Bleach: Jigoku Files
by Bloody Simpson Chibi
(Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction. All legal rights for all properties used belong to their respective owners.)
Fredrick Charles Krueger was no stranger to death. He not only had many people taste death but had tasted it himself multiple times. The first time, the day he lost his life as a normal human to the vengeful flames of the parents of Springwood, still stuck with him. He had died many times after that, never really remembering what death itself feels like. Maybe, he sometimes thought, there is no afterlife except for ghosts like him that cling to this mortal realm.
Well, as of tonight, that was no longer the case because when Freddy opened his eyes, he slowly took in the fact that he was in a forest. This wasn't Camp Crystal Lake, of course, as there would be fire from his last battle not to mention that hockey puck. No, this place was different. It felt different. As if it wasn't on Earth.
"Where...the Hell...am I?" Freddy growled as he got back to his feet and dusted himself off. A night breeze knocked the already almost-off hat from his head and as he went to pick it up, Freddy thought over his latest memories.
"Let's see. I was fighting with that fucking Mama's boy and winning. Then that bitch Lori intervened and set fire to the docks and then..." Freddy winced as he remembered the searing pain his body was racked with as Jason shoved his fingerless fist into his stomach and tore his right arm off. Freddy subconsciously grabbed at his arm as if to see if it was still there and to his surprise, it was. All his wounds from the battle seemed to have healed.
"Well, at least I'm all patched up," Freddy murmured as he placed the hat back on his head. The Springwood Slasher, as he was once known, started looking around his surroundings. Despite it being night, Freddy was able to see plenty thanks to the brightness of the moon and stars. There was a different aura to everything in this forest than in Crystal Lake and Freddy slowly realized that this place felt more akin to his boiler room than the real world.
"Am I...back in the Dream Realm?"
Freddy locked eyes with a single tree to his right, pointed his bladed finger at it, and mentally willed it to burn to a crisp.
Nothing. Not even a spark.
"Well shit," Freddy growled. "I don't know if this is the real world or the Dream Realm but either way my powers are gone! Shit!" Freddy kicked up some dirt in a fit of anger and stormed off. Trapped in a strange place with no powers, how was Freddy supposed to get out of this mess.? As he stormed along the riverbank nearby, however, Freddy's eyes caught sight of something interesting.
On the other side of the river, were houses. Small wooden houses.
"There's people living in this dump?" The Springwood Slasher's mouth salivated. "Where there's people, there's souls." Shoving the dilemma of being powerless in a strange world aside for the time being, Freddy stalked along the river until he came to a bridge which he then crossed to get to the houses. Right off the bat, Freddy was able to tell that these houses were not of his era. They were small and more akin to huts than actual houses. They reminded Freddy of the picture books he would read to his daughter Katherine, specifically the Japanese folktales.
As with his current situation, Freddy pushed those memories to the side for the time being as he crept up to the open window of the nearest hut. Within the single room that existed inside, a family of three lay sleeping on the floor, a man, his wife, and a young boy. The boy was what caught Freddy's eye, having moved away from his Mother's arms in his sleep. Clinking his blades and drooling from the mouth, Freddy silently climbed into the hut from the window.
Once inside, the Springwood Slasher slowly and quietly crept toward the sleeping child. He knew there was no way for him to do his special work without waking the parents up and he was prepared for that. All them being here really meant was that Freddy would have to make this short and sweet. Once he was close enough to the boy, Freddy quickly wrapped his left hand around the boy's throat and mouth. Waking up at once, the boy could only struggle and try fruitlessly to cry out as the burned man before him smiled gleefully. Freddy made a shushing gesture and rammed his finger blades into the boy's stomach, stringing out the innards like natto.
The sound of her child's muffled cries as well as the warm liquid trickling against her skin caused the woman to stir. Thinking that her son had peed himself again, she reached out to comfort him only to feel more of the warm liquid soaking into her robes. What sleepiness that had remained with her vanished as soon as her eyes fell on the bright red blood on her hand which lowered after she noticed one shape looming over another in the darkness. It was a man, no, more like a monster that held her dead son by his arm as it continued to eviscerate him. The monster noticed the woman staring and gave her only enough time to cry out before slicing her throat open with his blades.
The short cry was enough to wake up the man who quickly saw what was happening and scrambled to his feet in a panic. He stared into Freddy's eyes, a mixture of anger and grief pooling in his own.
"W-What are you!?" He demanded as tears trickled from his eyes. "Are you a Hollow?"
"Hollow?" Freddy looked at his gloved hand and clenched it into a fist. "I feel stronger already," He thought." My power's slowly returning. But how?" It was then that Freddy felt a strange but familiar sensation. He quickly identified it as the physical feeling of absorbing a victim's soul and turned to the dead boy. To his surprise, the boy's body was slowly breaking down into particles of blue light which then gravitated towards Freddy and sank into his body. He turned to where the mother lay and saw the same thing happening to her. "They're souls!" The Springwood Slasher realized with glee as he began to drool again. "This place must be some sort of afterlife. Purgatory perhaps? Doesn't really matter. After all, if these are souls." Freddy licked his lips maliciously as he turned back to the man who had backed up against the wall next to a leaning sword that he was reaching for. "Then this place is a You-Can-Eat-Buffet!"
Freddy casually made his way toward the frightened man who grabbed the sword and quickly removed its sheath, tossing it to the side and pointing the blade at Freddy. "I won't ask again monster!" The man screamed. "Are you a Hollow?"
Once Freddy was close enough to the man's blade, he grabbed it with his gloved hand and rammed it into his own stomach. The man watched in horror as Freddy's bloody innards fell out of the open wound. Freddy himself groaned with pain, some of which was real. His powers haven't fully come back yet and he could tell while he would survive this wound, it would take its precious time to heal. No matter. A few more souls would fix him right up. As he stared at the terrified man who stood cowering against the wall, Freddy smiled at him sadistically and stood back up, ripping the sword out of his hands and tossing it aside. Using the blades of his glove as if they were the tines of a fork in a bowl of spaghetti, he spun and coiled his intestines around before presenting them to the man. "Guess I'm not hollow after all, huh?"
Freddy's laughter was the last thing the man heard aside from his own screams as he was horribly gored by the madman's blades. Once he was finished with his deadly work, Freddy sat down in the middle of the room cross-legged and acted as if he was meditating. In reality, he was relishing in the sensation of three souls simultaneously assimilating themselves into his being. Once they were gone, he chuckled to himself and patted his chest as he got back to his feet. He looked down at his stomach and to his delight, the wound was already closed.
"At first I thought this place would be my personal Hell." Freddy could barely hold back his laughter of elation. "But it's my personal Heaven! And this is just the beginning! If three souls can give me this much power, imagine how much 10, or 20, or 50 would bring!"
"Hey, Hiro!" A man's voice called from outside. "Are you alright!?"
"We heard screaming!" Another voice asked.
Freddy turned to the doorway as a bunch of young men, some of which were carrying sticks and rocks, barged into the home. Their eyes immediately fell on the bloodstains on the ground, the only thing that remained of Hiro and his family, and looked up to Freddy with fear and anger on their faces.
"Did you do this!? You monster!?"
"Is he a Hollow?" He must have eaten them!"
"No! He doesn't have a white mask. He must be one of those scum-sucking Shinigami!"
Freddy responded to the men's accusations with booming laughter. "Hollow? Shinigami? I'm neither of those things." He raised his right hand and flexed his blades. "I'm your new neighbor. The name's Fredrick Charles Krueger. Nice to kill ya!"
Bleach: Jigoku Files: THE NIGHTMARE FROM HELL ARC (START)
"Shit! I'm late!" Soifon cursed under her breath as she flash-stepped through the Seireitei. The Captain of the Punishment Force had, for the first time in her entire life, overslept and was now racing to join the other Captains in a mandatory meeting. "How could I let this happen?" She thought miserably. "How could I tarnish my reputation as a Captain of the Gotei 13 by oversleeping of all things?" She pushed those thoughts aside. "It doesn't matter! All that matters now is that I make it to the Captain's meeting. I can beg for the Head Captain's forgiveness later."
Once the meeting hall was in view, Soifon booked it inside. She sped past every Shinigami on her way, all of which looked at her as if she were a Hollow. A few even tried to stop her, insisting that something was wrong. She cared not. All that mattered was making it to the Captain's meeting and once she was outside the room, she swung the doors open.
All eyes fell on Soifon as she made her way to her usual spot among them. Every other Captain was already present and from the scornful look some of them gave her and the bewildered look of the others, Soifon could already tell her tardiness was not appreciated. She bowed before the Head Captain in apology. "Please forgive me, Captain Commander! I do not intend to make any excuses for my lateness at the meeting. I can only promise to do everything in my power not to do it again."
She looked up and wasn't too surprised to see the ire remain on the Head Captain's face. He opened his mouth to speak and Soifon braced herself for the verbal flogging she was surely getting.
"What is the meaning of this Captain Soifon!?" He roared. "Is this some sort of joke!?"
"Most certainly not!" Soifon replied. "I'm just as disappointed in myself as you are but I swear I will not oversleep again!"
"I don't think that's what the Head Captain was talking about." Toshiro butted in. He seemed to be averting his eyes from Soifon for some reason.
"What are you talking about, Captain Hitsugaya?" Soifon snapped as she turned in his direction. It was then that she noticed that not just Toshiro but almost all the other Captains were avoiding direct eye contact. "Why won't anyone look at me?" Is being late to a Captain's meeting really that unforgivable of a sin?" Soifon's thoughts were interrupted by Retsu speaking up.
"He means you've forgotten something." She stated in a matter-of-fact voice. "Something important."
Soifon began to panic internally. "What are you talking about? What did I forget? And why is it so cold in here?" Soifon rubbed her shoulders as she finished her sentence and winced when instead of her Captain's Haori, she only felt her bare skin. The horrible reality of her situation finally dawning on her, Soifon forced herself to look down and confirm her worst fear.
In the middle of the meeting hall before all the other Captains, Soifon stood completely naked.
"Kyaaaaaaaa!" The Squad 2 Captain screamed as she quickly threw her hands over herself, every blood vessel in her body rushing to her face.
"I repeat Captain Soifon!" Yamamoto barked, not the least bit amused by the situation. "Is this your idea of a joke?"
"N-No!" Soifon stuttered. "I-I swear! Th-This is all a big mistake!" Her heart sank even deeper as the other Captains began to comment on her situation.
"How unprofessional," Retsu spoke. "Very unbecoming of a Captain."
"Utterly shameful!" Toshiro remarked.
"Disgraceful," Byakuya added flatly.
"Heh. I frankly don't mind." Shunsui chirped. Even in the grip of this unbearable humiliation, Soifon couldn't help but glare at the perverted Captain of Squad 8.
"Explain yourself Soifon!" Yamamoto shouted. The other Captain's joined in the demand for an explanation that Soifon wanted as badly as the rest of them. She could feel herself becoming disorientated and struggled to stand. Her eyelids felt heavy and she let them close as if to shield herself from the faces of mockery before her.
"Please...it's not my fault...no...NO!" Soifon shouted in one last breath as her eyes flew open. The Captain of Squad 2 was taken aback to see not the other Captains jeering over her in the meeting hall but the interior of her own bedroom. Once she was able to comprehend this, she looked down at herself again. She was still dressed in her bed robes, drenched with sweat along with her sheets. Soifon glanced toward the open window to her right and saw that the first rays of the Sun were barely beginning to claw away at the night. The Sun wouldn't be in view for another hour.
Soifon remained still for a few moments as she processed the dream she just had. It would more than likely fade in time but for right now, the imagery and voices were still fresh in her mind, causing a blush to return to her face. "I hate dreams." She finally muttered as she pulled the sheets over her face
"I'm glad you could make it all here today." Captain Yamamoto greeted. "We have the gravest matter to discuss."
The Gotei 13 were gathered in the meeting hall once again. They had all been summoned via Hell Butterfly almost as soon as the day began and wasted no time traveling to the hall. They all stood waiting for the Captain's words with the usual stoic expressions on their faces, except for Soifon who looked as if she was nervous about something, her eyes failing to meet the Head Captain's gaze. Sajin, who happened to be standing next to Soifon, noticed this and asked her if she was alright.
"I'm fine," Soifon responded flatly without looking at him. "I just had some trouble sleeping last night is all."
"Very well." Sajin knew that Soifon was a proud person who wouldn't open up about personal problems so easily, not even to her mentor Yoruichi, so he decided not to press the issue and focus on the meeting instead. A wise move, as the last thing Soifon wanted to discuss right at that moment, was the reason she was so on edge. To have a nightmare as she did only to have to attend a real Captain's meeting right afterward was a little unnerving for her to say the least. She had even kept glancing at herself to make sure her clothes were still with her although she stopped after she arrived in the meeting hall, confident that they wouldn't vanish on her again. What really haunted the Captain of the Stealth Force however was the mental image of Yoruichi in a clown costume that apparently was also part of her dream although she couldn't remember how it fit into the narrative at all.
"I repeat." Soifon thought. "I hate dreams." Her thoughts were interrupted by the pounding of Yamamoto's cane on the floor, demanding her attention as well as the other Captains.
"Some disturbing information has come to light as of late. Information we believe to be linked to Hollows." Yamamoto turned the Squad 12 Captain. "Captain Kurotsuchi, would you explain further?"
"Indeed." The mad scientist of the Gotei 13 walked in front of the other Captains and cleared his throat before speaking. "The Department of Research and Development has picked up on a strange phenomenon as of late in the outer branches of the Rukon District. Namely, the people living there have been vanishing without a trace."
This invoked a reaction from most of the Captain in the form of concerned murmurers. This excluded Captain of the 9th division, Kensei Muguruma.
"So what's the big deal?" He asked. "Just seems to me like more Hollows have shown up as of late. My men and I can handle that!"
"Wait until I finish speaking you dolt!" Mayuri snapped angrily. Normally this wouldn't be cause for concern aside from meaning an increase in Hollow activity but there are issues with that theory."
"Issues?" Kensei asked.
"The first is that when a Hollow devours a human soul, that soul ends up as a Hollow themselves. Our squad's technology is able to detect this exact occurrence in order to more accurately predict the number of Hollows in any given area. This time, however, they aren't detecting anything of the sort."
"What are you trying to say?" Byakuya asked.
"I'm saying that whatever is causing the disappearance of these souls can't be a Hollow because the souls it eats don't become Hollows themselves. Instead, they simply vanish, as if they never existed, to begin with."
"That is indeed cause for concern." Retsu agreed. "But if I heard you correctly, you said there was a second issue with Kensei's theory. What might that be?"
Kensei scoffed as Mayuri continued. "The second issue is that it's not just human souls that are vanishing. Hollows are being wiped out by this entity as well."
This news was enough to elicit a collective gasp from the other Captains. What desire to sleep that still remained with Soifon left her at once.
"Now before anyone brings it up, yes, we're all aware that Hollows eventually cannibalize each other when they run out of human souls to eat. But once again this is different. You see, the entity responsible for all this began its eating spree with only human souls and only one at a time. As the days turn to weeks, however, the entity seems to be getting stronger and as of late has been adding Hollows into its diet as well as increasing the number of human souls it takes with more frequency."
"Very scary," Shunsui commented with a tip of his hat. "Are you saying that we're dealing with some sort of super Hollow?"
"I just said it wasn't a-Gahhhhh!" Mayuri let out a scream of frustration. Everyone waited for the Captain of Squad 12 to calm down and speak again. "Actually, now that you mention it, maybe this is the case after all."
"Now you're backtracking?" Kensei asked. "Losing your touch Kurotsuchi?"
Mayuri growled at the Squad 9 Captain but simply continued. "We did manage to get one eyewitness account of the entity from a soul who managed to escape its attack. They died before any real information could be given but nevertheless, we do have some clues about the entity's appearance." Mayuri reached into his robes and pulled out a document folder. Within it was the words of the little girl who survived the attack written down by Nemu as she spoke. It was hard to get them all down because the child kept bursting into tears over her lost parents but this ceased when Mayuri injected her with one of his newest drugs, a medicine designed to physically keep the patient from crying. The girl was able to finish her testimony but passed away soon afterward from a combination of her severe wounds and the side effects of the drug. A picture of the girl's corpse was clipped to the document Mayuri was to read to the other Captains He would be keeping it for study of course.
"According to the account given by this sole survivor," He began. "The entity we're looking for resembles a man. He had a brown hat, horrid skin, and a shirt of red and green."
The other Captain exchanged looks of confusion.
"A shirt of red and green?" Rose asked. "Talk about a fashion victim."
"You said it." Shinji agreed.
"The most interesting info the witness gave us however alludes to the man's weapon. A glove-like gantlet with four razor-sharp blades, almost like an artificial claw."
"That's quite a strange weapon you just described Kurotsuchi," Shunsui spoke. "You're not trying to imply what I'm afraid you are?"
"Indeed I am." Mayuri beamed. "This sounds to me like the released form of a Zanpakuto and there is only one species aside from Shinigami who use Zanpakuto."
"Arrancar!" Soifon shouted.
"Exactly!" Mayuri almost laughed out his response. "Our enemy is more than likely a remnant of Aizen's army seeking revenge or perhaps trying to simply make a name for themselves. Either way, it'll be interesting to see what becomes of this."
The Captains spoke amongst themselves, unsure of how to handle this new information.
"How did an Arrancar get into Soul Society without our knowing?" Sajin asked. "Surely we would have detected it."
"I'm telling you! Squad 12 is losing their edge." Kensei repeated.
"Isn't red and green an unusual color for an Arrancar?" Retsu asked Toshiro. "I thought white was their primary color."
"I think that was simply because Aizen made it that way," Toshiro responded. "Now that he's out of the picture, I suppose they'll wear whatever they want."
"Captain Yamamoto!" Ukitake called out. "Should we send for Ichigo Kurosaki again?"
"Nonsense." The Head Captain answered in a gruff voice. "Ichigo Kurosaki has just gotten his powers back and is barely returning to his duties as a Substitute Shinigami. In any case, one lone Arrancar should be easy enough to handle on our own. We will only send for Ichigo if the situation grows dire." Yamamoto slammed his cane to the ground and forced everyone's attention back onto him. "That being said, we should nip this problem in the bud. I want patrols from each Squad aside from Squads 4 and 12 to be stationed in the Rukongai If a patrol finds the Arrancar, they are to call for backup via Hell Butterfly and only engage in battle if necessary. Squad 12 is to continue to take tabs on the disappearance of souls and Hollows in the Rukongai! Is that understood?"
"Yes, Head Captain!" Each Captain roared in unison.
"Then this meeting is now adjourned." With another slam of his cane, Yamamoto sent the other Captains off. Once he was alone in the hall, his lieutenant, Chojiro, came in and bowed.
"Would you like your tea now Head Captain?" He asked.
"Indeed." Chojiro left to make the tea as Yamamoto contemplated the situation. "Hmmm. An Arrancar in Soul Society? No. That's not right." He thought grimly. "I can sense it. Whatever this evil is, it's something we have never seen the likes of before. Dark days are coming to Soul Society. Of that, I am certain." Pushing those thoughts to the side, Yamamoto walked out of the room and closed the door behind him.
(Welp! Here it is fellas! The most ambitious story I've created so far. The idea for this project came to me in January of this year and I intended to start it a little later into summer but decided "fuck it" and started it now instead. After all, the TYBW anime's coming in October and in case you couldn't tell, this story takes place in an alternate continuity from after the Lost Agent arc. The TYBW, BTW, and all the novel stuff won't happen here. Instead, it's...well it's this crap. I could give you the rundown of what I'm planning but I won't. I'd rather just keep writing it and see what happens. Until then, BSC out!)