~FIREFLY KNIGHTS~
Bleach Copyright Tite Kubo
Firefly Knights Copyright Illand Girl
'For those that need a Guardian.'
Chapter 29: Unexpected Guests
School started a few days after our visit with the visoreds.
No matter how many times I tried to drag Ichigo back to the warehouse district he was being stubborn and blank faced.
Well, more so than usual.
I had thought getting help from the visored crew would be something that would encourage him, but no. Ichigo really didn't want to talk about what was going through his head right now, and I had to respect that, more or less. I didn't like it, but the guy deserved some level of privacy. However, I did mention to him that once his hollow was under control I was open to telling people about us , which had Ichigo reconsidering how long he'd make Shinji wait for him.
Speaking of Shinji...
"Hey Naomi!" Orihime cheered as I walked into the class. It was the first day of school and I had woken up feeling excited to go back to a routine. I waved, sitting at the desk behind Ichigo. Tatsuki looked between Ichigo and I, raising a brow.
"You two didn't come together?" She asked. I clicked my tongue, ignoring the way she said it.
"What? I can't walk myself?" I asked while crossing my legs. Tatsuki frowned. The truth was Ichigo and I had walked to school together but split a few blocks up. He picked me up at my apartment, grumbling about keeping things quiet and stealing a few touches and kisses before we left. Ichigo, typically, thought it was an overkill idea, but I just kept picturing Orihime calling me Ichigo's sister and freezing up at the idea of anybody finding out about us. While lost in thought Tatsuki was staring at me, and I swallowed, wondering what she had said. Thankfully Ichigo said something.
"I had to help Dad with some things. I figured this idiot could find her own way for once." He said in his usual grumpy tone. I scoffed, crossing my arms and glaring at the back of his orange head.
"Rude, I have an excellent sense of direction." I taunted, remembering my travels in the Seireitei. I knew Ichigo rolled his eyes without having to see it so I kicked his chair. "Don't roll your eyes at me!"
He flinched, spinning around to look at me with a glare.
"Do you have x-ray vision or something? How the hell would you know?" I smirked, crossing my arms.
"Oh please, you're way too predictable, Ichi- go ." I said down my nose. His eyes changed though; his pupils dilated. I knew that look, and had we been anywhere else he would've pounced on me. We were in school though, so Ichigo turned back around while scoffing.
"Whatever." He muttered, giving up. I swallowed, looking away. My gaze travelled to Uryū and Chad as they entered the class, a welcomed distraction. I waved, giving a smile, blatantly ignoring Tatsuki's suspicious looks and trying not to sweat.
"Well, from the sounds of it you two had a nice summer break." Uryū said, adjusting his glasses. "You and Ichigo are as noisy as ever."
I nodded, sitting properly in my chair. Chad walked closer, looking down at me.
"How have you been Naomi? I didn't get to see you much when- we went on that trip." He asked, stone faced as usual. I gave a soft smile, shrugging.
"I'm doing pretty good!" I chatted with Chad for a bit more, and my other friends, It was a nice moment to catch up with all of them and find out how they spent the last two weeks. It was peaceful, before Keigo came flying in and killing the entire thing.
"Time out! What the hell is happening?!" Keigo shouted, looking at the group suspiciously.
"What are you talking about now, Keigo?" Ichigo asked, turning from his conversation with Tatsuki and Orihime. Keigo pointed wildly at all of us.
"What's this? You're all just so buddy buddy out of nowhere!" He pointed to Ichigo. "You! You can't claim all the hotties! It's bad enough to keep Naomi to yourself, but now Orihime?! And what's up with four eyes talking to the girls?! What about meeee!"
I blinked, not very surprised but also thinking Keigo needed something better to do with his time. Mizuiro strolled in behind him, texting on his phone, when he looked up at me. A cheerful smile slipped onto his lips as he waved.
"Oh Naomi! Just the girl I wanted to see!" He sidled over, smiling. "My girlfriend mentioned seeing you at the bookstore with some cutie the other day. Does this mean you're seeing someone?"
Mizuiro's eyes glanced at Ichigo, thankfully giving me a millisecond window to die a little inside. I had been at the bookstore, with Ichigo. Thankfully Mizuiro's girlfriend, from what Ichigo could remember, went to a different high school so she didn't recognize him. But what was I supposed to say? "Heh yeah that's my boyfriend, Renji." As if I could keep that lie going when all my friends had met the guy. Not to mention it would be super awkward if we ever saw Renji again.
"U-Um yeah, but it was just a friend of mine." I said, wondering if I should just say it was Ichigo. No harm since it was normal for us to hang out a lot. Mizuiro was up to something, almost like he knew what was going on. Oh no- please don't-
"See I thought it might be Ichigo, you two are attached at the hip, but then she said you were all cuddly and I thought there was no way Ichigo would ever get all gooey with a girl-"
"Oi! Leave me out of this!" Ichigo snapped, turning around to scowl at Mizuiro. The black-haired boy looked like a cat that swallowed the canary. "And leave her alone, what she does in her private life is her own business."
That cheeky snot. He was just trying to get a rise out of Ichigo. Why did it feel like Mizuiro knew more than he let on though? Or maybe Ichigo had made a comment about liking me before? I couldn't tell. But Mizuiro was definitely doing this to antagonize Ichigo.
"Wait, does Naomi have a boyfriend?" Orihime asked, eyes wide. Tatsuki glanced between Ichigo and I, while Chad and Uryū looked completely disinterested in the conversation. I think Ichigo was going to jump out the window to go fight hollows pretty soon too. This day had started out great, but I instantly regretted keeping this whole thing a secret. Maybe being blunt and not caring about everyone's feelings was the way to go?
"Um, about that-"
The scent of vinyl and almonds slipped to my nose, a hand resting on my shoulder.
"Oh hey Naomi! Are ya just talkin' 'bout our lil trip ta the store together?" Shinji's voice drawled next to me. Ichigo bristled, shoulders tensed, as I looked up. I was surprised to see him standing there in our school uniform.
"Shinji?" I asked, surprised. He grinned down at me, lipless. I could practically feel the rage spilling from Ichigo as I stood up to look at Shinji properly. His eyes went over the rest of our group, stopping on Orihime as he stared.
"Wait who is this, Naomi?" Orihime asked. I didn't get the chance to introduce him as Shinji appeared beside Orihime, taking her hand in his and giving a lopsided smirk.
"Hello beautiful, the name's Shinji Hirako. I'ma dear friend o' Naomi's ya see." He charmed, taking Orihime by surprise.
"O-Oh, hello! Any friend of Naomi's is a friend of ours!" She said, beaming. Shinji froze, eyes widening slightly. Dare I say, I think he just fell in love . I didn't blame him, Orihime was stunning. However, that didn't explain why the guy was here.
"Hang on, you're Naomi's boyfriend?!" Keigo jeered. I rolled my eyes, Shinji appearing next to me again and putting an arm around my shoulders. He was the same height as Ichigo, though not nearly as built. His lanky arm wrapped around me casually. I bristled as he pressed me closer to him, caught between attacking him and not moving. My eyes widened slightly.
"Nah, justa good friend ya know? I'm completely single Orihime." He joked. Ichigo got up so fast his chair slammed into my desk. He just turned, grabbed Shinji by his collar, and yanked him away from me.
"Hey idiot, I gotta talk with you." He said, completely ignoring Shinji's complaints as Ichigo dragged him away. I frowned, wondering if I should follow.
"Wow, he got pretty upset when that guy flirted with Orihime." Keigo mused. Tatsuki crossed her arms.
"Seems more like when he touched Naomi to me." She commented, looking at me from the corner of her eye, but Keigo made a shooing motion.
"Yeah but Naomi's outta his league, right? They're practically siblings." I bristled at his words, choosing to just sit down and ignore everyone, missing Tatsuki's reply. My eyes caught Orihime's blush as she looked at her shoes. Then I stared at the floor as well, feeling awkward.
Turned out Shinji was an ' exchange student ' who would be here for the next little while. Or in Ichigo's words, he would be here until we came to his hideout and worked on Ichigo's hollow. Well, between Shinji and me hounding, maybe one of us might get through to him. And oh boy, Shinji spared no free moment away from antagonizing Ichigo on his first day. Little things like touching me or making snide remarks. Damn he was persistent, but I had a weird feeling about it, because Shinji seemed to be more interested in both of us coming, not just Ichigo. What was his game?
However, I couldn't keep focus on those things. I was getting exceedingly distracted with our friend's reactions to our relationship. Ichigo was indifferent to it, saying it didn't matter. It didn't really, but I couldn't help but try and think of how we acted prior to him kissing me. I tried to remember what we were like before. Did it really seem like we were siblings? I tried to think if there was any point in which I thought of Ichigo as my brother, but no memories surfaced.
"Naomi? Do you not like your dinner?" Yuzu asked. I spooked, then ate three bites of my dinner in reaction. The quick succession almost had me choking and Ichigo muttering about me being an idiot behind his glass of water. He handed me a napkin as I coughed into it for a bit.
"Sorry, I've been distracted lately." I admitted, staring at my food. There was no way to bring up my woes with this crowd, which was fine, I guess. It was impossible to explain how I felt without giving everything away. It also didn't help with Isshin's insistencies of adopting me. In another life maybe I could've been adopted? I didn't have any siblings, and I didn't know how they acted differently than friends other than what I had seen of Ichigo and his sisters. I always thought how Ichigo acted with his sisters was funny, nonetheless. Seeing the three of them together was always interesting to me.
"Cute, isn't it?" Isshin mused as he leaned against the wall next to me. I was watching them do the dishes together, holding a mug of tea as I leaned against the same wall. Ichigo was attempting to boss the girls around, but they weren't having any of it. Karin had some creative vocabulary that she certainly learned from her older brother.
It was cute.
"I always wanted siblings." I admitted, sipping my tea. "Never got any."
Which only further cemented my thoughts that I had never seen Ichigo as a brother. I wasn't sure why our friend's reactions bothered me so much, but maybe it was the idea of Ichigo one day waking up and realizing I was just a sister and he'd regret us dating? It was a possibility in my mind still. I loved that boy to the moon and back, but we had agreed that this might not work out. At this point it was still so fresh and unexplored, and yet... And yet I had never felt closer or safer with a person my entire life.
It was terrifying really.
"Well if your mother had gone through with the adoption, you could've had three." Isshin teased. I blinked, slowly turning to him with owlish eyes. He looked down at me, not seeming to understand my surprise.
"You... You asked my mother?" I asked slowly. Isshin paused, looking curiously at me.
"Hm? Oh well, I guess you wouldn't remember it. You were only a child back then." He hummed. I noticed how nostalgic he looked then. "It was the day I first met you. After you and your mom came back to Karakura."
He smiled, eyes far away, though his gaze was on his children.
"You were so tiny, and quiet back then. What the heck happened huh? Ah but you looked up at me and said 'I don't have a Dad, can you be mine?' " Isshin chuckled. My eyes widened, why had nobody told me this? "I offered to adopt you right then and there."
I let out a short laugh, finding it funny. So the adoption urging happened long before my return to Karakura, huh?
"Wow, so this wasn't a new thing, trying to adopt me?" I joked. Isshin laughed as I sipped my tea. I heard a shout, turning to see Ichigo losing a battle with Yuzu.
"Not at all. Though, maybe it worked for the best." His voice lowered as we watched Ichigo get taunted by his younger sisters. Karin flicked some water at Ichigo, making me giggle.
"Maybe." I said, eyes landing on Ichigo's grin. He was incredibly handsome, kind, and smart. Damn I was a lucky girl.
"But you know Naomi, since the day I met you, one thing has always been clear to me," Isshin said, gaining my attention again. He gave me a gentle smile; one he'd always given me since I was young. Isshin had always been incredibly kind to me and my mother. I didn't understand her hesitancy around him at all. "You've struggled to find your place, haven't you?"
I froze, surprised he would say it. Isshin wasn't bothered. He hummed, as if agreeing with himself. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall while he crossed his arms.
"You take care of everyone you meet, always wanting to protect them. Ichigo is a better man because of you, and I know my girls adore you." His eyes glazed over, remembering something distant. "I'm sure your dad would've been proud of how who you are."
I don't know why, but his words made me swallow a lump in my throat. I looked down at our feet, not able to hold eye contact. While I couldn't confirm nor deny his words, they meant a lot to me.
"Thank you, though like I said, Mr. Kurosaki... You've been more of a father to me than my dad ever was." I looked at Ichigo and Karin and Yuzu, seeing they were almost finished with the dishes. "And I think you give me too much credit. Ichigo's a good man because you raised him right. That's all."
Isshin chuckled.
"My point that I was trying to get at, Naomi, is that this family loves you," my gaze snapped to his as he grinned. "So even if you're struggling, or can't figure something out, this house is always open for you. It'll always be your home too, no matter what."
"I-" I choked on my reply, feeling tears welling from the surprise. My head ducked down as I sniffled, trying to stuff the tears back into myself with sheer willpower. Isshin didn't point it out, instead patting my head.
"You're a good kid, Naomi, and I don't think you've heard that enough." He said, his deep voice soothing as I took a couple deep breaths. When I could, I swallowed that emotion and looked up at him. "You should take pride in who you are."
I blinked away tears, though one drifted down my cheek.
"Thanks... pops..." I said, feeling so sentimental that the words just slipped out. Isshin froze, eyes widening. We both hesitated for a moment, then Isshin lost it.
"IIIIICHIGOOOOO! YUZU KARIN! I did it! Naomi called me Daddy!"
"I DID NOT!" I shouted, feeling scandalized, my eyes darted between the stunned siblings. Isshin ignored me, shouting at his children. I stared, opening and closing my mouth like a fish out of water, watching Isshin and Yuzu cooing over the idea that I was warming up to adoption. Ichigo squeezed around the man, snapping a few choice words about his vernacular, and dragged me into his room. He shut the door; eyes wide.
"The hell did you do?" He asked. I scoffed, regaining some of my composer.
"It's not always my fault." Ichigo rolled his eyes and crossed his arms as he settled down as well.
"I meant what happened?" He asked, wincing at the noise levels outside his door. Isshin was still shouting with Yuzu and Karin had marched to her room. I giggled, remembering the moment.
"Nothing just- your dad said this house would always be a home for me and- I said thank you." I looked at my feet, biting my cheek. There was a pause in the air as Ichigo stepped towards me. His fingers ghosted over my cheek, looking at me curiously.
"Of course it is," Ichigo said, not at all surprised. I looked up at him, seeing the seriousness in his eyes. "Always has been."
I swallowed, unable to look away despite the intensity in his gaze. Ichigo frowned, his brow furrowing into his usual scowl.
"I told you," he continued, stroking my jaw. "No matter what Nao, we're still best friends. Even if this doesn't work out. Hell I think Dad would trade us if we asked."
I snorted, but it was weak.
"Yeah, I know." I said, looking down at his chest. It was always there, in the back of my head. What if this didn't work out? What if we ruined what we had together as friends? I didn't want to lose Ichigo, no matter if he didn't love me and one day realized that, I just couldn't say goodbye again. "I just- I guess I doubt myself sometimes. I mean you're all so-"
"I'm sure your dad would've been proud of how who you are."
I swallowed again, circling back to Isshin's words. Would my father have been proud? How could Isshin be so confident in that? What had I even accomplished? I couldn't even take care of myself and needed my boyfriend and his family to help me. I felt pitiful sometimes but tried not to dwell on the thoughts. But they were still there. The Kurosaki family was so kind to me, and all of them had helped me at some point, even if I hadn't done much for them. My eyes drifted back up to Ichigo, seeing the concern on his face.
As if sensing I needed it, Ichigo pulled me into a hug. His big hand splayed across the back of my neck and waist, holding me to his chest. I wrapped my arms around his middle, fisting his shirt with both hands.
"You're all so good to me." I whispered, feeling Ichigo tighten his arms around me.
"Of course we are, you're good to us." He said, barely above a whisper. Ichigo leaned his head above mine, his lips ghosting over the crown of my head. "You're amazing."
I felt my cheeks heat up, a bit of embarrassment ebbing into me.
"Stop." I said, embarrassment seeping into my tone. Ichigo kissed the top of my head, then used the hand on the back of my head to cup my jaw and raise my gaze to his. Molten amber stared back at me.
"What? You can dish out compliments but can't take them?" He taunted, smirking. It'd always been that way and he knew it. I made a noise in the back of my throat as he kissed my forehead.
"You're smart, fucking gorgeous, a real knock out in a fight," I laughed shortly at the last one. Ichigo kissed the side of my temple, pulling back to look at me, his thumb grazed over my lip.
"And you're the best girlfriend," Ichigo said, a fondness in his tone. "I'm... I'm so lucky to have you, Nao. Thank you."
Lucky.
This boy had no idea how lucky I was to have met him .
"Ichigo?" He hummed, raising a brow. "I think I'm the lucky one."
His face went blank for a moment, then he smiled, his eyes molten and warm. Then he kissed me. It was soft at first, but quickly grew hot as he yanked me flush to him. He wasted no time as he grabbed one of my thighs and pulled me up to his height. I gripped his waist with them, whimpering when his fingers grabbed my ass in a claiming manner.
The entire day came crashing over my head then. It'd been a whole day of not touching him and I felt touch starved. It wasn't even about kissing or being close, it was about questioning every bit of contact, whether certain things were normal to others. Ichigo looked at me more than once today with bedroom eyes and I struggled with it.
Ichigo turned, knocking several books off his desk as he sat me down on it. I jerked away from him, noticing the books on the floor. He didn't waste any moment though as his mouth was on my throat, then kissing behind my ear. I sighed a little loudly, making Ichigo hiss.
"Shhh, Dad's probably on the other side of the door." He said, but then proceeded to pull my shirt from my skirt. His hand wandered under the fabric, not wasting anytime to get to my chest. While his worry was in the right mindset, Ichigo was wrong, Isshin was in the kitchen still.
"He's not, he's still in the kitchen." I said, tugging Ichigo's hair to tilt his head back. My mouth grazed over his throat, nibbling and kissing away. He grunted, a hand going under my skirt to grab my ass again and slide me to the edge of the desk. Our hips connected. I could feel his fingers graze over my underwear and pushed my hips into them.
"How can you tell?" He asked. I paused, then lifted my head to his. Should I mention Isshin's spiritual pressure? It was larger than a few weeks ago but was still the level of a lieutenant. Just as I opened my mouth to say something, a tiny squeaking noise startled me. I looked over Ichigo's shoulder to see a... lion plushy? It was staring at us from a crack in the closet. My boyfriend seemed to sense what I was staring at as he grunted in annoyance.
"No way! How'd a loser like you bag a hottie like my dear Naomi?"
"It can talk?!" I whispered, stunned. Ichigo grumbled, throwing a book at the stuffed animal. It hit him square in the face, causing plush to go flying. It gave a dramatic cry while bouncing back into the closet.
"Dammit Kon! Buzz off will ya?!" He snapped, surprising me. Was this normal? His one hand still under my skirt moved to the small of my back while I twisted around to peak over his shoulder better and stare at the plushy named Kon. It gave a cry, shutting the door and pouting about how unfair life was.
"That's the mod soul that was in my body before. Do you remember it?" Ichigo asked. Vaguely, I did. He was the one in Ichigo's body while Ichigo was a soul reaper, right?
"Kinda. I just remember him trying to kiss me and dropping me mostly." I admitted, my hand going to my neck. That's right, it also was there when the hollow choked me. My attention was brought back to Ichigo as he turned my head gently, guiding me back to his mouth.
"Won't ever happen again." He promised. I hummed, believing it, wrapping my arms around his shoulders. We couldn't do much with thin walls and his family just fifteen feet away, but I knew you could hold a conversation in here without being heard, so that was our noise limit.
Ichigo's head dipped to my neck again, so I tilted back to give him more space. I bit my lip, holding in whimpers, whispering praise to Ichigo instead. Ichigo unbuttoned my shirt, kissing the top of one globe. I fought a moan when he bit down gently. My eyes opened, landing on Kon who was watching from his perch on Ichigo's office chair.
"I-Ichigo," I murmured, gaining a grunt from him and he kissed the other breast. "It's watching."
He froze, as did the plushy. With a growl, Ichigo turned, opened the window, grabbed Kon by his tail as he tried to flee, and chucked him outside. He went flying, crying the entire time, but then Ichigo shut the window and that was that. I chuckled, then squeaked when Ichigo's hand grabbed my hips and tossed me on the bed. My back hit his mattress as I stared with a mild blush. I covered my mouth, hesitating to move and listened for anyone outside his door minutely. He knew I liked to be manhandled and enjoyed flipping me around. Ichigo was above me in a heartbeat, one hand bracing against the bed by my shoulder while the other gently grazed over my exposed belly.
"How quiet do you think you can be?" He asked, lazily dragging his fingers to the waistband of my skirt, making a blush bloom further across my skin. However, I rose to the challenge, giving a cheeky grin as I licked my lips.
"Quieter than you."
The human world always had a thinness to the air. Ulquiorra never liked coming here when he was masked, and even less now that he could taste the distinct difference in air quality. It was morning here, bright and early it seemed. Which meant people were out and moving, much to his chagrin. He preferred it if there were no distractions attempting to impede his mission.
What was worse, the oaf followed him all the way here.
"Damn, the air is so stale here!" Yammy shouted, voicing his thoughts loudly.
"You can return then. I have no need for you." Ulquiorra said, adjusting his zipper. He felt neutral about the giant following him. Yammy coming along could prove useful, but that was if Ulquiorra didn't choose to bash his head in first. Dealing with his idiotic behaviour was a taxing effort. However, the brute was good at flushing things out with a lot of noise-
"Hey Ulquiorra, are we looking for any of these guys?" Yammy called from outside the crater. Ulquiorra closed his eyes, quieting his mind. This would be more difficult than he initially thought.
"No Yammy, none of their spiritual pressures are even noteworthy. They're just trash." He said, not glancing in Yammy's direction. Ulquiorra made his way out of the crater, watching Yammy devour multiple souls at once. His emerald eyes glanced over the horizon, trying to pinpoint all the spiritual pressures in the area. The brute gagged on the taste of such weak souls while coughing.
"Disgusting." He grimaced.
"What can you expect from worthless souls?" Ulquiorra asked rhetorically, surveying the area. Yammy appeared beside him, scratching his exposed belly.
"Yeah well they wouldn't stop looking at me!" He cried. Ulquiorra remained neutral, unfocused on the oaf.
"They couldn't see you, Yammy." He said, stuffing his hands into his pockets. Yammy grunted, pausing.
"Right, I remembered that." The giant looked ahead, noticing a single human crawling along the grass. He stomped up to it, staring into the eyes of the girl as she trembled. "Hey! This one's alive! Is she the one you're looking for?"
Ulquiorra looked at the girl. She had black hair, but it was short, and the one they were looking for should've been at least somewhat stronger than this according to Lord Aizen's description.
"No Yammy, that's trash." Ulquiorra said. Yammy grunted, frowning.
"Just how many are we looking for anyway?" He asked, picking up the teen. The girl gasped; eyes wide as she struggled in his hold. Yammy squeezed her, making something crack inside her chest. She struggled to make a noise, amusing Yammy as he played with her. Ulquiorra looked away, disinterested.
"Two. One female, one male. They should be together." He said, sensing something approaching. Yammy grew bored of the human, tossing her at a tree. She would've gone splat, had a large man not appeared to catch her. He grunted, sliding backwards.
"Tatsuki!" Another human girl cried when she neared them, raising a golden shield. The man held the girl carefully, realizing something was broken as the girl coughed blood. He placed her down and the second girl wordlessly started to heal her friend. A shield appeared over her, doming around her. Ulquiorra watched with mild interest. What was this? He had never seen it before.
'Interesting.' Ulquiorra thought as he watched the wounds begin to vanish. 'Is she healing? No, this is not healing, nor is it time reversal considering the order in which the wounds seem to be vanishing. What is it?'
"You're a strange woman, aren't you?" He mused, catching Orihime's gaze. She swallowed, but Chad broke their eye contact as he stepped between them. Yammy glanced at him.
"Ulquiorra~!" Yammy sung out. "Are these the ones you're looking for?"
"No." Ulquiorra said bluntly, not even interested in the man. He glanced over at the girl's shield once more despite himself. "You can tell with one glance that these humans are all trash."
Yammy huffed, curious about the strange shield as well.
"Ya sure? Maybe Aizen might find this girl's powers interesting?" He asked. Ulquiorra paused for a second, but not in consideration. His patience with Yammy was wearing thin. Why couldn't the oaf just kill them and be done with it? They had thousands of humans to sift through and limited time. However, before he could reply, another voice spoke.
"Aizen huh? Should've known."
Ulquiorra looked to his left, surprised to see a soul reaper standing there. He hadn't sensed her; in fact, he hadn't noticed her any more than the dead that lay scattered in the park. The female wandered closer, he could see a sleeveless shihakushō with bandages all along her arms and chest. Her hair was loose, spilling down her back in black waves from a middle part. She glanced at Yammy, who half-turned to see her, and then her lilac eyes stared at Ulquiorra from under thick black lashes. This girl matched the description Lord Aizen had given him, meaning she was Naomi Sakurai, but her lack of spiritual pressure was suspicious. Ulquiorra tilted his head, trying to use his pesquisa to discern why he couldn't sense her. He pressed, raising his spiritual pressure to reach out to her. Naomi tilted her head too, eyes narrowing. She seemed just as suspicious as he was. The pale arrancar stared into her eyes.
'This girl...'
"Hey! Ulquiorra! Is this who we're looking for?" Yammy called over his shoulder. Naomi squinted, squaring up to Ulquiorra, her face changing as she frowned.
"Chad, Orihime, you guys need to leave." She said, her voice firm. Orihime glanced at Naomi, then Chad, but ultimately agreed picking up Tatsuki was the better option. She managed to get her friend on her back, tucking her arms under Tatsuki's legs, before looking at her friends. Chad hadn't moved. He was surprised, looking at how Naomi and Ulquiorra were squaring off against each other. Then there was the big guy...
"I'm not leaving you to fight them both." Chad said, preparing to fight Yammy. The giant ignored him, looking at Naomi. The black-haired girl stayed silent, not taking her eyes off Ulquiorra. The arrancar did the same to her, before replying to his comrade.
"This is exactly who we were looking for, Yammy." He said calmly, noticing no minute changes in Naomi's appearance other than annoyance. Yammy shouted, lunging for the girl.
"Then let's get this started-" He stopped when Chad ran in front of him, squaring up for a fight. Yammy paused, then frowned. A single growl came from Yammy before the giant raised his fist at Chad instead.
"Chad don't fight him." Naomi warned, though she hadn't moved.
Chad swung anyway, colliding a fist with Yammy. His arm would've crumpled like a coke can, had Naomi not appeared next to him. Her right palm laid flat against Yammy's giant fist, surprising the oaf. Chad's eyes widened as he felt a tiny fracture in his forearm. He would've been toast if she hadn't stepped in. The large Mexican was not expecting such strength from his tiny friend, but he had believed Ichigo when he talked about her defensive ability during sparring.
Ulquiorra watched the movement, studying everything he could glean from the teenager. There was a minute change in her spiritual pressure at the point of impact. He could sense something, the scent of hollow spiritual pressure, exuding from her for a moment before it blipped from his awareness. Was she masking her spiritual pressure? How did she hide it from even his pesquisa?
'That movement as well. It was not shunpo, it was a sonido. An arrancar movement.' Ulquiorra thought as he watched Naomi. A growl came from her throat, her hand went to her zanpakutō. He expected her to draw it, but instead she gripped the sheath.
"Calm down." She said, seemingly to herself. Yammy frowned, wondering how the kid was still standing.
"Huh? What's this? You don't even have any spiritual pressure. How'd ya stop my punch?" He grumbled. Naomi's lips quirked into a frown, eyes glowering at him.
"Maybe you just suck at sensing." She taunted. He growled, swinging again, but she just held the back of her hand to stop him. Chad's eyes widened as he watched the full force of the arrancar five three times her size just come to a dead halt. Her spiritual pressure felt dense on her skin to the point that it affected Chad standing so close. Without realizing it, he took several steps back and swallowed. Naomi didn't move at all, surprising Yammy with a kick to the ribs in retaliation. It didn't do much, but he did stagger back several steps with a grunt.
'Interesting,' Ulquiorra thought, sensing the rise and fall of her spiritual pressure again. 'How does she know how much spiritual pressure she needs to use? Our hierro is not easy to strike either, and yet she seems unaffected. Granted that kick was hardly anything noteworthy.'
"Orihime, Chad, you have to go." Naomi said more firmly than last time. Chad swallowed as he looked at the tiny girl's back while Orihime's eyes darted between her friends.
"What? You can't- on your own..." Orihime looked nervous, sensing inner turmoil from Naomi. Ulquiorra could see it too. There was something she was struggling with. Was she concerned about her friends or something else?
"I'll be fine." She assured Orihime. Naomi turned to meet her gaze and gave a confident smile. It gave the ginger a sense of ease. Orihime swallowed, thinking of Ichigo in that moment. Where was he? Why wasn't he with Naomi? Should she stay and help? Or was she just a hinderance to Naomi? Orihime had never seen Naomi's powers, but she did know she and Ichigo sparred a lot for training.
"Little bitch!" Yammy snapped. "Pay attention!"
He opened his mouth, red light forming into a ball. Chad gulped as Orihime raised her barrier. Naomi didn't bat an eye, raising her left arm. The blast was let loose, vanishing into her palm. Ulquiorra's frown deepened as he watched Naomi scratch her neck. She didn't look surprised at all despite Yammy staring slack-jawed.
"Wh- How did you block my cero?!" He shouted. Idiot. She didn't block it. No, it vanished from this plane of existence. Though it was strange, her spiritual pressure when she used that ability changed. It was not the same as her defensive abilities. Though considering her companions seemed equally surprised, Ulquiorra presumed this was the ability Lord Aizen was curious about.
"I just need a second, we're almost there." She murmured, ignoring Yammy. Ulquiorra found it strange, the attitude she had was not of someone who was outmatched. Her behaviour indicated that she was waiting for something to happen, but what? Yammy roared, lunging at her, but this time she just stayed as she was. A tiny smirk slipped onto her lips. Yammy's fist was a foot from her face, but she didn't seem to mind.
At the last second Ulquiorra could sense it, a powerful spiritual pressure barreling at them.
"Bankai!"
It amplified, slicing through the air and cutting off the arm before it could reach Naomi. It flew by her, crashing on the ground uselessly as Yammy stopped, rearing back to hold the stump and cry out.
A tall figure landed next to Naomi, a black sword and short orange hair like he was described. This was the other target he'd been sent for. Lord Aizen was right, if he sought out Naomi Sakurai, Ichigo Kurosaki wouldn't be far behind. Now to complete the second piece of the mission; judging the capabilities of these two and acting accordingly.
"Sorry I'm late, Nao." Ichigo said. Naomi smirked, looking pleased as she finally turned her back on the arrancar. She was still side by side with Ichigo even though her eyes were on Chad and Orihime.
"Not at all, it was perfect timing. Made me feel all cool as well." She teased. Ichigo chuckled, a wry smirk slipping onto his lips.
"Yeah well you didn't give me much choice. You're lucky I knew what you were expecting." He gripped his zanpakutō tighter, relieved he made the right choice. Naomi hummed.
"I trusted you." She paused, the mirth dying as she looked up at him standing next to her. Ichigo hadn't taken his eyes off the enemy. "Be careful. The big guy's all brawn, but that other one?"
Naomi glanced over her shoulder at Ulquiorra, who was observing the two. It was interesting, as Naomi had been very guarded before the boy's arrival. Was this a sign of trust, or reliance? She clearly expected him to be the one to battle. Ulquiorra's emerald eyes locked with her lilac. He could feel her staring straight through him as he frowned.
"That's the one that worries me. He's a lot stronger than he looks." Naomi said, matching his facial expression. How interesting, she could sense his true power level? If so, did that imply her sensory ability was greater than his?
'That would explain her other abilities. If she can sense how much spiritual pressure is contained in a being, then why not an attack? Still, why is she so secretive of it? Or is something blocking it?' Ulquiorra tilted his head down but didn't break eye contact with the girl.
"I'll be fine, take care of the others, alright? And don't do anything stupid." Ichigo said. Naomi snorted.
"How can I when the stupid's with you?" The rebuttal made Ichigo smile briefly, then he vanished, lunging at Yammy. The giant was barely coming to terms with his missing arm when Ichigo zeroed in on him, slicing down his front in one shot. Ulquiorra would be lying if he said he wasn't impressed. Ichigo Kurosaki lived up to Lord Aizen's expectations. And his spiritual pressure was strong, but nothing dangerous enough to threaten the Lord at this point in time. His gaze drifted from Ichigo to Naomi, noticing she truly wasn't taking part in the fight.
Chad and Orihime moved away, on Naomi's request, but they didn't leave the grounds. The black-haired teen managed to shoo them across the park but not out of sight. Orihime was worried, noticing that there seemed to be a heaviness to Ichigo's spiritual pressure. It felt like a heavy weight was resting on her shoulders that wasn't there on Sōkyoku hill. She swallowed, noticing how indifferent to the sensation Naomi was. She stood on the edge of the battle, watching Ichigo carefully, but made no movement indicating that she was concerned. Orihime wanted to have the same confidence, swallowing any words she might've said.
Yammy was doing poorly against Ichigo, even though the teen wasn't doing anything against the arrancar other than slashing him. Naomi frowned, stuffing her hands in her pockets to keep from fidgeting. Yammy drew his sword, much to the disappointment of Ulquiorra.
"I can't believe you need your zanpakutō for this." Ulquiorra scoffed. Yammy growled, glaring at the other arrancar. The green-eyed male couldn't help but poke fun at him a little more for all the stupidity he'd endured. "Perhaps you need assistance?"
Ichigo and Naomi perked up at that tid bit of information. A zanpakutō? Naomi's thoughts drifted to Espejo, wondering about the similarities she was noticing between these creatures and herself.
"Shut up and stay back! I'll take them both out on my own!" Yammy shouted, drawing his sword and slashing at Ichigo. The boy dodged, sliding around and getting behind him. It was a clear head shot, one Yammy wouldn't just walk away from. But the boy's spiritual pressure fluctuated rapidly, surprising himself and Ulquiorra.
'He's here.' Ichigo thought, panic rising inside of him. He felt him knocking at the surface, stronger than the last time he'd tried. Using his bankai was a mistake, he shouldn't have done that, not with his friends so close by.
'What is this?' Ulquiorra thought. 'One moment it's meager, the next his spiritual pressure is greater than mine.'
Naomi huffed, taking a single step forward. The carrot top grunted, trying to complete his strike, when Yammy caught up to him. Ichigo was forced to block, but it was weak, and he got knocked away easily. He landed hard; his breath came out ragged as he fell to his knees. Ulquiorra could sense the boy's spiritual pressure rapidly rising further past his own. It was staggering though, as if Ichigo were fighting it. It felt highly unstable, and from the feeling of it there wasn't much holding him down. As Ichigo looked up at Yammy, his sclera was beginning to turn black in the corners.
"No..." Ichigo grunted, raising his blade to block Yammy's next strike. His arm was shaking as he was struggling to keep his inner hollow at bay. Ulquiorra figured he was done. This instability meant that he had no control of the power inside of him. It would likely destroy him before he could tame it. That is if he survived this battle, which looked highly unlikely even without Ulquiorra stepping in.
"Ichigo!" Chad called, moving to sprint for his friend. Orihime was at his heels, summoning her shield.
No, not Chad, or Orihime. They didn't need to see this! Ichigo didn't want them to get involved!
"Stay back!" He shouted.
A cold feeling burst across the park. Ulquiorra frowned as the sensation of rain fell onto his shoulders. His chest, his whole body, felt cold like ice. This agony, despair, depression. He felt like he was a quick step away from dying.
Yammy swung down with all his strength, the ground trembling as it cracked and shattered under the pressure. Chad and Orihime were too late, forced to look away as the impact destroyed their pathway to the soul reaper. Orihime's shield saved them from a chunk of the impact, but she still coughed as dust flew past them.
Everything went still, Orihime's heart dropped. She felt heavy as her legs shook. Something inside of her was leaving, a warmth, heat. She felt none of it as she fell to her knees. Chad was not fairing any better. Orihime's shield cracked, shattering as she struggled to look at what happened to her friend.
When the dust settled, they saw Naomi standing between Yammy and Ichigo, having taken the hit by using the back of her right hand. Chad was not as surprised as he might've been, having seen her block Yammy before. But that impact... It was far greater than the previous. Her defense was beyond impressive.
'She not only blocked his attack, but with a bare hand?' Ulquiorra thought, understanding the interest Lord Aizen had in this girl now. Naomi's eyes narrowed, then she kicked Yammy, this time he went flying past Ulquiorra. It whipped up his coattails in the process. He squinted, sensing a massive change in the girl, then his eyes widened. The smaller arrancar now had a clear view of electric green cat eyes staring at him. Her skin had turned paler; horns began to grow out the top of her head.
'What is this girl?' He watched as she placed a hand on Ichigo's shoulder, and the raining spiritual pressure increased. Chad and Orihime dropped face first into the ground, stunned by the immense pressure. Ulquiorra was surprised as her spiritual pressure climbed past his, then Ichigo's, before it waned. Ichigo's spiritual pressure also settled. What had she done? Had she tamed his spiritual pressure for him? No, she had brute forced it down from sheer will. The amount of strength that must've taken out of her though...
Orihime choked, sucking in air when it slowed. She got onto all fours, looking up and seeing how Ichigo looked. The boy was calmer, his spiritual pressure settled almost back to what it had been in Soul Society.
"Sorry," Ichigo said through gritted teeth as he regrouped, standing up properly. His head staring at his feet. "I didn't mean to lose control so fast."
Control. It made perfect sense that he struggled to keep that monstrous spiritual pressure in check. Ulquiorra eyes looked to Naomi, thinking that perhaps her control was so good because she was constantly holding her own spiritual pressure down. Perhaps only allowing a certain amount to escape, rather than summoning it. It would explain why it was impossible to sense. Seeing the forest for the trees would've been an apt saying.
Yammy groaned, finally rising.
"That's fine, it's why I'm here." Naomi soothed her boyfriend, hand now resting on his chest before letting it fall. She looked over her shoulder at the arrancar, electric eyes darkening. "But if I'm completely honest, I'd rather you take them down with everything you've got now, because if we waste any more time, it'll effect the others."
Ichigo's gaze drifted to Orihime, Chad, and Tatsuki. He felt embarrassed that they saw that, looking down at his feet. Orihime managed a moment of eye contact and could see the shame residing in his brown eyes.
"Right," He took a breath, stepping closer. Yammy growled, stomping closer. The ground shook on his approach. "I'll give it everything then. You'll have to watch my back though, just in case."
"Of course," Naomi said, turning to stand behind him.
Ichigo returned to battle, his confidence and control restored. Yammy lunged and they met in the middle. The teenager was the only one landing any hits once more. Ulquiorra thought it was interesting, how Naomi managed to revive that confidence so quickly.
'He fights hard, but I do wonder if it's because she's here.' He stared at her, noticing how her eyes slid to his with suspicion. 'This boy is clearly unable to handle his power. The only reason he can is because of her.'
He looked at Ichigo.
'If I attack him, he may use that strange power and let it loose. Then the girl will be right behind him.' His eyes slid back to Naomi. 'And if I attempt to attack her, she may be able to hold off the strike, but there's no doubt he would abandon his fight to come to her defense as well.'
Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed in irritation as he watched Ichigo slash Yammy's leg, eyes lacking any empathy when Yammy cried out, collapsing to the ground. Ichigo raised his blade above his head, a black aura surrounding it.
" Getsuga Tensho! " He shouted, slicing at Yammy. Ulquiorra decided letting the oaf die was not in his best interest as he intervened the strike. He pulled a hand from his pocket, using it to catch the blast. He grunted quietly; his feet being pushed back by a foot before he disarmed the attack. It was stronger than he expected from the teen, but still unable to cut him.
Ichigo's eyes were wide as he stared, shocked. Ulquiorra sized him up, watching how the teen tried to read his body language despite one hand still being stuffed in his pocket.
"You are an impressive being, Ichigo Kurosaki. Which is exactly why Lord Aizen told me to eliminate you if I wished." He said, not having to move an inch as Ichigo lunged for him. He blocked with the back of his hand, surprising Ichigo. The movement reminded him of Nao and how she preferred to defend. Ulquiorra pushed him back, raising his hand to fire a cero, when Yammy roared.
"Stay back! He's mine Ulquiorra!" He shouted, flying past Ulquiorra. The smaller arrancar's eyes narrowed, irritation setting in. This was so tiring.
Ichigo clashed with Yammy, easily blocking him before sending him flying back. Ulquiorra took that opening, using sonido to lunge at the boy. A single strike to the chest and his mission would be completed.
Which was why he was surprised to see a red cero flying at him from beside Ichigo, forcing him to block.
'This cero was Yammy's...' He thought, disengaging the attack in time to feel a zanpakutō slamming down onto his arm. Naomi's electric green eyes were now matching his emerald, a dark rage inside of them.
"Wait your turn." She growled. He felt a glare rise at her tone before he could stop himself, but as he went to shake her off him, a pulse rang through his arm. His eyes widened as immense pressure knocked him back twenty feet. Ulquiorra felt a sting on his arm, looking down to see a shallow cut running along where her sword had just been. She'd cut his sleeve open and ruined his jacket. His eyes drifted from it to the girl. A fierce protectiveness in her eyes as Ichigo stood behind her. Yammy once again struggled on the ground, grumbling and groaning.
'I was right. You cannot attack one without dealing with the other.' His eyes went from Ichigo to Naomi. The ginger raised another attack, the black Getsuga he'd used the time before. Why again? What had changed? Was it out of desperation or futility?
" Getsuga Tensho! " He shouted, tossing the aura at Ulquiorra. The arrancar was unphased, expecting to deflect it like the last one. However, as he caught the attack in his hand, another wave of spiritual pressure reached his senses. His eyes widened when a purple cero came up the centre, aiming for his palm. Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes, attempting to keep his ground. He grunted, sliding backwards one foot, another foot- he used both his hands, he slid another three feet.
The blast engulfed Ulquiorra for a moment, Yammy stared in surprise. Ulquiorra having difficulty wasn't something he'd expected. Ichigo trembled where he stood watching as well, feeling his sclera turning black as his eye changed to yellow. Naomi put a hand on his shoulder, the colour returned to normal slowly.
"He's not done yet." She said, thinking Espejo was needed, but she was worried about using her release around her friends. It was bad enough they saw them looking like this , but a full release?
The dust began to settle.
Ulquiorra brushed himself off as he stood. He couldn't entirely stop it, having parts of his clothing torn, but he was mostly unscathed. A small burn mark marred his marble skin next to the shallow cut. Still, it was impressive to think they'd managed to push him to this point. The small man looked to the teenagers, wagering what he should do. Then his eyes drifted to the zanpakutō in Naomi's hand. She hadn't released it yet, and Lord Aizen described it as making her ten times stronger. He would struggle to attack Ichigo without potentially killing Naomi at this rate. His orders were to let her live, and he would abide by it.
However, he was wavering on whether to kill Ichigo or not. His control was completely reliant on Naomi at this point, which would seem to make her the one they should've been after. Those were not his orders, though it was beginning to become tempting.
Ulquiorra turned abruptly, opening a Garganta. It surprised the teens.
"You're just leaving?" Naomi asked. Ichigo grunted, about to stomp after them.
"Get back here!" He shouted, but Naomi put a hand to his chest to stop him. Ulquiorra felt a smirk rise to his lips as he looked at the boy.
"Are you sure you want to goad me into a fight? While you protect that trash?" Ulquiorra challenged, eyes drifting to Naomi. Ichigo stepped in front of her, a protectiveness that matched the girl's was in his eyes. How amusing, like monkeys clinging to each other's backs. Ulquiorra turned away, stepping into the portal. "Let's go, Yammy."
The oaf grunted, grumbling about his leg, but ambled into the Garganta. The two stepped in, Ulquiorra turning to face them as it closed. His eyes locked with Ichigo's, seeing a defiance in his eyes. The Garganta shut, leaving him in the dark. As he turned and sauntered back to Huecho Mundo, his thoughts circled around lilac eyes.
'How strange she turned out to be.'
Thank you to every single review that has been made on this story. I was so happy to see them. Made my heart sore ngl. It's been a rough week, and I've been finding it very nice to sit down, write, and escape my problems. Fun fact, in the original draft of this story Ichigo and Naomi did drift apart for a while and she ended up dating someone else, can y'all guess who?
My aunt is doing better, for anyone curious, she is no longer in critical care, which is huge for her condition. Updates are still going to be spotty and questionable for the next while but I appreciate the feedback and replies. I'm not entirely happy with this chapter, but I feel it was better than what I had planned in my original draft. Seems to be me literally everytime I write anything lol, nothing is ever good enough.
thomascastillo9987: Your answer will be answered in the next couple of chapters. That is all I shall say on the subject.
Mesmerizing Mermaid: Thank you, I appreciate that! Also, very curious how you arrived to that conclusion? Not saying anything to it but genuinely curious?
Sonata Fulling: Heh, well, now you got a tidbit of info on that.
Cheers.
Iland Girl