I'm back with a new chapter my readers! First and foremost, I'm truly, deeply, on my hands and knees, sorry for the wait. I was in an accident and had to stay in the hospital for a while. I got released recently and was writing like crazy to get this chapter done as fast as I could. I hope you can forgive me for unintentionally ghosting you all! DX
I'm still recovering, but the least I could do is fight through my aching arms and get this chapter to you all. Furthermore, my poll is still up for those of you who don't know about it and wish to place a vote. With that said, please enjoy the chapter!
Chapter Eleven:
Rukia watched helplessly from her place with Toya as Ichigo fell to his knees. Blood spurts out from his wounded shoulder and he grips it to stop the bleeding. Toya had lightened his hold on her, but she still couldn't escape his grip. The white haired lieutenant returned his gaze to the fight, thinking he should at least watch the substitute's final moments. As he paid attention to Ichigo's facial features, Toya couldn't help thinking he strongly resembled Kaien.
'Could that be why Rukia gave him her powers?' Toya looked down at Rukia, already having second thoughts about his decision. His eyes went back to ichigo to see him drop his zanpakuto to the ground. 'He's only a kid.'
"Sorry it's ending this way, kid." Renji said as he circled Zabimaru over his head. "But that's what's known as a difference in strength." He retracted Zabimaru back into its starting shape. "That's because the zanpakuto can change its size and shape in response to the wielder's spirit energy."
"You never had a chance." Toya said, taking over Renji's explanation of the zanpakuto while the young substitute's head lowered. "Each zanpakuto has a name." He looked down at Ichigo's zanpakuto then to Renji's, comparing their size and shape. "By learning their name, they can grant us their power." Toya's eyes held a serious calculating look as he returned to appraising Ichigo. "If you didn't even know that, then you wouldn't last five minutes in the soul society."
"Not that it matters now." Renji smirked down at Ichigo who trembled uncontrollably and was unable to look up as he continued kneeling. "It's time for me to head out." He leveled Zabimaru at Ichigo in preparation to deal the killing blow. "I don't like the way the air smells here."
Just by looking at the substitute, Toya knew Ichigo wasn't the type to turn his back and run. Ever since the orange head arrived, the white haired lieutenant felt an immense amount of spirit energy emanating from him. It was rough and out of control, like there was something barely restraining it while at the same time letting it loose. Toya estimated that Ichigo would be at least a seventh or sixth seat officer if he were an actual soul reaper.
'And that's as he is now.' Toya thought, a nervous bead of sweat trailing down his face. 'If he has the proper amount of training,' He felt Raijinmaru vibrating in his sheath, waiting for Toya to draw him. 'I don't even want to think what kind of monster he would be.'
Giving Byakuya a side glance, Toya slightly eased up his hold on Rukia more. He knew that she wanted to intervene so the orange haired substitute could escape. Rukia felt Toya's grip on her becoming weaker and looked back to him. He didn't spare her a glance, only giving her a barely noticeable nod in Ichigo's direction.
"You're like an open book sometimes." Toya said softly, being careful no one but Rukia heard him. "I know when there's no point in stopping you."
"Toya."
"He's so much like Kaien, isn't he?" Toya lowered his head at the reminder of his savior and mentor. Rukia's eyes widened at the mention of their late lieutenant while Toya sighed. "Go, before I change my mind."
Without needing to be told twice, as Renji charges in to deal the finishing blow, Rukia breaks free from Toya's hold and runs up towards Renji. She grabs his sword arm while spinning around to his back, restraining his movement and shouting at Ichigo to run. Toya gripped Raijinmaru's hilt, preparing to intervene if the fight continued.
"What are you doing, Rukia?!" Renji demanded, surprised by Rukia's actions as well as that she got away from Toya. "Let go of me!" He struggles to free himself, but Rukia pulls back his arm while crouching on his back. "Are you trying to make things worse for yourself?!
"Ichigo, get out of here!" Rukia shouted, tightening her hold on Renji's arm, looking at Ichigo who hadn't moved at all. "Hurry, you got to, go!"
"Toya!" The white haired lieutenant glanced at Renji to see he was looking at him. There was a slight apologetic gleam in his eyes hidden underneath the glare. "What are you doing just standing there?!"
Toya said nothing in response, looking at his red headed friend then to Rukia. His gaze then went to the orange haired substitute who remained kneeling on the ground. Toya could feel Byakuya's eyes on the back of his head as he took a deep breath. Raijinmaru's hilt felt warm in his hand as he slowly drew him. Despite not wanting to kill a human, the white haired lieutenant knew he had a job to do. With a heavy heart, carefully concealed by a serious face, Toya approached Ichigo.
"Strike down from the heavens, Raijinmaru." Toya muttered, holding his zanpakuto to the side as it glowed and formed his shikai. "Before you die, I feel you should also know my zanpakuto's name." He stood behind the substitute and rested Raijinmaru's blade against Ichigo's neck, seeing a single finger twitch slightly. "Sorry it has to end this way."
"Ichigo, get up!" Rukia's eyes widened in fear, watching as Toya leveled Raijinmaru at Ichigo's back. She watched as Toya prepared to stab the young substitute before shutting her eyes. "Run away!"
Despite Rukia telling him to get up and run, Ichigo grabs his zanpakuto, an action that halts Toya's attempt to run him through. He then begins standing up much to her, Toya, and Renji's surprise. Because he was right behind the substitute, Toya could feel Ichigo's spirit energy rising. His eyes widened in shock at the rate it was increasing and slowly backed away. He looked up at Byakuya to see the man's eyes narrow slightly, showing that he felt it as well.
"B-but this can't be!" Renji said, his surprise causing him to stutter as he stared at Ichigo. "You shouldn't have the strength left to move." Renji throws off Rukia before standing to his full height and smirking at Ichigo. "This'll work out just fine, I've been thinking it's be a shame to finish off someone who couldn't move anymore."
'Renji, you fool.' Toya gritted his teeth as he watched Ichigo slowly get back to his feet. 'Can't you feel his spirit energy rising?' He tightly gripped Raijinmaru with both hands, keeping his eyes on the substitute 'It'll probably take the two of us now to beat this kid.'
"I guess the only thing left for you to do is fight hard and die." Renji said, resting Zabimaru on his shoulder. He looked at Toya with a confused frown when he saw his white haired friend shaking a little. 'What's with Toya, he almost looks nervous.'
"Run!" Rukia shouted, a desperate tone in her voice when the substitute didn't show any signs of moving. "You must save yourself, I'm begging you, run!"
Toya couldn't stop the shaking of his body as he took another step back away from the orange haired substitute. He could feel Ichigo's spirit energy gathering and compressing itself around the young teen. With every second that passed, it felt like a weight was being pressed down on Toya. The white haired lieutenant noticed that Ichigo's shihakusho and the tassels on his zanpakuto were moving on their own.
He tightened his hold on Raijinmaru's hilt as he prepared for the battle where one is left dead. Raijinmaru's blade sparked with electricity, sensing that his master was channeling his power. Toya heard Renji declaring that he will make the first attack if Ichigo does not and assumes a battle stance. But Toya could sense more power was being condensed around Ichigo's zanpakuto.
Toya's eyes widened as the tassels on the end of the hilt burst off as he unleashes a powerful wave of spiritual pressure, stunning Renji and pushing Toya back. Glaring at Renji, Ichigo surges toward him and slashes through his left shoulder as he leaps into the air behind him. Upon landing, Ichigo quickly turns back to face Renji, and as the latter raises Zabimaru in an attempt to block him, Ichigo delivers a powerful upward slash, knocking Renji backward off his feet and into the air. Forced to grab onto a nearby railing in order to bring himself to a halt, Renji looks up at Ichigo while bleeding from the forehead and is shocked when his visor snaps in two.
Toya swung Raijinmaru, releasing a lightning dragon towards the substitute. Just before the dragon struck him, Ichigo jumped away, causing the dragon to hit the ground. Toya raised an arm to shield his eyes when debris flew towards him. When he lowered his arm, Toya lost sight of Ichigo and gritted his teeth for his mistake. For years, he reminded himself to never take his eyes off his opponent and he did just that. He gasped when he felt pain on his back and fell to his knees as blood spurts out from his wounded back.
Rukia stared in shock as Ichigo was able to injure not only Renji, but also Toya, who had a better reaction time. Since she knew both lieutenants for a long time, Rukia knew for a fact that Renji and Toya couldn't have been wounded so easily. She granted that they were stunned by Ichigo's sudden rise in spiritual pressure, but that couldn't be enough. Out of the three of them, Toya was the most nimble and difficult to hit.
'Damn, I let my guard down.' Toya hissed in pain as he pushed himself back to his feet and turned to face Ichigo. He fought against the pain in his back, tightly gripping Raijinmaru with both hands. 'Where is all this spiritual pressure coming from, there's no way that's all Rukia's!'
'What is with this kid?' Renji muttered, glancing at Toya and saw the slash mark on his back. 'He was able to injure both of us?' He looked at Ichigo who was grinning. 'He was ready to die just a minute ago, so then how did he get this new found power?!'
"I'll tell you exactly what's wrong!" Ichigo yelled, bringing both Renji and Toya out of their thoughts. "It's just that somehow both your moves have suddenly got slower!" Renji and Toya gritted their teeth as they knew it was the opposite. "I don't understand what's happening to me, but I like it! I feel no pain from my wounds, in fact, I feel totally invincible!"
'Is this kid even human?' Toya moved back to stand beside Renji as the red head got to his feet. 'I've never felt anything like this, his spiritual pressure won't stop increasing!'
"Why you!" Renji swings Zabimaru at Ichigo, only to retract it and swing again from a different angle when the substitute further exerts his spiritual pressure.
After Ichigo dodges his second swing, Renji fully retracts Zabimaru and swings downward at him, prompting Ichigo to deflect it with a slash. Knocked off-balance by this, Renji retracts Zabimaru once more and assumes a battle stance as a grinning Ichigo leaps over the railing. Seeing his chance, Toya released another lightning dragon towards Ichigo, who lept out of the way. Toya swung Raijinmaru, causing the lightning dragon to change its flight path to further pursue Ichigo.
'That kid's toast.' Renji thought, watching the lightning dragon chasing after Ichigo with every swing Toya made. 'No one can escape once Toya sets his dragons on them.'
The substitute continued to grin as he swung his zanpakuto at the dragon that bared its fangs. Toya and Renji watched in shock as Ichigo not only held the lightning dragon off, but was deflecting sparks of electricity with just his spiritual pressure. With a loud shout, Ichigo began to push the lightning dragon back. The substitute then proceeded to slash the dragon in half, effectively dispersing it. He then surges towards a dumbstrucked Toya and locks blades with him, exerting even more spiritual pressure.
'What's with this kid?' Toya gritted his teeth as he was being overwhelmed by the substitute's spiritual pressure. He saw that Ichigo still had a grin on his face, almost as if he was enjoying the fight. 'He's like an out of control animal!'
Toya looked over Ichigo's shoulder to look at Renji, getting a nod as he prepared to swing Zabimaru. Toya turned his attention back to Ichigo before bringing their blades down and jumping back. Renji swings Zabimaru at Ichigo again while Toya releases another lightning dragon in a pincer attack. They watched as Ichigo deflected Zabimaru towards Toya before leaping away from the lightning dragon. Toya's eyes widened in shock before leaping to the side to dodge Zabimaru. He then saw Ichigo was in front of him and brought up Raijinmaru to black a slash that knocked him off his feet.
As she watches this, Rukia is left incredulous at Renji being pressured by Ichigo while Byakuya continues to watch silently. Ichigo runs and jumps over a rooftop to slash at Renji, leading the latter to leap away and land back on the street. The red haired lieutenant fell to his knees as blood spurts out of his left leg. As Ichigo landed nearby, he jumped to the side to dodge a downward slash from Toya. Toya jumped over Ichigo to avoid a slash and landed beside Renji, dropping Raijinmaru. Toya gripped his right arm as blood trailed down it and dripped from his fingertips to the ground.
"You're both awfully good at dodging my sword." Ichigo commented, his grin still in place as another surge of spiritual pressure was exerted. Renji and Toya were speechless and can only wonder how much higher it can go. "But all that's about to end."
With that being said, Ichigo leaps high into the air overshadowing the full moon behind him. With Renji unable to move due to his heavy and intense spiritual pressure, a yelling Ichigo hurtles toward him and slashes downward. Toya quickly picked up Raijinmaru and got in front of Renji to block the substitute's attack. However, as the dust clears from the resulting impact, Ichigo discovers his zanpakuto is suddenly missing most of its blade, with Renji and Toya not having been wounded by his last attack.
"My zanpakuto." Ichigo muttered, not understanding what happened that caused the loss of his blade. He looked up at Renji and Toya to see they were in the same state of shock as he was. 'But, they didn't do anything.'
'There's only one thing that makes sense.' Toya swallowed anxiously, looking over Ichigo's shoulder with the substitute doing the same. Their eyes were on Byakuya, who hadn't moved from where he stood. In his right hand was the missing blade of Ichigo's zanpakuto, much to the substitue's shock and disbelief. 'As much as I hate to admit it, Renji and I would've been dead if captain Kuchiki didn't intervened.'
While Byakuya drops the severed blade on the ground and moves his hand to grip his own Zanpakutō, Ichigo notes he will be attacking and prepares to intercept him. However, Toya knew it was an act of futility as he watched everything unfold. Byakuya suddenly appears next to Ichigo and moves behind him faster than he can follow, and while Renji, Toya, and Rukia watch in shock, a stunned Ichigo stands for a few seconds before looking down to his chest, where blood suddenly begins spurting out of a fresh wound.
'So fast.' Toya tightened his grip on Raijinmaru as he watched Ichigo begin to fall over. The white haired lieutenant could see from the look on his face that Ichigo had no idea what happened to him. 'I didn't even see him draw his zanpakuto, let alone strike the blow.'
"You're slow." Byakuya mocked, suddenly appearing beside Ichigo. "Even when you are falling."
"Brother don't do it!" Rukia called out, a pleading tone in her voice while Byakuya merely looked at her.
He then stabbed Ichigo again, once again too fast for anyone to follow, and the substitute collapsed to the ground. Renji and Toya were astonished, mentally admitting that Byakuya is still incredible in action. While they struggled to defeat the substitute, the squad six captain made it look easy.
'Even after forty years, I'm still nowhere near his level.' Toya gritted his teeth in frustration before looking over his shoulder at Renji. He could see that Renji was completely unable to tell when Byakuya drew his sword or attacked the first time. 'The both of us still have a long way to go.'
"What's the matter, you two?" Toya was brought out of his thoughts and looked at Byakuya who addressed them.
"Uh, we really didn't need your help defeating this kid, captain." Renji asserted, averting his eyes from Byakuya. Toya wanted to nod in agreement, but he knew better than that and remained silent. "There's no reason for you to interfere, we could have handled this ourselves."
"Come now Renji." Byakuya said, closing his eyes while Toya proceeded to use healing kido to tend to the wound on his arm. "Even I will get rusty if all I ever do is watch, do you agree?"
'No, this kid's different.' Renji thought, looking down at Ichigo then to Toya who struggled to tend to the wound on his back. 'I can see now why Toya seemed nervous earlier.'
'That should stop the bleeding.' Toya lowered his arm after closing the wound on his back before looking down at the substitute. 'What a terrifying kid, how did the soul society not notice someone like him sooner?'
"Ichigo!" Toya and Renji looked up to see Rukia jumping over the railing and running over to Ichigo.
"You idiot!" Toya shouted, kneeling down and plunging Raijinmaru's blade into the ground while Renji angrily ran to intercept Rukia.
Sparks of blue electricity from the dragon mouth went down the blade and into the ground. Toya watched as small bolts of electricity traveled towards Rukia. When the bolts touched her feet, Rukia let out a small scream and stopped running. She felt her whole body going numb as the jolts traveled from her feet up to her spine.
Rukia mentally cursed herself for forgetting the abilities of Toya's zanpakuto. Thirty years ago, they discovered that Toya can also paralyze his opponents. All he had to do was have Raijinmaru touch them as the blade sparks with electricity. He can also plunge the blade into the ground to paralyze them from a distance. Unable to move, Rukia could do nothing as Renji grabbed her by the neck and pinned her against a sign pole with his free hand.
"Renji, let go, let me go!" Rukia demanded, unable to move her arms to pry Renji's hand off her neck.
"What does it matter now you fool?!" Renji angrily shouted, being careful not to grip her neck too hard. He knew that she couldn't move because of what Toya did to her with Raijinmaru. "The kid's already dead!"
"Are you trying to make things worse for yourself?" Toya demanded, getting Rukia's attention as he removed Raijinmaru from the ground and got to his feet. He looked down at Ichigo, giving the substitute a look of pity before turning his attention back to Rukia. "Lay even one finger on him, then 20 years will be added to your sentence."
"Besides Rukia," Rukia looked back at Renji who had a demanding look on his face. "You'd only end up increasing your sins for someone who's died!"
"I got him involved in all this." Toya could hear the regret in Rukia's soft voice as she lowered her head. She then looked back up to Renji and both he and Toya could see the unshed tears reflecting the moonlight in her eyes. "It's my fault that Ichigo's dead, so what the hell's wrong with me going to him?!"
"So even if it would make your sentence harsher, you truly feel you must help him." Byakuya observed, stepping in front of Ichigo and looking at Rukia. "Is that what you're saying to me?"
"I am, brother." Rukia replied, feeling the numbness leaving her body and movement slowly returning to her.
"I understand, Rukia" Byakuya gave Ichigo a brief glance before looking back at Rukia. "This young man does indeed bear a striking resemblance to him."
Rukia and Toya were saddened as they knew who Byakuya was referring to when he mentioned Ichigo's resemblance. Even now, the death of Kaien weighed heavily on their hearts, especially Rukia. Kaien was a mentor and dear friend to them, teaching and helping them whenever he could. Kaien taught Toya to better control his lightning dragons and was present when Rukia learned the power of her zanpakuto. The fact he was no longer with them was heart-wrenching, Rukia especially.
"He's dead, you say?" Suddenly, Ichigo grabs the hem of Byakuya's shihakusho, which alerts him and Toya. The white haired lieutenant couldn't believe his eyes as Ichigo raised his head to see he was grinning. "Bears a striking resemblance to him? I'd rather that you quit talking about me like I'm not even here, got it?"
"Let go." Byakuya calmly demanded, not even turning his head to look down at Ichigo.
"Sorry, I couldn't hear you." Ichigo said, his hand shaking as he tried to keep his grip on Byakuya's shihakusho. "Try looking at me when you talk."
'Impossible!' Toya had a look of disbelief as he stared down at the heavily injured substitute. 'How is he still alive, he should be dead with all the blood he lost!'
"I see." Byakuya finally turned to look down at the substitute and Toya knew he was irritated. "It looks like you won't be needing that arm."
Shocked at what he heard, Rukia breaks free from Renji's grip and runs over and kicks Ichigo's hand away from Byakuya, much to his surprise. Renji was surprised by Rukia's action while Toya had a look of understanding. The white haired lieutenant knew that Rukia's action was to save the substitute despite knowing he'll die soon. Having been in the same squad as her, Toya can tell almost immediately what Rukia is thinking.
"Rukia, what are you doing?" Ichigo asked, looking up in confusion as to why she kicked his hand away from the squad six captain.
"You are just a human." Rukia said coldly, her head lowered so that her hair shadowed over her eyes. "You are just a lowly human, how dare you grab my brother like that?" She then turned her head to glare down at the orange haired teen. "You better learn your place!"
'Trying to make sure he lives a little longer.' Toya let out an inaudible sigh, moving to stand beside Renji as they watched on. He sealed Raijinmaru and sheathed him, but didn't remove his hand from the hilt. 'What happened here that made you so attached to this human, Rukia?'
"We should leave here now, brother." Rukia said as she turned to Byakuya, not even giving Ichigo a second glance. "The actions Ichigo just took have opened my eyes to the truth." Toya saw Rukia's already clenched fists tightening with every word she said. "I am ready now, take me back to the soul society. It is time I atone for my sins."
"You can't leave here now." Ichigo said, confused of what Rukia was saying as he struggled to push himself up. "I mean our work isn't finished."
"You don't know when to give up, do ya?" Renji asked, pining Ichigo down with his foot while Toya raised a hand in preparation to cast kido. "Listen, the more you move around the quicker you'll find yourself dead."
"You already lost a lot of blood." Toya added, lowering his hand when he saw no resistance from Ichigo.
"I see no need to inflict a final blow upon him now." Rukia said, facing forward to avoid looking at anyone. "Leave him be, soon enough he'll die on his own." Despite her voice being controlled, Toya could still see the sadness in her eyes. "We should go now, brother."
"Wait, Rukia!" Ichigo shouted as Rukia moved to stand beside Byakuya. "Stop, look at me, is this some kind of joke?!" He struggled to push himself up again. "Hey!"
"Don't move!" Rukia shouted, halting Ichigo's attempt to stand up to look at her. "Take even one step, or try to come after me, and I'll… I'll…" She finally turned to face the substitute for him to see the tears in her eyes. "I will never ever forgive you!" Ichigo just stared on as she tried to reign in her emotions. "You are going to die, so why not stay put and live a few seconds longer?"
"Rukia." Toya said softly, casting a look of worry to his longtime friend as it began to rain heavily and silence filled the air.
"Alright, I will not inflict the finishing blow." Byakuya finally said, readjusting his zanpakuto on his waist before looking down at Ichigo. "With my two attacks against him, I have shattered both his soul chain and soul sleep."
"With blows like those, he has an hour at most." Toya added, looking down at Ichigo and watching the teen's blood mix with the rain water. "Even if he does survive, he won't have his soul reaper powers anymore."
"Not just his soul reaper powers, but also his spirit energy." Byakuya said, turning his back to Ichigo. "Renji."
"Yes." Renji removed his foot from Ichigo and walked to stand in front of Byakuya and Rukia. He held up Zabimaru before thrusting forward where the blade vanished. "Now open!"
Toya watched as Renji turned Zabimaru like a key and the space around the blade became slightly distorted. A pair of paper sliding doors appeared before sliding open to reveal a circular pair of the same doors. The door also opened to reveal a bright passageway as four black butterflies fluttered out.
"Captain Kuchiki." Byakuya turned his head to look at Toya who raised a finger for a butterfly to perch itself. "I'd like to request to remain here for a little while longer."
"And why would you request that, lieutenant?" Byakuya asked as Renji sealed Zabimaru and sheathed it.
"To have confirmation of the boy's death." Toya replied, looking down at Ichigo who looked like he was struggling to stay conscious. "Despite his chances of surviving being low, someone could save him."
"Even if that is the case, he won't have any powers." Byakuya said, glancing at Ichigo for a moment before turning his attention back to Toya. "I see no need for you to remain here to confirm his death."
"I know his type, captain." Toya briefly looked at Rukia and Renji as the butterfly left his finger to flutter around him. "If he survives, he'll try to find a way to get his powers back and come after Rukia."
"It is impossible to regain soul reaper powers once they are lost." Byakuya closed his eyes as he faced his head forward. "If such a method existed, we would have known about it."
"There's still the possibility it hasn't been discovered yet." Toya pointed out, gaining Byakuya's attention again. "I just don't want there to be any sudden surprises."
Byakuya remained silent as he considered Toya's request and everything that transpired. The squad six captain knows of the white haired lieutenant's track record. He takes every mission he's been on seriously and has good intuition. Byakuya remembered reading a report about Toya when he was still in the academy. During training against dummy hollows, it was Toya who was the first to realize something was wrong.
Since then, whenever the squad thirteen lieutenant made a decision based on intuition, it was for good reason. The squad six captain had to admit that Toya was an expert tactician as his missions suffered the least amount of casualties. His skills as a strategist rivals most captains in the thirteen court guard squads. The way Toya is able to make split second decisions is almost instinctive to him.
"Very well." Byakuya finally said, opening his eyes before approaching the senkaimon with Renji and Rukia. "Once you have confirmed his death, return immediately."
"Understood." Toya bowed, waiting until the doors of the senkaimon closed and vanished to stand straight again. He looked down at Ichigo and stared for a moment before kneeling down next to the teen. "Rukia protected you, I hope you realize that."
Ichigo said nothing in response, clenching his hands into fists and shut his eyes in frustration. The orange haired teen couldn't move his body at all now, his consciousness fading with each passing second. Toya stared at the teen lying in front of him, letting out a sigh before picking Ichigo's broken zanpakuto and placing it within its sheath. He watched as more of the teens blood pooled around him and mixed with the rain water. Just by looking at the teen, Toya is reminded of Kaien and how he died in a similar manner.
'It was raining that day too.' Toya closed his eyes as the events played before his eyes of Kaien's death. The hollow, Kaien being possessed, Rukia killing Kaien, he remembered it all. Opening his eyes, Toya once again looked down at Ichigo. 'Rukia, I think I know why you protected him now.'
Ignoring the pain on his back, Toya leaned forward slightly and held a hand over Ichigo's body. His hand glowed green from the use of kido before placing it against Ichigo's back where the two stab wounds were. Ichigo opened his eyes when he felt something warm on his back and looked over his shoulder. His eyes widened slightly when he saw Toya using kido to not kill him, but to heal him.
"Why?" Ichigo weakly asked, trying to move his body but couldn't muster the strength to do so.
"Don't move." Toya said firmly, moving his hand to Ichigo's shoulder after sealing the wounds on the teen's back. "Save your strength."
"But why are you helping me?" Ichgio asked again, feeling the pain in his shoulder slowly fading away. "I thought you were going to confirm my death."
"I said save your strength." Toya shook his head in exasperation and continued to heal the teen's shoulder. "It's our duty as soul reapers to protect humans." He watched as Ichigo's shihakusho and zanpakuto vanished and were replaced by a plain white kimono. "Since you lost your soul reaper powers, there's no reason to kill you."
"What's gonna happen to Rukia?" Ichigo demanded, moving to get up but was pinned down by Toya's knee.
"What part of don't move didn't you understand?" Toya said through clenched teeth as he continued to heal the struggling teen's shoulder. "Are you trying to reopen the wounds I just sealed?"
"I gotta go after her." Ichigo protested, continuing to try and get Toya off him and get back to his feet.
"Why are you so desperate to go after her?" Toya demanded, pressing his knee hard against Ichigo's back, causing the teen to wince in pain. The white haired lieutenant also winced in pain as the wound on his back protested. 'I think my wound just reopened.'
"I owe her!" Toya blinked in surprise at Ichigo's response and the teen stopped struggling to slam a fist onto the ground. "Rukia saved my life and changed my destiny." The orange haired teen gritted his teeth as he thought about his first meeting with Rukia. "If I hadn't met Rukia, then I wouldn't have become a soul reaper and have the power to protect everyone."
"She's had that much of an impact on you?" Toya muttered, letting out a sigh and shaking his head as he continued to heal Ichigo's shoulder. His hand ceased glowing and he removed it from Ichigo's shoulder before standing up. "You shouldn't be in danger of dying now."
"Wait." Ichigo weakly called out as Toya turned his back to him and unsheathed Raijinmaru. "What's going to happen to Rukia?"
"You really want to know?" Toya looked over his shoulder, staring at the teen with slightly narrowed eyes. He faced forward again and proceeded to open the senkaimon as the butterfly fluttered around him. "If she's lucky, she'll face imprisonment for a long time."
"And if she's not?" Ichigo demanded, pushing himself so he was on his knees.
"I've said too much already." Toya shook his head as the doors began to slide open and walked to enter. "Please, for Rukia's sake, live a long life and don't come after her." As the doors slowly began to close, Toya turned to look at Ichigo one last time. "I don't want her to suffer more than she already has."
"Hold on!" Ichigo quickly got to his feet and staggered forward, reaching a hand towards Toya just as the doors fully closed.
Toya sighed, turning to walk down the bright corridor of the senkaimon with the butterfly fluttering ahead of him. The white haired lieutenant tried to ignore the throbbing pain and his shihakusho sticking to his back. He reached behind him and when Toya brought his hand in front of him, he saw that it was stained in blood. His vision began to become clouded and was having trouble keeping his eyes open as he continued to walk. His feet got heavier with each step he took and occasionally lost his balance.
'Damn, I lost more blood than I thought.' Toya felt his body begin to sway from side to side and reached behind him again. 'Gotta… stop the… bleeding…'
The moment Toya stepped out of the senkaimon, his legs could no longer sustain his weight and slowly fell forward. As he fell, Toya's eyes slowly closed before collapsing to the ground, alerting the kido corps members standing beside the gate.
Toya slowly opened his eyes and was confused to find himself lying face down on a bed. He attempted to push himself up only to stop when his back protested. He then felt something wrapped around his chest and saw that it was bandages. Toya twisted his head around to see he was in a hospital room, meaning he was in squad four at the moment. He slowly lowered himself back onto the bed and looked out the sole window that was within his line of sight.
"It's morning already." Toya noted upon seeing clear blue skies and the occasional cloud floating by. He brought a hand to gently touch the bandages around his chest, being careful not to unravel them. "How long have I been out of it?"
"Twelve hours, but you have lost a concerning amount of blood."
Toya twisted his head around to the entrance of the hospital room to see who spoke. Standing just outside the door was a slender and very youthful woman with blue eyes and black hair. She wears the standard captain coat apart from using an obi instead of the normal sash, which hides her well-endowed bosom. Her hair is long and worn as a large braid down the front of her body. She had a kind and gentle smile on her face as she stepped into the room. Toya recognized the woman right away as Restu Unohana, captain of squad four.
"Captain Unohana." Toya greeted, a nervous sweat trailing down his face as the squad four captain got closer.
The white haired lieutenant has heard a large number of rumors about the squad four captain. What he heard was a little scary, saying that she was a scary person despite looking so kind. He didn't believe the rumors until he first met captain Unohana thirty years ago. He took a subordinate that got injured to squad four when it happened. A few members of squad eleven, which Toya dubbed the battle maniac squad, were making a ruckus.
He wasn't sure why, but squad eleven seemed to hate members of squad four because they thought they were weak. This rubbed Toya the wrong way and was about to defend the squad members. However, before he could do anything, Captain Unohana appeared and handled the situation. It was a scary sight, seeing her giving them a kind gentle smile while at the same time leaking killing intent.
Needless to say, Toya learned then and there not to anger the squad four captain in any way. Despite being a healer, Unohana is still a captain, and Toya does not want to be in worse shape than why he came to squad four.
"It's a relief to see you have regained consciousness, lieutenant Toya." Retsu said, gently helping the white haired lieutenant to roll to the side before slowly sitting up. "How are you feeling, no fatigue?"
"No." Toya shook his head before holding his head with a hand when the action made him have a reeling sensation. "I do feel a bit lightheaded."
"That's normal with how low your blood level is right now." Retsu nodded, holding Toya's wrist with one hand and firmly pressed her thumb against it. She hummed in thought before lowering Toya's arm before proceeding to remove his bandages. "I suggest eating foods rich in iron, folic acid, vitamin B-12, copper, and vitamin A to help get your blood levels back to normal."
"I understand." Toya nodded in understanding as he watched Restu set the dirty bandages to the side and pulled out another roll. "How long do I have to be bedridden?"
"I'd like you to stay for one more night so I can monitor your condition." Restu replied, wrapping the bandages around Toya, being careful not to agitate the slash wound on his back. "Your wound has already healed quite a bit."
"Because I did basic first aid." Toya sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck and cringed when he remembered how he got the wound. "But I guess it reopened a little on my way back."
"You always seem to come back in terrible shape, lieutenant." Restu said, giving Toya an amused smile as she helped him lay into a comfortable position. "Oh yes, you have a visitor waiting outside."
"Probably Captain Kuchiki." Toya mused, giving the door a side glance and sensed the spirit energy of the squad six captain. "Most likely for my report."
"I'll let him in then." Retsu nodded, turning to approach the door and opened it before stepping aside to let Byakuya in. "I'll take my leave now, he just needs some rest."
"Thank you, Captain Unohana." Byakuya gave the squad four captain a respectful nod of his head. "I won't be long."
Restu then stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her, leaving Toya and Byakuya alone. The room was filled with tense silence, neither side willing to break it as they stared at each other. Toya had a bead of sweat trailing down his face as he thought of what to say. Byakuya just stared with an unreadable look on his face as he took into account the white haired lieutenant's injuries. From what Renji told him about his white haired friend, Byakuya finds it unusual for Toya to collapse upon returning.
He witnessed the lieutenant healing his wounds himself, although having difficulty with his back. He saw that Toya was lying on his side to avoid agitating his back and seemed to be searching the room. When his eyes landed on his zanpakuto lying against his bed, he visibly relaxed and reached a hand to touch it.
"Your report, lieutenant?" Byakuya asked, finally breaking the silence as Toya ran his hand through his zanpakuto's sheath.
"Right." Toya said softly, removing his hand from Raijinmaru and looking Byakuya in the eyes.
The white haired lieutenant debated whether or not to report that Ichigo was still alive and that he healed him. There was no longer a reason to kill him now that he has lost his powers and it's impossible to get them back as Byakuya pointed out. However, Toya couldn't fully accept that as he believes there is always at least a one percent chance in everything.
Toya knew that no one had discovered a way to recover lost soul reapers powers in the past. But it doesn't dismiss the fact that there might be someone who has and they were not aware of it. New research and discoveries happen everyday, whether in the department of research and development or the world of the living. For all they knew, Ichigo could be regaining his powers right now and trying to find a way into the soul society.
The squad thirteen lieutenant was hoping against that as he knew it would make Rukia sad. Toya saved the orange haired human's life for two reasons and two reasons only. The first being the human's similarity to Kaien, who Toya owed his life and looked up to. The second because he saw how much Rukia cared for him as she risked increasing her sentence just to go to him.
"The human's dead." He sighed, closing his eyes as he thought back to what he did in the world of the living. "He tried to fight me, so I killed him, which caused the wound on my back to reopen."
"I see." Byakuya looked at Toya for a moment before turning his back to him. "I'll inform captain Ukitake of your condition, get some rest."
'I just hope he doesn't come here.' Toya thought as he watched the squad six captain leave his hospital room. He pushed himself into a sitting position, ignoring his protesting back, and reached for Raijinmaru. 'If he does, then I'll have some explaining to do.'
"Master." Toya felt a pull on his soul before closing his eyes and letting the pull take him. When he opened his eyes, he was in his inner world with Raijinamaru towering over him. "What do you intend to do about Rukia?"
"I don't know." Toya shook his head, looking up at the thunderclouds circling above him. "I want to protect her, but it's out of my hands." He sighed, looking back at Raijinmaru who coiled himself around him. "If I try to save her, I'll just be killed for treason."
"Why not seek the help of that human?" Raijinmaru suggested, getting an inquiring look from Toya. "He seemed to want to save Rukia as well."
"That would just be a suicide mission." Toya replied, turning his eyes back to the circling thunderclouds that rumbled and sparked with electricity. "Besides, he doesn't have any power anymore."
"I would not be so sure about that." Raijinmaru said, his tone of voice confusing Toya as the zanpakuto spirit looked deep in thought. "When I clashed blades with that human's zanpakuto, it felt rather unusual."
"What do you mean?" Toya frowned, not used to seeing his zanpakuto spirit bothered by something.
"How should I explain?" Raijinmaru lowered his head, humming in thought before looking at Toya. "The human obtained his powers through Rukia, correct?"
"Yes?" Toya replied slowly, unsure where Raijinmaru was going with the question asked.
"That is what bothers me." Raijinmaru flicked the end of his tail, dispersing a thundercloud that got too close to Toya. "The power emanating from that human's zanpakuto did not feel like Rukia's."
"Where are you going with this?" Toya had a feeling that he wasn't going to like what his zanpakuto spirit was going to say next.
"It is only speculation, but I believe the human had soul reaper powers of his own." Raijinmaru lowered his head to rest beside his master as he thought over how he should explain his speculation. "I have no proof of this, though."
"Wait a second." Toya raised a hand and shook his head, trying to process what Rajinmaru was insinuating. He thought back to his battle with Ichigo and how the substitute's power seemed different from Rukia's "Are you saying that he had soul reaper powers long before Rukia met him."
"From what I could tell from that one encounter, yes." Raijinmaru replied, closing his eyes and spreading his wings to their full length. "It would seem his powers were dormant until Rukia gave him hers." He flapped his wings to create a gust of wind to push the thunderclouds into a cushion for Toya to sit on. "If that human can awaken his dormant powers, he could be a soul reaper again."
Toya frowned when he heard that and his brain immediately went into overdrive to devise a strategy. He knew that if Ichigo did find a way into the soul society, Toya would have to explain why he was still alive. No matter how one looks at it, the logical conclusion is that Toya healed him, which he did, instead of killing him. The only excuse that Toya could think of that was the most believable is that someone saved him when he left.
'However, it's full of holes.' Toya furrowed his eyebrows in deep thought as he tried to make the excuse more solid. His thoughts occasionally wandered to what Rukia's sentence might be now that she was back. 'Probably execution since she gave her powers to a human.'
He couldn't bear the thought of one he thought of as a sister being killed and not doing anything. Despite knowing the dangers, Toya decided to strategize a rescue plan if Rukia does get executed. While it would brand him a traitor, Toya wouldn't regret it if it meant his sister was alive and well.
Raijinmaru watched silently as his master came up with one plan after another with only the rumbling of thunder filling the silence. The zanpakuto spirit has every intention of supporting his master in whatever decision he makes, no matter what it may be. He looked up at the spiraling clouds when his sensitive ears caught the sound of low growling. In the center of the spiraling clouds was a pair of glowing golden eyes.
'The time is slowly approaching.' The eyes seem to flash for a moment, as if in agreement with the zanpakuto spirit's thoughts. He looked back down to his master who was ignorant of the extra pair of eyes on him. 'Whatever may happen, we will always be by your side, Master.'
I sincerely hope that this chapter has met your expectations. Now onto Reviews Corner, where I reply to your reviews and answer any questions that you might have.
Karsap: Same here, especially since I have a lot of catching up to do.
DragonBladeB5: Reference material is referring to certain parts in another work or personal experience that can latter be used in something else like wiring or making a painting to name a few. I'm not sure which nfl team is my favorite as I don't watch that much sports. As for what was taking me so long, I already explained in the author's note at the top. I will answer any digimon related questions the next time I update that fanfic. So I kindly ask that you keep any and all questions you have there.
With that done, until next time my readers!