Chapter 10: Survivors
Shang Tsung approached Shao Khan and bowed. "My lord, the first round has finished. All the contestants are gathered in the main hall now. Shall we proceed?"
The great Khan hesitated for a moment. "Wait." He snarled. "Let our guests catch their breath, we owe them that much for making it this far."
Shang Tsung bowed once more. "Of course my lord. It shall be done." He stepped out of the room leaving the warlord to contemplate the situation.
Shao Khan clasped his hands together and grinned. "Things are going well. Soon it will be time...Soon, Earthrealm will be mine! Mwahahahahaha!"
Back in the main hall the victors were starting to return. They all returned to their allied factions and huddled in what remained of their groups. The black-clad shinigami had lost quite a few of their warriors, but still had the larger group. Only Byakuya Kuchiki, Jushiro Ukitake, Zaraki Kenpachi, Rukia Kuchiki, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, Renji Abarai and Yoruichi Shihoin remain.
Aizen's Espada had been cut down severely leaving only Stark, Ulquiorra, Nnoitra, Grimmjow and Aaroniero to serve him. Gin stood at the rear of the group, nursing some terrible wounds he had inflicted in his battle.
Earthrealm's warriors suffered the worst casualties. Orihime stood by Kisuke, the two waiting for anyone at all to rejoin. They waited far too long before Ichigo appeared. He limped over to them and Orihime embraced him, tears rolling down her dirty cheeks.
"Oh Ichigo! It was awful! I was so scared; I never thought I'd see you again!" After that came a string of sobs lost somewhere between words and noise.
Ichigo hugged her back, letting her soak her tears into his chest. While she wept he glanced over her shoulder to Urahara. "Is this everyone?"
Kisuke bowed his head. I have counted the heads and it appears that this is all of the survivors. I am sorry for the loss of your friends but this contest is not one for mere children. No matter how strong you are these combatants are years ahead of you all. I am amazed that I did not return here alone, it was what I expected."
Ichigo frowned. "Is there any hope?"
"Our chances are quite slim, but the shinigami are on our side. If Earthrealm is defeated here today the shinigami will ensure to defend it from Shao Khan's forces by winning the tournament." He waved a hand to the considerably large force across the hall. "Though they may appear frightening, they are our allies in this fight."
Ichigo looked over and caught the gaze of the young girl he had seen when they first arrived here. The young girl with raven black hair. There was blood on her clothes and her eyes were as wide as ever. She appeared traumatized. Ichigo felt pity for the girl who would probably be slain in the next round.
His mind soon shifted to the deaths of Chad and Tatsuki. Neither was here and if all twenty survivors were already gathered then it could only mean they had been defeated. It tore his heart to shreds, knowing that he would never again see them. If Tatsuki and Chad were killed, then Orihime surely would not last another round. It was a miracle she even made it here. She was not the kind to fight, even when her life is in danger.
"Ichigo?" Orihime glanced up at him with clouded eyes. "Is something wrong?"
"Why?"
"Because your heart is beating faster..." Orihime muttered.
"I am just sad. I have lost many friends already and I do not want to lose you. You have to promise me that next time you will fight with everything you have and meet me back here. There is no hope of attaining peace until this contest is done and over with. For now all we can do is fight, do you understand?"
Orihime nodded. "Okay...For you Ichigo...I will fight."
Kisuke placed hand on each of their shoulders. "You know, my opponent is still alive."
"What?" Ichigo gasped. "But the battles are to the death!"
Urahara signalled for quiet. "His name was Raiden. He told me that Shao Khan is planning something terrible and then he ran off to stop him. It may just be possible that others did the same. Your friends may just be hiding until the time is right."
It was mostly a lie. He could sense the presence of the other girl, Tatsuki, but the friendly giant Chad had definitely been killed. He had felt the boy's presence vanish almost instantly at the start of Kombat. Now that he studied the board he noted his opponent had been Aizen. If so then Chad stood no chance whatsoever. It would have been a massacre.
Kisuke frowned and joined the others in quiet grieving.
In the meantime the blank stone tablet beneath the first list exploded with bright light. The next rounds were inscribed into it all of a sudden, carved by invisible hands.
Shang Tsung re-appeared and clapped his hands. "Congratulations on your victories ladies and gentlemen. The next round is to begin as soon as you reach you destinations. Your new maps are here, please retrieve them and head off to your designated arena. I wish you luck in battle, may you succeed and move on to the next round. Farewell!" As soon as he dropped off the maps he vanished into thin air.
Orihime, Ukitake and Ichigo all placed their hands on top of the other and shared glances. "We will all return here. For the fate of Earthrealm and for the sake of our friendship." They all nodded and raised their fists to the skies. They smiled at each other and set off.
Urahara flash stepped up a winding staircase to reach a high spire. From the top of the tower he could see all across the landscape and already discovered warriors off fighting. He frowned at them and watched on oblivious to the man stalking him.
"Are you Urahara?" Stark asked.
"Depends, do you want to fight me?" Urahara muttered without looking away from the battlefields below.
"I know I am supposed to...But really I just want to get the hell out of here." Stark sighed. "I don't suppose you would just let me go?"
Urahara smirked. "You mean submit to one of Aizen's lapdogs? I don't agree to that, but suppose you could allow me to move on then I would be more than happy to avoid combat."
Stark cursed. "You're playing hardball now aren't you?"
"Not at all." Urahara explained. "If you really despise fighting in this contest then it would be beneficial for the both of us if you feigned defeat and allowed me to move on." Stark was about to refuse when Urahara raised a hand. "You do not need to advance to the next round. Your realm is safe as long as your Lord Aizen survives. Earthrealm on the other hand is in desperate need of protection. If I fell here then the fate of our world would be in the hands of two terrified kids. I cannot force such a nightmare upon them so I must go on."
Stark contemplated this and chuckled. "I never expected to come across someone who would actually go along with this."
"As did I." Urahara muttered. "But your proposal is indeed enticing."
"So...You will let me sleep here while you run around getting beaten up? Very well. I will forever be grateful to you. Now if you don't mind, I'd like some peace." Stark laid down on a slab of stone and closed his eyes.
Kisuke drove his blade through the slab and forced the other man to his feet. "You didn't think it would be that easy did you?" He chuckled and juggled his sword. "You can sleep when we've at least had a decent battle."
Orihime passed an old temple. According to the map it was named the Beetle Lair and sure enough a large statue of a beetle was erected outside. She passed the temple and went down a short path out the back which soon led her to a small sheltered courtyard. It was surrounded by a metre high stone wall and beyond that a wall of thick forest trees. She looked around and only just noticed the dark-skinned woman perched on the wall.
"Orihime Inoue right?" The woman asked.
"Uh...Yeah."
"A friend of the Arisawa girl?"
"Tatsuki? Did you..." Orihime trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.
"I did fight her. I did not kill her though." Orihime gasped. Yoruichi hopped off the wall and smiled at the girl. "Did Urahara tell you about us shinigami?"
"You know him?" Orihime asked nervously. She couldn't help but tremble but her opponent laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"Kisuke and I are good friends. And anyone who is aligned with him is an ally in my eyes. That is why I will not kill you. Unfortunately, I must do this."
Orihime did not see it coming. Yoruichi kicked her in the side of the head with enough force to break a brick wall. Inoue blacked out instantly and dropped, bleeding from her nose and mouth. Yoruichi frowned and wiped up the blood. She even placed Orihime's unconscious body back in the Beetle Lair where Tatsuki was still 'resting'.
"Do not worry. I will protect your world as well as my own. As soon as this contest is over I shall return you both to your homes. For now, I must keep going." She walked off, taking her time so that she did not return to soon to the main hall. It was too late in the game to gain suspicion from Shao Khan's minions.
Ichigo entered a large open room. On one wall was a large fireplace in which a blazing golden inferno raged behind a sheet of steel with a dragon-shaped crest cut out of it. He admired the craftwork and waited for his opponent.
He found it odd that he could not stop thinking about the unfortunate young shinigami girl. The poor thing that would be picked off by her opponent, whoever they may be. He rolled his eyes and sighed. He had to think of other things. His mind had to be clear when he was fighting and he could not afford to be distracted by the fate of one who he did not even know.
The large iron doors behind him shrieked as they were pushed open. Ichigo could not believe his eyes when his foe walked through. It was that girl.
He memorized the name from the tablet in the main hall. Her name was Rukia Kuchiki. So this was the girl he had pitied.
She crept through the door looking around anxiously, her gaze wandering straight past Ichigo. She did not notice him, even when she stumbled into the room. It was only when Ichigo rose to his feet that she sensed movement and yelped like a frightened dog.
Ichigo raised his hands and stepped back. "Calm down. I do not wish to kill you."
The girl, Rukia looked at him with a confused stare. "You are from Earthrealm?"
"Yes, but how did you know?"
"I saw you with the other Earthrealm fighters back in the hall...You were staring at me..." She appeared to be blushing.
"I felt sympathetic for you. The look in your eyes struck me as rather upsetting. You do not look like one who is born for fighting." Ichigo scratched his head. "You remind me of a friend."
"We must fight." Rukia interjected.
"What? But you are in no condition to-"
"Do not worry about that. We came here for a fight to the death! It is the rule of the contest!" She was trembling. Her knuckles were white and her grip on her sword was weak. She was trying to look focused and intimidating but her facade was as transparent as water.
"Do not bother." Ichigo whispered. "If what Urahara told me is correct then we need not fight each other but rather work together."
"Urahara?" The girl cocked her head.
"Yes, he is one of our Earthrealm fighters, but he is apparently one of your kind. And he also told us that it is possible to avoid death in this tournament."
"What are you talking about?" Rukia whispered.
"These battles go unsupervised. All we have to do is make it look like we've been fighting then one of us can advance and the other walks away with their life. It is the right thing to do."
"But...The tournament..."
Ichigo stepped forward and grabbed the girl by the arm. He wrenched her sword out of her grip and hurled it across the room. "From what I know each and every one of us is here to protect something. Whether it be your home, yourself or your friends we are all fighting to protect them. Why are we pretending to be enemies if we are all trying to protect the same thing?"
Rukia bowed her head. "I understand...But you are the first person to share my belief...My last battle was a horrible thing. I had to murder someone merely because their pride would not allow them to surrender."
"Well I don't plan on dying here today and I will not slay a harmless young girl like you. I will survive until the very end and protect Earthrealm from that wretched Shao Khan!" Ichigo seemed to exude so much power yet he was just a mere mortal.
Rukia gazed into his eyes and searched within his soul. This boy was a born and bred warrior. He was indeed powerful however...
"You will not survive." She said swiftly, brutally honest with him. "As a human you lack the strength needed to be victorious in this tournament. As vital as resolve is, it is meaningless without power. If you truly seek to protect the realms from invasion then you must become stronger.
There was a brief silence before Rukia retrieved her sword and pointed its tip at Ichigo. Her expression was serious. "If you wish to survive...You must become a shinigami!"