Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or Star Wars, they belong to their respective creators and/or copyright owners. I make no money from this story. It is not for sale or rent.
Chapter 3
=KoSS=
The outskirts of Seireitei
"That was interesting." Sarcasm dripped from Ichigo's voice. "Yoruichi, what else you and that idiot neglected to mention?" The Substitute Shinigami glared at the shape-shifter.
The cat hissed, her ears going flat along her skull. "I'm going to kill that fool."
"Not if I get my hands on him first. What's your plan anyway? I'm sure you didn't come along just to stretch your legs."
"Isn't this something you should have asked before getting here?"
"Not really. I wanted to get here before Urahara had some bright idea."
"We need to find an old friend of mine. She could send us through the barrier surrounding Seireitei."
"How long would it take to find that friend and go in that way? Are they trustworthy?"
"She won't betray us to the Shinigami. At least couple of days."
"Go. I'll meet you inside."
"What?!" Both Yoruichi and Inoue exclaimed. Ishida gave him an incredulous look and only Chad was unperturbed by that statement.
"I'll enter the old fashioned way and run recon. Unless there's something about the gatekeepers that Urahara forgot to mention?"
"Once Seireitei is sealed they won't open the gates for you."
"You don't know me, princess. I can be very persuasive when I need to be." There was steel in Ichigo's voice that his friends had never heard before. "When you penetrate the barrier I'll use the distraction to save Rukia. Go." Ichigo ordered with Revan Commander's tone and turned towards the heart of Soul Society.
He didn't need to look at his friends to know that they had incredulous expressions on their faces. Ichigo smirked and channeled Reiatsu at the basic Shinigami uniform that he usually wore in his spirit form. He was surrounded by pale light and his clothes transformed in the armored robes he used when his Shikai was active.
"Yoruichi, I know that Urahara briefed you on my abilities. I'll be all right. Go."
Kurosaki sighed and headed towards his destination. No matter how well the shape-shifter trained his friends, they simply weren't up to the task of facing the more dangerous Shinigami. He could feel their Reiatsu. Only Ishida had the reserves and speed to last more than a few moments against the more powerful opponents that they were going to face in there. Going in solo would make sure that Ichigo wouldn't be hamstrung by needing to protect his friends all the time, which by itself was going to increase his options. He would have to hope that Yoruichi could take care of them while he saved Rukia.
"Kurosaki!" Ishida shouted. "Just try not to do anything stupid, all right?"
"Like what?! Unleashing Hollow bait in the middle of the town?" Ichigo rolled his eyes. Even Revan and Malak had managed to avoid doing something that dumb, at least when they were at the same age.
"Go and stay safe!" Ichigo said and vanished in a side street.
=KoSS=
Soul Society, the evening of the same day
It took Ichigo mere hours sneaking around the so called "Heaven" to decide that when he died he would like to either become one with the Force or a damn Hollow.
Put plainly, the afterlife here sucked almost as bad as the seedier places on Nar Shadda he had visited. It didn't take him long to find out that the local population wasn't actually made of Shinigami. In fact it consisted of ordinary souls languishing in abject poverty until they lucked out and got reincarnated. Those lucky enough to die with substantial Reiatsu were drawn within the ranks of the Shinigami and send to an Academy where they learned the ropes.
Further, the supposed guardians of this place rarely ventured forth unless a Hollow somehow found its way in this dimension. That at least partially explained the mess. The only people who had the power to fix it apparently didn't give a damn. While he in fact heard about a few Shinigami who did venture forth and tried to help, those were long and far between and had little practical effect on the situation as a whole.
On the other hand, there were Shinigami who got out of their way to terrorize the populace too.
The scowl Ichigo had been wearing after he started to create a picture of the local situation deepened. Eventually he would have to do something about this mess. By the Force, even as a kriffing Sith he might have done so anyway! He shook his head in disgust and continued towards the gate that was his target.
According to Urahara, if his information could actually be trusted, the best bet on breaking in by himself was the so called Gate of Pure Spirits, which was guarded by one Jibanbo. That Shinigami was supposedly not too bright, but still a rather decent sort as far as the Death Gods went.
Eventually Ichigo neared the border of Seireitei near the place where the gate was supposed to be. He glared at down the street leading into Seireitei's proper. There was no sight of a wall, much less a checkpoint or a door. What the kriff?!
Ichigo strode down the road, while he was carefully scanning the surrounding area for an ambush. He was about to cross the border when a pulse of Reiatsu halted him in his tracks. A wave of stone slabs fell from the sky, forming the previously missing wall. The street itself was bisected in two by a quite large ornate door.
Ichigo cursed himself for an idiot. If he had moved fast enough he might have passed before the wall was in place. Who thought that this was supposed to be a decent defense anyway? Now that he knew more about it, no thanks to Urahara, actually breaching it would be rather simple… if he was willing to wait for however long it took for the barrier to disappear.
He didn't feel particularly patient right then and there. "Where's that gatekeeper anyway?" Ichigo muttered, while looking around.
As if waiting for Kurosaki to thing about him, a huge man jumped from the top of the wall and landed between Ichigo and the door. That made the Substitute Shinigami scowl even harder. He hadn't felt the man until he was over the wall. In fact, he couldn't sense it by using his ability to detect Reiatsu, which was strange in itself. He could feel everything around him that way, which was normal considering that every single thing in this dimension was made of spiritual particles.
Ichigo shrugged and studied the guardian. Strange haircut, check. A single metal pauldron over the left shoulder, check. A frigging giant who made full grown Wookies look like little babies, check again. Ah, yeah. Two axes, each bigger than Ichigo. Yep. That was his target, all right.
"Damn, you're big." Ichigo whistled in appreciation. Suddenly fighting the man didn't seem like the best idea in the world. It was a good thing that Kurosaki had other options thanks to Revan and the Force.
"You will let me pass and open the gate." Ichigo waved at the giant, while channeling the Force and layering it in his voice. At the same time he brushed the man's rather simple mind, reinforcing the suggestion. "You can see that there are no intruders here." Kurosaki added.
Jibanbo blinked in confusion. "No intruders." The giant parroted. "You can pass."
The gatekeeper turned around and grabbed the gate with his massive hands. He stood that way for a few seconds and then heaved, slowly pulling it up.
"Great work, my friend. Thank you." Ichigo beamed at the huge man and hurried to pass. There was no point in wasting time and giving the man any more time to think what was happening than was necessary.
Kurosaki was about to step over the threshold, when he saw a single figure in the center of the small square beyond the gate.
"Fuck my luck." Ichigo cursed. He recognized the man from Urahara's briefings. This was Gin Ichimaru, Captain of the Third squad.
"That aint' right." The Shinigami smiled thinly. He unsheathed his Zanpakuto, which wasn't longer than a tanto. In a blink of an eye the blade extended and cut through Jibano's left arm..
The giant groaned in pain, barely holding the gate open. Gin frowned at that and his blade flashed again, inflicting an identical wound on the gatekeeper's other hand. Jibanbo roared in pain and released the door, which slammed in the ground a moment later.
That was more than enough time for Ichigo to calmly walk into the courtyard and pull out his Zanpakuto, activating it.
Gin's eyes widened a fraction when he saw the energy blade.
Ichigo went into the standard Soresu defensive position and glared at the Captain.
"You just cut down one of your own. Pathetic." That was what the Sith did once they started losing their faculties under the seductive ministrations of the Dark Side. Before Ichimaru could reply, Ichigo used the Force and pulled the Captain towards him.
Despite being caught flat footed by the attack, Gin managed to twist in mid air and parry a slash that would have spilled his guts on the ground if it had connected.
"Nice trick." The Captain complimented, while floating half a meter above the ground. Gin pointed his wakizashi shaped weapon at Ichigo. "Shoot him dead, Shinso." Ichimaru whispered quietly. In a blink of an eye the Zanpakuto elongated and tried to skewer Ichigo.
While it was very fast and had a lot of power behind it, the attack couldn't really compare to the rain of blaster bolts that a Jedi or Sith would be expected to face. The main difference was the sheer mass and momentum behind the attack. Unless Ichigo was careful, Ichimaru would be able to simply batter through his defense.
Gin gave him an enigmatic smile. "Who are you, ryoka?" The Captain was obviously amused to face an opponent who wouldn't be brushed aside without effort.
"You can call me Revan." Ichigo answered without thinking and used a Flash Step to eat the distance between them.
Gin was forced to parry a slash aimed at his eyes. Before he could counter-attack, Ichigo jumped away and pushed him back using the Force.
Kurosaki looked around. A bunch of unseated Shinigami and a Lieutenant with tattooed "69" on his face had arrived and were watching the show. None of them appeared willing to interrupt the fight.
"All this for little old me? I'm flattered." Ichigo smiled. "Rise, Divine Night!" He intoned. The wave of Reiatsu unleashed by his Shikai release threw away all but Gin and the lieutenant. After the dust cleared, Ichigo had a lightsaber in each hand. His robes hadn't changed in design though they appeared to be better armored.
The Seireitei Shinigami looked surprised, which was expected.
Reapers whose Zanpakuto took the form of more than one blade were uncommon. The most famous of them were Ukitake and Kyōraku, the two of the most powerful Captains in the Gotei 13. The other notable dual - wielding soul reaper, lieutenant Shuuhei was present and watching the battle.
Ichigo smiled behind his mask. He infused his blades with the Force, greatly increasing their striking power and charged using Shunpo. In seconds, the courtyard where the combat took place was obscured by dust. Gin was constantly changing the length of his blade. The speed and raw power of his attacks were much greater than he had demonstrated previously, but he was yet to land a blow on his opponent.
Ichigo was retaliating with concentrated blasts of Force channeled through his lightsabers. At the same time he was relaying on the defensive advantage of this saber form to deflect the raining strikes.
For the time being, they were were evenly matched. Ichimaru's mastery of Shunpo and greater experience were, neutralized by Force enhanced reflexes and Ichigo's ability to anticipate Gin's actions a split second before they occurred. As things stood it was a game of attrition, one which Ichigo could not hope to win. Soon the captain would either receive reinforcements or increase the level of his game. Then there was the Lieutenant watching on the sidelines.
If Ichigo was particularly lucky, he had two, may be three minutes to retreat.
Kurosaki threw the lightsaber in his left hand at Gin. The weapon to be effortlessly battered aside by the Captain, just as the Force Adept had expected. Channeling the Force with his free hand, Ichigo pulled the captain to him, only staggering Ichimaru. The Captain had learned how to largely resist the telekinetic pull and push used by the substitute Shinigami, by using Reiatsu to counter the effects of such attacks.
Kurosaki Flash Stepped to the left side of Gin and engaged him in close combat. The following furious exchange was too fast for mortal eyes to follow. The two Soul Reapers fought to a standstill for a full minute, neither bulging or giving ground. When Ichigo was sure that he had his opponent complete attention, he summoned his second lightsaber, guiding it with the Force. Its blade activated mid-air. Thanks to the hum of Ichigo's other weapon, Ichimaru didn't hear the fast approaching threat.
Yet he somehow sensed the danger. In an astounding display of swordsmanship, Gin turned around, disengaging his Zanpakuto from Kurosaki's light saber. He somehow brought up his sword in time to parry the black blade centimeters from his face. That was not all. In the same fluid motion, he was able to nearly slice Ichigo's face open. The human was saved by a hasty Force assisted jump, which propelled him backwards. Instead of cleaving his face in half, the captain managed to only slice his mask, which fell to the ground in two pieces.
The opponents were for the first time face to face. Gin's eyes widened for a moment when he noticed the spiky orange hair under the hood of his adversary's robe.
"Ichigo Kurosaki. Aren't you interesting." Ichimaru smirked.
Before the Substitute Shinigami could answer, both combatants turned their heads to the center of Seireitei. They could sense many powerful Reiatsu sources racing to their position.
Ichigo smiled: "I guess we'll have to finish some other time." He created a sphere of Force energy in his left hand and launched it at Gin, who promptly evaded with Shunpo. However, the Captain wasn't the target. The sphere hit the battered ground where Ichimaru was standing a moment ago, blowing a pillar of dirt and dust in the air. The explosion did its job and obscured Gin's vision for a few seconds.
That was all the time Ichigo needed. He dropped out of his Shikai, his second blade disappearing and shrouded himself with the Force. He used it to bend the light around his body and dampen any sound he might make. At the same time he suppressed his Reiatsu as much as he could, though not before letting out a pulse of his Spirit power, which saturated the surrounding area.
Then he left with a Flash Step.
=KoSS=
Gin raised an eyebrow. The kid's spiritual presence just vanished. He prepared for a sneak attack. After all a bit of healthy paranoia hadn't hurt anyone in Seireitei. Moments later, the first of the reinforcements arrived only to find no trace of the intruder.
This "Revan" had escaped under his nose. Ichimaru made one of his rare genuine smiles, usually reserved for Rangiku and the pleasant occasions when something did not go according to one of Aizen's plans. Speaking about the devil… Aizien would be rather surprised by the prowess of his pet project. Who would have thought that Ichigo Kurosaki could hold his own against a Captain even if Gin did hold back much of his power...
The people of note to arrive were Renji Abarai and Toshiro Hitsugaya.
"What the hell?!" The red headed Lieutenant exclaimed after taking in the devastation. A sentiment that was obviously shared by the short Captain.
Gin decided not to keep them in suspense, because he was in a rather good mood.
"A ryoka. We fought to a standstill, before he managed to escape. You can't miss him. He'll either have a dark mask or..." Gin looked Renji Abarai in the eyes. "A very distinctive orange hair." Renji's eyes widened. Then the rest of the reinforcements arrived.
Gin, assumed his usual unnerving expression, while waiting for the inevitable fallout of the skirmish. Things were looking up.
=KoSS=
Interlude
Hueco Mundo
The world of the Hollows. An endless dune sea, made by fine white sand that was always was lit up by a full moon. As usual the perpetual night was filled by the sound of various hunting Hollows. Some grows of triumph, others – the final cries of the unlucky ones who were about to be consumed.
The agonized howls of a wolf could be heard in one small corner of the desert. A dozen predators homed on the sound anticipating easy meal. The first to arrive was a serpent like beast with no hand nor legs. It slithered on the sands like the snake it resembled, coming upon the source of pain filled howls.
The serpentine Hollow stopped, confused by what it found. The cries were coming from egg shaped slab of bone like substance. It wasn't looking particularly tasty.
Soon it was joined by its fellow monsters, who formed semicircle around the strange object. They all looked at it unsure, while growling, hissing and snarling at each other. After all they had to make sure that one of their fellows won't decide that they are great for lunch.
A loud crack interrupted the cacophony of animal sounds. A piece from the bone cocoon had broken off, revealing female head crowned by long, curly purple hair. Deep blue innocent eyes blinked at the wall of teeth, claws and pincers arrayed around her. The girl's delicate face showed her confusion. She squirmed, trying to free herself of this strange prison.
Her predicament was not lost on the hollows. To them she was an easy prey. The serpent slithered forward, striking with all the speed and brutality of the predator it resembled. Drops of poison flowed from it's bared fangs, hissing as they hit the sand.
It never had the chance to strike the girl. With ominous hum, a dark purple blade broke through the cocoon where she was still trapped and caught the attacker under the chin. Its own momentum drove it forward, splitting it open on the plasma blade. The Hollow didn't have time to even scream in pain before its dying body was broken into spirit particles and absorbed by the energy sword. Everyone stayed still for a moment, mesmerized by the lightsaber.
The girl stood up, suddenly filled with energy. The bone prison enveloping most of her form shattered as if it was made of thin sheet of fragile glass. This action shook the hollows out of their stupor. The girl was no longer an easy meal, now she was treat that needed dealing with.
Almost as one, the monsters charged her. She stumbled back, startled by the sudden assault and fell on the sand.
"No! Stay back!" Her frightened voice echoed amongst the dunes. The purple haired girl raised her left hand in what seemed like a futile gesture to protect herself form advancing avalanche of teeth and claws. To everyone's surprise, a wave of invisible energy surged from the palm of her hand. It obliterated the remains of her cocoon, scattering it's pieces to the winds. Then it slammed at the rushing monsters, blowing most of them off their feet. Only two to the left, and one on the right remained standing.
The duo was staggered and slowed down, however the one to the right, a big insect resembling a praying mantis, was only brushed by the edge of the surprising attack and wasted no time in closing on its meal.
The armored insect surged forward. Its razor sharp mandibles were chittering with anticipation. The Hollow was just couple of meters away from its intended victim when the girl's eyes flashed yellow. With a snarl she jumped in the air, energy sword swinging down.
She landed gracefully on the sand behind her would be attacker. The mantis body slumped to the ground like a puppet with it's strings cut. It's head, which was missing from its shoulders was a few meters away, rolling in the sand.
The remains of the mantis promptly broke away into a shower of dancing sparkles that were promptly absorbed by the purple blade. The teenage girl was acting on instinct, though it felt strange. It as like a voice was whispering in the back of her head, guiding her actions. Prompting her to slaughter those who dared attack her. She raised her left hand again, this time an orb of purple energy forming in her palm.
"Cero." She whispered. The shimmering orb condensed into a beam and shot at the just standing up monsters. The resulting explosion obliterated all but the two on the left, who were coming uncomfortably close to her position. She gripped her sword with both hands and grinned.
She had never felt more alive.