NOVEL WEB I'm not like Kiyota
"I've got it under control." Rukia whispered back.
Just then, Ichigo walked into the classroom and sat down. Keigo and Mizuiro walk up to Ichigo to make conversation.
"Hey Ichigo, I heard a truck crashed into your house last night, dude." Keigo said as leaned on the desk in front of Ichigo.
'Man, I hate trucks.' Kiyota thought to himself.
"Pretty much" Ichigo said with his hands in his pocket.
"So, did you clean it all up yet?" Mizuiro said from beside Ichigo.
"What, are you kidding? It's gonna take forever." Ichigo replied.
"Need any help?" Chad said blankly.
Ichigo craned his neck up to look at Chad. A visible sweat drop formed on Ichigo's forehead.
"That's... Ok." Ichigo said, politely declining.
"Yeah Chad. I mean you could end up bringing the whole house down you know?" Keigo said while facing Chad.
Kiyota turned to face Rukia.
"There he is." He whispered.
Rukia got up and walked towards the group.
"Hey, what have we got next?" Ichigo asked.
"Language lab." Mizuiro responded promptly.
"Hello. You're Ichigo aren't you?" Rukia asked as she stood behind Ichigo.
"Wah?"
Ichigo looked Rukia up and down, his eyes widening in shock.
"My name is Rukia, nice to meet you." Rukia said.
Ichigo stood up hastily from his chair, panicking. His mouth opened in shock.
"It...It...It's you!" Ichigo said incredulously while pointing at Rukia.
"Hey Ichigo, what's wrong with you?!" Keigo said to Ichigo.
"Do you two know each other?" Chad questioned.
"Course not. We've never met before. Isn't that right, Ichigo?" Rukia asked with a smile, acting innocent.
"Rukia's a brand-new transfer student. But apparently she knows Kiyota. Old friends or childhood friends, I think." Mizurio said.
"Niceee to meet ya." Keigo said from behind Ichigo.
"It's a pleasure." Rukia said with her innocent voice.
She held out her hand as a gesture of a handshake, but she turned and opened her palm in front of Ichigo, concealing it from the others.
'It's the same as the anime. Something's never change.' Kiyota sighed as he thought to himself. He continued to eavesdrop from his seat a few desks back.
There was writing on Rukia's palm. Ichigo squinted and read it.
'If you make a noise, I'll kill you.' Kiyota thought to himself.
'If I remember correctly, that's what's written.'
Ichigo gasped and stumbled backwards, sweat forming on his forehead.
'Oh come on. She's not that scary.' Kiyota commented inside his head.
After sometime, Ichigo, Rukia and Kiyota were standing in a secluded part of the school.
"Alright! You freaky little nutjob! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Ichigo shouted, looking at Rukia.
"And you! Do you really know her, Kiyota? I doubt you know a shinigami!" Ichigo shouted, but this time facing Kiyota.
"Ichigo... Calm down." Kiyota said, backing away from Ichigo with is arms up to his chest, palms facing him.
"How scary, you big brute. Jeepers, you're not gonna hurt me, are you?" Rukia said with an innocent and mocking tone while hiding behind Kiyota
"First of all, you can knock it off with that goody-two-shoes act, ok?" Ichigo said while gritting his teeth and pointing at Rukia.
"Well, I think it's pretty good, considering I learnt it overnight." Rukia said.
"Ahh alright, forget it. So tell me just what you're doing here anyway. Weren't you supposed to be heading back to your 'Soul Society' or whatever it was?" Ichigo said, looking away with his hands on his hips.
"I can't only soul reapers can go back to Soul Society. I haven't the power to return anymore." Rukia said, letting go of Kiyota and moving back beside him.
"What do you mean?" Ichigo questioned.
"Last night, I lost almost all my powers as a soul reaper. I'm afraid they were all absorbed into you, Ichigo." Rukia said looking a bit sad.
"Huh? I wouldn't know anything about that." Ichigo said, looking away.
"Uh guys. Why am I here?" Kiyota questioned.
"Because you are going to help me." Rukia said to Kiyota.
"Help you? With what?" Kiyota said.
"I want you to be my backup in case something happens and Ichigo can't fight." Rukia responded.
"Wait, what the hell are you talking about?" Interjected Ichigo.
"Make him your main plan because I am not fighting"Ichigo said as he walked up to Kiyota.
"G-guys wait... I am a human. I can't fight." Kiyota said.
"Then you can help us sense spiritual pressure." Rukia said with a stern expression.
"Kiyota. Can you tell me how you know Rukia?" Ichigo said.
After a few minutes, Kiyota finished explaining the events of the night. How Rukia came into his room, and she explained things to him. To him sensing something near Ichigo's house and leading Rukia there. To him getting Ichigo's sisters and him back in. And finally, how he met Kisuke Urahara.
"So yeah, that's basically everything. Rukia told me about her being a shinigami and everything. I'm sorry couldn't get there faster, Ichigo." Kiyota said with a guilty look.
'I could've found a way to make sure Yuzu and Karin didn't get hurt.'
"Yeah, it's fine. At least you got my family out of there." Ichigo replied.
"What are you apologising for? You saved some innocent lives." Rukia said with a smile.
"No, it was all your fault. If you hadn't come here, then none of this would have happened! So go back to your Soul Society!" Ichigo shouted, looking at Rukia.
"What a terrible thing to say. I'm here because I need to stay here until my powers return. I stuck in this ridiculous Gigai." Rukia said.
"What's a Gigai?" Ichigo asked.
"It's what I'm using to stay here in the living world. It's a body I can inhabit when I need to stay here. It's made of high-density reishi, which is the same kind of reishi you're made of, Ichigo. In other words, it's a shell for a Shinigami to move around in when we come to the world of the living." Rukia explained.
"Oh, so that's why you're in a body now." Ichigo replied.
"If I didn't take one, I wouldn't be able to interact with anyone. So I use a Gigai to stay in the human world." Rukia said.
'And this Gigai also hold's the Hōgyoku which Sōsuke Aizen so dearly wants.' Kiyota thought to himself.
"Then, can you take it off?" Ichigo asked.
"I told you, no! I don't have enough power right now. If I do, then my spirit body will vanish from the inside of the Gigai, and I'll die!" Rukia said.
"Use your head." Kiyota said, looking at Ichigo.
"Don't worry about it. All I have to do is wait for my powers to return. I just need to stay here in the world of the living until then. You have to fulfil the duties of a soul reaper. It's only natural, you now possess the strength of a soul reaper. You do not have the right to, refuse your calling..." Rukia said.
"No way!" Ichigo interjected while making a 'x' shape with his hands.
"What?!" Rukia said in a shocked tone
"My monster fighting days are over. That was a one time deal." Ichigo said, looking away.
"Don't be ridiculous, Ichigo, you did just fine yesterday. Kiyota, help me out here. You get it, right?" Rukia pleaded.
"Uhh... Well... I mean... It's pretty dangerous, so..." Kiyota stuttered, getting caught off guard.
"That was only because my family was in danger. But it's not like I'm ready to go fight for complete strangers or anything." Ichigo said, looking away.
"Ichigo! Last night, Kiyota also had the same choice. To sit back and not worry. It wasn't his family that was being attacked, but still he rushed over to your house." Rukia said.
'I can't believe she actually said that.'
"I know, but this is different. I'm not like Kiyota" Ichigo said as he began to walk away.