AN: Yo! I'm happy to be back after such a long hiatus. I'm sorry about it, I just had basically four weeks of tests and work and more tests, then this group project thing me and my friends have been working on. It's been a pretty hectic month and I'm glad it's over.
Anyways, I'm not sure, but I don't think that the notification e-mail actually got sent out for the last chapter, as I didn't get a confirmation e-mail despite the fact that it was posted. So, if you didn't get the e-mail and didn't read last chapter, it's up, too.
Thirdly, I'm super excited after seeing that Kingdom Hearts footage from E3. It looks amazing and I can't wait for it to be postponed three more times for no reason. Ah, Square Enix.
Response:
To cturner971/Chretner: I'm glad you look forward to these chapters. They're as entertaining to write as they are to read, I hope, and this will go on for a while. I love writing these stories.
Anyways, to everyone: I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Chapter 4: Inner Darkness
Jaune and Ichigo crouched together at the top of the large white building that overlooked the Sokyuoku hill. It had been days since they had recovered from their injuries received at the hands of that monstrous Kenpachi, though both had gained more than a few bruises from their respective sparring partners. Still, Ichigo had managed to unlock a transformation of his sword that made him much more powerful; maybe enough to go toe to toe with Byakuya, if what Yoruichi said about this 'Bankai' was to be believed. Jaune, on the other hand, had only managed to be shown by Yang just how little fun it was to be a punching bag.
Jaune watched as, far below, Rukia Kuchiki was marched slowly out of her cell and led towards the huge, 'H' shaped stand at the center of the hill. He glanced over at Ichigo worriedly. The Reaper was wrapped up with bandages down his chest and both arms. A black strap roped around his torso and down his left arm, buckling onto a band at his wrist. Yoruichi had also supplied him with a large, brown cape clasped with a hexagon at his left shoulder. The cape was made of a very light cloth and was imbued with some sort of magic that even let the Reaper fly with some concentration. "You okay?" Jaune inquired quietly.
The young Reaper's jaw was clenched tight. "I'm going to be fine in a few minutes," he responded finally. He was fighting off the urge to fly in now and attack everyone immediately, as Yoruichi had yet to send them the signal that she was ready to attack alongside them. Ichigo shut his eyes and took a breath to try and calm himself. "I just hate waiting when I should be fighting."
"I get you," Jaune said. "But we need to keep an eye out. That Byakuya guy took us down in three seconds flat! I'd rather not get nearly killed by flowers again – it's too much like losing to Ruby in sparring matches when those start flying around."
"What?" Ichigo asked, suddenly confused.
"Never mind. Just... just hold off until we get the go ahead from Yoruichi."
Ichigo growled again and tightened his grip on the massive cleaver resting on his shoulder. "Alright already, let it go! I already said I would," he grumbled angrily. Still, he was smiling at this. They were close – so close that there was no way they were going to lose now. "I'll give her until they put Rukia on that thing. Then I'm heading in no matter what."
"If she doesn't signal us by then, I'll help you mys – " He froze and stared down as a hundred spheres of Darkness erupted out of nowhere, leaving Heartless in their wake as they disappeared. The Reaper Captains that were present drew their weapons and began to shout, ordering their underlings to draw their weapons and begin to defend themselves. One of the creatures appeared behind the procession leading Rukia to her death and easily cut down one of her guards. It jumped up and down for a moment, then threw itself at Rukia with blade raised above its head.
Ichigo was gone before Jaune could do anything. There was a bright flash as Ichigo's large cleaver slashed the Heartless in two, the weapon glowing with a white-blue energy that Ichigo barely managed to hold in. Even from as far as he was, Jaune could see that Ichigo's stance was filled to the brim with cool rage. Jaune stood up and summoned the Kingdom Key back to his hand. "Welp, better get down there," he muttered to himself, then leaped off of the tower with his Keyblade raised in both hands.
A Ronin Heartless looked up as Jaune screamed his way down before slashing the creature in two, the creature's Darkness flaring up before dispersing in smoke around the Keyblade wielder. He looked up and sprinted towards the closest Heartless on his path towards Ichigo, but his attack was blocked by the Heartless' blade. He spun beneath the block, however, pulling his weapon with him and slashing upward through the Heartless. He was running again before it was even dead, carving his way towards Rukia and Ichigo. Huh, I guess sparring with Yang did help after all, he thought to himself. He jumped past an attack made by the last Ronin on his path and it turned to smoke with a quick movement of his Keyblade, its Heart rising towards the sky just like all the others.
"Ichigo!" Rukia shouted as the rest of her guards bailed or were cut down by Heartless. "Y-you're alive!"
"Duh," Ichigo pointed out in response, deflecting the blow of a Ronin and then performing a back kick that sent it flying. "Your stupid brother couldn't kill me back in the human world, so there was no way he'd be able to do it now."
Rukia looked ready to berate him for a moment, but was cut off by a dark skinned arm grabbing her by the back of her white robe. "I said to wait, you two," Yoruichi growled, narrowing her eyes on Ichigo and Jaune. She looked down at Rukia. "Boys – never listen, do they?"
"Ichigo isn't very good at it," Rukia noted dryly.
"Shut it, Midget!" Ichigo growled while he continued to defend their group alongside Jaune. "You won't even let me save you; if one of us can't listen, it's you! Besides, these monster things showed up and tried to kill Rukia. I had to get down here!"
Jaune laughed once, but otherwise didn't turn his attention away from battle. "Okay, we've got Rukia. Now what?" he asked. He slapped a Ronin's sword into the ground before kicking the creature into the path of another Heartless' attack. The two creatures of shadow exploded as they collided, both disappearing completely in a burst of smoke.
"I would think that was obvious." The four looked towards the source of the voice just in time to see a swarm of pink flower petals rocketing towards them.
"Move!" Ichigo shouted, shoving Yoruichi and Rukia out of the way, then raising his blade in front of him defensively. Jaune followed suit and the two were hit by a massive force that forced them backwards through the dirt. "Grrrr – AGH!" Ichigo and Jaune flicked their weapons upward at the same time, sending the stream of pink into the sky and away. They took a moment to glance at where Yoruichi and Rukia had been a moment earlier: Yoruichi had taken the younger woman elsewhere, moving to deposit her before returning to help Jaune and Ichigo.
They were blindsided by another stream of pink a half second later. "Okay, don't look away from Flower Power. Got it," Jaune groaned as he pushed himself up to his feet to glare at Byakuya Kuchiki. He looked over at Ichigo beside him while keeping an eye on the quietly enraged captain. "Ready for this?"
Ichigo's eyes narrowed on the ever calm Byakuya. "Oh, hell yeah." He raised his weapon towards the Captain and grinned, an expression full of hunger for battle. The wind began to whip up around him, power swirling around his body ever faster and more dangerously. His cloak fluttered and began to fall apart in the wind. The cloth on Zangetsu wrapped around his arm, coiling like a snake. "Byakuya, I'm not going to let you take away someone who has changed my life, who saved my life! You want a fight, here it comes – Bankai!"
Jaune jumped back, avoiding the initial explosion of energy that centered on Ichigo. A blade of white shot towards Byakuya, who stood still the entire time. The white engulfed him a half second later, and Jaune briefly wondered if Ichigo had managed to defeat – if not murder – Byakuya in a single blow. As the light died down, it slowly became clear that was not the case. Instead of simple destruction, a coffin of pink petals stood firm where the captain had been standing before the explosion of power. They parted and revealed that Byakuya was fine, completely unharmed by the force of Ichigo's attack.
Meanwhile, the wind continued to sirl around Ichigo, pulling in dirt and stone as his power came to its full potential. Jaune could even feel himself being dragged in, so he stabbed the Kingdom Key into the ground and braced against the pull. "Ichigo, you're showing off!" he shouted over the whipping wind.
The wind stopped at that, and a pulse of power rippled out from the epicenter. The dust cleared away instantly, revealing Ichigo standing in a completely new outfit. The top half of his outfit had turned into a long, black cloak with jagged edges and a thin white lining that curved from the inside to the outside. The main body of the inside layer was blood red, unlike the inside of his original uniform which had been white and black, and the arms of this ankle long coat had become fitted at the wrists. Cloth bandages wrapped around his torso and were tucked beneath the same baggy pants as before. The biggest change, however, was the stark evolution of his sword. Where once it had been a massive meat cleaver, now Zangetsu was a thin, long, and elegant looking blade of pure black. Four links formed a chain at the end of the handle and reminded Jaune slightly of the weapon in his own hands. He angled his weapon at Byakuya and grinned, saying, "Tensa Zangetsu... I'm gonna enjoy this."
"With that small weapon? No, you will not." Byakuya summoned his blade back to his hand and pointed its tip straight at the ground. "Not even with a Keyblade Wielder at your side will you be able to destroy me. Bankai – Senkei Senbonzakura Kageyoshi!" He dropped the blade and it melted through the ground, leaving behind only ripples in the stone.
Jaune was immediately hit with another explosion of power, this time emanating from Byakuya. "Is this just a common thing here!?" he shouted as he pulled the Kingdom Key from the ground and forced himself to advance on Byakuya. The sky darkened above him, a black nothingness that began to expand into the walls of a dome. Heartless bounced off of the powerful barriers and died, Light bursting from their bodies. "Oh, good, everyone else can transform their weapons and I can't. I was starting to get homesick."
Pink swords appeared along the walls of the dome, slowly spinning around the battlefield. Jaune immediately knew that this meant attacks could come from any direction and readied to block. "Sure, it's real pretty, but it won't stop me!" Ichigo shouted, tensing his legs and launching himself directly at Byakuya. "I'll beat you whether the sky is blue or black!"
"Ichigo, wait!" Jaune shouted, sprinting after the other man. He raised the Kingdom Key and threw himself behind Ichigo on instinct, raising the Keyblade and blocking a pink sword that had been rushing for the small of Ichigo's back. The pink weapon shattered into a thousand petals as it collided with the Keyblade, petals floating back to the dome of swords and reforming into a new blade. Jaune turned his attention over his shoulder to Ichigo, thinking he had helped save him, only to see a half dozen more blades shooting at Ichigo from every direction.
Ichigo noticed them, too, slashing at the attacks with his own blade. One, two, three fell quickly to Zangetsu. Jaune ran again, throwing the Kingdom Key ahead and shattering another two before jumping ahead and tackling Ichigo out of the way of the last attack. The two tumbled across the ground, Jaune pushing himself to their feet as they went. Jaune summoned his weapon back to his hand and raised it defensively. "Why'd you do that, I had him!" Ichigo shouted before jumping to his feet, too.
"And a sword through the neck. We need to go in side by side!" Jaune snapped back. "Or would you rather die and never see your girlfriend again?"
"I – fine, let's just do this."
"Even together you won't be able to defeat me," Byakuya repeated simply. He summoned a pair of blades to his hands from the pink dome, and then settled into a ready stance that looked almost as effortless as it did deadly. "I will destroy two threats to the Soul Society in one fell swoop."
Then he charged forward, moving at speeds that anyone who wasn't a Keyblade Wielder or a Reaper of Ichigo's caliber could see. Still, they were barely able to avoid the twin swords, each slashing at the throat of one of Byakuya's opponents. Jaune stumbled backwards while Ichigo raised Zangetsu to block the attack and move directly into his own. Jaune recovered and did the same, the two hoping that they could throw Byakuya off his game if they fought him simultaneously.
However, true to his word, Byakuya made sure that the presence of both warriors was completely meaningless. Ichigo slashed with fast, precise strikes at Byakuya, putting as much power as possible into every blow. Byakuya would simply sidestep, block, or redirect the blow towards Jaune, who was having trouble keeping up with the two warriors. They would disappear and reappear every few moments, as if they were moving at speeds he had only ever seen Ruby truly master. That he could see and respond at all was probably only because of the Keyblade and his experience with his friend.
Despite his obvious disadvantage, he was surviving. The Keyblade's ability to be summoned back to his hand at any point made it a very useful defensive weapon if one thought about using it in the right way. Every time Byakuya or Ichigo's blade would come too close to his off side and he wasn't ready to block, he could summon the weapon to his other hand and use it to give him a buffer to dodge the attack. He even got a few strikes in at Byakuya, and a few of both his and Ichigo's made their way through the Captain's defense. Likewise, retaliatory blows would occasionally leave trails of blood flying from Ichigo and leave hefty dents in Jaune's Aura.
The Keyblade Wielder swung again as an opening presented itself, throwing the Keyblade around with the full force he could muster in an attack. He soon found himself face to face with the Reaper for a moment. A memory appeared in Jaune's mind, a tortured explosion from the final battle with Salem. "I am going to your home, to the people you love the most. I'm going to make you watch as you slaughter each of them."
"She's your sister!" He snapped as the pain grew in his chest, threatening to explode outward. "I have sisters. A family, and if anyone ever threatened them, I would destroy them! You have to see that you should be helping us!" Black energy began to flare up on the edge of the Keyblade and the twin blades in Byakuya's hands shattered. The Reaper looked taken aback, barely managing to dodge in time to avoid the energy lashing out at him. Jaune's eyes widened in fear and self disgust and he jumped backwards, fighting to get his emotions under control while Ichigo began to make the most of their temporary advantage.
"He's right, Byakuya. You should be trying to save Rukia," Ichigo snapped, slashing downward with his blade. The Captain danced around the brunt of the blow, though the sword managed to skin his shoulder and leave a bloody red mark. Two more blades rushed to Byakuya's hands, and he moved as if he had not been hurt in the slightest. One moved out to slap Ichigo's weapon away while the other simultaneously flashed downward and into Ichigo's foot. "GAH!" Ichigo's scream was silenced by four stiff fingers to the throat followed up by a back kick to the chest. His foot was torn from the blade that buried it in the ground, but Ichigo was already unconscious by the time he was in the air.
"Fools, both of you," the Captain muttered as he approached Jaune with another blade in his hand. Jaune raised his weapon defensively, forcing himself from his shock, but it was too late: Byakuya's blade slapped the Keyblade from his hands and moved almost instantaneously to his throat. "Honor, the Law, and the World are not worth one life. Even the life of my sister."
Jaune glared over at the Captain, refusing the fear rising in his gut."Take it from someone who betrayed the people who loved him. You'll regret it forever," Jaune told the captain hollowly, taking a half step back. He summoned the Keyblade back to his hands just as Byakuya raised one finger towards him.
Byakuya's index finger began to glow with a bright blue light. "Hado Four – Byakur -" Byakuya grunted in surprise and pain as a black and red explosion of power slammed into the small of his back and sent him flying over Jaune.
The Keyblade wielder wasn't sure to be happy or worried. That was Darkness, the exact same Darkness Zangetsu had used against him in Ichigo's Heart. "Ichigo -" he raised his Keyblade defensively as quickly as he could, barely managing to catch the massive wave of black and red Darkness that had rushed towards him. Jaune let the weapon fall to his side as he watched Ichigo's body walk towards him without a single wound and some sort of white material swirling around his face. "Who are you?"
The first response that Jaune received was unnerving, manic laughter that sounded like a high pitched, echoing farce of Ichigo's. The second was just as unnerving. "You've forgotten me so fast, Keyboy? I guess that's fair, you were busy getting your face smashed in by the old man, after all." The face looked up at him, Ichigo's sanity replaced with Darkness behind half of a white, skull like mask adorned with three crimson lines reaching above the eye and down the nose, a similar shape below the eye. Ichigo's eyes had turned black with golden, Dark-filled irises. "You smell Dark, you know. I want see what that's all about!" Then the figure wearing Ichigo launched itself at Jaune, and the two sided battle became three sided.
S M H S
Yang sprinted across the bridge leading towards the Central 46, ignoring her reflection in the crystal clear waters on either side of it in favor of the large red doors at the other end of the pathway. Something big was going on, she could tell. Jaune and Ichigo were doing something stupid – which she probably could have figured out just from meeting the two. But she could also feel this weight in the air, like they were doing something really stupid. "If those two didn't listen to Yoruichi, they're probably going to die," she muttered to herself as she approached the door. She clenched one fist at her side and leaped into the air, ignoring the rows and columns of blades that appeared out of the door frame to reinforce the gate. She'd be able to break through no sweat with the massive fireball that she was creating in her fist. She threw it forward, and a Firaga shot from her hand and exploded against the door. Wood and steel flew both out of the building and into it, some even splashing into the water. Yang landed amidst the wreckage of the door and swords and shook her head. "So much for that cutting edge design. You'll need a sharper mind to come up with a wall I can't break!" She laughed to herself then looked around in disappointment, noting that there was no one else to hear her. "Aw..."
She sullenly kicked a shard of debris with her right foot; she wasn't a fan of this 'working alone' type thing anymore. She'd spent too much time working with someone to go back now. Hopefully the next place she and Jaune went they wouldn't have to split up. She grew happier at that thought and ran inside.
Yang sprinted down a flight of stairs, a faint scent growing ever stronger. "What is that?" she wondered aloud, her steps progressively slowing down. The smell was rotten, the scent of something decaying and – Yang stopped halfway down the stairs as she caught sight of a massive pool of dried blood at the bottom of the stairs. Her fists clenched at her sides and Ember Celica shot into its activated form. Yang took a cautious step down the stairs, waiting for an attack that did not come. Then she took another step, then another, until finally she was at the bottom and could see the full carnage that had taken place.
There were dozens of bodies strewn about the room, each covered in deep gashes created from a sword moving through their bodies at high speeds. Pillows and tables were thrown everywhere, many of them also cut into pieces by the same blade. She walked down the steps and into the center of the carnage. "Ah, a visitor. I honestly expected it to be a Reaper, not one of you Ryoka. Sorry about the mess, I suppose I shouldn't have left it lying around." Yang spun around and launched a Firaga at the newcomer, only for the massive fireball to be easily slapped aside by a plain looking katana. The blade was slowly lowered, revealing a Soul Reaper Captain standing where she had been a moment earlier. He was tall – especially for the people of this world. He had brown hair parted slightly to the right of center that dangled down around and over his square glasses. His features could easily be mistaken for mild, or even kind, but the flatness of his eyes betrayed boredom and cruelty. The man raised his weapons out to his side and his smirk grew more cruel and self confident. "So, you finally found me and discovered my plans. Surely you are surprised to learn I am still alive!"
"...Uh -" Yang was cut off as the man began to explain his actions in the typical 'I'm the bad guy' way. First Torchwick, then Taurus, Weiss' Dad, Salem, and now this? It was becoming a little too routine for her liking. To be fair, however, his voice was uncharacteristically saccharine for this speech.
"From the very beginning, since I became a Captain, this has been my plan. The little people here could never hope to understand me, understand my true identity. I – "
"Which is?"
The man stopped talking, freezing and glaring down at the woman with increasingly angry eyes. "What?"
"Oh, I'm sorry Mr. Bad Guy, I must not have been clear. Who are you?" Yang asked. She crossed her arms and glared at him with as much mocking and sarcasm as she could muster. "You're acting like you're something you're not – interesting."
The man scoffed and shut his eyes, holding back his anger. "I assumed Yoruichi would tell you of me." Yang raised an eyebrow at that. She assumed Yoruichi's presence wouldn't be known by anyone, so how did this man who looked like the walking dictionary definition of average know about her? "Surprised that I know about her and Kisuke?"
Yang turned around, jumping when she saw that the man had appeared behind her as well. "What the hell?"
"You are not one of Ichigo's... 'friends.' That must mean you came here with the Keyblade Wielder." The figure smirked as her fist came up, again coated in flames. He simply moved his hand and caught her wrist, letting the flames soar past him and into the wall. "You're obviously think you're very strong, don't you?"
She turned, the figure disappearing and the voice coming again from the doorway. The man stared at her. "Okay. Maybe you are interesting..." she paused, waiting for a name.
"Oh, you'll learn soon enough." He raised his blade. "Come. Take the first move. I won't even move from where I'm standing right now, Little Girl."
Yang snarled and clenched her fists at her sides, her hair flaring up like flames and her eyes turning a deep scarlet at the insult. "Oh, you sound pretty cocky for a guy that makes easy listening singers look tough," she growled from behind a confident facade. In all honesty, the man scared her. He seemed to be moving faster than she could even see, or was maybe in two places at the same time. She raised her fists.
"Big talk only makes one look small, Little Girl."
Yang ignored him and threw her fist straight down, a Blizzaga materializing in her fist and slamming into the ground. The man's eyebrow raised in surprise and interest at the sudden change in her spell use and the stark contrast with her flaming hair. The floor quickly froze solid, ice spreading out in every direction and creeping over the bodies in the room and over the body of the man standing at the top of the stairs. Yang stood up quickly and raised her fists behind her, firing off a pair of Firagas and flying at her opponent, letting her deliver a massive blow that shattered him completely into a thousand, icy fragments. She landed on her feet and raised her fists warily. Her fight with Flower Power had been more difficult than that, which meant that this one had been too easy.
"I see I was wrong. You are smarter than you let on." Yang turned just in time for a blade to slash across her chest, sending her tumbling backwards. She could tell that the one blow had taken out a quarter of her Aura. She also could tell that the attack was nowhere near a serious one. She raised her gauntlets to block the next attack, jumping to the side and launching a Blizzard spell at the man, quickly followed by a Fire from her other hand. He sidestepped the two attacks easily, then angled his blade at Yang's throat. She caught the attack in her prosthetic palm, yanking down on the weapon and launching a punch directly at the Reaper's face. This attack actually looked like it somewhat surprised him, and a wave of power rushed out of his body. Yang was thrown away before her attack could land and she slammed into the wall hard, another chunk of her aura vanishing from the force of the blow.
The man walked towards her. "Well, I must say that I am impressed. I did not expect you to have such a high quality prosthesis or such varying abilities. Still, you were no match for someone with my level of power. It was a mistake to challenge me." The man's blade rose to Yang's throat and smirked again. "You will not make that mistake again... Though you could still serve a purpose." His blade lowered and he pulled Yang onto the floor a short distance from the wall. He took a long strip of white cloth from within his shihakusho, then turned away from the young woman and began to spin the cloth around them
"I'm going to kick your -"
Yang was cut off by a foot snapping across her face, knocking her out.
S M H S
Jaune jumped backwards, narrowly avoiding the black blade that had been rushing at him. The metal slammed into the ground and the force of the blow shattered it, causing the area to sink downards. Jaune, already a somewhat clumsy young man, flailed as the ground beneath him gave out and caved in. The manic laughter continued and the sword came down in an overhead blow again. Jaune raised the Keyblade and blocked the blow, already knowing that whatever this thing was, it was not fighting him seriously. The force ripped through his arms and down his spine, forcing Jaune to one knee. "You're putting Ichigo in a lot of danger, Keyboy! I'm wondering why he's putting up with you!" Ichigo's foot came up and punted Jaune out of the crater.
Jaune flipped himself upright midair and glanced down. He caught sight of a pair of pink tinged swords flying towards him, so he batted the closest one away – shattering it into a thousand pink shards – then twisted around the next one. "Really? We don't have more important things to worry about?!" Jaune snapped, swirling midair to deliver a powerful blow to Byakuya Kuchiki's guard. The man slid back a few feet from the blow and jumped to the side, avoiding an explosive wave of black and red energy that slammed into the ground where he had stood.
"What's up with all the talking? You trying to make friends, Byakuya?" the creature controlling Ichigo asked mockingly as it landed in a crouch in front of Byakuya. It laughed menacingly and slashed upward, the attack leaving a deep red gash in the man's chest despite his best attempts to evade the attack. The monster was forced backwards when a flurry of blades rained through him, sending him flying back and leaving a trail of blood on the ground leading into a cloud of dust.
The cloud was torn apart a moment later, a completely undamaged Ichigo-Creature leaping towards Jaune and Byakuya at high speeds. Jaune ducked beneath the first blow, simultaneously bringing his Keyblade up to block Byakuya's attack. Then he used the distraction of Byakuya's second blade rushing towards Ichigo's throat to resummon his Keyblade and slam it into the monster's side. The creature cried out in pain and fury before it was thrown into Byakuya's sword, the pink edge piercing its side before disappearing when the two bodies collided.
"That... hurt," the creature said as it stood up. It slashed down, trying to kill Byakuya, but he disappeared in a blur of black and reappeared, bleeding, on the other side of the dome. The three warriors were now standing in an equilateral triangle. Jaune and Byakuya waited, knowing that the thing controlling Ichigo would make the first move and quickly; it didn't seem the patient type.
And they were right. "Getsuga Tenshou!" the monster screamed, the red and black energy swirling around the blade in Ichigo's hand. The monster flicked Ichigo's wrist and the energy stopped swirling, instead flying in a jagged arc directly at Byakuya. The man moved to dodge, but the energy hit him before he could move. Simultaneously, the creature leaped at Jaune and their blades collided with a loud, pealing ring. "I'm going to kill you for your little stunt, you idiot!"
"Ichigo, get control of yourself!" Jaune yelled as he was forced backwards by the creature.
The creature laughed. "Ichigo handed control over to me! He knows he can't do this himself, he knows I can do it all for him and that's the only way he'll beat Byakuya!" The monster mocked. It raised the blade and slammed it back down on Jaune's blade, again and again. The force kept running down the Keyblade Wielder's limbs and shaking his fingers, threatening to tear the weapon from his grasp. "I'm the only way he can even win!"
"Ichigo, is it even your win if this thing takes Byakuya down? Does it mean anything if a it's a monster thatbeats Byakuya and not someone who cares about Rukia?" Jaune shouted as the Keyblade was torn from his hands. It soared through the air, burying itself in the dirt beside its wielder.
The creature, its mask almost completely covering Ichigo's face now, looked down at Jaune and laughed gleefully. "Of course it -" It froze, the eyes visible behind the mask widening. "What? What are you doing? I have this finished! Byakuya can't win! This idiot can't get you killed anymore!"
The creature staggered backwards, swinging the sword around violently, the other hand gripping the bottom of the mask and trying to tear it off. It was Ichigo's voice that came out next. "You're trying to kill my friend!"
"He's dangerous!" the monster retorted as it struggled against Ichigo. "Let me do this – I'll even save the damn little girl!"
"No, I already promised that I would! You're interfering!" Ichigo shouted. He slammed his sword down into the ground and grabbed the mask over his face with both hands, looping his fingers around the top edge.
"You're the one interfering, you idiot!" the monster screamed, trying with all of its might to keep Ichigo from tearing the mask from his face. "I can win if you just let me! I can keep all your stupid friends safe!"
"I'm going to do this, me and my friends. Not some monster!" Ichigo roared and pulled on the mask with all of his might, Dark and Light clashing where the mask was being removed. Jaune glanced to the side, catching sight of a stunned Byakuya. "And I won't break that promise!" With one final pull, the mask came off and shattered in Ichigo's hands. The monster screamed, the noise fading and dying after a few seconds.
"Ichigo..?" Jaune questioned, standing up and yanking the Keyblade from the ground. He raised it defensively, hoping Ichigo was in control now, but not sure.
Ichigo stood up straight, eyes white and brown again. "Oof... Sorry about that. Didn't mean to try and kill you," he said, grinning sheepishly and scratching the back of his head. He pulled Zangetsu from the ground and looked over at Byakuya. "And, uh, sorry for our fight's interruption." He raised his blade towards Byakuya and his grin turned into a confident, thin smile. "Let's pick up where we left off."
Byakuya stared at Ichigo and Jaune, his eyes alight with the turning of the gears in his mind. His features softened, just barely, and he stood up straight with his blade held out to his side. "Very well." He shuffled his feet and brought the sword up in front of him. "I will not ask either of you to explain what just happened, despite the fact that the Keyblade Wielder obviously has some idea. We are tired, broken, and bleeding. We will end this. Now, with one final attack."
"That seems... anticlimactic," Jaune noted. He glanced over to see that Ichigo was already charging up the energy in his sword, a wild grin on his face. Byakuya looked much the same. "Oh, or... Sure, sure I guess this could be what we do. Why not?" He raised the Keyblade in front of him. "Please work." Then he stood beside Ichigo and focused with closed eyes, trying to channel the Light in his Heart down the blade. When he opened his eyes, he was excited to see that it had worked. The Kingdom Key was bathed in a second blade of Light, a condensed edge made of pure magic. He lowered the weapon to parallel with Ichigo's.
Byakuya took a deep breath, and the pink surrounding them began to flood towards his sword, a thousand streams of energy converging in front of him and slowly shifting into a brilliant, blinding white. A pillar of energy shot upwards from the man, the only energy visible against the black of the dome. It diverged some distance above him, splitting into wings of white flame and a screeching, red eyed beak in front of the man. Above him, the wings were connected by a smooth arch of light. "Shukei Hakuteiken." Then the man sprinted towards Ichigo and Jaune.
"Damn," Ichigo and Jaune said at the same time. Jaune looked over at Ichigo. "You don't have anything like that, do you?"
"No. But let's see how we can do," he said, grinning. He looked back at the Captain sprinting towards them. Black energy swirled around his blade, the Darkness merging with the Light surrounding Jaune's Keyblade.
At the same time, the two men threw their weapons forward, the energy trailing behind their blades, and roared as one. "Light-Dark Getsuga Tenshou!" The energy collided with Byakuya, and fuzzy numbness overtook the senses of all three men for a moment.
Then it cleared. Ichigo and Jaune were standing, completely spent of all energy, in front of a bloody Byakuya. The Phoenix around him had dissipated, leaving only a few pink shards swirling around him. "Well... looks like you two won..."
Ichigo and Jaune panted, but didn't say anything. "You fought Darkness I had never seen despite the fact it would have destroyed me for you. You defeat me on your own, knowing it would exhaust you. You... are not what I expected from an invader and a Keyblade Wielder."
Jaune and Ichigo tried to respond now, but couldn't get the words out. They were both surprised they were even standing right then, and it felt like their bodies weren't willing to waste energy on talking at that exact moment. Maybe in a few seconds. Byakuya stumbled backwards before catching himself and forcing his body upright, the arrogant glare returning to his eyes. "Are you still going to hunt Rukia?" Ichigo asked, his voice finally returning to him.
"What is the law if those who enforce it do not follow it? Pointless." Byakuya shut his eyes, telling himself that same thing.
Byakuya's thoughts were interrupted and his eyes flew open. "And what if they enforce a law that is wrong?" Jaune countered, his blue eyes filled with fire.
Ichigo answered for the Captain, snapping, "I'd fight until that stupid law was gone!"
"Hm..." Byakuya considered this before turning away, the words speaking to his Heart despite his attempts to harden it. Finally, he relented and spoke to the young men once more: "Because of the strength hidden in your Hearts, my sword has been broken. I shall pursue Rukia no longer; it would be pointless. I could not defeat you." Then he disappeared in a flash, dust exploding upward behind him.
Ichigo and Jaune glanced at one another, then back at where the man had been, then back at one another. "Uh... No victory screams, okay?"
Ichigo blushed – or maybe that was just blood on his cheeks. "I wasn't going to do that," he responded. The two stabbed their swords into the ground and bent over, breathing in deeply. Both of them hissed in pain as their empty stomachs and nearly empty energy stores hit them all at once. "You're right, it would've been a bad idea."
"Yeah..." Jaune forced himself upright. "Okay. Now to get out of here and find Yoru...i...chi..." Jaune took a deep, shaky breath, and watched as a pair of portals opened up in front of him and Ichigo. From one, a white haired Reaper Captain and a dark skinned Captain with a visor appeared standing side by side, Rukia kneeling in front of them. Yoruichi must not have hidden her well enough. From the other, a single, calm looking Captain appeared standing over – "Yang!" Jaune sprinted towards the man standing above her, raising his Keyblade.
"Oh, her friend." The man turned towards Jaune and raised his blade towards the young man. He deflected Jaune's clumsy, exhausted attack and slammed him into the ground with his foot. Jaune struggled uselessly against the man's weight and strength until the tip of the weapon angled down at his throat. "The other Keyblade Wielder."
"Other?" Jaune asked, confused. But the only other Keyblade Wielders around were Ruby and Sora. Did that mean they were following him and Yang? Why?
"Yes, he was quite the help."
"Sora would never help someone like you!" Jaune screamed, pushing harder against the foot on his chest. He could feel anger rising in his chest at the fact this man would suggest such a thing, and that he would hurt Yang. He couldn't let him get away with this. The Reaper stumbled backwards slightly and his eyes widened. The force redoubled and Jaune hit the ground, harder than before. He yelped in pain as the blade the man was holding was forced through his gut. "AGH!"
"I have never fought one of your kind before, but I expected m -" The man looked up to see Ichigo rushing him. The Captain sighed and walked towards Ichigo, leaving Jaune pinned to the ground by his sword. The man raised his hand and caught Ichigo's sword in his hand, a massive burst of energy accompanying the action. The energy ripped through Ichigo and blood flew from his body, forcing him to crumple to the ground, defeated. The man returned to Jaune. "As I was saying, I've never fought a Keyblade Wielder before, but you appear to be a... sad example of your kind. It would be so easy to kill you."
Jaune gritted his teeth and summoned his Keyblade back to his hand, swiping at the sword in his body. The Keyblade passed through it harmlessly and it disappeared, as did the pain in his body and the wound he had received. "You broke through my illusion. But still, easy to kill." The Captain avoided Jaune's angry, tired, clumsy blows and slapped him away. Jaune gasped in pain as the last of his Aura vanished completely and he was left frozen on the ground, a white glow surrounding him for a half second. "I won't, however. Something about you tells me that that Keyblade Wielder wants you alive. No point in alienating a possible ally just to kill a child." He turned away from Jaune and towards Rukia. "Hello there, Rukia Kuchiki. Where's Yoruichi?"
"Rukia stared at him in surprise. "C-captain Aizen?" she muttered. She shook her head. "On her way to kill you, likely!"
"Hmph. Gin," Aizen said, glancing over at the white haired, snake looking Captain. The other man nodded and aimed his weapon towards Rukia, the blade extending on command towards the woman.
"No." A flash of black appeared where Rukia was standing and pulled her out of the attack's way, taking the blow to protect the young woman. Byakuya Kuchiki clutched his sister to his chest and held the sword that had pierced his chest tightly, refusing his aggressor the opportunity to withdraw it.
"Brother?" Rukia asked, surprised that he would save her. "What are you doing?"
The man holding her looked over at Jaune's barely conscious form. "Keeping myself from eternal regret." He looked up at Aizen and his followers. "You will not harm her."
"It's cute you believe that," Aizen said, suddenly behind the two. He jammed his own sword through Byakuya's arm, forcing him to drop the woman. Aizen's hand lashed out and he grabbed her by the red collar attached to her throat, then forcibly dragged her away from Byakuya.
"No!" he snapped, letting go of the sword in his chest and trying to move towards Rukia. The blade was withdrawn and he stumbled a few feet before he, too, fell face first into the ground.
"Come now, Rukia Kuchiki," Aizen said as he held her out in front of himself. He grinned softly at her terrified eyes and looked over at Ichigo and Jaune, who were struggling to drag themselves towards him. "Quite the impressive specimens, even if they are horribly outclassed." He returned his attention to Rukia. "I'm almost surprised that Kisuke Urahara was foolish enough to place the Hogyoku in such a weak vessel. Did he think I would not find it here, that I would not find a way to take it from you? He created something that could fuse Light and Darkness – altering the base state of reality – then put it within you." He raised his hand and green scales appeared along his arm, which he shoved into Rukia's chest. She shrieked in pain as he pulled back, revealing a small, white marble between his index finger and thumb. He dropped Rukia and turned away, the scales disappearing.
"Now, I really should leave before the other Reapers and the Head Captain destroy these Heartless that you led here," he said, walking over to the barely conscious, and very angry Keyblade Wielder. "I should It should be quite familiar to you, the way I'm planning on leaving" He stood up straight and took his glasses off, then ran a hand through his hair. He looked down, somehow even more arrogant looking than before. As he lowered his hand to his side, a large portal of Darkness appeared behind him. "I suspect you'll be seeing my ally sometime soon. Try not to die – you could be useful." Then he turned and walked through the portal, followed by the other two captains.
"No!" Jaune snapped, trying to drag himself towards the portal. He couldn't let them get away with something that could, apparently, alter reality. "I won't let you... get away with...this..." His head hit the dirt and the world went black.
S M H S
About two days later, Jaune was standing with Yang, Mercury, Emerald, Rukia, and Ichigo, in the middle of a meadow. Ichigo's friends had already headed home with Yoruichi, who had said Kisuke would be excited to hear about a Keyblade Wielder and had told Jaune to look them up if he ever ended up in Karakura Town.
Things had quieted down a lot since Aizen had escaped with the Hyogyoku and the Heartless had been destroyed; for one, the entire group of Ryoka – Offworlders included – were being treated like tenuous allies by the Soul Reapers. The Head Captain had ordered the healers to help everyone, and had freed those who had been imprisoned. "So, I guess you guys are all heading off to... wherever you're from," Ichigo said, arms crossed over his chest.
"Yeah, we've got our own missions to complete. More friends to save, you get the point," Yang said, grinning wildly. "You see, 'cause the swords? Heh?"
Jaune looked over at her and debated shaking his head in disappointment. Seeing as she had nearly died and it was his fault they had crashed there in the first place, he decided he'd humor her. "Not your worst one," he said half-heartedly. He turned back to Ichigo. "Don't worry, if you need someone to save you... well, we'll come, but you saw how things went."
"I was not prepared, thank you," Yang said, wrapping her arm around Jaune's shoulders. "Next time I meet that Aizen tool I'm taking him down. Mark my words, I'll be in on that fight."
"Goldilocks will take out the big bad? Sure, she could barely even beat me when I was trying to lose," Mercury remarked, with a laugh. He barely even noticed that he'd stopped calling her 'the Bimbo.' Despite his best attempts to claim otherwise, he felt some sort of... well, not friendship, but after seeing everything he had seen with them and done with them he respected the two blondes.
"Really? How's the knee?" Yang asked.
He didn't respect her that much, however. Mercury smirked and retorted, "Fine. How's the arm?"
"Handy," she said, grinning wide and waving the yellow fingers.
Rukia scoffed and chuckled to herself. "Is it often like this for you?"
Jaune, Yang, Mercury, and Emerald looked at one another. "This is the first time we've all interacted, to be honest," Yang explained. She shrugged. "Six months ago I'd have beaten the crap out of those two. Three months ago I would have slapped the crap out of Vomit Boy."
"Yang, could you not call me that?"
"Nope, Vomit Boy."
Emerald shook her head before explaining what Yang meant. "Before this, at least one of us was trying to kill the others at any given moment," she said. Rukia and Ichigo blanched slightly. "Besides Goldilocks, we've all been the bad guy for a while."
"Oh," Ichigo said, looking over at Jaune. "So you know a bit about your inner monster controlling you, huh?" Jaune nodded somberly in response, trying not to remember when he had helped Salem.
"Ah, good, you're all still here!" The group turned to see a man walking towards them,a Reaper Captain with long white hair and a kind, if sickly, looking face. He walked up and closed his eyes, grinning at everyone. "I was hoping to talk to you before you left."
"Captain Ukitake!" Rukia said, immediately bowing to the man. She looked over at Ichigo's pointed, unimpressed glare. "Show some respect, idiot!"
"Why?" Ichigo countered dryly.
"It's fine, Rukia. It's a little refreshing, actually," he said. He held up a hand for a moment before returning it to his side. "I wanted to say thank you for saving Rukia. She's one of the members of my division and my plan to save her was sidetracked by the appearance of those creatures." He bent over and began to cough violently, the fit lasting for a few minutes. "Ah, sorry about that. Anyways, thank you again."
The man grew more serious, though unlike Aizen this man retained his good nature and kind eyes. "On another note, the Head Captain wants to thank you all as well. Whatever your reasons for coming here, you have been pardoned. And Ichigo, you need something important." The man reached into his pocket. "You see, there have been other Substitute Soul Reapers, and they have always carried one of these badges." He pulled out a pair of matching, pentagonal shaped pieces of wood. A skull like mask was carved into the center of its face over an 'X.' One was larger than the other and connected to a loop of rope. The other was a third the size with a single black chain. "He also insisted your Keyblade wielding friend have this." He handed the larger one to Ichigo and the smaller one to Jaune.
Jaune looked down at the item in his hand, examining it closely and feeling a level of familiarity with the item despite not understanding what it might be for. "What's this for?" he asked.
Ukitake shrugged. "The Head Captain simply said you would know when the time came for it to be used," he supplied, he himself unsure about the item's use.
There was a moment's pause, a silence that existed for a single moment. "... This is the land of the dead, right?" Jaune asked, unable to stop himself. He looked up at Ukitake's raised eyebrow. "If – If I lost someone, would they be here?"
Ukitake frowned and leaned in close, taking great care that Rukia and Ichigo would not hear him. "The Soul Society does not hold the Souls of the Dead for every world, Jaune. If you are looking for someone, their soul will not be here." Then he moved away from Jaune and smiled sympathetically. "I'm sorry."
"I... Thank you," Jaune muttered. He coughed and pocketed the Reaper Badge. "Thank you." He turned around in surprise when Yang's hand rested sympathetically on his shoulder, a sad smile on her face.
"No, thank you. All of you." Ukitake turned to Rukia and said, "Your brother is awake now if you want to see him."
"Thank you, Captain," Rukia replied, bowing slightly as she did. She turned to Ichigo and smiled. "See you later, Ichigo. Thanks for never listening."
"Sure, Midget," Ichigo said, a soft smile gracing his features. He waved with one hand and watched her go off with her Captain. Once she disappeared from view, he sighed and turned to Jaune. "I guess I'll see you later."
"Oh, I hope so," Yang said, waving with each finger.
"Could you stop flirting for five seconds?" Jaune asked caustically.
Yang laughed mockingly: "You're one to talk! How many ladies actually love the name, Vomit Boy?"
Emerald sighed and shook her head. "You know, it was nice to see them again but..."
"You hope we never see them again? Oh, don't worry, I get it," Mercury muttered. He raised his voice. "Yo, Blondies – Have fun, would you?" They were ignored in favor of squabbling between the two blonde warriors from Remnant. Merc and Em glanced at one another, then walked away and into a portal leading to another world.
S M H S
Jaune sat silently in the passenger seat of their Gummi ship, watching as Yang went through the last check before they began exploring again. Yang laughed and shook her head upon checking the Remnant-locked clock in the ship. "Jeez, Professor Ozpin wasn't lying when he said these new worlds would have weird flowing time. Jaune, we've already been gone for two months!"
Jaune barely heard her say this; he was feeling guilty with the knowledge that her getting injury had been his fault, because he had crashed the Gummi Ship and hadn't been strong enough to do anything and – He took a deep breath, stopping himself from spiraling any further. He looked over at Yang again, and noticed her staring right back at him. "What? D-do I have something on my face?"
Yang sighed and looked back at the front of the ship. "Look, I wanted to apologize, okay? I crashed the Ship and I was driving like a maniac when you can barely handle five miles an hour. I should have toned it down a little. We good?"
"Urm... I, uh..." Jaune stammered he laughed nervously and shook his head. "I, uh, I was actually going to apologize for stealing the wheel and crashing the Ship. It was my fault," he insisted. He was more than a little visibly embarrassed she was apologizing to him. It wasn't a very Yang thing to do for just driving fast.
Yang laughed, though hers was born more of amusement than anxiety. "Wow, look at us! Apologizing for doing the same thing wrong." She looked back at Jaune and grinned. "Now we're a real team. RWBY wasn't a team until Ruby and Weiss had to apologize for both being wrong, and neither were we." She looked back up front. "So now that that's over, we can focus on where we're going next! I'm thinking somewhere with more swords!"
"Yang!" Jaune shouted worriedly.
"Hey, I'm joking. Kind of. I mean, I wouldn't mind a fun adventure like the one we had here. Maybe a little easier, but still a good fight," Yang explained. She nodded. "We could have a bloody good time."
"Ignoring that joke, you should let me choose the next world!" Jaune suggested excitedly. "Somewhere I can maybe work on my skills a bit. After all, you get to drive the ship, right?"
Yang glared at him, and Jaune was sure for a moment that he had crossed a line in asking for a single modicum of control. "Well, at least you asked this time. Go ahead, point at one."
Jaune was surprised. "Really?"
"You learned to ask instead of steal, I'll learn to let you choose once in a while. I think we should alternate, how does that sound?" Yang asked, letting go of the ship's controls and holding her hand out to Jaune.
He blinked in surprise, then took her hand. "Uh, deal!" He let go and looked out of the ship's viewport at the worlds surrounding them. "How about... that one?"
"Bridge to Aincrad? Really? That doesn't sound dangerous," Yang muttered sullenly. She turned puppy dog eyes on Jaune. "Please not there?"
"Oh, no. You get to choose next, I get to choose now. I choose Bridge to Aincrad," he said, resolute against the woman's begging. "So we're going there."
Yang's puppy dog eyes turned into an angry glare. She stared at Jaune for a few minutes before sighing and moving to drive the ship. "Fine. Fine! We're going to the world you chose, you jerk. But the moment we get a lead on my mom's Nobody or this other Keyblade Wielder, we're following that trail. After all, one will probably lead to the other."
Jaune shrugged. "Again, until then -"
"Bridge to Aincrad, I get it!" Yang glared out the viewport, an evil urge growing in the pit of her Heart until it could no longer be resisted. She would have some small vengeance here and now. "Punching it." Then she put her foot down and the ship launched forward despite Jaune's protests of pain. "Remember not to throw up, Vomit Boy!"