Bleach Fan story: After the War
By Michael Xu
Initial Comments:
Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo
This is purely a fan story and I don't own any of the characters in it, apart from OC I may create.
Summary
Aizen Sousuke has succeeded in creating the King's key, and has taken his place as God of all Dimensions. The Soul Society is in ruins, with Karakura Town completely obliterated. The survivors of Karakura Town and the Gotei 13 have retreated back to the real world, merging into normal society, in the hopes that one day; they may truly overthrow Aizen for good. The story begins four years later, with Ichigo continuing his double life as a substitute Shinigami.
Story so far: Ichigo, Rukia, Renji and the others arrive in Hueco Mundo and are immediately greeted by Grimmjow, Nel, her Fraccion and Gantenbein, who have been banished from Las Noches. Ichigo discovers that Urahara has been hiding in the Forest of Menos. He and Rukia decide to enter the forest by themselves whilst the others head for Las Noches to cleanse it of the remaining Arrancars still loyal to Aizen. Once in the Forest, Ichigo and Rukia meet Ashido, who directs Ichigo to a cave. Inside, Ichigo finds Urahara living as a hermit. When Ichigo asks him why he seemingly betrayed them, Urahara reveals the full truth about his plans and the importance of Orihime...
Chapter 21: Nightmares in the Forest
"Inoue is the Sun Princess Amaterasu?" Ichigo asked. Urahara nodded. He took Ichigo's cup and poured in another glass of water.
"I didn't find out about this until after you came back from Soul Society," Urahara said as he sipped from his glass. "When she was training Inoue-san, Yoruichi noted her peculiar abilities. She presumed at the time that those powers were of healing, defending and attacking. But after Sado-san was critically injured by the Arrancar, I was astounded by how quickly Inoue-san had managed to heal what would have been normally a fatal wound. I began to suspect that Inoue-san's abilities went beyond mere healing. She could completely recreate matter out of thin air, even if that object had been completely vaporized, and she could revive people who by all accounts were dead. Such powers had only been possessed by one other person in recorded history, and that was the Sun Princess Amaterasu herself. I wasn't one to jump to conclusions, but I knew that Aizen knew as much about Inoue-san's abilities as I did, and would have come to the same conclusion."
"Is that why you desperately wanted her to keep out of harm's way?"
"Precisely. I knew Aizen would be after her as soon as he figured out that she was Amaterasu's reincarnation. That was why I tried to prevent her from fighting," Urahara paused for a moment. "But my attempts failed. Aizen had found her first, and predicted my moves in advance. Whilst my attention was occupied with the Arrancars that had been sent to the real world, he had sent an Espada scout to escort her to Hueco Mundo. It was the biggest mistake I had ever made in my life." Urahara slapped his hand upon his forehead.
"If you knew that Aizen had gotten his hands on Inoue, why didn't you stop me from going to Hueco Mundo?" Ichigo asked. "Aizen had planned on trapping me and the others there."
"I thought it would be a good way to distract Aizen's attention as I coordinated the preparations for war with the Soul Society. There was little chance that you would succeed, but I hoped you would have been able to whittle away Aizen's Espadas and weaken his military strength. Realistically though, Commander General Yamamoto and I both agreed that we could do little to stop Aizen from storming Soul Society. He probably foresaw his own death coming. That was why he entrusted me with this…" Urahara took out something from his coat. It was a small golden box. He opened it and for a second Ichigo was stunned by an almost blinding light. Sitting inside the box was a small key, made out of a strange metal that glowed in a multitude of colours.
"This is the royal key?" Ichigo asked. Urahara nodded.
"If you listen closely, you can hear the sounds of the billions of spirits that make up this key. They are the souls that were sacrificed to create it."
"What, this key is made out of billions of souls?"
"Yes. This key is intrinsically tied to the Sea of souls. It was created at the birth of Soul Society, by the Spirit King and it was entrusted to the first Commander General. Over the millennia the key has acted as a balancer, absorbing and releasing souls to keep the universes stable. After the climax of the Quincy Wars, the key had a new purpose: it acted as the gateway to the King's Realm. When the key taps into the Sea of Souls, it creates a doorway between dimensions, and allows souls of step into this gateway to ascend to a higher plane. When stabilized, the key could function as a means of travel between the King's Realm and Soul Society."
"No wonder Aizen wanted to obtain the key so badly," Ichigo said. "To go as far as to make his own."
'Indeed. But Aizen made a critical error in his judgment," Urahara pointed out. "He did not uncover everything about the Royal Key. Some of the more important aspects surrounding the key's creation were only passed down by word of mouth. Commander Yamamoto was privy to the secrets of the Royal Key, which I subsequently discovered when he transferred ownership of it to me."
"What were the secrets behind the key? Were they the reason why you allowed Aizen to destroy Karakura?"
"Yes. The real secret of the Royal Key is its ability to tap into the Sea of Souls and open a dimensional gateway between realms. In order to forge a genuine copy, one would have to literally create a new spirit dimension made out of all of the souls in the universe. We are fortunate that Aizen never discovered this secret. He assumed that he only needed to gather a hundred thousand high density souls in a nexus of spiritual power like Karakura Town to create the key. What he created instead was a tear in the fabric of reality that would allow him to enter the King's Realm. However, that tear would only have lasted a short time, as the energy given off by the disintegrated souls dissipated."
"I get it now. You allowed Aizen to sacrifice Karakura in order to trap him in the King's Realm permanently," Ichigo said. Urahara's explanation finally made sense.
"Precisely. I must admit that sacrificing Karakura Town was a painful decision to make, but in the long run, we would save a lot more lives. Those who ended up dying fought valiantly to stall Aizen long enough for Isshin and the Vizards to evacuate most of the people who were still alive, leaving only the dead souls and hollows to be consumed by the forging process. Also, Commander General Yamamoto and I agreed that the captains and vice captains who were sent to rescue you and your nakama were to form the nucleus of the Gotei 13 that would survive the war, and eventually rebuild Soul Society. Yamamoto's last words to me was to keep the Royal Key hidden and safe, so that once Soul Society was rebuilt, the Gotei 13 would be able to organize an invasion of the King's Realm to defeat Aizen once and for all. I couldn't do that if Aizen knew where I was. Hence the reason why I had to hide here, in the darkest corners of Hueco Mundo."
At last, Ichigo realized that Urahara had never betrayed the Soul Society at all; he had carried out Commander General Yamamoto's last orders to the letter. All the preparations he had carried out during the Winter War had gone according to plan.
"I shouldn't have doubted you at all, Urahara-san," he smiled. "You may have been mysterious in your actions, but you always had the best of intentions. I sincerely thank you from the bottom of my heart. Without your help, I would never have gotten this far."
"You don't have to thank me, Kurosaki-san," Urahara laughed. "You were just as important to me as I was to you. When I first trained you, I saw in you an image of the person I always wanted to be but never could. I have always been a recluse, hiding behind a façade, willing to use or sacrifice a subordinate to further my own ends, and unwilling to make up for my mistakes. You however had an uncanny ability to make friends. You never shied away from making your opinions, and whenever your friends were in danger, you wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice your life to save them. And whenever you made a mistake, you would always go to great lengths to make up for it. Without you, none of the plans I made could have succeeded. I owe you more than you ever owe me."
Ichigo was lost for words at Urahara's frank admission. He didn't think his former mentor thought so lowly of himself. In hindsight, he realized that the reason why Urahara had sent him to rescue Rukia and Inoue in the first place was because he was he was the only one who was capable of doing it.
"Alright, I suppose you are ready to return to Soul Society?" Ichigo asked.
"I am. Before we leave Hueco Mundo, we must find your nakama of course," Urahara said. "Where are they now?"
"Rukia is standing outside this cave with Ashido. The others followed Grimmjow and Nel into Las Noches again."
"Ah, Grimmjow and Nel are still alive? I hope they've remembered the instructions I gave them…very well then, we shall meet up them in Las Noches before departing for Soul Society. There is something I must retrieve there."
"They sure are taking a long time," Rukia commented. She had been standing outside the cavern entrance with Ashido for what seemed like hours. During that time they had shared stories of their adventures over the past four years whilst eating onigiri rice balls and drinking water. During that time, Rukia had discovered that Ashido used to the Vice Captain of the 5th division, some two hundred years ago. When she asked if he knew about Hirako Shinji, Ashido had said he remembered seeing someone going by that name as a 5th seat.
"You know Rukia, I've missed out on a lot of things since I winded up here," Ashido said. "I am saddened to hear that my old nakama Shinji is dead."
"Well, time keeps changing," Rukia said. "Compared to you, I'm only an infant. You're older than most of the current captains of Soul Society." Rukia suddenly had a brainwave. "Hey, would you like to come back to Soul Society with me and the others?"
Ashido was surprised at Rukia's suggestion. He pondered on it for a while.
"I'm not sure. Soul Society has changed so much since I left it that I probably won't even recognize anymore. To the new generation, I am nothing more than a relic of the past."
"Don't say that. There are still people left from that time who'd remember you, like Captain Unohana for instance."
"She's still alive then," Ashido smiled. "I used to admire her as a role model when I was still young, and when I rose through the ranks, I developed a crush on her. A hopeless crush I might add. There was no way I could ever be compared to her. I was one of the weakest Vice Captains back then, fit only for reconnaissance missions. Even now after two centuries of living here, my strength has barely increased." He stared at his chiseled, rusted sword in disgust. Seeing how depressed he was, Rukia tried comforting him.
"You're being too hard on yourself. The last time we met, you were able to easily take down whole swathes of Gillians, and you managed to defeat several Adjuchas. For a Vice Captain, that's no mean feat." Ashido looked at Rukia and smiled.
"They still don't compare to what you've done, managing to defeat on one of the Espada."
"He was just a Gillian." Rukia and Ashido both laughed at the irony of their victories.
"It seems like the two of you are having fun," a creepy voice uttered nearby. Rukia and Ashido both stood up and unsheathed their swords. They scanned the surroundings, listening closely for the voice to appear again. In a split second instance a shadow flashed across Rukia's eyes. She tried slashing at it, but it was gone.
"I like this game. Try and find me, Shinigami. Before I find you!!" the voice laughed madly. Ashido raised his left hand and chanted a Kido spell.
"Hadou 31, Shakaho!" he shouted. A flaming red cannon shot out of his hand and lit up a section of the trees.
"Ooh, that was a close one! You almost got me there!" the voice laughed again.
"Damn it, this is so frustrating," Rukia cursed. She raised her left hand and shouted, "Hadou 33, Soukatsui!" A giant blue ball of energy crashed into a clump of trees and exploded."
"That was a nice shot, but I'm still totally unscathed!" Rukia was now totally annoyed by the voice. She took a deep breath and yelled at the top of her lungs.
"WHERE ARE YOU? SHOW YOURSELF!!" Her voice echoed for nearly a whole minute. Then there was a silence. The voice had not spoken again. Rukia focused her mind to sense reiatsu; there was definitely a strong spiritual pressure, somewhat resembling an Adjucha, nearby, but it was moving erratically.
"Can you sense it, Ashido?" Rukia asked.
"I can, but it's moving so fast that I can't pin a lock on its location," Ashido replied. "Stay focused." Rukia nodded. She decided to release her Zanpakto.
"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!" she called out. Her sword turned a sparkling white and grew a long white tassel. Ashido admired her blade.
"Your Zanpakto is as beautiful as when I first saw it, Rukia," he said.
"Can you release as well?" Rukia asked. Ashido nodded. He raised his sword in the air.
"Flap, Hitonomi!" His Zanpakto changed shape, losing its guard, bending in two, and changing colour. It now looked like a silvery boomerang, with an elongated handle.
"Wow, that's a very unique looking Shikai," Rukia said
"Thanks for the compliment. It's been ages since I released…" Just as Ashido finished speaking, he was sliced in the waist by a shadowy figure. Rukia tried to stop it, but she ended getting sliced in the face. She doubled backwards but stayed on her feet.
"Are you okay Ashido?" she asked.
"I'm alright," he answered. He squinted his eyes. "I think I can still see the attacker!" He threw his boomerang Shikai into the trees. There was a yell. A second later the boomerang returned to his hand.
"That way!" Ashido shouted. He and Rukia ran into the trees. After thirty yards they saw something lying on the ground, its right ankle bleeding profusely. Rukia fired an unspoken Byakurai spell at it but before the beam hit, the creature jumped into the air. At last, Rukia took a good look at the being that had tormented them before. It was an Arrancar. He had jet black hair, pale white skin, and wore a whitish jacket and pants that looked like jeans. His midriff was completely bared. Skull fragments hung around his ears and teeth.
"I can't believe you two rascals managed to get me," he cursed himself.
"Who are you?" Rukia asked. "Are you one of the Steeds?" Her question surprised the Arrancar.
"Your awfully knowledgeable of us servants of Aizen, Shinigami," he sneered. "Yes, I am a Steed of the Apocalypse, the Adjucha Phobos. Nice to meet you!" In a flash he Sonido-ed down to Rukia, slicing her right forearm. Rukia gasped and clutched her right arm. Blood dripped onto the ground.
"Rukia, are you alright?" Ashido asked. Before she could respond. Phobos sliced his left shoulder. Blood spurted out of the wound and Ashido fell onto his knees.
:Damn, he's so fast!" Rukia swore. She applied healing energy to her right arm, managing to close the gash and completely stop the bleeding. Ashido too managed to get back on his feet. Phobos was hovering over them.
"Are you frightened yet? Those shots were only appetizers to the nightmare that is to come!" he exclaimed.
"Did Aizen send you to eliminate us?" Rukia asked.
"Not really. I was just told to guard this forest from any intruders. It's just a bonus that I finally managed to snare such juicy targets!" Phobos broke into an insane laugh as Ashido walked up to Rukia.
"I've got a plan to defeat him, but I'll need your help," he said.
"Sure thing. Just tell me what to do," Rukia nodded.
"I need you to distract him for a while so that he doesn't notice me when I throw Hitonomi. Once I deal him a clean hit, bind him and finish him off with a Kidou spell. Got that?" Rukia nodded. She Shunpo-ed directly underneath Phobos and swung her sword in a semi-circular arc.
"First Dance, Tsukishiro," she muttered. A giant circular column of ice shot out of the ground. Phobos narrowly dodged it.
"What the hell is that? You almost got me!" he screamed. Noticing that he had dropped his guard, Rukia decided to surprise him. She directed the column of ice around with her sword, making Phobos dance around in circles to avoid being trapped in the column. The Arrancar was too focused at dodging the ice that he didn't see Ashido his Shikai at him. The boomerang spun in the air and scored a direct hit. Phobos was sliced across his chest, causing a huge amount of blood to spurt out. As soon as she saw the boomerang hit, Rukia stopped her Tsukishiro and jumped into the air.
"Bakudo no. 1, Sai!" she shouted. Phobo's arms were constricted together for a brief moment. It was more than enough time for Rukia to point both hands at him and shout "Hadou no. 63, Raikoho!" The Arrancar was hit directly by a giant concentrated blast of spirit energy. He was sent crashing through multiple trees before plummeting to the ground. Rukia and Ashido walked ahead to see where he landed. They spotted him in a crumpled heap, a pool of blood growing under his body.
"You bastards!" he coughed, spewing up blood from his mouth. "I'm going to strike fear into your hearts-before I rip them out and devour them! Frighten, Cauchemar!" In an instant Phobos exploded in a plume of reiatsu and smoke. Rukia and Ashido covered their eyes as they sensed the Arrancar's spiritual pressure increase dramatically. When the dust settled Phobos had transformed into a shadowy creature with a grayish cloak that covered everything except his head, which was covered in a hood-like mask that only revealed his mouth and glowing red eyes. His whole body billowed in the wind. Rukia tightened her hands around he sword, as Ashido prepared to throw his Zanpakto.
"Now, who shall I frighten first?" Phobos cackled. He peered at both of them, before he shot a sudden glance at Ashido. In an instant Ashido dropped his Zanpakto and clutched his hands around his throat. His eyes bulged outwards and swelled up as profuse amounts of sweat flowed down his face.
"Ashido!" Rukia shouted in concern. "What's wrong? Speak to me!"
"Forgive me, brothers, I have…failed you…" he croaked. He fell onto his chest, and gasped for breath. All the while Phobos was laughing madly.
"Yes, yes, relive the worst moments of your life!" he cackled. "Feel the pain that your friends suffered when they died!" Rukia tried to remove Ashido's hands from his neck, but his grip was incredibly strong.
"Come on, Ashido, snap out of it! You're experiencing an illusion!" Rukia shouted in his ear. Phobos saw what she was doing and shot out a stream of sharp stakes that were attached to his cloak. Rukia narrowly managed to dodge them all. She landed further away from Ashido, who had stopped choking himself. He struggled to stand up, still gasping for breath.
"Unbelievable! No one stands up after I hit them with my nightmare ray!" Phobos exclaimed. He tried staring at Ashido again. Ashido simply closed his eyes.
"Your cruel trick doesn't work on me anymore," he said. "I am overcome the fears of my past, and have made peace with my nakama." He summoned his Zanpakto to his hand and threw it at Phobos. The Arrancar jumped to dodge the boomerang, but his cloak ended up getting slashes.
"I've had it with you, Shinigami!" he screamed out. "Why don't you just die!" He shot out a stream of stakes from his cloak again. Unfortunately, Ashido was not quick enough to dodge them. Rukia screamed as she saw the stakes piece his entire body. Phobos lifted him into the air before withdrawing the stakes. Rukia caught him before he fell to the ground. When she examined his wounds, she realized he had incurred fatal injuries. His Soul chain and soul booster had been completely severed, and his throat had been pierced. Damage to any of these areas would usually mean death for a Shinigami.
"Ashido, hang on, I'll try to save you," Rukia said. She placed her hands upon his chest and tried sending spirit energy flowing into his body.
"There is no need to save me, Rukia," Ashido said. "My time has come. I would have dearly liked to see Soul Society again, but I've already lived long enough. Goodbye, Rukia. It was nice knowing you." He smiled at her as blood flowed down his mouth. Rukia stared into his eyes as they turned lifeless. A moment later he was motionless.
"Ha, ha, ha, that bastard is dead!" Phobos laughed. "Now for you, little annoying bitch!" Rukia was still staring at Ashido's body in silence. Her Kuchiki upbringing prevented her from shedding tears, but deep down inside she felt heartbroken at the death of a friend she had known for a short time.
"Rest in peace, Ashido," she spoke softly as she stood up. "I will avenge you." She finally glanced at Phobos. An inner rage was rising inside her.
"You shall get no mercy from me, Arrancar!" she shouted.
"Well then, take your shot, Shinigami!" Phobos cackled. His red eyes glared at Rukia. In an instant, Rukia received a vision of Kaien dying in her arms again. This must be what Ashido experienced. She knew it was just a hallucination and shrugged it off.
"That trick of your won't work on me," she smirked. Before Phobos could do anything else Rukia pointed her left hand at him. "Bakudo 61, Rikujokorou!" The Arrancar was immobilized by the six golden rods. As he clawed at the rods in an attempt to remove them, Rukia charged up her blade, channeling spirit energy from her surroundings and turning them into snow. She held her sword parallel to her shoulder as streams of snow rose up from the ground.
"Second Dance, Hakuren!" she shouted. She shot a stream of snow and ice at Phobos just as the binding spell dissipated. The Arrancar was hit full on by the blast and was covered head to toe in ice. Rukia knew that wasn't enough to freeze him completely, so as the ice started to shatter, she stuck her sword in the ground and charged up spirit energy in her palms. The ice surrounding Phobos had almost shattered.
"Hadou 73, Souren Soukatsui!" Rukia shouted. She fired a giant blue blast of energy from both hands just as Phobos broke out of the ice. Rukia thought she had hit him directly as the blast blew away the trees that had been frozen by the Hakuren. But then saw that he had Sonido-ed at the last second. Before she could pick up her sword and defend herself, Phobos reappeared behind her and extended out the stakes embedded in his cloak. Rukia felt an extreme surge of pain as she was impaled in the shoulders, stomach, and waist. Phobos dangled her in air and shook her around violently before retracting his stakes. Rukia fell to the ground, blood spewing out her torso and mouth. She was slowly losing consciousness as she saw Phobos reappear in front of her, reading to strike a killing blow. Am I going to die? She wondered. Ashido has passed his heart to me. Who do I pass my heart to? I can't afford to die here! Rukia wondered if she was dreaming, for something shimmering appeared in front of Phobos. She titled her head upwards to get a clearer look. The shimmering figure resolved itself into a beautiful woman dressed in shining white robes.
"Shirayuki-sama…" Rukia stuttered.
"Are you ready to die, Rukia, or do you still want to live?" Shirayuki's mystical voice spoke. "Have you left your heard to someone else?"
"I haven't left my heart to anyone. It's not my time to die yet. I still want to live!"
"Very well then. Come with me." Shirayuki placed her hands on Rukia's hair. In an instant Rukia felt herself transported through time and space, as if she was falling through a whirlpool. She lost consciousness. When she woke up again, she found herself lying on in a vast field of grass. The sky was a sparkling blue with fluffy white clouds. Rabbits, birds, insects and other animals danced around her. She wondered if she had truly died and was in heaven.
"Get up, Rukia," Shirayuki spoke as she appeared before her.
"Where am I?" Rukia asked. She looked around and noticed a hill nearby with a majestic tree growing on top of it.
"We are in your inner world," Shirayuki replied. "I have summoned here to test your strength."
"But, I'm about to killed!" Rukia shouted. "My body's already dying!"
"Is it? Look around you. If your body was truly dying, this world would have started to collapse long ago. Yet it's far more stable now than it was when I last brought you here." Shirayuki motioned Rukia to follow her. They walked up the hill to the great tree. It was in full bloom, with luscious pink peaches hanging from its branches.
"I want you to place your hands upon the trunk of the tree," Shirayuki directed. Rukia was confused.
"Why do I need to touch it? What does this tree represent?"
"It's about time you asked that question. The tree represents the core of your soul. It is the engine that drives your inner world. Its existence is vital to your survival. Should it ever die completely then your soul would truly be dead. If you touch the tree, you will bond with the tree and unlock the full depths of the powers that lie within you."
"How will I know to use them?"
"Just use your intuition. Your powers will come naturally to you. The next time we meet again I'll teach you everything about me." Rukia placed her hands upon the tree. As soon as she did she felt power surge through her body, flowing like a raging river. In an instant, the world around her was bathed in a brilliant light that started to shine even brighter, until it engulfed her. She herself disappear.
Rukia regained consciousness in an instant. With her body feeling more alive than ever, she was able to quickly grab her sword and block the stake that Phobos was about to impale her with,
"Impossible! You were almost dead a second ago!" he gasped in fright. "How did you manage to regain your energy? And where did you get this reiatsu from?" Rukia simply smirked. With a flex of her spiritual pressure, she knocked Phobos away, sending him crashing through a tree. She stood on her feet, the wounds she had suffered a few moments before feeling like nothing. Phobos got up again and leaped into the air.
"You bitch! I'm going to hit you with everything I've got!" he screamed. He flexed out his cloak and stakes again. Instead of shooting them out, he charged a cero blast from each tip. Then he fired them all at Rukia. As the barrage of ceros neared her, Rukia calmly mouthed "Bakudo 81, Danku". A giant barrier of Kidou appeared in front of her, instantly cancelling out all of the ceros. Phobos was left in a state of shock, unable to respond. With a swing of her arm, Rukia summoned a Tsukishiro column below her feet. She stood on the platform as it rose up to match Phobos' elevation. Then with in one graceful movement she swung her sword over her shoulder and held it with both hands.
"Second Dance, Hakuren," she said. A wave of ice shot out from her Zanpakto, propelling her off the platform like a jetpack. Phobos had finally regained his senses and started to shoot his stakes at her like mad. Rukia ducked and weaved through each one until she was right in front of him. Then she swung her sword in front of her until it was pointed directly at Phobos' forehead.
"Third Dance, Shirafune," she said. Before the Arrancar could react, her blade extended outwards, piercing his skull. In a second his entire head snap froze and shattered into a million pieces. The rest of his body dissipated into mist. As soon she was finished killing him, Rukia's Zanpakto changed back to normal and she fell slowly to the ground,
"Rukia!" Ichigo shouted. He had sensed a sharp increase in a nearby reiatsu just as he exited Urahara's cave and had gone after it. He was unsure of who it belonged to. Now the same reiatsu had dropped dramatically and it was most definitely Rukia's. Ichigo and Urahara Shunpo-ed through a forest of burnt and toppled trees until they saw a body lying on the ground, It was Rukia. Ichigo dropped to her side and checked on her.
"Rukia, are you alright Speak to me!" he shouted.
"Don't worry Ichigo, she's alive and breathing," Urahara said. He placed his right hand over her chest. "I'll get her fixed up in no time." Ichigo was relieved. As he watched Urahara heal Rukia, he noticed there was another body lying nearby. He walked up to it and realized who it was.
"It's Ashido. He's already dead." Ichigo dragged Ashido's body beside Rukia and started buying it.
"It's a darn shame he had to die here," Urahara shook his head.
Urahara reveals the truth behind Orihime's identity and the secrets behind the Royal Key. What does he plan on doing now?
Notes: Rukia and Ashido's fight is one of the most important in the story. It finally gives a definite end to Ashido, without demeaning his character, whilst giving Rukia the same emotional intensity she experienced during her fight with Aaroniero.
Phobos: Based on the Greek god of fear, he is one of the Steeds of the Apocalypse. His release is Cauchemar, which means Nightmare in Spanish. A fitting name, considering his ability to frighten his enemies with nightmare visions.
I've appreciated the reviews so far. Keep them coming!