Chapter 12: A Discovery of the Truth
Hey everyone! It's me sakuraphoenix, and I'm back with a new chapter! I know that it's been a while, but I'm back and ready to roll with a new chapter! Anyhow, disclaimer time.
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. I also don't own Shizuku. He belongs to Lyokowarrior1994
Enjoy!
Now that Ichigo and I have Soul Reapered up, we just need to wait for Mr. Handicrafts to get ready.
"Okay, now tell us what the rules for this thing. Let's get started already." Said Ichigo
He then pulled something out of his pocket. Just what is it?
"We'll use this to begin. It'll help." Said Uryu
'Don't let him use it Sakura! That's Hollow bait!'
"Wait! That's Hollow Bait, isn't it?-! You can't honestly be thinking about using that!" I exclaimed
"You actually know what this is. Then you must also know that when I crush this, Hollows will start gathering here quickly." Said Uryu
"What the hell?-!" exclaimed Ichigo
"The rules here are quite simple. Whichever team kills the most Hollows in twenty-four hours will be the winner. Simple, isn't it? Even you can understand how that works." Said Uryu
"That won't work! What are you thinking? Doing that will put everyone who lives here in danger. This battle's just between all three of us." Said Ichigo
"Why are you making such a big deal about this? Believe me, no one is going to get hurt, because I know I will be able to wipe out every single Hollow that shows up here. If you had more confidence in your abilities to protect people from harm, you wouldn't be worried, and you two would accept this challenge." Said Uryu
"There's a fine line between confidence and safety! Safety comes before confidence! Didn't your momma tell you that when you were a kid?-!" I exclaimed
"Oh I know that." Said Uryu
He crushed the bait. This is so not good. It sounded like cracking was occurring everywhere, and from the sky, a Hollow appeared! It roared as it appeared and was soon taken out by Uryu. Geez, talk about an advantage.
"And that's one for me." Said Uryu
Ichigo then pushed Uryu to the ground.
"Why does your face look so tense Ichigo Kurosaki?" asked Uryu
"Change things back right now. You get those Hollow out of here." Said Ichigo
"It's too late for that. Soon the bait will have the whole town crawling with Hollows. Sorry, but the dye has already been cast. You two should use your time in a better way than this. There's people out there that need you two." Said Uryu
Ichigo was clearly hesitant to let Uryu go, but he eventually did.
"I'd say you'd better get moving if you're going to protect the entire town from all those Hollows." Said Uryu
"Damn you." Said Ichigo
"I suppose I should remind you, it's a fact that Hollows have a tendency to attack those who have a high level of Spirit Energy first. I hope that helps." Said Uryu
Oh no! I remember that Grand Fisher attacked Umi and Tsubomi. Could either one of them have high Spirit Energy?
"Karin! Yuzu! Damn it!" exclaimed Ichigo
"Hey Ichigo! Wait up!" exclaimed Kon
"Mana, make sure that Umi and Tsubomi are safe. I'll get rid of any Hollows I find." I said
"What can you do?" asked Mana
"Something I've been meaning to try." I said
As I ran for the river, a Hollow appeared.
"Ruler, mask of flesh and blood, all things in the universe fly! That which names all in nature, gathering in heat of war! Beyond the seas in reverse, take steps to the south! Hado 31! Shakkaho! Red Flame Cannon!" I chanted
It hit the Hollow dead on, and I couldn't believe my eyes. I just cast a Hado after just seeing it once. I can't believe I remembered the chant.
"That's makes five so far. Umi and Tsubomi sometimes hang out here, but who else other than Ichigo's family and my own have high Spirit Energy?" I wondered
Shizuku's P.O.V.
This is strange. It feels like there's a big Hollow nearby.
"So Urahara, what's going on here?" asked Rukia
Our Soul Pagers began to beep. Oh why now?
"Damn it, a Hollow alert at a time like this? Excuse us Urahara. Business." I said
Rukia and I opened our pagers, and I think mine's really broke! The signal's gone!
"Why did the signal disappear?" asked Rukia
"Maybe Karen and Ichigo are doing well. Looks like they've grown for being Substitute Soul Reapers." I said
Our pagers beeped again. Huh? This is weird.
"It went blank again? What is with this thing?" asked Rukia
"They're probably broken, I mean the Soul Pagers are going haywire." I said
They beeped again, over and over! This isn't good.
"This is strange. I've never seen so many signals coming in so fast. This can't be, can it?" asked Rukia
"I'd say yes." I said as the color drained from my face
Rukia and I heard the scream of a Hollow and ran outside to look. There was something black in the sky. Could that be a portal to the home of the Hollows? Hueco Mundo?
"I'm feeling… all this agitated Spirit Energy." Said Rukia
"Oh no. What distraction is about to happen here?" I asked
Karen's P.O.V.
Sector one swept, now another to do. Before I could continue, I ran into a group of Hollows. This ain't good. I jumped out of the way just in time too.
'Sakura, jump into the air. Use one of the Hollows as a springboard!'
"Alright, alright! Do me a favor and quit calling me 'Sakura'. My name is Karen." I said
I jumped on top of one of the Hollows and jumped further into the air. I held my hand out, and words began to spill out of my mouth.
"Sprinkled on the bones of the beast! Sharp tower, red crystal, steel ring. Move and become the wind, stop and become the calm. The sound of warring spears fills the empty castle! Hado 63! Raikoho!" I chanted
Despite the fact it somewhat worked by getting rid of three Hollows at once, it kinda blew up in my face.
"*Cough* That was… unexpected." I said
Shizuku's P.O.V.
Now my Soul Pager's showing that the Hollows are gathering in one spot.
"This is bad. If I don't hurry, there's going to be a big problem." I said
I then noticed a flash of lightning in the distance.
"That was Raikoho. Oh shoot. Is someone from the Soul Society here?" I asked
I ran for the spot I saw the flash.
Karen's P.O.V.
"Well, now it was more like ¼ blow up, ¾ hit." I said
"Karen!" exclaimed a male voice
I saw Shizuku run up, and he stopped in his tracks. Didn't blame him. My hair looked like an electrical frizz.
"What happened?" asked Shizuku
"Remember that voice I told you about?" I asked
"Yeah…" said Shizuku
"Well, it told me the incantation to one of your Kido things." I said
"Whoa. Anyhow, do you know what's going on around here? There are Hollows popping up all over town!" exclaimed Shizuku
"Blame Uryu Ishida. He crushed some Hollow Bait earlier, and now Hollows are gathering like flies!" I exclaimed
"That explains the sky. I think I can help you out." Said Shizuku
"Huh?" I wondered
He took a soul pill, which had a dog head on it, and his soul popped out of his body.
"I've been at full strength for a while now Karen, but I stuck around." Said Shizuku
"Why?" I asked
"Tell you later. Come on, we need to hurry. And you, head back to Karen's place and stay hidden in the closet in her room." Said Shizuku
"You got it." Said the substitute soul
We ran until we found the others, and just in time too.
"You better get ready Uryu Ishida, 'coz I'm gonna beat the hell out of ya, do you know that?" asked Ichigo
Uryu was about to launch an arrow, but Shizuku was faster.
"Hado 4! Byakurai!" exclaimed Shizuku
And that was one Hollow that bit the dust.
"To you this is just a contest to see who can kill the most Hollows within a day. I think this is foolish, and I'm not interested in this game Uryu Ishida. If you were so sure that Quincy's are stronger than Soul Reapers, you would've fought me, Ichigo, Rukia, or Shizuku by now. You lack confidence in your skills, and that's why you crushed the Hollow Bait to lure all these Hollows here." I said
"Karen, Ichigo, look up there." Said Kon
We looked to the sky and saw this huge crack in the sky! Something big is coming.
"The Hollows… they're gathering." Said Uryu
Uryu then began running up the stairs.
"Where are you going? There are too many of them." Said Ichigo
"Now who's afraid Ichigo? If you don't have the guts just stay back here and watch. I told you before, I am the winner!" exclaimed Uryu
He fired an arrow at some of the Hollows, which effectively eliminated them.
"Down here filthy Hollows. I, Uryu Ishida, the last of the Quincy's challenge you!" exclaimed Uryu
"Is he really the last one?" I wondered
"It was thought they all became extinct 200 years ago. Well, not exactly. They were systematically killed by the Soul Reapers. Soul Reapers were also referred to as other named back then. They were called balancers or regulators." Said Rukia
"What did they balance?" asked Ichigo
"The number of souls in the Soul Society and the human world does not change by much as time goes by. They just trade places between two worlds. It's the job of Soul Reapers to regulate that, to keep the balance. It worked until the Quincy's disrupted the equation. The Quincy's didn't cleanse the Hollows, they destroyed them completely. This meant that any soul which left the Soul Society for the human world would never return. If things had continued that way, the balance between the two worlds would have collapsed. It would've meant the apocalypse. So there were many meetings between the Soul Reapers and the Quincy's but to no avail. The Quincy's refused to listen to reason. Finally, there was no choice. The order was given for the Quincy's annihilation. Many have accused the Soul Reapers of arrogance for their actions." Said Shizuku
When he finished, I couldn't help but feel a sudden guilt upon myself. Ichigo, Shizuku, and I started running in the direction where Uryu started running, and we soon saw a lot of Hollows. Found him.
"Uryu!" I exclaimed
Ichigo started charging through the Hollows. It's official. Ichigo Kurosaki, you are insane.
"Alright Uryu, now I understand why you think Soul Reapers are your enemies. I don't know who was right and who was wrong, the Soul Reapers or the Quincy's, but it was so long ago that I don't see how it matters anymore! But I'll tell you one thing I know for sure Uryu, your methods are…" started Ichigo
"That's all ancient history." Said Uryu
"Huh?" wondered Ichigo
"I don't care about some slaughter that happened 200 years ago. It's just one more fact that was passed down to me from my sensei. In fact, when I heard that story, I think I sided more with the Soul Reapers than I did with the Quincy's. That is, until my sensei was murdered. He was a kind gentleman with no hatred in his heart! To the very end, he tried to convince the Soul Reapers that Quincy's were necessary! He kept encouraging them to work together! Suggesting new ways to fight the Hollows, but the Soul Reapers always had the same answer to his efforts! 'Don't interfere with our work' Then one day, five Hollows appeared and surrounded sensei. It was obvious that he couldn't take them on his own, and yet not one Soul Reaper came to his aid! They knew about the Hollows. Sensei was under constant surveillance and yet it was two hours before they finally arrived. If only they had listened to his advice, if only they had heeded his warning, then he wouldn't have been alone. Help would've reached him in time, and sensei wouldn't have wound up dead. Now do you understand Ichigo Kurosaki? Karen Tsukimori? That's the reason this is so important, why I have to prove to you and all Soul Reapers the superior strength of the Quincy! I realize that our methods are different, that our ways of thinking are at opposite poles, so if you really believe my way is wrong, then stay back and watch. Watch and witness the true power of…" started Uryu
"Shut up already!" Ichigo exclaimed as he kicked the back of Uryu's head
"Why am I friends with him, I will never know." I muttered
"What is your problem?" asked Uryu
"You messed up your own story. Your sensei wouldn't want you to prove the strength of the Quincy's. You said it yourself, his greatest hope was for Quincy's and Soul Reapers to work together! Isn't that right? Come on, think about it. When will you ever have a better chance to do that than right here surrounded by enemies? You say we're at opposite poles, but I say when two warriors are heavily outnumbered, the trick is to fight back-to-back." Said Ichigo
What? Is he ignoring me and Shizuku? We're helping too.
"Very well." Said Uryu
"Now that was nice." Said Ichigo
"I didn't do it for you. I only did it because they were about to attack me." Said Uryu
"So what? That's alright. It's kill or be killed." Said Ichigo
"Sheesh, can't the guy take a compliment?" I wondered
"You know, you and I were the same at first." Said Shizuku
"True, but what's more important here is that when we work together, we can kill a lot more of these Hollows. Uryu, isn't that good enough of a reason to work together? After all, all four of us share the same single-minded purpose. We all have reasons to destroy as many Hollows as we can." I said
"You know my reason, but what's yours?" asked Uryu
"My mother and father were killed right in front of my eyes by a Hollow when I was four years old. I was left blind until I was nine." I said
"My mother was killed by a Hollow, the same one that killed Karen's parents." Said Ichigo
"And my best friend was turned into a Hollow." Said Shizuku
I saw that Uryu had a look of shock on his face.
"I'm sure you'll agree that's enough of a reason all by themselves, but there's still more to it than that. After all the agony I had to suffer for many years, the trauma of losing my sight, and my family all at once. I don't want others to feel the same pain I did. My aunt and grandparents went through so much pain after mom and dad were killed. When I couldn't see it, it was painful for me to watch the change in their spirit energy. That's something I don't want to see or feel ever again, that sadness in their faces. I'm no hero, and I'm not trying to be. I know I can't protect everyone in the world, but that doesn't mean I'm going to be content protecting the people I can hold in my arms either. I'll protect as many people as I can. Your method of using bait to deliberately draw Hollows here was pointless, stupid, but pointless." I said
"Endangering innocent lives just to prove a point? I don't agree with that, but right now is not the time for arguments. We gotta work together, all four of us. So what do you say?" asked Ichigo
"What do I say? I think you two talk too much, but I understand what you're saying. I have to help you guys survive this battle or you won't be around for me to kick your butt." Said Uryu
"Sounds like a plan!" exclaimed Ichigo
"Those two are insane!" I exclaimed
"And to think I thought you were crazy before." Said Shizuku
"Be glad that we're fighting Hollows, otherwise I would've punched your lights out." I said
We were defeating Hollows left and right, and soon we were all back to back again, and it seemed like Uryu noticed something.
"What the? Ichigo! Karen! Shizuku! Look at the sky." Said Uryu
Something was coming through the crack in the sky. Something big, very big.
"What's that?" asked Ichigo
"I… I don't know." Said Uryu
"Well I know. It's a Menos Grande! It's a whole class higher than a regular Hollow!" exclaimed Shizuku
"Well, it for sure isn't your everyday garden variety Hollow." Said Ichigo
"That little bit of bait I used can't possibly have drawn this." Said Uryu
"Maybe you used the extra-strength bait!" I exclaimed
"Whatever the case, it's here." Said Shizuku
The Hollows were on the offensive again!
"Here they come!" Uryu, Ichigo, Shizuku and I exclaimed in unison
They were charging at us, but then some kind of bazooka took them out. Whoa. That's something you don't see every day.
"Um, sorry we're so late." Said the girl with pigtails
"Jinta slams a triple!" a boy with red hair exclaimed
And the last guy, with a lot muscle, well, single-handedly took out a Hollow, literally.
"I thought you might need a little assistance Ichigo, Karen, Shizuku." Said Kisuke
"Mr. Hat-and-clogs." Said Ichigo
"Kisuke." I said
"Urahara." Said Shizuku
All three of them were beginning to take out the Hollows, a lot better than we were.
"If you don't mind me making a suggestion, why don't my crew and I take care of these small fries for you three while you go concentrate on that big guy. Oh uh, you should probably get started before it's too late." Said Kisuke
"Are you nuts! Only the Royal Special Task Force can handle this thing! No single Soul Reaper can handle it!" exclaimed Shizuku
That's when it looked at us. Wow, this thing really puts people with a fear of heights well, down to size.
"That thing is too big for any of our weapons." Said Uryu
"Ha! Just because it's overfed, doesn't change anything. We're just gonna have to chop a little more." Said Ichigo
"Chop?" Uryu, Shizuku, and I asked in unison
"Yep, and the bigger they are, the harder they fall. Come on! Together we'll take that ugly sucker down! Let's go!" exclaimed Ichigo
"Ichigo! Don't be crazy!" exclaimed Uryu
"Ichigo, Ichigo stop! You four aren't enough to go up against Menos Grande!" exclaimed Rukia
Ichigo charged at the thing, but then got kicked back. What does that guy have for brains?
"We told you that would happen." Said Uryu
He fired an arrow, but it only left a dent in the mask.
"Damn it! Hey Ichigo, so can you get up?" asked Uryu
"Sure, I'm good as new." Ichigo said as a head wound appeared
"That was the dumbest charge I think I've ever seen. What were you thinking?-! Did you actually think that would work?-!" I exclaimed
"Huh? Well, I figured, if I just kept chopping away on him like a giant tree, I'd eventually bring him down to the point where I could whack him on the head!" exclaimed Ichigo
I groaned at the stupidity of that plan as Shizuku gave himself a face-palm. Welcome to my life Shizuku. We hope you enjoy your stay.
"I can't believe you're acting like this is some kind of little kid's game. Now get up and let's try a different strategy." Said Uryu
As he touched Ichigo's zanpaku-to, his bow grew bigger! Wow, how did he do that?
"What'll I try next?" asked Ichigo
"Ichigo, look." Said Uryu
"What did you do Uryu? How did your bow get so big?" asked Ichigo
"Just be quiet and listen. I think there actually may be a way we can defeat this thing. Are you ready to do it?" asked Uryu
"While you two are doing that, Karen, I'll need your help. You managed to use Raikoho without it blowing up, that's a good thing." Said Shizuku
"You mean blowing up completely. The last time I used Raikoho, it blew up ¼ in my face." I said
"Point is, I think you can handle this next trick. It's a Kido-based barrier. It'll keep the Hollow inside, but it's a tricky one. We'll need to use hand seals. It'll keep the damage to a minimum, and no one will be able to enter the area once the barrier is up." Said Shizuku
"And you're asking me for help because?" I asked
"With the potential you have, we can make the barrier as tall as Menos Grande." Said Shizuku
"Then that works for me." I said
When Shizuku and I finally finished the barrier, the Hollow was directly over us, and it was charging something up. My hair began to stand on end as a subsequent result.
"Oh no. It's a Cero! If that thing hits us, there'll be nothing left of us!" exclaimed Shizuku
"Guess we better run." I said
Just before we could, Ichigo pushed us out of the way, and blocked the attack with his zanpaku-to. But what's up with this Spiritual Pressure? Is it coming from Ichigo? If this is the vast amount of Spirit Energy he has within him, then that means he's been at minimum all this time. It's like a tap of water. Normally, people would just shut it off, but Ichigo did that, his Spiritual Pressure would skyrocket, just like it's doing right now! If that pressure were to be released somehow, I can only imagine what his potential could be. Suddenly, he wounded Menos Grande, and caused it to retreat! Ichigo Kurosaki, you are a man of mystery.
"I win!" exclaimed Ichigo
Followed with an anime fall. Is that all you ever care about Ichigo?
"Well, what's the matter you guys? You three don't have anything to say? I just saved your butts and cleaned up your mess Uryu. It seems like you could at least say thank you or congratulations or something." Said Ichigo
He soon collapsed. Must be tired.
"That's weird. I can't move." Said Ichigo
Suddenly, the distribution of Spirit Energy inside Ichigo was going berserk!
"What's happening?" asked Ichigo
"The zanpaku-to, it's breaking down." Said Uryu
"Ichigo released all his Spirit Energy at one time. It looks like it put too much strain on his body." Said Shizuku
"Isn't there something we can do?" I asked
Uryu then ran up to Ichigo and placed his foot on his zanpaku-to. His bow grew, and he fired an arrow. He was firing multiple arrows. Was he trying to lower his Spirit Energy to save his life?
"What do you think you're doing?" asked Ichigo
"Shut up." Said Uryu
"But Uryu, your arm is getting torn apart." Said Ichigo
"I said shut up! How many times do I have to tell you? I have to make sure you survive so I have someone to pummel in the future! Stay alive Soul Reaper, so I can beat the hell out of you, and so you can try to do the same to me Ichigo!" exclaimed Uryu
He kept firing arrow after arrow until Ichigo's Spirit Energy had finally stabilized. Uryu was then on his knees. Sheesh, those two are so alike.
"How am I supposed to beat up that guy? He's just so pathetic." Said Ichigo
Ichigo, you really are an idiot sometimes.
Done and done! Wow, this took a while, but above and all, I'm finally done! Please review, and until next time, I'm sakuraphoenix, saying I heart you, signing off for now. Kan dao ni!