Author's Note: Alright, so welcome back. This chapter you finally get to see Ichigo use Mangetsu in combat if that wasn't clear by the end of the chapter. Though if any of you can point me towards a good site to view the anime I may give it a shot, the couple sites I know of haven't been working well at all recently. At the moment I got nothing for ya really so onwards to content!
Disclaimer: I own nothing, if I did, I would be rich as fuck. Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo and DxD belongs to Ichiei Ishibumi.
"Speaking"
'Thinking/ communication'
"Zanpakuto"
[Sacred gear]
Chapter 4: Dinner with a Surprise
"GO!"
And with that, both combatants were gone within a blink of the eye. Yuuto swung both of his swords at Ichigo's head, which Ichigo leaned back to avoid. As he dodged Ichigo formed the energy into a dagger in his right hand, holding it in a reverse grip. He slashed the dagger made of twisting energy at Yuuto, the close proximity made it very difficult for him to block. Though Ichigo's unfamiliarity with the weapon slowed him down slightly. Quickly twisting the sword in his left hand back towards Ichigo he very narrowly blocked the sloppy slash, and retaliated with the sword in his right hand.
Ichigo, seeing this, smirked slightly before seemingly disappearing into thin air with a low swish of wind. No one's eyes were able to follow him as he appeared to teleport behind Yuuto, the energy dagger now reformed into a large shape reminiscent of Zangetsu's shikai. Yuuto managed to roll out of the way, once again narrowly avoiding the blade which aimed to split him in two.
Honestly at this point Ichigo was impressed. The kid seemed to be giving a good amount of effort into this, and even though he was barely dodging his attacks he was still keeping up with Ichigo holding back some. After all, if he went all out it could have been over in a blink of an eye at the start, with just a flash step and a chop to the neck. Regardless though, he wanted to test Yuuto's combat capabilities a bit more.
Yuuto, seeing Ichigo swinging the giant cleaver towards him, crossed his swords before him, and attempted to block. Key word being "attempted." As soon as the cleaver-shaped mass of energy made contact with the swords it cut through them like a hot knife to butter. Yuuto, slightly shocked, jumped back and formed a larger, yet sturdier sword which he wielded with both hands. He charged at Ichigo using his speed to close in fast, though to Ichigo it was like he was moving in slow motion.
Jumping over the horizontal swing, Ichigo stabbed his large sword into the ground and used that as a fulcrum point to flip forwards, bringing his heel down onto Yuuto's head. It connected and sent him slamming into the ground, forming cracks where he lay. Ichigo landed on his feet a couple feet away, holding the greatsword towards Yuuto's neck.
"Yield?"
Yuuto was dazed for a second before he responded. "Yeah, I yield." He smiled slightly and tried to give a small chuckle but began to cough up a bit of blood.
Dispelling his sword Ichigo offered a hand to Yuuto, which he graciously accepted, and pulled him up. With Yuuto leaning on his shoulder for support, they shuffled their way towards the, now very stunned, group of devils.
"Was that good enough for you?" Ichigo asks, a smirk present on his normally scowling face.
Seeing that they are too stunned to answer, Ichigo forms an anvil out of the black energy a few feet above the ground behind him, and lets gravity take over. The sound of a several hundred pound chunk of metal...energy...whatever it was, hitting the ground was enough to snap them out of their shock. Letting the energy disperse once more, Ichigo asks once more,
"Now I ask again, was that enough for you?" They just dumbly nod, "Good, now if you don't mind I'm a tad hungry, so I'm heading home. Catch you later, just don't forget about our arrangement. Oh, and someone may want to heal poor Yuuto here, he may have a concussion."
After passing Yuuto off to Issei he flash stepped away, leaving nothing but a small cloud of rising dust to signify that he was ever there. Well that and a patch of very cracked ground. Standing there for only a moment longer, they begin to head back to their club room, all the while trying to process what in all that is unholy just happened?
Making it back to his home within a second or two, Ichigo went inside after unlocking it. Having retrieved his briefcase from the club room on the way back, he deposited his school supplies on his desk and went back to his safe. Though instead of being filled with cash he found a card bearing a flaming skull (much like his substitute badge) and a note.
"Ichigo,
I hope you are getting along well in your new dimension, however I did realize a small blunder on my part, I didn't leave much cash for you to use for personal use. Therefor, to remedy my error I have instead given you this card which should provide you with more than enough funds for any expense you may need. Think of it as your payment for killing all the hollows back in Karakura. In all honesty Soul Society should have been paying you the whole time but it seems that they had neglected to actually give it to you, something which I will have to send a messenger to them to discuss soon. But I digress, here is your salary, with interest of course.
Sincerely,
The Soul King
Ichigo had to read over it a couple times to make sure that it said what he thought it did. Sure enough it didn't change either time he read it. Though his scowl deepened slightly as he began to think.
'How the hell was he even able to do... You know what? It's probably just best to not ask at this point. The soul king seems to just take logic and make it his bitch, screw anything else. At least he gets to the point unlike some of those noble pricks who go through the whole book before telling you something important.'
With a shrug of the shoulders, he grabbed the card and placed it into his wallet before leaving his house once more, locking up as he did so. As he walked through town, he noticed a rather upscale looking restaurant which looked quite nice. Then he looked down at himself. Aside from the trench coat and boots his state of dress may have been passable. Ducking into an alley, he made sure no one was looking before shifting his trench coat into a black blazer and his boots to suave dress shoes. Looking himself over once more, he gave a nod of approval, he cleaned up well.
Walking out of the alley and over to the doors of the restaurant, he entered and spotted an employee at the podium. After getting a table and ordering some sparkling cider, hey he wasn't old enough to drink and that was close enough, he looked around while sipping his beverage. The interior certainly kept up with the exterior. At every table there was a lit candle sitting within a very ornate looking golden candlestick holder. The walls were a deep crimson and the floors a finished mahogany wood. As there were no windows for large scale lighting, along the walls rested more of the candles, all their flames twisting and flickering, as if performing a dance, making the shadows move along to their beat.
There weren't many people seated in the establishment, though it seemed the vast majority of them were couples, seated across from one another and speaking in low, pleasant tones. At this Ichigo gave a small wistful smile. Truthfully for as dense as people thought he was, he wasn't stupid. For example, he had noticed that Orihime had a crush on him for the longest time, though he just couldn't see her that way. She was more like a sister to him, and anything more would have been awkward. So he just ignored it, not sure exactly how he would broach the subject.
Then his thoughts traveled towards a certain black haired beauty for some reason. His face now had a dusting of red upon his cheeks. He didn't know why, but she felt different from the others. Something about her pulled him in, though what was it?
Deep in thought, he didn't notice the girl who was walking towards him.
"My, my, Ichi-kun, what would someone like you be doing in a place like this alone? Perhaps you were thinking of a special someone?"
Upon hearing someone speak he jumped slightly, cursing himself for lowering his guard for the moment. Though he was a bit shocked to say the least to find the subject of his thoughts currently standing behind the chair across from him.
"A-akeno! What are you doing here? Is there a problem you need me for?" He asked quickly, partly out of embarrassment for how accurate her statement was and partly out of curiosity.
She just smiled at him with that innocent yet beautiful expression, making Ichigo's heart skip a beat once more. His blush increased tenfold after he got a better glimpse of what she was wearing. She wore a deep black dress which showed of, well, more than Ichigo was comfortable with amounts of her ample bosom. His eyes wandering lower before she finished sitting down she saw a slit in the side of the dress traveling up the side of her right leg, ending near the top of her thigh.
She didn't wear any makeup as it wasn't needed, her natural beauty would be marred by such things. Her hair was the same as before, though instead of a bright orange ribbon keeping it in place there was instead a pair of ornate hair sticks (fancy chopsticks meant for hair, it's a thing)
Taking in her appearance he didn't notice when she had finally sat down and ordered herself some cider as well. A moment later a giggle was heard, snapping Ichigo out of his less than appropriate thoughts. His blush increased once more if that was possible.
"Ara ara~, do you see something you like?" She giggled at how Ichigo was sputtering in embarrassment, "And to answer your question nothing is wrong. Is it so bad that I just wish to have company while I eat?"
Ichigo tried to compose himself quickly. "N-no it's not, it's just unexpected is all."
They sit in silence for a small amount of time, until their food arrives. Akeno had simply said to order her whatever "Ichi-kun" was having. So two steaming hot plates arrived. The dish was simple, it was a grilled salmon topped with a lemon garlic butter sauce, sun-dried tomatoes and capers. On the side were some parmesan crusted zucchini. It looked very delicious, and it wasn't too long before they found out the look matched the taste, a small smile finding its way onto Ichigo's face as he tasted the dish. Akeno saw this and couldn't help but blush slightly. Of course, Akeno, being a bit of a tease, had to voice her thoughts.
"You know Ichi-kun, you should smile more often, you look very handsome right now."
Ichigo, who at the moment was mid-bite, choked a little bit, drawing some looks from the other people in the restaurant. After downing some of his drink, he took a moment to calm down.
"Well I-I'll keep it in mind." He replied, 'Damnit what is wrong with me?'
Akeno's smile just grew at hearing this, making Ichigo's blush rise once more. The rest of the night went on in a similar fashion, them discussing small things, such as like and dislikes. Of course every now and then Akeno would tease him about something, though not without a small blush of her own. The whole time both of them hearing a few older couples laughing softly, muttering about young love and such, which brought blushes to both of their faces. As they finished up their desert, Ichigo retrieved his card from his wallet to pay.
"Oh my what a gentleman, paying for the meal."
Ichigo just smiled slightly at this and payed for their meal, trusting what the soul king had said about the card. When everything cleared he let out a small sigh in relief, silently thanking the man for all that he had done. As they left the restaurant Ichigo offered to walk Akeno home, which she accepted with a small blush. Though when they arrived Ichigo frowned. It looked like an abandoned shrine.
"This… is where you live?" he asked softly.
"Y-yes, it is" Akeno replied in a small tone.
Ichigo's frown deepened, seemingly deep in thought, before an idea popped into his head. He swallowed his nervousness and spoke up.
"W-well if you want you can live at my place." She looked at him in surprise, "I have an extra bedroom that I don't have any use for, besides it's a lot closer to the school than this is."
Akeno, being a tease just had to speak her mind.
"Are you trying to invite a poor, defenseless girl into your home, only to ravage me as soon as we're alone? Oh my I didn't think you were like that Ichi-kun, though I must ask that you be gentle with me~."
Of course this got an immediate reaction from Ichigo. His nose began to spew blood in unnatural amounts while his face turned the darkest shade of red possible. If it wasn't for his hollow powers' instant regeneration he would have run out of blood a while ago. Of course his zanpakuto spirit was having a grand time with this night, it was a surprise that he hadn't hyperventilated by now from how much he was laughing. Taking a minute to calm his oh so poor beating heart, Akeno just giggling all the while, he heard a small voice next to him.
"If it wouldn't be too much trouble, I would like that," Akeno replied finally with a blush of her own on her cheeks.
She wasn't sure why she was feeling this way, her heart was trying to beat its way out of her chest. Ichigo gave her a soft smile.
"It's no problem at all Akeno, do you have anything you need to retrieve first though?"
She nodded her head, and went inside to retrieve her meager belongings, walking out after only a couple minutes with a bag filled. Seeing that she was ready, Ichigo offers her his arm in an over exaggerated manner. Akeno giggled at this, and took it graciously. The walk to his house was comfortable, despite the silence between the two. Finally arriving at his home, Ichigo unlocked the door and stepping in, turning on the lights as he does so.
Akeno is slightly awed seeing his home. Of course she had been to the Gremory manner before, however this had a different sort of elegance to it. It seemed fancy yet at the same time homey. The home gave off a vibe of comfort and peace, and she felt as though she lived within the walls she would be protected no matter what. And in a way, she wasn't wrong.
Ichigo had grown attached to the black haired beauty within the short time they had know each other. Realizing just how short the time was actually made Ichigo blush. Hell he had just met her a few hours ago! His blush deepened when he realized that their lovely dinner with each other could actually be considered a… a date! Of course as soon as he finally realized it he could hear Mangetsu laughing his ass of in the depths of his soul. Ignoring him however, Ichigo began to think, and he came to realize that he really didn't mind that.
He didn't know why, but he was comfortable with the fact that he had basically went on a date with Akeno. From all that he had learned about her she was a very kind, caring, beautiful person. Despite her teasing he could see her as the gentle soul she truly was, she just wore a mask much like he did. At that thought he stopped for a moment, a small feeling of dread creeping up his spine. What if she also wore a mask for the same reasons he did? Had she lost someone important?
Then he thought some more, if she was living alone in that shrine, then obviously her family was out of the picture, either because they didn't want her or they were dead. Both options made Ichigo feel sad for Akeno. Though then his resolve strengthened. He vowed to protect her and to help her with what he could. His mood increased as well, realizing that he had finally found someone to protect brought a genuine smile to his face. Akeno, seeing him smile while seemingly thinking deeply about something, had a large smile appear on her face as well.
"Well, home sweet home I guess," Ichigo started, finally through with his thoughts, "Here, let me show you around."
And show her around he did, he gave her a tour of the beautiful house, ending at the spare bedroom, which was right next to his.
"Thank you for this… Ichigo." Ichigo was shocked, it was the first time she had said his name without the teasing tone, though he was unprepared for what happened next when he felt a small pair of arms around him.
Akeno was hugging him tightly, and before he could say anything else she gave him a kiss on the cheek before rushing into her room, closing the door quickly behind her.
...Needless to say Ichigo's mind shut down for a bit, trying to process what just happened, all the while Mangetsu was laughing his ass off. After his mind had finally rebooted, he small smile found its way onto his face. The small smile grew, bit by bit, until he had the largest genuine smile he had ever had in a long time on his face. The last time he smiled that much was probably when his mother was still alive. His smile softened at the thought, silently offering a couple words of prayer for his mother, wherever she may be. He went off to his room and fell asleep peacefully, a smile upon his face, dreaming of the violet-eyed girl under the same roof.
Back with Akeno after she had shut the door however, her heart was beating rapidly and her face was the color of, ironically, strawberries. She was trying to calm her erratic breathing. Never before had she acted like she was, sure she was a tease, but that was all a facade. It was just how she coped. Needless to say she didn't know what to do. After taking a few minutes to calm her ever beating heart she began to unpack her meager belongings, taking care to observe her new room. It was similar to Ichigo's room save for the personal touches, a blank slate if you will.
After getting ready for bed she slipped between the sheets, the feeling of Ichigo's athletic physique on her arms and his soft skin still on her lips. She fell asleep swiftly, all the while dreaming of the strawberry under the same roof.
Author's Note: Alright so slightly smaller chapter than normal, but I feel this is the best place to stop. While it wasn't much, we did get a taste of how versatile Ichigo has become, though he still has a long way to go before he can master Mangetsu. Obviously his unfamiliarity with weapons other than zangetsu affected him slightly with the dagger, making it easier for Yuuto to block. Of course to really test him he made a weapon shape he was most comfortable with. Now I should probably explain a few things before some of you come up at arms with me.
First how Ichigo and Akeno act a bit different, now let it be known I tend to enjoy being a bit of a sadist, so I enjoy the hurt/ comfort stuffs. Though it won't be a primary thing I found it to be a good motivator for Ichigo and a way to bring them together. Neither of them truly have experience with this sort of thing and they have both been hurt in the past through the deaths of loved ones. Also I think that the whole innocent thing just works well for my purposes, so yeah.
Damnit I know I was going to mention something else, oh yes, a reviewer by the name of "frankieu" brought up something that I hadn't mentioned before. How Ichigo can control his power so well. Now seeing this is not exactly canon in a few ways, here is how I'm planning on explaining it: So while training for FGT Ichigo had to learn to compress his power. Now if you look at it this way, when he uses it he compresses all of his power into himself to assume the form, meaning he had to control how much leaked out. Though you can still see some concentrated streams leaking out, he got a good amount stored inside his body, this overabundance of energy was the cause of his soul breaking down. Then think of when he formed the sword for mugetsu. That is the basic principle behind his true power, it only takes a bit more control to be able to compress it. And again, Mugetsu was an EXTREMELY compressed version of a getsuga tensho. So that's where he got most of his control.
The rest came from Mangetsu. Seeing as it is a combination of all his powers, Mangetsu is able to share some of the instinctual knowledge from his hollow powers for how to control his own. Then knowledge from his quincy side as basically all of their power comes from advanced control. Put that together and now you have an OP MOFO that can control every bit of his power.
Alright so that should be it for now, I'm likely to begin working on the next chapter in an hour or so seeing as this only took about an hour and a half, I still got some time but first imma take a break lol. See you guys next chapter, and I hope you enjoyed it!
