Chapter 15 - Tensa Zangetsu

Minata's POV

The large pillar of spiritual pressure finally dissipates into the atmosphere, the power being so great it erased clouds from the sky. Kurosaki's reiatsu was flooding the area, saturating the field with a power that shouldn't be possible from someone that had only just recovered their powers.

"His power is off the charts! It matches a captain's own, easily." I hear Mizukiri whisper, her voice filled with shock and awe as we look down at the teen.

Bankais were infamous for being larger than life forces of destruction, but Kurosaki's was a lot more muted than what we were expecting. His blade had shrunk from its original state, becoming a standard katana that was surprisingly all black in color. His clothes had changed as well, with his top half resembling a form-fitting coat that billowed out the longer it went, with jagged ends that gave it a slightly unkempt appearance.

"What is this?" Byakuya asks as the smoke clears away. "Is this supposed to be your bankai?"

"Why does Captain Kuchiki sound doubtful?" Mizukiri whispers in my direction. "Did he not feel what we just felt? What we're feeling right now?"

"I'm sure he has," I say as I switch my gaze between the two men. "But this display of power is unlike anything we've seen before, well, appearance wise. . . It goes against what we already know when it comes to a zanpakuto's second state."

"Fair point . . . It'll be interesting to see what Kurosaki is capable of in this new form."

"You won't have to wonder long . . . We're about to find out."

"I do not like repeating myself, but I will ask again," Byakuya announces as he continues to watch Kurosaki with cold eyes. "Is that supposed to be your bankai?"

"I had a feeling you would be skeptical, but don't be deceived by its small size," The teen advises, his voice ebbing with serious confidence. "What you see is indeed my bankai, and that's the truth!"

"A zanpakuto's bankai is known not only to be greater in power, but also larger in appearance in comparison to its shikai form. . . If what you are saying is true, then you are making a mockery of the Gotei 13."

"Trust me. You will be eating those words once you get a taste of Tensa Zangetsu's power." Kurosaki bites back in return as his spiritual pressure begins to elevate.

"Tensa Zangetsu . . . So that is the name of your bankai."

"Yes," Kurosaki answers in return, his unflinching gaze almost getting a visible reaction from Byakuya . . . almost.

"Your bankai is simply a fluke," The noble decrees. "This match will end here and now."

"I'm not so sure about that. . ." I think to myself as Mizukiri and I back away, just as he pointed his hand forward.

The blades dance in the air before swarming Kurosaki, but the boy manages to disappear before they could touch him. I looked around to see if we could spot him, but I came up with nothing. Trying a different tactic, I stretched my senses till I could get a lock on his reiatsu, and I found it, feeling it awfully close to Byakuya's own.

Turning my head, it wasn't hard to see why they were so close.

"Wow, I never thought I would see Captain Kuchiki in such a compromising position." Mizukiri whispers in awe as we stare at the two men, and I couldn't begrudge her that statement.

After all, it's not every day you get to witness your best friend look absolutely shocked as the boy he's been demeaning up to this point held his weapon an inch away from his throat.

Talk about a compromising position indeed.


T ~ P ~ O ~ S ~ L

Byakuya's POV

"This shouldn't be possible."

"It shouldn't, and yet it's happening master," Senbonzakura points out in return. "I'm just as surprised as you are."

I didn't need to move my gaze to know that I had an enemy weapon so close to my throat. I could feel it there, knowing that all it took was one quick jab from the boy in front of me to end my life.

One moment he was standing deep within the crater, the next, he was standing before me ready to end things once and for all.

"Have I truly been underestimating him?"

"Possibly. . ."

"You didn't need to answer that Senbonzakura."

"Byakuya Kuchiki, is it your pride that prevents you from doing anything to stop Rukia's execution?"

His eyes were unflinching as he spoke, his anger unmistakable as he kept his blade where my neck met my chin.

"I'll askyou again . . . Is it your pride that stops you from preventing your sister's execution?"

"That is none of your concern."

"I see, because if it is your pride that prevents you from doing anything, then I plan to step all over it!" He says before jumping back, distancing himself from me as he keeps his blade pointed in my direction.

From a tactical standpoint, it was a foolish decision on his part. He had me dead to rights, and yet he chooses to back away before dealing the killing blow. If he were smart, he would have killed me when he had the chance.

I had no plans for allowing him to get that close to me again.

"You are an arrogant fool for not killing me when you had the chance." I say as I command my blade to strike. Senbonzakura obeys, launching forward, but the ryoka shunpos out of the way, reappearing right behind me.

"That is not going to work." I say, turning my head to see him trying to slice through Senbonzakura's blades, only to come up empty against a barrier that was determined to not see me harmed. A small torrent of blades emerges from the shield to push back against him, but the boy moves out of the way before he could be completely overwhelmed.

Noticing that Minata and Mizukiri were looking up at the sky, I followed their gaze to see the boy hovering in the air, dodging Senbonzakura's blades as he took the initiative. I move my hand to give him an added boost, but every time we think we have him in our grasp, he escapes, cutting and dodging with a speed that is far greater than most.

"Master, his speed is unbelievable. Every time we think we have him; he moves before we can touch him. . . How can he move like this?"

"It seems I haven't been giving his bankai enough credit," I grumble as I watch the boy dodge another attack. "He hasn't just been dodging our every move. . . He's been downright faster than us."

"An opponent that's actually faster than us? Well, that's a rarity."

"What's wrong Byakuya!? Can't catch up with me?"

The boy now had the audacity to mock me, even going as far as to run literal circles around me. Talking wasn't all that he was doing, as he would occasionally test my defenses by trying to move closer to me. However, he was stopped by Senbonzakura's interference at every turn, pushing him back till he moved to another position.

"I will make you regret those words Ichigo Kurosaki."

Minutes passed, but not even the added use of my hand to guide Senbonzakura's movements helped me much to catch Kurosaki. He cuts down every single blade that comes close enough to him before disappearing again, only to reappear behind me, his blade cutting into my skin.

That's when it hits me.

"Now I see it," I say, the realization hitting me like a kendo stick as the ryoka backs away. "So that is how your bankai works. Your zanpakuto revolves around your speed. . . Yourspiritual pressure is condensed into your blade, allowing you to implement these high-speed attacks."

"Huh, that's the basic gist of it," He admits, readying his sword for another attack. "There's more to it than just the enhanced speed, but I think I'll keep those details to myself."

"Cheeky brat. . . I believe it's time we increased the difficulty for him master."

I couldn't help but agree with my zanpakuto's suggestion as the environment around us starts to darken, a result of our increasing power. Thousands of blades come together, transforming into hundreds of pink blades that resemble Senbonzakura's sealed form, surrounding us in a large dome that offers no escape.

"Well, this is new. . . Another phase of your bankai then?"

"So, there is a brain under all that orange hair," I muse, watching as the boy tensed slightly at the sight of all the blades around us. "It's time I put an end to this."

"Tch, I'd like to see you try!" He yells in defiance, his trepidation forgotten as he moves to attack. His swings continue to be deflected at every turn, but it wasn't long before his speed had taken a turn in the wrong direction.

"You are getting slower Ichigo Kurosaki." I announce as he lands a few feet away, his latest attack having failed to touch me.

He offers no response as he launches forward, again. Narrowing my eyes, I summoned a blade to my hand and stabbed it into the boy's foot once he was close enough.

"Shit!" The ryoka grumbles, now seeing that he was trapped for the moment. Taking my chance, I point my finger toward his shoulder, ready to use a move that some have deemed to be a signature of mine.

"Hado #4: Byakurai"

The pale lightning blasts a hole clean through his shoulder at point blank range. The shock and the pain leave the boy to fall to his knees, blood starting to pool out from the wound to gather on the ground below.

"I must commend you Ichigo Kurosaki . . . Not many people have reached as far as you have. Your determination is admirable, but it has also led you to your death. You must understand. This is the end for you."

The boy kept his head bowed as I raised my blade, bringing it down for the finishing blow . . .

. . . Only for it to get halted by Kurosaki's bare hand.

"What is this?" I say in mild shock as the boy finally raises his head, only for me to come face-to-face with a sight that should be impossible.

Why must this battle be so complicated?

A/N: Leave a comment if you like!