Chapter 2 water, water everywhere
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or any of the Bleach characters or their zanpaktou but I do own all the Bankai's, character's etc.. That I invent and all original concepts in the fic. Also thanks to NotQuiteHuman01 for being awesome and my Beta Reader for the story.
Nimbly Drake side stepped a falling block that crashed to the ground to his right, Urahara wasn't as lucky one of the many pieces of debris striking the back of his head and sending him crashing to the ground. Moments later an even larger block pinned his legs, leaving him trapped. As the flow of rubble trickled to a halt a figure dropped down from above and landed softly in the centre of the room. As the dust cleared Drake began to make out the figure, it was a young girl of roughly eleven or twelve and she was dressed in a flowing cerulean blue dress. Despite her age she moved with an unnatural poise, a level of world weary smoothness and elegance to her walk that gave the impression of an aging beauty not a fresh faced young girl. Her long golden curls rippled and flowed across her back, the golden hues rippling and shimmering and her hands moved to the two blades sheathed at her side.
She turned to face Urahara and in one fluid movement slipped both of the weapons from their sheaths; the motion could almost be described as delicate. Drake was just out of her line of sight but was able to see the deep blue eyes that seemed to stand out on her pale skin and which bore down on his gaze with an unearthly weight. He watched unmoving as she walked over to Urahara, her swords balanced with the flats of the blades resting on the backs of her slender forearms.
Drake spent a moment wrestling with both his conscience and his fear, as much as he disliked this Urahara guy he couldn't let this inhuman girl kill him. Despite knowing this something still stayed his hands for a few seconds, the girl growing closer and closer to Urahara as he struggled with this wave of fear she seemed to project at him. Finally he moved, gripping his Zanpaktou ever tighter; the reassuring feeling of the hilt fighting off the waves of fear.
As silently as he could Drake crept behind the girl, his Zanpaktou gripped tightly in both hands. He had never held a sword before in his life, but he'd seen enough badly dubbed samurai movies to think he knew the basics. He had been a muscular person in life, and that muscle had apparently carried over into his death; something he found reassuring. He ran towards her whilst trying to make as little sound as possible, before raising his Zanpaktou to just above hip height in preparation. The second he made it close enough to her he tried an upward slash, jerkily swinging his blade upwards in a wild attack. By the time the swing was complete the girl wasn't there anymore, she had slipped behind him. She swung one of her swords, lazily slashing for his midriff and Drake only just managed to bring his Zanpaktou up to block the slash. The swords grated for a second and the force of the girls swing rocked Drake to his core, this little girl probably had more strength in one hand than he did in his entire body. The girl leapt back and began a renewed assault, swinging both swords in perfect synchronicity and slashing at him. Drake blocked every slash at the last second, her speed and strength knocking him about the battle field like a rag doll with ease. After a few minutes of the onslaught Drake began to notice a pattern in her attacks, she always attacked in a cycle of six; the sixth attack leaving both blades pointed to the ground. Watching the pattern a few more times he waited for his moment, and after the fifth slash he waited for the next hit and then as she began to bring her blades back up he locked his sword against hers and placed his foot on the flat of her blades. They were both trapped in the embrace.
"Now, I'm no expert but it looks like we're at an impasse you can't move and nor can I so, I suggest a..." Drake began with a self satisfied grin.
"No." Said the girl, her voice was as smooth as a dagger and just as sharp.
"I beg your pardon?" Drake asked, despite himself he couldn't help but flinch at the sound of her voice.
"An impasse?" she asked a faint smirk flitting to her lips. "Don't make me laugh, the meer idea of being out manoeuvred by an amateur such as yourself is laughable" she told him. Suddenly her blades seemed to shimmer and his foot and blade slipped through them, the swords flowing like water back into their original form whilst she watched with a fleeting smile.
"Well... f***" said Drake stumbling backwards as the fear washed over him again.
"These are my Zanpaktou" she said motioning to her blades, "and the only reason you still live is because I wish to play a while." She yawned softly and raised her blades, "but I am done with you now, you cease to be entertaining."
Drake lowered his Zanpaktou and said in a soft voice, "my name is Drake Lupine"
"And what, pray tell, makes you think I care?" said the girl "I have no desire to learn the names of my playthings."
"I think you should know the name of the person who's going to kill you" replied Drake.
"You still think you have a chance of beating me?" She asked her eyes sparkling with amusement, "very well it seems I should introduce myself. My name is Suigetsu"
"Is no one going to ask my name?" asked another voice disappointed. Behind the girl Ichigo stood with his sword resting lightly on his shoulder and a cocky grin on his face.
"What kind of a question is that?" Suigetsu asked narrowing her eyes at Ichigo as he strode towards Drake. "Of course not"
"I have to agree with her man" piped up Drake. Ichigo scowled at him and Drake found himself wondering if his eyebrows ever separated properly.
"Wouldn't be the first time," said Ichigo shrugging "I'm Ichigo Kurosaki… and this is Zangetsu" he yelled launching himself at Suigetsu.
The two met in a roaring cash of metal, the three swords met in an almightily clash that sent a shockwave rippling through the area around them and Drake crashing to the ground. Suigetsu swung both her swords over her shoulders slashing at Ichigo from both sides, Ichigo countered by swinging his sword in an arc in front of him and smashing both her blades to the right. Then Ichigo used the momentum of his swing to spin in a half turn and slash her exposed side, without warning Suigetsu ducked under the slash and slashed both her swords upwards; Ichigo staggering back with twin cuts running along his chest. Suigetsu lunged forward slashing with her blades but somehow Ichigo still managed to block her attacks, pushing her backwards and slashing his sword downwards.
Suigetsu blocked the slash with her swords crossed and kicked Ichigo in the chest, Ichigo wheezed and staggered backwards; Suigetsu slapping Ichigo's sword from his hands and advancing on his winded form. With a bloodthirsty smirk she swung one of her blades at his neck, only for Drake to block the attack. Using all his strength Drake wrenched Suigetsu's blades into the air and forced her into a lock. Soon Drake realised how much more powerful Ichigo was compaed to him, whilst Ichigo had stood on a relatively even footing with her strength his arms quivered and shook as her swords inched closer and closer to his face.
Suddenly something snapped within Drake, fear turned to defiance, defiance to anger and anger turned into a seething inferno of rage that consumed his very being. Drake had already experience death once and he refused to let it happen again. The anger turned into a violent darkness that quickly spread through his being. Swirling shadows wrapped around him and seemed to empower him, he felt more and more weight behind his sword as he forced Suigetsu further and further back. Suigetsu responded by breaking the lock and slashing at Drake's midriff, Drake dodged the slash and flipped backwards before landing in a fighting stance with the shadows swirling and flickering around him like midnight black flames.
"So the shadows have awakened," she remarked casually, cocking her head to one side. "You may be like me but you attacked me and I have to defend myself." She said throwing one of her Zanpaktou in the air. "After all" she said a dark smile on her face, "I'm just a helpless little girl."
Drake physically shuddered at her words, that wasn't a little girl it was a demon wearing a little girls skin. "Yeah but defending yourself doesn't normally mean disarming yourself" he stammered watching the sword arc into the air and stop in midair.
"Drag them under Agua Monsturo Marino" Suigetsu cried raising one hand into the air.
"Oh this can't be good" groaned Ichigo staggering to his feet before retrieving and brandishing his sword.
Drake paid no attention to Ichigo too busy watching the Zanpaktou, it melted as it had before but this time the viscous black liquid sprayed out above her, before converging on Suigetsu. It washed over her leaving a jagged ink black pillar that oozed for a moment, then with a burst of water it collapsed. Suigetsu was left stood in front of him with a demonic sneer on her face. Her right arm had formed into the pitch black maw of some hellish creature whilst the other was a mass of writhing black tentacles.
"Move!" yelled Ichigo flying past Drake, "Getsugatencho!"
"Getsuga wha... crap baskets" Drake swore angrily as a huge crescent of energy hurtled past him, the shockwaves sending him skidding backwards only finally managing to stop himself by stabbing his sword into the ground. Suigetsu looked at the blast with dis-interest and calmly slapped it away with one of her tentacles, the blast shooting to their right and tearing through a huge chunk of the nearby wall, before turning her attention to Drake and Ichigo.
"This is bad right?" Drake asked his hands shaking and his voice quivering.
"Yes Drake this is bad" replied Ichigo in a voice that was a mixture of anger and fear..
Drake launched forwards swinging his sword, it carved through the air with shadows still coiling off the blade's edge. Suigetsu raised her other arm, with a lazy flick of her wrist a pounding torrent of water blasted from the gaping maw. Drake rolled out of the way, the torrent shooting past his shoulder and smashing into the opposing wall, before leaping at her again. He slashed at the tentacles as they shot through the air towards him but they quickly slipped past his blade and latched onto his limbs, sending him flying through the air towards her before halting his fall and bringing him towards her face. Drake's Zanpaktou flew from his grip and smashed into the ground out of his reach. Seeing Drake was helpless Ichigo leapt forward, grabbing a tentacle he wrenched himself forward and past her guard; slashing at her other tentacles as he flew towards her. He slashed Zangetsu down at one tentacle but yet another wrapped around his wrist and flung him away. Drake looked up as Suigetsu brought him up to face her, more tentacles wrapping around his arms and starting to wrench him apart, Drake felt his tendons start to strain and begin to snap in red flashes of agonising pain.
"It benefits none of us if you die" said Suigetsu, "but …" she said playfully putting her hand on her hips and waggling her finger at him. "I really don't like you" she chimed with sadistic glee as the tentacles wrenched harder.
Drake screamed in pain and blacked out.
Suigetsu watched contently as Drake's head went limp. She smiled, he was a stubborn one and that annoyed her but now he was gone and nothing pleased her more than eliminating pests that annoy her.
"Stupid little bitch" hissed a voice, Suigetsu glanced around looking for the source of the voice, it took a moment for her to realise that it was Drake who was talking. His head snapped up, his eyes had turned into pits of inky darkness and his face bore a horrific twisted smile. "Did you really think you could kill one of your kind so easily? And worse still get away with it? You poor misguided little bitch"
Drake whipped his arms down, dragging Suigetsu closer before smashing his boot into her face and sending her crashing into the ground. The tentacles snapped free releasing him and he dropped to the ground. The darkness flowed and spread from his eyes, settling around his hand. It twisted and shimmered until it formed an armoured glove with three black blades protruding from it. Suigetsu's eyes widened as his Soul Reaper Zanpaktou flew back to his hand. Drake raised his arms and shadows washed around him, forming a fluctuating dome around him and Suigetsu.
"Now you pitiful excuse for a soul it's time to die" hissed Drake hysterically while his twin weapons hung limply at his sides. The shadows enveloped Drake. As the shadow approached Suigetsu she lashed out at them wildly but her attacks had effect, she screamed desperately a look of horror on her face as the shadow began to envelop her legs, stopping her in her tracks. Her screams only renewed in terror and desperation as the shadows slid across the rest of her body and eventually swallowed her whole, kicking and screaming. All the while her screams mixing with the maniacal cackling howl eminating from within the shadows.
Ichigo stood up, his chest burnt from the twin sword wounds and he thought he might have cracked a rib when Suigetsu threw him across the room. His hand rested on Zangetsu's hilt both to reassure him it was still there and to steady his swaying frame. Ichigo looked up and saw the dome of shadows, it was an incredible and terrifying sight. The shadows that coated the dome flickered and fluctuated the sight drawing Ichigo in without him realising until he consciously stopped himself stumbling towards it, screams and laughter of pleasure echoed from inside. Heafting Zangetsu into his hands he tried to aproach it but was repelled by the huge spiritual pressure emanating from within the shifting dome. A groan came from just behind him. Ichigo followed the sound and was greeted by the sight of Urahara lying prone and trapped under a large piece of the ceiling. Planting Zangetsu in the ground beside him Ichigo tried to move the debris off Urahara, despite his injuries he eventually managed to shift the rock enough for Urahara to drag himself free.
"Ichigo... where's Drake?" Kiskue asked coughing hoarsely and erupting into a fit of wheezing and coughing, Ichigo waited patiently until Urahara's coughing fit subsided before answering.
"Somewhere in there I'm guessing" Ichigo told him gesturing to the sphere. Urahara regarded the dome with interest, only taking his eyes off it to retrieve his cane from several feet away. At first Ichigo was worried that Urahara had been taken in by the dome as he had but Urahara's gaze was too focused and analytical for that to be true. Urahara stopped as the dome started to dissolve. Ichigo grabbed Zangetsu and stepped closer to the fading dome, raising his blade in a fighting stance, just in case. The sphere finished dissolving and stood in the middle of where it had been was Drake, his left hand encased in a black gauntlet with three blades extending from the back of his hand. Both it and his Zanpaktou were coated in blood, Drake on the other hand, was totally plastered with blood.
"Help me" he croaked as he staggered forward "I can't remember what I di…" mid sentence his strength failed him and he fell to the ground. Exhausted. Ichigo stepped forward and stood over Drake's unconscious figure. Staring at him with both concern and fear whilst trying to ignore the cloak of blood wrapped around him. Urahara looked past Ichigo and Drake his gaze falling on the crimson mound of flesh behind them. Ichigo turned to look at what it was, it took him several moments to realise that it was the blood soaked remains of Suigetsu. Around her the floor was slick with blood, puddles of her remains forming a perfect circle around what remained of her flesh and bones. Kiskue looked from the devastation to Drake and wondered. Just what was he?
A/N you may have to wait a little while for the next chapter. After all I have to get my exams done. *sigh* there is no rest for the wicked after all.
Beta Readers Note: hey guys hope you like the fic and just a quick note to say that I hope you didn't find Suigetsu's death too Rape-ish (I wrote most of it) I assure you she was only killed. Also you're officially awesome if you get the BndG reference. Also I have exams too so it may be even longer till the next chapter.