Road to Redemption

Chapter 26: Clarity

A/N: Hello everyone! I hope you're enjoying the story so far! We'll be getting into more action-oriented chapters from now on. Until then, I hope you enjoy the update. Thanks for reading! 🤗😋

© Bleach and its characters don't belong to me. They belong to Tite Kubo and Shounen Jump. Only Anna, Shizuka and Asami belong to me

Chapter 26: Clarity

Lightning struck as they crashed. Riruka knew how this battle would end before it started. 'He knows every move I'm about to make.'

Every kick, every punch, all of her evasive maneuvers were predicted before she could execute them. Not even her gun was effective. Soon enough they were both caught up in a lock, Shukuro's sword against her gun.

"Give up Riruka. Just come home with me and this will all be over."

"You think I can just abandon them like that?! These people put their trust in us, and we stabbed them in the back!"

"The shinigami did the same to us! It's how this world works!"

"Not, it's not. The shinigami betrayed us long ago, but our friends didn't. Doing this to them makes us just as horrible as the shinigami! I'm not going to leave them. Not when they're putting their lives on the line for people like us."

Shukuro glared at her. "And you think they won't abandon you, the moment you burden them? You and have been together for a lifetime, you know I would never leave you."

She but her lip, remembering the day Ginjo brought her home after she had been robbed and attacked. Riruka wasn't sacred even if he still had the thugs blood on his hands. Kugo just wrapped her in his jacket and took her home.

'I'll take care of you now. You can be a part of my family.'

And when he brought her home the one to open the door for them was a little boy with black hair and a scar on his face.

It was love at first sight.

"Just come back home. You don't need to get caught up in this mess. I'll convince the others to forgive you, I'm sure Anna will take your side too. Please come back home with me."

For the briefest of moments, she considered it, but Riruka knew what her answer would be.

It seemed like Shukuro noticed it too. His expression went from pleading to enraged. "So that's it? You'll side with then instead of us ?!"

"Just wait until this is all over, things will go back to normal!"

"Normal?! If they win there will be no normal left! We will all die! I'm not going to let that happen, not even if you oppose me ."

The subsequent strike was strong enough to break her gun, sending it into a puddle, where it shattered. 'That one too us such a long time to build, and now it's just broken like that...'

Riruka knew he would strike again, so she made no effort to move. 'It's a fitting end.'

The strike never touched her. Instead, she saw Orihime in front of her, a shield of gold kept them both secure.

"Riruka-san, are you alright?"

"I'm fine." she managed to whisper.

Everything happened so fast she almost missed it. Riruka saw Orihime's shield break into pieces, the redhead caught the sword with her hands. It cut deeply through her skin, pouring blood in the puddles.

"Orihime! Riruka!"

Ulquiorra and Ichigo were rushing towards them. The Arrancar fired a few ceros at Tsukishima, but the man had already vanished.