Finally, the long awaited next chapter! I hate writer's block so much!! For all of you who have still hung in there despite the months between my updates, thank you. :) You are amazing.

Chapter 12: The One That Got Away

It took no more than five seconds for Ikkaku to close the space between himself and the demon. By the time I realized he was no longer by my side he already had his zanpakuto out and in full swinging motion. I knew by the look in his eyes that he was planning to end it in one hit.

"Ikkaku! No!" The cry tore from my lips as I threw myself after him. The demon's eyes snapped to him, narrowing with killing intent.

I was fast, but the tall Captain of the Sixth Division was far quicker and, before Ikkaku's strike had a chance to land, Kuchiki-taichou was barring his path with his body and catching Houzukimaru upon his own gleaming blade. For a moment, nothing moved but that awful wind that hadn't died down yet, and then Ikkaku disentangled his blade with a flourish and went into a fighting stance, his eyes locked upon the dark-haired man who was so impassively blocking his way.

"3rd Seat Madarame Ikkaku, return to your division immediately," ordered the Captain.

"... Kuchiki-taichou ..."

"That is an order."

"... Get outta my way."

Ikkaku swung at him forcefully, and Kuchiki-taichou parried rapidly. The sound of their swords clashing harshly echoed around us. Beside me, Yachiru tugged my sleeve.

"Yumi, you should go stop him, don't you think?" Her big curious eyes were worried as she watched the fight.

"Of — of course, Yachiru-fukutaichou." Yachiru, who was rarely called by her title, gave a big smile and a giggle and hopped up and down.

"Aww, Yumi, don't be so formal! Just go."

I didn't need any more encouragement. The gleam in Kuchiki-taichou's eyes and the snarl on Ikkaku's lips fuelled my movements. As they broke away, circling slowly, I placed myself between them, facing the Captain.

"Kuchiki-taichou, please allow me to take over!" Behind me, I heard Ikkaku snarl.

"Yumichika! Get out of my way!"

"I won't!" I retorted angrily. "Enough already, Ikkaku! Please, stop! Please, Kuchiki-taichou!"

I didn't exactly expect my pleading to work, and so I was taken somewhat by surprise when he paused. After considering me for a moment, he inclined hsi head ever so slightly and lowered his blade. I turned to face my comrade.

"Let it go," I begged. Ikkaku fixed me with a cool stare.

"Are you forgetting my rule?" He asked. "No interfering —"

"Damn your rule!" I snapped back at him. His eyes widened in shock Damn it, Ikkaku — damn it — damn it ... I tightened my hand on the hilt of Fuji Kujaku. I would rather fight him than let him get himself killed.

"Yumichika, you don't want to do this." There was a dangerous edge to Ikkaku's voice.

"Why ... does this matter so much to you?" I asked.

"It's him, isn't it, Yumi? That filth out there. That's the one, isn't it?"

The hardness in his voice and the directness of his question weren't what made the breath freeze in my throat as Ikkaku looked up at me. That burning look that filled his face, that blinded him to everything else. That look he got when he was fighting an enemy with everything he had. Those eyes that scorched all emotion from his heart except one. He didn't really need me to answer. I knew that he was already certain of it, that he already knew and was not seeking for confirmation so much as he was seeking for a denial, for a reason to retain his sanity. I knew he was aware of it, because his reiatsu seethed with such an overwhelming killing intent, and his eyes were filled top full of such uncontrollable rage, and there was nothing I could say to quench the fire of revenge that flowed like an unspoken promise from his heart to mine. Ah ... I should have known.

"... Yes," I whispered hoarsely, finally, forcing myself to speak. "Yes, that's the one."

"I see." His eyes hardened.

And then something tore through his shoulder with a brutal ripping sound, splattering me with blood. The horror in my eyes mirrored the surprise plastered over Ikkaku's face as the impact pushed him forward. He lost his balance, and I caught him heavily, my legs buckling at the unexpected weight.

"Ikkaku!" I sank to one knee, supporting him, and from that position I could see that it wasn't the killing claws of the demon, or that awful tail, that had pierced him.

It was the quivering tip of a zanpakuto.

And the bearer, swaying slightly on unsteady feet and looking at us through hooded, dead eyes, was the shinigami from the tenth squad who, but moments before, had lain lifeless between the demon and Yamamoto-taichou.

There was an audible intake of air from the surprised shinigami watching us. Rangiku and Ukitake-taichou both took a reflexive step forward, the white-haired Captain's hand going to his sword, but a motion from Yamamoto-taichou stopped them. Ikkaku struggled to his feet, leaning heavily on my shoulder, as his attacker backed off.

"— The — hell?" He managed, pressing a hand to the wound on his shoulder. I gave a cry of alarm and managed to draw my sword just in time to block another thrust. I pushed Ikkaku forcefully towards Rangiku, who grabbed him and yelled for Unohana-taichou. I didn't have time to watch, but from the sounds of it Ikkaku didn't like leaving the fight.

The shinigami came back with surprising speed and strength, swinging with all his might at my head. Ducking, I planted a boot in his stomach. As ugly as it looked, I had no problem playing dirty with someone who was supposed to be dead.

The shinigami gave a soft grunt, but didn't slow down a bit. Strike after strike forced me to back up, each clash sending a shiver down my arms. He brought down his blade in a powerful overhand strike, and it took all the strength I had to block it.

Behind him, somewhat in my peripheral vision, I could see the demon's eyes following our every move. Its tail twitched in something that horribly resembled anticipation.

And then, as the shinigami freed his sword and came back for another attack, I realized that it wasn't twitching in anticipation after all. It was twitching in time to his movements, like a gruesome puppet master tugging the strings to his finest creation.

Which, really, only left me with one option.

"Bloom, Fuji Kujaku!" I yelled, hoping desperately that the others wouldn't stop me. As my zanpakuto flared to life, I slashed across the shinigami's chest, sending him flying backwards, and flash-stepped towards the demon. Behind me, I could hear the sounds of struggle intensify and heard Ikkaku scream at me to stop.

"Yumichika!! Yumichika, don't!" Ikkaku tore himself free, something close to panic on his face, but there was no way he could move faster than me, not with his wounded shoulder..

With one strike, a strike that took all my strength, I drove Fuji Kujaku into that tail as hard as I could. And, surprisingly, it didn't skip off the bladed scales. It sunk in easily, pinning the creature to the ground.

The demon gave a wild howl that chilled the blood in my veins and made me grit my teeth. It wriggled like a giant insect, trying to escape my sword. This was followed by a hiss of indrawn breath as it began to fade from my sight. I felt the same reiatsu as I had that day in the forest, when the portal had opened, and then a moment later the demon was gone and all that was left was Fuji Kujaku, sunk into the soft earth.

I pulled it free with a grunt before sheathing it. Turning back towards the group, I was just about to return when Ikkaku's punch took me by surprise. Clapping a hand to my face, I glared at him.

"What the hell was that for?!" I yelled.

"Don't you ever do something that stupid again!" He yelled back, seizing my arms. Before I could reply, he pulled me into a brief, violently awkward hug.

"Damn it, and I thought I was the reckless one," he added when he pulled away. "How'd you know that would work?"

"Just a hunch," I replied. But actually, it had been much more than just a hunch. The Captain of Squad 12's words still hung in the back of my mind. It hadn't taken much to put together what Kurotsuchi-taichou had said — that kidou could hurt these demons, and my Fuji Kujaku in its released form was just that.

I looked over at the body of the shinigami which, now that its controller was no longer around, had returned to its previous limp state.

"Those things are definitely not natural," I muttered, brushing dirt off my robes as Ikkaku began to pull me back towards the gates. He laughed.

"Yeah," he agreed. "Disgusting bastards."

As we approached the others, I couldn't help but notice the quiet tension in Ikkaku's shoulders. I knew he wouldn't forget that this was the creature who had wounded me. I knew that, when we were once more in private, it would be me that would receive his frustration and anger, for interrupting him, and for putting myself in danger.

I knew, and knowing this should have brought down my mood, but I couldn't help feeling the tiniest bit happy that he cared so much.

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There was a strange mood that hung over us as we headed back through the gates to our separate divisions. None of the Captains and Lieutenants had said a word about what had taken place, nor had I been called down for releasing my sword. Even Yamamoto-taichou had left us with only a cursory glance. I thought it was strange, and I knew from the furrows in Ikkaku's brows that he thought so too.

Ikkaku, however, had been acting just as strange. After refusing to let Unohana-taichou heal him, or even bandage his wounds, he had hovered over me like a mother hen. In fact, he hadn't been farther than arm's length since the demon had disappeared.

I decided to indulge him and not ask him to give me space, because I was a generous mood and, perhaps more to the point, it wasn't altogether an unpleasant thing to have him next to me.

More importantly, Rangiku hadn't left us alone, either. The busty fukutaichou had obviously deduced that something was up by Ikkaku's behaviour towards me, and she was steadfastly determined to bring our relationship to light. It gave me an odd feeling of unsettlement and uncertainty, because this was one thing I didn't know Ikkaku's feelings on. It was one thing to be in love with someone, but quite another to have all Seireitei know about it.

At any case, however, it was awfully fun teasing both Rangiku and Ikkaku. After the fight, I had been left feeling quite pleased with myself and my success, and there was no better way I could think to spend my time than teasing them.

We made our way slowly through Seireitei, Ikkaku, Rangiku, and I, accompanied by Yachiru. None of us were in any great hurry to get back to our respective divisions, Ikkaku and I because it would mean submitting a report to a mentally-unsound Kenpachi, Yachiru because Zaraki-taichou would be furious at missing all the action, and Rangiku because she had a ton of paperwork to do. In fact, my mood was probably the most optimistic of everyone's.

"It's such a lovely, lovely day!" I said, taking in a deep breath and lifting my face to the sun. "Don't you think, Ikkaku? Don't you think it's beautiful?"

"It's a day like any other," Ikkaku muttered in reply, "and now that that damn wind's gone it's friggin' hot." I leaned over and put a cool hand on the back of his neck, making him start.

"You need to learn how to enjoy beauty, Ikkaku-san," I said in a sing-song voice.

"You need to learn how to not be so irritating," he snapped back, pushing me away. I lost my balance, making Ikkaku catch me reflexively before I could fall. I saw Rangiku's eyes sharpen, and gave myself a mental pat on the back.

"Sorry, Yumi," he apologized. I pouted at him.

"There's no need to be so rough with me, Ikkaku-san. Isn't it a good thing that I'm happy?" He gritted his teeth.

"Your antics drive me crazy," he replied under his breath. I allowed myself a secretive smile, ducking my head so only he could see it.

"I know," I whispered in his ear, before disentangling myself from his supporting arms. Speaking louder, I said to no one in particular, "Do you think it'll come back?"

"The demon?" Rangiku asked.

"Yeah."

Ikkaku didn't look at either of us, but kept his eyes straight ahead. When he spoke, however, his voice was edged.

"It had better."