(Love) Zanpakuto (Death)
The Loveless Valentine
Chapter 1
TLV: Good I miss writing but I decided to make it Bleach this time! This is after everything with Aizen and stuff... This was an rp and I wanted to see how it would do as a story! Ichigo take care of the disclaimer?
Ichigo: She doesn't own any of the crap I came from.
TLV: YOU JUST CALLED YOUR SHOW CRAP WTF!
Ichigo: Well you wrote it, baka!
TLV: Oh yeah... ON WITH THE STORY!
{Start}
The day felt as if it was going by slowly, the hours spent in the classrooms were longer, and the students couldn't think of anything else to do but to talk. The exams were now over and this left time for everyone else to relax and think about what to do over the weekend. The orange haired male talked briefly with his group of friends, and then remained silent, staring out the window as he always does. That was his daily schedule the entire week, and as for him, he felt paranoid about something. He continued feeling strange reiatsu other than his and his friends. It felt strong, as strong as his actually, which made him feel somewhat sick. It was a bit obvious how he was feeling, and if he was to be in their presence, he'd probably have a break down. He hadn't felt so weird since he had used his hollow last, before he had his shinigami powers returned to him.
In another classroom a girl had been itching to get out of the place called school. She knew of the reiatsus that were somewhere in the school. She was wondering as to why they were there and who had the largest one. All together it was a large amount but one person in particular was the strongest. She wanted to find out, she wanted to know who. She struggled against the urge to rush out of the room and track down this group of people. She clenched her fist in her lap and growled softly. The expression in her ice blue eyes was frustrated and it had the ability to scare anyone who glanced at it.
As the bell rung, he slowly rose from his seat and walked out of the classroom. He glanced at the large crowd of students, feeling even worse at that very moment, as if the people with the strong reiatsu was somewhere amongst them. Or, it could be that they're somewhere close, he wasn't sure. He decided to walk the opposite way, heading towards the empty staircase to go to the rooftop. He figured he could get some time to himself instead of suffering.
She had already left the class five minutes before the bell rang. The teacher didn't mind, she got top marks so it was fine for her to leave so close to the bell. She was sitting on the railing of the roof with her long black hair flying about her. She was scouting the area about her to look for the ones with reiatsu. She kicked her legs childishly as she watched the other students flood outside.
As he proceeded, his pain started to get worse. He grabbed his head and held on to the railing of the stairs with one hand. "They're close..I know it.." He slowly continued upward, knowing if there were some kind of unusual being there, he'd have to meet them eventually. He slowly reached for the doorknob and opened the door. He saw only one person there, and at that moment his eyes widened devastatingly. "That reiatsu, it's coming from this girl? I-it can't be..." He thought to himself, not aware that he was staring at her for a long while.
"So you're one of the people with reiatsu..." She said, "It's amazing that you have such a large one and it's not even at max." She turned her head to look at the boy with strangely colored hair for a native to Japan. "Nice to meet you, Naomi Katana a Substitute Shinigami." She pushed herself off the rail and walked over to him and extended out a delicate hand.
He shook his head to get himself out of the state of being hypnotized. He stared down at her hand and gently grabbed it. He was stunned by the news of her being a substitute shinigami, having mistaken her to be someone else in disguise. "Ichigo Kurosaki, also a substitute shinigami." He revealed. He stared silently at her; some of the pain had eased.
She shook his hand before withdrawing it slowly to her side. "Sorry about my reiatsu, I keep forgetting that it's a bit overwhelming." She lowered her reiatsu to at least one fourth of what it was before. "You mistook me for someone else? Who?" She had begun to read his mind ever since he set foot on the roof.
He shrugged. "I guess I mistook you for a hollow or something. I had a bad feeling.." He placed his hands into his pockets and looked away.. "I thought she was going to trigger something, and here of all places.." He thought to himself. He sighed carelessly and opened his eyes after closing them while sighing. "I've never seen you before, are you new to Karakura town? And what do you usually do as one?" He thought it was interesting to meet another substitute soul reaper that appeared to be around his own age. Even though some of the things not even regular soul reapers ever had the chance to experience, he still wanted to hear other's agendas.
"No, I've been here for a while but I just never saw you before. We are in different classes." She shrugged, thinking that it was fine that he was skeptical about her. "As a shinigami I basically do as you do not considering what you might do; I fight hollows, give soul burials, and train." She discreetly examined him, noting his physical build that was perfect for shinigami work. She nodded slightly to herself in approval. "Whoever gave him their powers was smart." She thought to herself.
He nodded and walked slowly past her to the railing. He placed his hands and firmly gripped them, staring down at the large amount of people below who looked like ants from where he was standing. "So, do you think substitute soul reapers have limitations? That they're weaker than those who are soul reapers themselves? That they can't amount to anything?" He asked the question which was at the top of his head. He always pictured himself asking questions, but that one was just to hear someone else's opinion, more like a test.
"No, substitutes are just as powerful with the proper training. You and I are examples of that. It may be harder to be seen as equals but substitutes can be just as strong as the regular soul reapers. This isn't an opinion, it's a fact." She looked to the sun and swore to herself she would get stronger, even stronger than she was now. She had to, it wasn't an option. "I believe you think the same way."
He nodded his head in agreement. "I do, I've proved myself already. Heh, I'm a little surprised you didn't know me already from my reputation. I hate to brag about myself so I decide not to mention anything." He thought back of some of the battles he'd went through, including the one with Aizen just a little over two years ago. He turned back around facing her, his back now against the railing with his hands still attached to it behind him.
"I've always been ignorant to most things." She chuckled, "But maybe I'll start paying attention." She smirked as she saw the battles in his mind, "You're very impressive, along with Zangetsu. I'm reading your mind if you don't know by now." She chucked once more, "I'm quite jealous, I've never fought any battles like that. Mind taking me with you next time?"
His eyes widened again, his hand almost slipping off the rail which would've caused him to fall. "Huh? Read my mind! This isn't the first time I've been through this! Don't you guys believe in personal space!" He exclaimed. He spoke again in the same dull tone as he'd always been speaking in as if he had said nothing at all, as he always does when he changes attitudes. "Maybe I will, it depends." He smirked.
She laughed but she was surprised that something so simple could cause her to easily laugh like that, "What? I'm only seeing your current thoughts, not like I'm going to go through your darkest secrets or anything super personal." She calmed and smirked right back at him, "Well if you don't it doesn't matter, I'm coming with you anyway." She had a feeling that it was going to be easy for her to get along with him.
Her confidence caused him to smirk wider, but not viciously. "I guess I can't stop you, even if I wanted, and I don't. But you'll have to stick with me, that means training and all. I have a schedule, not that hard depending on how dedicated you are." He crossed his arms, his muscles flexing as his short sleeved shirt folded upward. "Is that good enough for you?"
"Simple conditions so how could it not be?" She nodded and actually smiled instead of smirking. If someone who knew her well enough, they'd jokingly tease that hell had frozen over or the world was ending. She walked to the rail and grasped it while looking at the town before her.
"Good! Now, shouldn't we get going? Unless you have somewhere wide and empty where we could train in private? Any place larger than where I usually go to is fine by me." He stepped next to her and faced in the same direction as she was, leaving his hands dangling at his sides.
"I know two places, but I'll have to call my driver." She sighed and pulled out her cell and dials a number. After a minute she closes her cell, "Alright, let's get down to the front." She turns and walks to the stairwell but stopped halfway to glance over her shoulder, "What are you standing there for Ichigo? Liking the view?" She teased with a smirk before walking again.
He stood where he was for the last few moments before she walked downstairs, sighing before following. "That girl just makes you keep coming back for more.." He thought to himself, hoping she wouldn't be eavesdropping on his thoughts again. He closed his eyes and smiled something he don't do very often, and climbed down the stairs. He walked a bit faster so he'd catch up with her pace.
She was waiting for him with a grin on her face, with a guy who looked like he could be her older brother in front of a foreign car. He looked like her in male form. "You're so slow." She chuckled. "But then again you were just stunned by my natural beauty." She joked but rolled her eyes, "Yeah right, I'm kidding."
He raised an eyebrow, seeing the two together which he thought had appearances that appeared to be too strange for coincidence. He smiled again and laughed almost silently. "No, you're right. Have you been reading my mind again?" He teased. He walked to the car and examined it some, liking the interior and design as a whole. "Beautiful car you have here, looks little though, but that's how all of these models look. How many people can it hold, two?" He asked sarcastically, but expecting to hear that he was correct.
She laughed happily and shook her head, "It can hold four, but you get to sit in front since you're so tall." She opens the door and lifted a lever to make the chair lean forward so she could get into the back. She slipped in and pulled the base closer to her, making more leg room before pulling the chair upright. "There we go!" the driver chuckled and got in the driver's side and turned the car on.
He stepped into the car after she was done adjusting the seat to her comfort. He sat down in the passenger seat and closed the car door. He then grabbed the seatbelt and stretched it across his chest into the buckle. He leaned backwards and rested his head on the head of the seat, stretching his legs apart as well in the process.
She sighed and relaxed easily without pulling on her seatbelt, "Ni-chan you know where to." He nods and drives off. "Ichigo, what are the others like? You know, your friends with reiatsu." She looked at the back of the headrest. Thoughts of her old friend suddenly raced through her mind and suddenly her eyes watered. She was relieved no one could see her like this.
He tapped the dashboard with his finger and thought back on the question a little. "My friends? Well, they're nice, people I can trust with anything and who I'd protect with my life if I had to. They'd do the same to me, we've been through a lot together. Ever since the beginning, we trained, and now we're all strong and equal in strength and power." He explained as broad as he could without over exaggerating. "I don't have a lot of friends, just a lot of comrades. " He rested his eyes.
She hummed in thought, "Friends and comrades hmm? I think of comrades as friends, and friends as family." She looked out the window, "That's good that you guys will risk your lives for each other. Only a small handful of people would risk their life for me..." A large business building came into view as she said, "We're here, the training ground is beneath that tall building."
He stared out of the window at the large building, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "Nice place, it must be massive down there." He glanced at her with a questionable look on his face. "Who designed the training grounds? Kisuke has his, and Yoruichi has hers.' He wondered if it was that easy to make one, if so, he would make it himself. But he thought again, being frustrated easily with the design and layout, seeing how it could be a lot of work.
She hummed for a minute in thought, trying to recall who built the training ground. "My friend, Kai. He was the soul reaper who gave me his powers... I haven't seen him for a long time, now that I mention him." Her voice was distant, still trying to recall things about the creation. "He made me help with it and I swear I thought I was going to die from exhaustion or from falling into one of the traps that we made for training... You should be careful in there, it's more like a battleground than a training facility."
He started to frown as he became serious again. "Got it." He spoke sternly. He wasn't afraid nor intimidated by the facility, it only interested him even more to enter. He laughed at the fact that she sounded somewhat scared to him as she described how the training facility would be. 'Maybe you just need a hand to hold, you know, if you're that scaaaared?" He folded his hands behind his head in relaxation.
"Who would be?" She shot back at him with a playful glare. "I did design the traps and install them." She smirked, "Or are you just making an excuse to hold my hand?" She was scared, but not for herself. She was worried for him, but she shook it off quickly knowing that he probably could handle whatever she might throw at him, literally and figuratively. She shook her head as the car came to a slow stop
"You know, I was just worried, that's all. But if you ever wanted to take up my offer instead of hiding your fear..." He shrugged. He reached for his seatbelt as the car stopped and took it from around him. He reached slowly for the door to unlock it and step out. As he stepped out, he leaned against it and waited for the two to lead him inside.
She sighed and got out before patting his shoulder. "I know, thanks Ichigo." She didn't look at him and she began to walk to the building. She was becoming more serious by the second but with her seriousness came the tension. Her shoulders stiffened and her walk seemed to turn rigid. She got to the door which had slid open. She turned to face him without a sound escaping her mouth.
He made sure to watch his step for any visible signs of a trap. He wasn't really staring at the floor, nor worried about getting caught in one. Since he lost his shinigami powers for two years, his physical appearance and strength has gotten to the point of achieving superhuman stats. He took a deep breath, he could feel the somewhat heat as they proceeded forward, feeling the slightest bit uneasy.
They suddenly felt the floor shake and she smirked, "Hope you're ready for a long fall!" The large panel below them swung open like a trap door and they fell down the shaft. She looked down as they fell at a high speed. She would have started laughing if she wasn't so serious at the time. "This is the entrance to the training ground, no elevator because someone would get curious. Only people with reiatsu can enter."
He raised an eyebrow once she began speaking after remaining quiet for a long time. "What? What do you mean a long fa-?" The panel below had swung open to his surprise, and the very thing he hated was falling. He was swinging his arms like some kind of idiot until he finally shift his weight and fell upright. As they landed, he crouched and placed his hand on the floor almost similar to how a ninja would. He breathed heavily and listened closely to what she was saying.
"The panel is responsive to reiatsu, especially mine. It automatically opens after it senses reiatsu. That area was restricted in case someone was able to open it." She explained as she began to walk in an odd pattern, "You might want to follow my path, any misstep will set the trap off." She walked slowly and made sure there were prints for him to follow.
He had finally caught his breathe and later followed her. As he continued walking, he viewed the area they were in, looking to be a great place to train without any interruptions as he had experienced many times before. He later stared downward at the tiles, she being only an inch or two ahead of him. He wasn't paying attention at all, just daydreaming.
She suddenly turned back to look at him and gave a swift roundhouse kick, knowing he was daydreaming. She wasn't intending to hurt him at all, but to get his attention. She knew that daydreaming here would serve as his downfall. Her foot collided with his shoulder which was several centimeters above her head with a mild blow. It wasn't enough to move him but it would be enough to get his attention. "Daydream when your life isn't in possible danger." She sighed.
His eyes widened as he stepped backwards and almost falling from being surprised. He frowned a bit and said nothing else. He held his head high and walked normally as he started to before. He was wondering how longer it would take to meet their destination, the path had just begun, but he was a rather impatient person. He placed one hand on his neck and the other in his pocket.
"You know what screw the walking!" She took a soul candy and popped it in her mouth, her soul detaching from her body. The mod soul takes off, avoiding the traps by luck. She grabbed his hand and flash stepped several times to their destination. It looked like a mesh of many natural features from the world. "Here it is."
He watched as the two made it quickly there, faster than how they could've been traveling. "I guess I should do that when I come back here." It seemed like only an instant had passed, looking around the place with her at his side. He then turned back to her, having forgotten she was in his shinigami form. "You look as great as you were in your human form. If we were fighting, I don't know which I would be more intimidated by, your zanpakuto or your appearance." He complimented, raising the arm which he was holding her hand.
She smiled slightly, "My zanpakuto is what you should be intimidated by, not my looks." She released her hold on his arm, "Now let's get to business." She smirked, "I hope you don't hold back because I'm a girl that would be unfair to you." She flips back, giving them both some space. She enters a position that makes it easy for her to dodge and attack.
"Oh, I wouldn't do that." He reached into his pocket and grabbed a dispenser with the head of a duck. After opening it, he slid the ball shaped candy into his mouth, emerging from his human body and appearing as a shinigami. "Hey, go over there, be careful and watch your step, you might step on something you shouldn't." He warned, watching as his body squirmed away. He then turned back to her, grabbing his large zanpakuto from his back and placing it on the back of his neck. "So, shall we begin?"
She nodded in anticipation, not making a move to reach for her zanpakuto. She wasn't going to use it just yet. "I'll give you the first move." She brought her hands into a guard position with her eyes locked on his, watching for any sign as of when he would attack. She smirked in excitement, this would be her first spar in years and it was going to be a really interesting one.
"Alright! Here I go!" He aimed his zanpakuto ahead, and suddenly disappeared. He was unsure if she could trace his moments. He was running towards the left, aiming to attack her from the side. A moment later he appeared, raising his large zanpakuto and slamming it downward with much force.
She suddenly disappeared and reappeared on his shoulders. "Yo!" She smirked and poked him in the forehead before disappearing again and reappearing at the other side of the area. She laughed happily, "Gotta do better than that Ichigo!" She smirked, still standing there.
He had expected her to move out of the way, a somewhat wild guess from how she avoided the attack last time. If he had learned anything from fighting as a shinigami, is that an enemy will fight the same throughout the battle, even if it's an unrecognizable pattern. The sound of her voice helped him somewhat, being able to indicate exactly where she was. He quickly turned around as he stopped, his arm around being in the position he had wanted it to be in. His elbow was stretched pointing behind himself. He turned and raised his elbow, having it collide with her foot. "Now it's my turn!" He shouted, using his own foot to attempt to kick her in the stomach and knock her backwards. He again positioned his arm, a black and red aura forming around his zanpakuto.
She was kicked back a few feet although she landed upright, with her hand on her zanpakuto. She eyed the aura in interest as she pulled out her sword. She held one hand in front of her and brought the sword above her head, pointing it at him while the blade was parallel to the ground. She stood in a low forward stance, preparing for his attack while murmuring to her zanpakuto, "Namida, grace me with your power." She kept her eyes on him, making sure that she would be ready to counterattack with anything she had up her sleeves.
"Grr..damnit! I won't allow myself to lose!" He shouted. As his aura grew larger, he leaned forward and with only one step, he disappeared. He reappeared floating high above her towards her rear where she would have her backed turned to him. He swung his zanpakuto forward, a large wave forming and aimed at her below. "GETSUGA TENSHOU!" He shouted after he launched the wave of powerful reiatsu.
She stared at it and lifted her blade above her, and inserted a high amount of her own reiatsu to cut through the attack and make it fan out around her. She knew at this point he was using the shikai version of his original zanpakuto but didn't know why so she shrugged as soon as the attack was cleared. She jumped up at him, poising to attack, when she neared him, she began to slice at him many times with incredible speed.
His eyes widened some again after his attack was demolished. He raised his zanpakuto again, seeing as she was going to continuously attack head on as he was attempted. He clang his zanpakuto against hers, using more force that he had planned. Later as they continued, his zanpakuto was pushed back slightly because of her likely speed increase. He gripped it more sternly and frowned, sweat rolling down his face.
"Getting some exercise aren't we?" She smiled slyly, winking at him as she forced her zanpakuto against his, using her upper body strength. Her arms were weaker than her legs which was natural for a girl but it was still good enough to do well in a battle against a male. She then dropped her strength and flipped behind him, and kicking him in the back with all of her lower body's strength, sending him toward to the ground.
He felt slightly annoyed as he was sent towards the ground, crashing head-first. "Why is she so strong...?" He slowly lifted his body from the ground, both hands on his zanpakuto to assist him. He was slouched over, looking like he had a hunch-back. He slowly turned around with blood rolling down the side of his head. "Time to get serious!" He shouted loudly. He placed his zanpakuto in front of him, holding it with his right hand. The same black and red aura had returned, but now surging around his body like static. His reiatsu was rising dramatically.
"If you're getting serious then I should as well." She closed her eyes and suddenly opened them, "Fall, Samui to Atakai Namida!" She dropped her blade and two similar scythe-like swords appeared in her hands, one blue and black with several different blades in different places and a red, yellow and black one that had many talon-like spikes around the area that should have been blunt, "Like my shikais? Aren't they unique? Usually I summon them alone, but this time I'll use them both." She smirked deviously at her adversary, "Remember to dodge, Strawberry."
A/N: OVER! Like it? Like it? HUH! Hope so, it might be a while till the next one, but don't worry I am working on it!