Hey everyone! Well, here's the long-awaited first chapter of Condemned Time. I'm sorry that things were slow during the past 5 or 6 months, but at least I got the first chapter done! Actually, I decided to split the original first chapter into 2 chapters because of its length. We can't have a chapter that is twice as long as the other ones, can't we?
I do have to warn you that there are MANY character deaths in this chapter, but it's nearly full of action. However, there will not be a video version of this story because there are 10 OCs (8 of which are mine), and that will just be too hard to do. So this story is just going to be a fanfiction. I have also posted more OC bios on my profile so you will get the idea of what the characters in this story will be like, as well as the newer ones.
Speaking of videos, DarkRukia1986 has been terminated because of the 13th video of Incomplete Sorrows. I have a new account though – KanekoXLiamB – and the chat videos there will not have any music at all. I'm not going to go with the risk of having music that's going to be pegged for copyright issues. The AMVs and slideshows, however, will have music for obvious reasons.
With all that said, hope you enjoy this story!
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Bleach, but I do own the storyline and 8 OCs that are involved in this story: Ryuichi and Aiko Kurosaki, Liliana Urahara, Necrios, Lilicia, Ashanan, Kraton, and Neron (not to be confused with the comic book super villain of the same name...I created this character long before I knew said villain even existed). Ruby and Jade Carmine are owned by my friend Koffin Cat (originally known as Kung Man149).
Chapter 1: Invasion, Part 1
It had been fifteen years since the most recent events with Aizen, and things were once again peaceful in Sereitei.
Yoruichi went back to her position of Covert Ops leader a year after giving birth to her beautiful daughter, Liliana, who, at the age of 14 entered the Academy to train with the Assassination Squad. Even though her mother was going to be her leader once she graduates, Liliana admired Soi Fon, and she hoped to one day be like her.
After the event that happened in Karakura – the espadas' invasion that destroyed half of the town – Hitsugaya resigned from his position to be with Karin. It took a lot of convincing on his part to make his resignation final, but he knew he did the right thing. After all, he had made a promise to protect the woman he loved and he wanted to do whatever it took to make his promise a reality. As soon as he arrived in the World of the Living, he proposed to Karin and they had a small wedding at the same place where Rukia and Ichigo got married, which was by the river.
Jade took Hitsugaya's place as the new captain of Tenth Division. It took a while for Matsumoto and the other members of Tenth Division to get used to their new captain though, but Jade was no different than Hitsugaya, showing the same leadership qualities and cold personality.
Ryuichi and Ruby got married ten years into their relationship, and Ruby is now pregnant. Ryuichi was overjoyed when he had found out, and he could not wait to enjoy a family of his own.
Ichigo and Rukia were also ecstatic when they heard the news. Unlike his father who was in tears when he found out about Ryuichi and then about Aiko being born, Ichigo played it cool. He just gave his son a hug and congratulated him and his wife. Ichigo was also proud of his sister for marrying the man she loved, and he and Hitsugaya started to get along better shortly before the wedding.
However, little did anyone know that there was going to be a major crisis heading their way.
Ryuichi wrapped his arms around his wife as they sat on the roof of their house, gazing at the full moon and the stars surrounding it. He smiled at her protruding stomach and gently touched it. Ruby rested her head on her husband's shoulder as they shared this blissful moment together. Ryuichi kissed her head, and Ruby smiled at the touch.
Jade watched them from behind the chimney. He could never admit that he and Ryuichi had become friends, but he trusted the Kurosaki with his sister. He did not want to disturb them, but lately he had felt uneasy about something. He was not sure what it was, but this…feeling told him that something sinister was going to happen soon, he felt that Ryuichi and Ruby would want to know about it. They say that twins could have simultaneous feelings, so he was certain that Ruby had felt it too.
He stepped around the chimney and cleared his throat, causing Ryuichi and Ruby to turn around.
Ryuichi scowled. "Hey green freak, we're busy here, so go away." Ruby rolled her eyes at the insult.
Jade sighed in response. "Funny how you would make fun of my hair when you should look at yours."
Ryuichi chuckled. "Get a girlfriend, Jade."
"And might I remind you that I'm a captain now. Call me Carmine-Taichou and show respect."
Ryuichi chuckled once again. "Whatever, Jade."
Jade twitched in annoyance. If it weren't for the fact that his rival was his brother-in-law, he would kill him for the lack of respect he was receiving. "I'm not here to fight with you, Ryuichi. It's an urgent matter that I must talk over with you and Ruby."
Ruby stood up. "What's wrong, Jade?"
"Something's coming," Jade replied. "I have this foreboding feeling that I can't shake off. I was wondering if you felt it too since you're my twin sister, Ruby."
Ruby looked thoughtful for a moment. "Now that you mention it, I do feel something odd. Have you told anyone else about this?"
Jade shook his head. "No. You and the loser," Ryuichi twitched, "are the first ones that I've told so far."
"Then perhaps you should convey this at the captains' meeting tomorrow," Ruby suggested.
Jade nodded. "That's precisely what I'm thinking. I'll see you tomorrow, Ruby."
Ruby smiled. "Yep, later, Jade."
When Jade used shunpo to leave the roof, Ryuichi watched him with a scowl. "He's one to talk. I'm a family man now."
Ruby sighed. "I wish you two wouldn't have to fight so much. I mean, you guys are allies now."
"Doesn't mean we're friends," Ryuichi said.
Ruby laughed softly. Ryuichi looked at her questioningly. "You don't want to admit it," Ruby said.
"Maybe there's nothing to admit," Ryuichi stated stubbornly.
"Let's go inside," Ruby suggested. They jumped off the roof and walked through their front door before shutting it behind them.
The next morning, Ruby and Jade were walking around in the outskirts of Soul Society at a place that was very special to them. This place, a cliff area facing District 73 of Rukongai, was where Hitsugaya had saved them from a hollow years ago. It was that very place where they had made their decision to be shinigami. They felt a strong sense of rendezvous every time they visited this area.
It would be about fifteen minutes before Jade's meeting with the other captains, and he and Ruby were turning around to head back to Sereitei.
Suddenly, Ruby felt a lot of pain in her chest, and she stopped breathing the moment the pain hit her. Stunned, she looked down, only to find an arrow pierced through her right lung. She looked up to Jade, who was staring at her with shocked eyes. "J-Jade..." Blood sputtered from her lips as she spoke. Then she collapsed.
Jade caught her before she hit the ground and set her down on his lap. When he looked into her eyes, they were lifeless. Blood continued to drip from her frozen lips, and all traces of reiatsu had disappeared from her. It was at that moment that Jade realized...his sister and the child growing inside of her were dead.
His hands shook as he held his sister tightly and screamed in agony. Tears streamed down the seemingly emotionless captain's face as he bent over his sister's lifeless form.
What the hell happened? He thought to himself, Who's the motherfucker who did this?
It was at that moment that a female voice interfered with his moment of pain. "How touching, I thought grown men don't cry."
Jade's head snapped up to see a dark-haired woman wearing green garments of silk and chiffon. He set his sister down and stood up, an aura of reiatsu surrounding him. "Did you do this?" He shrieked.
The woman chuckled. "No I didn't, you look quite handsome. It makes me want to pull out your heart and eat it." She licked her lips.
"Who the fuck are you?" Jade demanded as his reiatsu continued to increase.
"My name is Lilicia, and it's time for me to have my way with you—in other words, kill you." Lilicia's smirk grew wider with anticipation.
Jade could not keep himself calm any longer. Reiatsu exploded outwards and his eyes glowed white. An enormous ball of energy enveloped him as lightning crackled all around him. He drew his zampakutou and it automatically released its shikai. The scythe whipped outwards, bound for Lilicia, who dodged it with ease. The scythe followed her and she continued to swiftly dodge it.
"You're quite the angry one," Lilicia noted as she continued to dodge the scythe. "I was told of a boy who had destroyed Las Noches with his power. So you're him. Interesting. Let's see if you have any more of that reiatsu left. This dodging is quite the warm-up; it's making me thirst for your blood." She licked her lips as she continued to hungrily stare at her enraged opponent.
Jade gritted his teeth and let out more reiatsu. The energy ball surrounding him turned scarlet red and cracked open as if it were an egg. A denser cloud of reiatsu rose out of the crack like smoke and transformed into a demon's head. Its eyes glowed a blinding white light and red reiatsu circulated within the head like a bloodstream.
Lilicia stared incredulously at the sight. "Wow! How beautiful...yet dangerous."
"Haipā Kyōmei Khōgekiha!" Jade shrieked in an animalistic voice, and his reiatsu exploded once again. It spread wider along the ground, levelling everything in its wake. It even swallowed Ruby's body in its path.
Lilicia's smile turned into a shocked stare as she tried to avoid the terrible detonation.
Then it was not long before everything went quiet.
Rukia was cleaning up after breakfast while her husband was sparring with Ryuichi outside. Aiko was attending the Academy, so Rukia was the only one inside the house.
She stopped scrubbing a plate when she noticed a strange crimson tint in the distant horizon. "What's this?" She whispered to herself. "It appears to be over Rukongai, but what is it? What's going on?"
Suddenly, a man appeared behind her. He was dressed in a black, leather archer's outfit with a quiver attached to his right thigh. His blond hair was tied back and glasses reflected the light. In his hands was a black bow with an arrow poised to shoot; he was aiming this arrow at Rukia's back, between her shoulders.
Rukia's breath caught in her throat as she slowly turned her head around to face this man. "Who...are you?" She asked silently.
"My name is Kraton, and you're my next victim," Kraton said. His baritone voice seemed to bring chills down Rukia's spine.
"N-next?" Rukia repeated, shocked by his words.
"That's right, woman," Kraton replied. "I killed a red-haired woman over there," he jerked his head towards the area under the crimson portion of the sky. "I could sense something inside of her, so I could guess she was pregnant. She was standing with a captain with green hair. Since you're a shinigami as well, I suppose you knew her."
Rukia's eyes widened with even greater shock than before. Ruby? Her daughter-in-law? She could only imagine how Ryuichi would react if he ever found out.
"You do know her," Kraton said, his expression unchanged. "Then you should join her."
Rukia gritted her teeth. She had to get out of this situation, but her zampakutou was in her room. She had to do something!
"You want to get your zampakutou, don't you?" Kraton questioned as though he was reading Rukia's mind. "It's futile. My arrows are coated with a very rare poison that can kill you within seconds, no matter how strong or immune you may be. There never has been an antidote and there ever will be. Also keep in mind that I'm a fast shot and 100% accurate, so the second you move, I won't hesitate to shoot."
Where was Ichigo when she needed him? Rukia felt like she was backed into a corner. She had to do something to fight back before it was all over. If she died, then at least she will die trying to fight back.
She held out her right hand and placed the other on her bicep. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she took in a jagged breath and shouted, "Hadou 33 – Sokatsui!"
Without a moment of hesitation, Kraton let his arrow go—the elastic string bounced back to its dormant state with a snap.
Then everything fell quiet. The blue fireball was cancelled out by the arrow, which was lodged deep inside Rukia's heart. Her face twisted in agony, Rukia dropped to her knees, and fell at Kraton's feet. Trickles of blood dripped from the wound and from her pale and frozen lips. All traces of reiatsu disappeared along with her pulse, and she lay there...lifeless.
Satisfied with his work, Kraton turned on his heel and left the house.
Meanwhile, back at the area that had once been a part of District 73, a cloud of smoke from the aftermath of the explosion was clearing. Jade stood in the nothingness, panting from depletion of his reiatsu. He looked around, trying to find Ruby or his opponent. To his dismay, he could not find his sister anywhere. However, he did see what looked like a pair of black, scaly wings folded over like those of a bat. Jade growled for he had realized that the attack did not work against his adversary.
The wings unfolded to reveal Lilicia in her demon form. Her eyes were a crimson red, and they had a fierce, vampire-like stare. The wings—massive, bat-like wings—spread out on either side of her back. Her hands were razor-sharp claws and her grey skin was just as scaly as her wings. Fangs appeared like stalactites instead of her canines.
"What...the fuck...are you?" Jade questioned in between breaths.
Lilicia changed back into her human-like form and stepped forward. "A demon from the Realm of Shadows," she answered, "a succubus, if you will. My prey is only handsome men like you."
Jade gritted his teeth as he tried to move. It was at that moment that he realized that he was paralyzed. "What the hell?"
Lilicia cocked her head to the side as she grinned. "You're my next victim. You should be honoured. Stand."
Jade stood up immediately, realizing that she was now controlling his actions. "Damn it! Let me go, you bitch!"
Lilicia was now a foot in front of him. "There's no need to fight anymore." Jade's weapon dropped from his hands. "It's over now," Lilicia whispered as she wrapped her arms around the captain, who was now staring at her in a trance. Their lips touched and Lilicia pressed her body close against Jade's.
Not too far into their passionate kiss, Jade's life was sucked out of him and his heart ceased beating. Then immediately, he turned into dust, leaving behind his clothes, which dropped to the ground.
Lilicia brushed the remaining dust off her clothes. "You're a good kisser," she commented, "too bad you never had a girlfriend. Well, time for me to find more men out there." Turning back into her demon form, she flapped her wings and took off into the sky, leaving the destruction and Jade's clothes behind her.
Ichigo and Ryuichi were on their way home when the attacks started happening. Ryuichi froze mid-step when a terrible feeling rose in his chest. He could not breathe and he felt as though his heart had shattered into millions of tiny fragments.
"What's wrong, Ryuichi?" Ichigo asked, concerned.
It took a while for Ryuichi to find his voice. "Ruby…her reiatsu signal…it disappeared!"
Ichigo closed his eyes in concentration and then opened them in shock. "Go then." Ryuichi used shunpo to leave the area immediately.
Not more than a second afterwards, Ichigo's breath caught in his throat when he felt a very similar and familiar feeling. "R-Rukia?" He whispered. He took off into a run towards his house.
Ryuichi came to a halt when he arrived at the detonated area once known as District 73. He frantically looked left and right among the wreckage, but he could not find his wife. "RUBY!" He screamed, but no voice was heard other than his echoes.
Something caught his eye and he turned around, only to see Jade's shinigami garments and captain's haori lying on the ground. Ryuichi stepped towards the clothes. "What happened?" He asked no one is particular. "Has Ruby…met the same fate?"
He was about to continue his search when he turned to face the pile of clothes once again. He would never admit his friendship to the green-haired captain, but he respected him as a man. After all, he was the younger Kurosaki's brother-in-law. "You may have been an asshole, but you cared about Ruby so much. You were especially an asset in Hueco Mundo. Rest in peace, man, whatever happened."
He turned and walked towards the wreckage, rummaging through rock and dirt in many places, but he could not find Ruby anywhere. The more he rummaged, the more he panicked. What if she was caught in the explosion he heard and partially felt? That could never have happened! She was expecting his child! Just what could have possibly happened to her?
He noticed a dark, greyish tint against the crushed rock and ran towards it. It was very unrecognizable, but Ryuichi could tell that it was the Ruby's remains.
His heart raced as he fell to his knees. Tears started to stream from his eyes as he tightened his fists. The life he was excited for—his love, his child—was gone. He threw his head back and screamed in agony. So this was what it was like—the heartbreak, the torment of losing someone close to you. Ryuichi felt as if a large part of his soul was ripped away.
He did not want to cry anymore. Someone has got to pay for this! Nothing else mattered anymore.
He stood up—a furious and murderous stare flared in his eyes—and took off from the area using shunpo.
Ashanan, the self-proclaimed master of illusion and the elements, grinned maliciously as a troop of shinigami ran towards him, zampakutou held tightly in their grips. The nearby buildings were already engulfed in flames and the concrete ground was already cracked and broken, as though an earthquake had just gone through it.
"Naive shinigami," he thought to himself as he faded into a nearby building.
The shinigami stopped running and looked around frantically for their target. At that moment, the ground beneath their feet shook, causing them to panic and try to stand. Then an enormous wall of fire erupted from the ground, swallowing the confused shinigami from underneath.
The fire extinguished itself and Ashanan stood among the burnt and charred corpses. "Watch where you're standing," he quipped with a chuckle. He shook his head. "Jeez, you'd think they'd be worth the fight," he said with a shrug and he walked away from the wreckage.
"Growl, Haineko!" Matsumoto's voice was heard as clouds of ash enshrouded the demon.
"Oh please," Ashanan said as he rolled his eyes. "A little dust storm like this is nothing!" He conjured a bunch of wind and the ashes blew away.
"Reap, Kazeshini!" Hisagi shouted as his katana split into two scythes. He threw a scythe towards Ashanan, who rolled his eyes in boredom. "Can't you be more original?" He muttered in a monotone voice as he disappeared, allowing the scythe to pass through him. The scythe boomeranged back towards Hisagi and he caught it. Matsumoto landed on the ground beside him.
"He's tricky," Hisagi noted. His wife nodded in agreement as they watched for their adversary.
"Strange, I can't feel his reiatsu," Matsumoto said.
"That's because I don't have any," Ashanan replied as he sent gusts of wind towards them. They grunted and shielded their faces as they tried to fight off the wind. Hisagi grabbed Matsumoto's arm and they flash-stepped several feet away before the wind could do any more damage. It had already started to cut them slightly from its shear force.
Ashanan crossed his arms over his chest with the palms facing outwards. Immediately, two lightning bolts crashed down simultaneously. More lightning followed and Hisagi and Matsumoto tried to dodge each one.
Ashanan laughed maniacally as he continued to summon lightning bolts. "You can't dodge them forever!" He exclaimed in excitement. He twisted his wrists and torrential rain poured from the sky, but the lightning kept coming. "Try this on for size! They say water and electricity form quite a disastrous result!"
"Fuck!" Hisagi cursed as he shielded Matsumoto from the horrific storm, shutting his eyes for he knew that the end was near. A lightning bolt struck his back and he started to plummet to the ground.
Matsumoto tried to wake her barely conscious husband, but she was unsuccessful.
Ashanan pointed a palm towards them and summoned a gust of wind, which ripped through Matsumoto and Hisagi until they crashed against the ground. Then everything was quiet.
"That was fun while it lasted," Ashanan said as he lowered his palm. "But I want more."
"Then fight me then!" A voice sounded in the distance.
Ashanan turned around to face Ryuichi, who had his zampakutou drawn and released.
Ichigo ran into his house in a panic and looked around for his wife. His eyes laid on her sprawled on the floor with her eyes widened and, most horrifying, an arrow stuck in her chest. There was no trace of life left in her eyes, and blood was slowly pooling around her deceased body.
Ichigo slowly walked towards her, tears streaming from his face. Who could have done this? Why? Why did this have to happen? He was guilty—guiltier than he ever was. I promised my soul that I would protect her! I wasn't here when this happened! If only I had come here in time! Then I would have stopped whoever it was that did this!
He fell to his knees beside Rukia and held her tightly in his arms, burying his face in her hair. He closed his eyes tightly. She was gone as well as an enormous part of him. More tears streamed from his eyes as he screamed her name in agony. He held her tighter as he continued to cry for the woman he loved—the woman whom he would give his own life for so that she could live and be safe.
Suddenly, the house crumbled all around him as though someone had sent a wrecking ball through it. Ichigo covered Rukia's body with his own despite her state and then stood up among the wreckage.
He faced Necrios, the leader of the Condemned 5, and immediately pulled his zampakutou off his back. The linen wrappings unravelled themselves to reveal Zangetsu's gleaming blade. "Who the fuck are you?" He demanded, voice shaking from his crying earlier.
"The name's Necrios," Necrios answered, "and you, Kurosaki Ichigo, are my target."
Ichigo's eyes widened. "What are you talking about? And how did you know my name?"
Necrios chuckled. "A long time ago—15 years to be exact—I killed a certain powerful individual by absorbing his life force. I had acquired everything from him—his powers and abilities, his traits, even his memories. There was one person on his mind that had seemed to be his greatest adversary, and that man was you. There were others, but you stood out to be the most powerful of them all. My allies and I have come to this dimension to seek the power that you possess, and of course," he chuckled as he averted his eyes to Rukia's corpse, "kill anyone else in sight."
Ichigo tightened his hold on Zangetsu. "Did you kill her?" He hissed.
"No, I didn't," Necrios answered. "But I came here to make sure you unite with her, and in turn, gain your life force. So what do you say?"
"NOT IF I DON'T KILL YOU FIRST!" Ichigo screamed as he pointed Zangetsu in front of him, grasping the hilt with both hands. "BANKAI!"
An explosive amount of reiatsu rushed past Necrios as he continued to grin in excitement.
Without any hesitation, Ichigo jumped out of the cloud of smoke and charged towards Necrios, slashing his blade against the demon repeatedly. Necrios dodged each attack, looking forward to witnessing what this man can do with his own eyes.
Rushing around Sereitei, Kenpachi was searching for his opponent. The explosions, fires, and falling buildings were really getting under his skin, not because he cared about Sereitei's intact appearance, but because he knew there was a very powerful force responsible for it and he wanted to fight this entity. It was only a matter of time before he caught up to such an opponent.
He noticed a large, muscular man in front of him with long blonde hair, wielding an enormous mace. Excitement rose within Kenpachi as he dashed towards the stranger.
Neron turned around to face the approaching captain. "Heh, small fry," he grunted.
As soon as Kenpachi jumped to make his attack, Neron swung his mace, but Kenpachi was barely able to dodge. He countered with a slash of his katana, and Neron did not flinch as the serrated blade struck his skin. To Kenpachi's surprise, his attack did not leave a mark.
Neron grinned. "Now you know that that tiny blade of yours can't pierce my skin. Face it, little man, you can't beat me."
Kenpachi's mouth twitched into a wide, toothy grin. He ripped off his eye patch, unleashing a yellow burst of reiatsu. "THE FUN IS JUST BEGINNING!" He screamed. He ran towards his opponent with his katana outstretched.
Neron swung his mace downwards, but Kenpachi dodged with shunpo and slashed his sword against Neron's chest. This proved to have very little effect. Neron swung his mace around, and Kenpachi blocked it. However, the impact from the mace chipped the nameless zampakutou.
Ignoring this, Kenpachi put both hands on his hilt and tried to slash against Neron's defences. Neron swung his mace downward once again, and Kenpachi blocked the attack. The mace shattered the zampakutou to Kenpachi's shock, and the captain barely dodged the strike before it followed through on its attack.
Kenpachi panted as he continued to stare at his adversary. He could not believe that his opponent was a lot stronger than he was. Normally, he would be glad that he was fighting such an opponent, but for the first time in his life, his opponent's weapon was making him slightly nervous. What is this guy?
"You scared yet?" Neron taunted. Kenpachi merely glared at him. "I don`t blame you for being scared. After all, my mace had broken through your katana. Unless you have any other motives to try to defeat me, I`ll kill you right here and now! Which is it, shinigami?"
Kenpachi gritted his teeth in frustration. He hated to admit it, but it was times like this that he wished that he had kidou or some way to put his sword together with his reiatsu. But he had nothing. It was over, and he knew it. However, he was not the type to run from a fight either. His code was to fight to the death and this battle would end when one of them was still standing.
He grasped the broken hilt of his zampakutou and an aura of reiatsu surrounded him. No matter what would happen, he was going to give it his all. With a shrill battle cry, he ran towards his opponent.
Time slowed as Kenpachi continued to run towards Neron, who lifted his mace in preparation. One giant swing—it took one giant swing of the weapon to slash through Kenpachi`s body. The captain closed his eyes and smiled as the mace tore through him, releasing a vast amount of blood. Zaraki Kenpachi, a warrior who had seemed to be invincible, a once nameless man from the Rukongai district 80, was no more.
Next time on Condemned Time:
Grimmjow grunted as he slowly stood up from the rubble. Lilicia grounded herself in front of him. Grimmjow looked up at her, but was violently kicked to the side.
Lilicia stepped towards him with a malicious grin on her face. "You've tried so hard to fight, but it looks like you've lost," she said with a chuckle.
So what do you think of the first part? I have an announcement regarding Hitsugaya Toshirou though: I'm planning on doing a spin-off story regarding him and Karin after this story is done, so you will see everything in his point of view from the chats up to this point in the trilogy. That's all the details that I have so far though, as I am going to try to focus on this story. Anyway, let me know what you think! Take care!