Chapter 2: The Fullbringers Training
In this next chapter, where Issei will unlock the full potential of his Fullbring and his general reiatsu output, he will be given the rusted zanpakuto that was once Muramasa. Upon touching it, Issei's spiritual pressure resonates with the unconscious spirit and thus giving Issei shinigami powers.
With Issei as his new wielder, Muramasa has to change to a Bankai that fits Issei's soul and some abilities in Shikai.
Rukia will still be here in the story, but she'll have a friend join her; also, Issei will learn more about the Fullbringers since Kisuke will have to warn him of trusting the Soul Reapers happened with Ginjo.
Issei looked at the hand and then looked back at these gloves before Kisuke spoke again. "You don't have to make your decision now, but I would like to give you some knowledge that'll be important for you to know. Your not the Fullbringer since I've met a few before you, and they each had unique abilities per se; however, there's a problem with humans gaining powers like them and you. They're then targeted by the Soul Society or by another Supernatural Faction. You may not know this, but when entering this world, your best bet is to be aware of your surroundings. Unfortunately, this also means that your life won't be the same if you choose to accept my offer. Fullbringers can use a Soul Reapers power or even take a Soul Reapers power, but it's dangerous if you don't understand how to control or use that power. Seeing your fight with that Hollow, I can say your Fullbringer is a Close-Combat-oriented one since it allows you to focus your physical strength and increase them as you fight your opponent. I can help you master this power, and all I ask for in exchange is to see what your power can do. However, by accepting my offer, you can't inform anyone of this training. Your parents. Your friends. No one. Trust me, I've seen others want to tell their friends or family, and it resulted in their deaths." Kisuke said with a monotonous dark voice as if he witnessed the wrath of the Soul Society and the Supernatural first hand, which did instill some fear into Issei. Still, all it did was strengthen his resolve to become stronger and learn more about this power he has within him.
Issei sighed heavily at this as he looked down with his hair covering his eyes and clenching his gloves before he nodded as he looked at Kisuke in the eyes with an intense look in them. "Understandable, I wouldn't want to drag them into this new world if I can help it. But as for my friends, they're not stupid. They're bound to find out eventually."
Kisuke opened his fan before he stiffened his shoulders and asked Issei with a stern voice. "Then tell me, what do you think will happen if others use your friends against you? Will you fight them? As you are now, you'd be lucky even to defeat a Soul Reaper Third Seat or a more experienced Hollow. You were lucky in that fight with Hexapodus, the Hollow you killed. It was a newborn, and it was a weak one. I don't think all Hollows are like that. Trust me when I say this. There will always be a stronger and more terrifying monster than the one you faced."
Issei gritted his teeth as he barked at the shopkeeper. "You don't think I know that?! My friends mean the world to me, and should they find out, I'll make myself disappear for good. Will it hurt me to keep myself hidden away? Yes, but at least it'll keep them safe. And those powerful Hollows you mentioned... just make my training hell, simple as that. But I want the right people to train me, you being a prime example. I don't want no half-assed training, and I want you to make me sweat and bleed."
Kisuke looked at Issei as if he was studying him before replying with a sigh. "Heh. You, teenagers, are so reckless these days. Okay then Issei Hyoudou. Let's see how tough you are. You can talk a big game but let me assure you. You'll have a big gap to cross before you are even ready to face the Soul Society. Hope you are ready for Hell because I'm not going to hold back." Kisuke said before he instructed Issei to follow him to an extensive training ground as he then saw the little girl from earlier as she bowed to him and introduced herself.
"Hello. My name is Ururu. It's a pleasure to meet you, Hyoudou-San. Please put on this protective gear." Ururu said as she laid some armor of sorts before Issei began to put it on as he tested the gauntlets. "This almost reminds me of what my Sensei taught me when learning hand-to-hand combat," Issei said to himself as he recalled his Sensei's words before seeing Kisuke stand next to Ururu.
"Your first lesson. Spiritual Energy. As a Fullbringer, you can draw upon Spiritual Energy around you and from within your reiatsu and manipulate it with your Fullbring. You did it when facing the Hollow and healing your stab wound. Now you need to try and draw it out once more, which is why you'll be fighting Ururu. All you need to do to pass this lesson is to land a single hit on Ururu. Fair warning don't underestimate her. She may look like a cute girl, but she's far from being a fragile child."
Issei gulped at the warning before he readied himself while looking at the small girl before him. "It's always the cute or quiet ones that are the most dangerous..." Kisuke couldn't help but laugh at what Issei said while Ururu blushed in embarrassment. "Interesting saying there, Issei. Well, good luck, though you might have a few broken ribs by the end of this."
"Wait, what?" Issei asked the shopkeeper before he saw Ururu right in front of his face as she had a blank look in her eyes. Time seemed to slow down for Issei as he saw Ururu pull back her left fist and speak a single word that somehow shocked him to the core.
"Eliminate."
She then sent a powerful left hook into his face that sent Issei flying back a couple of feet before he rolled on the ground for a bit until he got back up.
"W-What the hell was that?" 'There's no way that kid is human. What is she?' Issei asked himself as he saw Ururu look at him with the same cold look as she readied another left hook.
"Eliminate."
She vanished for a second before appearing in front of Issei made him put up his gauntlets before the punch came and shattered them in an instant.
"Oh shit." Issei said before Ururu sent a sickening right hook into Issei's stomach, which made his digestive system turn as his wound from his battle with the Hollow hurt even more after it healed up as Issei was sent flying into a couple of boulders before he wheezed heavily.
"D-Dammit. How am I supposed even to hit this kid if she's like Tsunade but a Loli version of her?" Issei asked himself before he saw Ururu look at him with the same dead look as she replied with venom in her voice. "I hate that name. Now die."
Issei immediately rolled out of the way to dodge a punch from Ururu, whose fist went right through the floor. Issei turned very pale; his eyes were shaking. 'IS THIS CUTE LITTLE GIRL TRYING TO MURDER ME?!'
"I told you that this training wouldn't be easy. Didn't you say you wanted hellish training, right? So here's the first lesson. Never bite off more than you can chew; otherwise, it'll come back to bite you in the ass." Kisuke said as he looked at Issei running from Ururu before seeing that Issei still hasn't awakened his power. 'Could it have been a fluke? I was sure I saw him use spiritual energy in making his fists stronger. His rage at the Hollow and his desire to save that little spirit helped him unlock his spiritual energy, but now he needs to try and bring out his Fullbring to help himself in this battle. Show me what you are capable of, Issei Hyoudou.' Kisuke said to himself as he watched the two duke it out while Issei tried to get his bearings together, but Ururu wasn't giving him room to breathe.
'Dammit. This kid is fast and strong. Come on, think. How did I do it last time?' Issei said to himself as he tried to figure out how to bring out that strange power he felt from his fight. Issei's eyes suddenly widened. 'That's it! It activated when I got super protective of that little Spirit... it activated when I saw someone's life was on the line.'
Ururu charged at him to finish the battle as Issei saw the girl disappear for a moment and be replaced by the Hollow he faced earlier. Issei then tried to think of the emotions from before. The rage of seeing that Hollow harm that little Spirit. The desire to save that spirit. The will to fight. Issei channeled it into his fists as he felt some kind of power heal his wounds and make his fists stronger. He felt something click in him as a crimson aura enveloped his fists while his biker gloves began to shine brightly.
'This is it. I only got one shot, so I need to make it count.' Issei thought as he saw Ururu preparing to finish him.
She then let out a bright violet aura surround her body as the ground caved in underneath her before she readied a right hook that was charging up with all of the power she was releasing before Issei prepared himself.
'I only need to land one shot, then I'll pass but….this….this power is terrifying. And she's not even a Soul Reaper? Just what kind of monsters are in this place?' Issei asked himself as he saw Ururu glare at him with a look that meant death as she stomped into the ground hard as she then prepared to run right towards him. "If you don't dodge, then you'll die. Nothing personal." She said before charging at him with the ground being destroyed behind her.
Issei stood his ground as he got into his stance once more and readied himself before he felt his spiritual energy ignite like a strengthening flame. Issei looked at her, charging at him before his gloves shined brightly. At the same time, he sent a left hook towards Ururu that connected with her fist, which shocked all three of them as a blast from the collision almost pushed them both back until Ururu and Issei looked at each other with a cool challenging look until the two began to clash fisticuffs.
Kisuke watched from the two clash with their punches as Issei focused on matching Ururu's punches and kicks that made Issei pant heavily due to the weight and power behind them, but he could feel that somehow his body was getting stronger.
'That's 53.' Issei mentally said to himself as he matched Ururu's left kick before he felt his left fist become more robust as he sent it straight at Ururu's face, making her recoil stronger the punch while Issei smirked at the damage. "54 Combo Punch!" Issei said as Ururu made a deep hole of herself in the wall before Issei felt his got get weak and tired until Kisuke helped him stay steady.
"Not bad. And it's just as I thought. Your Fullbring is connected to your gloves, and it seems you were able to release all of the concentrated power you stored up in your punches and kicks with Ururu. I noticed this when you clashed with her punch just as she was about to finish you, which leads me to believe that I was correct in your power. Your Fullbring is close combat-oriented." Kisuke said as Issei looked at his biker gloves and saw that there were in fine condition without as so much as a scratch. He still felt the spiritual energy within him as he looked at his left fist before smiling at the name that came to his mind.
"Star Combo. That's the name of my Fullbring." Issei said as he did a few more punches at a boulder until he felt the same power build up within him as he charged up to a 25 combo. Issei felt the power flow into his body until he focused it all into his left fist once more before firing it. "Hokosuru!" Issei shouted as the concentrated power fired from his left hand like a massive blast of air followed the punch as it destroyed a couple of the boulders in the path.
The devastation from his attack shocked Fullbringer as he was in awe of the power he had. "Holy Shit. This...This is amazing." He said while looking at his gloves until a cane came down and struck his head.
"Ow!" Issei yelled as he tried to heal his head until he looked to see Kisuke looking at him with a stern face. "Don't get cocky. The power you have is impressive, but you still have a long way to go before you are ready. All in all. Lesson One. You passed. You unlocked your Fullbring and your spiritual energy. Star Combo, huh? Not a bad name for power like yours." The shopkeeper said as Issei was now taking the armor off of his body until he was forced to swallow something small, but it made him feel a lot better as his wounds began to heal and his energy was back. "What was that?" He asked as Kisuke replied with a cheerful smile. "It's a special pill that heals all wounds and replenishes your stamina. Now that you can use your Fullbring and your spiritual energy, it's time to begin lesson two." He said as he brought out a large book. He handed it to Issei as he read the title aloud. "Kido Lessons 101: Bakudo and Hado for Dummies? Okay, but what's Kido?" Issei asked as Kisuke snapped his fan closed and replied.
"Kidō or the "Demon Arts" is a form of Shinigami combat based on advanced spells. These spells are produced with strong Reiryoku and fall into two categories: Hadō for direct attacks and Bakudō for battle support. It is one of the techniques in the Zankensoki, the group of Shinigami primary combat skills. An incantation triggers kidō spells. Experienced users can trigger them without an incantation, though the spell's effectiveness may be diminished. The Kidō Corps is a branch of Soul Society's military that excels in the mastery of Kidō. We have the former Captain of the Kido Corps here, but he's busy for the moment, so I'll be teaching you. Due to your normal amount of spiritual energy, I'd say you can do incantations 1-30 or 40. Depending on your growth." Kisuke sat Issei on a mat and opened the book before beginning the lesson.
"Now, most Kido spells are graded on a scale from 1 to 99, spells of the latter being the most powerful and the most difficult to perform. To use Kidō, a Shinigami must recite the specific incantation for the spell, which is often long and requires a few seconds to speak. The power of a spell relies on the power of the user, as even a low-level spell can be utterly devastating when utilized by a high-class Shinigami." He said as he demonstrated a Hadō #4, Byakurai, on a boulder that was obliterated instantly. Still, Issei was amazed that Kisuke didn't even speak the chant which told him that he was powerful and possibly a captain. Kisuke smirked at this reaction as he got back into his lesson.
"Kidō can be used for practical purposes as well, such as lighting a dark hallway if the spell is tweaked in the right way, albeit with less power. However, always remember that no Kidō spell will last forever, and it will erode with time, as with anything created by living things will die because all living things will eventually die." Kisuke said before flipping the page to reveal the classes of Kido.
"There are three main types of Kidō: binding spells, destruction spells, and healing spells. The first type of Kido: Bakudō. The Way of Binding is a supplementary spell that can immobilize an enemy or have an effect besides a direct strike. They may seem subtle, but these spells can give their users a tactical advantage when used properly. These are a broad category of defensive spells which block/repel attacks or freezes enemies in place. This class of spells includes Kidō Barriers & Seals." He said as he showed Issei Bakudo 4: Hainawa by binding him in the string-like spell that amazed Issei until Kisuke dissipated the attack before he began to speak about the Kido Barriers and Seals.
"Barriers or Kekkai: Focused spiritual energy formed into a solid form of energy. This energy can take on many shapes or colors as determined by the user. Barriers are protective and can be as simple as a barrier only protecting one direction or encompassing all sides of an area. Barriers can be used for containment, and some barriers can be used offensively. Barriers can mask spiritual pressure and can make one spiritually and physically invisible. The strength of a barrier is dependent upon the power of the user. Weak barriers are easily breakable, while strong ones can last for centuries. Barriers created by noble blood are unbreakable by those of lesser status. Certain barriers can be placed beforehand and activated later, while others require certain artifacts and time to activate. Seals or Fū: They are somewhat similar to barriers but far more powerful and require far more preparation to create. Seals can only be used by those of sufficient spiritual power and are meant to hold the most powerful and dangerous artifacts or beings. Seals are usually hard to break." Issei nodded at this information as he took notes before the following Class of Kido was introduced.
"Now Hadō Kido is known as the Way of Destruction. These Kido spells are offensive ones that inflict direct damage to the enemy. Their effectiveness differs depending on the user. It is said the effectiveness of the higher-ranked spells is beyond imagination. However, Hado spells are much more dangerous than normal Hado spells. These are known as Gisei Hadō Spells. The Sacrificial Way of Destruction. It's a particular offensive spell like Ittō Kasō that requires the user to sacrifice a certain portion of themselves to use but make no mistake that there are Kido spells that are forbidden even to mutter or use, which is why the Head of the Kido Corps are the ones who may know of them but only if they are given permission. The forbidden Kido are those which can manipulate space and time." Kisuke said as Issei was shocked at this, not knowing that there are forbidden ones and other Kido spells that can be extremely dangerous for the user even to use.
"Kaidō is also known as healing Kidō or the Healing Spiritual Arts. These spells do not have known names, numbers, or incantations to cast and simply heal the target. As the user holds their hands above the patient's wounds, their palms glow with green, spiritual energy to facilitate healing. When one heals with regular healing kidō, they perform Reiatsu restoration first. By doing so, one can attempt to recover the physical body using the patient's restored Reiatsu and the healer's external Reiatsu. Therefore, restoring the Reiatsu when the physical body is in a fully healed state is no trouble at all." Issei was in awe as he took note of this before he nodded at the information until Kisuke closed the book and stood up.
"Now, since your a Fullbringer, your still a human with limited spiritual energy, so you don't have much to use for the more powerful Kido, so it's best I simply teach you the basics of Kido so you can get an understanding of the techniques," Kisuke said as he then showed Issei the first few basics, Kido spells that an average Soul Reaper can use until Issei began to pant heavily after doing a couple of them as the Fullbringer started to realize that the Kido spells took a lot more power than he would've thought.
"Damn. Those spells...the chants..." Issei panted until a warm water bottle was given to him as he took the offered water from Ururu before she helped him up. She was calm and the same cute girl he saw her as before their little spar, and luckily for the Fullbringer, she wasn't upset about being sent into the wall.
Just as Issei was about to ask Kisuke Urahara what he would do next, a rusted sword flew in the air before it was stabbed into the earth right in front of him. This freaked Issei out until Kisuke walked up to the frightened boy and chuckled at him. "Don't worry. It's a Zanpakto. This is the weapon that a Soul Reaper uses when in battle. Normally they're born with one after they die, but in your case, you are still alive and human, so I figured you'd prefer being human. One thing I should tell you about this sword is that it had a master of its own until its previous owner abandoned it and left the blade to rust in the World of the Living. That is until I managed to find it and bring it back to my home. Unfortunately, I couldn't wake up the spirit of the sword with my power, but..." Kisuke explained to Issei the sword until Fullbringer looked at it and saw that it was a very depressing sword.
'There's...There's so much sadness in the blade. I can feel it just standing near it.' Issei whispered to himself as he then grabbed the hilt of the blade and was shocked to see a person stand in front of him instead of the sword.
The figure was a tall, thin man with pale skin and shaggy, dark brown hair and two bangs cross over the bridge of his nose. Spiked purple ovals circled his turquoise-colored eyes. He possessed long fingernails, but they were much shorter, wearing a long, white, robe-like coat. The robe's collar is covered with thick fur, featuring a purple ascot fastened by a ruby brooch. The spirit wore a wide sash at his waist, decorated by a purple stripe. He wore boots with pointed tips and had purple manacles on his wrists. His fingers make a clacking sound whenever he curls and uncurls them. The spirit looked at Issei and asked him a simple question.
'Would you abandon me?' The spirit asked Issei as looking at the eyes of the saddened soul before Issei lifted a hand and held it out towards him. "I'll be honest here. I have little to no idea how I'm doing this or why I have these powers. Honestly, I feel like I did nothing to earn them because I wasn't a decent person back in my old home. I was a pervert and a member of the Perverted Trio. I was okay with just being ordinary compared to my friends and everyone else back home. I know what it's like to lose someone you care about due to me losing my childhood friend when I was simply ten years old. I still had friends, but the bond I had with him was...was different. So, in conclusion. No. I won't abandon you. I need you, and I'll be honest once more by saying that I have no idea what's going to happen after if you accept me, but I promise I'll listen and ask. I need all the help I can get when it comes to this world." Issei said with no shame as he showed his soul to the spirit as the spirit looked at Issei with calm eyes until he reached out to Issei slowly with his left hand and grabbed the outstretched limb.
'My name is...'
"Whisper. Muramasa." Issei said as he felt a strong response as the sword began to shine brightly with its violet spiritual energy bonding with Issei's Crimson spiritual energy until the sword began to take on a new form. Muramasa then bonded with Issei's biker gloves as Issei saw a mechanism form on top of them. The biker gloves now had metallic fingertips with wire threads running through them. Issei looked at them carefully before he made a motion with his hand and sent the strings out of them until their wrapped around a boulder. Before he made a single motion with a few fingers and saw the boulder was sliced into pieces. Issei was in awe of this until Kisuke looked at his Zanpakto's new form and tapped his chin with his fan. "Hmm...Interesting. It seems that Muramasa seems to have joined your Fullbring and taken a new form. Can you still summon him in sword form?" Kisuke asked as Issei nodded before deactivating his Shikai as the mechanisms on his gloves vanished and became a sword at his hip.
Issei looked at Muramasa's new form as he looked at Urahara before the shopkeeper, and Issei learned what else he could do with his abilities with Muramasa. The spirit told Issei that due to him being his second master, his abilities changed from how they were before, which confused Issei at first until Urahara explained the situation.
'A zanpakuto is the reflection of one's soul, which means everyone's zanpakuto is different no matter what because technically, you are wielding yourself. Perhaps the names could be the same, but not the power. So admittedly, there is a little sense of why a zanpakuto should work the same when having a new wielder, which has a new reflection for a different power that only the new wielder can use? Because ultimately, why continue to use power from the same wielder that might not be compatible for the new wielder?'
Issei took note of this as Muramasa explained that due to him accepting Issei as his new master, his powers became more string-based, which explained his unique appearance that Muramasa took on after using his Shikai.
Issei watched a lot of anime and read the manga, which helped him learn about string-based heroes and villains which made him think of how to use the strings. The Shikai reminded Issei of Lubbock from Akame ga Kill since his weapon was Cross Tails. Donquixote Doflamingo and his String String Fruit abilities, Alice Fuji from Arachnid, and Ragyou from Kill la Kill. Issei tried to implement some of the powers he learned with Muramasa's strings. It was challenging at first since he was more accustomed to fighting with his Star Combo, which suited his style, but Muramasa explained that fighting with the strings would be helpful in the long run.
It was the weekend, and granted Issei informed his parents that he'd be studying at a friend's place, he knew he had to return home on Sunday, so his whole Saturday was taken up by his training and learning about his abilities as well as bonding with Muramasa to better understand him.
When Sunday rolled around, he spent the morning trying to better understand his Fullbring and the abilities he had with Star Combo. He got the name from Derierre, a powerful demon from an anime he watched. Issei studied the Star Combo power and learned that it was similar to how the demon used it in the show. Issei needed to continue the combo to increase the power behind his punches and kicks, but if he breaks from the combo for ten seconds, he would have to restart the count. Ururu helped Issei with his Star Combo training, while Kisuke and Muramasa helped him learn to properly use his Shikai since he had no idea how to control the strings without his partners' aid.
Hakkei was the ability he gave to the power of Star Combo. It's a constant build-up of energy that he can unleash at his command. He could do things similar to Mana Burst, giving him extra movement, putting more power in his strikes, or unleashing reishi attacks with his sword. Depending on what he did with the power, Issei learned that he could spend this built-up energy within his Shikai from slashing to dodging and so much more. Some movements thoroughly used all of that energy to go into reishi attacks. Issei learned he could also use his reiatsu to accelerate this process. Issei got the idea from inspiration from Fa Jin from Boku no Hero Academia.
Another ability he learned was Hokosuru (Bellowing Roar). Issei could unleash all of his Shikai built-up force and pressure into a focused blast, either in a cero-like shot or slash. Doing this completely takes away all of the energy built up by Hakkei, restarting the process all over again. It was taxing on his body, but with the training, he could unleash five of them before passing out from exhaustion due to his body not having a load of energy like Kisuke or Ururu.
Issei then focused on what he could do with the strings in Muramasa's Shikai form, which got him thinking of copying other string-like users, including spiders. Issei then asked Kisuke for a book on spiders which surprised the shopkeeper because he saw Issei practicing with the strings and seemed to be having fun controlling them. Issei made weapons of sorts like a sword or a spear with his lines while wrapping his body with the strings for armor. Issei then focused on better understanding the usage of the series, like how Alice used Kumoito in battle.
Issei was able to learn how to extend the reach of the strings and realized that if he were to lose concentration, Muramasa would take over and control them, which relieved Issei greatly since he knew that the web would help trap his enemies.
Kisuke then had both Ururu and a mouthy annoying kid named Jinta fight Issei while he closed his eyes and only used the strings in his web. Issei was struck a few times due to his lack of concentration, but after understanding the vibrations from the strings and how to sense others within the web, Issei got better at dodging the attacks.
Issei even learned how to copy some of the String String Fruit and Life Fiber Villains abilities, such as the Bullet String, Mind Stitching, and Spider Web. Issei was grateful for Urahara Shoten for helping him learn about this power and asked if he could come back to train some more, which was a good idea for Kisuke and Tessai since they wanted to assist the boy with his Kido Training and his powers since Kisuke could tell the kid had potential but needed to inform Issei of why Fullbringers are wary of the Soul Society.
Issei was walking back to his home while thinking about Kisuke's words.
"Hey, Urahara-sama. Why is it that Fullbringers are wary of Soul Reapers? I thought Soul Reapers couldn't kill humans?" Issei asked as he was curious about the past the Soul Reapers had with powered humans, which made Kisuke sigh at the question until he answered the question the boy asked him.
"Like most Fullbringers, Kūgo was a spiritually aware Human born with the latent powers of a Fullbring sometime after his parents were attacked by a Hollow, leaving remnants of its power dwelling in his mother that he inherited at birth. He became the first Substitute Shinigami and, in recognition of that, was given a Substitute Shinigami badge by Captain Jūshirō Ukitake. During that time, he first met a young boy named Shūkurō Tsukishima. After discovering that Tsukishima was alone like him, Kūgo cheered him up and told him that from that day on, he would come with him. From then on, Kūgo taught Tsukishima how to use his powers and fight. However, one day…..Kūgo betrayed the Soul Society and went on a killing spree to steal more power off Shinigami. He then disappeared from Soul Society's gaze without a trace. He desired more power and wished to become even stronger to kill his Captain; he admired and respected, but he failed in that, which is why Fullbringers are a threat to our people. However, that's what the Soul Society says nowadays. The true reason is that the same badge that Ukitake gave to Kugo was a limiter to restrict his powers, a tracking device to know where he was, a microphone so they can listen in on him, and finally...a bomb should the day come that Ukitake was ordered to kill him." Kisuke explains as it shocked Issei to the core that even after all that Kugo did for them, he was betrayed by the same person he respected. This made Issei wary of the Soul Reapers and if they could be trusted, but still, he thanked Urahara for answering his question before heading back to his training.
"Man. So a human with the powers similar to a Soul Reaper and yet they can steal the powers of Soul Reapers too. Damn. That sounds amazing but risky. Especially if what he told me was true. But I've never seen one, so I should be fine." The Fullbringer said as he looked out into the town without knowing that tonight his life would change.
[I suggest we still be wary of them. There's no telling of when or who they will send a Soul Reaper to investigate you or try to take me back. My former master was a Kuchiki, one of the noble clans of the Soul Society. I'm glad to be with a master once more, but we must be careful of how we go about this since we need to be cautious of Hollows attacking us.] Muramasa said as Issei nodded in agreement with his partner as he boarded the train that would take him home.
While riding the train back home, he didn't sense an orangette woman was walking across the rooftops after she went her separate ways from her partner. "Oh, this is so exciting! A few months in World of the Living, which means shopping and teasing a few men. Hehehe!" The woman cheered excitingly before she found a peculiar aura from the train, which made her curious about it, so she did the only logical thing that came to her mind.
She followed the aura.
As she followed the train, she eventually saw the person with the said aura leave the station; she saw him as an average teenager with light brown hair and eyes like a doe which made her smirk at an idea she had in mind for the boy.
"Hehe, let's have some fun, shall we?" asked Rangiku, a mock question. Directly jumping to the foot of the pole she was on while watching him, with barely any effort on her face, she-cat walked towards the brown-haired boy and stood directly in front of him and plucked her lips at him, knowing he would just pass by without any contact.
Think of her surprised face that she must've had since when she opened her eyes, he was staring directly at her with a surprised look on his face. Thinking he would be looking at something behind her, she turned around only to get even more confused. 'If he is not looking at something, then why did he just stop?' Willing to end her meaningless prank, she shrugged her shoulder and moved towards the light pole, only to stop in her tracks with a very unfamiliar voice.
"Well, isn't this a sight for sore eyes; first, a gorgeous woman comes at a seductive pace and stucks her lips at me, hoping to get a kiss, and just turns around, becoming all innocent. That was something I wasn't expecting tonight." Issei said with a fascinating look on his face looking at the wide-eyed woman; Issei was surprised by the sudden turn of events. Getting no reply, Issei raised an eyebrow until the woman asked.
"Yo-you c-can see me?" Rangiku asked, dumbly wholly stunned.
This, in turn, caused Issei's eyes to narrow as his mind ran 1000 miles with Muramasa getting ready to aid his partner as Issei was making sure his biker gloves were snug on his wrists. [From her expression and question, she did not anticipate you being able to see her. This means that she is a Soul Reaper. Best we be cautious of her and ask why she's here.] 'Agreed.' Issei said to the spirit as he agreed with his partner.
But just as he was about to ask her a question, both of them heard many ripping sounds, Issei watched as the woman's eyes widened, and she quickly grasped his hand; he was about to question her when his vision blurred, and the feeling of weightlessness overwhelmed him but thanks to his training with Muramasa it allowed his reflexes to kick in; thus he quickly regained his bearings, but when he looked around he was in a different location with the woman.
Rangiku said in haste as she looked behind them as if she was making sure they weren't followed. "Listen, I don't know how you were able to see me, but you have to run fast; this place is perilous now." She said without giving Issei a chance to reply to her as her body vanished in front of his very own eyes, but he saw a slight blur in her form, which meant she probably had used a high-speed technique of sort.
Suddenly an explosion occurred in the distance, and smoke rose. Not one to sit idly, Issei quickly sprinted towards the apparent direction. As he rushed to the location, Muramasa spoke to him. [This will be your first battle with Hollows after your training. I suggest you use your Star Combo first before using me. Only if we have to, since we can't allow the Soul Reaper to know of my existence.] Muramasa said as Issei nodded in reply until he arrived at the woman's spot and saw two Hollows stand right in front of them.
Suddenly a bolt of electricity came out of nowhere and shouted right through the mask of the left one, shattering it to a million pieces before he faded away completely in the air. Issei's head turned towards the apparent source and saw the previous beauty leaning heavily on the building wall with blood flowing through her shoulder and staining her black dress while panting.
"Damn. They caught me off guard." She said as Issei looked to see the other Hollow snicker at her. The remaining Hollow looked two to three times the height of most Humans. He had an ape-like body that led him to stand on all fours. He had shaggy black fur around his neck and shoulders, as well as in two lines arcing toward the center of his chest on either side of his torso, and large black wings connected to his hands. His Hollow mask was vertically long and narrow, with thick and exposed teeth framed by black, flame-like markings, a skull-like nose, a prominent and circular chin, and a forehead with a half-circle indent at the top, as well as a long, uniquely-shaped tongue split into two ends that form a circle. His Hollow hole is located in the center of his chest.
The Hollow looked at the human and smiled as he spoke to him. {Oh? So you can see me? How interesting. Your soul does smell good, but I have to deal with this woman first, so I'll let you play with my friends.} He said with a sadistic smile on his face as another Hollow came out. Still, this one seemed to be different since it was a medium-sized, bipedal green Hollow with a mask resembling the beginning of a frog that has two long extensions coming out of the sides, reaching pigtails and yellow eyes. The Hollow's arms were long and thin, resembling bones with a spherical joint attaching each forearm to its respective upper arm encircled by two black streaks, with large, humanoid hands. At the same time, its legs are thick and muscular at the haunches before tapering down to normal-sized feet. Its crotch was covered by two black marks encircling its thighs and a third running up its chest, where it disappears under a layered purple carapace that rises behind the Hollow's head. Its Hollow hole is located in the center of its chest.
Issei was readying himself for the fight as the frog leaped at him, making Issei move back a bit as he dodged the ground slam by the large Hollow. 'Okay. This acts like a frog which means I need to be careful if it leaps at me. I need to deal with this thing quickly, but I can't use Star Combo unless I hit it.' Issei said to himself as the frog fired a tongue at him, making Issei grab the language before he struggled in a game of tug a war against it. The Hollow seemed stronger as it was slowly pulling Issei toward him, which made him smirk before he let himself get hurt by the tongue.
The frog smiled as it kept its jaw wide open to feast on its prey until a fist connected to the top of its head. Its head made a small crater as Issei smirked at the damage. "Here we go. 2!" Issei yelled as he continued to punch the Hollows skull into the ground while saying the count.
"17! 18! 19!" Issei yelled as he pulled his left arm back until he struck the Hollow's head before it burst into dust. "This makes 20!" Issei said as he charged at the other Hollow and stuck him since he was shocked at the humans strung the until the first struck his left shoulder before he heard a sickening crack that made the Hollow shriek loudly until he moved away from the human by flying into the air.
{Damn. You are no ordinary human. You have some power, and that makes you a delightful meal.} He said as he looked at the woman before narrowing his eyes at her until he looked at the boy. {Until next time, human.} He said as he flew away from the Soul Reaper and human until Issei rushed over to her and helped her up. "Hey, you good?" Issei asked as Rangiku nodded before she began to heal herself. "I'll be fine, but your not an ordinary human, are you? That power you used on the Hollows was no technique I've seen before. Who are you?" She asked as Issei replied.
"Issei Hyoudou. At your service." He said as the woman smiled in return before she began to nod off. "H-Hey, don't fall asleep on me! Wake up!" He yelled as he shook the woman but saw her fast asleep, which made Issei groan in frustration at this until he pulled out his phone and typed in a number that he recently added to his contact list. "Urahara-Sensei. I need help. It's an emergency." Issei said before hearing Muramasa sigh in his mind.
[At least it was nice while it lasted.]
The Next Day….
"That's an odd dream, Mrs. Hyoudou."
"I know. I haven't had strange dreams like that since my college days. Anyway, you kids should get going." Miki said to the kids with a smile on her face until her eyes turned stern as she turned to her son. "And stay out of trouble, young man. You're too young to go down fighting like that." Issei nodded with a light sweat as he replied to his mother. "Y-Yes, mom, I'll make sure to play it safe for a while."
Miki smiled at this as both Issei and Chizuru left the household while the female looked at the Fullbringer. "Hey, I have a question about last week. What's got, you so freaked out? I know you have your problems, but if you want to talk to me about it, it's fine, just don't….don't lie to me. Tell me when you are ready. Okay?" Chizuru said as Issei looked at his friend and sighed before he replied. "I promise. I promise I'll tell you but once I have the words." He said as Chizuru smiled at him before they reached the school to see that Ichigo was a little on edge. Issei ignored the feeling until Chizuru asked him about the biker gloves. "Hey Issei, what did your mom mean when she said no more fights? Were you….a delinquent?" She asked, surprised at the revelation until Issei burst her bubble.
"Well…..Yes and No." Issei said as he looked at his biker gloves. "To be honest, the fights only started because others thought I was in a gang due to my gloves. I wasn't the toughest or the scariest guy, so others tried to take the gloves and fight me, but I managed to beat them thanks to the martial arts training I took when I got here. The old man was a master of martial arts, and granted, he was old, but he was respected, feared, and very strong. I learned so much about martial arts from him and took them to heart. Eventually, after my scuffle with the delinquents, others came to fight me, but I never started any of them. I only fought when I defended myself. One day I met Chad and Ichigo fighting a bunch of delinquents that would cause trouble at the school. One of them recognized me, so I was dragged into it. I fought my battles and got bruised due to the numbers, but I survived. After the day, I became friends with the two of them. Delinquents still try to fight me from time to time. My mother wasn't happy about nor was my dad, but it helped me stay in shape, and I even got to use my martial arts."
He said while Chizuru was shocked at the story until she asked about the old man. "What happened to the old guy who trained you?"
"He died. I was his only student since his dojo was intact, but no one bothered to come and try it out. After he died, he left me a book on the advanced techniques of martial arts, and I'm grateful to use some of them, but I made a vow I'd only use them to defend myself and protect, not to kill or harm others." 'However…One day I might have to break it if I have to face that Soul Reaper.' He said in his mind before Muramasa agreed with his partner.
[As much as I prefer the peaceful path, from my experience, most Soul Reapers prefer to attack first and ask questions later. They wouldn't even listen to their comrades and just kill them if ordered to. They say they're not Hollows, and yet they act like wild animals and Hollows when they give in to their selfish desires. It sickens me when I think about it.] The Spirit said with disgust as he was frustrated and hated what the Soul Reapers did when he was still with his former master. Issei listened to Muramasa's past and couldn't help but agree somewhat since he didn't have the same experience as his partner or Kisuke did. Still, he had to admit that the woman from yesterday was amiable and tried to protect him as well. His thought process was broken as Chizuru spoke to him with a smile. "He sounded like a very wise old man." Issei nodded with a smile. "That he was." '...I hope you're resting well, wherever you are, Bang-Sensei.'
The two got into class as their teacher sat them all down. "Class, today we have two new students, so be respectful to them." Ochi-sensei said in her 'no-shit taking' tone in the homeroom class.
It would have been effective if most of the students' attention wasn't stuck to the said new student, who was smiling seductively. Many of the boys had hearts in their wide eyes while the girls were comparing their breasts to the newbies. They smiled as the small black-haired girl was a few cups short of her partner, who had large breasts that made even Chizuru envious.
Seeing that the situation was under control, albeit disturbingly, she motioned for the newbies to proceed with the introduction.
"Hello everyone, my name is Rangiku Matsumoto. It's nice to meet you."
"My name is Rukia Kuchki. Pleased to meet you all."
Many boys fainted from their angelic voices but were still respectful and mute.
"IT'S NICE TO MEET YOU TOO, RANGIKU-CHAN! RUKIA-CHAN!"
While some expressed it quite vocally...Cough Keigo Cough.
"Shut up, you dolt!" Which just so happened to attract Tatsuki, who with her usual self beat the shit out of him, blacking him out with a bruised stomach.
Ochi-sensei's eye twitched at this, but she let it go...for now. "Ok. Rangiku. Rukia. The two of you can go sit towards the left of the empty desks towards the window."
Rangiku and Rukia simply obliged, as their eyes were searching a specific flame head and a brown-haired fellow. The two boys were shocked to see the girls for reasons they couldn't explain.
Rukia walked to the seat next to Ichigo and held out a hand for him to shake, but he was pale as if a terrifying message was written on it until Issei was met with Rangiku standing next to him until she hugged him in her bust. "Aw! Thanks for helping me out yesterday. I'm grateful to you for saving my life." She said while Chizuru growled at her and cleared her throat. "Hey! Your killing him with your watermelons." She said as Rangiku looked at Issei and pulled him out as he had a happy face while Rangiku just simply smiled at his reaction. "Oops. Sorry but I do want to thank you, but how…Hmm…." She pondered until she hit her open left hand with a tiny fist as she had an idea.
"Would you like to feel them?" She asked as she hefted her massive bust-up for Issei to blush at the offer until a ruler slapped Rangiku's hand as she winced. "Owie! That's mean." She shrunk under the teacher's glare as she spoke to her. "No illicit sexual activities in this school. And order a larger shirt for your uniform. No skinship, which means no boob window." She barked at the student, which made Rangiku pout as she replied.
"Aw, but teaching the class seems to like it." She said while gesturing to the guys who whistled at her, which made her wave at them as if she was a princess until the teacher glared at her with tic marks appearing on her forehead.
"Do you want detention on your first day?" She asked in a dark voice which made the students shiver in fear, including Rukia, until Rangiku shook her head. "………No ma'am."
"Good. Mr. Hyoudou. Wake up." She said as Chizuru shook Issei awake as he cleared his throat with a blush. "S-Sorry ma'am. H-Her assets…"
"I know. Clear your mind."
"Yes, ma'am," Issei said as he put his head on his desk while Chizuru patted his back in comfort.
'HOLY CRAP, THOSE THINGS ARE BIGGER THAN I THOUGHT THEY WERE!!' Issei had steam rising from his head, making Chizuru wince as she pulled her hand back swiftly. "Fuck, that's hot!"
Rangiku smiled at him before she yelped at the teacher slammed a ruler on her desk. "Pay attention. Now let's continue from yesterday." The teacher said as she began the lesson while Issei was still recovering from the attack by Rangiku.
Muramasa looked at the bust that sent his partner into such a state and pondered how this weapon was very effective against Issei. [Hmm...I'll have to study and observe those weapons. If they could send my partner into this state, then they must be dangerous.]
Later……Lunchtime….
"Okay…..so let me get this straight. You and Rukia are both here to deal with a large group of Hollows messing with the souls of Karakura Town?" Issei asked as he and Ichigo were having lunch with the two Soul Reapers while Rukia answered.
"That's correct. Unfortunately, due to Ichigo taking the majority of my power, he's still a Soul Reaper, and I need to conserve my spiritual energy in a Gigai. Normally we can't be seen by humans, but with this, we can blend in naturally. I can't use much of my power so that Ichigo will be doing my job for me." This shocked both Ichigo and Issei as Ichigo stood up. "Nope. Not going to happen. Yesterday was just to save my parents. Not being a Soul Reaper." "Oh? We were also going to instruct Issei to join us as well." Rukia said as Issei backed away. "Uh…Thanks, but no thanks. I just started training, and I'm human, so that I won't be much help." Issei said as he tried to get out of this before Rangiku smiled at him coyly, making Issei groan at the face as he was weak against it. The two boys were still shocked at the situation they were in since they were dragged to the rooftop by the girls.
Flashback. At the start of Lunch.
As the bell ranged, signaling the start of lunch hour, Keigo dashed towards Rangiku and Rukia to 'greet' her only to lose his conscious courtesy of Tatsuki's backhand. While that usually doesn't have the desired effect in the past. After Tatsuki's punch which had enough force to send him riling back, Keigo's head banged against Chad's rock solid chest, and he subsequently lost to the world while Chad just scratched the said spot.
Many onlookers gulped, quite wary of Chad's power now.
"Hello, Matsumoto-san. Rukia-San."
Orihime's cheerful voice broke Rangiku out of her trance, thinking about Issei.
"Huh? Oh, hello..." She trailed before she quickly understood her mistake as she bumped herself over her head a little, looking very adorable. "Oh, sorry. My name is Orihime Inoue. Nice to meet you."
Rangiku smiled a little in goodwill and quietly noted that Orihime has more than average reiatsu. "Nice to meet you too, Orihime-chan."
"This is Tatsuki Arisawa, my best friend."
"Yo."
"He is Yasutora Sado, but we all call him Chad." Inoue introduced the Mexican, who replied with a grunt.
"My name is Mizuiro. It's a pleasure to meet you, Matsumoto-san." Rangiku seeing his sly smile, replied with her small fake smile, "Oh, the pleasure is all mine."
"And the out-of-the-world pervert goes by the name Asano Keigo. It would do good to you to remain as far as you can from him along with someone else." Tatsuki blurted out, slipping praises of the Keigo accidentally.
Seeing that all introductions were over without trouble,
"Oh! What a Beauty!"
Seemingly out of nowhere, a strong arm came and took hold of Rangiku's soft hand and held them in a firm grip.
Everybody's head whipped towards the owner of the apparent arm only for some to scowl, some smiled, and some were just plain indifferent.
"Oh, the said someone is here," muttered Tatsuki with a dark look.
Issei, who ignored the Karate Master's words, introduced himself. "Hello, my name is Issei Hyoudou. Future Harem King. Lord of Lust and the Chancellor of Culinary Skills." He told Rangiku, which made Orihime and Chizuru giggle at his introduction while Chad held Tatsuki from attacking Issei.
Flashback End
[And now. Here we are.] Muramasa said as Issei and Ichigo were then shown a photograph of the Hollow Issei saw last night. "This is Shrieker. A Hollow that's killed two Soul Reapers who were friends of mine. We have information that he's working with other Hollows. We don't know what their planning, but we do know Shrieker isn't working alone. He's working with someone much stronger than him. And trust me, Shrieker isn't one to take lightly. He can kill you both before you know what hit you."
Issei then remembered that little girl spirit he met two nights ago when the Hollow attacked him. 'I hope that little one is okay; it would be nice to see her again if possible.'
"Okay, then what do we do?" Ichigo asked as Rukia replied. "Simple. Train. It's obvious that you have a large amount of Spiritual Energy, but Issei has a normal amount of power which puts him around a lower seated member. You seem to be learning Kido so Rangiku can teach you. I'll be helping Ichigo with his swordsmanship." Rukia as Rangiku looked at Issei. "I look forward to working with you." She said as she hugged Issei fondly until Issei Heard her giggling as she laughed out loud. "I'm sorry but what you said before in class….Hahaha!"
"Okay. Okay. Laugh it up, but I will achieve that dream someday." Issei said, defending his dream before he asked her a question. "From what you told me earlier, your mission was to kill menos grande and that the number of your kill would be recorded. So someone has to do Rukia's job; otherwise, the Soul Society would know your partner's predicament, and we do not want that to happen, and also, I can protect the souls. So I am ready to do it, but under certain conditions." Issei said, but in the end, his voice became sharp and cold to make it very important.
"What are your terms?" Rangiku asked uncertainly. Though she was glad of his decision, his tone left no room for argument, and that threatened her.
"First, I want to know each and everything that happens while working together. No hiding. Secondly, no one, and I mean no one from my family or friends, knows the harm and is as far from it as possible. Is that acceptable?" Issei asked as Rangiku nodded quickly. The terms were acceptable.
Seeing that his words reached her brain, Issei gave her a big smile and handshake. "Pleasure doing business with you, Rangiku-chan." Which made Rangiku chuckle in response.
"Oh, the pleasure is all mine."
After Classes...
The rest of the class was boring as hell apart from the rumor that Rangiku and Issei are an item while Ichigo and Rukia seem to be in a complicated relationship.
With a sigh, Rangiku walked towards her destination and gave a silent groan as almost half the male body of her class were sneaking up on her and indeed were doing a rather pathetic job, but she put the issue in the back of her mind and thought of all the stores. They were so different, and what is that creamy substance with a candle on top. Her inspection halted as a voice she quickly recognized spoke to her.
"What are you doing here, Rangiku-chan?" Issei asked as he stood by Rangiku, who was, for some reason was, intently watching the cake shop. Her eyes widened as she jumped a foot in the air, surprised. Issei laughed a bit in amusement from her reaction, watching her pout at him.
"You surprised me there, Issei-Kun. And to answer your question, I was just looking at the item there." She said, pointing towards a chocolate cake. "We don't have those things in Soup Society."
"Those, my dear Rangiku-chan, are known as Cakes in Human World. They are very soft and sweet to eat and are mostly eaten on occasions. Would you like some?" He asked, which made Rangiku grab his hands before dragging him into the store, which made him happy that he could help her out.
While they were chatting in the store, Rangiku completely forgot about the stalking boys, who were crying anime tears from that moment when they saw Issei walking towards the blonde-haired bimbo.
The message was clear to them as Issei sent a glare at the annoying stalker while cracking his knuckles. After their little cake date, Issei checked his phone for the time and winced at how late it was.
"Thanks for a wonderful time Rangiku-Chan, but I should get home, though. My mom will think I'm in a fight if I'm late again." He said with a heavy sigh before Rangiku cheered at this. "Oh, that's great! I've wanted to meet my new family." She said excitingly while Issei looked at her, surprised before asking dumbly.
"Wait, what?"
Later….
"And that's why we accepted in taking Rangiku in while she's staying. Isn't she the best, Issei?" Miki asked her son while Rangiku cheered happily and thanked her. "Oh, thank you, Mrs. Hyoudou."
"Please call me Mom."
"Thank you, Mommy!"
"Aw. Such manners." Miki said as the two females began to gush at the idea of living together until Goro patted his son's back with a smile on his face. "So when did you two meet? Including her in your harem?"
"Dad! We just met!" Issei yelled back at him until they started to debate while not noticing a spirit looked at the scene and smiled seeing Issei arguing with his father while the orange-haired woman was chatting with Miki happily.
The spirit didn't even feel or notice the shadow approaching it until a hand was clamped on his mouth as she was pulled away into darkness. {It seems I have something to draw the woman to me. Thank you, little girl.} The creature said as the girl was scared of the monster holding her as she was then knocked unconscious. The beast then moved away from the home until it went back to the Karakura Cemetery as the Hollow came and put the spirit in a shrine before turning to see the other Hollow behind it.
{Ah, Lord Fisher. I come with a new spirit. I added it to the others.} It said as the one known as Fisher smiled at this as he then walked to see Shrieker speaking to another Hollow that looked human since it was a spirit that was still a Hollow but had no mask on its face while he leaned on a tree's trunk.
"That's interesting. So a human able to dislocate your shoulder? Not bad. Perhaps he can give me a fun fight." The warrior said as he looked at his sword until a giant centipede-like Hollow spoke to him. {Don't be a fool, Sasaki. You may be a Soul while retaining your human form, but I know that even you can get too caught up in battle. Remember why you are here. To guard the cemetery.} It said a feminine voice until Fisher walked to the three.
{Thats enough, you three! Need I remind you that if we all wish to reach more extraordinary power, we will need many sacrifices.} Fisher said as Shrieker nodded while the Centipede groaned but nodded before Fisher asked her. {Kurumi. Tell me. Is Numb Chandelier in place?} He wondered as the now named Kurumi nodded as she replied. {Oh yes. She's ready, and I assure you that she'll give us some beautiful soldiers and pawns we can use for the ritual.} She laughed sinisterly as the scene changed to the school with a few staff and students leaving the premises.
Keigo groaned in frustration while leaving the school until he felt something hit him as he thought numb before collapsing on the ground. A tentacle then moved towards his body and picked him up before bringing him to the rooftop where a massive creature was. The animal was a large Hollow whose body was composed of twelve giant, lavender tentacles of sufficient length for her to prop herself up between buildings. The mask resembled a jellyfish, with six appendages at the bottom and three circles of protrusions at the top, and had heart-shaped openings around her eyes as well as long teeth with no lips or gums. The Hollow hole is above the mask at the meeting point of its tentacles.
{Yes. Yes! Just a couple of more humans, then we'll have more than enough spirits to have so much more power.} She said in a cold but happy voice as she enjoyed sucking the soul out of the body before bringing more unfortunate souls to the roof.
Unfortunately for our heroes, they are in for one hell of a fight since it was only just the beginning.
Scene!
Now then Issei's Zanpakto is Muramasa but his Shikai will be string based like Cross Tails from Akame ga Kill and some of the abilities will be similar to character from other anime. Now Issei won't be able to defeat powerhouses like Aizen or Ywach at first but he'll be able to stand against foes like Yumichika and Ganju. Issei will get stronger and gain more experience in the Karakura City Arc which will allow Issei to bond and interact with Rangiku.
Now as for the harems.
Ichigo's for now: Rukia and Orihime.
Issei's for now: Rangiku and Chizuru.
Next chapter will be the epic clash of Orihime and Chad along with Tatsuki versus Numb Chandelier. Now Sasaki Kojiro will be a soul that still has a solid form but like in Fate he needs souls to keep his body intact. The reasons he works with Hollows will be explained later in the Karakura City Arc.
