Author's Note:
Well all this is going to be an interesting chapter if I say so myself. I am sorry this took so blasted long. I got some belated birthday gifts and have been busy alternating between terrorizing Chicago by ruthlessly hacking into every computer imaginable and reading a book by the author that finished WoT. Now that that is all done I would like to thank the readers and reviewers for being so kind with the last chapter. It was not my best work but there were some key aspects that needed to be told. I will now announce the FINAL RESULTS OF THE POLL.
Nemu(Division Twelves Lieutenant): 2
Yukari (Minato's sister): 4
Sui-Feng: 5
Rangiku Matsumoto: 6
Yoruichi: 8
Tatsuki: 10
The results are insanely close. For a few days it was between Rangiku and Yoruichi with Tatsuki tailing in third. Then she and Yoruichi were tied for a week straight. As it is now I know how things will play out so I will be including more of the off center characters in future chapters to advance them. Now to the acknowledgments:
mr I hate znt nobles kill em: I have gotten this question quite a few times in my personal life as well so I'll answer it here. WoT stands for Wheel of Time. One of my favorite books series. I'll give a VERY brief synopsis about what the world is about after the acknowledgments for those of you that don't know it. It will not cover everything but the major things will be. To those that do know what WoT is please forgive me if I don't use the correct terms or go into a lot of detail. I'm just trying to give as brief a synapses as I can to people that have no clue what Sadin or Sadar is or the difference between them. That in itself could take a long time.
Arrankor: Sorry for the confusion about Ichigo's Mindscape. I just wanted to show that Shiro and Ichigo had something of an uneasy truce. Meaning that if Ichigo uses to much of Shiro's abilities Shiro may influence Ichigo to act differently without completely taking control. I also wanted to show that other forces were trying to help Ichigo stop being so oblivious through subtle means(Zangetsu) and through not so subtle means(Shiro).
Telron: The story is building. When things hit the fan so to speak it will really hit the fan. So far I know when the powers will be revealed I know the stories build after that initial blow up back to a boiling point. It is going to be a great ride.
WoT Synopsis: First it has aspects of several religions thrown together. The world follows Buddhism rules that when you die you are reincarnated. It has an entity very similar to The Devil known as The Dark One in that he whispers deceit and evil in the ears of those on the planet. He was locked in an inescapable prison an unknown amount of years before the story began by The God of the world known as The Creator. Then when people had long forgotten him they used their equivalent of magic to dig into his prison and accidentally release him. He created a war in a civilization with technology roughly equivalent to what we have in our world. The end result was that any man who could use magic would go violently insane the more he used it. Women who could use magic are perfectly fine. They then proceeded to hunt down and cut off the men from their magic which inadvertently leads to the death of the man. The uncaught men caused mountains to turn to oceans, oceans to plains and so on untill the world looks nothing like it did before hand. Eventually they are all caught and have their magic sealed. Any others with powers are caught as they appear and their magic sealed. The remaining humans rebuild in a time period similar to that of the pre-Renaissance era in which they have no gun powder but have fireworks. Those are the MAJOR factors that go into the story. I would tweak certain things such as timing for my story as in the Cannon story line it takes years. That covers the main aspects. For those of you that know the story please don't bite my head off at all the smaller details I left out. They aren't all that important in a VERY broad overview of what the overall world is like. Characters and such can be put off until the actual story is written.
That is the end of that for now. Now onto the real story, but first:
I own nothing but my original characters. Please read, review, and continue.
/
"Shiro if at anytime you were going to kill me and take over my body please let it be now." Ichigo asked his inner Hollow. A cruel chuckle echoed inside the substitute Shinigami's head.
Ichigo struggled against the one that dragged him to the door of the train station. Orihime and Rukia had weird half smiles on their faces. Orihime walked relaxed beside them like what was happening was an everyday occurrence, which was unfortunately becoming more frequent. One of Rukia's soft hands was clasped like iron around Ichigo's wrist.
"Kazehana said she would meet us later." Rukia said pulling harder on Ichigo. "Miya said she needs some butter, bacon, rice, pancake batter, bread, and eggs."
"Then she wants us to go to a nearby hospital," Orihime said as they passed through the door to the outside. "She told me she special ordered some medical equipment from an American company."
Ichigo felt his eyebrows climb his forehead. "Why an American company?""I asked Miya that," Orihime said placing a finger on her chin while Rukia continued to drag Ichigo. "She said that they were one of the few companies that didn't have any MBI connections. She said that they could only ship to a sister hospital." "I wonder why she has such a problem with MBI." Ichigo mused aloud.
"We didn't come out here to talk about Miya," Rukia said looking at the buildings on the opposite side of the street.
Why did she suddenly got so angry, Ichigo thought frowning. All I did was mention Miya.
"You can stop pulling me," Ichigo complained trying to free his hand.
Rukia opened her mouth to respond but was interrupted by a buzzing noise that filled the air and Ichigo's pocket. Ichigo reached in with his free hand and pulled his phone from his pocket. The black and red design flashed wickedly in the air as Ichigo brought the vibrating phone to his ear. He clicked the button while still being dragged by Rukia.
"Hello?" Ichigo said into the phone.
"Ichigo," Matsu's voice said coming through clearly. She was oddly serious. "We have a problem. Three people seem to be following you. From what I've been able to see two of them are together and don't know about the third. The third is on the roof tops. I haven't been able to get a good look at their faces so I can't run facial recognition software on them. All I know for sure is the one on the roof is a Sekirei. She has dark purple hair and she seems to be using some sort of projectile weapon that cuts. She sliced through a section of roof so she didn't have to alter her course."
"YOU'RE WATCHING US?!" Ichigo shouted into the phone. Out the corner of his eye Ichigo saw Rukia clutch at her ears finally releasing him. She glared at him but Ichigo ignored it as he focused on Matsu.
"Not so loud Ichigo," Matsu sounded like she was in pain. "This is the only way that I can make sure that you guys are protected. Besides it's not fair that they get to spend so much time with you and I your Sekirei don't."
Ichigo sighed. She hides it well but I can hear the pain behind her voice. Her life is tied to my own. If I die she dies. No wonder she is suspicious of everyone.
"Matsu calm down," Ichigo said into the phone. "I can handle whatever they send at us. You are safe."
Silence was the only thing that crossed the phone line. Five minutes passed before Ichigo heard, "Yes I suppose you can. When you get back I'll have a few experiments to test. I'll keep you guys informed. And Ichigo?"
Ichigo shuddered at the mention of experiments. She could fit right into the Twelfth Division in Soul Society. "What is it?"
"Could you please bend over and pick up that Yen at your feet?" Matsu asked.
"Sure," Ichigo sighed as he bent over. He didn't see any money on the street. "Hey Matsu, where is it?"
All he heard was labored breathing from the other end of the line. Ichigo quickly straightened. His face hot with embarrassment. Forget Division Twelve she is a mini Urahara. I still have to find a way to get back at that bastard for getting me into this.
"King may I make a suggestion?" Shiro asked his voice like oil.
"What is it?" Ichigo asked his tenet.
Shiro began to shape a plan in Ichigo's ear. The more Ichigo heard the more uneasy he became.
"He is a pain in the ass but I don't want to completely destroy him." Ichigo responded.
"Fine," Shiro said exasperated. "Then how about this...""That could work," Ichigo responded nodding in thought. "It would allow a little pay back and isn't to cruel." "Ichigo," Orihime's voice came. Ichigo turned to look at the buxom orange haired woman. "You spaced out on us. Are you okay?""Fine," Ichigo responded shaking his head. "We're being followed by three people." "You just catching onto that?" Rukia asked her glare still in place. "You really need to train your ability to sense Spirit Pressure. I've been leading us to as deserted an area as possible just in case."For the first time Ichigo looked around at their surroundings. The once bustling clean street had turned dingy and deserted. The shops for clothes, food, and other various items had taken a turn for the worse. Bars with missing windows, strip clubs with broken neon lights, and greasy tattoo parlors with closed rusty iron gates lined the streets, with dark and dirty alleys.
Most of the surrounding buildings looked abandoned. If it came to a fight and Ichigo had to fight as well he would be able to do some damage but he wouldn't be able to go all out or half the city could be destroyed within a few minutes.
"Come on out." Ichigo called out. He would rather fight an opponent head on rather than let them plan a stealthy way to take them out.
A loud crashing noise came from a nearby alley as someone knocked over a trash can in their surprise. A quieter noise came from a nearby roof. It was soft. Ichigo doubted anybody but himself heard it. At least nobody gave any sign that they heard it.
Two figures slowly approached from the alley that Ichigo heard the crashing noise. One was a plain looking boy with shaggy brown hair and green eyes. He had a jean jacket on with a white shirt underneath. Jeans sat loosely on his legs.
A girl followed him. She was a short but petite woman with blond hair that fell down to her chin. A blue blouse with long sleeve covered her body with a matching skirt. Socks rose to above the knee. Her pace seemed unsure, as if each step she took might be wrong.
"Who are you?" Rukia asked frowning. She was in the middle of tugging on a spirit glove.
"Easy," The man said holding up his hands as if it was a barrier. "We don't want to fight. In fact that's the entire reason we are here."
Ichigo raised his eyebrows in surprise. I only have Matsu as a Sekirei and only those at the Inn know about that. How does this guy know?
"What are you talking about?" Rukia asked slowly.
"We heard rumors about several Ashikabi that have taken up residence in the northern part of town and are working together. The Ashikabis of the North. Aren't you one of them?"
He must be talking about Chad, Uryū, and Tōshirō, Ichigo thought.
"I am friends of theirs," Ichigo said hesitantly.
"If you know about Ashikabi then you must be part of the Sekirei plan somehow." The teenager said. "Are you an Ashikabi?"
"You came to us you answer our questions." Rukia stated crossing her arms. Ichigo felt the temperature drop a few degrees.
"You have a very impressive Sekirei." The boy said respect flowing from his words. He felt the temperature drop too.
"I'm not a Sekirei," Rukia said through gritted teeth. Then added so softly Ichigo had to strain to hear it, "Although that might make things a bit easier."
"Then..." The still unnamed boy said looking at Orihime.
"I'm sorry," Orihime said smiling. "I'm not a Sekirei. I'm a good friend of the Ashikabis of the North."
"So are you an Ashikabi?" The man asked again.
"I'm starting to get a little tired of all the questions." Ichigo said irritated as his patience started to run thin from all the unnecessary questions.
"As am I." Rukia responded a tick mark slowly forming on her head. "You can ask one question. We may or may not answer. Some questions are just as dangerous to the one who asks the question as to the one who knows the answer."
The man opened his mouth undoubtedly to respond but slowly closed it as he thought deeper about his next words. His Sekirei followed suit.
"Please help us," The man stated. There was no question in his voice so he "My name is Haruka Shigi. The woman beside me is my Sekirei Kuno number 95. We heard rumors about Ashikabi here in the North that weren't like the East or South. We tried to go to the West but he told us that he was busy. He was actually the one who recommended we come here. Nobody seems to know who or what these Ashikabis of the North look like, so we looked for the man with the most woman around him. We were walking by the train station when we saw you leave. We happened to hear you talk about a third woman meeting you so we followed you. The entire time we tried to figure out a way to approach you."
"What do you need?" Orihime asked concern shining in her eyes.
"Kuno is not a Sekirei suited for outright battle as so many other Sekirei are," Haruka said sadness lacing his words. An image of Matsu flashed through Ichigo's mind. She was incredibly smart, but in a fight against Uzume or even Tsuki she would be hard pressed despite being Sekirei number 2. "We aren't idiots. We can see how the Director of the Sekirei Plan operates. Under the best of circumstances for myself it will come down to Kuno and another Sekirei. If I give it the best case scenario in which the other stronger Sekirei and Ashikabi fought to a stand still. Neither of us has the heart to end another Sekirei and Ashikabi's dream of a life together and we don't want to part. That leaves escaping."
"Don't you know that the Director has an emergency cut off to shut down your Sekirei?" Ichigo asked. Haruka flinched as Ichigo said it.
"The way I see it," Haruka responded slowly. "Is if we stay we are separated forever by another Ashikabi and Sekirei who are stronger or more ruthless than us even if the director is bluffing. If we leave and he is bluffing then we can stay safe until the end of the plan. Until then I have a feeling that he will have his hands full trying to keep you guys in line."
"Is that all?" Ichigo asked. They were good logical reasons. Ichigo could also tell that Haruka cared about his Sekirei. In many ways he reminded Ichigo of himself when he met Rukia. Thrust into something out of his league. He cared deeply for someone in danger who could not be brought out of danger unless someone intervened. The parallels were eery in a way.
"No," Haruka said shaking his head. "You guys care. Not once since I told you our story have you tried to attack us. Instead you've asked questions. You showed concern. Thank you for that. I have to believe that you guys will stop this insane plan. I have to ask though. Please will you help us?"
The question had been asked. An answer was optional.
"We will help." Ichigo, Rukia, and Orihime said together. They looked at each other blinking in surprise at the unintended simultaneous response.
"I see a problem in your plan though." Rukia said after a brief pause. "What happens if we can't stop this?"
"I will stop it." Ichigo said his eyes narrowing.
"I know we will." Rukia responded returning his look. "All I'm saying is that what happens if we can't stop it in time and they look for you before the end of the plan?" Ichigo couldn't argue with her. They still had no information and they did not dare fight back until they had more, else their friends could be killed if the Director was not bluffing.
"I don't know." Haruka responded. "We aren't strong enough to stand against the Disciplinary Squad by our selves."
"You need a way to stay out of sight once you get out of town." Orihime said brightly. "We could ask Urahara to keep them safe."
Ichigo shuddered at the notion but had to admit it was a viable idea. If he could remain hidden from Soul Society for as long as he had then it would be child's play to hide a single Sekirei and Ashikabi. He could also find out if the Director was bluffing about the kill switch by studying Kuno.
"We have some friends at a nearby place." Ichigo said to the couple. "Go there and ask for Urahara. Tell him about your trouble and what we said."
"Thank you so much," Kuno said finally speaking up. Her voice was soft. "You have given us back hope."
"Just leave quickly," Ichigo said embarrassed by the praise. "The location is Izumo Inn."
"Thanks," Haruka called as he left with Kuno.
"You want to come out now?" Ichigo asked into the silence.
Silence was all that greeted him. After the first confrontation Ichigo had been constantly scanning the roof top were the noise had come from. It was only now that he saw a brief glimpse of purple hair and a purple bow duck down quickly behind a ledge.
Ichigo sighed but picked up an empty can that had rolled out of a nearby alley. With a well calculated throw the can was sent sailing through the air. A solid clunk sounded as it landed just behind the ledge.
"OUCH!" A voice shouted from atop the roof. The voice was definitely feminine. "I mean, please pay no attention to the voice coming from atop the building. Thank you." It came in a singsong voice.
"We can here you." Ichigo said face faulting.
The voice did not respond. Silence filled the air.
"Ichigo we need to get the food for Miya," Orihime reminded.
"Alright." Ichigo said sighing. "If you are going to be following us the entire time you could just walk with us. Either way we are going to go shopping."
Ichigo turned his back and began one of the weirdest shopping trips he had ever thought could happen.
The group walked out of the dark streets into more populated areas. Out of the corner of his eye Ichigo could always track their pursuer. She was good at staying atop the buildings, but she was anything but stealthy.
"What did you say we needed?" Ichigo asked trying to keep his mind off the woman jumping across the roof tops.
"Just a few groceries," Orihime said smiling, her face lighting up. "Then we have to go to a hospital and pick up a few supplies."
"Alright," Ichigo said putting their tail out of his mind for the moment. She could attack at any time but Ichigo trusted his reflexes to keep them safe. Besides she seemed harmless enough on her own.
The group walked through the streets occasionally swapping stories about things that had happened over the years as they entered the market. They were careful to remain ambiguous enough that anybody listening in would not be able to tell what they were talking about but those that knew what had happened would have no trouble following their stories.
Soon Ichigo lost himself in the stories. Old fights and rivalries brought to memory. Some were better than others. When Rukia and Orihime told about the times they had been taken away, Ichigo felt his blood boil all over again.
He did not even realize they were done shopping until Orihime said, "Okay all that we have left to do is stop by the hospital and then we can go back to the Inn."
Ichigo caught sight of their stalker following them. Her head dropped out of sight behind a wall.
"Hey guys go on ahead." Ichigo said waving them to go on. "I want to catch our little stalker."
"Fine," Rukia huffed looking annoyed. "You had better catch up with us."
Orihime didn't say anything but nodded happily to Ichigo like she understood. Maybe she does. She does know me pretty well. An image of her in his dream from last night came to his mind. She had had a wild look in her eyes. Ichigo had asked what was wrong and she had kissed him in response. After that the dream had faded away. Just thinking of the dream brought a deep crimson blush to Ichigo's face.
Ichigo ducked into a nearby alley and tried to banish the image of Orihime kissing him from his mind. She doesn't really think about me like that, does she? No it has to be Shiro messing with me. Soft foot falls came from atop the roof top above him.
Ichigo looked up and waited. No sound came from above to indicate that the unknown pursuer knew he was there. A few tense moments passed while Ichigo waited to either be discovered or for his plan to work. Ichigo stared at the short gap between the two buildings he stood between.
Suddenly a brief flash of purple, black, and white moved across to the other building. A soft skidding noise sounded from atop the building. Ichigo stalked as quietly as he could to a nearby fire escape which thankfully looked at least moderately well quietly as he could Ichigo reached up and grasped the cold metal rung. Pulling himself up was hard. Not because he wasn't strong enough but because he had to go as slowly as possible to avoid making noise.
Ichigo slowly clambered onto the first level of the escape. The escape making soft creaking noises. Ichigo paused to see if he had been discovered. Nothing peaked over the lip of the building. Ichigo started to slowly make his way up the stairs. Each step was carefully placed. He put his weight on his feet only after making sure it would not creak.
Before he knew it Ichigo was only feet away from the top. He slowly looked over the lip of the building. A small petite woman stood at the other end of the building looking surreptitiously over the lip on that side. Ichigo slowly made his way up the remaining steps. She did not turn around. Ichigo began to walk as slowly as he could to her. He did not want to spook her and make her run before he was close enough to ask his questions.
"Where is he?" The woman asked. Confusion laced her voice. "He was just with them. Izumi is going to be so mad."
"Izumi is the Ashikabi of the East. You are his Sekirei. What do you want with us?" Ichigo asked speaking up.
The woman whipped around at his voice. Surprise shone on her face. A black and white outfit that reminded Ichigo of a maid's outfit covered her body. A purple bow stood in her hair.
"It is not proper for a man to sneak up on a woman." The woman quickly stammered.
"You haven't answered my question." Ichigo said simply. He would not be dissuaded.
"It would not be proper to give away secrets that don't belong to me." The woman said simply.
"Well how about a name?" Ichigo asked. "You can give me yours right?"
"It would not be proper for me to give an enemy of my Ashikabi any information." The woman responded.
"Well if I am your enemy," Ichigo said fingering his combat pass at his belt. "Then I would prefer to know your name. After all I need to know who I've beaten."
"That is awfully rude of you," The woman said in a huff. "Dismissing me like that. You an Ashikabi. You can not match a Sekirei."
Ichigo sighed. "Look, I really could care less at this point. Just please stop following us."
"My Ashikabi has ordered me to follow you to learn more about you," The woman said folding her arms across her breasts.
"Isn't that in itself improper?" Ichigo asked his voice flat.
The woman's face flushed a deep crimson. She began sputtering.
"If I give you a bit of information will you leave us alone?" Ichigo asked. Ichigo doubted that Miya wanted just anyone to know about her delivery to the hospital.
"What is it?" The woman asked.
"It isn't right to give information to strangers." Ichigo said simply. Maybe I can at least get a little more information out of this.
"My name is Oriha." Oriha said her voice simple. "What is the information you carry?"
"Ichigo," Zangetsu said suddenly. "Something is off. She is somehow connected to us. I can't say how but she is. She isn't like the others."
"What others?" Ichigo asked Zangetsu.
Zangetsu was silent for a moment. Then he said, "Say my name. There is no record of my name anywhere in this world. To anyone not familiar with us it means nothing, but it will allow you to keep your word. Besides if what I feel is true then we may discover something else as well."
"I hope your right." Ichigo said to his friend. Ichigo wasn't thrilled with giving up something so personal. Zangetsu was as much a part of him as his arm was and it bothered giving his name away to a stranger that he did not want to fight.
"Zangetsu," Ichigo said aloud. Ichigo watched the woman's face carefully. He wasn't disappointed. Fear and shock ripped across her face. Several spinning gears floated out from underneath her dress.
"How do you know about that?" Oriha said her voice soft and menacing. "Only my Ashikabi has seen that move. How do you know it's name?"
"I've given you the information." Ichigo said walking away. "Anything else is off the table."
"I'll find out any way." Oriha said. "When I fight your Sekirei it will come out."
"When you fight me," Ichigo said reaching the fire escape. "Then you will know what I mean."
With that Ichigo walked out the fire escape and put the strange woman out of his sight.
/
Rukia was nervous. It had been a while since Ichigo had left them. His Spiritual Pressure remained the same, so he was still alive. That said it wouldn't change much if someone ambushed him and knocked him out.
Orihime walked nearby. Her eyes never seemed to stay in one place for more than a few moments. She was still playing the part of a tourist. Rukia frowned. I suppose I'm a tourist too. The last time I was here it was much smaller.
"I see you guys made it," A voice said from behind them. Rukia whirled. Kazehana idled near a lamp post. "Where is Ichigo?"
"Someone was following us so he decided to confront them." Rukia responded coolly. Kazehana acted much to familiar with Ichigo. Rukia had gone to bed last night but before drifting off to sleep she had decided to check to make sure Ichigo wasn't doing anything uncouth. It wasn't because she wanted to intentionally sleep next to him. At least that is what she had told herself.
When she had arrived Orihime was already asleep. Rukia decided that in order to make sure Ichigo didn't take advantage of her had laid down next to him and fallen asleep. It wasn't because she was jealous.
When Rukia had been awoken by Miya she had sensed Ichigo's Spiritual Pressure outside. She had very carefully kept her eyes away from the window. Rukia had knocked out Kon as soon as she could to prevent him from giving himself away. Miya had chewed them all out.
What had really annoyed her wasn't Miya chewing them out. It was all the women in the room. Rukia was still both angry and confused about her position. When she first met Ichigo she didn't know how she felt about him. It had become clear to her after he freed her. If she was being honest it had been developing for much longer than that, but she held off because she knew that Orihime liked him. Rukia had been at a loss for what to do. She loved Ichigo, but she didn't want to hurt Orihime, so she held her tongue. She had made up for it by trying to dissuade other people from getting close to Ichigo.
That had changed when Yoruichi had told her about the nature of Ashikabi having multiple Sekirei, but she was still conflicted. Could she really share Ichigo?
When she had heard about Matsu she had been shocked and angry. Not because he belonged to Orihime, but because this unknown woman had done what Rukia herself didn't dare to do. She wasn't sure what to think about her. Rukia wasn't sure what Ichigo thought of Matsu. He had stood up for her several times, but he had also complained about her perverse nature.
If that was not enough Kazehana had showed up and started sleeping in Ichigo's bed as if it was the most normal thing in the world. To Rukia Kazehana was almost like a second Captain Kyōraku. Lazy, perverse, drank heavily, but was not a bad person at heart.
Rukia also had suspicions about Miya. Miya was hard on Ichigo. Harder than on the rest of them. She was also one of the most dangerous. Rukia had felt her Spiritual Pressure. Normally it was unremarkable in every way. Easily comparable to an average human, however Rukia knew that was a lie. When Ichigo had slipped out of his body and Miya found it, her control slipped just for a few moments. It was very easily a Captain's level.
"So he's gone for a while," Kazehana said pulling Rukia out of her thoughts.
"Yeah," Orihime said brightly. "He'll be fine he's strong."
"I have no doubt about it." Kazehana said her eyes misting over. "He's so strong, smart, and handsome. Don't you two agree?"
Rukia could only sputter as she felt her cheeks grow hot. Next to her Orihime had grown tomato red.
"What?" Kazehana asked almost to innocently. "I know you both love him."
"What are you talking about?" Rukia asked feeling like her cheeks were on fire. She didn't dare look to Orihime. "Orihime loves Ichigo, but I don't." The lie that so easily left her lips left an oily taste in her mouth.
"Really?" Kazehana asked an eyebrow raising. "You look at him so much. Even when he isn't you look at him like he is the only water in the desert."
"No I don't." Rukia said the lie twisting her stomach.
"You do." Kazehana said simply. Her expression turning if possible even more misty with passion. "I can see it in your eyes and hear it in your voice when ever you see or talk about him. You could not be any more obvious if you tried."
"Rukia is it true?" Orihime's quiet voice came to Rukia's ears.
Is it true. A question that demanded an answer.
Rukia opened her mouth to tell her 'no', but her voice stuck in her voice. Rukia choked back her words and nodded. I am a terrible person. I just told my best friend I'm in love with the same man she has been in love with for years.
Orihime was silent. Rukia prayed for her to say something, anything. Condemn her for a bad friend, curse her, cry, anything but the silence.
"Rukia," Orihime said her voice said softly. "Please look at me."
Rukia forced her eyes to meet Orihime's. What she saw surprised her. Orihime was smiling.
"Rukia," Orihime said softly her smile never slipping. "I'm sorry."
"Why?" Rukia asked startled. "I'm the one who has been in love with the man you've been after since before we met. Don't you hate me?"
"Hate you?" Orihime asked looking surprised at the very thought of hating someone. "Rukia you're my friend. I'm sorry that I didn't see how much pain you were in. For so long I knew that same pain. I never told anyone I loved him out loud. When I knew you had figured it out at first I felt so embarrassed, but that night I got the best and deepest sleep I have gotten in years. If I have to share Ichigo with anybody then I'm glad it's with you."
Rukia was speechless. Out of all the situations she didn't dare believe this.
"Thank you," Rukia said feeling a few tears start to well up in her eyes.
"You guys are so sweet," Kazehana said her voice almost sickly sweet. "Two women putting aside their differences to save their relationship. It shows the strength of both your love for each other and for Ichigo."
"And what about you?" Rukia asked turning to Kazehana. "You want to become Ichigo's Sekirei don't you." It wasn't so much a question as a statement of fact.
"That obvious?" Kazehana asked looking up into the sky.
"Yes," Orihime said looking at Kazehana. "You care about him don't you?"
"He's strong," Kazehana said smiling. "That's not all though. He genuinely cares about people. I have been all over the world. I've seen terrible things. I seen people use each other for no other reason than to get ahead. I've seen monsters eat people in the streets, but Ichigo would never let anyone he cares about get hurt if he could stop it."
"What do you mean monsters?" Rukia asked carefully.
"Strange creatures with bone white masks and terrible screeching." Kazehana said shaking her head. "They aren't very strong but they show up on occasion."
Rukia felt a chill go down her spine at the mention of Hollows.
"Have you fought many?" Rukia asked.
"In the past I fought them more," Kazehana said her voice had taken on a strange tone, as if she was avoiding mentioning something. "But I don't as much anymore."
"There you guys are," Came Ichigo's voice from behind them. Rukia turned and felt her heart pound. Do I look alright? What am I thinking. All this talk about Ichigo has me thinking about him to much. "The person following us won't be a problem anymore. Let's go."
The group continued on it's way down the street to the hospital. Conversation fluttered between them. They talked about various things. The conversation switched from Miya's cooking, to their home lives, and even what college might be like. Rukia was having a hard time to pay attention. With Orihime saying she didn't mind Rukia liking Ichigo she found her self surreptitiously looking at him more often than she normally would.
Rukia found herself runningher eyes over Ichigo's body. She noticed hard planes that had not been there when they first met. He walked with a relaxed posture, yet he seemed like he was only seconds away from springing into a fight. Occasionally Rukia's eyes met Orihime's who had been looking Ichigo over moments before. It had never happened before today. Instead of looking away like she would have before, she found herself smiling at her and Orihime smiled back. It was oddly comforting. They were partners instead of competitors.
Rukia still wasn't sure about Kazehana. Her Spiritual Pressure was next to nothing. It had to be because she was covering it up otherwise she wouldn't have been able to see Hollows. Come to think of it she couldn't remember feeling Matsu's either, but she had a reason to hide hers.
Before she realized it the Hospital loomed above them. Pure white walls gave it a stark appearance. A small garden sat peacefully outside.
"I'll go ask about the equipment." Ichigo said heading for the glass doors. "You guys can wait by the garden. I know you guys probably want to relax."
"Thanks Ichigo." Orihime said smiling. "My feet were starting to get tired."
"See you guys in a bit." Ichigo said waving to them as he walked into the hospital.
The three women walked to the small garden and sat on nearby benches. A soft breeze blew cool air across them all. It was refreshing. Rukia watched Ichigo go into the hospital. Orihime and Rukia shared a bench with Kazehana sitting across from them.
"So what should we talk about now?" Orihime asked.
"How about we talk about you guys?" Kazehana asked. "I know you guys aren't to thrilled about me wanting to become Ichigo's Sekirei."
"Why wouldn't we be?" Rukia said carefully. "Aren't Ashikabi encouraged to have multiple Sekirei?"
"It doesn't work like that," Kazehana said sighing. "Each Sekirei is adjusted by an MBI Adjuster. They are in charge of fine tuning abilities and our strength. They also put the programming in for Winging. All the programming says is that in the presence of the person who brings out the best in us and us in them we react. For someone like Ichigo who is willing to help complete strangers and those close to him I'm surprised he doesn't have thirty Sekirei chasing him."
"What's going on over here?" A voice called from behind them. Rukia started at the voice. She whirled around to face it. Captain Jūshirō Ukitake stood behind a small woman in a wheelchair. His normal Captain's coat had been replaced with a doctor's coat. The woman had a long white dress and a sun hat on. Her blond hair fell to mid back. They positioned themselves next to Kazehana with Captain Ukitake standing behind her.
"Captain Ukitake," Rukia said surprised. "What are you doing here?"
"When I got into town I went to the Hospital. I wanted to see what advances were made in medicine. Division Twelve does a lot of things for technology advancement, but medicine isn't high on their list of things to do." Captain Ukitake said simply. "Besides with Unohana not many really bother."
"I've never heard you guys mention Unohana." Kazehana said frowning. Crap, Rukia cursed to herself. I forgot she was there. "Who is she?"
"She is a big name in the world of medicine." Captain Ukitake responded his smile never slipping.
"I've never heard of her before," Kazehana said smiling back. "And I've heard of a lot of people especially in medicine. Does she even exist and what is this Division Twelve?"
"I don't know," Captain Ukitake said his smile still in place. Rukia knew that it killed him to lie to anyone but to keep the secret of Soul Society he would lie as much as he needed. "I can't seem to remember."
"It's funny I think it's slipping away from me too." Kazehana said bringing her hand to her head. "I think that if I were to go out drinking I may forget entirely."
"I may be able to do something," Captain Ukitake said smiling. "Just wait here until I'm done."
"Who's your friend?" Rukia asked.
"This is Chiho," Captain Ukitake said happily. "I met her here at the hospital. Her father works in MBI but isn't able to visit her as often as he wants. She hasn't seen him in a while so I keep her company here. Chiho these are some people I work with, Rukia and Orihime. I don't know the one in purple."
"Kazehana," Kazehana said pulling a bottle of sake out from a bag she carried. Rukia was actually surprised that she hadn't taken it out earlier. "And this is my friend sake."
"Have you ever met a man named Shunsui Kyōraku?" Captain Ukitake asked raising an eyebrow. "You are so much like him."
"I haven't met anyone named that." Kazehana said shaking her head. She took a long drink from her sake bottle. "I did meet someone named Rangiku Matsumoto. She can hold her alcohol pretty well. It was almost inhuman, but she was no match for me."
"I'll invite her when we go drinking." Captain Ukitake said chuckling it turned into a violent cough. Rukia started forward but stopped herself. She knew there was nothing she could do. Unohana couldn't even do anything.
"Don't strain yourself Jūshirō." Chiho said patting the Captain's hand. "You know you aren't well."
Rukia glanced over and saw Orihime looked concerned for her Captain. Kazehana was in the middle of taking a drink of sake but Rukia could see concern in her eyes.
"Sir," Orihime said timidly. "I don't know why I didn't think of it before but I may be able to ease your disease a little."
Rukia was shocked. Why didn't I think of it before? Rukia cursed herself. Orihime's abilities lie in her ability to reject reality. In theory it would be possible to heal him or at least turn back the clock on his disease to where it was less noticeable.
"I've had this disease all my life," Captain Ukitake said carefully. He wasn't going to let anything slip again.
"Well," Orihime said her voice careful as well. "Even if I can't make it go away I can at least make it less obtrusive for a while."
"Do you really think you can do it?" Captain Ukitake asked. Hope shone through his voice.
"Of course," Orihime said brightly.
"Are you a nurse?" Kazehana asked. Her face was red from the alcohol.
"In a way," Orihime said startled. She forgot about Kazehana.
"Hey Ukitake," Ichigo's voice called. The man himself was walking toward them from the hospital entrance. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to the hospital to check out the advances in medicine." Captain Ukitake responded smiling at Ichigo.
"I heard you were in town." Ichigo said sitting between Rukia and Orihime on a bench. Rukia felt her heart thud in her chest. It was a wonder that the others did not hear it. "You bump into anybody lately?"
"I saw Shunsui walk into a bar, Renji and Byakuya are muddling around in the South and East respectively, I did see Kenpachi with a woman with long gray hair, I haven't seen anyone else though." Captain Ukitake answered. He pulled a phone from his pocket. It was completely white with no extra design on it at all. He pushed a button. "Oops, looks like it's time for me to bring you back inside Chiho. It was nice to be able to see you all and Rukia,"
"Yes sir?" Rukia responded by habit.
"Take care of these guys." Captain Ukitake said smiling wide. "They won't last the week without you."
"Hey," Ichigo responded a tick mark forming on his head. "I can take care of myself and them too."
"Of course," Captain Ukitake said shaking his head ruefully. "I do have a favor to ask Ichigo."
"What is it?" Ichigo asked.
"A little cat told me that Tōshirō is staying with you." Captain Ukitake said smiling at the joke. "I was wondering if you could take him some chocolates for me. I have some for you all too of course. Good thing I had a few extra bags."
At the mention of the candy Captain Ukitake brought out several bags of chocolates. The clear bags showed several different variety of the candies all in shiny wrappers.
"Alright," Ichigo said taking the bags. "Thanks. See you around."
"See you later." Captain Ukitake said wheeling Chiho away.
"They said that they have to deliver it by truck." Ichigo said shrugging. "I gave them the address. Let's go."
The group stood to leave unaware of the dark figure watching them from inside the hospital.
/
"Meow," Yoruichi said amidst purring. She had given up trying to sneak into MBI headquarters. It was locked down tight. Laser grids, armed guards told to shoot cats or unknown personnel, DNA scanners, eye scanners, turrets, and passkeys. Even if she was in her real form she didn't dare risk going in. Based on the little information she had acquired they had technology that could affect Spirits and she wasn't willing to risk her life on the chance it was a bluff. Part of the reason she was so good at assassination was because she knew her limits. One, two, even five people she could easily sneak up on. Over 100 armed guards with advanced weapons and training with no information would be next to impossible. Assassinations took time to plan. They weren't something to do spur of the moment.
"I have to go now." Benitsubasa said putting down Yoruichi. One of the best options given the situation was to befriend someone with near limitless accessibility and get information from them. Yoruichi had chosen her target carefully. Only a few people had the information she needed. The director, his personal assistant, possibly Kurotsuchi, and a few of the higher up Sekirei. All of them were to risky to approach directly. There was a way though. Superiors give orders to their subordinates. The subordinates would complain to themselves or their pets about how unfair their superiors were. Which led Yoruichi to Benitsubasa. She was close enough to the top to be fed good intel, but far enough away that she did not suspect a mere cat of pumping her for information.
Benitsubasa jumped from the roof where Yoruichi had met her. She was a nice enough girl. A bit blood thirsty when insulted but she was honest. More than could be said about many.
Yoruichi stretched her back. Her cat form was so comfortable. It was soft, furry, warm, and incredibly flexible. The 100 years she had spent in her cat form while hiding from Soul Society had been extremely comfortable.
With a small yawn Yoruichi Flash Stepped away. Her eyes adjusted to her speed instantly. Buildings flashed by in blurs yet distinct at the same time. It was an unusual experience for someone not used to it, but for the Flash Goddess it was routine. Without it Flash Stepping would be impossible. Buildings would seemingly fly out of no where and make landing on your feel impossible.
Yoruichi stopped on a building just a short way away from Izumo Inn. Miya has just arriving with Ichigo's family. Urahara was circling around Miya. A notebook in his hands. His pencil scratched against it as he made notes. A tick mark, an angry red, pulsed at her temple. Yoruichi could sense her killing intent roiling under a cracking layer of calm.
Just the presence of the tick mark surprised Yoruichi. Miya was typically the type of person who the calmer they looked meant the angrier they were. The presence of a tick mark was a testament to how annoying Urahara could be at times. When Yoruichi had shown him that she could turn into a cat for the first time she had to suffer him following her around for nearly ten years straight to find out how she did it.
A small hop saw Yoruichi on the ground. She walked slowly to the group. Those in the group were to busy listening to Miya talking about room assignments. Urahara's eyes briefly flickered to her. For all her stealth Urahara knew her to well. It was very off putting. Many said that in many ways they would make a great couple. Yoruichi knew better. There was such a thing as knowing a man to well. He wasn't a bad man. He was just a bit to eccentric for her taste. Besides she liked it when she could startle men. Urahara had such a long time to adjust to her that he knew most of her moves.
"Mr. Urahara I am thinking about adding a new rule to the house just for you." Miya said her voice so even and delightfully cheerful that it was an obvious front for seething anger. "'One may not preform experiments in Izumo Inn.'" Yoruichi heard a loud moan of disappointment come from inside the house. "What do you think of that?"
"Well it sounds like the building itself would be disappointed if you implemented that rule." Urahara said opening a fan in front of his face.
Miya's tick mark throbbed in anger.
"Why ever would a house want to preform experiments anyway." Miya said her Hannya mask forming behind her. Killing intent floated through the air. "It would break the illicit acts rule of the house." An 'eep' came from inside the house. In a blink of an eye Urahara was next the Hannya mask, tugging on it as a sweat drop rolled down the back of Ichigo's family. Does Ichigo even know his family is one of the most powerful in Soul Society?
That thought brought other problems to mind. Ever since Ichigo had appeared in Soul Society his parentage had been under investigation. When it was discovered that Ichigo Kurosaki was born from the legendary Isshin Shiba all hell had broken loose.
The Shiba Clan was known publicly for it's famous usage of fireworks. Unofficially those in the Shiba Clan had some of the strongest Spiritual Pressure threw time. Some of the greatest leaders in all of Soul Societies history came from the Shiba Clan. It was only when their numbers had decreased to such a small handful that they fell from prominence.
Kūkaku as the head of the clan decided that despite protests the members of the clan would not marry for political gain. She herself with her brusk personality put off many would be suitors. Even when the Shiba Clan was under Isshin's leadership the men and women of the clan were fought over. Kaien had been surrounded by women until he picked Miyako as his wife. Even then it wasn't unheard of for a secret admirer to send a letter to him, but he never felt that way about another.
With Ichigo they had a man who had proven to be more powerful than any member yet known. He had saved Soul Society several times over. He helped those who were less fortunate, he had already achieved Bankai, and to top it all off he had managed to for a short time manage to get the noble clans to stop bickering about small things and got them instead to focus.
With all those things however the minor houses had tried to send women at him getting him to fall for one. The major houses had deflected each attempt by the lesser houses and had built on his relationships that already existed. Over time the minor houses quit while the major houses remained. Of those the only ones still attempting to get close were the Kuchiki and the Shihōin. Yoruichi did not believe that Byakuya was even aware of what the rest of his clan was doing. Granted it wasn't much. Those in the more political side of Soul Society simply 'encouraged' Rukia to go on missions that might involve Ichigo.
Yoruichi's clan, the Shihōin, had initially tried to keep it a secret but had ultimately failed. With the current state of things however it was likely to end up like before with all the houses tossing women at him to improve their gene pool. Granted woman would join the Shiba clan but it would elevate the standing of the woman's clan.
A wave of exhaustion passed through Yoruichi. She had been up for three days without sleep. She had been so busy tracking down leads, finding the Shinigami from Soul Society, scouting locations for ambushes near Izumo, and following guards of MBI. Each wasn't bad by itself but added to each other made it worse. In addition she had to ask Urahara to send a message to Soul Society. If anybody could get a message in quickly it would be him.
"Let's get you settled inside." Miya said her grin forced.
"I think I might stay outside for a moment." Urahara said gleefully. Miya sighed but didn't say anything. Come to think of it if she was anything like the hundreds of other women Urahara was around she would probably walk inside and immediately start thinking of ways to become just as annoying.
Ichigo's family looked at Urahara strangely but shrugged and followed Miya inside Izumo Inn.
"So Yoruichi," Urahara said turning his full focus on her. "What is so important?"
"I need you to get a message to Soul Society." Yoruichi said sauntering up to the old Shinigami.
"I, the masterful Kisuke Urahara, shall send the message." Urahara said with a flare of drama. Yoruichi ignored him. She had grown used to his antics. "Just give me the location and the name of the recipient. Although I could use a bit more information as well."
"It occurred to me that with the current situation and Ichigo being an Ashikabi that those of the noble houses will be in an uproar trying to get him to sleep with their members." Yoruichi said sighing. "If the noble houses don't work together then it will be chaos. On the other hand if they work together then they could stop the minor houses from sending men and women to him."
"What is your proposition." Urahara asked raising an eyebrow.
Yoruichi felt something she had forgotten about for centuries. She felt her cheeks heat in a blush. Urahara blinked surprise spreading across his face.
"I was only able to think of one way to stop the noble houses bickering among themselves." Yoruichi said silently. It was a sound plan. She was just unsure of her part in it. "Have them mutually agree to send one woman to try and catch Ichigo's attention. They then together dissuade minor houses from getting to close to Ichigo."
"You know what this will mean?" Urahara asked seriously.
"Yes," Yoruichi said shaking her head. Unlike the other clans the Shihōin was run much more democratically. The head of the clan made military decisions but when it came to decisions that affected the entire clan such as this proposal the entire clan was obligated to vote. With other clans the head had final say over much. In the current case of the Kuchiki they were honest with Byakuya at least until it came to them gently pushing Rukia toward Ichigo.
"Well in that case I suppose that I should get busy." Urahara said shaking his head. "What are you going to do about Ichigo?"
"I honestly don't know." Yoruichi responded. Her clan would vote and they would vote to go forward with putting her close to Ichigo. She didn't know whether to feel scared, violated, or furious. The choice for her future was being taken from her, but it was by her own hand. It was the strangest feeling she had experienced in years.
How will this all end? Yoruichi wondered as she began to dictate her letter to the noble houses of Soul Society to Urahara.
Author's Note: I want to say again how sorry I am about how late this came. This story will continue come Hell or high water. This chapter is pretty long at over 8000 words of story(not including author notes). I have mixed feelings about the start of Yoruichi's part. It could have probably been written better. I needed her to have some excuse to be able to get a few things trickled down from the higher ups. I will make the next chapter as soon as I can. I suppose I should leak a little information now. Officially the reveal of the Shinigami powers will happen within the next 2 chapters. I also want to touch on why I added Oriha. The major reason was her Norito. It has Zangetsu in it's name. Not adding her in at some point would feel like a crime against humanity. I didn't give her to Ichigo because as it is I was running low on Sekirei to give to the Ashikabi's of the East and South. As it is I feel like I may have to invent a few eventually. This is John Hinde see you guys next chapter.