You guys are going to be in for a treat for this one. You'll see why when you read it. Id rather not give too much away. I do hope to get some feedback on this one though. So please, feel free to leave your reviews and give us your honest opinions. It really does help us improve and move forward.
Now, before we get onto the disclaimer, here is some breif words from Greatkingrat88.
"I'd like to formally welcome jcampbellohten to our writing team, as he is providing us with the valuable service of beta reading. Much obliged, man."
Much thanks from me as well. Im so relieved to know that our grammatical errors will be significantly less now. But enough with that, onto the story!
Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo and Shounen jump. Fairy tail is owned by Hiro Mashima and weekly shounen magazine. I own NOTHING. This is all just for fun.
Unlike Kuchiki Byakuya, Soifon had a natural affinity for discipline and self-control. It had been beaten into her, figuratively and literally, since she was old enough to walk. Since way back when she had been Fon Shaolin, born into servitude, she had learned to control herself.
She was, strictly speaking, nobility, but a very specific kind of nobility, one sworn to exist only to serve another family- the Shihoin. That was the purpose she had been raised for, along with her brothers, and nothing else. She had been good at it, too. A few harsh corrections and beatings had turned that small girl into a well-behaved servant, one who knew to keep quiet unless specifically asked to speak up, to adjust to the wants and needs of her masters, and of course to die for them if necessary.
She had been good. She had obeyed, had always struggled the hardest she could to be the best servant she could be. She had taken to her martial arts lessons better than anything, and it had pleased her father enough for him to recommend her for military service. By the time she was fifteen, she had joined her brothers in the corps as an agent. She had taken her grandmother's code name, and Fon Shaolin had stopped existing; as was tradition for those in her family who joined the corps, she had become her code name.
Then she had been assigned to be the bodyguard of Shihoin Yoruichi. It was a great honour to be named for that position; at the time Yoruichi had been the commander of the stealth corps and recently made head of the clan itself. Logically, Soifon had known that it was a little ridiculous that she should guard the beautiful, graceful Lady Shihoin, who was a million times more capable than Soifon ever would be. However, Soifon was a tool to be used, and questioning orders was out of the question. At that young age, she would gladly have fallen on her sword if she had been commanded to.
Then, The Right and Honourable Lady Shihoin had turned out to be as radically different from regular nobility as was possible. Soifon was accustomed to traditional nobility, always arrogant, always prideful, always assured of their superiority. Always ready to snap at the smallest perceived slight, to defend their pride at any opportunity.
Her Lady had been... different. She'd laughed where other nobles kept a staunch, dignified face. She'd been open and cheerful, and had had a complete disregard for the dignity and respect that accompanied her station. She would tease the Kuchiki heir for a laugh, just to see him lose his temper. She would spring cruel little games of hide-and-seek on Soifon, whose duty was to be at her side at all times- games that, Soifon had come to realize, were actually quite good training exercises, sharpening the young bodyguard's skill set further. Her Lady had been eccentric, marvellous, intelligent, lackadaisical yet still an ideal commander, and altogether wonderful.
Soifon had come to love her. No... 'love' was too simple a word. It had been complete devotion. It had been to serve the greatest possible master imaginable, in itself a complete fulfilment of purpose. Not only that, a master who cared about her, who took the time to teach her, make her grow personally, make her grow stronger and faster. To Soifon, of course, that only meant growing stronger to protect her better.
They had sparred and trained. They had had silly little indulgences, like sharing candies, taking baths in the Shihoin manor's pond, or staring up at the stars afterwards. Soifon had understood very little of this, still thinking of herself only as a tool, but it had been the happiest time of her life. She had loved her master, she had loved serving her, she had loved growing and being cultivated by her, and she had even loved the silly little things she didn't quite understand. It had been a complete fulfilment of existence. Had she died, she would have died happy.
Then, it had happened. One day, she was... gone. Soifon still remembered it keenly. She had found her Lady's chamber empty, and had desperately searched for her for two days straight until her father had finally found her and told her the truth. For the first time in her life, Soifon had defied him, and angrily told him there was no way her Lady would ever betray the Gotei Thirteen. She had denied it vigorously until she had gotten a slap across the face, and been shown evidence that, beyond a doubt, The Right and Honourable Lady Shihoin had defected to save the life of a traitorous madman.
There had been interrogations, but Soifon did not even remember them. Evidently, it had been found that she was not complicit in the defection, or she would have been executed.
There was no describing the pain she had felt when the truth started to sink in, because almost nobody outside a servant clan knew what it meant to live entirely for somebody else. To lose an arm was the most apt comparison, but at the time, Soifon could have had every limb severed and it would have seemed petty by comparison. She had lost her reason for living. She had lost her purpose for existence. She had lost the most wonderful person in the world.
Somehow, she had gotten through it. She still didn't know how. It had been despair of a kind she had never been able to imagine. She had considered suicide multiple times, and only the core of her existence- servitude to the Shihoin clan- had stopped her.
Sometime around then, she had lost her faith in the absolute supremacy of the noble classes. Her Lady had been the greatest of them all, and if the greatest of the great was capable of treason, then so was anybody else.
Hate had festered in her. Anger. Resentment. And at the end of it all, determination.
Because at some point, she had been forced to face reality, and reality was that she had to be her own person, without another to define her. It had been an unpleasant realization, like falling into an ice-cold lake, but she had risen to the challenge. She had resolved that she would be what her old master could not; a true and dedicated servant of the Gotei, one who put duty, service, professionalism, and work before anything else.
It had worked. Through feverishly hard work, through taking the most dangerous missions and constantly completing them, even though her teammates died again and again, she had risen through the ranks. She had shown herself to be just as adept at office politics and strategic decisions as she was at fighting. Soifon had risen like a star, and within twenty years she had replaced the commander of the stealth corps, a man beleaguered by the failure of his predecessor. She had raised a zanpakutou, and through hard work and dedication had gained its bankai. She had been named captain, one of the single most powerful figures in the Gotei.
In the process, she had deposed the Shihoin. Their greatest strength had been their involvement in the stealth corps, but Soifon had steadily taken it from them. That power could only belong to the Gotei itself, not some corruptible noble clan. Now she was singularly powerful, alone and devoted.
She had always told herself that when the day came, she would kill Shihoin Yoruichi- not because of a grudge, but because it was the right thing to do, because traitors deserved only death.
Soifon had always prided herself on her professionalism and self-control.
That was why now, sitting cross-legged in her office and attempting to meditate, she felt an all-consuming anger unlike anything she had felt in decades. She had been checked up by the fourth division, and even in the broken-down state she had been in, she did not dare defy their captain. Her own vice-captain had been knocked out, presumably by Yoruichi. Normally, she would have chastised him for his failure, but she had found herself unable to care. The moment she was released from medical care, she had raced back to the second division and locked herself in her room.
She had lost control. All her hard work, over a century's worth of dedication, had been for nothing. She had lost control, she realised, the moment she used her shikai. She remembered the feelings as if they were right there in the moment. Anger. Rage. Gleeful anticipation. It was as far removed from impartial justice as could possibly be.
In the end, she had been solidly beaten. Logically speaking, it wasn't too strange. Yoruichi had been her mentor, and powerful at that. She had to have known Soifon's fighting style well enough that her seniority would give her the advantage.
Losing was humiliating, but not nearly as much as having lost her temper, not nearly as much as breaking down and crying. It was as if, in that moment, that century of hard work had been stripped away, and she had been that hurt young girl again, just longing for her Lady...
Soifon clenched her fists, feeling her nails dig into her palms. The pain was a welcome distraction, and allowed her some measure of clarity.
She was justice. She was the law. She was the head of the Gotei's police force. Nobody but she should take on a traitor of this magnitude. Yet, she had failed in every regard.
Somewhere in her mind, the thought reared: Yoruichi had not acted like a traitor. She had been... apologetic. Although she was capable of expert manipulation, it was unlike her. She had always been one of the most honest people Soifon had ever known, open and kind...
No! That was fanciful fantasy, nothing more! Weakness! She was a traitor, always would be, and Soifon could not let herself be distracted. Yoruichi had to… die. Somehow. Maybe with bankai, the next time...
Even now, Soifon could feel more tears just behind her eyes, but none flowed. She was nothing if not disciplined.
After all the running he had done that day, all the fighting, stress, and adrenaline, walking calmly through the streets of the Gotei was a bizarre change of pace to Ichigo. Not a single soul questioned his presence now, Matsumoto Rangiku's status as a vice-captain apparently being enough to deter any questions.
"So..." he said, "what, er, what's the Shiba family like?" He was genuinely curious. The thought of having relatives here in the afterlife, a noble clan no less, was something he had never expected.
"You really want to know, huh?" Rangiku said. "I guess it's only natural you'd ask."
Ichigo nodded. "So...?"
She sighed. "You can't understand the Shiba without understanding the rest of Gotei nobility first."
"Give me the crash course, then," Ichigo said, undeterred.
"What do you think they're like, kid?" Rangiku said. "You have nobs where you're from, too, right?"
"Sort of, yeah," Ichigo replied. "Not like we used to, though. It's... we mostly see that in movies, books, and stuff."
"Well, they're proud," Rangiku said, sighing. "Privileged, proud, and arrogant. They're rich, and a lot of them are part of our military. They're proud and superior because if they aren't, other nobles will think they're weak. To them, it's all about status. The more power you have, the further back your clan's history runs, the higher your status."
"Sounds wonderful," Ichigo mumbled, dismayed at the thought of being related to some snobbish socialite.
"I'm not done," Rangiku said. "They're proud. Privileged. If a commoner goes up in court against a noble, the noble basically always wins- unless the commoner a high-ranking shinigami. They're all about formality, politics, status..."
"Not making it sound better," Ichigo muttered.
"...but they're not all the same," Rangiku said firmly. "The Shiba, for example, they fly in the face of all that. Don't give a rat's posterior about playing by the rules or throwing their weight around."
"That's better," Ichigo said, feeling uplifted.
"Mind you, they're not what they used to be," Rangiku said soberly. "Status is a thing that can wax and wane, and your family is definitely on the wane. They lost your dad, and he was a captain, which is incredible status. They lost your late cousin, too, and he was a vice-captain. Right now, they're a pretty minor house."
Ichigo nodded. "Small house. Ain't what they used to be. Everyone's an asshole except them. Got it."
"Not... everyone," Rangiku said hesitantly. "Some are different. Like Captain Kyoraku, for example. He's a nobleman, and he acts more like a bar drunk than a nobleman, and nobody would dare criticise him for it because he's one of Captain-Commander Yamamoto's prized students. Then there's Captain Kuchiki..."
"That man nearly killed my mother," Ichigo said flatly.
"Whoops," Rangiku said. "Best not to tell you about how he's harsh but fair, and also rather handsome, then?"
"Best not," Ichigo agreed.
"Look," Rangiku said curiously, "you came here with Erza, didn't you?"
Ichigo shrugged and said, "It's not a secret."
"What... what's her relationship to you? Actually, screw that, what's... what's been up with her all these years?"
Something for something, Ichigo reckoned. She had told him about the nobility. He'd just have to not give out too much.
"She was there for me since I was a kid," he said simply. "She's been teaching me how to fight. I don't really know what her history here is, but-"
He was interrupted before he could continue, as a tall, red-haired man came running at them, sliding to a halt before them. Reflexively, Ichigo reached for his sword, but Rangiku put an arm on his weapon arm.
"Renji," she said, "what are you doing here?"
"I, er," Renji said, and Ichigo got a closer look at him. Bright red hair, and a vice-captain's badge...
"Well?" Rangiku demanded.
"Um. Sensed a ryoka. Here he is," the vice-captain said tamely. "Ichigo, right?"
"How'd you know?" Ichigo said.
"Yes, how?" Rangiku said.
"That... is a bit of a story," Renji said awkwardly.
"Wait..." Ichigo said, taking a closer look at him. "Are you, like, her long lost brother or something?"
Renji shook his head. "Uh, what?"
"Erza," Ichigo insisted. "You know her, don't you?"
"No. Um, well, sort of. Not really. Yes," Renji said awkwardly.
"She taught him," Rangiku explained. "No relation, though."
"So... you found him," Renji said.
"Uh-huh," Rangiku confirmed. "We're heading over to tenth to see if we can negotiate something."
"That- that's good," Renji said, nodding. "I'll come with."
"If you want," Rangiku said, shrugging.
The three of them had just turned forward, heading toward tenth, when they felt it. To the two vice-captains, it was as familiar as it was terrifying. To Ichigo, it was just terrifying.
He felt it coming closer: a madly powerful energy source, intimidating and fierce, wild and unrestrained, laced with so much menace that only a hollow's energy came across his mind as comparable.
Around the corner came an insanely tall man, with an appearance as wild as his energy. He was nearly two meters tall, and his black hair stood out in spikes. He wore the haori of a captain, but its ends were torn. He carried a huge sword, but its edge was chipped and jagged, so unlike the sleek, streamlined appearance of a normal zanpakutou. An eyepatch covered his right eye, and he grinned, lazily resting his sword over his shoulder.
"Found ya," he said.
"Captain Zaraki..." Rangiku breathed the words, as if the air had emptied from her lungs.
Zaraki Kenpachi. The demon. The man his aunt Erza hated and had cited as one of the most dangerous people in all of the Gotei. Ichigo took a deep breath, and somehow managed not to start shaking.
"Lucky me," Kenpachi said, staring them down like a titan ready to pluck his victims. "Here I am, followin' all this chaos, and I just run across the one I was lookin' for. Didn't I tell ya it made sense to go lookin' close to the centre?"
"You sure did, Ken-chan!" said a cheery voice. At the giant's shoulder was a bizarrely contrasting little girl, one Ichigo hadn't noticed till now. She looked to be about eight, and had bright pink hair.
"Exactly," Kenpachi said. He ran his tongue across his teeth, as if anticipating a particularly juicy treat. "Young kid. Hair like it's on fire. Way strong. Taught by Erza herself."
"H-how would you know?" Ichigo stuttered.
"Ikkaku told me, dumbass," the giant said, as if it were obvious. "You wouldn'ta been any fun if you couldn't knock him down, anyhow."
"Captain Zaraki," Rangiku said, taking a step forward, visibly trembling, "this man is in the custody of tenth division. He has come in peacefully. Do not attempt to meddle with that which belongs to another division-"
He shot her a glance, as if he were looking at an ant, and said, "Ya really gonna get in my way, tenth?"
She looked terrified, and Kenpachi, ignoring her, stepped past her.
Renji swore under his breath, then pulled out his sword, barring Kenpachi's way.
"Finally got the balls to try something, kid?" Kenpachi said, sounding amused. "I'm happy to take ya both at once."
"Captain, if you assault the prisoner, you will have violated the law," Renji said firmly, although it was clear he, too, was terrified. "You know I cannot allow that."
"Fuck the law," Kenpachi said dismissively. "I remember you when you was in eleventh. You had a spine then, but then you go and work for that prissy shit Byakuya. If you want to stop me, then be a man and fight me."
"Shit!" Renji snapped. "You guys, you can't get into a fight with him. He's- he's monstrously powerful!"
Ichigo quickly took a few steps back, Renji and Rangiku joining him, the three facing the monster in front of them.
"Fuck me..." Ichigo muttered, feeling terrified. "Erza told me he was, um, your strongest fighter. The most ruthless too."
"Not just that, kid," Renji said, a bead of sweat trailing down his forehead, "he's also so strong that he intentionally limits himself. That eyepatch? He ain't even blind on that eye. It's just there to absorb energy so he isn't on full blast."
"Fuck me," Ichigo said, paling.
"You know, the smart thing to do would be to run," Rangiku mumbled. "No way can we take him."
"Yup," Renji said, and nodded affirmatively. "Not a chance."
"Look, guys, he only wants me," Ichigo said, not quite believing the words coming out of his own mouth, "so just... save yourselves, okay? You don't have to stick your necks out for me."
"Like hell," Renji said flatly. "No matter what, you stand up and fight, even if you can't win. Didn't she teach you that?"
Ichigo felt a little moved. Renji might not have been Erza's flesh and blood, but his tone, his readiness to fight and even die, his refusal to back down... it made Ichigo feel like Erza was right there.
He really hoped that the vice-captain was strong enough to back up his words.
"Oh, screw it..." Rangiku said exasperatedly. "If I die, I'm coming back to haunt you."
"Quit yammering, you three," Kenpachi said loudly. "This is a fight, not a tea party."
Ichigo made ready, as did his two companions, but Kenpachi did not move just yet. Calmly, he grabbed his coat and shirt and pulled the two open, revealing his muscular, scarred chest, halfway covered in white wrappings.
"I'll give ya one free hit. Keep things fair," he said with a grin that would have made a bull shark green with envy.
"I-is this some trick?" Ichigo muttered.
"Oh, no," Renji said. "He's a demon all right, but he's as straightforward as they come. Anything that makes a fight last longer, he'll do."
Ichigo gripped his Zangetsu tightly, holding it at the ready. Quickly, he looked around, to get a better view of his surroundings. They were in division territory, white walls everywhere, with barracks and storehouses surrounding them.
Screw it.
Letting out a loud cry, Ichigo surged forward, hitting hard and hitting true at Kenpachi's chest, up and down.
There was a very dissatisfying thud as Zangetsu impacted with the man's chest, the sword futilely pushing against his skin without so much as a blemish. A small stream of blood ran from Ichigo's hands; he had swung hard enough to tear the skin on his hands from the impact, and it still had done nothing.
"I ain't no expert on energy, but I know this," Kenpachi said, looking down on Ichigo, who was just shy of soiling his breeches at this point, "you couldn't even break my skin, punk. That means the reiatsu I emit without even tryin' is bigger than what you put out when you try your hardest."
Horrified, Ichigo reeled back.
"Try an' make it a good one, kid," Kenpachi said. "There's three of ya, so you should be able to do somethin', at least."
"Go, Ken-chan!" said the pink little girl. She hopped off his shoulder, quickly getting to the sidelines. "Kick their butts!"
Kenpachi brought his sword down, fast and furious, and Ichigo was just barely saved by Rangiku, who had moved with her best shunpo, knocking him over. In front of him, the ground crumbled under Kenpachi's blow, and Renji stepped forward, his shikai already activated.
"Growl, Haineko!" Rangiku cried, quickly pulling Ichigo to his feet.
"Cut the heavens, Zangetsu!" Ichigo cried, collecting himself. The two zanpakutou activated, both changing their forms.
"'Atta boy," Kenpachi said.
"Listen, you two!" Rangiku snapped. "Keep him busy, and I'll prepare the strongest binding spell I know!"
"Got it!" Renji shot back. "Go low, kid, and I'll go high!"
"Yes, yes!" Kenpachi cried, stepping forward. "Give it your all!"
He brought his sword down, Renji parrying it just barely, and Ichigo could see him strain under the pressure. Not one to waste the opportunity, Ichigo ran toward the giant, his Zangetsu cutting at the man's shins. With surprising agility and speed, Kenpachi kicked Renji in the chest and took a quick step back, followed by a vicious sweeping slash at Ichigo.
Ichigo parried the blow, but his arms shook as it glanced off, and it felt almost like they would pop out of their sockets. He was not given another second to rest, as the ferocious demon of a man rained down one, two, three blows. There was no form to it, none that Ichigo recognized, no school of swordsmanship that applied, but it was clear Kenpachi knew how to wield it with deadly precision.
"Zabimaru!" Renji roared out, and the zanpakutou's metal whip lashed out, its spiked head narrowly being blocked by Kenpachi's own sword. Ichigo jumped forward, cutting at the captain as hard and fast as he could, but Kenpachi was not taken off guard. It seemed downright unfair that somebody that large and scary could be that fast, but he seemed to barely break a sweat as Renji and Ichigo launched into a set of quick attacks, each attack being parried neatly. However, he had been pushed back, if only momentarily. The initiative was theirs, just for a second. As Kenpachi caught another whip swing with his blade, Ichigo cut at him from the side. The captain brought up his arm, parrying the swing in the most counter-intuitive way possible, and Ichigo was pleased to see a streak of red from the man's forearm.
"Good on ya, kid," Kenpachi said, his grin seeming to widen. "I was afraid I'd hafta play with kiddie gloves all day long."
Ichigo swallowed, and quickly put some distance between himself and the captain, just as Renji's whip retracted.
Then, much to Ichigo's relief, he heard Rangiku finish muttering an incantation, and cry out,
"Bakudo sixty-three: Sajo Sabaku!"
Around Kenpachi a set of glowing, golden chains manifested, wrapping tightly around his chest and binding his arms.
"Get him!" she cried. "I'll prepare another spell!"
Not needing to be told twice, Renji and Ichigo charged forward. The chains were already cracking, as the lean, muscled giant strained against it, an angry look on his face.
"Fuckin' kido?" he snarled. "You think this shit will hold me back?"
One chain, two chains broke already, and Ichigo knew they only had seconds to work with. Renji's whip surged forward just as Ichigo raised his blade, charging a Getsuga, and time seemed to slow down...
The whip surged forward, aimed at the captain's neck, but at the last second Kenpachi's hand came free, grabbing it in his bare palm. Ichigo, however, was not to be stopped. Raising his blade over his head and bringing it down, he cried out, "Getsuga Tensho!"
The moon-shaped blast of energy surged forward, hitting the captain squarely in the chest. For a second, Ichigo was afraid the monster would just shrug it off, but Kenpachi staggered back, the chains finally broken. The new long, wide cut across his chest wasn't nearly as deep as he had hoped, but it was clear- the giant could certainly bleed.
"Fuck yeah!" Kenpachi cried, and Ichigo was terrified to see the smile on his face, a look of pure joy, as the giant ran forward again. "That's the way, boys! Go, go, go!"
Just barely managing to block, Ichigo and Renji took his direct assault and were pushed back. Ichigo felt like each blow would break an arm, his limbs slowly going numb from the exercise. Just what the hell kind of monster was this man? The wound seemed to barely have registered with him, despite his blood now dripping and soiling the pavement.
"Get clear!" Rangiku cried, having finished another incantation. "Hado sixty-three: Raikoho!"
There was a yellow flash of energy, and as Renji and Ichigo hopped back, a bolt of lightning struck Kenpachi, discharging with immense power, the walls around them crumbling and crashing under the pressure. As the dust started to settle, Ichigo desperately hoped it had been enough. That had been insanely strong magic. Right?
However, as Kenpachi's figure became visible, it became apparent that Ichigo's hope had been vain. The captain's haori had been shredded, and he dropped it to the ground, spitting out some blood, standing as tall as ever.
"Kido," he sneered. "Pansy-ass egghead invention for morons who can't fight properly."
"Haineko!" Rangiku cried out, the dust from her shikai surging forward, clawing at Kenpachi's head and eyes. The giant snarled and spat, batting at the steel-hard, nigh invisible fragments.
"That won't help for long!" Rangiku shouted.
"Hey kid, can you do that attack again?" Renji said quickly. "Up close?"
Ichigo nodded. "Sure."
"Alright, follow my lead!" Renji said urgently. "I got a trick up my sleeve, then."
Renji ran forward, his whip-sword extending further than ever before, stretching to a seemingly impossible length as he swung it around, and Ichigo followed closely behind. The length of the whip-sword's coils quickly wrapped around Kenpachi, its tip anchoring firmly in the ground, once again binding Kenpachi.
"Who the fuck're you kiddin'?" Kenpachi said. Grinding the edge of his sword against the whip, he broke it in several places with a single, powerful thrust outward. However, Ichigo had gotten the time he needed. Attack fully charged, he stood face to face with Kenpachi, sword coming down.
"GETSUGA... TENSHOOO!" He roared the words, and the blast hit Kenpachi almost point blank. The giant remained standing, although staggering back, and Ichigo was left breathing heavily. Another cut this time, deeper and bloodier, stained the scarred madman's body.
Before he had a chance to recover, Rangiku cried, "Soren Sokatsui!" A surge of blue lightning slammed into Kenpachi, fully powered, and he jerked.
"That... fuckin' does it," Kenpachi growled. Seemingly unaffected by his injuries, he charged forward like a juggernaut, ignoring Ichigo and Renji. Matsumoto tried to put distance between herself and Kenpachi, but it was too late, and he was too fast. Fully half of his sword's length ran smoothly into her gut. Kenpachi flicked his blade like he might flick off some dirt, and Rangiku was sent flying into a half-wrecked wall.
"Matsumoto!" Renji shouted, looking toward her. She lay quite still on the ground.
"You think of yourself now, Abarai," Kenpachi said, flicking the blood off his sword and turning toward the redhead.
Renji's zanpakutou was mostly broken now, only a few segments of spiked blade-whip remaining, but he defiantly held up what was left of his sword.
"That's the spirit," Kenpachi said approvingly.
Ichigo stood frozen; Rangiku had been tough enough for him to take on, and Kenpachi had swatted her like a fly. Before he could snap out of his stupor, Kenpachi charged. Like a bull, the captain slammed into Renji. The beleaguered vice-captain managed to block the first three slashes, reeling from the force of each blow, but at last his blade was batted aside, leaving his guard open. It was half a second's work for Kenpachi to bring his sword down, its jagged blade cutting half a foot deep into Renji's shoulder. For a moment, Ichigo thought the vice-captain would be cut in half.
Instead, he sunk to his knees, a look of shock on his face. Kenpachi put a foot on the man's shoulder, and wrenched his blade free. A look of pain passed Renji's face, and he fell over.
Finally collecting himself, Ichigo charged forward, mindlessly crying out, and Kenpachi caught his blade quite easily.
"Looks like it's just you 'n me now, kid," he said, looking overjoyed. "Make it a good 'un, why don't ya?"
Erza ran, much like she had for most of the day now. Around her were the tall pillars, the maze, but she was making good progress.
But... something wasn't right. She had run past that same pillar three times now. She wasn't lost, was she? Quickly, she looked around her. It was... as if she hadn't gone anywhere.
Balling her fists, she looked around her suspiciously. She heard a mirthful chuckle, and turned around. Seemingly from nowhere, that familiar figure had stepped forward. Aizen. She tensed, a host of emotions running through her- memories of hurt, betrayal, hate, fury, anger with her own stupidity for once having trusted him...
"You catch on quickly," he said as he clapped his hands once, twice. "You could have caught on quicker, but then again, it was my craft that deceived you." His tone left no illusions as to what he meant: that he was better than anyone else who could possibly do that.
"Aizen," Erza hissed through her teeth. Behind the anger, she was afraid. She was entirely at his mercy. He was strong, probably stronger than her, and even if he wasn't, his illusory abilities were unbeatable.
"Relax yourself. I have come to speak with you," he said, as if reading her mind.
"I have nothing to say to you!" Erza spat.
"Not even a little?" Aizen said, mock hurt in his voice. "We've been apart for so long, and this is how you greet me?"
"I'd say 'go to hell,' but that goes without saying," Erza sneered. She kept one hand wrapped around the hilt of her sword. However powerless she was against him, it at least made her feel more secure.
Aizen laughed again. "Ah, that's my Erza," he said, smiling what seemed like a genuine smile. "Always keeping her chin up, even in the face of Armageddon."
"Destroyer of worlds. Appropriate comparison," Erza shot back.
"I will be the end of the world as they know it," Aizen said simply. "But that is beside the point."
"Then what is the point?" Erza snapped. "I doubt you hunted me down just for a friendly little chat."
"Strangely, that is more or less what I came for," he said with a shrug.
"What?" Erza said. She couldn't understand him, couldn't so much as guess at his motive. He hadn't cut her down yet, so evidently he did not consider her much of a threat. But... why was he talking to her, then? What was his motive?
"It's strange, life," Aizen said wistfully. "Sometimes, you never know what you want until you've lost it."
"You're kidding me," Erza said, a look of disgust on her face.
"You're not one for playing games, so I'll be frank," Aizen said, an amused look on his face. "Out of all the people I've worked with, only you care about the right things. Kaname is a vengeful hypocrite, Gin is... Gin, and the hollows are nothing more than tools. But you... you saw through it all. I'd like you to come back to my side."
"I'd rather die," Erza said coldly.
"Be careful what you say, now," Aizen said, mockingly wagging his finger at Erza. "Just consider what you could do if you submitted. Reforge the entire Soul Society into a decent place, remove all this corruption and cruelty..."
"While becoming a corrupt murderer myself in the process," Erza snarled. "No thank you."
Aizen sighed, and shrugged. "I overreacted when I framed you; I realize that now. This is a rare thing for me to do, but I'll admit it- that was a mistake. Surely you can see I am serious now?"
For a man as arrogant as him, it would indeed be rare to admit to a mistake, even jokingly. Somewhere in Erza's mind, the notion that he meant what he said started to creep in.
"So what?" Erza said angrily, deciding to play along. She didn't have any other options, anyhow. "You forced me to run. I lost an entire life. I lost all my friends. Everything I worked for became nothing because of you."
"You built a new life, found new friends and new meaning," Aizen said. He shrugged, and Erza realized he thought of his past actions as being entirely inconsequential. "I understand you have moral compunctions about my methods and associates. So, I invite you to be my moral anchor. I'll take you seriously."
"Seriously," Erza echoed.
"Seriously," Aizen said with a nod.
"You're crazy."
"You've got reservations about Gin," Aizen said understandingly. "To be frank, I've no problem doing away with him if it means your coming to my side. I keep him around because he's a little useful, but mostly because he's amusing." He cracked a gleeful smile. "Can you believe he doesn't think I know he's looking for the most opportune time to stab me in the back with his nasty little blade? It's honestly more than a little funny."
"You're sick. Mad," Erza said.
"No, I've got vision," Aizen said sharply. "True vision looks like madness to the lesser mind, because they can only imagine what their limited scope on reality lets them. But you know, don't you?" He looked her in the eye. "You know, because you dared to dream, just like I did, of a better world. One that had to be shaken, razed, and rebuilt."
"And it made me something ugly!" Erza shot back angrily. It all came back to her now, and she felt an overwhelming shame. How could she ever have let herself be convinced by a narcissistic psychopath like him?
"The road to change is fraught with sacrifice," Aizen said knowingly. "Friends, family, life and limb... those are sacrifices anyone can think of. But the one nobody considers is the sacrifice of self: not your life, but who you are. I once believed as you did, that all lives matter, that murder is wrong, that the world can become a better place simply by being good to it." He shook his head. "But then I wizened to the ways of the world. It cost me many of my beliefs. It cost me a lot of who I was, but my goal never changed: a better world, one with equality and safety for all. You are afraid to sacrifice, Erza, and I understand that. But if you only dare take that step, there is no limit to what you can achieve."
For just a moment, Erza wanted to take his hand and accept his offer. He was nothing if not convincing, every word sounding heartfelt and genuine. It could very well be true, for all she knew.
But reason pulled her back. To say yes would be to deny who she was.
"You forget one thing," she said venomously.
"Oh?" Aizen said curiously. "Name me any favour or boon I can grant you, and it will be yours."
Erza shook her head. "Imagine my position," she said, feeling her confidence grow with every word, "betrayed, a life stolen and destroyed, banished from everything she loves. If you stood face to face with the one who made that happen, would you trust them?"
"I realize this is a hard sell-" Aizen said, but Erza interrupted him.
"Use your head, Aizen Sousuke," she said harshly. "From where I stand, I have no logical reason to trust a single thing you said. As long as I cannot trust your word, there is no way I could even consider your reasoning. And even if your every word was true, even if I could trust you, I'd still say no, because I've seen what they make of people. Your vision makes monsters of people, and no better tomorrow is worth that!"
"...I see," Aizen said solemnly, and Erza thought she heard a bit of regret in his voice. "Yes. A barrier of mistrust. Of my own making, no less."
He chuckled again. "That is solid logic, I'm afraid. Then again, it is that clarity that made me approach you in the first place."
"Is this the part where you cut my head off?" Erza said bluntly. "Because if it is, then get on with it."
"Oh, no," Aizen said amusedly. "I'd never. Proceed as you would. However, I will warn you: all your struggles will be in vain. All is in the palm of my hand, and your struggle will do nothing but play into my hands."
"I'll still try," Erza said defiantly.
"Good, good," Aizen said, nodding approvingly. "Until we meet again, Erza Scarlet."
With that, he faded from view, and all of reality around her changed- back to whatever it had been before Aizen had cast his illusion, she assumed. Aizen himself was nowhere to be seen, and she couldn't sense even a hint of his reiatsu. She shook her head, as if to clear her mind after a bad dream. She was glad to be alive and unhurt, but the thought of Aizen's eyes being on her, of him still having an interest in her, unsettled her deeply.
But then she felt it, and all her worry and unease was overrun by fear, anger, and protective instinct. Far behind her in the Seireitei, blazing so loudly even the clumsiest first-year student could have felt it, was Kenpachi's reiatsu. In its shadow was Ichigo's.
Balling her fists, Erza turned her back on Rukia's prison and ran.
It was a miracle he could still lift his arms. They were going numb now, the pain from blocking the monstrously powerful blows the mad captain was dealing out wearing him down. Your body lies to you, he desperately told himself, recalling his sensei's words. You can do so much more than you believe you can if you put your mind to it.
Inspiring quotes were good and all, but at some point you had to face reality. Kenpachi was bearing down on him, laughing madly as he cut at Ichigo again and again, forcing him back step by step. He was strong, terrifyingly strong. Ichigo had once balked at the overwhelming power of a Menos Grande, but he knew now that it was nothing compared to the champion of the Gotei Thirteen.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Kenpachi cried animatedly, his blood hot with excitement, "where's that spirit, boy? You ain't all attitude, are ya?"
A single vicious sideways slash, just barely blocked, sent Ichigo sliding back a good twenty feet, and he only barely remained standing.
"Ichi... go..."
It was Rangiku, some ten yards away, clutching her midsection, which was bleeding copiously. She was conscious, but seemed to manage little more than propping herself up on one elbow.
"You have to run!" she hissed. "You can't win this one! He'll kill you!"
Ichigo swallowed. "He might kill the two of you, too," he said.
It was stupid. He barely knew the two shinigami, knowing little more about them aside from them being agreeable enough... and old friends of Erza's. The monster ahead of him was mad with bloodlust, and there was no telling what he might do.
It was stupid. It was irrational. But something in him refused to run, even though he was utterly terrified, because leaving the two of them to their fate... he couldn't do it.
"Still not backing down, huh?" Kenpachi said, walking toward Ichigo. "Good on ya, kid."
Ichigo forced his body to move, to react, despite it groaning in protest. He brought his sword up, took a few steps forward, and brought it down. Kenpachi, still grinning like a shark, simply let Ichigo's strike hit. Ichigo's blow hit home, raking across Kenpachi's chest, managing to draw some blood. At the same time, Kenpachi's blade cut diagonally across Ichigo's torso, from shoulder to hip. A look of shock on his face, Ichigo staggered back, sinking to his knees.
I don't want to die.
You don't have to.
"That's all you got, huh?" Kenpachi said, sounding disappointed. Ichigo's reiatsu was on the wane, fluctuating and weakening, like a candle's flame struggling against a gust of wind.
Fear. He looked up on the demon in front of him, and fear overwhelmed him. The man was the Devil himself, or so he seemed to Ichigo at the moment. Towering over him, mighty, ruthless, and powerful, his reiatsu blazing a bright yellow... and for a moment, Ichigo thought he saw a skull tower over the demon's back, leering and grinning at him like the Grim Reaper.
I don't want to die. The thought filled his mind, fear having robbed him of all reason, all hope, all determination.
Then let me save us.
"Che," Kenpachi sneered, resting the sword against his shoulder. "Stupid punk, getting my hopes up... didn't even lose the eyepatch."
He shrugged, turned his back, and started walking away. Ichigo didn't even register it.
I don't want to die!
Then give me control!
Yes...
Kenpachi, although possessing minimal sensory skills, felt it clearly. There was a small gust of wind as the boy's reiatsu stopped fluctuating and instead started rising, firm, powerful, and enormous. The captain turned around, the grin returning to his face.
"Ya got some left in ya, after all?"
Ichigo couldn't hear him anymore. His reiatsu had changed radically, now toxic, malevolent, and almost as vicious as Kenpachi's. He rose to his feet, and Kenpachi could see it now- the boy's skin had started turning white, a single red line apparent on each arm, running down from his chin. Where his face had been, there was an oval hollow's mask, two thick lines of red running over and past each eye. His eyes were glowing a bright yellow. It was clear he wasn't entirely changed, though- his hair was still present, and he wore the robes of a shinigami still, and the zanpakutou dangled from his hand. For a second, he staggered, as if a bit groggy.
"I ain't got no clue what happened now," Kenpachi said with bloodthirsty glee, "and I don't give a shit either. Show me what ya got, whoever ya are."
With his voice echoing as if layered several times, a bundle of the same voices tied together with chain, a being that was most certainly not Ichigo spoke gleefully.
"I don't have a name... and I don't need one either."
The hollow-beast let out a loud, ear-piercing shriek, and in one swift motion it threw Zangetsu up in the air. Holding it by its cloth wrapping, it rapidly spun the blade around at an impossible speed, the black sword seeming a blur. With one swift motion, the hollow-beast sent the blade flying with tremendous force at Kenpachi. Letting out a loud laugh, the captain slammed the blade aside. It was much stronger than before, though, enough to send him sliding back a foot or two. This was about to get interesting.
The two ran forward simultaneously, clashing like two titans of war. Beside the two of them, buildings were razed and street tiles overturned at a radius of at least twenty yards. In the blink of an eye, they had exchanged a dozen blows, Kenpachi finding the hollow-beast to be his match and then some. However, his superior experience won out, and in a vicious counter-attack he sliced into the beast's shoulder.
"Come on, come on!" Kenpachi cried, pushing his blade down on the beast, who pushed back just as hard. "Ya gotta do better than that!"
The beast let out a long breath, as if unimpressed. "I ain't the stupid kid you just saw, Zaraki Kenpachi. I'm a monster just the same as you!"
Before Kenpachi's eyes, the injury started to knit together- and come to think of it, the kid's injuries from before were gone, as well. Kenpachi let out a whistle.
"Now yer talkin'," he said approvingly.
Letting out another shriek, the hollow-beast pushed Kenpachi back, and launched into a series of quick, hard attacks. Like the captain's own, his style seemed to have no form, only a ruthless desire to do grievous harm. Before too long he had managed to bat Kenpachi's sword aside, and in one ruthless thrust he pushed Zangetsu halfway into the captain's gut.
"What's wrong, Demon of Zaraki?" cried the beast mockingly. "Your flesh is softer than I thought!"
"Good boy!" Kenpachi said with a grin. "But kid, ya gotta do better than that!"
Firmly grabbing hold of the blade piercing him with his free hand, he cut the hollow-beast once, twice, with force that could have cut Ichigo in half. The hollow-beast reeled back, still holding on to Zangetsu, two massive flesh wounds across its chest. However, the injuries were already starting to seal shut, and they didn't even seem to spill that much blood.
"Well, there we go," Kenpachi said, and his grin widened. "I guess I can lose it after all."
He reached for his eyepatch, but that same moment, the hollow-beast stopped dead in its tracks. Its limbs trembling slightly, one arm slowly forced its way to the face, white fingernails slowly but firmly grabbing hold of the mask's edges.
"Stop!" cried the beast. "We're winning, damn you! Let me handle this! I'm stronger, I can make it work-"
Its cries went ignored, and slowly the arm started to pry the mask off. The energy of the hollow-beast started to fluctuate, and then as the mask was pulled off, it disappeared altogether. The mask cracked, turning to dust, and Ichigo's skin went back to normal. With it, unfortunately, came the injuries he'd had before, and he sunk to his knees again, falling on his back.
Kenpachi sneered disapprovingly. "That's twice now ya went and got my hopes up, ya dumb punk."
Ichigo did not reply, lying still on the broken ground.
"Fuck it," Kenpachi muttered, shrugging. Resting his bloodied sword on his shoulder, he turned around, seeming entirely unaffected by his injuries.
He took a couple of steps before he once again had cause to turn around. Landing with a loud thud, the ground around her shaking under the weight of her massive, infuriated reiatsu, was Erza Scarlet. Clad in armour, her hand on her sword, she had a scowl that would have made the angriest of punks proud, and a look of barely restrained rage on her face.
Kenpachi grinned.
NON-CANON CRACK OMAKE TIME!
Rod felt a sense of urgency as he headed toward his boss' office. He looked toward the closest nameless, throwaway henchman as he arrived at her door, and said,
"How bad is it?"
"...you'll have to see for yourself, sir," said the henchman nervously.
"That bad, huh?" Rod muttered. "Has she..."
Behind the door, he could hear noises. Loud, familiar noises.
Rod sighed. "Why can't she just flog herself like a normal person?" He grunted. Resignedly, he opened the door.
Immediately, he was bombarded by a symphony of angry edginess that only an outraged white person could produce.
"CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAWLING IN MY SKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN, THESE WOUNDS THEY WILL NOT HEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLL," bellowed Soifon's stereo system. Soifon herself sat curled up on her bed, sobbing while crying tearz of blud. Or angrily staring down a Nirvana poster, at least.
"FEAR IS HOW I FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLL," the sound system continued. Cringing, Rod grabbed his captain's iSoul, and quickly paused it.
"Hey!" Soifon cried out, getting off her bed.
"Boss, this is getting out of hand," Rod said tiredly.
"Lay off me, man!" Soifon insisted, pointing angrily at him. "You just don't understand my PAIN!"
"Boss, sitting in your room and listening to fake edgy songs isn't going to help your crush," Rod said, sighing.
"It's not... fake edgy," Soifon insisted.
"Really?" Rod said. "So if I check the playlist on your iSoul, it won't be filled with songs that are as angsty as they are angry and confusing?"
"...no," Soifon said.
Resignedly, Rod pressed "next".
"I WALK A LONELY STREET, THE ONLY ONE THAT I HAVE EVER KNOOOOWN," started the iSoul.
Next.
"HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN TO MEEEEE, I MADE NO MISTAAAAAAAAAKES,"
Next.
"WAKE ME UP INSIDE (I CAN'T WAKE UP) WAKE ME UP INSIDE, WAKE ME UP AND SAAAAVE MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE,"
"Okay, knock it off!" Soifon said irritably, as Rod paused it again. "They're like, deep and stuff. You wouldn't understand."
"I understand that makeup, angst and black clothes sells music," Rod muttered. "Captain, this is getting out of hand, as I said. You can't keep doing this when you break down."
"I'm okay," Soifon insisted. "I just needed to... unwind."
Rod sighed again. "Captain, you're starting to act like sixteenth seat Uchiha. The angst is too much."
Soifon gasped. "You take that back!" She paused. "Wait, which one? The handsome one, or the really handsome one?"
"The whiny one," Rod said. "You know, the one that's a chronically backstabbing douchebag, yet still somehow is popular within his own squad?"
"Oh... him." Soifon said soberly. "Oh crap... I am, aren't I?"
"Yup."
"...oh crap," Soifon muttered.
"Fortunately, there is a cure," Rod said confidently. "A high-powered injection of happiness and colour."
"...I'm not going to like this, am I?"
"It's a simple choice," Rod said. "At least six hours of marathoning an uplifting TV show. Either one about lesbian space rocks, or candy coloured ponies."
"...how lesbian are the space rocks?" Soifon said hesitantly.
"Very."
"And how colorful are the ponies?"
"Very."
"Shit..." Soifon muttered.
"There is... an alternative," Rod said.
Six hours later, Soifon sat with her eyes glued to a conveniently placed TV.
"So... this is really dumb," she said, slowly chewing popcorn.
"Yup," Rod agreed.
"But it just works."
"Yup."
"I mean... how in god's name is it actually good TV to watch overly muscular men strike effeminate, oddly homosexual poses while fighting aztec vampires?" Soifon said, completely enthralled.
"It is one of the world's great mysteries," Rod said cheerily. "Another six episodes, and we get to the part where the muscular men get ghost pokémon buddies that they use to fight other ghost pokémon, which that effeminate, muscular blond vampire keeps sending at them for some reason."
"...hell yeah," Soifon muttered. "Does it ever get any less... fabulous?"
"Not ever."
Inwardly, Rod drew a breath of relief. Life at second division posed some... unique challenges.
That was quite the chapter now wasn't it? I dont think anyone expected our favorite hollow to make an apperance. Why? To mix things up. Keep it fresh and interesting. You'll be seeing more and more divergences as the story goes on. Also, I hope you all enjoyed the Omake. We may do more in the future.
Now I know that some of you may be upset that Ichigo didn't get the win against Kenpachi. While i really loved the battle we had in the official cannon, the fact remains that Erza has a backstory with Kenpachi, she has problems with him, and Im positive that most of my readers have been eager for a rematch. Remember, ERZA is the main character, not Ichigo.
Thats not to say Ichigo wont be getting anymore badass moments in this arc. I promise you, the substitute soul reaper will continue to kick sufficient amounts of ass through out this story. But this is Erza's battle.
Also, before any of you ask why Ichigo got his ass handed to him so badly this time around, its really quite simple. 1. Ichigo didnt get the zangetsu bost this time. 2. Kenpachis earlier battle with Erza in the story has placed him on the same level when he fought Tousen and Konamura due to his mental restraints. He is WAY more powerful here than he was in his fight with Ichigo.
Oh, and yes...We are going to be trying our damnedest to give you guys the most epic battle of this story yet. Blood WILL be shed on both ends.
Now before i go any further, Greatkingrat88 has a few words he'd like to say about certain events that occurred in this chapter.
" A few notes. The hollow transformation- we did skip a few things. Like the partial, half-face image, his skin turning white... we've accelerated things a little. That's not to say it makes Ichigo that much more powerful- god mode hollow is NOT something you will see from us. This will, however, launch a new subplot as Ichigo tries to wrestle with this new manifestation. Oh and... let's just go on record: "hollow zangetsu" is NOT HAPPENING. Ever. That was a garbage tier awful plot twist that makes M. Night Shyamalan look competent by comparison. In our universe, the hollow and zangetsu are two distinct and separate entities. Zangetsu is Zangetsu, period.
Oh and... Kenpachi vs Erza comes next. GET. HYPED. On that note, regarding the damage Kenpachi took: as grievous as I made it sound, he's not even slowed down at this point. If he were a video game boss, he'd not even have lost 10% of his HP"
Now I know some of you may be upset at this. I am as well if i have to be honest. I personally LOVED the twist, i felt it made perfect sense, and I REALLY did want to incorporate it into the story, i REALLY did...but he was very adamant on not having this in the story from the very beginning, and we agreed that we wouldn't do it. Its a shame to me, and I know for some of you reading, I know it is, but i cant always get what i want.
However, i promise all for you dear readers that we will deliver something really cool out of this. Yes we may have lost the interesting zanpaktou idea of cannon, but i promise you all an equally interesting plot line. I wont go into detail, but im sure you'll all love it.
Regardless, thank you all so much for reading the story as long as you have and for all the reviews. We really are quite grateful for them all, and we eagerly away to see what you all have to say about this one.