The boy watches the Hollow crumble into dust and ash, sways on his feet, and collapses to hit the ground face first. It looks painful, but Rukia has no breath to spare for unnecessary sympathies – he is alive and that is a miracle in itself.
She presses bloody fingers to the gash in her side and pushes herself to her feet to cross the distance between them. Looks down at him for a long moment before she is forced, having no sword to lean on now, to kneel down on the tarmac before she collapses in the same undignified manner he did. She surveys the damage – one damaged house, four unconscious mortals, all of them wounded. Continue reading “Pawn” »