Ryu's Feelings:Niriko's Doubts

The understanding
Ryu was relaxing as he heard his mother calling him.

"What is it mom?" Ryu asked.

"I need you to come with me to give this to you're godfather, it's his birthday today so we should aleast give him some cake." Aki said smiling.

Ryu nodded as he opened the Senkaimon and made sure no one was there before letting his mother come in as they both made their way to the Squad 12 barracks.

Niriko was off tending to her garden as she felt a new spiritual energy enter the area as well as a familiar one "Oh? He came baack again? Hm. I think I will leave him be for now."

The two of them looked around the barrack's making sure that no one was there as they entered Hayate's personal lab and saw him calculating formula's on his computer as well as experimenting.

"Working hard or hardly working?" Ryu said smiling as he saw his godfather and gave him a hug from behind while Hayate looked behind and rubbed his head.

"I didn't expect you to be here today, along with my teacher." Hayate said as he looked up to see Aki holding a birthday cake.

"Well being as you're parents couldn't be here, Ryu wanted to give you a birthday cake atleast." Aki said as she put it on one of the tables and lit the candles.

Niriko stood looking down at her plants. "I hope my love for you allows you all to bloom beautifully." She then felt the spiritual energy again. "Hm...I wonder if he wants to see me again. I-I-I mean what do I care? Hmph! If he wants to see me he knows where I am. I'm not going to chase after him like some sort of animal."

"Hahaha, alright thank you both." Hayate said as he blew out the candles and smiled.

Ryu headed towards the door but was stopped by his mother,"Where do you think you're going?" Aki asked while she had a knife in her hand which frightened Ryu.

"Haha, come now why the rush?" Hayate said grabbing some plates.

"Uh.......No reason.hahaha." Ryu laughed nervously as he stayed.

Nirio began to remember Ryu as she wandered over to the pond they played in escaping her fellow Kuchiki Members. "Hm...I wonder if I'll EVER see him again? We never did conclude our match...but at the same time I don't want to lose control and hurt him. what to do?"

While Aki and Hayate we're talking to each other catching up, he decided to take advantege of the situation and quietly exited out of the barracks, while walking around his mind began to remember of Nirkio more and more with every step he took.

"She's probably at her home i guess, i wonder if a noble like her would ever remember an outcast like me?" Ryu wondered as he continued walking.

Niriko began practicing her sword swings as she looked at her reflection in the water. "Not good enough...I must get better or they will never accept me as a true Kuchiki warrior. Hmph!"

"Working hard or hardly working?" Ryu popped up right behind her and smiled into the water's reflection.

"Hmph. I MUST get better! I can't fall behind!." Niriko looked at Ryu with a mixture of anxiety and anger in her eyes.

"Aw come on, I'm sorry." Ryu said smiling as he smiled and backed up a few steps away,"So how is everything going?"

Niriko sighed as she lowered her sword. "Its not you...its just the other Nobles don't take me seriously as a warrior and I'm sick of it! I'm tired of being looked down upon!"

Ryu looked at her and knew where she was coming from as he walked towards her and looked her directly into her eyes,"I can understand you wanting to be apart of your family and wanting to prove yourself to them." Ryu said as he started smiling at her.

"But you don't have to work so hard, just be yourself and you'll be fine." Ryu said trying to cheer her up.

"Myself!? Myself isn't good enough! This isn't a fairy tale! You can't just wish for things to get better with asmile and have it magically come true." Niriko sighed in obvious frustration.

"........Alright, i can see your upset so i think I'll head back now." Ryu said as he sighed and turned around while he started to walk away.

Niriko maintained her angered tone. "Fine. Go ahead and leave. I'm used to bein abandoned by everyone else. What's different about you leaving me too."

Ryu looked back at her,"Look I don't abandon my friends but you're the one who keeps pushing me away, I understand you feeling alone and angry but you don't have to." Ryu said as he started walking towards her.

"How can I trust ANYONE when my own family doesn't believe I'm cut out for this life." Niriko begins gripping her head as she falls to her knees.

Ryu looked at her and sat down right next to her,"You trusted me the day we meet each other." Ryu said as he looked up at the stars.

Niriko paused as she looked down at the ground. "You know of the Kuchiki family right? Well you should also know of how strict they are. Their rulings and how things should be done is taking its toll on me."

"I understand, but no matter how hard something is you should know that you'll always have your friends to help you through those times." Ryu said smiling at her.

"What amI supposed to do when those friends aren't around though? They can't ALWAYS be there to support me. I appreciate your support though." Niriko spoke as she began to cry while smiling walking back and forth in front of the pond in the process.

Ryu stood up and grabbed her shoulders as he looked into her eyes,"No matter what, I will always be there to support you heck even with me living in the Human world I will always be there for you." Ryu said looking deep into her eyes.

Niriko pulled back with fear seemingly pouring out of her body. "That's just it. There's a part of me that's completely frightened of pulling other people into my problems. I don't want to cause anyone harm."

"Niriko, alot of my friends have problems where they rather not have me involved with them but I do anyway because I would rather die trying to help their problems than just stand around not trying to do any thing to help them." Ryu said as he looked at her and showed his arm as it was covered with a scar leading from his hand to the end of his arm.

"No matter what harm anyone's problem's may do, I will always help them especially you Niriko Kuchki." Ryu looked with determination in his eyes.

"Hmph. How can I be sure of that? Even if I were to betray you and attack you right now trying to killing you with every fiber of my being could you HONESTLY tell me, you wouldn't change the way you see things?" Niriko turned to look at Ryu; skepticism written across her face.

"No." Was Ryu's only reply with much confidence.

"I don't know....my family says that...argh!" Niriko clutches her head she falls to the ground with her hollow mask starting to form.

"Niriko, i know how you are you cannot allow yourself to be told what to do anymore stand up and take control of who you are, I know you can." Ryu grabbed her shoulders trying to hold her down.

"HaHAHAha. WHo ArE yOu!?" Hollow Niriko began to speak as she pushed him down. "You SHOulD've LiSTEneD to ThE girL. sHe was trYIng tO warN YoU ThAt I WAS COMIng!"

"I'm not talking to you Hollow!!!!! I'm talking to Niriko Kuchki, I know she's in there!!" Ryu used his strength and grabbed Niriko's hands while at the same time getting up and puting them behind her back.

She kicked free as she laughed. "Niriko is taking a nap right now!" She then charged a cero letting it go into the area around them destroying part of the hill they were near. "HAHAHAHA!"

"Say whatever you want but i know she's in there, Niriko you can't let yourself get pushed arounf your a great girl and a strong warrior don't let that hollow push you around." Ryu stood there looking at her as he shunpo'd and grabbed her from the back.