Spirit Ribbons of the Forsaken

By: Chris Harrington

Chapter seven: Unknown Allies

Byakuya and Arthur clashed their swords fast enough for sparks to fly from them, Arthur fighting English style and Byakuya using Zangutsu. Arthur jabbed at Byakuya and he dodged each and every one until one got too close and then he blocked it, holding Geschrei back.

"So Byakuya Kuchiki just out of curiosity what question do you have for me?" Arthur asked as each blade was held tight against the other neither backing down to the other.

"I have no question to ask, I seek only one thing." Byakuya said as Arthur looked at him in confusion.

"And what's that Captain?" asked Arthur.

"I seek only to destroy the enemies of the Soul Society no matter who they are." Byakuya said as he pushed Arthur back and turned his zanpakuto sideways in front of his face, "Scatter Senbonzakura." The petals flew at their target and danced around Arthur like a beautiful ceremony even Arthur had to smile at the display if not for a moment.

"Now Geschrei!" Arthur yelled

"With pleasure," The doll let out a screech that forced each and every petal away from Arthur, its threat meaningless now.

Byakuya starred at Arthur in disbelief that soon faded away into nothing more than a blank look as Arthur put himself in the stance he had displayed many times before, "Then if you don't mind Byakuya can I ask you a question?"

"And what would that be?" Byakuya asked as he let his muscles relax for a moment.

"Why do you believe us to be enemies?" Arthur asked as Byakuya smiled slightly.

"You plan on murdering our king that is why we are enemies, I'm tired of talking to you and there isn't much time on our hands so feast your eyes," Byakuya turned his zanpakuto so that the blade faced the ground and he released it from his grip, "Bankai…Senbonzakura Kageyoshi." The rows of blades that formed behind Byakuya fell into billions of flower petals and sped past him to the bount.

"Bellow Geschrei!" Arthur yelled as the doll opened its mouth and let out a scream that echoed throughout the corridors.


Ichigo and Rukia were fighting Tenma as she blocked each blade attack with her staff and retaliated with the blade end of the weapon only to miss or have it blocked instead.

Soon Ichigo heard a beeping sound in his Shihokusho, he reached down and grabbed a small machine that looked like a communicator and said, "This is Captain Kurosaki what do you want, cause I'm kind of busy?" Ichigo yelled as he blocked an attack from Tenma with his zanpakuto.

"This is Toshiro Hitsugaya we've run into a dead end what's your status?"

"Roughly the same but we've encountered some resistance." Ichigo said as he flash stepped away from another attack and Tenma dodged one of Rukia's attacks only to kick her stomach and force her to fly backwards. Ichigo used his flash step to catch Rukia before she hit the wall she was speeding towards, "You okay Rukia?" asked Ichigo.

"I'm fine but what are we going to do about her?" she asked.

"What else can you do with obstacles, you tear them down!" Ichigo said as Rukia jumped out of his arms and he grabbed his black zanpakuto with both hands, "Getsuga Tensho!" the black blast flew at Tenma who used her zanpakuto to keep it back for a while only for it to overwhelm her and fly past her making it to where she couldn't be seen.

"Do you think that killed her?" Rukia asked

"I hope so," Ichigo then noticed that the attack was fading away and when it finally did Tenma was standing there panting with burns on her hands and pieces of clothing missing from her right shoulder and most her sleeves were gone.

"She's still alive?" Rukia said

"Damn it!"

"I didn't want to do this Ichigo Kurosaki, but it seems that this is the only way I can leave this fight alive, sprout free from barren soil…Bosque." Tenma was surrounded by a white smoke and when that drifted away Tenma was not in a human form at all, she was a white tree that took root in the concrete ground. Her arms were the branches and the trunk of the tree showed the outline of her breasts and belly button, the only thing that was human about Tenma was her face that remained the same but her hair wasn't in a ponytail instead it was wild with no rhythm to it. Behind her head was a large gold ring that was attached to the back of the tree. (Bosque means Forest)

"Don't think you're the only one with a trump card," Ichigo said as he placed his hand over his face and formed the mask over his face, "Sorry Tenma but I don't feel like wasting any more time with you Mugetsu!" Ichigo yelled as the room flooded with darkness from the entrance that Ichigo entered through and surrounded the tree woman in a perfect square.

Ichigo took his blade and flash stepped inside the darkness, he appeared behind Tenma with his blade to her neck amongst the darkness, "It's over."

"Your right about that at least." Tenma said.

From the outside of Mugetsu Ichigo began to scream first in a distorted tone from his mask and then it faded to a normal scream.

"Ichigo!" Rukia yelled as she began to run towards the darkness.

"Get back Rukia!" yelled Renji as Rukia stopped dead in her tracks, "Bankai," Renji was surrounded by spinning smoke until it turned into the segmented snake, "Hihio Zabimaru," the snake then pointed its jaws at the darkness, "Hikotsu Taiho!" he yelled as the red blast shredded the darkness as it headed towards Tenma.

The attack was surrounded by vines and roots until it faded away and red flowers sprouted from Tenma's naked branches. Ichigo, tied up by branches slowly sucking out his spiritual energy, got up and destroyed the vines with Tensa Zangetsu and flash stepped towards Renji and Rukia. He could barely hold himself up with his sword, so Rukia held him up by his shoulder.

"Damn she's strong." Renji said as he made his snake surrounded him in a coil.


Meanwhile Mayuri and Gustavo were standing some distance from each other at a stale mate.

"Information is what I want from you Mayuri nothing more," Gustavo said as Mayuri laughed slightly.

"Information why should I give you any information what kind of information!" Mayuri said almost frustrated by the thought of it.

"Simple, I want to know about the super human drug of yours." Gustavo said as he smiled maliciously.

"Why do you want to know something like that?"

"As a scientist I seek to know as many things before my death, can I assume that you feel the same way?"

"Interesting thought but in return I wish to know something from you." Mayuri said in a pondering tone.

"Fair enough and out of common courtesy I'll let you go first Mayuri." Gustavo said with a bow almost mocking him.

"That accursed crystal you trapped me in, I want to know its origin." Mayuri said in a very serious tone.

"I thought you would ask about that, you've seen the trees of Hueco Mundo haven't you Mayuri, they aren't trees as you may have guessed they're made of seki seki. The material does grow like a plant and just like a plant it gets parasites on it that try to take energy from it, that crystal is one such parasite." Gustavo said in an informing tone, "To be fair it is fascinating it keeps any spiritual being in a suspended animation for a time however it does tend to consume weaker beings."

"So that's why you stole my Hojiku-zai, you did it to keep them alive," Mayuri said as he stroked his chin.

"Now my question how does that drug of yours work,"

"It's quite simple really, it makes it to where a person experiences a slower time so to speak by slowing down their senses." Mayuri said very quickly as he drew his sword and pointed it at Gustavo, "Now if you don't mind, I'm a busy man and I have no time for experiments like you to go to waste, claw out Ashisogi Jizo."

"Very well Mayuri Kurotsuchi," Gustavo mumbled something to himself and shot a red cero at Mayuri who reflex ably dodged and flash stepped to Gustavo as they clashed swords.

"You may be a good experiment so you understand if I don't kill you." Mayuri boasted as he pushed his zanpakuto against Gustavo's.

Gustavo looked at Mayuri with his eyes one of them covered by a mask piece and smiled he them mumbled something to himself again and shot another red cero at Mayuri, who used his zanpakuto to keep it from killing him as he flew back and hit a wall until the cero dissipated.

Mayuri then began to laugh slightly as he got up from his spot against the wall, "What's so funny Mayuri Kurotsuchi?" asked Gustavo.

"That was an interesting trick Arrancar, you weren't using a cero at all, that was Shokkaho wasn't it?" Mayuri said with a smirk on his face.

"You catch on quick Mayuri, but is it so strange that a being who gained the powers of Soul Reapers has the ability to use kido?"

"I suppose not but it does make you a little more interesting, I can't wait to study you." Mayuri said as his spiritual energy surrounded him causing him to have a slightly purple glow.

"So I take it you're going to take me seriously from now on." Gustavo said as he clashed swords with Mayuri, Gustavo's face in shock.

"It doesn't mean that I'll take you seriously, it means that I have to keep you alive in order to study you!" Mayuri yelled with a face of madness.

Mayuri pushed back as hard as he could only to he pushed away and then Nemu held Gustavo in a head lock and Mayuri nicked Gustavo's side with his zanpakuto. Gustavo elbowed Nemu off of his back and attempted to stand only to fall to the ground.

"Congratulations Nemu for once you could follow my orders to the letter. Now how will I deal with you?" Mayuri said as he pointed his zanpakuto to the ground.

"Thank you master," Nemu said as if it were the happiest moment of her life.

Gustavo began to laugh suddenly at his paraplegic self as he lay on the ground, "Would you mind telling me what's so amusing?" Mayuri asked.

"I just never thought I would have to use this on you but it seems I have no choice, adapt…Desenvolver!" yelled Gustavo as his mask part cracked away and a liquid formed over all of his limbs and chest only to form an armor on them. Gustavo then kicked Mayuri back and stood on his feet. (Desenvolver means Evolve)

"Well it's certainly interesting that you can stand on your feet after being stabbed by my Ashisogi Jizo, but I can't go on without finding out how you're doing it."

"My zanpakuto has a unique ability; it simply evolves according to the situation that it's presented with, now if you don't mind Mayuri Kurotsuchi, I think it's time for you and I to take this battle seriously." Gustavo said as the armor on his hands grew into long claws.

"You'll make an interesting specimen indeed." Mayuri and Gustavo charged at each other causing smoke and dust to engulf them both.


Meanwhile Chad, Orihime, and Uryu were running down a corridor and soon Uryu stopped dead in his tracks and manifested his bow, "What's wrong Uryu?" asked Orihime and not long after that Chad manifested his right arm.

"There's someone here," Uryu said as a massive spiritual pressure overwhelmed the humans and they almost choked on the air they couldn't breathe.

"So they went and involved the World of the Living anyway," Satoshi said as he walked slowly towards the group, "Very disappointing as far as I'm concerned. Now I don't want to kill you if I don't have to, retreat so I don't have to bare your deaths on my conscience."

"Retreat why should we do that," Uryu said as he pointed his bow at Satoshi.

"What kind of friend would we be if we did that?" asked Chad.

"Yeah, we're Ichigo's friends and we'll help him no matter what." Orihime chimed in.

"Then it can't be helped, I'm sorry I have to do this, but…" Satoshi donned his black mask and starred at his opponents with those red malicious eyes, "I can't have you ruining my plans in any way shape or form."

END OF UNKNOWN ALLIES

Happy times: how the hell did you build this castle?

Me: pst…pst hey Satoshi

Satoshi: you…what the hell are you doing here I thought you were talking to the Soul Society not us.

Me: sorry but I have an inquiry that needs to be answered if possible

Satoshi: what is it?

Me: how the hell did you get this castle built? *Satoshi pointed at Arthur with his thumb.

Satoshi: ask him

Me: how did you get this castle built?

Arthur: well I hired a construction crew and gave them some spiritual pressure, after that I told them they were building a casino in Los Vegas and they bought it.

Me: how the hell did you get away with it?

Arthur: it's not that hard to lie however I have to bring them all here once a year to play black jack for some money so it's not all it's cracked up to be.

Me: is that even legal! *I yelled as I pulled out some hair from my head*