Author Notes: This chapter hints of this new character's backstory and this chapter is how he becomes the Bleach equivalent of Amidamaru from Shaman King. It also partially resolves the problem so Kazui can have a few days of peace for a few chapters.
Chapter 26: Lonely Samurai
Unknown Amount of Years Ago
A young samurai was being bound by five people with the sixth, a man with four irises/pupils arranged in a way that it looked like he had a cross shaped pupil in the midst of a black sclera, raised his sword to slash him.
He wasn't worried about his death, but rather seeing an orange haired girl in noble clothing crying over his death.
Millady...I'm sorry...I will protect the land you cherish..., he thought as he died.
His Soul remained with several of the six's servants attempting to force him to leave, but he would not budge.
When a time came for a white substance to force itself out of his body, he forced it back in.
All to remain himself, for his purpose.
To protect the land of his liege.
Present
The skeleton slashed down his sword, which slashed the ground, the nimble Kazui dodging the assault. The boy noticed that the blade was sheathed, but also the handle was covered in chains down to the tsuba and sheath as if to seal the sword. Slowly, the skeleton began to generate three additional swords, hanging from the sides of his sword and across his back, all sealed in the same fashion, but were as tall as he was.
"What're you doing? Try and kick his ass!," Kūgo demanded.
However, Kazui stopped moving and even more surprisingly, he crouched down and sat in a cross legged position.
"What the hell are you doing?!," shouted the former Substitute Soul Reaper to the boy.
Kazui looked at the skeleton and noted that his Chain of Fate was long and seemingly endless, wrapping around the cemetery, but also implied to have an even larger range.
"Why are you still here?," asked the boy, which made the skeleton pause his attack.
Ichika suddenly appeared from behind Kazui.
"Whatever you doing?," she demanded.
Ichikia Abarai! The real shocker kid of the Kuchiki family. This is getting complicated., Kūgo thought in annoyance.
"Oh, just taming a ghost into being my source of power. Say hello...um...what's your name?," Kazui asked.
The samurai then looked at Ichika with an intense look.
"What's your problem?," she asked.
"Kuchiki...Kuchiki...Kuchiki!," the skeleton said in a distorted voice as he posed his sword to attack her.
"I never said my name was Kuchiki. Who are ya?!," she asked in irritation.
The skeleton was about to attack her when Kazui grabbed his waist and tightened his stance on the ground to hold the undead warrior back.
Ichika was about to get involved, but Kūgo stopped her.
"I guess it's a different situation for him than most Fullbringers. It's best not to interfere," Kūgo told the girl.
"Wait, you're powered by the dead to use your Fullbring?! Why haven't you had them Konsō-ed yet?," Ichika said.
"Because they feel an obligation to remain behind beyond sadness and loneliness. You'll understand soon.," the former Substitute Soul Reaper replied.
Ichika just grimaced in annoyance as she looked on.
"Let's try and talk this out. Maybe then I can understand why you're upset.," Kazui said to calm the figure.
"The blood of those five sinners must be put down...They and their master are unforgivable...," said the undead warrior.
"Then why are your blades bound in chains if you intend to kill?! Are you trying to get revenge? Or is it some way to make your loneliness of staying behind less painful by getting back at whatever is causing your pain?!," Kazui asked, more assertively and passionately than before.
The skeleton then turned around to see the boy by twisting his head 360 degrees to see the boy as if actually seeing him
"You're of the Shiba bloodline...yet you're not fully...You're a Kurosaki...," said the samurai.
"Yup, I'm Kazui Kurosaki. I'm learning more about myself through doing this, but to be honest, I just want to find a way to stop the monsters that are attacking my family and friends. I'm going to make you tell me why you're still here, so we can learn about each other.," Kazui said before he grabbed and tossed to the ground.
"I have to remain here to protect this land on her command. I will not submit, even if you are a Kurosaki-," the samurai told Kazui before the boy pointed to the Gate of Hell partially opened in the sky.
"You see that? Since that opened! My life's been terrible!," Kazui explained leaving the samurai looking surprisingly sullen and melancholy.
"It's beyond your power to do. I'm sorry about this...I would help, but...," the samurai said.
"Why do you seem sad?," Kazui asked.
"I have lost everything...so I protect this land until those five snakes die at the hands of Yokubō Ketsuju! The servants of that false god that forced her away-," the samurai said with more aggression and resentment.
"So that's your name.," Kazui said with a sad smile.
"What of it?," the samurai asked.
"It means I get to understand you a bit more.," Kazui said.
"I have nothing and I am just a weak man.," the skeletal undead said dejectedly.
"Why would you say that when it's obvious you've been here a long time, longer than I can even imagine without turning into a Hollow?! How can someone like that be weak?!," Kazui asked more aggressively.
"Silence!," shouted the samurai.
Kazui then grimaced and gave a furious shout.
"Listen I have someone else I'd rather be tutored under and I can't be held back by your self-pity party! So just help me goddamit! Otherwise the monsters will-," Kazui shouted with tears in his eyes.
Yukubō then began to gradually change shape, becoming a tall, handsome man with yellow iris eyes and long purple hair tied in a ponytail. He wore huge silver shoulder guards with red plats, a long white haori, a blue hakama tied with a black bow, a set of four layered red armor plates with silver linings on his forearms and lower legs, white tabi with silver waraji made of metallic material He wore fingerless gloves with red metallic plates. He wore a purple scarf over his neck and set of two scars intersecting diagonally to create an X over each eye. On closer inspection, the tsuba of the sword resembled a manji.
Overall, the man seemed sad, but he seemed to be someone of an honorable and altruistic nature.
He then bowed to Kazui.
"I will lend you my aid. Those tears are genuine proof that you are not as heartless as the Soul Reapers that used to come to perform Konsō (Soul Burial) me until they gave up, leaving me alone. and forgetting about me once it was clear I was too stubborn to leave. Part of me wanted to test you boy who wanted me for a righteous cause and the the other half was disbelieving due to years of isolation making me jaded. But, since you have proven your worth, I will aid you in preventing the Diable from-.," explained Yukubō.
"Shut up and lemme use you!," Kazui said as the samurai nodded as he transformed into Spiritual Particles that wrapped around Kazui and formed an outfit identical to Yukubō's except fitted to the boy's smaller size. He now wielded the same sealed sword in his right hand.
"The sword only works when sealed. Its power can only come from a sheathed blade. It works with my vow not to kill those not deserving of its blade. When unsheathed it's just a weapon of murder. With it sealed-," Yukubō's voice said in Kazui's head.
"Let me guess. It's going to somehow be cool.," Kazui said.
"Why would it cold?," Yukubō asked in confusion.
"That's not never mind.," Kazui said before he pointed the sword at the Gate of Hell.
"You will understand when you swing it.," said the samurai's voice.
"Here goes nothing.," Kazui said as he took a breath.
"What're you doing?," Ichika asked before Kūgo felt the instinctive need to rush himself and Ichika away from Kazui.
Suddenly, these words came to Kazui's head when he swung the sword.
"Akushōshuyō Mushoku Shōshitsu (Colorless Effacement of Malignancy).," he declared as he swung the sword as an invisible wave that struck the Gate of Hell, which made it vanish as the skeletons adorning the gates, had their wrapping unraveled as they screamed in pain as they vanished.
The sky became much more peaceful after the attack was commenced.
Kazui collapsed on the ground and fell unconscious.
Yukubō then looked at Kazui with a look of pride and transformed into a keychain version of his sword on Kazui's outfit.
"He just swung it and it was gone.," Ichika said aloud in shock.
"That thing...it destroyed...now it negated its Spiritual Power and Pressure. Something like that is insane...," Kūgo said in astonished awe.
He then looked at the boy and gave a chuckle.
"You're definitely going to be interesting.," the former Soul Reaper said to the sleeping boy.
Across the Seireitei, Hueco Mundo, the World of the Living, Etc
Each Gate of Hell simultaneously vanished.
As it did, the Diable suddenly began to feel very negative changes.
Next Chapter: The Road with Rulers