Hello, hello, hello! It's me again! Starting in the Bleach universe this time!
I've had this idea for a while, and now it has resurfaced, so I can finally write it down for you wonderful people on FF. You know who you are. XD
Just making sure I don't forget again:
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, any of its wonderful characters, or any of the plots. Those belong to Tite Kubo-san. I don't plan to make any moolah off this little story, so take your potential lawsuits elsewhere. This is for entertainment purposes only. [As are all my stories, come to think of it.] Anyway, the only thing I own is this little plot here.
Author's comments will be surrounded by [brackets] like these, and are not (usually) a part of the story and can be ignored.
Thoughts will be written in italics like this, as well as words I put an extra emphasis on,
Flashbacks (if any are included) will be flagged by -Flashback- inserts,
And reviews will be gobbled up like delicious cookies. MMM, Reviews. Tasty.
From Hueco Mundo with Love
Chapter 1: Plans and Preparations
Tap. Tap. Tap. Ichigo Kurosaki shifted in his sleep, attributing the barely noticeable tapping on his shoulder to be something from his imagination. The tapping continued, and the seventeen-year-old groaned in irritation and brushed off his shoulder as if dusting off an insect or something. When the movement came a third time- this more of a 'shaking' motion than tapping on his shoulder- he decided that it was worth the trouble of checking out.
The orange-haired teen opened his brown eyes and found himself looking directly into a pair of warm, concerned red beads in the green face of a turtle plushie.
"N-Nova?" Ichigo grunted sleepily, and the plushie nodded back, a soft smile in his ruby eyes. Ichigo sat up in bed, and the turtle walked over and sat on his kneecap.
"What's wrong, Nova?" The teen asked the turtle, "What's up with the midnight wake-up call?"
For an answer, the plushie pulled a note that was as tall as he was out of thin air and handed it to the boy. Ichigo cocked his head in confusion, but took the letter and opened it anyway.
"Ichigo,
I am sorry to bother you at this unusual hour, but could you drop by my shop ASAP? It seems I need your help with a certain matter.
Your friend,
Kisuke Urahara
P.S. Come in human form, and bring Kon with you."
"Jeez, what a pain." Ichigo grumbled in annoyance, but decided to go anyway. He pulled open his desk drawer where he kept both Kon's lion-plushie and his gikongan, then unceremoniously shoved the pill into the toy's mouth. Ignoring Kon's indignant protests, Ichigo put a hand over the modified soul's mouth and whispered, "Zip it, moron! Karin, Yuzu and Dad 're still asleep. We're goin' to Kisuke's. Get ready." Not taking any chances, Ichigo put his Substitute Combat Pass in his pocket. You could never be too careful in a town like Karakura, and even doubly so concerning the unpredictable shopkeeper.
Leaving his room and tiptoeing across the hall, Ichigo silently opened the door to his sisters' room and peeked in. He smiled softly when he saw that they were both sound asleep. He crept over to Karin's bed and bent over her sleeping face, whispering quietly into her ear, "Sweet dreams, Karakura Red." Turning to Yuzu, he gently brushed his lips against her forehead in a sweet kiss, breathing softly, "Sleep well, Karakura Yellow."
Once he was done, he tiptoed back to the hallway and closed the door to his sisters' room. Glancing further down the landing, he smirked and muttered, "Rest well, old man." Then he re-entered his room, closed the door quietly, and perched on his open windowsill. Nova climbed onto one of his shoulders, and Kon held onto the other. Then the Substitute Soul Reaper leapt from his window and disappeared into the night.
"Ah, Ichigo! Glad you could make it!" Kisuke greeted with an ostentatious flip of his fan. "We've been waiting for you."
On either side of the former Squad Twelve Captain-turned-shopkeeper, Orihime Inoue and Sado Yasutora waved in greeting, the auburnette grinning broadly. "Ahoy, Ichigo!" She greeted cheerfully. Chad just smiled and grunted, raising a hand in welcome.
"Hey, Orihime. Chad." came the teen's reply, happy and surprised to see two of his closest friends. A purse at Orihime's hip expressed its greeting as well. "Hello, Ichigo! It's been too long- I say, too long indeed!" "Ichigo!" A bird-like voice squealed, and a blue-clad bird jumped out of the zipper portion of the animated handbag and tackled the teen's leg. "You don't visit enough, you mean-spirited Soul Reaper! And we've been waiting for hours!" She squawked. "You're so slow!"
Ichigo laughed. "I've missed you too, Ririn. Nice to see you again, Kurodo." He greeted as Nova jumped from his shoulder and put a hand on the bird-girl's shoulder. "It's only been five minutes since I left, Ririn."
"Oh go away, Mr. Know-It-All Nova!" Ririn pouted, turning away from everyone with a flustered huff. Everyone chuckled good-naturedly at her antics, knowing full well that her overreactions just signified how much she really cared.
"So what's the reason for the midnight reunion, Mr. Hat-and-Clogs?" Ichigo asked when he'd sat down next to Orihime.
"Well now, I guess I'd better just cut to the chase." The former captain sighed. "It seems- though it's been over two years since Aizen's defeat- that his mess is still causing some unexpected problems for us." He scratched his chin thoughtfully, smiling at the group of teens and Mod Souls mysteriously. "There's one project in particular that has piqued my interest. Quite astounding really, how it all turned out this way."
"Oh just spit it out, Kisuke!" Ririn snapped in annoyance. "Stop dancin' around the problem and get to the point already! My curiosity's killing me!"
"Oh all right, all right." The shopkeeper laughed, putting his fan in front of his face to hide his wide grin. Then he abruptly turned serious. "The location is Hueco Mundo, and there's two people that I need you to find there and bring back to this world. Or Soul Society. It doesn't matter which. Just so they're out of the world of Hollows."
Every human in the room visibly tensed at the mention of their destination. Hueco Mundo had been a living nightmare for all involved, and Ichigo would just like to forget the whole disastrous experience. Except for maybe a few things. Nel, for instance.
"So when do we leave?" Chad asked, never one to beat around the bush.
"Oh, it won't be for a week at least." Kisuke waved his fan, assuaging his young friends' fears. "First I need your help with another matter entirely. You'll have some help going into Hueco Mundo- just like last time- but I'm afraid I'll have to prepare them first." At this he looked pointedly at the four Mod Souls, whose expressions ranged from calm and stoic acceptance (Nova) to utter confusion (Kon).
"No way!" Kon burst out as comprehension finally dawned on him. "You're not takin' me into that Hollow world! No way, José!"
"You misunderstand me, my dear Kon." Kisuke replied, putting his fan over his mouth again to hide a smile. "I never said that you have to go. After all, someone has to protect Karakura while the 'A-team' is away. You're the best man for the job, KarakuRaizer!"
Everyone else sweat-dropped as Kon puffed out his chest at the flattery. "Oh, I see you've finally recognized my talents! Well then! That changes things a bit! Hear that, Ichigo? You better start treating me with the respect a hero like me deserves!"
Ichigo just rolled his eyes and shook his head. Being that gullible was just plain embarrassing. Then he turned serious. "You better protect this town, Kon. If anything happens to my family or any of my friends, I'll make you wish you were never created!" Kon could only see the white part of his master's eyes [Like in episode 1], and that made the threat all the scarier.
"Y-yes, Ichigo. I-I promise." Kon stammered, shrinking away from the human Soul Reaper and edging out of sight.
"Ichigo, that wasn't very nice." Orihime chided in concern, and her friend calmed down a bit. "Eh, he'll get over it." He shrugged.
"Excellent." Kisuke commented without warning, and raised his exorcism cane and shoved it right at Ichigo's forehead. The surprised teen fell backward as his soul was ripped forcibly from his body, somersaulting all the way back to the door. His soulless vessel- meanwhile- merely fell backward with the same unsuspecting look of shock in his now-lifeless brown eyes. However, the sound that followed was not the dull thunk that everyone had been expecting. Instead it sounded more like a wet raspberry.
Ichigo's face colored beet-red in embarrassment, and Kon's outburst of laughter could be heard from somewhere behind him. "Aha ha ha! Got you again, Ichigo! Aha ha ha ha!" He declared happily as Ichigo pulled a small Boo-Boo Cushion from under his body's head and glared at it murderously. "Kon, I'm going to kill you-" He growled in a deadly whisper.
Just then Orihime started giggling, and Ichigo looked at her with an incredulous, slightly wounded expression. Then Jinta, Ururu and Kisuke joined in. Soon the whole gathering was chuckling, except for the unfortunate victim. Even Nova cracked a smile of amusement. After her giggles subsided, Orihime commented shyly, "He did get you good, Ichigo." and that sent the kids into fits of giggles again.
"Well, now that we've all had a good laugh," Kisuke commented after a minute, "Ichigo, if you could come with me for a moment." He stood up and led the way to the secret basement of the shop, poking his head back in the room after Ichigo had disappeared. "Ririn, Kurodo, Nova, you too. Jinta, Chad, I'll need your help as well."
The red-haired boy and the tall young man got up and followed without a word, and the three Mod Souls followed behind them. "Kon, you too. And bring Ichigo's body, will you?" Kisuke called as he disappeared down the hole to the underground 'training area'. "All right, here we go!" Kon announced- still puffed up from the flattery earlier- and he used his special patch to remove his gikongan, which bounced right into Ichigo's body's open mouth. Then he stood up, grabbed his plushie form and jumped down the hole after the boys and other Mod Souls.
"Um, Miss Inoue-" Ururu began shyly. Orihime looked at her. "This way, please. Mr. Kisuke asked me to help you with something in the back room." With that the young girl stood up, leading the auburnette to the back of the shop.
"Oh!" Orihime gasped as Ururu opened the door. On the floor lay three fake human bodies- or gigai- that Kisuke had been working on. A young blonde girl for Ririn, an older man with two-toned hair for Kurodo, and a teenage young man with shockingly red hair for Nova. The twist was that they were only dressed in underwear and tank-tops.
"Mr. Kisuke would like us to work on designs of outfits for Nova, Kurodo and Ririn. You have good fashion taste, so he thought you could help us with their outfits."
"I'm flattered, Ururu." Orihime blushed. "But Uryuu is better at it than I am."
"He already volunteered to design Ririn's outfit." Ururu answered, suddenly bashful again. "He usually comes by after school."
"I suppose I could give it a shot." Orihime shrugged good-naturedly and Ururu smiled. "Thank you very much, Miss Inoue." She said, bowing as her long bangs fell in her face.
I wonder how Ichigo and the others are doing- Orihime mused to herself.
"You want me to do WHAT?!" Ichigo shouted, looking at Kisuke like he'd lost his marbles. Or the rest of them, anyway.
"It's only for a few minutes, Ichigo- so that your friends will recognize your altered reiatsu [spirit energy] in that form and not attack you in Hueco Mundo." Kisuke explained, waving his fan in a reassuring sort of way. Which of course did absolutely nothing to calm the teenager's sudden fear for his friends' safety.
"But- but I still don't know if I can control myself in that form." Ichigo stammered, worried for the sake of his friends. "I don't want you guys to get hurt." Like I hurt Uryuu last time. He thought to himself.
"That's the other reason Nova's here. If you lose control, he can teleport any of us away from the danger." Kisuke answered, looking at the green turtle, who nodded solemnly. "No problem." He answered quietly.
"Besides-" The shopkeeper continued. "You told me you didn't have many problems when you rescued your little sister Yuzu from beyond Hell's gate."
"I had a good reason then." Ichigo protested. "I was protecting someone I love, a member of my family. What you're suggesting is like what I did the first time against Ulquiorra. It was mostly self-preservation instincts. Only a tiny part of me had heard Orihime's cry for help and fought to protect her and Uryuu. The rest of me only wanted to tear that Espada apart."
"Come on, Ichigo." Ririn taunted teasingly. "Don't be such a baby. We'll be fine. We're tougher than we look!" She announced proudly. "Kisuke upgraded us quite a bit after the Bount fiasco and that disaster with that Arrancar."
"Our gigai may have been destroyed in that battle, but our spirits have never been stronger!" Kurodo interjected happily. "So go on and transform, Ichigo. We can handle it!"
"Okay, but don't say I didn't warn ya." Ichigo agreed grudgingly, assuming his Vizard mask from thin air. Black and crimson reiatsu swirled around him like a tornado, and Ririn had to shield her eyes from all the dust that was blowing around. Ichigo was breathing deeply in concentration- reining in his aura so that it surrounded his body and tightened the circle, subsequently lessening the dust-storm.
Without warning, the piercing shriek of a Hollow could be heard from inside the vortex, and all three Mod Souls and Jinta covered their ears. Within the swirling cyclone of reiatsu, they could just barely make out a shock of orange hair- but it was much longer than what they were used to seeing.
Inside the vortex and in his Inner World, Ichigo was desperately holding his Hollow back, reluctant to let him have free rein all at once. Zangetsu! Ichigo cried mentally. Help me! I'm not- strong enough!
I am here, Ichigo. The young black-haired man answered- putting a gentle hand on his wielder's shoulder- and immediately the whirlwind of spiritual energy outside calmed down considerably. After another minute, the spiritual energy returned to its master and the dust settled. Jinta and Kurodo could only stare open-mouthed at the powerful Hollow that stood before them. Nova instinctively stepped in front of Ririn in a protective stance, though he knew he couldn't do much in his current body. Even so, he shielded the younger Mod Soul who had become like a little sister to him.
The act of protecting Ririn felt familiar, as if he'd stood in this position in the same or a similar scenario before, but he couldn't remember when or why. He did remember he was protecting someone or something with his life, but couldn't recall who or what. The location of this almost-memory was also a mystery, and the circumstances leading up to it. Who, What, Where, When, Why, How. The six basic questions of life, and no answers to any of them.
"It's all right, everyone." Kisuke announced after a minute of silence, cutting the tension in the air and making everyone either jump or flinch. "Our friend Ichigo is in complete control. Aren't ya." It wasn't stated as a question, but the Hollow nodded slowly anyway.
"I- will- protect-" The Hollow that was Ichigo growled carefully, still not completely trusting his newest form. "my- friends."
"Whew, that's good. At least he still recognizes us as allies." Ririn chirped, heaving a sigh of relief. She slowly walked up to him, then flew up to his shoulder without so much as a warning- causing the Hollow-fied teen to freeze like a block of ice, still as a statue. "You sure look a lot different, though." She commented dryly.
"Mr. Kisuke, we're finished with the designs-" Orihime called happily as she bounced toward the group, but then she stopped in her tracks and gasped in fright. "I-Ichigo?" She asked the Hollow, who was now staring directly at her, a crimson Cero forming between his two horns.
Suddenly Ichigo seemed to come to his senses, because the Cero slowly vanished and a voice growled, "I'll- save- you-"
Orihime gasped again, but this one was out of surprise, not fear. That's what Ichigo said before he fought Ulquiorra. He still remembers that from back then? She thought, amazed and somewhat impressed.
"Excellent defensive reflexes, and nice re-strategy upon recognizing friend from foe." Kisuke commented, directing his words at the Vasto Lorde. "You'd never have forgiven yourself if you'd released that Cero." Ichigo just stood there in silence, his head downcast.
"Are you guys accustomed to his reiatsu yet?" Jinta called over to the Mod Souls. "That Hollow-form gives me the creeps."
Ichigo's head snapped up at the boy's words and he wordlessly drew his zanpakuto, already automatically released in its Bankai stage, Tensa Zangetsu. He slowly stepped over to where the red-haired boy stood and raised his blade, the hilt just above his mask. Jinta took a step back in terror, then two, then lost his balance and fell on his backside. Ichigo lifted his Soul Slayer higher-
-And struck his own face with the pommel. As the white, cracked fragments of the mask fell away and broke into nothingness on the rocky terrain, Hollow Ichigo [Shirosaki] leaned down and grinned evilly at the horrified boy. "You ain't seen nothin' yet."
End of chapter 1
Next chapter teaser: Miracle and a Surprise
Aww. Ichi's so kind to his sisters. Just like a big brother should be. And I think he would know about the 'Karakura Super Heroes' by now. And he agrees with me that Karin should be 'Red'. Jinta can be 'Blue' for all I care. XD
Ever since I saw the Bount arc, I've had an interesting theory about Nova-kun, which I hinted at a little bit in this chapter. I'll show you what it is as the story continues.
Two people in Hueco Mundo? Who could they be? Only the author knows, and only time will tell.
From now on I'll be calling Ichigo 'Ichigo' and his Hollow form 'Shirosaki', to minimize confusion.
Oh, and thank my brother for the wonderful title. He suggested it when I was caught up in the vicious storm of Writer's Block. Arigato gozaimasu, Otouto-sama! [Although I don't know how I feel about the similarity to James Bond- Oh well.]
God Bless!
Tsunami Storm