Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ Presage ❯ A Confused Encounter ( Chapter 2 )

“Thanks for dinner, Yuzu!” Ichigo yelled as he shut the door to his room, taking in a deep sigh, knowing that Rukia would pester him about the conversation they had right before dinner. An `ahem' came from behind him, surprising the orange-haired teen. He turned around, seeing Rukia sitting at the edge of his bed, her legs crossed at her knee, with her hands supporting her from behind.

“ `Ahem', what?” Ichigo retorted.

“Aren't you going to finish explaining to me what was bothering you earlier?” Rukia asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.

Damn. I really hoped she'd forget about that. Even if I tell her everything that has been happening recently, it's not like she would believe me. She would probably think that I'm going crazy and I'm starting to think that I am. Besides, she is wrong. That `thing' still is bothering me, but why is she so concerned? Could it be that she is worried that it might be a threat to the Soul Society? Ichigo thought.

It's amusing how much of a dumbass you can be, A ghastly voice in Ichigo's mind said.

Ichigo scowled at the thought of his inner Hollow invading his own personal thoughts. The being disgusted him, but he shrugged it off.

“I don't feel like explaining. Besides, I have homework to finish,” He said.

“Oh, that's a bunch of-” Kon yelled but was stopped by the stomp of Rukia's foot. “Baby come back…'” The stuffed animal moaned weakly. Rukia gave a slight eyeroll. Ichigo felt a pang of pity for Kon, but that didn't last for long.

“Anyway,” Rukia said. “Homework has never kept you from doing something before and you are clearly avoiding the subject,” She paused. “Isn't that right, Ichigo?”

The Substitute Soul Reaper blushed in embarrassment at the accusation.

“N-No! It's just-” His outburst was cut off by the Substitute Soul Reaper badge going off followed by Rukia's Soul Pager. Rukia dug into her book bag and searched for the device. Ichigo took a seat next to Rukia, leaning to her side. Rukia's cheeks turned pink the instant his warm skin brushed against her left arm.

Why is he so close? I can even smell his scent, which smells like….strawberries? It smells so good! I could sniff it all day! Oh my god, what am I doing? I better stop smelling so much or he might think I am going insane but, why is my body acting like this? I got goosebumps the instant he touched me. Not that I mind but-whoa. What am I thinking? He is a human, for the love of Chappy! Byakuya would kill me if he knew I liked Ichi. The raven-haired girl halted her thoughts. My god, did I just… give him a nickname? Rukia's self-interrogation was interrupted by constant taps on her leg. She leaned over her knees only to find a certain stuffed lion banging at her ankle.

“Onee-chan! Wake up already! Stop acting like a zombie!” the lion yelled. Rukia gave a deep sigh and said, “Kon, what do you want now?” The mod-soul's eyebrows furrowed.

“And this is the thanks I get for saving you?”

Ichigo sent the plushie flying with a swift kick. “God, he's annoying,” He said, glancing at Rukia, her face unmoved.

What is with her lately? She was spacing out at dinner too. Is it because of what I-

A figure with pallid skin appeared in boy's mind. Yellow irises were glaring at him, an indigo tongue flicked at the boy. He bared his canines, provoking Ichigo. That same grim voice that spoke previously came out of his mouth.

Yup. Everything is because of you. It's all your fault, Ichigo. Now, if I were king, I would-

Just what would you do? Ichigo said abruptly.

I was getting to that, His inner Hollow shot him a cold stare. If I were King, that `thing' would have dead the first time I sensed it and…The pallid figure chuckled. Rukia would have been mine a long time ago.

Ichigo flinched at the remark, feeling his cheeks heat up with anger. He flash-stepped to where the Hollow was and slammed his detestable mirror self against the wall of the parallel universe, holding his neck in a savage manner, only allowing a small trace of air to pass through his throat. His auburn eyes were locked on to the shining gold ones of the Hollow, showing the expression of a predator about to kill his prey.

Heh, I can see why she has a thing for you, King. You look kinda cute when you get mad.

Ichigo's eyes grew wide at the comment.

That bastard, trying to throw me off…what is he planning? The orange-haired teen loosened his grip and turned his back to him. The figure had a chesire-cat-like grin on his ashen face.

I'm not planning anything. You're just being paranoid, King.

Get out of my head. Now. Ichigo growled.

Fine, you were getting boring anyway. Oh yeah, I thought I outta letcha know on this little piece of advice before I go. You can't keep this act up for long, so you might as well admit it. You can't lie to me. I see what you see, I hear what you hear and, I know what you're thinking, The Hollow said, tapping to the side of his head as his voice and being vanished from Ichigo's mind like sand blowing in the wind.

Ichigo was relieved to have his alter-ego leave him alone, even if it was only for a little while. The orange-haired teen shifted his thoughts to the current situation and focused on the incoming Hollows. His eyes grew wide as they caught sight at the mass number of incoming targets that Rukia's Soul Pager was showing.

“What on Earth is going on?” Ichigo murmured to himself. His warm breath was close enough that it brushed against Rukia's neck, causing a euphoric feeling to pass through the girl, making the hairs on her skin to prick up. She couldn't explain why or how it happened, but she was certain of one thing. She was falling for him. Hard.

“Rukia, any ideas on why there are so many-” Ichigo asked, he stopped, noticing Rukia in a trance, yet again. The girl's odd behavior was irritating him, but he didn't want to dwell on it any longer. He was snapping his fingers in front of her face, causing her to blink several times. She regained her focus and leered at the boy.

“What was that for?” she demanded.

“You were zoning out again. Ever since I told you about that `thing' that was bothering me, you haven't been acting like yourself. I don't know what's with you lately, but it needs to stop.”

Rukia felt as if a thousand icy pangs had penetrated her heart. Never before has Ichigo been so…serious. There was an odd aura around the boy, one Rukia didn't recognize. It was powerful and almost…scary. It felt like Byakuya's- but with a sinister feel to it. His eyes lacked the gentleness that they had before. His irises turned golden with black sclera surrounding them, striking fear in her. The eyes looked down at the girl, as if she was a lowly subject serving under him. Its stare unnerved Rukia, making her want to leave the room immediately. She thought she should give Ichigo some space and just to leave him alone for a while. The girl got the Mod-Soul dispenser from her book bag and launched one into her mouth, separating her soul from her gigai.

“Chappy, I'll be back soon,” Rukia said as she opened the window.

“Okey-dokey!” the exuberant mod-soul said with a huge grin, saluting the girl as she leapt from the edge. The Shinigami didn't wait for Ichigo and went ahead in search of the Hollows.

You're just making this too easy for me, King. Rukia is within my grasp and soon, you will be the horse, A shallow voice rang out in Ichigo's mind.

I thought I told you to get lost, creep, Ichigo said in a disdainful tone.

Now, that isn't very nice. I thought we were better friends than that. You know, ya outta treat horses better than that or they might kick you off the saddle and who knows, maybe even stomp ya to death. But instead of calling me names, shouldn't you be more focused on following Rukia?

Ichigo hated to admit it, but his inner Hollow did have a point. The orange-haired teen went over to his desk, where Kon was napping, picked him up and opened his mouth, searching for the green pill. The stuffed animal awoke with shock as he felt a giant moving hand inside his mouth.

“Hey! What are you-”

The plushie returned to its lifeless form as Ichigo launched the capsule into his mouth, his soul form parting from his human body.

“You could have at least warned me before pulling a stunt like that!” Kon shouted.

“Sorry, no time!” Ichigo called as he leapt out of the window and onto the roofs of nearby houses. As he flash-stepped from roof to roof, he wondered why he wasn't bothered by the `thing' anymore. He could no longer feel its presence and everything seemed normal. Well… somewhat normal. He tried to sense Rukia's reishi but she was too far away.

Jeez, Rukia, where'd ya run off to?

 

In another part of the town, two arrancar were perched on a rooftop, waiting for their prey to arrive.

No way this'll catch Kurosaki. Not unless he's really dumb enough to fall for such a simple trap, like this, Grimmjow thought.

“This better work, Ulquiorra, or I will kill you along with Kurosaki,” A blue-haired espada retorted. The other espada was as still as a statue and his face was emotionless. He turned his head to the sexta espada behind him, jade eyes meeting teal ones, making Grimmjow flinch in uneasiness.

“What the hell are you staring at, ghost-face?”

“Someone who was only made espada due to his thirst for bloodshed and fighting. It's quite pitiful, actually. You ask for my help, and then threaten me. Is that a new strategy or are you in one of your stupors again?”

Grimmjow snarled at the espada but knew it would be pointless to fight him, for the bait was closing in. A small figure was hopping on the rooftops of the houses in the distance.

“Stay behind me. I will take care of the Shinigami while you get the boy.” The green-eyed Hollow paused. “Why do you have such an interest in him?”

Grimmjow growled at the espada, warning him to lay off. Ulquiorra scoffed at him and said, “As long as you bring him to Lord Aizen alive, I don't care what you do to him.”

With that being said, the pale figure vanished with the blue-haired espada at his tail.

 

I have a really bad feeling about this. The raven-haired girl thought to herself. My Soul Pager stopped beeping a while ago. Could this mean that Ichigo got to them before I could? No, he didn't have a chance to because he was right behind-

Rukia turned around, only to find out that she was by herself.

Where did he go? He was right behind me a minute ago.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a rip in the space in front of her, filled with absolute nothingness. A pale-skinned figure came out of the gargantuan, shocking Rukia. An ivory helmet with a horn was on the right side of it, with solid layers beneath. On the other side of his head was his hair, black as the night sky, ending at his shoulders, giving the figure a well-defined look. Below that was an unfolded collar that extended to his chin. At the base of his throat was a small hole. He had on a white jacket with black edges with particularly long coattails. His white hakama was held up by a thick, black belt that surrounded his waist. His face had on a melancholic expression; his jade eyes met Rukia's indigo ones, making her flinch in fear. His gaze was so intimidating, so menacing, that the girl's hands were trembling. She looked away, paralyzed by his glare.

“Kuchiki Rukia, is it?” it asked. The girl nodded slowly, not fully understanding what was going on.

“Come with me. Your presence is needed.” He grabbed Rukia's wrist, pulling her towards him.

“Why should I? Who are you? What are you?” She asked, analyzing the stranger in front of her. Her eyes widened as she saw the gap on his throat.

That hole… could he possibly be a Hollow?

“That's irrelevant. All that matters is that you come with me.”

Rukia turned around and crossed her arms. “And what if I don't want to?”

“Then, I will drag your body by force, if necessary. If you insist on being uncooperative and childish, then I will be forced to take drastic measures.”

Rukia scoffed. “You can't harm-”

Plop. Plop. Plop-Plop.

The plops started coming faster, one by one. A sudden sharp pain started throbbing from her abdomen, making the Shinigami's breath halt. She glanced downwards, finding that she had been stabbed by an ivory hand. It slowly pulled out of her, streams of crimson still sticking to it as it departed from her body. Her feet were soaked in a puddle of her own blood, making the girl slightly nauseous. The pain was too much for Rukia that she couldn't stand on her own two legs any longer. She knelt suddenly, losing all control in her legs, her heavy breathing the only thing that was breaking the silence between the two.

“You pathetic fool. Why do you insist on throwing your life away? Do you really want your life to end so badly, Kuchiki?”

Rukia glared at him with her cobalt eyes, making Ulquiorra agitated. He stomped on her back. The girl wanted to scream out in pain but she didn't want to seem any more helpless than she already was.

“Right about now, your little friend should be coming to your rescue, not knowing what we have in store for him.”

“What do you mean, you creep?” Rukia asked.

“You will soon see for yourself, but as for now, I'm taking you with me, whether you like it or not.” The espada picked Rukia up and put her on his right shoulder. She panicked and started pounding on his chest but he acted as if she wasn't even there.

“What do you think you're doing?! Let me go this instant! I demand to be released!”

Ulquiorra sighed with exasperation. “Why you're important to Kurosaki, I have no clue, but if it were up to me, I would have killed you instantly. However, that's not the path that the plan is going.”

Rukia's eyes widened at the mention of Ichigo. Her heart felt light for a moment then returned to its normal state when Rukia realized what the person had just said.

“What plan? Why is Ichigo involved?” Rukia demanded.

“Shuddup, already. You ask too many damn questions.” A fierce voice said.

“Mind your place, Grimmjow. You will get your turn soon enough.”

A man sonido'd in front of the green-eyed man. He had spiky, light-blue hair with three small bangs let down in front of his forehead. At the corner of his cerulean eyes were teal markings and on the right side of his face was a jawbone the extended right below his eye to his jaw line. He had a jacket similar to that of the black-haired man, but this man's was open, ending at the start of abdomen, revealing his toned and muscular chest. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbow and his collar was upturned. His appearance was very similar to that of the pale-skinned man, despite minor differences, but the blue-haired man had a hole in his abdomen and his attitude was completely polar to that of the green-eyed man.

“Ulquiorra, shut your mouth before I shut it for ya. Kurosaki better get his ass over here before I start getting mad. You two better get your asses back to Hueco Mundo. We wouldn't want the little `Strawberry' to fight you instead.” Grimmjow said.

Ulquiorra simply scoffed. He opened up a portal in the sky, that same nothingness returning, making fear tingle throughout Rukia's veins. She struggled to get out of the ivory-skinned man's grasp, but she was too weak in her current condition.

“You still don't get it, don't you? Oh well, I can't blame you. Your mind is too simple to comprehend what is happening. I will put it in plain words so you can understand it loud and clear. You are the `bait' for your little friend and when he comes, we will take him and we won't need your assistance any longer.”

I'm the…bait? But for who-

Rukia's eyes widened at the sight of a certain orange-haired teen. He had on his Bankai shihakusho with his zanpakuto casually slung over his shoulder.

“Oi, ghost-face. Put the little midget down. Or I am going to have to do something about it?”

The raven-haired girl was full of joy, knowing that Ichigo had come, but at the same time, she feared for him.

“Ichigo! Get out of here now! They are going to-”

A pale hand covered Rukia's mouth, not allowing her to finish what she was saying.

“Pardon us. We will be on our way.” The black-haired man said and then bowed slightly and turned to the portal and carried Rukia along with him. The portal closed after they went in.

“RUUUKIAAAA!!!” Ichigo yelled in vain as he jumped to where the two were but he was too late. He landed with a rough `thud' as his feet hit the rooftop. He knelt down, dropping his zanpakuto, bending over, pounding the roof in rage.

“Damn! Dammit all!” The orange-haired teen roared. His strikes made dents on the shingles, making the roof look as if it was about to collapse any second.

“Well, that's nice and all, but why don't you focus some of that anger on me, Kurosaki? After all, I was the cause of all of this.”

Ichigo turned around to find a blue-haired man with his hands in his pockets, toothy grin on his face and eyes watching him ever so intently.

 

 

“Who the bloody hell are you?”