The rest of the day passed quickly, and then the sun set over the Shihouin Training Facility. Long after the moon had risen, and the majority of the facility's denizens had finally succumbed to their exhaustion and fallen asleep, the monsters in their midst rose for their nightly communion.
As stealthily and silently as ghosts, the arrancars rose from the beds one by one, and made their way to the room shared by Neliel and Grimmjow. They moved without disturbing the peace, sweeping by the slumbering soul reapers without pause, until each of the Tres Bestia arrived at a door, behind which a quiet argument could be heard.
"We're here," Sung-Sun said quietly, making the people on the other side of the door fall silent.
After a few moments the door was wrenched open, revealing Grimmjow. The arrancar's eyes were glazed, and his sharp cheekbones were touched with color. He held a wine glass filled with blood red liquid in his other hand, which he used to beckon the Tres Bestias in.
Neliel was sitting on the bed, staring intently at the floor. She had reverted to her adult form, which earned her three individual scowls from Sung-Sun, Mila Rose, and Apacci, all of whom could not help but compare themselves to her. Not only was Neliel Odelschwank one of the most beautiful female arrancars around, she was incredibly powerful; much as Tier Hallibel had been before being executed by the Sternritter. This vague similarity to their old master, coupled with the obvious favor she received from Lord White, made her a threat to the consorts. Not that Neliel cared for their opinions of her beauty and prestige. In fact, she looked quite preoccupied, and her hands were twisting themselves into knots in her lap.
Grimmjow, on the other hand, closed the door and resumed his pacing back and forth in front of his bed on the other side of the room, only pausing his ranting to take long draughts from the goblet in his hand.
"As I was just saying, doing nothing has gotten us absolutely nowhere," he grumbled darkly. "And all these soul reapers make my skin crawl. I feel them watching me, I see them flinch whenever I move too fast. All this waiting around is beginning to grate on my nerves."
Apacci moved to stand by the flaming brazier in the center of the room, which was the only source of light, and kept it warm in the nighttime. It throbbed and pulsed with a life all its own, deepening the scowls of everyone present as it darkened the lines of their faces.
"I have to agree," she told the room at large. "Waiting around for Lord White to show himself puts us all in danger. We are surrounded by our natural enemies, and hopelessly outnumbered. I think we should speed things up."
"And what exactly would you have us do?" asked Neliel sharply.
Apacci turned to look pointedly at the woman on the bed, who was now eyeing her with mistrust. "Kill Kurosaki. Free Lord White from his prison, as any other of his loyal vassals would not hesitate to do, and let us return to Los Noches."
There was a loud silence that followed, in which all eyes were upon Neliel, waiting to see if she would react to Apacci's verbal prodding. Instead, the arrancar shook her head, and wove her fingers together, as if in prayer. "This is why you are a consort, and not one of Lord White's ministers. If you thought about it for more than two seconds, you'd realize that Ichigo is far too powerful to be killed, especially by someone like you."
"And even if you managed to draw out Lord White before he died, what do you think he would do if he found you attacking his vessel?" Grimmjow plied, shooting Apacci a condescending glare. "He would destroy you first and ask questions later. He would see you as a traitor, and tear you into itty bitty pieces in his ire."
"Then what would you have us do?" Sung-Sun asked, obscuring her mouth with her sleeve. "Nothing?"
Apacci gnashed her teeth, but the sting to her pride was evident from the red that rose from her collar. "I, for one, refuse to babysit that substitute soul reaper as he trains to become more powerful and cavorts with that floozy of a woman!"
Neliel shot Apacci an indignant glare, "That's his wife."
The consort merely waved off the comment. "Same thing."
The sound of breaking glass was loud, and everyone jumped. Grimmjow had gripped his glass too tightly, shattering it in his hand, and now rivulets of dark blood dripped from the mangled mess. He shook with poorly restrained fury, and bared his teeth like a panther that had been backed into a corner.
"We cannot just do nothing," he growled in the back of his throat.
Neliel was on her feet so fast that everyone in the room grew eerily still, watching her like sheep watched a wolf prowling in the distance. Neliel, while still somewhat childish in her demeanor, was also the most powerful arrancar there, and second in command to Lord White.
She moved with such easy grace that she had passed by the Tres Bestias before any of them had the chance to notice, coming to a stop before Grimmjow. The man blanched, terrified he had somehow incurred the ranking arrancar's wrath when she took his hand and dragged him downward, towards the floor. Her eyes were wide at the site of the blood on his hand, and they kneeled together on the carpet as Neliel began to work like a woman possessed.
She cleaned the wound, pulled the shards of glass from his hand, and then cauterized the injury with a mild cero. It was rough work, something that would no doubt leave a scar, but it was unmistakably a skill born of dire necessity during her long tenure as an outcast in Hueco Mundo.
When she was finished, she held Grimmjow's hand in both of her own, her eyes closed as the gears in her head turned. The way her hair fell into her face was beautiful, and conjured desires within Grimmjow that he did not often feel. For a single moment, he was sorely tempted to try and win Neliel over. She'd been a powerful Espada before being betrayed, and even now possessed a compassion that separated her from most of the cynical, cruel arrancars of Hueco Mundo. He wanted her to become his mate, but he knew it would do no good. After all, she was far too powerful to be tamed, even for the likes of him. If the two of them were together, he would most assuredly be killed in the process of mating, accidentally or purposefully. Female arrancars were like black widow spiders in that regard.
'Losing your life would be a small price to pay for having a mate like her,' a small voice in his head muttered to him.
"I am in charge here," Neliel stated, just loud enough for all to hear, "and as such, the protection of each and every one of you is my priority, second only to our mission to return Lord White to Los Noches. But for the time being, I'm afraid nothing is all we can do. Ichigo is a good person, and we cannot hurt him to draw out the master. Even if you do not care for soul reapers, Ichigo is deserving of your respect. He is the only reason we are still alive to this day. Where would we be if the substitute soul reaper had not come into our lives?"
Apacci snorted derisively, crossing her arms and turning away from Neliel. Mila Rose stared hard at the floor, her eyebrows scrunched up. Sung-Sun then said aloud what they were all thinking. "Without the substitute soul reaper, we'd all have died a long time ago. Whether by Aizen, or by the Almighty."
Judging from the way Apacci's jaw was clenched, Grimmjow could tell she was very close to yelling. Neliel, on the other hand, looked brow beaten and tired.
"You all have your orders. Keep your eyes open, your mouths shut, and don't do anything stupid," Grimmjow muttered. "Dismissed."
And that was when the meeting of the monsters officially ended. Neliel was slow to anger, and more gentle in her rule than Grimmjow, making her the perfect minister. He, on the other hand, was the muscle without restraint. If he was not obeyed immediately, the first time he gave an order, there was hell to pay. This is why he was selected to be Lord White's general.
The Tres Bestias all filed out of the room, saying nothing until they were well out of earshot of their superiors, leaving Grimmjow and Neliel kneeling on the floor, their hands still clasped in a grip that grew warmer by the second.
"Am I making a mistake, Grimmjow?" Neliel whispered when the others were gone. "Am I leading them to their doom?"
"Even if you were, they are beneath you," he said carelessly. "They knew the risks. You shouldn't waste your time worrying about people who would see you torn limb from limb."
Her hands began to shake. "And what of Ichigo? I hear the things they say, about how I betrayed my kind when I led him into Los Noches to rescue his friend. They say I am a friend to the soul reapers, a traitor."
Grimmjow put his uninjured hand upon Neliel's shoulder, which was trembling. When she looked up, he saw that she was overcome with emotion, and lines of silver traced down her face.
"Traitor or not, they owe you their respect, and their unwavering allegiance. White chose you because you care; which is something I've never seen another arrancar do. They're lucky to follow you, and for the record, I think you're right. Even if they tried to kill Ichigo, it would only do more harm than good."
"I… still consider him a friend," she admitted. "Does that make me a traitor? Grimmjow… am I unfit to lead?"
"Heh, if having a shinigami friend makes you a traitor, then I'm one, too. We helped that crazy son of a bitch save the world, remember? Even if we are natural enemies, Ichigo is one guy I don't think I could ever kill. I owe him my life, and so does everyone else… whether they care to admit it or not."
Grimmjow paused, his eyes wide in disbelief as Neliel threw her arms around his neck and held him tightly, causing his heart to flutter in such a way he'd never felt before.
"Thank you, Grimmjow!" she said happily, though the tears still streamed down her face. "I knew that if anyone would understand it would be you!"
"T-tone it down," he spluttered. "I don't want everyone to know I have feelings. I have a reputation to maintain, you know."
"Don't care," she laughed, squeezing him even more tightly.
In the end, he put his arms around her as well, and contemplated the strange fate that he would find one thing on his life that he desired to protect instead of destroy.
Not long after the arrancars had slipped back into their beds, in the wee hours of early morning, Rukia and Ichigo were both curled up in a sleeping bag on the floor of a guest room. Down the hall, Karin and the Tres Bestias were all bunked together. Not a long way off, if one listened closely, one could hear giggling and hastily stifled moans of ecstasy from the master chambers, which were being shared by Yoruichi and Urahara.
But where some people were sleeping soundly, and others weren't sleeping at all, one person amongst this ragtag group of rebellious individuals and outcasts was unable to find the rest she sought, as horrible nightmares kept her on the brink of wakefulness.
Rukia and Ichigo were standing together at the altar, and the noblewoman had never been so happy. Her heart throbbed painfully as Ichigo said his vows, swearing on his life to protect her, no matter what. Uproarious cheering rose from the crowd in the pews, and Rukia smiled bashfully. Ichigo lifted her veil, staring at her intently with those deep, brown eyes that were so full of love that she was sure this was the right thing to do.
"You may now kiss the bride." The man beside the couple said.
At once, the noise from the crowd was silenced.
Rukia turned, only to discover that every guest had been slaughtered in their seats. She saw members of Ichigo's family, his sisters, laying in their pews, covered in blood. She saw Byakuya, pinned into his seat with his own sword. Everyone stared at her blankly with unseeing eyes as bile rose in her throat. A loud clap broke the silence, startling Rukia out of her shell-shocked observation.
Aizen was sitting comfortably in a pew between Renji, whom had been bifurcated, and the Captain Commander, whose throat was a gory mess of blood and rendered flesh. He clapped slowly, staring at Rukia with eyes that were as softly terrifying as she remembered. His cruel smile was just as impassive and unfeeling as ever, but it slowly faded away until she wished he were smiling. The look of casual disinterest he shot her was unlike anything she'd ever seen before, and put a knot in the pit of her stomach.
"Let this be a lesson to you," the traitorous captain said quietly. "You may now kiss the bride, Ichigo."
Rukia's eyes widened as she heard a resounding, beastly growl right next to her. Looking at her husband, whom she had been clinging too for support, she found that his face had changed, turning into that of his masked hollow. His orange hair was long and wild, his eyes were golden and glowing, and his teeth were sharp. Rukia pulled away from him, but he was too strong. As he pulled her closer, his mouth widening, his jaws unhinging, Rukia screamed in terror. Then they snapped shut right over her face, and the world went black.
"WAAAAH!" she sat up with a stifled cry as she unsheathed her sword. The blade steamed in the warmth of the room she was in, which had dropped ten degrees the instant she'd drawn it.
There was no one there aside from herself and Ichigo, and try though she might, she couldn't seem to forget her nightmares. It had felt so real, and how something so sweet and beautiful had turned sour was perplexing for the noblewoman.
A figure beside her shifted, and Ichigo emerged from within the bundle of blankets he and Rukia had been snuggled up in.
"Wassamatter?" he groaned. Upon seeing Rukia's sword and the tears that stained her face, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and sat up, looking around carefully. His powerful spirit energy intensified, and Rukia could feel him scanning their surroundings with his reiryoku.
"There's no one else around," he said carefully. "You alright, Rukia?"
"I had a nightmare."
"About what?"
"Nothing." Rukia slid the blade of her sword back into its sheathe with a loud click before setting it aside and pulling a pillow to her chest.
"Did you want to talk about it?"
"No."
For just a moment, he thought about harassing Rukia until she decided to come clean, but something stopped him. If she didn't want to talk about something to him, then there was a good chance he was at the heart of it.
'That would certainly explain why she won't look at me,' he realized bitterly.
Sliding closer to Rukia, Ichigo pulled the blanket about the both of them and put his arms around her. She dipped her head onto his shoulder, and the two of them sat together in peaceful silence. There were no words exchanged, and there did not need to be. All they needed in that moment was each other.
"Come back to bed." Ichigo muttered in Rukia's ear. "We have to get some sleep."
But Rukia shook her head. She stood, letting the blanket slip from her shoulders, and she made to take a step, only to stop when a set of warm fingers clasped around her own.
"Where are you going?" Ichigo asked.
"I need to think," Rukia mumbled. "Please, Ichigo, go back to bed. You don't have to worry about me."
Those words were all it took to bring all of Ichigo's fears to light, and he worried for her more and more with each step she took towards the door. She gave him one last backward glance, and the weakest, most painful attempt at a smile he'd ever seen before sliding the door shut. He heard sniffles from within the hall, along with Rukia's quiet footsteps as she wept.
With a heavy heart, Ichigo fell back against the floor, only to accidentally bump his head. He forgot that Rukia had moved his pillow.
"Good morning," he said to no one, listening to the sound of birds as they began their daily rituals and sounded off like a multitude of tiny sirens.
Rukia felt bad, leaving Ichigo in that room by himself, but she did not want him to see her cry. Knowing that he was cause of her tears would only make him feel worse, and he didn't deserve to have that weighing on his conscience. He had enough to worry about, and had suffered enough on Rukia's account.
She made her way outside, only pausing to kick on some slippers and pull on the tattered ruins of her sister's kimono. It was far beyond repair, but it would keep her warm on this brisk morning.
When she stepped out into the main compound, freezing air met her lungs and she shivered. The grass was laced with frost, as were the many dark windows of the facilities. With slow, uneven steps, she wound her way back to the cliffs, hoping to catch the first rays of sunlight and warm herself in them.
When she came upon the edge overlooking the great green expanse below, it was a painful reminder of yesterday, where Ichigo's hollow had nearly taken over, and by default, a reminder of her nightmares. In the growing daylight, however, her fear seemed much less terrorizing, and she no longer felt like the hollow might burst from the shadows and devour her.
It almost felt as though she had missed a step down a flight of stairs. The very thought of the substitute soul reaper set her heart ablaze, and at the very core of her being, she recognized him as the man she cared for. She loved Ichigo, soul connection or no, and he loved her… so why did the thought of him also make her heart ache? Why did the memory of her nightmares, and the realization that the hollow within them was the man she so loved put a knot in her gut?
It was beyond confusing, and ultimately nerve racking for her to constantly second guess herself. A year ago, this never would have happened. Rukia from a year ago knew exactly who she loved and what she wanted. She was courageous, headstrong, fierce. So why did love feel so scary to her? Why did being so intimate with Ichigo make her feel like his hollow was about to tear though the seams of her nightmares and spill out into reality.
The soul reaper took a deep breath of cool morning air and stared out over the cliffs, as though wishing an answer to her problems might just fly down from the sky and smack her in the face.
Instead, a small voice to her side said, "Here, I brought you this."
It was Ichigo, and in his extended hand was a warm mug of coffee. Rukia accepted it and took a sip, and the two of them stared out over the scenery. Compared to Karakura Town, or the Seireitei, it was quiet and peaceful. No cars rumbled along roads, no shinigami rushed to their early morning muster. There was only quiet contentment, but not for Rukia.
"It's fine if you don't wanna talk about it," Ichigo told her, "but I'll be here if you do."
"Thanks. I'm just so…."
The words wouldn't come. How was she supposed to explain what she was feeling when it was little better than a tangled mess of emotions that made her head spin? How could she tell Ichigo how much she cared about him, and then turn around and point out how his hollow terrified her to no end?
"Stressed?" Ichigo offered.
Rukia snorted into her coffee. "Yeah. Something like that."
There was a pause where Ichigo slurped at his drink, his breath steaming in the cold of the new day.
"I think I get it," he said quietly, "but I don't want you to worry about me, Rukia. My hollow isn't going to take control like it did yesterday."
"How?" Rukia met his gaze. "How can you be so sure?"
"Because I have you here with me," Ichigo smiled. "Whenever I'm with you… it's like I don't have a care in the world."
He set his mug onto the ground and stepped off of the cliff before Rukia could pull him back from the edge. Instead of plummeting to his doom, Ichigo found his footing on solid air, and held out a hand towards Rukia, who looked unsure.
"Dance with me."
"I didn't really take you as the kinda guy to impress a girl with his fancy footwork."
The substitute shinigami grinned sheepishly. "I'm not, but according to Orihime, I'm actually a solid dancer. She asked me to be her dance partner in our school's bunkasai last year."
At once, the little bubble of infectious affection Rukia had been living in since she had learned of her marriage to Ichigo burst, leaving only the stark, blinding reality of her actions.
'I've betrayed Orihime,' Rukia said in her mind, only just realizing how she had usurped the high school girl's place as Ichigo's foremost love interest.
In truth, she had been so concerned with all the other goings on that she'd forgotten all about Orihime. The perky, well developed, redheaded high school girl had been infatuated with Ichigo for years, now. Ichigo had chosen to save Orihime when Aizen had kidnapped her, going against everything he had been told, and against his very nature as a soul reaper. He had gone to Hueco Mundo to save this girl, and now here was Rukia, swooping in on her territory.
But her hand was already grasping Ichigo's, and suddenly she had been hauled up into the air, pressed so firmly against him that the two of them might never come apart from each other.
It had broken Rukia's heart to think she had hurt Ichigo, but realizing that Orihime would have to learn of their feelings for each other seemed to cut just as deeply. After all, the two women had grown inexorably close during their training.
Orihime's goal was to be strong enough to not just be protected by Ichigo, but to stand beside him, as an equal. It was something Rukia had done many times, and perhaps it was Rukia herself that had helped fuel the girl's ambitions. The sharp fall from role model to homewrecker was not one that left her conscious untarnished.
"If anyone asks, we'll just say we were practicing our flash step," Ichigo joked. "And we can dance as long as we like."
It wasn't much of a dance, in Rukia's opinion. She had attended grand dances and beautiful shows of illustrious color and sound and tradition. At one point, she had even been a performer, doing a dance in one of her sister's kimonos while many soul reapers watched and cheered her on. Still, Ichigo didn't step on her feet, so he was already doing better than she'd expected.
Theirs was just a simple two step, back and forth as the wind tugged at the legs of their shihakushos. Ichigo's cloak fanned out majestically in the breeze as they spun, as did Hisana's kimono. As the sun rose, Rukia felt herself growing warmer, and Ichigo, as ever, was like a furnace made flesh. Just being close to him and his burning soul seemed to melt away at the chilly thoughts that made her feel gloomy.
But something else was irking Rukia as well; it was a sound unlike anything she'd heard before. It seemed to blow with the wind, rising and falling like the relaxing notes of a flute. Then it changed, twining and thrumming with all the deep urgency of an electric bass guitar. She grew hotter, pulling at her collar as the wind seemed to pick up tempo and the music grew louder, to the point where she could no longer dismiss it as a hallucination of her feverish mind.
"What is that?" Rukia asked.
"Us," Ichigo said, "look."
He raised their joined hands, only for tendrils of blue and white spiritual energy to curl off of their fingertips and float away into the sky, twisting into eternity. Rukia stared in wonder as their souls seemed to keep time with the music, growing more powerful and vibrant with each note. Ichigo marveled at the way the colors were reflected in Rukia's eyes.
"We're making this music…" she wondered aloud.
"Yeah. It seems nice, though. I feel like I've heard it somewhere else before." Ichigo listened more carefully, only to hear two distinct melodies. One was wild and primal, like a beating drum. The other was softer, more cautious, like that of an expertly played cello. He wasn't sure where, but he felt like both melodies were known to him, as if he'd heard them a million years ago.
"This is incredible," he breathed, "I feel like… like I know this rhythm, this music! Rukia… are you feeling this to?!"
"I-" Rukia faltered. She was feeling it, perhaps even more than Ichigo. Her heart positively vibrated with the sounds they were making. "I've heard of this. Ichigo, this is the music of our souls… we're… by the Spirit King… do you know what this is?"
"No," Ichigo admitted, "but it feels… right."
"This is soul synchronization- when two souls are so familiar that they can connect and merge!"
Ichigo laughed quietly, guiding their careful dance so as to keep them in time with the music.
He spun, pulling Rukia closer to him before letting her unwind from his arms with an exaggerated flourish. Blood rushed to his skull, making everything sharp and clear. If the clarity brought on by battle and bloodlust was considered hell, then dancing with Rukia was nothing short of heaven.
In that instant time seemed to still, and Rukia and Ichigo found themselves in a world that was composed of great skyscrapers, but these were different from the ones in Ichigo's inner world. They seemed to be made of glass, and their windows were frosty and cold. Ichigo's breath steamed, but he did not feel the chill in the air. Snow fell from the sky and landed on his shoulders, but it felt as pleasant as a warm spring rain.
"This is similar to my inner world," Rukia said, "only the towers have never looked like this. They were always giant spires of ice."
"The skyscrapers are from my inner world." Ichigo told her, smiling as she put her fingers through his.
They stood together in the world they had made, a union of their innermost sanctums of power and self. Individually, they were breathtaking, but together, they were beyond dazzling. Then, shadows seemed to lengthen in the sky above them, and Rukia felt as though she were rushing forward through a great headwind. A sense of foreboding flooded through her, and it was so dark she almost could not see.
"Where are we?" Rukia asked nervously, her eyes wide. "What is this place?"
Ichigo's voice was even, but she could feel every muscle in his body grow tense, which only served to increase her own unease. "This is where I keep my hollow. He's locked behind those doors."
Sure enough, a massive pair of double doors stood before the two of them, towering over their heads and casting the shadows that obscured the beauty of their conjoined inner worlds. Rukia took a step back as the spiritual pressure behind the door grew even more intense, as if the creature behind them had caught the scent of the soul reapers. The doors nearly burst off the hinges as something slammed into them, making the massive chains that crisscrossed the heavy wooden beams rattle and shake with a metallic cacophony. Rukia jumped and dragged Ichigo back, putting herself between her husband and the doors.
"It's awake," she whispered, fearing that her nightmares were about to become reality.
"Ichigo!" cried someone's terrified voice. "Ichigo, no! Ichigo! Ichigoooo!"
It was the cry of a woman, and she sounded like she was in incredible pain. Ichigo just frowned at the door, his jaw clenched and his eyes hard.
"Was that-"
"Orihime," Ichigo muttered. "The hollow likes to taunt me. It reminds me of all the times I failed and he took over. This is from when I fought Ulquiorra and almost died...but from the sound of it, you'd think Orihime was the one dying."
Rukia listened to the pain in the high school girl's voice as the hollow mocked Ichigo. The sound of it was so real that she felt like her heart would tear itself to pieces if she didn't draw her sword and run to Orihime's rescue, but she was nowhere to be seen, and Rukia didn't dare to get any closer to the doors.
The petite soul reaper felt a shiver run the length of her spine. "This is awful."
"It's something you get used to," Ichigo sighed. "I drown it out pretty easily, nowadays."
Ichigo closed his eyes and focused, making the voices stop. Light returned to their joined inner worlds, and before Rukia could take another look around, they were soaring away from their little paradise. The beauty of that place, of their conjoined inner worlds, was incomparable, and their souls were so complex that seeing them put together was like an enormous tapestry of all their best and worst moments together, interlocking like a puzzle made of their memories. From such a height, it looked like a wonderfully ornate tapestry woven of pearlescent azure and silver. Ichigo's hollow was a single black thread on that tapestry, a solitary blot of darkness amidst a sea of vibrant color and warmth and happiness. Ichigo, who was a bit more modern thinking, thought it looked more like a dead pixel on a television screen. It was a minor irritant, but it drew his eyes and put a bitter taste on his tongue. Rukia gently squeezed his fingers, and his expression softened.
Back in the physical world, the music slowly faded, and their souls began to mellow, melting into wisps of color that wafted away on the wind. Rukia met her husband's eyes, and in that moment, she knew that the weight in her heart was too much for her to bear alone.
"I have something to confess," the couple said in unison. "You go first!"
Ichigo grinned. Rukia blushed furiously. With how connected they were, their thoughts had become a bit of a tangled mess, and it was difficult to discern where Rukia's mind ended and Ichigo's began.
"I'll start," Rukia said quickly when the haze had faded, "Ichigo… the reason I woke up this morning was because of your hollow… it… it terrifies me. It gives me nightmares just thinking that the man I love has something so dark and uncontrollable inside him."
All mirth was gone from Ichigo's face in an instant, replaced by concern so piercing that Rukia felt she might have been stabbed with his thoughtfulness. This was only redoubled when he arched an eyebrow, and her heart panged with a dull ache.
"It's funny you should say that," the substitute soul reaper shook his head. "I've been meaning to tell you, Rukia. I wasn't the one that saved you from Aizen. That was the hollow. He took over after I saw you get stabbed. I couldn't control myself and then… the next thing I knew, I was holding you in my arms, and staggering into the C.C.C. headquarters."
Rukia tried to recollect what happened after she'd been stabbed but so much of it was blurry or just lost. There were a few vague flashes of a tall, pale, comforting figure with a spirit energy that was remarkably similar to Ichigo's. Had that been the hollow?
"What does that mean?"
Ichigo's eyes flickered back and forth, as Rukia's gaze was suddenly hard to meet. "I'm not exactly sure, but if I had to guess… I think it means you're the one thing my hollow doesn't hate. Either that, or you're so scary that he actually has some small measure of respect for your abilities."
"WHAT?!" Rukia's spiritual pressure was magnified by her outrage, as was her voice. "I'm not scary! Take that back or I swear I'll-"
Before Ichigo could apologize, or Rukia had even finished threatening him, she leapt up and threw an arm around his neck, putting him in a headlock that even Ichigo couldn't pull away from.
"I'm sorry," he spluttered. "Sorry! I'm sorr-HRK Rukia I can't- GRRH breathe!"
But Rukia was far too preoccupied with her own train of thought, which was more like a derailed locomotive shooting from one conclusion to the next as fire flew from her lips and steam gushed from her ears.
"I'm not scary! I'm a fun, loveable, adorable, strong, proud soul reaper! I don't want your hollow's respect! I'll put him in a headlock too! How dare you say I'm scary?! I've been told that I'm cute as a button on multiple occasions, by multiple men, and even a few women!"
"GRRRK Rukia- HRRRG- stop!"
Ichigo was red in the face, and nearing a blackout when she finally let him drop. Neither of them realized they were still floating in midair, though, so when Ichigo fell, he was suddenly diving headlong to his death. He was moments from breaking through the tree line when Rukia caught him by his collar and dragged him back up.
"I should've let you fall," she pouted, sitting next to Ichigo underneath a tree on the edge of the cliffs. "It would've served you right for saying I'm scary."
"Right, because you're totally not scary." Ichigo rolled his eyes, massaging his throat to get rid of the hoarseness.
"Exactly!"
Silence fell between them, and they sat together in quiet companionship as the sun began to peek over the horizon. Their coffee was cold, but it made little difference to Ichigo. Being near Rukia was more than enough for him. He looked down, only to find that she had finally fallen asleep with her head on his shoulder and her hand in his. It was, in Ichigo's opinion, a wonderful way to start the day, and he sat with Rukia under the boughs of that tree, watching as leaves fell from its branches and cascaded down into the forest far below them.
Unfortunately, Ichigo's day only went downhill from there. His training recommenced, and he worked hard to avoid disappointing his tutors. Chad helped him with his Fullbring, and they worked together to enhance their techniques. They utilized everything, from the dirt beneath their feet to the air around them, turning everything to their advantage in order to gain the upper hand in battle.
After that, Ichigo worked with Rukia and Yoruichi on his kido, which, even by normal soul reaper standards, was lacking. Like Karin, and many of the Shiba clan, Ichigo was possessed of a strange affinity for lightning based kido spells, and advanced quickly in their different applications. Yoruichi had him destroying targets, create fields of static electricity, even taught him to infuse his blade with lightning.
The sun was high in the sky when Ichigo faced off against Kisuke Urahara, though not in the traditional sense. Ichigo took a seat at a desk, and Kisuke stood at a chalkboard, upon which he had written 'How NOT To Be Killed: Defensive Combat for Dummies!' Next to this was a stick figure sketch of a hollow sneaking up on an unwary soul reaper.
"As you can see by this diagram," the shopkeeper explained brightly, "you are more likely to be attacked from behind. You can try to counter, but the safest and most effective method is to simply run. Remember, your enemy's attacks don't work if they don't hit you- no matter how powerful they are!"
"Great, thanks a lot," Ichigo groaned, holding his chin in his hand, "this is so helpful."
Urahara itched his chin thoughtfully. "That's not really the attitude of an attentive student."
Ichigo rolled his eyes. "I'm a great student! I'm tied with Uryu as far as academics are concerned, and he's a know-it-all brainiac who tries way too hard! It's just that I already know all this!"
Kisuke tipped his hat forward so that it covered his eyes. It was not lost upon him that Ichigo thought this class was a waste of time, but in truth, a theoretical application of defense was a good way to improve upon the basics of what Ichigo had already learned through trial and error.
"I've got it!" Kisuke said suddenly, snapping his fingers like an idea had occurred to him. "Time for a pop quiz!"
"Ugh, really? We've barely gotten started. I haven't even taken any notes." Ichigo groaned.
Kisuke grinned wickedly, slowly drawing his sword as Ichigo watched him apprehensively. "Not a problem! This pop quiz will be purely practical, and will give you the chance to put what we've learned into action!"
Ichigo held up his hands. "Wait, hold on a second, this wasn't on the syllabus- I don't even have Zangetsu-"
"Screech, Benihime!"
A jet of red light that sounded like a thousand firecrackers flew at Ichigo, who grabbed his chair and hurled it through the window of the classroom with a crash.
"Somebody help me, Kisuke's gone crazy!" he cried, leaping through the window and running through the Shihouin Training Facility, trying to get as far as possible from the mad man.
"Nonsense, Ichigo, I've been crazy since you met me!" Kisuke's voice was so close that Ichigo could practically feel his breath on his ear. He dropped, rolled and ducked behind the corner of the building he'd just been in, only for it to burst into a million pieces as the shopkeeper fired off another attack that sounded like fireworks.
"Defensive, Ichigo! You have to think defensively! You don't have your sword, so think! What's your next move?"
The sound of Urahara's clogs were loud and piercing through the dust cloud that Ichigo was hiding in, but they echoed and reverberated, making it unclear as to where he was. It was hard to be defensive when an attack could come from literally any direction. He tried to think, but uncertainty froze him in place. Then, from overhead, he heard the flapping of wings as hundreds of birds took flight from the massive trees that surrounded the facility.
'High ground,' Ichigo realized quickly, kicking off from the concrete and taking to the skies.
He landed as silently as he could on the rooftop, peering over the edge as the dust cloud faded… but there was no sign of Urahara.
"You have good instincts," came a lazy tone from behind him, "but your senses aren't being put to good use. Let's try that again, shall we?"
Ichigo turned to find himself facing the point of Kisuke's sword, which glowed cherry red, like it had been submerged in a forge for hours.
"Screech, Benihime."
The sound of a thousand birds crying out in unison seemed to grow louder as the red light flew at Ichigo, who deftly turned and leapt from the rooftop with a strangled cry. He felt debris and shrapnel sting his back as the rooftop exploded behind him. He hit the ground running, and did not stop until he found himself in the main courtyard of the training facility, surrounded by tall buildings on all sides. He panted heavily as he turned to face every building around him. Out in the light, there was nowhere for his enemy to hide, and so he waited.
The sound of clogs met his ears, and he turned to find Kisuke approaching at a leisurely pace, his sword hanging from his fingers almost lacksidaisily, but Ichigo was not fooled. Kisuke Urahara was dangerous, regardless of whether or not he was being serious in a fight.
"Forcing me into the open, another good move. The only problem is that in doing so, you force a confrontation. See? I can't hide, but neither can you. And as I'm the one with the weapon, you are at a major disadvantage."
In a fraction of a second, the shopkeeper had vanished and reappeared in front of Ichigo, halfway through a thrust. Ichigo sidestepped, but Kisuke turned the blade and slashed, forcing Ichigo to duck under the attack. He rolled backward and came up standing, but Kisuke was already upon him. Ichigo had anticipated this, however, and he thrust his palm upward as he stood up, driving it into Kisuke's sternum and sending the shopkeeper skyward. He flipped in the air, righting himself as he went before flash stepping once more, but Ichigo already knew where he would be. The instant Kisuke appeared, Ichigo had already flash stepped out of range. He raised a hand and braced his arm as lightning crackled to life at his fingertips.
"Hado 63, Raikoho!" he incanted.
"Bakudo 81," Urahara drawled, "Dangai."
Ichigo's lightning bolt burst to life, only to strike against Urahara's shield and bluster out. The former captain stepped through his bakudo, shaking his head.
"I feel like you aren't getting this," he sighed, tapping the blade of his sword against his shoulder. "Maybe we need to go back to the theoretical applications before delving into the practical side of things."
Ichigo shivered. "If I have to choose between going back to the classroom and hitting the books, or being attacked… I think I'll stay right where I am."
Yoruichi's voice rang down from overhead. "Somehow, I'm not even remotely surprised you'd say that."
Both Ichigo and Kisuke looked up to find the noblewoman perched amidst the branches of the enormous trees that crisscrossed overhead. She dove, falling towards the earth like a meteor before flipping around and landing gracefully next to Kisuke.
"If Ichigo had to choose between schoolwork or a deadly fight, he'd choose the deadly fight every time. He's always been a hands-on learner."
"I kinda figured as much," the shopkeeper smiled knowingly, "but he doesn't seem to grasp the concept of defensive fighting very well."
"Can you blame him? He's always charging headlong into danger, and more often than not, he finds it. It's in his nature to strike first and strike hard."
Yoruichi circled Urahara as she spoke, looking much like a cat weaving herself between her owner's legs, though instead she simply bumped against him, only coming to a stop to push her head up beneath Kisuke's chin. He flashed a smile, putting an arm around her waist and pulling her closer.
"Uh… guys? I'm right here, you know…" Ichigo looked on, feeling oddly jealous. Seeing the two of them smiling and happy made him think of Rukia, and their moments together earlier that day. Such pleasant thoughts were quickly drowned out by the arrival of several spiritual pressures that made Ichigo tense involuntarily.
Whipping about, he spotted Grimmjow making a beeline for the three of them, leaned forward so much that he looked like he was hunched over, his hands in his pockets as he walked with a long, lazy stride. Neliel walked alongside him in her adult form, her eyes distant and glassy, as if she were deep in thought. Her arms were wrapped rather tightly about herself. Behind them, the Tres Bestias trailed along silently, forming a quiet trio that forcibly reminded Ichigo of the girls from his high school. They stared at him, only pausing to whisper amongst themselves and giggle when he scowled in their direction.
"Hey, Ichigo, you busy?" Grimmjow asked, blissfully ignorant of the training that had been going on mere minutes prior.
"Uh… kinda. What's up, Grimmjow?"
The substitute soul reaper met the arrancar's eyes, and it occurred to Ichigo just how much the hollow had changed since they'd met. He was still possessed of that moody self-assured attitude that drove women crazy (and made Ichigo feel like skewering him) but he looked oddly tamed. His hair had been slicked back, almost like Aizen's. This simple change, coupled with his cool-under-fire demeanor turned him from a rebellious punk into a responsible leader.
"I'm sick of all this sitting around. I was wondering if you'd like to fight with me," Grimmjow said. "No one else around here seems to want to have at it. Not even the big guy with the weird arms."
"Chad? Oh, don't take that personally," Ichigo told the hollow, "he's not too fond of strangers. But I'm training right now, actually, so maybe in a little while-"
"Actually, this may be just what Ichigo needs," Yoruichi interjected. "Someone he's fought before, but hasn't instructed him. He learns best by doing, right? Let's see him put your teachings to the test."
Kisuke frowned, and put up his fan so as to have a private sidebar with Yoruichi. "What if his hollow is awakened by the release of Grimmjow's resureccion? We can't have Ichigo going berserk on us."
"Tell them to keep it simple. Stick to the fundamentals and make use of things he's learned with you. It'll be fine, we'll be here in case anything goes awry."
The shopkeeper closed his fan with a snap and smiled at the arrancars, all of whom gave him strange looks in return. Apacci went so far as to roll her eyes, but Kisuke simply grinned even wider.
"Looks like a duel, then! Fists only, if you please, Grimmjow, as Ichigo doesn't have his zanpakuto, and I'd rather not have you two hurting yourselves! I'll be the referee, and Yoruichi will be on the sidelines to patch you both up! We'll go until one of you calls it quits, sound good?"
"Fine by me," Ichigo crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow at the arrancar.
Grimmjow bared his teeth in what would barely pass as a savage smile. "Yeah, whatever. Let's do this."
Neliel put a hand on Grimmjow's shoulder and put her lips to his ear. "Be careful Grimmjow. Don't hurt him… And good luck."
He grunted in response, and turned away from everyone as heat flushed his face. He made a show of removing his jacket, and throwing it at Sung-Sun, who caught it and shot him a dirty look, but folded it up neatly all the same.
Ichigo pulled his arms from the sleeves of his shihakusho and let the robe hang from his waist, exposing his own chest as he bounced on the balls of his feet and flexed his hands.
"Hey, why are Ichigo and this arrancar guy stripping down?" Karin called, having wandered over with Rukia, who was glancing between Ichigo and the Tres Bestias with jealousy in her eyes.
"We're training," Ichigo explained shortly. "What do you want, anyway?"
"I was just wondering why the both of you are taking your clothes off," Karin shrugged innocently.
"Would you not say it like that?!" Ichigo rounded on his sister. "You make it sound so dirty!"
"Say what? That you and this guy are taking your clothes off? Because that's what you're doing," Karin grinned and wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.
"Rukia, get Karin out of here would you?!"
"Huh? What?" Rukia was snapped out of her stupor, having been gnawing her lip and staring at Ichigo's abs.
"Why is your nose bleeding, Rukia?" Karin asked as the soul reaper pinched her nose closed.
"N-n-n-no reason," she said throatily, "but I'd like to stay and watch… for emotional support."
"Right, thanks for all the support," Ichigo rolled his eyes and turned away from his sister and his wife.
Grimmjow was standing across from him, while Yoruichi and Kisuke had retreated to a respectful distance. The enforcer was having his knuckles wrapped in cloth by Neliel, and Rukia stepped forward to help Ichigo do the same. He was just thinking that it wasn't really a fair fight given his hand injury, but then he noticed that his opponent had one as well. When Grimmjow saw Ichigo looking at it, he shifted his hand ever so slightly, concealing it from Ichigo's prying eyes.
"Alrighty then," Kisuke said when Rukia and Neliel had finished. "All set? Ready to go? Ok then, start fighting, you two!"
Ichigo was about to point out that there should be a bell or something to signal the start of the fight, but that was when Grimmjow's fist entered his point of view. It landed heavily on Ichigo's face, and the substitute soul reaper found himself reeling as inertia carried him backward. The arrancar looked manic, his teeth bared with insane mirth as he pulled back for another jab, this time with his left hand. Ichigo found his footing and focused, and this time when the attack came his direction, he followed it with his eyes. He bobbed to the side and dug in, coming up within Grimmjow's guard, and driving his elbow up under the hollow's ribcage to push the breath from his lungs. He followed up with a strong left handed shot to Grimmjow's jaw, making the arrancar's teeth clack loudly.
He stumbled back, expecting Ichigo to pursue him, but the redhead smirked and raised his hands, looking like a boxer as he hopped from side to side.
"Asshole," Grimmjow grunted, wiping the blood that ran from his lips with his wrist.
"Coming from the guy who starts off with a cheap shot, I'll take that as a compliment."
The two combatants began to circle each other, their hands at eye level, ready to either attack or defend, but neither of them tried to break the ring they made in the dirt.
Grimmjow spat up a globule of blood. "Losing your nerve, Ichigo? Are ya scared I'll knock your lights out?"
"I was told to practice my defense," the substitute shinigami reminded him. "Hit me whenever you like, 'fraidy cat."
Grimmjow growled. "Don't call me that!"
"Here, kitty kitty," Ichigo jeered.
"THAT'S IT!"
The hollow leapt forward, racing on all fours like an animal. He caught Ichigo around the waist and tackled him, driving him into the ground before straddling him and raining blows upon the substitute soul reaper's face. Ichigo craned his head to the side in the moment Grimmjow pulled back for a final blow, and his knuckles hit the ground with a crunch that made Ichigo wince in sympathy. Grimmjow exhaled through his teeth, only to be stunned when Ichigo caught him under the chin with his palm. He then locked an arm around Grimmjow's thigh and rolled, coming up on his feet as the arrancar nursed his hand and staggered upright.
"All that anger is making you think irrationally," Ichigo said, absently wiping the blood that dripped from his eyebrow. "Seems like you've gotten soft on me, Grimmjow."
The former Espada clenched his jaw and painstakingly popped his knuckles back into joint one after the other. He was breathing heavily, but he fixed a smile onto his face and ran a hand through his hair, trying to remain calm, but it was no use. His rage at being made to look like a fool overflowed into his reiatsu, which billowed around him like a barely contained inferno of blue energy. The urge to destroy welled within him, blocking out all other senses, and forming a knot in his gut that radiated with an all-too-familiar ache. It was the ache of someone with a void no amount of destruction could fill. It was a void he had tried to ignore and control in his service to Lord White. And now, it was a void which he fell headlong into.
He opened his injured hand, and the energy of his anger poured into his palm, forming an attack Ichigo knew well.
"Cero," Grimmjow hissed. He closed his hand around the orb of light in his palm, crushing it into his fist, and storing the energy from it in his limb. His arm burned, and the bleeding from his knuckles stopped. He crouched low and sprang forward, arms out at either side, fists glowing. Ichigo's eyes went wide as Grimmjow sank a fist into his gut, channeling all of the explosive energy of an Espada-level cero into his body through their contact. Ichigo was a blur of skin and black robes as he tumbled head over heels, his body scraping against the ground as he tried to come to a stop before he fell off the side of the cliff.
Weightlessness besieged him, wind tore at his robes and roared in his ears. He barely managed to catch hold of a vine hanging from the face of the crags. His arms shook, but he quickly pulled himself back up to find Grimmjow waiting for him, his arms crossed.
"I thought we were keeping things basic," Ichigo snapped.
"We are. No weapons, but if you want to charge up a punch with your spirit energy, be my guest."
The smugness that dripped from the hollow was thick enough to put a sour taste in Ichigo's mouth. He spit in the dirt and ground it in with the heel of his sandal. If Grimmjow was changing the rules of the game, perhaps it was time for Ichigo to take things up a notch.
The two of them sized each other up, both watching for even the slightest hints of movements. From the sidelines, Yoruichi looked on with fearful anticipation. Neliel met Grimmjow's eye and gave him a warning look. Rukia was peering at the Tres Bestias, all of whom had their eyes fixed upon Ichigo with hungry expressions, like wild predators looking at fallen prey.
"HYAAAARGH!" Ichigo raced forward, taking the initiative and earning himself a scowl from Kisuke.
"He's supposed to be working on his defense." The shopkeeper pointed out.
Yoruichi elbowed him. "Just relax. He probably needs to blow off some steam."
Ichigo and Grimmjow dashed forward, determination in their eyes as they hurled headlong towards their battle. Grimmjow raised his hands, which were still glowing with energy as he prepared to teach Ichigo a lesson he wouldn't soon forget.
"Blut!" Ichigo exclaimed, pounding a fist to his chest and shoulder charging the arrancar.
Grimmjow brought his fist down on Ichigo's back just as the substitute soul reaper was tackling him, only it felt wrong, like he'd punched the concrete all over again. A small choked cry escaped his lips as the redhead barreled into him with the force of a bulldozer. It was the arrancar's turn to taste dirt as he flew across the main path and crashed hard into the ground before bouncing back up and coming to a stop against the hard concrete building which housed the mess hall.
Ichigo panted, licking the blood from the corner of his mouth. He wasn't sure it would work, but it seemed he was correct in his assumptions that half-blooded Quincy, such as Uryu and himself, had kept their powers after Yhawch had drained all of the Sternritter.
"You still have your Quincy powers?" Grimmjow groaned, slowly prying himself from the wall he'd hit and flexing his sore legs and arms.
"Yeah, I guess I do."
The combatants were both losing steam. They'd barely tapped into their reiatsu's, but their physical bodies were already becoming tired, and their wounds only made things worse. Only the hard determination in Grimmjow's eyes made Ichigo want to continue.
"Then what do you say we-" Grimmjow took a runners stance "-PICK UP THE PACE!"
The arrancar vanished in a sonido, and Ichigo didn't have time to react as the heel of a boot crossed his jaw, sending him spinning to the earth. He used the momentum and rolled upright, his Blut protecting him from the brunt of the damage as he raised his hands and infused them with lightning using his hado.
The substitute shinigami and the arrancar hollered like demons and clashed like titans, throwing fists and kicks in equal measure as their spirit energies burst to life around them. Ichigo, true to his training, watched Grimmjow's movements. He figured out when to counter, and worked out weak points so that whenever Grimmjow threw a punch, he could sweep aside his attack and go in for a strike of his own.
Their hands moved like lightning, Ichigo's fingers flickering with golden arcs of electricity as Grimmjow's burned with explosive cero energy. Ichigo sidestepped and ducked, getting to the point where he could avoid Grimmjow's fists altogether as he learned the Espada's pattern of attack.
It became a bit of a problem when he danced out of the arrancar's reach and let out a laugh. All at once, the things Kisuke had been trying to teach him seemed to have clicked into place. It seemed so easy, so basic, but it was a lesson that had taken hours of training to really sink in.
No matter how powerful the punch, it made no difference if it couldn't connect. If this could be applied to Aizen somehow… Ichigo felt like he was close to a breakthrough.
Grimmjow charged the substitute soul reaper, ready to deliver a series of strikes when the ground shook underfoot. Everyone in the clearing was suddenly on edge as they detected an anomaly in the reishi surrounding them.
Ichigo paused, listening carefully. It sounded like something was fast approaching from the skies, similar to a jet breaking the sound barrier. Even more strangely, this anomaly seemed like a gaping void in the fabric of reishi that made up the Soul Society, like a black hole hurtling towards the Shihouin Training Facility. While Neliel, Rukia and Karin wore surprised expressions, Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun looked around with shrewd eyes. Grimmjow simply seemed miffed that he'd been deprived of his chance to pound Ichigo to a pulp. Yoruichi tensed, like a cat with raised hackles.
"Something's headed this way, and it's moving fast," Grimmjow said, taking his coat from Sung- Sun.
And before any one of them could so much as draw their swords, the anomaly stopped moving. It was amongst them, standing not too far off on the edge of the cliffs, the afternoon sun slowly setting on its back as it swept its masked gaze over all present.
The hollow was slim, and had the deceptively human form of an arrancar. The mask over its head covered its eyes and nose, leaving the mouth exposed. Behind narrow slits were golden irises that flashed with hateful intelligence, as if it despised everything it saw.
Its mask was adorned with a single blood red spot upon the forehead. It also had a beak-like nose that resembled a plague doctor's mask, and a row of sharp teeth along the bottom half that extended down past the human jaw. The hollow had wings on its back that were reminiscent of those of a bat, with iridescent purple membranes and clawed joints. One of the beast's arms had been fused with a shield, which was made of the same ivory substance as its mask. In the center of this shield was a strange gem that glowed with violet energy. His other arm was normal, but his hand grasped a sword that made Ichigo do a double take.
It was a silver sword, the grip of which was etched with a snake skin pattern. The guard was in the shape of an ouroboros.
"That sword…" Ichigo muttered absently, his eyes searching the arrancar for telltale signs of familiarity.
Sure enough, he found them: the strong jaw, the blonde hair that protruded from within the hollow mask, and beneath the thick white armor, the signature sleeves of a navy blue shihakusho, rolled back by some rebellious punk.
"It's him," Ichigo's voice was small, yet shook with suppressed rage. "It's Kazue, one of the Kamisaigaiku clan leader's guardians."
"That means this is Aizen's work," Kisuke surmised, eyeing up the hollow as if it were an interesting equation to be solved, rather than a twisted, perverted corruption of what had once been a powerful soul reaper.
Then, another voice filled the clearing, crackling with radio static that resonated from the hollow. It was a voice that set every person there on edge, rendering them speechless and frozen in fear.
Many miles away, in a dimly lit room suffused with violet light, Sosuke Aizen sat amongst a variety of dusty lab equipment, watching a screen that displayed a grainy image of several people, chief amongst them a certain substitute soul reaper with strawberry blonde hair, a shopkeeper, two noblewomen, and a handful of arrancars. "That is correct, Kisuke Urahara. This is indeed my work, and I created him with one purpose in mind. Would you care to tell them your primary function, Black?"
The human jaw worked, and from within it, a multitude of voices emerged.
"We must destroy Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends," Black recited. "We will kill anyone who dares oppose our master."
"Precisely," Aizen said. "Now, Black, whom do you serve?"
The hollow's reply was immediate. "Lord Aizen."
The traitor smiled and took off his glasses, hanging them from the collar of his star spangled robes as he reclined in his chair, taking great satisfaction in all the terrified expressions of the people in the clearing.
"Perfect," he said to himself, folding his hands before his face. "This is the end of the line for you, Ichigo Kurosaki."
Author's Notes:
Ugh, this chapter was a slog and a half. Between another 90 hour work week, and a thousand and one other things I've been dealing with, writing has been incredibly slow. Then there's the fact that I was gone for so long I forgot exactly where I was and had to go through and completely reread the story just to get a feel for where I was. After I did that, what I had was scrapped and a massive rewrite took place. On the bright side, I have a ton of ideas for this fic now, as I've been giving it a lot of thought and figuring out what I want to incorporate. Let's just say that in the true spirit of Bleach, this damned fanfic is probably gonno go on for a crazy long time until no one reads it anymore, and then I'll wrap it up due to pressure from my publisher and medical issues, forcing an ending that no one will like. Or something like that. I kid, Tite Kubo is the muhfukkin man.
For those wondering, a bunkasai is pretty much the only thing I could find that could be equivalated to prom in America, so you'll have to forgive my ignorance of the inner workings of japanese high schools.
Furthermore, here we have Ichigo developing his powers, some lovey dovey bullshit, and like eight layers of metaphysical bullshit wrapped up in so much allegory that it essentially makes the story unreadable. I might have to fix that, one of these days.
Oh, and Kazue returns, having become the experiment of Aizen. This oughta be interesting.
In the two or so months since I've posted the last chapter, there had been a literal fuckton of music I've been listening to so I can give you guys some lovey dovey shit to jam out to while you read.
MUSIC!
Sunkissed-Khai Dreams
Ultimately-Khai Dreams
Your Soul-Forrest ft. Biskwiq
Come True-Khai Dreams ft. Forrest, Biskwiq, Wizard Island
Lately-Forrest ft RYCE, Biskwiq
Untitled-EDEN
Coyote Theory-This Side of Paradise
END OF LOVEDY DOVEY SHIT
Jacob Lee- Guidance
Someone You Loved-Lewis Capaldi (wtf my boi is all over the radio now)
AND FINALLY, A TRIBUTE TO JUICE WRLD RIP MY GUY
Hate Me-Juice WRLD ft Ellie Goulding
Alright, I'm out of music suggestions for now. Thanks for reading. If you thought this was the perfect story and it needs no improvement and I'm the greatest writer of all time, go ahead and don't leave me a review. Otherwise, let me know what you think could be better.
Peace to you all, and happy holidays. Things are about to get real sad real quick.