. They attributed this phenomenon to one of two possible theories, either due to her friends increased strength attracting the hollows, or, perhaps Aizen's more than speedy progression in his plans to enter heaven and merge all their worlds. But, in the aftermath of the incident, Kisuke and Yoruichi has guessed that the sudden increase in hollow activity was probably some kind of reaction to Rien crossing over into the real world. They urged Rien to keep it a secret from her friends, especially Rukia, who would be forced to report it to Seireitei. Yoruichi was deathly afraid of what Seireitei would do if any hint of this new development reached their notice. Rien would probably be executed on the spot – to protect the rest of the world of course! But, Yoruichi and Kisuke would never let any harm befall Rien again, even if it meant battling the whole of Seireitei.

Until now, they had hoped that the hollows were either after Ichigo or the others, since Rien was always shadowed by one of them, but Kisuke had always suspected, but never wanted to test, his alternate theory – as Rien had inadvertently done that night. Urahara deduced that it was perhaps not the case of Rien not having any reiatsu, but rather, that her reiatsu was difficult to detect. Even that night, he hadn't been able to sense her at all. Rien thought it a silly notion, like acknowledging the wind but being unable to feel it.

Kisuke had startled himself awake that night, fearing she was in danger, knowing he was unable to detect her, he had simply followed his instinct and the reiatsu of the emerging hollow. He could barely bring himself to ponder what would have happened to Rien had he not found her when he had. Reluctantly, Urahara and Yoruichi had subsequently decided that Rien should begin training, in case she ever encountered a hollow alone again. She should be able to defend herself, or at least get away, they thought.

Kisuke was a good teacher, but would always say cryptic things that Rien never understood like, "All I can teach you is resolve." He trained her in the use of a katana, and Yoruichi would train her in hand to hand combat everyday. Yoruichi could not help but also impart some of her experience about the ways of the world, and men. Men seemed to be Yoruichi's favourite subject, and she would constantly suggest Rien experience things for herself.

"Why don't they ever just say what they mean?" Rien asked exasperated, one day – to which Yoruichi had no answer. "Their souls scream out the truth anyway," Rien added.

"Don't go saying cryptic things like that around Rukia," Yoruichi warned, as she tried to kick but Rien defended. They had found Rien's ability to use shunpo and hakuda(hand to hand combat) increased exponentially as the months passed. Yoruichi even began to teach Rien shunko, which is a specialisation only taught to those in the Shihouin clan, so she could strengthen her hakudo attacks with the ki of her shunko. Shunko used ki instead of reiatsu. If one were to think of it in relation to confectionaries, ki could be likened to the ingredients, and reiatsu, the cake it produced. It was difficult to assess anything about Rien, including the magnitude of her ki, which seemed almost limitless – though Urahara deemed that to be an impossibility since ki was only ever generated within the body.

Now, Rien's training injuries healed with frightening speed, as though they had never occurred. Moments after incurring a wound, she would wipe her bloody arm, to reveal no cut, just smooth, soft skin. Seeing this type of ability manifest, Yoruichi had assessed that only she and Urahara should help Rien train in combat, but Ishida, Ichigo and Renji had already seen it happen, so that cat was already out of the bag.

Rien felt an immense guilt weigh on her shoulders everytime she accumulated one more thing she needed to keep from Rukia. When Rukia noticed the change, she assured Rien she would rather not know, and that she felt better not having to betray Rien to Soul Society, but the guilt did not lift for Rien. She hated that any progress she made pulled her away from someone she considered a sister, as Yoruichi was to her. But, Rukia was far more reserved with Rien, whereas Yoruichi treated her like she had known her for a lifetime. Rien intuitively knew the reason, but did not like to dwell on it – the only sibling relationship Rukia knew was the one she had with Byakuya – and, one could not really deem it a close relationship, though they cared for eachother immensely, neither was willing to let the other in. So, Rien laboriously attempted to break down Rukia's walls, sometimes encountering repair crews trying to put them back up.

Author's Note

I just wanted to let reviewers know that I do read their reviews and take head of all that is said within them. In order to supplicate, to an extent, to my reviewers, I have chosen to update with my whole 'Real World' arc at once.

I know what you have been asking for, and waiting for, but I just wanted to make it plausible, and not just add that in for the novelty of it. If it happens…I want it to be awesome. So, I have not deviated from my original story, but please bare with me if you can. I hope you enjoy these chapters.