[TPV]

"Rumor, Gabriel," Rue said, lying on the ground as Byakuya stood over them in defense. Sure, he wasn't suppose to fight but Rue fell down in a cold faint and he had to do something!

The hollow jumped back out of the forest and Byakuya tensed, his eyes widening as proof of Agito's plan unfolded and Rue's zanpukuto was called out. The hollow stopped in mid-jump at the surprising rise of reiatsu from the previously weak little Shinigami girl.

Her reiatsu rose and rose and suddenly changed scent. Her previously unremarkable reiatsu signature changed to that of myrrh, of old incense, and holy power. Golden light began to pour out of her body, brighter and brighter until everyone had to look away.

When the light disappeared, Byakuya studied the now revealed shikai and was shocked.

Rue's shikai was a khanjar, a tiny blade not even a foot long, but curved wickedly sharp. But more than just the little blade was her expression. Rue Diabolos, a usually playful girl full of smiles and laughter, was not smiling. Her warm golden eyes had gone completely cold and serious. For once, Byakuya could see how Agito and Rue were identical twins.

"HAHAHA!" screeched the hollow, "What's that little butter knife gonna do against me?! I'm gonna eat all of you!" The hollow leapt forward, using its hindlegs as a brutal kickstart.

Rue didn't move. The hollow flew closer and closer but she didn't even flinch.

When the hollow was nearly face to face with the shinigami girl, jaws wide open and waiting to bite into the delicious morsol, Rue ducked down under the belly of the beast, rose her little knife and sliced through the hollow's stomach.

The hollow screeched in surprise before leaping away, frantically checking over his injures. Rue-chan sheathed her blade and moved back to Agito's side.

"Byakuya-kun" she called out, "Help me here. Agito's still bleeding."

"HAHAHA!" the hollow laughed, "Just a scratch! A scratch! A scratch! Just a scratch!"

"Rue-chan," Byakuya called out worriedly.

"Its okay," Rue explained as the hollow's cacklng grew louder and louder, "That's what Gabriel does."

"Gabriel?" Byakuya asked.

"Mm," she said, "My khanjar is coated in a fast acting poison unlike anything nature can offer."

The hollow began to scream and thrash around.

"It goes through the blood stream into the brain."

The grasshopper's taloned hands reached up and started clawing at it's mask.

"And in the brain, the poison sets in and makes the hormones, chemicals, and neurons go crazy. In essence, anyone cut with my blade will go insane."

The hollows screaming turned into agony and the talons reached up and ripped it's on mask in half. The hollow fell dead quiet, it's body slumping against the ground, little bits of reishi already drifting off into the wind.

"Anyone cut with my blade and they will go insane. Gabriel then whispers in their head to kill themselves. There is no way to stop it. Hell, even if they were strapped down, the victims would bite off their tongues, or just simply stop breathing in order to follow Gabriel's whispers."

"Suicide?" Byakuya said, anxiousness dropping his stomach like a lead weight.

He was thinking of the future where Rue would need to learn how to fight with her little blade. A single cut, and they would go insane.

"Yeah," Rue said, "My shikai isn't very spar friendly isn't it?"

Byakuya was reminded very harshly about Agito's own unknown shikai. 'My shikai is meant to wipe out entire cities,' she said not even an hour ago and he didn't believe her.

"Nonsence," Agito choked out, her breathing slowed down, "We'll just have to train you ... different." She was still pale, still wounded though the wound had stopped bleeding.

"Stupid Agito!" Rue rebuked, gaining back her light after such a serious revelation, "You didn't need to get hurt so bad! Baka Agito, you always keep me worried. Don't hurt yourself like that. I was so worried. Baka. Baka. Baka!"

Rue cried. After a moments hesitation, Agito wrapped her hand around her younger sister's in comfort. Rue latched onto Agito and cried because she was so scared, so very scared.

Agito was hurt. There was a really strong hollow. She met her zanpakuto in the middle of a fight. And then she discovered exactly what her shikai could do and it wasn't pretty. She was very scared.

When Rue was calm enough, Agito uttered, "I'm sorry Rue-chan. I won't do it again."

"You better not!" Agito and Rue were surprised at the voice, forgetting that they had an audience of one. They looked over at Byakuya whose arms shook in anger at his sides. He wouldn't allow himself to cry in relief. He was frightened when Agito started bleeding to death. And now that Agito proven to be conscious still, he was angry that Agito would do that to herself without the promise that Rue would be able to heal with her new zanpuktou.

"You almost died you dummy! How could you just threaten your life like that?! How could you-"

"Awww, sounds like Byakuya-chan would have missed me if I'd died. Huh Rue?" Agito mocked. Rue giggled at the taunting.

"I do believe you're right Agito." Byakuya blushed bright red before struggling against Agito's iron grip.

"Let go of me! I wouldn't care if you died today or tomorrow!" Agito's grip tightened around his wrist like an iron shackle.

"Don't be such an ass Byakuya-chaaaan~. I bet at my funeral you'll be acting like such a baby it'll be the shame of the Kuchiki family!"

"Who says I'll even go to your funeral?!" Agito unwound her fingers around Rue's hand and gave Byakuya a noogie.

"There you are, being an ass again!"

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, stop that Agito!" Rue just giggled at their strange friendship.

~~~