A/N: I've divided this story up into arcs. Previously, we've had the Los Noches Captivity Arc (ch. 01-09), the GrimmjowIchigo Reunion Arc (ch. 10-14), the Desert Adventure Arc (ch. 15-21), the Seireitei Entrance and Exit Arc (ch. 22-26), and now we've entered the Collection Arc (ch. 27-unknown). There will be more to come after the Collection Arc has finished, of course. But it may be the longest arc as you may have guessed.
forest sprites and enlightenment
Ichigo yawned and stretched in the bed he'd slept in, and then looked at the window to see the sunlight creeping in through the thick, wooden blinds. He slowly sat up and looked around the bedroom.
It was fairly empty. And now he was paying attention to it more closely than he had last night. Thankfully nothing seemed suspicious.
The furniture was nice and old, and it reminded him of the bed and dresser he used to have in his room as a child.
Those were definitely simpler times…
"Mom… are you watching over me?" he thought.
He had gotten over her death as soon as a young child possibly could have. And he'd done it for his younger sisters and father. Though they never knew it, they all needed him to be their pillar of support. Even though his father would never admit it, Ichigo recalled many nights when he had walked past his room and heard him talking in his sleep, or even worse, crying in his sleep, about Masaki.
The only thing that got him over her death was the fact that she had moved on to a better place.
"How was it that two people as different as you and dad got together…?" he wondered.
Now he was just being weird. Asking that would earn no answer because she was not here to tell him.
But he wanted to know because it may have given him some guidance about his own situation.
"Grimmjow…" he mumbled.
His brown eyes went wide and he quickly threw back the sheets, before hurrying out of the bedroom and down the stairs.
He found Grimmjow still sleeping on the couch. But he was no longer turned with his back facing the world. Instead, he was sleeping on his back.
Ichigo sighed and calmed himself down a bit. He realized now that he was being foolish. Of course Grimmjow would still be here. After all, he wanted his arm back.
For a moment, he wondered how he should wake the man. He could be rude and flip him off the couch, or bang some pots together… But when he saw how peaceful he looked, Ichigo smiled and walked over to the couch.
Kneeling down, he moved close to Grimmjow and then pressed his lips against his forehead; a loving gesture, which was something he probably didn't receive very often, if ever. He kept his lips there for a while, but pulled away when the man started stirring.
"Good morning, Grimmjow." He said when those cerulean eyes opened and met his.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm getting ready to head out. You haven't chickened out, have you? Still coming?" Carefully, he lifted his hand and used it to push Grimmjow's stray bangs out of his face.
"Of course." The man replied, and then sat up.
Ichigo stood up and waited while Grimmjow stretched and cracked his neck.
After they were both ready and situated, the two of them headed over to the front door. With a final glance at the interior of the cottage, they exited and were out into the morning air.
Grimmjow walked on ahead to the forest's entrance, but Ichigo turned back to the cottage and bowed to it. It was just his way of showing respect for it having given them shelter for a night. Who knew where they'd be sleeping once they entered the forest…
Without hesitation, he hurried after Grimmjow when he turned around and saw him waiting with his hand in his pocket.
As the duo walked through the forest, it was Ichigo who had to turn and wait for Grimmjow to catch up with him.
While he waited, he couldn't help but take in how bright their surroundings were, since it was morning. But there were so many trees around that he could hardly see the place that they'd entered from anymore.
Those tiny lights were still floating around aimlessly, and he could tell there weren't any fireflies among them this time. Even though he didn't know what they were, he still thought they were an astonishing sight. Already, he was beginning to feel like embarking on this journey was the right thing to do. He never would have experienced anything like this if he'd just stayed in Seireitei and not saved Grimmjow.
Speaking of Grimmjow, he had finally caught up after taking his sweet time walking up the dirt road they'd been following.
"You sure aren't in any hurry to get through this forest." The orange-haired boy commented while looking over at the taller man.
"Shut up. I'm observing my surroundings."
"You're scared? That's the only reason someone looks as wary as you do right now."
"I just told you to shut up."
Ichigo folded his arms before retorting, "I'm not taking orders from you anymore. That's not how we're going to operate ever again." He said.
Without warning, Grimmjow pushed him out of the way and dashed a few feet ahead, then fired a Cero up through the trees.
"Wh-what the hell, Grimmjow!?"
"Keep your guard up, baka. We're not alone…" said man replied as he shifted his bright eyes around the treetops to spot whatever it was that had been watching them.
"No, no you're not." A young woman's voice called out.
Ichigo gasped and hurried ahead to where Grimmjow was, then unsheathed Zangetsu a little. His heart was racing, but just in front of him, Grimmjow seemed calm and collected. It helped him calm down a little as well.
Suddenly, the treetops all around them started rustling, and there were a few giggles echoing in the air. The wind started blowing, and it seemed as if the whole forest was shifting. Ichigo nearly fell down from the spinning-
"Tch! Show yourselves and stop hiding like cowards!" Grimmjow shouted.
Ichigo quickly caught a grip on his surroundings again, and started breathing heavy breaths to calm himself. How could Grimmjow be so calm through all of this?
All at once, the giggling stopped and the creatures slowly revealed themselves. As Ichigo looked up at them, he noticed they were great in number. There were twenty of them. And coincidentally, they all looked about that age, with a few exceptions that looked younger.
"Forest sprites…" he said quietly as he regulated his breathing.
Forest sprites were dangerous, troublesome creatures that he only thought existed in old storybooks and fairytales. From what he recalled, they were about half the size of humans. Though originally, they were so small they could be held in the palm of one's hand. Something changed them as it had with the many other gargantuan creatures that roamed Earthia.
"Such brave travelers to come into this forest alone." One of them said.
"Yet just like the other two who passed through here, you two seem to be lacking in malevolent desires. Unlike the human male who entered our forest a few days ago..." Another continued.
One with dirty-blonde hair and a glitter-like substance running across her face jumped down and walked up behind Ichigo. "He smells… of the kingdom!" she said after sniffing him.
"Just like that girl and fast woman she was with. Why are you kingdom dwellers continuing to venture into our forest?" the largest one asked.
Ichigo sheathed his sword completely, and then stepped away from the sprite that was sniffing him. "We mean you no harm. We only want to find the girl you were referring to. Can you please guide us in the direction she went?"
A woman, who was the same size as he and Grimmjow were, suddenly emerged from the shadows casted by the trees. Her hair was violet, she was wearing an eyepatch, and she had a skull with two bones just sitting above her forehead. Unlike the forest sprites, she was wearing dark clothes, mostly black. When she came into the sunlight beaming down through the trees, she stared at Ichigo for a moment. Then she turned to Grimmjow and stared at him for a long time. "Follow me to the Inner Sanctum and I shall enlighten you." She said, and then started walking away from the dirt road that Ichigo and Grimmjow had been following.
That was all Ichigo needed to hear. He nodded and followed her, but then stopped and turned when he realized Grimmjow wasn't behind him.
When he saw the sprites leading Grimmjow through a wall of giant leaves in the other direction, he grew curious about what they wanted with him, and more curious about why he was allowing them to take him.
"Don't worry about that. The girls will take good care of him." The violet-haired woman said over her shoulder, and then continued on her way.
Ichigo waited for Grimmjow to disappear behind the wall of leaves before he turned and continued following this mysterious woman.
Now sitting in front of a lake and surrounded by those floating lights, Ichigo took note of this Inner Sanctum. There were old columns all around the other side of this lake. Some were old and broken, others were still standing. There were also rose bushes growing all around. It was definitely a special location.
He looked over to the woman who had led him here, and then waited for her to begin "enlightening" him.
From the silence, he could tell the entire area was very calm. And when he listened hard enough, he could have sworn he heard some kind of music echoing on the gentle winds passing through.
"Are you listening to the melody of the forest?" the woman asked, and then walked over and took a seat in front of the boy.
"Melody of the forest?" Ichigo asked curiously.
"Yes. Only those with the purest hearts can hear it. And I saw you struggling to listen. The fact that you're hearing anything at all says a lot about you."
"That sounds like some kind of fantasy…"
"Well, you can believe it or not. But if you were to search every inch of this forest, you'd never find anyone singing or anything playing the music. It's a spiritual melody you're hearing."
"Enough with this melody stuff. I don't want to be rude, but you said you'd enlighten me, didn't you? I'm looking for my friend. She passed through here I'm sure, and I need directions out of this forest so I can find her." Ichigo said abruptly.
"Very well. Let me introduce myself. I am Katen." The woman paused for a moment to see the boy's reaction, "Judging from the expression that just found its way to your face, you know who I am. Or, what I am."
"You're… Captain Kyōraku's Zanpakutō!"
"That's partially true. I am a copy of Shunsui Kyōraku's Zanpakutō. I'm half of a whole, which, combined with another spirit, make up the Guardians of the Forest Temple."
"Th-that's right! He wields two blades when he fights. So, there's another one of you, right?"
"Indeed…"
"Where is she? Or… he…?"
"My partner, Kyokotsu, is… resting where we live. She was wounded recently in an attack, and so she needs to be off her feet for a while." Katen said, looking out to the glowing lake as she spoke.
"What happened?"
"I'd prefer not to discuss it…"
"Okay… I won't pry then. But this is now puzzling me. Why are there Zanpakutō spirit copies here in the forest… and guarding the… temple…?"
Katen turned back to Ichigo. "Because each temple and temple region spread across Earthia is guarded by a Zanpakutō spirit copy, as by order of your king. We were named the Guardians of Earthia."
Ichigo was surprised to hear that. He had no idea such an order existed, nor did he know about these temples. But then again, he was only recently promoted to Substitute Court Guard. There were probably a lot of things only the higher-ups knew that he didn't.
"Even though there are Guardians at every temple, let me assure you that not all temple regions have a Guardian."
"Regions?"
"Yes. The area surrounding the temple. In some cases, it may be populated with humans or… other beings... In other cases, it may not. Basically, we Guardians are assigned to an area that would enhance our abilities in battle. A Zanpakutō copy that deals with snow or ice would be more effective in a cold and frigid area. On the other hand, a Zanpakutō copy that deals with lava or fire would be more effective in a warm and torrid area. It is all about helping us be more efficient while we defend our temples."
"What are you all defending them from? Who is attacking them, and why are they so important?" Ichigo asked.
"They contain the crystals of a certain anti-measure weapon." Katen replied.
"An anti-measure weapon?"
"Yes. Let me start at the beginning of this world so you will understand…" the woman said, "In ancient times, there existed two races: the Earthians and the Skifenians. The Earthians lived here on the ground, and continue to presently. The Skifenians, on the other hand, lived in the sky. Up there, a kingdom of great magnitude existed in the clouds and they lived peacefully there. The Skifenians were gifted with the knowledge of the universe and were even suspected of coming from another planet."
"I've heard of something like this. A friend of mine told me about it while I was training with him and his comrades. They could use Skifenian power, just like me."
"That's good. Then you must have heard about the incident where Earthians found their way up to the kingdom of Skifenia, right?"
"Yeah. And there were Skifenians who descended down to Earthia to study its people as a result. I think that may have been how my mother and father met. Well… eventually things led there. This all happened decades ago apparently, so my mother must have been born to the Skifenians here on Earthia who wanted to keep the Skifenian bloodline pure…" the boy said, and then tried figuring out the timeline of the races' history in his head.
Katen moved closer to Ichigo and inspected him. "A mixed breed, then? That's interesting. I'd heard you were very few in number. Well… those of you created naturally… "
"What does that mean?"
"Nothing... Let me get back to my explanation."
"A-alright..."
"So as you know, the Earthians were the first to break barriers between the races, and then landed on Skifenian soil. Or cloud, I guess… This, in turn, made the Skifenians want to learn more about them. So a great number of them descended here to Earthia to study the people who lived here. But this caused a great amount of mixed-blooded offspring to arise, because the two races were falling in love with each other. Although, as you said, there were some who remained true to their race and only reproduced with their own kind. That seems exactly how your mother was born. But she must have met your father, who is Earthian, right?"
"Right."
"Well, she must have met him and fell for him somehow. And that appears to be how you were born."
"But... what does this have to do with an anti-measure… oh…" Ichigo said. He realized now what it all meant.
"At some point, the radical priests of the sky grew afraid of their race dying out through dilution of their pure blood, and even more afraid of the Earthians who wanted so badly to visit their kingdom. So they came together and decided it was forbidden for the study of the Earthians to continue. They abandoned their own kind who had descended for that reason, and then produced a weapon capable of destroying an entire continent with celestial energy. The Earthians were struck with fear. The people in the sky were willing to abandon their own kind who had mingled with them, so they figured the Skifenians would have no problem eradicating them from the universe. They then prayed to the land, and were blessed with a weapon that could counter the Skifenian weapon. It is in parts, which are the crystals that reside in the Earthian temples. Thus, this anti-measure weapon helped keep the feigned peace and balance between the two races, but it ultimately provided insurance that if the Skifenians ever attacked, the Earthians wouldn't be defenseless against them."
"I never heard that last part before… I don't think many people know about this, actually."
"That's right. Race has become little more than a word to your kind over the past few decades. And that is how it should be. Though I must say, the majority of you are Earhtian and there are a few who are Skifenian, like your king. Some exist who are mixed breeds, like you. If I'm correct, that princess was…"
"Huh? What was that last part?"
Katen threw her hands up. "Nothing. I was thinking out loud."
"…Right… So anyway, are you and the other copy of Captain Kyōraku's Zanpakutō both guardians of the Forest temple?"
"No, there is another. He is a copy of Kyouka Suigetsu. You see, the forest temple is surrounded by a lake, so he was chosen to guard it. We only protect the region surrounding the temple, the forest."
"I see… Hey, isn't Kyouka Suigetsu… isn't that Aizen's Zanpakutō?"
"Indeed. But there's no need for you to concern yourself with him. Let's figure out what you'll do from his point on. For I believe it is you who will summon the power from Earthia that is the anti-measure weapon."
An orange eyebrow rose. "Me? Why me?"
"Because the crystals will get you into the King's palace. They'll be the proof of your power and goodwill to this land, which will make him listen to you. And you want him to hear your voice so you can retrieve the girl, don't you?"
"Y-yes! Tell me how to assemble it, please!"
"Right. I honestly believe you will be the one to save us, so let me give you as much information as I can." Katen said, before pausing. She observed Ichigo's determined expression and began fully trusting that she could pass this valuable information on to him. "There are ten other temples you'll need to visit. The temples of light, darkness, volcano, ice cavern, jungle, island archipelago, lightning cloud, deep sea, earth crater, and wind valley. There is a desert temple, but that is where the Skifenian weapon lies dormant. So disregard it for now. Do you understand why these temples are located where they are?"
"No… I'm sorry."
"It is because that is where the original Guardians resided who helped the people of Earthia create a means of defending themselves. So their power remains in their homes to this day, while they have moved on to the next world."
"…But, how could there be ones who lived in light and darkness?"
"Day and night. That is the reason for those two. The Guardian of light observed that he was more powerful during the day, while the Guardian of darkness observed that he was more powerful at night. All of the Guardians' powers will aid you, mixed breed. I'm telling you this because you'll need to collect the means to withstand that Skifenian weapon in order to save Earthia from the one who wishes to awaken it. It is also part of your goals to collect these crystals, right? For the princ- for the girl?"
"Yes. I guess it's a good thing I ran into you, Katen-san." Ichigo said, then leaned forward. "But… do you know who the person is who's trying to awaken the Skifenian weapon?" he whispered.
Who would be willing to break the newly established peace on Earthia? And what were they after?
"Do not concern yourself with that. Just collect the crystals and you will be fine, I can assure you."
"Gotcha… So does the forest temple contain a crystal? You didn't mention that one." Ichigo said.
Katen remained quiet for a moment. After she put her hand on her chest above her heart, she looked Ichigo in the eyes. "No, it does not."
"That's a relief, then."
"…I suppose it is... Mixed-blooded child-"
"Please, call me Ichigo."
Katen was taken aback for a moment, but smiled anyway. "Okay. Ichigo, you should be advised that the Guardians will not let you enter the temple and take their crystal so easily. They will put a trial before you, which may be one of many that include either defeating them or persuading them to let you take the crystal. The trial itself depends on the Spirit you're faced with. If you are successful and obtain the crystals, you can enter the High Palace and the king will hear your request. And when that time comes, you'll know what to do from there."
"How?"
"I don't know! An ancient maiden from Skifenia will take you up to the kingdom in the sky and train you!"
"R- really?! That sounds amazing…"
"I seriously don't know. I was just guessing. …Sheesh, learn to recognize sarcasm when you hear it… Anyway, I've never seen all the crystals collected in the same spot before, so I don't really know what will happen."
"Oh… Well, I guess all there is left for me to do is to get them!" Ichigo said confidently. This was the only way to reach Inoue, so it seemed, so he was going to do it. After all, it was his fault that she'd been taken away. It only seemed logical that he be the one to prove his strength to the king and bring her home to Seireitei.
"I like your spunk, kid." Katen said sincerely, "You may just be able to accomplish this task… and save us all… I wish you the best of luck in your travels."
"Thank you, Katen-san. I'll definitely succeed."
And with that, he got up and was off to retrieve Grimmjow so they could begin their collection.
After finding his way back to the dirt road where he and Grimmjow had unintentionally parted ways, Ichigo looked around to try remembering where those forest sprites had led the man.
"It was somewhere behind a wall of leaves…"
It was nearing evening time now. Things were not as bright as they had been when he first went with Katen to the Inner Sanctum. He couldn't really see any walls of leaves now.
Suddenly, a few of those floating lights started forming a path in front of him. He smiled when he saw they were leading him to the place he was looking for.
"Thank you!" he shouted to them as he ran over to the entrance hidden beneath the leaves.
They dispersed when he reached it, and he turned to the wall. He was very eager to see Grimmjow so they could continue on this journey of theirs. Now he knew they would be traveling for a long time, which meant he could possibly get Grimmjow to fall in love with him.
Reaching out, he pulled the leaves back and was met with a narrow passageway where the walls were coated in dark vines.
At the end of this passageway, he could see many more lights floating around. With a smile, he hurried down the path, and then when he stepped out of it, he found himself in a bright area with a small pond at its center.
The forest sprites were all running around and playing with each other. It was a quaint and magical little hideaway they had here.
When he looked around and spotted Grimmjow, Ichigo's heart nearly came out from his chest.
Grimmjow was lying on his back, with two forest sprites sitting beside him, and having sex with a third one. She had her arms wrapped around his neck, and her lips were pressed against the skin behind his ear. With each moan she let out, he felt himself growing more and more broken-hearted.
From over the sprite's shoulder, his eyes met Grimmjow's, and he turned away. It hurt. Seeing him with someone else. It really hurt. Almost to the point where he cried.
But he was a man. He had to be strong and hide it all. Plus, he knew Grimmjow would never love him back, so this kind of betrayal… no, that wasn't even what this was. What this was was Grimmjow being Grimmjow. Simple as that. This didn't surprise him because it wasn't like Grimmjow had ever promised they'd be together, or even anything remotely similar to that. It was all in his head. It was all his feelings. So he knowingly brought all the risks of falling for someone like him upon himself.
And now he was paying for it.
He turned and started to leave, but there was a forest sprite approaching him from the way he had entered through.
She came over to him and took him by the wrist, then led him off to a secluded area.
"What's going on?" he asked her when they were alone.
With lust in her eyes, the sprite smiled up at Ichigo and got closer to him. "Won't you use me to your heart's content, handsome human?" she asked in response, and then started undressing him.
Ichigo quickly stepped back and adjusted his clothes so they were proper again, "No. I'm not the same as him…" he said.
Taking note of this orange-haired human's downcast expression as he looked back the way they'd come from, the sprite decided to get involved in this situation. "Does that make you jealous? Seeing him with another?"
"W-what?! …No!"
"I don't believe you. Tell me, do you care for him?"
"… Of course. I owe him his left arm. I promised I'd get it healed for him, so I brought him with me on our trip."
"Is that the only reason you travel with him?"
"Huh?"
"Does that creature make you feel safe? Does he protect you? Does he love you?"
"N-no. No to all of those questions…"
"You're hesitant. Unsure. I can see through that façade of yours. You feel very strongly about him, but perhaps you don't know it yourself. Or maybe you do. But someday, when the time is right, I'm sure you'll tell him. And I hope he returns those feelings of yours wholeheartedly."
"No, he's far too selfish and hateful for that." Ichigo said, and then sighed.
"So you admit it!"
"I-" with red cheeks, Ichigo turned and left her standing there with that accomplished grin on her face.
Tricked by a forest sprite…
When Grimmjow saw Ichigo hurriedly heading for the exit with an embarrassed expression on his face, he quickly sat up and pushed the sprite off of him. He couldn't let him get too far, otherwise, he'd likely never get his arm back.
After pulling up his pants and buttoning them, he rushed out of the sprites' hideaway after the boy.
"Why didn't you get with one of those sprites?" Ichigo heard Grimmjow ask as he came after him.
Ignoring the man, he kept walking. In fact, he sped up so he wouldn't have to deal with his feelings, or the man who caused them. That's when he was snatched by his arm and forced to look Grimmjow in the face. He could see that somewhere inside, Grimmjow was angry. He had the audacity.
Grimmjow pulled him close and then continued. "Answer me when I'm talking to you."
Ichigo snatched himself free and started walking again. "I don't take orders from you. Let's keep moving, Arrancar. I have important things to do." He said over his shoulder as coldly as possible.
Also, don't forget this story is hosted on AO3 as well. Until next chapter.
