A.N.: This is written in collaboration with BlueShard20.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
With Uryu
While hoping from one building to the next in search of his fellow Quincy, Uryu couldn't help but think about his reason for being here. His reason for fighting so hard for Bambietta. To his friends, the answer was obvious: to save one of the last members of his tribe. But in truth, the real reason was much deeper…
"Ichigo is really starting to get into strengthening his Blut Vene," Bambietta noted while she and Uryu were walking back from training. "Shame he won't let us watch him do it." She stretched her arms behind her head while she walked alongside the A Sternritter.
"Probably because he wants to see what he can do without our instructions?" Uryu pondered. "Ichigo has never been much for proper instruction."
Bambi turned to look at her friend. "I thought he was always motivated. What's the difference?"
"Usually when he's trying to grow stronger, someone is throwing a stone at him."
The Quincy girl got the meaning. It always seemed strange when Ichigo is trying to train and grow stronger, someone always happened to interrupt his training. Bambi sighed. "You're right. It's like the universe is out to get him when he tries to do new things."
Uryu looked at Bambi in surprise. They rarely agreed on anything. Wanting to change the subject before Bambi could notice the surprise on her face. Since they were having a calm conversation for once, Uryu figured now was the perfect time to ask something.
"I wanted to ask you this for a while but I didn't want to upset you like I did when you first showed up," he said hesitantly. While Uryu tried to find a way to ask his question nightly, Bambi crossed her arms and waited impatiently for him to get to it. "I wanted to know what you were fighting for, back when you were a Sternritter."
The question surprised the girl. She wasn't expecting a question like that from him. It threw her off so much she didn't know how to respond. Her first instinct was to go off on him and bop him upside the head but she stopped herself. Uryu was trying to ask her nicely, as a friend. Bambi decided to answer his question with one of her own. "Why do you want to know?"
Once again, Uryu chose his words carefully. "Because, some of my time being a Sternritter and the days you've spent with us has made me curious. I know the other Sternritters fought for their love of destruction or their zealous loyalty to Yhwach and nothing else." The two stopped walking while Bambi listened. "I won't go into detail but after what you said after we wrapped up our first training session, you showed me you were different to them. I was wondering what you meant by Yhwach's promise?"
With that, Bambi could understand why Uryu wanted to know. She'd left such a cryptic hint and never explained afterwards. It wasn't that she was agasint telling him, it was just shocking that nobody had ever asked before. Ichigo and Orihime did a lot to give her some space when it came to her history with the Vandenreich. 'Well…he's trying to be sensitive and not forcing me to answer,' she thought to herself, 'I guess I can tell him.' She'd almost told Candice and the others once but decided against it. In hindsight she knew that was for the best.
Taking a deep breath, Bambietta decided to come clean. "His promise to me, something that he'd kept over my head like a carrot dangling in front of me, was that I could be with my mother again." She continued, "Yhwach didn't take kindly to the fact that my father kept me hidden for five years. After I showed promise in becoming a Sternritter when I was eight…" she looked away and blinked back a tear from the ghastly memory. "He killed him. As a warning to other Quincy who thought about hiding their children. And then I was all alone. The only thing I had left of him was his hat, which reminded me of the one my mother wore. She looked up at the sky. "I wanted to see the only family I had left again. Shortly after my father died, I went to Yhwach and asked if I could go back home to see my mother. He dismissed me and warned me to show better manners when approaching him for petty requests. I realized then that if I was going to make him see my worth as a Quincy, then I would become strong enough to make my request more important." Her eyes burned of the past resolve she once had when she made her goal of returning to her only family. Not the Vandenreich but to the mother she still loved.
Listening to her story, Uryu nodded and replied. "Sounds to me we might have some things in common."
As Bambietta listened, Uryu explained his story to the former Sternritter, how he'd lost his mother to Yhwach's Auswahlen. He'd become a Sternritter in a bid to avenge his mother and all the actions he did in pursuit of that goal. Listening to Uryu gave Bambi a different perspective on the so-called 'Last Quincy'. "I guess we are similar in some parts, I guess?"
Out of nowhere Bambietta heard something she wouldn't have dreamed of hearing or seeing. Uryu…was smiling and chuckling?
"Whoa! Back up! Who are you and what have you done to Uryu?" she demand, putting up a fighting stance she learned at Tatsuki's dojo.
Uryu kept up his small smile. "Relax, Bambietta. I'm still me. I just realized you're the first person I ever said that to."
"Well, I'm glad we could talk a bit more freely. Now can we hurry up? This conversation is getting too weird." The two resumed walking down the sidewalk. Bambietta chuckled herself while walking next to the bespectacled Quincy. "Guess it's a Quincy thing of being loners in odd places?"
Pushing up his glasses, Uryu replied, "You sure have a funny way of putting it."
Cracking a small smile as his mind brought up the memory, Uryu pressed on. He would bring Bambietta home to her mother. "I swear, Bambietta. On my honor as a Quincy, I will bring you home alive."
Nel vs. Vizards & Ikkaku
The earth trembled beneath the Soul Reapers' feet. Nel was hidden behind the swirl of pink energy that encompassed her form. Feeling the intensity from the growing density of Nelliel's spiritual pressure made Rose take a step back. After being killed by the Sternritters he thought that he wasn't capable of feeling fear anymore. "This…is completely different. The Arrancars never did this during the battle with Aizen. What is this?!"
Kensei remained on guard. His sword automatically released its Shikai and he brought his small knife back up defensively. "Don't know," he merely replied. "But I'm not going to like what's about to happen in the next few minutes…"
The fountain of pink energy tinged with black dispersed and Nel stepped out renewed. She still maintained her Centaur form but her appearance was dramatically changed. While her first release state looked strong, her horse half had far more muscle with brown streaks coating her fur and tufts of aquamarine hair covering the top while her tail had grown longer with a stream of pink Reishi erupting from the end. Her front half had also undergone a change. Her mask fragment was gone, replaced by four horns that curved out of her hair shaped like a crown. Her arms and chest were covered in fur. In her hand was her lance, also changed. Her new lance was pouring with Reishi while maintaining its shape. When Nel lifted her head and opened her eyes, her sclera were black, glaring a cold gaze at Kensei.
"Resurección: Segunda Etapa," Nel introduced. Unknown to Ichigo, Nel had trained hard with Orihime and Chad and after some time she'd managed to achieve a second stage release like Ulquiorra. Her only regret was that she had no opportunity to display this form during the war with the Vandenreich.
She merely swung her lance in front of her, a mild gesture at best. Yet the sheer force of the motion pushed the four Soul Reapers backwards, almost knocking them off their feet as they struggled against the pressure.
"Time to kick her big horse butt again!" Mashiro put her mask back on and jumped into the air, aiming a kick right at the woman.
Kensei cursed at his lieutenant's impetuousness. "You idiot! Don't charge in! Fall back, Mashiro!" he ordered.
But the spunky Vizard failed to heed her captain's warnings. She might have lost to Wonderweiss, but she was not going to lose to another Arrancar. "I can deal with Ms. Furry, Kensei! Mashiro…Super Kick!" She put in all her force into the kick this time. But before she could connect with her opponent, Nel suddenly disappeared. Before Mashiro could process what was happening, she felt something extremely hard hit her in the butt. Then a sharp pain in her side made itself known and before she knew it she was knocked to the ground.
Ikkaku might not have been a Vizard but his senses were sharp enough to catch what happened. Nel had Sonidoed right behind Mashiro while she was in midair as if the Hollowfied lieutenant was in slow motion. Recalling what Mashiro had called her, Nel decided to return the insult in kind by raising her hoof and kicked the girl right in the derriere and then used her lance to knock her aside towards the rubble of the destroyed building she was in.
Seeing the difference in power between her two forms, Ikkaku wanted nothing more than to take on such a might foe now that she was at her most powerful. When Nel stopped moving and landed on the ground, he immediately charged in for an attack. He didn't dare use his Bankai in front of the Vizards. All that came to mind was his desire to defeat this war horse.
He didn't even blink and suddenly a hand was on his head and he was being shoved into the ground. The lieutenant didn't understand what was happening to him when he was suddenly thrown into the air. The air pressure around him was intense, to the extent where Ikkaku barely had enough strength to defend himself from the power that threw him. Then, just for an instant, he saw Nelliel coming at him with blinding speed and was once again grabbed and tossed to the ground. The tiles beneath him shattered as he hit them with the speed of a meteor.
Ikkaku couldn't register just what had happened to him, though he knew that the fight had been smacked out of him. It was over. Though he couldn't help but smile regardless. It didn't matter if he'd won or lost. He'd gotten to fight an extremely powerful Arrancar. 'No,' he thought to himself as he lay on the ground, his bones broken and cracked all over. 'I just fought a warrior named Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck.' Feeling his consciousness begin to fade, Ikkaku could only chuckle with a grin on his face before he blacked out.
Seeing Mashiro and Ikkaku get ragdolled enraged Kensei. "Bankai!" he raged. He unleashed his metal fists again and lunged for the woman in another attempt to catch the Espada off guard. But Nel was ready for him this time and was clearly familiar with his tactics. Out of nowhere Nel's energy tail whipped Kensei to the side.
Nel Sonidoed in front of Kensei while the man was still reeling. The captain crossed his arms up in defense when he saw Nel only for the woman to impale both of his armored arms with her energy lance.
Kensei's scream of pain was deafening. "Arghhhhhh!" He thought getting crushed by Mask de Masculine hurt but apparently getting both arms stabbed through was another kind of hell.
The expression on Nel's face showed no sympathy for the man's pain, maintaining her cool and fierce appearance. She didn't like to feel pleasure in the suffering of others but she did feel a sense of catharsis against the man who hit her in such a sensitive spot.
While another Arrancar would have gloated about their apparent victory or viciously tore Kensei asunder, Nel was above such barbarism. She took satisfaction in her victory by swinging Kensei off her lance, tossing him over next to the downed Mashiro.
"This is over. Time to bring down the curtain."
Nel turned to face Rose. She couldn't quite understand what the strange man was doing, walking with his arms open wide. Considering he attacked with a whip she pegged him as a long ranged fighter. But she wasn't going to give him the chance to attack, so she charged forward and impale the blond man with her lance.
…Or so she thought.
When her lance pierced the man it looked like she'd pierced some kind of golden humanoid statue with the same golden flower tip that was on Rose's whip on its face. Inspecting it more closely she found that its body was made of the same golden wiring of Rose's whip. "What? Is this another ability of his Shikai?" she exclaimed, her mind instantly thinking back to Aizen's illusions.
"Wrong. Bankai: Kinshara Butoudan!" Rose proclaimed proudly, standing on top of some rubble.
By the time Nel pulled her lance out of the golden statue, Nel found herself by more of them, dancing around her in a tight circle.
"Welcome to the finale, my dear. My last three performances are the conclusion to my concert," Rose cryptically explained. His voice turned dark as he continued to staring at the evolved Arrancar.
First, a vortex of water surrounded Nel. She whipped her tail around to disperse it but to no avail. The dancers spun around and then burned her with fire.
"First, a cool sonata before I bring in my fiery crescendo." Rose gripped the baton in his hand tightly. "I truly am sorry it had to come to this but you forced my hand. You should have stayed down instead of getting in our way." He closed his eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry, but the price for your loyalty to Ichigo will be your life." When he opened his eyes, he noticed that the flames weren't hurting Nel at all. There was no smell of burning fur or cries of pain from the Centaur Arrancar.
"You forced my hand too." Nel slowly raised her lance high. "Lanza de Luz Gamuza."
Rose looked up and saw a rain of energy meteors crash into him. Rose's illusionary Bankai was useless in shielding him from the attack and he was overwhelmed by the blasts.
When the smoke cleared, Nel walked over to her opponent and found Rose lying on the ground in the middle of a crater. The man was badly burned but she could tell by his rising chest that he was still alive. It was obvious to anyone that the man would not be getting back up and Nel was still ready for another round.
Nel closed her eyes to see if her friends needed nay help. She could tell they were struggling an fighting hard, especially Ichigo. For some reason she could feel Ichigo's spirit energy slipping from her senses. Thanks to her heightened powers she could still sense him but she knew something about him felt off.
But she had faith in Ichigo and knew he'd be alright. Deciding to go help the others, Nel disappeared with a burst of Sonido to help.
Meanwhile…
Orihime vs. Lieutenants
"Roar: Haineko!
"Santen Kesshun!"
The battle between Orihime and her friend was still raging. By now Rangiku's irritation had evolved into anger. First Orihime had gotten in their way and now she'd ruined her top! The strawberry blonde had wrapped her pink scarf around her boobs to keep Shuhei from having another massive nosebleed. The other two lieutenants, Momo and Izuru, were with Shuhei, the former keeping them protected with a barrier while Izuru performed first aid on Shuhei, keeping him from going into shock from blood loss.
"Get…out…of…our…way!" Rangiku growled as her ash hammered Orihime's shield. When Orihime's barrier refused to budge, she returned her ash back into her sword.
"No!" Orihime defiantly told her. She would not lower her barrier, not even for Rangiku. She was sorry that she'd hurt Shuhei, albeit not intentionally, but she was still committed to keeping the lieutenants at bay.
Gritting her teeth, Rangiku reigned in her attack. She tried one more time to appeal to Orihime to stand down. "Orihime, listen to me…" she begged. "This is not worth it. You don't want to do this. Bambietta isn't worth your saving."
"Yes, she is!" Orihime insisted. "She's not a killer anymore! Ichigo and I know that there's more to her than just a killer! There's good in her! I know it!"
Momo walked beside Rangiku and glared at the orangette. "No. No she's not. You know what she's done, Orihime. She's not as innocent as you think. You realize that you're not going to come out of this unscathed?" she asked. "You're defending a killer!"
"I…" Orihime looked down and searched her thoughts about Bambietta. She couldn't deny that she'd done terrible things. And there was also the wound in her heart from when Bambi stole Ichigo's heart when Orihime longed for him for so long. Plus, she'd heard about how she brutally wrecked the punks who'd threatened her and Ichigo. There was a darkness within Bambietta. There was no denying that. And some small part of her couldn't help but agree that Rangiku and the others deserved justice.
But she also knew of what else Bambietta was capable of; the kindness and friendship that had blossomed between them. "No," Orihime finally said, shaking her head before looking up at the lieutenants. "Bambi has suffered enough. I know of what her friends did to her. She trusted them. And they still murdered her. If I stood by and let you do the same, I'd be no better than them."
"Orihime…" Rangiku started.
"She's already made up her mind. We all have," came a voice from behind the orangette.
Orihime turned and smiled when she saw Rukia approach her. Beside her walked Nel. "Rukia! Nel! You're okay!"
"A little frosty but I'm fine," Rukia smiled. While she was disappointed Orihime hadn't finished her battle yet, she understood how difficult it must have been for Orihime to fight her best friend, Rangiku.
Orihime was in awe of Nel's new form. "Nel? What happened to you? You look just like…" Her mind turned backwards and recalled Ulquiorra's second release.
Nel gave the girl a wide smirk. "Not bad, eh? I'd probably give even Ichigo a run for his money. Glad to see you're still okay."
As Izuru helped Shuhei to his feet, they both saw the pair that had joined the battle and stared in disbelief. "What?" Izuru gawked. "How is she here?"
Shuhei, keeping his eye from staring at Nel's ample bosom, glared at the Arrancar. "What did you do to my captain and Mashiro?"
All Nel did was stare back at the man with a stern expression. "Well if I'm here and they're not…" She let the implication linger. There was no need to spell out what happened to Rose, Kensei and Mashiro.
Rangiku also noted the fact that Rukia was present. "I assume you defeated my captain too?" she asked, though she knew the answer already.
"I did. Though I didn't want to do it. Captain Hitsugaya is still alive and fine. I merely put trapped him under impenetrable snow," Rukia explained, not wanting Rangiku to think she'd slayed her captain.
The lieutenant silently cursed. Had Toshiro been at his full strength he would not have lost to Rukia. But she knew better than anyone that her captain had suffered greatly and had not recovered yet. "I see…"
Momo readied Tobiume and prepared for a brawl. "So it's four on three then. We still outnumber you-"
"Stand down, Momo."
Everyone turned to see Shinji Hirako standing on a nearby rooftop, the man having observed the battle for some time. "Captain!"
Jumping down from his perch, Shinji stood between the warring parties. "Stand down. All of you," he told the lieutenants. "You couldn't handle Orihime alone. What makes you think you stand a chance against all three, especially after Ms. Horseback here wrecked Kensei and the others?" While the four lieutenants slowly lowered their weapons, the man turned to the three rebelling women. "Don't worry about me. I'm not about to try my hand at you girls."
Rukia voiced her confusion. "But…Captain Hirako? Shouldn't you be trying to stop us and Ichigo?"
Shinji cocked a thumb over to the spot where she and Toshiro fought. "I warned the Head-Captain. I told him that one girl was not worth this much chaos. And yet, here we are. I can't really sense Ichigo, but I could sense Kenpachi getting wrecked. And I know that deep down Ichigo has a good heart. He wouldn't be going through this if he wasn't sure that his girlfriend didn't deserve it. Hell," he pointed to Orihime, "he went to rescue Orihime and he wasn't even sure that she didn't join Sosuke of her own accord."
"So…you're not going to fight us?" Nel asked, lowering her lance.
"With so many lieutenants present, someone's going to get caught in the line of fire if I use my zanpakuto releases," Shinji pointed out. He sat down on a piece of wall that littered the ground after Shuhei crashed into it. "You two just wrecked five of my friends and these four couldn't handle Orihime. I don't feel like taking a spin of the wheel for this one. And I was against executing Bambietta in the first place. Sure, she did a number on me," he opened his top to reveal his bandages. "But that's war. And the war is over and we survived. That should be the end of it."
"But…didn't the other captains agree with Kyoraku?" Rukia asked.
"They made a decision. But considering it's a stupid ass decision, I'm electing to ignore it," Shinji grinned.
"So what happens now?" Orihime asked.
"I guess we wait. Either Bambietta is rescued…"
"Or?"
Shinji's expression turned dark. "Or Head-Captain Kyoraku gets serious and murders both Ichigo and Bambietta."
Meanwhile…
With Yoruichi
The purple-haired werecat stood on a tree branch while observing the pile of bodies strewn over the ground like crumpled paper, a sigh of disappointment leaving her. Below her were dozens of members of the Punishment force. All of them had been bested easily by the former Stealth Force Commander.
"This…is the Punishment Force?" Yoruichi chided with disdain. She was faster than most Soul Reapers and had made quick work of Soi-Fon's men. But the ease in which she did so annoyed her. Her pride in her former squad took a hit. It was clear that Soi-Fon's training had made them too tense. Their fighting style left no room for flexibility. They fought with no imagination to think outside the box in terms of countering an enemy. That this was what her squad had become in her absence felt offended. "None of them have a clue on how to fight captain-level enemies. They've been trained well but their movements are too easy to read." Another sigh left the werecat's lips. "Soi-Fon, we're going to have a serious talk when this is over.
"That's Captain Soi-Fo-"
Yoruichi didn't even need to look to know it was Soi-Fon's fat lieutenant who tried to sneak attack her. The man had been hiding behind a tree while Yoruichi was trouncing his men. Without even looking back she brought her elbow up and nailed Omaeda square in the solar plexus. The fat lieutenant plummeted to the ground, landing hard with a loud thud, knocked out cold.
The purple-haired rogue jumped off the branch and landed gracefully on the ground. She spared a moment of time to glance back at the downed lieutenant, scowling from such sloppy training. "How did someone like you wind up as Soi-Fon's right-hand man?" She shook her head and walked away. "How'd Soi-Fon let the squad sink this low?"
Looking around, Yoruichi detected the battles starting to wind down. It was clear that Uryu, Rukia and Nel had been successful in their fights. She sensed Orihime and the lieutenants but judging from Nel and Rukia's sudden presence it appeared that Shinji had decided to stand down. Chad was still alive but she felt Kyoraku's spiritual pressure disappear, confusing her. The only people still fighting were Renji and Ichigo.
Speaking of the scowling teen, she could no longer feel his presence. It didn't worry her though. Losing his presence meant that he was either dead or he entered his Hollowfication and became too strong to detect normally. Seeing the explosion over the Sokyoku Hill answered the question. She let out a whistle as in the distance Kenpachi fell to the ground. "Wow. Our angry lover boy is not holding back. Though it is Kenpachi he's up against so that's to be expected.
Then her communicator vibrated in her pocket. Pulling it out, she flipped it open and brought it to her ear. "Hello, Yoruichi!" Hearing Kisuke's voice made Yoruichi roll her eyes. It always baffled her how Kisuke could be so cheerful in serious situations. "So, I take it our group is holding up?"
"Yes. It's hard to believe that some of them were just kids a few years ago. They certainly came a long way. And Rukia and Renji have grown tremendously too. Remember how I was nudging Rukia about her fancy dance techniques and she needed a title to match?"
She heard Kisuke chuckling on the other end of the line. "Yeah, that was fun." Then she heard Kisuke's voice turn serious. "Fond memories aside, I found out where Bambietta is. She got taken by her former friends after they snuck out of Mayuri's lab. She's at the crater where Ichigo finished things with Aizen, outside the Seireitei. She's fighting the four right now, but judging from the looks of things it looks like she's got it handled. But you should head over there to provide backup in case she needs it."
"Got it. Thanks, Kisuke." She took a step before Kisuke got in one last word.
"Be safe. Tootles!"
A moment of silence filled the air as Yoruichi stared at the phone before pocketing it. As she Flashstepped away she made sure to voice her displeasure. "Who the hell says tootles?!"
Bambietta vs. Femritters
Explosions shook the area again. The ground was rent asunder from the force of Bambietta's full power. She had enough of her friends and would show them the mercy they showed her. With the release of her final form, her powers were now returned to her. The Explode had returned to her blood. Having died before Yhwach's treacherous Auswahlen stripped the other Sternritter of their most powerful technique, Bambietta was able to power up to her maximum potential and in the process regain the power she had lost.
The reason she had not displayed this power earlier while training with Ichigo and Uryu was very simple: she didn't know if she could still do it. She wasn't sure if she still had the power, even though she still retained the rest of her Quincy powers. There was also the reason that she felt she no longer needed the power since she'd gotten used to living a normal life and training with her friends made her more self-confident about fighting without her Schrift. But in that moment, when Gigi revealed the twisted cruelty of their scheme, Bambietta put aside her doubt and unveiled the power she held deep inside, reigniting the power Yhwach gave her.
The four friends foolishly charged the young woman, all hoping that Bambietta was still weakened despite being in her angelic form. Sadly for them, Bambietta absorbed all the Reishi in the area and concentrated into a massive volley at her friends. "This is for threatening my mother!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.
The four women screamed before disappearing in a symphony of lights. The crater where Ichigo defeated Aizen found itself having some friends once Bambi finished devastating her former friends. Countless craters littered the ground. Bambi felt a wave of catharsis when she saw that she'd blown her friends into smithereens.
Bambietta panted for breath as she landed on the ground. Her wings began to fade away along with the halo on her head. Even with all of the powerful Reishi she absorbed from the crater, her body had reached its limit due to exhaustion. The girl dropped down to one knee while trying to recover her second wind. Looking down at the nearest crater, Bambi saw Giselle laying at the bottom, her lower half completely gone from the attack. The Zombie looked up at her former friend, her face pale and her eyes bewildered.
"How?" the Zombie choked. "You should have been my undead Bambi. How could you win? We were supposed to be lovey-dovey together. How could you get so strong?" she strained, fighting off death from the damage with her Blut.
With what strenght she had left, Bambietta struggled to her feet, using her sword for support. "Lovey-dovey? I don't swing that way, you sick, undead, idiot bitch. You and the other girls deserted me and only came back to finish what Doggy started. Who the hell wants to still be friends with the people who killed them?" she roared. She limped over to the fallen Zombie and pointed her sword at the zombie girl's throat. "You want to know why I got stronger? I doubt your putrid brain would even understand." She took a deep breath before speaking again. "I became strong because I was fighting to protect people that I cared about, the people I swore I would fight for with my second chance at life.
Giselle was indeed confused. "You swore? To whom? Your boyfriend?"
Bambi shook her head. "I didn't swear it to anyone. I just made a promise to myself when my mother loved me, even when I wasn't sure I deserved that love."
Bambi watched as the light in the girl's undead eyes faded away. Gigi's head hit the dirt as the life left her, the Zombie truly dead this time. Bambi checked the craters the other three landed in and found that they indeed were dead too. Candice had likewise been blown in two. Liltotto had been decapitated by an explosion and Meninas had lost her arms and passed away from shock. Bambi breathed a sigh of relief. It was finally over.
Then the world started to shake.
The ground trembled violently, almost knocking Bambi off her feet. She had no idea what was causing this earthquake. This wasn't some aftershock from her explosions. The chill in the air signaled something far more sinister.
Large chunks of earth erupted in front of Bambi. The girl deflected the debris with her sword before looking at what had now arrived. When her eyes found what caused the disturbance her blood ran cold. Yards away was a pair of huge doors, held together by giant skeletons on each side. The Explode knew what this was.
These were the Gates of Hell.
With an eerie sound, the huge gates opened before the Sternritter. A massive heat wave swarmed her, feeling like she might burn up in seconds from the intensity. From the opening in the doorway erupted chains. The arrival of the Gates of Hell was clear. Mayuri's interference would not stop it this time. The Sternritters had all sinned and now it was time to pay the piper.
Bambi saw the chains coming for her and closed her eyes in submission, her sword slipping from her fingers. 'So this is it…' she thought as the chains neared. 'This is my punishment for everything I've done. All the lives I've taken, both Soul Reaper and Quincy.' Despite knowing how hard Ichigo was fighting for her, Bambietta would not resist her dark fate. This was her just desserts.
However, the chains ignored the Sternritter and passed by her. Confused, Bambietta turned around and saw the chains attaching themselves to her former friends.
Candice's body was attached first. The half of her body that had been blown off was restored by Hell's powers as it dragged the lime-green haired Quincy to the gates. The Thunderbolt screamed in horror knowing what was happening and what awaited for her. "NO! NO! NO! NO! I'm not going to Hell! FUCK!" She tried to destroy the chains with her powers but to no avail. Candice saw the others being dragged by Hell Chains as well. She dug her heels into the earth to stop the gate's pulling but it was useless. When she noticed Bambietta not being dragged away, she saw red. "You fucking bitch! You deserve to go to Hell more than the rest of us! Why isn't this happening to you?!" she screamed before the chains tugged harder and lifted her into the air and pulled her into the gates. "BAMBIETTAAAAAAAAA!" screamed the Thunderbolt before she was sent into the void of eternal torment.
Liltotto was the next to be pulled. Her missing head was reattached thanks to the power of the chains but it was a Faustian bargain. Like a fish reeled in by a hook, she had a chain attached to her reformed jaw. The pull was so strong even her jaw was extending. Despite this she was still able to talk, albeit barely. "This can't be happening! Not to me! I was going to go to an all you can eat buffet!" She grabbed a boulder next to her but she couldn't hold it for long before the pain in her jaw caused her to let go. "It hurts! It hurts! It burns!" cried out the usually calm Quincy. When she let go of the boulder she was the next to be sucked into Hell.
Meninas, like the others, was pierced by the chains, mainly in her stomach and shoulders. She freaked out even more than the rest. Having relived her stomach getting pierced, she knew what the chains to hell meant. With all her strength, the Power tried to break the chains but her efforts hardly put a dent in them. "What is this?! Why won't it break?! I'm the Power! Why won't they break!" In reaction to Meninas's struggling, the chains glowed red hot, burning the pinkette up from the inside. "IT BURNNSSSS!' she screamed in agony. She gave up destroying the chains and dug her hands into the ground to stop the pull. But between Hell and the Power, Hell was stronger and she was pulled into the gates. Meninas blubbered tears, knowing of her doom as she disappeared into the flames beyond.
Giselle's entire body was wrapped in chains. Life came back into her eyes and she frantically clawed into the ground while the gates pulled her towards it. She saw Bambietta and had an idea. If Bambietta still had her divine Vollstandig, perhaps she could destroy her chains. She grabbed Bambi's ankle and looked at her with pleading eyes. "Bambi! Please! We've been friends since we became Sternritters together! You can destroy the chains and free me! I know I've said terrible things to you but I was just joking! You know me, right? Don't let Hell take me!" she cried, tears in her eyes hoping to sell her lies to her supposed friend.
Bambietta didn't move to help her. Instead she did something Gigi wasn't expecting. She laughed.
Looking down at the condemned girl, Bambi couldn't help but show her satisfaction. "Are you serious? Do you even realize you're in the exact same situation as back then?"
The chains on Gigi pulled harder. As she was pulled upwards she grabbed Bambi's shoulders. Her face became bone white when she realized what Bambi meant. The tables had turned since she was at death's door begging an old friend for help. It was obvious that the Explode wasn't going to help her, not even out of pity.
"Please, Bambi! I don't deserve this!" Her grip loosened when the chains around her heated up and Bambietta slipped from her grasp. As she was pulled towards the gates, a hand grabbed her wrist. Her eyes filled with joy when she realized Bambietta had grabbed her at the last second. "Bambi! You do care!" she wept joyfully.
Then she noticed the coldness of Bambietta's eyes.
Ever since she'd come back to life, Bambietta had thought about what she'd say to Gigi and those words came back to her when she was fighting them earlier. "Are you stupid? Who cares about you? You're already dead! Sound familiar?" Bambietta's smile grew wider upon seeing the horror on Gigi's face. The Explode gave her old comrade one last piece to chew on. "I gave up my past. And now I can stop being the Bloody Butcher from here on. Goodbye, you deranged freak." She let go of Gigi's wrist and watched the Zombie reeled into the gates. With its last victim brought inside, the gates to the underworld slammed shut and disappeared back into the earth where it came out of. The dirt buried itself and filled the spot it'd emerged, making it look like the Gates of Hell never appeared at all.
As the gates and her former friends disappeared, Bambi started shaking like a leaf and dropped to her knees, holding herself in her arms. "Why? Why didn't Hell take me?" she asked herself, not sure she wasn't hallucinating. "I saw the chains come towards me but they just flew by. I don't understand. After everything I did…"
"Maybe because you don't belong there, unlike them?"
Turning around, Bambi saw Yoruichi standing yards away. "What do you mean? And how long have you been standing there?" she demanded.
As she walked over to Bambi, Yoruichi shook her head. I just got here a few minutes ago when the four were starting to get pulled in." She took a knee and put a hand on the girl's shaking shoulder. "Bambi, you've done so much to make a better life for yourself and to earn forgiveness from your friends and family. You made Ichigo and Ikumi the happiest in their lives. I know it might sound simple but let me say it like this: Hell only takes those who never repent or try to forgive themselves. You made the conscious decision to move on with your life and to be a better person. Even when Kisuke first brought you back to life, I could see even then that you wanted more in yourself.
Bambietta blinked back tears from Yoruichi's words while the older woman helped the girl to her feet.
"You're a strong person, Bambi. It takes real strength to move on and try to become a better person. It's why Ichigo and his friends are fighting so hard to save you. That's why Hell didn't take you. I think you've redeemed yourself for all the things you've done since Ichigo brought you home." She then gave the teenager a cheeky grin. "Lucky girl."
Warmth filled Bambi's cheeks and she smiled from the werecat's words. At the mention of Ichigo, she realized that he was still here in the Soul Society looking for her. "Wait, where is Ichigo? I thought I felt his presence before I was brought here to the crater?"
"Ichigo's here…but right now he's not in a pleasant mood," Yoruichi said grimly.
"So, what's the plan?"
Meanwhile…
Ichigo vs. Kyoraku
Ichigo stared at Kyoraku, gripping his swords tightly. "The hard way, huh? You already chose the hard way when you-" Ichigo realized something as Kyoraku knelt down next to Kenpachi and checked his pulse. "Wait…if you're here…where's Chad?" Ichigo demanded, fearing for Chad's safety.
Standing back up, Kyoraku put his hands up defensively while walking away from the downed captain. "Relax, Ichigo. Chad is alright. I left my fight with him to deal with you personally, though not without cost." He gestured to the burn on his shoulder. "Had I been a second slower, your friend would have got me."
Knowing Chad was alright calmed Ichigo down a bit, but he got back on topic. "Don't talk to me about doing things the hard way. You sent Soi-Fon to capture her and you kept the truth from Rukia and Renji about my relationship with her. Did you seriously think that I wouldn't try to save her?" Ichigo said, giving off the scariest scowl he could give to the man.
Kyoraku, however, was not intimidated by Ichigo's words or expression. "Don't try to intimidate me. Only Unohana could get me shivering and she's in her grave." Kyoraku matched Ichigo's hardened expression, his one good eye giving Ichigo a cold look. "I could not risk Lieutenant Kuchiki or Abarai tipping you off if they knew beforehand. Besides, speaking of your relationship with your girlfriend, do you truly believe she's worth all this? Despite all the people she's slain and what she did to Captain Komamura? If you believe your love for her absolves her, you're truly just a child who refuses to accept the gravity of the situation."
Ichigo put his foot down. He'd had enough of Kyoraku's hypocrisy. "You, of all people, have no right talk call other people murderers, Kyoraku," he seethed, his anger surprising the eyepatch wearing man. "You guys are the biggest bunch of hypocrites I've ever seen and I'm sick and tired of you and the others talking down to me like I'm five years old! You want to talk about what other people have done?" Ichigo cocked his head to the side while glaring. "Every crisis you people have gone through, my friends and I have seen what you did behind the scenes to cause it. In case you haven't forgotten, I saved the Soul Society about six times now. The Bounts, Amagai, Muramasa, Aizen, Kageroza and Yhwach. And yet you still just think of me as nothing but your tool." He took up a stance and readied his swords. "I don't care even if it's against you, Head-Captain. I won't hesitate to take you down."
The Head-Captain took up a stance in return. "I see. Then I guess there's no reasoning with you. I truly wanted to convince you to stand down, but I guess I should have known better. You're right. You're not a child. And with all the destruction you brought here, I won't be kind enough to hold back." The man raised his spiritual pressure to the maximum and brought his swords up.
Kyoraku knew Ichigo was in a class by himself, meaning he was in for a hard fight. "If Mr. Sato knew my tricks, then I will have to assume he knows them too," he mumbled to himself. "Well then, guess I'll have to mix things up a bit."
Jumping forward, Kyoraku aimed his longsword at Ichigo's shadow. "Kageoni!" Kyoraku jabbed Ichigo's shadow, causing the hybrid to react by jumping into the air before he could be stabbed. "Bushogoma!" Kyoraku swung his arm and hurled a vortex of wind at Ichigo.
With his enhanced speed, Ichigo avoided it with no problem but he didn't take his eyes off of Kyoraku. 'I might be a lot more powerful but I can't let my guard down like Aizen.' Ichigo charged from above with his sword held high. "High ground wins, right?" He swung his sword at Kyoraku hard. The man was pushed back but Ichigo kept coming. He directed his sword into the man's shadow, causing his sword to push out of the ground and hit Kyoraku in the leg.
Kyoraku moved to avoid being stabbed by his shadow again. "Looks like I was right. Time for something new." When Ichigo made another charge at him, he changed the game. "Red Light."
To his surprise, Ichigo felt the area grow quiet around him. Looking around, he saw everything go red. With what little vision he had left he saw Kyoraku disappear.
"You lose!"
The voice came behind Ichigo, forcing him to duck and block the attack with his two swords. Yet he felt his body move sluggishly, his senses jumbled. The trickster captain had a small smile on his face from seeing how disoriented Ichigo had become. "Green light!" The wave of red disappeared and his vision came back to him. Upon seeing Kyoraku again, Ichigo took a step forward to attack, only for Kyoraku to disappear again. "What the hell?" Ichigo sputtered before he realized something.
"Red light."
This time though, as Kyoraku moved towards Ichigo again he noticed the hybrid was as still as a statue. Without moving, Ichigo smirked. "You lose."
This time it was Kyoraku who was slowed down and couldn't see anything through a haze of red. Feeling something sharp poke his throat, Kyoraku chuckled. "Figured it out, did you?" he asked, Ichigo's shortsword at his throat. "You're sharp."
"My little sisters loved playing games when we were younger. Your version of "Red Light, Green Light," wasn't hard to figure out. If I didn't move on 'Red Light', then I wouldn't be blinded by that wave of red and make it easy for you to get a free shot in."
Kyoraku whistled, clearly impressed. "Damn. I think I'll take back what I said earlier about you not being scary."
Ichigo knew what Kyoraku's Shikai was capable of, the power to turn kids games into reality. But Ichigo had proved he could match whatever the shrewd captain could throw at him now that he had him pinned. He sheathed his longsword while keeping the smaller one at the man's throat.
"Want to know what my favorite color is before you slit my throat? It just so happens to be whi-"
The hybrid didn't wait for him to finish. Ichigo moved to knock out the man with a chop to the temple with his free hand. His strike ended, however, when he saw sparks flew across his chest. In confusion he took a step backwards before sensing Kyoraku behind him. Turning around he saw the man's hand covered in blood.
"You are truly full of surprises," Kyoraku chuckled as he observed the blood on his hand. "I thought your skin seemed a bit paler. I didn't count on you possessing Hierro."
"Well when I merged with my Hollow, you should have expected me to have more than just a horn on my head," Ichigo pointed out, gesturing to the horn.
"I see. I meant to strike your vitals with my hand thanks to Irooni but that didn't turn out like I expected. I suppose my spiritual pressure doesn't match up to someone whose half Soul Reaper and half Hollow."
Ichigo knew what he was talking about, recalling something similar happening to him when he first fought Kenpachi. "Yeah, Kenpachi said something about that." He grabbed his Shihakusho and exposed his bare chest to the captain. "But it's not just my Hierro. Bambietta helped me learn something else. Something like this." He smirked as he revealed his Blut Vene.
Kyoraku's eye narrowed. "I see…as I suspected. We were all curious why Yhwach found you so interesting. I thought it was because you were a Vizard and defeated Aizen." His head lowered as he processed the information Ichigo revealed to him. "So, you're not only part Soul Reaper and part Hollow. You're also part Quincy."
Ichigo decided it was time to wrap up this battle. He'd been delayed too many times already. "Your tricks aren't going to work on my, Head-Captain. It's time to end these dumb games of yours."
Silence filled the dead forest as Kyoraku stared at the boy. "I could not agree more…" he said, his voice tinged with an air of menace. "I am truly sorry it came to this. I'll have Ms. Inoue revive you once it's all over…though we'll have to decide your punishment afterwards." Turning his swords around, he stabbed his swords into the ground. "Bankai: Katen Kyokotsu Karamatsu Shinju." A shadowy figure appeared behind Kyoraku while root-like tendrils erupted from the blades, spreading out on the ground around them. Then the sky darkened, as if Kyoraku had blocked out the sun.
Ichigo recalled something like this happening before and felt a shiver run down his spine. Even as powerful as he was, he felt worried about what dark power Kyoraku had unleashed. The smoke from his Getsuga Gran Rey Cero had cleared so there was nothing obstructing the sky. Yet it seemed like the bright day had shifted to the middle of the night. "What's going on now?"
"This…Ichigo…" Kyoraku started, catching Ichigo's attention, "is where it ends."
Having never seen Kyoraku's Bankai before, Ichigo was left perplexed. He remembered feeling this dark atmosphere back at the Soul King's Palace. Looking back at Kyoraku he saw that his swords were still in their Shikai state, indicating that his Bankai was more environmental than a changed weapon. "Let me guess. Another game?"
"Still trying to figure out my Bankai? Look around. See something out of the ordinary?" Kyoraku asked, spirit energy pouring out of his body.
Hoping to make this quick, Ichigo played along. "Other than you somehow turning it into night?"
"Correct. The sky does give off a bit of a gloomy and depressing atmosphere, right? Are you feeling despair creeping into you?"
Ichigo merely shrugged his shoulders. "Not really. I've fought despair so many times I've learned to rise above it," he reminded, mirroring what he told Yhwach. Not interested in any more of Kyoraku's games, Ichigo used his miraculous speed to once again knock out Kyoraku from behind. He punched the older man in the shoulder with his inhuman strength and kicked him in the side for good measure, sending him crashing through a myriad of trees.
After slamming into the last one, Kyoraku slid down to the ground with a heavy thud. "Urk!" He felt pain all around his body. It was clear that he had multiple broken bones in his shoulders and ribs. Ichigo had moved so fast he couldn't see him coming. "Wow…" he grunted, blood spilling from his mouth. "Really wishing he was still on our side."
"I don't want to hurt you, Head-Captain," Ichigo said while walking up to him. "Just let me take Bambi and go home. This doesn't have to get any…GAHH!" Ichigo was cut off when he felt pain all around his body. "The…hell?!" he choked through the blood that spilled out of his mouth. He dropped to the ground and cried out in pain. The horned hybrid felt his bones snap all around him, particularly in his shoulder and ribs. He looked up and glared at the one responsible.
"Act One: Hesitating Sharing of the Wound. My Bankai is like akin to a play," Kyoraku explained while leaning back against the tree. "Do you like plays, Ichigo? Our battle is akin to one of my favorites, where one man suffers the same wounds he gave to his partner, his former friend. A shame that I can't die from these wounds but then again, neither can you." Ignoring the pain from his broken body, Kyoraku shambled to his feet. Wish I could apologize for your suffering and take it away, but I'm afraid it's not going to end. I agree with you that the time for games is over. The only thing I will apologize for is the agony you're about to go through." He took another stance and held up his swords. "To get to the point: my Bankai is a play. And now, Ichigo, the cost for admission will be your life."
Ichigo had already figured that it was his Bankai that was causing the pain. Because of his Hollowfication, he could feel his body start to mend thanks to his High-Speed Regeneration. Then he realized that Kyoraku was far from over.
"Act Two: Bed of Shame."
Black spots suddenly appeared all over Ichigo's body. The hybrid felt extremely sick. His head burned with fever and his insides felt like they were liquefying. Blood leaked out of Ichigo's eyes and nose. "What is happening?!" Ichigo coughed up more blood before bending over and hurling all over the ground, his shortsword slipping from his hand.
"And now for part two of our little story," Kyoraku continued to elaborate, looking down at the diseased Ichigo with pity. "In this act, the man felt great shame after wounding his partner and fell to the floor and became incurably ill."
Gritting his teeth, Ichigo tried to focus through his blurry vision and got up on one knee, drawing his longsword while picking up his smaller weapon. "Incurable disease? All I need to do is take care of you and the disease goes away," he reasoned.
"Ah, ah, ah," Kyoraku chided, wagging a finger at the boy. "Our story isn't over yet, my unfortunate friend. "And now…" The area around them disappeared. Ichigo found himself no longer at the Sokyoku Hill. Instead it looked like he'd been teleported to the bottom of the ocean! "Act Three: The Severing Abyss."
With nowhere to run, Ichigo found himself drowning. He didn't know what was happening anymore. This was unlike anything he'd experienced before. Up until now he'd only faced melee opponents. For all his strength, all his power, he had no experience combating people with such abilities. He tried to speak but it wasn't like when he was in his Inner World. Looking down he saw Kyoraku floating beneath him, looking up at him forlornly.
"With no cure to be found, the man decided to end his guilt and threw himself and his partner into the sea. Normally this water would keep you trapped until both our spirit energies ran out. However, given your immense power that I can barely sense, I am forced to assume that you have so much it'd take you a while to die. I'll be merciful and make this quick though."
Ichigo tried to swim to Kyoraku and attack him. His body still ached and he could barely breathe through the water. "You bastard!" he roared, both swords in hand. He prepared to unleash a Getsuga Gran Rey Cero at the captain only to find himself entangled in multiple strings that kept him immobilized.
"It's come to this…" The Head-Captain sighed and looked at the boy with a sad eye. "Believe me, Ichigo, when I say that I did not want to kill you. But you and your friends have done enough." Kyoraku sheathed his swords and swirled his fingers around, guiding the strings around Ichigo's body. "When I've ended your life, your allies will stop immediately and give up their rescue attempt. I can assure you that no harm will come to them. After we've executed Bambietta Unagiya, I'll have Orihime revive you. I believe a light prison sentence will cool you down. You should have accepted Bambietta's fate like I told you. Now it's time to pay the piper." He took up his last stance with a heavy heart. "And so ends our story. The man's partner whom he struck down ignored his pleas and mercifully ended his suffering by shearing his throat."
The hybrid could feel the strings coiling around his neck and knew he had to do something fast. He couldn't die. Not here. Not before he rescued Bambietta. He had not failed yet and would not fail now, no matter what Kyoraku thought. While Kyoraku was giving his monologue he figured out a key flaw in Kyoraku's Bankai. Before Kyoraku could finish the boy off, Ichigo fought the strings holding his arms with all his might and brought his swords together, shouting one word through the water.
"BANKAI!"
Kyoraku heard him but was undeterred and continued his attack. He made the final slash and a massive torrent of power burst forth from Ichigo. The sea around the two disappeared and Kyoraku landed on the ground, breathing hard and dropping to one knee. With sweat pouring down his face, Kyoraku gave himself a moment to catch his second wind. "I warned you it was the end. She wasn't Rukia, Ichigo. She wasn't innocent at all. At least this should make the others stand-"
Drip!
Pain shot through the wily captain's right arm. He looked down and was shocked to see he was missing a hand. For a moment he was confused on what happened before putting the pieces together. "So, you were the one who gave off that blast. Not me?" he grunted.
"Not exactly."
Ichigo landed in front of Kyoraku, anger written all over his face. In his hands was a massive Khyber knife. The hybrid was completely fine, no longer injured or sick. Kyoraku realized what had happened. His Bankai blanketed the area with his spiritual pressure like a virus. When Ichigo released his, the sudden burst of spirit energy overwhelmed Kyoraku's and dispelled his Bankai's effects.
"The attack you hit me with was vaporized when I released my Bankai's spiritual pressure. That's what happened to your hand." Ichigo hefted his sword over his shoulder while glaring at him. "This is all because you went and kidnapped my girlfriend, even though there wasn't any reason to anymore. You knew what she meant to me and after everything I did for you, you still took her. You guys brought this on yourselves." He raised his sword over his head before slowly stopping himself and brought his sword back down. "I'm not going to fight you anymore. I'm going to find Bambi and I'm bringing her home. Because nothing you do to me could compare what her mom would do if she found out I let her die."
Turning around, Ichigo started to walk away from Kyoraku, satisfied that he wasn't going to get back up again with only one hand. He prepared to Flashstep away and head for the direction Bambietta was in. "I'm coming, Bambietta."
Before he could take another step forward, Ichigo's eyes widened as blood erupted form his mouth again. He could feel his spirit energy spiraling out of control. Once again he was in excruciating pain, experiencing a new level of agony similar to what he first went through. He didn't cry out in pain this time but that didn't mean he wasn't close to it. He turned around and looked back at Kyoraku but the look on the man's face told him he didn't know what was happening to him either.
"My, my," Ichigo turned to the side, holding his sword to keep himself from falling. "Wild beasts should learn to bow when they're being brought to heel." The bark around one of the trees crumbled away, revealing Mayuri Kurotsuchi hiding beneath, a device in his hands. "Didn't I tell you, boy, that you'd pay for mocking me in the past? Now it seems the time has come for you to become my research subject," he said with an evil smile, showing off his feral yellow teeth.
To be continued