Hey guys! Sorry for the wait (again!) but now that it's half term break I should be able to get more written! Thank you to reviews fuzzibunniez, IchigoKurosakiSotaicho, X-Burner 27 and Scarlette Shizuru! Please everyone review, thank you so much! Also, I note, the spoiler I left at the end of the last chapter is slightly inaccurate and hence spoils next chapter really instead -_-" because this chapter turned out slightly different to my original plan. I hope you like it still though! Thank you and enjoy! =D
Mantis in the Blossoms
Byakuya touches down lightly on the ground, dust scattering from beneath his feet. His eyes flash a cool purple in the night sky as he rests his fingers on the hilt of his sword, the two figures approaching steadily.
'Come to give us a warm welcome?' Nnoitra sneers, cracking his knuckles. However, Byakuya draws his sword elegantly, and, like a swooping bird, he vanishes, reappearing in front of the enemy, slicing him down the front with a majestic arc. Nnoitra chokes, kicking backwards and skidding along the floor, breathing heavily.
'You shit!' he snaps, Byakuya unfazed, stoic as always. The noble instead looks over to Zommari, the two staring each other down. Kuchiki brandishes his blade to which the dark skinned villain merely tilts his head, opening his hands in some gesture of peace. Was it peace?
'You're raising your sword to me? That seems like a threat, but, surely you understand one can only feel threatened by someone who can damage them? You, damage me? That would be the impossible. Merely hand us the girl and we will leave in peace, Kuchiki Byakuya.' Zommari gloats, Byakuya raising an eyebrow.
'The impossible, you say?' Byakuya ponders, looking over Zommari's shoulder. Suddenly, the air whips up behind the man, Nnoitra flinging his weapon downwards, Byakuya merely moving his sword behind him, the moonlight shimmering across the blade as the two clashes, Kuchiki still facing forwards.
'No way!' Nnoitra shrieks, Byakuya twisting his hand, his hilt turning slightly. As he does so, the blade of his sword explodes into millions of pink, glistening shards, each one enveloping Nnoitra's arm like a swarm. From the cluster, blood tears outwards, splattering down onto the floor as the shards reform as Byakuya's weapon once more.
Nnoitra looks down at his tattered arm, cursing under his breath. Then, from the side, Chad leaps in, aiming a fist at Jiruga. The two connect, Chad being pushed back, Nnoitra's cackle ringing through the air.
'You…you're nowhere near that other guy's level. You'll make a nice warm up!' Nnoitra snarls however he is quickly struck from the side by three blue arrows, each one piercing through the sky, sticking into his lanky side. Uryu, know kneeling beside Chad, looks up with fury in his eyes, Nnoitra spluttering as he hauls the arrows from his skin. Crushing them into sparkles in his hand, Nnoitra laughs darkly.
'Yo! Zommari! You can have that punk! These two bitches are mine!' the man roars, licking his lips. Zommari doesn't look at him; instead, he is watching Byakuya. The two men stand firm in their positions, no sign of Zommari's weapon. Kuchiki, observing this quickly, grips his sword tight.
'You choose to fight without a weapon?' Byakuya wonders, a small, deep chuckle emitting from his opponent.
'I merely do not need one, nor do I desire the need for one.' Zommari Leroux explains, opening his arms wide, a seething purple energy leaking from his body as his yellow eyes glow dangerously. He grins, baring his teeth to his foe like a rabid animal. Raising a hand, he points a finger accusingly at Byakuya, the noble narrowing his eyes.
'Witness this. Do not blink or you will miss it. I would hate that.' Zommari flicks open his hand suddenly, a purple shockwave billowing into Byakuya, the man spluttering, staggering backwards by the force of it. 'Did you see it? Perhaps another, more in depth demonstration is required.' With that, he vanishes, Byakuya swiping out, only for Leroux to stomp heavily onto the stone behind him, unleashing another shockwave into the man.
'Now I have a hold of you.' Zommari grins, Byakuya struggling to move both his arms all of a sudden. His eyes wide with shock, the noble curses, grimacing as he tries to force his arms to move. Helpless, he watches as black vines encroach upon them from thin air, Zommari laughing maniacally now, his cold demeanour changing swiftly.
'Yes! Amazing! This is it! This is my power! Amor! Amor I call it! Feel it, breathe it, drink it and eat it! It's impossible to resist! Those vines will wrap you up and crush you to death!' Zommari curls his outstretched fingers into a tight fist. 'I developed this power thanks to my lord…I gained a supreme following!' Zommari bellows, Byakuya sweating now as the vines begin to crawl up his arms. Then, in a crack, a bolt of blue lightning erupts into Zommari, the man choking on blood.
'Byakurai…one of my many gifts.' Kuchiki says bluntly, watching the villain stoop to the floor, blood leaking from the perfect circular wound in his heart. Then, he feels a hefty hand clench his shoulder, Zommari towering over him, looming authoritatively, the false opponent blowing away into the wind.
'I can move so fast, I leave after images. Can you possibly fight an opponent you cannot even see, Kuchiki Byakuya?' Zommari wonders, tilting his head back, laughing under his breath. Byakuya moves his foot and instantly, blood sprays from it, Zommari crushing it under his own foot. Kuchiki grits his teeth, struggling against the vines. As if a brick had just hit his jaw, Leroux punches him in the side of the face, Byakuya gagging for air.
'Nobles. You think life is easy. For you, life is sitting at the edge of an oasis atop a tall mountain, surrounded by sakura trees.' Zommari scowls with contempt. 'But no, that is merely an illusion. Life is fleeting you by. Truly, life is a struggle against insurmountable odds. I will enlighten you, Kuchiki Bya-…!' he begins, when, seemingly out of the blue, a red blast of light strikes him in the back, the man cursing, turning slowly to see someone standing on the roof of the building. The man's red hair flowing down his back, he charges another ball of light, launching it at the foe. Twisting sharply, Zommari unleashes a shockwave at it, wrapping the attack in vines.
'Enjoy.' Leroux says coldly, throwing the blast back at Renji. The man leaps from the building, spinning over and pulling his sword from mid air, the string of red light coiling like a snake, forming his weapon. He slices into Zommari's arm, the man snarling as blood dribbles down his sleeve. Renji slashes down the vines entangling Byakuya, the noble bursting free at last, staggering on his ruined foot.
'Yo! Better late than never!' Renji smirks cheekily, Byakuya hunched over his foot, surveying the damage.
'Is she safe?' Kuchiki asks, not looking up.
'Yes sir.' Abarai replies, nodding firmly.
'I know she is. I meant Rukia.' Byakuya says coldly, straightening up to face Zommari beside Renji. Renji's eyes narrow, the man turning away from Kuchiki.
'She is too.' With that, the two of them leap at Leroux, swords flailing, vines latching onto them, only for the other to set them free. Zommari bounds backwards, Renji swiping through after images, cursing with each one. 'I'm sorry, Rukia…I know you want to fight…really, you do. Your shell is scared is all it is.' Renji thinks to himself, slashing at another after image, the real Zommari punching him in the stomach.
'Is this fair? Honourable? Dignified?' Zommari jeers, picking Renji up by the scruff of his neck before tossing him to the floor again. 'Two against one, noble? Perhaps you really had accepted your defeat.' Zommari ponders. Suddenly, something catches his eye and he looks at the building, a girl with orange hair standing at the door, her eyes wide open. 'Well, well…' he mutters, Byakuya's eyes widening in horror. '…it's perhaps time to wrap this up.' With that, Byakuya turns back to Zommari, but, in a speed unseen before, Zommari is already beside the noble, blood spurting from Kuchiki's shoulder down to his stomach.
'Time's up, noble.' The villain says simply, strolling towards Orihime. She eyes up his uniform.
'Those people…in Rukon, they looked like monks walking around. They were yours?' Orihime asks Zommari, the man nodding solemnly.
'How right you are.' He says bluntly, his yellow eyes unfazed by the battle going on beside him. 'Enough though, you need to come with us.' Leroux says slowly, reaching out to the girl, a cruel leer on his face. Then, a voice is heard over the raging wings, pink shards of light whipping up around Zommari, the villain looking aghast.
'W…what is this!' he stammers, stepping back, only for a torrent of the shards to encase him, quickening all the time. From outside, Orihime rushes over to Abarai, the man grabbing her by the arm.
'What the hell are you doing out here!' Renji snaps, the girl quiet, unable to answer as she watches the tornado of light striking the sky, Byakuya conjuring the shards with his hand, Zommari lost in the centre of them.
'It's time for this to collapse.' Byakuya whispers, clenching his thin fingers into a fist, the typhoon of energy imploding upon the villain, blood raining down alongside the purple shards of light. Turning away, Kuchiki steps up beside Inoue, the woman looking in horror at him, Renji tightening his grip on her arm. 'Release her, Renji. It's not her fault. She is trapped in a world of horrors the likes of which she cannot possibly grasp. It's merely natural for her to feel curious and afraid, stumbling through doors of which we cannot return. We've…' Byakuya says quietly now, turning slowly away from them to face the sky. '…all been there.'
Renji merely nods in response.
'Hisana…' Byakuya thinks to himself, closing his eyes. '…I did it. She's safe from this one.' Then, suddenly, a voice shatters the peaceful moment, screaming out across the courtyard of stone and flowers.
'DAMN YOU!' Leroux bellows, rising from his knees, a puddle of blood all around him. Sweat running down his forehead; he struggles to reach his feet, clenching his hands into fists. His clothes tattered; he looks up at them in utter hatred, Byakuya cursing under his breath, Renji readying his sword.
'I'LL NEVER LET A DAMN NOBLE GET THE BETTER OF ME!' Zommari screams, holding both hands out to them, a colossal purple shockwave shooting out, engulfing the land. However, a beautiful orange shield spins into life in front of them, the purple shockwave rebounding off of it and shattering in the sky like a mirror, Zommari's eyes twitching with surprise.
'I…Inoue?' Abarai whispers, looking down at Orihime, a look of determination on her face. With that, Leroux cracks, dashing suddenly for the girl, his arms out to his side, after images flitting behind him rapidly. Byakuya and Renji go to move, Leroux screaming as he punches straight through Renji, the man spluttering as Zommari's hand bursts through his back, a wave of blood hitting the floor. In this split second however, Byakuya rushes forwards, pushing Inoue aside.
'Hisana…!' Byakuya chokes, whipping his sword out in front of him, the frenzied villain lunging. Squinting, Kuchiki can barely see through the dripping blood of Abarai but he twists his sword in his fingers. '…look down on her…make sure she's safe!' Byakuya curses, driving his sword through Zommari's head, the man gargling on blood, his fist pummelling into Kuchiki's chest, shattering his ribs. Byakuya spits blood, Zommari crashing to the ground sideways, blood splattering out from beneath him.
'No!' Orihime shrieks as she looks down at Renji, the man's chest split open, Byakuya struggling to breathe. From the sidelines, Chad and Uryu stop suddenly, Nnoitra looking down at Zommari, the man's chest still slightly moving.
'You're alive?' Nnoitra spits, disgusted. Chad and Uryu dart over to Inoue, the girl sobbing over Renji's body, trying desperately to revive him with her warm glow. As Zommari attempts to lift his arms, he coughs up blood. Suddenly, Nnoitra's clown like boot comes crashing down upon the man's skull.
'Aaaaaahhh!' Jiruga snarls, raising an eyebrow at his comrade. 'You fuckin' movin'!' With that, he clasps his spider like hand around Zommari's head, drawing power from the man, breathing it in deep, feeling the strength pulse through his thin body.
'He's…stealing his partner's life force to feed his strength!' Uryu comments, Nnoitra discarding the dead body of Leroux and standing over all of them, his muscular structure more defined, his teeth sharp and jagged and his hair flowing down his back, his arms tearing from his sleeves. His skeletal structure now more pronounced, Jiruga casts a daunting shadow over the heroes, Byakuya cursing, Renji's body laying on the floor, Uryu and Sado ready to defend Inoue.
'Hehehehehe….HA HA HA HA!' Nnoitra shrieks, throwing his head back, his long black hair swirling around him. His thin eyes now alive with power, his voice echoing and deeper than before, he straightens up, cracking his bones into place before flexing his fingers. 'Amazing! Amazing! It really does work! It really works!' he sniggers giddily, looking down at them.
Pointing an intrusive finger at them he laughs some more, glaring down at them.
'Now you're all fuckin' finished! YA HEAR ME? FINISHED! HA HA HA HA!' Raising his hand to deliver the finishing blow, Nnoitra breathes in deep. Suddenly, his hand is sliced off in mid air, the man's eyes widening in horror. In a fraction of a second, his other arm is ripped off, blood spraying onto the floor, the man stumbling backwards, his eyes searching all around.
Then, behind him, someone crashes into the courtyard, their sleek black sword over their shoulder, Ichigo looking up at him, a small smirk on his lips, his brown eyes flashing beneath new and sharper hair, longer down his neck.
'Yo. I think you're finished, Nnoitra.' Ichigo says calmly, Nnoitra looking over his shoulder at the boy. Orihime's eyes widen as she looks at Kurosaki, the boy standing stronger and taller than ever before. His hair now lengthening down to his shoulders, some of it hanging over his eyes, he now looks more courageous than before. A small smile on his mouth, he closes his eyes and thinks back to what Byakuya told him.
'You however have become comfortable with the power you have. Against enemies stronger, how can you possibly hope to destroy them? With allies weaker, how can you possibly hope to defend them? You have to fight to win, Kurosaki. You don't have the driving force Chad has. You must fight to win. Either you fight to win, or watch your friends die.' Byakuya finishes coldly, Ichigo standing in silence.
'I think I get it now…Byakuya…' Ichigo whispers, warmth in his voice. He lowers his shimmering sword from his stiff, haunch shoulders, his muscular arms wrapped within black bandages. From the neck downwards his entire body is wrapped in black, chains adorning his chest and flailing out over his shoulders. Draped over him is his trademark jet black coat, now with a tattered high collar creeping up around his face.
His sword is no longer white but black, with a thin red line down the middle of the blade, the hilt wrapped around his fingers, curling around them, caressing them. Nnoitra's eyes shudder and he feels a bead of sweat roll down his cheek.
'How could he have got that power? He hasn't even been gone thirty minutes! That's simply impossible! This crushing feeling…it was stated in Ulquiorra's report that he had returned to their battle with a new power too…' Nnoitra curses, thinking to himself. Ichigo raises his hand, observing his sword.
'Shinji explained it to me quite well actually. I had arranged to meet him here for training back at the lake when I sped off without him. He claims my powers have 'transition forms' when they go from being an immature state to a mature one. The white sword is a symbol of my immaturity and was the transition state between my last power and this, nothing more. However to get this, I had to go…' Ichigo whispers, appearing in front of Nnoitra in a pulsing wave of black and red, swinging his sword around. '…beyond the gates.' The attack connects and Nnoitra's body explodes with blood, almost severed completely in half. The villain escapes backwards, stumbling over himself almost. Ichigo closes his eyes again and breathes out, thinking back.
'Yo.' Shinji waved, Ichigo looking up at him. Hirako was standing atop a small mound before sliding down it, tipping his hat to the boy. 'You came then?'
'Yeah, why wouldn't I?' the boy wondered, Shinji's eyes narrowing. A gust of wind blew between them, Hirako activating the powers of his Sakanade. The ring appeared around them again, the night sky hovering just above.
'You'll see.' Shinji sighed. With that, he drew a sword from thin air, Ichigo watching in awe. Hirako darted towards the boy, kicking up the dirt from the forest as he went, Kurosaki smirking. He readied his bone white sword but, just as they connected, it snapped in half like a stick. Shinji keeled back and slashed Ichigo across the chest. The boy spluttered, a chain forming where he had been cut. It whipped backwards, strapping itself to him tight.
'Wha…?' he coughed. Hirako appeared in front of him again, slashing his arm, a chain pulling itself around that also. Ichigo was slashed several more times until he dropped his sword to the ground, the chains anchoring into place now.
'What the hell have you been doing, Ichigo? This immature state of yours, it's pathetic.' Hirako scorned him, Ichigo taken aback. 'You honestly expect to fight Aizen and his men like this? Your powers have to mature, Ichigo. It seems like your strength is your body. It's the very core of your heart. Your powers are unlike anything I've seen, they seem to go through evolutionary stages. Your original powers were mature, then they immature into that white sword. Now we have to mature them again.' Shinji deduced.
'What the fuck are you on about!' Ichigo snapped, Shinji appearing directly in front of him.
'And we gotta do it now.' With that, Hirako rammed his sword into Ichigo's heart, chains bursting out of the boy where blood should have been. He cursed, shrieking into the night, his power pulsing through him, his muscles tensing.
'You're powers are maturing. It would appear this is a manual process you must perform, Ichigo.' Shinji whispered. Finally, the black energy engulfed Kurosaki in a cocoon, chains tightening around it. Hirako removed his sword, blood filling the hole left by it, the cocoon encasing Ichigo completely. 'This time it is the opposite of the lake. Time is dilating out here now. You will mature in there and there will no doubt be a physical representation of that.' Hirako explained.
'Now, Ichigo…BREAK OUT!' he roared.
Cursing, Nnoitra pants heavily, sweat and blood dripping from his torn body. However, he glowers at Ichigo, laughing slightly, his black hair matting to his forehead.
'Ha…you're not the only one with new powers punk.' Jiruga sneers. Straightening up, everyone watches in disgust and horror as two new arms sprout, bursting forth from the stumps where the villain's appendages had once been, the blood shooting out into the sky, twirling round and forming veins, skin latching onto the top like a sheet. Ichigo curses, jolting towards his foe. He carves upwards with his black blade, a billowing cloud of power following like a jet black shadow. Nnoitra weaves to the side, slashing Kurosaki's arm with his bony claws. However, Ichigo drops his sword, catching it in his left hand and ramming the blade into Nnoitra's chest.
'Uh…' Nnoitra wheezes, looking down at the weapon protruding from his sternum. Ichigo lunges forwards, ripping his sword from the man in a fell move, Jiruga leaping upwards, the two of them clashing in the sky above the building, the moon watching over them both. Sparks fly as Nnoitra's arms connect with Ichigo's blade, the boy swinging faster and faster, sweat running down Jiruga's face as his lips curl up into a snarl. 'JUST DIE!' Nnoitra screams in annoyance, two more arms tearing out of his side, Ichigo's eyes widening.
Nnoitra reaches out and clasps his large hands around Ichigo's wrists, hoisting those outwards to the side, the boy standing now, helpless in the sky, this monstrous being looming over him, his two spare hands generating scythes from their wrists. A final set of arms, two more, erupt from Nnoitra's shoulders, each one charging up a brilliant yellow blast of light, the glow reflecting in Ichigo's burning eyes.
'HA HA HA HA! I've crushed you! I am the strongest!' Nnoitra roars, licking his lips, salivating over the power in his six hands. The two of them cast a grim silhouette on the moon and Ichigo's eyes looked over to it quickly. Nnoitra slowly stops laughing, looking down at the boy, and his sword turning into black flames in his hand. The wind begins to pick up around, Ichigo's coat tails flailing wildly around him, Nnoitra struggling to keep his grip around Kurosaki's wrists.
'Wha…what is this!' Jiruga stutters, his wide in shock as the blade in Ichigo's hand suddenly shoots off into the sky, like a raging spear of black flame, Ichigo's eyes closed again now.
Ichigo broke free of the cocoon, Shinji watching him in awe as the boy stepped down to him. Hirako nodded, feeling the aura in the air.
'You went didn't you? To one of the gates? It granted you a power…didn't it?' Shinji whispered, almost buckling under the immense weight seething from the cocoon as it crumbled away into black flickers of fire. 'Soon you will enter another transition period, when an even greater power is available to you. For now however, use this one. It is all you will need.' Shinji explained, looking up at the remnants of the cocoon drifting away.
'Ah…it wasn't the World's Gate. I didn't think so. Just one of the gates then.' Hirako sighed, Ichigo turning slowly away before exploding out of the forest in a torrent of black and red streaming power, Shinji smirking slightly as he tipped his hat. 'Good luck, Ichigo!'
The fire shoots upwards into the sky, eclipsing the full moon in an explosion of darkness, Ichigo looking up fast into Nnoitra's eyes.
'Giretsu!' Ichigo says triumphantly, breaking free of one of Nnoitra's holds and swinging his empty hand down in a slicing motion. Jiruga didn't even have time to contemplate, instead, he is crushed from above by a sword of black fire, the embers swallowing him up, his body turning to black and red flames as he was thrown down to the floor, screaming to the bottom at an immense speed, Ichigo wrapped in the black fires, looking down at the ground. Nnoitra hits the ground with impact, slamming into the stones and causing them to rift upwards around him.
'K…Kurosaki…?' Orihime stammers, Uryu and Sado watching in awe as Ichigo appears on the ground, the moon visible again. Straightening him up, Ichigo smiles at her, his longer hair running down his face as the black fires collect to his sword again.
'You okay, Inoue?' he asks, the girl smiling weakly, Uryu and Sado showing signs of relief. However, Ichigo's eyes look past her at the bodies of Byakuya and Renji, Orihime's two guardians. Byakuya is still spluttering, breathing slowly, but Renji lies still. Suddenly, Ichigo notices Kuchiki calling him over, the boy standing to his feet and moving towards him. The air still, Ichigo stands over the fallen noble, Byakuya's hair hiding his eyes.
'K…Kurosa…saki…Ichigo…' Byakuya splutters, blood running down his chin. '…my dear…Hisana…she fought…alongside us…Ichigo…against Sosuke Aizen…we were part of…a rebellion…although, younger at the time…we fought alongside your parents…my grandfather…Kisuke Urahara and the others…' Byakuya explains, Ichigo's eyes widening in shock.
'Byakuya…what are you talking about?' Ichigo wonders, the noble raising his hand slightly.
'She died…my Hisana…the same night your mother did…they were both killed by Sosuke Aizen as they…fought to see us off…they saved the lives of everyone that night…' Kuchiki wheezes. '…slowly…he is killing us…I believe Kisuke is the only one remaining…no…there is one other…' Byakuya thinks back, laying his arm down beside him now.
'Byakuya!' Ichigo cries, kneeling down beside the man, lifting his head up off the stone ground, removing the hair from his eyes. And he was shocked. The man was crying, crystal tears forming at the edges of his eyes. 'Byakuya…when did this happen?'
'When…when you…you and your sisters were…' Byakuya splutters, unable to finish his sentence. Finally, he raises his hand again and places it loosely on Ichigo's wrist. '…take Rukia with you…we both failed to keep her safe. She should not have to…carry this burden…she must fight, Ichigo. She wants…to…but…I kept her from it…no more…' Byakuya whispers, noticing Rukia suddenly at the door. The black haired girl looks around in horror at the battlefield outside and screams, rushing over to Byakuya's body.
'BYAKUYA!' she cries, her voice catching in her throat, tears at her eyes. She takes his head and holds it against her, the man moving his hand from Ichigo and taking hers.
'You…you are the last…of our legacy against Aizen…Ichigo…you and your friends. You can save us…do what is right…' he wheezes, coughing up blood.
'Byakuya…no…' Rukia soothes, rubbing his cheek affectionately with her hand.
'I…I'm sorry Rukia…forgive me for holding you back. I'm sorry…' Byakuya apologises before turning to Ichigo again. 'It…appears it is time…for me to go…Ichigo…one more thing…' Byakuya says slowly, Ichigo looking from Rukia now down to Byakuya. '…don't…trust…Y…Y…' Kuchiki struggles to breathe and, slowly, his head falls still on Rukia's lap. Rukia sobs over him, Ichigo standing over them both, his hair covering his eyes as it begins to rain on them, Orihime, Sado and Uryu standing close behind.
Giretsu - Heroism
Thanks for reading guys! Please check back next time! Sorry for the lack of spoiler but since my plan changed I will now think it over starting again with the next chapter! ^^