His breath hastened as the pain in his chest constricted his lungs. Brown orbs closed as his vision blurred, summoning a bout of nausea. He was going to die here, the white substance crawling out of his mouth consuming him and the blade of his teacher piercing his chest to send him on to a better life.
Sweat poured down tanned skin, orange hair clinging to his forehead. The white robe that came with his powerless soul was clinging to him, as if to hold him in his final moments. Arms bound by kido, he nearly fell forward from where he was knelt.
Just as he thought he would collapse in exhaustion and pain, something soothing washed over his senses, calling him into a calm embrace. He let himself sink, wanting anything but the constriction in his chest and his hands fastened behind him at an odd angle.
To be somewhere other than at the bottom of a pit, waiting for madness to grip him.
That wish was met by a low rumble of laughter, pure amusement filtering through his senses that wasn't his.
'Come now, Master. We have much to do.'
A soft, gentle tugging pulled him through a void, his breath returning and eyes fluttering open to peer at the vastness that he landed in. The world around him was barren, the ground cracked a dried, thirsting for rain that it will never get. Thousands of graves, some looking freshly dug, clung to the hills, labeled oddly.
Some of the more detailed were things like hope, resolve, family. He searched them, finding angels standing above freshly dug graves with the names of his family carved into them, but that was not what caught his attention.
There was a man in red standing there, soft smile on his face as he gazed at them. Feeling the teen's gaze, he turned.
His eyes were a blood red, swirling with amusement and bloodlust. A red duster coat replaced the jacket to his black suit, leather riding boots digging into the earth as he moved toward his charge. His hair was a deep black, long and pulled to the side. White gloved hands ran over Ichigo's jaw, making his head lull to look at the stranger in his ruby eyes.
"Are you ready, Master? Will you give yourself up to me for strength?"
Ichigo's took a moment to run the words through his hazed mind. He sighed and relaxed, safe even as fangs glinted and the second gloved had went to close around his throat.
"You'll help me?" Ichigo questioned, voice shaky, a whispered plea.
"I'll gun down our enemies, shield you from harm." The man placed a knee between bent legs, resting it on the bottom if the throne of bones. "I will rip apart anyone in our way, friend or foe, and lead us to victory. Will you surrender to me, Master?"
In a sudden flash of lucidity, Ichigo grabbed the man by the collar and pulled him close, eyes burning the same red as the strangers.
"It's you who's bowing," the teen snarled, instinct flaring heavily. Chills ran up the man's spine, not all unpleasant.
"Of course, Master."
With that, the graveyard around them crumbled, the thirsting ground swallowing as the redhead gasped as a rush of dark, dangerous power flowed through him.
Opening his eyes, the normal amber being choked by bloody crimson, Ichigo found himself outside of the pit, muscles tense and ready to move.
Kisuke Urahara dropped his jovial attitude he had prepared rather quickly, the feeling of a sword at his throat stopping him. Flicking open his fan to hide, silver eyes watched the young man warily. They widened when they took in his appearance.
His shinigami uniform faded into a deep, blood red at the ends of his hakama and sleeves, giving the impression of recent battle. Heavy, black, leather boots that went to his knees replaced straw sandals, red haori floating behind him. His eyes sent chills down the former assassin's spine, narrowed and roaming to assess the threats around him quickly. A predator. They had deepened from a honey-brown to a mahogany, rich red mixing in.
The blade at his side was sheathed, but there was an energy coming off of it that spoke of violence, bloodshed, and chaos. The handle had red leather wrapped around it, bound tightly to expose black diamonds of the metal. A black chain hung from the end, around five links, and the guard was rectangular, and something told him the edges were sharp.
The younger man met his eyes, and another chill ghosted through him. Lips peeled back in a snarl, the redhead snapped.
"I can't wait to kick your ass for leaving me down there, Geta-Boushi," Ichigo growled, tanned hand going to the hilt of his sword. The shop keeper didn't move, so he went for it. Charging at the man, he drew his blade. The black steel was spotted with red, making the blade look just as deadly as it could be should its sharpened edge catch him.
"Now, now, Kurosaki," he tried to placate, but the younger's glare only sharpened. Urahara started to sweat. "No need to use deadly force. Besides, that's the third challenge! Try and knock off my hat." He weaved around the jabs, light on his feet. He unsheathed the blade in his cane, crossing swords with a scream of metal.
'Kisuke...'
'I heard.'
The blond's brow furrowed as Ichigo echoed the cry of his zanpakto. A call for blood and vengeance. As their sword clashed, the teacher frowned at his student. Ichigo would never be this aggressive, so it had to be the working of his zanpakto.
"Is this really you, Ichigo?" he questioned, studying his student closely for his response. Upon closer examination, he noticed Ichigo's newly mahogany eyes clouded over, not truly in the fight. He was speaking with his sword spirit no doubt.
'Calm yourself. You are losing yourself in your power,' the blade spirit purred.
'What is happening? I'm...'
'Angered, betrayed, bloodthirsty. Calm your rage, don't let it blind you. We have a task to accomplish.'
Kisuke watched the teen visibly loosen, eyes softening. He rose a blond brow, but kept his mouth closed. Ichigo came at him again, collected this time around, and tried to swipe at Urahara's feet. The ex-captain jumped, but a blade came around and nicked the bridge of his nose.
Urahara shivered, feral growling the only way he can explain the sensation passing through him from his blade.
The sharpened steel hummed, whispers eating at him as black and red gathered around the teen. It was warm like fresh blood and biting like the the maw of a dragon. Kisuke could have sworn that he seen a winged lizard curl around his apprentice and roar.
"Steal their souls," Ichigo chanted, making the shopkeepers hair stand on end, "and bloody the earth, Inparā."
The dragon wrapped around him, solidifying in the form of a shikai. His Shinigami uniform and melted away to a charcoal suit, burnt orange tie matching his hair. The long sleeves of his white, collared shirt were rolled to his elbows, slacks tucked into the same dark boots.
A flowing, blood red coat billowed behind him with the rush of wind his power spiked. Once calm, brown eyes, turned mahogany, were wild, untamed, but it was reigned in. It was like watching a rabid dog on a leash.
Kisuke shivered.
"Ichigo?" he called out, cautious. Ichigo didn't answer, his face stony. Kisuke had to gaze into that rich gaze to find what he was looking for. They swirled with clarity and determination, his brows furrowed slightly in concentration.
"Here," he answered. He turned the long pike in his arms, the metal gleaming black as it's sealed state. An odd weapon, Kisuke thought before Benehime supplied the image of him impaled on it.
'Be careful,' she whispered.
Ichigo turned the weapon almost expertly, putting the butt of it in the sand and leaning on the long shaft. It was a beautiful weapon, engravings up the shaft and the spearhead sharp and shiny. The end had a length of chain, giving Kisuke the impression that if the teen should be separated from his weapon, it wouldn't be for long.
"Impaler," Kisuke whistled, "a rather intimidating name. Wouldn't want to meet the business end of that."
"He's beautiful," Ichigo agreed, turning from admiring his weapon to shifting over the shopkeeper. The smug smirk sent a chill up Kisuke's back, like someone had walked over his grave or Yoruichi was planning a prank. "Perfect for stabbing irritating Getabushi."
"Now, Ichigo," the man sweated, hands going up in surrender, "we can talk about this."
Ichigo's smirk didn't leave, only grew wider. "Oh? You have a preference on where I stab? Go ahead, I'm not picky." He took a solid step forward, making the shopkeeper go back.
It was rather quick, Ichigo thrusting forward as Kisuke dodged gracefully with a squeak. Benehime screamed along the shaft, coming in close. Ichigo thrust his weight into his weapon, swinging it to push both Kisuke and his blade away.
Surprised at the sudden strength, Kisuke lost his balance and got hit in the stomach by the not-sharp end. The chain links would cause a nasty bruise, Kisuke thought. Ichigo's eyes were harden steel, teeth bared in a triumphant grin. From his stomach, Ichigo swung skyward, catching the brim of his beloved bucket-hat and flipping it off it's perch.
Kisuke blinked. That was... Fast. Lord, he didn't think it'd be like that. A sly smile graced his face.
This was going to be fun.
"What a mighty spear, Kurosaki. You'll be impaling Shinigami in no time," Kisuke chuckled behind his fan.
"I'm not there to kill people," the teen grumbled, planting the but of the pike into the sand so he could lean on it. The drain was getting to him. "I'm there to rescue Rukia."
'At least that hasn't changed,' Kisuke thought. He then noticed his beloved hat on the spearhead, only sliced a little where the tip poked through. "Ah, Kurosaki? May I have..."
Kisuke smiled as light snoring interrupted him, Ichigo leaned up against the pole of his spear. In the sand, you would think it would just fall over, but it seemed to hold itself up for its wielder. A prize for a job well done.
Kisuke hopped up on a reiatsu platform, grabbing his hat and placing it back on his head as he fell to the sand. Curiously, he brushed his fingers against the zanpakuto, shivering.
The zanpakuto didn't lash out like he thought it would, but curiously examined him back. Something dark and bloodthirsty under striking intelligence, but even with its eye on the shopkeeper, he didn't feel it's wrath. Like a predator looked at him and found him not a threat, but something interesting.
Something to pass the time.
Kisuke pulled away, eyes sharp and mind whirling. He had only placed his fingers in the shaft for a second, but it was enough. He would have to watch out for Ichigo.
He dragged the substitute and his large pike up to the shop and set the boy in his body. The next ten days would be harsh.
-0-
Ichigo looked around his inner world the next day with awe and wariness, the graves that had seemed to go on for eternity we're now thinned, scattered and tilted. They still were named, things that meant a lot to him, like his family, had huge memorials. Angels watched over them, protecting whatever rested there. There were smaller ones, some unlabeled, and walking near them gave Ichigo chills. A large, gnarled tree stood behind the throne of bones. It looked dead, the wood black, but it stood strong. Inparā, or Alucard as he liked to be called, forbid him from touching it.
"You aren't ready yet," the tall, fearsome spirit had rumbled seriously. "Soon, but not now." Ichigo nodded, leaving it be.
"Any reason you called me?" Ichigo finally questioned, plopping onto his throne, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees.
"Our shikai," Alucard huffed, subtle irritation behind his red shades. "We have so much reiatsu that if we don't get it under control, I could be stuck in shikai. We would loose the surprise and carrying a pike would be rather irritating."
Ichigo nodded, thinking it over. "I agree. Um, how do we do that? I've never done it and people tell me I leak everywhere."
"They're correct," Inparā huffed. "Your reiatsu is chaotic and most likely will be that way until you fully settle into your power. I am here to help you leash it at the very least."
Ichigo nodded, leaning back before he hoisted himself up. "What do I need to do?"
"I think," Alucard hummed, thoughtful, "the best thing is a visual. Think of something." Ichigo wrinkled his nose, gears turning. He looked around, a thought coming to mind.
Closing his eyes and focusing, he tried to pull his power to him, but didn't keep it there. He let it rush into the ground, dried and cracked, and let it heal. His reiatsu flowed like water, drenching everything.
When he opened his eyes, a small smile echoed the sharp grin of Alucard. The graves had come alive, roses climbing over stone but not strangling them, the earth soft under their boots. Flowers framed gravestones, wild and beautiful in every color Ichigo could think of. The only dead space was around the dead tree, but Ichigo didn't give it much mind. The throne of bone was left untouched by the plant life on its pedestal, but the bone seemed less jagged, smoother.
"This will do," Alucard hummed approvingly. "Now, the trick is to keep it this way." Inparā gestured to the rapidly dying flowers, grass going brown and dirt drying. "It will take practice. Stay here for a moment and mimic what you've done until you can do it well. Then, you can leave and practice outside your mind."
Huffing, Ichigo agreed. "Maybe we can spar a bit, too. Distracted concentration." A wicked gleam in sunset eyes and bared fangs was all he got as an answer.
So, they spent hours working on it, roping in loose power and feeding it to the newly acquired vegetation. Kisuke studied him from the outside, happy when his students oppressing reiatsu slowly drained from the air, his pike returning to a blood-splattered sword.
Kisuke grinned, drawing Benehime from her cane sheath. Before Ichigo could open his eyes and focus on him, he attacked. Ichigo's mahogany eyes snapped open and focused on the shopkeeper for a moment before he flashed away. Kisuke stuck only stone.
Ichigo snorted, the tip of his boot hitting the ground in irritation. "My old man does stuff like that all the time. You aren't any different." His haiori fluttered with the movement, fanning out like the blood flicked off a sword edge.
"My, my, Kurosaki. So fast! Seireitei's Flash Goddess has a challenger!" Kisuke laughed, calling Benehime's name and rushing his student. Ichigo danced around him, graceful and fast, but experience was lacking. Instinct can only get you so far.
By time they were done, Ichigo still had his reiatsu wrapped tight and many new cuts and bruises. Inparā was thrown aside from where Kisuke had tossed it in their scuffle.
"You've done so well, Kurosaki! Only nine more days to go!" Kisuke laughed, pulling out his cursed fan.
"I'll choke you with that fan," Ichigo threatened halfheartedly, trying to gain control over his breathing. He grunted, sitting up and stretching, rolling his shoulders. He wrinkled his nose as his reiatsu started to lash out, escaping his hold.
"Something wrong?" Kisuke hummed, fanning himself defiantly. With narrowed eyes at the paper annoyance, Ichigo answered.
"Power is slippery, is all," he grouched, standing and reigning it back in as well as he could. "Inparā says it just takes practice, but it's annoying."
"They're not wrong. Practice makes perfect and all."
Ichigo snorted, twisting at the waist with a snap, getting satisfying pops along his spine, repeating it the other way. Urahara winced at the noise, watching in fascination as Ichigo held out his hand and the chain on the butt of his zanpakuto shot out and wrapped around his wrist, putting the blade's hilt into his hand so he could return it to the sheath on his hip. The spirit seemed rather satisfied, mirroring the contentedness that came from the shopkeeper's own inner world.
'Have fun?' Kisuke chuckled, not expecting an answer. He only received a vague rush of bloodlust, the mental image of sharp fangs bared in the moonlight.
"Our zanpakuto get along too well," Ichigo spoke up, moving to the hot springs to hopefully clean himself of sweat and heal any injury. He stripped to his briefs, entering the pool with a hiss and a sigh.
The smell of iron his his nose, eyeing a crouching Kisuke. A warm hand healed the nasty gash on his shoulder, looking a little sheepish.
"You did well," Kisuke praised, but tilted his head as Ichigo's eyes dilated.
"I cut you."
The shopkeeper tilted his head and looked himself over. Sure enough, his palm was sliced. He had grabbed Inparā, but he was sure he had put enough reiatsu between him and the bloodthirsty blade.
"Oh, dear," Kisuke chuckled. He was about to put his hand in the water, but Ichigo snatched. His eyes glowed, red and searching for permission. Kisuke nodded, shivering as the teen dragged a tongue across his hand.
Now, normally, Kisuke would have teased the boy horribly for something so provocative, but Kisuke couldn't move, pinned under a red stare. He felt trapped, suddenly, in the hands of this predator. Tingling encased his hand and the cut knit shut, Ichigo's reiatsu flaring slightly.
"It's called Buraddowin," Ichigo explained hurriedly, his cheeks tinting pink. "Alucard said I can use it anytime. I collect blood and it turns it into reiatsu for me. It doesn't work for my own blood. The healing is optional and I'm sure I can use that on myself."
"You're becoming a fully fledge vampire, Kurosaki," Kisuke teased, examining his hand as Ichigo let go. "Blood wine, huh? An apt name, I would say."
"Yeah, but now my teeth itch," Ichigo huffed, tongue roving over them distractedly.
'It is only the hunger, Master,' Alucard hummed. 'It will be easier to control with time and experience.'
"I'll have to be careful with it," Ichigo muttered, biting his lip with a sharpened canine. "It comes with... urges."
Kisuke settled cross-legged on the edge of the pool, curiosity making his steel eyes shine from under his hat. "Urges? Like, rip me to pieces urges or..." With the wiggling of eyebrows, Ichigo turned bright red.
"Ew, no!" he denied quickly. "More like drink your blood until you're a prune." He had to word that very carefully. There were so many ways to make this worse.
"Really? Feeling bitey?"
"Why?" Ichigo questioned warily, narrowing a suspicious gaze at the shopkeeper.
"I kind of want to see what happens. Your saliva heals but it leaves a tingling feeling. I kind of want to know if it's numbing or an aphrodisiac."
"I would it be that?" Ichigo snipped.
"To lull prey into submitting," he answered calmly, like the scientist was talking about the weather. "Nothing strong, most likely, but there. You'd have to let me get a sample."
"Hell no!" Ichigo exclaimed firmly, twisting in the pool to keep his eyes on the shopkeeper. "I'm not letting you anywhere near my mouth!"
"But Kurosaki," Kisuke protested, hiding a pout behind his paper fan, "you've already licked me. That's not fair."
"That's bullshit," Ichigo griped, moving to the other side of the pool, away from the ex-captain.
"You're no fun, Kurosaki," Kisuke huffed. "Well, up and at 'em, Kurosaki. We only have so much time, after all."
-0-
It was during one of his bouts with Urahara that the urge hit hard. His reiatsu started to get low, energy drained from the near non-stop brawling. He finally got a hit, a small nick on the man's shoulder, and the smell of sandalwood and blood made his nose flare and eyes dilate.
He pulled Inparā close, his blade still sealed, and entered a lock of blades. He used the flat if his sword to push Benihime away, grabbing Kiskue's collar and pulling him close. Startled, Kisuke moved to flip him, but didn't move fast enough.
Ichigo sank his fangs into his shoulder, taking a mouthful of blood with him before backing away. Kisuke let him retreat, rolling his shoulder to loosen the muscles that had tensed around the foreign objects. His sight went a little blurry, knees weak, and mind a little foggy.
"That's an aphrodisiac," Kisuke confirmed with a chuckle, supporting himself on Benihime. "Dear Soul King, that tingles."
"You alright?"
Kisuke nearly jumped. His student's voice had dropped an octave, eyes shining red as he digested the blood and turned it in to power. He could feel his reserves filling quickly before evening out.
"Fine," he breathed, straightening his spine and rolling his shoulder again. There wasn't even a wound because of his saliva. "More than fine, actually. Feel pretty good, if a little weak. That saliva of yours is no joke. I wonder if your human body does that."
"It doesn't," Ichigo snorted, approaching with a limp. His voice was still low, likely only because of Kisuke's muddled brain. "Are you sure you're alright, Hat 'n Clogs? You look like you're going to fall over."
"Knees are a little weak. I feel better, now. Running reiatsu through my body helps get rid of it. That in itself is a good weapon. Keep that a secret, Kurosaki," Kisuke advised. He seemed to gather himself, shaking off the last of the affects. "Now, we only have a few days to train. I want you to take the last one off."
"What do you mean?" Ichigo barked, brows furrowing."
"I had to fight you on taking a couple more off," Kisuke reminded. "So take one at least. No use going to Soul Society completely exhausted." Ichigo bit back a retort and ducked a decapitating blow.
"Hey, you sneaky bastard!"
"I didn't say we were done, Kurosaki~"
-0-
Ichigo narrowed his eyes, but said nothing as his friends joined him at the shoten. He and Inparā had felt them awaken and grow steadily stronger, so it wasn't a surprise that they wanted to come along. He wanted to argue before Inparā made a good point.
'We cannot baby them, Ichigo. They will never grow if we put a wing over them and cover the sun. If you want them safe, make them stronger,' Alucard proposed, getting a hum. It made sense, even if he didn't like the idea.
So, he, Chad, Orihime, a cat, and, surprisingly, Uruyu, found themselves in a tunnel of purple goop and being chased by a train. Uruyu got caught by the cape, of course, and they had to rush out.
Alucard grumbled about little, white, prissy archers. Ichigo couldn't help but grunt in agreement.
Yoruichi (the cat previously mentioned. It can talk... Weird) informed them that they were in the Rukongai, where the normal soul lived. Ichigo took a sniff at the air, nose wrinkling.
'It smells of weaklings,' Alucard informed, a growl in his tone. 'You will find no battle here.'
"Up ahead, in the center, is Seireitei," Yoruichi informed, padding alongside them. "The Shinigami and nobles live there. We can't go there yet."
Ichigo raised a brow, looking at beautiful white buildings and stone paths. "Why not?"
"A wall of sekki sekki will fall and we won't be able to get through," he huffed. "It will also alert them to our presence."
"There is a clear line from the Shinigami to normal souls," Uruyu pointed out in distain. "It seems like they can't do their job even in their own realm." He expected Ichigo to snap back, but he simply eyed their surroundings with disgust.
"Chad!"
Turning, the crew spotted a brown-haired boy in the empty streets, approaching quickly and flinging himself at the giant.
"It's me, Yūichi! The parakeet!" he chirped happily. Chad hummed, lifting the boy up to ride non his shoulders.
"How've you been, Shibata?" Chad asked, getting a flow of words that made up for his lack of response.
Slowly but surely, the community started appearing from their homes to inquire about the strangers. Yoruichi decided to perch on a nearby roof, letting the teens earn the good will of the locals.
"You're Shinigami, aren't you?"
Ichigo turned to the older spirit, biting a lip. "No. Not really."
"You wear their robes," he countered, motioning to his black cloth and the blade at his side.
"I'm not part of the Gotei," Ichigo denied quickly. "We're here to save a friend from the Shinigami. She saved my life and the lives of my family. I should do this much." The old man nodded, satisfied.
"You have a good heart, young man," he praised, "but watch yourself. I can sense the bloodlust from here."
Ichigo, confused, tilted his head before a lightbulb went off. He rested a hand in Inparā's hilt, rubbing the cloth with a thumb. "I've got it handled. There's no need to worry."
No. There was no enemy to face here. No one that could challenge him. His reiatsu was mind numbly full and no tenseness was in his shoulders. There was no effort needed to keep his fangs back.
"Very good. I trust you on this, young one."
"I'm sure a lot of people are young to you, old man," Ichigo joked back, receiving a laugh.
"Some of the children here are older than me," he informed, grinning as Ichigo blinked blankly at him for a moment. He nodded.
"Yeah, I can see that," Ichigo huffed. "My friend is around 200 I think. It's just weird because we're used to humans, you know? The living."
"Kurosaki!" Ichigo turned to Orihime, Uruyu trailing after her like a bodyguard. "Do you think we could stay so I cam heal some of these people? Some are sick and others have broken bones and-"
"Of course, Orihime," Ichigo agreed easily, stopping her tirade. He turned to Yoruichi, who nodded in silent consent. "We have plenty of time. It'll give you more practice, too."
She lit up, fluttering off to heal those who needed it, her shadow trailing after her loyally.
-0-
Buraddowin- blood wine
1st stage: Akuma no Umi- sea of demons
2nd stage: Chi no ryū no kazu- blood dragon count