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Bleach: The Civil War
Chapter 1: A Call to Arms
Ichigo felt himself flying back. Damn, he thought, I didn't think this hollow could hit like that. He flipped, skidded, and stopped well away from this fairly human-like hollow. Ichigo grabbed his sword tighter. This hollow resembled an Arrancar. After the Winter War, he didn't even want to think about Arancars ever again.
Ichigo barreled at the hollow with a yell. He sidestepped the hollows attack and countered, stabbing the hollow directly in the face. As the hollow dissipated Ichigo sighed. It'd been a year since the war, but he could recall every minute of it. He could still feel his wounds; remember the looks on his friend's faces as they were hurt. "Victory, but why doesn't it feel like one at all?" he thought.
He turned and looked in the alleyway near him. For a second, he saw a man dressed in shinigami clothes just standing there, looking at him. "Hey!" Ichigo called. But the man was gone as if he had never been there. Ichigo just forgot about it and kept walking.
He reached his house and flew through the window. Kon greeted him and gave Ichigo his body back. "Any news come in from the Soul Society?" Kon asked. "No," Ichigo responded, "they're still busy cleaning up Azien's mess." Kon sighed. He flopped down and said "Nee-San, I miss you!" Ichigo thought of Rukia, those injuries she had gotten in the war, how painful it was to see her like that. He slammed his fist down hard on the desk in his room.
Even in death Azien haunted him. The things Azien had said and did made Ichigo want to kill him three times over. Suddenly his phone rang. "Hello?" he said. Ah, Kurosaki-san! Glad to hear you sound well. "Urahara? Oh yeah I'm fine, but why are you calling? Something up?"
"I have an urgent matter that I need to discuss with you as soon as possible."
"Like what?"
"You'll see when you get here, 7 'o clock sharp! Tell your family that you might be gone a while. Also", he said in a much softer voice, "leave your gigai at home," said Urahara."
"Sure thing," said Ichigo and they hung up. "Urgent matters? What could that mean?" thought Ichigo. He told his dad he was doing Shinigami business, packed up, became a Shinigami, and jumped out his window to the Urahara store. When he arrived, he found Tessai waiting for him.
"Welcome," he said, "the managers waiting for you." Tessai led Ichigo inside, and there he found Urahara, sitting at the same table that all their discussions took place.
"Ah glad you could make it, Kurosaki-san!" Urahara said. He look exactly the same, black loose clothes with a green robe over it, his cane that held his Zanpakto, and of course his cherished green and white striped hat. Tessai also took a seat.
"Not like I have much else to do and you said it was urgent," Ichigo said as he sat down, "so what is it you needed me for?"
"Well as you know, Soul Society is still a mess and there are still several open spots for a captain that need filling."
" What are you getting at?" Ichigo asked suspiciously. Urahara smiled.
"Congratulations! You've been nominated to be the new captain of the 13rd squad!" "Wha-?" Ichigo stammered, "but who would-"
"Nominate you?" Urahara cut him off, saying, "Well it was Miss Kuchki that wanted to nominate you, and as soon as Renji heard, he proposed it to the Captain-Commander, and now they want to test you to see if you're the right man for the job!"
Ichigo bowed his head. "Urahara," Ichigo started, "this is an honour and all, but I don't know if I'm able to take one this responsibility and I don't know if I could ever fill the spot left by..." He trailed off, going deep into thought, mainly thinking about the loss of Ukitake, and how devastated everyone had been.
"Kurosaki," Urahara stated, "we all miss Ukitake, but think of how much worse we'd be without a captain. And," he added, "I'm going to train you so you can be able to fill the spot even better than Ukitake."
"Even better...?" Ichigo said, sort of in disbelief.
"Yes even better. Follow me Kurosaki." Urahara got up and started walking.
"Wait!" called Ichigo, "where are you going?"
"To your favorite place of course," said Urahara smiling as he opened a trap door, "were going downstairs. Tessai and I will help you reach your full potential."
When they reached the bottom of the stairs Ichigo still marveled at the size of this room. It was a huge, gigantic place filled with huge rocks and a barren landscape. "Well," said Urahara, "hasn't changed at all has it?"
"No it really hasn't. So what's this training you wanted me to do?"
"Ah yes your training. As we both know you are a frighteningly powerful child, but we can still make you more powerful and more deadly. One way I'm going to do this is teach you Kidou with Tessai."
"Kidou? You mean like all those spell things?" Ichigo asked.
"Yes, but before we do that, we need to lower you spiritual energy quite a bit."
"Lower my spiritual energy? Why?"
"Well if you were to put your current high amount of resitau in a spell that would fail, it could cause serious damage. And that's why I'm going to ask you to put this on." He held up a strange blackish patch with a flat glass-like orb in the center.
"What's that?" asked Ichigo. "It's a Soul Sucker," said Urahara, "and I'm going to need you to let me put it on your back." Ichigo shrugged off his shirt, and Urahara slapped on the patch in the center of his back.
Ichigo felt a weird sensation, as if a vacuum was sucking at his back. The orb steadily grew brighter and brighter, until it glowed an incredibly bright blue. Ichigo stumbled forward falling onto one knee, gasping.
"Ah careful Kurosaki, you need to wait a minute to adjust to your new spiritual level."
After a bit Ichigo felt better and stood up. "Alright," said Ichigo, "I'm ready."
"Ok first we'll start out with one your familiar with," said Urahara. Ichigo looked puzzled. "One I'm familiar with-"
"Bakudo One: Sai!" Urahara cried, drawing his first two fingers across his body while doing so. Ichigo collapsed with a grunt. He struggled but could only loosen it a bit.
"Much different without your endless fountain of resitau, huh?" said Urahara. "Whatever just let me out of this!" yelled Ichigo. "Very well", said Urahara. He snapped his fingers and Ichigo felt the bonds around him shatter.
"Your turn, Kurosaki," said Urahara, "You know how it goes, yes?"
"Yeah sure," Ichigo said. He exhaled, collecting himself. He thought the spell through, and shouted, "Bakudo One: Sai!"
Ichigo saw Urahara straighten up the fall to the ground. "Hey I did it!" Ichigo said, sounding sort of surprised. "How do I get you out?"
"Well what you would do is snap you fingers and break the bonds, but that won't be necessary." Urahara said. He got up to one knee and threw his arms up, breaking the spell.
"Show off," Ichigo muttered. "Tessai!" Urahara called.
"Yes manager?" Tessai responded coming over and standing next to him.
"Please help Kurosaki-san with some others please."
"As you wish, Uruhara-dono."
"Wait, where are you going?" said Ichigo.
"Who me?" said Urahara, "someone needs to supervise and control the Soul Sucker, so I'll be over here." He sat down a ways away and the training began.
Meanwhile, another person was going to train. An arrow shot through the air and pierced through the hollow. Uryuu turned around and pushed his glasses up. Hollows, he thought, what a disgusting race of creatures. All they do is lust over their next meal, in the endless cycle of consuming and searching. No purpose no meaning no reason to live. "Heh that's where I come in I suppose," he smiled to himself, but it wasn't a real smile.
After this war, he couldn't get over the pain of the battles, his friends getting beaten and hurt, and the anger he felt towards Azien. He clenched his hands into fists. Him being dead isn't enough he thought furiously, he needs to burn in the hell he created, and I'm going to be the one to throw him in.
He felt the presence of another hollow, and he shot it without even thinking. He was furious, trembling with anger. "I need to get stronger he thought, strong enough to protect everyone, strong enough not to be protected!" He thought angrily, almost at tears now, "Inoue," he said so softly and so broken heartedly, it was enough to make any man feel like crying with him. Finally he drew himself together. He walked away, heading for the river he trained at before they had invaded Soul Society to save Rukia. "I will become stronger," he thought. "I will protect everything I care for!" he thought, with the cold steel of his resolve almost enveloping him like a suit of armor.
Ichigo wasn't too fond of Kidou. He didn't like using it; it felt weird and foreign to him. But he had to admit, it delivered results. He thought as he looked at the remains of a massive rock he had just decimated. Very well done said Tessai, a fine shot. "Tessai!" called Urahara, "I believe he's ready."
"Yes Uruhara-dono, shall I proceed to the next step?"
"Yes please do, Urahara said, but first... He walked over and pushed his hand onto Ichigo's back. Ichigo felt the vacuum release and the flood of his resitau come back. Urahara had steadily giving Ichigo some of his resitau back to make the transition easier, but still he thought about how much better he liked having his normal power level back
"Ok!" said Urahara, "on to lesson 2!
What's that?" asked Ichigo, rather suspiciously.
"We need to properly test your new Kidou skills and what better way to do that than with a fight. Tessai, let's begin!"
Tessai took up a stance and Ichigo, still a little surprised, took up a rather odd stance. "Begin!" shouted Urahara. And they began. Hado Thirty One: Shakkahou! Tessai yelled as he jumped high into the air. Hado Thirty Three: Sokatsue! Ichigo responded with.
The two spells collided leaving plumes of blue and red smoke. Ichigo quickly followed by chanting, "Bakudo Four: Hainon!"
He released the yellow rope that had gathered along his wrist. They flew and Tessai like snakes. Tessai looked unfazed as he shouted, "Bakudo Eight: Seki!" A blue orb appeared at the back of Tessai's hand. He gave a grunt as he back handed the spell Ichigo had used with his Seki and Ichigo's Hainon flew into a rock causing it to explode.
Ichigo jumped level with Tessai, only a few feet away and shouted, "Hado Thirty One: Shakkahou!"
Tessai flew to the ground after taking the brunt of Ichigo's spell. Ichigo stood above the ground searching for Tessai. Then Ichigo heard a soft voice muttering, "Bakudo Sixty Three: Sajo Shabak!" The yellow chains wrapped around Ichigo in an instant, leaving him helpless.
As Ichigo fell, he said in a constricted voice, "Hado Sixty Three: Raikouhou!" A massive ball of golden lightning shattered the chains around him. He landed on the ground, and was soon met with another spell; this one was obviously a Sokatsue.
"Shakkahou!" Ichigo shouted and the two spells crashed in front of him, but the force of the collision sent him skidding back. Then he heard Tessai mutter a spell he couldn't make out, but it was a long one. Suddenly, a small ball of sharp, pale blue lightning appeared at Tessai palm.
Then just as quickly as it came the ball exploded into a massive wall of lightning barreling towards Ichigo. "Crap," Ichigo thought, quickly he gathered himself and confidently shouted, "Bakudo Eighty One: Danku!" The lightning exploded around him engulfing everything in the surrounding area.
After the spell ended Tessai walked over saying, perhaps I went a little too far? No it's fine, Ichigo panted, it's nothing I can't handle. The smoke cleared and there stood Ichigo, standing on one knee, clothes ripped and dirty, but otherwise unharmed.
"Excellent!" cried Urahara," that truly was a magnificent display! Kurosaki-san, you pass Kidou training with flying colors!" Great said Ichigo, still breathing rather heavily. That last one was crazy, what was it? Ichigo asked. It's a special, high level technique. Perhaps I'll teach it to you sometime. Tessai said.
"Now, Kurosaki, we both know your hollow abilities are a key part in your strength."
"Yeah, but I already beat my hollow, I can control it now," Ichigo said.
"Control it yes. Use its power to its full extent, no, you haven't." Urahara put bluntly. Ichigo narrowed his eyes in confusion. "What do you mean?" Ichigo asked.
"I mean, there are things hollows can do that with your hollow powers, you can do," Urahara smiled, "take a cero for example. High level hollows can do it, and you can also."
"I can shoot cero?" Ichigo asked in disbelief. Then he remembered his second fight with Grimmjow, and how Shinji used a cero.
"I see you can relate to what I'm talking about," Urahara said. "Well I'm going to help you learn not only cero, but also Sonido."
"Sonido?" asked Ichigo. "Why would I need that when I can Shunpo at captain level?"
"Not everyone is limited to using Shunpo at a captain level. I know quite a few people you wouldn't how to catch with your Shunpo."
"Fine," said Ichigo, now a little irritated. Urahara tended to do that to him.
"What do I need to do?" Ichigo asked.
"First things first, you're going to need your mask on." Urahara said.
Ichigo sighed then took up his stance. Face sideways, left hand curled over face, knees slightly bent. Ichigo felt the swirl of resitau around him, rapidly getting darker and darker, not only in color, but also in the feel of it. The air around Ichigo was dark and evil. Ichigo tilted his head down, and started pulling resitau over his hand onto his face, gradually taking the shape of a mask. Ichigo then threw his hand down, and the transformation was complete.
Mask on, Ichigo breathed out, making those odd hollow noises, there was no other way to describe it. The atmosphere had changed to fear, and this fear was circling around Ichigo.
"Very good," said Urahara, totally unaffected by Ichigo's haunting resitau, "Now, let's get this cero down."
After several tries, Ichigo managed to shoot a successful cero. Left in front of Ichigo was smoldering rocks and rubble. "Well done," said Urahara, "now for Sonido. First act like you're about to use Shunpo. Now when you Shunpo, tap into your hollow powers."
Ichigo lined up to go. His first two attempts were decent, but his last was perfect. Ichigo used Sonido to appear in front of him. "Very good," Urahara said, "now for the final part of your training."
He grabbed his cane with both hands and slowly drew out his sword. Urahara noticed Ichigo's now rather surprised face. "Yes that's right Kurosaki-san. Lesson 4, a duel with me." " Great," said Ichigo, "I've been looking for an excuse to take you down."
"Ah but there is one condition to this duel. No Bankais. This is a Shikai only fight."
"Why only Shikai?" asked Ichigo.
"Well in case you haven't noticed, Kurosaki, your Shikai skills are awful, compared to that of a normal captain. You overuse your Bankai, and it puts strain on your body. Now then grab your Zanpakto, and let's begin!"
Ichigo jogged over and grabbed Zangetsu. It felt good to have his own sword in his hands, that indescribable bond between Shinigami and Zanpakto. Ichigo walked back over and faced Urahara.
"Alrighty!" said Urahara, "begin!" And with that they charged at each other. Ichigo took the offensive, slashing at Urahara from every direction. Urahara blocked then leapt back shouting Bakudo Four: Hainon! The yellow rope wrapped around Ichigo, and Urahara came running at Ichigo. Ichigo struggled with the rope, and then managed to break it with enough resitau. By then Urahara was halfway to Ichigo.
"Awake, Benehime!" Urahara muttered to his sword. His Zanpakto changed into its Shikai form, the skinny black and white blade with its elaborate handle. Urahara Shunpo-ed the rest of the way to Ichigo, catching him off guard. Urahara hit Ichigo in his chest with his palm, throwing him back. While flying back, Ichigo saw Urahara Shunpo above him.
"Sing, Benehime!" Urahara shouted. A shrill sound like a firework and a red blast of energy came out of Uruhara's Zanpakto. Ichigo dodged, and as he did he thought, "I've got to think of a way to distract him."
Ichigo turned to Urahara and shouted, "Hado Thirty Three: Soukatsui!" The blue fire erupted and exploded into a rock near Urahara. The flying debris was enough to make Urahara shield his face. Ichigo seized his opportunity and Shunpoed at Urahara, reappearing a few feet away for him shouting, "It's over!" Ichigo swung his sword at Urahara.
"Call out, Benehime!" Ichigo's sword struck something that wasn't flesh. It was a shield. "Whew," said Urahara, "lucky I got this blood mist shied up." The shield dissolved.
"Now," said Urahara, "now I'll fight."
"What? There's no way you were going easy on me."
"Oh but I was," said Urahara, "no time to talk Kurosaki!" Urahara started swinging at Ichigo. He swung up, then down and spun around and took a huge slash at Ichigo, while firing his Zanpakto's energy at him. Ichigo had blocked the first two, but the last he barely blocked and was sent skidding back with the blast.
"Haaaaahhhh," Ichigo yelled as he fought the blast from getting past his sword. Ichigo planted his foot behind him, threw up his sword, deflecting the blast. Ichigo stood there panting, now a ways away from Urahara, with a large hole stretching between them.
"Damn it!" Ichigo thought, "He really is stronger than I thought." He saw Urahara raise his sword collecting red energy around it.
"Not happening!" Ichigo shouted and he raised his sword gathering his own resitau around it. "Getsuga," Ichigo whispered, "Tenshou!" He shouted swinging his sword down as hard as he could. Urahara had done the same, sending his red resitau to match Ichigo's blue resitau. The collision was enormous creating a massive blue and red orb of dangerous swirling power. When the dust cleared, Ichigo and Urahara were left unharmed, but there now was a gigantic hole separating them.
"Shall we continue?" asked Urahara. Ichigo's response was another Getsuga. They fought for awhile, until Urahara said, "OK Kurosaki-san! Your captain training is complete."
"How long was it?" asked Ichigo.
"Ten days," said Urahara.
"Ha just like last time huh?" Ichigo snorted, "That's ironic."
"Well, look how far ten days got you last time." Ichigo looked away. "Whatever," he said. He was busy dwelling on the past. Urahara smiled.
"Kurosaki, I think it's time I got you to the Soul Society. Follow me." Ichigo went behind Urahara as he walked over.
"Wait!" called a familiar voice. Ichigo turned and saw Uryuu jump off of the stairs. "Ishida? What are you doing here?" Urahara stepped into the conversation. "I asked him if he would like to accompany you," said Urahara, "but at first he was dead set against it. He said he'd have no part in Shinigami affairs. But I suppose he changed his mind." He turned to Ishida.
"I see you also have been training." Urahara pointed out. Your spiritual energy is significantly higher and I notice that you have some new Quincy battle gear." He pointed to the new glove and gauntlet he was wearing. "Where did you get these?" asked Urahara.
"I developed it," said Ishida bluntly, "I needed a better arsenal of weapons and devices, and so I made a few."
"You can make your own Quincy gear?" asked Ichigo.
"Yes, but its tough and time consuming, but once made they're very helpful."
Urahara started walking away, saying, "now let's fire up the Senkaimon Gate and get you two to the Soul Society." Urahara got to his gate, and soon the two friends were walking into the Soul Society. What they saw next turned their world upside down.