Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach
A/N: I apologize to all my readers for the long and horrible wait. Unfortunately, my computer has decided to go into early retirement and so until I get a new computer updates will be slow (even more than usual) for all of my stories. No, I haven't stopped writing or anything of the sort. In fact, I'm fill with a bunch of new ideas. Sadly, though, my computer doesn't give a shit.
Big three guys -Toshiro, Ulquiorra, and Grimmjow- are tied. Who will get to be with Nora?
The Great Blazing Moon Goddess - Akatsuei has written a little side story for Black Blood for me! Read it at http(semi colon, double slash)dori(dash)mu1fenikkusu(dot)deviant art(dot)com(slash)art(slash)Black(dash)Blood(dash)Side(dash)Story(dash)142358352 It has the pairing Nora/Hitsugaya.
Also, check out my deviant art at hotblackangel(dot)deviant art(dot)com and look through my gallery to see how Nora and her resurrecion looks like.
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"Aizen-sama didn't say you can go, Ichi-kun, didn't he?" Gin asked pleasantly, as he watched El Cero form La Garganta.
It was always fun when he became like this, his erratic behavior causing trouble and stir the otherwise boring atmosphere of Las Noches. The silver haired ex-Shinigami enjoyed these times, for really he felt sorry for the young man. Life had dealt him hard choices and it seemed he has chosen all the wrong ones.
He grinned as he heard the Espada breathed heavily through his mask, his appearance greatly scaring the little arrancar on his shoulder, the very one that Gin has sent Nora to fetch a while ago. Why, when the arrancar could have met a quicker, and possible merciful, demise than when she stayed with the two sibling arrancars, he honestly couldn't say. Perhaps he wanted to stir Aizen's plans a little bit, by adding an unseen factor that acted like a medium that kept Nora's innocence.
"I am not going to just sit here and wait," Ichigo told the man, his voice raspy and distorted because of the Hollow mask. "My fraccion is badly wounded. I can feel it through our bond. Even if it is that place, I will go get her. It is my duty as her master. Not that I need to explain it to you."
"Still rude as ever, which is why Nora is cuter than you," Gin said honestly, unafraid of his reaction since he cant really do anything to him.
"Are you going to try to stop me, Ichimaru?" El Cero demanded, turning that famous glare onto the ex-Shinigami. There was warning in those eyes, a certain madness not to be overlooked. It sent his reiatsu spiraling, shaking a bit of the foundation around him and made the arrancar give a frightened yelp.
"Ano ne, Ichi-kun. You didn't want Aizen-sama to know that you were leaving, didn't you?" Gin pointed out, waving one hand at the force the reiatsu was building. "If you didn't, then I suggest you lower it down. You're even hurting the poor arrancar you have."
Ichigo growled, but did as he suggested, forcing his reiatsu down into a manageable and less harmful state. "Perdoname, Nel," he told her softly, keeping his focus solely on the man before him.
"I-iie, Itsygo-sama," the little arrancar assured him, sounding worse for wear. She was badly shaking, though she tried to keep herself still for the sake of the Espada holding her. "Daijobou."
Her answer was simple, yet enough, and Ichigo was grateful for her bravery. He needed an ally to help search the Sereitei for his fraccion and Nel, though seemingly weak, had a great enough speed to help him on his mission.
He wasn't going to give up. He was going to search for Nora, even at the risk of punishment from the Las Noches lord or enslavement of the place he once called home. It was a bad mission from the start, one he shouldn't argue further on. But he couldn't help but agree with Aizen's reasoning of sending her in the first place.
Nora's disposition was weak in the face of Shinigami. Her actions of before, of even drawing her zanpakutou against him, should deeper sympathies towards their enemies. Aizen thought to extract those feelings from her by sending her into the heart of the enemies' territory, to have a first hand experience of how they work and how they responded to arrancars like her.
Ichigo was not to interfere with this mission.
Well, screw him. The moment she got hurt, the mission was off. Damn Ulquiorra was going to hear it from him when he caught up to the green eyed bastard. But he wasn't going to complain to Harribel about her fraccion's inability to keep a comrade safe.
He had asked her to keep an eye on Nora, not to baby-sit. Asking or presuming to have asked for more was only a death wish.
"To answer your question, Ichi-kun, no, I'm not going to interfere. But I wont excuse your actions either," Gin said, smiling that fox like smile of his. "So, try your best and not to screw up. It would be better if you managed to kill a taichou while you're there, but I suppose a fuktaichou would be nice as well." His grin turned sinister. "Show your loyalty to Aizen-sama while you're gone, Ichi-kun, and perhaps he will only punish you. If you don't want your fraccion involved with your insubordination, do a damn good job."
That was no subtle or idle threat. The killing of a friend or the leader of a friend was to be the ultimate show of loyalty. It sent bile rising to his throat, El Cero feeling sickened by the idea of killing an ex-comrade. He was careful not to show his displeasure, however, knowing just how the man before him will take it, would instead go and report him to the other ex-Shinigami, Kaname Tosen, or even Aizen himself.
Either would not go after him, but would probably send Starrk, by far the only Espada who could contain him and survive his moods. Ichigo didn't want to get La Primera involved, knowing if they fought, it would be a fight to kill.
He was losing his humanity; that much he was sure of.
Was Nora worth it? The question came unbidden in his mind. Were the two souls of his sister whom should already be dead be worth all this trouble he was going through? Should he have left them die that day, with their lives unfinished and unlived?
Well, it matter. The guilt would still be there, as with all the 'what ifs' and whatnot. That would not disappear, no matter what people say about time erasing such things. He would still feel like a shitty brother, but now, he would be the shitty master who would gladly go to hell for his fraccion.
So yes, she was worth it. To redeem himself, Ichigo was prepared to go through the Hell Gates and back to protect the girl that is his responsibility. It was way past the time to do otherwise, to change a different path or to walk a different future.
Nora was his life now. And he had no doubt she would be his demise as well.
"I will kill, only if they attack me first," Ichigo compromised. "Only if they get in the way of my goal, only if they threaten my fraccion. I will destroy my enemies. For every death I spare, I will bring back information about the Seireitei's battle plans for Aizen. I will personally be the destruction of the Soul Society."
Gin grinned widely and waved his hand. La Garganta formed, a warp of space of scattered reiki that promised to be a difficult trek for the Espada.
"I will take your word for it," the ex-Shinigami said. "And maybe, perhaps, make a suggestion to add to your party?"
Not trusting that tone or intention, Ichigo turned around to see what the kitsune wanted.
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"So you're really going, Ichigo," the dark skinned man said quietly, watching his friend as he grabbed the things he needed, supplies to last the trip into the den of Hollows, Huenco Mundo. It was a dangerous thing to attempt, especially in his current condition.
Only just returned from battle, Ichigo was a sea of wounds, wrapped in bandages that continued to seep red, every cut still bleeding with the strain of continuing to use his body gave. Beside him, laid out on the bed, the bundle wrapped in a tattered shihakshou had finally silenced, seeming to fall asleep at last.
The truth couldn't be farther from the truth of appearance.
The orange haired young man stilled in response, then stiffly nodded his head. "Yeah, I need to do this. It is their only chance to live again and I'll need to hurry. The medium will last only so long," he muttered, continuing to pack. (1)
"Pero, are you really going to trust that man?" he insisted. "He betrayed everyone he called friend and comrade. What makes you think he wont betray you?"
"I don't, Chad," the Shinigami said softly, bitterly. "In fact, I already know that he will."
Ichigo finally stood up straight, flinging a makeshift pack over his bandaged shoulders. Then, he reached for the bundle on the bed, about the size of a small child, and gently lifted it to the air. It stirred, quivering in his grasp as it let out a Hollow's scream before moaning quietly in distress.
"Besides," he added, looking down at the monstrosity he held. "What I've done to ensure their survival will already land me inside the Maggots Nest, or executed. Either way, I will be dead to them. There is no way I can return and be expected to be treated the same as before. Not with these newly obtained powers of mine or my actions. My only regret, however, is that I could not keep you from getting involved, my friend."
The taller youth sighed. He wished he could say otherwise and ease Ichigo's conscience. But the fact of the matter that he was, indeed, involved. Even more since he was to be a decoy while the orange haired Shinigami escaped.
His right arm stirred to life, morphing into a magenta red and black armor that formed a shield on his arm. "Brazo Derecho Del Gigante."
"You should get going," he warned, moving to the front of first entrance. "They're on their way. Abarai is leading them."
"Go figure. It's the exact tactical move I had expected from the old man." Chocolate brown eyes, with a golden hue, flared to a silvery blue as his reiatsu flared to a large degree, forming an aura that surrounded him. "You don't have to do this, Chad," he gave his friend one last chance to free himself from their bonds, spare himself the future grief. "If they find you helping me, it'll give them the reason that they need to lock you up and become either Urahara's or Kurotsuchi's subject.(2) I don't want to be the reason for your imprisonment to the Seireitei. You're still alive."
The dark haired man did not respond. Instead, he lifted his heavy plated arm. The back end opened like a flower where white energy began to form. In response to that energy, the thing in Ichigo's arms began to scream once more, a strange mixture between Hollow and a female child's.
The attack formed at the tip of his fist and blasted through the front of the small hut, shattering its framework into little wood pieces.
It was still too soon to see it visibly but by the mass disappearance of most of the approaching reiatsu, there was no mistaking that it had been a direct hit.
"If I wasn't involved before, I'm damned now," Chad said quietly. "My attack is unique. Even if I escape, it wont be long until they trace it back to me. I'm as good as caught. Go, Ichigo, or I will force you to. Don't make me a dead man for nothing. It's already to late to change."
Ichigo hesitated for a moment longer, before giving a solemn nod of finality. "Un. Perdoname, mi amigo. I'll never forget what you've done for me," he said and the two of them exchanged a hearty handshake of farewell.
"De nada. That's what amigos are for. Now go!"
Nodding once more, Ichigo gripped the now writhing body in one arm while the other hand pulled out Zangetsu, transforming into his Bankai form. He shunpo-ed, his speed leaving a gust of wind behind.
Chad returned his focus to the approaching Shinigami, readying for his nest attack.
"El… Directo!" (3)
"Huh?" Sado "Chad" Yatsura sat up with a start. "Un sueño?" he muttered to himself, rubbing his tired eyes. "Ichigo…"
"Sado-san," the voice came again, a hesitant yet insisting whisper that woke him from his sleep. "Sado-san!"
The dark skinned, Hispanic man stood to his full height, dusting his already dirty yukata as he turned to face the short, honest faced young Shinigami.
"Hanatarou," he addressed the young man. "How is she?"
"Ano, she is better than how you first brought her this morning I closed the wound but she's going to have to rest and replenish the blood that she lost," the 7th seat of the 4th Division explained. "She lost quite a lot of blood, but it's mostly exhaustion. Hot food and bed rest should be good for now."
"Un." Chad nodded his head to show that he understood. "Arigatou, Hanatarou, for coming when you are so busy," he thanked the young man.
Hanatarou turned red as he became flustered, quite unused to any gratefulness expressed to him. "Iie! I was happy to help. A-and you don't usually ask for something, Sado-san, so I must admit, I was surprise." He looked behind him. "May I ask who she is? I've never seen her before and she ahs a strange reiatsu. Ah! Gomen! I didn't mean to be probing into your business."
"Iie. It's fine," Chad assured him. Looking through the door way to the girl laid out on his bed, he admitted, "I don't know her."
"Eh? D-Demo, naze-?"
"Pero conozco a su hermano mayor. He is an old friend of mine."
"Oh, I-I see." Hanatarou laughed a bit nervously. "I got worried for a second. She has a similar reiatsu of an arrancar. Not as much, but enough to give me concern."
Chad said nothing, looking at the sleeping face which was both familiar and yet unfamiliar. He had known it was her, saw it in those expressive brown eyes that failed to conceal anything. What he didn't know was why it was the two of them. He suppose this was how Yuzu and Karin would look had they been born as one person. It was nice to see that Ichigo had succeeded, but Chad was filled with so many questions.
Why were they one person? Did something had gone wrong? And why was she here in the Seieirtei? Where was Ichigo?
Right now, this girl could tell him nothing. Until she woke up and explained, Chad had to hide her. If Hanatarou, who was one of the weakest Shinigami in the Gotei 13, could sense the Hollow in her reiatsu, he had no doubt that Unohana-taichou and Kotetsu-fuktaichou would as well.
He had to be careful. He was not a free man.
"Hanatarou, what is happening in the Seireitei?" he asked the Seventh Seat. "I couldn't get the exact details of it, but I could learn enough that the Gotei 13 was greatly shaken."
"H-hai," he trembled visibly. "They are saying several arrancar have infiltrated the Soul Society. There's even rumors of an Espada behind among them."
"An Espada," Chad repeated, closing his eyes. His senses stretched out, searching within his range for any damning reiatsu.
'No. It's not Ichigo,' he concluded. 'It's someone else.'
So the girl hadn't come back to the Seireitei to try and live in her homeland. Instead, she came as either an attacking force or a spy. Either was probable and likely the case. He wondered if he should get involved, especially when he was no longer his own individual.
They had him on a leash now, both figuratively and literally.
"Ano, Sado-san," Hanatarou regained his attention. "It's time for your… checkup."
The dark haired man sighed, his hand rubbing the base of his neck and the collar that encircled there. "Hai. I'm going. Just… let me check on her for a second."
"A-alright. Unohana-taichou is in the healing ward," he told the giant. "I'll be returning to my duties now." The short man turned to leave.
"Hanatarou."
"Hai!" he jumped, straightening his spine as he sprung to attention.
"Por favor, puesto le lo dice a cualquiera de que está en mi cuarto," Chad asked of him.
Hanatarou stared blankly for a moment, deciphering the Spanish in his mind and translating it into Japanese. "H-hai, I wont," he promised.
Closing the door, the taller man smiled at him. "Gracias," he thanked the young man, then left the other way, going to go find the gentle yet scary captain of the Fourth.
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"Gack!" Hitsugaya Toshiro gasped, blood spurting from his mouth as he struggled to stay on his feet. Around him, the last of his bankai disintegrated into an icy dust, leaving a glimmer as the wind blew it away. His grip on his zanpaktou's hilt was slipping, the blood on his hands came from marks he had made himself, from gripping it so hard in frustration.
But what infuriated him the most, what made his usual frosty demeanor quickly melt into his icy rage was the fact his opponent did not show any emotion towards their fight, any indication that he was as affected as he himself was.
La Cuatra did not look the bit scuffled, the only sign of any damage on his body was the large rip in his shihakshou, one that extended from his left shoulder to his right hip.
"Is that all? This is what the 10th captain has to offer? Pathetic," the Espada mocked, with that infuriating, empathetic tone. "Then, I shall take my leave. I can only hope this has taught you to forget things you are told to."
"Damatte! We are not done yet," Toshiro grunted, trying to keep his balance even as his vision swam. "You… cant damn well… tell me to ignore things I shouldn't! Who is that girl? Why… why does she…?!"
Ulquiorra stared at him, his impassive expression seeming bored. "Again with that girl, that fraccion trash? You are quickly becoming a nuisance," he said coldly. "That girl nothing to you. We are enemies, nothing more. Out of respect for Kurosaki, I shall not kill you. The pleasure should be his.
"However, ask for that fraccion again, and I shall kill you."
Hitsugaya Toshiro woke with a start. He was alone, spread on his back on a queen sized bed, in his very own room within the Fourth Division's barracks. He felt tight and constricted, from the many bandages crisscrossing his body, making him feel very much like a mummy.
"Yu..me…," he whispered, then gritted his teeth, curling his hands into fists.
That damned Espada! Toshiro felt greatly humiliated, having been played like a fool. During their fight, he had been rattled up by the arrancar, manipulated into giving information about their future plans in his own attempts to extract anything about that girl. The girl who looked like Karin, an older version of her had she lived to be that age. Sure, the idea was impossible to even entertain.
Karin was dead. She had died nearly a hundred years ago, during the vizards' rebellion. It was her death and Yuzu that sunk Ichigo to his current level, made him the bakemono that he now is.
And yet, Toshiro couldn't shake this feeling.
She was there in front of him, ready to fight for an Espada. She had Karin's face, but he had seen any of the girl's qualities within her. Also, the girl had not recognized him. She didn't show any sign that she knew who he was, had been in fact shaken by his statement, the name he had called her.
What a baka he was, to have blundered in his duties for the sake of an imposter. Perhaps it had been a joke, a ruse to shake those who knew the Kurosaki siblings into submission.
And he, Hitsugaya Toshiro, the cool headed captain, had fallen for it.
"Taichou?" a voice called out, low and hesitant that it nearly became a whisper. "Taichou, are you awake?"
"Matsumoto," he called out his fuktaichou's name, an invitation for her to come in. he immediately frowned at the wounds covering her body, at the stitches and covered injuries that marred her flesh. "What happened?" Toshiro quickly demanded.
"W-well you see," his honey haired lieutenant seemed reluctant to explain, trailing off.
The white haired koori captain glared, his unstable emotions raising his reiatsu, somewhat freezing the room. It reminded Ran of the first time they met, when she had recruited him as a Shinigami. It gave her an uneasy feeling to see her strong and unmovable captain so unsettled.
Circumstances had changed him into a cold, tactical man. Seeing him this way, so flustered and totally uncontrolled of himself, well it gave her hope.
Hope that this meant there was a chance to unfreeze his heart and make him feel again. It was a long shot but Matsumoto couldn't help herself to dare and whish it so.
"Explain, Matsumoto," Toshiro ordered, his voice growing cold with barely head annoyance.
"H… hai!" She stood at attention. "Taichou, the Espada you fought with tracked us down before my group could approach the girl. As you can see, this is how he left us." She referred to her injuries. "But we managed to conclude the presence of three arrancars: The Espada himself and two of lesser and, the girl and another female. Abarai Renji, fuktaichou of the Sixth, made contact with the remaining female, but she escaped before she could be apprehended. All the arrancars' location are currently unknown. However, Kurotsuchi-taichou is working to amend that, with a new invention, one that can track reiatsu no matter how well it is hidden or suppressed."
"Such an invention would be helpful right now, especially how these arrancars have managed to infiltrate our borders without our detection," Hitsugaya said quietly, thou fully as he analyzed all that his fuktaichou has told him. "I see then. Any word from the Captain-General?"
"No, sir. Yamamoto-dono has not issued a state of an emergency as of yet. However, a captain's meeting was immediately called the moment your battle ended, taichou. Unohana-taichou had to be detained, as she had to place you under immediate surgery to close many of the wounds."
He said nothing, his bright green eyes troubled. "What is going on?" he muttered. "What is Aizen planning?"
"Taichou?"
Hitsugaya looked up to his fuktaichou. "Nani? What's wrong, Matusmoto?"
Matsumoto looked reluctant to ask, her eyes on everything but him. "That girl," she said. "Was she… really…?"
The temperature grew colder as he gave a bitter answer. "No. Karin's dead, remember? Obviously, this is a trick by Aizen, or probably from Kurosaki himself. either way, it doesn't change the fact that that girl is dead. She's gone."
"I… I see," the woman glanced meaningfully at her young captain, not missing the hollow, haunted look he had. "I'll be going now. Please try to rest, taichou. Unohana-taichou said it was important if you let yourself heal. Otherwise, your injuries could easily turn critical."
"Hai. I will," Toshiro said, not very convincingly. He laid back on the bed and into the covers, turning away from her and facing the window, which showed a very lonely night sky with no stars or moon for company.
As Matsumoto left, she couldn't help but adding quietly, "If only you will let your heart heal as well, taichou."
As soon as she was gone, Hitsugaya threw off the covers and stood up from the bed.
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She was lucky. When Nora woke up, the room was empty. She wouldn't have to threaten or kill her savior. But boy was she hungry.
That struck her as odd. Its has been nearly a week (or so she thought, since she didn't count the time she has been unconscious) since she has been in the Seireitei and away from her master. She weakened during their separation, so she shouldn't be feeling hungry or having even feeling better, since her reiatsu and healing abilities have dampened. And yet she was feeling remarkably better and her stomach was growling its demands.
It meant several things. Either she has finally dysfunction as an arrancar. Or…
Or it meant her master, Ichigo, has entered the Seireitei.
Nora stood up in the bed, looking around of the room. There was nothing by way of personal effects, nothing to tell her about the person who saved her. It did not make her feel better, for she had no idea how to act should a confrontation arise. She needed to prepare for the worst then.
Nora got out of bed, placing her bare feet on the somewhat cold floor. She looked down at herself with some embarrassment. Her torn shihakshou had been stripped from her body and instead she wore interlacing bandages all over her torso, following the path of the cut, from her left shoulder to her right hip.
She traced it carefully with the tips of her fingers. It was hard to believe that such a tiny scrape, a mere flesh wound could cause so much trouble. Even with her current level of reiatsu, it shouldn't have been enough to knock her out.
And left her in the care of the giant from before. Even if the room was empty, his reiatsu lingered in the air.
While she was both mildly surprised and grateful to see her body patched up and healed, it didn't changed the fact she was on hostile territory. Good intentions or not, everyone here was an enemy.
She stood and began the search for her zanpakutou. Now that she has finally obtained it, she found herself uneasy and a bit vulnerable without her power. A quick scan of the room showed that it had been hidden.
Not good. Nora began to trifle through the drawers, closet, looking for anything that might clue her in to the whereabouts of her katana. She even spread the search to a reiatsu one, trying to find the familiar presence associated with Kojomaru.
A reiatsu was slowly making its way towards this room.
She recognized it, but knowing who was coming did not bring her peace. Instead, Nora took hold of a blunt weapon, one that was tall in stature and somewhat a wide space towards its bottom. She then sonido-ed towards the door, the only entrance to this rather stale room. She held the item over her shoulder, in a readied grip to swing.
Now, she simply waited.
The knob turned and the door opened. A tall, familiar dark skinned individual stepped inside carrying a bundle. He took a few steps in before stopping, his head lifting the air. Nora watched for any sudden movements, her fingers tightening their grip on the handle, to emit a… tune?
"Please don't do that," the man said quietly. "It's hard enough to replace the strings."
The fraccion blinked as the man turned his face towards her hiding place behind the door, wearing a friendly expression though he did not smile. He regarded her carefully, as one might do with a skittish horse that was very likely to kick you at any opportune moment. He moved slowly to the side of the rumpled bed, the one side closest to her, laying something on the comforter.
Nora lowered her choice of weapon as she peered at what her brought as he spread them out on the bed, removing the paper wrapping. Not her normal shihakshou as she hoped, for the make was more of a Shinigami's loose and relaxed wear than an arrancar's tight and battle ready. Beside it, as nearly folded as the first, was a pair of hakama pants longer than her shorts, looking as though they could reach her ankles. Shoes were next, white strapped sandals and not her usual long knee-high boots.
In short, this was the standard uniform of a Shinigami.
Nora felt herself balk at the clothing, as though it were something foul and disgusting.
"I must ask you to put these on," the man said. "If I'm to hide you, you will need to blend in. I am not exactly a 'free man'."
"Why would you help me? What are you going to gain from such?" she demanded warily.
He looked at her squarely. "Nothing. This is just a favor to a friend of mine. You may or may not know him. He is Kurosaki Ichigo."
"M-master?!" Nora exclaimed in alarm and surprise. "You… you know my master. Then.. That means he… the Seireitei…"
"Yes. He once lived in the Soul Society, before joining Aizen's army. Por favor, before I further explain, may I have my guitar?" When she continued to stare at him blankly, he motioned to what she held in her hands. "It's not good for the instrument to hold it so tightly like that. I cant really replace the wood if it breaks, since it's from the World of the Living."
Nora put it down, but she didn't give it to him like he asked. Instead, she kept it close to her on the floor, in easy reach should a fight break out between them. "Who are you?" she demanded. "And how is it you know my master?"
"Yastura Sado, but I was called 'Chad' by your… master," he paused, as if he had been about to say something else. "And you? What is your name and relationship to Ichigo?"
"… Nora Basilia," she said tentatively, keeping up her guard.
"Nora Basilia," Chad repeated.
"Yes. I am El Cero Espada, Kurosaki Ichigo's, fraccion."
He nodded in understanding, quite calm even as she had just confirmed that she was an arrancar. "It's nice. Different. Es agradable encontrarle." He held out his hand, causing her to back up in alarm. When he only held it there and not backhand her or anything, she gazed at him questioningly before raising her own hand in response.
Was it a trick? Is this how Shinigami killed their enemies without the use of their blades? Nora had heard of it from her master during one of his many lectures, who explained it as kidou. Of course, she never really have had a demonstration of the art, seeing how Ichigo always had her either standing on the sidelines or fighting a Hollow.
When her hand was high enough, Chad gently grasped it and gave it a shake, before just as gently letting go and returning it to his side. Staring at her hand in surprise, Nora had to ask, "What was that?"
"A hand shake."
"What was it's purpose? Is it to evaluate how powerful my reiatsu is?" she continued to asked suspiciously, not trusting the supposed simplicity of the gesture.
"No, it is not. Pero I must thank you for suppressing it. You must already realize you are not entirely safe in this place. You have too much Hollow in your reiatsu to pass as a normal Shinigami or normal soul," Chad explained quietly. "But to answer your question, a handshake is something people do to greet one another in a less formal way from a bow. It's more common among friends and comrades."
Balking at such a bold assumption, Nora retorted, "I do not plan to be your fried. You are Shinigami, my master's sworn enemies and therefore my own. Any relationship between us will be written in blood."
"Sí. Eso es verdad. Pero yo no soy un Shinigami."
"Nani?" Now she really was confused. If he wasn't Shinigami, why was he at its heart and not in the surrounding districts if he were only a common soul? She had learned that anyone of interest were either recruited into the Gotei 13 or carted off as test subjects to the Twelfth Division's labs.
Reading her thoughts, Chad nodded. "That usually is the case," he agreed, "but mine was a special matter. I was still alive at the time of my crimes and therefore my trial had to be handled differently. This division's, the fourth, taichou spoke on my behalf along with the taichous of 13th and 8th, which is why I am chained to her and her Division. The other two only kept me alive. Unohana-sama kept me alive and my own individual."
"Then how is it you were the one to find me, when I wasn't anywhere near this place?" Nora demanded, not buying for an instant anything he said. She most definitely will question his good Samaritan act.
He cracked a grin, showing white teeth, which greatly surprised her. "I didn't say I was a 'good behavior' sort of prisoner. I would tell you what I was doing there, but I rather keep you far away from matters relating to me. Better to keep a distance, you understand, when I smuggle you away without trouble and to keep my involvement out of it. A win-win sort of thing, you would say."
Confused and somewhat beginning to believe him, Nora asked him the more pressing question on her mind. "Where is my zanpakutou?"
Chad moved to the dresser, which irked her a little since she had already searched through it. Not deeply enough, it seemed, as the dark skinned man pressed some button that rose the false bottom, revealing an extra space that contained a wrapped package long and rightly structured to be her weapon.
Lifting it, Chad handed it to her, but advised quickly, "Don't remove the material. It is a special fabric that hides reiatsu, something that I smuggled out of the labs. I don't want to cause a commotion, so please, Nora-san, leave it on."
So that's why searching for it by reiatsu proved fruitless, she realized. What a crafty invention. It would be extremely useful in assassinations -
Nora blinked. Here it was, finally. A crucial piece of information she could bring back to Ulquiorra that wont undermine her.
If the Shinigami covered themselves with this, they could sneak themselves into Huenco Mundo, even to Las Noches. Able to kill the Espada, Gin, and Tosen. Or possibly go straight for the prize -Aizen's like.
Nora raised her head to access Chad's expression, who watched her just as steadily as was his way. Did he realized the enormity of what he had just done?
He did, it seems, by his solemn expression, his dark eyes seeming to probe into her mind, to see whether or not she would do it.
Did he not realize it was her duty? If not to Ulquiorra, but to her master and creator, Ichigo?
Growwlll….
The growl of her stomach comically relieved the sudden tension in the room, as the organ made itself known in its demands for nourishment. Chad gave a small smile, thankfully not laughing as an embarrassed flush coated her cheeks.
"I think it's time for a late lunch," he suggested. "First, change into these clothes I brought. I though it would bring less suspicion if I introduced you as a novice from another squad that got lost. Here, I will leave now and grant you privacy."
"Doushite?"
Chad turned to face her, but did not asked what she meant. Instead, he merely waited quietly for her to continue her question. It depended on how he would answer in return.
"Why are you risking yourself to help me? You are not Shinigami. Our interaction should have ended the moment you or someone else healed me. Why do you continued this with me?"
Simple demands and quite what he had expected from her. It warmed him, to see that her nature hadn't entirely been lost. That Ichigo hadn't exactly failed.
He closed his eyes with a warm smile filling his expression. "I want to hear about Ichigo. That's all," Chad said, watching her expression turn into one of surprise.
Yeah, he could definitely mistake her as Karin, he decided. He had to be careful though how he talked to her, for he had a felling that Ichigo has told her nothing.
BlAcK BlOoD
To say she didn't get attention was just sugar coating the lack of interest. Everyone in the Fourth Division were simply too busy with other matters to notice the newcomer in their mist, occupying their time with the wounded that seemed to be endless as they kept coming in.
"Your comrades aren't the subtle type, are they?" Chad mused, while he took his time filling up a tray with food from the cart sent by the kitchen staff. Usually, it would have been for the Shinigami working the rounds but he was in this Division long enough to know that the cart always had enough for thirds.
"I hope you like miso ramen and tamoyakai (a plate with pork)," he told the girl, handing the full plate to her. "I'm afraid the food will be stimulating, for it is suppose to reimburse energy in the healers and battle exhaustion."
"Then why are you giving me this?" Nora asked, still suspicious of him.
Chad looked at her and lowered his voice to a silent whisper. "I thought you would be glad of the renewed energy."
She looked a bit irked, but she then nodded her acceptance and began to eat. Chad wanted to laugh at her antics, but wisely kept it inside. If he acted out of character, it would bring the attention they did not need. He did not know about Ichigo's whereabouts and what he should do with this apparent "fraccion", as Nora refused to tell him anything about herself, giving him that nostalgic glare only a Kurosaki was capable of.
Strange as it sounded, he had missed it. Had missed the family that had both alarmed and relaxed him, with their strange powers and goofy shows of love. As per his punishment, Chad had been forbidden to contact Isshin. He and the remaining Kurosaki had not spoken since that faithful day of Ichigo's departure. However, if they had, Chad knew the relationship between them would only be further strained, as really, what were you suppose to say to the father of the man whom you helped become a traitor?
He could never form the right words, for he did not want to apologize or make unnecessary excuses. He continued to stand by his actions and his friend's foolish decisions, despite the hellish existence it had brought him.
Sure, he had been placed under the care of the gentle taichou, Unohana, but there were things as demeaning to be reined on a leash, to be collared and roughly tamed like a stray dog.
However, Chad would not complain of his fate. Neither would he humiliate his best friend's already tarnished image by adding insult to injury.
"I've finished, Chad-san," Nora's quiet voice lured him back to reality, as he blinked blankly down at the empty plates in her grasp.
"I see," he said, impressed. There had been a lot of food he had put on there. He took the plates away and put them in a container set aside for such. Motioning for her to follow, Chad led her from the fury of activity to the quieter hallways.
As they left the rushing reiatsu behind, the questions turned into personal, asking what he could not before.
"How is Ichigo?"
"Ichigo-sama… is well," Nora said slowly, as carefully as she could, without revealing any personal information.
"That's good to hear," he said, accepting her answer. "And how is he as a master?"
"He is fair. He knows when he is right and when he is wrong. And he never fails to explain why I am being punished. Ichigo-sama… is a good master."
"That sounds like Ichigo. I'm glad to hear that he hasn't changed. not after all these years."
"You claimed to how known him as a friend. How close were the two of you?" she asked, now curious.
"We were camaradas. He saved me when I was a stupid kid, living the hard life on the streets after mi abuelo died. Both he and his family, they welcomed me as their own. I can never forget the bond of friendship we shared nor the kindness of su padre y hermanas," Chad said, a soft, far away smile on his face. He stopped in his walk to look back at her, seeing how she suddenly stopped walking. "Is something wrong, Nora-san?"
Nora had been about to ask Chad on the whereabouts of Ichigo's father, when he said those words. "Hermanas is the Spanish word for sisters, correct?" she asked, for him to clarify that she had the right translation.
"Sí."
"Then, Ichigo-sama… not only did he lived in the Seireitei… had a family, he also had siblings, sisters even."
"Sí," Chad said again. "He had two, who were twins. Yuzu… and Karin."
"Had?" Nora repeated. That name again, she thought. She looked at Chad's patient expression. "By that, do you mean that they are gone? Both of them? Living somewhere else or are they…?" She could finished the last bit. For some reason, he throat had closed tight.
"Ichigo's padre, Kurosaki Isshin-sama, still resides in the Seireitei, though I have not seen him since his son's desertion and the trials. From what I've heard, he currently resides with the Kuchiki family."
"N… nani?" Nora whispered, an image of the rugged man rising before her mind. "Ichigo-sama's tousan?"
"Tell Ichigo that his padre forgives him."
"Yuzu and Karin, on the other hand, are…" Chad paused and looked at her. Should he say? He wondered. Will it have an effect on her?
This, in a way, was like talking to the twins themselves about their own deaths. Could she have a reaction when she finds out the fate of her previous incarnations, to discover the depths of her relationship with Ichigo? Especially when he hadn't told her himself?
Well, it was worth a try.
"Yuzu and Karin are-"
"Hitsugaya-taichou!" A soft voiced female cried out in distress. As they turned their heads to the sound, Chad recognized the adolescent, white haired captain of the tenth and the tall, beautiful silver gray haired fuktaichou of the fourth, Kotetsu Isane.
"You shouldn't be up yet! The state of your injuries are too precarious at best. Onegai, return to your room and rest!"
"Tch! I don't have the time. I must resume my duties as soon as possible now that I'm finally awake. My injuries are not at all serious," Hitsugaya said stubbornly.
Chad could have cursed if it was in his nature to do so. Instead, he grabbed Nora by the arm and began to quickly stir her away from the scene. By the look on the younger man's face, it was going to take a long and hard enough beat down to get him to change his mind. Right now, however, It was a futile attempt as he all but brushed off her attempts as he came their way.
"Shit," Chad did cursed then and he suddenly tore the tie from her hair, quickly throwing her hair in front that gave her a somewhat ghostly look, very much like Sadako. But in this style, the blonde highlights were hidden, giving the appearance of a mussy black haired girl.
"Just keep your head bowed like that. Leave the rest to me," he quietly whispered, before jerking her arm to force her body into a bent position, bowing while he did the same just as the captain passed by.
"Sado-san," Hitsugaya nodded his head in acknowledgement of the darker male.
"Hitsugaya-taichou," Chad returned the greeting, nodding his head as well. "Kotetsu-san."
"Ah. Konichiwa, Sado-kun," the pretty and tall lieutenant gave a small bow.
Toshiro was going to use this distraction to continue on when he took the strange appearance of the girl beside the giant.
"Who's this?" he asked, confused as to why she seemed to look familiar. She was standing in the shadows of Chad, whether deliberately or by coincidence, he wasn't sure.
Chad said the first thing he could think of. Only he hoped that his young friend could forgive him if things got bad for him. "7th seat Yamada Hantarou's older sister. She was lost and I'm showing her the way to her brother's station."
Taking cue of the lie, Nora quickly elaborated on it. Nodding in agreement, she added, "Hai. I wanted to surprise my otoutou, but I'm afraid I've made more trouble instead. Gomenasai… taichou." She forced the unfamiliar word out of her mouth, bowing her head a little while trying to keep the style of her hair.
It was a smart move on the older man's part. No doubt the news had spread, the appearance of she, SunSun, and Ulquiorra, especially how they looked like, throughout the ranks of the Seireitei and the Gotei 13. Smart man, she had to admit, as the thought of it had never occurred to her. At least, now, she had Kojomaru by her side again so if they had to fight, she was ready.
Hitsugaya rose a white eyebrow as Isane voiced what he was thinking. "I didn't know Hanatarou-san had any family left."
"Yeah, well, I'm sort of a klutz. Hanatarou might think me a little bit embarrassing to talk about," Nora said quickly, giving a stupid smile that could partially be seen through her hair.
"Hn." The captain's green eyes were icy and nearly glowing as they inspected her closely, trying to see through their words and the curtain of her hair. During which Nora stared at him back, trying to understand why did he look familiar. Besides seeing him earlier, she had the feeling that they've met, that she had stared into these intense eyes of his, a share experience she had with the same frosty color of green with a certain Espada lord.
Was it because of Ulquiorra? Nora didn't know. Equally unnerved by her observation of him, Toshiro broke the contact, looking away from her shadowed expressive brown eyes.
Eyes that were familiar…
"We've wasted enough of your time, Hitsugaya-taichou," Chad announced, grasping her lightly by the arm. "We'll be on our way. Kotetsu-fuktaichou." He nodded lastly to the woman, who blushed and bowed her own farewell.
"Ja ne," Hitsugaya said, taking off.
"Ah! Taichou!" Isane went after him to continue to attempt to get him back to his bed.
"Who was that?" Nora asked in a whisper, glancing back to the departing young male.
"Hitsugaya Toshiro, taichou of the tenth. He is known as a prodigy and he youngest captain in the Gotei 13," Chad explained a bit breathlessly as he picked up their pace. "He and one of your arrancar camaradas got in a fight a few days earlier. He was heavily wounded but now it seems he believes himself healed."
"Hai. I know. I was… there."
He looked down at her but said nothing, instead jerking aside around the corner in a specific direction.
Luck would have it, at that moment, Toshiro took a glance back, to see the light fully hit the girl's face as her hair swished around with the exerted force. Like a deranged halo, the blonde streaks began to glow, trailing behind her as she disappeared behind the bend.
"Matte!" he called out, turning around which surprised Isane with his sudden outburst.
"Time to go," Chad said as they began running.
BlAcK BlOoD
He wouldn't be able to go back for a while, not without a valid excuse as to why he had helped out an enemy or how to make it appear that both a wounded taichou and a perfectly healthy fuktaichou experienced the same hallucination, Chad though as he at last let go of Nora's arm.
Since he was never trained (or allowed to be) as a Shinigami, he couldn't use shunpo. Therefore, they had to run their escape, which was amazing seeing as they managed to elude the captain on their heels.
They were now in a secluded area of warehouses, some paces away from the 4th Division's barracks. Nora took the opportunity to brush the rumpled mess that was her hair, combing through the strands with her fingers.
They had gotten lucky. That captain might have caught them if his wounds had not chosen to open and slow him down. Running away rather than sonido-ing proved to be more taxing, especially faced with more obstacles she would have originally avoided.
"If Hitsugaya-taichou didn't activate the alarm, there's still time for you to pass this district. It'll lead you to the outer east wall, where the giant Jirobu guards."
"Will I need to fight him?" the fraccion asked, grasping the hilt of her zanpakutou.
"Well yes. But it is only a spar. Do not harm him seriously. Just disarm him quickly and he will give up," Chad advised, moving them through the passages. Without his guidance, she might have gotten lost.
She thanked him for it.
"It's no problem. I still have a debt to Ichigo," he replied, waving away her gratitude.
"Then let me ask you a few questions," Nora said, stopping even when she knew they wee pressed for time.
"What is it?" he asked, looking down at her patiently without urging for them to hurry.
She marveled at his patience. "You couldn't tell me before, because we were interrupted. But now.. Could you… finish telling me what happened to Ichigo-sama's imootos? And, to why he left the Seireitei."
It was her chance to find out. Why did her master became an Espada? Why did he abandoned kind people like Chad and his remaining family, Isshin? Why could have led him to throw it all away and join a man of an evil cause?
The tall man sighed. He should have seen it coming, to have know she would being it up again. The curiosity in her eyes were too great to just ignore.
She wanted to know about her master and he happened to have all the answers.
"During a rebellion about a hundred years ago, Yuzu and Karin were caught in the crossfire between the Hollows, vizards, and Shinigami. They had followed their aniki to warned him about a trap, only to be caught in it themselves."
"So they…?"
"Yes, they died a hundred years ago. And to why Ichigo left the Soul Society, you must ask him yourself. I am of a biased view and so I might tell you the wrong reason," Chad said.
His eyes widened, just as Nora felt the coming collision.
"WATCH OUT!"
BlAcK BlOoD
Everything had happened so fast.
Nora coughed violently because of the dust caused by the flying debris that she barely registered the strong arm around her waist, holding her flushed against a muscular body that was almost unfamiliar. Her eyes stung and she carefully rubbed at them, looking up at who held her.
Brown widened considerably as she nearly stopped breathing. Carrying her so effortlessly was none other than La Sexta Espada himself, Grimmjow Jaegarjaquez.
"Yo," he greeted, his intensifying blue eyes looking up and down her somewhat curled form. "It's hard to tell in that bag of yours, but it looks like you've grown some since the last we've saw each other. I got to admit, I'm liking what I'm seeing. Nice." He grinned lecherously that brought upon a hot blush on her face.
"Gr-Grimmjow-sama. Nani… doushite…?" Nora couldn't get her speech right, so flustered at the moment though she wasn't sure if it was the fact that he was actually here and had dared to save her or by his own lewd comments. She knew she looked a little different after obtaining resurrecion, but was it really that much of a difference?
"Ask that asshole of yours. He forced me to come for some reason," Grimmjow admitted, as he lowered them from the air to the ground, placing her on her feet besides him.
"My what? Ah!" Nora turned around at the sound of movement, blocks of foundation that were moved aside roughly.
"Daijobou, Chad?" a voice asked, one that she had longed to hear all of this weak they were apart. The man with the many secrets she only just began to unveil.
As the dust cleared, it revealed bright orange hair, belonging to a tall lean individual dressed in tattered black robes. He look haggard, as though he had been worrying needlessly, with black smudges under his eyes.
"I-Ichigo-sama!" Uncharacteristically, Nora ran and hugged her master, throwing her arms around his waist in a tightening grip. He took a step back in recoiled surprise, looking down at his fraccion with chocolate brown eyes.
"Nora," Ichigo said softly.
At the sound of her name, she gasped and quickly let go, instead bowing down at his feet. "Gomenasai, Ichigo-sama, for the disrespect! I'll accept any punishment you see fit," she said quickly with as much respect in her words she could muster.
"Che, I wish she were talking to me," Grimmjow muttered, walking up to them with his arms folded behind his head. "I could think of several ways to 'punish' her."
"Oi," Ichigo said warningly to his brother Espada. "Shut up or I will kill you. I haven't forgiven you for taking her innocence."
"Jeeze! Again, you're acting like I did worse than what actually fucking happen!"
"Nani?" Nora looked up at the two quarreling Espada, tilting her head in confusion. What were they talking about.
"Nora-chan!"
Something glomped her hard, enough for her to wince. Looking down, she recognized the small skull masked arrancar who was burrowing her face in the folds of her Shinigami robes, crying hysterically.
"N-Nel!!' Nora said in surprise.
"Nel missed you, Nora-chan!" the green haired arrancar blubbered. "Nel was so worried about you Nora-chan! Nel thought you weren't coming back!"
"That's ridiculous, Nel. Of course, I would come back," she tried to assure the arrancar to no avail.
"I take it you didn't come back for a visita," Chad observed, looking at his old friend and his chosen companions.
"Iie. I came to get back my fraccion and to kick Ulquiorra's ass," Ichigo admitted, his expression turning guarded. His eyes stared at the circlet around the man's neck. "Chad, I…"
"Never mind about it," he quickly diverted the subject. "You should-"
"What did you say you were going to do, Cero?" a cool voice asked daringly.
Nora looked up at what remained of the building. "Ulquiorra-sama!" she called out. "SunSun-san!"
"Good to see you again, Nora," La Tercera's fraccion replied, sonido-ing next to the girl. "Gomen, for not finding you sooner. Some persistent pests wouldn't stop following my trail. I had to keep shaking them off," she explained.
"Iie. It's alright. I had an old friend of my master's who helped me," Nora replied, looking at the tall dark-shinned man who stood with Ichigo while Ulquiorra appeared to be giving a very heated lecture. Grimmjow, however, sauntered over to Nora's side, a hand in his pocket. Hey. Are they the teme's nakama, the ones we are supposed to kill?" he asked, flicking his head towards the approaching Shinigami soldiers, whose numbers were enough to fully surround them.
"Iie. Besides Chad, everyone is my enemy," Ichigo said, answering for her. He looked down at his fraccion, a pained look in his eyes as he glanced at what she was wearing.
Nostalgia hit him and he felt his chest tighten with that familiar ache he was now accustomed to. "Are you alright, Nora?" he asked, his eyes fervently eyeing the bandage that peeked through the loose flap of her shihakshou, his fist tightening with anger.
Nora smiled sweetly at him. "Hai, I am," she said. Now that I've returned to your side.
"Oh my," a slithery voice said almost pityingly, one that brought shivers down her spine. A man wearing a captain's haori, with a painted face, yellow teeth, and what appeared to be horns on either side of his head. "I was hoping that at least several of the explosions I've planted would manage at least manage to wound some of you, or at least kill one of you. Alas, I guess taking you alive is favorable. I can probably get better reactions during my experiments.
"Kurotsuchi Mayuri, it's been a while," El Cero greeted, stepping forward so both his fraccion, her little arrancar friend, and his sister Espada's fraccion were protectively behind him.
"Ah, Kurosaki Ichigo. How I've longed that you would return," the creepy taichou said.
"Why's that?"
"To capture you, of course. I've always wanted to know what goes under that body of yours. You've always been an interesting subject to pursue."
Ichigo grinned. "By the looks of it, either he did something to get himself booted or you finally beaten Urahara as taichou of the Twelfth. What a pity. If it was him, I might just be tempted to turn myself in. he was always the better scientist."
"Uh!" Kurotsuchi gritted his teeth in anger. "Kill them!" he ordered his Division. "Bring me enough samples. I don't need them alive."
"Shall we?" El Cero addressed his new nakama as he drew his katana. "Chad, sit this one out. I don't know what that collar does to you if you fight against a Shinigami."
"I was planning to," the dark man admitted, going to the side buildings and out of the fighting range.
With a final look to his fraccion, Ichigo unsheathed his sword as both Espada sonido-ed to meet the charge.
"Fuck yes!" Grimmjow cheered, running forward.
"…" Ulquiorra said nothing, his point in this fight made. Instead, he stayed in his spot, not even planning to join.
Now this is someone I wont miss or regret killing, he thought, going straight to the captain. All for her sake, I will kill anyone who gets in my way.
For her sake alone, I will become a monster.
Omake 2 - The Results of Nii-san Training
"Alright, Kojomaru. As a warm up, you will spar with Haineko. Get ready," Sode no Shirayuki told the zanpakutou.
"Hai, I'm ready," the kisetsu zanpakutou nodded her head, going into position.
"Think you can beat me, chibi-chan?" the neko zanpakutou mocked, strutting herself as she stood opposite the other female.
"We'll see," Kojomaru replied.
Sode no Shirayuki took her place as the referee. "Remember. No zanpakutou nor kidou nor special abilities. This is only physical training. All in position. Ready? Start!"
Both vanished, Kojomaru with an added burst of sound. They reappeared on opposite sides, several paces away from each other, when suddenly-
"KYYAAAAAA!!!!" Haineko dropped to the ground with a shriek, her arms covering her body as though she were suddenly stripped naked. "You… you…!"
"I guess I win then," Kojomaru said proudly. "Though I was expecting a somewhat drawn out fight."
Sode no Shirayuki blinked, wondering what had happened that she missed. They had shunpo-ed (or sonido-ed as was Kojomaru's case) into attack and then Haineko went to the floor, screaming as though someone was whacking her with a broom. So she really hadn't seen what happened.
Quickly, she asked her fellow Shinigami zanpakutou. "Are you injured?"
"NO! She-" Haineko whimpered what happened. Horrified, Sode no Shirayuki took a second look at Kojomaru's hands.
Sure enough, they were there.
The kisetsu blinked. "Did I do something wrong?" she wondered, as the yuki-onna did not look the inch happy.
--Later--
"SHIROSAKI HICHIGO!!"
The Hollow looked up from a magazine Murceilago had convinced him to read. How, you ask? Because the emotionless bat seemed to get hyped up after ready it and that made him curious to whatever the fuck this booklet had to offer. So far, it was an intriguing read.
Looking at his present guest, Hichigo slipped on a grin. "Yo, Yuki-onna. What can I do for you?" he greeted pleasantly. "How did your training with Kojomaru go? Not too difficult, I hope. I did gave her some pointers."
Now that was interesting to see. The usual pale skin of the ice zanpakutou was turning a very bright red. "What? Are you about to confess your love to me or something? Sorry, but I'm taken. Flattered by it though." He turned back to the magazine.
"You… infuriating man! As if I would do such a thing even if my life depended on it! That's no why I'm here! And please, my name is not Yuki-onna. It's Sode no Shirayuki!" she huffed, so angry she didn't even know whether she should keep yelling or begin maiming the Hollow zanpakutou in front of her.
"That's what I said. Yuki-onna," Hichigo replied, not in the least moved by her outburst. "So why did you came? Shinigami zanpakutou don't usually tread here if they can help it."
"Why? Oh, I will tell you why. Today, as promised, I was beginning the training of my master's friend's zanpakutou, so that she has experience fighting as a Shinigami."
"And?" he drawled, wanting her to get to the point already so he could continuing ready. It was hard to drown out her voice.
"I had her do a warm up spar with a fellow zanpakutou. During which she used sonido to remove her undergarments! Every one of them!" Sode no Shirayuki nearly screamed. "And she tells me this is the sort of fighting method against us you've been teaching her!"
"So? My baby girl needs to know how to protect herself. If fighting dirty is what she needs to do, then she better have the balls for it. What I taught her merely built the confidence for her to do it."
Her expression went black, causing Hichigo to raise a pale eyebrow. "You okay there, Yuki-onna?"
Oh, that was IT!
--Much, much later--
"Does it hurt, nii-san?" Kojomaru asked, slouching in the lap of her sempai zanpakutou.
"Nah. She hits like a girl, after all. It's just cold," Hichigo replied, rubbing his cheek that sported a flushed mark from the beating of the koori zanpakutou.
Whadya expect? he thought. The temperamental ones are always the one with no boobs. Well, I take that back. She does have an impressive B-cup. He grinned, his hand tingling as it remembered the feel it had taken when the yuki-onna was raving at him and was trying to make him enter an early grave.
Putting his hand down, he looked at his sister zanpakutou. "Ready for part two?"
"What's part two?" Kojomaru asked. "I thought my training was finished."
"Yeah, but you still need to learn how to beat a guy zanpakutou…"
(1) What Ichigo meant by medium…. Will be explained later.
(2) When this happened, Urahara was still the 12th Division captain.
(3) Again, correct me if I'm wrong. But I think I got it right.
A/N: A little short story at the end that I was too lazy to make into a one-shot. Hichigo would probably have a blast corrupting his "baby sister" . Oh, those poor Shinigami zanpakutou. Kind of makes me wonder how something like that would affect an actual battle.
Okay, sorry for the long wait. I've written, rewritten, forgotten the plot, abandoned the chapter to update another story, finally regained the plot and started writing this chapter. God was it hard! I applaud to everyone patiently waiting for this next chapter.
To the people who might have gotten confused about how Toshiro didn't recognized Nora. Well, despite them having been a distance away to see each other, Nora's hair is more black than blonde which are mostly at the front. What Chad did was pull the black strands from the back to cover her face, both to hide her blonde streaks and her features. Still confused? I might draw a picture of it someday. Maybe.
By far the longest chapter I've ever written. I hoped y'all enjoyed.
Next time: La sangre Roja Florece