Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and RWBY. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man).
A question one would ask why type this up? Simple – why not?
Chapter 2: Becoming Soul Reapers
Ruby, Ren, and Ichigo had their arms sealed in this iron cast. They were told about this encroachment, where their chains of fate would eat themselves and pause in the span of 72 hours. When it reaches their chest, they will become a Hollow. The prospect frightened Ruby, but she steadied herself only with the thoughts of her friends.
The challenge was to get out of the pit, or that's what Urahara says. Even with her speed, Ruby only made it halfway at max. When she landed back on the bottom, she instantly got to her feet. Suddenly, there was a spike of huge pain on her chest, or rather on a part of her chest. Ruby looked down in horror as the chain grew two mouths and started eating itself. The pain was so much, Ruby screamed in pain. She could even hear Ren and Ichigo from the other pits scream in agony as well. Soon it stopped after a chain and the mouths disappeared.
'So that's the encroachment.' thought Ruby, panting, 'Crap, this is gonna be harder than I thought. If I don't make it out of here, I'm gonna turn into one of those monsters.'
Ururu and Jinta looked down Ruby's pit. Unlike for Ichigo, they seemed to worry for her sake since she was more child-like and innocent.
"Poor girl." said Ururu, "She must be scared to death."
'I wonder what I'll be if I become a Hollow.' thought Ruby, distracted in her own imagination, 'Will I grow wings? Ooh, that'll be cool if their white and feathery. And those masks? I guess if I have to choose - it would have be a puppy like Zwei.'
"Hey," called Jinta, "are you hungry yet?"
Ruby stirred from a sleep she didn't remember taking. She managed to get to her knees and looked up.
"Actually," answered Ruby at the top of her lungs, "I haven't been hungry ever since I got to this world."
"That's good." shouted Jinta, "If you were hungry, that's a bad sign. That would mean that the encroachment would be almost done."
Ruby smiled nervously. "Well, good thing for not being hungry."
"Keep that positive attitude and you just might become a Soul Reaper." shouted Jinta.
That made Ruby feel a little better about herself. She looked to her right as she heard Ichigo's voice. He shouted something about why he wasn't getting encouragement like that.
Jinta looked to the pit Ren was in. It was completely silent the entire time he was in there.
"Jeez." said Jinta, "He hasn't done anything to get out. Makes you wonder if he's given up or not."
Ren was far from giving up. In fact, he may have gotten a clue of this Soul Reaper power. It was all theory and guess, but it's the best he had. With his arms sealed, Ren positioned himself in the best meditation posture he could. The silence was perfect for his concentration, and he went into a complete silence into his mind and soul. His Aura came to life around and managed to manifest into a purple light around him. He was better than anyone with his Aura and how to manipulate almost like a Semblance. Ren always thought meditating would bring out more of his Aura's power. Ever since he came to this world, that seemed to be working.
At first, Ren was in darkness. Then, there was a blinding light, and Ren found himself walking on a water's surface. In the distance all around him were trees with the greenest of flowers, but no matter how far he went they never got closer. He felt like everywhere was himself somehow, but had no idea where he was.
A little soft bark caught his attention. Ren looked down to find a little red fox pup at his feet. When he looked back, he found that he was surrounded by so many of these fox pups they took over the surface of the lake. Some were green, others had different eye colors, and some had stripes. A bit flustered of the absolute number, he soon regained composure. This was Ren's test, and the greatest one in his life.
A green fox with black stripes caught his eye. When Ren reached down to pet it, it bit his hand and disappeared into the water.
"So that's what will happen if I choose the wrong one." said Ren.
Ren couldn't just choose any fox at random. For all he knew, Ren only had a few hours before he would turn into a monster. A normal person would just panic and pick every single to just get bit.
You know who I am. You know better than anyone else.
Ren wondered where the voice was. It was like a boy and girl's voice speaking simultaneously, and it resonated from everywhere all around him like ghost haunting him. Actually, Ren could swear sounded like Nora and himself when they were younger. There was no conventional way to succeed.
Ren brought out his Aura again. In his inner world, the sky became purple instead of a light around him. Such negative emotions drained away from him leaving his mind as peaceful as his inner world. He felt like he was back in Remnant, that Vale never fell and he was living happily with JNPR again. Ren imagined himself walking with Nora as they were discussing something.
"I heard that Ruby has a little puppy named Zwei." said Nora, "Ren, don't you ever think of getting a little puppy?"
"Sometimes." responded Ren, "I would actually like to get a little fox pup."
"A fox?" said Nora smiling, "Ren that's cute. If I was going to decide what it would look like, it would be-"
"-white with a bit of blue and orange," said Ren in his inner world, reaching his hands out, "but it has to have the most wondrous blue eyes."
Ren's hands caught something. All the foxes around him disappeared except for one that he held in his hands. Like he described out loud, the fox had soft white fur with blue and orange stripes and beautiful blue eyes. On its head and root of its six tails was a white blue flame.
Ren smiled, and held it close like a puppy. The fox licked his face, and he responded petting its head.
"Nora would love you." said Ren.
Of course she would. It's me, Kakushifokkusu.
For some reason, Ren couldn't hear the fox's name. Yet, he could feel the spiritual power surging around them. It's a power everyone has, but it takes one to look between the outside and the inside to find it. This is Ren's Zanpakuto. The power of a Soul Power.
Ren's Shattered Shaft became a geyser for a white green energy. A man's silhouette ascended from the pit. The reiatsu dimmed away and back into Ren. He wasn't that much different, but he had black sleeves this time going down his arms to signify his Soul Reaper powers. At Ren's hip was a sword with a purple fur tag, and the guard made to look like the tail of a fox. He unsheathed the Zanpakuto, revealing its full length to be just over his height, but as wide as his arm.
Behind his fan, Kisuke was quite surprised that Ren was the first to make it out as a Soul Reaper. He folded it up his fan and approached Ren with a big smile.
"Well, done." cheered Kisuke, clapping casually, "Absolutely astounding. You've got quite the talent there, Ren. I would take you to Lesson 3, but you're about 35 hours ahead of Ichigo and Ruby."
"35 hours!?" exclaimed Ren, then regained his composure, "I didn't expect to outdo them at all."
"Ah, don't fret about it." said Kisuke, waving his fan, "This gives us plenty of time to hone that impressive reiatsu of yours."
Kisuke reached into his sleeves and tossed Ren a book. He could tell as he flipped through the pages it was a vessel of powerful knowledge of a power he has never heard of. The front read: "The Art of Kido."
"I'm curious how far you'll get in Kido with that talent of yours." said Kisuke, taking a seat and setting down a tea pot and cups, "But we have a lot of time on our hands."
Seeing nothing else to do, Ren took a seat by Kisuke. The tea pot was heated over a fire, and Ren studied the Kido book. They dictated certain spells as a fighting method other than one's Zanpakuto by focusing their spiritual power into something that was like magic. It was a little much for Ren to take in, but he kept his composure with a steady intake of breath. He's gotten this far and he may as well go farther.
"Don't get too stressed out." said Kisuke, looking through Ren like he was glass, "Let's spend the time the only way you can. Please, tell me all about Remnant and these Grimm."
Ren nodded and told, "Our world of Remnant is - our world but complicated to explain to you. There are four continents with scattered villages and towns, but only four cities stand strong against our greatest enemy. The Grimm. To this day, we know so little about them. What we do is that they possess no soul, and are attracted to the negative emotions of humanity. That is why our world cannot afford war, and thus we lived in harmony with each other, so to say at least."
"Hmm." responded Kisuke, deeply invested with Ren's story, "Sounds like these Grimm are such a problem that they've limited your civilization. Hollows are definitely different in the sense they go after those with high reiatsu, not negative emotions. Even so, humanity flourishes well here."
"However," continued Ren, pouring himself a cup of green tea once the teapot was boiling, "conflict with the Grimm is unavoidable. So our four cities created the academies to train Huntsman and Huntresses to combat them. As they are soulless creatures, the power of a soul is the best way to combat them. That power is what we call an Aura, and it comes with a trait unique to the individual called a Semblance."
"Auras and Semblances, huh?" said Kisuke, drinking his tea, "You've definitely piqued my interest. Would you mind showing me this Semblance of yours?"
"I'm not sure you would notice it." said Ren, "My Semblance blocks out negative emotions from myself and others in close-range. So I've developed my Aura to become a defensive and offensive measure most of my peers haven't come close to."
Ren breathed through his nose and out through his mouth. A purple light shimmered around him and created a barrier. Kisuke noted this as he held his chin.
"Never in my long existence..." Kisuke said with awe.
Ren noticed something different about his Aura. It was heavy like armor around him, yet there was no physical weight to it. He raised his Zanpakuto over his arm, and Kisuke raised an eyebrow wondering what he was doing. Suddenly, Ren brought down the blade without hesitance, but it was halted just a few centimeters from contact. The blade sparked off Ren's Aura like it was grinding against steel as well.
Kisuke let out a whistle. "You're like a walking tank if that's the power you had. Enhanced with the Soul Reaper powers you got, you could go through anything."
"Yeah, that was surprising." Ren added, "Our Aura would normally make fatal wounds into small minor injuries that would be completely healed. I never imagined Aura could become like this."
Ren paid more attention to the Kido book in his hands. From what he could gather, the basics were to manipulate one's energy through their arms. He was confident he could pull that off. The book also detailed the incantations which were no short sentences, but it did relax Ren when it detailed the spells can be simplified by saying the branch's name (ex, Hado), the number of the spell, then the spell's actual name.
He glanced to the two Shattered Shafts where they housed Ichigo and Ruby. Ren felt he needed to do something to ease Ruby's passage as a Soul Reaper. There was nothing worse than killing her again.
"Don't try it." warned Kisuke, his eyes giving off a deadly vibe, "They have to do this on their own."
37 hours later.
Ruby was down to a few chains just as Ichigo was. Her ears heard the faint sounds of Jinta and Ichigo, which was basically teasing Ichigo if he was hungry. If that was supposed to scare them, Ruby smiled at the links of chains she got left. But Jinta then spoke in a very sinister voice that made her heart stop.
"The final encroachment... is nothing like the other ones."
Suddenly, Ruby looked down in terror as all her chains grew mouths. She and Ichigo screamed in agony and complete terror as the chains ate themselves to their chests. The plate disintegrated away, and Ruby gasped as her chest was made hollow with a hole. A pain rose up her ears and mouth, and both Ichigo and Ruby screamed in pain as this white matter flowed out of their ears and mouth.
The choking wasn't the worst of it, but it was the pain of the white substance clinging onto their face to make a mask. Her body wrenched with so much pain like it would explode, but Ruby and Ichigo wouldn't let it happen. They can't let it end like this.
When Ren heard Ruby screaming in pain, he sprinted to her Shattered Shaft. Suddenly, Kisuke vanished and reappeared in front of Ren to stop him. From their conversation over the course of 37 hours, Ren learned that was a flash step.
"Wait." said Kisuke, glancing down Ruby's pit, "They may be hope they'll make it out of it. Normally, when a spirit turns into a Hollow, the body explodes and reforms into a Hollow. But in their case, the order is all mixed up and the Hollow is trying to make the mask first. That shows that they are resisting the Hollowification and they just pull through."
Ren curled his lips and tightened his fists.
'You're strong Ruby.' thought Ren, 'For your age, you're very strong. I hope - I know you'll make it through this.'
Ruby and Ichigo continued to cry out in agony. The white matter for some reason kept away from her eyes. As she descended into the darkness as a Hollow, the light of her eyes shined once again.
Ruby found herself in a familiar meadow. It was the same one that was at her home where she grew up. The difference the sky was as silver as her eyes, and the whole meadow was covered in red roses.
"It's so good to see you, petal." said the voice of an angel, full of care and softness.
Ruby turned around and her silver eyes widened. Floating in the air was a woman with Ruby's facial complexion aged to adulthood and longer dark red hair. She wore a white cloak that wrapped around her entire body, but it was also red on the inside. The girl knew exactly who she was from the pictures she saw as a child, and Ruby cried causing her inner world to rain.
"Mom..." whimpered Ruby.
"In a way." said 'Summer', floating down in front of Ruby, "A part that stayed with you."
Suddenly, Summer strained as though fighting an urge. Her lips curled down in the same whimper Ruby had, and she reached out a hand. The next thing came as total shock, and Ruby found herself in her mother's grasp with Summer's arms wrapped soothingly around her.
"I-I can't do the act." cried Summer, "My little petal. My sweet, sweet little girl."
Ruby could feel tears going down Summer's cheeks. She remembered this grip that Summer had on Ruby. The caring and motherly hands of Ruby's mother that she missed so much. Ruby responded hugging Summer and crying as well.
"Mommy..." whimpered Ruby.
Sniveling, Summer let go of Ruby and looked down with a smile while still crying. Her cheeks were flushed red just like Ruby. Summer's hand touched Ruby's cheek and she nuzzled it against Summer's fair fingers.
"All this time," said Ruby, "you were always there."
"And I'll never leave you, Ruby." confirmed Summer.
Ruby's senses came back to her as she remembered the situation. "But I can't just stay here. Right now, I'm turning into a Hollow."
"I've noticed." said Summer, putting on a more serious look, "This inner world Ruby is still vibrant, so we've got time. I don't know how all this Soul Reaper stuff is supposed to work myself, but I do know how you should find that power."
"Tell me, please." said Ruby.
Summer smiled. "At least Tai and Qrow have managed to teach you manners. Well, the only thing I can tell you is to find the rose that I picked before you were born, The rose that helped give you a name."
A rose?! Ruby looked around her. There were so many roses on this meadow and it stretched as far as the eye could see. Summer could see the distress in Ruby's eyes. In fact, those sliver eyes were the key.
"Has Ozpin really not taught you thing about your eyes?!" exclaimed Summer, then calming down, "Your special Ruby. Special like me. Special because of those eyes. They reflect the power of the moon, sun, and stars of the endless cosmos. Do not search by looking. Find it because you know. Do not be lost. Those eyes see the truth of everything at first glance. They see the mirrors of reality, have powers of the light, and fill the void. I know, little petal, that you can feel it."
Ruby was at a complete loss at what Summer was saying. But those words resonated at some instinct that was silent in Ruby. It faintly reminded her of the pain of losing her dear friends. Ruby latched onto that feeling and went deeper into the mysteries of herself. In the wake of it all, the sky shimmered to create a silver sun that sent white flares dancing through the sky. Everything wasn't seen to her. It was all known. The true sight through the void that her eyes pierced.
Ruby didn't need to look at the meadow to find what she was looking for. Her feet acted on its own and made her dash across the infinite plains. She opened her eyes and her right hand she held a rose. It was unlike any rose Ruby had ever seen. Its petals held a silver shine and were more curved like a crescent moon. Most shocking was that the flower didn't have a stem but the handle of a sword. Ruby gripped onto it, and she could feel the presence of her mother.
"From now on, petal," bellowed Summer, "you will never fight alone. Now let's kick some Grimm and monster butt and save our friends."
Ichigo was having the same experience with Zangetsu. However, he picked up the sword because it was a weapon. Ruby picked out the sword because it wasn't just herself, but also the love of Summer that manifested inside Ruby all this time. That bond already cried to Ruby like the roar of a Nevermore the name she needed.
In the real world, the Shattered Shafts suddenly bursted with gold reiatsu from Ichigo and silver reiatsu from Ruby. They zipped in the air like shooting stars all over the underground training ground. Ren was in disbelief at the pressure that pushed down on the nape of his neck. The two finally crashed down in a dust cloud.
As the dust cloud disappeared, Ren and Kisuke were a bit unnerved as two pairs of red glowing eyes stared back at them. However, when the dust fully cleared, it revealed Ichigo in a regular kimono of a Soul Reaper, but Ruby was in more of her style. She abandoned the skirt for similar clothing but kept her red hood. Unlike the mask on Ichigo, the mask on Ruby reminded Ren of a Grimm more than anything else, even from the Hollows they encountered.
"A mask too?!" exclaimed Jinta, "I don't get it. Are they a Hollow, or a Soul Reaper?"
They gave a soft howl like a chill wind. Ichigo reached for his sword, which was broken at the handle, but suddenly smacked the hilt and shattered the mask. Ren could sense that Ichigo was different, and had jumped to the same level of power he did. However, Ruby was still, and that got Jinta and Ururu on guard.
There was a low hum of energy. A brilliant silver light came from Ruby's eyes that blinded Ren, Jinta, Ururu, Tessai, and Ichigo, while Kisuke observed with a raised eyebrow. The mask blew off from a burst of silver light. When the dust cleared, Ruby was completely fine, and Ren could sense that she was far stronger in both her Aura and this spiritual pressure.
"What the heck was that?" exclaimed Ichigo.
"Whoops." said Ruby, chuckling, "Kinda got carried away there."
Ruby put on a more serious look and reached for her sword, which wasn't shattered. It was shorter than Ren's but had a wider blade akin to a butcher but still held the sleekness of a Zanpakuto, and the hilt was wrapped in black and red leather, and the guard resembled two crescent moons.
"Now then," announced Kisuke, "since you're all Soul Reapers, we can go on with Lesson 3."
Ruby held the blade in a manner that pointed backward away from her front. Her spiritual pressure rose, and red reiatsu burned off of her. Even Kisuke was a bit shocked at this display.
"No way." said Kisuke, "Does she..."
His question was answered when Ruby cried out a name in a language Ren never heard of. At the top of her lungs, Ruby called. "Cast off the void, Mazarozu."
I'll leave it off at here. Next up is Resolve.