Hey everybody. First off, sorry this is a week late. I kind of got caught up in the craziness of life last week, so I was unable to post. Plus, my office was moving, been really busy at work, and busy at home also, so I just couldn't find the time to post. I wanted to last weekend, but I just didn't make it.
So, life is interesting to say the least. My sister and her fiancé got married in Jamaica a week ago. Heh, a day or two after they left, I heard about the trouble in Jamaica and was like "Great…", but it was all good. They were on the opposite end of the island where the trouble was. So, that worked out and they're married now. This week hasn't been the greatest in the world though… My car developed a hole in the oil pan Sunday, which was just terrific. I got it fixed and back already, but just annoying to deal with it, plus this is the second costly fix in the last few months. First the brake roaders needed machined back out, now the oil pan. Hopefully nothing else needs fixed anytime soon. Work has been stressful on top of things, with our office moving up one floor. We moved everything but our desks and computers last Friday, then took everything else up Tuesday. We had no internet Tuesday, but we did get some Wednesday, thankfully. On top of everything, the government has decided to change the funding for our contract. Well, the first part of our contract (broken up into intervals). The first part is for 3 months (I think it began in April or March, but I'm not sure) and then we get a nine month part. Anyways, they originally intended to fully fund us. Yesterday, we got a call, telling us it's only 30% funded… Our company unfortunately had to let 5-6 people at the home office go because of that. They're here till the end of the month, but still, that's awful. Our office, the branch, is unaffected, for the moment. That is so long as they find the funding provided for us that was rewarded to us by an earmark. Naturally, they have till the 29th to find that money, so why not throw a bit more uncertainty into the pile. But I was infuriated when I found out the government had changed their minds like that on the funding. Hell, it's complete nonsense. Alas, I only hope things work out.
So, looking at the work left on this story, I'm discovering not a whole lot is left. Probably 5 or more chapters, maybe. We'll see. Kind of short, I know, but it's all I got at the moment.
No reviews again on the previous chapter, so oh well. Still kind of disappointed at that, and the fact that no one read it for quite a while was not much help, but oh well. At least some are reading, though none are reviewing. That's probably the most frustrating part about everything I guess. I love to hear what people are thinking, but when I get no feedback, it's hard to make adjustments to my writing style. Oh well, I guess it's all good.
I'll probably post again next week since I was late last week, so until then, have fun! Enjoy!
Chapter 10
Folding his arms over his chest, Ichigo eyed his sparring partner for a few long moments before grunting out "Well, are we going to train sometime today, Shinji?"
Flashing his trademark grin, the blonde haired lion hanyou remarked "You're so impatient. Che, you could at least try and enjoy this sunny day."
"And you could quit being such a lazy bastard, but that'll never happen, so let's cut the crap and get down to training. We've been training my Shikai for the last few months, I think it's time to move on." the quarter demon tightly retorted.
Sighing, but quickly smirking like always, the lion hanyou drew his sword from it's sheath and brought it before his body horizontally. "Very well then, let's start today's session. I'm going to show you something you've yet to see. I'm sure you've been curious about my zanpakutō and it's abilities, haven't you?"
Staring at the blade before his opponent, the quarter demon commented "It had crossed my mind, but it was never really a major issue. I figured if you wanted to reveal your Shikai to me, you would when you were good and ready."
"Well, today is the day I reveal it." Shinji stated. "You see, Ichigo, there are all kinds of zanpakutō out there. Many are elemental types, but some fit into other classes."
Pointing his white cloth covered hilt poking out from behind the orange haired quarter demon, the lion hanyou added "Take your Zangetsu. Obviously, it's not an elemental type, nor is it a Kidō type. The category it fits under is melee due that it relies heavily upon armed combat and not maintaining use of it's special abilities alone. Your blade is meant to confront your opponent head on, but maintains the ability to lob attacks from a distance when necessary."
Processing the information given to him, Ichigo calmly asked "How many types are out there?"
"Hard to say." Shinji answered with a shrug. "Even I don't know that answer. Zanpakutōs for that matter even have subtypes. Many elemental ones have a subtype of some kind. There is fire, ice, lightning, etc, etc. The important thing is there are many types, so it helps if you learn how to combat some of those other types. That's the whole point of this exercise."
Eyeing the sword before his opponent, the quarter demon remarked "Then you're going to teach me how to deal with one of a different type, I take it."
Once more plastering a wide grin on his face, the blonde haired hanyou retorted "That's right, Ichigo. My zanpakutō type is far different from yours, and in some ways, far more dangerous. This sword of mine, it's name is Sakanade, and it has quite a nasty ability. Would you like to see it?"
"What the hell, I'm game for it."
Grin widening, the lion hanyou replied "Then get ready."
Moving his blade so that it was vertical and rising up several feet into the air with his hair and clothing rustling from the gentle breeze, Shinji coolly said "Collapse Sakanade."
Shimmering with a brilliant golden aura for a moment, the sword slowly became visible once more, revealing it's transformation. The pommel became a large ring and the first few inches of the blade had the guard reach up it. Five holes adorned three-fourths of the sword while the blade itself seemed even sharper than before.
Staring intently at the new form of his opponent's sword, the quarter demon reached up over his shoulder and drew his cleaver blade, causing the white cloth wrap to fall away.
"Surprised at the looks of Sakanade, aren't you?" Shinji questioned. "It's a great sword, and no matter what, no one is getting it. Not my hollow, not you, not my enemies."
Still eyeing the blade of his opponent while he slowly ascended into the air like the lion hanyou, the quarter demon remarked "That's fine by me, but it seems like it's got no aura to it, unlike other zanpakutōs."
Smirking, the hanyou answered "Better look again. Sakanade's powers are already at work. Isn't that a nice scent?"
Frowning at the hanyou's question, Ichigo suddenly felt like his vision had been turned upside down. His opponent was no longer standing above the ground, but rather the ground was seemingly in the sky.
"What the hell…" the quarter demon whispered.
Grinning like a mad man, Shinji sharply replied "You're finally seeing Sakanade's true power. Like I told you before, it's not a melee weapon, nor elemental. No, it is far from either. Instead, Sakanade is an illusion type. That is all I'll tell you for now. The rest, you'll have to figure out. Now come at me, Ichigo, if you can."
Letting out a light grunt of irritation, the quarter demon brought his blade before himself and charged forward, only to gasp softly when he found himself not getting any closer to his opponent, but rather further away. Looking before himself, he also saw that his sword was not before himself. Puzzled, he looked down to find he was instead looking up at the ground.
"Man, this never gets old." Shinji commented with a chuckle. "The look on your face is priceless! You look so lost and confused right now!"
Growling, Ichigo again attempted to move forward, but found he was once more moving away from the hanyou. Angered by this realization, he noticed that the lion hanyou was slowly moving towards him at a casual pace.
"Damn, how is he moving towards me, yet I'm moving away from him! There has to be some trick to his zanpakutō. He told me it was an illusion type, which I'm guessing is why we're upside down at the moment, but what else does it do?"
Instinctively, the quarter demon glanced downwards towards his blade, only to note he was actually looking at the ground below him, which was over his head.
"I looked down, only to look up. That must mean…"
"I think I understand…" Ichigo quietly murmured while keeping his eyes hidden beneath the shadows of his bangs. Raising his head to look at the lion hanyou, he said "Your zanpakutō, it reverses everything. Left is right, up is down, and forward is backward. It reverses all directions, leaving your opponent distraught and confused."
Eyes widening when he saw the lion hanyou vanish, the quarter demon suddenly felt the touch of cold steel against his neck. "You're partially right, Ichigo."
"Sakanade not only reverses all directions, but it affects all five of your senses. For example, your sense of sight has been reversed. I'm sure you noticed it when you looked down, only to find you were looking up instead. tI neve sesrever eht esnes fo dnuos."
Lightly gasping, the quarter demon eyes widened a fraction more while he frantically tried to process what the lion hanyou had just told him. "Why couldn't I understand him? It's like he's speaking… backwards. Damn, his zanpakutō's power is intense."
Smirking at the reaction he was getting from the quarter demon, Shinji took his blade away from the quarter demon's neck and moved before him.
"You are beginning to comprehend just how difficult it is to fight me with my Shikai released. A warrior generally tends to rely on their instincts in battle. That's why Sakanade's power is so great. Anyone will tell you instinct is what guides you to victory, but how can you rely on those instincts when they don't work properly? No one can adjust the fighting style to do the opposite of what they were taught. For that reason, Sakanade is difficult for anyone to handle. It'll probably take you at least a few days to…"
Hearing the sound of a blade slicing through the wind, the lion hanyou leapt backwards as suddenly the large cleaver blade of the quarter demon narrowly missed him. Looking at the quarter demon, the hanyou noted a smirk on his opponent's face.
"You were saying?"
Softly gasping, Shinji smirked, saying "Very nice that you figured out how to lash out at me while I was talking. However, I bet you can't do much else. I want you to try getting used to my Shikai for a while before we begin to spar, unless you want to get cut up pretty bad and have to have your little girlfriend heal you."
Annoyed, Ichigo grunted out "Fine, I'll try it your way."
000
000
Grinding her blade against her opponent's, the bobcat demoness let out a low growl of frustration as sweat slid down her brow. Her hair was pulled back into a high ponytail rather than it's usual bun. Her opponent, a neko hanyou, was completely opposite; she had a calm face and book open in her left hand while quietly reading it.
"Lisa, are you going to take this fight serious at all?" Orihime ground out.
Not bothering to look up from her book as she flipped to the next page and parried another slash from her opponent, Lisa answered "If you can make me drop it I might."
Vanishing suddenly, the orange haired demoness reappeared behind her opponent, poised to plunge her sword into her back. Striking out, she was not too surprised when the neko dropped her book to the ground and blocked the attack with the broad side of her sword. Doing so sent a shower of sparks flying to the ground.
"You sure know how to ruin a good book. It was just getting to the good part." the neko pouted.
Grinding the tip of her sword against the broad side of her opponent's blade, the bobcat demoness retorted "Sorry to be a killjoy, but I want to seriously train today. It's been the same for the last few weeks with you, so I thought it was time to up the ante."
Pushing off and back flipping, the neko came to rest thirteen feet away and smirked slightly. "I guess I have been a bit too easy on you. Perhaps it's because I didn't think you'd train so hard in such a short amount of time on your swordsmanship. After all, training for both Kidō and swordsmanship is nuts."
"Yeah, it is a bit difficult." the bobcat demoness admitted. "Learning Kidō has been relatively easy for me once I got past my first month or two. However, training to learn how to use a sword is not quite so easy."
Smiling, Lisa replied "You're a long range fighter is why. Kidō in itself is meant to be long range, as well as defensive. From what I can tell from the way you've always used your powers, your style of fighting is more suited to how Hachigen fights, which is from a distance and defensively."
"However, it is better to be trained for close range combat, just in case you cannot maintain that distance." the neko added. "I'm guessing that's why Hachigen suggested you train for both."
Nodding her head, the bobcat demoness curtly said "Yeah, he wanted me to get the hang of fighting with a sword. He commented that he had to learn how to wield a sword too, but added that he's still not very good at it."
"It's admirable that you're at least trying." Lisa stated. "Still, that doesn't mean that I will go easy on you. After all, you knocked my book out of my hand, meaning you'll have to pay for not letting me finish that terrific love making scene."
Rolling her eyes, Orihime brought her sword up before herself, saying "I expect nothing less."
000
000
Banging on the large wok with a big spoon, Kensei yelled out "Lunch is ready, you maggots!"
Walking from the training grounds towards the small eating area, the group of eight picked up a bowl each and took seats among the small clearing. Sitting down himself against a large leafy tree, Kensei picked up his chopsticks and began shoveling in the curry he had fixed.
"Why did you fix curry again, Kensei?" Mashiro whined. "Every time you cook, that's all you make!"
Vein popping out on his forehead, the white haired hanyou angrily fired back with pieces of curry spewing out of his mouth "Shut up and eat what I fixed! Be thankful I can cook, unlike you and your burnt attempt of crap that you call food!"
"She does have a point. Curry is about the only thing you ever cook, which isn't saying much since it's always so bland."
All eyes slid over to young man with lower back length blonde hair with several curls in it, strange light brown eyes, and a slender body build. He wore an open black kimono top with a white undershirt that was ruffled in the middle, along with black pants. Sitting on his left hip was a sword with a four pointed star guard and a green wrapped hilt.
Glaring at the one that spoke, Kensei yelled "Who the hell asked you, Rose! I can't help it that most of us are sensitive to spices!"
"It's a shame that a lone wolf hanyou has so much trouble with spices." Lisa commented.
Vein seemingly popping out even more, the wolf hanyou began to reply when he was cut off by Love. "Guys, why can't we all get along? Kensei did a good job with making us lunch, so let it go."
A few grumbles of appreciation were muttered but not before Love added "But I have to agree, this stuff is pretty bland."
Jumping up with anger flashing in his eyes, the wolf demon screamed out in frustration, but not before walking over to the pot that held the remainder of the curry. With one heavy fist, he sent the pot flying through the air and into the nearby forest, where a resounding thud sounded throughout the area.
"You bastards can cook for yourselves from henceforth! It wasn't my fault that Hiyori happens to be gone and I got stuck volunteering to fix lunch for you assholes!"
With that said, the wolf hanyou stomped away, leaving the remainder of the group watching his retreating form. Ichigo, Orihime, Hachigen, and Neliel all four sweat dropped at the humorous scene. Shinji just smirked like always before returning to eating his lunch. Slowly, the others decided to eat as well, with exception of the teal haired demoness.
Noting the solemn look on the teal haired demoness's face, Orihime spoke up, asking "Lady Neliel, is something wrong?"
Waking from her thoughts, Neliel let out a light sigh before setting her food down next to herself on the ground. "It's Hiyori. She should have been back from her trip to see Urahara by now. She never takes this long to return. Something is the matter."
"Perhaps those two finally spent some time together and are best pals in the world." Shinji murmured while eating.
Giving the lion hanyou a deadpanned look, Ichigo muttered "Only if Hat-and-Clogs were dead."
"Agreed." Love chimed in.
"Without a doubt, that's the only way you could get those two to be reasonable with one another." Rose commented.
Standing up, the teal haired demoness turned towards the quarter bobcat and bobcat demoness, saying "Once you're done eating, I wish to speak to both of you."
Receiving a nod of agreement from each and watching the two beginning to eat hurriedly, the teal haired demoness quietly walked back to her hut, leaving the group to their lunch.
Five minutes passed before the bobcat mage and quarter demon walked into Neliel's hut. She was sitting by the fire pit with a kettle of tea on it and silently staring at the flames of the fire.
Standing, Neliel calmly said "Ichigo, Orihime, I want the two of you to go out and search for Hiyori. Urahara would have sent some kind of message if something had come up. It's only a two day journey there, with a day of letting Kisuke do what is needed, at most, and then a two day journey back. Hiyori almost always is back within five days. It's been seven days since she left, and I'm certain that's not due to Kisuke keeping her there."
"We'll go out and look for her immediately, Lady Neliel." Orihime voiced, earning her a raised eyebrow from the quarter demon.
Letting out a sigh, Ichigo acknowledged the decision, saying "Alright, we'll go find that pain in the ass."
"Thank you, both of you." the teal haired demoness thanked.
Leaving the hut, the quarter demon and demoness soon reached the outer part of the barrier that surrounded the village. Eyeing the outside of the barrier cautiously, the pair found no one nearby and exited.
Finding a familiar trail, the quarter demon broke into a light jog with the demoness following right beside of him with her white haori fluttering in the wind. Smiling, he picked up his pace and began focusing on the task ahead.
"Do you think this is the way Hiyori went?"
Nodding his head, Ichigo answered "Yeah, this is the way all of us always take, that way if something happens, we can find that person quickly, with a little luck."
"I hope Hiyori is alright." the demoness commented.
"Che, she's probably just goofing off, knowing that battle hanyou." Ichigo snorted. "She's always causing trouble, so it's not shocking she'd go missing."
Frowning, Orihime asked "Did you say she's a battle hanyou? Like a half battle demon?"
"That's right, you didn't know. I need to remember these things more often." the quarter demon commented. "Yeah, Hiyori is a half battle demon. I'm sure that explains a lot of her attitude to you already, right?"
Softly chuckling and nodding her head, the bobcat demoness replied "Yeah, it does, I suppose. I had always wondered why she was so brutal in her training, and that kind of explains it."
Chuckling himself, the quarter demon added "She doesn't know the meaning of finesse or holding back."
Brow furrowing, he mumbled "I do hope she's fine. It's rare for her to be late."
"Me too…"
Refocusing his attention ahead, the quarter demon called out "Let's hurry up and find her so we can make sure she's fine."
Smiling back, the bobcat demoness replied "Right."
000
000
Glancing up at the sun to see it slowly sinking into the horizon, the quarter bobcat could not help but let out a low growl of irritation. To his right, the bobcat demoness was continuing to scan the area, but like the quarter bobcat, frustration was beginning to set in.
Sniffing the air routinely, Ichigo's widened a fraction when he picked up a miniscule amount of a familiar scent. Coming to a skidding stop, he began deeply inhaling the air around himself, finding that the scent he had picked up was the one he had been searching for.
Coming to a stop not far away, Orihime asked "That's her scent, isn't it?"
Nodding his head, the quarter demon frowned for a moment. "I can't sense her aura anywhere, plus this scent is at least two or three days old. I'm lucky I picked it up at all."
Scanning the area, the demoness and quarter demon searched for any signs of the battle hanyou, but no visible ones were seen. Splitting up, the two began examining the ground near where the scent was, with the quarter demon soon calling out for the demoness. Arriving at his side, she saw a small trace of blood on the ground.
"Someone found her and probably knocked her out." Ichigo commented as he ran his hand over the place where the blood stained the ground. Standing back up, he added "She took a pretty rough blow, but it's obvious it wasn't meant to kill her. For some reason, someone wanted her alive."
Mutely nodding her head, Orihime softly whispered "But who would attack her?"
Eyes slanting off towards the woods, the quarter demon quietly replied "I think we're about to find out. I sense someone coming."
Turning to face the direction the quarter demon was, the bobcat demoness's hand slid to the hilt of her sword instinctively. Reaching for the hilt of his own sword on his back, the quarter demon waited patiently for the person in the woods to reveal themselves.
A few moments passed before the figure walked out, revealing he was a young looking demon with long upper back length silver hair, aqua colored eyes, and pointed ears. He wore a black robe that hid the remainder of his body, with exception of a set of black boots and gloves sticking out. His face had a calm demeanor reflecting within it, though his eyes seemed to mask something deeper.
Flashing a small smile to the pair while he continued to move towards them, the silver haired demon smoothly said "Greetings to both of you."
"Who are you and state your business." Ichigo shot back.
Putting his hands up apologetically, the silver haired demon replied "I'm sorry for the intrusion. My name is Riku Xehanort, a wolf demon from the Eastern Lands. I am here on official business to meet with someone within the Northern Lands. Simply put, I am an emissary from Lord Sasuke."
Keeping his stance rigid, the quarter demon removed his hand from the hilt of his sword and calmly said "I see. I have a question ..."
"Pardon this interruption, but I thought it was customary when a person shares their name for the other person to share their own." the wolf demon commented.
Visibly relaxing, the bobcat demoness spoke up, saying "My name is Orihime Inoue, and this is Ichigo Kurosaki."
Eyeing both, the silver haired wolf demon smiled and nodded his head. "Pleased to make your acquaintances, Ichigo and Orihime."
"Now that the pleasantries are over, I want to ask you something." the quarter demon spoke up, earning attention from the wolf demon. "Have you seen a blonde haired half battle demon running around? Her hair is usually bound up in two pigtails and a fang poking out of her mouth. She also wears a red top and pants, with a white undershirt."
Placing his hand under his chin for a moment, the wolf demon shook his head, saying "No, I have not. Sorry to disappoint you."
Receiving a nod from the two bobcats, the wolf demon remarked "I do have a favor to ask myself. Tell me, do you know where Lady Neliel is? She is the one I am to make contact with for Lord Sasuke."
About to answer, the quarter demon stopped when he began picking up the faint scent of the battle hanyou. Focusing in on the scent, he pinpointed it to the black robes that the wolf demon wore.
"Something is amiss. Hiyori's scent is on him, but he told us he didn't see her. I think he's lying…" the quarter demon murmured.
Gripping the hilt of Zangetsu tightly once more and pulling it from his back, Ichigo pointed the blade at the wolf demon, demanding "What have you done with Hiyori!"
Cocking his head to the side with a puzzled look, Riku responded with "I don't know what you mean. I've already told you, I've not seen her."
"You're lying!" the quarter demon roared. "I maybe just a quarter demon, but my sense of smell is better than you think. Her scent is on your robes."
Gripping the hilt of her own sword, Orihime hardened her stare at the wolf demon. "How could I have missed that!" she mentally berated herself.
Smirking, Riku smartly said "If you mean some weakling girl I ran into the other day, then I suppose yeah, I did see her. I asked her a simple question like I did with yourselves, for I wanted to know where Lady Neliel was. Instead, I received a snobby answer from that brat before she stormed off. She came back through here though, and that's when I took her captive."
"Unfortunately, she's been unconscious for the last three days, so I've been unable to interrogate her for the location of Lady Neliel. However, I believe you two know where she lives, so I shall have to get that information from one or both of you."
Letting out a loud angered battle cry, the quarter demon suddenly charged towards the wolf demon. Noting this, the wolf demon held his right hand out, causing a white glow to form within his hand. Appearing within it from the glow was a four foot sword that had a dark blue curved blade that had spikes flaring out from the backside of it that had red filling in the gaps like skin. The bottom of the blade came to a stop with half a foot from the guard, where it curved inwards, giving it a bit of a niche. A light blue eye with a single slit adored the guard with a black hilt.
Grasping hold of his blade, the wolf demon quickly raised his blade to parry the incoming attack, sending sparks flying and the sound of steel clashing throughout the area.
Grinding his blade against the wolf demon's, Ichigo yelled out "Orihime, go find Hiyori! She must be near here!"
"Right!"
Hearing the demoness leave, the quarter demon pushed off from the wolf demon and brought his cleaver blade before himself. "Bastard, you'll pay for hurting Hiyori!"
"Like a mere quarter breed could do so." Riku disinterestedly remarked. "You're hardly worth my time."
Gripping the hilt of his blade tightly, the quarter demon raced forward with the blade at his right side, yelling out "We'll see about that!"
Drawing his blade over his head when he was within range of his opponent, the quarter slashed out at the silver haired demon. The two blades clashed as the wolf parried the attack, but soon found himself skidding backwards from the impact. Coming to a stop by digging his feet in, the silver haired wolf launched himself forward and struck out at the quarter demon with one hand on his hilt. Instinctively, the quarter demon parried and managed to hold his ground. Preparing to draw back his sword for a quick strike, the quarter demon was shocked when the wolf suddenly leapt high into the air.
Looking up, the quarter demon growled out "Oh no you don't!"
Launching into the air, Ichigo's blade soon found Riku's, with the two blades colliding in mid-air and seeking dominance over the other. The pair continued to struggle even when they finally landed back on the ground, with neither willing to give up.
Eyes widening, the quarter demon leapt back several feet and stared at his opponent. "Just one hand each time? I've been using both and he's repeatedly only needed one hand to block or strike. Is he just toying with me at the moment?"
"What's wrong, quarter demon?" Riku asked, breaking Ichigo out of his thoughts. "Am I proving to be too much for you to handle alone?"
"Hardly." the quarter demon dryly remarked.
Suddenly vanishing, the wolf demon instantly reappeared four feet behind the quarter demon, asking "What are you looking at? I'm behind you."
"I know that." Ichigo tersely replied. "Damn, this is bad. He's much faster than I originally thought. My eyes can keep up, but my body can't. There is no way I can keep up with him like I am, but I really don't want to unleash my Bankai to combat him either. For now, I'll let it play out and see how things go."
Vanishing once more, the wolf demon suddenly appeared before the quarter demon with his blade coming straight down for the quarter demon's head. Reacting quickly, the quarter bobcat countered with a horizontal parry.
"Ah, your reaction time isn't too bad after all. Perhaps I was wrong to think you wouldn't give me any sort of a challenge."
Lunging forward and shoving the wolf demon away, the quarter demon drew his blade above his head vertically and swung it downwards hard, yelling out "Getsuga Tenshō!"
Flying forward from the cleaver blade was a light blue crescent moon shaped blade of energy at a high rate of speed. Cruising along, it tore through the ground like it was nothing, leaving a crevice carved out in it's wake.
Eyeing the incoming attack, the wolf demon simply moved his empty hand before himself and smoothly said "Dark Shield."
Projecting before himself in a flash was a half dark circle barrier. The blade of light blue energy struck the barrier, causing a small explosion to fill the air, but it was revealed quickly that no damage was done to the barrier as the smoke faded away.
"That is an interesting technique, quarter breed." Riku commented. Smirking, he added "Now let me show you a real attack."
Bringing his blade before himself and pointing it straight at the quarter demon, the wolf demon focused his energy to the tip of the blade, causing a small sphere of dark light to form.
"Buster Beam."
Launching forward from the sphere of energy was a massive cylindrical spiraling beam of dark crackling energy. It moved faster than the quarter demon's attack had and seemed to have far more power.
Studying the incoming beam of energy for a moment, the quarter demon drew up his sword high above his head with his light blue demonic aura flaring to life around his body. With a mighty swing, he screamed out "Getsuga Tenshō!"
Bursting forth from the downward swinging blade of the quarter demon, the blade of light blue energy raced forward towards the spiraling beam of energy. The two met head on, each seemingly not willing to give an inch to the other. A moment passed before suddenly the blade of energy shattered, giving way and letting the spiraling energy to continue towards the quarter demon.
"I'll never be able to move in time! I guess I have no choice but to block it."
Raising his left hand to his face, the quarter demon suddenly dragged it down diagonally, causing a thick black demonic aura to cover his face momentarily. Before anything could be seen or done, the spiraling energy connected with the quarter demon, sending out a massive explosion with lots of dust and smoke into the air.
Turning away and beginning to walk, the wolf demon murmured "That was such a waste of my time."
"Who said we were done?"
Stopping mid-stride, the wolf demon turned to find the quarter demon emerging from the smoke and dust with no damage. Eyeing him over, the wolf remained silent for a few moments.
"What's the matter, didn't expect to see me again?" Ichigo bantered.
Allowing a small smirk to form on his face, Riku coolly replied "No, I did not. That should have finished you off. I'm certain you didn't evade it, so how did you survive it?"
Hoisting his cleaver blade onto his right shoulder, the quarter demon answered "Sorry, but that's a trade secret."
Silence engulfed the pair of combatants for a few moments before the quarter demon spoke up, saying "I must admit, you're stronger than I originally thought. Using my Shikai alone, there is no way to keep up with you. I had hoped to not need to unleash my Bankai, but I see there is no choice left if I want to win this fight."
Pulling the blade off of his shoulder, the quarter demon brought it straight before his body and placing his left arm to the inside of his right elbow. Feeling the white cloth wrap coming off of the hilt beginning to wrap around his right arm and all the way up to his shoulder, he smirked slightly before yelling out "Bankai!"
Black demonic aura with red mixed into the outer parts of it flared all around the quarter demon, obscuring him from the wolf demon's vision. A moment passed before the black aura vanished to reveal the quarter demon wearing a long tattered black trench coat, bandages around his mid-section, and a smaller black katana with a foot long chain hanging off the hilt.
"Tensa Zangetsu."
Running his eyes over the quarter demon's new appearance for a moment, Riku coolly said "So, this is your Bankai. I wouldn't have thought a quarter demon as young as you could achieve something so difficult. I have heard many demons struggle to get to this point when wielding a zanpakutō. In fact, most never achieve Bankai, yet you, who are so young, have achieved it like it was nothing at all."
Reaching up and loosening the cords that held his robe in place, the wolf demon shrugged them off, revealing that his body was rather well built, but not too muscular. He wore black body suit that conformed to every curve and covered every inch of him, blue boots that came up to his upper calves in length, a white tattered cloth that wrapped around his waist and fell to his knees, and a strange dark heart shaped emblem on his chest.
"It's been a while since I could cut loose and enjoy myself." the wolf demon stated. "I hope you do entertain me, Ichigo Kurosaki."
Bringing his black blade before himself, Ichigo retorted "Don't worry about that. I think you'll find I'm every bit of a challenge."
For a few long moments, the pair stared one another down. Finally, the pair vanished at the same time, reappearing mid-air with their blades clashing against one another. The two disappeared again, only to emerge once more higher than before. Again and again, the two fighters vanished, reappearing in different locations with their swords clashing against one another's.
After fighting like this for fifteen minutes, the pair separated. Bringing his sword before himself, the wolf demon formed a sphere of dark energy. Smirking, he called out "Breaker Beam!"
Smirking at the incoming beam of spiraling dark energy, the quarter demon horizontally swept his sword through the air, crying out "Getsuga Tenshō!"
Black demonic energy rushed forward in a crescent moon shape and met the spiraling dark energy mid-way between the two combatants. The two attacks ground against one another for a minute, neither willing to give up. Finally, the two exploded with neither winning dominance over the other.
"Interesting…" Riku commented. "Your attack is even with my own now. So, you are more powerful than you originally let on."
Returning his trademark cocky smirk, Ichigo remarked "Perhaps."
Disappearing, the quarter demon suddenly reappeared behind the wolf demon with his sword poised to plunge through his opponent's shoulder. Before he could pierce his opponent, the wolf vanished into thin air himself, but appeared several feet higher than the quarter demon with his leg out and intending to deliver an axe kick. Slightly smirking at this, the quarter demon faded away and soon rematerialized in front of the wolf demon. Slashing out at one another, the two fighters' blades slammed against one another, sending a shower of sparks into the air.
Grinding their blades against one another's, the two soon disappeared into thin air, only to reappear several times throughout the sky with their blades crossing again and again. At long last, after several minutes of trading blows, the two fighters reappeared on the ground, each panting slightly and eyeing one another for weaknesses.
Catching his breath quickly, Riku casually said "This is the best fight I've had in a long time."
"I've got to admit, it has been a great fight thus far." Ichigo commented. Pausing for a moment, he added "However, it's far from over. Why did you attack Hiyori?"
Shrugging, the wolf demon retorted "I told you already. I want to know the location of Neliel. I will find her, by any means necessary."
"That's the difference in the two of us." the quarter demon interjected. "Any means necessary is not always the right way. Did it ever occur to you or the Lord of the East that maybe Neliel doesn't want to be found?"
"It doesn't matter." Riku answered. "She will hear what Lord Sasuke offers, but to do that, I must find her, no matter what it takes to do so."
Remaining silent for a few moments, the quarter demon finally responded, saying "You don't seem to get it. I guess I have no choice but to beat some sense into your head."
000
000
Following the scent of the wolf demon, Orihime found that the scent of Hiyori was starting to grow stronger. Inhaling the air around her deeply, the bobcat demoness began looking around when she found the scent was stronger than before.
"Where could he have put her?" she questioned aloud.
Gray eyes scanning the forest, the bobcat demoness found nothing. Frowning, she let out a heavy sigh before her eyes fluttered shut and began reaching out with her other senses, attempting to find any signs of the battle hanyou. Finding no signs, she slowly banished the background sounds, scents, and auras from her mind. With all of them gone, she began sweeping the area once more, making sure not to exclude anything that was a clue to the whereabouts of the hanyou.
Picking up on the faint demonic energy of a barrier, she keyed in on it with her sense of smell, finding that the scent of the battle hanyou was most definitely strongest there. Opening her eyes, she moved to the location to find what looked like a set of stones. Reaching out to touch the stones, she found instead that it was a shimmering black translucent barrier, and within was the hanyou she had been searching for.
Touching the barrier once more, she found that it's strength was great enough to repel her hand, making her rethink her approach. "If I'm not careful, I may hurt Hiyori when I break it. I have to be patient with this. Hachigen showed me how to break one with my powers, so it's time to see if I can do it."
Stepping back a few feet, Orihime focused solely on the barrier. Finding it was domed out enough for her to attempt what she had planned, she whispered "Tsubaki."
Glowing to life, a piece of her snowflake hair pins shot out and formed a small male fairy dressed in a black jumpsuit with a small amount of red on it. He had a head full of brown spiky hair and tanned skin. Around his nose down to his lower neck, he wore a tanned scarf that flowed off of his back. On each of his sides were two black wings, with two others coming off of his calves.
"Yo." Tsubaki greeted in an annoyed tone. "Finally decided to use me again?"
"Yes, but I need you to listen carefully." the bobcat demoness reprimanded. Pointing at the black translucent barrier, she softly said "I need you to carefully hit that barrier where I point you to. Inside is a hanyou that I know and came out to find. When you fly in…"
"Yeah, yeah, be careful not to hurt her. Sheesh, you'd think I was an amateur the way you're making things." the fairy grumbled.
Sighing, the bobcat demoness apologetically said "I'm sorry. It's just that this needs pinpoint precision. One wrong move and we could accidently hurt Hiyori."
Folding his arms over his chest, the fairy grunted out "I'll be mindful."
"Thank you."
Turning her full attention to the place in the barrier where she wished to strike, she focused her vision and called out "Koten Zanshun! I reject, I reject!"
Glowing brilliantly with a bright orange aura, the fairy suddenly transformed into what looked like an arrowhead. In a flash, the weapon went flying straight towards the black barrier with the demoness pointing her palm towards it. She adjusted the flight a bit with her hand, making the arrowhead respond. Reaching the barrier, the arrowhead hit the top part of it with a great deal of force and shattered the barrier instantly.
Returning to the demoness, the arrowhead glowed brightly for a moment before returning to it's place in her snowflake hairpin. Softly smiling, she quickly ran over to the place where the barrier once stood to find the battle hanyou within completely unharmed from the barrier being destroyed.
Smiling, Orihime softly said "Hiyori, just hold on. I'm going to heal you. Sōten Kisshun! I reject, I reject!"
Breaking off from her two hairpins in a blinding light were two arrowheads. Spreading apart, the two formed an oval of orange energy around the unconscious blonde haired hanyou.
000
000
"Getsuga Tenshō!"
"Buster Beam!"
A black with red outline crescent moon of energy and an opposing spiraling black stream of energy slammed into one another with great force, neither giving an inch. Dust flew in several directions from the impact and the ground underneath the pair began to rip asunder. After nearly a minute of grinding against one another, the two blasts exploded, sending dust and debris flying in all directions.
Panting slightly while keeping their eyes trained on one another, the quarter demon and wolf demon both couldn't help but feel a small amount of irritation from their attacks cancelling one another out.
"Looks like we're even." Ichigo commented.
Ignoring the comment, Riku glanced in the direction that the bobcat demoness had disappeared to. Eyeing it for a moment, he mumbled lowly "She broke my barrier. Damn…"
Launching himself in the direction the bobcat demoness had left for, the wolf demon let a small snarl escape from his lips. Watching this, the quarter bobcat was confused and gave pursuit.
"Where the hell are you going? Our fight isn't over yet!" the quarter bobcat called out.
Receiving no answer, the quarter demon's brow furrowed, confusing him further. Keeping within ten feet of the wolf demon, the quarter demon began sniffing the air, attempting to find out what the wolf was in a rush to leave for.
Picking up two familiar scents and auras, his eyes widened a fraction. "That's Orihime and Hiyori's scents, without a doubt. Orihime must have found her, but why is he going to them…"
Eyeing the wolf ahead of him, he noted that the sword he carried had the small sphere of dark energy on the tip of it, much like how it looked when he was about to be attacked previously.
"He intends to kill her! Damn, I need to get ahead of him, somehow!"
Pushing more energy into trying to outrun his opponent, the quarter demon quickly found his speed could only match that of the wolf demon. Sniffing the air, he found the scent of the bobcat demoness was growing stronger and stronger. All at once, he caught glimpse of the familiar orange glow from her powers.
Seeing the wolf demon had drawn his blade up and was aiming it in the direction of the orange glow, Ichigo screamed out "Don't do it Riku!"
Ignoring the quarter demon, Riku coldly said "Breaker Beam."
Launching from the tip of his blade instantly was a familiar spiraling beam of black energy. It went racing through the forest, tearing through any trees that stood in it's path in a direction of the orange glow.
"ORIHIME, WATCH OUT!" Ichigo yelled at the top of his lungs as he rushed past the stationary wolf demon and chased after the stream of energy.
Head snapping around, Orihime glanced through the forest to spot the spiraling energy racing towards her. Shock took hold of her for a few long moments, making it seem like an eternity.
Noting the shocked reaction on the bobcat mage's face, the quarter demon attempted to race ahead of the energy, only to find it was moving a touch quicker than himself.
"I have no choice then…" he murmured as he brought his left hand before his face and raked it down diagonally, causing black demonic energy to flare around his face.
Not seeing the quarter demon, the demoness awoke from her stupor and quickly gathered her wits. "Santen Kesshun! I reject, I reject!"
The remainder of one of her snowflake hairpins completely emptied out while all but one piece was left of another. Forming before her were three arrowheads in a triangular pattern. The three suddenly shot out a stream of orange energy, connecting the three together and forming an orange triangular barrier.
Nearly ten feet away from the demoness, the beam seemed ready to impact with her triangular barrier. Without warning, the quarter demon appeared before her barrier with his arms spread out. Before she could say anything, the blast slammed into him, exploding on impact and creating a large explosion that sent dust, debris, and smoke flying throughout the area.
"ICHIGO!"