Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ Abarai's Advice for Dating ❯ Hollow Interruption ( Chapter 3 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, Tite Kubo does. I earn no money writing this fan fiction.

Chapter 3

Something bleeped loudly from the breast pocket of Renji's kimono. Ichigo and he looked at one another, their mouths half-full of Tessai's newest concoction. Reaching inside his uniform top the red haired soul reaper tugged out his soul pager and flipped it open. Quickly the noodles hanging from Ichigo and his mouths disappeared with a loud slurp.

“It figures,” Ichigo grumbled, as Renji's eyes widened.

“Hell yeah. No rest for the freakin' tired,” Renji answered. “There's six of them and 2 of us. I'd say they're as good as ours.”

“Where?”

“Wait a sec… near Inoue's apartment,” Renji peered at the readings. His red eyes narrowed in concern. Terrific. The kid wasn't going to like this, he realized. So much for a quiet night.

Chopsticks clattered down and a bowl almost shattered. Across from Renji Abarai, Ichigo grabbed his weapon and almost generated a burst of wind in his haste to leave. Renji tore after him, almost knocking over Tessai in the process. Urahara's hat almost flew off his head when the two soul reapers dashed past.

“Good evening gentlemen, thanks for coming,” he said calmly, then shook his head. He well knew what the problem was, not even needing technology to sense the spirit energy generated across town.

“Dammit!” Ichigo cursed. He burst out of Urahara's store, his robe fluttering behind him.

“Hey kid, wait!” Renji shouted after him. Snarling he held his soul pager and dashed off into the night after his friend.

Ichigo was frustrated. Just when he was about to get some much needed advice from an urgent problem. Renji was shedding light on a subject weighing on the kid's mind for months. Keigo was out, because the lad's silliness irritated Ichigo. Mizuiro also seemed out of the question since his wealth of knowledge focused on older women. The tattooed Shinigami had the advantage of age and more life experience compared to Ichigo, and respected him as a fighter. Although they argued most of the time, it was because both were hotheads and similar temperance. The urgent beeping of a soul pager had interrupted their late night meal. Lightly they dashed through the night, half-flying as they leapt from rooftop to rooftop.

“Shit, this is great,” Renji mumbled. “They just HAD to pop up near the girls!”

“You're telling me damn it! This night bites the big one,” Ichigo also cursed.

“Rukia's with her. She'll be fine till we get there, so save it for the fight!” Renji urged.

“Stuff it! You bet your ass that if something happens to Rukia as well as Orihime you'll be as pissed as I will! So don't tell me to SAVE it!” Ichigo yelled.

“You don't have to preach that shit to me, you dummy. Just think with the upper head this time in the fight!” Renji grumbled.

"Heads up!" Ichigo shouted. "Looks like the party's started!"

"Talk about a pitched battle. Shit," Renji commented, unsheathing Zabimaru. Beside him, Ichigo reached for the hilt of Zangetsu. Bandages unfurled as he hefted the half moon sword over his shoulder and brandished it.

"ORIHIME!" Ichigo shouted. "Rukia!"

"Wait for me, idiot!" Renji shouted. His hand passed over the gleaming blade of his sword. "Roar Zabimaru!"

In the path of his hand, the familiar pronged segmented blade revealed itself. One flick of the wrist sent it hurtling like a freight train into the nearest hollow. Ichigo cursed, "Stay outta my way!"

"You shut up and go THAT way!" Renji shouted, swinging his weapon again. Narrowly the segmented band zinged past Ichigo, who flash stepped away. He appeared closer to where Rukia spun her blade about, its own cloth decorated hilt forming a circle in midair.

Ichigo's Zangetsu slashed and cleaved a sizable hollow to his left. Zabimaru sliced across the heads of three hollows as Renji covered the right flank. Both male Shinigami saw their ladyloves fighting heatedly against six hollows, and holding their own Orihime's tri god shield shimmered in full force, and back to back with her was Rukia. The dark haired soul reaper's moon white blade whirled, generating its distinctive circles. Pillars of ice erupted from strategic spots, freezing the enemies from behind Orihime's shield.

Rukia shouted occasional suggestions to Orihime. Hairs flying in the hot updrafts of battle both women were gorgeous.

"Let's split up! We'll cover more ground!" Ichigo shouted. “They're trying to split the girls up!”

"Divide and conquer eh? I like the sound of that!" Renji grinned.

"Dance!" Rukia whispered her blue eyes intense and gleaming. A circle of gleaming moon radiance swirled under her feet. Ichigo dodged again as a huge pillar of ice erupted from beneath them. His eyes followed up to where a hovering hollow crackled in the pillar.

"Rukia! You okay?" Ichigo called, grabbing the bandage as he flicked his handle out. Swinging the sword around his head, he cleaved a hollow's tentacle in two that swept between them.

"Dammit what are you doing idiot!" Rukia shouted.

"I REJECT! Kotensenshu!" Orihime chanted, and then saw Ichigo arguing already with Rukia out of the corner of her eye. "Ichigo!"

"Orihime, I'm here!" Ichigo called.

"Where's the other clown?" Rukia chuckled, and Orihime saw the gleam of playfulness in her eye.

"Let's get these freaks!" Ichigo nodded. His eyes flickered back to Orihime.

As they had spoken together, so did Orihime move closer to where Ichigo battled with three hollows. He looked up to see a mouth smash into a triangular shield from behind. Out of the corner of his eye Orihime chanted, “I reject!”

“Watch it!” Ichigo yelled.

“I've got it!” she called. The hollow she blocked suddenly slicked in twain, exploding into fountains of blue light.

“Stay behind me, Orihime!” he called.

“Don't worry, Ichigo! I can handle them!” she said.

“Right, let's kick their asses,” Ichigo grinned, seeing the force pounding into her shield. However, her dark eyes glistened and it held fast.

“Rukia!” howled Renji as he saw another hollow directly overhead. Her sword spun easily, cleaving off its claw before she rolled over. Then her hand shot up, and she chanted a familiar kido. Hot lighting flared into the hollow, dissipating it.

She barely noticed the second landing opposite so focused was she on the first. However, a cutting slash sang overhead, wounding the monster enough for Rukia to roll to her feet and whisper to her own zanpaku-to. A circle of ice spread out from where she drove it into the ground. It crackled over the feet of the monster, incapacitating it.

Between her and the monstrosity, a dark shape materialized. She recognized the spiky fountain of hair and the whizzing sword that shattered her strange ice sculpture into thousands of glittering shards. A smile of relief came over her face and she turned to press her back to his. Renji's heart pounded and he felt his own stomach ease a bit to know she was standing back to back with him now.

“You started the party without us dammit!” Renji said.

“What took you idiots so damn long?” Rukia answered.

“Man to man talk! Nothing you wanna hear!” Renji shouted.

“That's a good enough excuse for now, you slacker!” Rukia laughed. More ice glistened and Renji felt the drop in temperature as a pillar of ice erupted upwards to his far left, sealing a hovering hollow inside it. Zabimaru shot forwards, plugging headlong into the hollow to his right, and shoving it far away to clear out space.

“Orihime, stay with me! Let's get to the others,” Ichigo shouted, bringing Zangetsu down.

“Where are they all coming from, Ichigo? It's as bad as when Ishida used that bait,” Orihime whispered, her hair fluttering free of the dual pins. Still her shield stood fast, while Tsubaki streaked in and out like a comet dispatching another hollow.

“C'mon,” Ichigo urged. She felt him snake out one hand and then scoop her up on his hip.

“I'm with you,” she whispered, not needing his urging to hang on tight.

She swung up and Ichigo felt her slight weight limb onto his back. He felt the flutter of her reiatsu and saw the shields orange glow in the blade of his sword held by two hands now. Quickly he flash stepped to the circle of ice that radiated from where Renji and Rukia now fought for their lives. As soon as a hollow would enter the circle of frost, Renji's sword snaked out and cut them down. Still holding her sword with one hand facing down Rukia's voice chattered a succession of kidos. Her face seemed haggard and drawn.

“What the hell are you doing Rukia? Trying to get killed?' Ichigo hollered, stepping in beside Renji. He let Orihime continue to sit on his back.

“Shut up and take the rear. Rukia, stop burning through your kido and rest! The strawberry's got it covered!” Renji shouted.

“Idiots,” Rukia panted. She felt Orihime slip to the ground and wrap an arm around her to support her. Bringing her sword up she dissipated the ice circle and let herself lean on the other woman. Nearby Renji's Zabimaru snaked out around the shield, slashing and wounding any hollow unfortunate enough to get close.

“You need me to heal you?” Orihime asked.

“I'm fine. Just keep that shield overhead. And I'll get the back third,” Rukia nodded.

“Sounds good, let's wrap this up!” Ichigo yelled.

“Got you!” Renji said, needing no further instructions.

The four companions formed a fluctuating parallelogram, their heads protected by Orihime's shield directly over them all. Occasionally she sent Tsubaki whizzing up to attack the hollows Renji and Ichigo happened to miss. Ichigo felt pride burning inside him. He hated seeing her blaming herself day in and out for her lack of contribution. Now his expectations were being met and surpassed. Orihime was quite cool under pressure, backed up by their coverage. That left Renji and Ichigo plenty of options to fight more offensively. If things grew too crazy either male would simply retreat and weave around the small pocket the females now provided.

“You don't think we need to waste a bankai on them do you?” Ichigo whispered to Renji.

“Not with the girls here. I don't want them to get in the way,” Renji said.

“What are you two babbling about? We can do this without the posturing!” Rukia shouted. “PALE FIRE CRASH!”

Her blast sizzled despite Renji's curse into another hollow. Ichigo smirked at Renji's sour face and slammed his sword into the ground, causing it to ripple and heave. Boulders flew up and slammed into another hollow. Whirling his segmented sword around his head Renji whipped it out one last time to again slice the head off a third.

“What the hell? Aren't there anymore?” Ichigo trailed off.

“That's all we did it!” Orihime proclaimed gleefully, jumping up and down.

All four friends mumbled in wonder as their last attacks finished off the remainder. Only dead gaunt silence predominated, broken by Orihime's giggling squeal of delight. It was a welcome noise to all of them, especially to Ichigo. As he turned to her, he felt her arms wrapping tightly around his neck as she throw herself into his arms. Ichigo barely had time to swing Zangetsu out of the way before he caught her about the waist.