Hey there everyone! Hope you enjoy the chapter! I listened to 'On the Verge of Insanity' by Shiro Sagisu whilst writing this! Please can you all review, there have been very little lately :( Thanks to fuzzibunniez, Illidan the Half Demon and new reviewer Hagakure for their reviews!
13 - Infanticide
Ichigo and the others jogged into the Dangai Precipice world. The floor was crackling underneath them, like dry straw and hay. Inoue looked around as she ran, careful not to touch the walls. They towered over them, like waterfalls, dripping ominous purple sludge. No ceiling was in sight, just a devouring blackness. Although there were no visible lights, they themselves seemed to emanate a slight glow as they ran. Ichigo caught up the Chad, the man pushing on.
'Yo, Chad! Drop back next to Inoue for a bit would ya?' the orange haired Shinigami asked, the lumbering boy nodding in agreement, falling back beside the girl. She sighed under her breath, looking across to the walls as they kept running.
'I'm still a liability…at least he cares about me now.' she thought to herself, brushing some long, orange hair from her face. They carried on running, Ichigo searching around for some kind of break in the walls to part onto a new path.
'We're never going to find them if we keep running down this corridor!' he cursed, grabbing his zanpakuto. Chad's eyes widened as Ichigo pulled his weapon out to his side, the bandages unravelling from the steel. From around the sword's edge, a blue glow began to collect, Chad and Inoue coming to a stop suddenly as the boy whipped his weapon around to the front, his reiatsu trembling down the Dangai.
'It's not enough!' he roared, clutching his face and summoning his mask in a flash of black and red, the skeletal garment appearing on him, his eyes looking up with a hiss emitting from his throat, the black stripes running down his features. Raising his sword above his head, he allowed the reiatsu to course through his body, billowing out of his baggy sleeves, rustling and wrapping itself around him.
'Let's do this. Getsuga Tenshou!' he shrieked, unleashing a colossal black and red wave of energy at the wall, the purple ooze exploding off of it, a chasm appearing in the wall as it began to cave in. The entire corridor began to shake, the walls collapsing in on each other, falling into darkness like water down a drain. Above them, slightly diagonal, they could now see another pathway with two people running down it, sprinting and speeding downwards, a blue glow creeping across the bottom of their road.
'It's them!' Ichigo cried, whisking his mask from his face. Crouching, he looked back at the other two. 'Stay here for now, you'll be safe. Just don't touch the wall with your bare hands, or anything.' he said quickly before bounding upwards, flying through the air. He was in the sky behind Ryuken, his sword outstretched to the side. Uryu and his father continued to run, the man at the front's glasses flashing as he realised Ichigo was in the sky behind him.
'Yo, Ishida!' Ichigo cried, launching a blue blast at the two. Instantly, Ryuken kicked around on his heel and fired off a barrage of arrows at the orange haired substitute, Kurosaki diverting out of the sky and rolling across the pathway. He looked up in time to block Uryu's Seele Schneider, the two pushing against one another, blue sparks shooting off of them like electricity.
'Still…gonna fight…ey Ishida?' Ichigo grunted, Uryu sweating as he pushed down upon his foe, Ichigo on one knee. Suddenly, their eyes widened as they heard a cry from behind the boy.
'Heizen!' came the cry and a block of concrete launched itself at the two of them from Ryuken's pentacle, which dangled from his fingers. Uryu, shocked, vanished, skidding backwards and out of the way, the block slamming into Ichigo's chest, the boy coughing up blood and crashing down, diving onto the rough ground. Uryu straightened up and turned to his father, the man tucking his pentacle back into his sleeve.
'You almost hit me with that, father.' Uryu pointed out slyly, Ryuken narrowing his eyes at the boy. Then, he merely turned away and began to walk down the path again.
'Keep moving. We're nearly there.' he ordered, Uryu standing still for a moment, Ryuken waiting in silence. Finally, Ishida ran past his father and the two of them were on their way again. After waiting a moment, Chad leapt up to the pathway, placing Orihime down from his back.
'Kurosaki-kun! Wait a moment, I'll heal your injuries, at least then I can do something to…' she began, but Ichigo placed a hand on hers, the girl's voice fading out as she looked down at their hands, then up into his eyes. He had that look in them again. She had seen it many times before. '…that's right. Kurosaki-kun doesn't need me. Be defeated Rukia's brother…Grimmjow…Ulquiorra…Aizen…this is the look he has had in his eyes after every fight. He doesn't need me.' she thought to herself, crying lightly, her single tear dropping down onto Ichigo's hand.
'Inoue…' he whispered. '…I'm fine, thank you. We have to keep moving, they are nearing Soul Society.' he instructed, the three of them standing to their feet, Inoue nodding as she wiped her eyes. With that, they carried on running, darting towards their opponents.
Ryuken and Uryu stopped outside the entrance to Soul Society, looking up at the enormous, glowing door. Ryuken was merely steps in front of Uryu, his back to the boy. Uryu was out of breath and panting, his father not giving him a glimpse of notice. Ryuken studied the gateway, looking it up and down. He raised his hand to the door, his fingertips twitching.
'Wait,' a quiet voice spoke, Ryuken turning slowly to his son, Uryu's fist clenched, his hand wrapped around the metal of Seele Schneider, his knuckles tensing as he gripped it tight. Ryuken's cold eyes burned into the boy, Uryu swallowing hard as he reached into his shirt and held out his Quincy cross on a glimmering, silver chain.
'Uryu…?' Ryuken whispered.
'I don't want to go through with this, father.' the boy said defiantly. Ryuken was silent, his head tilted mockingly. Chuckling, he brushed some hair from his glasses.
'But you've come so far. From the moment we stepped into the Burumon, there was no turning back. Why is it? Because of Kurosaki? Don't be so weak.' Ryuken spat, Uryu grimacing under every word.
'No. I have my pride as a Quincy.' the child spoke, holding his cross tight. 'I fight Hollows with the weapons my grandfather taught me how to use. Of course I mourn his death! But…killing Shinigami? That's sinking down to their level father. I know that isn't you…please…' Uryu pleaded with the man, something cold burning in Ryuken's eyes. 'By the honour of the Quincy…don't go through with this.' Then, there was silence. Slowly, Ryuken began to walk towards his son, Uryu holding his ground defensively. Ryuken held out his hand and slipped Uryu's Quincy cross into his palm, holding it tentatively by the chain. He proceeded to encase it within his thin fingers, taking a deep breath.
'The honour of the Quincy?' Ryuken whispered, hair dangling over his face. 'My boy, you couldn't be more right.' Suddenly, in a vicious movement, Ryuken ripped the cross from its chain, the segments glistening in the light of the man's eyes as they fell into the darkness, the chain shattered and broken. 'That is why you are a Quincy no more.' With that, he cast the cross down into the precipice, Uryu looking down in horror.
'NO!' he roared, watching the silver disappear below them. Ryuken had already turned away from him, walking towards the doorway. Uryu span round, looking up at him in crazed anger.
'What has forsaken you! When did you decide who or what would be cast out of the Quincy!' he shouted, stepping up behind his father and grabbing his arm. 'When!' he snapped, but he stopped, choking. Ryuken was facing him now, his eyes looking darkly into Uryu's own. Uryu looked down at his stomach, the blue burning sensation of a Seele Schneider piercing him, running him all the way through.
'Since your grandfather died. That's when. I should never have restored your powers.' he said dangerously, Uryu wheezing as the man tightened his grip. 'Consider that a mistake on my part.' With a flash, he whipped the weapon from his son. There wasn't even any blood, a clean stab wound.
'NO! ISHIDA!' came a cry, Ichigo and the others running in from behind, Orihime covering her mouth in horror. Ryuken watched as Uryu fell to his knees, Ichigo bounding towards him, sword raised to the side, Chad following suit, his arm fixing itself onto him.
'You monster, face me!' Ichigo bellowed, but the elder Quincy merely turned away from them, disappearing into the portal as Uryu collapsed onto his front, his pupils dilating. The group ran up beside Ishida's body, Inoue automatically and instinctively summoning her powers, the orange fairies shooting from her hairpins and covering Uryu completely.
'Can you heal him?' Chad asked, kneeling down beside the Quincy, Ichigo facing into the portal, shaking his head. Inoue nodded optimistically, but tears ebbed from her eyes. Chad stood, looking at Kurosaki. They remained silent, but something passed between them at that moment as Ichigo turned to look at him, a dark expression on his face.
'You…want to go, don't you, Ichigo?' Chad asked, but he knew the answer. Ichigo nodded and gripped his zanpakuto. Chad nodded in return. 'I'll stay.'
'…thanks Chad.' Ichigo tried to speak, but it was all he could muster. 'Good work, Inoue. You've got to keep going.' the boy told her, but he knew no more words were necessary. Words weren't what he needed right now. With that, he drew his Hollow mask and pounced into the portal, disappearing from view. Chad remained facing the portal, Orihime looking down at Ishida's body.
'I think I know…why Ichigo is so mad.' Chad said suddenly, Inoue looking up, her eyes red from crying. 'Ichigo values his dad over everything. When he lost him…well, we saw how he became. I don't think he understands how a father can do that to his son. All I can say is Ryuken Ishida had better hope the captains find him first.' Chad explained, Inoue nodding before turning back and strengthening her barrier around Uryu's body, the two of them thinking only about Ichigo as they waited.