Alright, things are finally getting interesting!
And if you didnt pick it up in the last chapter (which you probably didnt thanks to my crappy writing skills), nobody noticed Grimmjows reiatsu because of all the hollows covering it up.
Aizen Sosuke stood beside Szayalopporo in a sience-y looking lab. Behind the glass in front of them was a particularly angry Vasto Lorde who obviously didnt like the situation it was in. It thrashed arond tugging at the chains binding it, while a group of fraccione fumbled around trying to get near it. It let off a small Cero from it horns and fired it towards the closest living thing, while still pulling feverently at its restraints. Aizen seemed slightly shocked because a Cero that appeared small to the Hollow firing it, was in reality quite large and ended up blowing a huge hole in the wall opposite it. Yes, this was a brilliant plan The ex-shinigami mused. I dont know why i didnt think of this earlier.
The sound of roaring died down as Aizen looked up, the Hollow shrouded in grey smoke. When it cleared an orange haired boy wearing a white Shihakusho was revealed. One of the two horns he previousley had was still on the side of his head, and he had tattoos going from his neck, over his eyes, and up to the boarderline of his hair and his forehead. He stood there panting for a few seconds before collapsing onto all fours next a black sword that had just recently appeared. Aizen quickly entered to confront the new arrival, getting an icey glare from the boy.
"Hello" Aizen said in a chillingly gentle voice. He knelt down to the new arrancar who was still glowering at the man with obvious hate in his eyes. "My name is Aizen Sosuke. Whats yours?" He said, trying to act oblivious. The Hollow boys face remained fixed as he muttered a quick "Kurosaki Ichigo". Aizen smiled to himself. "Exellent. Szayal, remove the chains. And get our friend some accomodation and a change of clothes." He called to the pink haired scientist behind him. He seemed to want to keep a good distance between himself and Ichigo, as he clearly hadnt expected anyone this powerful. Szayal bowed and left in a hurry, Ichigos chains loosening. Helping the wary boy up, Aizen smirked once more. Yes, this was a brilliant plan. A very brilliant plan indeed.
It was about a week after Ichigos 'death', and with the problem now a priority, the usual group of Shinigami and Humans gathered a lot more frequently. They also kept in touch a lot more, Kisuke even acting a little paranoid. Everyone had gone to school as usual, and with the residents of the Kurosaki clinic still unnaware of Ichigos death ("Why wont you get off your ass and tell them Urahara!"), it had been deemed that they were just to be left to figure things out themselves. Or at least, Rukia thought, until Kisuke could be bothered to do something. They didnt seem worried, especially seen as so Ichigo often got up and left without a word anyway.
It was a dark Tuesday night when they were having yet another meeting when they felt a sudden surge of Arrancar energy emerge through a Garrganta. The reiatsu signiture was very different, but there was no doubt about it. It was Ichigo.
The group of friends Shunpo'd down the street, Rukia carrying Orihime, Kisuke carrying Chad, and Yoruichi, Uryu. Normally they would have let them walk, but there was no time to lose. They needed to see Ichigo again, to make sure he was alright, to push all this arrancar shit to the side and have their friend back. The arrancar reiatsu emanating from him contradicted their thoughts, but as long as he was alright...
They turned a corner and gasped in shock, all thoughts of their Ichigo gone. In the black shadows of the street stood Ichigo, seemingly oblivious of their presence. A nearby streetlamp flickered on and off, and only when it shone could you see the gruesome scene ahead of them.
He was gripping the collar of a womans spirit, all life cone from her eyes, her face frozen in a silent scream. Blood was pouring from her open mouth and eyes, large chunks of her neck and torso missing. Her insides were bore, her hair matted with her own crimson secretions, and Orihime almost choked on the air at what she was seeing. Ichigos white sleeve and face was covered in the womans blood, and his mouth was upturned into a disturbing smile that could have mentally scarred a child for life. He was slowly devouring her body. He took a bite out of her side, crunching a few bones he had accidently taken in the mouthful. This was too much for Orihime who, holding back a scream, fell to the floor in a dead faint. Ichigo looked up at the slumping noise and gave no reaction other than annoyance at his old friends gawking.
"Dont look at me like that" He scowled, casually ripping another chunk of the womans neck out and chewing it. "Everthings gotta eat, and im starving." He spoke with his mouth full, but then swallowed and added slyly "Besides, its people like me that keep you Shinigami in buissness.".
Rukia could have screamed, but bit her lip. Sado looked deathly pale at the sight of his best friend devouring another living being. Uryu showed a rare look of unsettlement and fear (he would have prepared for this so he could look calm if he knew this was likely). Kisuke and Yoruichi looked ready to defend themselves and the others should they need to, but it was apparant by the look on there faces that even they hadnt expected that. The whole lot of them just stood there, staring at the man in horror. This couldnt be Ichigo! Could it?
"I-Ichigo?" Rukia was the first one to speak up, looking for some hint that it was safe to approach. Ichigo looked startled for a second, but aqquired a solemn gaze. "How do you know my name?" He replied, shattering the groups hopes of re-unision.
"You really dont remember us! Kurosaki, we're your friends!" Uryu shouted. This kind of suprised Rukia, as the two boys were always yelling at each other and reminding the other of how they were enemies. Ichigo remembered Aizens words and shrugged the Quincy off.
They will try to bring you to there side Ichigo. Dont let your guard down. They are dangerous.
Yes Aizen-sama.
"I dont have friends dumbass. Theres only me." If possible, Sado paled further at this statement. The two had been extremely close back in the days, and this was obviously pretty upsetting. "Now..." He continued, throwing the spirits massacred body aside. "Because you can see me, im going to assume you're the ones i was sent to kill?" The friends flinched as Ichigo drew Tensa Zangetsu from a sheath at his waist. He was already at a Bankai stage! Did that mean he couldnt get any stronger? Their thoughts were interupted as a black blade came shooting towards them, Uryu dodging just in time to avoid injury. It didnt matter that he had evaded him though, as Ichigo swung his Zanpakuto round slashing a deep cut across Uryus chest and causing buckets of blood to flow out of the wound.
The Quincy fell to the ground and blacked out from loss of blood, Kisuke rushing in from his left to attempt to imobolize the Arrancar. Ichigo didnt even raise his blade to block, simply catching Benihime with his hand. He then proceeded to plant his foot in his attackers intestine, kicking the older man half way across the street. Yoruichi, who had been planning to shunpo behind Ichigo and take him by suprise, hesitsated at her partners failure. This gave Ichigo enough time to Sonido up to her and run her through before kicking her off the blade with no attempt to be gentle.
Rukia stood in a state shock, the happenings making her an emotional wreck. She wanted to help her friends, but she couldnt attack Ichigo! He was her friend too, no matter what he said! She wasnt going to lose any one else. She had vowed that after Kaiens death. She snapped back to reality to dodge a huge Cero aimed her way. She managed to avoid any serious injury, but caught her left arm in the blast. Wincing in pain at her burned limb, Rukia drew her sword, but only to block an attempt to slash her waist.
"Please Ichigo, you've got to remember! We've been through so much together, we're your friends!"
Ichigo looked slightly annoyed, but he put on a demented smile when he realised he had an opening. Kicking Rukias feet out from underneath her, he grabbed her sword arm and threw her at Kisuke who was charging up behind him, his Zanpakuto ready to dig into flesh. There was a sickening crack as the shinigami girls arm broke from the force of the throw, and she screamed in pain as she collided with the oncoming merchant.
It was Sado's turn to move now, as he sheilded his battered friends from another (even larger) Cero coming there way. It seemed however, that it was just to much for his arm to handle, as it burned away upon contact. He fell to one knee, cradling his damaged body part, looking up at his best friend in a new light. Gone was the friendly smile and warm ochre eyes, now replaced by an insane grin revealing blood covered teeth, and golden irises that showed pleasure in watching others suffer. Ichigo raised his blade and brung it down upon the injured man, Sado scrunching up his eyes and bracing himself for the end. But it didnt come. He looked up to see golden light sheilding him, before shattering and disintergrating. Orihime had woken up, and stood behind Ichigo with her arms outsretched, looking as though she was about to cry.
The orange haired Arrancar looked around in suprise, obviously not expecting her intervention. He wasnt exactly suprised about this peculiar power she had, as for some reason he kind of expected it. It was more the look on her face, sad and hurt, unlike anything he had seen before. It almost made him feel sad and hurt.
"Kurosaki-kun... Why? Why would you do this?" She whispered sadly, tears starting to stream down her face.
"Look bitch, its nothing personal, but i got orders." He said, reaquiring his crazy smile. He pulled down the neck of his Kosode revealing a gothic tattoo of a Zero at an angle above a gaping hole in his chest. Orihimes eyes widened and her face filled with shock and fear, knowing full well what that meant.
Ichigo laughed manicly at the terrified girls reaction. "You realise what this means dont you? I am the strongest Espada!" The last word rolled off his his tongue in a shrill, sadistic voice. "Ive just been playing with you guys! If i was actually serious about killing you, i would have done it from the beginning!" More laughter. "Scared yet?" He yelled, cocking his head to one side in false confusement. His grin widened across his face, and he sonido'd up to her, grabbing her fragile neck. "Because you should be!"
Hoisting her up into air by her wind pipe, Ichigo tightened his grip. He chuckled to himself, seeming to enjoy watching her dangle like a ragdoll. A pretty lively ragdoll to be fair, as she kicked and struggled.
Orihime wasnt sure what to do. At this range she could probably use Tsubaki to kill Ichigo, as he was quite obviously open. One of his hands were around her jugular, and the other was pinning Sados arm behind his back (he had attempted to save Orihime but just ended up getting him self in a worse situation than he could have been in). She could have killed him, but just couldnt seem to bring herself to.
Her vision was starting to blur when she felt herself being thrown aside roughley. The girl landed next to Sado, who had also been released and was staring up at Ichigo in a new kind of suprised look.
After panting a bit, she glanced back up at her friend, wondering what was going on. He was clutching his head with a pained sort of expression, muttering undiscernable words too fast to follow. He dug his fingernails into his scalp drawing blood, before looking at his shaky hands in pure terror. Seeming to forget everything else, he turned and hurriedly clawed a Garraganta for himself and retreating into it.
"Kurosaki-kun! Wait!" The boy apparantly didnt hear her as the hole closed, and the group of Shinigami/Humans stood up slowly. A short silence enveloped the darkness while everyone tried to get their heads around what had just happened. Kisuke was the first one to speak up, putting his hand on his hat in an almost comical manner.
"What the hell was that about?"
Ugh, cannot write fight scenes very well X_X So sorry about that :/
Well, remember to review this chapter, and i should have the next chapter up for next week! Im aiming to get one chapter up every week, mabey more if im on a roll :)