Abe, the Onmitsukidō officer, kept his guard high. His eyes moved fast as he calculated distances.
"Hunger," Abe said with a clinical tone. "The target designation has changed. It is no longer a standard capture. Sato, take the left flank. I will handle the brute force."
"Understood," Sato replied.
The woman disappeared in a flash of speed and left behind the sound of light steps on the asphalt.
"Watch out, Ichigo! They are fast!" Rukia shouted from behind.
She remained on her knees with her arms extended to protect Karin and the inert body of Orihime.
"Do not let them surround you!" Rukia added.
"I don't care about their speed," Ichigo growled. "I just want them gone."
Ichigo flexed his knees, and the ground beneath his feet exploded. He launched himself forward, ignoring any subtlety, and brought the huge butcher blade down directly onto Abe's head.
"I will crush you!" Ichigo yelled.
Abe slid to the right at the last second. Ichigo's sword smashed into the pavement.
The impact raised a curtain of debris and dust that hit everyone's legs.
"Slow," Abe said from the side.
He thrust precisely toward Ichigo's neck.
"You have strength, but you move clumsily," the officer stated.
Ichigo turned the handle of his sword and used the immense blade as a shield. The tip of Abe's weapon bounced off the wide steel with a sharp clinking sound.
"Shut up!" Ichigo roared.
He took one hand off the handle and threw a straight punch at Abe's face. The officer opened his eyes in surprise and crossed his arms in front of his chest to protect himself.
The blow sent him skidding back ten meters. His boots left black grooves in the street.
"Physical strength... abnormal," Abe murmured while shaking his arms. He spit to the side. "Sato, the primary target is exposed. Execute."
"Karin, move!" Rukia shouted as she turned her head. "Behind you!"
Karin was trying to lift Orihime from the ground. She felt the cold on the back of her neck and turned halfway around.
Sato appeared behind them with her short sword raised. Her target was Rukia, but the girls were in her line of attack.
"You are blocking my target," Sato said coldly.
She raised her sword to run Karin through and reach Rukia.
"Not her!" Rukia shouted.
The Soul Reaper threw herself forward to push Karin. Sato took advantage of the movement to correct the blade's trajectory in mid-air and aimed for Rukia's exposed shoulder.
"RUKIA!" Ichigo shouted from the other side of the street.
He tried to turn around, but Abe was already on him with hands glowing with yellow light.
"Bakudo 61: Rikujokōrō!"
Six rods of light slammed into Ichigo's torso and immobilized him in mid-run.
"Damn it! Let me go!" Ichigo shouted while struggling.
Sato's sword came down.
There was a wet sound followed by a dry thud. The blade never touched Rukia.
Karin had launched herself from the ground, passing over Orihime, and had shoved her left hand directly into the path of the steel.
Silence fell over the street. Sato blinked, looking down. Her sword had stopped dead.
Karin's hand was closed around the sharp blade. Blood welled up between her fingers and fell onto the asphalt.
"You..." Sato whispered. "What do you think you are doing? A human stopping a Zanpakutō with skin?"
Karin raised her head.
Rukia covered her mouth to stifle a scream.
"Karin..." Rukia whispered.
Karin's eyes had changed. The sclera was absolute black, and her pupils shone with an intense red. From the wrist, where the leather bracelet was, black lines crawled up her forearm and neck until they reached her cheek.
"It hurts," Karin said.
Her voice sounded guttural and distorted. Karin squeezed her hand.
The metal of Sato's sword groaned under the pressure and began to bend.
"Let go!" Sato shouted.
The woman put her foot on Karin's chest and pulled her weapon hard, but the blade did not move a millimeter.
"You smell..." Karin inhaled deeply, ignoring the blood soaking her sleeve. "You smell like food. You smell sweet."
Karin's gaze fixed on the woman's throat with a pure hunger that made Sato step back.
Orihime regained consciousness briefly and opened her eyes. She saw Karin's back, the black marks, and the blood.
"Eh...?" Orihime murmured.
Her eyes rolled back, and she fainted again.
The sound of that voice hit Karin. She blinked, and the red in her eyes wavered.
"Sato, fall back!" Abe ordered. "It is a Hollow assimilation! Get away from her!"
Sato let go of her sword handle and jumped back. The weapon remained trapped in Karin's hand.
"Ichigo!" Rukia shouted. "Break the Bakudō now! Use your strength!"
Ichigo roared. Black and red spiritual pressure burst from his chest and shattered the yellow rods of light.
"Get away from her!"
Ichigo jumped and landed between Karin and the Onmitsukidō agents. He looked at his sister sideways. Karin was still holding the enemy sword by the blade.
"Karin," Ichigo said with a tense voice. "Drop that. You will cut yourself more."
Karin locked her black and red eyes on him.
"I have it," Karin growled. "I can... eat it. It has Reiatsu. I want to eat it."
"No," Ichigo said and extended a hand toward her. "We are not that. Let it go. Right now."
"But I am hungry, Ichigo."
"I said let go."
Karin trembled. The tendons in her neck tightened. Finally, with a cry of frustration, she opened her fingers. The sword fell to the ground with a metallic noise.
The black lines on her skin retreated rapidly under the bracelet, and her eyes returned to dark brown, though they were unfocused. Karin fell to her knees, panting hard.
"Shit..." Karin whispered as she looked at her cut palm. "That... that felt good. Why did it feel good?"
"We will talk about that later," Ichigo said. "Rukia, can you carry Inoue?"
"I can barely carry myself, but I will do it," Rukia replied while crawling toward Orihime.
Abe and Sato regrouped ten meters away. Sato took out a combat knife.
"Confirmation," Abe said and adjusted his gloves. "Three hostile targets. The Substitute. The traitor. And the corrupt human specimen. Protocol dictates total elimination."
"They are annoying," Ichigo said.
He raised his sword again, although his arms felt heavy after breaking the spell.
"Try it if you want to die," Ichigo challenged.
Abe clasped his hands. Spiritual pressure concentrated into a bright blue point between his palms.
"This is not a duel, Substitute. It is an execution. Hado 33: Sōkatsui."
"Shit, it is blue fire!" Rukia shouted while pulling Orihime. "Karin, get down!"
Ichigo would not arrive in time to block it, and his legs were not responding. His hand searched the inside pocket and pulled out the spherical object the shopkeeper had given him.
"Die!" Abe shouted and released the torrent of flames.
"Eat this!" Ichigo roared.
He threw the black sphere at the ground with all his strength.
WHUMP.
A cloud of thick smoke burst from the impact point and swallowed the blue fire, the agents, and the kids in absolute darkness.
"I can't see anything!" Karin coughed.
"It is a spirit ribbon hiding smoke bomb!" Rukia shouted. "Urahara gave you something useful! Grab Inoue, quick!"
"And what about them?" Ichigo asked.
"They are blind and cannot sense us because the smoke cuts off Reiatsu!" Rukia explained while giving him a shove. "But it will only last a few seconds! Move!"
Ichigo sheathed his sword and picked up Orihime. He threw her over his left shoulder, but then he saw his own physical body lying on the sidewalk.
"Shit! I can't leave myself here!" Ichigo exclaimed. "I don't have hands for both!"
"I will take your body!" Rukia said.
She grabbed the wrists of Ichigo's inert body.
"You can't handle it because that Gigai has no strength!"
"Then I will drag it!"
Rukia pulled hard and threw Ichigo's body onto her back. The boy's legs dragged on the ground.
"Karin, do not separate from my back! Let's go to the alley!" Rukia ordered.
They stumbled out of the smoke cloud and entered the darkness of the side alley.
"Wind Style: Dispersion!" Abe's voice was heard.
The roar of wind swept the street.
"Run!" Ichigo hissed.
The group advanced through the alley. Rukia panted under the weight, and Ichigo noticed Karin running while clutching her left arm.
"To the left," Karin indicated with a trembling voice. "There is an exit toward the shopping district."
They turned the corner and ran two more blocks. Ichigo forced the group to stop behind a dumpster to catch their breath.
"Are they following us?" Ichigo asked.
He pressed his back against the cold metal and adjusted Orihime. Rukia dropped Ichigo's body to the ground.
"Hey! Be careful with that!" Ichigo protested.
"Shut up," Rukia panted. "It weighs too much. The smoke must have confused them."
"Karin," Ichigo called. "How are you? Your arm?"
Karin looked at her hand. The skin around the bracelet was red.
"It burns," Karin admitted. "I feel a horrible tickle inside my veins going up toward my shoulder."
"And the hunger?"
"It is still there," she whispered. "When we were running... I saw a stray dog. It looked appetizing."
Karin hugged herself.
"I am a monster, Ichigo."
"You are not," Ichigo said firmly. "Urahara will fix it."
"And if he can't?"
"He will. He is a bastard, but he is smart." Ichigo looked at Rukia. "Are you ready? We cannot stay here."
"Give me a second," Rukia said and stretched her back. "We need to change formation. If they catch up, I cannot fight while carrying this load."
"It is my body," Ichigo replied.
"Exactly. If they attack, you are the only one who can block steel. I will carry Inoue," Rukia decided. "She is lighter. You carry your body."
"Are you sure? Inoue is fragile."
"I won't fall. But if they catch up and your hands are full with Inoue, she will die. You can drop your physical body without real damage, but not her."
Ichigo nodded. They made the exchange. Rukia carried Orihime on her back, and Ichigo threw his own body over his shoulder. He felt the dead and cold weight of his own skin.
"Let's go," Ichigo ordered. "Toward the river. We will cross via the old bridge."
They left their hiding spot. Karin went in the middle. Ichigo noticed how his sister looked everywhere with restless eyes.
"Don't look," Ichigo told her.
"I can't help it," Karin replied. "They shine. Everything shines too much. My head hurts."
"Close your eyes and guide yourself by the sound of my steps," he suggested. "Trust me."
Karin closed her eyes and grabbed Ichigo's shihakusho. They crossed the empty streets.
"We are close," Rukia panted minutes later. "I smell the river."
They reached the edge of the canal and crossed the pedestrian bridge at full speed. When they reached the other side, they turned toward the shopping street. The lights of the Urahara Shop appeared at the end.
Ichigo kicked the door and threw it open.
"We are here!" he shouted as he entered.
Tessai was at the entrance with his arms crossed. He showed no surprise.
"You are late," Tessai said with a deep voice. "The boss said you would be here five minutes ago."
"We had a setback!" Ichigo gasped.
He dropped his physical body onto the tatami. Rukia entered behind him and deposited Orihime onto some cushions.
"Close the door, Tessai!" Rukia ordered. "They are right behind us!"
Tessai nodded and closed the door. He pasted four paper seals on the frame with quick movements.
"Kekkai: Four Point Barrier."
The seals glowed, and the room became isolated from the outside.
"We are safe," Tessai announced. "No one can sense what is inside, and no one can enter without permission."
Karin entered last and fell to her knees. She grabbed her left arm and sobbed.
"It hurts..." she moaned.
"Jinta, Ururu," Tessai called.
The two children appeared from the back room.
"Take the human girl and Mr. Ichigo's body to the back room," Tessai ordered. "And bring the spiritual first aid kit. The boss will come down in a moment."
******
Author's Note:
Hi everyone!
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Limited Time & AvailabilityTo ensure every story gets the detail it deserves, I am only accepting 3 clients for this month.
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