Inverted: Bleach [Currently Being Edited]

Chapter Twenty-Six: Chase

Once I the metallic substance had retreated from my body, I dropped to the floor on my hands and knees. The pain in my broken ribs had disappeared, and I was grateful for the rush of adrenaline coursing through my body. I took a few moments to catch my breath before going to the side of the girl who I had cut.

Her leg was bleeding badly, and she groaned in pain as blood continued to pour from the wound. I bit my lip, wishing that I hadn't wounded her so badly. An idea came to my mind, and I turned her on her side gently to prevent disturbing the wound. Blood soaked through the fabric of my pants, and I knew it wasn't mine.

There was a dark cape that hung from the back of her armor, and I ripped it away, slowly placing her on her back again. I hope it works because if she dies before I can get information, then I will never forgive myself. With as much caution I could muster, I wrapped the cloth around the woman's leg tightly to cut the circulation and staunch the bleeding.

"Why... why are you h-helping me, girl?" she rasped as I tied the cloth tightly, resulting in a grunt of pain. I looked into her eyes softly, and gave her a small smile which was not returned.

"You can provide needed information, and I couldn't stand to kill you," I said with a sigh, running my fingers through my hair. The girl gave a curt nod, and let out a shaky and raspy breath, her chest heaving. "Do you know the way out of here?"

"Of course I do," she snarled," Call me Kaze." She, Kaze, extended a bloody hand for me to shake, and I did just that. It was almost funny how eager she was to give me the information. "What are you going to do about your friend over there? He looks like he should be out for the night, or maybe even two nights. Once you decide what to do, you just head straight up this corridor, and the exit is on the right."

   "I'll carry him," I announced as I stood to my feet," Do you know where that put my weapon?" Kaze lifted her finger shakily and pointed to a weapon rack down the hall. She  was looking even paler now, and she rested her head on the stone floor. After a few seconds, she had passed out cold on the floor from blood loss, but her companions should be here to help her. Or maybe they will kill her for assisting me.

   A buzzing in my back pocket nearly scared the life out of me, and I reached for my phone. It was a miracle that my phone wasn't crushed by now. I flipped it up and answered the call from an unknown number as I hefted Moku onto my shoulder.

   "Hello?" I said, waiting for a response.

   "Yo, it's Ichigo. Your mom gave me your number, so I decided to give you a call. Where the heck are you?" I held the phone between my shoulder and my ear so I could use my other hand to pick up Kaze. It would be a shame if she died, especially after all the help she offered us. I slowly walked over to the weapon rack and grabbed my katana with the hand that held Moku.

   "Hold on, let me go outside to see..." I made my way down the corridor and arrived at the door to my right. A deft kick was all that it needed before it swung open to reveal the daylight from outside. The street signs were hard to read in all the light, so I decided to describe my surroundings," I'm by the old abandoned building in downtown Karakura."

   There was indistinct shouting in the background of the call, and then the sound of a car accelerating. I ignored it and took a look at the building behind me. So I had been under this thing the whole time? The sound of sirens arose in the background, but this time, it was in front of me. When I looked up, there was a shiny red car speeding towards me. In the front seat was Ichigo.

   The screeching of wheels on the concrete made me want to rip my ears off when he suddenly slammed on the breaks. Rukia, who was sitting in the passengers side, flung the door open and hopped out. She walked over to the cops with something that looked similar to a lighter in her hand and an bottle of sake in the other. Ichigo beckoned me to get in, but then he saw the two bodies slung over my shoulder.

   "Put 'em in the back seat," Ichigo said with a smile," Only makes this a better story to tell later, you know?" He winked at me, and waited for Rukia to return. Gently, I placed Moku and Kaze in the back seat, along with my katana. There was some shouting from behind us, then it all went silent as Rukia strolled up to the car. I refused to look back and see what she had done to the police, but she insisted on telling us anyway when she got back in the car.

   "Those police are probably going to get fired! I used the memory-chinkan to erase their memory and knock them unconscious, then I tossed a bottle of sake on them to make them appear drunk," Rukia let out a mischievous laugh and leaned up to give Ichigo a kiss on the cheek. Ichigo turned his head so that his lips met her's and they shared a few passionate kissed before he slammed on the gas. He swerved to avoid cars and seemed oblivious of the red lights and traffic signals. I felt like I was going to be sick with Ichigo's driving skills, but I soon found it exhilarating.

   "This isn't your car, is it?" I asked after a few moments of silence. Ichigo glanced over at me and smiled.

   "Not a chance."