The Substitute Shinigami
A/N: Ichigo and his friends try to figure out the source of Kurosaki's power. Meanwhile, Yoruichi confronts the mysterious man. After Kisuke returns, he informs the group about legends of dark creatures of the past. Can Ichigo regain his power before the inevitable confrontation? Who is the mysterious man?
Here is another chapter for everyone. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the Bleach.
*SC* = Scene Change
"Talking"
'Thoughts'
Chapter 7: Returning Powers
Ichigo opens his eyes as the sun shines on his face. His body aches as he tries to remember the past few hours. Suddenly, the memories come back to him as he slowly sits up.
"Slow down," said Isshin as he walks to his son. "Your body went into shock."
Ichigo lies back down as he feels his muscles tense.
"Ichigo-kun," said Orihime as she walks through the door.
"Where am I?" asked Ichigo.
"Aw come on," said Isshin. "You are in the clinic."
"Oh," replied Ichigo.
Soon, Uryu and Sado enter the room looking concern for Ichigo. They sigh in relief as they notice Ichigo awake in the bed.
After them, Yuzu and Karin join the group as Yuzu runs to the side of the bed with relief going through her body.
Ichigo is awake and well.
"So," said Isshin as he drags Uryu away from everyone. "What happened out there?"
Uryu begins to explain the past few days, which cause concern in Isshin's face. There are creatures out there that are not souls and have attacked hollows and people. In addition, to add more to the situation, Ichigo seems to have his reiatsu back, though, at a small amount. What is happening? Isshin turns to the red box that sits on the counter. What is that box? According to Uryu, this box shined before Ichigo increased in power.
Ishida stares at the box as well and then turns to Ichigo. Where did he get that box? Regardless, it seems to have had an effect on his reiatsu.
"Kurosaki-san," said Ishida. "Where did you get that box?"
Ichigo turns to the counter and notices the red box.
"I found it," said Ichigo.
"No, you are lying," said Uryu.
"Indeed," said another voice.
Everyone turns around and notices Kisuke at the door.
"I just came back from the Soul Society," said Kisuke. "According to them, there are have been unknown people roaming this town, who do not belong."
"What do you mean?" asked Uryu.
"I mean, there are people here that do not belong on this planet," said Kisuke. "We are dealing with an outside force."
"Like another planet?" asked Ichigo.
"Possibly," replied Kisuke. "However, those monsters are not from this realm. Unfortunately, nobody knows where the monsters come from. Yamamoto has stated that he heard about these creatures almost two thousand years ago when he was around ninety years old. However, this planet was too underdeveloped at the time. It was nothing, but rumors at the time."
Everyone enters deep thoughts at the news. These creatures have been around for two thousand years. Yet, this opens new questions.
"These creatures are dangerous and powerful," said Uryu. "Why have they not destroyed us?"
"That is something the captains thoughts of," said Kisuke. "It is possible the monsters were sealed."
"Then that means someone broke the seal," said Isshin.
Kisuke nods his head in response. Who could have done such a thing? In fact, who would have even known? Not even Yamamoto knows of the creatures, yet there is someone, who does know.
"The creatures have proven their strength," said Kisuke.
"What do you mean by that?" asked Sado.
"They have overrun Hueco Mundo," said Kisuke causing everybody else to widen their eyes.
Hueco Mundo is not an easy place to break through. Many people in the room have their own experience to prove that statement. Yet, these monsters managed to overpower the hollows.
"How do you know?" asked Inoue.
"This one," replied Kisuke pointing to someone behind him.
Nel walks from behind with a big smile on her face. She waves at everybody.
Everybody, except Ichigo, waves back. Ichigo, on the other hand, raises an eyebrow at everyone.
"Why are you guys waving?" asked Ichigo.
"You mean you still can't see her?" asked Sado.
"Um, who?" inquired Ichigo.
"Last time I checked, Kurosaki cannot see souls," said Kisuke.
Uryu watches Ichigo and then turns his gaze to the red box on the counter. He raises an eyebrow wondering if the box has any effect on Ichigo. He starts walking towards the box and picks it up. He turns around and walks towards Ichigo.
"Hold this," said Uryu as everyone watches.
Ichigo grabs the red box and immediately begins to feel power surge through him. He begins to see a figure appear beside Kisuke. Even though he cannot see the person clearly, he is able to tell who it is due to the shape of the body.
"Nel?" inquired Ichigo.
"Itsygo!" shouted Nel as she runs to Ichigo.
Kisuke narrows his eyes. What is that box?
"Ichigo," started Kisuke. "Where did you get that box?"
Everyone begins to stare at Ichigo causing him to sigh. He has no choice at this point since Kisuke will find out eventually.
The orange hair man begins to tell everyone about the job he had with Ryuu. He also explains how Ryuu insisted Ichigo take the box despite his protest. Kisuke asks Ichigo more on Ryuu, but Ichigo responds with the only knowledge he has. He tells the group about Ryuu's adventures in the wild searching for treasure.
Kisuke sighs wondering who this Ryuu is.
"We need to search for this person," said Kisuke. "He might have the answers with need to figure out the situation."
"Regardless, that box is having an effect on your Reiryoku," said Kisuke. "However, I do not know what those effects are."
Just as the group is about to move, a sudden noise near the door causes them to enter a defensive position, except for those who do not fight.
A few seconds later, Yoruichi walks into the room. Everyone gasps at Yoruichi's beaten form. The purple hair woman stumbles forward trying to stand as best as she could, but she relies on holding onto the wall.
"Yoruichi-san!" said Orihime.
Kisuke stares at Yoruichi in shock. He knows she is a strong person, but to receive such wounds on her body.
Yoruichi collapses on the ground breathing heavily. Immediately, Orihime runs to Yoruichi and brings up her healing powers.
"Soten Kisshun," said Orihime.
A few minutes later, Yoruichi's wounds heal up as she wakes up. The purple hair woman groans as she slowly sits up.
"Yoruichi, what happened?" asked Kisuke.
"We have a problem," replied Yoruichi. "I think I just fought the person behind those creatures."
"Do you have a name? Do you know what the person looks like?" asked Uryu.
"No," said Yoruichi. "I couldn't get a look at him."
"How strong is this person?" asked Uryu.
"Well, he beat me pretty well," replied Yoruichi. "This person is very powerful. We need to be careful."
"Can you tell us what happened?" asked Kisuke.
"Sure," replied Yoruichi.
Flashback
Yoruichi stares at the man in the black coat.
"I'll ask you once again," said Yoruichi. "Who are you?"
The man does not respond. He charges at Yoruichi with amazing speed. The purple hair woman's eyes widen at the speed, but she manages to defend herself in time.
'Such amazing speed,' thought Yoruichi. 'But, not fast enough.'
Using her own speed, Yoruichi appears behind the man and strikes him with a powerful kick to the head. Immediately, Yoruichi unleashes numerous punching into the back of her opponent causing him to grunt in pain. She appears over the man and kicks him to the ground.
The ground rumbles under the pressure of the impact causing a few cracks to appear from the point of contact. Yoruichi lands nearby watching as the dust creating from the attack clears up.
The purple hair woman's eyes narrow as the man begins to stand back up. His hood never falls as he begins massaging the back of his head.
"Not bad, but a simple kick or punch won't kill me," said the man.
The man disappears and strikes Yoruichi from behind. The purple hair woman stumbles forward, but she manages to keep her balance. Suddenly, she feels a kick to his stomach causing her to gag. The force of the kick launches Yoruichi soaring across the street. She slams into a building causing the wall to crumble.
A few seconds later, Yoruichi appears from the rubble staring at the coated man. She charges at the man with amazing speed catching him off guard again. Suddenly, the man jumps back as he draws out two weapons.
Yoruichi stares at the two tonfas in the man's hand. Each tonfa has blades reaching from one end of the tonfa to the other. In addition, the blades continue off the base of the tonfas.
"Weapons?" inquired Yoruichi. "Tonfas, might I add."
The man slams his tonfas together causing a small tremor to occur around Yoruichi. The purple hair woman wonders why the ground shook, but she shakes it off returning her attention to the cloak man.
"Let's see how long you can dodge," said the man as he slams his right tonfa to the ground.
Yoruichi narrows her eyes trying to figure out what her opponent is trying to do. However, she does not wait long for her answer as the ground begins to shake. She looks down only to notice the ground beginning to lift at certain. Immediately, Yoruichi rolls to the right as spike made of earth appear from her previous position.
'This man can control the element of earth,' thought Yoruichi.
The moment Yoruichi stops rolling, she feels the ground beneath her shake. Instantly, she jumps away from the area as more spikes appear from the ground. Using her amazing speed, Yoruichi runs around the man and strikes from behind.
The man shouts in pain, but it soon turns to laughter as his body crumbles into dirt.
Yoruichi's eyes widen at the result of her attack. She did not expect this to happen. The purple hair woman jumps back to avoid any possible counterattacks. She stops waiting for any signs of her opponent.
"Not bad, but try this," said a voice.
Yoruichi turns around and notices three cloak men.
"What?" inquired Yoruichi.
The men charge at Yoruichi, who dodges their attacks with ease. None of her enemies managed to hit her with their tonfas. One of the men leaves themselves open for attack as Yoruichi slams her elbow into the cloak men sending him back. However, Yoruichi feels pain surge through her left arm. She notices a cut as one of the other cloak men attempts to attack her. The purple hair woman jumps back to avoid further damage.
The moment she lands, the ground shakes again as more spikes appears beneath her. Luckily, she reacts fast enough to avoid impalement. Yoruichi lands nearby as the cloak man attacks. The two exchange quick strikes, but it is obvious that Yoruichi is faster. She slams her fist into the man's stomach causing him to gag. However, the purple hair woman does not have time to react as another cloak man kicks her in the right side abdomen. Yoruichi lands on the ground causing the street pavement to break apart.
The three cloak men attack Yoruichi just as she stood up causing multiple wounds on her body. Pain surges through her body, but she remains standing. She continues to study the three men, who now stand a safe distance from her. She takes notice of their stances. In addition, she recalls the past few minutes, looking for any sign of weakness. At this moment, a sudden realization hits her.
'They are toying with me,' thought Yoruichi. 'Fine, let's see how far I can push them.'
"It is time for Shunko," said Yoruichi to herself.
Yoruichi stands still as she closes her eyes. Suddenly, her over-shirt rips apart revealing her black under-shirt.
"What's this?" asked one of the cloak men.
"Attacking a city without doing your homework," said Yoruichi. "You'll regret that."
"I might be surprised, but I will not fail," replied one of the cloak men.
Yoruichi disappears at amazing speed surprising the three cloak men. Instantly, a massive force hits all three. Kido continues to surround Yoruichi as she appears above the three men. In less than a second, she strikes all three men with tremendous power causing craters to form beneath the cloak men as they lie on the ground without moving.
The purple hair woman lands at a safe distance watching for any signs of life from her opponents. A few seconds later, the three bodies turn into dirt as a laugh occurs to her left. Yoruichi turns to her left, noticing the cloak man laughing with his tonfas in hand. How did he manage to avoid her? Unless, he was never there in the first place.
Once again, the ground shakes, but Yoruichi dodges with ease. She watches as a solid piece of ground lifts from its previous position. She turns her head around only for her eyes to widen. In front of her is another wall of earth with earth spikes pointing out. She manages to change her direction at the last minute only to stop before hitting another wall of spike earth. She changes direction only to almost land on spikes. Luckily, she misses by just a small distance, but another wall spike forces her to change directions again. Suddenly, she feels pain in her back. She turns her head around only to notice the cloak man's tonfa stabbed into her lower back.
"You might be faster than me, but even you can only keep your eyes on so many things at once," said the cloak man.
"Shooting Star," said the cloak man as a bright light shoots through Yoruichi's abdomen.
The purple hair woman yells in pain as she tries to move, but the cloak man has her trapped. She can feel her strength leaving her as she tries to fight back.
The cloak man raises his left tonfa and strikes Yoruichi in the upper back sending into a nearby building with force.
"Rockslide," said the man as he raises his hands after putting his tonfas away.
Suddenly, large rocks begin to rip from the ground. These boulders hover over Yoruichi as the cloak man swings his arms down.
Yoruichi shakes her head trying to focus. She let her guard down. Just as she is about to stand, she notices the area become darker. She looks her and realizes the boulders the size of a living above her.
"Damn," said Yoruichi.
Suddenly, the boulders come crashing down creating a huge impact.
The cloak man stares as he raises his hands once more.
"Just to make sure," said the cloak man, but he stops as he turns around. "Damn, I've spent too much time here."
He turns around and faces the area where the purple hair woman should be. He does not know if she is still alive, but he no longer has time to find out. The cloak man leaves the area before the Soul Society arrives. He cannot lose his one advantage.
In an alley nearby, Yoruichi sits as she pants. This man managed to use her Shunko against her. She was so confident in her abilities to dodge that she left herself open to attack. Pain surges through her back and abdomen. She needs treatment. She hopes that she can find Orihime in time.
Yoruichi searches for Orihime's reiatsu. A few seconds later, she finds her target and takes off for aid as fast as she could.
Flashback Ends
Yoruichi closes her eyes after explaining her fight. The man was indeed powerful. If only she did not make a mistake of underestimating the man.
"Ichigo," started Kisuke. "Where does the man that gave you the red box live?"
Ichigo grabs a nearby piece of paper and pencil and writes the address of Ryuu.
"Do you think he is the cloak person?" asked Sado to Kisuke.
"I'm not sure," said Kisuke. "This Ryuu could be."
"Why hasn't he attacked Kurosaki?" asked Uryu.
"This Ryuu could be spying on Ichigo," replied Kisuke. "Or Ryuu can be someone different, who happens to know what is going on."
"We won't get answers until we find this Ryuu," said Uryu.
"I'll get Jinta and Ururu to find Ryuu," said Kisuke.
Ichigo sits on the edge of his bed feeling better than before. He looks at the group as they continue to talk to amongst themselves. Just as Kisuke is about to leave, numerous roars occurs throughout the city.
"Hollows," said Uryu.
The entire group sighs. Why did the Hollows have to make an appearance now?
Ichigo gets up as he heads towards the door, but Kisuke stops him by grabbing his collar.
"Where do you think you're going?" asked Kisuke.
"I can help," said Ichigo.
"With what? For all we know the red box will only work temporarily. What happens if you lose your weak powers during battle?" wondered Kisuke.
Ichigo sighs. Just as his hope rises, it fails just as quickly. There is a chance he can gain his powers, but he will not know unless he tries to fight.
The orange hair man notices Uryu and Chad run out of the room as Yoruichi continues to massage her head. She still seems tired.
Kisuke releases Ichigo as he heads towards Yoruichi.
"I'll take you to the shop to rest. Orihime has healed your body, but for some reason your reiatsu is still low," said Kisuke.
The purple hair woman nods her head following Kisuke out of the Kurosaki clinic.
Isshin sends his daughters to the main house as he keeps an eye on Ichigo. Inoue places her hands on Ichigo's left shoulder. She feels him shaking a bit. This alone indicates how much he wants to help in the fight. Ichigo has spent too much time away from the others. If only she help him recover his reiatsu, but she cannot do much except hope. Orihime stands and bows to Isshin as she leaves.
Ichigo grabs his sheet trying to calm himself down. He will not wait any longer. He stands up and grabs his jacket.
"Where do you think you're going?" asked Isshin.
"I can't let my friends fight while I sit here. I have a glimpse of my powers back. I can help," said Ichigo.
"But it is only a glimpse," retorted Isshin. "What more can you do?"
"I have to try," said Ichigo as he runs off.
"Ichigo!" shouted Isshin.
*SC*
A/N: This is the end of chapter 7. I had fun writing the fight between the cloak man and Yoruichi. Even though I wanted to add more, I did not want to reveal too many techniques. Nevertheless, I hope every enjoyed the chapter and please review.