One-Stop Too Many
Daybreak was upon Ichigo, like a bloodhound to a criminal's scent. It spooked him awake and into a groan as he shifted his head away from the window.
As much as he wasn't used to taking an airplane to another country, he couldn't deny that he didn't like the view when he was blessed with it.
That and at times the old man usually had him buried into a book. Or even going so far as having him practice his usage of miracles on small targets. Granted, the Lighting Spears was far too big to be used in enclosed spaces like an airplane.
That and the last time he did do such a thing, he almost blew them out the sky.
Old Man Logan didn't stop calling him an idiot since.
Currently, on the other hand, human as he is, Logan has said countless times that he was a prodigy when it came to general magic. Apparently, he held the intelligence to understand Sorcery and the Faith to cast Lord Gwyn's Great Lightning Spear.
Not only that but unlike most clerics who could only use the five, Ichigo broke that idea. Simply put…
He just did.
He could use as much of the miracle as he could without dying due to his reserves being compared to an ocean housing the dark abyss.
"Excuse me, sir, is everything you liking?"
That brought him out of his thoughts easy enough. Ichigo had turned his head to face the one who asked him the question only to stop when all he saw was cleavage.
His face went beat red and like lighting, he looked away by glancing to his right.
"Y-yeah! I'm all good."
The woman, because she definitely looked far more mature than the average girl, simply nodded her head and moved on to the next airline passenger.
"Sheesh," Ebony began with a chuckle. "That scared the hell outta me. You and big boobie ladies obviously don't mesh well."
"SHUT-!" Ichigo immediately lowered his voice to not draw attention to himself. "Up…"
The sentient staff laughed lightly as the teen grumbled. "Anyway boss, I just dropped a 'Hush' so mind informing me on the mission?"
Oh right, he almost had forgotten to tell him. Looking out the window and over the ocean of sand which is the middle east, he began to recall what letter held. "Right, I'm not too sure about the details and all that, but Soul Society is calling in a favor from the old man. Apparently, he gave them his word to assist them if something along the lines of any major conflict between them and another faction he'd be called upon."
"That so? Then it's safe to assume that the reason for calling now is such?" Ichigo simply nodded his head. "So who's the threat? Some small-time guy? Or is there any other reason to justify calling in a favor?"
"Wasn't really given a name on someone. More so a group." Ichigo's eyes narrowed as he began to wonder about the goals of this so-called-
"Spit it out, you idiot!" Ichigo in an instant began to bend the staff. "Hey!Hey!Hey!Hey!Hey! HEY! Stop it! That hurts!"
Ichigo would scowl as a sadistic grin formed on his face. "Why should I, you wooden toothpick?"
"Aghhhh! Abuse! This is abuse!"
After several moments of torturing the magical staff, the two partners had descended into silence.
Ichigo's mind was on several things including the status of his training. Ever since he had agreed to be that old man's apprentice, he's grown far faster than he would like to admit. Not only has he learned about his teacher, but about the magical powers of the world as well. Never would never think that things like dragons existed, places, and species like Soul Society, Hollows, Witches, Undead, and Gods as well.
For the first time in years, since the day he woke up with no memory of who he was besides a name and clothing, he felt some sort of emotion.
Yes, he didn't really feel much when he was young. Only just drifting in an unfamiliar environment with people who didn't know who he was, or where he belonged.
After some time he got to meet the old man. And boy was that something…
To begin with, he didn't know how to cook, which was bad enough as it was, and to continue on with that, he was severely anti-social. But even so, the man taught him far more than he could have on his own.
He was at least a decent father. Barely...
"Hey boss, we've arrived at a pit stop. Want to get yourself something? Like maybe food? Or ya know… not airline crap?" Huh, he made a good point. Airline crap.
With an energy drink in hand and phone in the other, the walking mage had bought himself some fast food. Burgers were quite common, with each establishment having its own way of doing it. To Ichigo, they were all the same.
Currently, he was taking small sips of the drink while using his phone's internet service to look up Karakura City.
He'd never been to Japan even though he was of Japanese descent, and while it ticked him off somewhat that it just now crossed his mind, there wouldn't be much he could do besides look up the place right?
So that he did.
For additional information, he knew the language among others. You kinda had to if you were a worldwide known Sage. After all, going from country to country wasn't entirely new to him.
It's why he didn't need to have anyone look after him, and why Old Man Logan would be gone for several months on end, even up to a year.
Ichigo was usually by himself.
That he had gotten used to.
"Hey boss, I'm picking up a spiritual signature not too far from our area. I think it may be hollow right outside the airport."
And that's where it complicated things.
A deep scowl formed on Ichigo's face and he picked his phone. "Undead or...?"
"Nope. But you sure you want to do this boss? I'm not saying to ignore it but we are on the clock."
"It'll only take a few seconds."
"Hmm. Alright. Let's make it quick then. I think the plane will be taking off soon. Don't want to get left behind and all that jazz."
That was true. Ichigo downed the last of his drink, crushed it, and tossed it into a random bin.
After several moments of Ebony giving his directions, shutting up, and giving more directions they finale seemed to get closer.
"Alright hang a left here, we're coming up on the outside right now." Said Ebony, as the one with legs, followed the directions. This was routine and how they did things since they became partners.
Since he hadn't much time to train, learn, or practice soul sensing, he had installed that feature onto Ebony. There were a few things Ichigo couldn't afford to learn with time being one reason out of several.
He had help with a Vinheim scholar, and while his help was much needed, his personality was rotten at times. Just remembering Orbeck made the young man want to slug him. Stoic bastard…
But yes, he and Orbeck had made Ebony like how a techie would fix a computer.
It took some time, and with the added assistance of a Magi (A different association altogether), Ebony was born.
He molded Ebony's personality from one of the gangers that helped him in the past.
So when he was to focus on certain things, Ebony held enough sentience to cover for him. And the blasted stick, at times, didn't.
"Hey boss, I set up a bounded field to ward off any innocent people. If we're gonna do it make it quick." Without much else, Ichigo had drawn his sword with his right, while taking Ebony in his left.
He remembered learning just a bit of a broken sword style when he had awoken his fullbring abilities. Especially as soon as he was told he could incorporate types of buffs onto the blade he wielded.
Sticking close to the corner wall Ichigo breathed in. Readying a lighting spear miracle. It would be decided the moment the lightning bolt of Lord Gwyn collided with the hollow.
Rounding the corner with his single blade raised in front of him, Ichigo got a good look at the Hollow.
Now, to avoid confusion, and to make note of how this could confuse most people, there were two kinds of hollow. While fundamentally the same, and quite similar to the dictionary definition of both, they looked and came into existence differently.
The Hollow he was currently confronting, was a big lug of a monster. It had bleached white… skin…? Eh, he guesses he could call it skin, well that wasn't it, however. Hollows in this context held variety and only existed within the boundary of the spirit world, yet able to affect the world of the living to some degree. As unique as each could be, they all held a common theme. That being a big hole through the chest or stomach, and a bleached white mask. They feed on humans and their souls. Lost in a supposed never-ending hunger apparently.
That and they were former human souls. This was as far as he had the time to study, and while it was the basics Ichigo knew that there was more to them than just that little tidbit.
On the other hand, there were other kinds of hollow.
This kind of hollow was the kind where instead of dying and the soul leaving the body, the soul would stay within the body, resurrect, and continue on the day now known as an Undead. Undead, while capable of denying permanent death, could lose themselves and become hollow if they died far too many times. Once they hollow, well, that was it. They couldn't be called human anymore and are then capable of permanent death.
There was more yes, but now wasn't the time to think about the differences.
The thing before him, the gigantic four-armed Hollow had the head of a horse. Its blunt teeth were parted and within its mouth, a man hung out. His legs being grounded up like a thick row of udon noodles.
His face spelled fear and shock.
Tears stained the man's cheek while horror was plastered over the man's face from the combination.
Ichigo sighed internally at the sight and he saw another person. She, by the looks of it, was barely conscious and bleeding from her forehead.
The sight alone caused Ichigo to glare daggers at the Hollow.
"Shit! Boss, end this now while it hasn't noticed you!" And all Ichigo did was follow the suggestion by quickly speaking the tale of the miracle from memory, and coating lighting over Ebony as if he were a talisman. Rearing his arm back and chucking it with force far beyond any cleric of the past or the present, the Great Sunlight Spear few at its intended target.
The hollow hadn't any time to take notice, and only barely did it notice the bright yellow shine.
And with the bolt landing and destroying the Hollow in one attack, the monster had been suppressed as fast as Ichigo said he would.
With silence taking hold of the area, and the girl obviously awake, Ichigo would look at the girl with a frown. He walked over to her and fell to one knee.
The girl, now that he noticed, had purple-colored hair. She looked at him with hollow sad eyes, tears falling down her cheeks. She would struggle to form words, huff, and shake. The words she did get out were hitched and barely capable of forming anything coherent.
It was then that Ichigo asked her her name.
She responded with...
"Boss, you sure this is the right thing to do?" Asked Ebony with some small bit of concern. Currently, Ichigo and Ebony made it back to their plane with time to spare.
But this time with another new face.
"Of course it is," Ichigo said, his arms crossed over his chest. The scowl fastened onto his face unmoving like the legendary Dragon Slayer; Havel the Rock. "After all, you heard her yourself, she's alone now and without anyone else."
"And I get that, I really do, but-"
"No. This choice needed to be made. I'm not letting her be by herself and-"
"And what? What do you think Logans gonna say when he finds out? Look boss, I'm not against it, but during a mission? We can't look after her, fight a war, and expect Logan to just not be angry."
Closing his eyes was all Ichigo decided to do.
While Ebony was right, Ichigo didn't care too much about how Logan would feel about a third party entering their home. And while it would be major disrespect towards his adopted parent, Ichigo Kurosaki knew how to get around it.
And he kinda did.
Just kinda.
With a tired sounding sigh, the staff simply vibrated. "Just tell me that we aren't going to be doing this a seventh time."
Ichigo smiled triumphantly.
"Maybe I should make room in the litter box when we get back…"
"Maybe you should."
"'Maybe you should', shut up!" Ebony mocked and was then engaged in another argument with his master.
All the while the new addition would sleep soundly. Her head laid on Ichigo's shoulder from her seat.
It was at this moment that Ebony would use telekinesis and trip the same lady from earlier. Since she was walking by when Ebony did this, and by extension, she fell onto Ichigo.
The end result was the lady apologizing and Ichigo blushing from the experience.
When they took off once more into the air, the soon to be sage took a glance at the sleeping girl. 'Senna huh? Why do I get the feeling that's not who you really are?"
End