Bleach: Rukia's Requiem

Chapter 4

"Come on" Ichigo said and took off in the direction of the noise. Rukia hesitated, but quickly caught up with him. They sprinted through the streets, Ichigo fiddling in his pocket for something. He came to a sudden stop when he found what he was looking for. Rukia stopped next to him, trying to see what was in his hand. She instantly recognised the little green pill, happy that Ichigo still kept Kōn around.

He lifted the pill and popped it into his mouth. There was a distinct whooshing sound followed by two Ichigos, one in normal clothes and one in traditional Shinigami clothes.

Rukia didn't waste any time. Kōn barely had his eyes before Rukia smacked him in the back of the head, catching the pill as it came out. She repeated Ichigo' steps and soon felt the sensation of her body and soul tearing apart.

Something was different, Rukia noticed it immediately, but she couldn't tell what was wrong. It almost felt like she only had half her soul, like she didn't have access to her entire body. "Don't be stupid" she whispered to herself.

Kōn, now in Rukia's body, woke up just as Ichigo's body fell into him. "What?!" he cried out and tried to catch the body, but Rukia's human body wasn't strong enough. Rukia never saw if they had fallen, because she was already two blocks away by then.

"Where is it?" Rukia asked as she caught up to him mid-flight. Ichigo pointed in front of them and Rukia felt stupid for asking in the first place, the hollow was huge. They landed behind it, giving themselves a chance to investigate.

It really was gigantic, even bigger than it had looked from above. A long, spiked tail gave it the appearance of being made from shards of broken glass. It stood on two legs, its arms hanging limply almost to the ground. Rukia couldn't see its mask, but she had a feeling that would change soon enough.

Ichigo tugged Rukia's sleeve before he started gesturing with his hands to explain the plan to her. At first she didn't understand him, but soon he slowed down a bit. The plan, from what Rukia understood, was for Ichigo to move in first and open up for Rukia, who would then aim straight for its mask. They looked at each other and nodded, unsheathing their weapons. Ichigo slipped out from the shelter of the shadows and into the line of fire.

"Hay! Ugly!" Ichigo yelled as if they weren't in a battle, Rukia probably would have laughed if weren't for that reason either. The hollow turned around and looked at Ichigo before letting out another ear-splintering roar.

Ichigo didn't waste any time in attacking and Rukia moved into position, waiting for an opening to strike. She watched intently as Ichigo swung Zangetsu back and forth, weighing every attack instead of attacking blindly. It wasn't the first time that Rukia noticed how much Ichigo had grown up since their first fated encounter. He could barely lift his Zanpaktō back then.

She was so caught up in her sudden moment of nostalgia that Rukia almost missed her opportunity. Ichigo had swung his sword high enough that the hollow had left his chest and head open for a clean death.

She lunged forward, Sode no Shirayuki extended at its target. As she got closer she was finally able to see the hollow's mask. Her heart skipped a beat and it felt as if her blood was being replaced by fire. Not now, she thought to herself, but she couldn't stop it. The world started to slow down before her eyes and all she could hear was the sound of her escalated heartbeat.

She watched as the hollow threw Ichigo off and spun around, slamming its tail into Rukia. Two of the shards sunk into her flesh, but Rukia barely noticed it, barely had control over her own body. With the last of the power she had over her own body, Rukia grabbed hold of the hollow's tail, drawing its attention to her and away from Ichigo, giving him a chance to do what Rukia couldn't.