Disclaimer: RWBY belongs to Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth and Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo. I own nothing of either of them and make no profit from them. I am only playing in the worlds they gave us.
Seems liek there were a few people that disliked what I did in the last couple of chapters enough to drop the story from their favs/follows.
*shrug* Can't please everyone. And of course a number of trolls and morons had to chime in and leave their usual garbage comments behind. I swear, I've gotten more troll/idiot comments for this story than I've gotten for all the rest of my stories combined. It's amazing how many people bitch about what I'm doing yet are so freaking wrong in their assessments that you can't help but laugh at it. Maybe if they actually read the chapters instead of skimming through them they might have a clue.
Or not. Piece of advice. If you can't say something intelligent, then don't say anything, otherwise you only prove my point.
A Chance Encounter
Chapter 25
"Why won't you die!" the White Fang grunt screamed at Ichigo as he emptied the clip of his assault rifle at him.
Between his Hierro, his Blut Vene, and keeping a dense sheath of his spirit energy wrapped around him, the White Fang wouldn't do any damage to him if they opened fire on him with the machine guns on all of their Bullheads. Which were all out of commission now by the way. He grabbed the unfortunate terrorist's rifle by the barrel, yanked it out of his hands, and clubbed him with it, sending him into an unconscious sprawl.
After his last barrage against the flying Grimm he had waded into the fight by finding the biggest concentration of White Fang. He didn't bother drawing his blades against them, that would be overkill and he wanted them to think they had at least some chance to take him down. It would draw more of them into the attempt as they saw him as a big enough threat that they would need to focus on as their brothers and sisters failed to cut him down.
Only about a third of them that he encountered were actually any good with the variety of weapons they carried. Most likely they were the most experienced members of the group and the hardcore believers. Some looked like little more than a thug with a gun looking for someone to shoot for the thrill of it, and with little talent for handling it. A few looked like they were in over their heads and had suddenly realized it.
It wasn't his job though to sort out their motivations. Whatever their reasons for it were, they had all made the choice themselves to join the White Fang and take part in this attack upon innocent people at a peaceful event. Not all, but most of them would survive their encounter with him, although they would need some hospital time to recover and they could explain their motives to the courts. His job was to stop them by whatever means needed and that's exactly what he did, leaving a trail of broken and bloodied terrorists in his wake. They were fortunate that he hadn't just given in to his anger and killed all of them. For what they were doing, for the butchery and terror they were committing, they didn't deserve any mercy. This violence was not going to help the Faunus or anyone else.
As had happened a few times already since this fight began, nearby Grimm left their current targets and came to him. It was by his design. Grimm weren't just attracted to negative emotions, they were also attracted to those with a powerful Aura and he had intentionally let them feel enough of his spirit energy to draw them towards him and away from others.
It was a mixed bag of Beowolves, Ursa, and Creeps that came running for him. A Creep was first within range. In one smooth motion he pulled Zangetsu from his back sliced upwards through its open mouth, slicing off the top part of its head. An Ursa bounded up behind it and raised itself up, hoping to come down on him with all of its weight, only to get Zangetsu stabbed through its chest. A Beowolf came up on his left and chomped down on his outstretched arm, which he had left out there as bait. Its teeth shattered against his shield of spirit energy and with his hand halfway down its throat he machine gunned several Bala into its guts, shredding its lower half.
Another Beowolf followed behind it and he spun around from his right and swept the blade through its midsection. A Griffon came screeching down and he met it in midair, slicing off its right wing and sending it spiralling into the ground, where he came down upon it and stabbed it through the head. Half a dozen Creeps came charging from his right and he flashed through them sending parts and pieces flying, killing them all in a matter of seconds.
A much bigger Ursa than the first one came lumbering in, not quite an Ursa Major, but the biggest and oldest one he'd seen today. It roared in an attempt to intimidate him that just made him roll his eyes. Yoruichi could be more intimidating than this thing when he teased her by withholding her milk supply. He flash stepped right in front of it, not giving it time to move. He swung Zangetsu down, cutting through bone armour like it was warm butter and slicing the Grimm's head in half with a perfect cut down the middle, right between the eyes.
Nothing else was imminent so he slung Zangestu back over his shoulder and took a look around. Suddenly he went stock still then his head turned sharply to the right. His eyes briefly flashed yellow.
"Bastard!" he snarled. In a burst of spiritual energy that cratered the ground, he was gone.
"So tell me, daughter of Jacques Schnee, for you to live, how do you want your friend to die?"
She had called him a monster, but that was not nearly a strong enough term to describe him for the game that he was playing here. He expected her to be like her father, whom, if confronted with the same situation wouldn't hesitate to give him an answer. He would have no remorse choosing the method of another person's demise so long as it meant that he survived. He had no loyalty to anyone but himself and it wouldn't matter who was at the end of Adam's blade, he would only ever think of himself and his own survival.
She wasn't her father and she would never be her father. He wasn't even a Schnee, just a son of a bitch that sullied the name and everything her grandfather had made it stand for. She didn't want to die but she certainly couldn't and wouldn't chose the way Ruby would die either. She knew that if she had to watch Ruby die it would break her, her mind would shatter. She liked to think that she was strong but she doubted that she had enough strength to endure that and remain whole.
Even when she had been stubborn and mean and quite frankly conducting herself like an ass, Ruby had not stopped trying to befriend her. Early on, she had been horrible to the girl, discounting her and belittling her. But Ruby kept trying and when she finally stopped acting like a product of her father's thinking and started thinking for herself, a lot of things changed. Despite her denials, all of which were no longer serious, they were friends and she was enjoying what that felt like and didn't want it to end.
But what could she do? She was battered and wounded and had no Aura left. Did she just go ahead and try attacking him anyway and hope to get lucky? She couldn't... wouldn't choose how Ruby would die and she seriously doubted that he would let her live anyway despite what he had said. No matter what happened, unless he killed her outright in her attempt she figured her death would not be a quick one. She was a hated Schnee after all and she would undoubtedly die horribly and her head would probably end up as a trophy.
She was shaking and dizzy and felt like she was going to throw up. It felt like her mind was going to unravel. She felt virtually paralyzed but she had to move, she had to try and attack him. There was nothing left, nothing else she could do. She couldn't stand to see Ruby hurt like this and at his mercy. It was tearing her heart to shreds. She hadn't been strong enough to get away from Adam and had been at his mercy. She had been a second away from death when Ruby saved her. She was pinned against that door because she hadn't been able to save herself. She was hurt and in pain and scared because of her.
A fresh cascade of tears streamed down her face and she shook even more. She had to do something and she had to do it now! She had to move! Dammit, move!
Adam was enjoying the look of fear and despair on the white haired girl's face. It was fitting that she should feel the same emotions that her family had made so many Faunus feel as they were ground under the unrelenting boot heel of the SDC. It had actually surprised him a little bit that she hadn't already caved in and made a decision.
The choices he had given her were unimportant since as he had said, the silver eyed girl was going to die no matter what and the how didn't matter. But he had just wanted to see how fast the Schnee would make the decision so she could go free and be done with such unpleasant business. Who knew that there was a Schnee that seemed to actually have a heart and cared about something other than themselves and their money.
He intended to keep his word, at least for now. No matter if she made a choice or not he would let her go so that she could suffer from the consequences and he wanted her to spread the news to the rest of her team. He wanted her to be the one to explain to Blake the circumstances under which this girl died. He could see the guilt etched into her face as she trembled before him. The girl under the threat of his blade had saved her from him and because she had to do that, now she was going to die and Blake would lose a friend because of this Schnee.
He would eventually hunt this girl down and kill her, if the guilt and despair didn't prompt her to kill herself before he did, and he would hunt down Blake and the other member of the team as well. He hadn't been kidding about a price needing to be paid for Mountain Glenn. They had all been there and they would all die. All of their hands were stained with Faunus blood.
He could practically see her mind starting to come apart and he was about to demand her decision when the situation suddenly changed. An invisible weight seemed to settle down upon him and the air was hard to breathe. He was wrapped up in an air of cold maliciousness and killer intent. A feeling like there was a blade at his throat.
Just as suddenly there was a tall, orange haired man dressed in a long black coat and with a massive sword on his back, standing between him and Ruby Rose. His right arm was wrapped around the girl and his left hand was closed around Wilt's blade. It should have been cutting deeply into his hand considering the white knuckled grip he had on it, but it wasn't.
"Who the hell are you?" he snarled. He tried to push the blade to cut the girl but it wouldn't move, nor did it budge when he tried to pull it back.
"Someone you're going to wish you had never met," the man answered coldly. He turned his head slightly and Adam was momentarily frozen in shock. Normal brown eyes were turning yellow with a black sclera. He was being pinned by that stare and felt Wilt being pushed back towards him. He tried to push, pull or twist his blade but he couldn't make it budge and couldn't pull it free, yet with seemingly no effort the man kept pushing it back, down and away from his victim. The man gave a last push that made him stumble backwards and before he could recover he pointed at him.
"Sho."
An invisible force slammed into his chest and sent him flying across the room. He bounced off of a couple of tables before crashing into a heap against the far wall.
Ichigo forced his eyes to go back to normal before easing Ruby down to a sitting position, her back still against the door. The pain and fear etched into her face made his heart ache.
"I-Ichigo?" she stuttered.
"You'll be okay Ruby." He turned his head to the left. "Weiss," he called. The girl was in her own world at the moment and was on the verge of hyperventilating. "Weiss!" he called again, a little sharper and with a touch of his spirit energy to snap her out of it. "Breathe Weiss, take slow, deep breaths." Despite the anger he was feeling, he made sure that both girls could feel the effect of his spirit energy that many others had, warmth, safety. Protection.
She followed his instructions and hobbled over to him and Ruby, using Myrtenaster as an impromptu walking stick. She was about to fall when Ichigo caught her and sat her down next to Ruby.
"I-I'm sorry," she began. "I tried to get away from him... R-Ruby saved me... I..."
"It's okay Weiss," he assured her. "You'll both be okay and you can tell me about it later but right now the best thing you can do is try to calm down and just breathe."
He wanted to check her wounds but there really wasn't a lot of time for that right now. The worst thing seemed to be the wound to her side. It was about four inches long and he couldn't tell how deep it went. The cut to Ruby's neck wasn't bad but the burn was significant.
"I need to get you both to the infirmary but I'll have to deal with that ass hat first." He gestured over his shoulder in the direction of Adam. "I'm going recharge your Aura's so it can get to work on your injuries. It will be a pretty fast recharge and it won't hurt you, but there might be bit of a side effect."
"What kind of side effect?" Weiss asked warily.
"Kind of a lightheaded feeling, maybe a little dizzy at worst according to Yoruichi." he answered.
"Do I dare ask why you needed to give her that kind of Aura recharge?" she asked.
"We were training, testing some of the limits of our spirit energy and some of the different ways to use it," he said. "I won't force it on you."
It still sounded a little dubious to her but something deep within her seemed to tell her that it was okay, leaving her with an odd sense of calm and acceptance. "Okay," she said. "I trust you."
"What about you Ruby?" he asked. "I won't force this on you either."
She nodded. "I t-trust you too Ichigo."
"Okay, the best way for this to work and where I have more precise control would be to push the energy into the centre of your being," he pointed to the area just below his sternum. "It's got something to do with the whole metaphysical core of your being, being the centre of your power thing. Way over my head. But, I don't think either of you young ladies would want me to have my hand against your chest."
"That would be highly inappropriate," Weiss said.
"Exactly," he said. "So instead I'll have you both grab my hands..." Which they did. "... then the two of you link hands." They did so. "Everyone's Aura capacity is different so one of you might reach your usual limit faster than the other. This way if one of you reaches that limit faster than the other and you start getting overcharged, the extra will flow to the other person. A little overcharge isn't a bad thing but you don't want to overdo it and since my control is less precise with this method you probably will end up with a little extra."
He heard Adam beginning to stir from the far end of the room and gestured behind him. "Danku." The girls saw a shimmer of energy form a wall behind him then become invisible. "Just in case he tries anything before we're done," he said. "Ready?"
"Yes," Weiss answered. Ruby nodded.
"Okay, here we go."
He pushed his spirit energy out through his hands and into theirs, gently at first then with more of a rush once it began to flow into them. Both girl's eyes went wide and several seconds later a slight glow began to form around them, which was his indicator to stop. For both of them their whole body tingled. For Ruby, she felt the same thrill she usually got from using her speed and the pain from her burns seemed to have lessened just a little bit. For Weiss, her face was flushed and her whole body felt like it was vibrating slightly.
"Feeling okay Ruby?" he asked.
"Y-yeah," she nodded.
"Weiss?"
"Yes! I'm fine!" she said quickly, her tone of voice a little higher than usual. Almost squeaky actually.
"You sure?"
She nodded rapidly.
"Okay." 'Bit of an odd reaction but she does seem fine.' He'd have to keep an eye on her. If he had hurt her in some way he would never forgive himself.
At the other end of the room Adam let out a furious roar and flipped a table out of his way before beginning to make his way across the room.
"Time to deal with this piece of trash," Ichigo all but growled. "You two stay right where you are, you'll be safe behind the barrier I put up."
As he crossed the room the seething anger he had felt when he arrived and saw the condition Weiss and Ruby were in returned to him. "So, the great and terrible Adam Taurus is such a bad man that he needs to beat up children huh? Why don't you try that shit with me asshole and see how far you get."
"Who the hell are you?" Adam growled as he made his way to him.
"That's right, you and I have never met," he answered. "Name's Ichigo Kurosaki. You've met my wife though." He reached into his pocket and threw a business card down on the table next to them. Cat-Berry. "She's the hot little ninja chick that bitch slapped you around for the whole world to see."
Adam did a remarkable job of not going completely into a blind rage and attacking. "Finally," he ground out between clenched teeth. "First a Schnee, then her trouble making little friend, and now one of the vigilantes that's been sticking their nose into my business. Too bad it wasn't that bitch instead. Do you have any idea what I'm going to do to her when I get my hands on her?"
"Die," Ichigo said, venomously. "She slapped you around like a cat playing with a mouse and you couldn't touch her. You had no chance then so what do you think would happen if she took it seriously?"
With a snarl Adam drew Wilt in a flash and was left wide eyed when Ichigo caught the blade between the fingers and thumb of his left hand, just like he had done to Aizen. "You'll need to be a hell of a lot faster than that if you want to sneak in a slash on me." He let go of the blade and Adam sheathed it once again.
"Really," he said, trying to sound composed. "Well then why don't you draw your sword and we'll see who fares better." Ever since he became proficient, Adam had yet to find someone who could keep up with his blade. "Or, is that big thing on your back just for show?"
"You want me to draw my blade you'll have to give me a reason to," Ichigo said coldly. "And so far, I haven't seen one."
Wasting no time, Adam drew again, this time Ichigo batted the strike up and away with the of back his left hand. His Hierro was enough, he didn't bother with Blut Vene or hardening his spirit energy. He hadn't really needed to have those active before either but out on the campus he was taking fire and attacks from all sides, no sense being stupid about it. The sword came back down immediately on a reverse course and he slapped it down with his palm.
Adam followed up with a level backhanded swing aimed at his abdomen that he caught with his right hand and followed up by punching his foe in the face with his left. He just used his normal human strength and it was enough to send Adam back a couple of steps.
The Faunus spun and fired Blush at him and Ichigo stunned him further by catching the bullet in his right hand.
"This isn't as easy as it looks you know," he said, tossing the bullet back at Adam and bouncing it off his chest. "You're just so damn slow."
Furious, Adam launched into a barrage of high speed strikes, all of which Ichigo either deflected or avoided. Finally he put an end to it with a palm strike to Adam's chest that sent him sliding back and knocked the wind out of him.
"So is this all you've got?" he taunted. "The mighty Mad Bull of the White Fang. I suppose you can't use Moonslice on me since you all ready used up whatever power it had trying to kill a fifteen year old girl. Yeah, I know how your Semblance works so don't look so surprised."
"Blake," he snarled derisively. "Her treason against her own kind knows no bounds."
Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Treason. You sound like a crusty old fart I used to know and didn't particularly care for. You're not a noble champion for your cause. You betrayed that ideal when you decided that shedding blood was more important to you and you don't even really care whose blood it is so long as you can self justify it as being spent in the pursuit of that cause. Even with that mask on the truth of who and what you are is written all over your face."
Adam tried to surprise him with another speed draw but Ichigo caught the blade again and held it fast.
"Look's like you're a slow learner too," he said. "There's an old saying you might have heard of. Give a man a mask and he'll show you his true face. Would you like to see my mask Little Bull?" He looked back to Ruby and Weiss. "Would you like to see what you've brought down upon yourself by hurting them?"
Any response Adam might have made was silenced when the white's of Ichigo's eyes turned black and the iris's turned yellow. Some kind of white fluid seemed to ooze out of his skin and cover his face and head, forming a skeletal mask. Long horns formed at the sides of his head and curved forward and thick black lines flowed down through the eyes and down to the bottom of the mask.
Adam's face went deathly pale. He tried to pull his sword out of Ichigo's grasp and back away but the blade wouldn't budge.
"What's the matter?" Ichigo asked, his voice now a watery double timbre. "Not feeling so sure of yourself now?"
"What the hell are you?!" Adam yelled.
"I already told you," Ichigo answered, his yellow eyes boring into him. "I'm someone you're going to wish you had never met. I'm also the last person you're ever going to meet."
Adam raised Blush and fired a shot to the side of Ichigo's head that glanced off and barely made him move, which caused Adam to take a couple of steps back.
With an upward swipe of his left hand, Ichigo dismissed his mask but his eyes remained black and yellow. With his right hand he reached up over his shoulder and drew Zangetsu. Adam tried to catch him in mid draw but Ichigo was faster and Wilt met steel rather than flesh. The Faunus went all out, drawing upon all of his skill and speed with the sword but it was for nothing. Every fast strike, every stab, every backhanded return sweep was met and blocked with easy and minimal movements.
"Not so tough when facing someone you can't over match are you?" Ichigo taunted.
Adam went to strike again but at the same time he raised Blush and fired, not at Ichigo, but at the two girls behind him. They flinched but were unharmed and Adam was rather surprised that his shot had been stopped by something he couldn't see.
"Fucking coward!" Ichigo roared as he slapped him hard with the flat of the blade, sending him flying across the room and into the wall.
His Aura had held but it was obvious when he got to his feet that the impact had still been felt. Taurus began to move forward again but he saw him glance toward the blown out windows and his only way out. In the blink of an eye he had moved from the centre of the room to the spot Adam had been looking to. The bastard was not going to escape.
"Are you starting to feel the same fear and helplessness that they did?" he growled. "Is despair starting to creep in? When was the last time you fought someone you couldn't dominate and intimidate?"
He could tell that the bull Faunus was starting to lose it. His nostrils flared and his teeth were bared and clenched. His grip on his sword was a white knuckled one. His blood lust and his need to avenge his humiliation, both at Yoruichi's hands and now his were taking over his thought process. That unstable part of him was now fully in charge.
"I'm going to cut you to pieces!" he seethed. "Then I'm going to finish what I started with those two!"
"No, you won't," Ichigo responded, his voice as cold as the grave.
With a roar Adam attacked. Wilt came out of its sheath in a flash but to Ichigo it looked like it was moving in slow motion. He caught it in the hollow of his blade and with a quick flick of his wrist he snapped it in half. A quick backwards flick severed Adam's right hand above the wrist and before the terrorist could even register the pain and the fact that his hand was gone, he was impaled through the centre of his body, a good foot and a half of Zangetsu sticking out of his back.
"It's too bad that Hell no longer exists," Ichigo growled. "Because I'd like nothing more right now than to see those gates appear and watch your rotten soul get skewered and dragged inside, and to hear you screaming and begging for mercy."
A bloody gurgle was the only response Adam could give as his life ended and he slumped on the blade. Ichigo yanked Zangetsu free and spun around, slicing it through the head of a Griffon at the moment it slammed to the ground outside the empty window frame and snapped at him with its beak. A second one was coming but he didn't let it land, hammering it with a barrage of Bala that obliterated its head and neck. Beyond them and coming fast toward the building was a mixed bag of a dozen or more Grimm.
"I've had enough of this shit!"
Just as they were about to reach the building he returned Zangetsu to his back and directed a focused blast of his spiritual pressure onto them. They burst into a cloud of black smoke and the ground and concrete walkways they had occupied a moment before was transformed into a crater. No more followed. He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath before going back to Weiss and Ruby.
Weiss knew that she shouldn't feel this way, but she was experiencing a certain sense of satisfaction that Adam was being handled as easily as she and Ruby had been, and she felt a great deal of relief at his end. Perhaps it was just a byproduct of the ordeal they had been through but the ending of a life wasn't something one should necessarily be celebrating.
Still being alive to be able to contemplate that, well that was worth celebrating and perhaps when this mess was over and done with she would. She looked to her left, to the girl who had allowed that to be a possibility. The girl whose hand she was still holding and found that for some reason she didn't want to stop holding yet. This girl that never gave up on being her friend and who put up with all of her sour moods and snippy nature.
Ruby had saved her life. How did you go about thanking someone for that? Was there a way to do so that even came close to matching what such a thing meant? How did you make it up to someone who got so badly hurt while doing it? If she hadn't needed to be saved, if she had only been able to get away from Adam, Ruby wouldn't be in the condition she was in now. How did she explain to Yang that Ruby got hurt because she had to save her?
She stopped herself before she could overthink her way into a panic. She was alive because of Ruby, and they were both alive because of Ichigo. Still being alive should be the only concern at the moment and all the rest would have to sort itself out later.
Speaking of Ichigo, whatever it was that he just did to kill that bunch of Grimm left her with her jaw hanging open for a moment. She guessed that must have been what he told them was spiritual pressure. One moment the Grimm were there, the next they weren't and there was a crater in the ground. It was a fearsome sight but once again some feeling deep inside of her seemed to assure her that there was nothing for her to be afraid of. More precisely it seemed, no reason to be afraid of him.
"Are you two doing okay?" he asked as he dispelled the barrier.
"I believe so," she said. "Ruby?"
"It still hurts a lot but it's not as bad as it was," she answered, that pain still evident in her voice.
"At least you're not all red anymore Weiss," he observed. "I was afraid that I had hurt you with that Aura transfer."
She very nearly turned red again at the reminder. "It was just an... unexpected sensation is all. I'm fine."
"Well, if you're sure," he said. He was still a bit dubious but it didn't seem like she was in any distress. "Lets get the two of you to the infirmary."
He picked Ruby up in a bridal carry, even injured and in pain it still made her blush, and Weiss held onto his arm for support in case her knee gave out again. They had just gotten to the nearest window opening when there was a distant booming sound and the ground shook for a moment. They looked around, trying to figure out what it was and where it was coming from as it happened twice more.
"I think it's coming from the mountains outside the city," Ichigo said. He did not have a good feeling about this.
It happened again and this time there was a loud crack and they saw a fissure open in the face of the mountain. Another boom and a crack and the face of the mountain fell away.
"Is that a Grimm?" Ruby asked incredulously as the beast began to unfold itself from its hiding place.
"I've never seen one that big," Weiss said, dread in her voice.
"It's a kind of Grimm that even Yoruichi and I have never seen before," Ichigo said. "It's called a Wyvern. A couple of hundred years ago we spent a night around a campfire listening to an old village lore keeper tell stories and he told us about them. Even he didn't know if it was true or if they really existed but I guess we know now."
The thing let out an ear splitting screech as it spread its wings and then glided down from the heights and towards Beacon.
"Time to get out of here," he said. "Once I drop the two of you off I'll go say hello to big and ugly."
"You're going to fight that thing?" Ruby asked, her tone worried.
"Yep," he answered. "Unless Yoruichi beats me to it. Now, I apologize in advance, but this trip might leave you feeling a little queasy."
"What?!" Weiss blurted out right before they all disappeared in a whisper of shunpo.
For a brief moment the world became a disorienting blur for Cinder before she suddenly and unexpectedly impacted the ground and slid several feet, gouging a trench in the earth in a gout of Aura and flame. She shot to her feet but it took a moment to reorient herself and catch her breath. She was well away from the school now and near the cliff overlooking the Emerald Forest. She found her opponent standing several feet away and looking rather unimpressed, her arms crossed over her chest.
"Some threat you are, down on your ass twice already and we haven't even gotten started," Yoruichi taunted. "Not the same when you haven't got your lackeys to help you is it?"
"Convenient pieces to use or throw away as I see fit," Cinder said through gritted teeth. "And I certainly don't need their help to take care of you. You have no idea what you're up against."
Yoruichi laughed. "I think you've got that backwards. I know exactly what I'm up against and you're the one who's flying blind here. The distance between us in power is quite literally that of one world to another."
Cinder thought that was an odd way of putting it but it didn't matter. She manifested a curved, obsidian broadsword, the shape reminding Yoruichi somewhat of the released form of Captain Kyoraku's Zanpakuto.
"That's quite the claim for an unarmed person to make, let's put it to the test shall we? Just don't be all sour when I cut you into pieces."
"As if you could," Yoruichi said, rolling her eyes. "Well, bring it on then, you're not getting any younger and frankly the sound of your voice makes me want to puke."
Propelled by a gust of wind Cinder rushed her, executing a backhanded sweep. To her surprise it missed Yoruichi by a hair, but she hadn't seen the woman move back. Stepping forward she swung again and got the same result. Grinding her teeth, she pressed forward, executing swing after swing but always being just a hair short of striking her dark skinned foe, not even connecting with a sudden forward thrust. All the while Yoruichi had held the same pose she started with. Arms crossed over her chest and looking Cinder in the eye the whole time.
"Well that was rather unimpressive," she drawled. "And boring. I thought you were going to cut me to pieces?"
"Speed," Cinder growled. "Your Semblance. The way you brought me here and the way you kept just out of reach, it has to be."
"If you think I'm going to tell you then you'll be disappointed."
Cinder manifested a second sword and came at her faster and with more purpose than she did with her first attack. This time Yoruichi didn't just back constantly out of reach, but she had no less difficulty in ducking, dodging or simply turning to narrowly avoid being cut. On one of her ducking moves she dropped into a leg sweep, making sure to slow it down and telegraph it enough that Cinder couldn't help but see it and the half Maiden used her wind power to rise into the air to avoid it. She had a smug look on her face until Yoruichi rose into the air as well and stood opposite her. She noticed that she wasn't riding on the wind like she was.
"Did I surprise you?" Yoruichi asked, effortlessly standing in mid air with her hands on her hips. "If my Semblance isn't speed, maybe it's flight or levitation or gravity manipulation." In the blink of an eye she disappeared. "Or maybe not," she said from right behind Cinder... and a split second before she slammed her foot hard between the half maiden's shoulder blades.
Cinder was sent tumbling through the air and was headed for the ground until she managed to use the wind again to upright herself. With the aid of that wind she charged right back and attacked once more, only to have Yoruichi catch a blade with each hand, leaving her wide eyed.
"Or maybe, it's increased strength," the were-cat smirked. She clenched her hands and both blades shattered easily. A quick foot to the chest sent Cinder away from her again but she still remained airborne.
"This isn't possible!" Cinder growled. "You can't have multiple Semblance's!"
"You're right, I can't," Yoruichi grinned. "Aggravating, isn't it? You must have been feeling that way quite a bit lately as your original plans began to go a bit sideways on you thanks to our tinkering."
Cinder scowled. "Yes, and I suppose after I dispose of you and claim the rest of my power I'll have to go take care of dear Neo."
"She's only been cooperating with us for a couple of weeks," Yoruichi explained. "We were onto you long before that, or weren't you listening to what Ozpin said like, maybe ten minutes ago. Oh yeah, you just arrogantly dismissed it anyway didn't you? We pieced several things together on our own and I was able to spy on you right in your dorm room and even the one time you snuck off campus and you never knew. I interrogated Roman and he confirmed a lot and gave us a thing or two we didn't know. Neo confirmed a couple more things and kept us up to date."
"And the virus?" Cinder asked tightly, barely controlling her anger. "Were you responsible for disabling that too?"
"No idea what happened there," she lied. Let her think Watts was to blame. "I'm not a tech head. Stealth ops, intelligence gathering and assassinations are my specialty."
"You're the one who humiliated Adam, aren't you?" She didn't know whether to smirk or scowl about that.
"Guilty as charged," she answered. "Although that may not have been my best idea since it seems to have sent him off the rails and prompted him to do his own thing. That must really piss you off."
"Oh it does," she admitted. "But I can work around it and he's just one more loose end I'll have to take care of later."
"If he's crossed paths with my husband then you won't need to bother," Yoruichi said. "He'll be dead already."
"I'm curious," Cinder said. "If you knew what I was up to why didn't you come after me before this?" She smirked as if she already knew the answer.
"Reasons," she answered nonchalantly with a shrug that obviously annoyed Cinder. "But don't go thinking that it has anything to do with you being too powerful, that would be the biggest joke of all and as far from the truth as one can get. I could have killed you a thousand times over and you wouldn't have seen it coming once. But, just like you have a plan, so do we."
"Hmm, so you aren't going to kill me then," Cinder purred, pretty much dismissing everything she had said. "Pity I can't offer you the same guarantee."
"Oh don't worry about that," Yoruichi smirked. "You couldn't kill me even if you had the full power of a Maiden. But don't misunderstand, just because I might not kill you today, that doesn't mean that you aren't going to get hurt, because you will. I don't have to kill you to send a clear message."
Cinder reformed her swords and this time she wreathed them in flames. With a snarl she began her charge but her opponent disappeared. Suddenly she found herself being hit from seemingly every direction almost at once, all over her body. She was surrounded by a barely discernible blur and her body bent, twisted, and jerked with impacts that came so close together they were almost one. Her Aura may have been preventing any significant damage, but it didn't lessen the feel of the impacts and it was getting worse as it was whittled down.
The last couple of blows were the hardest. A hit to the stomach that doubled her over and stole her breath, a hit to the back that straightened her back up, and then her opponent became visible again a split second before her fist impacted her face and sent her slamming down hard into the ground.
She rose back up on shaking legs. Everything hurt and she was trying to suck in much needed air, but she wasted no time attacking again. She manifested a bow and three arrows, which she fired all at once and all three sunk into her opponents body. She smiled in triumph and used her Semblance to cause the arrows to ignite. The intense heat consumed her opponents body entirely. There was nothing left.
"You missed," Yoruichi spoke from behind her, just as she kicked her in the back and sent her rocketing into the ground again.
"How?!" Cinder screamed up at her as she struggled to her feet. "I saw you burn away to nothing!"
"Did you now?" Yoruichi asked as she drifted down to the ground. "And yet, here I am without a scratch on me. You on the other hand, well, you look kind of pathetic really."
Cinder was incensed. Her nostrils flared and she was literally growling through clenched teeth. "I'll burn you to ashes!" she screamed.
Using both hands she directed a raging torrent of flames at Yoruichi, engulfing her. She kept it going for several seconds, noting some sort of flashing energy coming from within the swirling flames but it wasn't going to matter what the woman did, she was not going to survive this. She was going to pay for standing in her way and talking down to her like she was nothing.
With a white flash and a boom, the flames were blown away, revealing a large patch of burnt ground with her opponent standing in the middle of it, pale lightning arcing up from her back and shoulders and covering her arms, which were crossed in front of her defensively. She didn't look like she had been harmed in the least. The woman's yellow eyes were practically glowing and boring straight into her own.
"This isn't possible!" she screamed. She was wide eyed and trembling in both rage and disbelief.
Yoruichi lowered her arms and gave her a very unimpressed look. "You know, I once worked for a man who wielded fire and his flames were as hot as the sun. Compared to that, you're little more than a birthday candle weakly flickering in the breeze." She smirked. "Your name is fitting, you're a mere cinder and nothing more."
Cinder screamed. She was beyond enraged and the tell tale sign of a Maidens power burned from the corners of her eyes. She let her power loose. Flames, lightning, hail, wind... it all assaulted the dark skinned woman. Yoruichi's expression never changed. Over the years she had refined her Shunko to the point where she didn't just use it to augment her own physical attacks, she could effectively use it as a shield or to make defensive strikes against incoming attacks. She could also fire bolts of lightning, giving her a ranged attack like the one she had used against the Goliath at Mountain Glenn.
She took to the air and used it now, firing not at Cinder but in close proximity, blasting the ground around her. Very close proximity at times. When she finally let up and the cloud of dust and smoke cleared she could see Cinder was gasping for air and sweating, her body littered with numerous burns, some serious, from the close strikes. She fired another bolt down and to her left, being rewarded with a shriek and the sight of Emerald getting knocked back into Mercury and both going down in a heap. She had felt them coming this way a few minutes before, keeping to the trees and rock formations along the edge of the cliff. She had been surprised with the low level of Aura she felt from the girl that she had been able to put up an illusion to try and hide them.
"Even at full strength you're nowhere near strong enough to fool me with one of your illusions little girl," she scolded. "It was thoughtful of them though wasn't it Cinder? They came all the way out here to help you even if they are just 'convenient pieces to use or throw away as you see fit.'. That's what you called them wasn't it?"
"Just who the hell are you?!" Cinder roared in pain, anger, frustration... and maybe even a little fear. "What are you?!"
She smirked. "It would take way too long to tell you and you wouldn't believe me anyway."
Suddenly there was a loud, distant boom and the ground shook. The second time it happened Yoruichi zeroed in on the mountains in the distance. The third time she saw the face of the mountain crack and she heard Cinder begin to laugh.
"The game is about to change," she said as she painfully pushed herself to her feet.
Another boom and the face of the mountain collapsed and an enormous Grimm emerged with a shriek. It spread its wings and pushed off, heading towards Beacon.
"Huh, so they really do exist," Yoruichi said nonchalantly. "That old storyteller wasn't full of it after all."
Cinder practically did a double take at the woman's seeming lack of concern. "I've seen your Huntress file and I know you and your husband like to take on the biggest and oldest of Grimm," she said. "But this is unlike anything you've ever faced."
"True," Yoruichi agreed. "And since I'm stuck here dealing with you, I guess Ichigo's going to beat me to the punch and kill it himself. That sucks."
"You can't be serious?" Cinder scoffed. "You honestly think your husband is going to be able to kill that thing?"
"I don't think it, I know it," she answered. "You think you have power? Even with half the power of a Maiden at your disposal I've kicked you around at will and I wasn't even putting in much of an effort. It was kind of boring actually. Ichigo, he's more powerful than I am and you're about to see it for yourself."
"I never want to do that again," Weiss groaned weekly, as she clung to Ichigo's arm to keep from falling down. She wasn't quite sure if it was the speed of their transit that had bothered her or the sudden stop. Either way, it was fortunate that her stomach was empty and she would be quite pleased if her head would stop spinning.
"That was even faster than I'm used to," Ruby admitted.
"Ruby!" Yang shouted, her voice filled with panic. She had been keeping watch outside the infirmary for Grimm or White Fang along with a number of others who were either lightly wounded or currently low or out of Aura. Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora and Ren followed close behind her as she rushed to her little sister. "Gods... what happened?" She was horrified to see the long path of burned and blistered skin that crossed her sister's body.
"Weiss!" Jaune exclaimed, noticing the girl's wounds.
"What happened can be explained later," Ichigo said. "Right now I need you to take these two inside for treatment while I go take care of the big ugly up there." He handed Ruby off to Yang, careful not to jostle her too much, while Jaune offered his arm to Weiss.
They all looked at the Wyvern as it screeched and just as it chose, unbelievably, to drop a portion of itself to the ground like some kind of horrific bomber. Only instead of an explosion, the black mass splattered and spawned a rather large Ursa and it was within a hundred yards of where they were standing.
"Well that's new," he quipped as he drew Tensa's blade and fired off a Mondschein Regen to obliterate the new arrival. "I take it since Blake isn't out here with you that she's injured and inside?" he asked as he returned the blade to its place at this waist.
"She took a nasty cut in the shoulder fighting Emerald Sustrai," Ren answered.
"The doctor said Ren did a good job of dressing the wound and stopping the bleeding," Pyrrha told him.
Ichigo nodded to the boy. "I appreciate your efforts." He got a nod back in return. "Okay, stay together, stay alert, and watch your backs. Hopefully when I get rid of that thing the others will get the message and leave."
He disappeared from their sight and reappeared halfway across the campus and a few hundred feet in the air. He was soon joined by Tensa and Shiro.
"So what's with the overgrown housefly?" Shiro cracked.
"We'd been wondering why the Grimm seemed to be so determined to keep gathering at Mountain Glenn," Ichigo said. "I guess now we know what was drawing them there."
"With the Hell taint of so many Grimm already around the ruins and with this being dormant deep inside the mountain it's no wonder we couldn't sense it there," Tensa added.
They watched as the Wyvern dropped another piece of itself and spawned more Grimm. "Well ain't that charming," Shiro cracked.
"I don't think we can assume that it won't spawn more from the smoke as it vaporizes when we kill it," Ichigo speculated. "I'd rather not take that chance and just obliterate it in one shot. Full burn, nothing left behind."
"Agreed," Tensa said.
"Heh heh, going to give the kiddies a show are ya King?" Shiro cracked. "Well I'm ready when you are."
His spirits returned to his soul as he pulled his blade from his back and held it out before him, grasping his right wrist with his left hand. He took a deep breath and let it out, settling his glare on the giant Grimm.
"Reign, Zangetsu!"
He was engulfed in a swirling hurricane of power, tinted black and red. A shockwave spread out across the sky, obliterating numerous lesser flying Grimm that were at a slightly lower altitude than their enormous kin. After several seconds the hurricane seemed to begin to spin in on itself, shrinking until it dissipated with an explosive crack. Every eye for miles was on the sky but he was high enough up that no one would really be able to tell what now stood in mid air staring down the ancient Grimm.
The Wyvern let out a loud, screeching roar as it flew towards him, a clear challenge to this creature that stood in the sky before it. Ichigo returned the challenge with a roar of his own, a roar that would have made even the strongest Hollow's in Hueco Mundo either flee or bow their heads in deference. Suddenly everything was silent save for the sound of the Wyvern's wings beating as it hung in midair, having halted its advance at the roar of what its instincts told it was an apex predator even greater than it.
A crimson orb began to form between Ichigo's horns. The ancient Grimm felt that heavy, raw power and rather than being enticed by it, with its higher intelligence and more developed instincts than its much younger brethren, it knew enough to be wary of it. The mighty beast actually began to turn away, whether it was to leave or prepare to attack only it knew, but there would be no escaping what was coming.
The very air itself screamed as the doom blast was let loose and shot across the sky, engulfing its target and obliterating it, rendering it into nothingness. As the Cero dissipated there was not a single trace left of the huge old Grimm, not even vapour or ash. Everyone who saw it was amazed by the sight and left speechless. Adding to that state was the unbelievable reality that the remaining Grimm began to retreat as fast as they could.
The heavy, dark power that washed over the area sent a deathly chill down Cinder's spine and wiped the smug look off of her face. She knew that feeling far too well because it had plagued her nightmares for weeks and she had hoped to never feel it again. That storm of crimson and black power, was that truly her foe's husband? Was she right, was he really that powerful? She couldn't believe it. The sudden explosive crack when the display of power ended made her jump and no matter how hard she tried she could not make out who or what was left in its wake.
The Wyvern let out a mighty roar, but the roar that answered it was like something that did not belong in this world. It cut through her soul like so many shards of glass. She couldn't believe her eyes as the Wyvern stopped in mid air and looked like it was actually going to turn away. This was an ancient and powerful Grimm and there should not have been anything in this world short of Salem herself that could stand against it.
The ball of crimson light that had seemed to be growing in front of whatever or whoever the Grimm was facing, suddenly expanded into a conical beam, shooting towards the beast with a sound like it was ripping open the very sky itself. Seconds later, when the beam stopped and continued on across the sky, her eyes went wide in disbelief. The Wyvern was gone and there was not a single sign that it had ever been there. No body, no smoke or ash or vapour. Nothing.
"No! That's not possible!" she yelled.
"Not willing to believe what your own eyes just showed you?" Yoruichi quipped. "This is no illusion. Your pet lizard is dead and gone, just like your plan is dead and has accomplished none of the goals that Salem laid out for you." Mention of Salem hit Cinder like a solid slap. "Well, Atlas might take a little bit of a hit since they pushed to provide the security for the festival and they'll be seen as failing in that regard, but it won't destroy relations between the kingdoms."
"You speak like we're done here," Cinder growled, reforming her swords and setting them aflame. "Like this fight is over." The Maiden's flames began to burn at the edges of her eyes again.
"That's because it is," Yoruichi responded coldly. "You're just too arrogant to see it."
She raised her right arm, pointing her fist at Cinder. She extended her index and pinky fingers, lighting shot down her arm and out of her fingertips. Both swords were struck just above the hilt, showering the half Maiden with shrapnel and badly burning her hands and forearms.
Cinder screamed in pain and fell to her knees. Who was this woman? How was she so powerful? Powerful enough to bring her to her knees and with seemingly little effort. Despite her use of lightning she didn't think she was another of the Maidens. She hadn't used wind to keep herself aloft and she hadn't shown the telltale flaming of power around her eyes. Whatever she was this woman certainly was not just another mere Huntress.
"So were the false promises Salem made to get you to work for her worth all of this pain?" the woman asked, cutting off any further contemplation. "For all of you?" she looked to Emerald and Mercury. "Hate to break it to you but if Salem gets what she wants, all any of you are going to get is what everyone else on Remnant will get. A one way trip to oblivion."
Before she could make any kind of a response, there was a warbling growl from above and something slammed into the ground several feet in front of her with enough force to make a small crater. She looked up at what was standing there and wished that she hadn't. Her eyes widened and her heart hammered in her chest like it was trying to escape. That mask and the terrifying eyes... it was real! The horror of her nightmares actually existed in the material world.
Beyond the mask and eyes, was a muscular human body, alabaster pale, clad in nothing but a pair of loose black pants. Hands and feet tipped with claws with tufts of red fur around the wrists, ankles and neck. Ringed in black in the middle of its chest was a hole that went all the way through.
The head tilted downward, those nightmare eyes bored right into hers and wisps of vapour escaped through the teeth of the skeletal mask.
"No, no, no," she kept repeating over and over, barely audible as she scrabbled and crabbed backwards despite the pain in her hands and arms. The creature leaned towards her and hissed.
"Stay away from me!" she screamed, and let loose every bit of power she could muster.
A storm of fire, hail, lightning, and wind engulfed Ichigo and Yoruichi in a veritable tornado of elemental destruction. It only lasted a few seconds as Ichigo pulsed his spiritual energy and overpowered the attack, blasting it away to nothingness. They were left alone, standing in the middle of what was at least an acre of burned and torn up ground. Cinder and her lackeys were gone.
If you would be so kind, leave me a review and let me know what you think.
As always, trolls and idiots need not bother commenting so don't waste your time or mine. You'll just get ignored, deleted, and/or blocked for it. Seriously, I've had enough of this shit.
AN: This chapter marks the end of all of the material I've had in my head since decided to make this more than a none shot. Now, I have to try and chart the last half of this thing, and I currently have no idea what to do with it or where to take it. I have ideas for a few scenes that I do know that I want in it, which I have already started to write out (an exercise that I have tried and failed for years to get into)
Once I figure out what the precise end of this story will be and all of the things immediately around it, the rest shouldn't be as hard to come up with. I just hope that it isn't going to take me another twenty five chapters to get there.