Author's Note: This fanfiction is dedicated to the 15 years of Bleach and the 1 year I have spent watching/reading Bleach and playing Bleach Brave Souls. Bleach is the original creation of Tite Kubo and is owned by its respective owners.
"Alert the Court Guards! Alert the Soul Reapers! The Hollows are attacking! Run!" Cries of fear and panic echoed through the rainy night skies. Dark, white masked monsters of variable sizes emerged from portals scattered around a Japanese-esque district. They are soon met by a single swordsman, garbed in a black hood, kosode and hakama.
"Thank goodness!" A panicked villager exclaimed. "They all appeared at once! My friends are in trouble! Please, Soul Reaper!"
The hooded Soul Reaper stilled the villager by holding down his shoulders. "Sir, you have my word that I will save your friends. Wait for me to clear the road and follow me!" In a swift movement, he swung the fearful villager away from an attacking Hollow.
"Hado #4: Byakurai!" He shouted as he pointed his finger at the Hollow and fired a blast of concentrated spiritual energy through its head. "Damn it, is the capital under attack too?! There should be more backup for the Rukon District!"
The frightened villager backed himself onto a wooden fence, when he is further frightened by another Soul Reaper, only he is much smaller and younger. He is garbed in a white kosode with blue stripes and blue hakama. His light brown hair is fashioned in a shaggy style.
"Yasuke, what are you thinking?!" Shouted the young Soul Reaper. "The Sereitei needs all the assistance it can get! You are more needed there than in the Rukon District!" He furiously kicked a small, beetle-like Hollow in the air before bisecting it with his sword.
Yasuke adjusted his face-obscuring hood. "Souma, the Sereitei will be well guarded by the Squad Captains. I'll most likely just stand in the way. Besides, I refuse to let the people of the Rukon District suffer from any inaction!" Yasuke brandished his sword, a katana, and made his way to the house, where the villager's friends are trapped.
Souma groaned in protest as he followed. "Seriously, Yasuke. How the hell does your captain tolerate your crap?" He momentarily ceased his banter to strike down other Hollows and open the front door. His eyes widened as a taller, bipedal Hollow descended above him and prepared its sharp claws. However, its otherwise fatal blow was deflected by Yasuke's thrown katana.
"Graduate from the academy as soon as you can, Souma." Yasuke muttered as he grabbed his twirling katana, then delivered a swift, fatal cut across the Hollow's face. "Then you can join the same Squad as me. Until then, more importantly, we must protect the common folk. They've left their lives behind back in the World of the Living. The least we can do is make their time in the afterlife as safe as possible."
Yasuke and Souma quickly made their way through the house. They cleared several rooms before ascending to the second floor. After, they immediately encountered a man and a woman huddled in a corner with a group of fearful children.
"Waaah!" One of the children cried. "Don't let those horrible, horrible monsters eat us!"
Souma sighed in annoyance…and was given a swift smack to the back of his head by Yasuke.
"It's the Soul Reapers!" The adult woman cried out. "Thank goodness! Where is Sakon?!"
Yasuke patted the woman's shoulder reassuringly. "We ran into him when the Hollows attacked. We came here on his request."
As if on cue, Sakon ran up the stairs and sighed in relief. "Ah! You arrived just in time, Soul Reapers!" Sakon frantically circled around the group, particularly the children, for any wounds. "None of you are hurt, right?!"
The older of the two men chuckled lightly, hoping to alleviate some of the tension in the air. "No, Sakon. We've been huddled here for a while. Looks like those monsters were only able to get to the first floor before these brave Soul Reapers disposed of them. Thank you so much. But you better get a move on."
Souma nodded. "He's right, Yasuke. Come on. The Sereitei needs us."
Yasuke paused and adjusted his hood. "No, no, no…something doesn't feel right. I can sense their spiritual pressure from here and, even collectively, it's way too weak. Even for Hollows, they must know the recklessness of their attack." Yasuke continued to mumble to himself as he gazed out of the window.
Souma rubbed his head as he dropped his annoyed tone. "Yasuke, I understand your concern for the Rukon District. But as an official Soul Reaper, you should prioritize the Sereitei's safety. Sure, we…may have lived in the Rukon before, but things have changed. Yasuke?"
Yasuke turned to face Souma. "…The real enemy is hidden there, Souma. Most of the Hollows in the Sereitei are all decoys to distract the captains!" He quickly opened the window wide and prepared to jump.
"Wh-what?!" Yasuke cried out in confusion. "Yasuke, what the hell are you saying?! What are you doing!?"
"Souma, evacuate these people. Call for other Soul Reapers around the area to aid in the evacuation and then call for the Captains. Tell them that Southern Rukon District Number 50, Kamiya, is where the main enemy is!"
"No! I'm not letting you fight by yourself, Yasuke! If what you say is true, we need to work together and take these people away from the area!"
Yasuke shook his head. "There are still people in danger of being devoured by Hollows. I can't risk any Hollow becoming stronger by devouring these innocent, defenseless souls. They need someone to draw their attention."
Souma grunted and reached out for Yasuke in desperation. He managed to grab his hood and pulled it down, which exposed his dark-skinned face with a shaved head. "…Fine. Do what you need to do, Yasuke. But you'd better make sure not a single soul gets eaten. Once I alert everyone, we'll come running straight in your direction."
"I appreciate it a lot, Souma. You'll make a hell of a Soul Reaper." Yasuke flashed a smile before leaping out of the window and onto other rooftops.
"…Alright, you heard the man. We need to get out of here! Follow my lead and we'll meet up with other Soul Reapers!"
As Souma took Sakon and his friends away from the area, Yasuke continued to leap from rooftop to rooftop towards Kamiya. Within minutes, he arrived. "…The air is too still…and where is everyone?" As Yasuke leaped from the roof onto the ground, a terrible pressure suddenly grabbed his chest. "GAH! Wh…where is this feeling coming from…?!"
Just then, as Yasuke attempted to collect himself, a small pebble fell next to him. He quickly turned around and saw an elderly man through a small window.
"There is a monster, Soul Reaper…we are all hiding because we cannot see it…" The elderly man cowered back down from the window.
Yasuke grasped and unsheathed his katana. "How can a mere Hollow have so much spiritual pressure that I can't pinpoint it…?" Suddenly, the doors of the house swung open, from which dozens of dark, rat-like Hollows with white masks leaped!
"Fresh Soul Reaper, yes yes!" One of the Hollow screeched as it eyed Yasuke. Other Hollows made their move by circling around Yasuke and leaping towards him.
"Damn cowards! To use an elderly man as bait!" Yasuke gathered spiritual energy around his feet and made a mighty leap to dodge the onslaught. He then pointed his finger out. "Hado #1, Sho!" A small ball of energy discharged from his finger and landed on the group of Hollows, blasting the lot of them into the ground. Yasuke then brought his katana down onto the ground and sliced the downed Hollows.
"Aaaah!" One of the rat-Hollows cried. "H-he's strong! Swarm him with our numbers!"
Yasuke continued to dodge attacks and counter accordingly. "Enough screwing around; where is your leader?! I felt a spiritual pressure stronger than all of yours combined minutes ago! So how about we cut to the chase, before my Soul Reaper comrades come?"
Suddenly, Yasuke found himself facing the floor. He felt something planted harshly on his back. As he struggled to look back, he noticed the doors of the house open.
"Not too shabby, brave Soul Reaper." The same elderly man spoke to Yasuke in a coy fashion. "But you've played right into my hand." His voice echoed and distorted as he started to inhale, which created a whirlwind within his now unnaturally widened mouth.
"This spiritual pressure…he is the one!" Yasuke's thought rang in his head as felt his body about to be drawn into the whirlwind. "You monstrosity…! I'm not going to fall for this!" Yasuke yelled as he is lifted into the air by the man's whirlwind. "Bakudo #4, Hainawa!" Particles of spiritual energy gathered around his hands and gradually turned into yellow sparks. With a thrust of his hand, a yellow sparkling rope shot out of his hand and wrapped around a nearby metal pole. As the rope continued to wrap around the pole, Yasuke gradually distanced himself away from the whirlwind's pull.
"Clever little bastard!" One of the rat-Hollow cried. As it leaped towards Yasuke to prevent his escape, Yasuke delivered a swift kick, which sent it right towards the old man's mouth. Its cries were quickly silenced as it was utterly consumed.
"…Heh. Heheh. Kahahahaha!" The old man laughed as its skin molted, which exposed the true, large muscular Hollow within. Its skin dark green with pale green stripes and its white mask with two large tusks. "Now that was a nice snack! I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner!"
The rat-Hollows cowered in fear. "K-K-Kinoshita! What are you doing?! Don't eat us!" Their screams and pleas are quickly silenced as they are sucked into Kinoshita's whirlwind. Yasuke could only watch as Kinoshita devoured his fellow Hollows.
"That's more like it!" Kinoshita shouted as his muscles grew. "Quite remarkable how a bunch of rats can be so filling! Still, just by your smell, I know you'll taste even better! I hope your Soul Reapers friends are having lots of fun with my minions. I want to gorge myself on this feast." He bared his teeth and slowly licked them. "I see that sword of yours. A Zanpakuto, was it? I know damn well you can release some special power, so let's see it!"
Yasuke disabled Hainawa and landed on the ground. "Damn you!" He jabbed his Zanpakuto into the ground and kneeled before it. "You want to see my power, you fiend?! Fine! Pound them into dust, Āsusheikā!" Yasuke brought his fist down onto the grip of Āsusheikā, unleashing a very real tremor. Āsusheikā's sword form changed into a war hammer. Yasuke pulled Āsusheikā from the ground and gripped it tightly. With a light swing, the earth underneath Kinoshita shuddered and rose quickly.
"Gah!" Kinoshita shouted as he is lifted into the air. "So, the land itself is your weapon! How fascinating, but it won't be enough!" After landing, he grabbed a piece of a rat-Hollow's carcass and tossed it at Yasuke.
Yasuke easily deflected the flesh and slammed Āsusheikā down, which caused a sphere of earth to be lifted with spikes of hardened dirt surrounding it. As Kinoshita leaped towards him, Yasuke swung Āsusheikā at the sphere. Kinoshita managed to block the attack itself, but not before innumerably many spikes and shreds of earth had punctured his arms.
"Please! This will hardly slow me down!" Kinoshita used his momentum to shoulder tackle Yasuke.
Yasuke grunted in pain as he is sent flying towards a house. But before he crashed, he lifted his hand and clenched it. "Blast!"
The remnants of the dirt embedded in Kinoshita's arms suddenly started to glow yellow. "What the hell!?" He shouted as he struggled to rip them off his arms. However, it was too late. The dirt glowed brighter and exploded with enough force to bring him to his knees. "GAAAH! DAMN IT!"
Yasuke lifted himself from the rubble and sprinted towards Kinoshita , to exploit his stunned state. He dragged Āsusheikā against the ground as he ran. "You wanted to see my power! Be careful what you ask for!" With a loud shout, he slammed the blunt side of Āsusheikā on the ground right in front of Kinoshita. The ground underneath Kinoshita trembled until it gave way; sinking him until he is neck deep.
Kinoshita struggled to move, but to no avail. "You'd better think twice if you think this is it, Soul Reaper!" He continued to yell and squirm as Yasuke approached him with Āsusheikā raised.
"Be quiet, Hollow." Yasuke said, with his anger now gone. "This little 'invasion' of yours is over." With a grunt, Yasuke swung with the pointed side.
Suddenly, Kinoshita flashed a grin. He moved his teeth and tongue around…then spat a piece of a buck tooth. The momentum of the fragment was heightened by him exhaling his whirlwind, which pierced Yasuke's neck.
"Gnnh!" Yasuke recoiled in pain as he held his neck. He continued to groan in pain as his vision blurred.
"What's wrong, Soul Reaper?" Kinoshita taunted. "Feeling…numb? Running chills? Heheheh. You were lucky until now. Those rat-Hollows contained a special poison within their buck teeth. Hoooooooh!" Kinoshita inhaled once again to draw Yasuke in.
"N-no!" Yasuke shouted as pulled the tooth from his neck. A dark red mark spread from the wound. He jabbed his feet into the ground to prevent himself from being drawn to Kinoshita. After a loud shout, he jabbed his index and middle finger into the side of his neck. The dark red mark gradually started to shrink.
"You can't be serious!" A bewildered Kinoshita stared in disbelief. "How can you resist their poison!?" Fueled by rage, he exhaled at the ground. He successfully broke enough of the ground surrounding him to use his arms. "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!"
As Kinoshita started to climb out of the ground, Yasuke caught his breath and glared at him. "My name is Yasuke Akechi. 3rd Seat of Squad 10. As for the poison…that's none of your damn business!"
Yasuke's Āsusheikā and Kinoshita's fist came into contact as they both attacked. A powerful shockwave of spiritual energy nearly shook the entire district of Kamiya and sent both combatants flying in different directions. Yasuke was the first to get his bearings as he quickly ran towards Kinoshita. Kinoshita ran to squeeze inside an alleyway, but was quickly blocked by a dirt wall with spikes, created by Yasuke.
"You're going nowhere!" Yasuke shouted as he spun Āsusheikā around, gathering dust, dirt and rocks around it. "Bask in the gifts of Earth! Harness it and rain destruction!" Yasuke pounded the bottom of his war hammer on the ground to make it rise underneath his feet. This gave him a boosted jump towards Kinoshita.
Kinoshita angrily growled…until he caught sight of a boy hiding behind a couple of boxes. The boy gasped and tried to flee. However, Kinoshita's exhaled whirlwind drew the innocent boy closer. "Checkmate, Soul Reaper! NOW what will you do?!" He grabbed the boy's arm and tossed him at Yasuke.
"N-No!" Yasuke screamed as he barely stopped his swing. From behind the boy, Yasuke noticed Kinoshita open his mouth once again. From it, a long tongue shot forth, aiming for both the boy and him. Yasuke grunted as he pushed the boy away and tossed Āsusheikā near him, which softened the ground to lessen the impact of his fall. This small moment, however, provided Kinoshita the opening he needed to pierce Yasuke's chest. His eyes widened as white spiritual energy slowly moved from his body down the tongue.
"Too bad, Soul Reaper. Your soul will become a part of me!" Kinoshita taunted Yasuke with a confident laugh. The boy could only stare in horror as his savior drew closer to death's door.
"Gnh…guh…agh…" Yasuke's skin gradually grew pale. In addition, the red mark on his neck slowly grew again. "Th-the poison…ACK! GUGH!" Yasuke suddenly fell into a coughing fit, much to Kinoshita's delight.
"M-mister Soul Reaper…" The boy gripped the softened earth beneath him and fought back tears. "Y... YOU CAN'T DIE! YOU SAVED MY LIFE! LET HIM GO, YOU MONSTER!"
Suddenly, a figure leaped in between Kinoshita and Yasuke and sliced the former's tongue in half. Kinoshita roared in pain as the rest of his tongue retracted back, with a portion of Yasuke's soul.
"S…Souma…" Yasuke muttered as he grasped his neck and dropped to his knees.
"Yasuke…!" Souma cried as he came to Yasuke's side. "Hang in there, you hear me!? Back up is coming! Yasuke!"
Yasuke slowly brought himself back on his knees and picked Āsusheikā up. "Souma…grab the boy." Yasuke could barely contain his coughs. "I…I need to finish this…"
"Have you lost your damn mind!?" Souma shouted. "You're in no shape to fight! You-"
"I'm a dead man walking!" Yasuke lifted Āsusheikā high, using what little remained of his strength. "I've been poisoned, Souma…I suppressed it with my spiritual pressure. But that monster managed to siphon a piece of my soul. Enough to…weaken my resistance…I don't have much time…Take the boy away from here."
"Stop spewing that crap, Yasuke! You can hold off by not fighting! Some of the captains are about to converge here!"
Kinoshita stood tall over Yasuke, Souma and the boy. "Too bad you bunch will be resting in my stomach by the time they arrive! Now let's finish what I started!"
"RUN! NOW!" Yasuke let out a yell as he dragged Āsusheikā against the ground again and ran towards Kinoshita. He began to recite an incantation, but numerous coughing fits prevented him from completing it. Kinoshita grinned to mock his frailty, as he snatched him in mid-air and slammed him into the ground. He then stomped on Āsusheikā.
"Just make it easier for yourself. You'll fare a lot better as a part of me than suffering from the poison."
"Idiot…" Yasuke muttered. "You fell for it." Āsusheikā started to vibrate in place. The ground underneath them rose and coiled around them. "Carriage of thunder, bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six! Bakudo #61, Rikujokoro!" A yellow spark of energy shone from his palm, which split apart into six beams. Each of them stabbed Kinoshita through the rocks and completely immobilized him.
"Heh…. kahahahahaha!" Kinoshita burst out laughing. "Your spell is wavering! You're too weak to maintain it!" The six beams shook as Kinoshita let out a roar.
"You think I don't know that…?" Yasuke lifted his hand and smirked. "The spell only bought me more time." The large chunk of earth coiled around them started to glow yellow. "You've hit me good, Hollow…but I will not give you the satisfaction of eating my entire soul!"
Souma, who held the boy as he ran, felt the sudden increase of spiritual pressure and turned around. "Y-Yasuke…?"
The boy pointed behind Souma and tugged on his sleeve. "I-I see a group of people running over here!"
Souma gasped and placed the boy down. "Those are the other Soul Reapers! Please be Yasuke's Squad…HEY! OVER HERE! Kid, go to them! They will take you to a safe spot!" Souma sprinted back to Yasuke and Kinoshita.
"You're prepared to kill yourself, rather than suffer through the poison or be consumed?!" Kinoshita let out a yell again to overpower Yasuke's Rikujokoro spell. "AS IF!"
Yasuke smiled lightly as he finished coughing. His once dark skin is now dark red with blue bulging veins. "Too late for your bravado…" From the corner of his eye, he spotted Souma. "Souma…its already started. You need to leave…."
Souma shook his head furiously. "No! Help arrived! They'll help you! Cease your attack!"
"Souma, a piece of my soul is gone and the poison has almost reached my whole body!...Souma, listen to me…" Yasuke coughed as the rock formation glowed brighter. "Become the best Soul Reaper you can be. This is the true duty of a Soul Reaper: to protect the weak and innocent from evil and keep the Soul Society the paradise it needs to be."
Two Soul Reapers, a man and a woman, landed next to Souma. The man was muscular with spiky black hair, and stubble facial hair on his cheeks and chin. The woman had shoulder length blonde hair with a beauty mark on the right side of her mouth. Yasuke only frowned at them.
"Captain…lieutenant…" Yasuke coughed as he clenched his hand harder. "AGH…READY…KINOSHITA?!"
Kinoshita gasped in fear. "Did seeing them give you the damn balls to call me by my name?! You have no right to be so damn smug, YOU DEAD MAAAAN!"
As Kinoshita continued to yell and scream, Yasuke's rock formation became completely engulfed in the yellow energy. As Yasuke smiled and closed his eyes, the yellow energy exploded into a rising pillar of destructive spiritual energy. Bits and pieces of the ground circled rapidly around before being sucked into the pillar.
Souma could only stare as his friend became engulfed in his own destructive attack. Yasuke's captain grabbed his sleeve and leaped away, with his lieutenant following. "Yasuke..." Souma continued to utter Yasuke's name as he looked on without blinking.
The destructive pillar faded away. The remaining pieces of earth in the air crashed down into a newly created small crater. At the center of the crater, lied the remains of Yasuke's charred body. It was devoid of a head and both arms. Before Souma could react, something rose from the dirt. To their surprise…
"Y…y…. you DAMNED SOUL REAPER!" From the dirt rose a heavily wounded, but alive Kinoshita. He looked around and noticed more Soul Reapers surrounding the crater. "H-heh…hehehe…it wasn't enough! I'm still here!" With a weak laugh, he slashed the air in front of him, which created a dark portal.
"GET THE HELL OVER HERE!" Souma screamed as he drew his Zanpakuto. He leaped into the crater as other Soul Reapers gave chase as well. However, Kinoshita slowly walked inside the portal and waved at Souma before it closed. Souma's attack only managed to hit thin air. He paused as his left eye twitched and slowly turned his head to look at Yasuke's corpse. "A….A….AAAAAAAAAAAAH! YASUKE!" Souma continued to scream into the night sky in a mix of despair and rage before he collapsed…
Hours passed by and dawn approached. Yasuke's captain watched solemnly as Yasuke's corpse and an unconscious Souma were carried away by Soul Reapers under his command. Residents of the Kamiya area flocked to assist them and look at the damage caused by Yasuke's suicidal attack.
"Captain Isshin Shiba…" A Soul Reaper approached Yasuke's captain. He glanced at Souma before he looked back at his captain.
"…I'll speak to Souma once he awakens." Captain Shiba exhaled as he pinched his nose bridge.
The blonde-haired lieutenant approached him. "No, I'll talk to him instead." In her hand lied a small book.
"Rangiku?" Captain Shiba questioned. "Hm…I usually don't say this, but I guess that would be best. This whole mess means paperwork only I can fill out. Hey, what's that book?"
"The academy student's journal. He dropped it during all the excitement...no, no, I didn't read it! I only…skimmed through the title pages. Poor boy…from what I've read, he was supposed to visit the World of the Living for a fishing trip with Yasuke. 'April 20th, 1961.' Today…"