Disclaimer : All characters and places belong to Tite Kubo, ©2004-2008.
A/N: I'm back! It's been a long time coming, but at last the second installent of "Triniad" is here! Long story short, I got tired of sitting around and not watching the subbed episodes, so I apologize for the long delay. With the help of Manga Volumes 21 and 22 and Wikipedia I decided that the wait was long enough. Hopefully the characters are at least in-character.
I've also listed "Triniad" as a Semi-AU in which the Hueco Mundo Arc (and Orihime's kidnapping) never happened, in case anyone wants to know where this story takes place.
So please enjoy. Constructive criticism and feedback are welcomed and appreciated.
Chapter II
GAUNTLET
Shinji Hirako did not like the way things were turning out.
The Vizards were on the battlegrounds of Kisuke Urahara's underground chamber, taking turns on a Hollowified Ichigo Kurosaki. Kidou and cero spells flew across the desert, blowing holes in the ground and cliff faces in quick succession. Debris, dust, and reiatsu residue showered the land in a thin fog.
He and Hiyori Sarugaki watched the transformed Hollow from a distance. It had been brought to their attention the matter of the time it took for the Vizards to subdue Ichigo's inner beast. Not too long ago, Lisa Yadoumaru approached them with a strange query: that lately it seemed that their group's new addition was overcoming the Hollow much more quickly than she imagined. At first they shrugged it off. Shinji had said it was a good thing he was learning, that the faster he controlled the spirit the easier their job would be. There was nothing to be worry about.
For a while, nothing was out of place. Hirako and Sarugaki kept to the sidelines, their eyes fixed to the scene of dancing swords. They kept a stopwatch with them and started the time. Blood and chaos would dominate the furtive silence. Their fellow compatriots would proceed to beat the living hell out of Ichigo until the Hollow had enough and retreated. When that happened they would stop and glance at the watch's digital numbers.
01:00:00
00:59:15
00:58:87
Hiyori grunted, saying it was only a couple minutes. Shinji hummed thoughtfully, but he didn't think this was a problem. Nonetheless they remained vigilante.
A bony fist met Love Aikawa's cheek with a meaty smack!, sending the man stumbling away. As he was recovering Kensei Muguruma dashed into the fray, his Zanpakuto Tachikaze in hand. He unleashed the fully charged blade at his opponent, who held up his forearm and blocked it. They pushed against one another in a battle of wits, each locked in a steady equilibrium of power.
But as the days passed and turned into weeks, the Vizards noticed a startling change. Or rather, the Vizards saw a drastic increase in Ichigo's Hollow powers and Shinji and Hiyori found themselves clocking the end of practices at less than fifteen minutes. The fights were growing shorter, more intense and life-threatening, and the Vizards had been forced to draw Shikai more than once. The two former Soul Reapers even had to jump in on numerous occasions, channeling their strength as they ripped the mask off Ichigo's face.
SHIING!
Tachikaze soared through the air like fallen glass.
Kensei gaped, a rictus of shock etched in his grey irises. The Hollow snickered darkly and pounced, elbowing his opponent in the chin followed by a flurry of punches. A vicious uppercut snapped Muguruma's head back as he hit the ground with a sickening thud.
Not too far away Mashiro Kuna and Lisa and Love staggered to their feet, nigh depleted of reiatsu and worn out, but not down. They ran as Hachigen Ushoda stepped from his hiding place behind the dunes and bound Ichigo's arms and legs in two strictly sealed Bakudo spells. He snarled and struggled, ramming his bound limbs against the ovaloid ropes in an attempt to escape.
Rojuro Otoribashi flashed into existence via Shunpo. Up in the air and his long, wavy blonde hair flying behind him, he recited Raikohou's incantation. Thunder crackled in his palm.
Those dark pupils behind the young Vizard's mask shrunk to pinpoints.
The blue thunderbolt crashed deafeningly seconds later. A mushroom-shaped cloud of dust and sand rose several feet before a gust of black wind dissipated it. Golden orbs dimly shone and narrowed through the microscopic particles. His bonds severed amidst the impact, he unsheathed Zangetsu in a clean swipe. One by one Mashiro, Lisa, Love and Hachigen emerged from the cloud, fencing him on all four sides, their Zanpakuto drawn.
What happened next was too fast for Shinji and Hiyori to follow save for brief flashes of steel.
"Look at 'im go," breathed Hirako, whistling lowly. "He's like a beast that just won't die."
Sarugaki snorted. "I'll make him if he starts picking us off. We need to stay alive long enough so we can put that bastard Aizen in his place. Like, six feet under."
"Now now, Hiyori. It's important for us to prepare Ichigo for the coming war with the Arrancars. Eleven seconds won't do him any justice."
"It's fucking laughable, if you ask me."
"Better than nothing at all, yes? 'Sides, we could use a mad powerhouse like him . . ." The blonde paused as a frown slowly found its way on his lips, "even if he's liable to become a threat." he added hesitantly.
"And then what? We kill him?" the small girl huffed haughtily. She plucked the toothpick she had been chewing between her teeth and tossed it away. "Soul Society'll be on our asses for that."
"Not unless we control him. His Hollow, I mean."
"Fuck, the way things are going it's gonna be impossible."
"I know," said Shinji, nodding. "Its behavior has gotten to be more aggressive ever since Lisa reported that first spike in power. That's why we need to find a way to restrain the Hollow from interfering with his battles or it'll be too problematic for us to handle."
Hiyori pursed her lips thoughtfully. Then, after a moment, she asked: "So Soul Society doesn't know what's going on, right?"
"Just us, and I plan to keep it that way." The lanky teenager clapped a hand on his blade's hilt. "I spoke with Hachi earlier. Asked him if he knew any Bakudo we could use on the Hollow."
"What'd he say?"
"Said he had an idea about making a special sealing spell. Didn't mention anything else 'cept that he just started on it."
"How long you think it'll take before it's finished?"
"Don't know. When it's done, I guess."
"Hmph. Smartass."
"Just statin' the facts, doll."
"Jackass."
Their conversation came to an abrupt halt when the screams and shouts of their Vizards compatriots sprung from the core of combat. Shinji and Hiyori started to attention, one hundred years of instinct in the Gotei Thirteen surfacing to the forefront of their minds. However, the wind, created from a high pressure of raw reiatsu, shoved the pair back several feet.
Hiyori swore loudly, her voice drowned out by the howl of energy ribbons permeating the area, and stabbed her Zanpakuto into a crack in the ground. Shinji's fingers curled around the rock jutting from the cliff face and held on firmly. He squinted for a better look at the situation.
True to his word he saw Ichigo Kurosaki in the eye of his Hollow's demonic aura, on his knees and pulling in vain the sneering visage that was his mask. Zangetsu lay by his side, its own reiatsu, hissing and steaming like an endangered serpent. Around the redhead were the six fallen Vizards, unable to move a muscle amidst nature's manipulated fury.
Shinji creased his brow in anger. 'This again!' he thought. 'Damn Hollow, how much longer are you going to play this game?!' It was difficult to maneuver in the mighty gale, and it would probably be even harder the closer he got to the aura, but there was no other option to rely on.
It was either that or die.
He made up his mind then and there. He lifted his head and shouted at the top of his lungs: "Wait here, Hiyori! I'm gonna help him with that mask!"
Her eyes widened to the size of saucers. "Crazy fool! You're goin' to get yourself killed!" But her words fell on deaf ears, for Hirako had let go of the wall and vanished from sight.
He reappeared in front of Ichigo, roaring with rage and frustration. Shinji stabbed the Zanpakuto into the earth and formed a skeletal gauntlet over his right arm. While holding onto the hilt with his left hand he reached out and grazed the edge with trembling digits. Energy sparked and crackled, forcing open a black and yellow orb to glare at him. The other eye, a russet shred of sanity, stared back at him through a glassy film of tears.
Making sure he had a firm grasp on the mask, Shinji directed his gaze toward his comrade's. He shuddered as it swept over the eternally malicious grin, but he reminded himself to focus, to subdue the beast within.
"Okay, Ichigo!" he cried. "Listen to me! We're gonna pry this fucker off of ya! On the count of three, I want you to grab the left side and pull as hard as you can!" A low, rumbling growl answered him. The blonde ignored it. "Alright. You ready? Here we go. One . . . Two . . . Three!"
And they pulled and pulled and pulled with all the strength they could muster. Shinji ground his teeth together as sweat dotted his forehead. Ichigo tugged feebly, groaning and grunting in between heavy breaths as he did so. The aura trapped them in its black wake, screeching with a madness unparallel and unlike anything the ex-Fifth Division Captain ever heard. Fear rippled in his heart and slithered down his spine, but Shinji Hirako pushed until the skin was slick and taut.
SNAP!
Kurosaki gasped loudly as sunlight warmed his cold, languid face. The reptilian armor he bore in his transformation crumbled to piles of white chalk and was blown away by a lone breeze. As his vision blurred, he could vaguely make out a hateful countenance in clouds of reiatsu residue.
'Thank God . . .' he thought, and his brown irises rolled into the back of his head. He fell forward and heard no more.
Shinji doubled over and clapped his knees, gulping in large amounts of precious oxygen to his lungs. Behind him he could sense his fellow Vizards' signatures approaching, but he paid no heed to them as they gathered around him.
Hiyori looked at him and the unconscious Ichigo, then at the dripping blood running along the curve of the white mask. She whispered two words that could only be described as disbelief: "Holy shit."
Hirako rose to his full height, his breathing starting to slow and calm down. Without turning to them he asked, "There anyone who can still walk?"
The battered and wounded Vizards exchanged pondering glances, but there was one among them who did not need to think twice. "I can, sir." said Hachigen Ushoda. Out of the eight in the group he looked the least worse for wear. Bakudo, it seemed, had saved his, and possibly everyone's life once again.
Shinji snapped his fingers and pointed at Ichigo. "Take 'im to the Urahara Shoten. Everyone else up to the surface." And before they could answer he sheathed his sword and walked away, tossing aside the Hollow mask as he went.
They did not stop him.