Chapter 10
Un Grande Problema
This wasn't how Sasune Ishida anticipated dying. Television shows and movies over the years had trained him to expect to see his whole life flash before his eyes. He was supposed to have a final moment of closure, acceptance of the circumstances before his demise. The entire scene, while tragic, was always shown to him as a person coming to terms with themselves before going out with a bang.
He experienced none of those things as his eyes, wide as saucers, watched Shuukuro Tsukishima seconds away from impaling him through the heart with his Book of the End. Rather, he felt unending terror, confusion, and a desperate, burning desire to do something, anything to spare himself from death.
Acting mostly on instinct, he lifted his arm up at the last possible second. The usually calm and stoic Tsukishima was stunned when his Book of the End was amazingly blocked by nothing more than Sasune's open palm, which for whatever reason felt like a wall of lead to the Fullbringer.
"W-What the…?! How'd he do that?!" cried an awed Konoka. Her heart, having nearly skipped a beat thinking Sasune was done for, sprang to life again at the battle, and the Quincy, gaining new life.
Regaining his composure, Tsukishima proceeded to push Sasune back. The Quincy responded by grasping his opponent's blade with no ill effects.
"...Blut Vene," uttered Tsukishima, noting the faint pattern tracing the veins on Sasune's hand. "When did you manage to perfect that technique?"
"A little while back actually! It was tricker than I thought, but you know me!"
"Congratulations," a smirking Tsukishima told his 'old friend.'
"Don't get so happy yet, Shuukuro! Do you remember the other form of Blut? Blut Arterie?"
"...No. I don't believe you ever told me about that one."
Sasune, balling his fists hard enough to crack his knuckles, smirked himself. "Good!"
He punched Tsukishima right between the eyes, an attack that looked innocent enough until the Fullbringer was rocketed into a nearby building as if he had been hit by a man three times Sasune's size. This inhuman burst of strength was enough to alarm everyone spectating.
"W-What did that guy just do?!" inquired Jackie Tristan. "Was he...just holding back the whole time?"
"Don't ask me," replied a shrugging Kuugo Ginjou. "Looks like that kid was holding back a few tricks though. Man, how did things turn out like this? We just had that door he destroyed earlier put in too."
A bead of sweat rolled down Jackie's head. "Y-You're worried about a door right now?"
"I'm afraid I'm going to have to take the cost of repairs out of your tab, Mister Ginjou," said Giriko Kutsuzawa amiably.
Ginjou wanted to cry. "H-Huh?! Why me?! I wasn't even the one who ruined it!"
The Fullbringer's antics momentarily dragged Konoka away from the fight. Returning her focus to it, she eyed Sasune specifically.
"...Looks like he's not as pathetic as I thought," she mumbled. She tried fighting it, but there was no stopping the smile that spread across her lips. "Alright, Pretty Boy. Keep up the good work."
Sasune sneezed on spur of the moment. "Eh? Some pretty lady is talking about me!"
"Yes, you always did love chasing after women, Sasune."
Sasune picked up on a brief flicker of light prior to seeing Tsukishima reappear before him. The side of the Fullbringer's head had been busted wide open, but he was otherwise in top condition. Mildly annoyed by this, Sasune reformed his spirit bow, with Tsukishima redrawing his own weapon.
"You seem a bit winded," Tsukishima then told him. "I remember you saying using Blut takes a lot out of you. Perhaps you haven't perfected it as much as you would like me to believe, Sasune. If it's more seasoning you require, I'd be more than happy to assist you. It would be just like the good, old days when we trained with one another every day."
"...I don't remember you being this chatty, Shuukuro. You usually let me do the talking once upon a time. Guess I'm not the only one who's changed."
Tsukishima crimped his mouth some.
"Then again, I'm not one who likes to dwell on the past," the Quincy continued. He fashioned an arrow, adding, "While you may have kicked my ass all around the block when we were kids, things are different now!"
"Heh. Is that so? Remember, Sasune. I know all of your strengths and weakness. You can't possibly defeat me as such."
"Oh yeah?! We'll just have to see about that!"
Sasune loosed an arrow that whizzed through the air and toward Tsukishima. Childhood friend or not, the Quincy intended to finish what he started.
#
Even before the final bell of the day erupted across the confines of Hino Municipal High School, Aaron had been gazing intently at the clock and sitting only halfway at his desk, ready to spring forth when the time came. It did, and he made a mad dash for the door, shoving classmates aside in his quest for the exit.
"Wait just a moment, Higuchi! Where do you think you're going?!"
His legs desired to keep moving, but Aaron bitterly asked them to stop after his teacher had called out to him. He then dragged himself to the head of the classroom.
"C-Can I help you, sir?" he timidly queried.
The teacher, staring at his student in utter repugnance, drummed his fingers against his desk and appeared unsure how to speak without losing his temper. Aaron felt all this anger was misaimed; he had been on his best behavior all day. If his instructor really was upset, it wasn't his doing for once.
"...Will your mother be coming to parent-teacher conferences this evening?" the teacher finally asked.
Aaron flinched. Having feared this question would turn up, he had been dancing around it until now. It was at times such as these that he wished he were better at making up lies.
"Uh...a-about that." He sighed. There was no point in lying, he thought. "She...can't make it tonight. She has a ton of work that she needs to catch up on. S-Sorry?"
"D-Dammit, Higuchi! You said the very same thing last time, and the time before that!" His apology clearly did nothing to sate his teacher's frustrations. "Doesn't your mother realize how vitally important it is for her to take some time away from her job to see how her son is doing academically?! You can't keep going on like this, Higuchi! You're liable to repeat a grade if…!"
If there was one good thing about being fussed at so much, it was Aaron having learned how to tune it out when need be. His teacher continued to go on a tirade, whereas the temporary Shinigami turned his sights on an empty desk: Sasune's. The Quincy never showed up for school, something that made Aaron more than a little concerned about his best friend. Sasune, despite his eccentric behavior, was a model student, having near perfect attendance and grades. Of course, he claimed to solely attend Hino High to have a reason to be surrounded by pretty girls, but he made the most of his time while he was there.
Aaron jumped and yelped when his teacher snapped his fingers.
"Are you even listening, Higuchi?!"
"Uh...o-of course! I...erm...wouldn't mind you repeating all that just so I can be sure though!"
"...What am I going to do with you, Higuchi?" The teacher, shaking his head, noted that nothing came to mind. "You've been half assing it through the semester thus far! I don't get it! You're not a dumb kid! If you just put your mind to it, I know you could do better! You must get away from anything that is distracting you from your studies! And another thing…!"
His teacher went on another mad rant, and Aaron yawned. Rubbing his teary eyelids, he snuck a peek at his cell phone, hoping for a missed call from Sasune. However, he was disappointed to find nothing, not even a text or a voicemail. By this time, his friend would be inviting him to a maid café or some other silly locale so they could blow some money and regret everything that transpired the following morning.
"Uh...c-can I go to the bathroom?!" he said at once. He couldn't wait any longer; he needed to track down Sasune to make sure he was in one piece. It was more than likely he was overreacting, but he decided he would rather be sure now than sorry later on.
One of his teacher's eyelids jerked. "...You've got some nerve, Higuchi! You think I'd fall for something like that again?!"
"But I really do have to go this time! U-Uh...I-I mean I had to go last time too!"
"Yeah, right! Fool me once, shame on me! Fool me twice…!"
"Y-Yeah, yeah, I know the expression! Come on! You've gotta let me go! Remember when I told you I had an overactive bladder?!"
"Nice try, Higuchi! Bring a doctor's note next time!"
Aaron, snarling under his breath, didn't have time for this. He debated on darting toward the door, knowing full well his teacher would never be able to catch him.
"Don't you even think about it!" his instructor bellowed like he were reading his mind. "If you move so much as an inch right now, I'll make sure you're expelled from this school! Now then, I wasn't finished talking to you, young man!"
Checkmate. Aaron shook with rage but had enough sense to heed his teacher's warning.
"Is this Class 2C? Oh, it is!" said someone who took heed of the marker above the classroom's door. "Okay! I know I'm here a little early, but I'm going to be Aaron's parental guardian for this parent-teacher conference of his!"
Once Aaron and his teacher looked over to see who was talking, both their jaws hit the floor. Kana Mitarashi, having tied her brown hair into a ponytail and donned business attire, walked into the room, her bright red pumps clacking with each step she took. She even had on a pair of glasses on, but as she stuck her finger between the hollow rims, she poked her tongue out and grinned.
"They're not real!" she explained. "I just wanted to look super professional! Glasses hurt my eyes anyway!"
"I-I see..." said Aaron's instructor weakly. "A-Are you really Higuchi's parental guardian?"
"Yeah, are you?!" shouted Aaron, horrified at the prospect.
"That's right!" Kana was oblivious to his feelings on the matter. "So, let's get this thing started already!"
The teacher nodded. "Right. The...conferences don't actually start until this evening, but since you're here, we might as well do Higuchi's right now. Both of you, have a seat."
Kana did so, and Aaron followed her lead reluctantly. As asinine as this whole situation was turning out, he really had no choice but to rely on Kana to take care of things if he were to remain in school.
"Thank you for coming...er…?"
"Kana! Kana Mitarashi!" Kana happily said, shaking the teacher's hand.
"Miss Mitarashi, is it? I...um...don't mean to be rude, but what exactly is your relationship with Higuchi here?"
"I'm his family's housekeeper!" she said with a salute.
"Y-You don't have to do all that..." Aaron, already exasperated, told her.
"The...'housekeeper?'" The instructor adjusted his very real glasses. "I...see. Well, considering I'm not liable to see Higuchi's mother in the next decade at this rate, the family housekeeper is more than fine for something like this. Anyway, I'll just get right down to it. You and I both probably realize that Higuchi is brighter than he lets on, but he's admittedly underachieving in my class and the rest of his subjects. His attitude isn't that great either."
Aaron frowned. "Excuse me? I don't have an attitude, sir!"
"You see?! This is exactly what I'm talking about, Miss Mitarashi!"
"Oh, I see!" Kana pulled a pen and notepad out of her purse to jot down what she had just heard. "Interesting!"
The teacher was a bit confused by this, but shook the weirdness off.
"Uh...a-as I was saying, I believe Higuchi is being influenced by 'outside' sources!"
Kana gasped. "Seriously?! You know, my mother used to always say that 'one, rotten apple spoils the bunch!'"
"That's exactly what I'm trying to say!" The teacher smiled and nodded, thrilled to see someone finally understood the words coming out of his mouth. "I believe one of the 'rotten apples' in question is Sasune Ishida!"
Aaron smacked his lips. "...Seriously? Look, Sasune and I might be friends, but have you seen the way that guy acts? I'm surprised he isn't in jail yet! Needless to say, he's the absolute last person I would try to emulate!"
"Ha! You'd want me to believe that, wouldn't you, Higuchi?! While I'll admit Ishida is quite studious when it comes to classwork, his behavior has an adverse effect on this classroom and my students!"
"Oh yeah?! Then how come he goes out of his way to help kids when they ask him for advice on their homework or an upcoming test?! He even organizes study sessions and passes out handmade notes for that type of stuff!"
"Be quiet, Higuchi! You can try to defend your friend as much as you like! My point stands!"
Aaron quietly disagreed. He didn't think this man had a leg to stand on at all.
"Oh, interesting! Interesting!" Kana scribbled down another paragraph.
Emptying his throat, Aaron's teacher then said, "There's another student I fear is setting Higuchi here down the wrong path!"
"R-Really?! Who?!" cried Kana. Aaron wasn't sure why she was being so dramatic over what he considered as nothing.
"Konoka Mitsumi!"
"Oh, no! Not her! Anyone but her! ...Wait, who's Konoka Mitsumi?"
"Oh come on!" shouted Aaron, forgetting to use his indoor voice. "I-I've maybe talked to her like two or three times! You can't be serious!"
"I'm dead serious, Higuchi!" His instructor snapped a pencil between his fingers while he thought back to the afternoon he had both Aaron and Konoka for detention. "...Never before in my many years of teaching here at Hino Municipal High has my authority been trampled on so thoroughly than on that day!"
"I shouldn't have even been punished in the first place! I was saving a fellow student from a bully! Besides, all I really did was ask to go to the bathroom..."
Nearly leaping over his desk as he abruptly got to his feet, the teacher hollered, "THAT'S A LIE, AND YOU KNOW IT! Y-You were...cavorting around and doing who knows what with that troublemaking Mitsumi!"
"Oh my! I don't even know what 'cavorting' means, but shame on you, CT!" said Kana.
Aaron slumped in his seat. "...Oh God, someone just shoot me now..."
He couldn't believe it. He was basically being put on trial by the two with him. Perhaps referring to it as a witch hunt was more suitable.
"As you can clearly see, Miss Mitarashi, the situation is urgent!" said his instructor. Aaron wondered why the man spoke like he was undertaking some great crusade to save the world at large. "If you want my advice, I suggest you tell Higuchi to cut out the tomfoolery, focus solely on studies, and most importantly, stop hanging out with menaces like Ishida and Mitsumi!"
That was the last straw. Aaron, rising, slammed his hands on the table, startling both Kana and his instructor.
"I don't care what you have to say about me! You can call me a delinquent or an underachiever or whatever! I don't care! However, don't you dare talk about my friends like they're nothing more than trash! You don't even know them! You have no idea what you're talking about!"
"Uh...I could see you vouching for Sasune like that, CT, but didn't you say you barely even knew this Konoka girl?" asked Kana meekly. She piped down when Aaron shot her a reprimanding glare.
Going back to his teacher, he added, "You're the absolute worst! You talk like you actually give a shit about my wellbeing, but all you've done so far is tell Kana here how awful of a person I am, and none of it's even true!"
"How dare you, Higuchi!" repled his teacher through clamped teeth. "D-Do you really think you can just talk to a teacher like this and get away with it?! This is how you repay me for nurturing you and trying to ensure you become something in life?! I'll report you to the Principal! Oh, he's gonna have a word with you alright, young man!"
"Go right on ahead! Tell him! I'll let him know how rotten you are as a homeroom teacher! I can guarantee I'll have most of the class on my side! If there's anyone that should be thrown outta this place, it's you, you son of a bitch!"
A trembling Kana, talking in almost a peep, stated, "C-Calm down, CT! T-This is a place of learning, not violence!"
"W-Why you…! You insubordinate, little punk!" the teacher roared. He then said to Kana, "T-This has to be your fault! You say you're his guardian, right?! You must be a truly awful one then if you've raised this boy to be a no good troublemaker like this!"
"W-What was that?!" Kana, now losing her temper, threw off her glasses, undid her ponytail, and rolled up her sleeves. "Y-You really are just a rotten, bitter, old man, aren't you?! I don't care who it is! No one talks to my kid like that!"
She drove her knuckles square into the teacher's face, breaking his spectacles and likely his nose. He hit the ground, crashing like a tree in a forest.
"That's...gonna leave a mark," said Aaron, hovering over the fallen educator.
Kana wiped her hands clean. "Serves him right! Ow! I think I broke a nail!"
"If only he were that fortunate. Uh...while I'm not really complaining about you putting this dude flat on his ass, we should probably get the hell outta here before someone sees us with him. I'm liable to get expelled if they figure out my 'guardian' was the one who did this."
"Sounds good to me, CT! Lemme just..."
She was frightened for a second instance today, this time because of her Denrenshinki howling loud enough to wake the dead. Both Aaron and her hastily covered their ears.
"T-Turn that thing off! Someone might hear!" he warned.
"That's impossible! Only people with high spirit awareness can hear this thing!"
"W-Well, it's getting on my nerves, so turn it off already!"
Kana had no qualms with that. She shifted her phone to vibrate, and Aaron sighed in relief.
"What was that all about anyway?" he asked.
Kana shrugged. "Beats me! Oh, wait! It probably picked up on a Hollow! Lemme see..."
She read it yet exhaled sharply at what was on the screen. She then began to laugh.
"Uh...is everything alright?" asked Aaron. "You're acting crazier than usual."
"This thing must be broken!" she said, snorting. She then let Aaron get a glimpse. "See? It says there's a Menos Grande of all things in the Human World! Guess I'll have to trade this one in and see if Mister Hat and Clogs can give me another."
"W-Wait, what's a Menos Grande? Is that a Hollow?"
"Yep! I don't know much about it though. I mean, I know it's supposed to be some super strong and super scary Hollow that I read about in a book one time, but that's it! You don't really see those things walking around anymore! Even if one did show up, there's no way we'd be able to take it on! Those guys are supposed to be as strong as Vice-Captains of the Gotei 13!"
"I see. I guess you're right then. There's no way..."
Aaron lost his train of thought, clasping his throat out of the blue at being unable to breathe. A cold sweat broke out on his forehead as well. It felt like a massive object was resting on his chest, and his face lit up with understanding as he realized he was actually sensing an entity's spiritual pressure.
"I-Impossible…!" he stammered. "W-What's going on?!"
Kana, hardly able to stand under her own strength, wasn't quite sure. "A-A Hollow?! N-No! There's no way a Hollow could be this powerful! Unless…!"
"I-I'm starting to think your phone isn't actually broken!"
"I-If that's true, that means there really is a Menos Grande here!"
This development prompted Kana to shriek like a madwoman and run around the classroom ripping out strands of her curly hair. While Aaron could hardly blame her for reacting in such a manner, freaking out like this wasn't going to help any of them.
"L-Listen to me, Kana! Where is this Menos Grande?!"
"Karakura Town!" Kana doubled checked her Denreishinki just to be sure. "Yeah, it's there! I don't know why the heck it would be there of all places, but we should be safe here if we just stay here in Hino!"
"Can we afford to do that though?! If that Menos is as strong as you're saying...no, I can feel how strong it is! If we just let that thing go on a rampage, there's no telling how many people are going to get hurt!"
Kana groaned, noting he had a point. "R-Rukia and Urahara are in Karakura Town too! I don't want anything happening to them! D-Do you really intend to take on a Menos freakin' Grande though?! Even if we do go, we'll likely just get squished or something!"
That was true enough. Aaron's nerves were screaming the very same thing at him. Nevertheless, he didn't have the heart to just sit on the sidelines and let this be someone else's problem. There was also no telling what the Menos Grande would do once it got through with Karakura Town. His family were in Hino. So were his friends and everything else he knew and loved. He might have spoken ill of his hometown whenever he got the chance, but he had no wish to see it destroyed. Those in Karakura Town likely felt the same.
"Okay, okay! You don't have to say anything!" Kana could tell what was on his mind just by looking at him. "Guess we're taking a trip to Karakura Town then! Uh...can we stop at Urahara's before we get our butts kicked by that Menos? I wanna buy some more candy before I die!"
She popped some licorice into her mouth and sighed contently. Aaron, meanwhile, palmed his hand over his face.
"He really does have the best stuff!" she added.
"F-Forget about the candy! If we're gonna do this, we're gonna need help!"
"Right! We should tell Sasune what's going on!"
"I haven't been able to get a hold of him all day, but there's no way he doesn't sense what we're sensing, so if he's alright, he'll probably meet up with us!"
Triumphantly pointing at nothing in particular, Kana exclaimed, "To Karakura Town!"
She afterward turned to Aaron and tapped her foot expectantly.
"...To Karakura Town," he muttered, halfheartedly mirroring her. "Can we go now?"
"Yep! Uh...i-if I pee on myself when we get there, don't laugh!"
"Don't worry. I'll just tell everyone you have an overactive bladder. Always works for me."
The two dashed out of the classroom and toward what they hoped wasn't their demise. At the same time, Aaron's homeroom teacher came to his senses, stroking his aching skull.
"W-Where am I? What's going on?" In a daze, he searched around and realized he was alone. "W-Was I doing something important just now? A parent-teacher conference? Well, whatever the case, I think I'll just catch some more Zs."
He passed out again, positive he would remember why he was sprawled on the floor when he awoke.
#
Growing more and more upset with each passing moment, Sasune's accuracy also decreased. Tsukishima hardly had to move to avoid the latest arrow slung his way. Blood dripped off Sasune's fingertips, a consequence of him having used his spirit bow repeatedly. He ignored this however and unleashed another round of projectiles. As he had done time and time again, Tsukishima used Bringer Light to move about the sky.
"S-Sit still already!" the Quincy cried. "D-Don't make me come over there, Shuukuro!"
Tsukishima, amused, replied, "You do have a point there, old friend. I wouldn't want to be hit by that Blut Arterie of yours again!"
"Well, I'll give the kid credit for hanging in there this long," said Ginjou, placing his hands into the pockets of his black jacket. "He's wasting his time though. Tsukishima's doing nothing but wearing him down now."
"Looks like it," remarked Jackie. "I wish he'd just end things already. He always plays with his opponent for far too long in my opinion."
"Heh. Let the guy have his fun. It's not everyday he gets to fight like this."
Konoka, unable to just bite her lip and sit idly by any longer, took a step forward. Ginjou caught wind of this and grabbed her arm.
"...Get your hand off of me," she breathed.
"Hold on there. I know this is hard to watch, but..."
"I SAID GET OFF OF ME, GINJOU!"
The scene grew quiet in the wake of her declaration, and Yukio Hans Vorarlberna sighed as the interruption caused him to lose his last life in the game he was playing. He cranked up the volume on his headphones, hoping to block out any further outbursts.
"T-Take it easy there," an apprehensive Jackie said.
"Screw that!" Konoka responded. "I'm helping Ishida whether you jerks like it or not!"
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," stated Ginjou. Though he said this calmly, his voice made it clear his statement was more of a threat than a warning. "Remember: your friend up there was the one who broke into our headquarters. The way I see it, we're just defending ourselves."
Konoka smacked her lips, thinking this a load a bull. Xcution was the one who antagonized she and Sasune in the first place. Of course, she guessed there was no use in pointing fingers at this stage.
"Dammit! Where'd he go this time?! Does his Fullbring let him turn invisible too?"
Losing sight of Tsukishima, Sasune readied himself for anything. The Fullbringer was fast, faster than the Quincy dared to admit. He also didn't want to acknowledge that one, well aimed strike from Tsukishima's Book of the End would settle this fight.
"Not exactly."
The sound of his enemy's voice made Sasune shoot his head upward. There, Tsukishima was awaiting him. Somehow, the Fullbringer was standing on the air upside down.
"...Neat trick, Shuukuro," chimed Sasune. "Is that another application of Bringer Light?"
"Indeed. You catch on quick, Sasune. Then again, you were always sharp. It's a shame though you weren't smart enough to avoid this conflict. You might have been able to leave Naruki City with your life."
Bouncing off thin air like a trampoline, Tsukishima soared toward Sasune with his Book of the End in hand. Sasune, left with little choice, blocked his opponent's strike with his energy bow. However, he soon gathered this was a mistake when Tsukishima's blade began cutting through.
"Did you forget my Book of the End can cut through almost anything? I guess this is the end of our little sparring session, Sasune. You're about to lose. Then again, you're used to being defeated by me, aren't you?"
"Hmm? Where are you going?" Ginjou asked once Jackie started walking back inside.
"...That fight is over. There's nothing left for me to see. I'm gonna finish unpacking the rest of the boxes."
"F-Fight?! What fight?!" Riruka Dokugamine, squinting as hard as she could, made out two ants she figured were Sasune and Tsukishima. If they really had been going at it all this time, she couldn't tell. "W-What's happening, Ginjou?! You know I can't see a thing without my glasses!"
"That isn't my problem," he replied. "I told you to put them on."
"No way!" Riruka pouted and crossed her arms. "Fine! Whatever! Like I care anyway!"
She stomped away, much to the relief of Yukio, who gathered he could play his game in peace.
"You know..."
"You don't have to say it," Ginjou said to him.
"That's what I don't like about her," stated Yukio anyway.
"...I said you didn't have to say it. ...I don't like that about her either."
"I will return inside as well to finish cleaning the dishes," said Giriko curtly. "Please try to ensure Mister Tsukishima and that boy up there don't cause more damage to this place. I'm afraid I will have to place it all on your tab, Mister Ginjou."
Ginjou curled his lips. "R-Right. Got it."
Konoka eyed Giriko leaving, seeing her chance to act arrive at last. Clutching her emerald pendant, a bright flash filled the area momentarily as she called upon her Fullbring.
"Screw this!" she cried, leaping up at Sasune and Tsukishima.
"W-Wait a second, Konoka! Get back here!" Ginjou declared.
"Looks like she got away." Yukio didn't seem all that concerned, tapping his fingers against his handheld. "Looks like you underestimated her a little, Ginjou. She knew better than to try anything while all of us were surrounding her, so she waited until only the two of us were left to make her move."
Ginjou groaned. "Yep. Should've seen that one coming. Oh, well."
Konoka shouted and thrusted her golden glaive into Tsukishima's Book of the End. His arm lurched back, sparing Sasune from being sliced down the middle. Her eyes then enlarged as gravity began to drag her downward.
"Gotcha!" said Sasune, catching her. "You alright, my lady?"
"Y-Yeah. Thanks."
"Don't look down, alright?"
She naturally did the opposite, gulping at how high up they were. There was no doubt what would occur if Sasune were to accidently drop her.
"H-How do you do that bullshit you're doing right now? Standing on the air?"
Sasune chuckled. "Uh...d-don't worry about that at the moment. You'll figure it out in due time."
"You have a lot of courage, Miss Mitsumi, to attack me like that when you've barely even just learned how to use your Fullbring," said Tsukishima. The sight of his constant and insufferable grin caused Konoka to growl. She couldn't wait to break all his teeth in. "Indeed. That was like something out of a book. 'The brave heroine arrives at the last moment to save the day.' Unfortunately, this is reality. You can't just attack people like that without suffering the consequences. There won't be any 'happy ending' for you at this rate."
"Piss off!" replied Konoka. "I ain't gotta be a master at this Fullbring shit if I can just stab you through that black heart of yours!"
"Hmph. I suppose you have a point. I'd like to see you try that though."
Before anything of the sort could come to pass, everyone at Xcution's headquarters froze up upon feeling an immense spiritual pressure.
"...What could that be?" wondered Tsukishima.
"I-It's a Hollow..." mumbled Sasune, being hardly able to talk. "...Alright, I'm not gonna lie. I'm trying not to crap my pants right now!"
"What the hell is going on, Ishida?! It feels like someone is punchin' me in the gut!" said a wincing Konoka.
"Tsukishima! Forget about those two!" bellowed Ginjou. "Plans have changed! Something's happening in Karakura Town! We gotta lie low until it boils over!"
"I see." Tsukishima's Book of the End transformed into a mere bookmark. "It looks like we're going to have to cut our playtime short this time, Sasune and Miss Mitsumi."
"I don't think so!"
Even with the use of only a single arm, Sasune pointed his bow at his rival.
"Do you really believe you should be wasting your time on me, Sasune? You feel whatever that is too, don't you? I'm nothing compared to it."
"Screw that! Waste this guy!" pleaded Konoka.
Though that course of action was music to Sasune's ears, he also realized Tsukishima's assessment was spot on. He sheathed his bow and placed Konoka on his back.
"Alright, princess! We've gotta go!"
"'Go?!' What the hell are you talkin' about?!"
"You'll just have to wait and see when we get there!"
Debating on saying something to Tsukishima before they parted, Sasune opted not to, wordlessly informing the Fullbringer he would be back to finish their duel when the time was right. Tsukishima looked to get the meaning behind his expression, smirking slightly.
"S-Slow down, dammit!" exclaimed Konoka. She was hanging on for dear life while Sasune sprinted across the air with Hirenkyakyu. "L-Lemme put my glaive up at least!"
"No time!" said Sasune.
"Take care, Konoka!" Ginjou gave she and Sasune a salute, although the Red-Haired Beast saw the gesture painted with sarcasm. "Xcution will be awaiting you with open arms when you finally chose to join us!"
As generous as the offer was, Konoka hadn't the even the most modest ideas of ever bumping into Ginjou and the rest of Xcution ever again.
"So, aren't you marveled I managed to come to your aid, Miss Mitsumi? I told you I would! Once Sasune Ishida makes a promise to a woman, it is a promise he keeps no matter the odds! Man, all that went even better than I thought! Yeah, I probably hacked up a lung or a kidney at some point back there, but…!"
"...God, do you ever get tired of hearin' yourself talk?! I thought I made it perfectly clear I didn't need your help this morning, Ishida! Besides, we got lucky. Tsukishima really was gonna kill your ass if it weren't for Xcution lettin' us go."
"W-We're just gonna have to agree to disagree, okay?"
"...Whatever."
Calling her a 'party pooper' felt appropriate, though Sasune remembered she could turn him into a human pretzel if he got too out of line.
"You got a plan for when we get wherever we're goin', right?!" yelled Konoka.
"Uh...t-totally!"
"Just like when you came to get me, right?!"
"...W-Why you keep bringing up old stuff like that?! Just trust me, alright?!"
The Quincy didn't sound all that confident and for good reason. He really didn't have a clue what they were going to do once they eventually hit Karakura Town. 'Shooting first and asking questions later' was the most he could come with on spur of the moment, but this likely wouldn't sit well with the Red-Haired Beast.
His brain failing him at a crucial time like this had to do with him fretting over the wellbeing of his half brother, who resided in the very same city he and Konoka were headed.
"I just hope that idiot hasn't gotten himself caught up in whatever's going on. Knowing him though, he's probably the reason things are so crazy. Heh. Then again, he's a lot like me in that regard."
On the topic of rash behavior, Aaron and Kana came to mind.
"Those two can't do a thing without me. Well, let's just hope they don't get themselves killed before I show up! Someone has to be there to witness me steal the show, after all!"
#
"Keep going in this direction, CT!"
"Are you sure, Kana?"
"Of course I'm sure! W-Wait, maybe it was actually the other way? N-No! This is the right way for sure! Keep going! T-Then again, I don't recognize that post office over there..."
It was hard enough for Aaron to Flash Step over buildings with Kana riding on his back. Her giving him uncertain directions around Karakura Town surely wasn't helping.
"You know, we could've gotten out here faster if we just took the monorail!" he said. Sweat drenched his whole body, and cup of water sounded like heaven to him. "Why the hell does this town have to be so far away from Hino?!"
Holding little sympathy for him, Kana whacked him on the head. "Pipe down! You should be conserving your energy for fighting if you've got enough left of it to complain! Besides, don't you think a Shinigami would be a strange sight on public transportation?"
"You do realize no one would be able to see me, right?"
"...O-Oh." Kana scratched her head. "Why didn't we just take the monorail?"
Being unable to even look at Kana, a livid Aaron turned away from her and felt that even though she was a brunette now, she still acted as dense as a blonde.
"Hey, you just thought something mean about me, didn't you?!" cried Kana. "I don't know what it was, but I bet it was something people get hit for!"
Bracing himself, Aaron replied, "I-It was nothing! Nothing at all! How about you conserve some of your energy for that Menos Grande?!"
His remark might have been harsh, but he didn't think it was anything for her to gasp over.
"You just gonna leave me in the dark or what?" he asked.
Peering at her phone, Kana said, "Y-You...uh...aren't gonna like what I have to say!"
"Come on! It can't be worse than what we're already gonna have to deal with!"
"Y-Yeah, sure. Uh...besides that Menos Grande, there seems to be hundreds of Hollows in the area! My Denreishinki didn't pick them up before because the Menos' spiritual pressure was so overwhelming!"
Aaron blinked. "'H-Hundreds?!' That can't be right!"
"Nothing about this is right! Menos Grandes just don't pop up in your world like this! I wonder if that weird Shinigami me and Sasune bumped into at the sports festival has anything to do with this?"
"'Weird Shinigami?' Wait, you didn't tell me about..."
"Watch out!"
Aaron, shrieking like a little girl, avoided slamming into a telephone at the last second. Kana rewarded his efforts by bopping him on the skull a second time.
"W-What was that for?!" he roared, rubbing the tender area.
"Pay attention! You still totally suck at Shunpo, so don't push your luck!"
Maintaining his composure around Kana was truly difficult at times, but Aaron took a deep breath and focused his mind on other things, like how he was going to handle the Menos Grande when he and it finally met face-to-face. He wished he had more information to strategize; Kana hadn't told him much, and it appeared that was since she didn't know much about the creature herself.
"C-Calm down, Aaron," he muttered. An intense fear began to take control of his limbs, slowing him down and nearly causing him to miss a jump. "Y-You can do this..."
He breathed deeply once more.
"Stop down there!" said Kana just then. "We should take a sec to scope things out!"
"R-Right..."
He landed in a deserted street and was unsettled at how quiet things were.
"It's weird..." he started. "There's no one here, but it feels like a million eyes are watching me right now."
"Yeah, I know exactly what you mean!" Kana began to bite her fingernails. "W-Where is everybody? I've never seen this town so empty! It's kinda spooky..."
A powerful gust of wind rolled through. Aaron reached for his Zanpakutou, sensing something was wrong. He was glad he did; dozens of Hollows came out of the shadows, gazing at him hungrily. One couldn't wait any longer. It galloped at Aaron, emitting a high-pitched cry.
"Well, it was gonna come to this sooner or later!" said Aaron. He brought his wakizashi down on the Hollow and sliced it in half. As easy as the kill was, he saw it was solely the beginning. "Kana, why don't you find somewhere safe to hide while I…!"
His discovered his words unnecessary after he heard Kana reciting an incantation.
"Way of Destruction Number 31: Red Fire Cannon!"
Her Kidou destroyed a Hollow that had leapt toward her. Another pair then came in from behind, but she was ready for them as well.
"Way of Destruction Number 33: Blue Fire, Crash Down!"
A torrent of blue energy got rid of her attackers.
An astonished Aaron mumbled, "H-How can a total ditz like her be so good at using Kidou? It honestly isn't fair..."
"Aw, phooey!" Kana, despite her successes, pouted her lips. "What's going on?! My Kidou should've been way stronger than that!"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
She didn't get the opportunity to clarify. Another group of Hollows, ready to devour her soul, were on the move. Aaron flipped over her head and hacked them to pieces. Nevertheless, he was starting to grow tired.
"Ugh! There's no end to these things!" he exclaimed as he cut down a spider-shaped Hollow. A bat-like one soared near him, but he took care of it too. "M-My arm is cramping up over here..."
"Come on, CT! You can do it! Fight, fight, fight!"
"Oh God, not that again! Look, I don't mind you being my personal cheerleader or anything, Kana, but maybe you could help me out here by killing stuff instead!"
Hollows circled the two, and seeing no openings to flee, Aaron and Kana backed into one another.
"Got any more tricks up your sleeve?" asked Aaron.
Kana nodded. "Watch this!"
She placed her palm on the concrete, and a green, domed barrier of some sort materialized around she and Aaron, pushing a number of their enemies back.
"N-Not bad," said Aaron. He chuckled as a Hollow was fried when it tried to break through the shield forcibly. "What is this thing?"
"It's a Kidou barrier!" replied Kana. "It should buy us a little time! I-I can't hold it up forever though! I barely have any spirit energy left as it is!"
"Huh? You've hardly even used any though. Are you telling me your powers haven't come back yet after all this time?"
"W-What do you think?!"
Aaron smiled slyly. "Wait a sec. You aren't just pretending to be so weak just so you can stay here in the Human World a little longer, are you?"
His grin faded after Kana allowed him a glimpse of her completely earnest visage.
"I'm not lying, CT! You're right! I really should have my Shinigami powers back by now! I didn't want to admit it because I thought I was just imagining things, but it honestly feels like I'm getting weaker with each passing day!"
One of Aaron's eyebrows rose. "...How can that be? You said that Gigai Urahara gave you should've been helping you get stronger, right?"
"I dunno! Maybe it's busted or something!"
That didn't sound right to Aaron. Everything that Urahara had sold to Kana thus far had worked like a charm, and the man didn't seem like one to fraud his customers with defective merchandise. Even so, there was no denying Kana's claims. Aaron himself had taken heed of her diminishing spiritual pressure over the past weeks. It was almost as if she were becoming human.
Neither of the two were given long to dwell on the distressing topic. A gorilla-shaped Hollow began pounding its massive fists against Kana's barrier. Every blow was like a punch to the gut to her, and she slumped to her knees when a few other Hollows joined in.
"D-Do something, CT! I-I can't hold out much longer!"
Aaron could see that, yet his form still froze up. There were simply too many Hollows for him to account for.
Cannon fire erupted through the quiet boulevard, and a number of Hollows were suddenly destroyed. The rest scattered for cover as more shells peppered the area.
"...Got them," said the meek voice of Ururu Tsumigiya. She lowered her enormous shoulder cannon and watched while someone dashed past her.
"You're mine!" Jinta Hanakari proclaimed, coming within inches of a Hollow that towered over him. The boy, his giant, iron club at the ready, wasn't fazed in the least. "Jinta Homerun!"
He swung for the fences, cleanly decapitating his target.
More Hollows arrived, but they were effortlessly mopped up by Tessai Tsukabishi, who took them down with nothing more than his bare hands.
"W-Whoa..." Aaron rubbed his eyelids, positive he were merely seeing things. "I-I forget how incredible these guys are..."
"I-I'm gonna lower the barrier now..." said Kana weakly. "T-That was close..."
"All enemies have been annihilated, Boss!" said Tessai with a salute.
"...All enemies annihilated," echoed Ururu quietly.
"Tsk! That was too easy! Are there anymore of them around here, Boss?!" asked Jinta eagerly.
Aaron hadn't the slightest idea who they was talking to until Kisuke Urahara, his trusty cane in hand, came into plain view.
"Welcome back to Karakura Town, Miss Mitarashi and Mister Higuchi!" he said mirthfully. Neither Aaron nor Kana could find a reason to be as upbeat. "I'm sorry to say that you two may have come for a visit at a truly dreadful time."
"You don't say?" said Aaron sardonically. "Look, while we're glad to see you and appreciate you bailing us out like that, Urahara, we're not actually here to sightsee."
Urahaha cooled himself off with a green fan. "I see. Assuming you two are here for the same reason we are, I suggest you head that way!"
He pointed to the east, though it meant nothing to either Aaron or Kana since they didn't know the layout of Karakura Town. Nonetheless, they could practically sense something big was unfolding in that general area.
"W-Wait a sec! I nearly forgot!" Without warning, Kana marched her way to Urahara prior to jabbing her finger into his nose a couple of times. Mister Hat and Clogs was by nature dumbfounded. "You've got some 'splainin' to do, mister!"
Urahara, sweating bullets, answered, "E-Excuse me?"
"Don't play dumb! Everyone else might think I'm stupid, but I'm a lot smarter than I look!"
"You could've fooled me," said Aaron out of earshot.
"I know you did something to this Gigai! That's why I'm not getting my powers back!"
"Y-You're still going on about that? There's no way Urahara would..."
Aaron relented when Urahara's countenance abruptly became solemn. The humble shop owner wasn't doing much to defend himself either. Now Aaron wasn't sure what to think.
"...While you certainly deserve an explanation, Miss Mitarashi, now isn't the time. In case you've forgotten we've got bigger fish to fry."
"Boss, we better get going!" said Tessai.
"Right! Well, Miss Mitarashi and Mister Higuchi, until we meet again!"
"W-Wait a sec!" cried Kana. "You can't just…!"
Urahara and his employees sprinted away, leaving Kana to steam like a vegetable.
"C-Chill out," said Aaron. "He's right. Remember that Menos Grande."
"Screw some Hollow! I'm not scared of it! It hasn't even shown its ugly…!"
She chomped down on her tongue, shocked to see a literal rip in the sky open up just then. Aaron, rendered speechless, looked on while a pair of enormous hands widened the crevice. Then, an enormous—Aaron estimated it was at least six stories tall—humanoid monster stepped out, its giant feet quaking the entire area. Knocked off his feet, Aaron was too awestricken to get back up.
"W-What the hell is that?!" he declared. His shaking eyes were transfixed to the creature's black skin, white mask, and elongated nose. "T-That's the Menos Grande?!"
He at last understood why only the hardiest of Shinigami stood a chance against such an immovable force. His breathing quickened, and his limbs became numb, a likely side effect of the Menos' crushing spiritual pressure. Terror, unadulterated terror, then shot over him.
"W-We can't fight that thing..." he muttered. "W-We'll die!"
"Ugh. I think I just peed on myself!" admitted Kana. "I-I always thought Menos Grandes were a myth, just something to keep Shinigami on their toes! We are so screwed!"
"I...can usually appreciate honesty, but..."
Aaron's mind emptied. Sniveling like a coward wasn't going to get him anywhere. He knew this, but he was certain it was all someone in his position could do. Never before had he felt so powerless, not even when he was nothing more than a mere human.
Still, there was no running from a creature like the one before him. It was either fight or die. As his grip on his Zanpakutou wavered, he repeated this to himself in order to strengthen his resolve.
"C-CT! Heads up!"
Kana's voice dragged him back to reality. He flipped around and cursed at the brigade of Hollows barreling for them. They might not have been as intimidating as the Menos, but he was hardly in the right state of mind to take on anyone. Seeing this, Kana grabbed his arm.
"Come on!" she said, pulling him with her. "We'll follow Mister Hat and Clogs!"
"B-But..."
"But nothin'! There's no point wasting time on the small fry! Besides, I'm still worried about Rukia! I don't want that big dummy up there eating her!"
Aaron supposed her logic was sound. Then again, he wasn't really sure what to do anymore. He just kept hoping he would wake up out of this nightmare as soon as possible.
"...This isn't a dream, is it? ...Dammit."
#
Konoka carved a Hollow in two using her golden glaive ahead of doing an about face, shouting like a raging beast, and impaling her weapon through another Hollow's mask. A third prepared to pounce on her, but a scarlet arrow ruined its plans by destroying it.
"That's five for me!" Sasune proudly declared.
Konoka rolled her eyes. "Do you think this is a freakin' game, Ishida?!"
"Oh, come on! I know you've been counting all your kills too!"
"...M-Maybe. I've got six for the record."
Their individual stats might have been good, but as they stood back to back, the saw they didn't mean much since an innumerable amount of enemies remained around them. It seemed that every time they crushed a Hollow, another came to take its place.
"Dammit! Where the hell are these freaks comin' from?!" questioned Konoka.
"Temper, temper, my dear!" said Sasune. For some reason, he wasn't nearly as worked up as his companion. In fact, he was actually smiling. "Perhaps your exhaustion is beginning to cloud that pretty, little head of yours."
"Oh, please! You're the one that's about to pass out over there!"
Sasune, breathing with aid of an inhaler, hastily put the item away. "I-I am doing nothing of the sort! I could go taking these bastards down for hours!"
"Guess that's good, Pretty Boy. Looks we're gonna be doin' this for a while."
Sasune, sniping another Hollow that was getting too close, had to stop himself from sobbing because of her theory. As much as he enjoyed boasting with a beautiful woman present, he had no intention of wasting his time like this much longer.
"Something isn't right here," he then stated.
"Huh? What do you mean?" asked Konoka as she brought her glaive upward to meet a pair of flying Hollows. Both were taken out of the picture. "Did you figure that shit out before you dragged me all the way here to get ambushed by these assholes or after?"
"Charming. No, I meant that there are far too many Hollows here. I at first thought someone must've used Hollow bait like that Shinigami chick at the sports festival, but there's no way this many would've come, not to mention that big boy up there."
Konoka, gulping, briefly glimpsed at the Menos Grande. "Y-Yeah, that bastard. Think you can shoot it down from here?"
"Heh. Sorry. Even I'm not that good. I'd need a million more bows to have a chance at doing something like that."
Konoka sighed. "Just great."
"Don't sweat it! If you do end up dying here, at least you'll have a dashing fellow like me here alongside you in your final, tragic moments!"
"...Alright, now I'm hopin' you die first."
Her words, sharp as daggers to Sasune, wore off the moment he picked up on a familiar spiritual pressure off in the distance.
"...Uryuu," he mumbled.
"'Uryuu?' Who's that?" asked Konoka.
"My little brother. No, I guess it would be more appropriate to say he's my half brother. He's a good kid, if not horrible when it comes to interacting with other humans. He's not nearly as dashing as me though unfortunately. Guess he got all our father's shitty genes. Anyway, all of this is starting to make some sense. Uryuu likely had something to do with all these nasty Hollows showing up here in Karakura Town. It definitely sounds like something he'd do."
"Why the hell would your brother do that? Is he a glutton for punishment or somethin'?"
"Who knows? He's kinda weird." Sasune chuckled at nothing in particular. Meanwhile, Konoka wasn't sure how he of all people could refer to anyone as odd. "There's something else near him, something giving off an extraordinary level of spirit energy."
"You're talkin' about that big ass Hollow up there, right?"
Sasune shook his head. "No. Whoever it is, they're a Shinigami. I'm sure of it."
"Higuchi?"
Again, the Quincy shook his head. "No. This person is making Aaron look like a total wuss. Well, he kinda is, but that's beside the point! Now I'm not sure if we should be worried about whoever this guy is or that Hollow towering over us."
"Isn't it obvious?!"
"Yeah, I guess it is!" Sasune pointed at the Menos Grande. "I sure wish some of your Xcution pals were here. They would've made great meatshields."
Konoka was legitimately tickled. "...Somethin' tells me you mean Tsukishima in particular."
Sasune didn't try to deny her claim. "...While I realize you enjoy murdering other lifeforms as something of a professional hobby, I'm afraid we don't have time to stop and take all these weaklings around us out."
A green energy blade from Konoka's glaive mopped up a group of the 'weaklings' the Quincy mentioned.
"Oh?" she responded. "You seem kinda eager to fight that big bastard all of a sudden. I'm not gonna go out with you even if you do manage to take it down."
"S-Seriously?! Why not?!" Sasune slapped himself across the cheek to steer his mind off something other than girls for once. "T-That's not what I was getting out! I just still don't get why a Menos Grande of all things would pop up like this! Even if someone did use Hollow bait, that wouldn't be enough to attract it here! It'd be like snagging an elephant with honey."
"Why the hell are you still goin' on about that?" Konoka used her weapon for support, her legs feeling as wobbly as gelatin. She chose not to mention this out loud. "Who cares why it's here?! We just have to take it down, right?! Let's get it done then!"
"Agh!"
Without warning, Sasune fell to his knees and grasped his stomach.
"Y-Yo, are you alright over there, Ishida?!" cried Konoka. She hadn't seen anything strike him, and he didn't appear all that hurt to her. Even so, she remained vigilant.
"N-No!" he informed her, sounding like he were on his deathbed. "It's horrible, Miss Mitsumi! M-My stomach! I haven't eaten anything since breakfast, so I don't have a lot of energy right now! My injuries aren't helping either! You wouldn't have something to snack on in your backpack, would you?"
It took every ounce of self control the Red-Haired Beast had not to decapitate Sasune on the spot with her glaive. It also helped that she was distracted when an unseen entity darted past her suddenly.
"Huh? Who the…?"
"You saw her too?" said Sasune. He was assured the person in question was the pink-haired Shinigami he and Kana met at the Hino High sports festival, yet she had moved too fast for him to confirm for sure. "Looks like she's headed toward that Menos."
It took his brain no time at all to cook up a plan.
"Miss Mitsumi, can you hold the fort here for me?"
"What? What are you…?"
"Thanks!"
His skill with Hirenkyaku enabled him to disappear before an irate Konoka could lay hands on him.
"Y-You son of a bitch! Get back here! I'm gonna rip your god damn head off, Ishida!"
Becoming redder than her fiery mane, her rage increased tenfold after the encircling Hollows howled as if to let her know they were still hanging around.
"Tsk! Some gallant hero he is! He just left his damsel in distress to fend for herself!"
She twirled her glaive above her head and then grinned. In spite of Sasune leaving her out to dry, she could at least enjoy herself with these accommodating Hollows until he returned and gave her the opportunity to shove her foot up his rear end.
"Alright, you freaks! Bring it!"
#
Rukia Kuchiki dropped to her knees. Her grey eyes, full of anxiety, broadened. Upon discovering she could move none of her limbs, she determined the man standing in front of her, Kisuke Urahara, had placed a binding spell on her.
"This is a crucial battle," he told her. "As crucial to you as it will be for him."
His talk made little sense to Rukia. She leered at him for elucidation, some sort of explanation for his madness. He gave her nothing. Rather, he focused solely on the conflict unfolding close-by, one that contorted his lips into an eager smirk. Rukia opted to do so as well—her eyes were the only thing the binding spell still allowed her control of—and took heed of an orange-haired teenager dressed in the garbs of a Shinigami. She craved to mouth 'Ichigo' to warn the youth that what he was doing was not only foolish, but suicidal. Even with Uryuu Ishida assisting him, there was no doubt in her mind the boy who had taken her Shinigami powers could not prevail against something like a Menos Grande. Indeed, she tried harder to convey all this before it was too late.
She couldn't.
Ichigo Kurosaki, screaming with vigor, charged at the Menos with a full head of steam, his oversized Zanpakutou in hand. He swung at the giant Hollow's leg with all of his might yet merely inflicted a minor gash. The Menos returned the favor by driving its foot into him, sending him a good distance back and rolling across the ground.
"Kurosaki!" shouted Uryuu. He hurriedly formed his blue spirit bow, Kojaku, ahead of aiming it at the Menos' mask. "I told you that would happen!"
He fired as shot of energy that connected but his blow had the same effect as Ichigo's. He soon came to the conclusion his strength wouldn't be enough to inflict a fatal blow on the monster.
Rukia continued to watch everything unfold. As much as she hated to admit it, she wasn't remotely shocked to see Ichigo and Uryuu getting nowhere. All they were doing was riling the Menos up, ensuring their own demises in the process. Why? Why didn't Urahara understand this? What was he attempting to accomplishing by having these teenagers fight a pointless battle?
If Urahara was bothered by plunging Ichigo and Uryuu into this mess, he wasn't showing it. Indeed, he appeared unaffected by what he was witnessing.
"Get up, Kurosaki! We need to rethink our strategy!" shouted Uryuu. Without really thinking, he touched the bloodied Ichigo's Zanpakutou. This simple gesture suddenly caused his Kojaku to grow in size. "W-What is this?! My bow..."
Again, his keen mind worked quickly. Ichigo's overwhelming spiritual energy was the catalyst behind his bow's bizarre transformation. Unlike Shinigami, who fought using their own, internal energy, Quincies absorbed the spirit energy all around them to fashion their weapons and fight. Ichigo's energy, which seemed to always be outputting at its maximum, focused itself through Kojaku the moment the Quincy touched the Shinigami's blade. As startling as this was to Uryuu, he eventually realized he could use this to his advantage.
"Kurosaki!" he said.
"What do you…?" Ichigo tripped over his words at laying eyes on Uryuu's Kojaku. "What the hell is that?! W-What happened to your bow?! Why is it so big now?!"
"Stop it! Just listen to me! This may sound like a weird idea, but I think I know of a way we can beat him!"
Ichigo momentarily looked up at the Menos Grande before saying, "...What?"
Rukia didn't think it mattered what they came up with. They hadn't a hope of killing the Menos.
Someone echoed her sentiments, walking beside her out of the blue.
"Well, those two are optimistic. I'll give 'em that. I guess all kids are."
Urahara rotated himself to Akira Akiyama, who greeted him with a wave. With most of his face obscured by his hat, it was hard to tell what the humble shop owner of Urahara Store was contemplating.
"Oh? I thought there was someone sneaking around," he said nonchalantly.
"Is that so? You're pretty sharp, old man," replied Akira. "Man, this is getting sort of embarrassing. I'm being paid to get around the Human World undetected, but you're already the second geezer that's managed to pick up on my movements. Then again, I didn't see the point of stalking from the shadows anymore. There's no hiding from that Menos Grande, right?"
"Nope! You're certainly right about that, young lady."
Just when Rukia was positive she couldn't be any more out of the loop, here came this mysterious Shinigami popping up from seemingly nowhere. Not recognizing her, Rukia wasn't sure whether she was here to help or stir up more trouble.
"He sure is an ugly bastard, isn't he?" said Akira, referring to the Menos. "The illustrations from the textbooks back at the Shinigami Academy didn't do it justice."
"I don't mean to be rude, but may I ask what you're doing here?" said Urahara. "I get the feeling you aren't as innocent as you'd like us to believe."
"...Perhaps. Maybe you're on to something."
Urahara retrieved his cane from within his clothing. "...Perhaps I am."
Akira's visage hardened. "Oh? I wasn't expecting you of all people to want a fight. If that's the case, I'm gonna have to decline. I like butting heads as much as the next girl, but fighting you of all people would be tantamount to suicide."
The two stared one another down, quietly daring the other to make a move.
Meanwhile, Ichigo wordlessly gazed on while Uryuu tied the Shinigami's large Zanpakoutou to his head.
"Ok! Preparation complete!" the Quincy exclaimed. "Now we can fight him!"
For a moment, Ichigo truthfully wasn't sure how to react. Then, something came to him.
"...You're...an idiot, aren't you?"
"What?! Quit complaining! If I constantly touch your sword and use your spirit power, I can shoot an unbelievable enormous arrow! Now unleash your power! Control it and max it out!"
It was becoming difficult for Rukia to keep a vigilant eye on Ichigo and Uryuu while also keeping track of the tension between Urahara and Akira. She settled on the latter for the time being, mostly because Akira began to reach for her Zanpakutou.
"My boss didn't order me to take you on," she started. "And my boss gets really mad when I go against orders. Yeah, he doesn't have the patience for insubordinate people like me."
Urahara plainly stated, "Your boss doesn't sound like a pleasant individual."
The moment he drew his own sword, Akira sprung into action. She tossed a white cloth at his arm, and it wrapped around it, restricting him. She then pointed a finger his way.
"Carriage of thunder, bridge of a spinning wheel! With light, divide this into six! Way of Binding Number 61: Six Rods Prison of Light!"
Six thin, yellow beams of illumination suddenly spawned before ensnaring Urahara.
"That should hold you for a bit! You might be strong, but even you'd be hard pressed to break out of high level binding spell like that!" proclaimed Akira.
Urahara indeed found himself unable to move a muscle. This was of no concern to him however. No, what really garnered his concern was Akira next Flash Stepping her way toward an unaware Ichigo and Uryuu with her sword at the ready. There was no doubt in Rukia's mind what the woman intended to do. At the last second, her targets became aware of her yet were in no position to defend themselves.
"Not so fast!" shouted Aaron Higuchi. He employed Shunpo to get in between Akira and her prey. He then blocked her sword strike with his own Zanpakutou. The force from this threw sparks everywhere, but Aaron held his ground as Akira tried shoving him back. "Well, well, well! We meet again, Akira Akiyama!"
"Tsk! How touching! You remembered my name!"
"I had a feeling you were up to no good when I didn't see you at school today!"
"Is that so? It ain't none of your business if I wanna play hooky, kid!"
"Let me guess? This isn't any of my business either, right?"
Akira answered him by driving her foot into his chest. Though shaken up, he was able to stop himself from skidding too far away from her.
"This isn't a game, kid," she said. "We might've been classmates for a while, but things are different now. I'm afraid I'm gonna have to kill you."
The threat caught Aaron off guard. "...Is that so?"
"W-Wait a sec! What the hell is going on?!" cried Ichigo.
"What the…?! Two more Shinigami?!" stammered Uryuu, just as dumbfounded.
Aaron told them, "Look, while I'd love to explain who we are and what's happening, there really isn't any time! You're just gonna have to trust me when I say this lady here is a really, really bad person we gotta take down! It's likely she's got something do with that Menos Grande being here!"
"...I see." Uryuu pushed his glasses closer to his face. "There were certain aspects of today I found quite odd, almost as if they were being influenced by an outside source. If what you're saying is true, everything makes a lot more sense."
"Huh? If there's something you know, tell me!" said Ichigo.
"I doubt you'd even be able to comprehend, Kurosaki."
Ichigo became more volatile. "Whatever! All I know is that if this guy over here stuck his neck out for us just now, he's probably on our side!"
Uryuu, alarmed, replied, "Y-You can't be so trusting, Kurosaki! We have no idea who any of these people are! Besides, they're both Shinigami! We can't…!"
"I don't care! If he says this lady here is behind all this crap, we ain't letting her get away!"
"Y-You are unbelievable..."
"Uh...thanks!" said Aaron, unsure of what else to say.
Akira aimed her blade at the trio. "Cute. Let's see. I already know you, Higuchi, but 'Glasses' over there is a new face. And you..."
"...You know me?" asked Ichigo when her gaze fell upon him.
"...In a way. My boss is always talking about you. Yeah, you're something else alright. Just look at the Zanpakutou of yours! I've never seen anything so ridiculous-looking! I don't know how you swing that thing without throwing your back out."
Aaron, paying mind of his own blade, felt 'inadequate' all of a sudden.
"I-It really does look like a butter knife compared to his," he muttered.
Despite Akira prior claim, Urahara had little difficulty destroying the Kidou holding him down. Rukia surveyed him doing so and got a hunch he had allowed Akira to get the better of him on purpose. Why, she had no clue, but his behavior in general today utterly confounded her.
"Whew! I can't remember the last time someone did that to me!" he cheerfully chimed while stretching his arms. He then perceived a familiar voice calling his name. "Ah! Is that Miss Mitarashi I hear?"
It was indeed Kana, an out of breath Kana at that. She halted in front of him with her hands on her knees prior to her snarling and slapping Urahara on the mouth with force.
"You've got a lot of nerve just walking away from me like that, jerk!" she bellowed. "I still have a ton of questions for you! W-Wait, is that Rukia? It is! Hey, how come you're being so quiet? Well, I guess you've always been kinda quiet, but..."
Eventually, Kana noticed her fellow Shinigami was under the influence of a binding spell. A basic gesture from the brunette freed Rukia.
"T-Thank you, Mitarashi," she said, her voice brimming with relief. She then followed Kana's lead by smacking Urahara on his other cheek. "You bastard!"
"...Y-You two don't have to be so rough…" Urahara stroked his reddened face, believing he would need more than an ice pack at this rate. "P-Please, allow me to explain."
"'Explain?!' There's nothing to explain! You're clearly out of your mind! How could you encourage Ichigo to take on that Menos Grande?! I'm beginning to think you really do want him to die! Is that your plan?! Perhaps you too aren't as innocent as you appear!"
Kana fervently nodded her head in support of her friend in spite of having no idea what the current subject pertained to. She would have even joined in on chewing Urahara out if it weren't for her catching wind of the Menos Grande being up to something.
"Uh...t-that's bad, right?"
"N-No!" Rukia's pupils dilated, and she fell to her knees once the giant Hollow began to charge what was plainly a Cero in its agape mouth. "Cero! It's going to use Cero! I-If it hits Ichigo and the others with that…!"
"Oh, you have got to be shitting me!" said Aaron as everything in the area was painted in a crimson light. "Uh...anyone got any ideas?!"
"R-Run..." Rukia struggled to get out. In a much louder, clearer tone, she shouted, "Ichigo, run! All of you, run!"
A fearless Ichigo moved his head up at the Menos. Aaron could tell something or another was tinkering in that mind of his, and he honestly didn't believe it was anything good.
"W-What the hell is this?!" cried Akira. "I-I'm gonna get nuked at this rate too!"
Her employer hadn't said anything about the Menos trying a stunt like this. Balling her fists, she couldn't help but ponder if things had been planned to turn out this way. Maybe her boss, done exploiting her, intended for her to perish alongside Karakura Town to silence her. If that was the case, she felt like she had been played like an instrument. Indeed, even though she was growing more and more upset with each passing second, she had to admit that this whole, devious scheme was well thought up.
"D-Dammit! Kurosaki, this is the only way!" Uryuu prepped an arrow, one he hoped could finish the Menos before all hell broke loose. "Let's do this! Connect your sword to my body aga..."
Ichigo had taken Rukia's warning to heart. He ran alright, except it was toward the Menos Grande instead of away. Uryuu's jaw hit the floor.
"K-Kurosaki?! Where do you think you're going?!"
"Ichigo!" shouted a panic-stricken Rukia.
"Uh...is that guy an idiot or something?" asked Kana meekly.
"He's gotta be!" said Aaron. Sighing, he willed his legs to make chase. "H-Hold up, man! Wait for me!"
"N-Not you too!" Uryuu covered his face with his hand. "Are all Shinigami this idiotic?"
The two drew closer to the Menos, leaving Akira conflicted on what to do now. Her mission didn't mean much since she was likely going to die in a matter of seconds. Still, maybe she was wrong. Maybe her boss hadn't forsaken her. If that were the case, she still had an assignment to finish. She might have been insubordinate at times, but she also thought of herself as punctual.
"Leaving so soon?" asked Urahara. It was like he were reading her mind.
"S-Sorry, old timer, but I ain't got time to hang around here all day!"
She took a step forward to pursue Ichigo, but she froze in place. Someone arrived just then to bar her path. A bead of sweat rolled down her cheek at the red arrow being pointed at her forehead.
"Looks like I finally caught you!" said Sasune Ishida. "You know, this was the longest game of tag I've ever played!"
"Y-You…!"
"Alright, toots! Unless you want your brains splattered all over the place, don't take another step! I don't like hurting women, but I make exceptions during times like these!"
Although Uryuu sought to slip away while Sasune's attention was diverted elsewhere, he groaned when he was nonetheless spotted.
"Bro! There you are! Long time no see, eh?" Sasune jovially exclaimed. "Where ya going?! Come over here and gimme a hug!"
"...What in the world do you think you're doing here, Sasune?" replied Uryuu wearily. Out of all the surprises arising from today, this one without a doubt topped his list.
"Heh! I'm bailing your ass out like always, little bro! Even though we're only half siblings, I still feel it's my responsibility to take care of you since I'm older!"
Uryuu smacked his lips. "You can't just come back into my life like this all of a sudden and then pretend like we've been one big, happy family all this time!"
"Hey, put a sock in it before I give you a spanking or something!"
"H-Huh?! W-We're not kids anymore! You can't just…!"
Sasune laughed. "Now, now, Uryuu! It's not right for you to talk to your older brother like that! Besides, my trusty, right hand is still as good as it used to be!"
His teasing was put to the side, and he became aroused at his red bow tripling in size.
"W-Whoa, whoa! Down, boy! What the hell is going on?!"
"It's Kurosaki!" Uryuu explained. "I don't know why, but his spirit energy constantly emits from his body like a leaky faucet! I was going take advantage of it to make a giant arrow and take down that Hollow, but then Kurosaki just ran off!"
"Impossible! You're telling me that guy just exerts this much energy on a regular basis without passing out or anything?! T-That guy's a…!"
"Monster!" the two Quincies declared.
The term seemed appropriate. Uryuu had presumed Ichigo's energy was at its maximum, but now he and his brother were noticing that even now, it was steadily swelling.
"Oops. Guess I forgot what you told me before."
A smirking Akira brought her blade down on an absentminded Sasune, slashing him cleanly on his back.
"D-Dammit! T-That spot was already tender as it was!" uttered the Quincy, tumbling face first into the dirt.
"Sasune!" cried Uryuu. Armed with his Kojaku, he directed his spirit bow at Akira. However, his eyelids widened. "W-Wait, where did she go?!"
"You're pretty slow, huh?" said Akira. Perhaps to mock him, she proceeded to Flash Step in circles around Uryuu, giving him anything but a clear shot. "Tsk! Let's take care of that pesky bow of yours! Way of Binding Number 4: Crawling Rope!"
"S-Shit!"
A yellow rope of pure energy wormed its way around Uryuu's wrists.
"You know, I didn't pay too much attention during my days at the Shinigami Academy," said Akira. Putting her blade away, she creeped over to Uryuu prior to kicking him into the dirt. She then shoved her foot on his head to pin him down. "I never was good at school or crap like that. I only became a Shinigami so I could get the hell outta Rukongai. I came from one of the worst districts, one that was jampacked with criminals and all sorts of shady characters. Yeah, not a great place for a helpless girl to be."
"Fascinating! Does your story have a point?!" Uryuu blurted.
"Hey, you creep! Try to listen when someone's talking to you!"
She rewarded his outburst by shoving her foot harder into his skull. He winced but otherwise grit his teeth and bore his pain.
"Anyway, I always listened up like a good girl when it came to Kidou. Don't get me wrong. I like slicing up people with my sword too, but Kidou is really what I excelled at. In fact, there was only one other person in my class that got higher scores than me when it came to that stuff."
The person in question gasped, having finally worked out a pressing issue out.
"Akira?! Akira Akiyama?!" breathed Kana. Her visage made it seem as if she had stumbled upon an apparition. Akira was real though, as real as the term allowed. Unsure of what to do or what to say, Kana began making her way over to Akira. She paused though when Akira responded to her sudden movement by retreating a few paces. "I-Is that really you, Akira?! W-What are you doing here?! W-Wait a sec! You were that Shinigami from the sports festival, the one who summoned all those Hollows to Aaron's school?! No way! W-Why?! I don't get it! Why were you trying to hurt my friends?! Why would you of all people…!"
"Shut up! Just...SHUT THE HELL UP, Kana!" Akira proclaimed at the top of her voice. Her statement did the trick; neither Kana nor anyone else dared say a word. "You've got a lotta nerve talking to me like that like nothing happened between us!"
"W-Wait, you know this woman, Mitarashi?!" asked Rukia.
"Uh...y-yeah." Kana felt ashamed to reveal that much. "Akira and I...grew up together. We survived Rukongai by looking after one another, we entered the Shinigami Academy together, and we even graduated on the same day. She's practically my best friend!"
Akira's eyelid twitched. "...'Best friend?' You know, you've got a lot of nerve saying something like that after everything that's happened between us! You're no friend of mine, Kana Mitarashi! Not anymore! All of that is in the past now!"
Those claims were like daggers penetrating Kana's heart. "W-Wait a sec, Akira! What are you talking about?! What did I do to you?! I haven't seen you for months! I was starting to get worried about you! No one knew where you were, and…!"
"Shut it already! Dammit! You always did yammer on like this! Don't worry about me! I never asked you too! This isn't about me! It's about you! You betrayed me Kana! You can keep pretending not to know what I'm talking about if you want, but I know the truth! Now then, maybe it's about time I returned the favor and..."
"I'm sorry. I hate to just cut you off like this, but it won't matter if you get your revenge on Miss Mitarashi at this rate. You haven't forgotten about our friend up there, have you?" asked Urahara.
"I don't care about that damn Menos Grande anymore! Kana's the only one I want! She's the only reason I've been wasting my time doing all this shit in the Human World! If you had any self respect left, Kana, you would be offering me your head on a silver platter!"
"S-Seriously, Akira. Just...calm down already!" Kana was on the verge of tears, genuine ones for once. "C-Can't we just talk this over like adults?!"
Akira was through talking. There was solely one manner in which to settle things in her mind.
"Huh? What are those guys talking about back there?" asked Aaron. There was screaming and shouting, but he couldn't decipher any meaning in them. On the subject of being unable to understand things, he still didn't get why Ichigo was so insistent on charging headfirst into his own demise. "I-I said wait up already! Man, what's this guy's deal?!"
Ichigo stopped but not because Aaron asked him to. No, that had to do with the Menos finally unleashing its Cero. The red beam of destruction headed right for orange-haired teen, who didn't so much as flinch. He lifted his Zanpakutou above his head, and miraculously, he actually began blocking the Cero.
"H-He repelled it?!" blurted Uryuu. "W-Wait! His spiritual energy! It's…!"
"His energy is skyrocketing!" exclaimed Aaron in astonishment.
"T-That guy…!" said Sasune. "He wasn't outputting all his energy after all!"
"It was actually at its lowest point the entire time!" said Uryuu. "I-If you think about it logically, there's no way he could be maxing it out this whole time. He would have to run dry eventually. He said he can't control his powers, which means..."
"Tsk! This guy really is a monster!" Sasune shook his head. "If he really can't control his energy, that means he isn't using it! And if he isn't using it, that means he's always at his weakest! How in the hell can that be?! I could detect him all the way from Hino, even with the Menos Grande's own spiritual pressure screwing up my senses!"
Merely repelling the Cero wasn't Ichigo's intention. He rose his arm and brushed the red beam aside like the action were nothing more than child's play. Then, in one motion, he slashed his Zanpakutou upward. The blow inflicted a severe gash that started from the bottom of the Menos Grande and extended well past its mask. At first, the Menos didn't react, almost like it too was in denial it could be hurt by the likes of a lone Shinigami. Afterward, blood spurted from its grievous wound, and the creature's pain-filled howl resounded throughout Karakura Town and beyond. Everyone present braced themselves from a powerful gust of wind caused by this disturbance.
"I-Impossible!" Akira had been knocked over, but she hardly cared. Her entire body shook for reasons she couldn't readily explain. It wasn't terror gripping her. No, it was incredulity at a human who was only borrowing the abilities of a Shinigami being able to do the improbable. "T-This kid! Who the hell is this kid?!"
"H-How is this possible?!" Rukia echoed Akira's line of thinking. "I-Ichigo nearly cut the Hollow in half!"
Kana, on the other hand, squealed in delight. "Wow! That guy is so cool! W-Wait, where's my phone?! I gotta snap a picture of this!"
Urahara pushed his bucket hat over his face in order to hide how wide his grin was.
The Menos Grande looked ready to collapse; it held itself up with aid of the tear in the sky whence it came. It briefly deliberated its plight ahead of backpedaling into the hole alongside another ear shattering cry.
"The Hollow..." began Rukia.
"...is leaving..." said Uryuu.
"...Bitchin'..." added Sasune.
Ichigo made haste to celebrate the turn of events by flashing a 'V' with his fingers. Chuckling, he then roared, "VICTORY!"
A number of hesitant laughs escaped Aaron. "W-We did it?! W-We actually did it! Well...you did it, but you get what I mean! We're not gonna die! That son of a bitch is really leaving! It's over!"
Uryuu observed the two Shinigami hug it out, the joyous affair making him gulp.
"S-So...scary. Kurosaki really scared that monster away..."
"A-A little help down here, little bro?! I'm still dying here!"
Uryuu crouched down to Sasune as his older brother waved his arm about like a flag in the wind to garner some attention. His injuries were nothing to grin about, but Uryuu was certain his half sibling would live.
The Menos Grande taking its leave snapped Akira out of her muddled funk.
"Now it makes sense," she said to herself. "I didn't get what was so special about that Kurosaki kid, but now..."
She swore under her breath at having lowered her guard enough to allow Kana, Rukia, and Urahara to surround her.
"Hold it right there, Miss Akiyama." Urahara pointed his cane at her menacingly. "Now that our 'guest' has departed, would you mind sticking around? We've got some questions for you. You seem to know quite a bit about that Menos Grande and why it was here, so any assistance you can give us would be greatly appreciated."
"Y-You don't really have anything to do with that monster, do you, Akira?!" inquired Kana pleadingly. "This is all just a misunderstanding, right?!"
"You heard her yourself, Mitarashi!" said a stern Rukia. She crossed her arms and added, "She'll be punished the fullest extent once we drag her back to Soul Society! I'm sure Central 46 and the Captain-Commander will want to hear about all this!"
"...N-No thanks. That old man honestly gives me the creeps. Besides, my employer has already informed me I'm not getting paid if I get captured!" Akira carefully inched away from the three while scrambling to cook up a way to escape. "If you all want me that badly, you'll just have to…!"
She and her would be captors all jumped in fright after Uryuu abruptly shouted, "KUROSAKI!" They then turned to spy Ichigo falling over beside Aaron.
"W-What the hell…? I can't move," the orange-haired Shinigami muttered on the ground.
"Y-You alright down there?" Aaron inquired. "I mean, it's not really shocking you can't move after you did something like..."
The severity of Ichigo's plight solely hit Aaron after Ichigo's arm lurched upward without warning. Afterward, his tall Zanpakutou's began to contort bizarrely.
Aaron's mouth became ajar. "W-What in the…?!"
"Uh...is...is that normal?" asked Sasune honestly.
"I get it! If his sword is changing form like that, maybe he's lost control of his vast spiritual energy!" theorized Uryuu. If that was truly the case, it was essential he acted with haste. With that in mind, he scrambled to Ichigo's side.
"H-Huh? Hold on, Uryuu! You don't…!" Growling, Sasune powered himself to a standing position and went after his brother. "Dammit! This is what I mean when I say I'm always sticking my neck out for him!"
"You can just stay right there, Sasune! I don't need your help! Besides, your injuries…!"
"Screw that! Why are you sticking your neck out for some stinkin' Shinigami, Uryuu?! Just relax already! That guy…!"
"Don't be an idiot! I know you can't help it most of the time, but even you have to realize what's going to happen if Kurosaki's energy continues to destabilize like this!"
"S-So?! What's that have to do with us?!" roared Sasune. "If he dies, he dies! He just some Shinigami! We don't have to…!"
His passionate speech trailed off. He wasn't kidding anyone but himself, he thought. Even if he despised the Shinigami for everything they had ever done to he and his family, he lacked the conscience to let the man who had saved all of them perish without lifting a finger to help.
"F-Fine!" he informed Uryuu through clenched teeth. "What do you suggest we do?!"
A surge of Ichigo's leaking energy hit Uryuu and Sasune like a ton of bricks, once again augmenting the size and shape of their spirit weapons.
"I can feel it from all the way over here!" exclaimed Uryuu.
"U-Ugh. I-I'm getting a little dizzy," moaned Sasune. "D-Dammit! Just how much energy does this guy have?! It's still pouring out of him!"
"Sasune! Follow my lead!" Uryuu pointed his Kojaku toward the heavens. He then shot a gigantic arrow, repeating the motion over and over.
"R-Right! Got it!" Sasune willed his violently shaking fingers to pull back on his bow's quiver before he loosed enormous projectiles of his own. "Dammit! The things I do for love!"
"W-Wait, what you guys doing?" asked Aaron.
"N-not now, man! I'm trying to concentrate on not bleeding out over here!"
"We can stabilize Kurosaki's energy if we continuously fire arrows like this!" clarified Uryuu. "Since he can't control his own power..."
"This is the only we can get it back to him safely!" said Sasune. "Tsk! What a pain in the ass this day is becoming! Why did I even get outta bed?"
"O-Oh! I see!" replied Aaron. He truthfully hadn't the slightest clue what was going on even after the two Quincies broke it down to him, so he just gave them space to do whatever.
Deep lacerations formed on Uryuu's and Sasune's arms. They disregarded them and kept on firing.
"S-Stop it already! Y-You guys are gonna lose your arms!" hollered Ichigo.
"Shut up!" said the two Quincies in unison.
"A-A few cuts aren't gonna kill a dashing fellow like me!" Sasune gloated with a grin. "A-Anyway, this kinda stuff always happens whenever I'm hanging around Uryuu here!"
Uryuu smacked his lips. "Is that so?! You're the one who always follows me around and then blames me whenever something bad happens! Some older brother you are! I thought you were supposed to be keeping me out of trouble?!"
"Would you two stop it already?!" shouted Ichigo. "I ain't asking you to die for my sake!"
"I thought I told you to shut up, Kurosaki!" replied Uryuu while another gash running down the length of his arm opened. "I'm not going to die! I hate the Shinigami, so I can't die! Didn't you say so too?! If we don't live, then we won't be able to fight anymore! You want me to thank you for saving me from that Hollow? Don't even think about it! You better live so I can defeat you, Ichigo Kurosaki! That's all there is to it!"
Ichigo, taken aback, was unable to argue with him any longer. This was more than Uryuu returning the favor for him taking care of the Menos. He was paying back his misdeeds for the day, his misdeeds for an entire life of irrational hatred against the Shinigami.
"...That idiot." Though Sasune wasn't in the same forgiving mood, he was starting to understand why his half brother was doing everything in his power to help this Ichigo Kurosaki. "Heh. Guess he's found himself some kind of rival. I can respect that."
"What are you muttering about over there?" a leery Uryuu queried.
"Alright, Ichigo Kurosaki!" announced Sasune just then. "I command you not to die as well!"
"W-Wait, who the hell are you?!" Ichigo retorted.
Overlooking the valid question, Sasune climactically added, "Live, dammit! LIVE!"
"Who's the real idiot here?" An embarrassed Aaron asked himself. "Why does that guy have to make a fool himself even now?"
As troubling as his best friend's conduct—usually—was, Aaron was far more stumped by Ichigo. Neither his warping Zanpakutou nor his fluctuating spiritual pressure showed any improvement.
Uryuu surveyed this too. "S-Sasune! Are you slacking off over there?! Kurosaki is gonna die at this rate!"
"D-Don't blame me! Blame it on your pal over there! H-He just has too much energy for us to disperse in time! No wonder he was able to kick that Menos' ass!"
"I think it's a little too late to be complimenting him!"
"Hey, why don't you just focus on firing instead of scolding your big bro!"
Another wave of cuts formed on Sasune's arm, but not willing to let his little brother upstage him, he forced a smile and began shooting energy even faster.
"This...isn't good," said Urahara in a foreboding fashion. "While both Ishidas efforts are valiant, they're going to end up dying alongside Mister Kurosaki at this rate."
"There has to be something we can do to assist them!" said Rukia.
"Yeah! You gotta think of something, Mister Hat and Clogs!" pleaded Kana.
Curling his lips at having so much pressure thrown on him so abruptly, Urahara stroked his beard stubble and got the gears in his brain turning.
"Well, I suppose those two could execute their plan of stabilizing Mister Kurosaki's energy if they simply had less to work with."
"I see. Perhaps one of us could take on some of Ichigo's energy!" said Rukia.
"A sound idea, but I doubt either you or Miss Mitarashi here could do it in your weakened states. You would more than likely die in the attempt."
Kana whined, "What are we supposed to do then?!"
"I can do it!" shouted Aaron with vigor. "I just need to take enough of Kurosaki's energy to help out Sasune and his brother, right? You can leave it to me then!"
"...Alright, Mister Higuchi. It's in your hands then." Urahara nodded. "However, you too could end up dying. Mister Kurosaki's energy might be too much for your body to contain."
"Huh?! W-Wait a sec, CT! Maybe you really shouldn't!" said Kana.
"No, it's fine! Kurosaki saved us all from that Menos Grande! The least I could do to return the favor is something like this!"
"You sure about this?" Ichigo asked him. "If one of us has to die..."
"It might as well be you, right? Yeah, you're the sort of guy that would say something like that. I can tell that much just by looking at you. Don't worry about it! If another Menos shows up, I'm sure everyone would rather have someone as strong as you around instead of a wimp like me!"
Aaron laughed, though he was only half kidding around. He really did think both Karakura Town and Hino were in better hands with a Shinigami like Ichigo. He himself hadn't even wanted to confront the Menos Grande upon laying eyes on it. Instead, he did nothing more than shiver in his boots. No one needed the aid of someone like that in his honest opinion. Someone who let their fear control them was nothing more than a burden.
"Ugh! Would you stop talking about yourself like that for once, CT!" cried Kana.
"Y-You don't have to make me feel better, Kana, I..."
"I am not pitying you! No one here thinks of you like that! You're the only one that ever talks like you're nothing more than the scum of the earth! Well, you're not! I don't care what anyone says about you! I don't care if they think you're too quiet, or you complain too much, or even that you aren't the best student at school! You're my knight in shining armor! If it weren't for you, I don't know where I'd be! You saved me when no one else would! That's why you gotta stop beating yourself up like this! You're not nothing, not to me! You're...you're...you're my Aaron!"
Aaron found nothing special about his name. Sure, it might have been different compared to his peers, but it remained nothing to brag about to him. His mother couldn't even recall why she and his father had chosen it out of millions of alternatives. Why then? Why did Kana using a meaningless label make him want to weep tears of joy?
Maybe, just maybe, there was some value to it after all.
"...Right. I'll...keep that in mind, Kana." Aaron steered his concern back to Ichigo, even extending his hand. "Alright! I don't know why, but I'm fired up for some reason now! You probably just heard, but my name is Aaron, Aaron Higuchi! I'm a Shinigami from a town called Hino! It's nothing to brag about, but it's what I call home!"
Ichigo smirked and firmly shook Aaron's hand. "Ichigo Kurosaki! I'm a Shinigami from right here in Karakura Town!"
"Alright, Ichigo! Let's do this!"
Aaron's body began to radiate white energy, a sure sign the energy transfer was initiating. Sensing an immense pressure come over him, he grunted and realized he would be crushed in no time flat if he relaxed even a bit.
"Looks like it's working," said Urahara. "Mister Higuchi might not be as strong as Mister Kurosaki, but his own resolve should be praised."
"Go, Aaron! Fight, fight, fight! Win, win, win!" cheered Kana. The sole thing her act was missing was a pair of pompoms. "You can't die! Knights in shining armor don't die!"
"He...certainly is brave," an awed Rukia said as she observed Aaron.
"Man, we can't let that punk show us up, Uryuu! Keep on firing!" ordered Sasune.
Uryuu replied, "Tsk! Like I need you of all people to tell me that! And how can you criticize me for wanting to save a Shinigami when you're best friends with one?!"
"H-Hey! T-That's not important! Wait, maybe you're just trying to change the subject since you know I'm a better archer than you! Even our grandfather knew it!"
A comically big vein appeared on Uryuu's temple. "Y-You've gotta be kidding me! M-Master only said those things to make you feel better whenever I was excelling at whatever he was teaching us! He said he didn't want to hurt that inflated pride of yours!"
"H-Huh?! Seriously?! Y-You mean I'm really not the greatest archer in the world?! B-But he gave me a sticker and T-shirt that said that and everything!"
"Would you get over yourself already?!"
"I'm kinda struggling to remain conscious over here!" hollered Aaron. "So, if you two are done strolling down memory lane, just...finish doing whatever it is you were doing already!"
Sasune said, "Uh...right, of course! Sorry about that, Chocolate Thunder!"
"...'Chocolate Thunder?' Uryuu blinked.
"It's...a long story! You heard the man! Shoot! Shoot with everything you've got!"
"Would you stop telling me what to do already?!"
The two Quincies seemingly forgot they were tasked with saving both Ichigo and Aaron when they unleashed a torrent of blue and red arrows. It was clear to those spectating that they were just attempting to see who could get the most projectiles off.
"You son of a bitch! You won't beat me!" declared Sasune. "Big brothers always win!"
"Tsk! We'll see about that!" replied Uryuu, struggling to maintain his composure.
Their efforts, in tandem with Aaron's, ensured Ichigo's wild energy calmed. His Zanpakutou returned to normal as well, and it clattered to a stop between the grass. It hit everyone sluggishly, but it was over. Everything was all over now.
"S-Shit! Need...inhaler!" Sasune, collapsing yet again, inched his utterly lacerated hand into his pocket to retrieve the mentioned item. "Oh, that's good! Sweet, sweet relief!"
"I-Idiot!" Lying next to him, Uryuu added, "W-What kind of Quincy needs something like that?!"
"What? You want some too? I got plenty left."
"N-No! Are you even listening to me?! T-This is why Master…!"
Uryuu erupted into a tirade of scolding. Sasune, meanwhile, could do nothing more than sniffle and listen obediently to all off his faults.
Ichigo sat up and checked himself all over. "I...guess I'm really still in one piece."
"L-Looks like it," replied Aaron, giving his fellow Shinigami a thumbs up. "S-So am I..."
"Thanks, Higuchi! Looks like I owe you one!"
"N-No...prob..."
Fighting against it, Aaron lost the battle and succumbed to his body's request for rest. His pupils disappeared as he slumped onto the dirt.
"H-Higuchi!" Ichigo called out to him. Aaron didn't stir. "Hey, are you alright?!"
"Stop screwing around, CT!" added Sasune. Still, Aaron remained quiet.
"Aaron! Get up already, Aaron!" Kana, reacting mostly on panic, shook him violently. Even after this, she failed to get a reaction. "Y-You're just joking around, right?! Y-You can't die! N-Not after you looked so cool and everything! W-Wake up already!"
Rukia pulled her back. "Stop it, Mitarashi! You're not helping him like this!"
She mellowed out, a consequence of viewing an unending stream of warm tears rolling down Kana's scarlet cheeks.
"D-Dummy…!" she began. "You big dummy! I-I was gonna teach you Kidou like you asked, Aaron! I was even gonna stop teasing you so much! That's why I…!"
"Uh...am I interrupting something here? Because I'm pretty sure he's just unconscious!" said Urahara following a careful inspection of Aaron.
"I never got to tell him that I…!" Kana blinked a couple of times while Urahara's statement soaked into her brain like a sponge. "...H-He's gonna be okay?! Really?!"
Everyone became concerned once more once she began punching Aaron in the stomach.
"D-Don't scare me like that, CT! Don't you know it's bad to make a girl cry, you jerk?!"
"P-Perhaps I should take Mister Higuchi into my care for the time being!" suggested Urahara. The rate things were going, Aaron really would die if he were left with Kana.
"Yeah, that's...a good idea. I'm just glad CT's gonna make it! I never imagined him as ballsy enough to pull off a stunt like that!" said Sasune. He then put his finger on his chin. "W-Wait a sec! Why do I get the feeling I've forgotten something very important?"
#
"...Y'all done now? Good. I ain't got time to babysit you punks all day."
Konoka Mitsumi sat against her golden glaive and casually inspected the carnage all around her. Dozens of Hollow corpses encompassed her, all piled on top of each other. Examining them, she couldn't even recall slaying most of them. Shrugging, she pulled out a cherry-flavored sucker and tucked it between her lips.
"Hmm?" She took a break from her snack when blood dripped from a wound on her forehead. "...That's it. I'm killin' Ishida for sure."
#
A Flash Stepping Akira surveyed the area behind her. Although she wasn't one hundred percent sure, she had a hunch she wasn't being pursued.
"Well, looks like everything worked to my advantage. Those fools didn't even notice me slip away during all the commotion."
Her hasty escape hardly satisfied her. Scowling, she understood that it came at the cost of revealing herself to Kana Mitarashi, something that explicitly went against her orders. She couldn't help herself though. Just seeing her old friend triggered something within her, prompting her to fly over the deep end.
"Guess there ain't no use cryin' over spilled milk," she mumbled. "K-Kana..."
She couldn't get the brunette out of her psyche. Her giggling visage haunted Akira's very dreams. Screaming at the top of her lungs, she halted to take her aggression out on a tree, denting a good chunk of the bark using her fists. Crimson blood leaked from her hand, but her pain was nothing compared to her disappointment.
"Dammit! I had her! I finally had her right where I wanted!"
She no longer cared if her cover was blown; she was now seriously regretting not confronting Kana sooner when she was more vulnerable. The Denreishinki in her grasp cracked and crumbled thanks to her iron-like grip.
"C-Crap! I-I forgot I still need this stupid thing to get in contact with the boss..."
"Hmm? If that's what you're worried about, there's no need!"
A chill shot across Akira's entire form out of the blue. Her limbs, gripped by terror, locked up. She recognized that voice. Yes, there was no way she could forget one like it, one that made her blood run cold every instance it penetrated her ears. Every fiber of her being warned her not to, but she gradually swung her head to a person that hadn't been stalking her rear mere seconds ago.
"B-Boss..." she stuttered. Her teeth were chattering. "W-Why…?"
A tall man possessing short, silver hair and draped in the black robes of a Shinigami did nothing more than smile at her inquisition. She flinched. She hated that smile. Words failed to describe how much it shook her to the very core.
"My, my. You've been a naughty girl, Akira Akiyama, Fourth Seat of the Third Division," the man stated casually. His grin persisted, and it proved to act like a plug for whatever Akira planned to voice. "Hmm? What's the matter? Cat got your tongue? You're not usually this quiet. Did I surprise you that much? Haha. My apologizes."
"C-Captain Ichimaru..." was the next thing Akira was able to blurt out. She hadn't even been ordered to address her superior in a more formal manner; she simply felt she ought to or else. "...What the hell are you doing here?"
Gin Ichimaru, Captain of the Third Division of the Gotei 13, raised an eyebrow at his subordinate's tone. "...You look like ya seen a ghost, Akiyama."
She craved to reply, "Something like that."
"...Why don't you just calm down already, Akiyama?" Gin spied Akira trying to do as he instructed through his slitted eyelids. "Sheesh! You're no fun at times. Here I am takin' the time to see ya after comin' all the way from Soul Society, and you can't even greet me back."
"...M-My apologies, Captain!" Akira got down on one knee. "W-Welcome to the Human World! I hope you didn't encounter any difficulties during your trip!"
Gin patted her on the head, causing her to grimace. "I-I didn't mean for ya to do all that. Come on, stand up. We've got a lot to discuss."
Akira, rising, nodded. "...If you don't mind me asking, Captain, why did you come all the way here from Soul Society? I-If it's about the Menos Grande..."
"That thing? Eh, don't worry about it. I ain't gonna yell at you about screwin' up your mission or even about that Kurosaki punk. Actually, the reason I'm here is to drag you back to the Seireitei!"
"...Come again?" This development might have been even more harrowing than Gin's sudden arrival to Akira. "W-Why are we just pulling the plug on things?! We haven't even done anything about Ka...M-Mitarashi yet! I-If you're worried about me screwing up again, don't! I promise that I'll…!"
She silenced herself on the double when Gin actually opened one of his eyes.
"...You seem to be takin' a real interest in this Mitarashi, eh, Akiyama?"
"H-Huh?! N-No, sir! It's…!"
"Didn't I tell you to relax? I get you got a personal vendetta, but I can't just allow it to get in the way of a hundred or so years worth of plannin'."
Gin drew his Zanpakutou and placed it in front of him ahead of shifting it like a key. The blade responded by forming a pair of sliding, wooden doors: a Senkaimon. Brilliant light hit Akira's eyes once the doorway opened, and shielding them, she observed something flutter out.
"A Hell Butterfly. Is this alright? Won't Soul Society be able to track you like this, Captain?"
"It's no big deal if I'm gone for a bit. Old Man Yamamoto might scold me though."
"...And what about Mitarashi?"
"Eh? Still thinkin' about her? You'll be happy to know that she'll be taken care of. Now then, come along. I ain't gonna punish you for being such a 'bad girl.' It's not like I think you failed your mission or anything just 'cause Mitarashi is still walkin' around."
"R-Right, I understand, Captain."
Grinding the rows of her teeth, Akira contained the billowing anger she felt at Kana once more slipping through her fingertips as she trailed her Captain through the Senkaimon. The doors closed, and the pathway vanished like it had never been there to begin with.
END
