Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ Seer ❯ She Who Breaks ( Chapter 7 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

I couldn't work like this. I was the definition of distracted. Just looking at paper work had me day dreaming of the day before. After Captain Hitsugaya had changed, Rangiku had shown up and offered me her spare room for the night. I had graciously accepted. I hadn't wanted to leave his side yet, but… well, it wouldn't have been proper for me to have stayed at his house again that night. Surely if anyone found out I'd been reprimanded by my sister for maintaining an improper relationship. Then again, I didn't particularly care about that right now.

The way he had kissed me, so hungry and passionate… His hand as it wove through my hair… my body pressed so tightly to his…

"Ria!"

I jumped clear out of my seat. Rangiku stood in the doorway of her office smiling like a cat that just finished her milk.

"I caught you day dreaming again!" She cheered as she sauntered over to me.

"Sorry," I apologized as I looked back down at the papers in front of me. I had been sitting here for a few hours now at her desk, but I had only gotten maybe a third of what I could have normally done completed.

"So, are you gonna tell me what happened yesterday?" She prompted as she sat on the corner of her desk, her eyes intent on me.

"I wasn't planning to," I said quietly.

"Aw, come on Ria!" She said with a pout. "I promise I won't utter a single word to anyone else!"

"That promise only lasts until you're drunk," I replied.

"I promise! For real this time!"

"No way," I denied.

She gave me a glaring pout as she crossed her arms over her chest. "You're no fun."

"And you're too much fun. This shirt is just ridiculous. If I even take too deep of a breath I end up exposing myself." I said gesturing to the shihakusho top she had loaned me again this morning. I hadn't had a chance to fix my room yet, so all my uniforms were most likely still trashed.

Rangiku smirked. "I bet the captain likes it."

A blush exploded across my face. Her delighted giggling just served to remind me of the attention Rangiku's ridiculous shirt had gotten me from the captain yesterday. I stood up from the desk, grabbing my zanpakuto from where I had rested her against the table. I had been so stuck in la-la land that I hadn't spoken to her yet today. But… if something needed to be said I trusted her to let me know. I just wanted to keep dreaming.

"Where are you going?" She asked, still giggling.

"Away from your teasing," I said as I picked up one of the stacks of paper I had actually managed to do.

"Aren't those for the captain?" She asked, pointing at the stack I was holding.

I looked down at the paperwork and shook my head defiantly. "No," I said curtly and stalked out of the room. Yes, the stack was for the captain but I wasn't going to give her any more ammo to tease me with. I hadn't even realized that this was the stack I'd grabbed until she said something. Maybe I had been looking for an excuse to see him.

A short trip down the hallway and I was peering around the open doorway into the captain's office. He was sitting at his desk, his chair turned towards the windows on the far wall. His profile looked like he was gazing off into another world. I could imagine that my face had looked similar when Rangiku surprised me. I couldn't help but to smile to myself.

Shuffling the papers in my arms a bit, I made sure to walk heavy so I could attract his attention as I walked into his office. It only took him a few seconds to notice me and turn to watch me walk into the room.

"Good morning sir," I said as I placed the papers on the side of his desk.

"Good morning Ria," He replied, making it a point to say my name.

My cheeks warmed at his familiar greeting. He didn't say my name any differently than Rangiku did, but coming from him it just sounded so much better. His eyes were so intense as he looked at me. The pressure of holding his gaze was too much, so I looked down at the papers I had placed on his desk before my face decided to ignite.

"Did you sleep well?" He asked.

"Not as well as I did the night before, but well enough," I replied, recalling how I had woken up to him sitting next to me.

"No more nightmares?" he asked as he made his way across the room. He stopped when he was at my side, only a small distance separating us.

"Not that I remember," I said shaking my head. His hand brushed mine, his fingers trailing over my knuckles. I turned my hand into his, hooking his fingers with my own. "You know Rangiku followed me, right?" I whispered just loud enough for him to hear me.

"Of course she did," he said not bothering to whisper back.

I looked up to him and gave him a small smile. His hand left mine and he raised it, running his fingers from my ear to my chin leaving a tingling trail. The touch made my heart skip a beat. His gaze softened for only a second before he blinked and his expression became his usual intimidating stare. It didn't bother me one bit watching his face change like that. It made me happy to know that the other, softer side of him was just for me.

"Rangiku," he said sharply as he turned to the open door.

The lieutenant didn't even try to hide the fact that she had been looming just around the corner. "Yes Captain," she said cheerily as she walked into the room.

"Where's the report from the 8th combat team?" He asked, the annoyance clear in his voice.

I glanced up to him curiously. The 8th combat team was comprised of the newer soul reapers in the squad. They were sent to the Human World shortly after entering the squad to gain experience fighting hollows and performing basic duties in the squad's setting. The combat team was led by some one of the lower seated officers, Sanado Koji but he was a perfectly capable guy as far as I knew. He was one of the members of the squad that was particularly gifted with kaido.

"What report?" She asked as she quirked her head to the side.

"They should have been back two days ago. You were supposed to help them write up the report."

"But they haven't returned yet sir," she responded, a confused look on her face. "I sent 4th Seat Kyrouni and 5th seat Ono to investigate this morning."

He paused as he thought it over. "Thank you, Lieutenant. Let me know when they return."

She nodded and looked between the two of us a few times before hiding a grin behind her hand and walking away. She so knew there was something going on between us… sigh.

"I typically avoid the combat teams, so maybe I'm mistaken," I started to say. "But doesn't the 8th combat team usually return early?"

"Yes," he said with a small sigh. "I would go check on them myself, but I can't just run off to the Human World whenever I feel like it."

I nodded, understanding what he was saying. "I'm sure they're fine. Sanado is a good guy." I said reassuringly.

He turned back to me, his eye brow quirked. "Is he now?" His voice said he was playing with me, but those aquamarine eyes were all serious. He moved towards me, closing the distance between us. I turned to fully face him as he came up to me and ended up with the backs of my legs pressed to his desk. Butterflies started wreaking havoc on my stomach as he loomed over me, resting his hands on the edge of the desk behind me. His face was so close to mine that if I hadn't been frozen with nerves I could have kissed him.

"Um, I think so," I started to babble. "I mean, I've never had a long discussion with him, but we have spoken in passing since I had to process their paperwork for Rangiku on several occasions."

He watched my face for a long moment as I fought off another blush. He huffed out a small laugh and dropped his intimidating stare. I relaxed from a tension I hadn't realized I was holding. He was just messing with me.

"Are you doing anything this evening?" He asked quietly.

"No, but I might be working a late. I have to go over the inventories for a few of the warehouses before they go to you for signature tomorrow."

"Come find me when you're done then," he said as he leaned down. He pressed his lips to my forehead in a quick kiss before he stepped back and started for the door.

"Sure," I replied to him as he left his office. My heart was racing as I put my weight on his desk. He was just so intense. I didn't think my heart could handle the way he made it race, but the feeling was so delightfully giddy. Part of me wanted to squeal like a little girl while the other wanted to grab him and never let go. How he could do this to me was just baffling. I had always thought decent thoughts about anyone I was attracted to, or I had until he started saying my name like that…

"Ria…"

Mentally slapping myself I pushed away from his desk and headed to my own office on the second floor. I shared a large office with several of the other officers, but I didn't really spend much time there. Most of the time I was out of the office or stuck doing Lieutenant Rangiku's paperwork at her desk. But, my desk had my inbox where I knew the inventory sheets had been delivered.

Entering the office, I glanced in before moving to my desk. Apparently Amagi and Nabari had left already because the room was empty, papers still scattered across their desks. Quickly darting in I retrieved the inventory list from my desk and left. If I hurried over to the warehouse and started working, maybe I could get it all done before it got dark out.

On my way out of the building, I stopped at the door when I heard Amagi's voice. It sounded like he was on a speaker phone or something.

"-wiped out. We're trying to find the Adjuchas now, but we can't seem to pin point its location." He sounded winded as he spoke, like he had been running for a while.

"Retrieve the combat team's members and return to the Soul Society," Captain Hitsugaya ordered. "We're on our way."

Footsteps rushed my way and I pushed the door open, holding it. Captain Hitsugaya and Lieutenant Rangiku rushed by me. I caught the captain's eye as he passed and bowed my head, silently wishing them safe when they went to the Human World. He didn't hesitate to say anything, he just kept moving until they both vanished with a flash step. Maybe he knew that I had heard their conversation.

Releasing the door, I let it shut on its own as I headed for the warehouse. I had seen them run out the door before to go fight things. I wasn't worried about them… much. They're survived so much over the years. One adjuchas shouldn't be able to do any real harm to them. Hopefully they would be back by the time I finished my inventories. I… I wanted to see Toshiro later… I let out a sigh and shook the thought from my head. If I started day dreaming again then I would never get done tonight!

I had been inventorying the stock in the warehouse for almost an hour when I felt the spiritual pressure of someone nearby. I paused as I was looking down the list and looked up to the warehouse doors. I watched the door way for a long moment, waiting for whoever it was to come around the corner. After a few minutes, I set my clipboard down and headed for the warehouse door. I didn't recognize who was outside, but this was Squad 10's area. It had to be someone from the squad, or someone that had been sent to me in Captain Hitsugaya and Rangiku's place.

"Do you need something?" I asked to whoever was outside as I stepped around the corner. I paused as I saw a member of the stealth force kneeling a few feet away. I glanced around, looking for anyone else that could be here. Nope, it was just this guy…

"Is there a message from Squad 2 or something?" I asked him.

He just stayed kneeling, his face shadowed as he looked at the ground. He looked like any other member of the Executive Militia. His outfit was a solid black with coverings that made him impossible to identify while tight bands looped around his arms and legs to keep the fabric of his uniform tight to his body. With his face shadowed I couldn't see the only unique feature about him, which would be his eyes.

I quirked an eyebrow at him as I tapped my foot, "Well come on now. Why are you here? Normally someone from Inner Court comes to deliver messages."

He just kept kneeling there… Doing nothing… What a weirdo.

I let out a sigh and gave him my back. "Whatever. Keep kneeling there all day if you want," I said as I stalked back into the warehouse. I didn't hear him move so much as feel his spiritual pressure shift. I whipped my zanpakuto from her sheath, drawing her blade down my left arm as I moved to block his sword.

"What the hell?" I half shouted as I forced him back. He jumped back from me, putting distance between us. I glared at him until crazed, grey eyes looked at me. They were the same eyes that my assailant had the other night…

"Bakudo #4." I shouted as I raised my palm towards the man, "Hainawa!" A golden crackling light shot from my hand towards the man. He didn't even bother to try and dodge it, letting it wrap around his upper body and immobilize his arms. His eyes seemed to glow with an inner light and I felt his spiritual pressure spike. He started pulling at the light, breaking my bakudo.

"No way," I mumbled as I watched the man. Quickly I recalled the incantation for a higher Bakudo and pointed my finger at him.

"Carriage of thunder, bridge of the spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six! Bakudo #61. Rikujokoro!" The bands of light that were wrapped around him shifted and became six beams of light that punctured him through his waist. He froze under the power of my kido. I watched him for a long moment, wanting to ensure that it held. I was ready to call on my shikai if I had to having already bloodied my blade, but if the Bakudo would hold I'd avoid spending the energy on it.

I stood waiting for a long moment before I decided that he wasn't going to be moving. I kept my zanpakuto in my hand just in case, but I relaxed otherwise. I could call on a kido that was in the 70's but it was pretty weak without an incantation. Thanks to using that lower numbered kido I was able to get the incantation out before he broke free.

This was probably a stupid idea, but… I approached the man slowly. I wanted to see his face. Captain Hitsugaya had said that the man who had assaulted me was dead, but this guy had the same crazy eyes. I had to see the rest of his face. I had to know if this was the same guy or not.

I stopped only an arms distance from the man. He was about my height with a slender build and a narrow head which already told me he wasn't the same guy. The one who had been in my room had been tall enough to lean over the beams of Rikujokoro and kiss me… Slowly I reached out and pulled the covering off his mouth. His lips were frozen in an angry line from when he had been flexing to break my first kido spell. But, he didn't have the same face as the other guy. This dude was older by a fair bit, his lips were thinner, his teeth a little crooked and the lines of age present on his face.

"Who are you?" I mumbled to myself as I tried to put his face to a memory. I just didn't recognize him at all.

His eyes suddenly flicked to my face. I startled and started to move back, but his hand shot out and grabbed my shihakusho. I pulled back against his grip as I swung my sword down on his arm. He let go at the last second and pulled his arm back to avoid my swing. I flash stepped away from him, ending up a good thirty feet away. I watched as my bakudo crumbled around him and he stood straight, a grin smeared across his face.

It was like my bakudo hadn't affected him at all, and he had just been pretending to be trapped. I wasn't using my shikai, so my spiritual pressure should have been stronger than his. What in hell was he?

"Ria Yamamoto," his voice came out gruff and strained. "I'm going to make you regret ever having become a Soul Reaper."

He lunged at me then, moving so fast I had a hard time tracking him. A zing of adrenaline shot through me as I turned to block several small daggers that came shooting my way. A sharp pain shot into my sword arm, but I ignored it and called my shikai, "Okurimono no Kontorōru!"

The man backed off as I pulled a curved sheet of concrete from the ground, effectively giving myself something to put my back to. In my mind's eye, I reinforced the concrete over and over, making its density increase until I felt it shouldn't break under his assault. The strain of using so much energy made my chest tight, but I forced the weakness back. If I grabbed my blade to make it easier to use my shikai I would be unable to defend myself with my sword, and if I switched hands to my bleeding arm my grip would be compromised by the wetness of my blood constantly on the hilt.

The man abruptly laughed, his head throwing back as he got louder. The sound of his almost desperate laughter was unnerving. It sounded like it almost hurt for him to laugh. But out here where I could fight back I wasn't scared of him. He didn't feel all that powerful, but the way he moved he was certainly gifted with shunpo.

"Why?" I asked him.

He stopped laughing, but small giggles continued to bubble up as he pulled his head down and looked at me. "Because!" He shouted. "You are weak!"

He vanished so quickly that I couldn't track him. Maintaining my shikai drained my spiritual energy slowly, I knew that, but I should have been able to still feel his movements. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the ground. I sent the banners of my power through the floor, creating a blanket of control ten feet out from my body. I let myself relax, feeling the ground and waiting. I felt the tap of his foot touching the ground to my right, but I didn't react. A tap to my left. A tap behind the wall. A tap directly in front of me.

I struck out with my mind's eye, capturing his foot in the shifted ground. He fell forward with his trapped foot, but before he actually hit the ground he spun, the concrete shattering, and vanished again. I frowned. He wouldn't fall for that twice.

I reached up, grabbing the air behind my head and made the motions to pull a hood over my head. The wall behind me cracked, crumbled and reformed into a room with one wall missing. I held my free hand up and channeled my spirit energy into a kyomon barrier. Satisfied with the mostly clear barrier that sealed off the entrance to my little room I lowered my hand. I shook my head as weariness hit me. I hadn't actually used kido and my shikai at the same time before, but now I was confident I wouldn't have to fend off his attacks.

Quickly I shifted my zanpakuto to my other hand and sliced my sword hand's palm with her blade. I grimaced at the pain. I didn't normally cut up my sword hand. Transferring her back into my freshly sliced palm I ripped free some of the black fabric of my shihakusho top and used it to bind my hand to her hilt. Holding her hilt wasn't as effective as holding her blade, but it was better. Already I could feel the strain of maintaining my shikai easing, like I had been carrying buckets of water on my shoulders and they were slowly being emptied, lightening the load I had been carrying.

I looked up to my barrier and saw the man standing there, his forehead pressed to the barrier like it was made of glass. His eyes were wide, staring at me with a sadistic grin on his face. I took a step back from the barrier, startled by his expression.

"Come out, come out little Ria." He said in a sing song voice.

"Do I look stupid to you?" I retorted.

"You look weak, and trapped." He licked his lips and chuckled. "Like a mouse in a trap."

I frowned at him and sent my power through the concrete at my feet. Before I could even try to trap him in the concrete again he vanished. I felt his spiritual pressure spike at the back of my box where I couldn't see him. I turned and watched the wall, startled by his move. Was he going to try and break my wall? I had reinforced the crap out of it. It would be easier to break through a metal door than it would be to get through my walls.

"Hado #63," I heard him call out. "Raikoho!"

The blast from his kido shook the earth and I fell to my knees with it. Using the wall to help myself get back up I stared in horror at the crack that had formed in the concrete. My god, how on earth was he so strong? Shaking my head I quickly repaired the crack and added an extra layer of reinforcement to the walls.

"Sprinkled on the bones of the beast!" He shouted. "Sharp tower, red crystal, steel ring. Move and become the wind, stop and become the calm. The sound of warring spears fills the empty castle!"

Fuck, he was using the incantation this time.

"Hado #63. Raikoho!"

I felt the power of his kido explode. Knowing it would break my walls I reached out and touched the kyomon barrier to break it. I flash stepped from my room just as it exploded with crackling yellow energy. The force of the blast caught me mid step and shot me clear across the open area outside the warehouse. I pulled the air around me close to try and protect myself from some of the impact as I crashed through the walls to another warehouse. I felt my back collide with the shelving inside the ware house and take it with me as I crashed into the other side of the building.

'Ria, wake up!' my zanpakuto's voice rang in my head.

I must have blacked out for a short time, because the next thing I knew I was crumpled in a heap underneath a pile of rubble. I tried to lift my head, but I was pinned by the weight of whatever was on top of me. I flexed my hands and toes, trying to figure out how badly I was hurt. Everything ached, but everything was moving. Good.

'Ria, you need to move,' my zanpakuto urged me. I opened my eyes to only be greeted by darkness.

"Where's he?" I asked. My words were slurred as I spoke.

'This isn't how this fight was supposed to go. You need to move, Ria. You need to get outside,' her voice was on the verge panic. 'You'll die if you stay here.'

I let out my breath and flexed my grip on her hilt. Always with the running…

My shikai was still active as I tested it, moving the materials around me to make way for my wobbling movements. I gripped a bar of metal that was at my knee and lifted it with my shikai, using it to stand. As the debris cleared light streamed in from outside, blinding me. Letting go of the metal I tried to walk out of warehouse, but I felt dizzy and off balance. I must have had a doozy of a concussion. I stumbled over to an intact wall and used it to guide me as I made my way over to the side door of the warehouse. I just knew that I needed to avoid the way I had come in. He was in that direction…

I lifted my hand as I came up to the walk-in door and twisted it in a quick, flicking motion. The door handle unlocked and pushed open.

"Hado #78," I heard him call out. "Zangerin!" I threw myself through the door just before the explosion could engulf me. The force of it sent me flying once more and I ended up rolling across the ground like a rag doll until I collided with a wall. I couldn't cushion myself this time, and I took the full impact with my back. Slowly I slid from the crater I had left in the wall, landing on my stomach with my head turned towards what was left of the warehouse.

I tried to move, but it was like there was disconnect between what my head wanted to do and what my body did. Every movement was so sluggish and weak that all I ended up doing was moving a few fingers instead of my whole arm. I could feel blood running down my face, the cuts and bruises from crashing into debris all over my body, the distinct lack of being able to think clearly…

With blurry eyes, I watched the man stalk towards me, his arms swinging at his sides as if he were happily strutting towards me. I couldn't make out any definition other than his black clothing against the white of the Seireitei concrete and plaster.

"That's enough," another male voice said. The man walking towards me stopped and turned his posture straightening.

"But I'm not done with her," he growled.

"I didn't want you to kill her," The other voice replied. "If you had I would have been very, very angry with you."

The man slouched as if cowering in on himself. "Fine," he snapped before vanishing.

Footsteps approached me until a pair of geta stood in my line of sight. I tried to look up at him from the corner of my eye, but my vision fuzzed out and I had to close my eyes. I heard him shift so I forced my eyes to open. He had knelt beside me, his pale grey hakama coming into view.

"You really are pathetic," he said, his voice sounding disappointed. "Though your kido was surprising, your powers as a soul reaper are severely lacking."

I felt his hand clamp around my sword hand and lift it, zanpakuto and all, forcing my arm to bend in a way it wasn't meant to. I couldn't help but to let out a small cry as he stood, bending my arm further.

"Shut up," He growled as he stomped down on my shoulder. I felt the joint pop under his weight as he dislocated the big joint. I screamed as he turned my hand like he was trying to twist it off, which earned me a harsh kick to my side. He started pulling at the ties that bound my hand to my hilt. He must have been trying to disarm me. I pushed what little energy I had at my zanpakuto, calling on my still active shikai. I felt her push back, offering me the energy I needed. Pulling cracked concrete from the wall I had crashed into, I moved it to my sword hand in strings of partially formed reishi.

"What the hell," he exclaimed as he dropped my hand. It fell to the ground as I wound the concrete around my hand and zanpakuto. I coated everything from my bicep down in the smooth concrete, including my zanpakuto's blade. I pushed reishi into the concrete, strengthening it until I was sure he couldn't break it without some sort of extra force.

He cursed low on his breath when I finished sealing my limb. I felt him stomp down on my arm through my dislocated shoulder, but the concrete didn't give. He stomped again and again, frustration evident in his grunts as he put his entire body into trying to break the concrete. After a moment, he stopped and let out a sigh.

"It doesn't matter, Miss Yamamoto," he said. "If we could do this to you once so easily, we can do it to you again. We will make sure to disable you completely next time. I don't particularly want to dismember you, yet. Though, I will enjoy humiliating you when the time comes," His voice sounded nonchalant as he tapped my shoulder. Chuckling as a whimper escaped my mouth, he stood up and started walking away.

"Your captain can't always be around to save you," he commented just before his presence vanished.

My eyes fluttered as I laid there, unable to pass out or move. I couldn't hear anything besides the crackling and popping sounds coming from the still collapsing warehouse. I felt my shikai slowly give way and with it, my connection to my zanpakuto fell and I was swallowed by darkness.

I woke and passed out several times as the day wore into night. I couldn't seem to maintain consciousness for more than a few minutes at a time. Every time I woke, nothing but the amount of light in the sky had changed. This area could go days without someone passing through, but if an entire warehouse blowing up and the spiking spiritual pressure hadn't caught someone's attention there likely wouldn't be anyone in the area for some time. I had at least told the captain where I was going to be. If he returned and I wasn't anywhere to be found, I knew he would come. The only question was, how long until he returned? Would anyone even notice me? I was a good distance from the warehouse, and even further away from where I had been taking inventory.

My body was slowly healing the minor injuries on its own, but without help I would never get my shoulder back into its socket. Hell, without help I probably wouldn't be able to get up… If the captain was detained in the Human World, I could be stuck here for days… I had to move. I had to try.

Using my free hand I shakily pushed my upper body off the ground. My injured shoulder cried out as I moved, the weight of concrete pulling on it only worsened it. Gradually I made it to a sitting position, my sword arm resting uselessly at my side. I had leaned back against the wall, but the new position was worse. I couldn't keep my head up, I just didn't have the energy so it ended up falling back into the crater that my body had made. It was hard to breathe sitting too. He had to have bruised a few of my ribs when he kicked me. 'Damn it,' I thought as my head fell forward and I felt the world slip away once more.

The next time I opened my eyes I had a very hard time focusing on my surroundings. It had to be the middle of the night now because of just how dark it was. There were no lights outside of the warehouses in this area, but the moon was bright, casting a shadow over most of my body. Holding my head up was an effort, but it allowed me to see the entire area in all its blurry detail. I was pretty sure that I was starting to see things in the shadows, but my vision was so horrible that I couldn't tell.

I heard something coming from the demolished warehouse. My eyes sluggishly shifted to look in the general direction. A few shapes moved among the debris. Voices gradually registered in my head, but it took me so long to realize what they were. Noise… voices… people…

A weak smile turned my lips. Someone had come. I tried to make some sort of noise, but I couldn't seem to get the air I needed. I started getting light headed as I tried to take a deeper breath, my ribs protesting and forcing me to only make a whisper. Giving up on calling out, I forced my spiritual pressure to rise. The effort ate at the edges of my vision, and I felt myself starting to pass out as I called on my reserves.

'Please, feel me,' I thought as my eyes closed and my head lolled back.

A hand was there to catch my head before it could hit the concrete. I didn't need to open my eyes to know who it was. "We've got to stop meeting like this," I whispered, my words slow to form between the shallow breaths I was taking.

"I can't leave you alone for a second," Captain Hitsugaya replied, relief clear in his voice.

I gave him my best smile, a bare twitch of the corner of my mouth. "You never know what you're gonna come back to," I teased just before the world went black once more.