Punishment

Punishment: Chapter 5: Monsters and Bad Guys

I Like Tacos! :) TEAM PALM TREE BECAUSE PALM TREES ARE BETTER THAN MIDGETS! Vote if you agree. :)

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CHAPTER 5: Monsters and Bad Guys

"Who's back? Grimmjow? Who's Grimmjow?" I asked while my friends talked too quiet for me to hear.

"He's-"

"No one you need to be concerned about." Ichi interupted Orihime.

"But Ichigo, after everything he's done, don't you think she ought to know?"

"Orihime, she doesn't know."

"Like Hell I don't know! What are you guys talking about?!?" Their ignorance was starting to annoy me. "Who is Grimmjow, why is he important, and why won't you tell me?!?"

Ryūsui smiled at me and spoke gently like he was trying not to scare me. "Really Yuki, it's nothing serious. Just a friend from the past." Against my better judgement, I fell for it.

"Okay." I sighed. Ryūsui smiled brighter and put his hand over mine. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Tōshiro frown and clench his fists.

***Art***

Roku crept out of my bag and onto the table as I drew. I froze and looked up at the plainly visible cat at my table. I tried to grab him quietly and gently so he wouldn't make noise but he jumped from the table before I could. No one noticed as a snow white cat strolled down a gray and black tile floor to the front of the room. I turned to Rukia beside me and pointed at Roku.

"I am so dead!" I whispered loudly. Roku jumped up onto the table of one of the better art student and watched him draw. The student, Yorutori, continued drawing a raven as Roku stepped across the paper, leaving lead footprints on the paper of a girl drawing a cat. The girl sat bolt upright for a moment, wondering how footprints got on her paper, then warrily began drawing again.

I watched in amazement as no one saw Roku. Rukia began to whisper quietly to me.

"They...... Can't see him."

"Why not?!?"

"No reason." I slumped down in my seat and watched Roku crawl back into my bag. Why is everything so frustrating?

***Bus***

As Ryūsui sat beside me I asked him questions. "WHO IS HE AND WHY CAN'T ANYONE SEE ROKU?!?"

"Well hello to you to Yukiko." He smiled and laughed. "It's really nothing. We just wanted to freak you out. And Roku, the cat? I don't know. Maybe he's a ghost cat?" Ryūsui laughed again. Damn his adorable persuasive laugh.

"So Grimmjow isn't real?"

"No. Of course not. Just a joke." I fell for it. Again.

"I guess it would make sense." I sighed. "Why is everything so confusing? And why did you and Ichigo leave in the middle of class today?"

"Just some business. We help out in the community." I nodded and the bus jolted to a halt at Ryūsui's stop. I didn't realize we had been holding hands until he let mine go. He gently kissed my forehead. "See you tomarrow."

I sat in shock as he walked off the bus and the doors closed behind him. The girl in the seat next to me looked over.

"Are you two dating?" she asked.

"No." I muttered.

"Good. Because he's really hot." I felt a small twinge of anger at that remark.

"Like he'd ever go out with you blondie." I retorted without thinking.

She looked at me in confusion and I got off at my stop.

The moment my feet hit solid ground I felt it shaking. The bus continued down the road. A earpeircing shriek filled the air.

"What the Hell?" I felt Roku jump out of my backpack and start hissing.

A white figure stepped from behind a building. Roku hissed louder. The boy looked about fourteen with chinlength black hair that curled up in the front. Three purple diamonds connected above his eye and he had girlish clothes on. A black 6 was tatooed on his above his hip. Was he somehow connected to Roku? A few white monster looking things stepped up behind him.

"Here Kitty-Kitty, I have a nice bit of food for you." he sang and threw a peice of what looked like chalky white meat veined with redish purple, that matched the monsters' skins, towards us. Roku reluctantly stepped towards it and tore off a chunk. After devouring it, he walked towards the boy. Then he SPOKE.

"Bad choice... Luppi." A puff of white smoke and I saw that Roku had grown from housecat, to panther. A large hole opened in his stomach and his fur turned to something similar to armor. A roar shook the ground below me. Footsteps ran rapidly towards me and Roku's armored tail sweeped back to slap me in the stomach. I was thrown back a few feet into a hard figure.

"I've got her!" I heard Ryūsui yell to someone.

"Good! Now take her home so she'll be safe!" Ichigo yelled back. "I'll take care of these two!"

"No, dammit! I'm on your side!" I heard Roku say. "I want to protect her as much as you do!"

Ryūsui picked me up and wrapped his arms around me. "It's okay. I'm taking you home now." He whispered through the sounds of metal clashing against metal. I felt air rushing around me, but in Ryūsui's arms I felt safe. A few minutes later the wind stopped and I could smell the familiar scent of my room. I felt the pillow beneath my head and my consciousness fading away.

Ryūsui brushed my hair out of my face and knelt down closer to me to whisper in my ear.

"I love you." He kissed my cheek and jumped out the window. But, as I fell unconscious, I didn't wonder how he lived if he hit the ground. But how a boy I had only known for a day could love me...

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Sooooo? What do you think will happen between Ryūsui and Yukiko? :) I'll let you guess. And if I like it enough I MIGHT change the ending a little. ;)