Hi, back again!
Thanks again to everyone who had put my story on their alerts/favorites, and a big thanks to everyone who reviewed. Oh, and thank you hothead11 for being the 200th reviewer!
To those that want to know what 682 stands for, go look up SCP-682, or 'SCP Foundation'. It's a very interesting website ^.^ It's fictional though, so don't get any ideas O.o
Oh before I forget, would you guys prefer if I tweaked Zangetsu's abilities (as in add on) or would you prefer me to keep it as it is? If I do add, I won't make it overpowered, but adding on will be fun.
Anyway, on to the next chapter, which has a nice twist to it!
Disclaimer: Bleach isn't mine.
Chapter 12: Protection
Shocked screams pierced the night sky as everyone stared in horror at the body of one of their student supervisors.
"It- It killed her!" shouts rang through the air.
"What… The hell… is that?" Ichigo breathed in horror.
The two talons 'fused' together to form a huge claw, and that in turn belonged to a huge Hollow that towered over the entire rooftop, covering it in its moonlit shadow. Its hollow mask gave it an unusual skull like appearance, and the mask ended with two horns. It was so huge that the students weren't even as tall as the bottom half of its legs, and it was hunched and not standing on the rooftop. It swung its claw back, flinging Kanizawa's lifeless body through the air, and she sailed over the rooftop, disappearing out of sight in a shower of blood.
Suddenly, Aoga charged past all of them, his sword held low by his side. "You monster! What the hell did you do to Kanizawa?" he yelled at the top of his lungs, charging at the Hollow.
"Aoga! Stop!" they heard Hisagi yell.
"Aoga-senpai! Wait!" Rukia screamed, but if he heard it, he ignored it. He charged recklessly, and appeared not to notice the hollow raising its arm. The arm swung down, and Aoga raised his sword to block it. He might as well hadn't, as the claw cut through the sword like paper and slashed him down the front length of his body.
His yells were suddenly cut short, but no one could see how badly hit he was. They didn't need to though – a wide fan of blood sprayed from his front and he crumpled to the ground. "No!" Ichigo yelled.
Chaos erupted. The students began screaming and backing away towards the Senkaimon Aoga had opened just a few moments ago, as the Hollow reared back and gave a loud, deafening roar. The air thickened slightly as it released some power through its roar, shaking the building slightly and throwing up loose pebbles.
Drawing his sword, Hisagi looked back and yelled amidst the chaos, trying his best not to let his fear show through his voice. "Fall back, all of you! First-year students, fall back! Get out of here! Run away! Get through the Senkaimon and get out of here! Run! As fast as you can!" The students needed no further prompting and stampeded towards the Senkaimon.
While he wanted to get the hell out of here as well, Hisagi couldn't let any of the first year students come to harm under his charge. He had to buy them time until they escaped, and only then could he escape. 'Shit! Where the hell did that huge hollow come from? How the hell did I not sense it?'
Not tearing his eyes away from the Hollow as it climbed onto the rooftop, Hisagi thumbed a button on his uniform and yelled, "Soul Society! This is an emergency request by Sixth-Year acting instructor Hisagi Shuuhei! We're under attack by a huge hollow in the mortal world and I need immediate backup! It has already taken down my two colleagues and I'm the only one left! Repeat, I need immediate backup, Location 1026 by Northwest 2128! This is an emergency!"
Movement to his right caught his eye. Hisagi turned – and was dumbfounded to see another Hollow, just as big as the first, climbing onto the roof. It looked like a worm, but each leg, instead of just a normal one, branched out into tens of scythe-like appendages.
'Another one? How-' Movement to his front caught his attention again. He turned, just in time to see two huge talons swinging towards him. He raised his sword and leapt backwards, and the talons just grazed his sword, knocking him backwards.
'Shit! I need to keep both of them in my sights-' But as he backed up, the Hollow lunged again, at the same time the worm-like Hollow pounced as well, both coming from separate directions.
"Guys, let's move!" Renji shouted to Ichigo and Rukia, who were both staring at the huge Hollow in shock, and at Hisagi, who was fearlessly standing between them and the Hollow.
"Huh?" Rukia said, and turned back to see Renji some distance away and frantically beckoning to the both of them. Both Momo and Izuru were standing next to him, both desperate to run but not willing to leave two of their classmates behind.
"Come on guys, let's go! There's nothing we can do to help!" Renji yelled at them again.
"Oh," Rukia said. She turned – and was horrified to see that Ichigo had his sword drawn, but was just standing there. She grabbed Ichigo's arm and began pulling him with her. "Come on Ichigo, we can't fight it. We need to go!" Ichigo resisted her pull for a second before turning round and following her. But after a few steps, they heard a huge roar, and instinctively, they all turned round – and stopped.
A second Hollow, just as large as the first, had joined the fray, and Hisagi was now outnumbered by two huge Hollows to one.
Sword still in his hands, Ichigo took a step forward.
"Ichigo/Kurosaki-kun!" all of them shouted, but Ichigo ignored them.
"Ichigo! What are you doing?" Rukia yelled as she followed him.
"What does it look like I'm doing? We can't just run away and leave Hisagi-senpai here!"
"Are you crazy?" Izuru yelled, unconsciously taking a step forward himself. "He told us to run! We're supposed to follow his orders during this training exercise!"
"It's suicide Ichigo! Don't even think about it! It killed two six years in an instant, and that was just one hollow! We're only first years. It doesn't matter if there're five of us; there's nothing we can do!" Renji shouted, but before he was finished, Ichigo was shouting back.
"Screw the rules! It took down Aoga-senpai and Kanizawa-senpai! We can't let them kill off a third!"
"Kurosaki-kun is right," Momo suddenly said, to the horror of her two teammates. "We can't just run away."
"Not you too!" Renji half yelled.
Meanwhile, Ichigo had raised his sword in front of him. At that point, the two hollows had pounced on Hisagi. He managed to dodge the first, but a spurt of blood from his cheek showed he was unable to dodge the second. "I didn't become a shinigami just to run away. Like it or not, I'm going, and you guys aren't going to stop me, although I could definitely use everyone's help."
Rukia gave a thin smirk as she drew her sword. "Don't be daft. Who said anything about stopping you? I've got your back Ichigo, like you have mine."
"Against the odds, huh? Just like old times. Follow my lead," he smirked back, and together, they charged.
"Ichigo! Rukia!" Renji yelled. A split second later, Hinamori rushed after them, her sword drawn as well.
"Ah shit." Left with no choice, Izuru and Renji followed hot after her.
While he managed to dodge the first attack, Hisagi had unwittingly jumped straight into the path of the second hollow, and was unable to get out of the way in time. He twisted away, but one of the worm-like Hollow's appendages sliced his right cheek open, spraying blood onto the floor.
He collapsed to one knee. "Shit… Shit…" Hisagi swore as he got up and valiantly stood his ground, ignoring the flow of blood he could feel on his cheek that signaled he was still alive. Before him, the two hollows readied to attack again.
Pushing away his fear, Hisagi gripped his sword tighter and yelled, "Come at me you bastards! You're not taking me without a fight!" But even as he said that, he knew he was up against impossible odds, but he couldn't run; he wouldn't run.
Both hollows attacked together, just as five figures leapt past Hisagi, meeting the attack dead on.
All five had their swords drawn, and their combined effort was just enough to stop the attack. Ichigo blocked the claws of the devil-faced hollow while Izuru and Momo blocked one set of scythe blades and Rukia and Renji blocked another.
"You- you five…" Hisagi replied in shock as the hollows drew back their weapons, ready to attack again.
At once, all of them sans Renji raised their arms and began shouting, "Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation…"
At the same time, Renji backed up next to Hisagi and said, "Yeah, you can reprimand us later, but don't overlook that we're saving your ass, Hisagi-senpai."
"…surges, march on to the south! Hado #31: Shakkaho!" They all ended at the same time and simultaneously, four orbs shot out from four different casters and zoomed towards the two hollows, two for each hollow. Izuru and Momo's blasts crashed against the worm-like Hollow's mask, engulfing it in a plume of red smoke and making it screech in pain.
Ichigo and Rukia both aimed for the devil-faced hollow. Rukia's blast reached it first, smashing into its hollow mask and making it falter. Ichigo's followed in quick succession, and his blast, noticeably larger than the rest, forced the hollow to roar and take a step back.
"Yeah! Perfect hits!" Renji shouted in triumph – but their relief was short lived as the smoke cleared. The worm hollow's mask was slightly cracked and bits of it had fallen off, and although Ichigo and Rukia had done better, the hollow didn't seem fazed – almost the whole mask was cracked, and the bottom corner was completely blown off. But other than that, they were still standing.
And to make things worse, they were now joined but not one, not two, but numerous other hollows, all in various shapes and sizes but all still huge. They surrounded the roof, and some were even capable of flight, bathing the night sky with impending death.
"Im… impossible…" All of them stood frozen and looked on in terror.
"I don't want to die…" Momo stammered. Unconsciously, Ichigo stepped forward, although he had no idea what he was going to do. But perhaps he could help distract them while the others got away… It was his fault they were in this situation anyway.
They stood rooted as they stared at the insurmountable odds stacked against them, none of them moving even as the devil hollow opened its mouth and a faint glow appeared-
A loud crack sounded, and they all blinked. A long blade had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, embedding itself dead center in the hollow's jaws. It seemed to hover there for a moment before it retracted, and the hollow's disintegrating body fell back, dead.
"My my… you guys certainly got yourselves into a twist, haven't you?" a smooth polite voice drawled.
They all turned and stared at the newcomers. It was Hisagi that found his voice first. "Ai… Aizen-taichou! Ichimaru-fukutaichou!" Ichimaru had his hand outstretched, his Zanpakuto in his hands, suggesting he was responsible for the kill.
"Sorry to keep you guys waiting," Aizen said with a calm smile. "You did request backup, didn't you?" Everyone just looked at the fifth division captain and vice-captain in a mixture of shock and awe.
He walked up to the group and surveyed them. "The five of you have done admirably, but don't worry. I'm sure it was frightening, but it's over now."
Then, he drew his sword and walked calmly towards the hollows, which Ichimaru tailing behind. "The captain and I can take it from here," Ichimaru looked back and said. "Why don't you guys just rest for awhile and let us handle this?" Then, he turned back round, and the two officers leapt towards the oncoming Hollows.
Later that night
After Aizen and Ichimaru had taken care of the hollows, they stopped to once again commend the first years for their courage before taking their leave. A medical officer had arrived sometime during the fight to take care of Hisagi and to check on all the first year students before returning command to Hisagi.
The fight was… one-sided, to say the least. Despite being the best students of the year, it was clear that while one or two might have been no problem had their fear not affected them, the five of them would have stood no chance against the large number of Hollows. But when it came to a Captain and Vice-Captain's turn, the odds did a complete about-turn. This time, it was the Hollows that stood no chance.
Together, the two of them cut a swath through the Hollows. To the academy students, they made it seem so easy. While their kido did little damage, all it took was one swing of either Aizen's or Ichimaru's weapon and a Hollow would be taken down. In fact, Ichimaru was able to take down more than one hollow at once when he muttered something and his blade suddenly extended, impaling more than one hollow at once. They moved fluidly and gracefully, unlike anything any of the students had ever seen.
"Wasn't that amazing or what?" Momo asked the rest as they began packing up.
"Amazing? That was insane! They made it look so easy!" Izuru agreed. "The way they took down all the Hollows, it looked so effortless!"
"Yeah, you're right," Ichigo said. "But I wonder, what were they doing before they came? They arrived pretty fast," he mused.
"Come on, Ichigo, lighten up. They just saved our lives. Besides, they're Captains and Vice-Captains. They can probably do much more than we can; the fight was evidence enough," Renji said.
"I guess you're right," Ichigo conceded.
They stood there in silence for a moment. "I wonder… do you think we'll ever end up like them, being captains or vice-captains?" Izuru asked.
"Why not? If others can do it, why can't we?" Ichigo said.
"Yeah! Then maybe I can be Aizen-taichou's subordinate, or maybe even his vice-captain. He's so nice, don't you think? I would really love to serve under him," Momo replied.
Renji scoffed. "Well, then you'll have to compete against Ichimaru-fukutaichou. He's already so powerful."
"But once he becomes a Captain, that position will be empty," she said.
"Well, whatever squad he becomes Captain of, I won't want to serve under him," Rukia said with a mock shudder. "His look gives me the creeps."
"You could always become my vice-captain when I become a Captain," Ichigo told her with a smirk.
"No way. That'll definitely be the weakest squad of all, so no thanks," she shot back, to everyone else's amusement. "And I'm quite sure there's a rule against Strawberries holding a Captain's post."
"Just watch. I'll definitely reach that level someday," Ichigo said. No one answered him. They were all entertaining that possibility – of them all becoming Captains or Vice-Captains someday.
"Oi, first-years! What's taking so long over there?" Hisagi called over to them. He was standing in front of the Senkaimon and scowling over at them. Half his head was bandaged from the slash he'd received, but he was otherwise fine. "Less talking and more walking! You can talk more when you get back to Soul Society."
"Yes, Hisagi-senpai!" they all said and hurriedly rushed to the Senkaimon.
There's something to be said about how people become friends. It could be because they have lived life together for a long while that when one goes, the other is never far behind. Friends could also have something in common between them; something they can share/laugh/cry about. Friends can also be found after fighting together, staring down at death together, and making it out alive. As such, from that point onwards, Momo and Izuru became their friends. They were probably not as close as the trio was, but they were close enough.
And as for the Hollow incident, they were commended for their brave, albeit reckless actions. An inquiry was launched by the Gotei 13 as to how so many powerful Hollows had managed to congregate at a training location when it should've been monitored by Soul Society, and it was headed by Aizen-taichou himself.
As a slight compensation for placing the students in danger as well as five of their actions (despite breaking a few rules in the process), they were given a day off.
"Why don't we make the most of today and visit Junrinan?" Momo suggested. "It's the closest district to the Academy since the west gate is the closest. I can take you guys to meet my friend and my Oba-san." Since they had no other better suggestion, and the trio had yet to visit Rukongai yet, they agreed.
"I suppose that bag of amanatto is for him?" Renji asked, pointing to the bag in Momo's hand.
"Yup! He loves it, but it's not that easy to find in Junrinan."
"How's Junrinan like?" Rukia asked as they walked towards the west gate. "Is it very different from the outer districts?"
Momo considered the question. "I don't know… It's similar to life in the academy I guess, minus the routines and lessons. How're the outer districts like? I've never been beyond the second district, and it's not much different from the first."
"Wow, that's real lucky of you," Ichigo said with a hint of jealousy. "Rukia, Renji and I are from the 78th district of South Rukongai, and let me tell you, it's as bad as it can get."
"Is it really that bad?" Izuru asked. He too didn't know since his family stayed in the Seireitei.
"It was…" Rukia said grimly.
"And let's leave it at that," Ichigo finished. They didn't pursue it further.
After getting held up slightly by the gatekeeper, Ikkanzaka Jidanbo, who wanted to make sure they weren't playing truant, they were allowed out into Rukongai. Jidanbo was a huge, muscular, menacing looking man, as large as, if not larger than, the hollows they faced yesterday. Apparently, Momo knew him, which was to be expected since her district was just beyond the gate. He warmed up considerably once he spotted her, and let them through without much fuss after that.
A few hours later
So they spent the rest of their time exploring Junrinan and visiting Momo's grandmother and her childhood friend Hitsugaya Toushiro. He was a young boy with bleached white hair which added to the ice cold demeanor he gave off, merely grunting expressionlessly when introduced to the rest. He didn't react when Momo gave him the amanatto, although no one missed the way he gripped them eagerly.
He was also, to Rukia's delight, shorter than her, until Ichigo pointed out that he was just a boy. Obviously, he got a leg to his shin for that, but Toushiro didn't even react, and when it was time for them to leave for the academy, he acted like he couldn't care less.
"Bye Shiro-chan! I'll be back when I can," Momo called with a wave to her childhood friend.
"Take your time; there's no need to strain yourself, bed-wetter Momo," he called out with a bored expression.
"Bed-wetter?" Renji asked with a smirk when they were out of earshot.
Momo blushed slightly. "That's his retaliation whenever I call him Shiro-chan. He'd rather I call him by his proper name.
"Interesting," Ichigo mused. "That's something to remember when he finally becomes a shinigami."
"What do you mean?" she asked in confusion.
"He can become a shinigami. Can't you feel his spiritual pressure? I can feel it leaking from him," Rukia replied.
"Yeah, and it's strong too," Ichigo added.
As they entered Seireitei and made their way towards the academy gates, Ichigo suddenly spotted someone that made him stop. "Uh… Rukia, isn't that the old man we saw with Kuchiki-taichou last month?"
Frowning, Rukia followed the direction he was looking at, and stopped. Sure enough, standing at the academy gates was the same old man, which she assumed was her brother's advisor or assistant, flanked with one shinigami, and he was looking straight at her.
"It is. What does he want?" Rukia asked no one in particular as they approached him.
"Ask him?" Renji suggested. "It's got to be you he's looking for." Izuru and Momo, who haven't seen the old man before, didn't say anything.
"Ah, Rukia-sama, I wish to speak to you alone, under orders from Kuchiki-sama," he said to Rukia. He didn't acknowledge anyone else, nor did he give any inclination that he knew they even existed.
Taken slightly aback, Rukia glanced at the rest.
"What is it?" Ichigo asked a little loudly. "Can't you just-" He stopped when Rukia placed a hand on his arm. When he looked at her, she shook her head slightly.
"Go. I'll meet you guys later," she said. Ichigo looked like he seriously considered ignoring her request, but Renji nudged him along. With a slightly worried backwards glance at her, Ichigo left with the others.
A couple of hours later, Rukia still hadn't returned, and Ichigo was getting anxious, and even though he tried not to show it, it was way too obvious, much to the irritation of someone in their group.
"Would you stop fretting Ichigo? Rukia will be fine," Renji said irritably. "It's probably just some noble business. We shouldn't stick our heads into it."
"It's been two hours. I don't think it's that simple. Something just felt wrong from the way that man sounded," Ichigo said. He looked at Izuru, hoping he could shed some light to Renji's suggestion of 'noble businesses, but the latter just shook his head.
"Sorry Ichigo, I can't help you there," he said.
"Is Ichigo always like this?" Momo asked Renji quietly.
"When it's about Rukia? Yes," Renji replied stiffly. He missed the look Momo and Izuru shared after that.
"Hey guys…" Rukia's voice suddenly came from somewhere behind them. They all turned to see Rukia looking at Ichigo with a sad expression.
"Rukia… what's wrong?" Ichigo blurted out.
Instead of replying, she said, "Ichigo, can I… can I talk to you alone for a moment?"
Ichigo frowned but said, "Uh… sure, I guess." They moved away from where the rest were watching them with curious expressions and exited the dining hall. "What is it?" Ichigo asked anxiously once they were in some empty corner. "What did that old man want?"
He was shocked to see a tear roll down her cheek. "Rukia! What-" he stopped when Rukia shook her head vigorously.
"No, no, it's nothing. He said that… he said that Nii-sama is rescinding his earlier agreement to let me carry on training in the Academy…"
Ichigo was stunned for a few moments. "He WHAT?" Ichigo exclaimed after a few moments. "Why? What did you say?"
"I agreed, Ichigo. I'm sorry."
"Sorry? Sorry for what?"
"For leaving you in the lurch like this. I selfishly decided to go ahead with it without considering your-"
"No, no, no," Ichigo interrupted. "You did nothing of that sort, Rukia. I would have encouraged you to go for it even if you'd asked me."
"But didn't you say before that you hoped I would stay?" Rukia asked in confusion.
"That was me being selfish. This is a good opportunity for you, Rukia. I want you to be happy. Besides, perhaps he has a reason for doing so. What else did that old man say?"
"He said that I would be transferred to the 13th division, and the 13th division taichou will oversee my training. But he didn't give a reason for wanting me to graduate early this time," Rukia said.
Ichigo didn't know what to think. Part of him was angry at Kuchiki Byakuya of depriving Rukia's training, yet another part refused to pass judgment that loosely, because he surely must have had a reason for doing so.
"So why did you tell me first? It's not that I mind, but how about the rest?" Ichigo asked.
"I'll tell them later. I wanted to tell you first, because you've been with me for so long, so it seemed… right that I told you first."
They stood there in silence for a moment. "When are you leaving?" Ichigo asked.
She averted her eyes. "Tomorrow," was all she said.
"Tomorrow? But…" Ichigo stopped himself, then crouched down and embraced Rukia. She stiffened for a moment before returning the hug.
"I'm sorry, Ichigo."
"That should be my line, midget," he said softly. "You'll be all alone in the Gotei 13 until I graduate. Don't worry, I'll make sure you won't stay lonely for long. Everything will turn out fine, I promise. Besides, you'll be training with the best. You might already be stronger than me when I graduate."
She gave a small laugh. "Don't strain yourself, idiot. I'm already hard pressed to reach your level." Then, they released the hug, and she lightly kicked his foot. "You're making me sound like such a wimp. I can survive out there myself, you know." She smiled at Ichigo. "Now I need to break the news to the rest. But thank you, Ichigo, for your support." Then, to Ichigo's complete shock, she leaned towards his still crouched form and kissed his cheek.
"Come, let's go," she said and began walking back to the dining hall. Ichigo followed numbly behind her, and a hand unconsciously moved to his cheek. He stared at the back of her head, wondering what she was thinking, and what was her purpose of doing that. He, on the other hand, didn't know what to think.
Sure, they would be separated temporarily, and sure, the move would probably benefit her. So why then, did he feel so empty at her words? Why then, was he feeling so worried for her? Why then, did he feel that part of him was leaving?
No! They separated! Twist? Did any of you expect that? I could've kept her longer, but if you look at it from Byakuya's POV, he wants to protect Rukia, and after hearing about the Hollow incident, he pulled her out to protect her, even though neither Ichigo nor Rukia know that. Seems logical?
How was the end? Now, I want both of them to move from being unaware to clueless denial :D
General responses:
While I toyed with the idea of Ichigo saving the day, they've only been academy students for a month, so doing so would be too far-fetched.
Thanks for the suggestions on how to include the Karakura team. We'll see though ^.^
So if you guys want me to tweak Zangetsu a little, I will, though I will definitely pay close attention and not make Ichigo overpowered.
Remember, show your support to this fic with a review or suggestions! Next chapter will be as usual.
Till then, see you on Tuesday Evening!
Next chapter will be a time skip! To when? You'll have to wait for the next update!