Pride (IchiRuki Fanfiction) 💗

Part 9

Rukia spent her first night in Ichigo's bed. He kept his promise, so he didn't try and pursue any physical contact with her. For the first time in a while, Rukia got some quality sleep and the warmth of Ichigo's blanket and the thought of lying next to him made the usual night pretty warm. She was glad she replaced the old, cold, tiny closet with Ichigo's comfy bed. When she woke up, she saw him having the most relaxed expression as his eyes were closed. She felt pretty bad, but she knew she had to do it unless she wanted them to be late for school, so she woke Ichigo up. When they got ready, they left for school. After another usual school day, they headed home. While walking, both of them sensed something strange.
"Rukia. Did you just feel that?"  Ichigo asked her to make sure he wasn't imagining it.
"Yes. What was that?" Rukia asked, confused.
Both of them felt the powerful Spiritual Pressure aporoaching. It wasn't a Soul Reaper's  presence, it was...
"Hollow!"  Both of them yelled at the same time and jumped out of their bodies, transforming from their gigais.
"Ichigo, watch out! It's behind you!" Rukia warned him before the Hollow had the chance to grab him and injure him.
"Damn it! That was close! This Hollow is unusually big." Ichigo noticed.
"Just be careful! I know it's just a Hollow to you, but they are pretty dangerous and the wounds they cause can be pretty fatal!"  Rukia warned him once again.
"Don't worry! We need to take this one down together, since it's quite big. You make him weak in his legs and I will smash my Zanpakutou through his head, okay?" He asked.
"Okay, I am on it!"  Rukia said and moved closer to a Hollow. She tried to cast her spells to disable his legs, but he got aware of her presence right behind him, turned around and took her in his enormous jaw.
"Rukia!" Ichigo screamed and rushed over to her side. When he saw that Hollow has got a hold of her, he got his Zanpakutou out and slashed right through it's head. The Hollow had started to vanish into thin air, letting Rukia go. Rukia was unconscious, so she started to fall onto the ground. Ichigo quickly caught her before she fell.
"Rukia! Rukia! Oh no. Please! Rukia wake up!"
He yelled, touched her cheeks a few times, but nothing seemed to work. He got really worried about her, so he quickly took her to Urahara's shop.
"Kisuke! Help me, Rukia's been injured by a Hollow and now she's unconscious!" He said when he saw his friend.
"Oh dear! Poor girl! Put her down here. I am going to get some medications to treat her immediately."  Kisuke said and went over to another room. Ichigo held Rukia in his arms. She was still unconscious. Her eyes were closed and her legs have been covered in her own blood coming from her wounds. She was injured pretty badly.
Dammit! I didn't arrive there in time to protect her! Please get better, Rukia.
"Here. Put her in upright position. She needs to drink this." Kisuke said while holding a potion in his hand.
"What's that?" Ichigo asked.
"It's a liquid medication which makes spiritual bodies and gigais recover and regenerate some parts that have been damaged or scarred. Her upper body seems to be alright, but her legs are in a bad state. It's gonna take a while for this medication to work."  He said and poured the liquid down Rukia's throat.
"How much is a while, Kisuke?" Ichigo asked.
"In about 30 minutes, this medication will start to work. But don't worry, she will regain her consciousness a lot sooner than that. However, it will take a while for her whole body to recover from those wounds, about 2 days approximately. This medication speeds up the whole process of regeneration. She will be fine after this." Kisuke said, wiping off the blood from Rukia's legs. He then applied a soft cream to soothe her injuries.
"Oh, thank God! Thank you a lot Kisuke. I was seriously scared for her. She just lied there, unable to move or do anything at all. I was so worried." He said.
"I know you were. Well, take her home now and put her in bed to rest. She won't be able to walk for at least 2 days since her legs have been injured quite badly and her wounds are deep. She will get consciousness back in half an hour, but she might feel a bit dizzy so you'll have to look after her and help her move if she really needs to. It's better for her to rest and stay in bed until she fully recovers though. If her legs really hurt, apply this cream onto them, that will soothe them. You're good to go." He said and gave him the cream he used earlier.
"Thanks Kisuke. I wouldn't know what to do without you. I owe you one." Ichigo said.
"Don't worry, pal. Just take care of Rukia and make sure she gets better." He said and waved to him.