Once again gentle readers, you owe a debt of thanks to Persephonae for making this legible. Thanks to those special folks who have taken the time to review. And a thank you as well to everyone else who has invested a portion of their lives to read this. Here is chapter Ten. I hope you enjoy it.
Chapter Ten – The Heart of Darkness
We make it to the bottom of the hill with no problems. But, as we approach the circus tent, the atmosphere changes. Thus far in our travels through Orihime's imagination, the feeling has been lighthearted and silly, but not anymore. Here, the very ground seems to exude a sense of dark malice. Whatever it is that is trapping Inoue in her own mind, it's nearby, and it knows we're coming.
"Ishida, you have any idea what we'll find in that tent?" He jumps a little, apparently the evil aura of this place has him on edge, too.
"Judging by its resemblance to a circus tent, we'll likely find remnants of childhood fears in there. Or, it is also possible that this is the combined location of everything that is dark and evil in Orihime. It could even be a construct from an outside source. Whatever has created this place, expect to face the unexpected."
"Right. You know you could have just said you have no clue." He smirks at my exasperated tone.
We pause when we are still fifty feet or so away from the entrance. The place seems to loom over us, even at this distance. The sides of the tent boom and billow like they're caught in a high wind, but there's not even a slight breeze to cause it.
"So Ishida, sneak in, or right up the middle?"
"I'm shocked, Kurosaki! I thought blindly charging in was the only battle strategy that you knew existed."
"Shut up, dumbass. Do you have a better idea?"
He shakes his head, once, in a curt 'no'.
"Alright then. You want to go first?"
"And rob you of the chance to glory seek, Kurosaki? I wouldn't dream of it." This time it's back to the heavy sarcasm. I place my hand on the imitation Zangestu, and advance the rest of the way to the tent opening. The last five feet was the most unnerving. With each step, the ground shuddered and quaked, and the tent's support ropes thrummed and groaned.
I hesitate a bit before reaching for the tent flap with my free hand. But then I remind myself as to why I'm here: friendship, loyalty, responsibility--instantly my resolve strengthens and I pull back the flap.
I peer into the gloomy darkness, trying to catch a glimpse of what may be waiting for us. Ishida comes to a halt behind me.
"Let's go."
With those words I step into the gloom. Ishida follows soon after, and releases the tent flap. What little light had penetrated from outside is quickly extinguished, and we are plunged into darkness. Faint, eerie sounds drift out of the darkness: scuffing sounds reminiscent of something large being dragged across the floor, whispers of cloth moving, ominous creaking noises. All of these noises seem to come close to us and then fade away into the distance. Gradually, my eyes adjust to the blackness and I can make out a little bit of our surroundings. The inside of the tent is not completely dark. Instead, it's dimly lit with a dull red glow that reveals the space around us for ten to twelve feet, casting the rest of the interior in concealing shadows.
We advance slowly toward the middle of the tent, both of us filled with tense anticipation. Thus far, we haven't encountered any resistance, but I don't think either of us expect that to last much longer.
Just as we reach the center of the tent, the darkness all around us erupts in demonic laughter, and a sickening feeling of dread lodges itself in my gut as I realize why we made it so far unopposed. Whatever is in here, it was waiting until we reached the farthest point from any possible escape before it launched its attack.
As soon as that realization dawns, the first of our opponents come racing out of the shadows. I only have a second to get a glimpse of what we face. Individually, they appear insignificant: each one a large spider-like creature the size of a fat chihuahua. In endless waves, they scuttle toward us on dozens of razor sharp legs, fangs on either side of their heads drip with saliva. On each one's back is a gruesome caricature of a face in white and black.
With a defiant shout, I draw my sword and begin to slash away at our enemies. Each spider creature is finished easily, even a glancing blow sends a broken body flying away into the darkness. The problem is that there seems to be thousands of them. At first, I'm clumsy with my swings, but after only a few slashes, my body begins to remember the flow of attacks and blocks. With each slice, a little of my zanjutsu comes back to me. I may not have the same speed and strength I once possessed, but human level abilities are sufficient for this incredibly light sword. Soon, I'm slicing through three or four of these things with each swing of my sword. I'm even able to swipe them out of the air, mid-leap.
I hear a muffled cry from behind me. Ishida! I whirl around to discover that Uryuu isn't doing as well as me. He's covered in these things. I can see bloody scratches all over his body, but, fortunately, it appears that he's not seriously injured. Not yet, at least.
I rush over to him and begin killing the creatures covering him. It's made more difficult by the fact that I have to keep fresh ones off of both of us as I do so. Finally, he's free of the vermin. Ishida is still standing and doing his best to beat down new enemies by using his bow as a staff. The blood and gore on his bow, and the pile of crushed bodies surrounding him, show that he put up a good fight before being overrun. For another minute or two, we fight together, each protecting the other's blind spot. Finally, the waves of enemies slow to a trickle, eventually stopping completely.
Ishida slumps to his knees and struggles to catch his breath. I lean on my sword breathing hard myself. We've been fighting constantly for nearly fifteen minutes. It doesn't sound like long, but between the adrenaline and the physical exertion, we're both beat.
After a few precious seconds of rest, I hear Ishida grudgingly grind out, "Thank you."
"You should! Why the hell are you using your bow like a club? I thought you were a Quincy, not a softball wannabe."
"In case you didn't notice, I don't have any arrows." He might be completely exhausted, but his snide comments apparently have an independent fuel source.
"Idiot! You're the one who said that we have weapons because something in this place wants us to. You never needed arrows before, you created them on the spot."
"In case you're too stupid to remember, I no longer have my powers. How am I supposed to create arrows?"
"We're in Orihime's imagination! Pretend you have arrows!" I shout at him.
For a second, he has a disbelieving look on his face. Then, he rises to his feet, scowling at me the entire time. Once fully upright, he takes his bow in his right hand, and sighting toward one of our fallen enemies, he uses his left hand to draw back an imaginary arrow. When he pantomimes releasing it, both of us are a little surprised to see a sputtering blue arrow fire from his bow. It fades out of existence before reaching halfway to his target, however.
"Is that the best you got?" I challenge him.
He glares at me and then pretends to pull back another arrow. This time there is a faint line of power extending from the arrow rest to the string in his left hand. When he releases the second time, the arrow doesn't flicker as much, and it nearly makes it the entire distance.
I fake a yawn and tell him "Boorring."
Whether it's his anger at my mocking, or his own growing confidence, the third time he draws back his hand there is a vivid blue, sizzling arrow of energy formed. When he releases this one, it leaves a trail of light behind it as it races to its target.
A look of pride settles onto his face. It seems he has recovered his belief in his own abilities. And none too soon, for another wave swarms out of the darkness.
This time there are two groups of enemies. The same spider things from before come racing across the ground, but now they are supplemented by an aerial assault.
What appear to be flying medical instruments begin to swoop down out of the low ceiling of darkness. Ishida immediately turns his attention to the assortment of scalpels, needles, saws, drills, and other tools—that look as if they come from a horror movie. There seems to be a constant blur of blue light flowing from his bow as he fires relentlessly into the cloud of enemies. His task is made almost impossible by the fact that he has only a fraction of a second between the time the objects appear out of the darkness and the arrows striking into our bodies.
If he was any less of an archer, we would already be lifeless pincushions. I don't have much time for thought as I struggle to keep the ground attack off of us while not blocking his view of the sky. We fight for another few minutes, slowly getting into a rhythm of attacks. I circle around Ishida, performing a wild dance of death, while he sends a constant stream of arrows into the air just above our heads.
This time, we don't have a break between waves, as new enemies are being introduced into the attack. Without any prior warning, clown-faced flying harpies armored in dirty, stained lab coats begin swarming from the sky. They seem to shrug off arrows to the chest without any damage. So, Ishida begins aiming for their heads. I have enough time to notice that it takes at least two arrows to the head to kill each one before I'm occupied with my own upgraded distractions.
Clowns of assorted sizes come screaming out of the darkness toward us, ranging from midgets with axes to nine-foot-tall giants with enormous war hammers. All of them bear the same evil visage. With a white face, heavy eye-shadow, and an Egyptian-style headdress and chin adornment, the appearance of these minions is a horrifyingly familiar one: Kurotsuchi!
That explains a lot about the type of enemies we are up against. If this place represents the chains holding Orihime's mind captive, then her fear of the sadistic clown must be her jailor.
"Hey Ishida, notice anything special about these guys?" An arrow suddenly whizzes toward my head. I jerk aside and the arrow impales the eye socket of a mace wielding giant behind me.
"Pay attention to what you're doing, Kurosaki." With that rebuke, I return my full attention to the fight-at-hand. My own opponents are proving as stubborn as Ishida's, each of the killer clowns from imagination-land take multiple blows before falling. Remove their arms or legs, and they keep coming. A stab through the heart does nothing but make it difficult to retrieve my sword. The only thing, besides complete dismemberment, that seems to stop them is a beheading.
After God-knows-how-many waves of enemies, the attacks slow and then stop. Toward the end, new attackers were forced to crawl over mounds of their own dead to reach us. Without that minor advantage, I don't think we would have survived. As it is, both of us are covered from head to toe in blood and gore, and a disturbing amount of the blood is our own.
As we sit back-to-back on the sticky ground with piles of the dead surrounding us, a light appears for the first time since we entered this hell. To my right, at the opposite side of the tent from which we entered, is a pool of white light. It isn't a warm, inviting glow, but, rather, it feels like a spotlight in an interrogation room. At the back edge of the light is a stone archway. That must be the final passageway our guide spoke of.
Unfortunately, between us and the archway stands one last obstacle: a fifteen-foot-tall representation of the evil clown bastard himself. With a katana in his right hand and a sinewy cord stretching from his left ear to a bony hook in his left hand, he shadows over the pathway to Orihime.
"Hey Ishida?"
"What do you want, Kurosaki?" His head is down and, judging by his tone, he hasn't noticed our newest guest yet.
"You up for one last round?" When my words sink in, his head jerks upright and he quickly scans the room. When his eyes settle on the monstrosity, he leaps to his feet, all of his weariness shedding like discarded clothing.
"For that opponent? Yes." His words are even more hate-filled than when he confronted me in the hospital hallway. A fierce, dark hunger emanates from him as he climbs the piles of bodies between him and his goal.
I struggle to my feet as quickly as I can and follow him. He's going to need my help. His rage may be fueling his second wind, but it won't last for long.
****
The situation in Orihime's hospital room is a tense one. The bodies of Uryuu and Ichigo are still slumped in the chairs on either side of Inoue's bed; Yoruichi still sits in her chair, her eyes closed tight in concentration and her hands maintaining a death grip around the control wand. Chad maintains his silent guard over his friends. His eyes move in a steady pattern, first to Orihime, then to Ichigo and Uryuu, next to Yoruichi, and finally to the clock on the wall. To an outside observer, everything is as peaceful and quiet as the grave. Inside Chad's mind, however, a whirlwind of thoughts are flying.
'What is taking them so long?' Chad wonders, as he looks at the clock, again. 'They've been gone for over four hours.'
Next, Chad turns his concerned gaze to Yoruichi. 'She doesn't look well. All the color has washed out of her face. And judging by her clenched jaw and white knuckles, it's taking all her will and concentration to keep that device active. I do not know how much longer Yoruichi-san will be able to maintain this effort.'
Just then, one of the nursing staff makes an appearance. "Sir. The doctor will be in at three to perform the procedure and call the time of death." Chad snorts to himself in bitter humor. 'Perform the procedure? Such a sterile term for the murder of my friend.'
"Ah, Sir? Did you understand me?" Chad didn't reply, he just stands up to his full height and stares at the nurse. She shrinks away from his presence, before making an excuse to leave.
"I, ah, need to finish my rounds." She stutters out before making a hasty exit. Chad knows she would be back, probably with doctors and orderlies as backup. Chad doesn't care. He will do whatever was necessary to buy his friends the time they need.
Suddenly, Yoruichi lets out a small, weak moan. Her grip seems to falter for a moment, but before the controller can slip through her fingers, her hands clench tightly closed once more--though her breathing is now raspy and labored.
An observer unfamiliar with the stoic youth would assume that witnessing Yoruichi's momentary weakness had no affect on him. But that person would be wrong. His eyes tell the true story, Chad's being eaten alive by fear and uncertainty. 'Please hurry, Ichigo. I fear that time is running out, for all of us.'
****
"Ishida, wait! Don't we need some kind of a plan?"
"I have a plan. I'm going to put an arrow through the heart of that clown bastard, and then go find Orihime." Wow, talk about your role reversals, now it's Ishida who wants to charge in while I'm suggesting we make a plan. But, the fact that there seems to be only one opponent has me worried. Thus far, each type of opponent has been progressively tougher, so there must be more to this one than just its huge size.
Just then, Ishida reaches a point about twenty yards away from the behemoth. He takes a stance--his legs wide apart for balance--and draws his bow. He holds the stance for a long time, all the while energy is coalescing and solidifying around his arrow. Once he finally fires his shot, the projectile looks more like a spear than an arrow. It flies straight and true toward the center of the clone's body.
Gigantor stands motionless. He doesn't even seem to notice his danger. I wonder if this may actually work. There is an incredible amount of power in Ishida's attack. Could it really be this easy?
At the last possible instant, Gigantor's katana moves—its movement a blur. The maneuver intercepts the attack, deflecting Ishida's arrow. What was I thinking? Of course this won't be easy! In addition to its size, this thing is hellaciously fast.
"So what's Plan B, Ishida?" He hesitates for a moment. Apparently he's as disturbed by the unexpected speed of our opponent as I am.
"Simple. You hit him low and I'll hit him high." Is there a hint of friendly challenge in his tone?
"Great plan. But, do you have one that doesn't involve me getting in range of that big ass sword?"
"I thought you liked charging forward against superior opponents, Kurosaki?" There it is again; it's definitely not my imagination. Could fighting on the same side, once more, cause him to get over his grudge?
"I'm beginning to think that's overrated. How about you distract him and I'll go find Orihime?" He instantly stiffens. Oh crap. Whatever flimsy bridges we were building, I get the impression they just went up in flames. When am I going to learn to keep my mouth shut?
"Plan B it is, then." I advance slowly toward Gigantor, angling my approach to place me on his left side rather than directly in front of him. As I get closer, he turns to face me directly. That's interesting, apparently he will focus on the closest threat. Maybe we can use that to our advantage. To test my theory I continue to circle around Gigantor, moving to my right. Once again, he pivots to keep me in range of his sword. Perfect.
I keep him turning until he is facing away from Ishida. Now if Uryuu has been thinking along the same lines as me…
And there it is. I catch a glimpse of a blue flash from behind Gigantor. It's unsporting to attack an enemy from the rear, but I think we'll be forgiven for making an exception in this case. I advance a step toward the enormous brute. Hopefully that will keep his attention on me long enough for Ishida's attack to connect.
Just about now…
Once again, before the strike lands home, Gigantor's sword moves in a blur. This time, however, it whirls up behind his back to swipe away Ishida's arrow.
Crap! Not only is this thing big and fast, but its got eyes in the back of its head.
Apparently, the warm-up rounds are over. Because all of a sudden, Gigantor begins to spin the scythe in his left hand by its sinewy cord
Without warning, he stops spinning the scythe to swing it in a wide arc. It heads directly toward me. I narrowly manage to duck underneath it as it whistles by. While I'm ducking, Ishida releases a volley of arrows. Gigantor blocks each one with his sword.
After several sweeping attacks, the monster unexpectedly, retracts his scythe and launches it straight toward me. I manage to get my sword up in time to block the blow, but the impact sends me flying.
"Kuroaski, you need to close the range. I can't do anything while that sword is free to block my attacks."
I stagger to my feet. "Easy for you to say. This thing is stronger and faster than I am."
While I am out of commission, Gigantor turns his ranged attack on Ishida, who deflects the incoming attacks with arrows. It seems that he's approaching his limit, as each strike gets closer to reaching him.
"Why don't you pretend that you're as strong and fast as he is." Why that sanctimonious prick! Throwing my words back at me like that. But…
Could he be correct? Is my lack of belief in myself the only thing holding me back in this place?
I guess there's only one way to find out. While Gigantor is still facing Ishida, I charge in as fast as I can. He senses my approach and whirls to face me, his scythe flying in a low arc toward my knees. I dive forward over the attack and then roll back to my feet. Without slowing down, I continue my attack run.
His sword stabs out to impale me, but I twist so that the blade slides harmlessly past my ribs. Now that I'm inside his guard, I launch a flurry of attacks at his knees and waist. But, it is to no avail. My attacks bounce off like bugs hitting a windshield. They don't even leave a scratch. Just then, the katana slashes toward me parallel with Gigantor's body. I leap backward, barely in time, and I feel the wind of its passage whistle past my face.
A series of strikes too fast to follow come stabbing toward me. I only survive by falling backward as fast as I can. Come on Ichigo, pretend! No, believe you are faster. If you have more power you can win.
I tell myself: 'I am Strong. I am Powerful. I am INVINCIBLE!'
The next attack comes sweeping toward my head in a downward chop. I arrogantly bring my blade up to intercept, and I'm hurled to the ground by the impact.
It's no use. I can't even pretend I have power anymore...
But, maybe I'm going about this the wrong way. Despite what people may say, I was never really obsessed with power. Power was a means to an end. I wanted to be stronger to protect my friends. So imagining myself as stronger and faster won't work.
Why do I need this power?
I need to focus on why I need to be stronger and faster. Forget about wanting power, why do I need power?
What am I?
Am I a coward? Am I someone who gives up in the face of overwhelming odds? Am I someone who will abandon my friends just because standing beside them is difficult?
No!
Who am I?
I am Kurosaki Ichigo.
I am a Protector.
I feel a tide of power swelling up inside of me. What is this feeling? It's not the cool orderly force of my Shinigami powers, nor is it the searing chaotic flash of power I received from my inner Hollow.
This is something completely different… and yet it's somehow familiar. It feels like standing in front of a cheerful fire on a freezing cold night, like an oasis in the middle of a desert. I know I've felt this power before. But where?
And then I remember: the night I fought a hollow to save Yoruichi. It's the brief surge of power I felt when I resolved to protect or die trying; this energy is the same. I know what this power is; I have always known. It is the one strength that can never be taken from me. It is the source of all my previous victories.
This is my Will.
And nothing is going to stop me from saving my friends, least of all this oversized reject from a dunk tank.
My resolve crystallizes, and I stop backing away from Gigantor's attacks. Despite focusing enough on me to force my retreat, Gigantor has also been keeping Ishida busy with attacks from his scythe.
That changes now.
I still can't see any of the giant's attacks; I'm dodging and blocking by instinct. There's no way I can defend against everything he's throwing at me.
Fine then, I'll only block what I can.
I ignore anything that won't be instantly fatal. The secondary attacks coming at me from the sides can be ignored so that can I focus all of my attention on the strikes that will reach my head or torso. I pick up numerous cuts along my arms and legs, but I lean into the attacks and force my way forward a step.
Now that I'm only focusing on the area in front of me I can see some of the attacks. I can block and deflect with skill instead of blindly flailing. I advance another foot.
The slashes and jabs coming at me seem to be slowing down. I can sense and feel some of the attacks darting around my sides, so I block them too. And I grind forward another step.
I can clearly see all the sword attacks directed at me now. But the power of them is still crushing.
Who cares?
With each block and parry, I angle my sword and body to divert most of the force of each blow away from me. Each impact still rattles the fillings in my teeth. But I keep standing. And power forward another step.
Gigantor now brings his scythe to bear on me in addition to his sword. It comes screaming towards me, the very air crying out in agony at its passing.
Big Whoop.
I free one hand from my sword hilt and bat the flying sickle away like it's an insect. In the background I see Ishida launching strikes against Gigantor's back and sides. Now that I'm drawing all of the ogre's attention, Ishida's arrows begin to find their mark. I slip forward another step.
Now, I'm right on the edge of the giant's reach, too close for him to effectively use his sword. His scythe is not a threat anymore. With a scream of rage, he flings away his katana and tries to catch me in a crushing embrace.
I drop my own sword and grab one of Gigantor's hands in each of mine. We struggle and strain against one another. Each of us trying to force the other to submit, but my will is stronger.
With a popping sound I give a final strain and bend back the giant's hands. That forces the beast to drop to its knees, or have both of its wrists broken.
"Now, Ishida! Cut out the bastard's heart!"
"With pleasure."
From behind me, I hear a sizzling noise like a sparking high voltage line. The shadows in the room are all washed away by a blinding blue sun. With a cry of triumph, Ishida releases his arrow. If it had not been launched from behind me, I'm sure the flash would have blinded me for life. When the arrow passes over me, it singes my hair and causes sparks in my vision. The hands that have been straining against me go limp. When my vision clears, I see a hole the size of a basketball hoop burned clean through the center of Gigantor's corpse. I release my grip, and painfully climb to my feet. Only now do I finally take notice of the myriad of gashes covering my body and the muscles screaming in pain from their abuse.
"Now that's an arrow!" I exclaim, while looking around for Ishida. I finally spot him lying flat on the ground about thirty feet away. I slowly limp over to him.
"What took you so long, Kurosaki? It took you forever to stop blocking my shots."
I slump to the ground close to him. "Screw you, Uryuu. Screw You."