Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ Cessation ❯ Chapter 2

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

Yes, you see right! This has turned into my first chapter fic for Bleach! Thanks so much to my reviewer’s from the first chapter, and all those who favourited, though, could I possibly be a review whore and ask that you take the time to tell me what you think as well so that I can develop the story?

Many thanks to the great Namimakura (did I get that right chick? Too tired and stressed about duathlon to bother looking!) and Feilyn, who have both been a great help with this chapter and the one before, and again to those who reviewed!

I’m trying to update as soon as I can, which should hopefully be sometime next week! Hope you enjoy this chapter and continue to follow this fic!

Well here you go, the second chapter of Cessation; Read and Enjoy and Review!

By the time he woke, sunlight was streaming through the gaps in the small shutters above the futon and the warmth that had been curled against his side when he fell asleep was gone. He groaned, covering his eyes with one hand as he felt around for his hakama with the other, almost falling off the futon in the process.

Shit.

“You’re not going anywhere.”

Double shit. He hadn’t even known she was in the room.

“You’re so desperate to ravish me again that you stole my clothes? Kind of unnecessary after last night don’t you think?” He managed to throw a cocky grin her way without moving too much and took great pleasure in the fact that he drew a frustrated growl out of her.

“Bastard.”

“Don’t call me a bastard, Rukia.”

“Don't be a bastard, Ichigo.”

“I‘ll stop if you stop being a bitch, how about that?”

“I’m the bitch? You’re the one doing the whining.”

“You stole my clothes!”

"You promised to talk after sex. We had sex, you didn't talk."

"It's not my fault you couldn't keep your hands off me."

She swore, stepping forward and pushing him off the futon. “Don’t flatter yourself Kurosaki.”

He swore in turn, standing back up and pushing her down onto the futon, moving to pin her down before she even registered the change in position. "Shut up Rukia."

“Only if you’ll talk.” Somehow he knew she didn’t mean normal banter.

“What do you think I’ve been doing Rukia, line dancing?”

She wrenched her arm free of his grasp with a snarl and punched him in the shoulder, “You’re an asshole, Ichigo.”

He shrugged. “It’s been said before.”

“Ichigo!”

He sighed and loosened his grip a bit, leaning down to kiss her gently. “Okay, I give.”

She grinned triumphantly, but it quickly faded when he gave her his best Kurosaki glare. “What happened, Ichigo?” She asked quietly.

He shook his head and rolled them over so that she was leaning against his chest, seeking comfort from her hold as she wound her arms around his waist. “You saw the results.”

“Yes, but that doesn’t explain why you seem to think no one is behind you. We knew that your body would start to degenerate eventually. Surely that‘s understandable, considering the effects of the injuries that transferred to it from the war. I thought you were okay with that.”

“I’m not okay about it. Do you think I want to leave everything behind Rukia? Life is just starting to get back to normal for me and so are my friends, did you ever consider that maybe that would be something I wouldn’t want to give up? That maybe I would be something they wouldn‘t want to give up?” He ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “There are a lot of things I love and don’t want to lose in the real world, Rukia.”

She clenched her jaw and looked down, letting go of him and moving to perch on the side of the futon. “And I’m not one of them. No, don’t say anything. It’s okay, I understand.”

He reached out and caught her wrist before she could rise, pulling her back to him and resting his head on her shoulder. "That's not what I meant Rukia. Fuck, you know what you mean to me. Stop being stupid." He lifted his head and grabbed her chin, turning her to face him. “I love you, dumb ass. But I love a lot of other people too.”

“Even though they‘re making you a mess?” She ran a hand up his arm and removed his from her chin, linking their fingers together and pressing a kiss to the back of his hand.

He nodded, eyes serious. “Of course. I can’t stop loving my own family Rukia.”

She glanced at him, worried. “It’s your family? I didn’t pick Yuzu as one to not be behind her brother. Karin a little maybe, but not Yuzu.”

“It’s natural. The war was hard on them, on all of us. I didn’t know that it would happen so soon, and hiding it from them probably hasn’t helped. I think it’s just because they don’t want to lose someone else. It doesn’t make things any easier on me, though.” He tightened his hold on her hand a little, removing his other one from her waist and running it through his hair again. “I’m hoping that they’re just in denial and it‘s not something else.”

She grabbed that hand as well, before it started pulling out hair. “Just give them time, Ichigo. They‘ve been through a lot.”

He nodded slightly. “Yeah I know. Doesn‘t mean I have to like it though.”

She sighed and kissed him, leaning her forehead against his. “It’ll be okay. I promise.”

Kuchiki Rukia always kept her word.




“Shit!”

“Karin-cha n!”

The elder Kurosaki twin turned defiantly away from the wall she had just punched, eyes blazing. “Shit!”

Yuzu visibly flinched and Karin sighed, forgetting about the blood oozing from her knuckles as she wrapped an awkward arm around her sister. “I’m sorry, Yuzu.”

“It’s okay Karin-chan.” Yuzu moved away from the door and grabbed Karin’s wrist, looking over the split skin along her knuckles carefully. “This needs a bandage.”

“It’s fine. Everything‘s fine.”

“No, it’s not.” Yuzu dropped Karin’s hand and looked down at the floor. “Nothing’s fine anymore.”

“Yuzu.”

“I don’t want him to die Karin!” She lifted her head and faced her sister, tears threatening to fall. “I don’t want anyone to die anymore!”

Karin wasted no time in wrapping her arms around her again, though still holding her somewhat hesitantly. “It’ll be okay Yuzu, trust me.”

The only reply she got was the sound of her younger sister sobbing openly on her shoulder. “He promised Karin-chan. He promised no one would die anymore. Why did he promise if he couldn’t keep it?!”

Karin sighed, pulling her sister closer and resting a hand on her hair, just like their brother used to do. “I don’t know Yuzu. I wish I did. But it‘ll be okay, all right?” She wasn’t sure who she was trying to convince.

Yuzu nodded, lifting her head from Karin’s shoulder and wiping her face on her sleeve. “Okay.”

Karin gave her a small grin, pulling away and resting a hand on her shoulder. “How about you go start dinner okay? I’ll be right down.”

Yuzu nodded again, giving a small smile and heading towards the door. "Mm-hmm!"

As soon as she had closed the door Karin turned and faced the bed, where her brother’s empty body lay. The smile faded, and she drove a fist into the wall again.

“Bastard!”



This time, Rukia was the last to wake. Shaking her head slightly to try and clear it she leant over the side of the futon, looking for her hakama.

“Shit! Ichigo, you bastard!”

“Payback, Rukia!”

“Give me back my clothes asshole!”

He stepped out of the small adjoining bathroom, towel slung around his shoulders, otherwise naked. “What was that?”

“Oh god, put some clothes on! And give me back mine before I kick your ass!”

He grinned and she delighted briefly in the fact that he was acting much more like his usual self, and that he still wasn’t wearing any clothing, before remembering that she was about to rend him limb from limb. “Ichigo!”

“Okay, okay, I give! Jesus, woman.” He reached back inside the bathroom and pulled out his hakama, - she really needed a better hiding place - stepping into it quickly and dropping the towel on the floor.

“You forgetting something?” She gave him her best Kuchiki glare and swore as it was quickly obscured by black fabric. Pulling it off she gestured rudely at him with her free hand. “I didn’t mean throw them at me!”

He shrugged, moving across the room to sit beside her on the futon and watching with far too much interest as she struggled to slip her hakama on. “You got sent a message by the way.”

She glanced towards the ceiling, expecting to see a butterfly. “Where?”

He reached across to the small table beside the futon and passed her a piece of paper. “It came about half an hour ago. When your lazy ass was still asleep.”

She smacked him lightly on the shoulder and unfolded the note. “Shit!”

He looked at her worriedly. “What?”

“It’s an official summons. And it’s not for me, it’s for you.”

“What for? What would they want from me?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. But you better go, it‘s official, not to mention extremely rude not to.”

He sighed, getting up and grabbing the rest of his uniform from the bathroom. “Guess I better. You coming?”

“Fuku-taich duty. Where are the rest of my clothes?”

“Up there.” He pointed to the bathroom door, where a mass of black and white cloth was slung over the top.

“Asshole.”

She absolutely refused to go over there and try to reach them.There was no way inhe was watching her, small frame or not, bounce.

“Get them down Ichigo. Now, before I castrate you.”

He laughed and reached up with ease, yanking the fabric down and throwing it in her direction. “No need to get angry, Rukia.”

She threw another rude hand gesture over her shoulder at him after tying her obi, sliding Sode no Shirayuki into place and heading out the door. “Just hurry up!”

He shook his head at her, and followed.



“We have been waiting for you, Kurosaki Ichigo, Kuchiki fuku-taichou.”

Ichigo turned and regarded the soutaichou coolly as Rukia stepped past him to join the ranks of taichou’s and fuku-taichous, who were accompanied by several of the younger seated officers. “I wasn’t aware that the summons was for me originally, Yama-jii.”

The older man nodded slightly in acknowledgement and leant on his cane, scrutinising Ichigo carefully. “It has come to our attention that you are having some difficulty with your human body Kurosaki. Is this true?”

Ichigo scowled. “Yes.”

“Are you going to die?”

Ichigo looked across at Rukia, who met his gaze calmly. He sighed and looked down at the floor, clenching his fists. “Yes.”

All heads turned to face him and several of the younger officers broke out in shocked whispers. Ichigo quickly glared them into silence, helped by the commanding thump of Yamamoto‘s cane on the floor.

“Silence!” He readjusted his grip on the cane and focussed his attention on Ichigo. “Kurosaki Ichigo. Will you therefore take the position as Fifth Division taichou of the Gotei 13?”





Well, there it is, Chapter Two of Cessation, hope you enjoy! R&R!
Stef.