Girl's bathroom / off island - morning
The last bits up the stairs was always the most exhausting bit of his morning jog. Ichigo was out of breath when he made it up to the third floor, his feet automatically carrying him towards his room until he realised that something was off. Something...
The window at the end of the hall was open and there was someone standing on the ledge. A familiar shape, a blade by her side and that feeling. No, not feeling. Spiritual pressure, Rukia's reiatsu. "Rukia."
"Long time no see, Ichigo," she was smiling.
He hadn't seen her for more than a year now. They'd said their goodbyes and he knew it had been her decision to stay in Soul Society, so he'd accepted it. It wasn't until this instant that he realised just how much he had missed her and everything that had happened still, that he'd been bottling up, came right back up, making his throat tight. "Rukia."
Her expression changed, her eyes intent and Ichigo didn't have time to even realise what was happening until he got kicked right in the face. She might not have been in a physical form, but every hit that followed next still hurt like a bitch. His back hit the door to the girl's restroom and the next thing Rukia had opened it and he got kicked again, making him stumble back inside. "What the hell are you-" Please, please, please, let no one be in here.
"What's up with the wimpy look on your face?" Rukia bellowed, only for him to hear.
He didn't have time to reply, she grabbed hold of his hair and she must have been wearing that stupid glove because when she tugged, he felt himself leaving his body.
"Come with me!" Rukia was dragging him by the arm now, pulling him to the door.
"Wait! What do you..."
She had her hand on the doorknob.
"We can't leave my body here like that!" he protested, struggling against her grip.
She stopped, glared at him and pushed him back. "Hurry then."
"What do you want me to do with it?" he couldn't very well drag his body along the hallway to his bedroom.
Rukia glanced at one of the bathroom stalls.
"No way!"
"Just hurry," Rukia snapped. "Or do you want someone to come in and notice you here?"
He growled in frustration, but turned and dragged himself into one of the stalls, locking the door behind him. It took some arranging before he got himself to stop sliding off the toilet and this must be the stupidest hiding place ever.
"Hurry up will you?" Rukia called impatiently.
It'd have to do and Ichigo jumped up and over the stall, landing on his feet. He had a whole of two seconds before he was dragged out of the restrooms and down the hallway. The window was still open and Rukia jumped on his back, nudging his shoulders and it was like second nature for him to jump through the window, following Rukia's directions which led him over the causeway and off the island. It had to be his world, he couldn't see where else she was taking him.
"Where are you taking me?" he demanded after an instant as he moved over rooftops.
"Shut up and keep running," Rukia answered shortly and she was pissing him off. "I see it. It's over there!"
What was... "A hollow!?" It was huge, filling up the width of the street and his blood ran cold.
"Yeah," Rukia shifted on his back and then her foot planted itself right between his shoulder blades, making him tumble off the roof and right into the street. "Now go get him!"
"That hurt!" he whined, picking himself up from the asphalt and no sooner had he stumbled up or the hollow was towering over him. It didn't attack Ichigo physically, but a bolt of energy struck the street right beside him and Ichigo only had a seconds to jump aside. Fuck.
"What are you doing?" Rukia bellowed down at him. She had it easy shouting from up high, far away from the hollow's attacks. "Start fighting! You're not going to lose to a hollow like that, are you?" she demanded.
She was really starting to piss him off now and Ichigo drew his blade. "You're annoying!" he yelled back at her, his eyes constantly on the hollow. "I was just about to kick his ass!" He moved forward, but something else was there. Not in the street, but inside his head. It was calling and he remembered the last fight, how it had made him lose. Almost got him and everyone killed.
He froze and the hollow's next strike pushed him off his feet.
"What was that?" Rukia was still commenting, still standing up on high, watching him.
"SHUT THE HELL UP!" he could barely dodge the next attack. This hollow was fast.
"Don't think that I don't know you!" Her words filtered through despite everything, despite the roar and the explosion of the hollow's attacks.
"Ever since losing to those arrancar, you haven't taken on your shinigami form even once," Rukia kept talking as if he wasn't in the middle of a fight. "What are you afraid of?"
He was going to go with the hollow who was getting too close and all Ichigo could do was run.
"Chad got hurt," Rukia continued. "Inoue got hurt."
He knew that, he didn't need her to remind him. Not now and here, not ever. He rolled out of the hollow's way, already out of breath from trying to outrun its attacks.
"So what?" Her words cut right through him, hurting more than the bruises he'd already culminated. "Have you always been a man who loses his spirit over small setbacks like that?"
The hollow caught up with him, throwing him up against the wall, but only Rukia's words were real. "Are you afraid of losing?"
No, he didn't care if the hollow struck him down right now.
"Are you scared you can't protect your friends? Or is it that you're scared to face the hollow inside you?"
How did she know? He forgot about the hollow and looked up at her. Standing still on the edge of the rooftop. She looked disappointed and he didn't want to be the one to let her down.
"If you're afraid of losing, just get stronger," her voice was less scolding now. "If you're afraid of not being able to protect your friends, swear to get stronger until you can protect them. If you're afraid of the hollow inside you, get even stronger until you can crush him. And if you don't want to take anyone else's advice, then just hold your chin up and shout those words to yourself. That's the kind of man you have been in my heart, Ichigo."
He hadn't disappointed her. Not yet and he didn't want to start now. She was right and he needed to stop running. Which was why he turned suddenly, no longer dodging the hollow's attacks. Zangetsu's weight was comforting in his hand and he felt its and he could feel its strength flow through him.
"You're really noisy," he told Rukia loudly as his fingers tightened on the sword's hilt and the hollow moved closer. His feet shifted on the ground, bracing himself. "Did you know that?"
And then he lifted the sword pushed off, meeting the hollow head on.
[[NFI & NFB due to invisibility issues. I'll be making a girl's bathroom post in a bit if anyone feels the need to catch him. OOC is welcome.]]
The window at the end of the hall was open and there was someone standing on the ledge. A familiar shape, a blade by her side and that feeling. No, not feeling. Spiritual pressure, Rukia's reiatsu. "Rukia."
"Long time no see, Ichigo," she was smiling.
He hadn't seen her for more than a year now. They'd said their goodbyes and he knew it had been her decision to stay in Soul Society, so he'd accepted it. It wasn't until this instant that he realised just how much he had missed her and everything that had happened still, that he'd been bottling up, came right back up, making his throat tight. "Rukia."
Her expression changed, her eyes intent and Ichigo didn't have time to even realise what was happening until he got kicked right in the face. She might not have been in a physical form, but every hit that followed next still hurt like a bitch. His back hit the door to the girl's restroom and the next thing Rukia had opened it and he got kicked again, making him stumble back inside. "What the hell are you-" Please, please, please, let no one be in here.
"What's up with the wimpy look on your face?" Rukia bellowed, only for him to hear.
He didn't have time to reply, she grabbed hold of his hair and she must have been wearing that stupid glove because when she tugged, he felt himself leaving his body.
"Come with me!" Rukia was dragging him by the arm now, pulling him to the door.
"Wait! What do you..."
She had her hand on the doorknob.
"We can't leave my body here like that!" he protested, struggling against her grip.
She stopped, glared at him and pushed him back. "Hurry then."
"What do you want me to do with it?" he couldn't very well drag his body along the hallway to his bedroom.
Rukia glanced at one of the bathroom stalls.
"No way!"
"Just hurry," Rukia snapped. "Or do you want someone to come in and notice you here?"
He growled in frustration, but turned and dragged himself into one of the stalls, locking the door behind him. It took some arranging before he got himself to stop sliding off the toilet and this must be the stupidest hiding place ever.
"Hurry up will you?" Rukia called impatiently.
It'd have to do and Ichigo jumped up and over the stall, landing on his feet. He had a whole of two seconds before he was dragged out of the restrooms and down the hallway. The window was still open and Rukia jumped on his back, nudging his shoulders and it was like second nature for him to jump through the window, following Rukia's directions which led him over the causeway and off the island. It had to be his world, he couldn't see where else she was taking him.
"Where are you taking me?" he demanded after an instant as he moved over rooftops.
"Shut up and keep running," Rukia answered shortly and she was pissing him off. "I see it. It's over there!"
What was... "A hollow!?" It was huge, filling up the width of the street and his blood ran cold.
"Yeah," Rukia shifted on his back and then her foot planted itself right between his shoulder blades, making him tumble off the roof and right into the street. "Now go get him!"
"That hurt!" he whined, picking himself up from the asphalt and no sooner had he stumbled up or the hollow was towering over him. It didn't attack Ichigo physically, but a bolt of energy struck the street right beside him and Ichigo only had a seconds to jump aside. Fuck.
"What are you doing?" Rukia bellowed down at him. She had it easy shouting from up high, far away from the hollow's attacks. "Start fighting! You're not going to lose to a hollow like that, are you?" she demanded.
She was really starting to piss him off now and Ichigo drew his blade. "You're annoying!" he yelled back at her, his eyes constantly on the hollow. "I was just about to kick his ass!" He moved forward, but something else was there. Not in the street, but inside his head. It was calling and he remembered the last fight, how it had made him lose. Almost got him and everyone killed.
He froze and the hollow's next strike pushed him off his feet.
"What was that?" Rukia was still commenting, still standing up on high, watching him.
"SHUT THE HELL UP!" he could barely dodge the next attack. This hollow was fast.
"Don't think that I don't know you!" Her words filtered through despite everything, despite the roar and the explosion of the hollow's attacks.
"Ever since losing to those arrancar, you haven't taken on your shinigami form even once," Rukia kept talking as if he wasn't in the middle of a fight. "What are you afraid of?"
He was going to go with the hollow who was getting too close and all Ichigo could do was run.
"Chad got hurt," Rukia continued. "Inoue got hurt."
He knew that, he didn't need her to remind him. Not now and here, not ever. He rolled out of the hollow's way, already out of breath from trying to outrun its attacks.
"So what?" Her words cut right through him, hurting more than the bruises he'd already culminated. "Have you always been a man who loses his spirit over small setbacks like that?"
The hollow caught up with him, throwing him up against the wall, but only Rukia's words were real. "Are you afraid of losing?"
No, he didn't care if the hollow struck him down right now.
"Are you scared you can't protect your friends? Or is it that you're scared to face the hollow inside you?"
How did she know? He forgot about the hollow and looked up at her. Standing still on the edge of the rooftop. She looked disappointed and he didn't want to be the one to let her down.
"If you're afraid of losing, just get stronger," her voice was less scolding now. "If you're afraid of not being able to protect your friends, swear to get stronger until you can protect them. If you're afraid of the hollow inside you, get even stronger until you can crush him. And if you don't want to take anyone else's advice, then just hold your chin up and shout those words to yourself. That's the kind of man you have been in my heart, Ichigo."
He hadn't disappointed her. Not yet and he didn't want to start now. She was right and he needed to stop running. Which was why he turned suddenly, no longer dodging the hollow's attacks. Zangetsu's weight was comforting in his hand and he felt its and he could feel its strength flow through him.
"You're really noisy," he told Rukia loudly as his fingers tightened on the sword's hilt and the hollow moved closer. His feet shifted on the ground, bracing himself. "Did you know that?"
And then he lifted the sword pushed off, meeting the hollow head on.
[[NFI & NFB due to invisibility issues. I'll be making a girl's bathroom post in a bit if anyone feels the need to catch him. OOC is welcome.]]