FicWad

An Unexpected Return

Chapter 2: Destruction

By WarriorsLoverForever

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All that Rukia could recall was the sound of an explosion.

Then, her vision went black.

"Help me...Rukia..."

A familiar voice whispered in her ear. Rukia groaned and slightly moved her hand. Then, her eyes slit open.

The person who awaited her was Hisana. She was close to her face, and a soft smile spread across her face when she sighted her.

"No...I can't be dreaming again..." Rukia muttered, shaking her head. Then, she saw Hisana's condition, and her heart leaped.

Bruises blanketed her face. Her eyes looked heavy and weak, tears filling in them. "Help me. I want...to be with you...and Byakuya-sama..." Her eyes were pleading. She coughed harshly, making Rukia cringe. She was as frail and gentle as paper, in this condition. Whether or not she was dreaming, she couldn't help feel bad for her.

But then she remembered what had happened the last time she had dreamed of Hisana.

Rukia instantly started to her feet and backed away from what seemed to be her sister. "No, you're just...part of a dream. A nightmare. You just want to kill me, isn't that right? The real Hisana won't do that..." She was shivering with fear. When would she wake up? She didn't want to experience another dream like the last one. She wanted to wake up, and recover from the blow that girl in the cloak had caused. She needed to make sure her friends were okay. What was she doing here?

Hisana just stared straight ahead, as if she didn't notice Rukia was there. "Save me, Rukia. Otherwise, I might end up hurting you...this is going all against my will, Rukia. I don't want to visit you in dreams. It's so strange." She forced a grin. "That girl in the cloak is the cause of our pain. She is the one. You must stop her. I know her identity, but I cannot tell you who she is. Otherwise, it will be harder for you to face her."

Rukia just stared at her in astonishment. "I don't understand. What you did in the last dream was...against your will? And why are you hurt? In the last dream, it was completely different. Tell me. Who the hell is that girl in the cloak? And what is happening to you, Hisana? How are you here?"

Hisana looked at her sadly. "I cannot tell you the future, even with my knowledge. Remember, knowledge can be a burden. Once a secret has been unearthed, it cannot simply be put back in the soil. It must be kept and saved in your heart, Rukia.."

She looked at her sister in confusion. "I-I don't understand. You're not answering my question!" she declared.

Hisana just stared straight ahead, as if she hadn't heard her response. Then, she continued, "Before you learn the truth, first you must save me, Rukia. Then, just for a little while, I'll see you and Nii-sama...you'll be safe..." The figure of Hisana suddenly wavered, and then flickered away.

"Wait, tell me more! Hisana!"

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"...Hisana..." Rukia murmured in her unconscious state. Her hands slightly moved as she began waking up.

Then, her hands ran against something sharp that pierced her skin, biting into it.

"Ouch!" Rukia's purple eyes shot open as she immediately sucked on the blood that was seeping down her hand from the cut, making a salty, metallic taste explode in her mouth. She found herself buried under a pile of rubble and grit. Apparently, she had scraped her hand against a rough piece of rubble.

Groaning, Rukia pushed the rubble off of her. Pain shot through her hand when she moved it, making her grimace. Then, she sat there, emotionless, looking at the destruction around her. She was deep in thought about the dream.

Why is Hisana visiting me in my dreams? And what does she know about the girl in the cloak? Rukia thought to herself pensively. She sat there absently, staring at a cloud looming in the blue sky. It did nothing to match the mood of these destroyed buildings.

Rukia's eyes suddenly shot wide. "Oh shoot, my friends!"

She stood up with a start and yelled, "Ichigo! Renji!"

Her voice echoed throughout the air, but there was no response. Her eyes widened with fear. She fidgeted and shook with pain and fear.

No. They can't be dead.

"Chad! Uryu!" she shouted, a little louder than before. Not a thing moved in sight. Even the humans had seemed to have evacuated the area.

She continued to scream for them, running everywhere and rummaging through all rubble in sight. Her lungs summoned all of their power, until she thought she felt fire burning inside of her.

"Hisana...please guide me! You know about what is up with that weird girl, right? Answer me!" She thought she was going to burst in tears, but she knew she had to stay strong. Her friends wouldn't die so easily.

Her knees suddenly buckled when she felt a sharp pain in her arm. She pulled up her sleeve to find a bruise covering it.

"I must have hurt myself during that explosion..." Rukia muttered, as she tried to blow on the swelling wound. She sat there, feeling completely useless and weak in the state she was in.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of shoes on cement, and rustling through the rubble. She sensed a familiar spiritual pressure. Immediately, her head turned to find the source of the noise.

She sighted a figure walking towards her.

Her heart skipped a beat for a moment, only for her muscles to relax when she found out it was her brother, Byakuya.

His gray eyes looked over her condition, and then he implied, "I see that the spiritual pressure you were investigating has now disappeared. Did you find out any information on the identity of the intruder?"

Rukia sighed, looking down. "No, we haven't. We were all terribly defeated in battle. She obscured her face with a cloak. Apparently, she plans to steal power from the Soul Society."

"Were you able to attack her?"

Rukia felt like a failure, saying this in front of Captain Kuchiki. Reluctantly, she remarked, "We couldn't put a scratch on her. She deflected the attacks. Then, in one attack, she collected an enormous amount of spiritual energy and blasted the whole place. I can't even find anyone else."

"I see," Byakuya said plainly, in that deploring tone he always used with everyone. For a moment, they were both silent.

Suddenly, Rukia fell to the ground, clutching her wound. Byakuya slowly helped her up, as she groaned with pain.

"We are heading to the Soul Society. We have located your friends, and brought them there, too. Captain Unohana will help with your wounds. Try to stand up."

Rukia shakily stood on her legs and smiled. "I'm glad that they're all okay..."

Byakuya silently nodded, and then opened the Senkaimon with his Zanpakuto. Two glass doors opened, and pure white light filtered out of them, leading to the Soul Society.

Rukia began walking towards the doors, Byakuya close behind. She thought about her dreams about Hisana.

Should I tell him about the dreams? He was the closest one to Hisana, after all...

She shook her head. It would be pathetic, telling a captain about a dream that wasn't supposed to be true. She would look childish in front of him.

But then how did Hisana know about the girl in the cloak if it was just a dream? Rukia had a gut feeling that Hisana and the cloaked girl were connected. What was even more mysterious was the way the girl had hid her identity. Why would she do that?

"Rukia, are you going in?"

Rukia's face turned red in embarrassment when she noticed that she was standing still, right in front of the doors to the Soul Society. She was so busy pondering about whether or not to tell him about the dreams that she hadn't noticed that she had spaced out.

She exhaled, and turned to Byakuya, who was expectantly waiting for an answer. His eyes narrowed slightly.

"What's wrong, Rukia?" he inquired, glancing at her. "Don't you want to meet your friends?"

"Nii-sama..." Rukia looked down. There was no backing down now. She had to tell him about the dreams. It was too important to keep secret. Taking a deep breath, she continued, "There's something I want to tell you before we leave for the Soul Society."

Byakuya looked at her. "What is it that you want to talk about?"

His serious eyes loomed over Rukia's face. She hesitated, and then murmured slowly, "It's...about the dreams I've been having..." Her throat became dry, and she shuddered when she thought of Hisana's violent actions in the first dream.

"What is the dream about, and what does it have to do with the situation?" Byakuya said coolly.

Rukia managed to stutter, "I-it was...uh..." She swallowed the lump in her throat. "It was about Hisana."

For a split second, Rukia thought she sighted a flicker of shock from the captain's eyes, but it may just have been a trick of light. Even then, the captain seemed to be slightly edgy about this, since he immediately responded coldly, "It's just a dream. It must have been scary, since I heard you yelling that night, but it is nothing but nonsense. You shouldn't feel shaken about it. We should be heading back, now, Rukia." He turned away, walking towards the gate to the Soul Society. He glanced at her from the side and then added, "Unless you want me to leave you here."

Rukia felt betrayed. "No, Nii-sama, you have to listen!" Her voice became more urgent. "I-it has something to do with the girl in the cloak! I know it! That dream was scary, but then I was visited by Hisana in a second dream. She said that something was going against her will, and she had no idea how she was appearing in my dreams. But that was really her! It has to be!" Her heart began racing.

Byakuya seemed slightly surprised at how Rukia had become angry, especially since she was arguing with him. Usually, she kept quiet, knowing better to go against a captain's orders, but now her eyes seemed to flare with fire. She wouldn't quit in convincing him about the dreams so easily.

Byakuya sighed exasperatedly and said, "Hisana is dead. I know we all will miss her, but you shouldn't overreact and connect it with our problems. She has nothing to do with this. Stop this talk now, or I will drag you forcefully along. Then, you can speak to the head-captain about your rude behavior about frivolous dreams."

Rukia dejectedly replied, "Yes, Captain Kuchiki," and obediently entered the Soul Society gates, her brother close behind.

I thought perhaps he would understand about Hisana. He did love her after all. But he doesn't understand. Not even him! Rukia thought furiously as she let the white light of the gate engulf her.

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Ichigo winced as Isane, second seat of Division 4, began wrapping a cast around his leg. Meanwhile, Renji was in the bed next to them, a cold pack on his head, but still conscious. However, Chad and Uryu still haven't woken up yet, despite all of the treatments Captain Unohana had given. She was worried if they'd ever wake up.

"Do you know if Rukia is alright?" Ichigo immediately inquired when Isane was finished.

Isane shook her head sadly. "I don't know about where she is. I'm starting to worry. I think someone from the Soul Society went to the world of the living to bring her back safely." Her eyes lowered. "She might be fine, though..."

Renji sat up. "What do you mean, she might be fine? She has to be fine!" he yelled, his eyes flaring. Isane, startled by his sharp reply, looked up.

"I'm...sorry, Lieutenant Abarai. I didn't mean to disturb you."

"Yeah, right..." Renji retorted angrily, but his gaze was not on Isane, but out of the window. The billowing clouds swirled across the bright blue sky, but did nothing to reassure him. He positioned his ice pack on the other side of his head, and turned away from them.

Ichigo laid his eyes on Renji's retreating gaze, and then sighed. Rukia was nowhere in sight, Chad and Uryu were seriously injured, and the girl in the cloak had retreated somewhere else, without suffering a scratch. He felt his fists tighten as he pondered about the situation.

"Once I see that girl in the cloak again, I'll crush her to bits..." Ichigo muttered under his breath, as he let Isane apply some ointment on his wounds.

Suddenly, Captain Unohana barged into the room, her eyes calm, yet urgent.

Isane abruptly stood up, and asked her captain, "Is there any news?"

Her eyes were dull. Softly, she uttered, "Captain Kuchiki was able to locate and find Rukia. Their spiritual pressure was detected heading towards the Soul Society. But then..." Her eyes closed. "Their spiritual pressure completely disappeared."

Renji's eyes widened. "What!"

"No way..." Ichigo attempted to stand up, and limped towards the captain. "Where the hell did they go!"

She adjusted her braids and sighed. "We don't know. The path to the Soul Society must have been cut off, and ended up leading them to another dimension. But you must stay. Your wounds aren't healed, so it's no use going after them. You all will only hurt yourselves even more. The Soul Society will take action soon."

"There's no need for that," a voice emitted from the side of the room.

The captain turned around to see a tall girl with long, orange hair, with two snowflake hairpieces. Her gray eyes were determined.

"Orihime..." Ichigo smiled. "It's glad to see you."

Orihime turned to the captain. "I'm sorry to barge in the Soul Society like this. I know that a human like me shouldn't be involved with your matters. However, no matter how much I would like to wait for their wounds to heal, we must go now! Rukia could be in danger out there. I could quickly heal them."

Captain Unohana frowned. "Very well, then, but you all have to be careful. Don't do anything reckless, either." She turned to Isane. "We all have to attend to a meeting, anyway. Hopefully, your healing powers will be able to take care of Uryu and Chad. Come, Isane."

The captain and vice-captain both left the room. Isane made one last worried glance at them before disappearing behind the threshold.

Orihime turned to Renji and Ichigo. Her eyes were wide, and her body was shaking. Even then, she tried her best to look confident, and firmly asked, "How are Uryu and Chad, anyway?"

Renji sighed. "They haven't woken up yet."

She eyed him sadly, and then ran into the next room. Chad and Uryu lay on the floor, blankets wrapped all over them. Both of them had wet towels on their heads, and both of them had casts around various body parts. Orihime quickly bolted to them, Renji and Ichigo following close behind her.

"Oh no..." Her hair flew forward as she dropped to the floor, right besides them. She examined their wounds, and quickly chanted, "Soten Kisshun, I reject!" Her hairpieces glowed, and a yellow barrier formed around the two injured men. Reluctantly, she met with Ichigo's gaze.

"Ichigo, Renji, you have to go on without us," Orihime whispered, looking away.

"What do you mean by that!" Ichigo protested. "You came here all the way in order to find us and help us find Rukia, and now you have to stay back?"

Orihime stared at the mahogany wood floor, emotionless. "Trust me, Kurosaki-kun. I don't care how far I have to travel, or the consequences I'll face for that. I don't even mind staying back, as long as Rukia comes back safe." Then, she looked at him, and smiled. "I just want to help you. Just promise me you'll come back alive."

Ichigo stared at her in amazement, surprised at her words, but then smiled back. "Thanks, Orihime." He turned to Renji. "Let's go quickly. Maybe Urahara knows where they'll be."

Renji nodded, and they both raced out of the headquarters, and bolted towards the gate that led to the world of the living.

As Orihime watched them leave, she smiled softly. "Good luck, Ichigo."