“Broken Innocence” Chapter 6

Meanwhile, Rukia was walking up to the small shop owned by one Kisuke Urahara. As she walked in, a mysterious man in a green and white striped robe and matching fisherman’s hat greeted her.

“Hey, Rukia,” the man said casually. “Long time, no see.” Rukia looked at the man gravely.

“I don’t have time for this Urahara,” she said coldly. “Tell me everything you know about that rogue Soul Reaper that was caught about 14 years ago.” Urahara's pleasant countenance quickly changed to one of a more serious nature.

“You already know he was apprehended in this area about 14 years ago. It is said he ‘visited’ over a dozen women. All of them had exceptionally high spiritual energy for humans. He might have gotten away if he had not started spilling the secrets of the afterlife to all of his partners. The Soul Society had altered the women’s memories so that they forgot everything about their experiences with him and everything he told them. Two of the women were impregnated, but they were allowed to give birth and raise their children normally. There have only been half a dozen cases where children have been half Soul Reaper in the history of the Soul Society. I’ve heard that these children had exceptionally high spirit energy, which even rivals that of high ranking Court Guard Squad members.”

Rukia’s eyes slowly grew wider as her informant spilled what he knew, a dawning realization gradually washed over her face.

“Thanks Urahara. I gotta go,” she said even as she was leaving. She ran right past the two children at the front entrance. One was a young boy with red hair and the other a slightly older girl with dark locks.

“I have to find Ichigo,” she thought to herself as she ran through the sunny streets of Karakura. Suddenly she heard a voice above her.

“BWA HA HA HA HA!!” A tall dark skinned man dressed like a gaudy disco dancer dropped beside her, immediately picking up her pace. Rukia did a double take.

“Don Kanoji?!” she shouted in surprise. “What the heck are you doing here?!”

“Bwa ha ha! Hello, little lady!” replied the strange man loudly. “I, Don Kanoji, the premier spiritualist and TV star of Karakura Town, am taping tonight at an old abandoned house on the west side. Since I saved you and your orange haired friend last time we met, I wanted to invite you to join me again! BWA HA HA HA!!”

“Uh…wasn’t it the other way around?” Rukia said skeptically.

“BWA HA HA! You can tell yourself that if it keeps you from becoming too star-struck. I understand perfectly well. After all, I am a big star in this town. Bwa ha! Anyhow, there are some strange things going on at that house down there. Last night two glowing boys were spotted there. I, Don Kanoji, premier-”

“Two glowing boys?” Rukia interrupted, stopping dead in her tracks and cutting off the semi-phony Icon’s third introduction.

“What color were their Auras? How old were they? What did they look like? Were there any hollows around?!” She stopped and looked to Don Kanoji for answers.

“Er…huh?” answered Kanoji, obviously very confused. Rukia realized this and decided to change her approach.

“Of course we’ll come. There’s no way my friend and I would want to miss the great Don Kanoji in action,” she said with what could only match that of some much-practiced mock enthusiasm.

“Fabulous. I, the great Don Kanoji will look forward to your appearance at 7:30 tonight, BWAHAHAHA!!!” With his trademark laugh, he leaped into the bushes and vanished from Rukia’s sight.

“Hey, Rukia,” came a voice from behind her. She quickly whirled around to see Ichigo standing directly behind her. He continued, “Looks like you got a little brown on your nose there, Rukia.”

“What the Hell are you talking about,” Rukia snapped back. She ran up to Ichigo and grabbed his hand while running past him. “We need to talk, now!”

Rukia ran up to the corner of the street and stopped, she leans over placing her hands on her knees and gasping for her breath. She stood up and looked at Ichigo. He was standing there staring toward the end of the street.

“What are you looking at?” Rukia said to Ichigo with a rather confused look on her face. She stared in the direction that Ichigo was looking in.

“Nothing, I thought I saw something, but it was nothing,” Ichigo looked confused and then turned to face Rukia. “Why were you running?”

“Don Kanoji saw two glowing boys at that house the other night. I think it was those boys, I was trying to find out what kind of aura they could have had, but I would have had better luck asking a toad about those boys,” Rukia looked at Ichigo, “that man really doesn’t have a clue.”

“I don’t know why you even bother with him; he doesn't know anything that goes on around here. He doesn’t even know the half of it.” Ichigo said, as he scratched his head and turned around to face the empty street in front of him. He looked up as the sun was setting; the sky was changing color from blue to brilliant shades of red and orange.

“Come on,” Ichigo said to Rukia “I know some place we can escape and think,” Rukia looked at him and wondered what was going through his mind at that time. The orange-headed boy walked ahead and Rukia followed.

“Where are we going?” Rukia questioned Ichigo as she followed him to wherever he was taking her.

He did not say a word apart from walking in the direction that he was taking her. They came to a stop. Ichigo still had not said a word since he told Rukia that he wanted to take her somewhere to think.

“Follow me,”

Ichigo jumped over the gates and crossed over into the park.

“Oi! What are you doing?!” Rukia shouted out at him.

Ichigo turned around and signaled with his arm so to tell Rukia to follow him. She jumped over the gate and started to follow him again into the park. She did not question him. Rukia trusted him, and she felt safe no matter what he did. She followed silently in his footsteps, listening to the slight wind in the trees and the leaves crunching beneath each the step that they took.

“Here we are,” Rukia came around from the back of Ichigo, only to see a view, which she thought she would never see in Karakura Town.



Broken Innocence Chapter 7