The Protector's Temptation.
The worst part of going away…the drive there and back, it's just so boring. So here we are yet again and thanks to everyone that read, or reviewed the last chapter. Some insight or answers will be at the end of the chapter, so read on and enjoy as usual.
PS. I realise that it's a bit harder to follow since we're a few chapters in, but here's a list of Captains and Lieutenants present in Karakura Town.
2 – Sui-Feng and Omaeda
4 – Isane
5 – Momo
6 – Byakuya and Renji
7 – Komamura and Tetsuzaemon
10 – Toshiro and Rangiku
11 – Kenpachi and Yachiru
12 – Mayuri and Nemu
13 – Rukia
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.
"Normal speech"
'Thoughts/Inner Speech'
"Kido/Zanpakuto release"
"Zanpakuto speech"
XXX
Chapter 14:
Ignoring Ichigo and his clone for a moment, Toshiro grimaced as he felt Kenpachi and his clone's reiatsu spike even higher, indicating that they were really beginning to lay into one another. Turning back to the ones in front of him, he kept his expression neutral, despite the fact that they were outnumbered by them. Without Rangiku and Rukia they were already two people down and since it would be unwise to risk Isane, since she was their sole healer, he would just have to hope that the others stayed out of it, or the Captains were able to disable them soon. They were at least lucky that Mayuri and Nemu's doubles were not present, so they wouldn't be completely overwhelmed by such a force.
"The protection of civilians is our main priority," he announced out loud, drawing the lieutenants attention to him. "Draw your opposite out to the remote areas before you engage. Lieutenant Kotetsu, fall back to the Urahara Shop and see if Urahara and Yoruichi are willing to assist us, or at the very least evacuate the civilians." Seeing the silver haired healer nod and flash away, he noticed the others disappearing with their opponents. Feeling his childhood friend's reiatsu spike, he scowled and pushed his worry away, leading his copy away. 'Stay safe Hinamori.'
Finding themselves alone, Rukia, Rangiku and Isane's clones stared around, wondering which battle to influence. "The master was quite clear that Kurosaki was to be kept busy, it would be best if we assisted him then," Rukia spoke evenly, turning to face the skirmish between the two.
"Then I guess we wait until he needs our help," Rangiku said with a devilish smirk. "He's having a little too much fun for me to even want to think of stepping into that."
XXX
Parrying a blow that would have sliced into his eye, Ichigo's eyes narrowed as he retaliated and was pushed back by raw strength once again. 'If anything, he's gotten even stronger since our last fight,' he thought grimly, weaving around a web of steel as his clone attacked him relentlessly. 'What's more his reiatsu feels even more tainted that it was before. Whoever created him…they obviously suppressed the part that made me a hollow and are only allowing a bit of it to augment his powers. Does that mean that he is prone to the same conflict I had with my inner hollow, or is he simply exempt from its influence?' Locking their blades together, he scowled at his clone's smirk.
"Getting tired already?" his clone taunted him, pressing even harder and forcing Ichigo's arms back slightly. "Or are these powers of yours nothing but a cheap imitation of his?"
"You talk too much," Ichigo growled at him, pushing back again and regaining his lost ground. "I'm just thinking, something you're clearly not doing. Bakudo no. 63, Sajo Sabaku!" he chanted, holding his hand out and firing several golden chains from behind him. Watching as they wrapped around his clone, he delivered a crushing hammer-blow to his skull, sending him crashing into the ground below. Rushing after his bound foe, he brought his blade down to cleave his head from his shoulders, only to blink in surprise as Rukia and Rangiku's clones blocked his blade with their own, crossing them together to fully stop the blow. Standing behind them with her arms held out in front of her, Isane sent a powerful Byakurai at his head, forcing him to tilt his head to the side to avoid it. "I have absolutely nothing against killing you, you do realise that right?" he asked, breaking away from their blade lock and catching Rukia with a spinning heel kick to her head, sending her barrelling along the ground into a small convenience store. Blocking a sweeping slice from Rangiku, he batted her blade aside and grabbed her by her throat, slamming her into the ground with enough force to create a small crater. Holding his palm out to Isane, he muttered a quick Sokatsui and sent her flying into the air, her body landing with a thunderous crash moments later.
"BANKAI!" he heard his clone shout behind him, flash stepping away as his kido was shattered and a pitch black blade sliced through the air, where his head used to be.
"Bankai again? The more I think about it, the more I hate how reliant I was on my bankai," he said in exasperation, blocking another stab at his ribs. 'This time, I'm not going to disappoint her.' "Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu," he whispered, feeling her power flow through him once again.
Feeling the original's energy spike, Reigai-Ichigo grimaced and charged forward with Tensa Zangetsu drawn, aiming for his opponent's blade-arm. Seeing his blade slice into soft flesh and straight through bone, he smirked at the original's expression of shock as he stared at the bleeding stump that was left behind. His smug expression was short lived though, as he gasped and felt a crippling flash of pain rip across his back. Spinning on his heel, he could see Ichigo staring back at him, emotionlessly, whole and unharmed.
"You were stupid enough to call her a 'cheap imitation'," he growled at his clone, slowly slicing through the air with his blade. "She really didn't like that." Glancing out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a wall of blue flame flying at him at great speed. Holding his hand out to it, he caused it to come to a dead stop, not reacting at all as it struggled against him, before with a flick of his wrist, he sent it skywards to dissipate harmlessly above them. Seeing Rukia's look of shock, he vanished from view and reappeared right in front of her. "I told you…I won't hesitate to kill you," he murmured, bringing his blade down to cleave her in two and finding himself blocked yet again.
Grunting as his back flared with pain, Ichigo's clone glared up at the former substitute, feeling his anger rise as he still had that damnable emotionless mask on his face. "How much have you changed that you'd go for the kill and not care about who you're actually fighting?!" he shouted up at him, pushing his blade up and forcing Ichigo to back away. "Are you really so willing to kill now?"
Instead of answering him immediately, Ichigo waved his hand at the destruction around them and the clouds of dust that rose above Kenpachi's fight. "I know that you're not the real ones and I know that you're putting this town in danger, a town that I promised on my very soul to protect. Why are you so surprised that I would try and kill you then? Don't worry though. I'm not going to kill you just yet. Like I said…you pissed her off."
XXX
Meanwhile, Nova and Michiru had finally rounded the corner onto Ichigo's street. Seeing as several people had stumbled into the clinic with minor injuries to be treated, they were both able to sneak past Ichigo's family and make it to the relative sanctuary of his room. On entering the room though, Nova felt his eyes widen in shock as he saw Nozomi perched on the windowsill, prepared to jump.
"What are you…?" he tried to say, falling silent as she leapt from the window and landed on the ground in a crouch. Running over to the window, he watched her run down the street, heading further and further away from the conflict that raged across Karakura. Ducking his head back into the room, he ripped open a pocket dimension and extracted his gigai from it.
"Michiru-san, I need you to listen very carefully and follow my instructions to the letter," he spoke quickly, rummaging around for the soul removal glove. "I need you to wear this and press it to the back of my head. When the pill pops out of my mouth, I need you to then place it in this body," he explained, demonstrating each action as he went.
Seeing her nod her head in understanding, he turned away from her and felt her hand press to the back of his head, along with the feeling of his pill form shooting out of his mouth. Gingerly picking up the little green pill, Michiru popped it into his gigai's mouth, falling back as he jolted upright.
"Thank you Michiru-san," the mod soul said quickly heading towards the window himself. "The man that runs the clinic will be able to protect you while you're here, so please stay here until the situation has been resolved." Not bothering to hear her answer, he leapt from the window himself and sprinted after Nozomi, tracking her faint presence with his advanced sensors.
XXX
Panting as she hurtled down the streets of Karakura Town, Nozomi glanced around fearfully, her pursuer's presence ever so faint. Ducking into an empty construction site, she gasped and came to a grinding halt.
"This was a futile game of cat and mouse Nozomi," Kageroza Inaba said as he emerged from the shadows. As the light struck him, it revealed him in all his twisted glory. His yellow overcoat matched half his hair, while the other half was green in colour. As he walked towards her slowly, his thin silver cane gave off a dull clack on the dry ground with each step he took.
Backing away slowly, she cried out in pain as he struck out with his cane, catching her in her gut and sending her to the ground, gasping for breath. "You've delayed my plans long enough; thankfully I was able to find the faintest trace of your power in this place. Come now, it's time we return to the Soul Society." As he reached out to pick her up though, his eyes widened in surprise as she disappeared into a wormhole. Turning to look over his shoulder, he could see Nozomi curled up in Nova's arms, the normally calm mod soul gazing back at him with undeniable anger.
"That's an interesting power for a mod soul to have," Kageroza spoke nonchalantly, as if he was simply talking about the weather and not the ability to rip the fabric of space apart, "but I'm afraid that it is not very impressive when compared with my own."
"Your...own?" Nova asked haltingly, his eyes narrowing as he watched Kageroza even more warily now.
"Forgive me it seems that I am rambling here, it doesn't matter whether you know or not," Kageroza replied condescendingly. "But I digress, please hand over Nozomi to me. To kill you and take her from you will not bother me."
"…No," Nova said softly, leaping back as a Byakurai exploded at his feet. Tightening his grip around Nozomi, he reached over his shoulder with one hand and grabbed his shield, bringing it out just in time to swallow another Byakurai fired at him. Ripping open a wormhole behind Kageroza, he watched the pale blue bolt fly out of it, missing him completely as he flash stepped away.
"I told you it was useless," he muttered from behind Nova, before firing a Shakkaho point blank at the mod soul and sending him crashing to the ground below.
Twisting on his side, Nova grunted in pain as his already injured back struck the ground, his arms still wrapped around Nozomi's form. Releasing her and feeling her roll off of him, he struggled to his feet, swaying as he stood.
"Nova…" Nozomi whispered her vision blurry as she tried to take in her surroundings.
Focussing on his opponent, Nova brought his shield up yet again, absorbing another Shakkaho and forcing Kageroza into the sky again. Before he could flash step over to Nova though, he tilted his head to the side as a bright blue arrow flew past him, barely missing his skull. "It seems we have company," he mumbled to himself, watching as Uryu and Chad appeared on the ground below him, while Orihime rushed over to support Nova.
"Sorry we're late Nova," Chad spoke quietly in his deep baritone, glancing at the mod soul out of the corner of his eye.
"It's…no problem," he replied, his eyes showing that he was at least relieved by their arrival.
"A Quincy and two humans…how strange for such a group to come to the aid of a mod soul," Kageroza rambled on, drawing everyone's attention once again. Seeing them ready their weapons against him, he sighed and adopted a blank expression. "Forgive me, but my time is limited, Go Mad, Raiku," he murmured, causing his cane to emit a dazzling flash yellowish green light and morph into a double-bladed voulge with a yellow shaft and three red markings along the top of each blade.
Watching him warily as he spun the blade anti-clockwise, Uryu and Chad suddenly doubled over in pain, their cries muffled as their backs were carved open. Gasping in surprise, Orihime's eyes widened in shock, while Nova looked on calculatingly, his mind racing as he tried to understand what Kageroza had done.
"I will not ask again, hand over Nozomi Kujo or perish," Kageroza repeated, his expression blank. Before he could take another step towards them though, he flash stepped away, his pole-arm parrying the blow aimed at his neck. Looking over his shoulder at his attacker, his expression morphed into surprise as he could see the demented Captain of the Twelfth Division grinning back at him.
"Nake, Benihime!" came a second voice, followed by the high pitched whine of a crimson energy wave that forced Kageroza back even further.
"You really managed to pull quite an elaborate prank for a petty underling," Mayuri chided him, his demented smile still on his face. "Thanks to you I've been trapped here away from all my wonderful experiments back home. However shall I punish you for this transgression...?"
"Captain Kurotsuchi how nice to see you again, things have been quiet without you at the division," Kageroza replied with a smirk.
"Quiet you! I still haven't decided on whether I simply want to kill you or take you apart piece by piece to study," Mayuri spat back, raising his blade again.
"Sadly I find that neither of those things will happen today Captain. It seems that it is time I take my leave of you," Kageroza spoke, vanishing on the spot, while Mayuri hissed in anger.
"Cursed underlings and their over ambitious…" he mumbled to himself, turning to face the others. While Orihime was trying to heal Chad, Uryu and Nova, his eyes drifted onto Nozomi, his eyes glinting with malice.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you Captain Kurotsuchi," Kisuke said as he appeared next to his former subordinate. "She has a protector that wouldn't hesitate to kill you if you harmed her.
"Tch, now that we've helped these simpletons, I want to get back to finding a way to break the barrier we have been sealed under," the clown-faced Captain replied, flash stepping back to the shop, while Kisuke chuckled and looked down on the teenagers, before walking over to assist them.
XXX
Back with Ichigo, he stared down at his clone's bleeding body, noticing the shallow rise and fall of his chest, despite the fact that his entire body was riddled with cuts. Early on he had mangled the clone's left arm, slicing straight down to the bone and severing the ligaments and tendons that allowed it to function.
Looking over to his left, he watched as Rukia, Rangiku and Isane's clones breathed their last breath, their bodies turning to dust and being dispersed in the breeze. Honestly what did they expect attacking a Captain-class fighter with the power to fool their minds with ease? Despite the ease with which he had dealt with these four, he could still feel the other soul reapers locked in a stalemate with their opponents. 'Looks like I need to finish up here and go bail them out,' he thought with a hint of bitterness. Turning back to his clone, he walked over to its head, placing Kyoka Suigetsu on its neck.
"You called me a cheap imitation and yet here and now, despite your bankai and your 'friends' help, you're still lying in a pool of your own blood," he said coldly, pressing his blade ever so slightly into his throat.
"Go ahead and kill me then you bastard," his clone growled up at him, raising himself ever so slightly off the ground.
"No, not until you tell me why you came here and what you want," Ichigo replied, forcing his clone back down with his foot.
"I'm afraid that the only one who truly knows the answer is myself substitute soul reaper," a voice said from behind Ichigo, moments before he ducked and felt a blade whistle through the air above his head. Lashing out at the cheap shot, Kyoka Suigetsu clashed against Raiku, sparks grating off the contact.
"Who the hell are you?" Ichigo asked as he glared at Kageroza, forcing the man backwards with ease and surprising Kageroza with his power.
"Ah forgive me Ichigo Kurosaki," Kageroza replied in a condescending tone. "My name is Kageroza Inaba and I am the man that is hunting for Nozomi."
"Why would you tell me that?" Ichigo asked through narrowed eyes. "If anything you'd be better off leaving me in the dark with regard to your motives."
"Correct, to some it would be best for me not to reveal such details, but there is a specific reason for me revealing this to you." Watching as the man gestured at the devastation caused to the town around them, Ichigo grit his teeth in anger as he spoke, "It seems such a shame that this town suffered such damage, but it will keep happening so long as Nozomi Kujo remains here."
"If that's the case…then I should just kill you and stop this from happening at all," Ichigo growled at him, feeling the other Captains and Lieutenants appear behind him, their opponents standing behind Kageroza.
"But can you kill us all Ichigo Kurosaki?" Kageroza asked with a smirk, while Ichigo seethed with anger. Sealing his blade, his mind raced frantically as he debated releasing it there in front of them all. His decision was made for him though when a senkaimon opened up behind Kageroza and his army and they began to slowly enter it.
"Remember my words Ichigo Kurosaki, the longer you shelter Nozomi Kujo, the longer this town will remain under siege," he spoke, before disappearing into the senkaimon.
Feeling a hint of unease run down his spine, he ignored the questioning looks from the soul reapers present and flash stepped towards his home. Just as he arrived, he was surprised to see Chad, Uryu and Orihime in his room with a worried looking Michiru. Looking over at his bed, he could see Nozomi asleep under the covers with Nova in his doll form sitting on his desk watching her. Slipping into his body, he held up his hand to stall their inevitable questions.
"I know you guys want answers, but now isn't the time for it," he said quietly. "The others are probably waiting for me to explain this at the Urahara Shop, so I guess you guys could go and wait there for me." Watching them leave, he turned to Nova and removed his pill form from his doll form and pocketed it, before turning back to Michiru. "Come on I'll walk you home," he said with a small smile, holding his hand out to her.
XXX
Still feeling conflicted over Kageroza's words, the pair of them walked in silence as Ichigo slipped into deep thought. Along the way he tried to ignore the sirens from the rescue vehicles, or the shouts of orders from the people themselves, but nothing could stop him from noticing the half-dozen body bags lying on the edge of the roped off area.
"Ichigo…" Michiru murmured softly next to him, tugging on his hang gently to draw his attention away from the morbid scene. Nodding at her and giving her hand a slight squeeze in thanks, they moved on again, arriving at her home just as the sun had set.
"Well that's not how I planned the day to go," Ichigo said with a sigh as he closed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair. "Then again I guess most guys wouldn't have to deal with spiritual super soldiers from another dimension either." Feeling her arms wrap around his waist, he opened his eyes to see her nuzzling into his chest.
"But most guys would've taken advantage of the situation in ways that you wouldn't," she said softly, releasing her hold on him and smiling up at him. "Despite what happened today, I had a lot of fun and I wouldn't mind doing it again either." Leaning up towards him, she placed a quick peck on his cheek, before turning and heading towards her front door.
"So I'll see you tomorrow then?" he asked with a smile, seeing her return his smile with a slight nod of her head before she disappeared. His mood took a downturn though when he felt Kyoka appear next to him.
"Well that went well," she said with a small smile, frowning as she saw him scowl and turn away from her. "Is there a problem Ichigo?" she asked with a sigh, her expression downcast and gloomy.
"She's right in that I didn't take advantage of her today, but…" he spoke haltingly, coming to a stop, "…I can't help but think that you had something to do with what happened on the Ferris wheel."
"You were the one that took the initiative there Ichigo," she answered, seeing his scowl deepen.
"I know I did, but what I didn't do was channel any of my reiatsu into her, so why is it that I felt a hint of your presence flowing between the two of us?" he asked, his tone filled with equal amounts of curiosity and anger.
"I…" she began to say, only to stiffen as she and Ichigo felt a new presence appear close to them. "We'll talk later Ichigo and I promise that I'll give you the answers you want, let's just not do it here."
"What's wrong Kyoka? What can't you tell me?" he tried to ask, only to feel her retreat back into his inner world and distance herself from him. Looking over his shoulder at who had arrived, he could see Rukia staring at him curiously. "What do you want Rukia?"
"The Captains are growing anxious Ichigo, they asked me to retrieve you and bring you back to the Urahara Shop," she said, hearing him scoff.
"Retrieve me? The way you say that, it's as if they think that I'm some sort of object and not a person," he said, seeing her wince. "But even if they hadn't sent you to 'retrieve' me, I was on my way there anyway." Brushing past her, they began the walk to the Urahara Shop in silence.
"So where were you today when all the fighting was going on?" he asked curiously after a few minutes, seeing her flinch again. "Would you stop that, it's not like I'm interrogating you or anything!"
"Matsumoto and I were with Orihime and Tatsuki," she answered him. "She thought that Orihime was taking your new…life, a bit harder than most and thought she could use some cheering up."
'Oh here we go again. You'd think that there was a betting pool on my life with how often people bring it up,' he thought with a grimace, tuning out the rest of her explanation. Finally reaching the store, he slid the door open and descended the ladder to the underground basement. As his foot crunched down on the dirt floor, the Gotei 13 task force and his friend's eyes turned towards him.
"You're late," Sui-Feng said brusquely, causing Ichigo to direct his blank emotionless mask at her. "What took you so long?"
"I don't recall answering to anyone here Captain Sui-Feng. Besides you should know where I've been, especially since you tried following me earlier today. Standards must be slipping if the Stealth Forces Commander-in-Chief can be given the slip by a mere human, not to mention the fact that I noticed you following me in the first place," he said in a condescending tone, drawing a heated glare from the Second Division Captain and curious looks from some of the others.
"You were following Kurosaki around Captain Sui-Feng?" Toshiro asked, seeing her switch her glare to him, before she gave him a sharp nod.
"Under orders from the Captain Commander, I was given a secondary objective to identify and if necessary eliminate the unknown force that has been cleansing hollows in the area," she replied, switching her glare to Ichigo again. "In light of the evidence presented to us, I believed this unknown force to be the former substitute Ichigo Kurosaki and began an investigation into his activities."
"My activities? So you decided it was better to follow me rather than simply ask me?" Ichigo asked her, scoffing in her direction.
"My methods do not have to meet with your approval Kurosaki," she hissed at him. "Too much about you is still unknown for me to take your word for it. I wouldn't expect a mere substitute to understand such a thing."
"A mere substitute? Harsh words coming from a seemingly infallible military that has proven to be incredibly incompetent time and time again Captain. I distinctly remember your Stealth Forces having trouble apprehending a group of four teenagers a few months ago," he quipped back, causing her to seethe and clench her fists together until they bled.
Before their stunned eyes, they watched as Ichigo ejected his soul from his body, just as Sui-Feng launched herself at him, a fist aimed at his jaw. Batting her fist away like it was nothing; he placed the palm of his hand on her bust, enraging her even further, before he bound her with a quick Rikujokoro. Watching as she stood there, struggling to break free of his kido, he flared his reiatsu, focussing it all on her and causing her eyes to widen in fear and surprise as she was forced to her knees.
"This substitute beat the man that beat you into a carpet stain Captain," he spat, his body acquiring a slight purple glow as he spoke. "And unless you've forgotten, I really don't care about Soul Society's rules and procedures." Feeling a heavy hand rest on his shoulder, he glanced back to see Komamura with a grim expression on his face.
"You've made your point Ichigo Kurosaki, now please, let her go," the Captain said as neutrally as possible, while Ichigo continued to give him a blank expressionless look.
"Of course Komamura-san," Ichigo replied, dispelling his bakudo and reining his power in again.
Sending a look of disapproval at his fellow Captain, Komamura turned his attention back to Ichigo. "Would you please explain to us now how you have your powers once again Kurosaki-san?"
"I regained them on the 15th of July while a group of hollows were trying to decide who got to devour me," he said in a slightly bitter tone, while Rukia and the others looked away.
"And what was your reason for not reporting this?" Komamura asked again, seeing Ichigo's eyes narrow in anger.
"Why should I? Evidently I was being left alone to live my life and I saw no reason to announce my return to anyone," Ichigo shot back.
"That's beside the point Kurosaki," Toshiro interjected. "With raw power like your own, left unchecked it would have disastrous…"
"If you haven't already noticed, I've gotten a hold on my power and it's not a danger to those around me," he added, interrupting the white-haired prodigy. "Even after I regained my powers, my reiatsu signature has remained low enough that your systems haven't even picked it up. So that begs the question…are you really concerned over what my powers could do, or are you more concerned with the fact that I'm not under your 'control'."
While the Komamura, Byakuya, Mayuri and Kenpachi showed no reaction to his accusations, Sui-Feng and Toshiro scowled at the former substitute, while the Lieutenants fidgeted uncomfortably in the background.
"I'm not going to answer any more questions on my power, so we may as well get back to the reason you guys are here," Ichigo said with a sigh.
"An issue that comes straight back to you Kurosaki," Mayuri said with a demented smirk. "As it seems that you are harbouring the very person that seems responsible for this mess."
"I do believe that the man belongs to your division though Captain Kurotsuchi," Kisuke added, while Ichigo wasn't surprised that the man was part of the Gotei 13.
"A traitor in the Gotei 13, you don't see one of those very often," Ichigo commented, drawing several glares from the Captains once again. "Regardless of where he's from though, he is after a girl we found unconscious on the street. Since she has no intention of going with him and I'm not about to hand her over to him…I believe we should just move on and plan how we're going to stop him."
"The easiest way would be to interrogate Ms Kujo and find out what she knows and then use her as bait," Mayuri explained. Everyone present could see that this wouldn't go over well, especially since Ichigo was now glaring directly at the Twelfth Division Captain.
"It may be a bit early to decide to lay a trap for this Kageroza Inaba, but at the very least we need to talk to Ms Kujo and find out what she knows about this new enemy," Komamura added, trying to defuse a potentially volatile situation.
"I can have several members of the Stealth Force retrieve her for questioning now then…" Sui-Feng began as she moved towards the ladder, only to pause as Ichigo appeared in front of her, his reiatsu clearly projecting his displeasure and the consequences of following through with her actions.
"She's currently resting after the ordeal she has been through Captain Sui-Feng," he said in a low venomous tone. "As such you can wait until she has recovered and I bring her here of her own will before you can think about asking her any questions."
"We can wait for now Kurosaki, but sooner or later we will need answers from her and I would prefer to have your cooperation on this matter," Toshiro said, watching Ichigo scowl and turn on his heel, disappearing up the ladder with Nova. Turning to the eccentric shopkeeper, Toshiro sent a glare in his direction. "You couldn't have informed us of this situation earlier Urahara? And why did you train him in kido?"
"Now Captain Hitsugaya, why would I do that, especially since I am still considered an exile by the Central 46?" Kisuke asked with a smile, his fan hiding his face. "Kurosaki-kun has proven to be responsible enough with his power to not abuse it and you could have found that out at any time had you chosen to stay in contact with him, but you didn't. And don't blame me for his skill in kido, the boy has a monstrous growth curve and would master some of the simpler spells with ease on his own. I myself am curious about who taught him, but I trust him enough to tell me when he's ready. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some customers to attend to," he said with a wave of his hand, heading out of the underground chamber.
"As annoyed as I am that Kurosaki kept his powers a secret from me," Uryu began, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, "you antagonising him isn't helping to make him any friendlier. If you push him too hard, too quickly, I won't be surprised or sympathetic when he turns his back on you," the Quincy said, adding his personal touch as Orihime nodded her head and Chad grunted in agreement.
XXX
Meanwhile, Ichigo had finally arrived home and had sunk into a meditative position on his bedroom floor, willing himself into his inner world. Landing nimbly on his feet, he could see Kyoka standing in front of him with a sad smile on her face.
"Welcome back Ichigo," she said in a melancholic tone. "You've come for answers and I promise I will give them to you…I only hope you do not hate me when this is all over…"
XXX
And I'm going to end it on that torturous note. Sorry but I really, really want to cover the next bit in detail and this chapter was simply growing too large.
Anyway here's some insight or comments on reviews from the last chapter.
Ichigo's reactions to the Gotei 13: Yes if this was canon then I can see him accepting them again with no questions, but part of the change is because Ichigo got his powers back on his own, without their help. Now this is partly my fault since I realise that I haven't shown any interaction between Ichigo and Kyoka Suigetsu with regard to the Gotei 13 and I'll add some background to this in the next chapter probably to properly explain my changes.
Kyoka's 'Influence': Stay tuned for the next chapter! Evil aren't I?
Personalities: They are affecting one another a bit, but nope. Wait and see what I have planned for the next chapter.
Michiru: Again some people like her and some don't. No offense but didn't I say that I didn't believe in 'Love-at-first-sight'. While it's unlikely that she will be the final pairing, I want to see these lesser known characters used a bit more.
PS. Her as a dominatrix…now that makes me shudder, can't I just have a scary Unohana instead? Having a perpetual fear of shy looking girls seems worse than fear of older women with scary smiles.
Kyoka Suigetsu: I still want to do so much more with her though. Hearing that people love how she's turned out is quite heart-warming especially since I don't like creating OC's to fulfil a major role, but I have to say I like her so far. (I know Kyoka Suigetsu is a canon zanpakuto, but the spirit is completely unknown.)
Again thanks to everyone that reviewed the last chapter and I hope you enjoyed this one too.