The Double Edged Sword

12

"Stand together?" Ishida groaned as him and Ichigo slowly began to stand; neither boy had realized just how tired they truly were until Izumi had dropped them onto their butts. In truth it was hard for both of them to push themselves to stand back up. 

"You didn't have to be so rough Zumi." Ichigo whined a little bit as he stretched his arms above his head. He had no problem working together with her, they had been inseparable since they were children. Ishida on the other hand, didn't really understand her angle; why exactly did she, a soul reaper, want to help him?

"Oh shut it Ichi, I'm mad at you." she growled refusing to look back at him. Actually she only turned around to look at Ishida when he began speaking to himself. 

"Do you mean to work in a united front?" he paused looking terrified, the boy was scared of the mere thought of betrayal, he couldn't wrap his head around the idea of gaining help from soul reapers. Izumi had helped him before yes, but in truth he never really counted her as a true soul reaper; he now realized just how stupid of an idea that was considering she was the strongest woman he had ever seen. 

"Quincy and soul reaper?" he questioned staring into her caring eyes. She knew this would be a tough ideal for him to grasp but before she could offer any comforting words Ichigo cut in with his usual blunt, uncaring persona. 

"Would there be any other meaning? You see anyone else around here willing to help you?" Izumi immediately glared at her friend, and watched as Ishida looked even more troubled than he had a minute ago. 

"Don't sprout such nonsense! For a soul reaper and a Quincy to work together is-" before he could finish Ichigo smacked his hand down on his shoulder and yanked him closer to his face. 

"You're still talking about that?!" he screamed in his face before ripping him out of the way of an incoming hollow attack. Using his body as leverage, Ichigo hurriedly volted over Ishida's body by supporting all of his weight into his arm. The force of his weight shoved Ishida down towards the ground. Izumi grabbed hold of another incoming hollow and redirected him with her strength and strength alone; she whipped him into one of the surrounding buildings. Both her and Ichigo allowed one hollow to approach Ishida, both smirked pleased once he quickly destroyed it with one of his arrows. 

"That's right." Ichigo smirked, he was sure he had won the dark haired boy over. But Ishida simply glared at him before clenching his hands into fists. 

"Don't misunderstand! If I hadn't of shot that hollow just now, I surely would've been killed!" he huffed in a breath to continue before Izumi snickered catching his attention. Both boys looked over at her seeing she had completely destroyed over half of the surrounding hollows, leaving them only about four to take care of. 

"You doubt me that much Quincy?" she glared at the dark haired boy while he gulped loudly, he had forgotten her declaration from when he had first met her in his Quincy form. She had sworn on her life that he would live a long life. He had thought it was strange, she was his enemy yet she had sworn to keep him alive and well. 

"A small fry Hollow like that wouldn't have touched you; I merely allowed it close to remind you of who you are." she growled out before looking away from his surprised expression. Ichigo momentarily glared at the boy, he didn't understand their relationship; he knew that he was Izumi's best friend; not this Ishida boy. How much of his friend's life does he not know about?

"I merely wanted to express that I'm not cooperating with this idiotic plan of yours!" Instead of keeping her stare he looked down to the ground and frowned deeply. 

"That's enough. It's do or die, though it's hard to do alone. So we have no choice but to work together!" Ichigo paused and looked from Izumi to Ishida's confused look. "That should be good enough of a reason to work together!"