Chapter 344

I let out a long breath and pushed myself to my feet again. The action having become rather commonplace these past several days.

Meditate, practice Kidō, practice Shunpo and then practice my Spiritual control. I was making noticeable progress every day, so it wasn't by any means boring.

It felt good to make progress like this, as it was my whole purpose for being here.

At this point, I thought I was close to being able to properly manage a real Shunpo and not my bastardization of it. I had a pretty decent understanding of the Kidō I'd a chance to learn and I could feel like my control over my Reiatsu was significantly better than it was before. I could sorta use my spiritual senses in a meaningful way now beyond using it as fuel for their version of spells.

Speaking of Spiritual Senses….I could vaguely feel something at the edge of my perception. Sort of like a tickling feeling that was coming from the other side of town.

I dusted off my pants as I tried to focus on what I was feeling.

There were two…no three strange Reiatsu signatures that appeared at the edge of town.

They were constrained, two of them more so than the third. But even so, it felt like the illumination of a roaring bonfire in the distance compared to the fireflies that were the living of this world.

Honestly, I was a little surprised I could sense them at all. Perhaps there was some synergy with my inherent instincts that it was getting more used to this new sensation? I already had a good sixth sense, but after becoming a Campione it had increased significantly. It wouldn't be odd that it was adapting to these new changes just as much as everything else of my mixed biology.

Should I take a look?

They didn't quite feel like Hollows, and I think I'd sensed them enough at this point that I could kind of feel the difference. It honestly felt closer to how my Demonic Power felt in comparison to my Magical Energy if I were to draw a correlation.

No….these were most definitely Shinigami. I suppose they could be humans…but I had yet to meet a human that gave off this kind of feeling.

That orange haired brat was notable, but I could pretty much place him at any moment since his Reiatsu felt like a constant stream, like he left the faucet on every single moment of the day.

And once more, speak of the devil. Was that Strawberry heading towards them? His signature was on the move sorta in that direction…

And I recalled my little jaunt through Soul Society….

There was a possibility that I could have implicated him by extension of my shenanigans. In which case, my conscience required me to take responsibility and intervene.

….It wouldn't hurt to take a look, right? There's the distinct possibility that I could just be overthinking things.

Well, the night was young.

@***@

Rukia Kuchiki POV

They finally came.

I knew that it had just been a matter of time.

I could feel Brother's Reiatsu as soon as he appeared in town. I may as well go meet him and not cause any problems for Ichigo…..

That's why I quietly snuck out while he was sleeping. Thankfully, we hadn't been out tonight hunting a Hollow, things had been a little quiet since the Menos appeared. And that…..strange man who could control the weather.

Seeing Lightning fall from the sky had sent chills down my spine. I was aware that there were Zanpakutō that could change the weather, but that was…..different. Even after asking the Shop Owner, I still didn't really know how to explain the feeling I had. It was as if the sky responded to him naturally, as if he had the right.

I think even the Hollows sensed the shift and didn't want to cause trouble.

It didn't matter now, I suppose.

Though, I hope Ichigo didn't go to cause problems with him. With his temperament…..that stranger gave me a dangerous feeling.

My Spiritual Senses were nearly depleted, however, I could still vaguely make out three people waiting for me as I approached.

"Rukia….you really did it, didn't you?"

"Renji…" I looked at my old friend. His untamed red hair and his….unique sense of style when it came to his eyebrows. "And…..Brother…."

My gaze fell upon my Brother, but he simply closed his eyes, not wanting to see me.

"And it's Gin." The last one that came to fetch me cheerfully waved.

"….Captain Ichimaru." I politely bowed my head.

"Wow, this is the most polite prisoner I've ever apprehended." He smiled slyly. "Ya sure you don't wanna resist a little, hmm?"

"I fully accept any punishment I am given." I lowered my head further.

"Jeez, Captain Kuchiki, your sister is a downer." He scratched his head. "Don't know why they made two of us Captains come and fetch her like this. Even with the whole issue with the Ryoka causing problems, this feels like overkill, y'know?"

"It is not our place to question our orders, Captain Ichimaru." Brother said evenly.

"How boring." He kept smiling. "Hey Lieutenant Abarai. How's it feel to be bringing your childhood friend in to be executed?"

I had known my fate, but to hear it so plainly…..I felt my heart drop.

"Want some private time to say goodbye? I don't mind turnin a blind eye for an hour or two cause the next time you see her, it's gonna be –" He ran a thumb across his neck. "Central lookin for blood after the Ryoka thing. They probably gonna make a huge spectacle of it too to take everyone's attention away. Maybe – "

"Ichimaru Gin." Brother's words interrupted him. "That is enough." I felt a faint sense of his Reiatsu flow out.

"So scary~" Captain Ichimaru continued to laugh. "Well, let's get goin. Unless we're waitin for that Reiatsu signature to get closer on purpose?

"Reiatsu signature…?" I questioned and I had a bad premonition.

"Honestly, I'm fine either way." Captain Ichimaru put his hands behind his head. "I aint the one havin to do the paperwork."

"There shouldn't be anyone with that much Reiatsu reported around here…." Renji muttered as I turned my head towards the direction they were looking.

And my eyes filled with horror at the sight of that stupid Strawberry coming running down the road.

"Rukia!" He shouted without a second thought.

"Ichigo you idiot, leave!" I quickly shouted back. If he stayed here…

"Is he the cause of this?" Renji growled. "The Human who you gave your powers too?" He grabbed his sword, and it looked like he was going to do something, but Brother put his hand out, stopping him.

"Did you say 'Ichigo'?" Captain Ichimaru asked, his eyes opening a little wider than normal.

"Rukia." Brother addressed me for the first time. "What is the name of the human you gave your powers to."

"Hey!" Ichigo grunted. "Let her go!"

"Hey…..yer name wouldn't happen to be Kurosaki Ichigo, would it?" Captain Ichimaru asked, a wide grin splitting his face.

"How'd you know?"

Brother and Captain Ichimaru shared a look.

Why did he know Ichigo's name?

Ichigo stupidly drew his sword, pointing it at them. "Let her go!"

Did he not see I was going willingly?!

"….this is the person you gave your powers to…?" Renji blinked, looking at me.

"…..it was a desperate situation." I felt a little bit of embarrassment.

I don't regret my actions of giving Ichigo my powers to protect both him and myself and by extension his family, but…..he can be an idiot sometimes.

"Regardless." Brother interrupted. "The description does not match. Clearly it was an assumed name."

"Still…..that means the Ryoka knows him. Maybe we should grab him anyways, eh? Might make your sister happy if she has a cell mate." Captain Ichimaru chuckled.

"W-what? H-he's innocent, why would you arrest him too! Please, brother….It's my fault, leave him alone." I looked at Brother, begging him to leave Ichigo be.

"Our objective is not to arrest the human." Brother closed his eyes and turned away. "Our orders are to bring Rukia back only. Everything else is irrelevant."

He immediately opened the Senkaimon, the doors sliding open to reveal the passage back to Soul Society.

"Mm, guess yer right." Captain Ichimaru shrugged. "If we did something so troublesome, I'd probably haveta do some of the paperwork." He turned towards Ichigo. "Go along little human, we don't got time to play with ya."

"You…" Ichigo scowled, and he quickly ran forward, blocking the Senkaimon. "I won't let you take her away."

"Do you have any idea what's going on?" Renji also scowled. "She's already sacrificed herself to protect you, and you're throwing away her goodwill. Because of you, they're going to execute her."

…Thank you, Renji.

"I don't care." Ichigo huffed. "She helped me when I needed it, so I'm gonna repay the favor. I won't let you take her."

Foolish idiot….

"Ichigo, please go back….you can't win."

"Hmph, I'm not scared of'em."

"He's pretty confident, eh?" Captain Ichimaru chuckled.

"You got something to say, squinty eyes?" Ichigo pursed his lips, hefting his sword up.

"Squinty eyes….?" Captain Ichimaru repeated, his smile never leaving.

"Go ahead, take out your tiny blade. I'll show you how confident I am."

"…..do you think because yer sword is big that you're strong, eh?"

"Wait –"

In one swift motion, Captain Ichimaru unsheathed his sword, it was shorter than a traditional sealed Zanpakutō, but that did not at all detract from its lethality. It swept out fast enough that my eyes could not follow, I only saw Ichigo flying across the air and rolling on the ground with a loud thump.

"Huh, guess you aint all talk." The Captain muttered. "You actually blocked in the last moment…"

Ichigo stood up, breathing a little heavier. He spit out a mouthful of blood and glared at the Captain. "Hah, like that little toothpick could hurt me. Bring it on, squinty eyes."

"Stop!" I tried to move forward, but Renji grabbed me. "Let go!"

"Stop struggling, Rukia." Renji sighed, and he slapped a handcuff on my arm. The little Spiritual Power I had left was sealed away beneath the device. "Don't make it worse."

"Captain Ichimaru, we are leaving." Brother stated.

"Fine fine, I'll wrap it up." Captain Ichimaru held his hands up in surrender.

"Hey, I didn't say you could leave!" Ichigo roared, running at him.

"Here's a lesson for ya, brat." The Captain chuckled, and disappeared in a burst of Shunpo. My eyes widened in horror. Ichigo looked down and Captain Ichimaru's blade was pushed through his chest. He pulled it out as quickly as it had gone in, letting Ichigo fall to the ground.

"NO!" I screamed, but it was futile.

The Captain knelt down next to Ichigo's prone body. "Yer sword isn't anything to gloat 'bout. It just means ya can't control your power. If I let mine out like yer doing, my sword would be big enough that it'd be splittin the clouds right now. Ya understand?"

"Stop struggling, Rukia!" Renji grumbled.

"Rukia, behave yourself." Brother said quietly.

"Brother, please he's just a human. Let him off…." I pleaded again.

"Shouldn't ya be asking me that?" Captain Ichimaru looked at me. "I guess I can let him go…..not like he's a threat."

"Thank you –"

"Fuck you, squinty eyes…" Ichigo managed to grit out even as he laid there bleeding on the ground.

Dammit Ichigo!

"…..on the other hand. Best to take care of any unnecessary problems." Ichigo reached for his sword, but Captain Ichimaru stepped on his hand. He moved his sword, instead of hovering over Ichigo, it moved above his sword. He pushed it down and it easily pierced through the oversized Katana, sending cracks in all directions. "See how easily it breaks?" He chuckled, pulling his sword free, leaving Ichigo's sword barely held together with a hole in it. "Oh well, they weren't even your powers to begin with, no harm done." He stood up. "Don't worry, kiddo, you won't even feel a thing while you bleed out on the ground~"

"That's enough."

Who?

"Oh?" Captain Ichimaru's eyes narrowed as he looked down the street.

There was no indication that someone was there until now. He walked out of the shadows, that familiar red hair was obvious under the street lights.

"Who're you?" Captain Ichimaru asked, but I recognized him.

That dangerous human.

"Just a passerby." He looked around. "I wasn't going to interfere, but you're about to cross a line. The girl is one of yours, so I won't say anything, but you have no business killing a Living person."

He's….protecting Ichigo? He didn't seem to like Ichigo in the previous encounters….

Captain Ichimaru stood up, looking at the human. "Hmm, but he pointed his blade at me. I think that makes it alright for me to kill'em, don't you think?" He smiled slightly, his eyes barely opening. "Besides that, you're kinda familiar. I think I read a report or something about someone that looked just like ya. Any idea about that?"

What? Do they know about him?

"Renji, take Rukia and get behind me." Brother said quietly as he stepped in front of us.

"W-what's going on?"

"Quiet." Renji chided, grabbing me and holding me back.

"A report about someone like me? Sorry, I have no relation to this handsome and dashing rogue you're referring to."

"Is that so…hmm." The Captain scratched his head. "What if I don't believe ya?"

"Well, that seems like a personal problem for you then." He crossed his arms.

"Yeah, it is a problem for me. See….If I don't do somethin, the Boss is gonna get angry with me, y'know?"

"Are you going to fight me?" He asked.

It was…ridiculous. He was a human and he was standing off against a Captain. I know what he did was impressive, but any of the Captains could have easily taken care of that Menos too.

"Scary, I heard what happened to Mayuri. I'm too scared, I don't know if I can hold onto my sword too well." Captain Ichimaru turned it and pointed it downwards towards a barely conscious Ichigo. "Maybe if someone surrendered, I might feel more comfortable."

"…..you're threatening me with him?" The human raised an eyebrow.

"Is that what you think? Well…..can't help it if that's how you feelin."

"I promised Shunsui that I wouldn't kill the last time. But that promise doesn't hold here. I don't know if I can stop you, but if you go through with that, you aren't making it back to Soul Society."

"If you say something like that, I don't know if I can keep my hand from shaking…" His hand holding his blade descended slightly. "Maybe –"

I barely saw it, but something flew out from that human. That was a clang of steel, and Captain Ichimaru was forced back, having deflected something fast.

"You were saying?" The human stated, a strange sword hovered next to him. One that looked almost to be made of glass and gave off an unfamiliar feeling.

"Captain Kuchiki…" Captain Ichimaru slowly stood up straight and he looked….serious.

"Don't forget our orders." Brother said simply and he sort of sounded like he was bracing himself.

Suddenly, a massive amount of Reiatsu erupted from Captain Ichimaru. He reeled his arm back like he was ready to thrust his sword forward. "Shoot to Kill – Shinsō."

Something happened.

I couldn't see it clearly, but something shot forward, again at speeds my eyes couldn't follow after Captain Ichimaru released his Zanpakutō. I heard the sounds of metal colliding. The Human disappeared; I could vaguely see where he was forced off into the distance; a building seemed to have collapsed onto him. And from that location, I could trace the Captain's Zanpakutō that was extended the full distance.

And in the blink of an eye, it completely retracted back to normal.

I had heard rumors that his Zanpakutō was the longest one in existence, but I did not expect that speed either. It was…..I couldn't even follow it with my eyes.

"There's no way he's still alive." Renji muttered. "Should we head off, Captain?"

"Quiet, Renji." Brother replied, his eyes still dreadfully focused.

"What –"

In the distance, there was an eruption of light.

It was golden and warm.

And it wasn't Reiatsu.

It exploded outward, the rubble from around him was blown away. In his hands was a Spear. I had never seen it before but for some reason I had the urge to lower my head and acknowledge it. It was as if the Spear was…..Holy and just staring at it was taboo.

"Well, that was interesting." The Human took bated steps back towards us. "I admit, that certainly took me by surprise. I can easily tell that you're stronger than that other Captain I met. I actually felt threatened there and could barely bring up my weapon to block in time." He came to a stop and looked at Captain Ichimaru who looked unnaturally focused as well. "It would be impolite of me not to reciprocate." As soon as he said that he pulled his unnatural spear backwards, a similar motion that Captain Ichimaru did a moment prior.

My eyes widened as I realized what was about to happen, and I was not the only one.

Once more, I could barely see what happened. There was another burst of that light, that Holy and pure light that shot off and Captain Ichimaru's body was sent hurling backwards, the spear extending just as the Captain's sword had.

I turned my body to follow the length of it, to see what became of the Captain. I saw him slammed into the ground, the spear nowhere to be seen near his person any longer. However, he nearly fell over as he tried to stand back up. There were no major wounds on him, but his Kimono was burned in several places, and a slight bit of blood that trailed down his lips, probably from the force of the blow even if he blocked.

His smile didn't disappear, but it looked vicious in comparison to his normal one. His Reiatsu intensified several degrees, it weighed down on the surroundings and shot to the sky, illuminating the night.

"Ban – "

Before he could finish, brother was there, grabbing his hands, forcing the gathered Reiatsu to dissipate.

"….Whaddya think you're doing, Captain Kuchiki." There was venom in his tone.

"You have not been authorized to release your Bankai. If you persist, I will be forced to act accordingly and arrest you as well." He stared at Captain Ichimaru.

Captain Ichimaru stared for a moment before snorting and sheathing his blade. "Fine, you handle him then."

Brother turned back towards the human, who had been waiting. "We will retreat. Our objective has been fulfilled."

The Human relaxed and just held his Spear to the side, standing near Ichigo somewhat protectively. "Do you want to leave with them, Rukia?" He suddenly asked but it seemed to like any kind of true warmth to it.

I stiffened slightly.

I felt like…..

If I said no, would….?

I glanced at Brother who was about to grab his sword, and the same for Renji.

"I will accept my punishment." I accepted my fate. "I did what I did knowing the consequences."

"Very well." He shrugged. "It's not my place, I suppose, to meddle with your people in a situation like this."

"….please take care of Ichigo…"

"….alright, I'll make sure the Idiot doesn't die. Would have been a wasted effort on my part if I just left him here to bleed out."

"Thank you." I said quietly as I followed behind Renji into the Senkaimon. The others followed and I glanced back before the gates closed, I looked at Ichigo, there was a tiny bit of light in his eyes still. I gave him one last smile of goodbye before the doors slammed shut.

@***@

A/N

Sorry for the late release, got sick yesterday and was throwing up with stomach pain.

I you want to read 7 chapters ahead or support me, visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m / astoryforone