Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Since this is my first chapter since christmas and new year I want to wish you all a good new year. I hope that 2013 are going to be a really good year in every sort of way. I want to thank everyone that has supported this story so far and I hope you will continue to support it into this new year. And to those who have reviewed this story I want to give an extra thanks, if I have forgotten to thank one of you before, since I try to reply to every one of you, I am going to give you my thanks now. ^^
An extra thanks to: FeX, Zoe Whiteraven, Mangafan123, The Last Hatake, copycat15, Thunder Claw03, tomboy8888, Grimjaww, Guest, Zadenae, Lisa255, Blitzing Riptide, OutlawKnight, fancyfairy, rainbowrunner01, Fading to Black, naleah, jojo flamingo, La terrible La.
Thanks so much to all of you and to those of you who follow this story but haven't yet review I would love to see you guys review since it makes me very happy and motivates me a lot. I want everyone who are not a member of this site to know that guest reviews are also very welcome, I love all reviews. So if you don't have anything special to say, just leave a short review with anything:)
Disclaimer: Bleach isn't mine. If it was I would already know what would happen this year in bleach and what would the point in following it be then.
When Ichigo awoke that morning he was feeling tired as hell. His sleep had been plagued by nightmares and almost all of them had contained him. He had awoken in the middle of the night, cold with sweat and feeling like someone had dragged his innards out from the inside and then thrust them back into his body without checking if they were on their right places. When he had woken up like that in he had crawled into the bathroom were he had started to throw up into the toilet. He was lucky that Ishida hadn't awoken even though he was a light sleeper.
The dream that had put Ichigo into this state was still clear in his mind and whenever he closed his eyes it began to hunt him once more.
He had been laying on a bed in a room that he had never seen before, but at the same time he knew that this was his home. He had just been laying there and it had all been quite peaceful.
There had been one walking things, he did not know how to describe it. It didn't look like anything he had seen before. The thing had said something and he had said something back. Then the thing had left. He had not really noticed what had gone around himself, it was like he had been in the back of his own head. He had not really heard anything and he had no idea of what he himself had just said.
Then when he had laid there like that it was as if he had slowly began to surface. Slowly he had become aware of what was happening within him and all the feelings flowing through him. He was scared, terrified over something, but he could not put his finger on what. There was someone, someone inside of him, that wanted to hurt him and everything he cared for. He heard something, the monster inside of him was moving closer and closer to him.
A mask flashed before his eyes, it was white skull with four red slashed and looked something like the mask on a hollow. At this rate, he thought to himself when a voice interrupted him. The twisted voice filled with malice and cruelty made him realize who the monster within was. It was him.
"'At this rate' what", it asked him making him sit up in surprise, shock and fear. "Don't you think that you're a bit too scared, Ichigo? You're so easy to figure out. I'm going to scare you even more now. I'm going to draw closer and closer to you, but not just day by day. I'm gonna do it a lot faster now. I'm drawing closer to you now then I ever was before and at this rate I'm going to get even closer. I'm going to devour you and then you will disappear. At this rate things aren't looking to good for you."
A face flashed into his sight, a face identical to his only his hair was all white, the part that was usually white in a persons eye was black, and his iris was white. It made up a terrifying face. The face of an inner demon that kept hunting him. "See ya", it said and laughed a laugh of pure madness and destruction.
Then a scene began to flash before him. Nell lying down breathing hard with numerous cut wounds over her body. She was lying in a pool of her own blood, she was very close to dying. He ran towards her, grabbed her and asked in a low voice who had done this to her. Inside he was boiling in fury. He would take revenge for Nell and kill the one who had done this to her.
She looked up into his eyes and he could see no happiness in seeing him and at the same time there were no trust in her eyes. There was only fear and blame.
"Why", she crocked out and became a lump in his arms. Her effort at speaking had taken her last bit of energy out of her and killed her. Her last piece of life had been used to ask him why he had done this to her. Why?
He felt a cold fear take hold of his body. The thought that he had done this to Nell. He turned his gaze away from her body and began to look around himself. All around him lay broken bodies of people he loved. Orihime lay sprawled under a tree, her limbs were twisted in unnatural ways. The tree had a dent in it, as if someone had violently thrown her at the tree, causing her to end up like that. Her gaze was void of any life, but at the same time he could her eyes looking at him, blaming him. Asking him why he had done this to her, because he knew that it was his fault. Something within him told him that with a certainty.
Ishida, Chad, Grimmjow and Uluquiorras bodies also laid dead. Their bodies had numerous wounds just the way Nell's had. It was as if they had fought someone who had overpowered them and then slaughtered them in cold blood. He had fought them and his sword had killed them.
Beside him lay a thin and white sword gleaming with the red blood from his friends. He knew that it was his sword, but at the same time it was something twisted with it. There was something off, but he could not tell what.
When he started to look around himself again he saw more bodies. Bodies of people he didn't know, but because of some reason it made him feel just as terrible as his dead friends bodies. There was a small girl with black hair, her eyes shining with terror and recognition, a tall man with red hair in a ponytail with eyes shining in hatred and surprise and two young girls one with black hair and one with brown looking like sisters. More and more bodies just kept coming into his sight and for every body he saw he knew that he was the one that had brutally killed them. Every body hurt him deep inside, deep within his soul.
During the entire time he could hear a bone chilling laughter coming inside of him. A delighted laughter looking at all the death and destruction around him. It was him, his monster within.
Just remembering the dream made Ichigo want to sick up again, leaving his body shaking and dripping in cold sweat. It was not that what he had seen terrified him so much, if it had only been a ordinary nightmare he would already have pushed into out of his head. It was the feeling of promotion, as if this was something that could happen in the future. It was the knowledge of what he would do if he ever took control over Ichigo's body. How Ichigo had murdered the people closest to him, the only people he cared about, and how that might happen in reality.
When Ichigo found himself in the dining hall, eating breakfast with his friends, he was feeling quite restless. His friends had noticed how he was not as talkative and friendly as he usual was, but they thought it better to leave him alone so that he could get it out of his system.
That mentality fitted Ichigo perfectly since he did not really want to talk with anyone right now. Every time he looked at one of his friends he saw their bloody corpses and knew that something within him might want to kill them if it got the chance. The only problem was that when they left him alone he did not get any chance to work of some of his agitation. Somewhere deep inside that made him happy, because he knew that if otherwise he might do something that he would regret, but he would love to get one of Grimmjows challenges. Of course Grimmjow never opens his mouth at the right time, Ichigo thought sarcastically to himself.
No, he decided. He would not involve himself in their discussions right now, he would just sit here quietly and try to calm down. He would not do something that he would regret later. He would not. At least that's what he tried to tell himself.
Then he saw how Orihime looked down, red in the face, from shame he assumed, casting glances at Uluquiorra and Ichigo realized that Uluquiorra had once more used his insulting nickname on Orihime. He had called her Onna, in that sarcastic insulting way of his. Without really thinking what else had been said and what he was about to say he threw himself into the conversation.
"What the hell do you think your doing", he growled clearly talking to Uluquiorra. The other people around him looked at him in shock, but they had all known that he was agitated about something. They had just not realized that he was this close to blowing up. "I've told you to quite calling her Onna, she has a name you know. It happens to be Orihime if you have forgotten."
"I have not forgotten since I have quite a lot better memory then you have", Uluquiorra answered in his always so neutral and annoying tone. "You seem to have forgotten that I have never agreed to stop though. Or maybe you're hallucinating." The last was finished with a sort of half smirk. It's the closest thing like a smile I've ever seen from him, Ichigo thought to himself, but he would not let something like that distract him. When he turned his focus back into the argument he did not realize that Orihime was actually talking and that he interrupted her.
"Calm down guys, I don't want...", then Orihime did not have time to say anything more because Ichigo opened his big mouth.
"I don't care if you don't wanna stop", he snarled glaring at Uluquiorra. "It is disrespectful and I think you should stop. If you know what's best for you." The last was added as an afterthought and it was spoken in a calculating threatening way.
"It's not like you are so much more respectful", Uluquiorra answered in mocking tone as if he saw something that Ichigo did not.
I don't want you to fight over something like that. I don't even really mind, Orihime finished to herself watching the guys spiting comments at each other. They really did not like each other. She didn't think they hated each other, like enemies did, but there was something between them. Rivalry maybe, she thought. She would have to talk to Nell about that later.
"Can't you speak without mocking or being sarcastic for once in your life", Ichigo screamed waking Orihime up from her daydreaming. Orihime was aware that she had a tendency to daydream at the worst places and at the worst times, but that was a part of her that she never thought she would be able to change. Of course she had a tendency to daydream at any place and at any time.
"Can't you stop screaming and speak like a civilized person", Uluquiorra answered once more in a mocking tone.
"Arg", Ichigo growled to frustrated to set his thoughts in words. Ichigo was literally shaking with barley suppressed rage and it made Orihime wonder what had happened to him. Something other than this must have put him in a bad temper because this would not be enough to send him over the top.
Ichigo abruptly rose from his seat. He sent a hateful glance at Ulquiorra but managed to suppress the building rage within him. He knew that it was thanks to his lack of sleep, he knew that he didn't really hate Ulquiorra and he didn't want to do something that he would regret later. He also happened to know that if he stayed in Ulquiorras presence much longer he would do something he would definitely regret.
He cast a glance towards Orihime and Nelleil and mumbled sorry then he stomped away. Orihime couldn't help but stare after him. What had put him on edge, she wondered.
"Do you know what's wrong with him Nell", she asked the only girl among her friends since she thought it much more likely that a girl had picked it up. Girls were after all way more aware at what happened around them than boys.
"No I have no idea", Nelliel answered sounding a bit annoyed. She was annoyed that she didn't have any idea what had put him in such a bad mood either. "He didn't seem to be in a bad mood yesterday."
"Do you guys know what made him so edgy", Nelliel asked Uryuu and Chad Ichigos roomate. "Maybe something happened in the morning or after he said good bye to us yesterday."
"He was like that this morning", Uryuu answered. "But not when he went to bed last night."
"Maybe he had a bad dream", Grimmjow said with a snicker. No matter what occasion Grimmjow would not pass up a chance of mocking somebody.
"Grimmjow", Nelliel said in an annoyed and protective tone. "An ordinary nightmare wouldn't put him on edge like that. Maybe you thought so because that would be your reaction towards a nightmare."
"Well he should calm down after a while", Chad said calmly at the same time as Grimmjow growled: "What did you say", towards Nelliel.
"Yeah", Nelliel answered Chad ignoring Grimmjow totally. "Leaving him alone is probably the best choice."
A few minutes before their Zanjutsu lesson began the six friends found themselves outside the Zanjutsu classroom for second graders. Ichigo had still not meet up with them. Orihime was beginning to feel worried that something serious had happened to him. Why wasn't he hear yet, she thought to herself.
Just as she was about to talk about her worries she saw the Zanjutsu teacher walking towards them and Ichiog was still nowhere in sight. The only thing that told her though, was that he was still upset. It did not help her figuring out what had made him this upset. She wanted to ask him, but she knew that he would probably say some bullshit like nothing happened. Guys never wanted you to worry about them.
"Ah, Ulquiorra. I need to talk to you", the teacher said when he arrived in front of Orihime and her friends. "I just meet up Ichigo on the way and told him that you two have been moved up to the third year class in Zanjutsu. He is already on his way. Do you no where the classroom is?"
"Yes", Ulquiorra answered. "I'll be going then." Then he just walked away like that. Not that Orihime had really expected him to say goodbye, he just wasn't that kind of person, but still. He could have acknowledged them or something. When she saw his back walking away from her she just couldn't help but feeling worried. Ichigo and Ulquiorra did not exactly get along perfectly, and Ichigo was already pissed of at him. She hoped that nothing serious would happen at the lesson.
"Nell", she said softly. "Do you think there is a chance of something happening on the lesson between them?" When she got no answer she looked at Nell and got a really surprise. Nell looked furious, she was quivering with smoldering rage and the glances she cast at the teacher could kill.
God, Orihime thought to herself. What had made Nell like this now, she was fine a few minutes ago. This day had not been a good day and she could not help but worry what would happen later if it had started this bad. She could only pray that there would be no disaster.
Ichigo and Ulquiorra listened to an entire theory lesson in Zanjutsu. The two of them sat together, but they did not say a word to the other. They were clearly still pissed at each other.
During the lesson Ichigo noticed that about half the class was carrying around swords, real swords. The students wore the swords at different ways, but most had them strapped to their waists. Ichigo had seen a few real swords in the second grade in Zanjutsu and had already then guessed that it was the persons materialized Zanpakuto. Here the majority had their own Zanpakutos though and that made Ichigo feel annoyed. If he was as talented as he had heard, he should be able to materialize his Zanoakuto. Maybe he would even try before this saturday.
When the theory lesson was finally finished Ichigo was feeling very restless, as always after a theory lesson. He really didn't like sitting down and listening to boring stuff. In his opinion you learned by doing stuff, not by hearing somebody talk about it.
Then the practical lesson finally started. Ichigo wondered if they were going to be taught a new sword technique or just spar, he had not expected both. The teacher first showed them a new technic where you used your shunpo together with your sword.
"Listen up guys", the man said. "I'm gonna divide you into pairs and then your gonna spar. I expect to see you guys to use some shunpo. Your third grades now, you should be able to combine your knowledge to fight as good as possible. I have showed this many times before and I want to see some improvement."
Ichigo and Ulquiorra got paired up, which didn't really surprise the two of them. Their new teacher probably wanted to pair the two of them up so he could see how good they were so he did not pair them up with anyone who was at a totally different level.
"Ulquiorra", Ichigo said silently looking him straight in the eye. "Are you prepared." The two of them held real swords since you apparently practiced with real swords in the third grade. The swords were heavier than Ichigo would have thought, but not heavier than he could handle.
"I'm ready", Ulquiorra answered shortly.
Ichigo didn't give Ulquiorra any more chance of preparing himself. At the same time as Ulquiorra finished talking Ichigo lunged forward with help of Shunpo. He appeared before Ulquiorra within a second. Then he slashed.
Ulquiorras sword got up in defense and when the swords meet the clang rang out over the entire room. The two of them were the only once who had already started.
Ulquiorras face was painted in shock. He had been prepared, but not that prepared. Ichigo never fought with his full ability when they sparred. It was called a spar when two people fought to train themselves and become better, not when you fought with hatred and a will to kill. And a will to kill there was.
"So you want a serious battle", Ulquiorra said silently so that only Ichigo heard. He did not want the teacher to hear since that would mean that the teacher would stop them before they had the chance to get serious.
"Don't you", Ichigo asked. "I'm not saying that we should fight 'til one of us are dead, only that we should fight with our full ability." Reiatsu started to seep out of Ichigo. When Unohana-taicho taught them about controlling their reiatsus one of the things she had taught them had been how to control how much reiatsu seeped out. She had said that at most times you tried to have as little reiatsu as possible seep out of you as possible because you wanted to conserve strength, plus you didn't want to be to obvious. When you were in a serious battle though, then you needed that reiatsu to seep out of you. You just needed to be on maximum power.
"I think that sounds great", Ulquiorra answered. "Let the best win." Reiatsu started to seep out from Ulquiorra to.
The students in the class stared at Ulquiorra and Ichigo as their reiatsu started to take form. The reiatsu started to form around the two of them like it just did on people with a lot of reiatsu to spare, it swirled around them threatening harm to anyone that came to close. The teacher stared at them in surprise, their reiatsus were very massive to belong to two students in the academy.
Ichigos reiatsu was blue with dark ripples in it. It felt protective and peaceful, but the dark ripples showed of a hidden darkness, madness. They felt hateful, sinister and cruel. Ulquiorras reiatsu was dark and it felt heavy, as if he wanted to suffocate somebody.
The two boys flashed towards each other and as their swords meet, their reiatsus slammed into each other. Ichigo was frowning, a determined expression on his face. Ulquiorras face was void of any emotion, as if the fight had swept away any little emotion that existed within the man.
The two of them flashed away from each other again, looking into each others eye. Waiting for the other to make a move. They were completely unaware of what happened around them.
The other students were looking at them in awe mixed with jealousy. Why were the guys who should belong in first grade this good, they all thought. That they were able to use shunpo in a fight without thinking almost made them green with jealousy, because that was what they were learning right now, learning and struggling with.
The teacher in the class was trying to get Ichigos and Ulquiorras attention, but they were to concentrated at each other.
Ulquiorra was looking at Ichigo with a patient expression, waiting for Ichigo to make a move. Ichigo knew that that was the smartest tactic, to wait for the opponent to attack, but he was to impatient. Ulquiorra looked like he could wait for days and Ichigo wanted - blood - a fight. Now. So he sprang to attack.
Once more he flashed in front of Ulquiorra. They had not learned that much shunpo that they could use in battle so he could not do a lot of different moves. He knew that shinigamis were supposed to be able to stand in the air, sadly they had not been taught that yet. He knew that you were taught that in third grade hoho, but he was still in second grade with his friends. All this thoughts flew through his head in a mess, as he flashed to Ulquiorra.
He slashed an upper hand slash, and Ulquiorra calmly raised his sword. It was all a feint. With hyper speed Ichigo changed his slash towards Ulquiorras upper body.
The two swords clashed and reiatsu was pressed out from them. They didn't notice but their reiatsu was pressing down on the other students around them, threatening and hurting.
Ichigo pressed his sword forward forcing Ulquiorra back. All rage hate frustration hate lay in his sword. It forced Ulquiorra to flash back. Ichigo just followed. He was the hunter. His prey was before him.
For every step he forced Ulquiorra back something rose within him. He didn't even notice it, he was that lost in - his sea of emotions - the fight. His reiatsu became blacker and redder. It became crueler, angrier and more heavy. It felt like something that wanted to tear break destroy everything it got it's hands on.
It pushed down on Ulquiorra, but he heightened his own reiatsu. He was forced to do so, even if it tired him out, because Ichigos reiatsu would crush him otherwise. Uluqiorra knew that he had to strike back.
When Ichigo lifted his sword to strike once again Ulquiorra moved. Ichigo attacked in a certain pattern and it was a pattern that Ulquiorra could predict. When Ichigo once more tired an upper hand slash towards Ulquiorras head he was prepared.
Ulquiorra dodged and tackled Ichigos feet. It resulted in Ichigo stumbeling.
That was all Ulquiorra needed. It was his turn to slash and so he did with a killer instinct. He did not hit as he had intended, but he still caused Ichigo the first bleeding wound from the fight. A tiny trail of red dripped down from Ichigos cheek. Ulquiorra did not have time to celebrate though.
Ichigos sword flew forward at striking speed. Luckily Ulquiorra sidestepped. If he had not Ulquiorras side would have been pierced by Ichigos sword. Instead he received a small bleeding wound, but it was still bigger than the one on Ichigos cheek.
Once more they stood apart, looking each other in the eye and waiting for the other to move. This time there was a more serious mood over it this time. They had both realized each others capability. There would be no more underestimation.
When Ulquiorra stood there, looking Ichigo in the eye he sensed how something began to change in the man. His reiatsu started to ripple and it became more and more violent. Then his eyes. The white in his eyes began to become contaminated, slowly becoming black. At the same time his irises turned shining white. Ulquiorra felt like he was facing a beast.
Once again Ichigo couldn't bear to wait. He flashed towards Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra would not let Ichigo push himself back again. If he did he had a feeling that he could become very hurt. He had never seen Ichigo like this before.
Before their swords could meet agin though a voice called out to them. It was powerful enough to break through their concentration. The voice demanded that they would stop their fight.
The two of them stopped and looked up to were the commanding voice came from. There were no students left in the room, even though the lesson hadn't ended yet. In the door opening their teacher stood, as if trying to take shelter.
Another man besides the two of them stood in their room and it was clear that the command had come from him. It was the principal for the school Kobayashi Daichi. Reiatsu was swirling around the man, as if he had been in a battle just as the two of them.
When Ichigos concentration on the fight was interrupted he felt like he awoke. All the hatred and rage that had been swirling around disappeared and his reiatsu turned blue once more. He could remember it though, and what he had felt scared him. He had been ready to kill Ulquiorra. Even if Ulquiorra wasn't his best friend, even if he sometimes thought the man acted like a total bastard, he still did not want to kill him. He did not want to kill anyone.
Somehow he knew were that emotion had come from. It was as if he could hear the echo of a laugh inside his head, a laugh that originated from him.
It scared him, but at the same time it angered him. He did not want to have to live in fear of hurting his friends, he wanted to protect them damn it. He would need to try harder at materialize his sword or something real dangerous might happen, something that he did not want to happen, something that he would regret for as long as he lived.
When Nelliel, Orihime, Chad, Uryuu and Grimmjow arrived at dining hall they were not prepared for what they would see. They saw two boys, Ulquiorra and Ichigo, sitting together at their usual table with bandages. Ichigo had a bandage in his face and Ulquiorra had one on his side. Ichigos was small, but it was clearly visible when it sat like that in his face, Ulquiorras was bigger but not as obvious.
The seven of them had all been worried for how it would go at the third grade Zanjutsu lesson, but they had not expected this. They had not expected to find any bleeding wounds on their friends.
"What the hell happened", Nelliel exclaimed her anger forgotten. When she looked at them again she felt a suspicion beginning to grow within her. "Don't tell me you guys did this to each other?" None of the others moved a step closer to Ichigo and Ulquiorra, they were to shocked.
"Well", Ichigo said hesitantly. "We spared."
"You spared", Orihime said her expression just as angry as Nelliels. "That's not wounds you get from a spar."
"In third grade Zanjutsu you spar with real swords", Ichigo said softly, thinking that maybe that fact would make them believe that it had been nothing more serious than a sparring session. He didn't really want them to begin asking about details, since he preferred to not even think about what had truly happened.
"It's nothing serious anyway", Ulquiorra said trying to get the girls of his back. "We were just sparing."
Nelliel opened her mouth as if to say something more, to reprimand Ulquiorra and Ichigo more, but someone else began to speak first.
"That's so cool", Grimmjow exclaimed and ran over to the table to sit down. "You guys sparred with real swords. I can't wait until I get to the next grade, seriously. I just can't wait. That's so awesome."
"Calm down Grimmjow", Ichigo said in a reviled tone while Ulquiorra just ignored Grimmjow. "It's not that special." The other four slowly started to walk over towards the table, as if they were worried that Ichigo and Ulquiorra still carried their swords.
"It's fine, nothing really happened", Ichigo said looking into his friends eyes. He hoped that they did not catch his worried tone, but he just couldn't help to wonder. Had something really happened or had it just been his imagination. He really didn't know.
Nelliel looked into his eyes, trying to see if he was hiding something, and she thought she glimsped something, a hidden lie. If he was going so far to hide something as to lie he probably wasn't comfortable in speaking about it, she thought to herself. She would ask him later, when the time was better. When there was only the two of them.
Well that's all for this time guys:) Hope you liked it! Please R&R, and tell me what you think about the story. Anything is welcome, but please no flames;) Anything like wished parings, the pairings you think I'm using, what you want to happen in the story or what I can improve:)
Don't forget to R&R and make my day^^