"The only summit meeting that can succeed is the one that does not take place." –Barry Goldwater
**Edited on 2/22/13**
Disclaimer: I don't have the awesome power of being able to own Bleach. Tite Kubo does. Sorry people. :/
Summary: What would happen if a certain Substitute Shinigami lost control of his temperamental hollow in the middle of a captain's meeting? Let's see how this all plays out as Ichigo's hollow gives a demonstration to the Seireitei captains of exactly how powerful he really is. No pairings.
Rating: T for violence and slight language.
Dedicated to the wonderful GGCharms.
Text Key:
"Blah" – Normal dialogue
'Blah' – Thoughts
"Blah" – Hollow speaking
'Blah' – Hollow talking in head
Research and Development Department
A harsh beeping from a large machine abruptly arose, echoing throughout the wide room with its repeating tone. The source of the disturbance was a small red dot flashing evenly across the luminescent monitor. The individual working at this particular station quickly took notice and swiveled his chair to observe the cause.
After mere seconds of scrutiny, the scientist - dressed in a pristine white lab coat covering his black robes and adorning thick spectacles - beckoned his superior, Akon, to his location. Once the experienced man arrived at his colleague's side, he questioned the reasoning for this summons which was promptly answered.
"Sir, our scanners have detected a high hollow reiatsu of an unusual caliber in this sector," he motioned to the red area pulsing on the screen, "And this isn't the first time that this signature has appeared in this area either." The analyst returned to his monitor and began typing on the keyboard at a rapid pace before a data sheet printed out from below.
"According to our data, there have been four previous appearances of this exact hollow reiatsu near this approximate location throughout the past week. But, the strange thing is that each time after it appears it quickly vanishes without leaving a trace." To emphasize his statement, the blinking dot and consistent beeping faded, leaving the lab in a lulling hush.
Akon cupped his chin in the palm of his hand while in thought, "Where is this appearing most frequently?"
"Karakura Town, sector four."
"What residential or on duty Shinigami are scheduled there at this time?"
The scientist took a couple seconds to briskly type once again on his broad keyboard, "None are there at the moment, but the Substitute Shinigami, Kurosaki Ichigo, lives there according to our records."
"What is the best way to establish a line of communication with Kurosaki?"
"Nothing as far as we are aware," the observer stated, "Except through indirect methods of other Shinigami that were present."
"Alright," Akon sighed and rubbed the area to the side of his protruding horns, "We need information from him on this situation as soon as possible. Send a message to Kurosaki via Hell Butterfly requesting his presence with a brief explanation. It will be easier and more efficient if he came to Soul Society in person to discuss this case."
"Right away, sir! Where would you like him to report? Since he is only a Representative and not a registered Shinigami, it would make the standard procedure more complicated."
"Have him first gain clearance with Yamamoto-Soutaichou. After, he can come here," Akon ordered, attempting to prevent an oncoming headache as he rubbed his temples.
"Yes sir!"
The Next Day
The captains formed two parallel lines in the voluminous meeting hall. Yamamoto, wooden staff in hand, resided in the back of the room, silently observing the routine checks regarding recent activity of each division and information concerning the continuing war. Hitsugaya had stepped forward, just about to begin his report when the penetrating sound of loud yelling outside the main doors gathered everyone's attention.
"You are not authorized to go in there! A meeting is in progress and you cannot disrupt it!" the muffled voice of one of the guards wildly screeched.
"Like I give a damn," another very recognizable voice bluntly declared.
"N-no! You can't just–"
The extravagant wooden doors were forcefully kicked open and a familiar orange-headed teen walked in, harboring no care for how disruptive his actions were. The guard was still frantically struggling to pull the Substitute back by his arm in a fruitless effort wielding no success.
"Oi, I was told to come talk with you, ojiisan," Ichigo said in a nonchalant manner.
The Soutaichou paused momentarily before he answered the youth, "Indeed, I recall a notice that you would be arriving. Although," his features and tone hardened considerably at this point, "You should have waited until the appropriate time, impudent child."
"Whatever. I just want to get through this as quick as possible. I have a history test tomorrow that I need to study for."
"Why you insolent…" Soi Fon started, extremely irate at the attitude being displayed towards her superior.
"Very well," Yamamoto pronounced, dismissing the guard with a short nod of his head who closed the doors behind him in reluctance, "This should not take long I presume. What is your reasoning for being here, Kurosaki?"
Ichigo shrugged half-heartedly, "Hell, I'm not really sure. All I was told was that some guys from the research place wanted to talk to me about hollow activities in Karakura."
"Are you aware of how long this discussion will take?" Yamamoto questioned with a slight raise of his eyebrow.
"I don't think it should take too long from what they've told me." Ichigo flinched briefly after saying this, clenching his fists with a wince. He quickly relaxed, only displaying minute signs of discomfort. The captains silently took notice of this occurrence, but none commented.
The head captain nodded transiently in understanding, "If that is all, then you may continue with this meeting."
"Thanks, ojiisan."
The young Shinigami began to turn around towards the exit, when he suddenly stopped; frozen for a mere second in suspended animation. A sharp, agonizing pain assaulted his body originating from his head, causing him to cripple to the floor on his side with a yelp. His hands shot up, grabbing large sections of his orange hair as his head felt like it would split in two. His entire body shook from the pain, becoming so unbearable that he screamed out in agony.
Some captains retreated a step backwards in surprise at the unexpected outburst. The rest cautiously tried to make their way to the suffering youth's side to attempt to help him in any way possible. Yamamoto's grip on his cane tightened, body posture tensing as he observed what was transpiring before him. This unexplained event was becoming increasingly more suspicious coupling the fact that his reiatsu was rapidly changing from a Shinigami's to a hollow's, drawing everyone's notice.
Abruptly, the screaming ceased, instead rapidly replaced with a bone-chilling laughter echoing in a double voice.
With quick, unnaturally smooth movements, Ichigo pushed off the floor and flipped in mid-air, alarming many that were approaching him. He landed near the enormous doors, head bowed so that his hair obscured his eyes from view. As he slowly raised his head, the golden irises swimming in endless black pools paired with a partial white-masked face were exposed for all to see, eliciting many startled gasps.
Without warning, the being emitting pure hollow reiatsu swung the six-foot sword from his back and attacked the person nearest to him; the sickly Ukitake.
The ailing captain hastily drew his zanpakuto from its scabbard, blocking the powerful strike that was aimed to slice through his neck. Ukitake was pushed back and thrown with astonishing strength into a nearby wall. Kyoraku, who was coming to his friend's aid, only managed to get in the way, being taken out in the process.
The hollow or thing that was clearly not Ichigo was besieged from the side by the insanely gleeful Kenpachi. Expertly maneuvering his sword, the hollow intercepted the oncoming strike, adorning the same maniacal grin as his attacker.
Both combats steadily held each other at bay, sparks jumping from their weapons. The possessed teen released a ghastly laugh resounding off the enclosed walls and leapt straight into the air, avoiding Soi Fon's released zanpakuto aimed at his back. With a twist, the demon landed beside Byakuya.
Due to the relatively small space of the room compared to that of a battle field, the fighting capacities were severely limited, especially Byakuya's ability to release his zanpakuto into its more expansive state without endangering all around him in the process. He was thusly forced to use his sword while sealed to fight off the beast before him.
The hollow drew his sword back, obsidian energy coating its surface in a thick blanket, and released an incredibly fast Getsuga Tenshou. The attack surged towards Byakuya rapidly, allowing no chance to evade or block as it crashed into his chest with full force. He was sent flying, sliding down the wall limply with an appalling burn decorating the impacting site seeping blood.
Now keenly aware of the menacing threat this foe presented, the remaining captains silently resolved to fight cooperatively instead of individually. As one they attacked, attempting to defeat the beast through the power of numbers. The monster simply offered a feral grin at their foolish actions.
The hollow dodged each strike, slash, and thrust directed at him, weaving between attacks with graceful ease, returning many of them with his own. Then, three separate blades descended on the demon's form with no foreseeable escape. He disappeared in a flash, the blades contacting only with each other and empty space. Seconds later he reappeared on the adjacent side of the room, lifting his sword that was prepared to release a massive Getsuga at the group.
At this moment, Yamamoto decided that enough was finally enough.
The Soutaichou's heavy reiatsu descended upon the room's occupants like a thousand pound weight, causing them to immediately stop, straining to stand. However, the hollow showed absolutely no sign of exertion. The only action that he took was the lowering of his oversized blade gradually as he leveled a scrutinizing glare towards the elderly man in acute irritation.
"Ya know," he said, venom dripping from his words, "Yer ruinin' all the fun."
Yamamoto's response was silence accompanied with a piercing scowl.
The hollow gave off a low, animalistic snarl before jerking his stare to the wooden floor at his feet. His twisted features scrunched up in thought, porcelain mask continuing to crawl across his face.
"Che, looks like my time's up."
As the words left his mouth, Kyoraku emerged from the shadows and stabbed the hollow directly below the sternum straight through until his sword emerged from the back. The demon sputtered a final, dark chuckle before his mask cracked, shattering into pieces and falling onto the floor boards below with resounding thunks. His eyes quickly drained of the inky onyx, reverted back to the original soft brown and white.
Ichigo's sword slipped from his limp grip and clattered loudly when it hit the ground below. Blood ran down his chin as he weakly coughed, steadily dripping off his chin. He looked down in confusion when he realized the pain in his stomach while one shaking hand found the steed blade imbedded firmly in his abdomen. In an instant, his eyes rolled back as his body fell forward until hitting the guard.
Seeing his opponent in such a state, Kyoraku removed his zanpakuto from the teen. The orange-haired substitute dropped to the floor in a lifeless heap, blood steadily pooling around his form.
Seconds elapsed, gradually turning to minutes without a single soul making a move. Finally, Unohana broke the tempestuous atmosphere and rushed to the boy's side, immediately examining his internal and external injuries. She discovered major damage to the diaphragm, causing Ichigo impaired, labored breathing. Many internal organs were also excessively wounded producing severe internal bleeding.
"Soutaichou," she began softly, "Kurosaki-san requires urgent medical attention or else he will die. Please allow me to take his to my division so that I may treat him."
"You may do so," Yamamoto affirmed, "But I want regular updates on his progress and notice of when he awakens. Interrogations are in order to address the events that have transpired." Withheld anger drowned his tone.
"Yes sir," Unohana replied and gingerly lifted Ichigo into her arms. Fourth division officers flooded inside the room, examining all captains, injured or otherwise, as Unohana retreated to her medical bay. Everyone was left in stiff confusion, unable to comprehend anything that had only just occurred. Although, the truth may not be something many would truly wish to know.
Slowly opening his eyes, Ichigo returned to the conscious realm. He was first firmly greeted by an excruciating headache shadowed by a draining weakness. His surroundings started to come into focus and he found himself in a hospital room. Multiple varieties of machines adorned the otherwise barren, white room, creating a myriad amount of odd noises. Of these devices, he was attached to more than half, including an IV inserted in the crook of his arm connected to a pair of bags. One had the red coloration of blood and the other clear simple fluids. He moved one hand towards the IV in order to remove it, deeming it unnecessary in his mind, but a shockingly unnerving voice halted his actions.
"If you don't want to lose consciousness again, then I would suggest you keep that in," Unohana warned.
Ichigo slowly moved his hand away from the tubing, terror draining his face of color, "Y… yeah, okay."
The healer made her way to her patient's bedside, all signs of malice vanishing from her features in an instant, "How are you feeling, Kurosaki-san," she questioned while checking the machines.
"Like crap," he responded honestly. He felt exhausted and sore for no explainable cause that he could conjure.
"That is to be expected considering you lost nearly three pints of blood before my team and I were able to stop the bleeding. You also required emergency surgery in order to repair you lacerated diaphragm that impeded your ability to properly breathe. Sections of your liver and stomach also received severe incisions that needed extensive reconstructive surgery and numerous stitches. It is quite surprising that you seem to be recovering so rapidly seeing that you received all these wounds yesterday."
Ichigo stared in blatant shock at this news. He would have never fathomed events of this proportion had occurred, although he knew why. His psychotic hollow had broken out of the mental prison he had forced him into again, going on a spree of violent destruction. These outbreaks had been relapsing far too frequently the past week, meaning that Ichigo would be forced to once more control and contain the hollow lest he lose himself completely to the enraged beast within.
"All your vitals look stable and medication levels steady. I'll leave for now so that you can rest," Unohana said and turned towards the only door present, "If you need anything, just push the button by your side." With that, she quietly shut the door behind her, leaving the room in relative silence.
Ichigo laid unmoving on the stiff bed starring at the bleached ceiling with a morbid expression. How could he have allowed the vivacious hollow to have his way? Was he not strong enough to keep him under control, or was he bound to be suppressed by his personal demon because of his weakness?
He released a shallow sigh, instantly cringing from the pain that miniscule action created. The orange-haired teen finally gave in to his fatigue and let his tired eyes close to sleep as Unohana recommended, but he found this action nigh impossible. His hollow was very enthusiastic when it came to mentally torturing him with sick, dark thoughts and images nearly all hours of the day and night.
To spite him, an echoing laughter reverberated through his skull. He screwed his eyes together tightly and placed his shaking hands over his ears to vainly try to block the unrestrained laughter out.
'Shut up.'
A/N: I hope that this met everyone's expectations. To clear a possible issue up, I would like to say that, although Yamamoto may seem more careless than normal, he is actually quite furious at Ichigo's actions. He is simply suppressing his emotions at the moment and will displayed then to a much further extent in the next chapter.
Thanks for reading and please review!~ ^-^