Etheral (Mr. Nibbles and Mech Pilot)

Ichigo's broken and bloodied body fell to the rocky ground at Sindri's feet. The powerful Substitute Shimigami defeated by a foe far out of his leauge. The Revenant, no longer amused with his enemies turned to swing at his second adversary only to have the attack blocked by a counter blow from Souma. The lightening discharge fired and sent Souma sliding down to the base of the small mountain, with the force of the blow, Sindri, however easily absorbing the shock with his Zanpakuto's power of vibration control.

Just as the Revenant was about to raise his mace and create another earthly attack, the storm above turned into a funnel cloud, not unlike the one the REvenants appeared in. The broken form of Jankovic had finally made it to the summit, using only one arm to pull his shattered torso and helm. The Revenant of guns held tightly to his master's leg waiting for the transportaion to begin. Sindri looked up into the funnel, green lightening thrashing above. He looked down and grunted.

"It seems," he began with a hiss fueled by hate "We have run out of time form our little play date."

As he spoke the funnel grew bigger, causing a large crowd of spiritually aware people to gather around the local area to observe the strange pheonomena following the mountain making quake. One of which was Inoue Orhimie, who had just now finally made it back to the sight of Urahara's shop. Urahara himself was aided by Tessai, Urahrara's bloody stump having clotted finally. Rukia and Inoue ran to Souma's side to watch as the God withdrew almost at random.

"W-what's happening Kuchiki-chan?!?" Inoue whimpered, her voice having returned.

All those witnessing felt their hearts drop as they watched the Revenant god pick up the weak, black cloaked Shimigami that is Ichigo's broken form. Ichigo stuggled in the daemon's one-handed grip at his throat but he had little chance to escape.

"With that said." shouted the Daemon-king over the thunderous storm overhead "I have not been so selfish as to leave without a compensation for you Shyishdhaos defeating four of my best warriors."

The Daemon sealed his Zanpakuto, the mace transforming into a sabre as it entered its sheath. The daemon thrust his hand into Ichigo's coat, clutching his bruised skin with his mailed fist. Ichigo screamed a blood curtling scream of dying agony as the creature twisted his flesh with its bare hand.

"ICHIGO!" shouted Inoue and Rukia simultaniously, those capable then darting for the daemon.

But the humans were far to slow to reach the God in time. With one fell motion the god pulled back his arm, using its godly strength and pulling all of Ichigo's skin from his still breathing body in one sickening peice. Ichigo screamed as his skinless body felt the cold air touch his bare muscle. The god dropped the dying Ichigo and slung the flayed pelt over his shoulder with a gorey slosh, spraying blood all over himself and the approching girls.

"I leave you the flayed corpse of your toughest fighter." growled the suddenly pleased daemon, pointing his wicked, gore covered finger at the others "And when I return, I shall fashion all your pelts as a glorious coat."

And with a heinous laugh, Sindri was struck by green lightening and absorbed by the clouds, leaving a mountain and the skinless, lifeless body of Kurosaki Ichigo in his unholy wake.
 
Souma retreated far away with the enemy's blow, even though he effectively block it. Sindri's strentgh was simply off the charts. How could they face someone like that? He just hoped help was on the way because they were getting out of options there, if there was any option still available for them at all. He skidded to a stop near the Revenant-made mountain. Souma got ready to strike once again, his one-armed fighting stance back up. All he could do was to keep fighting, all the way to the end.

But the sudden change in the misteryous phenomena in the sky, seemed to cease the Revenants attack. For some reason, it seemed they were limited by it, and needed it to return to their own dimention. Or so it would seem. It was to risky to make assumptions at that point. Then the god announced the combat was over, but still took Ichigo's limp body, picking him up with just one hand. Souma watched, wondering what he would do, how he would kill his senior Shinigami, but would never imagine what would come next.

Paralyzed in fear, he watched as Sindri ripped Ichigo's skin from his body, collecting it as if it where a prized pelt of a hunted animal, throwing it on his back carelessly as the high school senior fell to the ground, flayed, his bare muscles in contact with the air and ground. Souma's eyes widened in horror. Time stood still, as the scream of terror of both Rukia and Inoue echoed in his ears for what felt like hours. Then he was deaf. No sound came in, everything blocked. Their screams, the revenant threat. Everything was just static.

A sudden burst of lightning followed, the energy uncontrollable flying everywhere, as if Souma had turned himself into a human storm. Lightning ran around him, untamed, flowing in pure rage, as the boy lost control over his emotions. His Zanpakutou reacted to it, releasing all the energy it had stored, converting it into eletricity that radiated around, destroying any eletric and eletronic equipments nearby and overloading everything that could be overloaded. His mind went blanked.

And he charged. Blindly. Almost in a suicidal attack. There was no feign, no tactic, no technique. What followed was purely instinctive release of blinding rage. He ran up to the summit in a incredible speed, and slashed at the enemies with everything he got, roaring in anger in pain from the destruction and horror those beings had shown him.
 
As the daemon god pointed at the lessers beneath him, Souma charged faster than any Shupo could carry him. It was if he froze time with his step, controlling the world's kenetic energy and using it as a weapon. Souma swung his blade at the god, suddenly appearing in a burst of blue lightening. With a swing of his mighty spear, Souma shouted and struck the Revenant as he was caught off guard.

Time unfroze and things seemed to fall back into place. But the most amazing thing happened as time slowly began again for Souma. The hand of the revenant god fell limply to the ground and shattered into a thousand red shards. The severed wrist of the god smouldering and red hot from the attack. Jankovic and Sindri simply stared at the wound with awe. Sindri then glared at the Shimigami, with anger that seemed more offended than in pain. The god simply formed a stance of concentrated energy and shifted his weight forward on the mountain. Reacting in harmony with his movements a pike of solid rock shot from his feet and stabbed deep into Souma's chest, impaling him above his peers like a trophy.

With that final moment the daemon vanished, hissing words of hate in a language older than the stars. The sky cleareed, and only two gored and maimed Shimigami remain atop the spiked mountain of desolation.
 
Souma was still too out of it to actually see his attack had been effective. In a fit of rage, completely berserk, he couldn't really see anything, and even the awe in his enemies eyes was lost to him. The boy simple prepared another swing, and was ready to deliver it, when the god countered it. The boy felt incredible pain in his chest as he was stabbed int it, his body being lifted by the stone spike that shot from the mountain, and going limp as all his strentgh left him. He could feel pain and cold, and the blood that left him, running through the spike that pierced him.

He tried to talk, to scream in pain, but even his voice failed. He was to tired, in to much pain to react to that. The sudden vitality of the rage left him, and the lightning around him died out, fading away along with his will. Tentsurugihime escaped from his grip, and fell from up the mountain to the ground, piercing it, and being sealed once again, by itself.

Souma's eyes were heavy and breathing was hard. The solid chunk of rock inside his chest was killing him slowly as the boy drained out in it. He closed his eyes and sighed, apologizing to his senior in his mind. He had been defeated. He had failed, and a friend paid the price for it. He couldn do anything else, anymore. Darkness was coming and would be his only company.

With that in mind, conscience abandoned him, and he surrendered himself to fate.
 
The last thing Souma had heard before he faded from the light was the voice of a familiar girl. Kuchiki Rukia screamed at the top of her lungs, not out of squeemish fear, but failure. She had lost the boy she'd once loved. She felt powerless, and it was the powerlessness that showed they dying Souma that it was hopeless to try and live.


CHAPTER III:
The Blood on our Hands​

When he awoke he was on his back, Inoue-san sat next to him, a veil of yellow Rieatsu surrounding him and knitting together his wounds. He watched as the sun set outside a the wooden splinters that was once Urahara Shop's rec-room. All that remained was the stock room and Urahara's bedroom. Everything else was demolished in the battle.

Souma looked up into Inoue-san's eyes, they were blood shot and red much like her nose and cheeks. She had been crying. Souma saw Urahara-senpai in the corner, his shirt off, and his arm bandaged. Rukia was facing out the window by herself, her head and arm bandaged as well.

Things seemed like they couldnt get anyworse. All the people he respected had been beaten senseless by the most frightening monsters in existance. What was to come of them? of earth? and why had they been so forsaken?
 
Souma looked around the shop, disheartned, once he woke up. Things were chaotic there, and he could see the suffering in both the eyes of Rukia and Inoue. They had lost something he could not give them back anymore, something way to precious to be measured. The had been beaten senseless, suffered, and now lost a friend, and all Souma did was look at it, failling one time after the other. Made him wonder why he was still alive at all.

Slowly, the boy sat on the floor, looking at all those that were present in the room, not knowing what to say. Wha could he say to those who had lost someone so important to them? His words were meant to himself, out of pure surprise. - "I'm still alive..." - he mused, looking at his hands. He was sure he would die as well. Judging by what was happening, he could guess it was Orihime's efforts that kept him safe and alive. He looked at her sheepshly, without the courage to look her in the eyes. - "Inoue-senpai... Thanks." - he said, looking at the floor as he sat.

He looked at Urahara then, and not knowing what else to do decided to ask. - "Where is Stansuik-san?" - he asked, his voice low, so he wouldn't disrupt Rukia's and Orihime's suffering. - "And what do we do now?"
 
"D-don't mention it." choked Orihime, her voice course from the abuse her throat took earlier and all the crying she had done while Souma was unnconcious. She turned away from him, the yellow veil retracting to her berrets as Souma sat up. She stood and silently exited the broken room.

"E-exuse me Urahara-san" she bowed polietly "I need to get home."

The group, excluding Rukia, watched the sorrowful redhead exit the desolate shop, trying to avoid all of the police and paramedics strewn through out the foot of the newly created mountain.

"Stansuik?" responded Urahara, not looking at Souma "He disapeared before Ichigo was..."

He couldnt finish the sentece. Ichigo was one of the strongest Shimigami he had known... and he was crushed so easily. How could this have happened, and on HIS watch none the less. He felt weak himself, being so easily maimed by the vile Jankovic. His only option now was to think of a way to stop these usurpers from claiming earth and the soul society and taking countless lives.

"What we do now?" interjected Rukia, her voice sombre "We go back to the graveyard, find out bodies, and go home."

She turned to Souma, a look of despair hidden behind a mask of fidelity. She was in extreme pain internally, but none but the most keen could see through her stoney-faced facade. She walked over to Souma and looked down at him.

"Can you walk?" she asked greivously.
 
Souma nodded, respecting Inoue's suffering. Ask her if she was alright wound sound stupid, if not downright offensive. Ichigo had just been killed in front of her eyes, so it was obvious that she wouldn't be fine. And Souma let that happen, failling to protect her friend and now, couldn't do anything about her sadness. Hell, he couldn't do anything about his own hard feelings. He watched her leave the room, without a word, getting up as he looked at Uruhara.

Urahara's words died in his mouth and he simply decided it was better not to press the issue. Rukia was right. There was nothing they could do about that now. he would press on the matter of calling for help later, but now he should give them the time to mourn his fallen friend, and take that time to get his head straight himself.

The boy nodded at Rukia and got up.

"Yeah, I can." - he said, looking at Uruhara. - "Excuse me, Urahara-san" - he bowed to the older man, and followed Rukia out, only guessing how bad the girl was feeling at the time, and how strong she was to keep her mask of tranquility, even though pain was splattered in her eyes. He did not mention it though, and walked back to the graveyard in silence, one step back from Rukia, so he could watch over her as they walk.

Souma did want to say something, but felt like no matter what he said, things would simply get worse.
 
They finally turned into the alley where they left Kuchiki Chappy to watch over his "corpse". Both were missing, contrary to Rukia's direct order. Rukia noticed a note on the ground with a bunny scribbled on it. She picked it up and read the note inscribed on that back:

Kuchiki-sama,
Have taken dead boy to appt. Find us there. Making food.

"Goddamnit chappy." Rukia cursed under her breath. "She's gone to my appartment."

She turned to him, the street light glimering in her violet eyes beautifully, her short, raven hair dancing around her shoulders with the turn of her face. She looked up at Souma with eyes that seemed to glisten with ages of sorrow and loss, begging for a friend, but refusing to voice it.

"She took your body there as well."

She turned out of the alley way and used her Shunpo to take to the skies looking back down at Souma with her elegantly beautiful frame backlit by the huge summer moon.

"You coming?"
 
'Dead boy. That's kinda rude...' he thought, stupidly, his mind still numb with everything that went on that day. His family should already be worried sick about him, but he couldn't care less about it anyway. He was still trying to process every bit of information that his mind failed to do until now. Thinges had been way more simple before that morning. A part of him wished he had ignored the paranormal phenomena that morning, and followed Keigo directly to school. Thinking about his friend made his heart skip a beat. How would he explain to him that Ichigo had died, being flayed by an unnatural enemy?

Souma was taken away from his self-centered thoughts by Rukia's voice, and stared into her big violet eyes, understanding that she needed help at the moment. But what could he do? Was he even allowed to help? They new each other yes, but they weren't friends or anything. That day had been when they spent more time with each other and traded more words than ever since they met, Keigo being their middleman. He watched her shunpo to the air, where she looked down on him, the moon on her back, her raven hair dancing around her, and those big, violet eyes that silently cried for help.

Souma swallowed hard, his hands closing in fists. 'Stop being such a pussy, Souma!' he berated himself, when he looked back at her, using his shunpo to appear right in front of her. He was very close to the girl, and felt nervous about it, but with a deep breath he left all his insecurity and doubts behind. Sometimes you had to risk it, getting over the fear of rejection. Swiftly, his arms wraped around Rukia's tiny frame, and Souma pulled her closer for a tight embrace, a hand behind her back, guiding her head to his shoulder.

"You don't need to be strong now." - he said, his tone so soft he was even impressed with himself, by the fact he did not stuttered. - "I know you're suffering. I'm here, Kuchiki-san. If you need a friend. If you need to talk or cry... I'm here."
 
There in the moonlight, on a night so similar to the one she experienced the night she met Ichigo, she froze in the arms of the tall handsome boy. She clamed up, her heart fluttering, unsure of what to do. She felt his warmth so close to her, something she never let happen. She couldnt even speak, the only thing she could utter were small, soft noises of barely formed words. Her arms tensed up out of reflex, shed never allowed herself to talk about her feelings or even cry about them. She was far from an open book. She was more like a maximum security vault. Nothing got out or in.

But suddenly, in Souma's arms, she let out a small peep, buried her face into his strong chest and did something she'd not done in a very long time; she cried. She cried harder than she'd ever cried before. She clutched his kimono and sobbed, trying to speak but her voice was dry, all the moisture seemingly taken by her eyes and poured onto the black robes of Souma. She had barely spoken to this boy, excluding a few times when she met him with Keigo and his other friends. But something about him allowed her to open up into him, it was a feeling she only felt twice, once when she first met Kaien, and again when Ichigo and her kissed for the first time. It was a feeling of a natural bond. A rapture of her soul she couldnt resist.

"Thank you." she sobbed
 
Souma embraced the tiny frame of Rukia tightly as she cried, comforting her the best he could. Nothing he could say would help her. Nothing but being there for her, letting her cry all her sorrow out, as he silently enveloped her in his arms. Seeing his senior in that state saddened him. The boy new Rukia was a good person. She was kind and caring, even though she had a somewhat harsh demeanor, and he knew she did not deserved to suffer like that. Seeing her in such pain saddened him to no end.

His embrace tighened around her as her sobs got louder, his hand running on the female shinigami's hair as he petted her caringly, well aware of the sadness in her heart. He stared at the moon as he did, his fingers caressing her as if it was the most important task on the world. That was the least he could do to her, even if amounted to nothing.

"It's alright..." - he answered when she thanked him. He wanted to apologize, for failing with Ichigo. But he didn't want to remember her once again that he was dead, knowing that the fact was already tormenting her. - "I'll be here for as long as you need."
 
Rukia backed away and looked into Soumas eyes. Her own were welted with tears, she was beyond suffering. Shejust wanted to close her eyestight and wake up next to Ichigo in his bed, him cheating on her never happening and his death all a horrible nightmare. But then that would erase Souma... and she wasn't sure she wanted his part of this chapter in her life to be re-written.

"W-we should get going," she said softly, levetating slowly in the direction of her house "No reason for your parents to stress about you misisng*
 
"Sure. Let's go." - He smiled softly at her, trying to give her a little strentgh to face her hardships, even though he had little left himself. Once they were on their way, he kept always one step behind her, watching over her rather protective. She was graceful, he had to recognized and even amidst the pain, her dignity was superb.

"Yeah, she's probably worried sick about me, right about now..." - the shinigami agreed, following her, his kimono fluttering around him. - "You live alone right? I heard Keigo-kun talking about it once." - he continued, while following her, not knowing where she lived. - "Its a hard time for being alone, though." - he was slightly distressed, wondering if it wouldn't sound strange, but he asked anyway. - "If you want to, you can spend the night at my place. My mother wouldn't mind."

After the question, he waited for her reaction quite anxiously, following her to her palce.
 
The hulking goliath god that is Sindri entered through the glowing-green Etheral portal, his destruction done in earth realm behind him. A suddenly whole and flesh-made Jankovic stumbled through the hole, his skin naked and rotted grey from centuries of undeath. His body was cut and bleeding execissively, the only partclothed and healed was the parts covered by his greenamror. The daemon spirit collapsed on the ground behind his crimson master.

"MERLEN!" shouted Sindri, his missing hand gushing dark crimson.

Several red robbed figures with 3 glowing eyes under their hoods chittered forth on mechanical spider legs. They picked up the gored and dying Jankovic and took him away, the others removed Sindri's armor and placed a red cloak over his now naked undead form. His hair was yellowed and balding. His skin greenish-grey and missing in certain spots, leaving only bone behind. The daemon god walked forward and called the name again.

"MERLEN!" he bellowed into the shadowy castle "You said that the process of becoming Revenant would leave us unscaved in this world!"

A billowing black smoke came from the shadows and formed a skeletal cloaked figure.

"Appologies Sindri," spoke Merlen Fillipov the god of Death. "I underestimated the power of the Shyishdhaos."

"Underestimated?" barked the god of Tremors "3 of my men are DEAD and look at me."

Sindri held up his stump, the thick blood still flowing despite Sindri's demeanor seeming ignorant of the wound's severity.

"Hmm," pondered the fanged liche "None should be powerful enough to harm a god."

"He was!" shouted Sindri

"I assume that is his pelt?" pointed a boney finger of Merlen at Ichigo's flesh.

"No, this is another, but the boy who harmed me and my minions too is slain."

"One boy did this to Etherals?" pondered the Etheral god "Impossible."

"Nien it is too possible! Though he shall harm no more our cause." smirked the undead god as a cloaked machine-zombie began constructing a steam powered metal hhand onto Sindri's flesh. Merlen turned to Sindri

"You arogant fool," he said "A Shyishdhaos of that power will not die easily, if you did not watch the boy perish then he shall return, and this proves, as I expected you are incapable of leading our Lord's forces in battle."

"Where is he?" asked Sindri "I wish to have audience with my leige."

"He is in his studies, and you are not todisturb him" hissed a voice from behind him "You have failed Brother."

Sindri turned back to the shadows to see a black cape billowing into the light. Sindri scowled at the figure he knew all too well.

"Baal." hissed the god of Tremors as his older brother stepped from the shadows, his face perminantly twisted into a fanged smile. "You live still?"

"It's been a long time little brother." grinned Baal, the hidieous god of War.

=======================================================================================================

Rukia stopped in her tracks. She was stunned at the question. She didn't even know how to respond to such a proposal and simply blushed.

"I-I," she stammered "Let me think about it."

She continued on, not talking for the rest of the way. Eventually the two reached her home. Rukia used her key hidden in the hilt of her Zanpakuto and unlocked the door. Within she saw her body dressed in uncharacteristicly tight clothing. She stood over the stove, a boiling pot of noodles beneathe her. Souma's body lay propped up, looking dead, in a chair against the corner of the small room. Chappy bent overto recieve some bowls from her undercupboard, her bum grasped firmly by a pair of baby blue booty-shorts and her body slender body clung by a small cotton, v-neck t-shirt.


"Oh hi, Kuchiki-sama!" chappy shouted turning to the two and rising with her back arced seductively, her gleaming violet eyes subduing even the most strong willed.

"Don't "Hi, Kuchiki-sama" me you little twerp!" shouted Rukia charging into her body "How dare you leave without my permission?"

Rukia pushed into her body and was absorbed with blue energy. He body jarred andhacked up the green pebble. Rukia caught it with great skill. She looked down at her outfit and blushed.

"Sorry, I normally dont wear this." she smiled a bit, still blushing "Mind if I change? Youcan get into your body too if you want."
 
"Sure, take your time..." - he answered, her casually. It was clear by his tone and the look in his eyes, that he didn't have any strange ideas about it, and the proposal was made out of simple concern and care. For some reason the boy felt he had to help his senpai, after all she went through in one day. He knew they had broken out before his death but he doubt she had gotten over her feelings so quickly. Ichigo's death should be hurting her as nothing ever hurt her before. Her eyes told him so.

The death god followed his superior in silence from then on, nothing to be said then. He saw how run down was the appartment she lived in and felt a little sorry for her. Inside it, the place was small and ill furnished, but cozy enough for someone to live in. It was Rukia's body that had a greater effect on the boy. She was clad in rather casual clothes, revealing all the elegance of her small, albeit beautiful curves. He blushed slightly at the scene, quickly turning his attention to his own body, that laid dead in the couch.

"Well. Don't worry. Its a very casual outfit, but... It does look good on you..." - he complimented, slightly flushed. - "Yeah, by all means. Pretend I'm not even here..." - he smiled at her, and charged into her body, feeling how much strentgh and speed he lost being confined inside his meat suit. He got up from the chair, and caressed his shoulder, while he wait for her to change, looking around the apartment while she did. Once she was back, he turned to look at her.

"I should get going. My mom must be worried sick about me..." - He explained, looking at the older girl. - "Think about what I said. Being alone in times like these can be really bad for you."
 
Rukia walked back in with a long sleeve button up pajama shirt and matching pants. She felt much more comfortable in these, at least around people. When Souma got up and exited she felt her voice become caught in her throat despite the fact that she wanted desperately to speak out. When he went to the door he had barely begun turning the knob when she finally spoke.

"I-If you want..." she stammered "Chappy made food, its Ramen but she's a better cook than me I garentee that... If...you want to...stay with me...for dinner I mean."

She blushed and rubbed her arm, looking down to avoide eye contact before looking up at the handsome boy from the corner of her big amethyst eyes.
 
Souma looked back at her, not at all surprised about the invitation. It was a hard time for her, and he doubt she'd want to be alone, hence his invitation earlier. And he thought it would be too cruel for him tom simple let her there like that, so he smiled at her, caringly, as he noticed her purple eyes avoiding his own.

"Well, yeah. If you want I can stay for dinner..." - he answered, with a smile. With a little more convincing she would probably accept his offer to go stay at his house, he imagined. - "I'll just text mom to let her know I'm here. - he finished.

The boy quickly took his cellphone out of his pocket, and sent a text message to his mother, excusing himself for his disappearing on work hours, and staying out until that late, but said a friend had lost someone important, and that he was helpim. For a sensible woman like his mother he knew it would be enough to convince her. He said he would be home soon.

"Done." - he looked back at the raven haired shinigami, and smiled. - "After dinner, we go together. What do you think?"
 
Rukia looked down and blushed again not willing to look him in the eye.

"I don't know Souma, I just feel like I'd be a burden." she said turning away from him and pouring some of the ramen in a bowl. "I don't know how you like it but there's some spices in the cupboard behind you."

She changed the subject slyly, handing him the steaming bowl.
 
Souma looked at her, and answered.

"You won't be a burden, I can assure you that. But its ok..." - He assured her and left it like that. He had no intention of pressing the matter anymore. She had enough already to deal with without him nagging at her while trying to help. he thought it would be for the best if she decided to go, but if she wanted some time alone, he could do nothing but respected that.

"Excuse-me then..." - he answered, accepting the bowl with both hands, and then turning to the cupboard, taking his prefered spice from inside it, and pouring it into the ramen to his liking. He smiled as the smell of the food made his nose twitch. t would be good to have something good to eat after all that happened.

"Itadakimasu." - he said, and started eating, not knowing what elsehe could say to the slender and elegant girl in front of him.
 
She smiled at him and sat across from him on her ruddy carpet. She sat on her knees and ate in silence. There was not much that could be said today. She realized that over the corse of dinner she had hardly eaten anything, just pushed the noodles around. Afterall that how could she not be hungry?

Her hands trembled and she dropped her chop-sticks to the floor, bursting out into an unexpected sob.
 
Souma ate in silence, thinking about everything that hah happened in that fateful day, realizing he had nothing he could say to the slender, raven haired girl in front of him, leaving them in that oppressing and awkward silence that people usually couldn't stand. They did, though, cause there was nothing they could say. The boy, recently made Shinigame, ate until he heard her sobbings once more. He knew things should be pretty difficult for her now, and it saddened him that he could do nothing to help her.

Leaving his noodles over the table, he made his way to her and kneeled beside her, wrapping his arms around her once more, embracing her tightly, as he felt she needed to be embraced. He did not say anything, even though he wanted to. The words simply lost themselves between his brain and his lips, or maybe choked inside his throat, but he simply couldn't speak.

He simply patted her head, embracing her, and leave the occasion for her to talk and sort her feelings, as Souma felt she needed that.
 
"It's all my fault!" she squeeled, holding onto Souma tightly "Its me, from the very first day we met I was his death sentence. I-I killed him!"

She cried uncontrolably. Holding tightly onto Souma, wishing that once she opened her eyes it would all go away and Souma would be Ichigo, and they could make love one last time. She could appologize for all the horrible things she'd said to him prempting the break up and following it... but thats long gone... she'd live the rest of her immortal life with the weight of never saying goodbye on her shoulders.
 
"Its not your fault, Kuchiki-senpai..." - Souma retorted, even though he knew that wasn't what she wanted to hear. She probably didn't want to hear anything but Ichigo's voice, but tha was impossible now. All the boy could do was assure it was not her fault even if that was meaningless. - "Things are the way things are. You met him, because you two were destined to meet... And I'm sure, if he was given the choice, he would chose to meet you all over again, and spend all his time by his side, exactly as he did."

Souma embraced her tightly, holding her while she cried, patting her head with utmost caring. He wanted to make her feel happy again. Make her guilty and sadness melt away. But above all, he wanted to slice all of those revenants into pieces for what they had done. He was angry at himself for not stopping Sindri, and truth was he felt just as guilty about Ichigo's death as did Rukia. But he had to be strong for her, as it was the only thing he was able to do right now.

"And now, he lives in you. In your memories, as a part of you. That brings you the responsability of living for you, and for him as well, being the one he loved so dearly." - Souma said, tenderly, while caressing the tiny frame of Rukia's body. - "I know for sure that he would hate you feeling guilty about him. I'm sure he wanted you to be happy. That's why you can't blame it on yourself. You have to hang tight, and then we'll find the ones who did that to him, and we'll destroy them. I promise you, even if its the last thing I do in this world, I'll avenge him for you."
 
"NO!" she cried, rubbing her face into his shirt before looking up at him with reddened eyes "No! I won't let you get dragged into this, Souma-chan!"

His suffix suddenly changing to something so endearing was evidence she truely trusted him, though they just met. There was something about this boy that warmed her heart and made her feel at home in his arms... she wanted to feel this forever, but the moment he was gone her heart would freeze over again.

"I brought you into this fight and this is MY fault goddamnit, not yours. Don't fight with me, don't fight for me and don't avenge anyone! All you can do is promise me you'll stay away and you won't get hurt!" she screamed, obviously stressed over by the incident "Just p-promise me you won't die... please"

her voice shrank and she looked away, tears falling uncontrollably.

"Even if you need to lie to me then lie andtell me you promise you won't die...please. Just don't die too Souma... please..."
 
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