When the Moon Shines With the Sun

Whispers Part Two

That was the beginning of the end.

((Warning: Feels and blood))

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~~Third Person P.O.V.~~

Sitting at his desk and watching the small puffs of cotton float across the bright blue sky, Ichigo laughed to himself about how calm it looked. As he settled back down to continue working on his essay, at just the moment pen began to scratch on paper, there was a sharp spike in the reiatsu he was watching. Rukia's reiatsu, and it wasn't alone. Abandoning his futile attempts to focus on his assignment, he leapt up and grabbed the Substitute Shinigami badge and pressing it to his chest. Taking a second to throw his body on his bed so to the passing eye of his family he would look asleep, he leapt out the window and followed the raging reiatsu of his best friend.

Considering Sode No Shirayuki was already released, that saved her the few precious seconds she had to shunpo away.

"Hey! Wait! We don't need to fight, look let's-" She was cut off by having to block a powerful but not exactly thought out blow from Thing #1.

Now, Rukia wasn't the diplomat we all know that, but she didn't enjoy the idea of fighting spirits probably working this mission just to get by. Not that there was much choice anymore, as she whirled out of the way of Thing #2. With an almost imperceptible sigh she blocked the next attack, and-though slightly surprised by the amount of strength behind the blow, the angle of the Zanpakuto suggested there was no strategy behind the 'Thing Threesome' attacks. That made her job much easier. Twisting the tip of Sode No Shirayuki down, it touched the hilt of Thing #3's Zanpakuto, and with a simple twist the sword spiraled a good three feet away, clattering against the rooftop. After that, she just slashed forward, and Thing #3 keeled over, blood dripping from a long slash across it's chest.

Spinning to her left, she blocked a blow, only to feel another one slice across her right arm.'So now they decided to attack together.' She thought, biting back the ribbon of pain she felt erupt from the source. Flash-stepping ((Yes I'll use both the subbed and dubbed terms fight me.)) away, she reappeared behind one of them, landing a solid blow across the shoulder blades, and as Thing #2 turned, she stabbed forward through it's stomach, finishing it off. Now there was only one left, and man was it angry. Like it had actually cared for the others.

It lunged forward, and she leapt to the side, keeping her Zanpakuto in front of her, and slicing one of its legs. Turning, it stabbed forward, launching at her as she quickly blocked. Feeling a sharp pain at the back of her left calf, she spared a quick glance down and saw Thing #3's Zanpakuto stabbed into her leg. 'Damn it.' She thought, and adjusted her weight, burying her foot on Thing #3's head, feeling bone crack. Giving a final push to where her blade was locked with Thing #1's she ducked down and swiped at it's legs before leaping back. 'I'll have to end this quickly.' She realized and backed up a few steps, her expression growing deathly calm.

"Tsugi no mai, Hakuren." She called, twisting Sode No Shirayuki so it was tip down, and in a semi-circle shape in front of her, it punctured the ground four times. The air temperature seemed to drop considerably, and ice particles danced in the air. Not a moment after, a wave of ice expanded forward, freezing Things #1,2, and 3 if they weren't already dead, and hopefully the freaky couple.

Sadly, luck was not on her side, as she heard a high-pitched voice behind her, "Oh dear. I worked so hard on those to, guess I'll have to make new ones." Red-Head sighed, holding one hand to her heart. "You're going to pay for that you know." She added as Rukia turned around.

Choosing simply to scowl, Rukia glared at the two, her Zanpakuto held at the ready. The couple shared a glance and the man nodded, unsheathing his own Zanpakuto. Looking bored, he stepped forward, facing Rukia. Just as she began to take one step forward, he disappeared, and she felt a breath of wind on her back.

Before she could do so much as react, his blade slid through her chest, and her eyes widened. Taking a shuttering breath, she heard a whisper of "Disappointing." Before she gathered the last of her strength and stabbed backwards, feeling a flickering sense of satisfaction as she realized she had returned the attack.

Feeling the blade leave her body, she stood a moment more, before her legs gave out underneath her and she fell on her knees, her breathing irregular and she was coughing up bits of blood. She could still feel the pain of her wounds, which was a good sign, and she saw that the man wasn't doing any better off. 'There's no way I'm dying here. I have a promise to keep.'

Flashback

As Rukia left the clinic, she turned her head and called back, "Hey, Strawberry! I'll be back soon!"

And that was that, never doubted, never questioned.

As she felt herself fall forward, scraping her cheek on the hard surface, she glared forward, holding onto the small flame of strength she still had.

As Ichigo turned a corner, he felt Rukia's reiatsu fading, and he began to panic, picking up the pace despite his protesting limbs. There was no way in hell he was letting her die, not while he was alive. Jumping up to the roof her reiatsu was coming from, he was greeted with a site he would never forget, but forever wish he could.