Wielder of the Crimson Princess
Naruto and all related characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. Bleach and all related characters belong to Tite Kubo
Chapter 7: Memories of Friends Past
Yoruichi was now fighting an uphill battle against Shiro, who had become faster and stronger since activating his Bankai. Yoruichi had no idea what this Bankai was, but she didn't have time to question it. Naruto on the other hand knew exactly what it was. In his training with Benihime in his inner world, Naruto learned the release states for a zanpakuto the first being the sealed state, the second being Shikai, and the third being Bankai. Benihime told Naruto that Bankai was the most powerful state of a zanpakuto and usually took years of intense training in order to achieve it. All this meant one thing, Shiro Kurosaki had a zanpakuto.
'I need to help Yoruichi, she doesn't stand a chance alone!' Naruto thought as he tried to move, but his body was still exhausted and he had to keep his shoulder wound from bleeding to heavily.
"You know Shiro? I heard you died a year ago, something about how you got into a fight with Orochimaru." Yoruichi said as she was barely dodging the pale madman's sword swipes. At this Shiro growled and replied,
"Oh, that sore loser just told everyone that because he didn't want to admit I nearly finished him off!" Yoruichi was shocked for a split second, but remembered that Shiro was capable of giving Sarutobi a run for his money when they were on a team and he challenged the old man to a fight. In spite of the dire situation she was in, Yoruichi found herself thinking back to when Shiro began to change into what he was now.
FLASH BACK 10 YEARS AGO
It was a cloudy and windy day in Konoha, as a young dark skinned girl with short purple hair and yellow cat like eyes made her way to her home. Her name was Yoruichi Shihoin and she was having a very bad day. Not only was she humiliated after by that idiot Gin Ichimaru who kept calling her Kitty-Litter, but she had to deal with the fact that her so-called best friend had practically abandoned her to do something or other with his family when this was going on. Yoruichi sighed and opened her apartment door and walked inside. Her parents had died four years ago so she lived alone, but she had inherited enough money to live comfortably and pay for the required items she needed at the Ninja Academy. Yoruichi plopped down on the couch and sighed rather loudly in frustration. She had thought about hanging out with her other friend, one Byakuya Kuchiki, but he was busy with his grandfather learning the ropes to become the next head of the Kuchiki clan. She thought of training by herself, but she just wasn't in the mood. Eventually she decided to take a nap, as she didn't really feel like doing anything else. Soon she drifted off to a not so peaceful slumber, however after about 40 minutes a knocking at her door awoke her. Moaning, she forced herself from her couch and went over to her front door, opening it to reveal a boy with ghostly pale skin, chalk white hair, and yellow and black eyes.
"Shiro? What are you doing here? I thought you had something to do with your family." Yoruichi asked her friend. She then noticed his puffy tear stained cheeks, clear signs he had been crying. In all the time she had known him, Yoruichi had never seen Shiro cry, so she knew something had happened.
"What happened Shiro?" The dark skinned girl asked with great concern in her voice. The pale boy before her then said barely above a whisper,
"Mom. Ichigo." Yoruichi looked confused. What did his mother and twin brother have to do with him crying? But before she could ask another question, her pale friend had pulled her into a hug and began to sob. Yoruichi brought him inside and let him cry himself out, but she never did get him to say what had happened. No, it would be a few days later that Yoruichi would learn that Shiro's mother Masaki, a civilian, and his brother had drowned when they fell into a rushing river. From could be gathered from Shiro, Masaki had fell in and Ichigo, ever the protector, jumped in after her. After finding this out Yoruichi ran off to find Shiro to comfort him. Yoruichi thought about how different Shiro and Ichigo were as she ran.
Not only was Shiro ghostly pale, but was far more manic than his twin. Ichigo on the other hand was more reserved and was, as far as Shiro was concerned, the favorite. As such they fought like crazy about everything, with Shiro being the one who usually instigated the confrontations. However, Yoruichi never doubted that Shiro loved his brother. The fact that he also lost his mother on the same day, made the young were-cat all the more worried for her friend. When she reached Shiro's house she frantically knocked on the door,desperate to help her best-friend through this.
"Shiro! Open up! I know you're home! I just wanna talk!" Yoruichi yelled as kept knocking. Suddenly the door opened as she was about to knock again and she accidentally punched her pale friend in the nose.
"WHAT THE HELL?" Shiro yelled as held his now bleeding nose.
"Shiro, I'm sorry!" Yoruichi said as she tried to look at his nose. Shiro snapped back in a somewhat nasally voice,
"Forget about it! What do you want anyway?" Yoruichi was a little taken aback by her friends crabby demeanor, but disregarded it as grief talking.
"I came to see if you were alright." The young were-cat said.
"I WAS alright until you decided to break my nose" Shiro replied still in a nasally voice due to his struck nose. Yoruichi sighed and said,
"I said I was sorry." she then noticed that Mr. Kurosaki hadn't ran up to greet her as usual. She assumed he was somewhere in the house grieving, but Shiro answered her unasked question.
"Dad's on a mission. He won't be back until tomorrow." The pale boy said as wiped the blood from his nose. They stayed silent for a while before Shiro said,
"I don't feel like talking right now Yoruichi." and with that he shut the door. Yoruichi sighed and left, deciding that perhaps time will help him.
It had been a week since their encounter and Yoruichi had grown increasingly worried about Shiro. His father hadn't returned from his mission yet, and Shiro seemed to be changing. Shiro had always been a bit of a wildcard and a joker, something that made him and Yoruichi get along so well, but recently he had been a little darker with how he joked. He had also gotten more ruthless and menacing when sparring at the Academy, and was starting to scare Yoruichi a bit. One day after class, Yoruichi decided to find out what was going on. The cat girl decided to ask the Hokage what was happening since he was close with the Kurosaki's. Yoruichi entered Sarutobi's office with a visible look of determination. Sarutobi looked up from his accursed paperwork and said,
"What can I do for you today Miss Shihoin?" The dark skinned girl replied,
"It's about Shiro Kurosaki. I know you're a good friend to his family and I thought you could tell what's going on with him. He's my best friend but he won't tell me anything!" The Hokage sighed and replied,
"I'm afraid I know why Shiro has been acting the way he does. His father, Isshin Kurosaki, died on his last mission. I'm afraid that after losing his mother and brother, followed by his father in so short a time has caused a radical change in his personality. I'm afraid that anything of the old Shiro Kurosaki is gone for the moment and only time will help him." Yoruichi was in a state of shock and sadness. Shock at the fact that Shiro had been dealing with all this by himself without telling her, and sadness that her friend would never be the same.
FLASH BACK END
Yoruichi sighed as she continued to barely avoid Shiro's attacks. Shiro again used his incredible new speed and made a slash at Yoruichi, who managed to get a kunai up in time to block, but he stopped just before he made contact which caught the were-cat off guard. The Ghost of the Leaf gave a psychotic smirk and whipered,
"Getsuga Tensho." and a white and red energy came from the ivory sword which engulfed the area, destroying the other building in the process. Naruto quickly threw up his blood mist shield, which began to chip away bit by bit from energy from Shiro's attack. When the attack dissipated, Yoruichi was lying unconscious but alive. Shiro frowned as he raised his sword above his head and said,
"I'm sorry it had to end like this Yoruichi." but before he could bring the sword down, a chakra arrow struck him in the shoulder.
"WHAT THE HELL?" Shiro yelled as the arrow disappeared and he clutched his bleeding shoulder. The Ghost of the Leaf turned to see a boy with glasses holding a bow made of visible chakra and he had another chakra arrow ready to fire. Next to him was a girl with short hair and two long pigtails in the back and had a short sword drawn.
"Back away from our sensei." The boy said as he took aim, ready to fire if need be. Shiro chuckled and said,
"Looks like the kiddies want to play! Alright then!" Shiro then charged, as Uryu began to fire arrows. Shiro swatted them away with his sword as he began to shout,
"GETSUGA TENS..." however he was interrupted by a voice that yelled,
"SCREAM, BENIHIME!" and a red blast of energy struck him in the back, cancelling his attack. Shiro turned around and growled at Naruto who smirked back at the pale swordsman.
"Forget these two, you die first Blondie!" Shiro snarled at Naruto, as a black and red energy covered his blade. He then made a horizontal slash at Naruto and yelled,
"KUROI GETSUGA!"
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