Chapter 21

Rise of the Voidwalker

The sun rose far more quickly than Nanashi had wanted it to. He and Rukia were laying on the hill they had been stargazing on last night, not realizing that they had both passed out late. The sun warmed their faces and shortly after he awoke, Rukia did.

"Ah... morning." Cane Rukia's groggy voice.

"Mmm..."

"I guess we weren't just going to 'rest our eyes' huh..." Rukia stated rubbing her eyes.

Nanashi stood and stretched, yawning as he replied. "Yeah... alcohol and a late night would do that I guess."

Rukia stood and thought about the story that Nanashi told her. It seemed to be a flight of fancy told by a crazy man, but the conviction in his voice was enough to sway her into not writing him off. The night was long and before they realized it, they fell asleep. The rest of the story would have to wait.

"Alcohol? Staying up late? Tsk tsk tsk..." Senna's voice teased. "Sounds to me like you guys were doing more than just 'talking'."

Senna and Ichigo had been walking towards them, Senna was her usual happy self skipping along and smiling while Ichigo was rubbing his eyes, yawning and stretching his arms.

"I guess it's time to go." Rukia said as she stood.

Before the hustle and bustle of the district really took off, the group went to need with the magistrate. As they walked down the familiar roads, Nanashi felt a sense of unease. There was something wrong with him, he felt it. What it was remained to be seen, the only part he knew was the mysterious voice that spoke to him. It was unlike any voice he knew yet it seemed all too familiar. More and more he felt out of place, his existence, his memories, everything seemed off. He put those thoughts to the back of his mind for the time being, focusing on the task at hand. Aizen was still out there, plotting the end of the world and he needed to be ready to stop him.

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The gate to the twenty fifth district was alive with commotion. The elderly voice of Kaede was ordering people around and they followed her order without question. She had a presence about her that Nanashi respected and feared.

"Ah, Shinigami! You're here!" A man's voice exclaimed. "Come with me, Lady Kaede is this way!"

Bringing them to her, the man bowed and ran off. Kaede had her guards and some villagers surrounding her and a makeshift table. On it was a crude map of the surrounding area and a cave marked "bad".

"Bad cave?" Senna spoke. "Sounds like a sex place."

"Senna! Come on!" Ichiro chided.

Kaede smiled at the young girl before speaking. "Shinigami, I trust our hospitality was to your liking?"

"Yes. It was a nice night." Rukia replied.

"Good, now on to business." Kaede spoke as she pulled out a map. "Here is where we are. The creatures are coming from somewhere around here. There is a cave about halfway up the mountain that one of ours spoke of. In her report, she said she witnessed a man clad in black robes enter it, followed by a bright flash, and then more of them appeared."

"Do you know what they are?" Ichiro asked. "They don't look like any hollow's I've seen."

"It's because they aren't Hollow's, young master."

Nanashi closed his eyes and smirked at the voice. "I was wondering when you'd show up again, Kaveh."

Materializing, though still transparent, Kaveh stood beside Kaede as he addressed the group.

"These creatures are linked to the Void. No doubt you feel that much Nanashi. From my knowledge, they're incomplete Hollow's. A phenomenon that was very common in my time."

"So how do we stop them?" Senna asked, taking an unusually serious tone.

"The source is in this cave. We would need to stop the person responsible, destroy the altar and they should die on their own." Kaveh replied.

Kaede spoke with a happier conviction than she had previously. "So, an end is in sight! I will ready our people while you all handle this problem. When it is done, return here and I will answer any questions you may have. In the meantime, I will dig to see if this laboratory exists in our records."

"Thank you, Lady Kaede. We will be a swift as we are able to be." Rukia stated bowing.

Kaveh faded and Nanashi felt him return to his mind. The cool touch if the Void blurred his vision, yet quickly settled. He had many questions for Kaede and now Kaveh but decided to wait. They had a task to handle now and it required his full attention.

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The countryside was littered with the masses of black, decaying bodies of the horned creatures. Where they lay, the ground began to rot, and slowly small violet specks of light began to emanate from them. Nanashi felt the familiar power of the Void and tried to recall what he'd read about it. The memory eluded him, and he chalked it up to the night being late.

"What is that smell?" Senna asked.

"Smells like... copper." Ichigo added.

Nanashi turned and answered. "It's the creatures rotting bodies. The Void smells like this apparently. Goes without saying, but don't touch."

They cautiously began walking again, careful to stay on the path that Kaede pointed out, only stepping off of it if necessary. The walk became hours long when the Void began to assault Nanashi's head, pulling at his consciousness, almost daring him to give in.

"What are you doing here?"

"Hello?"

Rukia turned to face Nanashi who had fallen behind, quizzically looking at him. He seemed lost, confused and out of place. Like a puppy who had lost its mother.

"Nanashi?"

"You're Nanashi...?"

"Yes."

Rukia stopped Ichigo and Senna, quietly pointing to Nanashi.

"Are you sure?"

Nanashi was taken out of his trance by a soft hand on his shoulder. Looking down he was met with the violet eyes of Rukia, laden with concern.

"...What?"

Rukia frowned as she eyed Nanashi up and down. "You hear someone talking to you?"

"Y-you didn't?"

"No."

He looked around the forest surprised that they'd found themselves in a forest to begin with. The voice was gone and with it his questions bubbled up like boiling water. This was the second time he'd heard that voice, who or what was it?

"You feeling okay?" Senna asked. "You've been off today."

"Off?" Nanashi asked. "Off how?"

"You seem distracted. Like something else has your attention." Senna explained. "Now you're hearing things, so what's up?"

"She's right you know; you've been acting odd all morning."

"You don't know anything. Do you?"

Nanashi furrowed his brow, thinking about the voice and the mystery surrounding it perplexed him. What was going on? Why wasn't Kaveh telling him anything? What did the voice mean? The questions occupied his mind despite his attempt to quell the notions they put forward.

Sighing, Nanashi spoke. "I'm not too sure what's going on with me. I hear this voice in my head, almost warning me about something. It's hard to tell it's... cryptic at best."

"Nanashi...?" Rukia quietly asked. "We're you going to keep this from us?"

"No. Nothing like that. I just needed some time to figure out what it was saying."

"The voice you hear could be an echo." Kaveh suddenly spoke as he materialized in front of him. "As a Void Touched, you're more naturally attuned to the Void. It stands to reason then, that you're able to hear it's voice."

"Wait," Ichigo asked. "I thought the Void was an energy. How would it have a voice?"

"I apologize young master. Some of the aspects of the Void even I don't fully comprehend." Kaveh quickly responded. "Perhaps this voice is in response to the cataclysm. This lab will have the answers for us, no doubt."

Kaveh quickly vanished, returning to Nanashi's subconscious. Something was wrong, Nanashi felt it in Kaveh's response. The debate on whether to confront him on it would stay in his mind, but for now speculation would only go so far.

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"Here we are..." Senna sighed. "Finally!"

The open maw of the cave was impressive to say the least. They stood far enough away to read the terrain surrounding it to know that this was indeed the place of origin. The dead and decaying land around them was cold and smelled of warm copper. Nanashi remembered reading about the smell in the notes but to be here in the thick of the Void was something spectacular. The vast destruction struck him most immediately followed closely by how quiet it was. The wind seemed to vanish the closer they were.

Eerie as it was, his mind focussed on the task at hand: they needed to solve this problem and save the district for there to be any chance of stopping Aizen. The long game was a tough one to play requiring patience and time, both of those they lacked.

Ichigo looked around, dismayed at the destructive powers set before him and quietly spoke. "Is THIS the power of the Void...?"

"Yeah." Nanashi replied. "It isn't meant to give life, only to govern death. Imagine this on a grand scale. That's the Void Crisis."

"So, it's important to stop Aizen before he gets the chance to hold this power." Rukia added.

"Yeah. We should probably get going."

"Why don't we stop for a bit?" Rukia suggested. "We can rest and plan."

Nanashi grunted as he scanned the area. The power behind the Void was terrible, almost unstoppable and in danger of being released again. Was he like this? Were his powers meant to cause destruction too? There was still too many things that he didn't know, and it bothered him. Not knowing who he was, where he came from, those were all he could recall from his time in the living world.

As he followed the rabbit down its hole, he found himself focussing on the what ifs. If Aizen gained more power would that spell the end? What would they be able to do?

"Nanashi?" Senna asked, breaking him out of his trance. "Can we talk for a bit?"

Nodding, Nanashi followed her to the edge of the hill. She walked with confidence yet seemed to be marred by a thought. Nanashi noticed her shoulders had slumped like she was carrying something heavy. As she sat down, Nanashi stood beside her.

"What's on your mind?"

"Me? You asked me to talk."

Senna scoffed as she rolled her eyes. "You know you don't have to be this 'macho' man. You can lean on somebody else if you need it."

Nanashi frowned, more taken back by her forward tone. Thinking about it, Nanashi realized just how lost he was. He needed to be strong for the others even if it meant he would have to distance himself.

"Nothing is wrong. I'm just tired."

"If you expect anyone to believe that, then you're a dumbass." Senna snapped. "Now, talk."

"Don't you get lippy with me!" Nanashi scolded. "I just told you I'm fine."

Senna stood, staring into his yellow eyes and finding herself losing her temper. "You stupid idiot, I'm trying to help! What is eating at you!"

"Hey!" Rukia shouted. "What are you trying to do, alert everyone where we are?!"

"Senna, I'm telling you-"

"I don't care what you said!" Senna shouted. "You're obviously not okay, so talk!"

"You know she's not going to give up until she gets what she wants, right?" Ichigo asked.

"What the hell good can I possibly do if I don't even know what's wrong?!" Nanashi finally shouted.

Silence permeated the air as a gust of wind howled through. Senna tilted her head to the side as Rukia and Ichigo walked closer.

"You don't do anything."

"Wha-"

Nanashi found himself tumbling end over end as he flew through the air. Catching whatever glimpses he could, Senna had been sent tumbling as well. He figured Ichigo and Rukia had been as well and rather than focus on them he tried to correct his flailing body and land on his feet. He trusted them to do the same.

He did not succeed.

"Ah... Dehaka... I can feel your presence here..." A deep familiar voice spoke. "You are nearby. Show yourself!"

Nanashi stood and reeled in shock at the sudden appearance of the man before him.

"Nanghait?!" Senna exclaimed. "But, Aizen killed you!"

"You seem shocked. No doubt you realize that I am eternal!" Nanghait spoke before charging.

Senna leapt to the side, narrowly dodging the stampeding mountain of muscle and readied her spirit bow. Nanashi drew his sword and moved to Senna's side, ready to fight the Daeva yet again. Something had changed in him though, there was an almost feral spring in his step. Nanashi recalled Yokai's movements, realizing they were similar.

Nanghait drew his two swords and raised them into the air. "Ah... there you are, Void Touched. I see you have recovered as well."

"How are you alive?" Nanashi asked.

"Kaveh, you disappoint me." Nanghait stated. "Surely you already know that answer. I mean, how could you not?"

Charging again with one of his swords pointed toward them, Nanghait slowly and steadily gained speed. The thunderous sounds of his charging feet took Nanashi by surprise and in an instant, he felt like fleeing the beast of a man. Senna loosed an arrow, which Nanghait ducked under.

Nanashi grabbed Senna, quickly jumping onto a nearby rock. "Senna, cover me from here!"

Nanashi flipped back to the ground leaving Senna on the boulder. She saw an odd spark in Nanashi's eye. A desire for combat that was unlike anything she'd seen before, even in her own father. The crazed berserk twinkle that very often didn't abate easily. She found herself lost in her thoughts as she remembered her father and his crazed "discipline" before losing her spirit bow and crouching. She brought her hands to her ears as the flashbacks became more vivid, more real until finally she felt tears streaming down her face.

Nanashi focussed on Nanghait. His hulking frame was imposing, it demanded your attention, but he'd faced him before. Senna was the key and he needed to provide an opening. He kept his distance only probing him to open his defence up for Senna to take the shot. Clashing blades broke whatever silence remained in the area as they met on almost equal footing.

Nanghait had power, reach and proven prowess that was second to none. Nanashi tried to analyze his movements for any signs of weakness but as he proved his blade was blocked. Time and again, Nanghait left an opening only for it to put Nanashi in the backfoot.

Nanashi swung his sword down and as Nanghait deflected it away, he twisted his wrist bringing the reverse side of the blade up and toward Nanghait's throat. Before the blade pierced his neck Nanghait's other sword bat Nanashi's away and in one swift motion Nanghait plunged his free sword toward Nanashi. Off balance, Nanashi raised his gauntlet up and with a metallic clank the shield extended.

"Dehaka's shield... Impressive."

Nanashi pushed him back and leapt a safe distance away.

"I'll ask you again, how are you alive?"

"Such a trifling question. One without the glory of combat." Nanghait sighed. "Best me, and I will reveal all!"

Nanghait and Nanashi charged again colliding in a fury or sparks and sharp crashes as their weapons met again and again. Easily overpowering him, Nanghait pressed his advantage pushing back and throwing his opponent off balance and into the boulder Senna was on.

"Senna! Help!" Nanashi called.

Senna had been breathing heavily as she rocked back and forth. The vivid images flashing in her mind recalled all of her childhood paralyzing her in place. She gripped the sides of her head as she relived every blow, every bruise and every cut. Her father's twisted visage became more and more monstrous as she sank deeper into the flashback.

"Senna!"

The familiar voice snapped her back to her senses. As she came to, Ichigo was crouching beside her and holding her head. Her tear stained face looked at him and subconsciously followed his movements as he told her to breathe. After her story was told she'd expected Ichigo to keep his distance, like everyone else had, but to her surprise he stayed with her.

Just as Nanghait was about to finish Nanashi off, a sudden white stream of snow blew him back. His pounding feet skidded back as Rukia slid in front of Nanashi.

"Thanks!" Nanashi spoke as he stood. "You and Ichigo alright?"

"Ichigo is with Senna. Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Let's kick this guys ass."

Nanashi readied the Zulfikar beside her, feeling a wave of familiarity wash over him. It was no coincidence that they were fighting side by side again and the fire in her eyes was all too similar to their first mission.

Breaking free from the ice that encased him, Nanghait stumbled forward.

"Ah... The ice queen is here too." He spoke with confidence. "This will be an honourable duel the likes of whi-"

Nanashi appeared inches away from Nanghait, ready to kill the man right now. He pushed his blade forward only for it to miss as Nanghait vanished as well. Before he could react, Nanashi was thrown back toward Rukia who leapt over him and slashed at Nanghait.

Sode no Shirayuki had buried itself into Nanghaits exposed arm, stopping halfway through. Rukia pulled back and clashed with Nanghait.

"The queen has some fight in her still! Good..." Nanghait said. "But I'm afraid our time is up. You see..."

Pushing her back before kicking her stomach, Nanghait sheathed his sword.

"There has been a rather interesting development." Nanghait stated. "If you wish to duel me again, follow your path to the cave. I will await you there, do not keep me waiting Dehaka."

Nanghait bowed toward Nanashi as he stood up.

"It truly is an honor, first born." Nanghait spoke.

Nanghait vanished in a violet energy, disappearing from the battlefield with curious power. Nanashi sheathed his sword before anger grew in him.

"KAVEH, SHOW YOURSELF!"

Materializing before them, Kaveh stood as he usually did. Arms crossed and ready for the inevitable fight that was about to happen. A lot more had been revealed that he would've like to have kept secret until the right time but running into Nanghait put a wrench into those plans. He stood ready for this scenario and readied himself.

"What the hell is Nanghait doing alive?! What did he mean by what was 'planned' eons ago?! Explain yourself!"

"Young master, there is much you don't know still. The information I hold could very well kill you"

Nanashi swung a fist at Kaveh only for it to harmlessly pass through him.

"Nanashi I merely wish-"

"No. Nanashi is right. You owe us an explanation." Senna stated. "If we go up against that man again, he will kill us. So, tell us, why is he alive?"

Kaveh looked into Senna's eyes, seeing the pain still in them and sighed. "Very well... But let us find a place to rest first. This is a long tale."

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"It began at the start of all things. Ahriman and Ormazd. The two gods created the first world, what you know as Hueco Mundo." Kaveh explained. "While Ahriman was governing over death, he tried to create life. His first born was Dehaka. The strongest, yet most volatile of his created. Dehaka then created the Daeva's with his power. The Daeva's have powers unique to themselves, and Nanghaits power is that of perpetual regeneration. Only something with significant force can hope to kill him."

The news of Nanghait's immortality came as a sober realization. Nanashi pondered over what would be considered "significant force".

Rukia broke the silence, asking. "Where or what would we need to destroy him?"

"He'll, I'd even take banishment." Ichigo added.

Glancing, Nanashi saw the empty look in Senna's eyes. Something happened to her in their fight, and admittedly he didn't know how to go about asking her. She was an enigma to him still, even after she'd called him 'dad'.

Kaveh stood and found himself fading. "Damn... There is only one place that could create a weapon so powerful as to break time and space itself. However even I don't know where it is..."

"And what would that be?" Nanashi asked.

"A place as old as Hueco Mundo itself." Kaveh spoke. "The Void Forge."

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Happy quarantine everybody. I've been productive, I think.

Enjoy,

SpookyAtlas