Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ Redemption ll ❯ The Book ( Chapter 5 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
Tosen repelled the tiny pink blades and when the captain signaled with his eyes to send them back Aizen spoke, "you should stop." His eyes narrowed at the traitor.
"Roar, Zabimaru!" The red head stood sternly next to his captain, "You're the one that should stop." He raised the large blade, clearly intending to use it with his leader's next attack for a combined effort.
"Oh?" He whipped the blade and Aizen flashed stepped a few feet back, revealing someone. Both men showed surprised expressions and moved quickly to stop their attacks.
"What the hell?" Renji exclaimed as his zanpakuto recoiled to its original form.
"What is the meaning of this?" Captain Ukitake stepped forward, clearly bewildered.
Kikyo's eyes were blank and Renji had a difficult time deciphering to whom she was lifelessly staring at, him or his captain. "Kikyo-dono?" He uttered mindlessly as his captain stepped forward.
"What evils have you committed against her?"
He smirked, "Are you upset I stole her from you?" Aizen turned to show the young captain his profile, "be jealous boy, she belongs to me now."
"Ridiculous."
"Oh?" His evil smirk turned toward the nobles, "you could offer her what she wanted?" Byakuya's jaw clenched, "you should see how she flourishes under her new found freedom."
"Freedom my butt." Renji growled and walked past his captain, pointing his blade at the wicked man. "You're just controlling her like some puppet and plan to throw her aside like a useless tool. Kikyo-dono –" His eyes grew large as Aizen approached her and rested his hand on her shoulder.
"I won't throw away my future queen so easily." He bent down and kissed her cheek.
"What?" Jushiro exclaimed with unexplainable horror on his face.
"A woman of this power and fine breeding can't be ignored. After all, isn't that why you were betrothed to her 80 years ago?"
Renji looked at his leader, "Captain?"
"What did take place back then Byakuya?" He paused as he straightened his posture, "Were you deemed unworthy?"
"How long are we going to chit-chat?" Tosen interjected and his leader arched a brow.
"Alright, let's skip the history lesson." He turned his back, "Kikyo please dispose of your former lover."
"There is no such person." She answered heartlessly.
He laughed, "Then your former promised?" A blue zanpakuto materialized into her lax hand.
"Shit!" Renji slid his foot back, shifting his body into a defensive stance, and brought Zabimaru up to shield himself. Gin chuckled distracting the lieutenant. The red head flinched at the clink and screeching sound of steel resisting steel. He looked to see Captain Ukitake blocking her.
"You are no match for her, pull back!"
"This is no fight for any of you fellas." The eighth captain added as he casually joined them, "this is beyond lieutenant level."
"Stop!" A staff slammed against the polished stone floor. Everyone looked to the approaching old man, "what do you want here?"
"I want a book, is the library still closed?" Shunsui went to attack but she shielded the villain.
She fell to her knees on the cool sand, "Ulquiorra-kun," she panted a few times, "water," she coughed and wheezed.
"You are worthless." He appeared with a container and tossed it at her.
"Don't say that!" She guzzled the liquid, "it's so mean." Even she could predict the unsympathetic expression on his face. She stood up and placed her hand over her burning stomach, which began to simmer as cold water hit it.
"You're getting hungry again."
She looked at his cold eyes and smiled, "no, I'm fine." He wasn't wrong; she was already burning off her small lunch. It was her own fault, she had chosen not to eat much so she could go back to training sooner but she was now considering it a terrible idea.
"We're done for today." She looked disappointed but didn't argue. They walked back in silence and he waited with her after he ordered her a second lunch.
"Ulquiorra-kun," she stressfully whispered, "I feel weird." She leaned forward in her seated position and rested her head in her hands.
He suddenly appeared in front of her and looked down at her, "What do you –" She fell against his legs, and he flinched, "Hey?" He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her back. Looking for a moment at her limp frame before leaning her against the sofa, he knelt down over her, bringing his eyes in closer for inspection. "Woman?"
After finding nothing, he suddenly became aware of how close they were and how appealing her lips looked. Those green eyes of his stared intently. Just a small taste, an inner voice echoed in the back of his mind. He leaned down over her and slipped his hand along her smooth jawline, his fingers eventually finding their way into her silken strands. The Espada tilted her head up. Just a taste. Centimeters from her enticing flesh he stopped. There was something odd beneath a finger. He tilted her face away and brushed back her hair. "You were foolish to believe you would go undiscovered for very long." Green light grew from under a slim fingertip and a small white eight-pointed star hollow dissolved.
After ten minutes of peaceful sleep, her lashes finally fluttered apart. "Eh?" She shifted her hazy gaze from the ceiling to her living area. She spotted emeralds staring back at her in the dark. "What happened, Ulquiorra-kun?"
He closed his book and rested it on his lap, "just a leech," he responded, "I'll have nourishment brought in; you should sleep while it's prepared. It'll take you a while to regain what's been stolen."
"Actually, I'm not that tried." She sat up slowly and leaned against the plush furniture for support.
"Don't be so –" A growl interrupted him and he looked a little surprised.
She laid her forehead against her propped up arm, covering most of her face, "but I am hungry." His face returned to its normal state and he rose, carrying his book with him.
"I'll have tea and some fruit brought immediately."
"Thank you," she murmured.
"Hide all you like; I can still see your red cheeks." He watched most of her face flush before she completely buried it in the upholstery. "You'll suffocate." She heard the door close and then laid back down with her cheeks still pink.
"How embarrassing…" She closed her eyes and dozed off.
"…and you said you weren't tired." She turned her head to face the voice.
"I didn't say I wasn't at all tired like you just implied." The girl opened her innocent eyes to find green ones staring back not amused. She blinked, had she seen irritation? She giggled, "Don't be silly." He watched as she sat up and noticed just how unsteady she was yet.
"Stay where you are." She looked up at him and watched blankly as he handed her the cup of tea. "You are too fragile to serve yourself; therefore you'll further burden me. Next time listen to what I order you to do. It's pointless to continue to believe you are the smartest of us." The cup exchanged hands and she sipped from it quietly. He was never one for choosing his words carefully. He had no regard for feelings and didn't care if they were abusive.
The teen glanced at him and felt despite all that, she was finally beginning to understand him. He was lonely and like any strong-willed person, he refused to acknowledge it. At least that was her theory and she figured her chances of testing it were slim to none. After her hearty meal, Orihime fell asleep listening to the wise words of some old author. He closed the frayed leather cover and watched her sleep peacefully. "You are bizarre."
"Chocolate and bean paste…close the drawer…" She rolled over.
"Truly bizarre." He observed before leaving her to her dreams.
"A book? You came for a book?" The question came with a gruff tone and a dead stare.
"Yes, it has pages and often something written on them. Are you too outdated to know of any?" Kikyo glanced at the conceited man before blankly staring at the eighth captain standing in front of her.
Suddenly she became very alert and took up a defensive position now with both her swords. Aizen was about to ask her what the issue was when a man exchanged blows with her. The shockwaves broke up the inner and outer circles, sending everyone fleeing to safer ground. "Hmph," the old man huffed, "did you think the King would let you keep her?" He asked as they landed near each other.
"No." They watched her send the mystery fighter into a nearby building. "But that's why I picked one of his best to steal."
"You still don't understand boy." Aizen narrowed his eyes at the old man but looked back at her after a large explosion shook the ground beneath his feet. She showed no signs of injury or fatigue but most of the bottom half of her kimono was missing and her hair had become disheveled. The woman looked like an excited, feral warrior. It was such a stark contrast from the feminine regal demeanor she had been sporting only moments before, that it was hard to believe she was the same person.
The battle continued to grow more intense until another man appeared seemingly out of thin air. He made his grand entrance by landing on their crossed blades, slamming them into the ground. The stranger looked unfazed and carefree while he stood calmly on the thin metal but the fighters appeared to be irritated by his interference. "You two are making a racket." He commented while picking his ear with a pinky finger. "Not to mention a mess." Kikyo pulled on her fire blade, "and you," he peered down at her, "are supposed to be retired." He stomped on her sword, nearly knocking it out of her hand, "so why don't you settle down, get knocked up, and grow fat 'til ya die? Ain't that what you're supposed to do?"
Suddenly there were metaphoric crickets surrounding everyone, was this person for real? Renji turned to the callous man next to him, "Captain?"
"Do nothing." He coldly ordered. The red head twitched an eyebrow but looked back at the trio. Their spirit pressure was absent, how was that possible?
Not a moment later, heat began to envelope them and the ninja pulled his zanpakuto free with what seemed like magic. He put several meters between him and them, all the while looking rather nervous. "Now, young lady." The crude man leaned on his foot that was still parked on her weapon, "stop exciting me, I'm supposed to be a man of God." He released a shockwave of spirit pressure and snuffed out her rising heat. Kikyo raised her hand and silently hit him with a kido blast.
"Shit! She can use kido without a spell or even a name! Unreal!" Renji looked baffled but also a little enamored. "Wasn't that Shakkaho?"
"Mm, you are the only one who has ever enticed me! You're such a sinful woman!" He bellowed through the smoke. When it cleared, the two were still in the same position but her pink katana was missing.
"Go away or I'll cut your excitement off."
He blinked and looked blankly into her dead serious eyes before busting out in a Zaraki-style laugh. "Talk about a fiery temptation," he roared, throwing back his head with more laughter, "but," he suddenly became deadly serious too. "I'm going to have to put it out." He greeted her shocked face with an evil smile. His eyes glowed and pinkish-white petals exploded into the area. "Did you think I was distracted by the kido?" Kikyo appeared irritated and tried to pull the blue katana free. "No, you're done." The petals dissolved and the pink katana appeared in her free hand.
"Kikyo-dono!" Renji pulled back Zabimaru and began to throw his upper body forward.
"Oh, what's this?" They blinked and he was suddenly holding the sword in his hand. "What an interesting piece." Renji sucked in a breath as he realized his hands were empty. "Why do you look so surprised?" He asked looking at the noblewoman, "didn't you see me? Well I guess not because you allowed me to come right back to the same position." His smile grew nasty, "Maybe I sealed ya a little too well, aye?"
Shock filled the area except for three people, "oh just die already." Blue flames erupted around them and he began to laugh like a maniac again.
"See," they reappeared separated in the fighting area, "that's why you give me so many hard-ons!" He evilly grinned and suddenly appeared in front of her, and poked her between her breasts with his index finger. "Bye now." She stiffened and then coughed up blood onto his hand. Her swords lost their color and suddenly a trace amount of spirit pressure could be felt from her. "Do you want her now?" He asked while turning towards Aizen.
Renji rushed forward and picked up his forgotten zanpakuto, he headed straight for them, "you bastard!" He swung it at the stranger, but the air stopped it, and he just grinned at the lieutenant before Renji dropped heavily into the ground. "Oh man, I forgot how fragile they are, I hope I didn't use too much spirit pressure." He turned back to her, "so the weak love you too. What an idiot." The man began to laugh again but she spit blood in his eye ending his amusement. "Willful as ever." He made a hand sign in front of his other hand, which summoned an energy seal just before his long thick fingers and then he hit her with it in the stomach. She dropped to her knees, letting her swords go and threw up a significant amount of blood.
Aizen turned away, "leaving so soon?" The old man asked.
"I got what I came for." He answered as a garganta appeared before the trio.
"But you lost something."
"Says who?"