A/N:
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Chapter 11 [Part Two]: "I'm Anna."
Ichigo skid across the polished stone tiles, braking the stunning speed of his movements. He was sufficiently far away from the group. Glancing around him, the orange-head noticed a wide expanse, gathered between several antique buildings.
"A town square." The words escaped his lips in wonder. A cool breeze rustled through his clothes, making him exhale in a rush of comfort. He spotted a small fountain in the middle of the square, spraying golden mist of water over the clear blue sky.
A white-fenced pool surrounded the fountain, gathering the wayward water sprays. Streaks of people naturally wandered over to the cool site, relieving themselves from the incessant burn of the early-noon sun.
He began to step forward, only to find himself freezing as a familiar aroma accosted his senses. A strong gulp followed by globs of saliva pooling in his mouth, Ichigo could once more imagine the awe-striking steak.
In a flash, he whirled to his left, immediately noticing a large group of people bustling around a silver, metallic mobile shop, adorned with flurries of small decorations. Ichigo scanned the small shop, smoke flowing freely from the inside.
'A no-name shop.' He wondered slightly. Making an unwittingly easy decision, he marched straight forward, allowing his olfactory senses to take the wheel.
Dazed in anticipation, a body hit him cross against his left shoulder. His foot still in air, Ichigo seemed confused as the world leaned sideways. He froze at the unexpected loss of control, catching himself with a few dexterous steps to his left.
His face crossed in apologetic frustration, turning to look at both his assailant and victim. He spotted a tall, skinny figure arched around their back, a small, lean hand clutching at their left shoulder. Lustrous honey-brown hair flowed over their features, shrouding them.
The scowl on his face lessened. Ichigo slowly walked over to the person; a placating palm raised in apology.
The person straightened, brushing their smooth locks of hair to the side. Ichigo froze at the brilliant emerald eyes staring back.
Ichigo stared at the woman's face with a wide mouth. His gaze danced across her figure.
Delicate cheeks, a small, graceful chin, glistening lips colored with a hint of rose and a dash of pink. Flat ears lay under locks of honey-brow, cascading down to her waist. An intricate braid adorned around the sides of her head, weaving into a clean knot at the back of her head. Ichigo straightened in surprise at her likeness.
The lady's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, waiting expectantly for words. Ichigo inhaled deeply, regaining his composure. The usual scowl spread across his face.
"Are you, okay?" The girl sang in a melodious voice. Ichigo's thoughts flashed to the memories of his battle in the dungeon. A dash of incandescent emerald eyes lingered heavy on his mind.
Ichigo nodded slowly, answering the question. A relieved smile bloomed on her face. "That's good." Ichigo bowed slightly, a wayward hand scratching his neck.
"I apologize for not noticing you." The words easily rolled off his tongue.
Her smile widened. Crinkling her eyes, she muttered,
"It's not a problem." Her hand slowly reached over to her left shoulder, rubbing the fabric and muscle with practiced rhythm.
"See, it's all fine." She roughly patted the area, chuckling lightly. She turned towards Ichigo; eyes narrowed questioningly. She focused on his left shoulder. "Are you okay as well?"
"Huh?" Ichigo exclaimed in surprise at the question. He rubbed his shoulder, feeling slight soreness at the point of collision. He turned towards his shoulder with a look of surprise. 'Is she made of metal?' His palms massaged the muscle in rounding motions. He brushed off imaginary dust before bringing the hand to his side.
"I'm fine as well." The orange-head replied with a blank face. The woman nodded with relief. "I'm glad you're unhurt." Ichigo felt a small hint of mirth laced in her tone. She was worried about him, more than herself.
He mentally eyed her with suspicion. 'She feels familiar to the woman I fought near the dungeon.' He racked his brain in an effort to compare the two. 'Mana.' His thoughts brilliantly supplied.
Ichigo nodded back in delayed response. Silence settled upon the two, the orange-head slowly turning back towards the fountain.
"Say, were you heading towards the steak stand?" The girl asked in candor.
Ichigo was caught off guard by the question. 'Is she too?' He wondered. Focusing on the woman, he nodded back. The girl's immediately face brightened. "We're wasting time here." She spun on her heels, breezing towards the stand.
Ichigo eyed her marching figure. Her white frilly top swayed to the light wind as she walked. The light brown pants hugging her legs complimented her hair. The woman arched back, spotting Ichigo's unmoving figure with furrowed eyebrows.
"Are you not coming?" She called out from a few steps away. Ichigo's lips thinned in displeasure. 'If she's indeed the same person as the one we fought, we may be able to get some much-needed answers.' He rationalized.
He nodded at the girl, stepping forward in a small burst of excitement. 'If she's indeed the same person, I wish I could fight her again.' The silent wish crossed his mind.
The two arrived in a small huddle of people, clamoring over each other to place an order. Ichigo tried to push his way forward, only to be pushed back with equal force.
The girl chuckled at the effort. She gestured at Ichigo to stop. "I'll be back in a minute." She assured the orange-head with confidence. Scanning the crowd, she flowed through the gaps like water, arriving at the metallic counter.
Ichigo watched her move easily through the hustle of the bunch, reaching her destination. 'She looks young.' A random thought flitted through.
Within a minute, the girl smoothly paved her way back through the crowd. She flashed Ichigo a stellar grin, chuckling at the awe-struck look.
"Those moves were solid. Are you a Magic Knight too?" He questioned her, subtly trying to gather information. The girl's smile lessened at the question, her gaze lowering to the ground.
"I wish." She muttered lowly. "Why?" Ichigo prompted back. The girl looked back up at the orange-head.
"I couldn't reach the exam venue. I woke up too late." She answered solemnly.
Ichigo pursed his lips in shock, swallowing a chuckle from escaping him. Her admittance to sleeping in surprised him. In usual concourse, one wouldn't easily reveal such embarrassing details to a stranger.
He shook his head. "Don't you live around here? You could have easily made it if you hurried." He reasoned. The girl tilted her head.
"Do I look like a noble to you?" She questioned rhetorically, tugging at the hems of her top. Ichigo deflected her question with one of his own.
"Are you not? You look the part." He mentioned with a straight face. The girl's eyes widened slightly, startled at the sudden compliment. "Thanks, but I'm not a noble." A thinly veiled undertone caught Ichigo's notice. Rehashing it to the back of his mind, he gave her a playful smile.
"Don't worry. You aren't missing out on much. And if your battle movements are anything like before, your opponents won't even see you coming." The orange-head assured her.
"I'm Anna." The words caught Ichigo off-guard. "Hmm?" He stared questioningly, the statement slowly dawning on him. "Oh, I'm Ichigo." He deftly introduced himself.
"Ichigo. Nice to meet you." She nodded. Ichigo mirrored her greeting, his scowl setting back after.
Anna eyed the man in front of her, emerald eyes glancing across the Black Bulls cape strung across his neck and back. "Black Bulls. I've heard… things about them." The girl muttered awkwardly.
Ichigo chuckled at the reaction. "I bet." He replied with understanding. Anna nodded with an averted gaze.
"What did you order, by the way?" Ichigo questioned looking at the flurry of dishes flying out of the metal stand, slowly dissipating the crowd around them.
"Steak. Medium-rare and well-seasoned. Oh, I just imposed. I'm sorry." Her tone turned somber. Ichigo shook his head. "I don't mind. I do like medium-rare steak. It's just that I prefer it well-done."
Anna nodded. "I'll keep that in mind." She acknowledged. Ichigo raised an eyebrow. 'Why? It's not like we'll be meeting again after this. Not unless she is the person from the dungeon; In that case, we'll be enemies.'
The crowd gradually washed away, giving the two of them some space near the stand. A plump man smiled at the approaching duo, his rolled mustache stretching over his lips.
"Your order is ready." The man sung in a rhythmic, trained voice focusing on Anna. Ichigo narrowed his eyebrows at the man, a pulse of unfamiliar energy registering on his senses.
'What was that.' He pushed two plates of steaming steak over the counter, quickly bowing before them. Ichigo narrowed his eyes at his retreating figure, following him as he served other customers with a voracious dexterity.
Anna looked on in silence, staring at their plates and Ichigo's vigilant stare.
The latter lowered his gaze thoughtfully, chancing upon their dishes sitting on the countertop. He grabbed the two plates, handing one over to the girl standing beside him.
"Thank you." Anna muttered back in a small, heavy tone. The orange-head was perplexed at the change of tones. Turning to look, he noticed the girl's figure shrink, her form shifting nervously as she poked her steak with a service fork.
"Not to your liking?" Ichigo remarked at the girl's action, moving to cut himself a small piece of the meat. Anna glanced at Ichigo through her periphery, closing her eyes consequently.
"I don't think we should eat this." Her words stopped Ichigo's hands as they dug into the food.
"What do you mean? We bumped into each other because of this." He reminded the girl. Anna shook her head. "No, it's just… the steak seems stale." She tried weakly.
Ichigo's confusion increased as turned back to his plate, noticing the fresh juices flowing out of the incision he had marked on his steak.
"What are you even talking about?" The orange-head stilled in slight suspicion, turning towards the girl with a guarded form.
Anna quieted at the question. In a flash, she grabbed Ichigo's plate, the latter unable to react to the random movement. She gathered her plate along with his, ignoring Ichigo's look of surprise.
She marched to the side, dropping the metal plates in the wash-bucket with a muffled clang and slosh.
"What.. was that?" The orange-head started, staring at the returning figure. Anna looked up at the man, lips pursed.
"I can't explain it." She mouthed the words distinctly. "Something felt off with the steak." She explained. Ichigo scowled at the reasoning.
"Doesn't mean you can just throw it away." He glared at the girl. "We could have analyzed it more. You just threw away our evidence." He reprimanded her.
Anna shook her head once more. "There wasn't anything to sense. Not in the tradition manner, anyway." The trailing sentence made another shift in her tone. Ichigo froze with a start, memories of conversing with the hooded figure flowing to the forefront. 'It is her.'
He felt a building wave of anger and excitement, a tremor coursing through his fingers as they started for the handles of his swords.
His reiatsu bubbled under the skin, ready to be released at the slightest provocation. "You are her." He voiced his suspicion. "The woman from the dungeon."
Anna grimaced in frustration. She opened her mouth to explain, but failed short as a wide scream overshadowed her. The two turned towards the main square. Multiple screams erupted from the same general area within the short span of time.
Ichigo noticed a panicked horde of bodies rushing away from the center of the square. As the crowd cleared, his sight landed on a group of slow, dead-walking people. Their skin appeared faded of life and color, their figures matching those of starved humans.
"Zombies? In Clover Kingdom?" Ichigo cried incredulously. "Seriously?"
A/N:
Thank you so much for reading the eleventh chapter of Bleached Clover. Please show your love to this chapter as you have been showing to the previous ones.
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