*Here is Chapter 9 of Key through the Soul. When I posted Chapter 8 I didn't realize I did it at the same time fanfiction was having a big problem and so I don't know how many people read the entire story or just the new chapter since it only counted each person once until the problem was fixed. Anyway, for those of you who don't already know I have put up a poll on my profile for choosing the remaining Princesses of Darkness. Since there are supposed to be thirteen of them I will be picking the top choices to put into the story. The poll will be open for at least the next few chapters so get voting on the Princesses of Darkness that you want to see!
*The soulless will not be showing up for at least a few more chapters. If you have been paying attention Uriel began her journey at the end of Chapter 7, which took place in the late morning. Chapter 8 covered a time span of roughly thirty minutes to an hour (give or take) and Chapter 9 will finish at the end of the day. The Realms of Light and Darkness are huge so I'm working under the assumption that beings, heartless, and soulless cannot simply teleport to different worlds in the blink of an eye.
*Unlike in the Kingdom Hearts universe in my story the keyblade is unique to the person. For example, the Master Keeper that Eraqus wields in Birth By Sleep would be the only keyblade he has ever wielded. So instead of getting stronger keyblades it is his strength and magic that increased instead.
*I went through my old stories and I realized that the stories where there is only a single character tend to be better written and overall better to read. I guess it had something to do with not splitting my attention between characters. So if I had to rank the stories I would like to write it would be Key through the Soul, then Warcraft: Lightning Chronicles, and lastly Journey of Spirits.
*Stayed tuned to my profile as I finally begin adding information about the various characters in the story. I'm going to start with the keyblade masters already known and go from there. That is everything I wanted to say. Don't forget to read and review!
...
Aqua's knees felt weak as she cast the spell. With her mana completely gone it was taking all of her willpower just to remain conscious and even that was beginning to fail. Thundaga Shot was a dangerous spell for someone of her level to cast even with her skill with magic. The amount of mana and focus required for the spell to be cast correctly was enormous even for a keyblade master. Master Eraqus had warned her that she was still a year or two away from casting it without draining all of her mana but Aqua knew nothing else would work against Gilgamesh. She was just glad that she had enough mana to cast it at all, especially after casting Thundaga and Cura within the span of a minute.
As the wooden sword shattered from the strain of the spell Aqua could only hope through half-lidded eyes that it was enough to stop Gilgamesh.
"Hell no!"
Gilgamesh quickly recovered from his initial shock and raised Brotherhood in front of his body just as the spell reached him. Blue and white sparks crackled around the legendary blade as Aqua's Thundaga Shot struggled to overcome the enchantments on the sword and reach its intended target. For a second it seemed as if Gilgamesh's strength would prove greater but gradually minute cracks began to spider web across the blade. Gilgamesh's glowing white eyes looked at the damage with shock.
"Impossible!"
This couldn't be happening. Brotherhood was a blade whose legend extended back hundreds of years. It should be impossible for a spell of such a caliber to even damage it. An average keyblade master's most powerful spell should not be able to do more that crack the blade but this girl's single spell is straining Brotherhood to its limit. As he felt his feet being pushed back along the ground Gilgamesh pushed more darkness through his blade. If defense wasn't going to cut it then he needed to go on the offensive.
Several things happened as Gilgamesh attempted to reflect the spell away from his body. In all his time wielding Brotherhood he had never ran darkness through the legendary blade for more then thirty seconds but now he was approaching the one-minute mark. Even if he was unable to sense it, the legendary blade was not designed for darkness to be forced through it and thus it was beginning to strain against the corrupting power. It came as a great surprise to the swordsman when the cracks on the now purple-tinted blade began glowing with a sickly black light before the entire weapon abruptly shattered into a myriad of pieces, scattering the light in the atmosphere as they rained to the ground.
"Inconceivable!"
Gilgamesh barely had a second to utter a shout of defiance as the Thundaga Shot, without anything to stop it, surged forward and impacted his Genji armor. The armor, composed of mithril and adamantium, lasted barely a fraction of a second against the torrent of lightning before it too failed. In the split second that followed Gilgamesh was enveloped in an explosion of lightning and darkness that seemed to explode out from his body accompanied by a loud bang.
Aqua let out a smile of relief just as her strength completely faded and her upper body began falling towards the ground. When several seconds passed and she did not feel her face hit the ground she opened her eyes and saw that Ichigo had managed to wrap her arm around his neck for support. He looked at her condition with concern evident in his eyes, "Are you alright Aqua?"
"I'm fine," exhaustion tinged her voice but she managed to keep her composure, "Just suffering from mana exhaustion. I should be fine in a couple of minutes."
Ichigo didn't say anything but simply nodded in relief. Turning his head across the battlefield, he briefly looked at the column of smoke rising from where Aqua's spell had hit Gilgamesh before turning his gaze toward the flames of Amaterasu. He could see the black flames beginning to recede and vanish back to wherever Gilgamesh had summoned them from.
"It looks like your spell did it Aqua," he told the exhausted girl as he began walking away from the battlefield, "The flames are vanishing."
On the other side of the flames Terra didn't waste any time. As soon as he could he leapt over whatever remained of the flames of Amaterasu and sprinted across the battlefield towards them. His brown eyes looked over Aqua with worry before turning to Ichigo.
"What happened Ichigo? Your clothes are covered in blood."
Ichigo felt something prickle at the edge of his senses, "Gilgamesh was stronger that I thought. He managed to get several major hits while I couldn't land a scratch on him. It was lucky Aqua was here to save me with her healing magic or I would be dead right now."
"Thank you for the compliment but it's called Cura, not healing magic," Aqua lightly protested by it was obvious she wasn't actually annoyed, "If you're going to be a keyblade master one day you need to know these kinds of things. If you don't then you'll end up like Terra here."
"Hey!"
"I guess you got a point there," Ichigo briefly smiled, much to Terra's dismay, before he felt the prickling again. Frowning, he tried to figure out what it was he felt but came up short, "Do you feel that?"
"Feel what?" Terra had wrapped Aqua's other arm around his neck for support but her reaction suggested she really didn't appreciate it.
"It's just…" Ichigo tried to say what he felt but the words seemed to escape him, "It just feels like something bad is going to happen."
Terra grimaced and readjusted Aqua's arm, "After everything that happened today I'm going to take your word for it. Let's pick up the pace and get back to the castle. Master Eraqus should know what to do."
When Terra made to walk forward and found Ichigo falling behind he turned, "Come on Ichigo. We shouldn't-"
Aqua turned to her right when she heard Terra stop talking and screamed. The reason that Ichigo had stopped walking was because of the long nodachi stabbed clear through the right side of his chest. Ichigo's mouth opened and closed soundlessly several times as he raised a shaking hand to the blood-splattered blade sticking out of his chest. As he gasped for breath the blade was quickly pulled out of his body and he collapsed onto his knees before completely falling onto the ground, a pool of blood already forming beneath his barely breathing body.
Terra turned around with hate in his eyes, "You bastard!"
Even after everything Aqua threw at him Gilgamesh looked a little worse for wear despite the state of his armor. The once immaculate Genji armor was burned and cracked in several spots, his golden boots looked like they had slightly melted and one of the horns on his helm had snapped completely off. But despite all this the tone in Gilgamesh's voice was not one of anger or rage but rather admiration.
"You were good Ichigo Kurosaki but I'm afraid compared to me you were simply a fly," he sadly growled and slashed the nodachi through the air, flicking the blood off the blade in the process. Taking a closer look at Ichigo's body Gilgamesh let out a surprised shock, "You're still alive? What does it take to kill you? Shall I have to blast a hole through your chest or will you simply just get angry? This is so frustrating! It's no fun to attack someone when they are down but a job's a job…"
Despite his reservations Gilgamesh stepped forward to kill Ichigo. Even though he had to kill him he would do so quick and painlessly. It was the least he could do for putting up as much of a fight as he did. Before he could even get close to Ichigo Gilgamesh found his path blocked by an enraged Terra as well as Aqua, who seemed to be barely standing on her feet.
"You're going to have to go through us if you want to get to Ichigo!"
Key through the Soul
CHAPTER 9: Resolutions and Revelations
"You think you two will be enough to stop me?"
Gilgamesh scratched his chin before stabbing his nodachi into the ground, "At your current level neither of you pose any threat to me. Only the girl managed to hurt me and it took nearly everything she had at that. She's not looking too good. I don't think she can cast another of those devastating spells."
"Damn it he's right," Terra grit his teeth but said nothing. Gilgamesh was right about everything he just said. Despite Ichigo having a keyblade it was Aqua's magic that actually managed to hurt the swordsman Physical strength wouldn't work against someone like Gilgamesh unless he had a keyblade. Terra glanced to Ichigo's body and saw his keyblade, Lost Memory, lying in the rain and sinking into the mud. Usually keyblades are magically bound to their wielders through life and death but if he could somehow use it to save Ichigo they might just live through this.
Gilgamesh must have sensed Terra's intentions because before he could even move the nodachi was swinging through the air. Months of training with Aqua and Master Eraqus helped Terra realize Gilgamesh wasn't aiming to kill but to merely wound and take him out of commission.
"Not so fast!" Terra ducked and leaned to the right, allowing the nodachi to pass harmlessly over his body. When he heard the sound of rocks cracking and shattering he looked over his shoulder and saw a long furrow in the ground.
"You dodged Muramasa? Impressive! Let's see you try going two for two."
Terra wasn't listening to Gilgamesh's self-important speech as he dove towards Ichigo's keyblade. Sliding along the muddy ground his hand clasped the handle of the mystical weapon and Terra could instinctively feel Ichigo's weapon attempt to free itself from his grip.
"Come on. I need to use you to protect Ichigo from this guy."
The keyblade seemed to calm down and to his surprise Terra found the hesitation from the weapon disappear. Sighing in relief he stood up and placed himself in front of Aqua and Ichigo, "Aqua, try to heal Ichigo as best you can."
"But-"
"But nothing!" Terra scowled, his eyes not leaving Gilgamesh, "Even if you only have a sliver of mana left use it to cast Cure on Ichigo. I'll deal with this guy. As soon as you can get Ichigo out of here."
"He's going to kill you!" Aqua protested.
"Don't you think I know that?" Terra's head hung down as he finished, "I know I'm nowhere near his level but I need to do something or Ichigo is going to die. Now go! I'll catch up with you when I'm finished here."
Aqua nodded and closed her eyes. She needed to use up every last bit of mana she possessed and while it might harm her to forcibly use what little she had it was better then letting Ichigo die. Taking a deep breath and holding her hands over his wound she surrounded her body in a faint white aura and began casting as powerful a restoration spell as she was able.
"How unusual," Gilgamesh commented towards Terra. He had thought about just rushing past the boy to Ichigo Kurosaki but waved that off without a second thought. Muramasa had completely pierced through Ichigo's right lung and unless the girl was able to cast a Curaga at full power there was nothing she could do for him. What was most interesting to the swordsman was just how this other boy, Terra, could wield Ichigo's keyblade. Weren't the mystical keyblades bound to the hearts of those that wield them? Was there a change in the rules or a meeting that he missed? This was so annoying.
"I'm curious Tora."
"It's Terra!"
Gilgamesh waved him off dismissively, "Whatever. I'm curious as to how you are able to wield Ichigo Kurosaki's keyblade. Was there a revision in the keyblade rulebook that I did not receive? I'll tell you what. You explain to me how you are doing this and I'll let you and your friend go without a scratch."
Terra thought it over for a moment, "What about Ichigo?"
"No can do kid," Gilgamesh shook his head with something that Terra thought could have been disappointment, "Usually I do not attack or kill opponents that cannot fight me. It's dishonorable and shows I pick on the weak and helpless. However in this case I was contracted to kill Ichigo Kurosaki. The reward for doing so is something that you cannot pay or even bribe. So the only way you are going to get me to back off from killing Ichigo Kurosaki is to kill me."
Gilgamesh took a step forward while leaving Muramasa stuck in the ground. He walked until he was only a couple of feet from Terra, his glowing white eyes staring down at him, "Are you able to take a life? Have you even considered it? No, of course you haven't. You're from the Realm of Light and your master probably is still coddling you."
"Shut up!" Terra swung his keyblade out, forcing Gilgamesh to hop back. After taking a deep breath Terra glared at him, "I may not have killed someone before and I hope I never have to but I will stop you. I don't need to kill you to do that. All I need to do is hurt you until you can't move!"
Gilgamesh stared at Terra before reaching over and pulling Muramasa out of the ground, "By your appearance I see you are a samurai Terra. At this point it would be dishonorable of me to not fight you. Since my contract does not specify anything about you I will make sure to leave you alive after defeating you. After all, the best way to learn in life is to experience it first hand."
Terra gripped Ichigo's keyblade with both hands and held the blade in front of his body and leaning slightly to the left. Even though he could feel the power in the mystical weapon he could also sense it actively fighting him whenever he tried to push too much power into it. Terra supposed it had something to do with Ichigo coming from the Realm of Darkness but for the moment having a weapon that wouldn't shatter under Gilgamesh's sword was enough. Taking a deep breath to steady his racing pulse, Terra slid his left foot back before pushing off the ground towards the swordsman.
Gilgamesh had never seen Terra spar and initially assumed his strength was about the same level as Ichigo's, maybe even a little stronger. When he tried to parry Terra's keyblade with only one arm he quickly found his wrist buckling from Terra's power before his entire offense collapsed and he was left wide open.
Terra swung out with the keyblade but before he could hit Gilgamesh's body the warrior used the gauntlet covering his left forearm as a brace against the weapon. Even though it managed to stop Terra's attack from doing any damage to Gilgamesh, the force behind the swing was enough to create cracks all along the Genji armor.
"I see I underestimated your strength," Gilgamesh grabbed the two red straps crisscrossing over Terra's shirt. Spinning around he chucked Terra over his shoulder into the air, "But I do not make the same mistakes twice."
Righting his body while in midflight, Terra managed to land on his feet. As subtlety as he could, he snuck a glance towards Aqua. She seemed to still be trying to stop the bleeding but her movements were getting more desperate. It was obvious she didn't have enough mana left to help heal Ichigo. If Ichigo were to live he needed to defeat Gilgamesh. He was just glad the swordsman hadn't caught on to their plan yet. He just needed to keep his attention off Ichigo.
"You seem to be slightly better than Ichigo Kurosaki," Gilgamesh admitted, "but you still lack in some other categories and I appear to be out of time."
Gilgamesh disappeared in a burst of darkness and Terra quickly, and desperately, held his keyblade over his head with his left hand propping up the blade just as Gilgamesh's Muramasa came crashing down. Unlike when Ichigo attempted this defense earlier in the fight Terra's strength was enough to keep him on his feet but just barely. Even now he could feel his strength slowly failing on him as Gilgamesh continued to push down. With beads of sweat running down his face Terra grit his teeth and pushed all his power into repelling Gilgamesh. As a white aura surrounded his body he let out a shout and staggered Gilgamesh back. It was the perfect opportunity to go on the offensive if something else didn't happen.
Terra let out a hiss of pain and quickly dropped Ichigo's keyblade on the ground. As the mystical weapon vanished in a shower of dark light he looked and saw burn marks on both his fingers and palms.
"Now I understand" Gilgamesh said with a sage-like tone, "You were only able to use Ichigo Kurosaki's keyblade because you were not channeling the light through it. Since Ichigo is from the Realm of Darkness it makes sense that his keyblade, while being a weapon to fight the darkness, would be attuned to the darkness and not the light. Therefore when you channeled the light through it to repel my overhead strike it finally rejected your presence…er…quite violently I see. You should get those burns looked at. I can sense a small amount of darkness stuck in the wounds. I wouldn't want them to get infected or anything."
"You think I'll stop just because of a few burns on my hands?" Despite his attitude the pain from his hands was getting worse and Gilgamesh was right, he could feel a very small amount of darkness in the burns but he couldn't give up. As long as he kept fighting Gilgamesh the swordsman couldn't go after Ichigo.
"It's been a lot of Tora but I have business to take care of," Gilgamesh turned around and saw Aqua trying to drag a barely conscious Ichigo off the training ground. With a disappointed huff Gilgamesh began walking towards them, "You weren't thinking about running away, were you Ichigo Kurosaki? I am very disappointed in your decision."
"Get back here!" Terra balled his hands despite the pain and took off after Gilgamesh. He couldn't let the swordsman reach Ichigo no matter what. As he closed in on him Terra reared back a fist and aimed for where Gilgamesh's kidney should be. It was a cheap shot and any other time he wouldn't even harbor the idea of fighting dirty but it was either this or let Ichigo, and probably Aqua, be killed.
"Terra's sneak attack is ineffective!"
Without even turning around Gilgamesh backhanded him across the face. Terra had only a moment to comprehend what happened before his body flew a few inches off the ground. His body was airborne for only a second before gravity reasserted its dominance and forced his body to hit the ground hard. As he let out a series of hacking coughs Terra heard Gilgamesh speak.
"You've got guts but I've put off my business long enough. I'm not going to kill you but if you keep trying to fight me I won't hesitate to put you done. Now stay on the ground and don't attempt to stop me. Only one life needs to be lost today."
Once he finished lecturing Terra Gilgamesh took off towards Ichigo and Aqua, Muramasa held high over his head. Despite the warning Terra tried to get to his feet but found the entire world spinning and collapsed to his knees not a second after managed to get off the ground. As his mind desperately tried to regain control of his body he blinked and suddenly everything seemed to change.
A moment ago Gilgamesh was within feet of killing Ichigo but just as he swung the nodachi down there was a flash of light and the upper half of the blade went flipping through the air before bouncing along the ground.
"Hmm?" Gilgamesh looked down at Ichigo, whose body was still in one piece, and then turned to Muramasa. When he saw what had happened to his blade he flung it away and shouted, "Why does everyone keep destroying my favorite swords? This is completely unfair and biased!"
Terra couldn't express just how relieved he felt as seeing who it was that saved them, "Master Eraqus!"
Standing at the entrance to the field was Yoruichi and his master. With a simple flick of his wrist Master Keeper appeared in his hand.
"Who?" Gilgamesh turned around in time to find himself propelled into the aim. Crouching on the ground with black lightning crackling around her body was Yoruichi. Before the swordsman began falling back towards the ground she pushed off the ground and into the air. As she flew up after Gilgamesh the crackling of darkness-infused lightning intensified around her arms. The swordsman's eyes widened in shock as she reared back a fist.
"Shunko no Yami!"
Yoruichi's fist hit Gilgamesh's stomach at nearly the speed of sound, causing a loud snap to reverberate through the air as his Genji armor directly behind her fist simply evaporated from the pressure. The next second Gilgamesh was propelled through the air out of the training grounds.
Terra winced as Yoruichi landed in a crouch near him. The aura of crackling lightning and darkness surrounding her body was enough to instill a sense of fear in his heart but his mind knew Yoruichi wasn't going to hurt him, "Y-Yoruichi?"
Yoruichi turned an amber eye to Terra, "I see you helped save Ichigo's life. Thank you." Turning to Eraqus she asked, "Think you can heal Ichigo? I'm not in a very good mood right now and I've got some unfinished business with Gilgamesh to conclude."
Eraqus frowned but nodded his head, "But of course."
Without even replying Yoruichi disappeared in a burst of darkness. As Terra finally managed to pull himself back onto his feet he couldn't help but feel a little bit sorry for Gilgamesh.
...
Eraqus watched Yoruichi vanish into the distance before turning to more pressing matters. Ichigo Kurosaki was laying on the ground in a state of semi-consciousness with a pool of blood growing underneath his body. Quickly walking over to him he noticed Aqua trying to stop the bleeding with only a basic Cure spell. For her to not use anything more powerful indicated that her mana was nearly gone. A concerning notion but something he could ask about later on.
"What happened Aqua?" Eraqus needed to know just what happened to Ichigo to put him in this state before healing him. Trying to heal the wrong kind of internal damage could have fatal results.
Aqua looked up at her master with despair in her eyes. It was apparent that her constant failings to heal Ichigo had caused her to start crying, "I-I can't do anything to stop the bleeding. I don't have enough mana left to even stop the pain. Ichigo's dying and there's nothing I can do to help him!"
"Calm down Aqua," Eraqus said in the tone that made no room for excuses, "Panicking like this is unbecoming of a keyblade master. We need to assess the damage Gilgamesh did to Ichigo before we can start healing him. Now tell me what happened."
Aqua took few seconds to breathe to before beginning, "I had just hit Gilgamesh with a pointblank Thundaga Shot. Ichigo and Terra were helping me walk since I used most of my mana. One second everything's fine and the next Ichigo's standing with a sword through his chest."
Eraqus knelt besides Ichigo and held a hand over the wound, "It is fortunate that the blade cleanly passed through Ichigo's body. It will make healing him much easier but the severity of the wounds is another problem. I can only heal his internal injuries with magic. Everything else will need to heal naturally. Now then…Curaja."
A deep and intense green glow surrounded Ichigo's body. As she watched her master save Ichigo's life the intensity of the restoration magic was so great that Aqua could feel the cuts and scraps she obtained during the fight begin to instinctively heal.
"Is he going to be alright?"
"He should be fine for the moment," Eraqus let out a tired sigh. Curaja wasn't a spell someone could use without repercussions, "I'm going to take a look at Terra's wounds. Once I'm done I need you two to carry Ichigo back to the castle."
During this time Terra had managed to stumble over to them. The brown haired man let out a grimace of pain as his hands continued to burn him, "Will Yoruichi be enough to stop Gilgamesh?"
"Perhaps," Eraqus trailed off after getting a good look at his student's hands. After a momentary examination he frowned, "There are traces of darkness in these burns but I can easily cleanse such a small amount of darkness. What happened Terra?"
"It was Ichigo's keyblade," Terra said much to his master's shock, "I used it to fight Gilgamesh but when I tried to channel the light through it my hands got burnt."
Eraqus cast a quick Cura on Terra's hands, "That is quite peculiar. Usually a keyblade is bound to the heart of its wielder but for you to even be able to fight with it implies it read your heart and knew you were trying to protect Ichigo. Still, the fact that the burns on your hands contain darkness is disconcerting."
The master stood up and began walking towards where Yoruichi had taken off, "Terra, help Aqua carry Ichigo back to the castle. Xehanort should have already alerted the guards so there should be someone able to give Ichigo medical assistance as soon as you get back."
"What are you going to do master?"
Eraqus didn't turn around when he replied, "I'm going to put a stop to this."
...
Gilgamesh's return to the earth could be seen for miles around. Several long furrows had been sheered out of the ground from when his body had bounced off the dirt and nearly a dozen trees had been splintered in half in a vain attempt to stop his momentum. After being hit with Yoruichi's devastating punch his body had skipped along the ground several times before coming to a quick, and painful, stop against a boulder. It was there with his head stuck inside the boulder that Gilgamesh finally came to a stop, his unmoving body giving the idea that Yoruichi's punch and his subsequent impact had finally killed the legendary swordsman.
After several minutes passed with the only movement coming from the pouring rain Giglamesh's arms began to twitch and move. As they felt around the boulder where Gilgamesh's head was stuck a sound similar to a roar could be heard. Both hands pressed their palms down on the boulder and with a quick push managed to dislodge their owner's head.
"It was a good thing I was wearing a helmet."
Gilgamesh stood up and began examining his Genji armor. Already he could see that he would need to get several pieces repaired if not outright replaced. His breastplate was going to need to be totally scrapped. That woman's strange darkness attack had punched right through it like paper. His gauntlet, while chipped and cracked, could be repaired but he wasn't quite sure. Most important was that his helmet, with the horns he had severed from a Behemoth, was no more. Quickly discarding the destroyed helm he readjusted his red scarf so that none of his head besides his face was visible. He did have to keep up appearances after all.
"Ugh," he rotated his shoulder and felt a quick and sharp pain, "Did someone get the name of that guy that suplexed me?"
It had been quite a while since he had been this injured in a fight. The last time had been against a former employer who felt it was better to kill his employees rather then paying them. Gilgamesh had quickly, and effectively, shown him the proper way to be a good boss.
Gilgamesh looked around for the training grounds but was surprised he couldn't find it. He was surprised that the woman had enough power to hit him so far he was lost. Narrowing his eyes he peered into the distance and saw how far he had actually been thrown, "By the void, it's going to take me forever to walk back. While I would rather go home at this point and call it a day I do have a job to finish so I might as well start walking."
What really ticked Gilgamesh off was that he had lost two of his precious swords! Getting thrown for nearly a mile by a punch was fine, having his Genji armor destroyed was all right by him but damaging his legendary blades was unforgivable! Doesn't anyone realize how rare and valuable his swords are? Don't they know how many years he spent in both the Realm of Light and Darkness for those blades? He had to defeat demons, angels, and even someone proclaiming themselves a god to get them and now two of them are shattered! Sure he could get them repaired but the only blacksmith he trusts to do so isn't cheap. The last time he asked Boldwin to repair his stuff the crazy old man asked for the soul of a giant flame demon.
How in the realms was he supposed to collect the soul of a demon anyway? Gilgamesh considered himself lucky that Boldwin accepted large amounts of Gil as well.
As he walked back Gilgamesh felt a familiar power prickle against the edges of his senses. It took him a moment to realize what was coming but as soon as he did he crossed his arms in front of his body just as Yoruichi's fist came crashing. While he stopped her from hitting his chest in the same spot as last time the force behind the punch was enough to force Gilgamesh back several meters.
"You're quite strong," he grunted as he pushed power to his legs and arresting his movement. Staring into her amber eyes with his glowing ones Gilgamesh felt a sense of déjà vu but decided to ignore it, "I don't have time for this."
He attempted to grab her hand but found Yoruichi had disappeared in the blink of an eye. The speed she was exhibiting was impressive but nothing Gilgamesh couldn't handle. The next second he felt something hit the back of his head forcing him to crash into the ground.
Yoruichi stood back and watched Gilgamesh pick himself up. She would admit the swordsman was tough to take several Shunko-enhanced hits and still move. Perhaps it was simply a testament to the new types of power available outside of Karakura. She snapped to attention when she saw Gilgamesh wiping some mud off his face but strangely didn't disturb the kabuki makeup on his face. Pivoting in midair she spun and delivered a devastating roundhouse kick to his neck. Gilgamesh let out a pained grunt as his head and upper body snapped back before he quickly recovered and grabbed her foot.
"You're strong but not strong enough."
Yoruichi was helpless as Gilgamesh spun around several times before releasing his grip. As Gilgamesh watched her fly through the air his mouth opened in shock when she literally disappeared.
"Where did she go?" This was unbelievable. Either she could teleport or was moving so fast that his eyes couldn't track her movements. The last time someone was that fast it had taken Gilgamesh forever to wear him down. As he continued scanning the environment for Yoruichi he felt a prickle of darkness coming from several feet behind him.
"You're right behind me, aren't you?"
"Aren't you a sharp one?" Yoruichi snidely responded.
Gilgamesh spun around, two broadswords forming out of the darkness as he did so. These were some of his cheaper blades so even if they were destroyed it wouldn't be a big loss. He had lost two of his legendary swords already. He wasn't going to risk losing a third.
He slashed out with the blade in his left hand only for Yoruichi to duck beneath it. She stepped forward and into his guard and attempted to deliver a open palm hit to his exposed chest but Gilgamesh hopped out of her range while countering with the sword in his right hand. Instead of dodging it Yoruichi used her Shunko as a makeshift glove to catch the sword mid-swing and with a simple show of strength snapped it in half.
"That's not fair!" Gilgamesh whined and threw away his broken sword. This was supposed to be an easy mission damn it! He didn't expect to face such strong opponents. If he had known the caliber of people he would be fighting he would have equipped himself with stronger and better armor and more powerful swords that are unbreakable.
When Yoruichi tried to smash her elbow into his face Gilgamesh ducked and countered by snapping out his knee. As she attempted to push off his knee with her hands Gilgamesh stopped the attack and spun around, slamming his armored heel into her cheek. Yoruichi flew back along the ground before coming to a halt. Rubbing a hand where he hit her she looked down and saw a smear of blood on her hand.
Instead of following up Gilgamesh crossed his arms and asked, "Who are you? You look strangely familiar. Have we met before?"
Yoruichi tightened her stance, "Why did you attack Ichigo?"
Gilgamesh frowned, "Nope, not going to tell you why!"
"That's the wrong answer," Yoruichi took a moment to calm herself down before the Shunko no Yami surrounding her intensified, "I'm afraid you're going to tell me everything you know."
As Yoruichi made a move to attack Gilgamesh she found her way blocked by a familiar keyblade. Looking down and then following the hand that held it, she saw Eraqus standing in her way. Before she could say anything he stepped past her.
"Gilgamesh," the master said with a trace of disdain in his voice, "For what purpose have you invaded my world?"
"Your world?" Gilgamesh seemed rather confused, "Are you sure this is your world? I don't remember it being this…wet."
"I am and have always been the steward of the Realm of Departure and you know that."
"That is true," Gilgamesh released his remaining sword and rubbed his neck. This day had been nuts from the moment he arrived. Since when were there so many strong people on one world? It was ridiculous! The woman though, there was something familiar about her. Aha! She was from the Realm of Darkness like Ichigo Kurosaki. That could explain how she was about to use the darkness without any of the side effects. While all that was interesting to Gilgamesh he knew what his next move needed to be.
"Hmm…nope!"
With a snap of his fingers a corridor of darkness appeared behind the swordsman, "Well, it's been fun and all Eraqus but I have to go now. If Ichigo Kurosaki managed to live through this tell him that if we meet in the future I look forward to having a proper fight with him. Fights to the death against someone like him tend to leave a bad taste in my mouth."
"Running away with your tail between your legs Gilgamesh?"
With one foot already in the corridor of darkness the swordsman replied, "Don't be absurd. The great Gilgamesh is not a coward! I am simply making a tactical retreat in the face of overwhelming odds. Besides, does it look like I have a tail?"
"Oh no you don't!" Yoruichi was about to chase after Gilgamesh but found Eraqus gripping her wrist. When she tried, and surprisingly failed, to pull her arm away she glared at the master, "Why are you stopping me?"
"I'm just preventing you from making a foolish mistake," the master replied. When the last vestiges of the corridor of darkness vanished he finally let go of Yoruichi, "The corridor of darkness is a dangerous and tricky technique. Unless you are traveling alongside the one that created the corridor there is no telling where you will end up. You could have ended up in the middle of the Lanes Between and quickly died."
Yoruichi took a few deep breaths and calmed down, "How's Ichigo?"
"He'll be fine. I managed to close the injury to his lung but his other wounds will need time to heal. Restoration magic can only do so much with wounds that severe but I expect Ichigo to make a full recovery within a week or two."
"Good," Yoruichi stared up into the thunderstorms above and let the rain hit her face. When she used the power of darkness while fighting Gilgamesh she could feel something influencing her state of mind. It wasn't impacting her intelligence but rather her negative emotions. Everything that involved anger, pride, and power seemed to be amplified. She would have to be wary of using that power in the future, at least until she had managed to master it. She had spent too much time reading up on the history of everything and not enough time on how her powers had changed and evolved.
"I'm going to be here a little while Eraqus. I need some time to think."
The master began to walk away but soon stopped, "After seeing you fight I can tell you are now quite familiar with the power the darkness can give you. By your facial expressions I can also see you now know the drawbacks of such power. I will refrain from saying anything today because whether I like it or not it was the power of darkness that saved Ichigo and my students' lives. I hope that when you return to the castle that you have come to some sort of realization."
As the master's footsteps faded away into the distance Yoruichi closed her eyes and focused her senses inwards. Just below the surface where she used to be able to feel her spiritual pressure was the unmistakable signature of the darkness. She realized why Eraqus was so concerned with her using the power of darkness in her attacks. He had been right when he said it was corruptive to the heart and if Yoruichi hadn't come from the Realm of Darkness she would probably not have been able to deny the darkness a foothold in her heart.
"I don't want to risk it. Until I am able to gain control over the darkness I should refrain from using any attacks that involve it."
That meant she would have to rely on Hakuda since she could no longer use Shunko. The strange thing was that her speed had drastically decreased since escaping Karakura. If she had been able to access her full potential when fighting Gilgamesh she could have delivered ten punches for every one that he stopped. It was frustrating but at the same time exciting. It had been years, decades perhaps, since she had been in a situation where she wasn't the fastest being around. This could be a golden opportunity to train herself up again.
"This might not be so bad after all."
xxxxxxxx
"If you don't stop moving then the bandages are going to have to be redone."
"It's fine."
"You're not fine Ichigo so either you stop fidgeting or I'll make you stop moving!"
"I said I'm fine!"
Ichigo struggled for a few more seconds before resigning himself to his fate as his strength left him. Giving up, he sat on the edge of the bed as Aqua finished checking the bandages wrapped around his chest. The entire upper half of his chest was covered as well as several spots on his arms. Eraqus hadn't been kidding when he said magic wouldn't be able to heal everything but Ichigo was just grateful he wasn't dead. The last time someone stabbed him through the chest it left him on death's door and that was only because he was a soul already.
The amount of strength that Gilgamesh had scared Ichigo unlike anything he had experienced before. It wasn't that he was evil or malicious but that he had so much power that he didn't need to flaunt it to show just how weak you were compared to him. Ichigo was fairly certain Gilgamesh hadn't even been showing most of his power during their battle and he remembered how the swordsman said his strength paled compared to a keyblade master. Did that mean this dark master was even stronger then Gilgamesh? Did he even have a chance of avenging everyone that died?
His musing was disturbed when Aqua flicked his forehead, "Stop dozing off. We don't know if you have a concussion so you need to stay away for a few more hours."
Ichigo rubbed the spot where she hit him. Just as he was about to retort he saw the worry in Aqua's eyes and decided to change the subject, "Terra said you were really worried about me."
"What?" Aqua looked embarrassed for a movement before steeling her features, "Of course I was worried. You almost died. Why wouldn't I be worried?"
Ichigo looked at Aqua nervously, "Calm down. I just wanted to thank you for saving my life."
"I wished it was me that saved your life," Aqua's voice became a whisper as she continued, "But I couldn't do anything out there. If Master Eraqus hadn't shown up you would have died. I was completely useless when it you needed me the most."
Ichigo wasn't very good when it came to upset women. The only person he knew to get upset like this was Orihime and Tatsuki was usually close by to help her feel better. He wracked his mind furiously as he tried to recall what Tatsuki usually did, "Didn't you save my life when you jumped over the wall of fire to attack Gilgamesh? Eraqus wouldn't have been able to save me that second time if you hadn't done so initially."
Aqua opened her mouth to respond but a knock on the door drew their attention. A few seconds later the door opened and both Eraqus and Terra walked in, "I am surprised you are recovering as quickly as you are Ichigo. The wounds you received would normally force a person to be bedridden for at least a day."
"What can I say, I've always been tough," Ichigo replied before turning to Terra, "How are you hands?"
"They're fine. No need to worry about them," Terra chuckled and rubbed his neck, "Master Eraqus explained that since you come from the Realm of Darkness your keyblade could only channel the darkness without side effects."
Ichigo nodded but remembered what he wanted to ask, "So what happened to Gilgamesh?"
Eraqus stroked his chin, "After healing you I took off in pursuit of Yoruichi and Gilgamesh. When I caught up to them Yoruichi was fighting him to a standstill. Upon my arrival he decided to flee."
"Something is troubling me Master Eraqus. Gilgamesh seemed upset that I tried to help Ichigo. He called me a cheater."
"Gilgamesh…" Eraqus trailed off as his mind searched for the proper words, "…is a warrior of great renown despite his weird behavior. He believes that a fight against someone he considers worthy should be single combat. Anything else is like cheating to him. The fact that he allowed you to fight alongside Ichigo implies something else was going on."
"He didn't exactly say it but I think he was hired by someone to kill me."
Eraqus looked at Ichigo with pity, "That is what Xehanort believes and unfortunately the evidence is adding up. I cannot believe that there is a dark master out there willingly destroying worlds and lives but most disturbing is that we don't know his motives. Until I am able to figure out what this dark master is after you will be in danger Ichigo."
Ichigo's eyes widened, "What?"
Eraqus seemed to find his next words bitter, "As you have said, this was not just a random attack by Gilgamesh. Someone hired him to take you out as soon as possible. The fact that they did so on perhaps the second strongest bastion of light in the Realm of Light indicates that you're quite important. This dark master is most likely trying to tie up any loose ends about Karakura."
"What about Yoruichi?" This is great. He needed to find out that the person he is going after is sending assassins after him.
"Yoruichi was able to fight off Gilgamesh without my assistance so if the dark master sends anyone after her she should be able to fight them off or retreat," Eraqus paused to study Ichigo's face. The orange haired teen seemed pensive about something but Eraqus did not feel the need to press him. If Ichigo wanted to talk to him about whatever was on his mind that as up to him.
Eraqus couldn't help but blame a small part of what happened to Ichigo on himself. While the attack happened merely a day after Ichigo's arrival to the world perhaps if he had agreed to train him then Ichigo could have put up enough of a fight to last until his arrival. The master shook his head quickly to dispel such thoughts. He should not dwell on the past when he has no impact on the present or future. He looked at his students, who were talking to Ichigo about his fight, and couldn't help let out a small smile. Just a week ago they were complaining about training and getting a keyblade and now they had thrown themselves into danger to save a friend.
"Perhaps I have been harsh on them. They clearly understand what it means to wield a keyblade and the responsibilities that go along with it."
"Aqua, Terra," Eraqus's stern voice stopped their talking, "I am proud of what you two accomplished today. You went up against a superior opponent with mastery over the power of darkness and did not flee even when he allowed you to. Instead you risked your lives to help Ichigo despite knowing you might be killed. Perhaps I have been too stern. You both realized what kind of sacrifices are necessary to become a master."
Aqua's eyes widened, "Are you saying…"
Eraqus nodded, "Yes. I believe that you and Terra deserve to finally receive a keyblade but remember that just because you have the keyblade it does not mean you are any stronger. You were able to fight effectively today with just your magic."
Before he stepped out of the room Eraqus addressed Ichigo one final time, "I have said that I will not be training you Ichigo and I stick by that decision but I do believe I have a solution in the works. If everything works out as it should I should be able to find a master to train you."
As Terra jumped in the air in celebration and Aqua smiled alongside him Ichigo's reaction was more pensive. He hadn't realized Eraqus refused to train him but he could understand his motives when he already had students. Perhaps whomever he found could help him gain enough strength to fight against someone like Gilgamesh.
"I'm going to go for a walk," he said as he stood up and headed for the exit, "I'll be back later."
...
By the evening the thunderstorms that had plagued the Realm of Departure had given way to a simple, but constant, rain that didn't appear to be letting up anytime soon. The denizens were beginning to suspect that the abrupt change in weather was an omen of things to come but to Ichigo it was just a reminder of how close he had come to death. After he left Aqua and Terra he had absentmindedly walked around the castle with no purpose or direction in mind. Eventually he had found himself in one of the least frequented corridors and decided to stay there for a short while to clear his mind.
As he leaned forward against the stone railing Ichigo's eyes may have been watching the rain flow in rivers off the castle around him but his mind was going over the day's events. He had come to the realization after seeing Gilgamesh take every one of his attacks and strategies without even losing his composure that perhaps simply fighting in close combat may not always be the smartest thing to do. Such a style may have worked against hollows since a zanpakuto was the only thing that could cleanse the corrupted souls but that didn't work here. If he was going to survive his second encounter with Gilgamesh he needed to learn magic.
Ichigo unconsciously scratched his chest before stopping himself and frowning. He really hated getting new clothes.
When he had regained consciousness in the castle infirmary the first thing he had noticed, after realizing he was still alive, was that his shirt and jacket were covered in his blood. That was to be expected. He did, after all, nearly bleed to death after Gilgamesh decided to skewer him. What he did not expect was for them to throw away his bloodstained clothing.
He protested as effectively as he could, given his condition, but whoever it was that treated him was adamant that his clothes were ruined. Ichigo tried to protest but found his opinions ignored. He had lived with his father, who was a doctor, and knew how to get blood out of clothes but no one was listening to him. So instead of doing the sensible thing they allowed Ichigo free reign to the spare clothes in the castle.
Now instead of wearing a dark blue jacket with yellow diamonds stitched across the front and around the back he wore a pure white hoodie with the emblem of a heart emblazoned on both his upper left chest and right sleeve. The white shirt had given way to a form-fitting red one much like Terra wore. The only difference being that Ichigo refused to wear the straps.
"I see you got yourself some new duds Ichigo," a familiar voice spoke from behind him, "They look good on you."
"Hey Yoruichi," he answered without turning around, "I didn't see you when I woke up."
Yoruichi huffed and walked forward until she was standing besides him, "I was giving the grounds around the castle a quick look-over. Eraqus may have been convinced Gilgamesh left but that guy is like a wet match in a dark cave. I wouldn't put it past him to trick us into thinking he's so insane that he's too insane to come up with a brilliant plan."
"I don't think he was insane, just extremely annoying."
There was silence for a couple of seconds except for the pitter-patter of the rain on the roof above. Eventually Ichigo asked, "So what are you doing up here?"
"What am I doing here?" Yoruichi scoffed and leaned forward until her face was inches from his, "That's a stupid question! I'm here because of the rumors that my student is acting like a real downer!"
Ichigo growled and pushed back, "How the hell am I your student if you never taught me anything?"
"Idiot!" Yoruichi slammed her forehead into Ichigo's, causing him to wince in pain, "Who do you think it was that came up with Kisuke's entire plan to help you regain your shinigami powers? That man may have been a genius but he could never create such a revolutionary training program without someone like myself helping him!"
Something in what she said caught his ear, "Back up a second. You created the shattered shaft?"
"Well, not that part," Yoruichi said unabashed, "That was actually Kisuke's invention. If none of this had happened I would have been the one to train you in using your new shinigami powers to the fullest. I would have taught you everything you needed to know to rescue Rukia Kuchiki from the Soul Society."
"Tell me something," Ichigo leaned forward and turned his head to Yoruichi, "You fought Gilgamesh. Just how strong was he? Sure I fought him but I could tell he wasn't actually trying."
Yoruichi hummed to herself, "That's a tough one. If we are simply going by his power I would put Gilgamesh somewhere around a low shinigami captain but there are several things that may make him even stronger."
He turned his head, "Such as?"
"The power of darkness for instance. I could tell Gilgamesh was holding back a lot of his actual power. He must have been fighting you with only a small fraction of his real power but for a large man he was surprising fast with exceptional reflexes. I was known as the Goddess of Flash and yet Gilgamesh was able to somewhat keep up with me. There are too many things I don't know about him to give you a proper answer though I can say one thing, when I fought him I was sure I could have defeated him."
"That's what I thought. I knew he was holding back but I didn't know it was that much. I was useless out there."
Yoruichi stepped back and folded her arms, "Instead of whining about it what are you going to do?"
Ichigo looked down at his clenched hand, "I'm going to have to get stronger. I have a keyblade but none of the training. I need to be prepared for next time Gilgamesh or someone like him comes after me. What about you Yoruichi?"
"Me?" Yoruichi asked confused before her face lit up, "I don't have a keyblade like you. All I have is this power of darkness that replaced my shinigami powers. Unlike you who basically started from scratch I need to relearn a lot of what I learned during my time as a shinigami. While you train to become a keyblade master I'm going to learn how to control the darkness without being corrupted by it. If that doesn't work I can just gain enough control to never worry about it corrupting my heart."
Yoruichi turned around and began walking away but before leaving said one last thing to him, "I knew Isshin well Ichigo. He wouldn't blame you for not being able to save them. I think he would actually be quite proud you've come so far without giving up. I promise that I'll help search for your sisters Ichigo."
With that said Yoruichi disappeared into the shadows of the castle leaving Ichigo alone with his thoughts.
...
"Were you going to depart without a farewell?"
Xehanort folded his arms, "The events of today have given me cause for concern Eraqus. The fact that this dark master so brazenly attacked what could be considered a bastion of power in the Realm of Light leads me to think they have something up their sleeves."
"Attacking is one thing but sending Gilgamesh is something else," Eraqus had fought the swordsman in the past. He knew first hand just how strong he was, "The question that is puzzling me is just how he found Ichigo so quickly. Ichigo wasn't in the Land of Departure for even a day before Gilgamesh appeared."
Xehanort turned his gaze downwards, "It seems we remain one step behind this dark master."
Eraqus seemed to think over his next words, "Today might be considered a victory."
"How so?"
"Today we not only repelled an assault from Gilgamesh, a being of the Realm of Darkness whose power is immense, but we also ensured Ichigo Kurosaki lived. This dark master obviously believes Ichigo could tie him to the destruction of Karakura so in the future he might start acting recklessly to ensure Ichigo's death. We can use that to our advantage."
"That is a good point," Xehanort stopped for a moment and looked through a nearby window, whose outer surface was slick with rain, "I will go out and warn the other masters of this dark master and to be wary of any stranger who has a keyblade. All twenty-seven masters have become familiar with each other after years of working together so seeing someone they don't know wield a keyblade should raise flags. Perhaps you are right about this dark master acting recklessly. If young Ichigo is trained properly and constantly evades his assassins he may feel the need to come out into the open to deal with the problem himself. That could be our trap. We just need to play our hand right and they will never know what hit them."
"Thank you," Eraqus nodded and held out his hand, "I am glad we were able to patch up our friendship after all these years."
Xehanort gave a genial smile, "Likewise Eraqus. I let my obsession for Kingdom Hearts and the χ-blade stain my heart with greed. After seeing what such obsession did to our friendship I realized that perhaps there are only things out there that I could pursue."
Eraqus was intrigued, "Such as?"
"We know of Kingdom Hearts of course but there are dozens of worlds out there that have never seen a keyblade or a master. Who knows what secrets and legends exist on such worlds? It would be a shame to let such knowledge fall into obscurity."
At the entrance to the castle where the lights finally began fading away Eraqus stopped walking. He watched Xehanort continue alone past him into the enveloping darkness outside.
