"Well, well, well, look who's decided to come and pay us a visit," Urahara crossed his arms and smirked at the demi-hollow hybrid before him. "To what do we owe this unexpected pleasure, Aizen? I was under the impression you were busy pretending to be nobility. I suppose you have to have a way to satisfy your god complex."
"This coming from the man who hid behind the coat tails of a seventeen year old substitute soul reaper when faced with the prospect of having to fight me? You must forgive my skepticism, Kisuke, for your credibility is essentially null and void."
The static ridden voice of Aizen was unmistakable in its soft tones. It was the voice of someone who did not need to speak loudly to be heard clearly. No matter where he was, you could hear his voice like he was just over your shoulder. When he said Ichigo's name, the hollow turned to look at him, and all the cruel, cold intelligence of Aizen's gaze seemed to focus through its eyes, putting a knot in Ichigo's stomach.
"I wouldn't say I hid behind him," Kisuke pouted. "I just gave him a few nudges in the right direction."
"Aizen! How did you find us?!" Yoruichi shouted. "And what have you done to that young man?!"
Many miles away, the traitor smiled, his fingers drumming on the arm of the chair he was sitting in. "It's quite simple, really. I used a demi hollow to find a demi hollow. As for what I've done with the boy, he now serves me faithfully. In return, I have eased his burdens, and given him a chance to redeem himself."
"Cut the bullshit, Aizen!" hollered Ichigo. "Why have you sent this thing here?! Release Kazue at once!"
His hands shook with fear and anger, but he could not tear his eyes away from the hollow. Underneath the thick ivory armor and that mask, there was a person that Ichigo knew. They may have fought, they may have hated each other's guts, but no matter how Ichigo may have disliked him, no man should fall victim to the depravity of Sosuke Aizen.
"I'm afraid we are long past reaching any kind of accord, Ichigo. I gave you a chance to walk away, don't you recall? I sent Rukia to your cell with the key to your freedom, offering you the opportunity to escape with your life and leave the Soul Society in my care. As it just so happens, things have been progressing faster than even I could have anticipated. I cannot afford to be distracted by you any longer."
"Distractions?" Rukia whispered incredulously. "Is… is that all we are to him?"
The click-clack of clogs was loud as Kisuke stepped to the forefront of the group, putting himself between the demi hollow and everyone else. Tilting the brim of his hat lower, the scientist grinned to himself.
"I may not know much, Aizen, but I know a bad liar when I hear one. You're here to check up on Ichigo. Seems to me you're terrified of what we've been teaching him, of how strong he'll become. You're scared that we're plotting against you, because I think that you know all of us together pose a significant threat to your schemes."
The impassive smirk that Aizen kept plastered in place did not waver, nor did he reveal any signs of agitation.
"Me? Scared? I'm afraid your hypothesis is somewhat baseless, Kisuke. Fear is a primal emotion felt by lesser beings. It is an instinct; a chemical in the brain that compels people to survive, to expect the worst and prepare for it. I do not feel fear, or hatred, or any other emotion that would move people like you. I am so very close to reaching my goal that I can taste it… so you must enlighten me, Kisuke Urahara, what does fear feel like?"
"Your goal, huh?" Kisuke muttered softly, "what exactly does that mean?"
Ichigo started forward, either unaware or uncaring of the fact that he was without his zanpakuto, but he was quickly caught by several pairs of hands. Rukia held him back by the obi about his waist while Chad gripped his shoulder. Yoruichi had him by the elbow, and Kisuke threw out an arm to prevent Ichigo from getting any closer to the hybrid.
Then, a series of quick, light footsteps broke the silence.
"I'll teach you to fear, YOU BASTARD!" Grimmjow roared, charging at the demi hollow. "This is for all the Espada you killed, Aizen!"
"Grimmjow, WAIT!" Neliel's shout was lost amongst the chorus as everyone cried out for him to stop. The Tres Bestias all drew their swords, but by then, it was already too late.
As soon as Grimmjow stepped in to land a punch on the hollow's face, he felt like all of the fight had been taken out of him. It was like his spirit energy had been forced from his body as easily as the air from his lungs. His vision grew dim and fuzzy, and his knees felt like they were about to give out. Every muscle in his body ached, but all he'd done was punch the demi hollow. With how quickly his strength had gone, it seemed as though the punch hadn't even fazed Kazue, let alone caused him any pain. His fist was curled against the hollow's mask, but even holding it there was almost too much for him to sustain.
A bright violet gleam caught his eye, and Grimmjow looked down to find the gem on the hollow's shield was glowing like a supernova. He took a weary step back as the hollow held him at arm's length. The world seemed to slow, and the ground beneath him felt like it was tilting from side to side. The demi hollow slowly, carefully hefted its sword, and then used it to cleave off Grimmjow's extended arm.
White hot, blinding pain besieged Grimmjow, but he was so very tired. He sank to his knees, his tongue too tired to form the scream that echoed in his mind as blood soaked into his skin, making it sticky and slick
"Grimmjow, get out of their!" Ichigo cried, still being held back by Rukia, Chad, Yoruichi, and now Karin, all of whom were straining quite hard against him.
Neliel drew her blade as the Tres Bestias rushed in, but it was no use. Somehow, her strength seemed to have left her in the moment Grimmjow fell to his knees. The wounded arrancar looked up from the ground, his teeth bared in a feral snarl, and Nel felt her stomach drop out from beneath her as she realized what was about to happen.
"Finish it," Grimmjow hissed.
There was a growl, the hybrid hollow's eyes flashed as it turned its shield to the wounded arrancar. The gem set within its face glowed, and erupted in a violent explosion of energy. The former Espada felt a strange rush as a spiritual pressure eerily reminiscent of his own washed over him, encasing him in a cero more powerful than anything he'd ever felt. Violet light swallowed him and the Tres Bestias, whom were all rushing to his aid. The world fell away beneath Grimmjow as he flew through the air, and then the arrancar lost consciousness.
"Grimmjow!" Neliel cried. "Mila Rose, Sung-Sun, Apacci!"
The massive beam of violet power waned and then died as the demi hollow lowered his shield, and four bodies fell in smoking heaps. Ichigo felt his heart catch on his adam's apple as he stared with shock at the absolute and utter defeat of not one, but four highly accomplished arrancars. Their white clothes were blackened and tattered, revealing skin that was blistered and burnt. The air reeked of burning hair and flesh, and all the demi hollow could do was shake the blood from the blade of his sword and take a rattling breath.
"You son of a bitch…." The words tumbled from Ichigo's clenched teeth as he felt the telltale darkness of his inner hollow grip him. "I won't let you get away with this! Do you hear me, Aizen?!"
"Ichigo, calm down!" Rukia put her hand in his, turning his face so that he was forced to meet her gaze. The corners of his eyes were already stained with black, and his irises were glowing. Rukia stared into those amber eyes with all the intensity she could muster. "You mustn't let him get to you!"
"You will find no reward in resistance, Ichigo," Aizen called out to him, his voice ringing through the hollow. "You cannot deny your base instinct, no matter how you may try to fight it. You were a failed experiment, a bastardization of a century's worth of work. And now I will have Black slaughter you and your allies."
"Ichigo, snap out of it!" Rukia said, lightly but firmly slapping her husband across the face.
Fear coursed through Ichigo like an infection in his bloodstream, freezing his limbs in place as the power of his hollow washed over him, battering him like the endless waves of a stormy sea pressing in on all sides. He felt as if he were standing in the eye of the storm. Rukia's words cut through the darkness, but there was something amiss. Her voice seemed to grow fainter, and the sound of maniacal laughter grew louder. Nothing seemed to be able to suppress it.
He found the golden eyes of the demi hollow fixated upon himself, staring at Ichigo with unrestrained hatred. Something in that glare was almost tangible, like Ichigo been struck with a cero. The demi hollow narrowed its eyes in concentration, and the laughter in his head grew even louder.
With the hollow temporarily distracted, Neliel gathered the bodies of her comrades. She vanished and reappeared before the demi hollow had time to react, each time pulling another body out of harm's way. When all of them were safe, she took her blade and held it under the noses of each of her companions. Their breath fogged the blade after a few heart pounding moments of worry. Miraculously, all of them were alive, but she did not know for how long.
"Whatever is the matter, Ichigo Kurosaki?" Aizen queried, his eyes piercing Ichigo through the monitor. "Why do you defend the monsters you have fought since you discovered your powers? These hollows are your enemies, are they not? Or perhaps you have come around to my way of thinking. Has it finally dawned upon you that the lines drawn up by the Soul Society are no longer quite so black and white as they once were? Do you see now that you are no different from these monsters?"
"I don't care what you say, Aizen…. I won't give in… to my hollow…. I won't…." It was getting harder to resist, and a splitting headache burned through his brain as Ichigo fought the influence of the beast inside himself. A bead of sweat dripped down his temple, and he shuddered as that single droplet of perspiration very nearly destroyed his concentration.
The traitor smirked in his lab chair. "You do not have any choice. Black will draw your hollow out of you whether you wish it or not. He is the impenetrable wall to White's unstoppable force. The hollow within you will have no choice but to rise to his challenge."
"AAAAAARRRRGH!" Ichigo's scream rent the air as he clawed at the white that emerged from his eyes and mouth, and crept over his face like a mask. No matter how hard he fought, though, it kept reforming, spreading faster, corrupting his willpower more and more with every second.
"Leave Ichigo out of this," Kisuke said, taking off his hat. "Come on, Aizen, send your most recent experiment at me. I'll dissect it faster than you can blink."
"Very well," Aizen leaned forward and pressed a button on the console before him, "on your own head be it."
Faster than fast, the hybrid hollow struck at Kisuke, who met the creature's blade with his own. Benihime shrieked as the hollow ran the blade of his sword along Kisuke's. Sparks flew as the shopkeeper was pushed back little by little, his clogs digging into the dirt as their guards met.
"You're certainly a quick one, Kazue," Kisuke smiled, earning himself a guttural grunt from the creature. The shopkeeper disengaged, parrying one strike before jumping over another. He landed on his feet, but in his hand he held a balloon. He put it to his lips and blew, and a second Kisuke Urahara formed, completely identical to the original.
The balloon duplicate fought like the real thing, and metal rang out against metal as Kisuke yawned and took a little break. With a devilish grin, he pulled a syringe from his coat and stuck Ichigo in the neck. The white that poured from his mouth and eyes, which had been threatening to overtake him, suddenly vanished. Ichigo swayed where he stood, his amber eyes changing back to brown in the literal blink of an eye as he staggered sideways and fell to his knees. Rukia caught him, hauling him back to his feet with some difficulty as he tried to focus, blinking heavily as his eyelids drooped.
His glazed eyes locked on Kisuke accusatorily. "What the fuck was that?"
"A powerful sedative," the lanky blonde replied with a smile. "You can't be mad when you're about to fall asleep, can you?"
A loud pop caught Kisuke's attention, and he turned in time to find Black's sword cutting through his midsection. Not his own personal midsection, but the one on his balloon doppelganger. Kisuke took the opportunity to sweep a hand over the blade of his sword.
"Screech, Benihime," he muttered, "the Red Princess. She who bathes in the blood of the innocent, and always takes more than she gives."
Kisuke scowled at the demi hollow in the instant it burst through the balloon dummy. Tapping into the part of himself that he had long since suppressed, the shopkeeper looked at his opponent with an eye of scientific criticism. It was a part of him that was more indulgent, and less attached to his morals and ethics, which desired to know everything. He wanted to break the hollow down, cut it into little neatly labeled pieces of flesh, and then stich it back together in a way that made it better, made it stronger, and made more sense to the mad scientist that lurked beneath his calm and peaceful persona.
'Take whatever you want from me, Princess,' Urahara thought solemnly. 'This poor man doesn't deserve the fate that's been forced upon him.'
"Bankai! Kannonbiraki Benihime Aratame!"
Kisuke levelled his sword at the demi hollow, taking in the structure of the person encased in the ivory armor. Beneath the anomaly, he thought he could sense the young man's spiritual pressure. He could just sense the person beneath the perversion Aizen had forced upon him. A simple sword could not cut through such horrid corruption, but a bankai would be able to do what a shikai could not.
"And just like that," Aizen said to himself, his fingers tapping excitedly at the arm of his chair, "this battle… is mine."
The red spot in the center of the hollow's forehead split down the middle, and then slid back into two little panels like a reptile opening its eye. Instead of a long, slanted iris, there was a star in the center of the eye; a cross with five points that took the shopkeeper a second to recognize.
"Dammit Kisuke, seal your bankai!" Yoruichi hollered. "He's going to steal it from you!"
But it was too late, the bankai was already active. Even as Kisuke felt his technique reach the critical levels it required to function, it winked out of existence. The enormous fair skinned woman in red that had been hovering over him ominously gave a tired sigh, and was sucked wholly into the medallion set into the demi hollow's mask.
Though the traitor's face could not be seen, his voice was rich with satisfaction. "Leave it to the Quincy to develop the perfect means to render a soul reaper powerless. Not only have you lost your one chance to separate Kazue and Black, but you no longer have a means to stitch yourself back together should you be mortally wounded."
"I suppose I have to give you some credit," Kisuke tapped his sword on his shoulder, "not only did you fuse a soul reaper and a hollow, you managed to incorporate Quincy technology in there as well. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you deliberately made a more obedient clone of Ichigo. You can deny it all you like, but your creations speak for themselves."
"The substitute soul reaper was a fascinating case study, but regardless of how well he danced to my tune, there is no more music to be had." Aizen leaned forward in his seat, gripping the arms of his chair. "You have all sealed your collective fates, and now I have no choice but to eliminate each and every one of you."
The conversation stopped when Ichigo stepped forward, swaggering heavily from side to side as he fought the powerful effects of whatever drug had just been shot into his bloodstream. In the instant his hollow had ceased to have any control over him, Ichigo found his fear had fled. In place of all of this, a wave of soft calm and assurance blanketed him. For the moment, he felt like his old self from three years ago. Calm, collected, and dead set on his goal; which, at the moment, was to protect everyone he cared about. He found it odd how so much could change over the years, while something so basic might not.
"You're wasting your breath," Ichigo quietly told the shopkeeper. "Aizen isn't someone who can be reasoned with. You can't convince him he's wrong, or even make him see the error of his ways. It isn't in his nature."
"Your words carry more wisdom than they imply," the traitor's voice warbled through his connection with the demi hollow. "But your inability to see past morality and face the grander truth is what will ultimately be your undoing."
Holding out a hand, Ichigo extended his heart with it, searching with his spirit energy to find the being that had stood with him in the face of all adversity.
'C'mon Zangetsu,' he thought. 'We've got people that are depending on us.'
An echoing blast radiated from somewhere deeper in the facility, and smoke rose from the already damaged school building that Ichigo had been in earlier. Zangetsu had been propped against the wall of the classroom, and from the sounds it was making, it didn't just fly through the window.
It came howling through the air, it's large, heavy blade cleaving the wind in frenzy as it spun like a boomerang, headed right for its master. Rukia dragged Karin to the ground to avoid the sword as it flew over their heads, missing them by mere inches. Ichigo caught the blade without looking, and immediately felt a sense of rightness in the world. This is how it had always been: just him and Zangetsu, standing fast against an endless tide of enemies.
'Don't think I didn't notice you almost taking my wife's head off,' Ichigo thought crossly, 'watch where you're going from now on.'
'Apologies,' Zangetsu's deep voice rumbled. 'When I realized Aizen had found you I panicked.'
'But did ya have to take out the school building? Yoruichi's family owns this place, you know. I can't pay them back for the damages.'
'Debts can be repayed, and buildings repaired, but life cannot be regained so easily, Ichigo.'
"Fine," the redhead gripped the hilt of Zangetsu with both hands and brought the blade up across his chest. "Let's get to it, then. Banka-"
Smack! Ichigo staggered forward, having been struck on the back of the head by none other than Rukia, who glowered at him.
"Fool!" she said loudly. "If you use your bankai, it'll be stolen, just like Kisuke's!"
Ichigo rubbed the back of his head, frowning. "Dammit all, why do you always have to hit me?"
"Did you not hear a word I just said?!" Rukia exclaimed.
"Yeah, I did, and I'm not a fool!" Ichigo snapped. "I can sense that Quincy medallion, and he's only got one. I'm also betting that in order for him to steal my bankai, he would have to give up Urahara's, which he can't do without risking losing control of Kazue."
"That's a rich bet, considering this is Aizen we're dealing with," Yoruichi muttered, itching at her chin. "Are you sure this is safe?"
"Of course not, but the odds of me getting my bankai stolen are slim. Besides, I think I can channel my Quincy powers enough to resist another of those medallions, if he's hiding one."
Rukia put a hand in the center of Ichigo's back, and warmth flowed through their connection. Ichigo could sense that Rukia was petrified, but while he couldn't blame her, he felt no fear himself. He tried to send that confidence back through the connection.
"It'll be fine," he told her. "I promise."
She bit her lip, remembering the last promise Ichigo had made. He had said that he would come back for her, that he would not leave the Soul Society without her. Even with the odds against him, he had kept his promise.
"I'll hold you too it," she mumbled, stepping back so that she was not in the blast radius of Ichigo's bankai release.
Ichigo turned his head from side to side, cracking his neck and smirking to himself. All he had to do was break the medallion, and Kisuke could finish the fight before it even had a chance to begin.
"Bankai!" he proclaimed, slashing Zangetsu through the air and feeling the powerful reishi of the Shihouin Training Facility rush into him. Power coursed through his veins as his bankai took effect. His robes changed, becoming high collared with frayed edges. His blood red obi and undershirt were crisscrossed by black strips of cloth, which complimented the black and red boots and gauntlets he wore. Ichigo took a breath, and when he released it, the vortex of powerful reishi that had temporarily obscured him from sight vanished. His Tensa Zangetsu seemed different, though not in any visibly discernable way. It was almost as if Ichigo had always been looking at the sword through fuzzy lenses, and it had suddenly come into focus. All of the jagged edges and hard lines seemed entirely new to him, but the feeling of the sword, and the spirit within it, was just as familiar and comforting as ever.
Across the way, the hollow stood stock still. The only sign that he had noted the transformation were his eyes, which bored into Ichigo with unflinching intensity.
"Rrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaa," the hollow warbled, his fingers tightening about the hilt of Kazue's sword as he prepared for an attack.
But Ichigo wasted no time, he was already on the move. He flash stepped, appearing next to the hollow before his afterimage had even fully disappeared from where he had been standing previously, but something was wrong. Ichigo was frozen in place, shaking like a man who'd accidentally stepped on a live wire. The tip of the Tensa Zangetsu was less than an inch from the medallion in the demi hollow's forehead. Ichigo was so close to it that he could have reached out and plucked it from the mask, if only he weren't frozen in place. His eyes went wide as the anomalous void that was the hybrid's spirit energy began to swirl in earnest, acting as a vacuum to Ichigo's immense reiryoku.
'Step away!' Tensa Zangetsu warned, 'that beast is sapping our strength!'
Ichigo's bankai robes began to disintegrate, unravelling rapidly before his stupefied eyes, but there was nothing he could do. It was like he'd been frozen in place, unable to move or call for help, or even pull away from the demi hollow, who had raised his shield, and was using the gem set within it to absorb Ichigo's spirit energy.
A deep voice cried out, "I'VE GOT YOU, ICHIGO!"
Just as the sleeve of his bankai robe disintegrated and fell away to reveal the shoulder Kazue had scarred during his previous bout with the substitute soul reaper, Ichigo felt a sharp tug at his waist, and he was dragged backward, out of the nefarious effects of the demi hollow's presence.
He stumbled, tripped, and was caught by a very large pair of strong, muscular arms. Chad had saved him from having all of his spirit energy sucked out of his body.
"Thanks for the save, big guy," Ichigo grinned.
Chad flashed a smile. "I've got your back."
The large man was in the middle of helping Ichigo stand up when he suddenly shoved Ichigo back down and dove to the side as two bolts of light shot past them, headed right for the hollow.
"Hado Seventy-Three!" Rukia incanted, thrusting her palms outward, "Soren Sokatsui!"
"Raikoho!" Karin yelled.
The spells narrowly missed Ichigo, and their collective power was enough to make all the small hairs on his body stand on end as they passed. Between the two of them, Rukia and Karin were frighteningly powerful ranged combatants.
But it was all for naught, as the demi hollow simply hefted his shield and let the spells strike its surface. The bolts of light seemed to pause for an instant before being sucked into the violet gem.
"We can't get close," Kisuke scratched at the stubble on his chin, "and that gem in his shield seems to absorb all of our attacks."
"The only thing we can do is try to break it," Yoruichi decided, uncrossing her arms and stretching her legs to get her blood pumping. "Everyone scatter and surround the hollow! Target that shield with your attacks, but don't get too close!"
"Right!" everyone said in unison, immediately moving to surround their enemy.
Rukia dashed to one side as Ichigo went the other way, vanishing as quickly as his flash step allowed. Chad was the slowest, and the largest target, so he took a few steps back and waited for his chance to strike.
Neliel didn't rise to help, though. She was still kneeling on the ground, paralyzed by her own terror. She wanted to fight the hollow, to rip it to shreds. It was in her nature as a hollow to destroy, but the conflict within sprang from a part of her that wanted to save her friends, and get them all to safety. Then Ichigo's little sister appeared, and without any sort of hesitation, she pulled Grimmjow's arm over her shoulders and began to haul him away from the fighting.
"Help me," Karin grunted at Nel, "this guy is like a ton of bricks!"
Neliel blinked. All of her wild urges to slaughter the demi hollow were drowned out by guilt. A human girl with no ties to the arrancar had been willing to carry one out of harm's way. She had done so without worrying about the consequences, or disparaging the difference between humans and hollows. She had simply acted, knowing it was the right thing to do. Why was it that Neliel had struggled to come to that conclusion?
"Yes," Nel stammered. "Yes of course!" Putting her head under Grimmjow's stump and clutching his torso, she helped Karin move the severely wounded arrancar, who spluttered weakly with every step they took. His blood leaked into her long turquoise hair, and filled the air with the tangy scent of iron, but she ignored it, and simply worked towards getting him to safety.
As Aizen reclined in his chair, he allowed himself a moment of unrestrained satisfaction. Everything was going according to plan, and with each attack thrown at the hollow, the people whom had irritated the false nobleman came ever closer to sealing their own demise.
Just as he had anticipated, Kazue's rage and guilt made him an excellent specimen for hollowfication experimentation, and the results were well worth it. Every move the hollow made was carefully controlled and analyzed, designed to combat anything the group of rebels may decide to try. He was, in essence, a weapon: painstakingly designed with the express intent of killing everyone who dared defy Aizen's will.
Black's nature as a hollow cried out at him to retaliate, to lash out at the people who surrounded him and bombarded him with attacks from every side, but he did no such thing. The beast pivoted, taking each attack as it came, and absorbing it into the shield.
But as it spun, keeping on the defensive, Aizen spotting something troubling. Through the smoke and flashes of light, he saw Ichigo and Kisuke flash stepping past each other. The scientist's mouth moved, but Aizen could not hear the word's he'd spoken. It lasted only an instant, and was over so quickly that no one save Aizen would have even been able to notice the exchange.
But even if he hadn't heard what was said, Aizen was no fool. It was not hard for one of such outstanding intelligence to follow such a basic train of thought.
"They're going for a synchronized attack," he muttered quietly, resting his chin on his knuckles.
It was the most basic tactic of the soul reapers to flank their target. When that failed, they did one of two things: either they amplified their powers, or they struck in unison with allies, much in the way ants might overcome a spider. Seeing as Kisuke and Kurosaki had already pushed themselves to their limits, it was inevitable that they try for a unified offensive.
It took a few moments of anticipation, but through his connection to Black, Aizen heard someone call out for the rebels to scatter.
Combat ceased, and the hollow growled as he realized he was faced with three opponents. On one side was Ichigo, and across from him was Kisuke. Dead in front of him was Chad.
Ichigo braced his arm and tightened his grip on the Tensa Zangetsu. "Getsugaaa…."
"Screech," Kisuke pointed his sword at the hollow.
Chad flexed his left hand, and energy crackled at the tips of his stark white fingers, "La…"
Aizen smirked. "It's useless."
"TENSHOU!" Ichigo's pitch black reiatsu flashed around him.
Scarlet spirit energy crackled along the edge of Kisuke's blade. "BENIHIME!"
"MEURTE!" Chad clenched his fist, and released all of his power in a single blow.
The energies collided and swirled around the hollow, who faded from view with an inhuman roar. Red and white meshed with black as a great spire of reishi rose towards the sky. Then it pierced the ground, and cleaved through the stone like it was nothing. The world shook as a great portion of the cliff face overlooking the forest broke free and tumbled downward, into the trees. The power of the combined attack sent great cracks up the walls of the buildings of the Shihouin Training Facility and shattered their windows. The trees bent fervently beneath the concussive force of the blast. From the corner of his eye, Ichigo saw the tree he and Rukia had sat beneath that morning slowly give way and fall over the edge as well.
The column of black energy vanished, and the rumbling stopped. Dust clogged the air and made it hard to breath. Then, out of the smoke and ashes, a strange form loomed.
"We're not out of the woods yet," Urahara grumbled, readying his zanpakuto once more.
Hovering where the hollow had been standing was a strange violet cocoon shot through with white webbing. It shifted, sounding like leather scraping over leather, and the demi hollow slowly unfolded its bat-like wings from around itself, revealing that it had taken no damage whatsoever.
"Dammit all," Ichigo growled, blinking heavily as he fought the effects of the sedative that sapped his strength.
"How are we supposed to stop that thing?" Chad wondered. "Its hierro is unlike that of any hollow I've faced. Between the three of us, we should have at least done something to him."
"It's hard to tell from under that mask," Kisuke observed, "but I think we only managed to piss him off."
"HYAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRGH!" Black bellowed, causing even more rocks to fall from the cliff face.
"W-What's it doing?" Rukia wondered, having retreated towards the buildings when the cliff was shorn away.
All of the reishi in the Shihouin Training Facility pulsed and throbbed violently as it began to pull towards the hollow. The anomaly that was the void of his spiritual pressure acted as a vacuum, sucking in all of the powerful reishi that fell from the Spirit King's palace. The sky grew dark as great clouds developed over head, and the wind raged as the trees in the forest trembled, shaking the loose leaves from their bony branches.
Aizen's voice came through the hollow, "This is Black's most powerful ability. He perpetually absorbs reishi from his surroundings, and from unwary opponents. As a result, he is the perfect opposite to Ichigo's brute force. All of this spirit energy is stored in an external medium-"
"The gem on his shield," Kisuke guessed.
"-and is instantaneously released when he utilizes his Resurreccion."
Kisuke, who's pale complexion was already bordering on the edge of unhealthy, instantly turned a few shades whiter as his eyes went wide. "You've turned him into a living atom bomb!"
Aizen smirked. "And now you understand why I chose to utilize a proxy, rather than be there myself."
Kisuke turned away from the hollow and caught Yoruichi's eye, looking more serious than anyone had ever seen him. "Take everyone and get the hell out of here! GO!"
"I'm afraid it's too late for a retreat," Aizen said. "Black, you may now release your Ressureccion."
"Hrrrrrgn," the hollow growled in affirmation. His golden eyes burned brightly against his black sclera, and then the gem on his shield shattered. Before anyone could move, or speak, or even begin to feel afraid, the Shihouin Training Facility was engulfed in a bright flash of violet light.
Yoruichi stood, transfixed by horror, her jaw agape as everything around her was destroyed. Buildings, trees, the earth, even the reishi-rich waterfall were all swallowed up and vaporized by the explosion, which popped her eardrums, and burned itself deeper into her eyes every time she blinked. The hollow was gone, as was everything else. The only reason that she and her allies hadn't been swallowed up by the blast was because of the dark silhouette that held it at bay.
Kisuke Urahara, his bankai now defunct, held his sword, Benihime, horizontally, with one hand on the hilt, and the other gripping the tip of the blade. A barrier of scarlet light was all that stood between the raging light, and everyone else.
His clogs dug into the earth beneath him, every muscle in his body braced against the force of the hybrid's final attack. Blisters began to appear on his fingers and hands through the barrier he'd erected.
"Kisuke!" Yoruichi cried.
Ichigo called out, "Hat n' Clogs!"
Rukia shielded her eyes from the swirling violet reishi and yelled, "Mr. Urahara!"
"GO!" he bellowed in response, his voice cracking with strain, "RUN! TAKE THE PALANQUIN AND GOOOOOO!"
The blisters were up to his elbows, and the scent of burning flesh was strong. He clenched his jaw as he was pushed back, inch by steady inch, back towards where Ichigo, Yoruichi, and everyone else were still standing. His throat tightened as he fought the urge to scream out in agony. The tips of his fingers were numb, and Kisuke knew why; there were no nerve endings left in them, only stark white bones that were rapidly turning black.
But when he turned back, no one had moved. They were all too stunned.
"GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE!"
That seemed to jog Yoruichi's thought process. She snapped her fingers and the palanquin they had arrived in materialized with a pop. Chad, Karin, Nel, and Rukia all worked together to load the wounded arrancars into the palanquin first. It took only seconds, but to Kisuke it felt like hours. His thoughts were thick and slow. His legs shook, and a vein in his neck bulged as his arms threatened to give out.
'Not that there's much left of them anyway,' Urahara thought wryly.
Ichigo and Yoruichi were the last to board. The substitute soul reaper looked like he wanted to help, but Yoruichi took him by the crook of his arm and dragged him back towards the palanquin.
She paused closing the door, and Kisuke heard her speak over the rush of the power that threatened to engulf him.
"I love you, Kisuke!"
The scientist laughed. Even as he watched his skin burn away and his bones turn to ash. His eyes watered, but it wasn't entirely from the pain.
"Yeah," he called to her, "I know! I figured that out a while ago!"
The door of the palanquin closed with a loud snap, and then, at long last, it was gone.
But in the moment it vanished, the blackened and burned blade in Kisuke's hand shattered, and the barrier that had kept him alive winked out of existence. Kisuke grinned and went limp as his broken and burned body was tossed skyward by the explosion. In that moment, where pain overwhelmed him, and he retreated further into himself to escape it, he found some measure of peace.
'Even with all that planning at your disposal, you fail to consider the power of the human heart, Aizen,' Kisuke thought smugly.
In the end, that alone was what had given him the power to singlehandedly hold back the blast; to stand when all he wanted was to fall. His desire to protect those he cared for had given him an edge even Aizen could not fully comprehend and plan for. This was their only hope.
He also realized it was this same desire to protect that made Ichigo so strong. Even in his final moments, Kisuke could not help but to be amused that someone so young could still teach him something entirely new.
"Good luck, everyone" he said, his words dying before in the maelstrom of the reishi around him, "and Yoruichi… I love you too…."
In the end, and in ages to come, that part of the forest would be forever uninhabitable. It was as though the Spirit King himself had reached out with mighty hands, and simply scooped away the entirety of the Shihouin Training Facility, leaving nothing but a vast crater of charred earth and grey ash surrounded by a wide area of dead trees.
Captain Commander Kyoraku sat in his balcony office at the end of another long day, the light of the setting sun painting the room with deep reds and even deeper shadows. The beauty of the sunset, however, was lost on him, and stress fatigued him like never before. When he had previously fought Aizen, it had been a distant threat, something he could brush off. Now he was the Head Captain, and the threat was much, much closer than before.
All it would take was one little slip up and everything would fall to pieces.
'Leave it to Aizen to make things difficult,' Kyoraku thought to himself. 'I can practically feel myself sprouting grey hairs.'
He absently curled a lock of his dark brown hair around his finger, wondering how long it would take before he began to look like Old Man Yama. How long would it be before the brown turned to silver, and the silver faded to white? It was hard for Kyoraku to picture himself as old and grouchy, but… well, it had probably been hard for Yamamoto to picture himself as old when he was Kyoraku's age. As for being grouchy, the old man had always been possessed of a short temper.
A knock on the door put a pin in his reverie, and he frowned as the voice of the Second Division Captain came from the other side.
"Head Captain? Are you there?"
"Come in, Soifon," he called. "I was just-uh- doing paperwork."
In truth, not one of the reports on his desk had been gone through. He'd tried to start reading them, but it was no use. Every time he started reading, worrisome thoughts clouded his mind, and he came to ten minutes later realizing he hadn't made it past the third paragraph of a ten page report on the rebuilding of the Seireitei.
The door opened and closed, and the setting sun cast shadows across Soifon's inscrutable face. When she came to a halt before Kyoraku, she took a knee and said, "Sir, my scouts have picked up a number of incredibly powerful spiritual pressures in the private land holdings of the Shihouin Clan, far to the east."
The Head Captain braced his head with his palms, his elbows on his desk as he gave a sigh. "It's them, isn't it?"
Soifon nodded. "Yes, sir. Every single one of the fugitives has been accounted for. They seem to be locked in combat as we speak, and I have men monitoring the situation, ready to pursue them from a distance."
Kyoraku drummed his fingers upon the desk solemnly before pulling open a drawer and rummaging around within it. Then he pulled out three scrolls. Each was made of heavy yellow parchment, furled up so tightly that one might wonder whether they would ever come loose, and then sealed with wax stamped with the Head Captain's seal, and neatly tied with black ribbons.
"Captain Soifon, you will continue to have your men monitor the situation, but they are not to interfere. Take these scrolls to Byakuya Kuchiki. Have him open the scroll that has been marked as his and read the orders contained within immediately. Afterward, he is to follow those orders to the letter, with absolutely no deviation, and destroy the scroll."
"And the other scrolls sir?"
"Leave them in his care as well, but he is not to open either of them. He will know what to do with them as soon as he reads his orders."
"Is there anything else?"
Kyoraku paused, noting the begrudging acceptance in Soifon's voice. She hated being used as a messenger, but there was no one else who could be trusted.
"No. After the scrolls are delivered, you may continue with your other duties. You are dismissed."
"Sir!" With a shimmer, the Commander of the Stealth Force flash stepped away.
The Head Captain dug his fingers into his temple, trying to alleviate the migraine that was quickly becoming quite severe.
"Nanao?" he called.
"Here sir," came a quiet voice from his side.
He jumped as his niece emerged from the shadows behind his desk, where she had been standing the entire time. He had been so distracted that he had nearly forgotten she was there, making sure he didn't slack from his duties.
"Fetch Orihime Inoue and Uryu Ishida," he gulped, trying to calm his racing heart. "Escort them to the Squad Six Headquarters. Captain Kuchiki will be expecting them."
"Anything else?"
"Tell them good luck. And that I'm sorry."
Nanao peered at her uncle inquisitively, but he did not meet her eyes. Instead, he opened a different drawer of his desk, and fished out that old bottle of his birthday sake- or what was left of it.
"Should you really be drinking?" Nanao asked exasperatedly. She recovered her manners quickly enough to stammer out a, "Sir?"
Ignoring his niece's concern, Kyoraku smiled lightly. The illusion was ruined as his hands shook violently as he poured himself a glass, and drained it within seconds. The way he guzzled the liquor was reminiscent of a parched man drinking water.
"Sir? What's… is everything alright?" Nanao took a knee next to Shunsui, her voice far gentler than it had been moments ago.
"Well, how do I put this… you know that I've always been something of a gambler?" he asked, pouring himself another glass. His lieutenant looked on with worry as he threw it back and gulped it down without fail.
She frowned, "What does your proclivity for poker have to do with anything?"
Shunsui laid his head on the desk, waiting for the liquor to kick in and dull his piercing headache. Licking his lips, he mumbled, "It's relevant because I've just gambled the lives of everyone in the Soul Society on a plan that has very little chance of succeeding."
Nanao turned as pale as the pages of a book as the blood drained from her face.
"Why would you do such a thing?" she wondered.
"Because," Kyoraku reasoned, "it's likely the only chance we have."
Author's Notes:
mfw you read through this chapter seventy times and still find basic punctuation errors=
Welcome back the the shit show ladies and gents, Kisuke Urahara just fucking died and I'm all up in my feelings. I had this planned shortly after his english voice actor passed away. Only a year or so too late, but that's what you get when all you do is work, eat, sleep and repeat.
This is also a shorter chapter, and let me tell you, I've got ideas up the wazoo for this story. Unfortunately, the ending was thrown into jeopardy (kind of) so writing may have to come to a complete halt while I figure out what the hell to do about it. Either that, or I just stick with my original plan. We'll see.I'm gonna wrap this up because I'm tired. Here's some music to sob too while you try to get over another needless character death.
Oh, and I guess Kazue died too. rip
Music:
Memories-Maroon 5 (This one goes out to my guy Kisuke, the realest og in bleach)
Skin and Bones- Lund (more sad shit from my favorite rapper oh god oh fuk)
The Unforgiven II- Metallica (what happened to all the happy music on this playlist holy shit)
Until It Sleeps-Metallica (reminds me of Ichigo's hollow)
I Just Know-Jacob Lee (New Immunity Remix)
Underdog-The Script (There's a band I haven't heard in a long time *takes drag from cigarette*)
Demons-Alec Benjamin (Another for Ichigo's hollow)
Airplanes Pt. 2 -B.o.B. ft. Eminem, Haley Williams (takes me back)
Failure-Breaking Benjamin (Aurora Version) ft. Michael Barnes (This whole album is fire)
Villain-Wildfire (Song for best villain, Aizen, who gives me a migraine because I feel like I can't write his deviousness well enough)
That's all I've got. Here's to you, the readers, to twenty one chapters, and to whatever comes next.