Disclaimer:
I don't own Bleach or any ideas/characters. I only own references and images for my OC.
Chapter 13
The following evening, I found myself flashing from roof top to roof top following Toshiro and Rangiku. Kisuke had a lead on Kohaku, Ichigo and his friends were meeting us at the location which was in an abandoned warehouse area.
We arrived at the location moments before the others. I turned surveying the area trying to find a hint of any spiritual pressure. I heard the object flying in my direction from my left and I quickly vanished appearing on the other side of the area.
"Well. Who knew that my prey would come to the hunter." I heard a voice drawl from above up. We all looked up and saw Kohaku floating above us. I felt Toshiro move closer to me and slightly in front of me. "You've made things so easy for me."
I glared at Kohaku as Toshiro pulled Hyorinmaru and took a fighting stance while I pulled out Shenron and Tianma. I watched as Kohaku laughed at us before glaring at Toshiro.
"I have an offer for you Captain of Squad 10." Kohaku said as Toshiro tighten his grip on his hilt.
"Out with it already before I kill you." He replied.
"You and yours can return to the Soul Society by tomorrow evening leaving my prize here and I won't kill everyone in the seireitei." Kohaku explained with an evil grin appearing on his face.
"You can't expect us to agree to that." Toshiro said as he adjusted his stance.
"Oh well…. It was a one-time offer." Kohaku said as Toshiro launched in the air as Kohaku drew his blade to block his attack. They exchanged several blows as they moved a small distance away. I went to follow but was stopped as five men appeared in front of us. They lifted their faces and their red glowing eyes shocked me into taking a step back.
"What are you?" I asked out loud as they launched at me. I started to fight against them and felt the others engage as well. I slashed and parried each of the monsters' attacks.
'These things don't seem to be trying to really hurt me.' I thought to myself as I took on two monsters. I was so focused on the ones I was fighting that I didn't see the third appear behind me. The creature launched at me from behind me and latched two shackles to my wrists.
The movement caught me by surprise causing me to lose focus. Chains extended from the shackles and latched onto the floor pulling my arms to the sides and causing me to lose my grip on my zanpakutos. One of the monsters took this opportunity to stab me in my side with one of its claws.
"AAAHHHH" I screamed as he ripped his claw out of me. I felt the ice fly by me slicing the creatures causing them to vanish. I felt Toshiro appear in front of me wearing his bankai, his one wing looked damaged, but he didn't seem bothered by it, he started to inspect the shackles on my wrists.
"Oh my…. Has the dog been leashed?" I heard Kohaku sneer from the air as I turned to glare at him. "Don't bother Captain, nothing can break those chains." He said as Toshiro tried to freeze them so he could break them off. I soon realized that the more he tried to remove them the tighter they got on my wrists.
I screamed again causing Toshiro to stop, he turned to glare at Kohaku who started laughing. The others gathered close to us at that moment.
"I don't see that I need any of you others so, I'll get this over with." Kohaku said I recognized the cero before it started. I heard Toshiro growl and launch himself towards him.
I gasped as Kohaku released the cero and watched as Toshiro stopped in its path his other wing bending in front of him to try and take the blow, but it was too much for just one to handle. I watched helplessly as I saw him fall backwards with his eyes close.
"NO!" I yelled as tears ran down my face. "No!" I screamed again. I couldn't control the screams that came from my mouth as Rangiku flash stepped to catch Toshiro and bring him to the ground. I heard Kohaku laughing from the air as my head fell to my chest. I felt my spiritual pressure grow and heard the others gasp looking at me.
"Get back." I growled at them as I felt my control slip. I turned to look at them, my eyes starting to glow, and my fingers change into claws. " . ." I ground out again before closing my eyes and letting Okami take control.
Our combined spiritual pressures flared so high that it caught Kohaku of guard as he turned to look at me. He watched as I started to strain against the chains holding me, letting Okami take full control of my body as I took a backseat and became an observer. I watched through our eyes as she ripped the shackles off my wrists.
"Impossible!" I heard Kohaku yell as Okami turned my head to look at Kohaku. We growled at him before responding.
"You thought those chains could hold me?" we asked, my voice no longer mine but harsh instead and deeper. We flicked our wrists and my zanpakutos flew into our hands. Launching into the air we raised Shenron and Tianma high to strike Kohaku, who barely dodged our attack. He wasn't expecting us to be this fast. we kept attacking him, not giving him the opportunity to do anything but dodge.
Finally, we caught him with Tianma across his side, slicing him open causing him to scream. We watched as he grabbed his side to stop the bleeding. He was breathing heavy and glared at us.
"This isn't over – I will have what I hunt." He ground out before vanishing. I felt Okami flash us back to the ground before we fell to our knees. I felt myself retreat deeper into our subconscious not wanting to face the world.
Okami turned my head to the left hearing someone approach us and growled. She paused recognizing Toshiro who was being carried over by Rangiku. He kept his eyes trained on us, seeing how our eyes had reversed. They now shown dark blue with a ring of hazel around the edges.
"Okami?" he asked we growled at him in response.
"Only my steward is permitted to say my name Captain." We snarled at him. We watched as he removed his arm from around Rangiku's shoulder. Toshiro slowly approached us and knelt facing us. "You are alive." We stated with a very matter of fact tone staring at Toshiro.
"Yes." Was his only response as he adjusted himself to his other knee.
"My steward believes you dead. She has retreated." We whispered.
"Where is she? Can you bring her back?" Toshiro asked inching closer "if she believes I'm dead I need to see her to show her otherwise."
We took a moment to process his request before closing our eyes before opening them.
"I can, but I cannot guarantee how long she will remain conscious. I am the only reason we are still standing" we explained to him.
"I understand. I just need to see her." Toshiro whispered as we closed our eyes and started to recall our spiritual pressures. I felt myself fall to the side before I was caught midair. I slowly opened my eyes and stared into concerned aquamarine eyes.
"Toshiro." I whispered as he held my head and placed his other hand on my face. "you're alive…"
"Yes, I'm alive. I need you to stay with me Kimura. Keep your eyes open." I heard him say to me, but all I could do was give him a small smile as my eyes started to close.
"I'm so glad…" I felt my eyes close completely and my head fall to the side onto his chest.
Toshiro POV
I felt the dread fill me as I watched Kimuras eyes close, and her head fall into my chest.
"No... no… open your eyes!" I shouted as I tried to get her back. I gently placed her on the ground and put both of my hands on her face trying to coax her eyes open. "Please open your eyes, Kimura." I started to run my hands down her neck and felt my eyes widen realizing that there was no pulse. I frantically started to try to heal her using kaido, the green light emitting me from my hands.
"No no… you can't die, that's an order Kyoraku." I said forgetting that I was surrounds by others. I didn't care at that point; I just needed her to come back.
"Captain Hitsugaya." I heard someone say. I looked up and say Orihime kneeling on the other side of Kimuras body. I know she saw the tears forming in my eyes before I looked back down trying to focus. "Captain, please. Let me"
I went to push her away before I saw the look in her eyes, the confidence that she could help. I nodded my head to her, and she moved closer to try and start healing.
"Captain… please give Orihime room." I heard Rangiku plead behind me. I tried to ignore her, but she put her hand on my shoulder drawing my glare to her. "Let her work. Kimura will be heartbroken if she wakes up and finds that you bled out because you wouldn't leave her side."
I didn't even bother hiding my shocked expression at Rangiku's words. "How…" I started to ask but she shook her head and cut me off.
"Did you two think I am an idiot. That I didn't see the looks, small touches, and smiles you two gave each other when you thought no one was looking." She said as she shook her head more. "That I wouldn't notice her engulfed by your spiritual pressure no matter how hard she tried to hide it when she would walk in saying she fell asleep outside?" I watched as Rangiku's expression changed to something more somber. "I was thrilled. You both were healing each other, but you won't be able to continue if you don't move and let me look at your wound."
I let her pull me away from Kimura's body to allow Orihime more room to work. I felt myself go numb and close myself off again.
'I can't lose her… I just found her…' I thought to myself, I looked to the side and saw her zanpakutos laying on the ground next to her, I reached my right hand out to grab them, only slightly pausing remembering the last time.
"You can grab them master…. They will not stop you" Hyorinmaru said in my head, so I continued to reach for them and pulled them close to keep them by my side. Hyorinmaru had frozen my wound to stop the blood loss, so I wasn't worried about that.
I heard Orihime sigh, and I looked up to her, as she raised her head to me. "She has a pulse." I let my head fall back against the ground, turning to watch her continue to work. I felt Kisuke arrive and kneel next to me, I glared at him when he almost blocked my view.
"She will be alright Toshiro. She will be stable to move in a few moments. I am going to have Rangiku open door back to the soul society. She needs squad 4, I already sent them a message for them to be prepared." I looked at his face and nodded my head in agreement.
"Orihime, can she be transported yet?" I heard Kisuke ask, after a few moments of silence the response came.
"Yes, but it must be quick. Once I stop, she will start to diminish again."
"Rangiku, open the door." Kisuke instructed while looking over his shoulder at her. I kept my eyes trained on Kimura as she was covered in the golden light that Orihime was emitting. I heard the door slid open and a light shown through. Voices started to filter in given instructions to people.
"Looking a little worse for wear there Captain." I pulled my eyes away to see who spoke and saw Shinji grinning at me. He stood up and walked towards Kimura, he knelt getting ready to pick her up at Orihime instruction. I started to move myself to follow them but was stopped when Shinji turned to me.
"Are you insane, wait for squad four." I shook my head and kept getting up, I felt Rangiku come up behind me getting ready to grab me.
"She doesn't leave my sight." I ground out to him narrowing my eyes daring him to try otherwise. I saw him sigh, look towards Rangiku than at the doorway.
"Lieutenant!" He shouted to the figure running through. I saw Momo standing there looking between her captain, myself, and Kimura. "Stay here and help squad four with the others. Rangiku, can you support your captain through the door?"
"Yes." She said as she moved to my side wrapping my left arm around her shoulders and lifting me up. "This used to be easier when you were smaller." She said to me trying to get me to relax but it didn't work.
Shinji faced Kimura again and readied his arms to grab Kimura once the barrier was let down. In an instance Kimura was in Shinji's arms and he was turning towards the lighted pathway. Rangiku turned to pull me through also, out of the corner of my eye I saw Momo looking at me confused but I paid her no mind turning my gaze to keep Shinji in my line of sight.
Toshiro POV
Squad four's medical wing was in chaos. Captain Kotetsu and her lieutenant Kiyone were barking commends at all the other members as they ran getting supplies. I watched as Shinji placed Kimura on a bed and backed away as Captain Kotetsu rushed over and started healing her immediately.
"Bring Captain Hitsugaya this way Lieutenant Rangiku" I heard Kiyone say, and I started to resist Rangiku's hold on me, not letting them take me anywhere.
"I wouldn't do that Lieutenant. Speaking from my most recent experience if you try to separate him from her, I'm pretty sure he will freeze us all to death. Not exactly how I plan on dying." Shinji advised with that damn smile on his face.
Kiyone hesitated but saw a free bed directly across from where Kimura was laying in the same room. "Fine right here than." She conceded waiting for Rangiku let sit me on the bed so she could start.
'Please don't run' I said in my head repeating to myself the words I had asked her not to do.