A.N.: I realize that there might be a plot hole or two with the following chapter since in canon Halibel became an Arrancar well after Aizen got his hands on the Hogyoku but I'm bound and determined to make this work.
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.
Chapter Four
Sometime later….
Ichigo and Halibel's Sparring Grounds
'He's improving,' the blonde Arrancar noted as she dodged Ichigo's attack, sidestepping his slash and moving closer to him. Knowing her intent, Ichigo jumped back, landing on a stump and keeping his guard up. 'Every time we meet, I become more and more impressed.'
She and Ichigo went back and forth, their sparring almost becoming a dance as they became familiar with each other's fighting styles. Halibel was taken by surprise when Ichigo threw a kick out of nowhere and hit her in the side, landing on the ground with a thud. Making it to her feet, she looked up at her student, smiling behind her mask. She could tell that Ichigo would be a great warrior when he reached his potential.
And yet….
'Something's wrong.' Halibel could sense it. In spite of Ichigo's progress she could tell that his mind was elsewhere. The look in his eyes showed the shadow of anger and regret. Halting her movements, Halibel decided to see what was wrong with her student. "Ichigo, enough."
"Why?" Ichigo asked, wondering if this was a trick. A few times Halibel would call for a halt only to suddenly attack him again, reinforcing the fact that he couldn't rely on his enemy being honorable in a fight. "I can still keep going."
Sheathing her sword back into its pink sheath Halibel walked over to her student and shook her head. "Ichigo, I can tell that something is troubling you. You have the look of a boy who has the weight of the world on his shoulders."
Halibel didn't know if she'd earned Ichigo's trust to be able to get him to open up to her. She was aware that Ichigo still saw her as a potential enemy, even with all the training she'd been giving him. Still, ever since she'd laid eyes on the orange-haired boy she was determined to get to know the boy, almost to the point of obsession. Even after their multiple sparring she still couldn't figure out what drew her to the boy.
Ichigo was hesitant to tell her what was wrong. As Halibel thought, he didn't fully trust the woman. He appreciated her help but he was still unsure about her motives and he didn't know what her end goal was.
However the sincerity in her eyes told Ichigo that she was merely trying to help him and the need to open up to someone other than Rukia was too big to ignore. "I…I met a certain Hollow earlier at my mother's grave."
"Your mother?" Halibel sat down on a stump and gestured for Ichigo to continue. "You mentioned her before. You said she died when you were a child," she recalled when she inquired about his family.
Continuing to stand before the white-clad woman, Ichigo looked down at the ground. Despite his victory over this certain Hollow he felt shame and regret. "For years I thought that my mother was killed in an accident. That she died…because of me," he admitted, looking away as the memory of that horrific night came back to him. "But I was wrong. It wasn't because of me." He turned back to Halibel and the woman saw anger in his eyes. "Grand Fisher killed her."
Halibel tilted her head back and nodded. She was aware of Grand Fisher; a lowlife Hollow who used a lure to ensnare victims. "Ah. I see." Her sharp mind put two and two together. "He used his lure to draw you and your mother in. And when you did…." She left the sentence hang, not wanting to hurt Ichigo by saying the obvious. "You met Grand Fisher again, I take it? You realized he was responsible?"
"I did. He almost killed Yuzu and Karin before I intervened." Staring down at the ground, Ichigo balled his hands into fists. "I wanted to kill him. I wanted to avenge Mom. I drove him off but…."
"He escaped." Halibel could tell that the victory Ichigo achieved was, pun unintended, hollow. She could see that he needed closure in order to move on or else wallow in self-pity and regret from his failure to destroy Grand Fisher.
"Yeah. But I know he'll come back. And when he does I'll be ready."
'I'm not sure you will be,' Halibel thought worriedly. She knew that Grand Fisher had returned to Hueco Mundo in defeat, if Iceringer had any truth to his words. She knew that he had set about to start the process of removing his mask to become an Arrancar. 'And when he does…he might be too much for Ichigo. He's not ready to face an Arrancar yet.'
But the wheels in Halibel's head spun and an idea formed in her mind. It was risky but Ichigo deserved to have his revenge. She'd always thought of Grand Fisher as nothing more than a parasite. Letting Ichigo kill him would be poetic. "Ichigo," she started, getting up off the stump. "If it is your wish, I could bring Grand Fisher to you."
Ichigo stared in shock, forgetting that this woman was a Hollow. "You can?"
Halibel nodded before continuing. "I can. If you're truly serious then I will coax Grand Fisher to return to the World of the Living for you to have your rematch. But Ichigo," her expression softened and she looked at Ichigo with worried eyes. "Grand Fisher will be stronger than you remember. Your skills have sharpened but even so you might not-"
"Do it."
Halibel blinked, astounded by Ichigo's determined stare. "You're for sure?"
"I am." Ichigo stabbed his sword into the ground, gripping the handle so hard his knuckles turned white. "I owe it to Mom to avenge her. And to make sure that her killer doesn't do the same to anyone else. I don't care how strong he's become. I'll take him down just the same. I promise."
The respect Halibel had for Ichigo grew from hearing his resolve. Nodding, she patted his shoulder. "Very well. I will return to Hueco Mundo. Wait here until Grand Fisher arrives."
"How will you get him to come here?"
"Hollows are like Humans in many respects, Ichigo. Imbeciles like Grand Fisher have big, ridiculous egos. Manipulating him will be child's play." She waved a hand next to them. Ichigo jumped back when the air itself tore away and opened up to create a black, gaping maw. "I shall return shortly. Be ready, Ichigo," she said, hoping that she was making the right decision. Before closing the portal she turned to her student one last time. "Good luck."
Closing the portal behind her, Halibel departed for Hueco Mundo. Reaching the other side she stepped out onto the white sands of the desert trapped in endless night. In the distance was Las Noches, the huge white palace under the direction of Barragan until her master revealed his intentions to the Soul Society. But instead of walking towards it she headed in the opposite direction towards one of the many bunkers that littered the desert. Finding the one she wanted, she slowly walked down the stairs. In the distant she heard pained yelling and knew she found Grand Fisher.
'Now then…what to do….'
Halibel had to find a way to solve this conundrum. If Grand Fisher became an Arrancar like her then Ichigo would stand no chance at all and she'd be forced to watch him be killed by the Hollow.
But she soon found herself breathing a sigh of relief when she entered the room and found Grand Fisher alone. 'Strange. Iceringer and D-Roy said he came here to recover after his battle and begged to be made into an Arrancar. Where are they?'
The large Hollow sat in the middle, growling in frustration with his back to Halibel. "Damn you, D-Roy and Iceringer!" he shouted. "You said you'd bring Aizen here to make me into a true Arrancar!"
Halibel saw pieces of his mask littering the ground and knew what the problem was, realizing her good fortune. Grand Fisher had removed his mask to become an Arrancar but unlike her, who'd become an artificially created Arrancar with the power of Aizen's Hogyoku, he became what was considered a natural Arrancar and thus his power increase wasn't significant.
"Grand Fisher."
Turning his head, the Hollow's eyes widened when he saw that Halibel was standing there before him. "Tier Halibel!" he gasped before hissing in anger. "What are you doing here?"
Choosing her words carefully, Halibel replied, "I understand you lost to a Soul Reaper."
"He got lucky!"
"Be that as it may, he is becoming a problem. I know where he is at the moment."
Grand Fisher's hideous face neared hers, making her wish he'd put his mask back on. "Tell me! I will end that brat!"
Halibel raised her hand and opened another portal. "After you then." When Grand Fisher barreled past her into the void she began to formulate her plan. She didn't know if Ichigo could take Grand Fisher as he was now, even with his measly power-up. 'Well, Ichigo. I said I'd let you fight Grand Fisher again. I never said I wouldn't lend a hand….'
Meanwhile….
Ichigo was waiting patiently where Halibel had left him, the moon hanging in the sky as he sat on the stump. 'Is she serious? I'm going to fight Grand Fisher again?' Ichigo was mentally prepared but at the same time he was worried. The last time he fought Grand Fisher he was nearly killed, even with his training. 'Maybe I should grab Rukia.'
As of now Rukia was fast asleep in his closet, Halibel's sleeping dust keeping her in a deep slumber. At first Ichigo was worried that Halibel had tricked him into putting her into a coma but when the sun came up Rukia would awaken all the same. But he soon dismissed the notion of asking Rukia for help. Just like when he fought Grand Fisher the first time it was his fight and his alone.
His ears perked when he heard the sound of air twisting again. Getting to his feet Ichigo looked around, sword at the ready. He soon found the location of the tear in spice and watched as a familiar shape leapt out of it.
Ichigo was surprised when he looked at the face of Grand Fisher peeking through his broken mask, the Hollow more humanoid. 'Is he an Arrancar like Halibel?' he wondered nervously. He remembered that Halibel told him that Grand Fisher would be stronger. 'Doesn't matter,' he told himself. 'I have to beat him no matter what form he's in.'
"Well now," the evil Hollow grinned. "Back for more I see?" The Hollow was so happy to be able to kill Ichigo again he didn't even think it odd that the boy was waiting for him, too caught up in his own bloodlust to smell a trap. "You won't be so lucky. I'll pay you back for what you did to my arm!"
"Take your best shot!" Ichigo shouted in defiance. "This time I'm taking your head!"
"Fat chance!" Grand Fisher shouted before thrusting his clawed hand at Ichigo. His increased speed would have been all the deciding factor had it not been for Ichigo's training with Halibel. The boy dodged it at the last second and swung his sword at Grand Fisher's head who jumped backward.
'I don't see that decoy he uses,' Ichigo noted as he and Grand Fisher stared each other down. 'He must've lost it when he broke his mask.' In a way Ichigo felt relieved. The last time he fought Grand Fisher he was unable to finish him off since he took the form of his mother, Masaki Kurosaki. If Grand Fisher no longer had the decoy then he didn't need to worry.
Ichigo leapt forward, his zanpakuto high in the air as he swung. His strike was quick and precise, just like Halibel instructed.
"You may only ever fight Hollows, Ichigo," Halibel told him as she held him at bay, her sword at his neck having disarmed him once more, "but you must always be quick with your strikes. Your Zanpakuto's size practically telegraphs your movements to your enemy. You have to be able to move faster than your opponent can bring up his defenses.
The large metal blade swung in a downward arc towards Grand Fisher's ugly face. Ichigo would leave nothing to chance this time. He would split his head in two like a watermelon. His grinned as he saw the look of desperation on Grand Fisher's face, knowing he was too slow to dodge Ichigo's attack.
Which made it all the more shocking when Grand Fisher reached behind him and drew a weapon of his own, driving Ichigo back. "What?!" Ichigo gasped when he saw the huge zanpakuto in his hands. 'Dammit! If he's an Arrancar then of course he'd have a zanpakuto just like Halibel does.' He cursed himself for forgetting one of Halibel's earlier lessons.
Ichigo gave a rare grin as he pushed Halibel back, the woman's eyes filled with shock. With her sword knocked away from her Ichigo swung his sword at Halibel's neck, intending on stopping just short of a deathblow like she did. "Got you!"
"You think?" Halibel asked before punching him in his stomach. When Ichigo keeled over she shook her head. "Don't be too overconfident. Never assume you've made the killing blow until after you've already made it."
"Dammit!" Ichigo cursed. 'I was too full of myself! I wanted to beat him so badly I lost my cool.'
Grand Fisher laughed at Ichigo's deflated confidence. "What's the matter, little boy? Scared?" he taunted. "You're not the only one with a big, hefting sword now!" The Arrancar jumped up and swung his new blade at Ichigo, mirroring the boy's previous action. "Die!"
Ichigo brought his sword up to block the attack. The sheer force of the blow alone almost made Ichigo go down onto his knees. "Guhh!" he grunted as he struggled to stave off the killer.
"Hahahah!" Grand Fisher gloated. "What's the matter? Where's the drive you just had? Or are you going to clam up just like when I used your mother?" he taunted.
"Grrr!" Hearing Grand Fisher mock him after using such a cheap trick burned Ichigo. Closing his eyes, he focused his energy and began to push back.
"I assume your friend hasn't taught you much about how to harness spirit energy?" Halibel inquired as she and Ichigo took a break from sparring.
"No. She said to focus on just fighting with my zanpakuto for now. She said I didn't really have the aptitude for her Kidō."
"A fair assessment. But Kidō isn't the only way to utilize your spirit energy. Even for someone like you, who specializes in melee combat, it can be a great asset."
Ichigo struggled to hide his blush when she grabbed his hand, entwining her fingers with his. He was about to say something when her hand glowed yellow. "How…."
"Close your eyes," she instructed. When Ichigo obeyed she squeezed her hand. "Imagine a well. The water inside is your spirit energy. Now imagine reaching down into the well and drawing from the water."
Keeping his eyes closed Ichigo imagined himself staring down into the dark waters. Reaching down he touched the water which came to life. The water glowed blue as it began to travel up and wrap around Ichigo's hand, filling him with power.
Halibel smiled behind her mask when Ichigo's hand glowed blue, becoming warm to the touch. Though it was a step forward in his growth it was only an instant. Ichigo's concentration broke and the glow faded. Still, it was a necessary first step. "Very good. You'll find that when you can draw upon your spirit energy it can be used for offense and defense. It might save your life one day.'
Ichigo had no idea that the one day Halibel spoke of would come so soon. Visualizing the well he called down to the murky waters below. The well glowed with a cerulean light and Ichigo was instantly filled with power.
Grand Fisher was taken aback when Ichigo straightened up, his body glowing blue in the darkness as he pushed his huge zanpakuto away. Invigorated, Ichigo began his counterattack. Over and over again the boy slashed at Grand Fisher, forcing him back.
"Grrrr! Don't get cocky!" Grand Fisher seethed. He didn't understand it. He thought that by becoming an Arrancar and removing his mask he'd become stronger than Ichigo ever could. Instead he was being pushed back by a boy who'd barely defeated him not even a few days ago! 'Something's wrong! Why can't I draw on my full power?!'
In the distance, Halibel watched the duel and chuckled. Grand Fisher was far more foolish than she'd originally believed. On the way to Karakura Town she'd duped Grand Fisher into believing that he'd reached his limit and that he had no release form for his zanpakuto, saying that he'd been premature in his evolution and should have waited for Aizen to grant him the power of the Hogyoku. Like Ichigo he didn't know the full power of his zanpakuto. True his strength had increased but Ichigo's honed reflexes and skill more than made up the difference.
It became apparent for Grand Fisher that he was on the losing end of this fight. Ichigo's strikes were relentless. It was everything the Hollow could do to block him. Unlike Ichigo he was unskilled with such a hefty blade. 'Dammit! How is he this strong?!'
Ichigo, glowing blue as the sky, gave a triumphant yell as he moved faster than Grand Fisher could block. The brute screamed as this time Ichigo sawed his arm off completely, a bleeding stump where his arm used to be. "Gahhhhh! Damn you!" he screamed as he staggered backwards.
"No running this time!" Ichigo pointed his zanpakuto at Grand Fisher's face. "I'm going to kill you!"
Panic filled Grand Fisher until his ugly lips formed a hideous smile. True he might not have all the power an Arrancar was supposed to have but he still had his one trump card that worked perfectly last time.
Just as Ichigo was about to lunge and run his sword through Grand Fisher the Hollow's visage started to twist. Ichigo wondered what trick his enemy had up his sleeve only to look on in horror as Grand Fisher took on a familiar appearance….
"What's the matter?" Grand Fisher mocked while in the guise of Masaki Kurosaki. "Did you forget I can change my form? Just because I no longer have my lure doesn't mean I can't change. So come on, Ichigo," the Hollow taunted, "go ahead and kill your mother."
Ichigo cursed. As much as he wanted to kill Grand Fisher he still was unable to cut his mother. But he couldn't let Grand Fisher slip away again or else he may never have his revenge.
As it turned out, Ichigo didn't need to make a decision. As Grand Fisher/Masaki stood there gloating, a bright ball of yellow light whizzed from the forest behind him, slamming into his back. Grand Fisher/Masaki's eyes widened from the sudden flash of pain before their image distorted. The Hollow growled in anger when he realized he was back to normal, with nothing stopping him from Ichigo's fury.
Now that he had nothing to stop him, Ichigo readied himself for the final blow. Looking the petrified Arrancar in the eye, Ichigo seethed with vengeful anger. "This is for my mother, you bastard."
"No!" Grand Fisher stumbled backwards in a blind panic until he backed into a tree, leaving him with nowhere to flee. "Spare me!" he pleaded pathetically.
"No."
Ichigo's zanpakuto swung hard and fast. This time when he delivered the deathblow there was no interference. For Ichigo it all happened so fast it was a giant blur. He swung his sword, felt the sharp edge slice through skin and bone and heard a loud cry of pain. When his mind came back into focus he looked down at the decapitated Grand Fisher. Nearby lay his severed head. "I…I did it?" he panted, feeling exhausted to the bone. He looked down at the body and realized that he'd done it.
Grand Fisher was dead. Ichigo had avenged his mother.
A hand on his shoulder made him jump, only to see that it was Halibel. "You did well." Taking his hand, Halibel led him away from the dead body, taking him to a field nearby. As they sat down Halibel patted his back. "I'm glad to see you took my lessons to heart. You made me proud."
"Thanks," Ichigo quietly said, looking up at the sky.
"How do you feel?"
"I feel…" Ichigo looked down at his bloody sword and remembered the feeling of vindication of striking down his mother's killer. "I feel like I can finally say goodbye to Mom." He turned to Halibel and smiled warmly at his teacher. "I can't thank you enough for doing this."
"Think nothing of it, Ichigo. I simply did what I felt was the right thing."
Ichigo gave his teacher a knowing smile. "When Grand Fisher took my mom's form…that was you who threw that blast, wasn't it?"
Halibel's green eyes gave a tantalizing wink, "Aren't you the clever one. Yes, that was me. I had a suspicion that Grand Fisher would try something dishonorable like that. I felt it was the least I could without overtly interfering with your battle." She noticed that Ichigo's eyes were drooping and that the look of exhaustion was all over his face. "You look tired."
"I am. Using my spirit energy like that took a lot out of me."
"You'll become used to the sensation of directly drawing on your spirit energy." She leaned back and patted her lap. "Rest, Ichigo. You've earned it."
Ichigo would've given his normal prudish response at the idea of sleeping in a woman's lap had it not been for the waves of fatigue. Setting his sword to the side, Ichigo laid down and rested his head in Halibel's lap, finding her thighs to be softer than he imagined. Reaching up, he grabbed Halibel's hand and squeezed. "Thanks, Halibel," he said one last time as sleep began to take him.
Halibel squeezed his hand in return, finding the sight of the handsome body resting in her lap to be one she could get used to. "I'll wake you before dawn. For now, rest Ichigo."
As Ichigo fell asleep he continued to hold on to her hand momentarily. When Halibel's hand flashed yellow Ichigo's glowed blue and for just a second they fused together to create an emerald light. 'She's…so…warm…' he thought before falling asleep, taking comfort in his mentor as she watched him slumber away, keeping him comfortably until the coming dawn….
To be continued
