Sweet mother of God this was a monster of a chapter. 7676 words for the story part alone. And I wrote most of it in, like three days.
Goes to show how much fresh air and exercise will get your brain working. Not to mention clear up an enormous amount of stress. To all my wonderful readers - move around! Go outside! It's freaking terrific!
Anyway, I you like the chapter! With my new creative streak, I'll probably get the next one out by the end of next week. Yay!
(Also, beware of the freakishly long but very informative AN at the end of the chapter.)
And now, as promised, Byakuya makes his debut appearance. Read on!
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warmthwarmthwarmth
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The moment he stepped into the world of the living, Kurosaki Ichigo resurfaced. The air here was different; less... heavy. Sure, it was less fresh and clean than in the Soul Society, but it was more freeing. And the noise of the city below them was familiar - this was a sound he had grown up with.
Eishi stepped up in front of him, obviously curious even behind the Kuchiki mask she was attempting to keep up. She leaned over the edge of the roof they were collected on, keeping her hands locked together behind her back. Below them was a busy road, the bright lights of the cars flowing by in a steady stream through the night.
Quickly, he feigned the same curiosity. After all, Shiba Kei had been born in the Soul Society.
Ishida - no, he reminded himself, this was Akito - and Ino- Atsumi stood right behind him. Even as Kei, he was unused to them being technically his servants. It made him uncomfortable. They had learned, though, that it was simpler to just follow the customs of the nobility.
Rensanka-sensei stood in the air in front of them. "Welcome to the world of the living," she said. "I'm sure I don't have to remind you that this place is more dangerous than the Seireitei, or even the Rukongai. It is easier for a hollow to sense shinigami reiatsu here, and backup is not even in this world. And you will be distracted by pluses (1).
"For the past several years, there has been a steady increase in the number of hollows entering the world of the living. Because of this, there has been an increase in the number of shinigami deployed to the world of the living. Soutaichou (2) has decided that those of you in the advanced class, who will be recruited right after your graduation, must be familiar with operating in the world of the living. That is why, for the next week, you will be watching over a specified section of Kamigyou-ku (3) in Kyoto, with backup in the form of your instructors and several Gotei 13 members only a moment away.
"You have already been assigned to teams. These teams have taken into account your performance levels when working with the other students during your classes. Cooperation is essential."
Kei knew his team's location already; they had all received instructions on paper the day before. Unsurprisingly, he was put with Atsumi, Akito, and Eishi.
It was exhilarating to him. The idea that he would be able to fight real hollows (again) and live (metaphorically) in the human world (again).
He leapt eagerly off the roof as soon as Rensanka-sensei was finished speaking. It was also liberating to be unafraid that as soon as he got upset, a hoard of hollows would come running. His team followed close behind.
He glanced back and saw Eishi staring down as they jumped from rooftop to rooftop. this way, it wasn't long before they were inside their designated zone. "It's great, isn't it?" he said, grinning at the Kuchiki.
Her eyes were wide open, jumping from city light to city light. She spun around, not fast, trying to take in the nightscape all at once. The view was amazing; they were on top of the highest building around for several streets. It was clear she hadn't paid attention to a word he'd said.
Kei started to laugh. Good-naturedly, but still. It didn't help that when she turned to scowl at him, her feet got all tangled up, and, already dizzy from spinning, she fell face-first onto the concrete. Atsumi helped her up, though she made little effort to hide her smile as well.
Eishi was no doubt longing to throw him a glare that would burn him into little bits of ash. The side of her that had been raised as a Kuchiki, though, finally took over and calmed her. He calmed himself as well, clearing his throat. "So," he said, crossing his arms. The remnant of the grin tugged at the corner of his mouth as he spoke. "We could either use our gigais and blend in as humans, or we could stay like this."
He could see the same wish flit across the two women's faces. He knew it; he missed this world, too. It was Akito who spoke up, though. "It would be more convenient if we stayed shinigami. Hollows in this area would be drawn to our reiatsu, rather than to pluses, and we would not have to take the time to exit our gigais."
Kei looked at his nakama. His face was impassive, and Kei honestly couldn't tell if he'd rather live as a human again or not. Before he could respond, though, Atsumi cut in.
"That's true, Akito-kun. But I would like to learn what it's like to be a human. I think the others would as well." She looked at Kei, as if asking him for his opinion.
He sighed. "Eishi?" he asked. "Do you want to use the gigais?"
"Yes!" Her answer was immediate. "I mean... that's fine." She didn't quite blush.
He smiled at her, and turned to his friend. "Well, Akito... I think you're outvoted for now. Remember that this is a training exercise, not a real mission. On a real mission, we'd have less chance to do this. Right now, we have people making sure that the load isn't too heavy, and gigais aren't that much more inconvenient than staying in our shinigami bodies." It was a little uncomfortable to say this.
Akito nodded without much hesitation. "I thought that would be your decision." He met Kei's eyes, and Kei understood what he was really saying. "But I'm going to stay out of my gigai, just in case."
It was surprising. Before they'd gotten here, Kei had just assumed that his friend was as homesick as he was at times. And he knew that Akito could ignore his own desires for the sake of security or a mission. But Ishida couldn't. Ishida was too prideful and, yes, selfish to do that. Akito was a soldier; Ishida wasn't.
So did Ishida really not want to be human again?
In any case, Kei couldn't just stand there, staring, until he figured it out. Internally, he shook his head, and answered Akito. "Sure," he said. "Just stick close."
Leaning over the roof of the building, he saw that there was a conveniently deserted alley between this building and the next. They obviously couldn't change into gigais on top of this roof. (He had a hunch, though, that the pre-dead Ichigo wouldn't have figured that out and would have gotten himself in a mess that Ishida would have laughed hysterically at. The thought almost made him shudder.)
"Follow me," he ordered, and easily jumped over the meter-high barrier at the edge of the roof and fell sixteen stories to the ground, which consisted of gravel and dirt and weeds. The impact shuddered through his body, reminding him again that he was in this living world, where there was no reishi to push against his reiatsu and slow his fall. He could feel the lumpy, sharp stones on the ground through his sandals.
Kei watched the other three land, and was thoroughly convinced that even if he practiced for years, he would never be able to fall as gracefully as Akito and Eishi could. Thankfully for his ego, Atsumi landed with almost the same thump that he did. Not embarrassingly clumsily, but not even close to the fluid movements of the other two, who had landed with practically no sound at all, smoothly bending their knees and straightening.
Clearing his throat and tearing his eyes away from Akito, the last to land, he took out from the pocket in his hakama a little round pill, a lot like the gikongan pills but a bit bigger and pitch black. Urahara-san's portable gigais were standard issue now (there were rumors that Kurotsuchi was not pleased). He put his lips to the circular white dot on the pill and blew.
It was rather awkward to expand one of these (and knowing Urahara-san, he had probably made it that way on purpose). But it was efficient, only taking a few seconds to inflate and become a solid, body-shaped container for a shinigami. Easily, he slipped into it, the identical body readily accepting his soul.
He blinked open his eyes, adjusting to the heavy feeling of being bound by gravity that he hadn't felt for over a decade. For a moment, he nearly lost his balance, but the feeling quickly passed. It was the same for Atsumi.
Eishi, however, wasn't so lucky. She stumbled forward, grabbing onto Atsumi to keep herself upright. The resulting flailing of arms made up for the previous display of grace threefold, and once again he wanted to laugh out loud, though he was successful in holding himself in check this time. This was the least composed he'd seen a Kuchiki since... well... ever, really. Even when Rukia had been beating him up and yelling at him, he had always been able to sense an icy control and dignity. The same went for Byakuya when he had fought him. Now Eishi was red-faced and, once she had finished snapping at Akito's smart remark, grinning herself.
Kei slipped his hands into the pockets of his jeans, something he hadn't done in a very, very long time. Kimonos and hakama (4) were all well and good, but he had always preferred clothes that fit tightly to his skin. They had been able to choose what clothes their gigais would wear (the nobles had been especially fun to watch during this exercise).
He had one indulgence. It was risky if he saw anyone he knew, but he couldn't help it. The faded green tee he had on had bold white numbers on it - 15.
His waist-long black hair was pulled back with an elastic hairband. It felt strange as well; having it long and black while in a human form.
Both of the women wore long, flowing skirts, though Kei had the sneaking suspicion that under her skirt, Eishi was sporting the very short black shorts she had been eyeing, but had been too dignified to wear on their own. Atsumi wore a ruffled maroon tank top over her ankle-length lavender skirt. Eishi wore a white button-up above her own knee-length black skirt. She had even added a skinny black tie. At least she wore black flats rather than heels.
Kei glanced over to Akito, who was observing him with a strange look on his face. "Akito," he said, snapping the man out of his trance. He looked thoughtfully at his stubborn nakama. Well, he could be just as stubborn when he wanted to, and he wasn't going to just let his nakama mope around away from them.
"What?" the former Quincy asked.
"Get out your gigai," he ordered, sharing his decision. As Akito sputtered, stating that he didn't mope, Kei impatiently walked over to him and fished out the gigai pill himself. He held Akito at arm's length while he blew it up, ignoring his protests.
"So," he said, releasing his friend to properly hold the gigai, "here's the deal. I'm ordering you to join us. Got it?"
That shut the man up quite effectively. Akito glowered at him, but conceded to the order. "It's safer if we stick together with our reiatsu hidden," Kei offered, though it was just an excuse to keep his nakama from complaining too much.
Akito slid into his gigai, which wore black slacks and a navy shirt with Chinese fasteners along one side. He touched the bridge of his nose in an old habit, adjusting nonexistent glasses. "Let's go," he said, pointedly not looking at them.
Kei grinned and followed Akito out of the dirty alleyway and onto a bright, noisy sidewalk.
To anyone who bothered to pay attention, they probably looked like a group of university students out on the town, maybe a double date. As they went on, Kei was forced to admit that a fair number of people bothered to pay attention. Boys drooled after Atsumi and Eishi, and girls made eyes at Akito and himself. It was rather unnerving. He didn't usually notice many girls looking at him, but some of the ones that passed probably couldn't even pronounce "subtlety". That went double for the men. A couple even grabbed Atsumi's shoulders. Kei moved to remove them with as much force as he could get away with, and he saw Akito and Eishi moving to do the same, but before they could lay a hand on the men, Atsumi... did something with her fingers, and they stumbled back, rolling their eyes back and gasping in pain. Kei made a mental to never piss her off (or at the very least not be foolish enough to get anywhere near her for a while afterward).
He wasn't sure what they were looking for - they seemed to just be wandering aimlessly in a crowd of people - but when he saw a pizza place that looked as if it made its pizza with as must cheese and grease as possible, he stopped them and marched inside. His mouth was watering before they even set foot in the place.
In his back pocket was the wallet with the money and ID provided by the Academy. They had 250,000 yen each (~2,500 U.S. dollars), enough for several nights in a hotel and plenty of food. He had never been more grateful for kidou.
"Sweet," he said, grinning as they stepped inside. Atsumi was practically drooling as well, and it seemed Akito had been tempted out of his sulking by the prospect of good, greasy pizza. Eishi was the only one who looked unsure of herself - overwhelmed by the sheer sensory overload - but she was sniffing the air hungrily.
"Some of the spirits in the Rukongai who remembered their lives told us about this stuff," he explained to her. It wasn't entirely a lie. "A large pepperoni pizza," he ordered at the counter.
"Oh! Um, could you add pineapple and sausage and... um, jalapenos on one quarter of that, please?" Atsumi put in quickly. The teen behind the counter looked starstruck, and stuttered out a confirmation. The happy, excited smile she gave him nearly made him swoon.
"Uh, um, your order is 1,684 yen (~ 17 dollars). Would you like anything else?" He kept glancing back to Atsumi - or, more specifically, her chest - as he plugged in their order, and the question seemed like it was directed at her.
Kei cleared his throat, and the teen jumped slightly and looked back at him. Quickly deciding not to piss off the well-muscled man with insanely long hair, he said, "Yes, sir?"
"Four cups of water," he said. "That's all, thanks."
"Ah, got it. The water is free, so it's just 1,684." The poor guy kept his eyes on the cash register now, and Kei felt a little sympathy for the guy. He handed over the money, and the kid quickly counted out the change and handed it to him.
"Your order will be ready in a few minutes. Thank you for your patronage!" He gave a nervous smile.
Kei turned away, stuffing the change in a denim pocket. "Come on," he said to his friends, leading them over to a booth with hard plastic seats. "Well," he started, looking around at them. "How do you like the mundane world of humans?"
He grinned while the girls laughed.
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Yuzu was scared. It didn't show, but she was terrified. It was always like this whenever she was sent out into the world, outside the protective walls of the Seireitei. She could see the monsters now, like Karin-chan and onii-chan (5). They were pitiful, hideous creatures that longed to devour her.
She missed onii-chan. She missed his protectiveness, his warmth, his kindness and strength. She missed the baths he would indulge her with - that was her time to have him all to herself, no Karin, no oji-chan (6). Just onii-chan and Yuzu.
She had to be strong. She knew onii-chan was out there somewhere, getting stronger, and he would come back. She wanted him to notice her, to be proud of her. She wanted him to smile at her and ruffle her hair.
Yuzu put the pads of her fingers on the spot where she wore her strawberry hair clip - a gift from onii-chan when they were both a lot younger, when she was still his precious baby sister. It was her most prized possession. She never went anywhere without it. If she had it, she felt like onii-chan's spirit was watching out for her, making sure she was safe. She knew it.
Why else would it house her guardian angel?
She remembered that first time Oukami-sama (7) had appeared always so vividly in her mind. She had been frozen with a fear so strong it dwarfed what she was feeling now.
Karin was standing over her, fists raised in a futile show of defiance. In an instant, she was struck down by a sweep of a white sword. Blood poured onto the tiled floor of their kitchen, and her sister, who had always seemed so untouchable, collapsed onto the floor in front of her, life gone before she hit the ground. She could see Karin's eyes, dull and unseeing.
Yuzu screamed, clutching the sides of her head. Shock and terror tore through her.
The white-clothed man who had just- (no, she couldn't think about that, no no no) stepped forward, and she gasped for breath. He was smirking, that twisted expression conveying madness more effectively than any words ever could. His indigo eyes were narrowed in cruel conviction.
In the part of her mind that was still functioning coherently, she saw the darkness in his eyes that was years upon years of despair and anger.
He took another step forward, and all of her thoughts vanished. She pushed herself away from him, sliding backward on the floor until her back hit the cabinets and she couldn't go any further. She refused to look at the thing on the floor that was not her sister, could not be her sister. Another man stood behind him, silver-haired and wearing a snake's grin. She was sobbing now, her vision blurring, her entire body shaking violently, her mouth hanging open in an effort to breathe through the hitching of her chest.
The man with mad eyes raised his sword again. "No... no..." she gasped out, turning her face away and lifting her arms to shield her head. She squeezed her eyes shut.
"NO!"
Suddenly she heard the sound of metal on metal. She opened her eyes to see the back of a warrior crouched in front of her, his sword straining to stop the mad-eyed man's from advancing any further. "I will not permit you to harm even one hair on my Hime-sama's (8) head!" he declared.
His head turned toward her to reveal a beautiful young man. "Don't worry, Hime-sama," he said, giving her a strained smile. "I am here for you."
The mad-eyes man put pressure on his sword, and the warrior grunted with effort, turning back to him. With a yell of defiance, he levered the mad-eyed man's sword up as he slowly stood.
"Interesting," the mad-eyed man mused. "Don't you think, Gin? Though I suppose I should expect nothing less from the sister of Kurosaki Ichigo. Unfortunately," he continued, flicking his sword and scattering drops of red blood (not Karin's blood, not her sister's blood), "I'm running short on time. I'm sorry about this, Kurosaki-chan, really I am. But I'm afraid this is necessary for Kurosaki-san's evolution."
The warrior quickly tensed and brought his sword up in a defensive stance, but he was too slow. He was sent flying back, landing next to Yuzu. His head leaning back on the cabinets near her shoulder, smearing red blood on the white surface, he smiled sadly up at her. "I am sorry, Hime-sama. I am not strong enough to protect you. I have failed." He turned his body, grunting with effort, until he was kneeling in front of her. "But at least I can do one thing for you."
Gently, his arms wrapped around her, pulling her into his warmth. "Sweet dreams, Hime-sama," he whispered, as she saw the man with mad eyes lifting his sword once more, insane smirk replaced by a cold determination. Soft fingers pressed a spot on her neck, and her body went slack, her eyes sliding closed. She relaxed in her savior's arms, painless darkness taking her away from his nightmare. She never felt the sword pierce her skin.
Yes, Yuzu had to be strong. And with Oukami-sama guarding her at every step, she could be. She placed her hands on the shinigami's bloody chest, golden light flowing from them, listening to Oukami-sama's yells of determination, and knowing that she would be safe, because he was a gift from onii-chan, and he would always protect her.
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Kei cleaved downward through a nameless hollow's mask, not bothering to watch as it dissolved. Instead, he leapt away, to confront the next of the multitude of hollows converging on his team.
It wasn't supposed to be like this. Not even two days into their training exercise, and they were attacked by hundreds of hollows, all coming at the same time. It was like that first meeting with Ishida, only three times as many enemies, and fairly strong ones, too. And he might be far better trained, but he didn't have those massive stores of reiatsu to draw on now.
It was like someone had told the hollows that a group of students were on a mission in the world of the living. It was like... someone had told the hollows that Kurosaki Ichigo was there, weaker than he had been. Weak enough to be overwhelmed.
He slashed the arm off of a hollow who tried to grab Akito. Another was foolish enough to grab one of his icy blue spears. It immediately released it, howling in pain. Kei had learned for himself, the hard way, about the nasty side effect of Akito's reiatsu - currents of hot and cold ran alongside each other, triggering pain receptors when touched. Using the distraction, Akito carved through the white mask, the hollow dissolving instantly.
A little ways away, Kei could see the women fighting. Hollows turned sluggish when Atsumi nicked them, letting her slice them open. Eishi was clad in the steel skin of her shikai, blades rising from the metal on her forearms. Together, they cut their attackers to ribbons.
King, a voice whispered in his mind.
It had been a while since Kei had heard that voice, dampened by Orihime's seal but not silenced. It was high and echoed. The creature wasn't as wild as he had been years ago, but he was still untamed, and bloodthirsty.
Let me come out and play. These lowlifes will be gone in seconds.
He ignored the voice, focusing on the battlefield. In the distance, he felt the reiatsu of other students and their instructors, fighting their own hollows. Below them, the humans continued with their evening, unaware of the raging battle over their heads.
With a yell, he drove Kurotsuki into the hideous face of yet another hollow. The mask cracked, but this monster was more resilient than the others. It raked its claws through the air, and Kei tried to flip out of the way, yanking Kurotsuki out, but the hollow was surprisingly fast and Kei was already tiring, and three gashes formed across his left side.
Akito shun-po'ed to his side. Distracted, a different hollow hit him hard, and Kei heard the crunch of bone. His nakama put his hand up, and silver threads leapt from his fingertips and wound around the creature's neck, slicing it cleanly off. Rapidly, they turned purple, and circled around the two shinigami, weaving into a net that enclosed them in a cube, thicker threads serving as bars that kept its structure.
"Nice trick," Kei gasped, holding his side together. Akito ignored him, the golden light of healing kidou glowing under his skin. He put his hands together and drew them slowly apart, a gold fabric stretching between them. He quickly placed this over Kei's wounds, the fabric sinking into his skin.
It felt hot, almost unbearably so, but it quickly stopped the pain. He could almost feel it holding his skin together, stopping the flow of blood. "That should do for now," Akito informed him, breathing a bit heavier than he already had been.
"You too," Kei insisted. "Some of your ribs are probably broken."
His nakama glanced at him, and didn't bother with protests after one look at Kei's face. He nodded, and touched the threads of the cube keeping them safe from the mass of hollows. "Fine," he said, "but you should get back out there." The section around where he touched paled, and Kei jumped through without hesitation, passing without problem.
It was chaos out here. He sped over to the women, deciding that it was best to stay together. So far, Atsumi had only gotten shallow cuts and scratches, but none of them could keep this up for long. They were only students in the academy right now - some of the top students, yes, but students nonetheless. At the most, they could maybe match some of the lower seats.
He was saved from another bad wound by a blue reiatsu-spear. Akito flashed in next to him. Without even speaking, the four of them put their backs to one another, facing out towards the enemies on all sides. They were all breathing heavily - even Atsumi, who didn't usually have to expend much energy to defeat an opponent.
Kei was getting desperate. Atsumi finally suffered a major wound - she was stabbed in the shoulder by a pointed tale. One of the monsters had managed to cut through Eishi's steel skin, giving her a cut right down the center of her torso. Akito's kidou spells were holding them together, but they weren't really healing them, and making them took a lot of energy out of the raven.
Just as a huge, sleek, eel-like hollow was about to take a bite out of him, though, it exploded in a massive fireball. When the smoke cleared, Kei saw a man standing there, white haori over a sleeveless shihakushou. Kensei had his zanpaku-tou in its released form, a razor-sharp knife. H looked down at Kei, and the younger man held his breath.
No flicker of recognition flashed in his old ally's eyes, though, and Kei let out his breath when Kensei, no, Muguruma-taichou shun-po'ed away, vigorously stabbing another hollow and blowing it to smithereens. Around the captain, four other shinigami, all wearing sleeveless shihakushou marking them as officers of Ninth Company, destroyed hollows with a vengeance. They were easy to recognise - Mashiro, felling them with ferocious kicks, Hisagi, yanking his scythe-like blades through them, Chad, using in turns his right arm and his own zanpaku-tou, which created sheets of bright red flames with each sweep of his sword; and lastly, his own little sister, cleaving open the monsters with a Chinese sword.
She was barely recognisable, with her orange-streaked hair falling past her shoulders, and her body so much more mature. She sported a grin on her face worthy of Ikkaku (it wasn't quite the level of battle-lust of Kenpachi's), and toned arms that wielded that big, long sword like it was made of bamboo.
Kei tore his eyes away from her when a large, fat hollow reared up in front of him, almost catching him off guard. He threw himself into the fight again, pushing aside Ichigo's thoughts. In what seemed like only a handful of minutes, he raised his sword and found nothing to use it against. No more hollows screamed at him. The last one dissolved into nothing, impaled on Karin's sword.
With a huff of exhaustion, Kei slumped in on himself, his zanpaku-tou sealing away into the form of a regular katana. He felt Akito lean back against him, and welcomed the warmth. He felt like he could sleep for a decade.
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He hunts alone on the sands of Hueco Mundo, his subjects lost in the roiling mass of souls inside of him. He grows stronger, his mind fixed only on his one goal - to evolve, and maybe finally be free of this all-consuming emptiness. He doesn't hope to strongly, though.
Finally, after what must have been centuries, he feels it. When he tears into this one last hollow, he feels a tsunami of power welling up inside of him. His body tears, forcing him into a new shape. It is painful, but he welcomes it so gladly. He feels clearer than he has ever felt, the fear of dissolving back into that pitiful state of drowning in a mass of malicious souls vanishing with every second.
He is finally truly superior to all of the lesser, insignificant hollows. Their power pales tremendously next to his. His only equals are the other Lordes of Hueco Mundo, and he will surpass them, even, someday.
He refuses to be a part of that fool's pathetic court. Barragan can go fuck himself. As far as he is concerned, the so-called Hollow King is a sham of a Vasto Lorde, sitting around endlessly and letting his weakling army kiss the ground he walks on - that is, when he even bothers to move at all.
He would not be a king like that, lazing around for eternity and letting those whimpering idiots live as his servants. He would kill anyone that pathetic. His world would be one where only the strong survive to serve him.
He hunts in the edges of the desert, scorning the tamer inner places. From time to time, he feels the immense reiatsu of other Lordes, but he never encounters one.
He is still alone. That is the only wrongness he feels. He has no one to be king to. Still, he kills all that he meets, consuming them in order to gain strength.
Something interrupts his hunt one day, though. A shinigami appears in front of him - two, actually. He has rarely met shinigami before, and the few that he had he devoured. He steps forward, intending to do the same, but a ferocious reiatsu slams into him, forcing him to the ground. Unable to breathe, he struggles to flee, but he can not move. Unable to do anything else, he glares up at the shinigami and snarls, trying to hide his fear so that he will not be seen as weak.
The shinigami smiles at him. Over his black uniform, he wears a white coat of some sort. His face looks soft and kind, but he can see the coldness in the shinigami's brown eyes and his smile.
"Well, Gin, what do you think of our first Vasto Lorde?"
The silver-haired snake-man behind the overwhelming shinigami grins even wider than he had been. "Quite the ferocious lil' kitty, ain't he?" the snake-man drawls, looking at him with slitted eyes.
"Yes, I think he'll do."
The shinigami walks up so that he is standing over the panther, looking down on him. He doesn't remember ever feeling so terrified, so... weak. He can practically smell danger and death on this man.
From a pocket in the uniform's sleeve, the shinigami draws out an indigo sphere. He holds it out over the panther lorde and smiles coldly. There is a flash of light, and the feline-like Vasto Lorde is once again twisted into a new shape.
Grimmjow brings up his tanned, human-shaped hands, looking at them in wonder. Hesitantly, he feels his face - it is soft and warm, no longer covered by a white bone mask except for a jagged jawbone on his right cheek. He can think now, he can reason. His hunger for souls has diminished, letting him act outside of his instincts.
He looks up at the shinigami with begrudging awe. "Wh-what did you do to me?" he croaks out, his voice rough from misuse.
The cold smile on the shinigami's face never wavers. "I triggered your evolution," he says simply. He studies Grimmjow for a moment, as if deciding whether or not he is suitable. Clearly, he decides the panther-like man is, because he asks, "What is your name, my new arrancar?"
"G-grimmjow," the... arrancar? says. "Grimmjow... Jeagerjaques." The second name comes to his lips unbidden, pulled from some recess of his mind. But it feels right, like it is supposed to be there. "What's an arrancar?" he demands.
"Grimmjow..." the shinigami muses. "I will explain everything to you eventually. For now, though..." he lets up on his reiatsu, letting Grimmjow clamber to his feet. "I am Aizen Sousuke. Follow me, Grimmjow, be my arrancar, and I will give you power. You will be like a king, Grimmjow."
The hollow - no, the arrancar, a new kind of being - isn't a fool. He knows that this shinigami never means to let Grimmjow stand as his equal. Still... there is no doubt in Grimmjow's mind that this man is powerful enough to rule the world. And if the arrancar refuses him, he could not expect to live for another minute. This man is the key to his rise. This man is worthy of being Grimmjow's king... for now.
He kneels, reluctantly. "I will serve you, Aizen...sama," he says.
The shinigami smiles.
.
"That was insane," Eishi stated. Bandages covered her entire torso. Too tired to be her usual dignified self, she flopped down onto her futon. Akito, a large purple bruise showing above and below the bandages wrapped tightly around his ribs, made a tired sound of agreement, wincing slightly with each breath. Next to Eishi, Atsumi rested her arm gingerly in her lap, taking care not to disturb her shoulder. Kei, sitting next to Akito on Atsumi's futon and leaning back against the wall, had his own bandages wrapped around his abdomen.
He sighed and tilted his head back until it thumped against the wall. "It was like they were waiting for us to come," he said, thinking back to the overwhelming forces that attacked as one. "And they were strangely... organised."
Atsumi hummed. "It's a good thing Muguruma-taichou and his officers showed up when they did," she said. "They were so amazing!" She glanced at Kei while she said this. No doubt she was thinking about seeing Karin and Chado on that battlefield in the sky.
"Yeah, they were," Eishi said, sighing and turning onto her side. "We have years and years of training before we could be like them."
Atsumi sat up, eyes alight, holding a fist aloft. "Don't sell yourself short, Eishi-chan! You'll see - all of us will catch up to them so quickly, they won't know what hit them!" The Kuchiki heir smiled, cheered by her friend's antics.
A smooth voice outside the door jerked them to attention. "Eishi, I would like to speak with you," the voice that was unmistakably Kuchiki Byakuya's stated. Eishi, wide-eyed, emitted a small "eep!" sound, struggling to get to her feet and straighten her white and red shihakushou and comb out her hair with her fingers all at the same time.
She took a deep breath once she was fully upright. "One moment, please, Byakuya-sama," she said in a tone so similar to his. The other three in the room fixed themselves up as well, albeit much more calmly. Composed, Eishi walked over to the door, sliding it open and bowing formally to the captain standing outside the door.
"It is an honor," she said. "May I inquire as to your purpose?"
Kuchiki-taichou's eyes travelled around the room before focusing back on his cousin and heir. "I heard of your battle against the hollows in the world of the living," he said cooly. "Many of your instructors commended you on your efforts."
Eishi blinked in surprise. "I- I am deeply honored," she said, bowing even deeper.
"I would like to speak with you, along with the rest of your team. All of them were praised as well."
"Of course, Byakuya-sama. Would you... ah, like to go somewhere else?" she inquired.
"Here will suffice," he answered. "I would like this discussion to stay private."
Eishi moved out of the way, eyes still clearly displaying her disbelief. She quickly slid the door closed, leading her lord and benefactor over to the small square zataku (9) in the middle of the room and letting him sit on one of the simple cushions, which must have been far from the quality the captain was accustomed to.
Awkwardly, she knelt next to him, Kei also taking a place across from Byakuya, as was his right as a Shiba. Akito and Atsumi knelt stiffly behind him on either side.
He locked eyes with Kuchiki-taichou's cold grey ones, which gave nothing away. "You are Shiba Kei, correct?" he asked, though it sounded more like a statement.
"Yes, Kuchiki-taichou-dono (10)," he replied, dipping his head in respect. This man made him nervous - he was so close, staring straight at him, and his mind couldn't help but spin, coming up with situations - Byakuya revealing his true identity to the Gotei 13, which would greet him with destain for abandoning his responsibilities, or eagerness, heaping those responsibilities and the old pressure on him yet again, tearing him from this freer life with his nakama, in which he trained like a normal shinigami, at the levels of a normal shinigami...
He shook himself out of those thoughts as Byakuya spoke. "I was informed that you were the one in command of Eishi's team," he said. "I would like to congratulate you on a job well done."
Ichigo's eyes nearly bugged out of his skull at the sight of Kuchiki Byakuya treating him with respect. Hurriedly, to avoid it showing on his face, he dipped his head again.
"I am greatly honored to have gained the praise of Kuchiki-taichou-dono," he said.
Kuchiki-taichou nodded to him. "I say nothing that isn't true, in regards to both you and my cousin," he said. He turned his head to look at his heir. "Eishi, I have decided to begin to train you in preparation for taking over the Kuchiki House," he said smoothly, as if he were not bringing Eishi into his house formally and preparing to hand over his position to her. "Obviously, you will not be appointed as head of the family for some time, but you clearly have earned to right to greater responsibility."
Eishi's mouth was slightly open in shock. Coming to her senses, she shut it with a snap. Shifting away from the zataku so that she could bow deeply, she said shakily, "I do not know what to say, Byakuya-sama. Truly, I am... beyond honored."
The noble nodded, satisfied. "From now on, report to the Kuchiki estate every Sunday at ten o'clock. You will also consider the estate your residence from now on, rather than the Akiyama house."
The woman straightened. "I understand, Byakuya-sama. I will do so."
Kuchiki-taichou turned his gaze back to Kei after hearing his cousin's confirmation. "Eishi," he began without looking at her, "I would like to discuss something with Shiba Kei and his otsuki (11)." Kei's blood ran cold at those words, absolutely certain of what that something was. "Wait outside the door until I call you back in," he ordered. With a confused, anxious look at Kei, who nodded slightly to reassure her, she obeyed.
He could feel the tense, jittery reiatsu behind him from his nakama. Byakuya gaze him down in a heavy silence, even after the door had slid shut. Kei shifted uneasily, trying to keep eye contact with the noble's intense grey eyes. Even if he wasn't holding such a big secret, this would be nerve-wracking, and as it was, he was pinned in place.
"Well, Kurosaki Ichigo, there are a lot of people who would be very happy to see you," he suddenly said, his voice as even as it always was. Ichigo's eyes widened in shock and fright. Byakuya was going to give him a heart attack one day, he was sure of it.
"I- I'm afraid I don't understand," he replied, breathing deeply, eyes darting back and forth from Byakuya's stare to the wall.
For an instant, he could have sworn an amused smile passed across the noble's face. He deduced that his anxiety must have been causing him to see things, because there was no way he had just seen that.
"I understand your reluctance to reveal yourself as Kurosaki. However, I would appreciate it if you did not treat me like a fool."
There, that was more like Byakuya. Still, there was more respect in his voice than Ichigo had ever heard before.
Knowing that it would be of no use to deny it any longer, as that would just irritate the captain, he let his face lapse into the scowl it had once been fixed in. "Fine, then, Bya- Kuchiki-san," he said, making sure not to fall back into his old habit of referring to everyone so casually. "What do you want with me?" He put his elbow on the table and perched his chin on his fist, a pose he had used so very rarely for the past... five years, at least.
The stoic man paused for a second before answering. "What do I want from the three of you would be the most accurate way of putting that question," he said, looking at Atsumi and Akito in turn. "I won't reveal your whereabouts to the Gotei 13, or your family and friends. I can respect your wish for obscurity and normality. However, if you wish to keep up this facade once you become guardsmen, them you will need assistance. And, taking into account your relationship with both Rukia and Eishi, as well as your abilities even as they are now, I would be willing to take you in as officers of my company when you graduate," he said formally.
Ichigo was flabbergasted. Kuchiki Byakuya was not only respecting his wishes, but offering to assist him, and on top of it all, praising him even though he knew who he was. "Are you alright?" he blurted out before he could think about his words. As soon as he realised what he had said, he clapped his hand over his mouth and flushed red.
Byakuya gave a wry smile, one that Ichigo could see actually wasn't a trick of his mind. "Given our past... encounters, I see where you are coming from. However, you are no longer the precocious brat you once were."
"Well, thanks," Ichigo muttered, not very pleased at being to as a brat. Still, it was quite the compliment coming from this man. This was a really, really weird-ass day.
"So, do you accept my offer?" The captain asked, ignoring Ichigo's comment, though the corner of his mouth twitched upward. He studied Ichigo meticulously, and his former anxiety came back under that gaze. Warily, he glanced back at Orihime, who smiled, and Ishida, who sighed but nodded.
He swiveled back to Byakuya. "I - we - are grateful for your offer," he said, dipping his head. "We accept."
Byakuya smiled calmly.
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Rangiku was warm, in a way she rarely was. She was curled up next to Gin, her eyes closed, listening to him breathe. On Gin's other side was Izuru, in a similar position as her. The three of them were dressed in soft yukatas, enjoying the golden morning sun. It was one of their few rest days, when no one cared if they slept next to each other.
There was nothing sexual about this arrangement. The two lieutenants just felt at ease next to the former traitor, sure that he hadn't disappeared again, leaving them behind.
She knew that Gin liked this, too. For so long, he'd denied himself true relationships, true closeness with other people. Now he could let himself indulge in them, two people who loved him. And he could indulge them, as well. He may still be ostracized, kept under close watch by Soi Fon, but she and Izuru were willing to accept him back and practically smother him to make sure he wouldn't leave again.
After a while, when the sun was high in the sky, Izuru sat up, disturbing the blanket alerting the other two. "Mah, Izuru, don' leave," Gin drawled. "It's too early, and I'm ganna get cold, even with Rangiku here to warm me up," he drawled, grabbing the blonde's wrist.
Izuru looked down at him and smiled. "It's probably already noon," he said in his quiet, soft voice. "And you can't just sleep here all day, taichou."
"Ne, I told you ta call me Gin," he said, grinning. "An' I'm not sleepin'. I'm enjoyin' havin' two blondes curled up next ta me ta keep me all cozy-like."
Izuru relented easily. "Alright, tai- Gin-san," he said. "But just for a little bit longer."
"Oh, you workaholic," Rangiku complained. "You're not lazy enough. You need to learn how to properly ignore all your responsibilities and have a good time." She smirked at his blush.
He laid back down, drawing the covers up to his shoulders. "Mah, that's better," Gin said, laying his head on his subordinate's shoulder and closing his eyes.
Rangiku smiled softly at the adorable sight before her - Izuru was blushing madly. Laying on her side, she put her nose against Gin's shoulder in turn. With the two of them, like this, the barrier that kept her emotions shallow and unfixed seemed to flex, letting her feel content. Even Toshiro, the little kid she had picked up in the Rukongai who had become her captain, couldn't quite compare.
Her body relaxing entirely, she closed her eyes, and fell into that blessed state of peace.
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warmthwarmthwarmth
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Translations:
1. pluses - wholes, ghosts, whatever you wanna call 'em
2. soutaichou - head captain
3. Kamigyo-ku - a district in Kyoto, literally Kamigyo District
4. hakama - the skirt-like pants worn as part of the shihakushou
5. onii-chan - big brother, more formal than just nii-chan
6. oji-chan - dad
7. Oukami-sama - literally "Lord Wolf"
8. Hime-sama - princess
9. zataku - low traditional table
10. Kuchiki-taichou-dono - Lord Captain Kuchiki
11. otsuki - retainers
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Su-pah Ron-gu AN:
Wow. Seriously. I adore this chapter. I could kiss it, if it weren't digital bits of data floating in cyberspace. Maybe I'll settle for kissing the computer screen.
Now, get ready for a giganto author's note explaining lotsa stuff. I recommend you read it, but if the lines start blurring together, I'll understand ^^'.
I love how Ichigo sort of blurs the boundries between himself and "Shiba Kei" in this one. It shows that he's really maturing and becoming comfortable with himself, which I don't think he was before, what with the abnormality of seeing ghosts, then of being the super-man of the spiritual world, then suddenly losing all of that, not to mention his guilt from his mother's death.
The interaction between Eishi and the trio is great. I hadn't really explored that before, so I enjoyed it a lot. It was also great to explore their experience in the world of the living, now that they're shinigami. I love the parts with guys drooling after Orihime. I meant to put something in there with girls going after the two guys, too, but oh well.
And it feels so weird to refer to Ichigo, Ishida, and Orihime as men and women. Because they are now - around twenty-eight years old - but I still think of them as the misfit teenagers that they are in the series.
Yuzu's scene was interesting to write. I think she has a total big brother complex - Kubo-sensei certainly hints about it pretty heavily in the chapters right after the giganto time-skip. I wanted to give her a Fullbring that used her strawberry hair clip, which obviously represents her precious onii-chan. And I didn't really want Karin to have one - partially because I have no idea what it would be - so I had her gaining it right before Aizen kills her. It was also interesting to write out her terror, and how even in that state, her extraordinary talent for reading people shows through when she encounters Aizen.
I also love Oukami-sama. Kawaii!
Also, our first battle scene! Yay! We get to see the gang whoopin' hollow butt! (And getting beat up too, but ya know, whatever. That just makes it better. Plus Karin kicks ass.) I didn't want to make them really strong, given that they are still academy students, regardless of previous experience. None of the trio is nearly as strong as they used to be, thanks to Orihime's sealing powers. But they had to be strong enough not to be absolutely pathetic, as well as catch the attention of their instructors and Byakuya (without gaining too much attention and looking suspicious). I think I did a good job of finding the right balance.
And you get to find out Ishida's zanpaku-tou's extra nasty power (which is the reason Shinso was wary of touching Engel Lanze in the last chapter, as well). Ishida is someone who is not afraid to fight dirty and take advantage of surprise attacks and distractions, and I think he can have a cruel streak as well, so I thought this was perfect for him. And if you have two tubes of water side by side, one with warm water and one with cold water, and you grab them at the same time, it does actually feel like your hand is burning, because the nerve sensors for pain, heat, and cold are all actually jumbled together, and they get all confused, so they just send pain signals to your brain to get it to tell your hand to release the thing that's confusing them. I love my psychology class.
Grimmjow's was also awesome to write as well. Tons of fanfics have him as very disloyal to Aizen, and disrespecting of him, and I think that even though he's rebellious, he does actually respect Aizen, and would continue to follow him. I think all of the Espada are like that - certainly those like Arroniero and Zommari (the dude with the eyes) are obviously loyal, and Starrk and Halibel are grateful to him. Barragan and Yammy might be the exceptions, and Szayel and Nnoitora are probably there just for the hell of it. Ulquiorra... I have no idea what was going on in his head. He was obedient, but it was like he wasn't really loyal. After all, he did hide his Segunda Etapa from Aizen. And Nel was probably loyal, too. Because that's just how she is.
I think the Espada from Grimmjow up used to be Vasto Lordes. That includes Nelliel, of course. I also think that the rest of the Vasto Lordes pretty much held Barragan, who set up a court and basically lazed around, in contempt, like they thought he wasn't a proper Vasto Lorde. Before Aizen tried to make any Vasto Lordes part of his arrancar army, he experimented with gillians and adjuchas. He then intended to conquer Barragan, and use his influence over the lesser hollows to make things easier, but he needed to make sure he was strong enough to overpower him, even though he was pretty sure. Grimmjow just happened to be the first Vasto Lorde - and the youngest - that he came across.
(By the way, sorry about Grimmjow's mouth ^^'.)
As for Byakuya... well, that was just super fun to write. Nothing more to say, really.
About Gin/Rangiku/Izuru: Their relationship isn't sexual at all, really. It isn't even very romantic. Izuru and Rangiku are drawn to Gin, and they wouldn't be able to stand it if he betrayed them again. They both forgave him pretty much immediately, but they still don't really trust that he won't up and disappear. I don't think they even really believe that he's really back, not to mention willing to be closer to them, and they want to reassure themselves of that.
I put in the seemingly random bits with the non-main characters because the plot will start picking up pace in the next few chapters, and I want you guys to get a feel for what these characters are feeling before everything goes sideways. Plus, I just love these characters, so I'm indulging myself, really. Heehee.
And next chapter another character who has been requested makes an appearance! (Maybe even two of them... depending on the mood of the chapter... hmm...)
Definitely Shiro is showing up. I know, that breaks my pattern of Ichi, Ishi, Ichi, Hime, repeat, but oh well. Maybe part of it will be in Orihime's POV. Also, Shiro's name will not be Shiro. I decided to use something a little less obvious and more creative than "Shiro" or "Hichigo" or "Ogihci". So there. And it fits him so well... I didn't have to do anything with it at all ,the word practically jumped off the page when I was browsing my Japanese/English dictionary. Muahaha.
So, that's the end of my insanely long AN! See ya next time! Reviews = updates, so tell me what you think!
Thank you for sticking with me this far! It's been great!
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Review Replies:
Cased In Darkness: I am very honored that you bothered to review by phone ^-^. I'm so happy you love my story. Byakuya showed up, here ya go :). Ah, our favorite stoic, kick-ass noble guy. XD. Hope he lives up to your expectations, I had a hard time making sure he was in character while getting him to do what I needed him so do. Grr. Sometimes those characters are so freaking uncooperative. I sent you a PM about the beta thing, I don't know if you've read it, but I would love for you to beta for me. Thank you for your wonderful reviews!
Gemini24: Zangetsu/ Tensa Zangetsu, now called Kurotsuki/ Hakutenka Tsuki (White Tranformation Moon), has changed forms somewhat. He'll probably show up next chapter, along with Shiro. Yeah, Sode no Shirayuki is a kitsune because they are beautiful, graceful, and very mischievous, so it brings out Rukia's more playful side. Also, it adds a wonderful bit of irony to Rukia's obsession with rabbits XD. I thought Medusa would be a great basis for Shinso, because he's so fast and Gin is so terrifying a lot of the time, like a snake. And I couldn't decide whether or not to make Kyoka Suigetsu a man or woman, so I just decided... well, why not sort of both? Whichever I chose, I knew he would be very beautiful, and at least somewhat insubstantial. And I have very special plans for Ryujin Jakka and Hyorinmaru... heh-heh-heh. As well as the Quincy. Muahaha. Ishida forevah! I chose kunai for Keigo because he seems like he would be cautious and prefer to stay at a distance. Yeah, Chizuru is in eleventh for two reasons; one, she was closest to Tatsuki and Orihime of all of them, and she'd get along well with Yumichikka, and two, she's ferocious enough that she probably would really enjoy battle. Though she would scorn the dirty men in the squad, just like Yumi. I don't know if Hanataro will show up; if he does, it probably wouldn't be for several chapters at least. And yes, all of the Kurosakis are awesome. The mysterious "her" Sode no Shirayuki mentions is not a zanpaku-tou spirit - remember, she used to wield Shirayuki herself. However, she is connected to Ashido. Be patient ^.-! Your idea about Aizen is actually a good idea, and might work in the rules of my Bleach universe. However, I already have ideas about Aizen that wouldn't really work with that. I might be interested in writing a different story with that as its basis, though; I think that would be really interesting to explore. Thank you so much for your awesome (and awesomely long 0.o) reviews! Please continue to read my story!
La terrible La: Yays! More lethal embroidery from the Four-Eyed Speed Demon! Muahaha! I loved coming up with Ishida's unique ways of using his own personal kidou in this chapter. His kidou takes the form of threads and fabric, because that's what he's most familiar with. If I have anyone else using this unstructured, instinctual kidou, theirs will probably take a somewhat different form. That's one of the things I like about this idea. I know... I had no idea of who would show up in that field (I was debating with Eishi, or Gin on a midnight stroll), but I decided that the simplest thing would be the best. And then I just had to add in some fluff. I was soooo envious of Ishida and Ichigo both when I was writing that... *drools*. I like writing about the former humans as well. I wanted to make KEigo a more serious character, which is why I killed off his sister. I'm sooorry, Keigo! I had to do it! And Mizuiro is a character that has always fascinated me. Especially since he tried to blow up Aizen with a makeshift bomb XD. Epic! And Chad will always be right behind Karin, doing what he sees as his duty to Ichigo. Plus he likes Karin's spirit and attitude. She probably reminds him of Ichigo. Thank you very much for reviewing so faithfully!
Reina de la Noche: Hee! That would be awesome XD. And Ichigo with long black hair... yummy... ~o~... And you would so totally peek, and I would be right next to you, shoving you out of the way. XD. Bridal, of course. Yeah, I would have liked to show them in the Academy more, but frankly... I got lazy. ^^'... Sorry! Really! Plus, I find that kind of writing boring, and... I don't really know how to write scenes like that. Tenshiyari/ Engel Lanze is sort of an embodiment of the Quincy's power, trapped in the form of a zanpaku-tou by the Reiou. So, no, she wasn't originally a zanpaku-tou spirit, but she wasn't really a single, conscious entity before then, either. She was just kind of a presence. She was born long before Ichigo and Ishida, though not as long ago as the zanpaku-tou spirits. Maybe... a millenium or two ago? A Qunicy like Ishida, who wanted to fight alongside a shinigami without troubles, desperately tried to summon a zanpaku-tou, and Eishi was the result. She wouldn't have been a true zanpaku-tou, though, except for the Reiou's meddling. I think Tobiume worships Kyoka Suigetsu because of his beauty and mystery, which she wishes she had and is in awe of. That trait was passed on to Momo when she met Aizen. I love kidou ^-^. There are so many possibilities for it. And they are much more accepting of Zangetsu, because he was created around the same time as them, and was wielded by true shinigami. Remember, Ichigo is actually half-shinigami. They respect Zangetsu's strength, though they think he's kind of bonkers for tolerating Ichigo. Ashido will come in later, when the Gotei 13 decides it really needs answers about what's going on with the hollows, and Rukia remembers Ashido and takes advantage of the situation to go to Hueco Mundo and rescue him. The zanpaku-tou respect their wielders' privacy, so they wouldn't share secrets with their wielders or even other zanpaku-tou. So Ichigo won't be found out that way. Shiro (Hichigo) might be able to go to the Greyspace, but because he isn't a zanpaku-tou spirit, the Greyspace would probably reject him. But hollows have the unique ability to rip open the boundries between worlds, so he could probably find his own way into places he's not supposed to be if her really wanted to. And I don't give zanpaku-tou the same personality as their wielders, mainly because they have dozens or even hundreds of wielders over the millennia that they have existed. Mizuiro is a playboy when Soi Fon lets him loose. Otherwise, he's all business. Chad's zanpaku-tou shows up here, and Yuzu's will show up later. It's a constant-release like the rest of her family's, but it isn't nearly as big and power-based. It has some pretty nasty kidou-type abilities. Thank you for your reviews! See ya next time!
KurosakiCrystal18: Thank you for your sympathy. And thank you so much for reviewing! It cheers me up so much!
Fucking hell. pardon my language, but this chapter is over 10,000 words. See? REVIEW AND YOU WILL BE REWARDED! RAWR!