Bleach 517: Ichigo vs Ryujin Jaka

Scene opens on the inner world of Ichigo. Ichigo stands looking out into the sky of flames. His look is serious and sombre.

Ichigo:…If you mean protecting my friends-

Ryujin jaka: Protecting your friends is a DUTY not a cost, and I'm sure you well know that it is not that to which I refer.

Ichigo: I thought so (sighs) so what exactly do you refer to…and who are you?!

A piece of the flaming sky suddenly splits from the rest moving towards the ground in front of Ichigo. It forms into the semblance of a burning man. Every now and again the flames seem to give off the appearance of Samurai clad warrior.

Rujin Jaka: Do you not feel me Kursaki Ichigo? Does not my reitsu itself declare who I am to you?!

Ichigo: …You're his Shikai aren't you?

Ryujin Jaka: I am

Ichigo's eyes take on a withdrawn saddened look remembering the death of Yamamoto.

Ichigo: …why am I here? I should be out there, fighting them.

Ryujin Jaka: Avenging them you mean.

Ichigo's voice is quiet, hard and bitter as he replies

Ichigo: Yes!

Ryujin Jaka: The man who led the Gotei 13 for over a thousand years. The man that commanded the strength of the strongest flame type Zanpaktou in the whole of soul society. The man who had had never lost in battle until the day of his death.

Ichigo:…

Ryujin Jaka: …That man fell not long ago Kurosaki Ichigo, do you believe you are ready to stand where that man fell?

Ichigo:…It doesn't matter if I can or not, or if I fall or not. Nothing else matters apart from the fact that I can't just stand here and do nothing!

The last few words leave Ichigo's mouth in a shout loud and angry. Suddenly the ground behind him and on either side of him erupts in flames. Ichigo tries to jump out and away from them but Rujin Jaka draws out what seems to be a sword of flames and points it directly at Ichigo's chest forcing him to stay in place.

Ryujin Jaka: Always the child.

Ichigo:?

Ryujin Jaka: this has been your one great failing, rushing into situations without thinking.

Ichigo: …

Ryujin Jaka: Always thinking you have to take action, always thinking that the weight of the world rests on your shoulders alone. To think I would have to face such childish notions once again.

Ichigo:?!

Ryujin Jaka: Kurosaki Ichigo! Out of respect for the last wishes of the only man ever to truly wield me I offer you this chance!

Ichigo: chance? Chance for what?

Ryujin Jaka: a chance to learn what I have to teach, to let my powers merge with yours.

Ichigo:!

Ryujin Jaka: but beware, you shall be tested, and there shall be no leniancy, there shall be no mercy! You will either show you are deserving and stand against the destructive tides or be found lacking and suffer horribly before you die!


Scene change to a room somewhere in soul society

All the captains are stood together apart from Byakuya, kenpachi, Mayuri and Unohona.

Kyoraku: it seems we were unable to change anything, everything went just as the captain commander predicted.

Ukitake: but to think, that Byakuya and Kenpachi would suffer such serious injury...

Kyoraku: we knew very little about the enemy and their capabilities, we should be grateful that we came out as we did.

Shinji: tch, to think you old guys had already prepared for all this-

Hitsugaya: You never expected us to be able to defend soul society, you let the captain walk out to his death!

Kyoraku: Hitsugaya san, do you think you could have stopped the captain commander?

Hitsugaya:…

Ukitake: These were the last instructions of the captain commander and we now have to move forward.

Shinji: And what exactly does moving forward mean?

Mayuri suddenly appears amongst them

Mayuri: It means we now prepare for the counterattack.

Captains:!


Scene change back to Ichigo

Ichigo: You know my decision without asking, there's no way I could stand doing nothing when there's a chance I could protect my friends.

Ryujin Jaka: Yes...but the choice had to be given, the decision made. Now...PREPARE!

As Ryujin Jaka shouts out the last word he spreads his arms out wide. The sky of flames that was surrounding them suddenly disappears. Ichigo scans the sky confused.

Ichigo: so now what, do I have to fight you to prove that I am worthy?

Ryujin Jaka: fight me?! You are 1000 years too early to stand against me Kurosaki Ichigo!

Ichigo:…

Ryujin Jaka: I shall be testing your endurance!

Ichigo:...endurance?... And if I take too long...?

Ryujin Jaka: then you will be burnt alive until there is nothing left!

Ichigo:…

Ryujin Jaka: Understand this Kurosaki Ichigo, this will not be your body that is burning away but your spirit! It can last much longer against my flames but that also means that your pain and suffering will also be that much greater!

Ichigo: Pain holds no sway when faced with despair...(sighs) I accept! So what is this test?

Ryujijn Jaka holds his arms out wide to either side. The sky behind him suddenly begins to fill with countless figures appearing. A close up of some shows them to be shikai of some the captains and vice captains.

Ichigo:!

Rujin Jaka: I shared some of my power with them to allow them to take form. they also desire to test you to see if you are worthy.

Ichigo: ! I don't sense...

Ryujin Jaka: they are not like me Kurosaki Ichigo, my power has given them some semblance of awareness but it is like that of a dream once awake, flitting and disappearing slowly even as we speak, they are like...memories of themselves, here just long enough for this test before they merge themselves back with your reiatsu.

Ryujin Jaka's form slowly begins to dissolve, turning into formless flames in the air. The flames that were surrounding Ichigo slowly lose shape as well drifting and merging into Ryujin Jaka.

Ryujin Jaka: are you ready Kurosaki Ichigo?!

Ichigo: I'm ready.

The flames shoot towards Ichigo and strike him in the chest. ichigo staggers back as the flames surround his body and slowly merge into him until they completely disappear within.

Ryujin Jaka: Then let us begin!

The motionless forms standing in the sky suddenly shoot down towards Ichigo.

Ichigo: !


Scene Changes back to the captains

The captains apart from Ukitake and Kyoraku look towards Kurotsuchi Mayuri in surprise.

Hitsugaya: Counterattack?

Soifon: We were totally defeated! How will we be able to counterattack in our current situation?!

Mayuri laughs and clicks his finger nails together as he moves through the captains. He ends up standing between Kyoraku and Ukitake.

Mayuri: You weren't defeated, you were used as guinea pigs (small laugh).

Captains:?!

Mayuri: We were aware that the enemies ability may simply be more than just sealing our Bankai. (laughs) No, In fact our hope was that it was more than just sealing and that turns out to be the case, they were stolen.

Soifon: you wanted this to happen?!

Mayuri: (chuckling) such passion from a captain that actually hates her Bankai, yes we did want it to happen, and we wanted it to happen to you!

Captains:!

Kyoraku: Mayuri San, is this anyway to do a debriefing.

Ukitake: Please keep this civil.

Mayuri : tch fine. We knew that the enemy would come prepared. If it was possible then we would try to defeat them but this seemed unlikely knowing who we were about to face. Our main aim once they came was to whether the storm of the first onslaught and try to gather as much intel as possible. To this end we chose our course of action.

Captains:…

Mayuri: You three captains were placed and chosen where we were sure the enemy would attack. The hope was for you to lose your bankais first.

Captains:!

Komamura: What?!

Ukitake/Kyoraku:…

Mayuri: there were 2 reasons for this. Firstly it was due to the nature of your particular Bankai.

Captains:?!

Mayuri: as strong as they are we have the abilities to counter and fight against them. Hitsugaya's Bankai as strong as it is, is still the youngest and it's power is limited by time. Komamura and Soi Fons as powerful as they are are slow and easy to avoid and counter. Kuchiki Byakuya was an unexpected victim of this when he decided to release his at the same time as yours.

Kyoraku: Mayuri san, such a disrespectful way to address Captains and their Bankai. Must you be asked again to keep this civil?

Mayuri : tch (pointedly ignores him) We had hoped to find out the nature of the enemies ability before there were other casualties.

Shinji: (sighs) fine ok, you've explained that well enough, as much as I dislike it, so what was the second reason?

Mayuri: To track them back to their base once they had finished. I set up a separate lab specifically attuned to the reiatsu of the stolen Bankai, I know exactly where the Stolen Bankai are at this very moment...though considering what we saw when they attacked there was no need to go to such trouble

Ukitake: Where are they Kurotsuchi Mayuri san?

Mayuri: Surely you didn't overlook the people we were fighting against? (laughs). They are precisely where they are getting all their soldiers from to fight this war, deep in the bowels of Hueco Mundo!


Scene change back to Ichigo

Ichigo is dodging left and right doing everything to avoid all the foes attacking him. He is barely managing to get away unscathed.

Ichigo: (I've barely been managing to dodge their attacks all this time, how am I supposed to defeat them when I don't even have a sword?!)

The voice of Rujin Jaka echoes inside of Ichigo

Ryujin Jaka: Will battle conditions always be favourable to you? Will all the opponents you face be weaker or disadvantaged?! You will not defeat Juha Bach with such poor resolve!

Ichigo: I know!

Ichigo dodges back avoiding a sword slice aimed for his neck. He suddenly begins to look around whilst he's dodging as if he's searching for something. Suddenly he stops in his tracks and dashes forward heading for a specific figure, he clothes-lines the figure before they have a chance to react and stomps them into the ground, he grabs the figures sword out of his hands and we see that it is vice captain Kira's sword.

Ryujin Jaka: Good, you did not recklessly attack your enemy, you searched and went for a weak link. You are learning.

The sword in Ichigo's hand suddenly changes reforming into Ichigo's own sword.

Ichigo: (now I have a weapon)

He raises it just in time to block a sword aimed at his head.

Ichigo: Now it's my turn to attack!

Ichigo hears a voice from behind

Voice: Go Senbunzakara

Ichigo:!

The thousand blades of sebunzakara strike at Ichigo from behind engulfing him completely!

Next week bleach 518: Resolve