The Divergence is here, this is what we have been waiting for, the first big change that set's this story down towards a better or worse path. Thank you ssj3gohan007, for the correction. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and please review or PM me your thoughts and corrections. I am only human, now, let's get on with it already, on to our feature presentation!
Urahara had led them into a large underground training ground that probably broke dozens of safety laws and regulations. They both just shook their heads at the antics of the ever humble shopkeeper.
"Welcome to the URA-DOME!" The shopkeeper let the sound echo throughout the chamber before turning around, fan covering most of his face.
"We get it, it's cool." Ichigo and Tatsuki were stretching out while Urahara was trying to get them to feel awe inspired. "Can we move on to the actual training?" Urahara grinned from behind the fan as he lifted his cane and slammed it into both of their heads. Their bodies slumping to the ground with a dull thud.
"What? How come she keeps her shinigami form?" Tatsuki looked down and noticed she was wearing a shinigami's Shihakusho that was very form-fitting. Strapped to her side was a wakizashi, brown hilts with a brown guard. The guard was rectangular in shape and had 4 small circles that were surrounded by Norse curled designs.
Ichigo, meanwhile, was knocked to the ground and could barely stand. He had a long chain that attached the center of his chest to his fallen body.
"Wha-what is this?" He held up the chain to examine it in detail, having never actually seen one up close.
"The first portion of both of your training is to fight each other. A spar to the death. Ichigo, she's a soul reaper and for all intents and purposes, you have no power. Try not to die Ichigo-kun~" Killing intent gripped the orange head's soul.
"Oh Ichigo~" Tatsuki appeared behind Ichigo at a speed Ichigo couldn't track. She then punched the poor soul into next week, slamming him into one of the side walls.
"Fuck you Geta-boshi!" Ichigo ran, right for then right past Tatsuki.
"Why are you running Ichigo, it's just your old sparring partner." A sickeningly sweet grin crossed his old friend's face. Damn, she's fast. Ichigo was forced from his thoughts when he had to dodge.
He rolled to the left and immediately hopped up and continued to run. He was running for his life. Is Tatsuki really this much stronger than me? She is breaking every rock he hides behind and what confused him to no end was how she retained her shinigami powers. She got hers from him using the same technique that Rukia had used on him and she should have lost hers when he lost his right? She was just using an extension of Rukia's powers after all, right?
"Get your head out of the clouds Strawberry!" Ichigo rolled out of the way again as more of the landscape was destroyed by Tatsuki's fists. Wait a minute. If he can avoid her strikes and outrun her, then maybe. Ichigo twisted around and ran at his childhood friend. Confused, she tried to strike him but Ichigo moved his head out of the way and retaliated. The hastily thrown punch barely missed her but it cut her cheek. Frozen she moved a hand up to her face and moved it so she could see the blood.
"Oh, you are so dead!" Ichigo tried to dodge the next strike but was sent into the air and Tatsuki jumped up only to twist, midair, and slam her foot into his abdomen. Ichigo lost his breath as he was sent into a mountainside. The crater he formed was easily thrice his size and Tatsuki moved to continue the assault before Urahara flashed to her side faster than she could track and stopped her.
"Well done Ichigo!" Ichigo had been caught by the burly man and shakily rose to unsteady feet. Urahara hid his amusement behind his fan as he waved at Ichigo.
Ichigo slumped as he fell to his knees. He slammed his fist against the ground. He had failed, he barely landed a glancing blow and even then it wasn't enough. How was he supposed to save Rukia now?
"I failed. Why are you saying I passed?" It confused him how the shopkeeper could be so jovial when he couldn't even fight against Tatsuki properly.
Tatsuki hadn't meant to send Ichigo in the mountain with so much force. Something just compelled her to do it. It almost felt like she was in the backseat for a moment. So lost in the moment to realize what she was doing.
"I never said that you had to win the spar to pass the test now did I?" Ichigo's head shot up and Tatsuki felt like punching the bucket hat wearing man. He had told Tatsuki to treat Ichigo as an equal in the spar. To aim to take him down and subdue him. She had almost killed her friend and the shopkeeper didn't seem to care.
"You mean-"
"Yes, Ichigo. You passed the test." He smiled broadly behind his fan. It was so much fun to see the look of anger contort the boys face. Reminding him of his old fukutaichou. This would be so much fun, he, however, needed Ichigo if things were to run smoothly. Even if he had several backup plans, it would be beneficial to all parties if Ichigo survived.
"I could have died!" Yes, this would be so much fun. Urahara snapped his fan shut and pointed it at the orange-haired kid.
"But you didn't and now we can move on to the next test. Tessai, if you would be so kind." The burly man, now named Tessai, brought out an axe of immense size and cleaved the chain of fate, connecting Ichigo to his body, in half. Tatsuki didn't fully know what was happening but due to Ichigo's shocked expression, she guessed it was bad.
"Do you know what you have done!" Ichigo was holding the remaining length of chain in utter horror.
"Of course! I killed you!" Tatsuki was about to wring his neck but something about how he had said it, such a jovial way, that caused her to stave her hand. He had something planned and he did say he would get Ichigo's powers back. Maybe this was the plan all along. She was shocked when Tessai had landed on Ichigo's back, holding him down.
"Before the next test, I have something to warn you about." Tatsuki just watched as Urahara teased Ichigo with the knowledge before he finally relented. "Don't. Look. Down." She watched the shopkeeper pull out his face as a hole opened underneath Ichigo. She couldn't help the giggle as he screamed falling down to the bottom of the pit.
"I hate you Geta-boshi!"
"You have 72 hours to find your lost shinigami powers and get out of that hole before your chain of fate is consumed and you become a hollow. If that happens I'll have to protect my shop." The hidden implications behind his words resonated with Tatsuki and Ichigo. If Ichigo became a hollow, he would have to be purified. In other words, killed. Tatsuki didn't want to think about that happening. She had faith that her friend would survive and regain his Shinigami powers so that they could save Rukia. She didn't even want to think of the implications of such an event happening either way.
Tatsuki sat nervously at the top of the pit as she stared down at Ichigo as he made another attempt to reach the top of the deep pit. It was almost 70 hours into the test and Ichigo was no closer to recovering his powers.
"He's going to make it." Tatsuki couldn't help the slight jump she made. That man hadn't made a sound when he had joined her. One second he wasn't and the next he was. She chuckled under her breath that she even had doubts. How could she doubt her closest friend? The whole idea seemed silly to her now. Ichigo would make it and they would show the soul society why they shouldn't mess with Karakura.
"Yeah, he wouldn't let himself fall so low." Glancing out of the corner of his eye at Tatsuki, Urahara could see the admiration almost radiate off of her. The last encroachment would be soon. The moment of truth would come. He just hoped he hadn't misplaced his faith.
The two onlookers saw the last of the chain eat itself away as Ichigo screamed in pain. A white, viscous substance exploded from every opening on his body and slowly started to form a mask.
"Ichigo...no." Tatsuki had a hand over her mouth as Ururu moved to put Ichigo down. She looked up at Urahara who was also holding back Ururu.
"There is still time. Usually, when a Hollow is born it will explode and dematerialize somewhere else but Ichigo's process is all wrong. His mask is forming first. He's fighting the process. He still might retrieve his soul reaper powers yet. Let's give him a few more minutes." His eyes never betrayed his feelings. Those shadows covering everything but one of his eyes. Starring. Watching. Waiting. He needed to see for himself whether Ichigo had given up. Then and only then would he kill the son of his friend.
Ichigo woke up on a metal structure of some kind. He slowly gained his bearing as he scanned his surroundings.
"So you've come as last, my King." Ichigo turned to face a demon straight out of hell. It stood tall with long, flowing, white hair. A horrifying black mask that covered the encompassed the entire head of the being. Black bull horns sticking out of the side, one each. It wore a flowing white cloak with white hakama. The edges of the creature's collar and wrists were black fur lightly shuffling in an invisible breeze.
"Who are you and where am I?" Ichigo studied the creature with fear, clear in his eyes. The last thing he remembered was the last encroachment taking place and unending pain.
"To answer the first, my name is Luna de sangre" Ichigo tilted his head to the side, questioningly. The creature sighed. "I had thought that you would be able to hear my name by now. Such a pity Kingy. Now I guess we have to do this the hard way."
"What do you mean? Are you my zanpakuto?" The creature nodded.
"That I am my King. In order to find my blade and name, you will have to race against time and get to know me personally." Ichigo couldn't see it but he felt a grin cross the creature's face. Now that he thought about it, it looked a lot like a hollow but its color scheme was all wrong. Like the opposite. It then drew a blade and Ichigo was forced to dodge. The orange-haired teen felt something on his cheek and reached a hand up to see. Blood streaked across his hand as he held it out in front of him. He didn't know for sure but he felt that if he hadn't dodged, he'd be dead.
"Why are you attacking me?! You're the spirit of my zanpakuto! You should be helping me!" Ichigo dodged another deadly strike, earning him a gash in the shoulder. Blood sprayed into the slowly blackening sky, as the world of sideways skyscrapers slowly started to dissolve.
"That ain't how I work Kingy!" Another dodge. Ichigo needed to think fast. Think about what Rukia and Uryu had said to him. Why was his zanpakuto spirit a hollow? Another dodge. He was running out of time.
"If you don't figure it out soon then I might have to give you a hint!" The zanpakuto spirit was aiming to kill him. But if they were connected then that meant it too would die if he died. So then why aim to kill? Ichigo was so confused! The world continued to fade. What was he missing?!
"I don't get it! Why, if you want me to know you and to find your name, would you want to attack me? Why try to kill me when it would mean your death by proxy?" The spirit grinned. Ichigo was close.
Only a few buildings left. They were miles deep underwater and Ichigo still hadn't figured it out. Was his King going to figure it out?
"You're running out of time King!" It almost sounded scared as it increased the speed of its onslaught. Ichigo had to continue dodging as the darkness slowly started to consume the building they were fighting on. He focused on those little bursts of speed he claimed as his own. It felt like what he was using, Rukia's power, but something lay underneath. Something he had tapped into. His fight with Fishbone D, Grandfisher and the giant hollow. The power he felt was his zanpakuto's, but it was also his. Almost as if the zanpakuto was his. He then ran at his zanpakuto, right as the shadows absorbed the building at his feet, following him as he rushed the spirit. Its blade, ready to strike Ichigo. He smiled as he felt the blade pierce his heart. He closed his arms around the spirit and the darkness consumed them.
"It would seem you figured it out, but it was too late." Ichigo rested his head on the shoulder of his zanpakuto spirit.
"I don't care, I'll still have you." The spirit smiled behind it's mask as he surrounded Ichigo with their warm reiatsu.
"It looks like we made the right decision." Before Ichigo could question the words of his zanpakuto spirit his world exploded in a bright flash of white.