Hello everyone and welcome to another brand new chapter of this little story!
You know, I think it's pretty cool how much this story has been growing throughout the spawn of 6 months. Totally an amazing progress.
Anyway, up to some questions.
TheJSmooth:
Thanks, I really gave it a lot of thought when looking for an appropriate name that could also sound cool. And Aizen? I think this chapter will give you more insight on what is coming.
Guest Isa:
Thanks! I'm really working hard on giving the story a nice pace to avoid boring anybody. Sometimes people make stories where they just move so fast that it leaves me like WTF?! And others are so slow that I just can't continue. So it makes me glad that I'm not doing any of those mistakes. And no, to even think of Natsu becoming a Captain this soon is something that I would never consider. And YES about Acnologia, as those are exactly the same thoughts I had when I thought about bringing Acnologia to the Bleach world. He may be immune to magic, but he isn't to Reiatsu. Unless the attacks are elemental base. In a way, I just gave Natsu a new weapon to fight him. So yeah, while Acnologia isn't immune to it, it does not mean that he will be a push over, after all, he is currently a Hollow. And Aizen meeting Acnologia are a thought for another day.
TheLaughingStalkieTalkie:
About the sword, it's rather simple actually. The katana Natsu's father had was a simple manifestation Shōkyaku had that only worked as a container so he could exist and interact in the real world. But once it bonded with Natsu's soul, the spirit in it basically became a dormant Zanpakuto inside him and was now a part of him. Once Natsu awakened his Shinigami powers, the Zanpakuto was finally able to materialize, which is the same case with Ichigo.
Kenpachi3:
I agree with your statement, and saying that any Bleach character could easily win against him is completely wrong. Yes, Acnologia may present immunity to almost any sort of attack in the FT world, but Acnologia is still highly durable and too strong to just say something as ridiculous as that. Just take the dragons that came through the Eclipse Gate, they didn't have any immunity to the Dragon Slayers magic, yet they had nearly no problem in handling their attacks. And Acnologia is much stronger than them. The theory of him being immune to all magic because of eating a dragon's soul is something I come up with because it just makes so much sense to me.
Having said that, please enjoy this chapter
Chapter 10
It has been several days since Natsu learned the name of his Zanpakuto, and a lot of things have happened ever since. The Dragon Slayer has spent most of his days under the teachings of Yamamoto himself, learning about the Shinigami arts. And let's just say that his progress was not going very well.
While learning the name of his Zanpakuto was without a doubt a great step for the young Shinigami, when it come to performing Kidō, he just couldn't cast a single spell.
The incantations were just too long and complicated for him to memorize, as even the most basic of Kidōs ended up blowing on his face. It has been like that for days now. Even the Head-Captain was starting to get frustrated by the hopelessness of the pinkette.
In the end, they decided to leave Kidō for another time and instead focus on other things. Still, today was different though. Today Natsu was going to meet the Captain of Squad 12.
"Hello! Is the Captain of Squad 12 here!" Yelled Natsu, slamming his fist against the door.
There was no response at first, but the Dragon Slayer could hear a series of sounds coming from the other side. It was easy to figure out that there was someone there.
"I'm Natsu Dragneel, the old-man send me here!" He tried to call one more time, but still got no response. He prepared to hit the door once again, but stopped when the door suddenly slides open. "Oh. Hi there, I'm looking for-oof!"
"Would you shut up already! You are making to much of a fuzz you stupid baldy!"
"W-What the... Why the hell did you kick me!" He lifted his head despite the pain on his stomach and realized that his attacker was none-other than a little girl.
A girl that hardly seem to be eleven years old or even less.
"Don't you know that this is a lab?" She pointed an accusatory finger at him. "We can't have idiots like you barging in here whenever you feel like it, now get lost!"
"But…" He tried to explain himself, but she barely gave him any time to breath.
"I said go away!"
"What's with all the noise?" A voice came from inside the building. "Hiyori, I told you not to make so much-oh Dragneel-san, good to see you're finally here. Please, please, come inside!"
Behind the little girl stood a man with messy blond hair. Most importantly, he was wearing a Captain's haori. Natsu recognized him as the guy he saw during the meeting from the other day.
"The Head-Captain told me that you were coming, but I just didn't know when." The Captain said as they walked pass an annoyed Hiyori. "Oh, in case you didn't already know, my name is Urahara Kisuke, I'm the current Captain of Squad 12 and the one in charge of the newly formed Research and Development Institute."
The Dragon Slayer was given more words than what he could understand, but he nodded nonetheless. "Y-Yeah. The old-man told me that you would help me get back home."
"The old-man? Oh, you mean the Head-Captain? Heh, I never heard anybody call him like that before."
"You haven't? But he is old."
"He may be old, but he is regarded as the strongest Shinigami to ever live, so I'll be careful with how you address him in front of others." He warned him, but still continue to smile. "I'm not the best when it comes to formalities myself, but take it as a professional advice."
"I'll… I'll keep that in mind."
Walking pass multiple shiny machines and scientific equipment that Natsu could never hope to name, the Dragon Slayer found himself too distracted to watch where he was going.
Soon enough he found himself bumping into someone. "Ugh? Sorry I…"
"Watch where you are going you fool!" Yelled a man, who in Natsu's honest opinion, could only be described as the weirdest clown he has ever seen.
What's with all the makeup?
"Are you brain-dead or something? Get out of my sight, you are obstructing my work!"
Now that make Natsu snap from his thoughts and frown in annoyance. "Oi, I already apologized!"
"Ho? Seems like you are intelligent enough to understand basic language. Good, now use whatever little brain cells you have under that thick skull of yours and get lost."
Feeling how the clown-man's words were starting to get under his nerves, Natsu was about to retort. However, Urahara was quick to step between the two. "Sorry, sorry. I'm sure he didn't mean to interrupt you, Kurotsuchi-san. You see, this young boy here is Natsu Dragneel, I'm sure you already heard about him."
Kurotsuchi scoffed in annoyance. "Oh yes, I heard about you. The Head-Captain's new pet, if I'm correct."
Pet?
"Well, I don't care for what you do as long as it doesn't bother me, so let's hope we don't see each other again in the near future." Having said that, Kurotsuchi left without saying another word.
"What's his problem?" Natsu couldn't help but ask. Something on which Urahara shrugged.
"Do not take it personally, he is like that with everybody. He is very dedicated to his work, but when it comes to people, he tends to look down on those who he doesn't deem as intelligent enough for his standards."
The Dragon Slayer gave the blond Captain a strange look, finding it hard to believe that somebody could really posses such a twisted personality. Well, he has met his few share of individuals who did think in a similar way, but they weren't exactly human.
Then again, can a Shinigami even be considered human to begin with?
Unknown to Natsu, Urahara was actually glad that the mad scientist decided to leave them that easily. The reason for that being none-other than the pink-haired teen standing next to him.
The information about the Dragon Slayer's powers and his place of origin were kept as a secret that only the Captains, Central 46 and a select few of trusted individuals knew about. And it was better to keep things that way.
Knowing that the man Kurotsuchi Mayuri had a tendency of dissecting whatever he finds interest in, Urahara was grateful that the Dragon Slayer was spared of that fate.
Quite frankly, even he had to admit that he was quite interested in the pink-haired visitor and the world where he came from.
Interested to a point that when the Head-Captain assigned him the duty of supporting the Dragon Slayer on finding a way back to his world, he had zero to no objections on the matter. In fact, he considered himself lucky for that.
It was no secret among the Gotei that he himself was a curious person. Sometimes too curious for his own good, but he just couldn't help it. He wanted to learn everything that he could from the pink-haired traveler from another world.
"In any case, please follow me this way, Dragneel-san."
Seireitei. Research and Development Institute. Main Building…
"So, how are we going to do this then?"
"First things first, Dragneel-san. What do you know about the travel between worlds?"
Natsu scratched his head at the question. "Nothing really. I mean, I once went to another world called Edolas, but I don't really know how that even happened to begin with."
"Mmhmm, I see." Guiding the Dragon Slayer to a seat, Urahara continue. "Alright well, since I know you are still probably new to most of the things we Shinigami do, then allow me to explain from the beginning."
The pink-haired mage had to prevent a sigh from escaping. Am I about to get lectured?
"As you may have heard, we Shinigami take the job of guiding the souls of the departed from the Human World to the Soul Society. That also means that we must protect them from those that wish to bring them any harm and maintain the balance of souls."
The Captain took a scroll from under his sleeve and unroll it. What the piece of paper showed next was the drawing of a monster. One who's noticeable characteristic being the freaky mask covering it's face and the large hole that went through it's body.
"Now this Dragneel-san, is a Hollow."
"A Hollow?" Urahara nodded.
"These are creatures born from human souls that did not cross over to the Soul Society in time and stayed in the Human World for far too long. You could say that they are corrupted spirits that wish to devour other souls." He took the scroll back and put it back under his sleeve. "And it is our job to take care of them before they can do so. Are you following me se far?"
"I… I guess."
"Good enough." Taking a marker from his haori, the blond Captain drew a large circle on an empty white board, as he came to the conclusion that simplifying things this way would make things much. "Anyway, what I'm trying to explain to you is that for us Shinigami, there are three main worlds. The first one is the Soul Society, which is where we currently are."
Natsu took a moment to think, and then nodded soon afterwards.
The blond Captain drew another circle. "The second one is the Real World, the realm on which all of the humans reside in. And finally there is Hueco Mundo, the place where nearly all of the Hollows live in." He said as he drew one last circle.
Fortunately, the Dragon Slayer didn't have much trouble on keeping up with this new information. Everything sounded pretty simple.
"Now, what I'm trying to say is that we Shinigami can only travel from the Soul Society to the Human World by using the Senkaimon gate, which is our main method for traveling between worlds." He drew a straight line connecting to two circles. "But we can't use it to go to Hueco Mundo, let alone anywhere beyond the known worlds."
The Dragon Slayer gave the blond Captain a puzzled look. He was starting to feel a little lost.
"But that's a limitation that Hollows don't seem to have, for as you see, they can travel from Hueco Mundo to the Human World, and even to the Soul Society if they wish to." Urahara then proceeded to draw a couple of more lines that connected all the circles. "This is by using something known as a Garganta. Now, the reason why I'm telling you all of this is because I was able to come up with a small theory."
"Which is?" Natsu inquired.
"The idea to create a Garganta powerful enough that it could be capable of traveling beyond the known worlds." Urahara raised a finger at this, as if wanting to prove a point. "Which means that there may exists a very slight chance for you to return to your home world, Dragneel-san."
His eyes widened in complete shock. "R-Really?"
The Captain nodded with a sheepish smile. "Lucky for you I have actually been doing a lot of research on Hollows lately, so I'm quite knowledgeable on the subject."
"So will…will you really be able to send me back?" The pinkette questioned with a small gleam of hope.
"It is a possibility, but I believe I may be able to pull it off. There's a lot more of theory to this than what I explained, so it will probably take some time before I can reach any results. Oh! And before I forget."
Pulling something out a nearby drawer, Urahara retrieved what appeared to be a crystal orb before handing it over to the Dragon Slayer. "Pour some of your own Reiatsu into that, alright? And some of your magic too. I need to take a few samples from you so I can run some test for the investigation."
The pink-haired teen glanced at the small orb in question, but nodded soon afterwards. "Sure thing! I'll fill it all up just in a minute!"
"I'll take my leave then. I have been called for another meeting just now, so I cannot stay any longer." Said Urahara, seemingly satisfied with the young teen cooperative attitude. "Please try to not break anything while I'm gone, Dragneel-san."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say."
A few hours later. Seireitei. Barracks of Squad 1. Assembly Hall…
"…having said that, we still have yet to address the matter of the abnormal Hollow that has been causing problems in the Human World for the past weeks. Recent reports state that we have been receiving heavy losses on our stationary forces on the Real World. The Hollow continues to devour more souls while killing any Shinigami that it encounters."
All the Captains listened closely as the Head-Captain spoke. The meeting was almost at its end, so there was not much left to discuss.
"There has also been reports of sightings of this Hollow around the Rukongai, so it's obvious that it is no longer interested in the souls of the living. This threat has lasted long enough and it needs to be eradicated immediately." The Captain-Commander then turned his attention to the line of Captains on his right. His gaze came to a stop on one of the female Captains. "I will put Captain Shihōin in charge of hunting it down. I expect this to be taken care of as soon as possible."
Yoruichi wasn't surprised by the order. Quick jobs like this required precision and low profile, so it was obvious her Squad would be the best choice. "Hai, Head-Captain. But if I may, I would like to make a request."
"Speak."
"I would like to have Natsu Dragneel join the search party."
Now this came as a surprise for almost everybody inside the room. One could not help but wonder just why would the Head of the Shihōin Clan ask for their newest yet unusual addition for such a simple job?
"Declare your reasons behind such request."
Resting her hands on her sides, Yoruichi answered with a calm yet professional tone. "I heard that he is a good tracker, so I believe that his abilities could prove to be quite valuable for this mission." It was clear that having all of the extra-attention focused entirely on her did nothing to affect her.
"Doesn't the Stealth Force already posses people that specializes in tracking?" It was Captain of Squad 6, Kuchiki Ginrei, who questioned her motive.
"We do, but to cover the entirety of the Rukongai we'll need to make multiple search parties for each district, and we don't have enough trackers for that, so we are a little short." She turned back to Yamamoto. "Besides, I think that stretching his legs will do him some good. The boy has been stuck in here for weeks I believe, so I'm sure he must be pretty bored."
The Head-Captain stood in silence as he took a moment to consider the request. Captain Shihōin presented a few valid points about letting the Dragon Slayer go to extermination mission with her squad.
It could also help greatly in improving the pink-haired boy's new abilities and his relationship with the rest of the squads. There was no better place to put that sort of things in practice than on the field. Fighting Hollows was the perfect situation to do just that. Especially if this was his first mission.
"Very well then, I will allow Natsu Dragneel to participate on the Hollow extermination mission." The loud sound of his staff hitting the wooden floor came soon after. "Now, you are all dismissed."
Eight hours later. In the outskirts of the Rukongai. Forest near District 48…
"Are you sure this is the right way, Renji?"
"Of course I do! See, the map says we are around the middle districts…I think."
Rukia resisted the urge to sigh, if only to avoid distracting the red-hair any further.
It has been around two weeks since they left the Inuzuri district in their quest to go find Natsu, and they have spent the majority of that time walking nonstop.
It was obvious that they were already tired from the long trip, but they have made it too far to give up now. After all, this journey wasn't just for them, but for a friend.
Natsu.
The name of the pink-haired mage resounded inside her head one more time. She couldn't help but wonder how he was doing at this very moment. It's been long since they last saw him, so there was no way for them to tell. At this point she could only hope that he was alright.
"Hmm, that's weird, I thought a river was suppose to be here." Mumbled Renji. "Or was it a mountain?"
"We are lost?!" Rukia yelled in disbelief.
"Of course not! I just don't know where we are!"
"That's what being lost means, idiot!"
"Hey, don't call me that! Its that guy's fault for selling us such a stupid old-map!"
"You are the stupid one! I told you to not buy anything from him!
"Then how were we suppose to reach the place where all the Shinigami live if we don't even know where it is?!"
"By buying it from someone who wouldn't screw us over!"
As the two children continue to argue, unknown to them, a large shadow began to creep from behind the trees.
The beast growled as it carefully sniffed the air, searching for its prey.
"I smell…something…" It's spoke with a deep voice. It's lifeless white eyes reflecting the pair of children that were arguing non-stop. "I...smell…dragon…"
Not far from there…
The Hollow extermination mission has now begun.
The Stealth Force has divided their numbers into multiple groups. Each of them accompanied with their own tracker and send into the various locations where the Hollow sightings have taken place.
All in all, Soi Fon's group was currently crossing the forest near the 48 District, using Shunpo to move around the trees at an impressive speed. They still have yet to encounter anything, but as hours went, one question has remained inside the young assassin's head.
Why did I have to be stuck in the same group as the pink-haired idiot?!
That's right. Soi Fon's group consisted in none-other than her, a dozen of some of the best Shinigami that the Stealth Force could afford, and finally, Natsu himself.
She was sure that one way or another, Yoruichi-sama was somehow behind all of this.
"Oi Soy Sauce, what did you say we were looking for again?" Natsu remembered something about taking care of an animal of some sort. He wasn't paying any real attention during the mission briefing, so he had next to no clue.
"My name is Soi Fon! Get that into your head already or I swear I'll kill you myself!" She threatened with a dangerous tone, and Natsu couldn't help but sweat-drop at this. "Don't make me repeat myself, you understand?"
For some reason, he did not doubt that she would carry out her promise. "S-Sorry." He apologized with a nervous chuckle. Something to which the assassin huffed in annoyance before releasing a sigh.
She was aware that she only had to dealt with his stupidity for what was left of the mission, but it was by no means an easy task. The urge alone of sinking her blade into that knucklehead of his was already hard to ignore.
"We are hunting a Hollow. Supposedly, it has been causing a lot of problems in the Human World for some time now, but for some reason it came here to the Soul Society." She explained with a hard frown. "The higher-up think that it may be looking for something, but we have no idea of what it is."
"A... Hollow." Silently mumbled Natsu. From what he remembered from Urahara's short explanation, they were evil spirits that wished for nothing but to eat any soul that they can get their hands on or something like that.
Still, this mission kind of reminded him of some of jobs that he would take back when he was at the guild. Only that rather than fighting ghost, those were more about taking care of groups of bandits or some random dark guild.
He sure missed those days.
As they used Shunpo to move through the density of the large forest, Natsu realized that he was being left behind. Dammit, this is hard!
He was having a difficult time keeping up with the rest of the group, as he was still learning how to perform Shunpo properly. He understood how the technique works, but he still had a long way to go before he could even think of using it during an actual fight.
The Dragon Slayer's sensitive ears suddenly twitched. Was that a voice? It was, right? He asked himself, not entirely sure if he heard that right. He couldn't remember where he heard that voice from at first, but it sounded awfully familiar.
It took a few more seconds before the Dragon Slayer's eyes went wide in realization.
"Rukia."
Rukia didn't know how it came to this.
How is it that she and Renji were now running for their lives?
It wasn't even a minute ago when they both were doing nothing but bickering at one another. At least it was like that before a black creature came out of nowhere and attacked them.
They were left with no other option but to run.
The massive beast charged right at them with full intent of eating them alive. It was without a doubt terrifying to have such a scary monster chasing after them. Just like a nightmare.
It was only thanks to the monster's large size that they were able to avoid being devoured in the first place. It would keep crashing against the trees, giving them enough time to get away before it destroyed the wood from its roots and continue to chase after them.
But that was all it was to it. They were only gaining more time.
"I…I don't think I can keep…running for much longer." Mumbled Rukia between heavy breathing.
"Don't be stupid Rukia! Just hang out a little more!"
In full true, she could have probably run a lot more if it wasn't for the fact that she was already tired from the long trip. They were really unfortunate that the monster decided to attack them now of all times.
"ROAR!" The monster released its inhuman voice, shaking the forest to its very core as it continues to pursue them.
Rukia could already feel that her legs were slowly giving up what little strength they had left. Her pace was decreasing and her vision was getting blurry. She could barely see where she was going anymore.
"Dammit Rukia! Don't give up now!" Shouted Renji in frustration.
"I'm…I'm not! It's just that…" And just like that, her eyes widened when her feet trip over a root that was sticking out of the ground. O-Oh no!
Her mind froze as she felt herself crash against the muddy ground. And before they knew it, the monster was already upon them.
The creature stood in front of Rukia, staring her down. It's large lifeless eyes reflected her vulnerable small form. "You…smell like…dragon."
I-It speaks? She thought in shock. Its voice did nothing but make the petite girl tremble in terror even more as the creature reduced the distance between them. Is this really the end? Just like this? No… No, please no! Someone! Anybody help me…!
The monster opened its large jaw, ready to engulf her completely.
Please help me… Natsu!
*CLINK*
Without she could even register what was happening, a man dressed in black robes suddenly appeared out of thin air, stopping the monster's jaw dead on its tracks with a long sword.
Rukia didn't recognized who it was at first. She thought that it was another Shinigami, just like all the previous ones she has seen before. However, her eyes widened in disbelief once she saw the all-too-familiar pink hair resting on top of her savior's head.
"N-Natsu?"
"Yo Rukia, long time no see."
CHAPTER END
And there it goes! A reunion between friends is now taking place! Though I ain't sure of what to think of this chapter. It was a short one, but a necessary one to do.
Oh! And Natsu and Acnologia finally see each other after all this time? Wonder what is going to happen the next chapter, because I seriously have no clue of what is even happening. XD
There is also some hope for Natsu returning home. But will it even happen? Don't know either. He seems to have forgotten that he is dead though. And it seems like he is learning about Hollows as well.
Kurotsuchi Mayuri was another's fun part to write as well.
Also, Rukia and Renji are only kids, so it makes sense that that will be terrified of a hollow. Especially if it is Acnologia. In any case, I have a few surprises prepared for the next chapter, so I am really looking forward to it. Like seriously, a lot of fun.
In any case, please let me know what you think. Constructive criticism, ideas or suggestions are more than welcome. Cause please, it helps greatly to know what your opinions are, as they give me a better sense of direction on where do I want to take this story.
With that said, please have a nice day!