Quincy Craft Chapter 37: Checkmate 3: Fear the Emperor, a bleach fanfic

Disclaimer: This man does not own Bleach.

Quincy Craft

"What are you doing just standing here, Bazz-B? What happened to your enemy?"

The Mohawk Stern Ritter stood in the open hallway with his hands in his pockets. He was staring at a blank space on the ground, slightly tinged with burn marks. Hearing the voice, however, broke him from his train of thought and caused him to glance to his side as Cang Du stepped into the area, followed by a shorter woman with braided-ponytails.

Bazz-B frowned and turned back to the tinged ground before answering, "I was just about to finish her off... She suddenly disintegrated..."

The smaller woman raised an eyebrow, but kept her mouth shut. Cang Du too stared at the singed area for a moment longer before asking, "And what are you going to do now?"

Bazz-B grabbed his shoulder and rotated his arm to stretch after finally regaining sense within himself. Staring off into the distance, he commented, "I was thinking about going to help Kurosaki and Giselle... But I figure they could handle themselves."

The other Stern Ritter nodded in response before asking, "...Is there something bothering you? You seem really out of it."

The Mohawk man stared down at his own hands before murmuring, "...The woman I fought... It was like... I don't remember ever seeing her in my life, and she had the audacity to call herself the 'S'. I just felt like... I knew her, but I really didn't, y'know?"

Cang Du stared at him with a deadpanned expression and simply stated, "No. That makes absolutely no sense."

Waving away the other man, Bazz-B furrowed his brows and exclaimed, "You're just retarded when it comes to these things, Cang Du! I've never met that woman before, but I felt like I was supposed to have known her...!"

"Most likely because you've seen her... Maybe not alive, but she definitely existed. Alongside Jean, and Jacques, and Cirque as well..."

He turned on his heel to the girl leaning against the column behind him, narrowing his eyes in confusion. He stared at her for a second longer before saying, "Hey, aren't you one of the new Stern Ritter? And what do you mean by that?"

A pink bubble appeared in front of her mouth, popping before she retracted it back inside and continued chewing on the piece of gum. She then continued, "Everyone of those Stern Ritter that you don't recognize, but get that inkling of a feeling that you know them...? That's because these Stern Ritter once existed over a thousand years ago."

Cang Du frowned at her answer as he thought to himself. Jean was by far, other than his Majesty himself, the oldest Stern Ritter, and one of the oldest Quincies. He's been around forever.

When he told her this, she blinked and said, "He's been dead for centuries. All of the unknown Stern Ritter died a long time ago. While I was snooping around the castle, I found some of their remains."

Bazz-B raised an eyebrow ('Did she just admit that she was a spy?') as Cang Du wondered how she was able to gather so much information in a single night. Did she use the commotion of the previous night to her advantage?

"In the end, I'd discovered that there is someone who has the power to create... I believe you all call him Jean, right? The old man that supposedly died last night?"

The "C"... The Creator. Neither Bazz-B nor Cang Du ever took the time to discover exactly what his power was, but it wasn't something to trifle with.

"What if I told you that his power was to create things from imagination? Would you believe me? Or if I told you that he was just an imaginary puppet crafted and maintained on the strings of little boy?"

The two stayed silent as she stood from the wall with her hands in her pockets and mumbled, "Jean's attack... The new arrivals, other than myself... I'm willing to bet that a quarter of the Wandenreich is filled with false Stern Ritter."

Cang Du's eyes widened as the hidden meaning behind the girl's words became clear to him, though Bazz-B seemed lost on them. When he began scratching his scalp, Eiserne's face fell and she revealed, "I think the Loyalist planted false Stern Ritter to throw off Haschwalth..."

It was then that Bazz-B finally caught on and finished, "...Or to spy on us!? Ah, damn! We gotta find Haschwalth first!"

"...He's just a Quincy...the son of Masaki Kurosaki."

Behind Haschwalth, another voice, slightly creepy in nature, spoke up and asked, "Did you just say Kurosaki?"

Looking over his shoulder, he saw a dark-haired man with a black mask covering the lower half of his face. As Nodt, the assigned 'F' of the Wandenreich.

At the man's question, Bazz-B raised an eyebrow and noted, "Ain't that family just about wiped out? Is he the only one left?"

Giselle stuck out her bottom lip and playfully quipped, "Might wanna keep him away from Candy and Bambietta, if that's the case... Otherwise, he'll be dragged off to their rooms by the time the day's over with."

Bazz-B scoffed and replied, "Not before I get my hands on him...! If he's part of a family like the Kurosaki's, then he's gotta be worth something!"

As Haschwalth listened to the various discussions about Ichigo Kurosaki from his fellow Quincy, he saw a flash of orange and red out of the corner of his eye. He noticed both Gina Dokugamine and the man walking in the opposite direction of the group. He hoped that neither one of them saw, but fate worked against the boy as As Nodt pointed out, "Isn't that the one right there? Next to the Dokugamine girl."

There he was, dressed in the white ankle-length coat and hooded-cape of the Pfadfinder uniform, topped off with the diagonally-placed black sash. Completely unaware that from that point on, he was a target of interest to all.

He should have known. When Sosuke Aizen set his sights on him, he should have known. When his Majesty spent every waking moment of his time trying to recruit the boy, he should have known. When Haschwalth did everything in his power to convince the boy to join his cause, he should have known. When the people who were so loyal to his Majesty flocked to Haschwalth's side simply because of this boy, he should have known.

He should have known that there was something peculiar about Ichigo Kurosaki that caused everyone to place him on some pedestal. When he and Berenice discovered the infiltrators in the prison, he knew that this one would be his one chance to see what he was really made of. To see what the rest of the Wandenreich saw in him.

What he could not have known...was that in the end, he would be more afraid than he ever was in his life.

A distant flash of blue behind the boy signaled that Giselle's new toy had already begun his attack against Berenice. She could talk a whole damn lot, but he knew that the battle would not last long for her. Kurosaki stood there, his features never wavering and he made no move to attack.

He remembered staring at him for an extremely long time before he finally asked the boy, "Why haven't you struck yet? You will not be able to land a killing blow on me from that far away."

With narrowed, scrutinizing eyes, Kurosaki bit back, "I could say the same to you. The fact that you are waiting just as well as I am means that you're waiting for me to fall in a trap."

The boy shrugged his shoulders and sighed before continuing, "I said I'd end this quickly without using my Maskieren. I meant every word."

He never remembered ever making a scowl quite like the one on his face now. This arrogance was unacceptable. Where in the world did this come from?

"I have no idea what Sosuke Aizen did to you in the Muken, but you have another thing coming if you believe you're top tier material, Ichigo Kurosaki. Cease this arrogance."

Kurosaki's left brow raised before he retorted, "You're the one that's arrogant if you think that you're equal to me."

He said nothing else, but he knew that he had to put this boy in his place. With that last thought, he swiftly disappeared from his spot and soared through the air towards the traitor. A row of large Reishi thorns appeared behind him, ready to fire on his command.

The boy's gaze darkened as he murmured, "...And what was that earlier...about not being close enough for a killing blow?"

Yes. He should have known, but it was too late to regret it now. When the boy's blade ran through his chest and over his right shoulder, he dropped to his knees with wide eyes. He felt so drained, as if the simple act of placing himself near the boy was absorbing his very life. He had never been more afraid in his life.

How close...was he to dying? He...intentionally struck that area to keep him alive... How close was he to disappointing his Majesty!?

The vision of the displeased Quincy Emperor continued to flash repetitively in his mind as he stared blankly at the ceiling. His near-death experience before his Majesty offered to help him. He was deathly afraid of failing him...

But the shadows encompassing the image of the orange-haired brat facing away from him continued to taunt him mercilessly. Was he...really more frightening to him than even his Lord!?

"Impossible!"

Ichigo looked over his shoulder when As screamed into the darkening air of the dungeons, causing everyone to halt their own battles as the Stern Ritter ripped the black mask from his face, revealing his teeth and the gums of his lip-lacking mouth. His left eyeball rolled into the back of his head, revealing the symbol of the Wandenreich.

"I am not afraid of you, boy! You are nothing compared to his Majesty! Quincy... Vollstandig!"

Even Giselle was slightly worried. She had never seen As react so unnecessarily reckless before. But this...to go as far as to activate his Vollstandig so immediately... Was she afraid as well? Clearly Berenice was for she had called out weakly, "H-Hey! As, calm down! AS!"

The room itself was soon surrounded by a dome of Reishi, and Giselle squeaked when she suddenly found herself staring into a single eye. Suddenly, they were all surrounded by millions of eyes staring down at them. Gina herself felt a cold sweat as haunting and disturbing images appeared in her mind.

After an explosion of Reishi, from which As emerged from, the Stern Ritter's cloak had tightened against his gaunt torso, a line of stitches closing it in at the middle. His dark forearms and hands were raised into the sky, as if he was hailing his Lord. His eyes were rolled and bleeding as if he couldn't bear seeing the presence before him, and his rigid wire halo floated above his head.

Ichigo grimaced slightly upon seeing him and mumbled, "...How disturbing..."

In response, As turned towards Ichigo and roared, "YOU CANNOT SCARE ME! I FEAR NOTHING BUT PUNISHMENT FROM HIS MAJESTY!"

With that, he again rushed towards Ichigo, screaming all the while, "I WON'T KILL YOU! I'LL LEAVE YOU QUIVERING IN UTTER DESPAIR, ICHIGO KUROSAKI! AN ETERNITY OF DARKNESS AND FEAR AWAITS YOU, AND YOU'LL WISH THAT I HAD KILLED YOU!"

Ichigo gripped his thin blade tightly as the man neared him. It was so fast that even As didn't realize what had happened until he was suspended in the air, a series of slash marks scarring his ribcage. How was this even possible... Why was this boy not afraid!?

With one last slash, Ichigo marked the final piece to his design and muttered, "Getsuga...Jujisho..."

The explosive force sent As flying back into the wall, leaving him dumbfounded by the absolute overwhelming power possessed within the boy. Gina and Giselle stared blankly at the wall, jaws dropped. It was there that they finally noticed the large Quincy Cross etched into the wall by the forces of Ichigo's power and As Nodt, who was pressed painfully into the wall in the center of it.

Silence embraced the room with the only noise being As Nodt as he slowly peeled away from the wall to the ground, his Vollstandig fading away immediately. He laid there breathing heavily, his eyes dilating as he struggled to maintain himself.

'No... I don't want to go to Hell... I don't want to die... I'm too afraid of dying! I don't want to die, I don't want to die, I don't want to die, I don't want to die!'

It was then that he caught sight of the shadow looming over him and realized that it was Ichigo. Upon seeing him, however, As tried to bundle himself up into a ball. In the end, it was he who was quivering in his presence. It was he who was shaking in...

Fear.

Ichigo stared down at him and mumbled, "You survived. Hm. I nearly forgot about your Blut Vene."

The breathing of the fallen Stern Ritter was strained as Ichigo hadn't moved a step, and he wondered why it was taking so long for Kurosaki to end it. One of his eyes opened when he sensed something near his face.

He flinched away as Ichigo crouched and held his hand out to him.

"If you are really afraid of the old man punishing you, then why are you still fighting me? Your mission has already failed."

His eyes glanced past Ichigo's arm. Was he...serious? Did his arrogance bring him this far into believing that he'd turn his back on his Majesty for him? That he was an equal?

What was ironic was that, despite all that, he could still feel his arm raising up. Was it fear? Was it fear that was compelling him to give up everything he had known since his Majesty had saved him? It was only a matter of time before his hand accepted his fate for him.

He felt as if he was being lifted... It was something he hadn't felt since his Majesty had appeared next to his bedside. Did the others see what he was seeing now? This light-blue haze surrounding his form...doesn't bother him in the slightest... Is this why they stay by his side...? Why they disregard any punishment that their leader may bestow upon them...? Does the presence of this boy cause them to not feel any...

Fear?

To be unafraid... What a great feeling... This relief is...heavenly...

Ichigo stared down at the Stern Ritter with a completely horrified expression. The man began lifting his arm, but there was nothing there as it was slowly disintegrating into a light-blue haze of Reishi. Why was he...!?

"...But your power... It's frightening that even though most of it's been sealed way, I still feel you unconsciously drawing from my own body... It would be ironic if you were to absorb my existence, Ichigo Kurosaki."

With a small smirk, he continued, "...With every step you take...Reishi is subservient to you... The Reishi that makes up a Soul's body is under your control... Maybe that is why Yhwach limits his interactions with you."

By the time his mind had caught up with the events, there was nothing left of As Nodt. An empty space that seemed to have never existed. He slowly descended to his knees before Gina quickly reached out and grabbed him before he fell over, pulling him into her chest as he sat there quietly, staring blankly at the spot where As Nodt had once been.

She frantically ran her fingers through his hair as if she was attempting to console him, but had no idea on how to do so, or why she was doing so in the first place. As she did so, the sound of clacking footsteps emerged from the darkness of the dungeon, and the sound of a woman's voice echoed, "...So that's why you weren't afflicted by his enhanced 'Fear'... You've steadily absorbed his power the moment he stepped near you."

Gina turned towards the sound as a pair of high heels stepped into the light. The owner of the heels wore a familiar lab coat with brown hair wrapped into an old-fashioned bun.

"L-Lady Varuton...? Where...where have you been...?"

Ciara Varuton stepped into the area with everyone else, her eyes still locked on Ichigo's trembling form. Ignoring the young attendant, she continued, "You have never killed another Stern Ritter, and you never paid attention to Shaz Domino's death... This is the first time that this has happened to you since that night in June... The power to dominate an entire being..."

She crossed her arms underneath her breasts as she moved closer to them.

"It's finally come to this point, and I've waited way too long... Ichigo, I need you to listen me."

"You... I've never heard of you! Jean was the "C"!"

The child's grin nearly stretched his face apart as he step off of the platform and began floating towards the ground at a feather-like speed. He softly landed, his hands remaining in his pocket as he stared up at Haschwalth.

His shoulders heaved up and down slightly as he laughed, "Of course. He used to be... that was prior to our descent to the shadows of the Soul Society... Where he sacrificed himself, alongside Heidi, Ciara, and Jacques, to allow us entry into the shadows..."

Haschwalth's eyes widened as he thought to himself... A thousand years ago when the Quincies escaped to the shadows of the Soul Society, there only a few of them left... Last time he checked, all the remaining Stern Ritter continued to thrive until this day.

But where the hell was this kid? He didn't remember him!

Gremmy tilted his head as he added, "Your face... You are reminiscing about the Quincy from before... We've always been here, including me... It must be difficult to remember me, of course, but I've always been there. We were the last of this race... And they gave away their lives for the rest of our survival... But of course, they were my closest friends... Even if just for my imagination, I was able to keep them around for a bit longer."

Haschwalth's eyes widened as the child's voice echoed behind him, causing him to turn on his heels and stare directly into the face of clone.

"But of course, the only thing the Wandenreich knows that we escaped into the shadows of the Soul Society using our own Reishi... Not everyone here is allowed to become privy to such secrets."

Ghosts walking amongst the Wandenreich... A hallway of lies. Of all the people that were here, which were imaginary? How many of the Stern Ritter spoke daily, but with utterly, meaningless words? He remembered telling Ichigo earlier to watch for a traps, but had he fallen into one himself? How many lies were being whispered through this very hall?

Even Ciara...a mere figment of this child's imagination?

As Haschwalth stared blankly ahead, the two Gremmy clones continued, "You, who has always visualized himself as the next emperor, knew absolutely nothing about the people contained within these very walls."

"A liar... That's exactly what you are...!"

Ciara stared down Ichigo as he held her against the wall with his right hand, even as Gina and Giselle tried to pull him away. In the end, however, Giselle couldn't believe it herself. That girl that she and Ichigo left to face Bazz-B... She didn't think he'd go that far...

...Imaginary Stern Ritters? Creations from his mind? That was why neither her nor Bazz-B could recognize her... Of those three, only Jean and Ciara actively came to the gatherings, still pretending to retain their former ranks. First Jacques, and now Ciara as well... She didn't even know how Haschwalth would take it if he discovered that one of his most trusted had lied to him this entire time.

The imaginary Stern Ritter narrowed her eyes and said, "Even though I'm nothing more than a mere thought process from Gremmy, everything I've done for you-"

"Everything about you is completely irrelevant. If you don't exist, then your words are just as meaningless as you are. To turn your back on Haschwalth is insulting."

The harsh tone emerging from Ichigo's interruption caused Ciara to pause in her speaking and carefully think her next words out before she spoke too soon. After staying quiet for a moment, she finally added, "Gremmy knows everything that we do. When I finally disappear, my knowledge will go to-"

She was cut off as Ichigo violently slammed her into the wall again before growling, "You aren't helping your case..."

She gripped his arm tightly and barely managed to gasp out, "Be...cause...I'm not...trying to!"

Ichigo loosened his grip, allowing her to lean back against the wall to regain her breath and balance. She leered out from beneath the shadows of her hair at the glaring Stern Ritter as she continued, "...I did my best...to ensure the survival of the Wandenreich such a long time ago, and I never regretted that... I didn't ask for Gremmy to create me."

Her head fully rose as she grabbed Ichigo's head and pulled him closer, whispering vehemently in his ear, "But since he did, I did what I could to ensure that the Quincy continued to survive... And I knew that Haschwalth would not solve the problems... Yes...I've lied to Haschwalth about who I am, and I might have misled him slightly, but only to ensure that in the end it was you who was chosen!"

He reared back away from her in shock and confusion until she gripped the front of his collar and pulled him in to yell, "Do you understand!? It's you Yhwach and Gremmy are afraid of!"

The girl interrupted his slowly rising vocals with a stern answer of her own, "They were there because they were searching for the Wandenreich's base. They were interrogating him, and he was threatening the Young Master's safety..."

Haschwalth growled and grabbed Gina by her shoulders before pushing her against the wall, causing Ichigo to panic as he stared dumbly at the exchange.

"You're just lucky that those Soldat were complete idiots! They're unable to read your Reishi like I just did! You're putting all of us in danger!"

Without missing a beat, Gina calmly replied, "My apologies, Master Haschwalth, but I value the Young Master's life over our own. It's just that simple."

"Haschwalth was never important because it was always you, damnit!"

"...Don't be a bitch, Jugo... We're all fighting for the same thing... One insignificant loss doesn't make a difference..."

Haschwalth could think of several differences that her death could make. It seems that she realized exactly what he was thinking by the look on his face and smirked.

"...Of course, Ichigo would act up... And even more so if that Dokugamine girl is placed in the same boat as me... Even if my brain tells me otherwise, my soul believes that boy will end this... He is the key to finishing this drawn-out charades..."

He couldn't understand... For the love of God, he couldn't understand... Ichigo was an asset... He was someone powerful, and was someone that Yhwach feared, but he couldn't understand why everyone felt like he was this...'Chosen One' or something...

"...So you really have high hopes for him, don't you?

Bambietta smiled knowingly and answered, "And you don't? I see the future of the Wandenreich on his shoulders... You don't?"

Haschwalth's eyes darkened as Bambietta's eyebrows raised high on her face in amusement, cursing the silent accusation in her tone.

"You don't have to believe me, or forgive me, or any of that shit... You just need to survive, because everything I've done will fall apart if you don't!"

They all wanted...him to become the next Emperor? That was the last thing he wanted to do... After he was to help Haschwalth kill Yhwach, he was leaving. He was going to do what he promised, and go back home to Karakura. He had absolutely no plans of staying here.

"But Haschwalth wanted to become th-!"

Just as he was about to finish mentioning it to her, she pushed him away and said, "It wouldn't be worth it to save Haschwalth...but he's in danger at this very moment... If you really value his life as much as it sounds like you do, then you should leave now."

The other Quincies (alongside one puppet Arrancar and one Quincy hostage) had left before she really had time to process it, leaving her to her own devices in the dungeons. A small tear fell from her eyes as she collapsed against the wall and slid down.

She giggled madly to herself as she spoke aloud, "...I'm sorry, Haschwalth... I've always said that... I would never use you in one of my experiments... I'm such a liar... I know you won't, but I'd like for you to forgive me... This will be my last time misguiding you, Haschwalth... I promise..."

His blue eyes had spaced out for a second before a cruel smile crossed his face. He and his twin turned back to Haschwalth and mumbled, "I guess... Ichigo Kurosaki's on his way... Ciara told me when she finally came back."

Now she was gone too. He'd never get the chance to ask her why she lied to him.

The two 'Gremmy's chuckled darkly, "Don't give us that look, Haschwalth. If it makes you feel any better, she isn't that upset about betraying you. If I was you, I'd happily turn my back on her as well."

He gritted his teeth as he struggled to maintain his composure. He always did his best to, no matter the situation. It was difficult to maintain this when he clearly upset about the revelations.

"And she told Ichigo the truth... About the people that rally behind you only because of the one you call a weapon... Tell me again...'Next' Emperor... How did you expect to maintain control of people who didn't fear you...? People who are more afraid of Ichigo Kurosaki's potential development? Does that not make you a bit jealous? Fill you with envy and angst?"

Soon, a third Gremmy joined in by taunting, "Does that not infuriate you!? What kind of leader do y-!?"

"Enough."

The three clones stopped as Haschwalth held his blade up, his face glowering as he was unamused. The Gremmy in the center tilted his head to the side as he mumbled, "Are you so upset...that you would release your Vollstandig just to shut me up?"

Haschwalth made no move to answer, and Gremmy smiled before adding, "What if I told you...that I knew that would happen? His Majesty's order to find Ichigo Kurosaki...? What if I told you that I wanted you to find him and become a part of your rebellion?"

The pulsating power released from the epicenter of fury began to slightly decrease as curiosity and a small hint of confusion made its way on Haschwalth's face. The small child then continued, "I knew you wanted him to become your weapon. Not all the Stern Ritters agreed with you initially, and left their loyalties untouched... They were convinced by the presence of Ichigo Kurosaki...and I knew that would happen."

"Haschwalth!"

The blonde's eyes widened as he heard his name being called, recognizing that the voice belonged to Giselle... That meant that Ichigo was on his way here. Gremmy heard this as well and drawled out, "Ah, they've come to help you... That's okay... You cannot be saved, Jugram Haschwalth... Your fate has been sealed..."

His eyes turned back to Gremmy and he murmured, "Are you sure about th-?"

He was cut off suddenly. Just as Ichigo and the group came rushing around the corner, with the main one screaming, "Oi, Beanstalk! Watch out!"

But everything was moving so slow to him. Why was Ichigo moving so slow...? Couldn't he move faster...? Even Gremmy's laughter sounded like a deep, hollowed chuckle. Why was everything moving so slow to him...?

"...I hate to tell you this, Haschwalth, but it wasn't me who created this plan..."

He had a good idea who it was... It turned out that he was right, from the very moment he stepped foot outside of the throne room, he had a feeling that he was right. He tried his best to pretend naïvety to it, think that if he simply believed, it would never be. He was always safe, no matter what.

But the over-sized broadsword lodged into his chest had cut him off suddenly and violently, and it told him that he should have been more cautious...

When he looked over his shoulder and stared into the eyes of his Majesty, Yhwach, he realized that he should have stopped pretending a long time ago.

Trivia:

-In the story, the OC characters were responsible for sacrificing themselves to create the Wandenreich home in the shadows using Reishi. No other Quincy is aware of this, and Gremmy used his imagination to keep the lie going.

-Haschwalth doesn't recognize Gremmy because he wasn't masquerading as a child at that time. (Remember, his true form is his brain.)

-Ichigo was unaffected by the enhanced "Fear" because he had already absorbed a part of As Nodt at that time.

-It has been suggested at various points in the story that Haschwalth didn't necessarily want Ichigo to become the next Emperor. He flat out states it when speaking to Bambietta.

-Quincy Ichigo's version of Getsuga Jujisho involves him slashing rapidly five times, drawing the symbol of the Quincy Cross before sending it out in a large blast. It leaves behind an effect similar to Chad's 'La Muerte'.

Fun Fact:

-Ciara was always meant to die at this point, but her death was originally more disturbing to fit with her character. (It was actually inspired by a certain female character's death from a manga known as Akame ga Kiru, Chapter 33)

-Just as I said before, certain characters haven't made appearances due to lack of powers or particular info given about them. (Particularly, I'm waiting on Pepe, Askin, and Gun Ritter. I also want to see if BG9 has anything else in store before Kubo writes him off as dead)