Bleach 525: The showdown Begins 2
We start where we left off in the last chapter. Zaraki stands facing off against Shizen, His reiatsu exploding wildly.
Zaraki: Bankai! *Tokihanatsu! Meikai no mao*. (Unleash! Demon King of the Underworld)
Shizen:?!
The sky all around them suddenly dims turning almost black. Green and purple mist appears all around the battlefield, trailing around even without any wind. High above in the air, right in the centre of the battlefield, a large ethereal translucent skull appears with its mouth open (picture the skull like form of Zaraki's reiatsu when he first fought Ichigo). Dim lights shine within its eye sockets, the left one purple, the right one green.
Shizen looks towards Zaraki, he stands there looking the same. Nothing seems to have changed about him. Her eyes focus on his hand. His hand and most of the hilt of his sword have completely disappeared covered by what looks like a glove shaped like a skull. The hilt of his blade is being held between the teeth of the skull.
Shizen: You?! You were not supposed to have a bankai! When did you…
Zaraki: hmph, it was that old geezer. He decided it was finally time.
Shizen: ?! How did we not notice-
Zaraki: Urahara Kisuke
Shizen: !
Zaraki: The Captain Commander forced him to use the technique he developed for bringing out a person's bankai.
Shizen: …. Tch, so even a monster like you has a Bankai, it changes nothing! However much your power has increased and whatever your abilities may be, I'll make sure you cannot take a single step. This is the speciality of my Bankai, capture and detainment.
Zaraki: Haha,
Shizen: (I won't make the same mistake as I made with Ichigo, there's no need to rush in against this monster, I will not give any openings! ). Cough, Cough?!
Shizen looks over at Zaraki who is still standing still and grinning manically.
Shizen: What is this?!
Zaraki: Poison
Shizen: What?!
Zaraki stretches out his arm clearly showing his sword to Shizen.
Zaraki: I've never really cared about my sword or its powers. I've always liked to fight alone. When Urahara forced my Zanpaktou to come out and take form it wasn't too happy with the way it had been treated.
Shizen: …
Zaraki: hah, it wanted to kill me there and then. So we decided to have a showdown to decide. If I lost it got to kill me or do whatever it wanted, if it lost then it would have to continue to put up with me.
Zaraki focuses his gaze onto its blade. It glints in the dim light.
Zaraki: You put up a pretty good fight hehe.
Shizen: Cough, to think that a Kenpachi would end up having such a bankai! To have to poison his opponents!
Shizen sneers at him clearly disgusted. Zaraki stares at her for a moment, still grinning widely. A thin line of blood slowly trickles down the corner of his mouth. He wipes it away with his left hand.
Zaraki: It's not just you.
Shizen: !
Zaraki: My sword is quite a sore loser. So even after its lost it's doing its best to get its own back at me.
Zaraki points the tip of his blade towards the large skull in the sky.
Zaraki: That, targets me and everyone I am currently fighting. It is not limited by distance or numbers. As soon as anyone joins the fight they come under its affect and it only stops once the fight is over. It lords over us as a demon king, punishing certain actions and rewarding others.
Shizen:…
Zaraki: Doing nothing is not entertaining. The poison is punishment given in advance. If we stand around doing nothing or take too long to defeat each other the poison will kill us both. If we want to avoid that punishment then we have no choice but to fight.
Shizen:!
The grin on Zaraki's face grows even wider as he points his sword out towards Shien.
Zaraki: To think that a Kenpachi would have such a Bankei?! HAH! What better Bankai for a Kenpachi than one which makes you fight!
Scene change to Yamada Hanatoro
Hanatoro stands outside the main doors of the Kuchiki household. They are still standing intact though parts of the walls around have been reduced to rubble. Two guards stand before it blocking his way. He looks a little nervous and afraid but pulls out something and holds it for them to see. It is a necklace with a pendant on the end of it. The pendant is shaped in the form of the Kuchiki clan crest.
Hanatoro: I am on a mission assigned by the current head of the Kuchiki clan, Kuchiki Byakuya… ummm please let me through.
Scene change back to Ichigo
Ichigo and the captains are still standing around the Senkaimon, Kyoraku is standing directly in front of it along with Kurotsuchi Mayuri, they seem to be doing something with everybody else standing a little further behind.
To one side you can still see the roaring flames that are entrapping Wairudo and the other Zero squad members. A little further off you see the circle in which Shizen and Zaraki are trapped. It now looks completely black, opaque and unable to be seen through, it looks like a black dome on the ground.
Ukitake: Ichigo san, you seem to have recovered well from the previous battle…how are you feeling?
Ichigo is staring at Kyoraku , he gives Ukitake a sidelong gaze and then carries on staring at Kyoraku.
Ichigo: It's, ok Ukitake san, you don't need to be worried.
Ukitake:…
Ichigo: (sighs) between Urahara san and Ryujin Jaka I understand what's going on and what has led up to this fight.
Ukitake:…It was about Rujin-
Ichigo: As I said, it's fine. He tested me and I passed…he is a part of me now.
Ukitake: I See…when I saw that you had come back I thought as much but I felt obligated to make sure…you seem somewhat…changed.
A very slight smile breaks across ichigo's lips as Ukitake says this.
Ichigo: There was a lot he had to teach me, it wasn't easy and it certainly wasn't pleasant.
He finally turns his head and looks Ukitake directly in the eyes.
Ichigo: but I'm not crazy if that's what you mean…though it was close.
Ukitake stares into ichigo's eyes for a few seconds and then takes a long measured breath, releasing it out slowly.
Ukitake: That's good.
In front of them a portal suddenly opens up within the Senkaimon. Kyoraku turns around and looks towards Ichigo.
Kyoraku: It's done, we can go anytime now.
The black dome of Shizen's realm suddenly explodes catching everyone off guard. The ground shakes at the sudden release of reiatsu. Everyone looks at it in shock and surprise.
Zaraki stands there looking normal, no longer in Bankai mode. No sign of the skull or mist can be seen. Shizen stands in front of him absolutely still, her sword raised high and sideways in a blocking position. A long gash can be seen going down the front and back of her, blood flowing out and pooling below. Suddenly the blade of her sword cracks and drops to the ground. Shizen collapses straight down a few moments after it.
Ichigo:!
Zaraki looks down at the fallen figure at his feet.
Zaraki: Tch, stupid woman. You should have realised that defending would also be something that was punished.
Bleach 526: Invasion
