Question Corner:
1. Why did Ichigo fall from the sky and nearly plummet to his death: Ichigo exerted himself out because he used Getsuga Tenshou more than he promised he would. So, it sped up his reiatsu loss, and that same throbbing in his chest occurred yet again, but this time, it was much more painful, and that's why he lost his balance and began to fall. You guys realize that the next time it happens, he loses his powers right?
2. When is Ichigo going to get ROYALLY wrecked in his rectum: Sorry. No comment. *whistles a happy tune innocently*
3. Why is there IshiHime: I seriously do not want Orihime to end up with anyone (I apologize if you like her). She's not exactly my cup of tea. But, if everyone here has watched Bleach at all, we all see how Ishida is almost always the one who knows what's going on with Orihime. Also, he's like the one who's always saving her. I think at some point, he cared for her and it turned into a serious crush or something or other. The Fallen Angel he was fighting just used her so Ishida could let his guard down. Nothing much to look into.
4. ByaRen? O_O: I think a lot of you are confused about Renji seeing Byakuya during his fight with Suru. I really apologize. I knew that it would be misunderstood, but I wanted you guys to infer about this. Fasado can reflect one's desire into someone's eyes and that desire can either be a goal or a romantic goal. In Renji's case, it's a goal (Sorry to disappoint ByaRen fans!). At the beginning of the series, Renji stated that he always wanted to reach Byakuya's strength or something, and someday, he would surpass him. Even now, I think he's trying to get stronger to protect those he loves, and to finally exceed Byakuya.
5. How did Grimmjow escape the Urahara Shoten when he wasn't supposed to leave?: Explained at the very beginning of this chapter. We're turning back the clock a bit to when Grimmjow was asking Rukia where the Tenshi no Namida were at in Chapter 9.
Thank-woos: cheshire13/Narutopokefan/Teruul/DevilishBea/Hollow Ichigo-Ichigo/skyglazingMaro/Recklessly Impulsive/Ivy Jane Backer/whatthehellwasithinkin/Aka-chan57/thinkbleach/Mesutora
Thank you to all of you :) I'm so happy that I get about 10-11 reviews for each of the chapters. I really couldn't have done all of this without you.
Looking straight ahead.
Nine Lives
By Curiosity Killed Kristy
[Chapter 11: The Follow-Through]
"Oi," the arrancar called out towards the petite Shinigami. "Where's this so-called Tenshi no Namida at?"
Rukia perked up at the sound of the ex-Espada's voice. She cocked her head toward him, displaying apathy. "That is really none of your concern, arrancar. You won't need the information because you won't encounter one."
Grimmjow scoffed, stuffing his calloused palms into his jean pockets. "Heh. I knew you'd be useless. I'll find one on my own." The teal-haired male trudged forward, only halting with another shout of "Arrancar!" thrown at him. He turned his torso slightly to glance at the woman, her eyes steely and grave.
"I know Ichigo, and he won't want you becoming a part of this."
"Too late, Shinigami…" His back faced her, Rukia's eyes scanning for any sign of a possible lie. "They're here… because they're looking for me." Rukia's dark-violet eyes widened at the statement. "I don't appreciate ya thinkin' I'm commanded by that Strawberry. Ya know- if ya look even closer…" Grimmjow leaned in towards her, as she remained frozen and glaring heatedly. "You might even see that I'm the one commandin' him." The arrancar smiled with malevolence, drinking in the sight of the Shinigami's infuriated eyes. The smirk was erased from his lips once the girl released an exhale, directing her eyes to the ground.
"I just hope you know what you're doing with him." She looked at him, lecture completely in her violets. "Because I know for sure that he doesn't know himself- ah!" Rukia yelped, a constricting palm around her neck lifting her from the sand, her feet dangling in the air. She gripped at his wrist, but his grasp on her never faltered. "R-release me!"
"That is none of your concern," Grimmjow hissed through a fake smirk. "Ah, I remember you now; was wonderin' why ya looked so familiar." Rukia gritted her teeth, her legs swinging to and fro for any sign of ground beneath her. "Yer that woman I punched a hole through." The younger Kuchiki glowered at him, his grin expanding to his cheeks. "Keep nosin' into my business, and I'll do it again." He smiled at the woman's shout of shock as he threw her from him without as much as a care.
She leaned on her knees, one hand clutching at her throat as she wheezed uncontrollably. "Y-you're… vile…" Grimmjow stared at her with a deep scowl etched on his features, watching her cough up a storm.
"That's what a hollow is." Deciding that he couldn't stand gazing at the elfin Shinigami any longer, he traipsed towards the lengthy ladder, stepping on the first rung. He knew that woman would recover her air supply rather quickly, so he climbed upwards with the swiftness of a panther. He wasn't hurrying himself because of the Shinigami; he wanted to fight, and he was going to do it without interruption from that woman, the shopkeeper or Ichigo. "Don't try to stop me. I won't listen anyway," he elucidated for the blonde male.
"I wasn't planning to, but a word of caution…" Urahara sipped from his newly brewed tea, his striped hat obscuring his eyes in darkness. "Your locker won't be pleased."
Grimmjow nearly rolled his eyes at the warning, but opted for a sinister smile instead. "That just makes it better." With a rapid flick of his wrist, the shoji door was shoved to the side, the night sky beaming down at the both of them. As he paced onward, he was able to sense a distinct sign of reiatsu in his periphery, and in no time at all, two figures shunpoed in front of him, barricading him access towards where the fights were really intense.
The one on his right was hairless, orange streaks etched beneath both of his waterlines; his zanpaktou perched against his shoulder. He glanced over at the other male with a sort of bob-style haircut, maroon and citrine-colored feathers situated on his finely groomed eyebrow and at the edge of his eye. From the garments they wore, Grimmjow concurred that these two were undoubtedly Shinigami. He sneered at the two, his eyebrows stitching together to form a definite V.
"Ah, Yumichika-san, Ikkaku-san. I haven't seen you two in quite a while," Urahara greeted with a wave of his fan.
"We just reported a few things to the Soul Society. It wouldn't have taken so long if Captain Kurotsuchi hadn't shut the Dangai down," Yumichika explained, flipping a portion of his hair behind him.
"Oh?" The blonde man's eyebrows rose, astonishment clearly evident on his face. "Why would he do such a thing?"
"He thinks something's been going back and forth without permission. Even the Head-Captain thought it best to close the Precipice World." Ikkaku scratched at his temple in contemplation, perplexed by the events occurring as of late.
"And did Kurotsuchi assign anyone from Squad 12 to investigate?" the ex-captain questioned.
"It's a rumor, but I've heard that Kurotsuchi-taichou was searching for something in the Dangai, but he came up empty-handed." Yumichika propped his chin on a palm, Urahara's eyes trained on his reflection in the herbal tea. Silence swept the Urahara Shoten, each of them feeling the rise of reiatsu throughout Karakura-Cho.
"Look, all three of ya can chit-chat all you want, but I'm not gonna stand around hearing this bullshit," Grimmjow began, attempting to push between them to hunt for a worthy opponent, but the duo barely budged. "Move, before I break off your limbs," the arrancar threatened, both of the Shinigami staring at him with solemnity.
"It's all right, gentlemen. Let him go." Urahara tried to ease the tension.
"He can't fight. It'd be better for all of us if he stayed put," Ikkaku elucidated.
"Let him go, Ikkaku-san. And while he's at it, you might as well go with him. They'll need all the help they can get." Urahara tipped the cup's edge towards his lips, the warm liquid swirling down his throat as if into a drain. The 3rd seat eyed the Espada suspiciously, and with a lasting glower, he stepped aside, Grimmjow smirking as he sprinted off elsewhere.
Ikkaku sighed, scraping his nails against an itch on his scalp. "Come on, Yumichika."
"Go on ahead. I'll be right with you." His best friend nodded, disappearing in a blurred vision beside him due to his shunpo. After making sure his friend was nowhere near, he shifted his attention towards the shopkeeper, his lips in a thin line. "What we're fighting now- are they what's causing this entire monstrosity in Seireitei?"
Urahara brought his eyes from his hardened-clay cup, devoid of any drop of his soothing antioxidant. His silver eyes told of something grim and foreboding, and yet no words had left his mouth to reach Yumichika's curious ears. The 5th seat bit at his lip, and without further ado, he flash stepped to the nearest fight he came upon. That was he all he needed to know.
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The strawberry blonde clutched at her sliced abdomen, the ability to breathe nearly unbearable. How could such harmless flowers transform into such cruel projectiles? Her eyes remained focused on the form of her young captain plummeting towards the streets, and the sight was just too heartbreaking. How could her powerful captain fall so quickly to such a foe? Were the Fallen Angels this powerful? You'd think with all of the majesty and grace they exuded, they'd be less life threatening.
She heaved for oxygen, although it caused strain throughout her body. She glanced over at Rukia, and her predicament seemed much worse than her own. The young Kuchiki looked as if ready to collapse; she couldn't possibly leave her now to fend for herself against this menace. Cuts marred every patch of skin she laid eyes on, and in Rukia's case, it seemed the lotuses targeted her more.
"G—" the younger of the two gasped out. "G-… Go, Matsu… Moto…" Matsumoto switched her gaze towards her companion, seeing the desperation in her eyes. Rukia knew how much she yearned to be by her captain's side in his time of most need. Seeing that her friend was about to protest, she interjected immediately with her voice, though raspy. "Go to him… Mn—" Rukia grunted, a tiny shift of her foot already causing pain to wrack throughout her body. "I know what you're feeling- I've had it before." A thought of Kaien seeped into her mind, as she winced when another shuriken separated from her arm to flutter to the ground, soaked with her blood.
"…Kuchiki…" Matsumoto whispered, sensing the girl's pain from their short distance. It hurt her to think of leaving her when she was at her most vulnerable, but she knew that if she stayed to defend her, it would only harm Rukia's pride, and it would be a waste of her brave sacrifice. With no other choice, she flashstepped to where her captain was located, leaving Kuchiki to her own devices.
Yuki gazed at her with absolute indifference, her purple hair swaying in the wind. "…Your ally has left, and you have no strength to fight me," Yuki stated with a monotone, the raven-haired female clasping her bleeding forearm. "Do you wish to die?" The noble's bottom lip quivered from the night's sweeping chill, her zanpaktou being lifted, though shakily.
"…I wish to defeat you," Rukia voiced with a conviction she thought she hadn't possessed. The Fallen Angel bowed her head in comprehension, her plump lips dipping south.
"I see." The Tenshi no Namida raised her head, her eyebrows inched together to form a deep frown, intimidating Rukia in the least. She elevated her palm above the ground with ease, no sign of anger or sympathy in her movements. The petals that had seemingly fallen from the Shinigami's body commenced on shaking, Rukia's eyes widening from sudden realization. The lotus flowers rose upwards, bobbing in the atmosphere near Rukia's figure. With a twist of Yuki's wrist, the once harmless flowers shredded their surrounding petals, transforming into deadly shuriken, pointed towards her.
Before she had the minute to assemble herself, Yuki's hand pushed forward, the blades following the command. The short female braced herself for the impact she knew would meet her, but instead, the touch of fabric against her knuckles and the sudden swish of wind in front of her alerted her. She opened her violet eyes, registering orange before anything else. The woman's arm was lifted to the side, seeming to have flicked off each and every one of the lotus flowers. "…You all right there, Kuchiki?" a familiar feminine voice asked her, the head of her savior slightly turned.
"Y-… Yoruichi-san…"
XLXLXL
"Geh!" Ishida yelped, the blade of the Tenshi no Namida's sword upending his arm's flesh.
"Aww, did I hit a nerve?" the blonde male teased, a side-smirk emerging on his lips.
"B-bastard…" Ishida seethed, grasping at his bleeding skin and narrowing his navy-blue eyes at his opponent. The Fallen Angel chuckled, throwing his head back at the petty nickname for him.
"You amuse me, Quincy. You don't strike me as the type to name-call," the winged male confessed. "I know you're smart enough to think up of a more clever insult for me. Come on, Quincy; amuse me."
"Hmph, you won't need one." Ishida smiled, pushing on the bridge of his glasses. "Fallen Angel is enough of an insult to be titled." The Tenshi no Namida bared his teeth at the teenager, recovering his arrogant smile almost too soon for Ishida to celebrate.
"Clever… but not enough to satisfy me." His palm hovered above the red gem on his zanpaktou, a menacing grin stretching across his face. "Fuminsho, Jobutsu Suru!" Ishida pulled the string of his bow backwards, readying himself for the red streak of light to collide with his blue ray but instead of the sword's aim pointing at him, the Tenshi no Namida had swerved to cock it at Orihime's form.
"Inoue-san!" he screamed out to her, putting his Hirenkyaku into motion instantly. The bright crimson beam smashed into his back, seemingly seeping into the clothes he wore and into his system.
"Ishida-kun!" Orihime yelled, landing beside his collapsed figure and shaking his body by tugging his sleeve repeatedly. "…Ishida-kun?" she whispered with a dying hope. "Sado-kun?" She peeked behind her, already knowing that her gigantic friend would not be awakened. Tears welled in her eyes, although she knew they were still alive and breathing. But they might as well be dead if the Fallen Angel didn't rouse them from their sleep. She quickly wiped the teardrops from her eyes, focusing her grey irises onto the floating male. "Please… Wake them up…" She interlocked her fingers, as if praying to a deity in the sky.
The Tenshi no Namida itched at his chin in musing, delighting in her pleading for him to return her friends. "Hmm… If I release them from their slumber… will you replace them?" At his condition, the girl's eyes grew to double the size it was before, tears still residing at the corners of her eyes. She begrudgingly drove her pupils to the ground, trying to prevent the quakes of her body. She knew what a Forowa could to her in her sleep; in her dreams. She could get killed brutally, or worse… but… Ishida and Chad always sacrificed themselves for her… So why couldn't she do the same for them? Her lips parted for her answer, but a male's voice replaced hers.
"That is despicable." Orihime gazed towards the night sky, her eyes perceiving a familiar figure a few yards away from the winged being. "Having a girl beg for mercy for her friends, only to let her choose between herself and her companions. That is revolting."
"Y-Yumichika… san…"
"Have you no sense of beauty? Of righteousness even towards an enemy?" The onyx-stranded male unsheathed his zanpaktou ever so slowly, the moonlight dancing on his blade. "Must you learn the proper way of respect towards a lady? Bloom, Fuji Kujaku." Yumichika swiped a hand over his zanpaktou, as it glowed momentarily only to morph into four sickle-shaped blades. "I guess I'll have to teach you."
XLXLXL
A bone-chilling breeze swept the premises, lifting Renji's ruby hair as well as Suru's. The winged entity gazed at him with complete egotism, as he flipped a strand of his silky hair behind him. "Hmph… You are just like all the rest. You think you can defeat me because I have a short sword, but in fact it elongates. My zanpaktous are based on the resolve to oneself. There are opponents I have who are not confident enough, so when they see my sword, they think this will be easy enough. And then there are those who yearn for something more challenging…" Suru glimpsed at the heaving male, no sign of emotion in his honey irises.
"They see that my second sword might hold more for them because it's longer. These are the ones who want to prove themselves; ones who think they have more strength than the measly sword that once began it. Truly this is the basis that the world is comprised of: goal. It can push us… but sometimes, it can ruin us."
"Haaah!" Hearing the outburst from behind him, Suru immediately evaded the attack meant for his back, planting himself on a one story building. His hair swam in the wind, as he peered below him at the assaulter. His eyes narrowed at the individual, tracking a male with baldness, his Shinigami robes sleek and black. "Oi, Renji. Why the hell ya just standing there like you have no more spunk in ya? This isn't what I remember when we trained."
Renji only gazed at him with a frown, the jab at his stomach nearly immobilizing him altogether. "Che; hey, pretty boy! Come down here so we can fight! I'm your opponent now!" Suru gazed at him with a raised quizzical eyebrow, sizing up the male with his walk and talk. "I know Renji wouldn't just be standing like he's in a coma with eyes open, so I know ya did something to him! Why don't ya come down here and try it on me?" Ikkaku smirked at the feminine man, said man exhaling a sigh of annoyance.
"You are no different than he was. If you want to die so young, I won't refuse."
XLXLXL
"Ah, Grimmjow Jeagerjaques. What a lovely outcome this has turned out to be." Hato smiled, sarcasm oozing out of him in almost all directions.
"Heh. It won't be so lovely when I've killed you." Hato merely chuckled at the threat, fluttering towards the ground so they could fight on equal level.
"You do realize that this just makes everything easier, don't you?" The Fallen Angel crouched, his boomerang zanpaktou poised in his hand and ready to be thrust.
"Keh. In my eyes, I think this makes it more difficult for you!" Grimmjow pounced into the atmosphere with the aid of his foot, speeding down onto Hato's form with immense momentum, his Pantera raised and glinting from the moon's showering fluorescence. The clangs of their swords rang out, Ichigo's ears picking up on it instantly. Ugh! That idiot!
He wanted to jump in, but he knew it wouldn't be wise. If he did, it would more likely just harm Grimmjow than save him from it. Was this how Rukia felt when he fought? To feel the strong urge to butt into the banging zanpaktous to defeat the rival? But he had to endure it. If Rukia could, then he certainly could. He grasped Zangetsu in his palm even tighter, the constriction so taut the gap between his thumb and index finger bled. Grimmjow was in a Gigai, and he had no Resurrección to back him up. Hato Sengoku could tear him to pieces! But… this was Grimmjow, and Ichigo knew better than to doubt him.
But then there was the fact that Grimmjow wasn't really Grimmjow right now. He was basically a human in his Gigai. But the way things were progressing, it seemed the arrancar was only having minor difficulty. Whenever their swords met, Sengokue had the upper hand since he was of spiritual content, but the ex-Espada seemed to only falter in speed. Strength wasn't such a huge problem, but each time the Fallen Angel used his shunpo to appear elsewhere to stab at an opening, Ichigo's nervousness would escalate only to decrease when Grimmjow successfully blocked it.
He would bite his nails if he wasn't so frozen in anxiety.
With the release of his hand, Sengoku's zanpaktou sliced through the air, hurtling towards the Espada with lightning speed and precision. Sensing the attack before it came, Grimmjow ducked to dodge it, and it flew behind him. That's when Ichigo realized that the sword always returned to its owner. Always. As Grimmjow dashed for the unarmed Tenshi no Namida, the boomerang zanpaktou was headed towards him. Before Ichigo could alert him of this, his throat ran dry, and a man had seemingly appeared, barricading the boomerang from reaching its objective.
Silver hair wafted in the night, the male Tenshi no Namida wearing an unfathomable frown on his features. Bangs shrouded his downturned eyebrows, but the frown was still clearly evident. The boomerang zanpaktou pushed on his sickle sword rather aggressively, but with a gentle nudge of his blade, Sengoku's boomerang sword fell with a clatter to the ground. With a sigh, the male spun around to meet with both Sengoku and Grimmjow's shocked faces. Ichigo detected that the Tenshi no Namida had two different eye colors; one deep purple, and one deep blue. He thought they were the same color, but once the light shone on them, Ichigo could make out the difference.
"Hato-san, what are you doing?" Sengoku cringed. "You know it is against our orders to harm Grimmjow Jeagerjaques."
Ichigo watched on with widened eyes, realizing that this man was no ally of theirs. "Yeah, got a little carried away. But here he is now, so do whatever the hell you want him."
"Chujit-sama, I have done as you have asked." A male with startling white hair, extremely silver eyes, and mocha skin to stand in stark contrast suddenly appeared by his side, a male with blonde hair right behind him.
"Thank you, Shiro-kun. Kenmeina-san, you have not done as I have instructed. How will you repent?"
"I apologize, Chujit. I got a little carried away with a Quincy. A Shinigami came for back-up. I didn't predict his arrival," Unmei elucidated.
"Even so, you have exposed our abilities to the Shinigami. This will not go unnoticed."
"It's not only me, Chujit. I bet the others have as well."
"And the punishment you shall all share. Shiro-kun, where are they?" Chujit questioned, turning towards the emotionless Fallen Angel.
"The other three have returned. They have preferred to receive the consequences than to meet with us."
"I see; Kenmeina-san, your punishment is lessened, but do not think you will get out of this completely." The blonde Tenshi no Namida nodded reluctantly, Chujit spinning around to meet the arrancar's wide eyes.
"Back away from him…" The three Fallen Angels steered their attention onto the Visored, Zangetsu raised and directed towards them. The silver-stranded individual merely stared at him, a sigh on his lips.
"Let him be." Each of the Fallen Angels stared in wide-eyed revelation.
"But, Chujit—" Shiro began, only to be interrupted.
"He is not of spiritual form right now. We can't possibly take him with us. Ichigo Kurosaki, was it?" Chujit asked. "I will not go into the hysteria of introductions, for I am sure you know who we are already. Nevertheless, it is nice to finally meet Isshin Kurosaki's son. Do tell your father we stopped by." As if they never came at all, the Tenshi no Namida left no trace as to when they had come and when they had left, their reiatsu completely blocked for any of them to follow it.
XLXLXL
That night was the most hectic of the week. Everyone sustained severe injuries, but thankfully, Orihime had healed everyone to the point of being reborn. Toshiro had almost no recollection of what had happened that night, only some events. Ikkaku and Renji were both broken-boned inside and out, their pride slightly shattered due to their losing to Kettei Suru. Yumichika wasn't so battered up, but injured nonetheless. Matsumoto was nearly close to dying, the cuts she received too deep, the blood that left her a large quantity, but fortunately, Orihime had arrived in time to see that Matsumoto was doing all she could to try and wake up her captain.
Rukia was the one who obtained the most wounds out of everyone; even Yoruichi thought it was a miracle that she had continued standing up during that time. Ishida and Chad were fine, though sore due to Unmei's streaks of light. Ichigo on the other hand was brokenhearted, and terrified for what might come next.
The second part of his reiatsu energy loss had come, and he knew once the third one hit, it would be the most painful of the three. Especially when he knew what the outcome would be. He stared out his bedroom window, the moon not relaxing him the way it almost always did. He could feel himself shaking just thinking about the last time… the last time he could use Zangetsu… the last time he could protect anyone…
Abruptly, he sat up from leaning on his elbow, hearing some kind of commotion going on downstairs. He could faintly hear his father screaming at someone to stop running and that it wouldn't be safe for his two beautiful daughters if some madman was racing in the house. Karin, of course, rebuked to what Ichigo was sure was a hard punch or slap to the face. "Ah, Onii-chan's friend, please don't make a mess!" He heard Yuzu shout. At that automatic moment, his door smashed open, the hinges slightly squealing.
Ichigo trailed his eyes to a smirking blunet, his face of confusion soon morphing into fury. "YOU BASTARD! YOU BROKE MY DOOR!" The orangette leaped to his feet, pushing on the Espada's chest with as much strength as he could muster. "HOW MANY TIMES DID I TELL YOU TO FUCKING KNOCK! IT'S RIDICULOUS HOW RULES DON'T GO THROUGH THAT PEA-BRAIN OF YOURS! AND AREN'T YOU SUPPOSED TO BE AT URAHARA'S RI- mmph…" In less than a second, Ichigo found himself interrupted with his ranting, soft lips adorning his in an innocent peck. Grimmjow leaned back to inspect his work, and indeed, it got him what he solely wanted: a blushing Ichigo. The dumbfounded look was just a bonus.
"Shut. Up." Ichigo only gazed at him with bewilderment, but at the smirk on the arrancar's face, he regained his senses. Well, most of them. He reached for a nearby chair, and without much thinking at all, he threw it towards him. Grimmjow dodged it, causing the wooden chair to fly out of Ichigo's room and down the stairs with a gigantic boom. Grimmjow swiftly kicked the door shut, locking the Substitute Shinigami's wrists with his fingers.
"Leggo of me! Leggo- mm…" This was becoming a daily occurrence, and Ichigo did not like it. He felt the back of his knees hit the edge of the bed, the burly male above him pushing him down with his weight. After being absolutely sure that the Visored would stop thrashing about, Grimmjow freed his lips, the Shinigami resorting to merely glowering than saying anything more.
"Now that you're not flopping about like a bitch—"
"Call me that one more time—"
"We can talk about what you saw with that Fallen Angel." Ichigo's words immediately died in his throat. "Start talkin' or else there'll be lip action."
