29 Ticking of the Clock

[July 18th, 2001]

"These kinds of undergarments don't really suit me..." said Rukia, staring at her reflection with furrowed brows. Since her arrival in the world of the living, she typically wore simple panties and a plain sports bra. When the two of them went shopping, however, Ohta had her purchase some more 'adult' underwear. Now, her ears burned as she stared at her body garbed in a black lace thong, matching bra, stockings, and a garter belt.

"If my opinion matters, it suits you just fine," said Ohta, observing Rukia try on various outfits while lying sideways on his bed.

"So you say..." muttered Rukia, turning to face Ohta as she added, "But you always say that..."

"Yeah, and?" asked Ohta. "Do you doubt my words? Or are you just fishing for compliments before we fuck?"

Furrowing her brows slightly, Rukia remarked, "You know I don't like you using language like that. Once we...once we return to Soul Society, you'll need to exhibit at least a basic sense of decorum."

"I can do that for you," replied Ohta, adopting a teasing smile as he said, "At least in public. When we're alone like this, I like talking dirty. You know you love it."

Adopting a faint smile, Rukia admitted, "I don't hate it..." before returning her attention to the standing mirror she was using to check her reflection. Such 'tasteless' garments would never be permitted back in Soul Society, but so long as she was in the world of the living, she didn't mind dressing to impress a certain someone...

*beep* *beep* *beep* *beep* *beep* *beep* *beep* *beep* *beep* *beep* *beep* *beep* *beep* *beep* *beep* *beep* *beep* *beep*

Ruining the pleasantly tense atmosphere that had been building, the alarms of both Ohta's and Rukia's phones started going crazy. Generally speaking, they only beeped three times to inform of the appearance of a new Hollow. This time, however, they were beeping non-stop.

"Well, that can't be good..." remarked Ohta, using telekinesis to draw his phone to him since he didn't feel like getting up. When he activated the phone's radar function, however, he immediately rose to his feet, startling Rukia and compelling her to ask, "What's going on?" with a serious look on her face.

"Hollows are appearing across the city," explained Ohta, quickly donning a t-shirt, a pair of pants, and a jacket comprised of spirit particles. Putting on a Shihakusho was a pain in the ass, not to mention it wasn't the least inconspicuous, so before their little tiff, he convinced Youruichi to set him up with more modern threads.

Following Ohta's example, Rukia also started to get dressed. She would have preferred to change into some more 'practical' underwear, but since it was an emergency, she had to work with what she had on.

Though he was prompted to ask Rukia what she thought she was doing, Ohta resisted the urge. As adorable as she was at times, Rukia was also a very prideful woman. She had also been a Shinigami for decades, so if he instructed her to stay put, she would undoubtedly get upset.

"You ready...?" asked Ohta, waiting until Rukia had finished changing into a beige camisole top, blue jean short-shorts that conformed to her small yet perky butt, and a stylish, red, letterman-like jacket.

Nodding in affirmation, prompting Ohta to place his hand on her head and vest her with some of his power, Rukia asked, "Are we going to split up, or should we stay together?"

"It would be more efficient to split up, but I'll leave the decision to you," replied Ohta. "Either way, we need to hurry. Several of the signals have vanished, but the total number of Hollows has only increased since the start of whatever this is."

"Then let's split up," said Rukia. "Even without your power, I can make use of several Kido spells. With it, even a large group of Hollows won't be able to lay a finger on me."

"I don't doubt that," replied Ohta, adopting a cheeky smile as he added, "But, first things first. Bring me that ass..."

Though she furrowed her brows and stared at Ohta with upturned eyes, Rukia obediently nestled into his embrace, allowing him to lift her by her butt so they could kiss. It would have been more responsible of them to head out immediately, but an intense, parting kiss was good for the body, mind, and spirit...

...

..

.

Before splitting up, Ohta and Rukia turned their gaze to the sky, noticing a distinct 'distortion' within the clouds.

"Well, that's ominous..." remarked Ohta, turning to Rukia as he said, "I'll take that area. You start from the perimeter and work your way closer. If you figure out what's causing this, call me."

Narrowing her eyes slightly, Rukia remarked, "You know, once we get to the Soul Society, you'll be the one following my orders..."

"Do I not already?" asked Ohta. However, instead of waiting for Rukia's response, he said, "Stay safe." before flying off at supersonic speeds. It was faster to travel using Shunpo, but by flying, he could locate and take care of any Hollows he encountered along the way to his destination.

Seeing Ohta fly off, Rukia stared listlessly in the direction of his departure before shaking her head, giving herself a few light smacks, and muttering, "Stay focused, Rukia...!". She was the one to suggest splitting up, so if she suddenly gave chase, concerned for Ohta's safety, she risked looking like an overly concerned fool...

...

..

.

"Man, this just isn't my week..." groaned Karin, forcing a smile despite her eyes watering from the pain in her ribs. A few meters away, standing 4.5m tall and possessing a body looking like the pear-shaped sarcophagus of an ancient pharaoh, was a Hollow. It wasn't very mobile, but when it opened the front of its body, it had rows of sharp teeth and tendrils resembling an iron maiden.

With her friends all unconscious from the monster's sudden attack, Karin was doing her best to draw it away from them. Unfortunately, though she managed to dodge most of the Hollow's attacks, she took a grazing blow on her right side, leaving a gash deep enough to expose two of her ribs...

Issuing a low, soul-chilling growl, the Hollow opened the front of its body and shot out more than a dozen spear-like tendrils. Karin closed her eyes in preparation for the blow, but it never came. Instead, she heard a loud 'thump,' followed by a gust of wind and a powerful vibration through her feet.

"You still alive, bokukko(tomboy)...?" asked a somewhat familiar voice, compelling Karin to open her eyes, finding Ohta staring at her with raised brows, standing atop the slowly dissolving corpse of the Hollow. He had dropped down on it like a meteor from above, literally crushing it into the shape of a crater using his psychic energy.

"You're that boy that tried to convince my dad not to call the cops when you showed up with a bullet wound..." muttered Karin. "Yamada Ohta..."

"Hey, I didn't make that guy shoot me any more than you asked this guy try and fillet you," said Ohta. "Speaking of which, how's your wound? I'm not exactly friends with your brother, but he'd probably nag me to death if I let his baby sister die."

"I don't know..." admitted Karin, forcing a smile despite feeling as though she was about to pass out at any moment.

"Then, don't mind me..." muttered Ohta, raising his hand toward Karin and pulling her closer to him using his psychic power. A wave of panic rushed over her as he did, but that didn't stop Ohta from lifting her shit halfway to reveal a rather nasty gash.

"You're probably gonna have a scar," remarked Ohta, extending his hand over Karin's wound without touching it directly. A faint, bluish-green glow appeared from his palm as he did, quickly transitioning to bright gold as he used a mid-tier Kaidō to close up the wound within seconds. He tried to leave her without a scar, but Kaidō was made to treat spiritual entities, not living people.

"That should do it," said Ohta, subsequently lowering Karin to her feet as she had been hovering before him. He planned to leave immediately after, but Karin stopped him, calling out, "H-Hey, hold up...!" while quickly fixing her shirt. She had on a sports bra underneath, matching her spats, but while Ohta didn't see it, Karin looked somewhat aggrieved as she stared at him with a frown.

"What's up...?" asked Ohta. "There are a ton of other monsters like this, so I don't have time to sit here and chat."

"Just explain to me what's going on," said Karin. "Does this have anything to do with Ichi-nii? I've seen him, you know, running around in the strange black getup..."

"He's your brother, and you live under the same roof," replied Ohta. "If you want answers, ask him. If he refuses, he's an idiot, but he probably thinks keeping you in the dark will protect you."

Frowning deeply, Karin asserted, "I'd rather be able to protect myself..."

Adopting a smile, Ohta teased, "That's what makes tomboys one of the best kinds of girls. But, without the power to back up your bravado, pluck isn't much different from asking to be bullied."

"Then tell me how to get stronger...!" exclaimed Karin, earning a curious raise of the brows from Ohta.

"Shouldn't you be more worried about those brats lying on the ground?" asked Ohta, reminding Karin that she wasn't the only one who had been attacked. The others had simply fainted due to the Hollow's Reiatsu, but they were still lying on the ground in the middle of an empty lot on a hot day.

Countering Ohta's argument, Karin forced a smile and said, "I'm a little kid, right? Shouldn't you be the one doing something to help them...?"

"I never called you a little kid," affirmed Ohta. "At the very least, you took a pretty serious blow attack like a champ. Most girls your age would have passed out or started calling for their parents."

"..."

Realizing that Ohta had never specifically drawn attention to her age, a faintly embarrassed blush colored Karin's cheeks. Fortunately, as she had lost a decent amount of blood, it was nearly invisible.

"But, seriously," said Ohta. "I don't have time to stand around talking like this. Here, I'll lend you some of my power to make moving those brats a little easier for you. Get them into the shade, call an ambulance, and then get your ass home."

Placing his hand on Karin's head, Ohta explained, "My power functions on thought. It's not omnipotent, but if you concentrate, it will respond to your needs. Good luck, bokukko..."

Retracting his hand from Karin's head, Ohta intended to take to the sky, but he was momentarily delayed by the black-haired Kurosaki exclaiming, "My name is Karin...!" with a firm expression and tone.

"Congratulations," quipped Ohta, taking off before Karin could delay him further...

Seeing Ohta take off, Karin muttered, "That jerk..." with a look that would have stunned her predominately male friends. She usually had a perpetual scowl and was known for being short-tempered, so they would have been slack-jawed to see her staring listlessly at the sky as she muttered, "He's kind of cool, though..."

...

..

.

Slaying every Hollow he came across, Ohta eventually found himself under the exacerbating tear in the sky. More importantly, he found a familiar boy with angular glasses, black hair that framed his face, and an expression that seemed to show contempt for everyone and everything as he knocked and unleashed arrows of light that tracked Hollows like homing missiles.

"I figured this was your doing," remarked Ohta, crashing near Uryu with a notably peeved expression. After all, with an incident this major, it would be a matter of days, if not hours, before a hunter squad from Soul Society showed up. In other words, Uryu was the reason he would be blue-balled for the next month or so...

While continuing to target and eliminate Hollows, Uryu's perpetual frown deepened as he responded, "Yamada Ohta...I was wondering when you would show up..."

...

..

.

(A/N: Ichigo be like, "Stay away from my sister!". Ohta be like, "Fine, then I'll let her bleed out next time.". Karin be like, "My kokoro...")