Author's acknowledgment: to the unknown reviewers
To unknown reviewer known only as 'DD'
I do thank-you for your review. I do wish you had said more than dislike, since that really doesn't help me. Perhaps you could send me a PM and tell me what you disliked (since I know you usually give sound advice I had seen a previous review of yours a while back so I know you're not a flamer of any kind). Was it the story as a whole? Ch. 10? A character, something said? I mean I appreciate that you told you how you felt but…I'm sure you see what getting at. If I don't know I can't change, so if you are reading this please enlighten me, thank-you.
Blackout2010: Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, I just turned twenty, and now a present for you!
Ch. 11 Take aim
"Hey Ichigo we're heading out!" Rukia said to the man who was sitting on the couch busy staring at the T.V watching the Karakura daily news at 8, while she and Senna were gathering their things to head out to the high school for another day of highly educational classes.
So far it had been about a week since they first arrived here and still no sign of any other Shinigami's presence, minus that Kisuke guy who couldn't help them, though Ichigo was still wary of him. His uneasiness not readable explainable, it was more of a gut feeling, and they usually were pretty good when they came to him.
The death god lazily waved them goodbye as the two exited the apartment, though inwardly he was a bit jealous that Rukia got to go to the human world school, while he was stuck on patrol under the self-imposed pretense of 'training' not that he really needed to since he could take down any hollows that came his way, quickly.
But he did start to notice his strength was seemingly more limited than normal, even more so than the one-fifth limiter on. When he asked Zangetsu if something was happening to him, they explained that they were working on it and had decided to set aside a little bit of his power over time similar to a bank account to be used just in case of a dire emergency, and Ichigo was extremely wounded. Ichigo reasoned it was probably due to being inside the Seireitei which had more concentration of reiatsu for so long he had forgotten what it was like to be in the human world again which had considerably less reiatsu particles, and allowed them to do whatever they thought was best as long wasn't anything over dramatic or detrimental.
The teen hollow hunter leaned back on the couch his eyes looking at the ceiling, but to him seemingly looking through it at something just out of his reach "(Sigh) I wonder how Shaolin's doing." He muttered, silently worried about his girlfriend well being, since the last time he came into the human world he lost someone very dear to him and didn't want a repeat event especially in this situation where he'd be unable to do anything.
(Later that day: Senna and Rukia)
Bored. That would be the best way to describe student number thirteen, Senna Kurosaki as she sat in the classroom's fourth row, ninth seat, listening to the teacher lecture on and on about the history lessons of early Japan, the stuff most high schoolers kind of knew already. Senna glanced back to her immediate right hand side and snorted before turning back to look out the window on her left, seeing that Rukia was absolutely enamored over the information, and was slowly drawing a picture on her notebook of what looked like a rabbit in samurai gear riding a horse into battle, as it carried a flag that had on the side the words 'Chappy Victory' or whatever that meant to the strange Shinigami.
Senna yawned tiredly because of the training regiment Ichigo and Rukia stuck her on and made her do every other day, since as they explained that they couldn't teach her a lot of Shinigami skills since it was extremely illegal to train non-Shinigami's, and settled for just the physical side of things, since Ichigo or Rukia would be there to support in actual battle, and the tediousness of this particular lesson since she was just going to forget all of this crap anyway after the test was over with. Unfortunately she yawned a bit too loudly as the teacher stopped mid lesson and looked over her way with narrowed eyes
"Well then Kurosaki-san. It seems you're very knowledgeable about today's lesson so why don't you explain to the class who defeated Nobunaga Oda during the battle of Honnoji." The teacher challenged to the girl, forcing her to stand up from her seat and answer the question aloud
"Ahhh…" the girl drawled out her eyes darting from one classmate to another looking for help, when the class started to smirk at her for being called out she took a wild stab and decided to go with the last name she was paying attention to "Ummm Mitsuhide Akechi and his army?" she said out questioningly, going with the first thing to pop into her head
The teacher rocked back and forth smugly "Congratulations you are correct Kurosaki-san. Though I would ask that the next time you're paying your undivided attention to the lesson you don't yawn or have such a blank stare." Getting a few nervous snickers from some in the class "It could make me begin to question your enthusiasm for the class."
"Hehe, y-yeah sure. No problem." Senna chuckled out nervously as she retook her seat. Once she was back in the teacher turned back around to the blackboard and started rambling again while drawing some more graphs and lines. A few more minutes passed before the bell rang ending the class.
"Alright class, lunch time. I'll see you all tomorrow, don't forget to do pages 326 through 328, and yes Asano-san you have to show all your work." She announced to the class before gathering her things to leave the room
Seeing that they were dismissed Senna got up from her desk and walked over to Rukia who was just putting the finishing touches on her latest masterpiece. "Tell me how is it that I get called out when your drawing in class?" wondering how she got away with it all class
The dark haired woman turned in her chair reaching down to put the notebook in her backpack "That's because, I looked like I was taking notes, while you were busy staring off and thinking about something else." She explained as they got up to head to the roof top for lunch "Is everything alright?" she asked in modest concern at her successor of her Shinigami powers
"Yeah. It's just this whole Soul Reaper business." Senna responded wearily, as they enter the hallway with their lunch in hand, not that she was feeling particularly hungry "I honestly hope I'm up to snuff. Those weird mantis things aren't too much of a problem now that I've got a little training in, but…"
Rukia smiled confidently "Don't worry, while I can't fight like I used too. I still have some kidos handy."
BEEP! BEEP!
Rukia's hand immediately flew into her pocket as she pulled out the hollow request pager. She looked back at Senna who had a determined look in her eye and with a solemn nod they went up to the roof, to prepare for battle.
(Elsewhere)
Ichigo paused during his patrol, and glanced back towards the school feeling three unfamiliar reiatsu signatures. One he was unsure of but it definitely didn't feel like a hollow the other reminded him of a hollow but was different too, and the last was definitely a hollow.
'I better go check it out' and in a blur of speed Ichigo was off to the school to investigate, and assist the two girls if needed
(Senna and Rukia)
As soon as the pair reached the top floor, Rukia pulled out her trusty soul release glove that came with the Gigai and pushed Senna out of her body so she could fight unrestrained while Rukia dealt with hiding it on the roof top shack, a safe haven for the body until they could ensure the threat was neutralized. As soon as the body was successfully hidden Rukia jumped onto Senna's back, as they headed in the direction of the disturbance.
"Make a right here and it should be just ahead!" Rukia barked out the directions to the creature for Senna
Following the directions, the pair arrived on top of a building overlooking central park and saw an unusual sight, a tall blue haired boy with glasses wearing a white shirt and khaki pants from their school, well Senna's school, was holding a blue bow-thing like an archer and he was fighting a spider-like hollow.
"Quincy?" Rukia muttered questioningly, while Senna dropped down to the street across from the battle allowing the girl to safely get off and come up with a battle plan "Senna, same rules apply just help protect the man."
"Got it." she confirmed as she did a sub-par flash step over to the field, using her rather blunt Zanpaktou to cut a web shot aimed at the man, who to her surprise wasn't there when she turned around. 'Where'd he go?'
A line of arrows came blistering down from the sky hitting the area around Senna, and the top part of the spider hollow called Webrack, nearly hitting the female Shinigami. "Hey watch where you're aiming!" the girl cried out, having only narrowly dodged the volley by inching back just enough
"What are you talking about? I was aiming at my targets." he replied coldly as he fell back down to the earth, while Senna blocked a claw swipe inwardly shaken that this boy who went to her school was actually aiming at her too, since he said 'targets' plural.
The archer boredly drew his bow again and launched some more energy arrows, while Senna flash stepped to the side to avoid them crashing into her though her inexperience caused her to stumble mid transposition, while the hollow roared out in pain from being struck by the condensed reiatsu energy.
Picking herself up from off the floor, she crossed her hands to begin one of her kido chants at the distracted monster "O Lord, Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man, Inferno and pandemonium, The sea barrier surges, March on to the south! Hadou 31: Shakkaho!" a medium sized burst of flames shooting from her hands and engulfing the creature making it disappear.
"(Whew) That was close." the relieved Senna said, happy that the immediate hollow threat was over and done with "Now for that guy…" turning back to see the man putting his bow away by letting the energy holding it dissipate and adjusting his glasses with his middle finger "Hey, you! What the heck is yo-URYU!" the girl shouted wide eyed from seeing her classmate from school here, fighting monsters like that like it was a mundane thing.
The blue haired man's impassive eyes widened for a moment after seeing Senna better in the one of a kind Shinigami hakama 'Senna? A Shinigami? Impossible I never once sensed Shinigami powers from her before. Which means she only recently acquired them, but from who?' The man narrowed his eyes as his genius level IQ quickly gave him an answer 'I see so it must be them the ones who visited…I best keep my distance unless of course they interfere with me or him, in which case I'll simply bury them.'
Sensing a strong spiritual pressure approaching Uryu merely turned away with an audible 'Hmph' before disappearing leaving her in her stunned stupor at knowing his identity.
Senna ran over to where he had stood a moment ago and tried to find his reiatsu like Rukia had taught her, but sighed when she couldn't find it. 'I can find hollows, but I guess not people yet.' She thought defeatedly since after a week she still wasn't all that good at it. Giving up the search she returned back to Rukia who had been keeping other people away from the area. Silently wondering what was Uryu doing here and how he did that.
(Ichigo)
Ichigo stopped abruptly on the school roof top, the previous hollow energy signature gone. 'Not bad only a week on the job and Senna can take care of herself.' Ichigo thought with a smirk, since the girl picked up on things pretty quickly 'I guess I might as well wait up for them.' Deciding to take a load off until they got back, with a status report
'Hey King! Can you step in for a moment, we need to talk.' Hichigo beckoned, needing to discuss something that the other Zangetsu found out
'Fine.' He mentally replied as he sat down on the grounds in a meditative position, as he closed his eyes a whooshing sensation flew through him and when he open his eyes he was staring back into the familiar sideways city of his inner world.
"Nice to see you could join us." Hichigo said snidely as he laid on his side further up the building.
"So what did you want?" asked Ichigo as he got up from his meditative spot
"We have learned that your power is being weakened by both an Internal and External source, that we are unfamiliar with at this time" The older Zangetsu answered from the far right side of Ichigo, slowly approaching forward and stopping a few feet away
"Well…" Ichigo scratched his head, thinking of a reason why "I guess the limiter may have gotten put on tighter, Lin-chan did say that my power rose after mother's death. So that should be the external but what exactly do you mean by internal?"
"What he means is that something about your body is reacting to something else. We're not entirely sure just yet, but I have a hunch as to what it might be."
"And it's what?"
Hichigo pushed himself off the window and stood up with a smug look. "There might be another one like you." Jabbing his finger at Ichigo
"That makes no sense." Ichigo deadpanned
"I didn't say I was done, jackass learn some patience!" The hollow snarled, much to Ichigo's chagrin about the irony of him saying patience "What I'm getting at is maybe there's someone else here in this city that has power similar to your own."
"Another Zangetsu?" the boy questioned skeptically "Subaru already said that there only a one-to-one ratio when it comes to Zanpaktou, so how can there be another one."
"We are not sure if it's another Zangetsu, Ichigo. We are stating that there maybe someone here that may possess an inner hollow such as yourself, though who it is we are uncertain."
Ichigo looked down his mind going into deep thought over the possibility that someone else had an inner hollow or something similar to that. 'Is there another?' he asked himself. He had always been able to hear his hollows voice for as long as he could remember, yeah it had frightened him but at the same time it almost felt a part of him.
Slowly his mind drifted back to the information given. Was some else here also like him? He did recall that strange energy signature from when he first arrived; it had disappeared shortly after the he met up with Rukia and Senna. Speaking of Senna she could also be the one too, after all he always had the hollow since he was a child, and she did have the last name as his.
"Nah. It wouldn't make sense she was in the human world plus her dads here which makes it even less believable." He muttered analytically, trying to work on the mystery "Perhaps that Keisuke fellow?" he questioned, the man did come off as strange and he did have a gut feeling about him as to being the traitor but maybe just maybe that gut feeling was to him being similar. His mind then started thinking about another one "There's always Rukia too. I've never met her before now, so I don't know what her powers are like. Hmm…"
{Ichigo!}
The boy perked up, looking up to the gray skies above him after hearing his name called by someone from the real world.
{Ichigo!}
Said boy looked back at the two spirits "Look I gotta go guys. Whatever you guys are doing just keep it up. I need to leave." He ordered as he closed his eyes to return to the conscious world.
"Hey wake up sleepy head!" Senna yelled at the unresponsive Shinigami for the third time in a row, ready to grab him and start slapping until he woke up
"Y-yeah." He said regaining awareness to the world around him, his hand holding unto the woman's forearm in to convince her to let him go
Senna back in her human body let out a sigh of relief seeing he was still ok from his coma like meditation period. She called over Rukia who had been thinking things over since they had returned from seeing their classmate, Uryu.
"Ichigo." The female started getting the man's attention "When Senna and I were out today we encountered a very strange sight at the park."
"'Strange'? What do you mean by that?"
"We saw a Quincy." She informed in all seriousness, getting an interested look from Ichigo
"Are you sure? I thought they were all extinct."
"That's not the shocker Ichigo, this 'Quincy' guy you keep saying is actually one of my classmates. He's even capable of defeating hollows." interjected Senna, her face then fell as an epiphany hit her "Hey, did something happen between you Shinigami and the Quincy people?" she asked full of new found doubt, since people wouldn't violently attack other, especially those who help "Because he shot at me on sight when I tried to help him."
The two Shinigami bit their lips and cast a glance towards each other, before Ichigo sighed in resignation "Senna…I'm going to be honest with you so bear with me alright." Ichigo said concernedly, ready to drop a bomb shell on the woman "Shinigami according to history, well…we're the cause that quinces are nearly extinct."
"what do-?" her eyes looking at him for the answer before horrifying realization dawned after seeing the solemn looks on both Shinigami "No way…You, you murdered them!" she whispered
"Genocide to be precise." corrected Ichigo, not that the term felt any better "You see, when Shinigami kills a hollow they get purified by our Zanpaktou which is a good thing, but when a Quincy kills a hollow the soul is reduced to just reiatsu particles which is the equivalent of it being out right destroyed. So our ancestors hunted down to reduce the overall number of Quincys to save as many souls as possible."
"And that justifies it!" She yelled out to the pair making them cringe as they could understand her anger, but they like all Shinigami needed to look at the bigger picture, even if they had to step on the feelings of others
"We didn't say that." Rukia said moving in to save the situation, hoping she'd understand if she showed a personal reason for the actions of their ancestors "Senna look, there are times when tough calls have to be made. Sometimes the right path isn't the easiest. For instance Senna your dad, you love him very much right?"
"Yeah, of course." She said automatically, not even needing to stop and think about it
The girl took a step closer to Senna and grabbed her hand, to seem more empathetic and bring out the girl's more understanding side "If he were to turn into a hollow you could reunite with him in Soul Society if a Shinigami attended him. But if Quincy killed him you would never see him again. And when your soul reaches Soul Society there is a very good chance you could turn into a hollow yourself from the eternal grief of losing him. It wasn't all that uncommon back then according to the history books, in fact it was a very dark time for Soul Society."
Senna closed her eyes, imagining the pain and ache it must be like to turn into a hollow from never reuniting with the people who've loved you since the moment you could walk. She sadly nodded her head understanding their point not that she liked it.
"That's enough for now." Said Ichigo as he picked himself off the ground and stretched his muscles, knowing that being sad and mopey was never good for people, even if he practiced it sometimes "Let's call it in today. Nothing new has happened in our rescue, but we did learn we might have a potential enemy so let's keep our heads up, we still got three weeks to go."
The team turned and went down the roof top stairwell, eager to return home and rest for the night, and put this ugly stain on the Shinigami honor to rest.
Blackout2010: Well that brings an end to chapter 11.
Uryu: Hmm, I see you still try and portray me, as something of a dick, just like in canon in the beginning.
Senna: What makes you say that Uryu?
Ichigo: ahh...let's just say we had 'conflictions'.
Senna:?
Rukia: Don't bother, it's water under the bridge.