Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ Morning Rain ❯ It Comes Crashing Down ( Chapter 5 )

((A.N.: Once again, it's been awhile since my last update, but it's finally here. It's not very long, but it's quite gruesome to warn you. It's only going to get more gruesome from here. YAY for GRATUITOUS VIOLENCE!))

 

Ch.5

 

He was asleep again.

 

Ichigo had struggled to keep himself conscious, while Urahara had explained everything to him. His body was so worn from the massive change in his spiritual energy, not to mention the little outburst his body had while the parasite had taken control.

 

Rukia still remembered the look he had on his face when he realized everything wasn't just the results of something equal to the common cold.

 

His body was being controlled.

 

Ichigo's face had taken on an expression of alarm, and what Rukia could plainly see as fear, though he would never admit that to be in his range of emotion anymore.

 

Now he was lying on a mat, in the middle of the floor in the backroom, where they had congregated many times before.

 

Renji had been sent out again by orders from the Soul Society to keep up his search for the fugitive.

 

Urahara had Ichigo get out of his body before he fell asleep, or more accurately, passed out. He wanted to see if the parasite just had control over his body, but to his disappointment, this was worst case scenario.

 

The parasite was fused with his soul as well.

 

Kisuke still insisted that he would look after Ichigo's body for now, and see if he could find any other information regarding how to rid him of this reiatsu leech.

 

Orihime, Chad and Uyru had been informed of the situation, and they had all come to the shop. Orihime offered to heal Ichigo, but Kisuke told her it would be no use. The parasites reiastu was strong and steady, and mixed with Ichigo's own. She wouldn't be able to use her technique.

 

To Urahara, though, this brought up another question. The spirit energy he measured from the parasite didn't seem to work out.

 

It was far too strong to be coming from that little thread itself. He was beginning to think it was getting its energy transmitted from somewhere.

 

True, it was getting stronger from consuming Ichigo's endless spirit energy, but that wasn't the only thing powering it...he was positive.

 

He told everyone he had to leave the shop for a little while to get supplies to continue his research. He told Rukia to stay and watch Ichigo to make sure he didn't try to do any strenuous activity while he was supposed to be resting.

 

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

Rukia sat alone with Ichigo now.

 

Chad, Uyru, and Orihime had all been told to go home, that they would all be updated on Ichigo's condition as soon as he showed change.

 

Ichigo was still asleep on his mat, donning his shihaksho, Zangetsu wrapped up beside him.

 

She watched over him again, like she had been doing every night since she had come back to the real world.

 

She remembered back to the previous night, how Ichigo had been so moody and hostile. Well, she understood the reason now. It was a pretty damn good excuse to be agitated. It must be so painful, to drain him like this...

 

Why didn't he tell me he was in pain?

 

Rukia put a hand on her forehead.

 

If he would just show his weaknesses to his friends every once in a while, maybe this could have been prevented.

 

She still wasn't past that wall, huh?

 

He wouldn't let anyone in...

 

She sighed loudly and thumped her head against the wall behind her. Closing her eyes, she was absorbed completely in her thoughts for a minute.

 

BEEP BEEP BEEP

 

“EEEPP!” Rukia nearly jumped clear out of her own skin when her pager went off

“Damn, what could it be now?” She flipped the top open and realized that it was actually a phone call, not a hollow.

 

“Yes?” She answered.

 

Renji was quick to reply.

 

“Rukia! You should come quick! I've picked up a strange reiatsu. It's not strong, but it's certainly not a human or hollow. I think it might be our guy... I'm at-”

 

“Don't bother; I'll just follow your spirit energy.” She quickly snapped her pager shut, snatched up Sode no Shirayuki and flung the sliding door open, running out of the shop.

 

Jinta and Ururu watched Rukia streak by and they craned their heads to watch her leave.

 

“Geez, must be something important to make her run like that.” Jinta said, leaning against a shelf.

 

Rukia quickly popped her gikongon into her mouth to separate from her gigai. She shouted over her shoulder for it to go back and wait with Ichigo for her to return.

 

“Make sure he doesn't move!”

It nodded its head and quickly changed directions.

 

The last thing they needed was a drained Ichigo showing up on the scene when they were dealing with a fugitive who apparently thought he could take on captains.

 

“Kuchiki!” Rukia looked up to see Captain Hitsugaya just barely flash step next to her.

 

“We're headed to the same place I take it.” The white haired boy looked deathly serious. Rukia knew then that it had to be the guy they were looking for. Soul Society obviously caught wind of reiastu too, and sent the captain of squad 10.

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

Ichigo's eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the light shining in his face. There was a strange shaped shadow in front of his face though.

He tried harder to focus until it became clear. It was Rukia's face.

 

“Rukia, what are you...” Suddenly her face cracked into a huge smile.

 

“GOOD MORNING!!!!!” She screeched in an unnaturally high feminine voice.

 

Ichigo grimaced. This was obviously Rukia's gikongon...nothing else could be that cheery.

 

But right now, he didn't really care that much. He had just remembered why he had woken up in the first place.

 

He had felt an itching...an attraction...

 

He couldn't really tell why, but he just felt like he was being called somewhere.

 

Ichigo sat up on his mat, still feeling rather wiped out.

 

“You look weally weally sick!” The faux Rukia piped.

 

“Gee, thanks...” Ichigo groaned, getting to his feet with a little difficulty. The little Rukia gigai suddenly latched to his arm.

 

“Where are you goin'?! Wukia said you weren't supposed to go! You can't go fight at all!”

 

Ichigo tried to shake her off.

“Fight? Why would I-” That's when he felt Rukia, Toushiro, and Renji's flared reiatsu's, along with another unfamiliar one. He must have been too tired and distracted to notice when he woke up.

 

“Let go!”

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

Renji, Rukia and Captain Hitsugaya all stared him down.

 

“My my, the Soul Reapers seem particularly agitated today.” A young looking man with long curly brown hair, green eyes, and under some decorative armor and a cape, a shihaksho, smiled at them calmly.

 

“A shinigami...I don't recognize him...” Renji muttered next to Rukia.

 

“State your name and division!” Hitsugaya demanded of the snickering shinigami.

 

“Pushy, pushy...” The man eluded the question.

 

“That was an order from a higher ranking officer! Now what's your name and division, or I will be forced to detain you!” Toushiro wrapped his hand around the hilt of his zanpakutoh.

 

“I'll have to decline you offer, I'm afraid. I have more important matters to attend to at the moment.” He turned to leave.

 

Hitsugaya drew his sword and quickly rushed the man to keep him from disappearing. Suddenly his sword was met by another. All three of the shinigami reacted in shock.

 

“C-Captain Komamura?!”

 

The fox-headed captain suddenly appeared in front of the man, blocking the young boy's blade with his own.

 

Renji stared with disbelief. “He was in the missing persons report!”

 

“What are you doing, Captain?! This man is a suspect! Are you-”

However, when he looked up into the large captain's eyes, they were shining green.

 

“What the...” Komamura raised his sword again to strike. Hitsugaya quickly flash stepped out of the way. He knew something certainly wasn't right here. Sajin was not acting on his own.

 

“Is this your doing?!” Toushiro snapped at the armored shinigami. He simply laughed again.

 

“Whatever could you be blathering about. The Captain here has simply joined my cause...”

 

“Your cause? And what might that be?”

 

The man's green eyes flickered. “Would you like a first hand experience?” The man put his hand on his zanpakutoh. His thin lips curled up into a wicked smile.

“I suppose it would help to have a few more supporters.” He quickly unsheathed it, little needles flying at the three shinigami. Hitsugaya and Rukia managed to dodge all the small projectiles. Unfortunately, Renji was stuck with one in the leg.

 

“Shit...” Renji quickly pulled out his own sword and grit his teeth. He dug the tip of it into his leg, just below the needle, and pried it out of his skin quickly. Blood started to trickle out of the small self-inflicted wound.

 

“What the hell kinda tricks are you tryin' to pull?!” Renji snapped.

 

“Oh, so you got it out, eh? That's too bad...” However, the man seemed unfazed.

 

“Damn you...” Renji got into a fighting stance.

“Roar, Zabimaru!” He quickly released his zanpakutoh. He raised his spined blade in front of his face.

 

“So you want to get serious? This won't do.” But suddenly his face cracked into a malicious grin.

 

“I though you had more important things to take care of...you don't much care for your comrades do you? Typical shinigami.” He chuckled.

 

“What are you talking about?” Renji snapped.

 

“I'm just surprised you abandoned your friend so easily...I would have thought you'd kept a better eye on him.” Renji shot a confused glance at Rukia. What was this guy talking about?

“After all, he is precious to your little Soul Society, isn't he? Now what's his name...Kuro-something?”

 

Rukia stiffened. “Ichigo!”

She suddenly turned and started to fly back towards the Urahara shop as fast as she could.

 

He watched Rukia go in amusement and turned back to Renji “Ah, it seems I have rung a painful bell, considering you and that girl's reaction.” The man eyed Renji's stricken expression.

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

Rukia's heart was pounding against her ribs. She was only a couple hundred feet away from the shop. Her mind was racing as fast as she was. She didn't know what would await her when she got back. She prayed as hard as she could to just find him sleeping in the same spot she left him.

 

She ran though the door and was met with her gikongon outside the backroom door, sobbing. It ran and grabbed her arm.

 

“Wukia, I told him not move! He wouldn't listen and I bwoke him on accident! It was an accident, Wukia!” The artificial soul sobbed like a small child.

 

Rukia ignored its cries and pushed open the back door.

 

Her blood ran cold.

Her worse fears had come true.

“Ichigo!”

 

He was writhing on the floor, immense pain screaming through every fiber of his body. He could feel that damn parasite again. It felt like it was ripping him up on the inside.

“AUGGGGGHHHH!” He cried out.

It wasn't just his body now that screamed.

It was probing his mind, looking through his memories, trying to take control.

Ichigo clawed at his skin.

The feeling was unbearable, he felt as if he was falling apart at the very seems. The more he resisted, the more his body writhed in pain. The power over him was overwhelming and he was quickly losing control.

 

Rukia ran to his side.

“Ichigo! Ichigo!!” She reached out.

 

Ichigo suddenly grabbed her wrist, his grip nearly crushing. He looked up at her, his teeth gritted, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth from him biting through his tongue.

 

“Get.....out....Ruk...ia” He managed to force out, but the parasite noticed this retaliation and sent a surge of pain through his nerves.

 

“GAHHHHHHHHHHHH!” Ichigo screamed again. His body was too tired to resist, he was quickly crumbling. He released Rukia as his body started to slow down, his last bit of sanity slipping through the cracks of his own consciousness as his mind slowly went blank.

 

 

 

TO BE CONTINUED!

 

((BWAHAHAHAHAHA!))