AN: Hey, everyone! How are all of you doing? Having a good August, I hope. I've been busy working on job applications some more. Took 8 hours to film and edit a 2 minute video interview. Oof, that was emotionally exhausting. Still, a good move forward.
Pretty soon I'll be starting my new third story since I finished the Star Wars one. A (obviously unofficial) fanfic sequel to Adi Shankar's Power/Rangers, itself an awesome fanfic of MMPR. I think that'll be real fun to write.
In other news, who's excited for the RE:Mind DLC? Getting to play as Roxas with his double Keyblades again? I'm excited! As much as the new Keyblade Transformation forms were interesting, the simple 'rule of cool' two Keyblades in KH2 still feels way more fun to me. I mean, two makes most fantasy weapons better. Lightsabers? Gimme two whenever I play KotOR 2. Dual Wielding in Halo 2 and 3? Still miss it every time one of the games comes out. Lara Croft's dual pistols? Need them.
Now, we've got one chapter after this before we charge headfirst into the final quarter of this story. Since it is a tournament arc, are there any characters from FF7, SAO:A, or Bleach you'd like to see go up against some of our main cast of Jaune, Yang, and Mercury? Other than Kenpachi, because that one's already a given.
Anyways, for responses:
To Gamelover41592: I liked writing the fight with Sephiroth, too. While I do know a not terrible chunk of Final Fantasy 7, I've never played it so I was hoping that I'd be able to do something that lived up to it enough to be fun. And only time will tell if the plan works.
To Guest: Mercury's knowledge from Xehanort mostly revolved around using his Light in conjuction with his Darkness. It's the reason he was able to resist the Darkness from the Corridors better than Emerald, whose magic is entirely Darkness based. As for a sequel to this story, I do have an idea I've been thinking about. I'll go over it more in depth in the last couple chapters of the story, but I will at least give you this for asking and in honor of the ¾ mark: Oscar would play a significant part in the story. Yeah, think about that! The 1200 year old in these stories will eventually die. Scary spoilers, huh?
Well, that's that. Enjoy this chapter!
Chapter 30: Winter War
From the moment that Yang, Jaune, and Mercury had landed in Soul Kingdom, they knew something was wrong. While they had been prepared for another scenery change after the last time, they had not expected their appearance to be marked by war, though perhaps they should have. Screams of pain and anguish swirling through the air, muffled by explosions, crackling fire, and the ringing of sword on sword. Heartless and weird masked creatures – Hollows, if the descriptions they'd heard were right – immediately noticed the smell of the Keyblade wielder's Heart and charged the trio of offworlders.
Without a moment's hesitation, they flew into battle, separating to attack the incoming wave from the front and sides. Jaune sprinted left and curved around while Merc ran right. Yang grinned and jogged towards the incoming wave before leaping into the air, summoning up a massive ball of magical flames between her hands, and slamming them into the ground in front of the wave. Monsters recoiled as those at the front were turned to ash, which only caused the Heartless and Hollows to crash into each other and, more importantly, into Jaune and Merc's pincer assault. The Keyblade, currently with its Black Sun Keychain installed, and Merc's boots glowed with a bright light as their users channeled their Light into the weapons, then arced forward and cut through the monsters.
Jaune carved through a trio of Ronin with a single slash before he was forced to stop attacking and defend against an incoming assault. One of the Hollows had lunged at him with a wide open mouth, apparently intent on eating him whole. His blade came around and crashed into the Hollow's grotesque mask and he was forced back a step. Knowing he probably wasn't going to win in a head on battle of brute strength, Jaune shouted, "Reflect!" The Hollow shrieked in pain as the full force of its own attack hit it head on and it flew backwards, plowing through Heartless and Hollows. Jaune jumped back half a step and aimed his Keyblade directly at the Hollow flying away. "Light Dark Getsuga Tensho!" He swung upwards and an arc of black and white energy shot through the air, carving the Hollow in half and destroying a swath of the army that had been in front of him. "Aurora!" The buckler on his left arm extended and its golden blade sprang to life as he charged into the river of monsters, slashing with both at anything that came too close.
Mercury on the other side was doing just as well against his opponents, even if his style of attacking was different. He jumped between the larger Heartless and Hollows, one moment on top of a fully grown Wrath and the next slamming his feet into the mask of a Hollow to kill it. He'd even managed to kick a few of them into the path of Jaune's last attack, vaporizing them as he flipped into the air. He glanced around, searching the battlefield for any evidence that Emerald was here. He had promised Genie he'd keep looking while everyone else set up the arena for the tournament, and he didn't want to disappoint either himself or the blue guy.
When he didn't see her before he began falling, he shut his eyes for a moment and forced his disappointment away. If she wasn't here yet, she might be later, and he had to survive to find out. His legs glowed with yellow, arcing energy and he hit the ground among a group of Shadows and Ronin, the spell activating and summoning a volley of Thunder magic that fried and stunned what it didn't manage to vaporize. He jumped into action immediately, firing dozens of Dust bullets into the air as he began to spin on the ground like he was break dancing. Augmenting his movements with Aero magic, the air around him quickly became a vortex of silvery energy as he stopped his dance and launched himself back up to his feet with his hands. He threw his arms out as he flipped, channeling a Magnetic spell through his open palms as he did. He wasn't as used to casting magic with his hands, which meant it wasn't quite as strong as he was used to, but it was good enough. Monsters flew towards him, flying into the wall of silver. Most were shredded before they could reach the swirling energy, turning to smoky Darkness that drifted away because of the Dust wall they had just barrelled into. A few of the tougher ones did survive, however. A newly enlarged Wrath slammed through the wall when almost none of the bullets were left, flying towards the Magnera with its arms outstretched. Mercury did a quick calculation and solved it with 'Duck,' barely making it to the ground before the large creature would have grabbed him and crushed him. He hit the ground with his hands and used them to launch himself up at the Heartless now swirling around his spell. He flew through it and spun in the air, grinning as a taunt to the rest of the creatures around. "Come on!" he shouted, deciding to enjoy this as best as he could. The Heartless and Hollows were quick to oblige.
Yang's fists glowed when she stepped through her own wall of flames, a silhouette with red eyes that would have scared the creatures in front of her if any retained enough intelligence to be afraid. Instead they just charged her, and the flaming silhouette grinned. Her fists lashed out at anything and everything coming her way, and she laughed at everything that tried to get close. Her fist crashed through the mask of a Hollow coming her way before she wrapped a fist around a Ronin's leg and began swinging it around her like a club. The Heartless looked dizzy as it was slammed into a Wrath's face, bringing it up to full size, and then used to bat a Neoshadow's head clean off. It was then tossed at the ground and while it was no longer dizzy, it was no longer their either. Yang caught the large Wrath's claws with her own hands, struggling to keep up for a moment before grinning and easily tearing the claws off. "Gotta hand it to you," Yang began with a snicker before turning the vanishing claws around and impaling the Heartless on them, "I think I get the point of these things."
It didn't take too long for the trio to meet at the center of the wave, standing back to back as more and more of the creatures began to rush them. "Okay, I know these things aren't exactly strong, but we can only kill so many," Mercury growled as he kicked through a Neoshadow spinning towards him. "Any plans, Blondie?"
"Yes," Yang casually responded before Jaune could say anything. She shook her head and hands quickly then took a deep breath... and screamed. Her hair ignited completely, and she put her open hands close together in front of her, creating a swirling vortex of flames. "Together, we can cast a Firaza spell and take all of them out at once. Just give me a boost, guys!"
Jaune shrugged but did as she requested, putting a hand on her shoulder and aiming the Keyblade between her hands. The flames pulsed and grew suddenly, then again as Merc did the same. "You guys are insane," he muttered before Yang slammed her hands to the ground, summoning a vortex of magma and flames all around them that incinerated the remaining Heartless and Hollows. Glowing, crystalline Hearts floated to the sky before vanishing, purified by the Keyblade's magic in the attack.
Yang immediately fell to her knees as the magma and flames vanished, cooling to stone on the ground. She panted and sweat began to drip off her nose as she stared at the ground, feeling a wave of exhaustion come over her for a moment as her magical reserves bottomed out and her Aura burned up from using so much of someone else's energy after already taking a few blows on her way to the center of the wave. Jaune crouched beside her, a worried look on his face. He and Merc hadn't channeled all that energy, and thus weren't nearly as bad off, but he didn't have any magic at the moment to help her recover. "Yang, are you going to be okay?" he asked, grabbing her and pulling her up over his shoulder.
"Just..." her breath caught in her throat and she took another deep breath. "What was I saying? Okay? Yeah. Just give me a, uh, one of those... minutes."
Jaune raised a worried eyebrow while Mercury reached into his travel bag. "No worries, I got this," he explained, pulling out a small green vial. He brought it over to Jaune and motioned at Yang. Jaune took it from him, then carefully helped Yang drink it. The effect was instant, as her Aura recharged a large chunk and her exhaustion began to drain away. "Better?"
Yang slowly extricated herself from Jaune's shoulder and held her hands out to get a balance. "Uh... Yeah." She sighed and glanced over at Merc. "Thanks."
"We need to hurry and find someone we know. This place is a warzone, and it's only going to get worse once Aizen arrives" Jaune said after a moment of glancing around.
"How do you know he isn't here?" Mercury wondered.
Jaune and Yang traded a glance. "We were so close to him, and he tore us apart. It was almost like... I don't know. He was so strong it just left an imprint on us," Yang explained. She shivered. "We'd know if he was here."
Speaking of that flash of familiarity, Yang was the only one to notice what was coming. She growled and shoved her friends away before raising her left arm above her head. She gasped in pain when the silvery blade of Nothing crashed into her robotic arm and she was forced down to her knees. The blade retracted and Yang glared up at its wielder. "Mom. I see you've decided to practice tough love again," Yang joked. She shut her eyes and pushed herself up to her feet with a groan, then raised her fists and opened her eyes to study the Nobody more.
Morrigan was different, it was obvious. There was an aura of Darkness around her that she hadn't had before, and it seemed to make her stronger. Yang and Jaune both thought that Darkness, on further study, seemed familiar. Very, as if they had seen it recently. "So, you're working with OJ, now," Yang growled when she realized what was going on.
"He supercharged you with the Black Materia? That's not safe, Morrigan!" Jaune exclaimed. He took a half step backwards. "That thing... it's dangerous."
The Nobody ignored him and spread her legs into a battle stance, turning so her left shoulder was pointed at Yang. She then raised her weapon parallel to her shoulders and aimed its tip at Yang's Heart. "I will do whatever it takes," she simply stated before she vanished. Yang grit her teeth and jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding the sword that would have cleaved through her if she hadn't moved. Raven's red eyes turned towards Yang before she even hit the ground and the sword came up and around, crashing into Yang's Ember Celica as she raised them defensively. Yang cried out and was thrown backwards, crashing through rubble before she flipped and slammed her feet and hands into the ground to stop.
She's a lot faster, Yang noted inwardly. Not so much she couldn't contain the blow she'd taken with her Semblance, but with how low her Aura had already been, it wouldn't pay to get hit again. Yang threw her fist out, catching the Nobody on the shoulder as she appeared in front of her again. There was a massively loud crack when her fist collided and Morrigan was blown backwards this time, her outfit visibly scorched from where she had been hit. But I've gotten better.
"I've got this, guys!" Yang shouted as she stood up straight and slammed her fists together. Jaune and Mercury, who had been preparing to rush Morrigan froze. "This is a family matter..." Then she rushed forward as fast as she could, lashing out with her fist at Morrigan's head. The Nobody dodged the attack and brought her own knee up. Yang brought her left hand down and slapped the knee to the side. She brought her head down to try and headbutt Morrigan, but she continued spinning with her leg and spun away. Her bent leg came around, snapping out in a kick that Yang barely managed to lean back and avoid. Yang snapped her own leg up towards Morrigan's head, but the flat of her sword caught it.
"Well, Mom? Proud?" Yang asked as she and the Nobody struggled against one another.
Morrigan's red eyes widened, then narrowed and hardened. She angled her sword and Yang's kick flew over her head while Morrigan dropped low and rushed forward, slamming her palm forcefully into Yang's gut. Yang stumbled backwards and fell as a huge bruise blossomed into existence, and Yang quickly hit the ground on her back, rolling and gasping desperately for air. Morrigan stood over her, sword angled at her throat. "I... cannot be proud of a weakness," Morrigan growled after a moment of hesitation. Then she slashed down.
Jaune slashed upward, deflecting the blow with a cold look on his face. Mercury blinked and glanced over at where Jaune had been a moment before. "Wait, when did he move?"
"Sorry, but I wasn't about to let you get hurt," Jaune said as he settled into a fighting stance.
Yang chuckled and pushed herself up to her feet. "I suppose it's fair. I've saved your sorry butt plenty," Yang said. She wiped her mouth with one hand and raised her fists again. "Ready?"
"After you," Jaune said. Yang grinned and charged forward, lashing out at Morrigan's head. The Nobody cautiously dodged the attack and brought her sword up and around to block Jaune's Keyblade before it could kill her. She flipped over him when Yang fired a Firaga at her, spinning through the air before landing softly a short distance away. She charged forward and allowed the energy of the Black Materia to begin expanding, fueling her power more and more. Her attacks came faster and faster, the hits harder and harder. She slashed at Jaune and his Keyblade went flying out of his hands. Morrigan spun and slammed her foot into his chest while he tried to summon his Keyblade, and he hit the ground. Jaune rolled back to his feet and summoned his weapon. Morrigan was attacking Yang again, her blade barely deflected by Ember Celica every time she attacked. Sparks glanced off of Yang's gauntlets with every blow and her form grew more sloppy.
"Hey, over here!" A blade of black and white rocketed out of Jaune's Keyblade, slashing through the air towards Morrigan. The Nobody vanished before it hit and the blade passed without damaging her or Yang. Jaune growled and looked around nervously.
"Behind you!" Jaune turned at Mercury's cry, bringing the Keyblade up to block her attack.
It was like getting hit by a Beringel head on; way stronger than she used to be. He was thrown backwards with jelly arms, feet carving a path through the road and suddenly struggling to lift his Keyblade in front of his body.
Mercury charged Morrigan before she could attack again, swinging his feet around one after the other at the back of her head. She dodged the first, but a quick burst of black flames shot from his other heel so the next kick moved faster and his toes slammed into her cheek. Morrigan's head snapped to the side and she stumbled to the side before she regained her footing. "I have had enough of this!" she snapped at the three warriors surrounding her, a surge of anger flashing through her. The aura of the Black Materia around her shoulders solidified and she spun, the aura vanishing. They all put their weapons up to block the inevitable ranged attack.
"Was that supposed to do something?" Mercury mocked after a couple moments of nothing.
Then the ground beneath all three of them exploded with pure Darkness. Yang, having no acquired defenses against Darkness, was hit the hardest. It burned away her recovered Aura and she screamed in pain. Jaune and Mercury still took a heavy hit, the energy burning at them and biting at their bodies and Hearts. "Not... Like... THIS!" Yang screamed, and her hair ignited with the last of her Aura. Flames exploded from the ground around her, the Light of her Heart burning away the Darkness around her. There was a bright explosion, and Morrigan yelped in pain as the energy rebounded on her and her attack suddenly ceased. Jaune and Mercury, who had been hurt the longest, hit the ground first. Yang wasn't far behind, hitting one knee and glaring at her mother's Nobody. "Not... happening... Mom..."
Morrigan didn't respond. Instead, she just stabbed at the blonde as quickly as she could, blade colliding with a red wall that appeared in front of her. A man in a green and white striped bucket hat was glaring at her over a fan. In his right hand, he was holding an oddly shaped katana with a straight blade and a handle that bent backwards, a red tassle at the end. A 'U' shaped guard covered in flower petals was tied to the hild with a red string. "Now I know it's important to discipline your children, but don't you think you're going a little far?" The fan slammed shut and he placed it in the pocket of his large black jacket with large white diamonds along the bottom. His green outfit beneath was loose and matched the hat resting atop his messy blonde hair. He was smirking, and his eyes were... deceptively intelligent. The red wall of energy vanished and the man lowered his sword. "Besides, even though you're hollow, you're obviously more of a Nobody than what we're used to."
Yang glanced up in surprise. "You know what a Nobody is?"
"Anybody who's somebody knows, and even a few Nobodies," the man noted before laughing at his own joke. His eyes remained locked on Morrigan. "Now, I'd suggest you leave. Benihime plays rough and she doesn't like fighting other people's battles."
Morrigan clenched her fists around her sword's hilt. This man gave off a lazy vibe, but it obviously wasn't what he actually was. She would have to be careful, but she could handle this person, even with the dwindling borrowed power OJ had transferred to her from the Black Materia. Morrigan's grip loosened to what it should be and she charged forward, swinging her blade at his head before vanishing and reappearing above him to stab him through this torso from the left shoulder.
The red wall reappeared, the blade aimed over his shoulder at her. "Nice try," the man in the hat said. "Now, how about we stop practicing and actually fight?"
Morrigan snarled in rage and vanished again, reappearing a short distance away. The man's sword was already aimed at her, the same rage inducing smirk on his face. She decided to shake things up. Her blade stabbed forward, black and yellow energy arcing from her blade. The smirk vanished for a moment as the Dark Thundaga exploded around him, the energy crashing into his shoulders and his eyes widening as he realized what just happened. Then she was on top of him, slashing hard. His smirk didn't return as he brought his blade up to block the first attack, angling the weapon so it would slide off and he could slash at the Nobody. She twisted midair and brought her leg around to kick him in the face. The man ducked and moved around her attack, the smirk slowly returning as he slammed his elbow into her back. She yelped and hit the ground, shattering cement.
"When I saw the Forgotten Magic, I thought I'd be in more trouble," the man said. He twisted further away and held his sword at the ready. "If you were a real warrior instead of the shell of one, maybe we'd have a good sword fight. But I guess it's hard to fight when your Heart's not in it." He charged her this time, slashing with his sword at her head. She glared and rolled beneath the attack, only for a glowing red energy to cover his sword and fly out, carving through her hair and leaving a small tuft to hit the ground.
"That... was a mistake," Yang noted worriedly.
"What?" the man asked before he yelped and raised his sword to barely block an attack. His arms gave from the sheer weight of the attack, and he had to duck and roll to avoid dying.
"My hair!" Morrigan shouted. "You touched my hair!" Her blade came around in an attack moving quicker than almost anyone could block, arcing around to carve through the man's wrist. His arm twisted and his sword moved into the path of her weapon, only for it to vanish and reappear in her other hand beneath his guard. He reacted with barely a centimeter remaining, and her attack grazed his side. One of his diamonds drifted to the ground.
"Oh, you ruined my coat," he muttered before she was on him again. Her sword slashed at his head, getting caught by his blade until she angled her sword and tried to slam the pommel into his head. His free hand came up to grab her wrist, saving him from a killer headache. Morrigan just grinned, and more Dark Thunder channeled through the weapon's grip. He was blown away by the attack as all of his muscles suddenly activated. He left a trail of smoke behind him as he tumbled through the air, spinning to catch himself, but he had to dodge before he could get a breather. Her attack came down fast and he dodged to the side. The attack cleaved through his hat and he came to his feet. The man blinked at the shredded green and white. "That wasn't very nice... I do believe you've killed my hat."
She snarled and glared at him. "Getting tired? I'm assuming whatever you're running on is drying up," the man noted. "But still, I have to hand it to you. You are a true swordswoman, other than the cheating magic. Still, even without that kudos. But if you're cheating, I guess I will too." He slashed his sword upward from his left side. "Scream, Benihime!" The red energy flew towards Morrigan and she slashed out, the weakening Darkness she was wielding colliding with his attack and dispersing it. The man appeared beside her with a quiet 'swoosh' and thrust one hand upward. "Hado 57. Daichi Tenyo." Morrigan's stomach flipped in her body and gravity switched, forcing her up towards the empty sky. She gasped in pain and tumbled through the air wildly. She focused on the man when she saw him again and she saw another red beam flying towards her.
"I should have expected you'd dodge that," the man sighed as he turned around, watching the woman come out of a swirling Dark Corridor, looking worse for wear but ready to fight. "Nobody can dodge my attacks, so of course..."
She snarled and took a step forward before the Darkness around her vanished and she felt all the energy in her body leave her. She hit her knee and slammed the tip of her sword into the ground, using it to keep her from hitting the ground completely. The man sighed. "So our fight ends like this. Just as it was getting fun," he noted sadly. He sheathed his sword. "Well, get out of here. Like I said, me and Benihime don't like fighting other people's personal battles, and more we don't have time for it."
The woman growled at him before turning her eyes towards Yang to his right. She narrowed her eyes as they glared at one another, then she vanished in a blur of lines. The man sighed and turned back over to Yang. "So, you're Ichigo's off world friends I've heard so much about," he said. He walked over to Yang and knelt down in front of her. "I hope you don't mind me holding back a bit. I thought you'd want to do it." She stared at him, utterly confused. "Oh, right! I'm Kisuke Urahara. Shopkeeper, Yoruichi's sexier half, and the one who made Ichigo even a halfway decent fighter. Oh, and a genius." He tossed a sphere at her feet that popped as it hit the ground, sending cerulean energy around Yang. She felt an electric jolt down her spine as her Aura immediately recharged, followed by her magical reserves and, she was fairly certain, shampooed and conditioned her hair. "Nice, right?"
R W B Y
"We're heeeere!" Urahara shouted in a falsetto as he opened the doors of his shop and brought Yang, Jaune, and Mercury in behind him.
"It took you longer to get our allies than I expected, Kisuke. Did something happen?" a familiar man with white hair and a sickly face asked. He smiled good naturedly at the newcomers. "Ah, Jaune, Yang, and Mercury. It's been too long! It's Captain Ukitake, in case you forgot."
"No, uh... well, a little," Yang admitted sheepishly.
"Guys!" Ichigo and Rukia rushed forward, grabbing them all in a hug. "We were wondering when you'd get here!" Yoruichi was smirking behind them at Kisuke, a silent conversation going on betweent he two.
"Keyblade luck has you arrive exactly when you need to," Jaune explained dryly as they separated. "But what's going on? It's like a war out there."
"It is a war," Kisuke cut in, his joking demeanor vanishing as he did. "Aizen and his Arrancars versus everyone else."
"But why would he come here?" Mercury wondered, confused. "I thought the Soul Society was your headquarters."
The blonde's eyes flickered over to Jaune before his smirk returned. "And here I thought that you would have realized this already, given who you are," he said, the fan reappearing over his face. "But I'll spell it out for you anyways. Karakura Town, where we're at, is a location of immense importance to this world. Some might even say it's Key to the survival of all three planes of our world."
"Wait, this is the -" Jaune stopped and looked over at Ichigo and Rukia. "Uhm..."
"Oh, I wouldn't mind hiding the truth from them," Ukitake explained with a soft smile. "Ichigo and Rukia have more than proven themselves worthy of the truth."
"You two are visitors from another realm, not unlike -"
"You're aliens," Ichigo cut Rukia off dryly.
She turned and smacked him across the back of the head, enraged. "Way to boil it down like an idiot!"
Jaune and his friends blinked once. "When did they tell you?"
"When it became obvious that Aizen was planning to use the Keyhole and the Hogyoku to devour our world's Heart by replacing its Light and Darkness with his own. He would become like a God in our world," Yoruichi explained. She placed her hand on top of Ichigo's head. "And Kisuke thinks that it's going to take as many of us as possible, even you little kids!"
"Would you stop that!" Ichigo snapped, shoving her hand off of his head.
"Aw, blushing! You still haven't had much contact with anyone, Ichi?"
"Stop it, Ichigo," Rukia commanded as he reached for his sword. He pouted but listened, glaring at the ground.
"Wait, then what about the normal people that live here?" Mercury asked, concern etched across his face. "If he devours the Keyhole, wouldn't that hurt everyone here? We should be evacuating the ones who are left!" Jaune and Yang grew worried as he said this and turned to the others for explanation, immediately growing confused at Ichigo's unworried face.
"Already done, my fleet footed friend," Kisuke explained calmly. "We aren't standing in the real Karakura town at all, but a hyper accurate copy made by yours truly. The real town and this one were switched, and the real Karakura is in the Soul Society, guarded by too many Shinigami to mention."
"Good," Merc sighed. "This way there's almost no chance they'll get hurt."
"What a heel turn from 'terrorist,'" Yang mocked him, earning her one of the dirtiest looks she could imagine. "Oh, calm down."
"So our job is to find and fight Aizen," Jaune said as a shiver ran down his spine. "That's..."
"Hard, even if my mom wasn't running around trying to kill us," Yang finished for him, turning her attention from annoying Mercury.
Ichigo and Rukia turned towards her in surprise. "Your mother?" Rukia asked quietly. Her voice rose. "But... but she helped us fight Aizen before! She seemed to have protected you!"
Yang stared at the ground, forcing a smile onto her face as her fists quivered at her side. "She's always been one to cut and run when she started caring again."
The smile became more natural when Jaune pointed out, "I guess that means you've been getting through to her."
"She is a wild card," Kisuke muttered sullenly. "But I doubt she'll show up again to attack you. Whatever it was she had powering her before is gone, now. Right now, we only have to worry about -"
Ichigo suddenly flinched. "What the hell was that feeling?"
"What the hell's going on in here?" A grumpy voice asked as someone barreled in. He was massive, and missing his arm. His hair was done in five prongs tipped with bells, and he had... an... eyepatch.
Ichigo sighed in relief. "It didn't feel like you, but I guess it was..."
"Oh, God, not you again!" Jaune screamed, jumping backwards as he saw the man who had tried to kill him and Ichigo while possessed by the Darkness. A tiny pink girl was on his shoulder, waving wildly at Jaune.
The man's eye widened and a manic grin split his face. "Oh, it's the Key Kid!" he grunted, voice over excited. "I can't wait to fight you again! Maybe I'll even get to remember it this time!"
"Kenpachi, what are you doing here?" Ukitake asked. The calm man's voice was tinged with worry.
Kenpachi's manic grin turned slowly away from Jaune and calmed down. "Right, gotta finish these fights first," he muttered glumly. "But later, I will fight him." He sighed and straightened up. "I thought you guys could actually feel things like this. He's here."
Yoruichi's eyes widened in horror. "Aizen!? What, but we would -"
"Maybe not," Kisuke muttered, his eyes drifting to the ground. He was clearly analyzing something, the gears in his mind moving impossibly fast as he figured out the solution to the problem. His gaze, for the briefest moment, flickered again to Ichigo before he returned his attention to Ukitake. "The Hogyoku. It might have put him at a level where he's so strong we can't feel him anymore. His Heart and Soul might be taking in so much energy that only someone strong enough could sense him, and if they weren't trained in it they'd have to be next to him to really notice..." The fan slammed shut. "Well, I guess it's good news that I've got a plan."
"Why am I worried when he says that?" Mercury asked sullenly.
"Oh, don't worry, Kids, it won't be too bad!" Kisuke said, grinning at all of them and shaking his closed fan in front of him. He reached into his pocket and pulled out an open envelope. "At least not as bad as what's in this!"
Jaune's eyes widened and he reached into his pocket, finding nothing. "You stole that! It's meant for -"
"Believe me, I'm who the Old Man would have sent anyways," Kisuke explained jokingly. "But for now, let's worry about the plan: we'll put you five in front of Aizen and you'll know who should fight him the."
"What!?" the youngest members of the room – and Kenpachi, though he seemed more angry he was being left out – shouted. "But what are we going to do that you can't, you Hat-and-Clog maniac?"
"We'll be busy handling the rest of his army," Ukitake said, slowly realizing what Kisuke had noticed earlier. He looked at the younger warriors. "You have been responsible for far more victories than anyone else. It is a heavy burden to ask, but we must ask anyways. Will you help us?"
"If I couldn't stand the heat, I wouldn't be here!" Yang shouted, her hair igniting as she did.
"Then all we have to do is go to him," Kisuke said with a grin.
Then Jaune and Ichigo felt something, and the two reacted instantly. Jaune raised a Reflega wall around himself and his group while Ichigo simply wrapped himself around Rukia. The room exploded, shattering the reflect wall and sending Jaune's team flying. Ichigo and Rukia were tossed away by the bright light, and the others were looking significantly worse for wear when the light cleared. The Captains were down, struggling to stand. Kisuke and Yoruichi were buried under rubble, glaring up at the new enemies. "As you can see, there's no reason for you to go anyway... Kisuke Urahara." Aizen floated in the air above them, the same condescending smirk as always on his features. His hair was slicked back, aside from a single strand resting between his cold, cruel eyes. He was dressed in a white Soul Reaper uniform with a deep part, with a pink sash around his waist. A long white jacket covered him further. A blue-white glow emerged from just within the shirt.
Beside him was what appeared to be a child, with shaggy blonde hair and wide, lavender eyes. He had a hollow mask atop his head shaped like a three point crown. He had two jagged teeth visible from his wildly babbling mouth. And though he wore the white uniform of Aizen's army, he didn't have any intelligence in his eyes. Just insanity. Also with him with a fox-like man with white hair, a nasty grin on his face as he glared down at the wounded warriors. Yang's eyes widened as she recognized him. The guy who had let them go back in Aizen's crazy castle! Gin Ichimaru.
"Well, I think ya know everything ya need to, Aizen," Gin stated, almost sounding like he was laughing as he did. "This ain't the real Keyhole."
"Yes, this confirms my suspicions," Aizen replied, his gaze passing over everyone there one by one, finally stopping on Ichigo and Jaune, whose groups had been blown near one another by the explosion. "Kurosaki and the Keyblade Wielder. This was the best that you could manage against my forces, Kisuke? Intriguing, if disappointing."
Ichigo and Jaune were terrified. The others couldn't feel it, they could see that much, but those two could. They could feel the cold, oppressive power that Aizen was giving off. Pure evil so strong that they could just barely feel the apex of that power. "You are like ants."
"Maybe up there, but why don't you come down here," Ichigo snarled, pushing himself slowly up to his feet, "and say that to my face?"
Aizen's grin grew wider, and he held his hand up. "I had originally planned to give Wonderweiss here to the captain as a playmate. He was designed to be able to defeat even a Keyblade Master," he explained. The blonde boy's eyes turned and focused on Aizen at the sound of his name. "However, that was unnecessary. With the Hogyoku I was able to summon more than enough powerful Heartless to remove him from the equation for the foreseeable future. Which means, sadly, he doesn't have anyone to play with." He turned and placed his left hand on Wonderweiss' head. "Why don't you change that, Keyblade Wielder." The blue light in Aizen's chest began to glow brighter and brighter, his own body evolving and changing. But at the same time, so was Wonderweiss'. Heartless began to appear in the air around him, their inky Darkness forming just as they were sucked into the child's body, one after the other. Slowly the small body of the boy vanished, and his body exploded into a new form. His shoulders became massive, popping out upwards. His body became flat, with two holes below his neck above his Hollow hole and two more at his waist. His face was covered with a tall mask adorned with three horns. Then the emblem of the Heartless appeared on his chest, and he changed again. The white of his Hollow body sickeningly turned a dark black, and his eyes began to glow an evil yellow. His long, thin arms grew massive claws and large tubes connecting his hands to his shoulders. The holes on his abdomen vanished, replaced with more tubes snaking around up to his shoulders, which began to ignite until a massive tower of flames could be seen blacking out the sky.
Aizen removed his hand, a changed man, his entire body covered in white with only a single line traveling down from atop his now masked head to the split of his coat, right through the Hogyoku in his chest. "Now," his voice echoed in the minds of all present, "play, my Wonderweiss."
The monster shot forward, shrieking with manic, evil glee as it did. "Gin, open a gate, would you? We should get to the real Keyhole before any more distractions can appear."
Gin nodded and drew his blade. "Ya sure ya don't want to watch 'em die?" he asked, voice unchanging. "What if they follow us?"
"Then they'll die there instead of here," Aizen said simply. Gin shrugged and turned his sword, opening a large, glowing doorway in the air. Aizen turned towards the warriors on the ground, fighting the monstrous Wonderweiss. "After you, Gin."
"AIZEN!" Ichigo screamed, turning his attention from the fight and launching a blade of white energy at the gate, the attack colliding with Aizen before the doorway closed. The man turned and raised his hand, and the energy vanished. Wonderweiss took advantage of the distraction, and flames channeled down the tubes and into his claws as he slammed them into Ichigo's chest.
"Childish." Aizen's hand pulsed and the blade of energy left his palm, now a pitch black, and soared at Ichigo. "But powerful." He moved through the doorway, and it slammed shut behind him.
Jaune rushed towards the creature slamming its flaming claws onto Ichigo and roared, slashing his Keyblade out and firing a Light-Dark Getsuga at its shoulder. The attack crashed into its body and it turned towards him, looking uninjured. It cocked its head to the side and leaped off of Ichigo at Jaune, its claws coming around at his head. He brought the Keyblade around to block and was thrown forwards as flames curled around and exploded behind him. He lost his stance and a claw crashed into his chest, the flames burning through his defenses as he was sent flying through the wall of a nearby building.
"Hey! Hitting hard and burning things is my shtick!" Yang shouted, her eyes ruby red. She sprinted towards the monster and leaped towards it, fist slamming into the creature's fist. Its eyes widened in surprise as Yang pushed it back, her fist and its creating a thunderclap that spread flames in every direction. Mercury sprinted up and swung his leg around, the attack slamming into the creature's face. Its head snapped back and it stumbled backwards, babbling angrily. It swiped out with its hand, flames extending out towards the two who had hurt it. They jumped backwards and settled.
"Why can you two hurt it but we can't?" Jaune asked, coming up on Yang's right.
Urahara and the others walked up, glaring at the babbling, angry creature. "Simple. It's meant to fight a Keyblade Wielder," Urahara stated coolly. "The Captain created the first Zanpakuto by shattering his own Keyblade, leaving behind only a Keychain. From that, he was able to teach others to draw out their own Zanpakuto." He looked over at Jaune and Ichigo. "One of you already uses a Keyblade, and the other... well, your power is changing so quickly. It's possible you give off enough of the same energy for the creature to counter your abilities. The rest of us don't have that issue."
Ukitake drew his sword and glared at the monster. "Jaune, Ichigo. The two of you must follow Aizen to the Soul Society and stop him. We will follow once this creature is dead."
"Us, but -"
"No buts, Kid," Kenpachi growled, a wild and excited grin on his face. "If this thing could kill the Old Man, then he'll be a fun fight. Go and take on Aizen. You've earned it."
"Earned it?" Jaune asked before shaking his head. "We'll be back soon." He turned to leave before glancing at Yang. She turned away from the monster and raised an eyebrow. "Be careful."
She grinned. "I'm always more careful than you, Jauney. Make sure you're in one piece when I come over there and get you."
Jaune nodded and turned away, summoning the Keyblade. If the Zanpakuto were emulations of the Keyblade, itself the emulation of another more powerful weapon, it stood to reason that he should be able to do whatever it was Gin had done and open the door, too. He channeled his will through the Keyblade, forcing it to act until, finally, he turned it and the swirling gate of Light opened.
The creature screamed again as it shot towards the duo, not content to let its prey escape. "Dance, Sode No Shirayuki!" A circle of white appeared on the ground between the monster and its prey, and a pillar of ice froze the creature's head and shoulders solid before it could reach them. Ichigo and Jaune glanced at Rukia. "Thanks, Shorty," Ichigo said with a smile before he and Jaune walked into the light.
The creature shrieked inside its icy prison as the doorway shut, and the flames on its shoulders suddenly erupted once more, shattering the icy prison around it. The creature turned on Rukia, its yellow eyes filled with hate before it shrieked loudly once more, prepared to murder the small Soul Reaper. She grit her teeth and readied her blade as everyone else present rushed it, ready to annihilate the creature before the worst could happen. "You better not screw up, you strawberry idiot," Rukia snapped as tensed her legs and rushed the creature yet. "If you end up dying before I see you again, I'll kill you!"
R W B Y
Jaune and Ichigo had been running for what seemed like hours through the filthy, purple muck infused area between Soul Society and the human world in an effort to catch up with Aizen. "Are we ever going to catch up with him?" Jaune shouted, halfway to despairing at how long this was taking.
"Time's screwy here. He entered a bit before us, but he could get there hours before us, or even after us. Most likely, we're pretty much right on his tail!" Ichigo explained as he pumped his arms and sprinted beside Jaune. "At least, that's what I got from Yoruichi's explanation..."
"So we might not be running late," Jaune suggested.
"I mean, the only reason we gained time last time is because we got hit by a train roomba that... should be here already," Ichigo said as he glanced around. "Where is it?"
"If Aizen destroyed it..." Jaune began.
Ichigo palled. "I'd rather not think of how strong that means he is."
The two ran on in silence, forcing the idea from their minds. "We'll need some kind of plan," Jaune pointed out while they ran. He glanced down at the Keyblade in his hand, trying to figure something out."
"Well, we don't have time for the two of you to struggle to figure it out." Jaune and Ichigo stopped running and turned around, freezing as they noticed that everything around them had changed. They were standing in a city of sideways skyscrapers made of brilliant stained glass, deep under the ocean. The windows of the skyscrapers were adorned with various images, and Ichigo knew each one was meant to represent something near and dear to his Heart. In front of them was a new figure. He wore a long white coat with a large black fur lining at the neck and had a long black horn coming from the left side of his head. His skin was ash white, the same color as his shaggy hair and his coat. His right eye was blue and his left was yellow-gold, while the sclera of both were black.
"Who are you?" Ichigo growled, raising his sword in front of him.
The blade vanished, reappearing in the figure's hand. "You know who I am. Both of you do." The figure cocked its head to the side as he stared at Jaune. "I had hoped I would never see you again, Keyblade Wielder. Your kind brings too much pain where they come and now, separated from those he cares for most and leaving them to die, Ichigo's world has been submerged in rain. He has become more like you than I had ever desired."
"...Zangetsu?" Ichigo asked, staring at the figure. And now that Jaune heard it, he understood. This guy, he looked like a younger, way paler version of the old man in Ichigo's Heart. "Where's the Hollow?"
"We are your Darkness and your Light, Ichigo. We are both parts of a single being," the figure explained calmly as he twirled the sword in his hand, the blade shifting until it had become Ichigo's Bankai blade. He then tossed the black sword at Ichigo, who caught it effortlessly. His clothes immediately became his long jacket, and he gazed in confusion at the figure. "And unfortunately, the time we hoped never to see... has come. As you are, both of you, you will never be able to defeat Aizen, and you will die. If you run, those you love will die and this world will remain drowned forever. Each of these windows would shatter, and even the refuge within would no longer be safe." His sad gaze turned towards the windows and he studied them. "Which means there is only one course remaining, Ichigo. A recourse that, had the Keyblade Wielder never come to our world I would still fight to prevent you from using, for studying the Keyblade has made Aizen even stronger. So now I am left with the true last resort."
Ichigo and Jaune glanced at one another. "What?"
"You must learn to unseal the truest depths of our power, but there is a cost."
Ichigo took a step forward. "I'll pay it. If I can protect Rukia, my family, and everyone else... I'll pay whatever it is in a heartbeat."
Zangetsu sighed, defeated. "I know that, Ichigo, but it is a price we must pay as well." He gestured at the world around them. "If you use this ability, your powers will vanish into the depths of your Heart. We will cease to be."
Ichigo stopped. "You'd vanish?" he asked. "But -"
"Then he will just have to find you again," Jaune said after a moment. He held his blade out at Zangetsu. "If you're in his Heart, he'll be able to find you anywhere, because you'll never really be apart." He laughed nervously and lowered the Keyblade. "At least, that's what Sora would say."
Zangetsu stared at him for a while, then scoffed and shook his head. "Keyblade Wielders are all so sentimental," he said, and Jaune couldn't tell if he was being mocked. Still, Zangetsu turned back to Ichigo and smiled softly. "Then I shall teach you." He looked at Jaune once more. "And I will teach you something as well... friend of Ichigo."
Zangetsu held his hand out and a new sword appeared within it, a replica of Ichigo's own save for the white blade and handle. "Jaune, you must learn to seal and unseal my power if you wish to do the same to Aizen," Zangetsu explained. "And Ichigo, you must reach into the depths of your power and will to unleash the Final Getsuga Tensho." He shot forward, a blur of motion and slammed into Ichigo, sending him flying off of the pillar. "And the best teacher is experience." He turned towards Jaune and flicked his Zanpakuto to the side. "I hope you can learn in time." He shot at Jaune his time, slashing upward at Jaune's shoulder, forcing the Keyblade wielder to swing his Keyblade around to block the attack. The force was worse than when Morrigan had hit him, sending him tumbling down towards the bottom of the pillar. Zangetsu reappeared in his path and slashed to the side. Jaune turned around and focused on the Keyblade. How had he blocked all those massive attacks before, how had he blocked OJ's attack? He focused on the feeling and the Keyblade glowed a bright white.
The sword and Keyblade collided, and Zangetsu was blown backwards this time. "Gah!" the spirit shouted in surprise, rocketing further down the building. He slammed his sword into the building to stop his movement. "Impressive, but not what you need to learn. Perhaps a step, though."
"Hey, don't forget about me!" Ichigo flew out of the darkness, his sword overflowing with his energy as he launched a Getsuga at Zangetsu. The white figure turned his eyes to the side and slashed upward, nullifying the attack.
"You aren't reaching deep enough, Ichigo. You have to abandon any desire to hold onto anything you have left," Zangetsu stated coolly. He shot towards Ichigo and grabbed him by the throat,s pinning to throw the young man at Jaune.
The Keyblade wielder dove to the side and aimed his Keyblade at the spirit. "Deep Freeze!" An explosion of a Blizzaga flew from the Keyblade, the magic freezing the water in front of him and giving him a spring board to run up towards Zangetsu. "Light Dark Getsuga Tensho!"
"You aren't trying to do what I told you!" Zangetsu snarled, swinging his sword at Jaune twice. A pair of Getsugas flew at him in a cross shape, crashing into him and sending him flying off of the pillar and into the Darkness below.
"Jaune!" Ichigo shouted. He sprinted towards the edge where Jaune had fallen, only for Zangetsu to reappear in front of him, burying his blade in Ichigo's gut. The Soul Reaper coughed and froze, reaching down at the blade in his gut, only for Zangetsu to yank it out.
"Focus on yourself," Zangetsu said, backhanding Ichigo all the way up to the top of the pillar they were standing on. "Reach deep, Ichigo, or you won't survive!"
Jaune was drowning in the Darkness. Zangetsu was too strong for him, and he didn't know what to do. He knew the Keyblade could be used to alter metaphysical concepts, but he wasn't quite sure how. He drifted further down into the Darkness, struggling for the answer. How did one alter the conceptual with the physical?
He looked down at the Keyblade in his hand. But... this wasn't 'real,' not really. He was in Ichigo's Heart. This was the same as when Sora and Ren had been in his Heart, or how Pyrrha had been there after her death, or how Summer had remained even as a part of the χ -blade. He was, in essence, an argument that existed in Ichigo's Heart, where the Keyblade was at its most powerful. If the Keyblade could alter his own Heart in the same way that Salem had altered his own Heart, then... The Keyblade was like a pen, capable of overwriting something held as an absolute truth in one's Heart.
Which meant...
Jaune threw the Keyblade forward, right into the side of the pillar. "Revert!" The world immediately turned around him, and everything changed.
On the building's side, Ichigo was glaring at Zangetsu and clutching at the wound in his gut. "If you are not ready, then your friends will die, Ichigo. This world will drown in Darkness and you will lose yourself completely!"
Ichigo didn't respond, instead just glaring. "Uryu, Chad, Orihime," Zangetsu continued. "Your sisters, even your father. Rukia, Ichigo. Rukia will die!"
The light in the inner world seemed to vanish around Ichigo. Rukia and his family dying? He felt himself begin to hyperventilate, all of his mind focused on that single concept as Zangetsu began to show him images of it happening. Of his world dying. The stain glass beneath him began to crack as the thoughts consumed him.
And then the world turned on its side, or rather to the way it was meant to be. Ichigo was snapped out of his stupor when he suddenly began to fall towards the true ground, a surprised but pleased Zangetsu not far beneath him. "The Keyblade Wielder learned what he was meant to, but that doesn't matter if you don't, Ichigo. So what will it be? Will you learn, or watch the people you love die? Are you freezing or moving forward!?"
"Always forward!" Ichigo screamed, the blade in his hand glowing with an intense red and black energy as it changed shape, fusing into his hand. "GETSUGA TENSHO!"
Zangetsu smiled sadly as the intense blade of energy flew towards him. "I will miss you, Ichigo," he stated simply, the energy nearly upon him now. "But perhaps we have earned our rest. Goodbye, my friend."
The world around Jaune and Ichigo vanished, replaced by blinding light.
As Ichigo and Jaune exited the world between, they knew they were going to win. They had to.