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I slept soundly, finding that I had slept on one shoulder all night long. I was sore and slightly cramped, so I stretched, until I felt my heel connect with something soft. Skin, I thought, looking down to the end of the blanket.
Ikkaku lay at my feet, flat on his stomach, his hand on Hozukimaru and his head facing the door. Had he been there all night? Yumichika was still asleep next to me, his slim fingers wound into the sheets tightly. Yet, his expression wasn't as peaceful. He looked as if he'd had a nightmare.
I sat up carefully so I wouldn't wake Yumichika, but I caused Ikkaku to stir. He shifted sleepily and rubbed his eyes, wiping the trademark red paint all over his cheek. I snickered, wondering if Yumichika would be willing to repaint it when he woke up. I knew how sour Yumi could be in the morning.
The sun was barely up, so I decided it would be an ok time to take a bath. The human wouldn't be up yet, surely, and Yumichika and Ikkaku probably wouldn't move until later in the afternoon. I had time to take a bath and wash my hair, I thought, and treated myself to the bathroom.
It was refreshing to take a shower, even though it was nothing like a good bath back in the Seireiti. I was happy to get rid of all the dirt and grime that the human world seemed so comfortable with, and my hair definitely needed a good wash.
It gave me too much time to think, though.
What Ikkaku said still bothered me. I replayed it in my mind numerous times, trying to understand exactly what he meant. He was vague enough that there were two ways to interpret what he said, and I preferred to believe the first option that came to my mind.
I wanted to believe that he was just sticking up for me, that he was just mad at Renji for being...well... a prick. Which I couldn't deny. He could have been a little more tactful. But the only other option was that Ikkaku...
The thought made my mind reel. There was no way, no possible way that Ikkaku felt that way for me. All this time, I had just been a pretty plaything that he dragged around and sparred with. Why did he suddenly want to get attached to me, and in this way? And if he didn't feel that way and I confronted him about it... I would look like an idiot, and more narcissistic than Yumi.
Suddenly frustrated, I shut the water off, fishing for my clothes. I didn't feel them in the floor, and didn't feel the towel I had put out. I struggled to reach a little farther until I felt them press into my palm, warm fingers brushing mine.
I peered out of the shower nervously.
"I didn't realize you were in here," Yumichika said sleepily, yawning. "I wanted to take a bath..."
"Well, I'm done, so just hold on a second and let me get dressed..." I muttered. For a moment, I wanted to scold him, but didn't bother with it. He wasn't even awake yet.
"Why are you up so early?" he asked, his voice muffled by the shower curtain. I struggled to keep my jeans from getting wet on the bottom of the shower.
"Just because."
"Did Ikkaku wake you?"
"...No. Why?"
He chuckled. "No reason."
"Yumi, tell me, please."
"Do you want to know? Because I'm not supposed to say a thing. Really, I shouldn't tell you."
The second I was dressed I bailed out of the shower. I was beyon frustrated at this point. "Look, I don't know what's going on with you two, but I want an answer. What do you mean, Yumichika?"
He put his mirror down, sighing. "If you must know, he had been sitting there watching over you until at least 4 this morning. He just now fell alseep, so don't wake him. I will smash you if you do. And I will DEFINITELY smash you if he finds out I told you this," he said, flipping his hair. "So. Don't say a word. The only reason I know is because when he opened the door last night to come in he woke me up."
I stared at him blankly. "Why was he watching me?" I asked, my heart sinking. This was not what I wanted.
"Figure it out, Michiru. It's not that hard. And it should be painfully obvious." He nudged by me, turning the shower back on. "Now if you'll excuse me, I really need to take a bath."
More confused than before, I sighed and wandered back to the spare room, finding Ikkaku still in the same position, red paint smeared on his cheek. I was surprised Yumichika hadn't noticed, but then again, I was sure he didn't want to wake him up just to fix cosmetics. I reached down and wiped it away gently, watching him knit his eyebrows and shy away from my hand.
Guiltily, I began to wonder what Renji looked like asleep. I wondered if he let his hair down, or at least took his bandanna off. I knew Ikkaku never remembered to wash his red paint off and Yumichika chided him for it, claiming that it was terrible for his skin when he left it on all night.
Where was Renji? Was he with Rukia, or did he stay somewhere else?
I forced myself to stop. I didn't want to get wrapped back up in that world, much less even think about him. Really, what was the benefit of pining after someone who didn't care?
I tried to get comfortable again, wrapping myself up in the blanket, even scooting a little closer to Ikkaku. As weird as things had been last night, he still made me feel safer in a big brother type of way. Yumichika had his own way of making me feel better, but Ikkaku always felt like the safest person to be around.
But not for long.
As I got comfortable, I felt as though the pit of my stomach was dropping through the floor. The whole air of Karakura Town felt different...thicker, even. Something was not right. I nudged Ikkaku's shoulder gently. He opened one eye. "What?" he muttered.
"Do you feel that?" I asked, nervously reaching for my zanpakuto.
"What? It's probably somebody coming through from the Seireiti... Feels weird, I know..." he said quietly. He rolled over onto his stomach.
"No. That's not it..."
"Michiru, stop worrying," he said, muffled. "If it's something bad, Hitsugaya will let us know. I hope."
Yumichika padded back into the room, drying his hair, shaking out his shihakusho. "Did you feel that? It was hideous," he said. Ikkaku groaned.
"It's nothing. Drop it," he growled.
"You know what it feels like?" Yumichikia asked. He looked funny standing there in nothing but the bottoms of his shihakusho, struggling to put his socks on. "It feels like the Captain."
"It probably is... I. Want. To. Sleep."
I figured he had a right to be exhausted, but really? Ikkaku turning down the chance to fight? Maybe he was sick.
Yumichika motioned for me to follow him, tying his uniform neatly. I scrambled after him and followed him out of the house. "I don't care how tired he is, I want to know what's going on," Yumi muttered, furiously trying to situate his uniform. "It smells like a hollow."
"Smells?"
"Don't ask."
I followed him closely for a moment, trying to focus on the source of the pressure. He was obviously confused, stopping at every street corner, guessing vaguely at his location before taking off toward the next block.
"It's in the Vegetable Market," I told him. "The big open-air farmer thing."
He snorted. "I knew that."
"Sure you did."
"You do have your zan--"
"Yes, I do. I don't leave without it."
We ran for what seemed like forever. It felt as if there was something holding us in one place, like our feet were only carrying us centimeters at a time. The odd pressure only increased as we neared the market, and by this time, it felt like gravity had doubled its hold on us. It took physical effort to move and we struggled to reach the market.
"This is too strange. I've never felt something like this before," Yumichika groaned. "It's awful."
"It's almost like Izuru's Wabisuke. Remember? It doubles your weight everytime it touches you..." I said.
He leaned against the street corner, his eyes widening. "That's exactly what it feels like. You don't think he's--"
I shook my head. "No. It has to have physical contact..."
We peered around the corner cautiously. The market was empty, totally devoid of people. There were no vendors, no shoppers, not even any animals. No birds, no cats, no dogs. And it was incredibly silent.
The feeling that washed over me was similar to that of the silence after a storm. Like looking out over all the damage and watching the storm pass in the distance. Yumi looked down at me, puzzled.
"Is it closed?" I asked, but I knew better. The gates were wide open, and the various groceries were still out on the vendor's stalls.
"It can't be. It's Tuesday..."
He stepped out into the plaza, nervously glancing around. "We should call for someone. This could be a trap... Do you remember that Bakudou? The thing you do like Isane?"
"77? I do, but I don't have any ink--"
"Well what about 58?"
"I can do that one. Hold on." I fought for the incantation for a moment, my mind scattered. When it came to me, it tumbled out robotically. "Heart of the south, eye of the north, fingertip of the west, heel of the east, gather by wind, scatter by rain, Bakudo 58, Kakushitsuijaku--" With the last word, my mind began to race. Searching. I concentrated on the nearest pressure, trying to focus the incantation, until I realized who I was zeroing in on.
Renji.
I could clearly see him sitting there, cleaning Zabimaru, his head whipping up as the incantation reached him. In an instant he was on his feet, shouting orders, and then I realized there were more people than just Rukia and Ichigo with him. There was Hisagi, and even Iba. Why had they come here?
I whirled around to Yumichika. "Something is very, very wrong," I sputtered. "I think we need to get out of here."
"What? What did you see? Did you get help?"
"Hisagi and Iba are here. Why would they send them?"
"I don't know. Maybe just to check things out. You know Hisagi is--"
"I don't care what Hisagi is. I care that he's an assistant captain and that there's obviously something that is more than we can handle..."
He grabbed my shoulders. "Michiru. Stop."
I stood staring into his purple eyes, shaking.
"Do you know who you are? Do you? And just because I'm fifth seat doesn't mean I can't handle one nasty little Arrancar. Which is what I'm assuming is--...."
He stopped mid-sentence. "Yumi?" I asked quietly, but he didn't seem to respond. His grip tightened on my shoulders painfully, but his eyes were blank.
Almost lifeless.
He coughed violently, blood spattering the front of my uniform, falling into my arms. I nearly screamed, panicking, shaking him to try and get him to say something. He continued to cough, blood smearing on my arms and chest.
He'd been stabbed. I saw the speartip in his back, protruding through the side of his shoulder now, and I knew that he could die. But there was nothing I could do. My kido was not extensive enough to fix this, and the only person who could possibly help was Orihime. But I didn't have time to look for her. Whoever stabbed him was after both of us, and I didn't want to risk both of us getting hurt, and him getting killed.
Gently, I put him on the ground on his side, tearing my zanpakuto out of its sheath. But I couldn't pinpoint any particular disturbance; in fact, I was just as clueless as I had been when we arrived. My eyes searched the area frantically.
"So they sent you? Just you two? No. You came on your own?"
The voice circled me. There was something incredibly snake-like about the tone, very deceiving. He sounded calm and content with what he had just done.
"Don't hide. It's cowardice," I muttered.
"You were the one so scared a few seconds ago. Where's all this bravado coming from?"
"Just show yourself."
"You mean you don't remember me? Can't tell who I am? Michiru, I'm disappointed in you."
Yumichika wretched behind me and I widened my stance defensively, backing toward his body. His hand touched my ankle weakly.
"Sorry. I tend to forget assholes," I said.
"But, Michiru, I tought you so much in the Academy. Such a bright student. But not that bright. And to think that they want you to take MY place? How silly. You're blind."
The realization began to kick in. I knew this person. I knew the voice, that sneering tone. And I even knew the presence. It was as if I had opened my eyes into bright sun-- I knew exactly where he was and that he was within arm's length of me. And I wanted to kill him.
Before I could complete the thought, I had thrust my zanpakuto in his direction, but he easily blocked. I realized my mistake, but I didn't recoil from him. I had a score to settle now.
"You're fast. Not quite as good as me, but fast," he said.
"Why are you here?" I snapped. "Shouldn't you be up Aizen's ass?"
"So rude."
His spear ground against the hilt of my zanpakuto as he held me off. He wavered into my sight, his narrow eyes hidden under his white hair. Was he struggling against me? I took a quick step back, away from Yumichika but still close enough to protect him. I had taken the first strike--surely he would follow me. I knew how his mind worked.
"Why are you here, Ichimaru?" I asked again.
He dropped his spear, looking from Yumichika to me. "Just for some fun. I always hated him. So full of himself." His tone was mocking again. "But really, I have something to do. And had you not showed up, it would've been just fine. I was expecting Madarame. Or Abarai. I need something from them, not from you."
"And what's that?"
He paused for a moment, circling around me like a vulture. His smile widened. "On second thought, I guess you might do."
He lunged for me.