Chapter 9-Ichigo vs Byakuya part 1
I stepped back since I knew it would be getting dangerous. After I was at a safe distance away, I turned my attention back to the two fighting.
"Tell me why...why don't you just give up? You keep trying to save Rukia again and again," Byakuya asked, clearly confused as to why Ichigo was going through all this trouble just for his sister-in-law.
"Huh! You're her brother, aren't you? So the question that needs to be asked is why the hell aren't you trying to save her?" Ichigo retorted.
"Such a foolish question. Even if I did have the time to explain the principle to you, someone like you would never understand it."
"Aw, don't be like that Byakuya. You're just conflicted, that's all," I teased as they both turned their heads towards me.
Oh shit! Did I just say that? Damn it! What do I do now? They're staring at me! Oh geez, way to go, Jen! Now they want an explanation! Should I tell Ichigo about why Byakuya's doing this? But then Byakuya will probably want to murder me for knowing so much about his past! I just know I'll make him angry. God damn it! And I have to remember about Unohana's warning. I can't forget about that! He's definitely someone who won't take this well. But...I need him to talk to him about Hisana so that maybe I can help him chose to save Rukia instead. Well, here goes nothing. I hope this works otherwise I'm dead meat!
"Ichigo, the reason why he isn't trying to save Rukia is because he made a promise to his late parents to not break the law again since he did that once before. But...he also made another promise to his late wife Hisana to protect Rukia no matter what. Now he's killing himself inside, trying to decide which promise to uphold. Isn't that right, Byakuya?" I asked him. I looked from him to Ichigo, then back to him again. His eyes widened slightly as I mentioned Hisana. The he started glaring at me. I flinched as I was now the focus of his not-so-welcoming attention.
"You there, girl! How dare you speak of such things! You know nothing of the burdens of a noble nor do you know anything about me, so do not imply such ridiculous nonsense. You are but a Ryoka and nothing more. Though I do have to inquire as to how you know of Hisana."
"Oh Byakuya," I sighed, then continued.
"Even though you might think I'm 'just a Ryoka', you're sadly mistaken because 'this Ryoka' knows more about you than you probably know about yourself. As for Hisana, I can't tell you right now, but I'll tell you how I know about her later on when everything's over. You'll just have to wait on that one..."
He continued glaring, but I ignored it. I knew for a fact that he didn't like being turned down, especially since he was used to getting his way. Call it the perks of being a noble. Ugh!
"And you're right, I don't know the burdens of a noble. But I do know that just because you are a noble, that doesn't mean you're emotionless. You have feelings too. That's why you married Hisana even though it meant breaking the law. And that's why you feel like you can't decide on what to do. You're choosing between what people expect you to do and what you personally want to do."
"Silence! That's enough!" he snarled at me.
Well, I sure pissed him off this time. Tch! What a pain!
I ignored the death glares I was getting and started to talk again.
"You know I'm right, Byakuya. That's why you're getting so defensive. But the question is, which path will you choose?" I stared compassionately at him as he still continued glaring at me, all the while never retracting his sword from Ichigo's. Ichigo just looked back and forth between us the whole time, thankfully staying out of the conversation.
"Hmph! It seems talking serves no purpose. Prepare to die!"
Byakuya poured his spiritual pressure into his sword. Ichigo grunted and I felt Byakuya's pressure on top of me. It was like a set of weights, and boy was it heavy. I tried hard to stand up without falling down. Ichigo smiled and parried Byakuya's sword as a huge explosion sounded. All of us were pushed back.
"Heh! I'm your opponent here Byakuya, not her, so you might wanna focus your attention on me otherwise you might just end up regretting it!" Ichigo cried arrogantly.
"Such impudence, boy. Very well, you are my opponent for the time being. But do not think I will forget about you, girl. When I am done with him, you will be next, and I will find out how you know of me. Once that is done, I will eliminate that source and everything will be how it should be in the end."
"Heh, don't underestimate Ichigo. He's a lot stronger than he was before," I smirked. Byakuya glanced at me angrily, then focused his attention back to Ichigo.
"There is only one path before me. I shall kill you, Ichigo Kurosaki, and then once again I will capture Rukia. And this time, I shall execute her...myself."
"I won't let you you do that!" Ichigo growled as he took off the mantle he was wearing and threw it in the air. It was the one with the Shihoin clan symbol on it. I caught it as it came fluttering down towards me and set it aside. I shrugged as I wondered what to do with it.
Eh, I'll give it back to Yoruichi later.
"That's the whole reason why I'm here," Ichigo continued. Then the two started to shunpo at each other multiple times while I just watched.
I realized that I wasn't that far away from the others who were still near the Sokyoku. I knew that they were going to be off on their own battles pretty soon. Because of this, I decided to shunpo over there and watch them for the time being. Ichigo and Byakuya were so engrossed in their battle that they didn't even notice me leave. Or...maybe they just didn't care at all. Oh well. [shrugs]
"Isane!" Kiyone shouted and ran to her fallen older sister on the ground.
"Wait Kiyone, don't!"
Sentaro ran after her. He stopped when he felt a presence behind him and suddenly went flying in the air. By that point, I knew that Soifon was making her move and that Kiyone was in serious danger.
"Kiyone, look out!" I cried as she turned around. She saw Sentaro falling back towards the ground with a thud. Suddenly, Soifon was right in front of her.
"Hold it, Soifon!" Ukitake shouted as he ran to Kiyone's aid. He was stopped by Yamamoto's cane and everyone looked up in shock.
"No one moves!"
"Head Captain Yamamoto," Ukitake breathed. Yup, the Old Man was pissed.
"This crime, a Lieutenant freeing a convicted criminal and aiding in her escape, will be solved by capturing the treasonous officer and putting him to death. Thus, his fate is sealed. But that is the least of our problems. What you two captains have done here today is of far greater magnitude. Surely you both understand that your actions are unforgivable!"
I heard just about enough from the Old Man and decided to speak up.
"You know nothing, Head Captain! You don't even know what's really going on! They're not the real enemies here, someone else is!" I immediately covered my mouth at the outburst.
Oh God! What have I done?
They stared at me in absolute shock. Oh boy, I was going to get it now.
"Silence, Ryoka! I have had enough experience as Head Captain of the 13 Court Guards Squads to tell the difference between who my real enemies are! And I assure you that once I am done reprimanding these two, you and your friends will never see daylight again!" He opened his eyes to glare at me and I shrank back in fear. I gulped audibly as sweat ran down my forehead. Yeah, he was seriously pissed off now. I only managed to add fuel to the fire. Just great!
"But what do you mean by 'some else is'?" he questioned me gruffly. I got over my fear and answered him truthfully.
"It's exactly what I mean, Head Captain. Someone else is the real enemy here. I would tell you, but seeing your reaction to my outburst, you wouldn't even begin to believe me," I retorted. He 'hmphed' at me, mumbling something about how Ryokas were all so impudent. Then he turned his attention back to Ukitake and Kyoraku. I glanced back over in Ichigo and Byakuya's direction and noticed that they were still fighting.
Good, I can stay here for a little while longer then.
"Ah, Captain Ukitake! You're in danger, Captain Ukitake!" Kiyone yelled as she ran back to him.
"Kiyone, stay back!"
She stopped midstep, surprised at her Captain's response. He shook his head and she immediately understood. This was not something she could interfere with. She would just get in the way. Out of nowhere, Kyoraku grabbed Ukitake by the shoulder.
"Well, I guess we have no choice but to make a run for it, right Jushiro?" he chuckled and shunpoed away with Ukitake in tow.
Ah, good old Kyoraku. Always looking out for others even though he is a pervert and a major womanizer.
I smiled, shaking my head. Nanao followed suit as Yamamoto glanced in the direction where they shunpoed off to. He disappeared a second later, leaving me to deal with the others who were still by the Sokyoku. I could tell that Kiyone was really worried for Ukitake. But...this was no time to be slacking off. I was proven right when Soifon started growling.
"How dare you just stand there and do nothing while they get away!"
"Kiyone, watch out!" I screamed, but it was too late. Soifon kicked her painfully in the face. She landed with a thud on the floor as Soifon placed her foot on top of her chest. She put her weight into it and Kiyone cried out in pain.
"Traitorous scum with your filthy treason! You and your bastard Captain and all the others have brought shame on the 13 Court Guard Squads!" she hissed venomously, her foot grinding into Kiyone even harder. I growled at that. I had just about enough of Soifon and her bitchy ninja ways! Who the hell did she think she was? I shunpoed over to them, fully intent on helping Kiyone and giving Soifon a taste of her own medicine.
"But rest assured, I'm going to put you out of your misery. You will never betray anyone ever again, once you're dead!"
She stomped harder still and I knew Kiyone wasn't going to make it if that went on. I unsheathed the zanpakuto I had. I honestly didn't know what I was going to do. But...I didn't want to just sit back and watch Soifon kill her. Of course I knew that Yoruichi was coming later, but better to be safe than sorry.
I raised my sword to attack Soifon. She noticed and instantly went into a defensive stance, taking her foot off of Kiyone. She coughed and gasped for breath, then fell back, unconscious from the strain. My sword clashed with Soifon's as I kicked my right foot out. She immediately caught it and used my temporary loss of balance to toss me to the ground. I went flying through the air and hit the gravel hard.
"Gah!" I hacked out blood. My vision became hazy and Soifon smirked to herself.
"Well, I guess that I'll just have to kill you first then, since you're so eager to die."
"Go to hell, you bitch!"
Her eyes flashed dangerously, and before I could even comprehend what was going on, she shunpoed over to me and grabbed my throat. Then she stomped her foot-the same foot she had on Kiyone-into my stomach. This held me in place so I wouldn't be able to escape. I grunted as she squeezed my throat harder, blocking the air from getting to my windpipe. My hands furiously clawed at her arms, trying to make her let go. I resorted to kicking, but she just smirked again and held on even tighter.
That little bitch! She was enjoying this! Talk about being sadistic! I knew that she was reveling in the sounds that I was making. The sounds of someone close to death, well more like choking to death actually. Just as I was about to lose consciousness, I remembered the one person that could help me now.
"Y-Yoruichi," I stuttered weakly. She immediately froze at the mere mention of it. But that was all I needed. I took in a deep breath of much needed air and kicked her in the stomach. Soifon stumbled back in surprise. I picked up my sword that had fallen from my grasp and rolled out of the way of a well aimed punch. She was part of the Stealth Force so her reactions and recovery time were well beyond exceptional. I got into a defensive stance because I knew that I wouldn't be able to go on the offensive. She was much too aggressive to let me get an edge on her. Yup, I did a great job in pissing the bumble bee off and now she's ready to sting the life out of me. Just great.
I adjusted the sword in my hand as Soifon started shunpoing towards me. I manged to block her hands but her legs swept me off my feet and I lost my balance once again. I landed on my back with a grunt as Soifon smirked and looked down at me.
"Payback, you little brat. And I'll make sure that your death is nice and slow. Then you'll think twice before challenging someone of my caliber, you little weakling." In her hands was her sword. My eyes widened as I started to get up and grab mine. Soifon pushed me back down and pinned me with her body weight.
"Nu uh, you're not going anywhere, Ryoka scum," she whispered venomously and placed her sword at my neck. I gulped as I saw the crazy glint in her eyes. Then I noticed a spiritual pressure heading our way. Soifon either didn't notice or didn't care because she was so focused on me. I smirked and I knew that made her blood boil. Her face reddened with anger.
"Don't you dare mock me! Now die!"
I flinched as I saw her swing down but sighed in relief as a shadowy figure swooped in and flitted Soifon away, leaving only dust debris behind. I immediately knew who saved me.
Thanks and good luck Yoruichi! Just in time too!
I went over to my sword and sheathed it. Then I walked back over to Kiyone and knelt down beside her, checking her pulse to make sure she was still alive. She was, but just barely. I needed to get her to the infirmary, and fast! Something similar to a whale's call broke my musings as I looked up. I smiled as I saw Unohana flying towards us on Minazuki. They landed with ease and she immediately took action. She didn't even question what happened, there was just no time.
I helped her load the injured into Minazuki's mouth. She had special healing powers so I knew that they would be alright. Unohana thanked me and I nodded at her. We both smiled grimly as she left the Sokyoku. Since there was only Ichigo and Byakuya left in the area, I shunpoed back to them. Hopefully, I didn't miss much.
Well, now that's out of the way, I can get back to helping Ichigo. Good luck to the rest of you out there though! Be safe!
I sighed, wishing Toshiro the best of luck. His fight in the 46 Chambers was about to begin and the truth was about to be revealed. Yup, there would be hell to pay once Toshiro learned the truth. And unfortunately, Aizen was at the center of it. Well, not that I cared about Aizen anyway. He could go to hell any time, any day. That's how much I hated him.
As soon as I got there, a huge explosion sounded and blueish light ripped into the sky. I noticed that Ichigo still wasn't in Bankai form yet, nor was Byakuya. That meant that it was just about time for things to really kick off between the two.
They noticed me approaching, but kept their focus on the fight after quick glances in my direction. I could see and hear the clashing of both their swords against each other. I could also feel their spiritual pressures on me, forcing me down a bit. To ease the pressure, I conjured up some of my own spiritual energy to cancel it. To my surprise, it actually worked. They clashed once more before they were blown away. Then Byakuya started to talk, directing his next statement towards Ichigo.
"I see you have mastered the flash step, but don't think it will change anything. Because it won't."
"What's with all this casual analysis of my powers? You said talk was useless, but now here you are taking it easy on me. I thought you were gonna kill me. Heh, didn't you say you intended to cut me down?" Ichigo teased him as he placed Zangetsu on his shoulder and his hand on his hip. Byakuya stayed silent.
"You haven't even put a scratch on me yet, Byakuya. Does your silence mean that this is all you've got? Heh, I don't believe it. Show me your Bankai, Byakuya." Silence ensued as Byakuya continued to glare at him.
"Come on, I heard what you said. You told me you were gonna kill me first, then Jen over there. After that, you were gonna execute Rukia with your own hands," Ichigo said as he motioned towards me when he said my name.
Wait, did he just call me Jen? Wow! He actually likes me! Awesome!
I inwardly squealed to myself. But I knew it wasn't going to get anywhere since he probably saw me as a friend. Not to mention how shy Ichigo was when it came to girls. Not that I minded of course. I thought it cute of him whenever he blushed, like when he was with Yoruichi in the hot spring and when he first found out she was a girl instead of a cat. Haha.
Gah! Bad thoughts, bad thoughts! Get a grip girl!
I scolded myself, shaking my head while listening to the rest of the conversation.
"So I did," Byakuya finally answered back.
"I will not allow that! I'm gonna defeat you, Byakuya. I'm willing to risk everything and I'm gonna crush you until there's nothing left! You say I wouldn't understand. Well, you got that right. I can't even imagine what kind of monster would actually threaten to murder his own sister, no matter what the reason!"
Byakuya's eyes narrowed and I knew that Ichigo had hit a nerve. I had to admit that at times Byakuya could be a stuck-up emotionless prick, but like all of us, he had feelings too. Being called a monster, especially for Byakuya who was a noble and supposed to be a gentleman, if you will, was definitely uncalled for. No, the real monster around here was someone much different from Byakuya. That person was none other than our one and only Wannabe God with a superiority complex by the name of Sosuke Aizen. Anyway, I digress. Back to the story.
"But I promise you, you'll never say such a thing in front of Rukia again. Release your Bankai now, or I'll kill you where you stand, Byakuya!" Ichigo took Zangetsu off his shoulder, pointing it at Byakuya with determination.
"What an empty threat. All your boasting and bragging will not change my mind. And it will not change Rukia's fate, nor your own. You want my Bankai? Careful what you ask for fool! You will die, but it's a thousand years too soon for you to die by my Bankai," Byakuya brought Senbonzakura up to his face and closed his eyes.
"Scatter," His sword changed into many pink flower petals, but I knew that they were not just mere flowers. Each and every single one of them were blades in the shape of cherry blossoms. Leave it to Byakuya to look so badass in pink. Yes, I went there. I totally went there. The petals circled in the air and gathered into a spiral.
"Look out, Ichigo! Each of Senbonzakura's flower petals are actually tiny blades! They reflect off light to make them look like harmless flowers, but they're not! Be careful!" I yelled from my spot a couple yards away.
He nodded at me and when they were almost at him, he took Zangetsu and slashed it forward. A wave of spirit energy came out which I recognized as his ever famous technique, Getsuga Tensho. The attack blew the flowers away and flew straight past Byakuya. I could tell that he was surprised since his eyes were wide open. Ichigo continued pouring his spiritual pressure into it until an explosion sounded. A very huge, deep gash formed in the ground right next to where Byakuya was standing.
The dust cleared and one of Byakuya's glove fell off as his blood dripped onto it. I was surprised that Ichigo actually hit him. I totally forgot about that part in the anime since I knew most of the damage Byakuya took was from Ichigo in his Senkei thingy.
"What is that light I saw? Is this the true power of your zanpakuto, Ichigo Kurosaki?" Byakuya asked in that stoic voice he always seemed to have, but if one looked closely, you could hear the faint traces of shock in it.
"That's right. When I swing my sword, all of my spiritual pressure is absorbed by my zanpakuto. Then it gets released again in a super high-density beam. That gives it an incredibly amplified swing. That's Zangetsu's power. You know, the funny thing is, I never aimed it at anything before. Until just now, I wasn't really sure how to fire it," he explained. I tuned out when he started explaining since I already knew how it worked. I was just waiting for the real fun to begin when I heard that last part. I anime sweat-dropped.
He never actually aimed it at anything before? Wow! Seriously Ichigo, get your head in the game!
But like I was one to talk. I had no zanpakuto of my own so I really shouldn't have been judging him. At least I knew I could shunpo and do a couple Kido spells.
"Kisuke Urahara told me, 'I can only teach you the stances'. I finally know what he meant. He was telling me that there was only one who could teach me to use Zangetsu. And that...was Zangetsu himself!" Ichigo shouted and I knew he was having flashbacks to Urahara and Zangetsu's training sessions.
Hmm, I got to give the Berry credit though. He has come a long way since the first time we met. And he's only going to continue to grow. This is just the beginning of a very long journey for him. But...it'll be worth it in the end.
"I'll say it once more. Byakuya Kuchiki, attack me with your Bankai now! I'm gonna destroy you completely this time!" He opened his eyes and plunged Zangetsu into the ground. I bit my lip in worry.
Ichigo, don't get too cocky, please! Byakuya's right. Be careful of what you ask for. You might have Bankai right now, but Byakuya has experience. Plus, you have your Hollow to worry about, so don't get too full of yourself! He still doesn't know about his Hollow side yet, so I have to be on guard. He's going to come out real soon, so I have to be there to help him through it. Yeah right, easier said than done.
"It seems that you won't take no for an answer. All right then, feast your eyes upon my Bankai," Byakuya said as he raised his sword up to his face, then dropped it. As it went towards the ground, it created ripples and then disappeared completely.
This was cool because I could actually see a Captain's Bankai in person instead of on a T.V. screen. I was bubbling with excitement and my fangirl side threatened to come out. Even though I would have loved to have acted on those feelings, I held back. I promised myself that if I ever went into Bleach, I wouldn't become a Mary-Sue. No, I hated them so much since they didn't know when to stop to think about their actions and the consequences that accompanied them. Swords appeared on both sides of us. It looked like a corridor of giant swords that was really dark inside. I stared in amazement while Ichigo was in surprise.
"Ban-kai. Senbonzakura Kageyoshi." The swords broke into billions of tiny petals at the command. This was enough to snap us out of our stupor.
Damn! I better stand guard just in case some of them come at me. Though I know Byakuya wouldn't go that low. Still, better safe than sorry.
Ichigo dodged the barrage of flowers coming at him while grabbing Zangetsu off of the ground. The place he was just at exploded and rocks flew everywhere. He charged at Byakuya, but a wall of flowers gathered at his chest and shot straight towards Ichigo. Luckily, he dodged it in time by jumping into the air, releasing an attack of his own.
A wall of petals shielded Byakuya before it had a chance to injure him. Thus, the game of life and death continued for the two as I stood by watching. Then a surge of Senbonzakura's petals came at me. Needless to say, I started to panic a little. I raised my hands up in order to cast a Kido spell, but Byakuya noticed this and called off the onslaught. I sighed in relief, then realized what he did.
Is it just me or did he actually try to save me?
He saw my confusion while attacking Ichigo and explained it to me.
"That wasn't what it seemed, girl. I wasn't trying to help you. I was merely keeping my word. I promised my attention would be on that boy for the time being, then on you. Do not get the wrong idea."
He shot me a quick glance while I stood there motionlessly, absolutely dumbstruck. I must have been a funny sight to see at the time. My mouth was wide open and my eyes bulging. All in all, I looked like a fish out of water. After a few more seconds I snapped out of it and ridiculed myself.
Of course he doesn't care about me. He's Byakuya Kuchiki for God's sake! No way would that ever happen! I'm just another Ryoka to him and he's pissed as hell at me for saying those things to him before. But why do I feel like there's something more to that? I wonder...could he really...?
I looked up just in time to see Ichigo getting trapped on all sides and crashing into the ground below.
"Ichigo!" I ran towards him to help him up, but then thought the better of it. I couldn't interfere since it wasn't time yet. I would just have to wait. Ichigo panted and my eyes took in the damage. I shook my head and sighed. Then he got up and smirked.
"Che! I can win this battle without even using my Bankai."
"Hmph! You say that as if you already had Bankai," Byakuya replied.
"Why yes, I do have one actually."
Ichigo smiled and placed Zangetsu out in front of him with both his hands on the hilt. He poured his spiritual energy into it and I braced myself for what was about to happen. I smirked as I shunpoed back so I was at a safe distance away.
Prepared to be amazed. Don't let your guard down, Byakuya. It just might be the last thing you do.
Hi everyone! This is the rewritten chapter and I hope you liked it! It's my goal to make this story even more enjoyable than the original since I found a lot of mistakes while editing this. If you liked my story, then please check out 'We're Screwed If We Get Caught' by the awesome toongeek14 and 'Rabbit Heart' by the amazing Abby-Rosette. These stories are absolutely wonderful, so please read them when you have the time. Thanks guys!XD
Also, a big thank you to SwirlzSmile for beta-reading this chapter and all the other ones on here. You go girl! And as always, thank you to all those who reviewed and supported my story thus far. Rock on guys! Until next time! And please, please review! Love ya!^^