Chapter 5: Grand Fisher vs Isshin Kurosaki-Shiba
Isshin could feel his heart clench as he heard Masaki's voice scream for Ichigo. Instantly he turned his head in time to see his beautiful and wonderful wife fall to the ground. The strange binding kido that tied his soul to hers suddenly snapped. Fear hit Isshin so quickly that no other emotion was present. The fog that kept him from seeing high powered hollows, but allowed him to see low powered plus spirits, lifted. He jumped out of the gigai that he'd used for over a decade without thought.
In front of his eyes laid Masaki in her spirit form, her chain of fate unbroken at the moment, but it was the monstrous hollow that had his attention. Of all the hollows to attack... he thought grimly. It just had to be Grand Fisher. Raising his zanpaktou, hearing the sword's voice for the first time in many years. It's good to hear you again old friend. he mentally whispered to the spirit. A beautiful woman with ruby red eyes and waist length white hair appeared in his mind with blue flames surrounding her. Her gaze met his for a solid moment before he drew his sword from its sheath and he yelled, "BURN ENGETSU!" at the top of his lungs.
The large hollow lifted his visage from the spirit form that was the woman who had caused him to miss that brat. Yes, women were his favorites to attack and kill. Their souls tasted good to him and allowed him to get others, but that boys spirit pressure had been so high and it smelt good! "Shinigami!" he snarled before laughing at the enraged man. So this man had been with the woman, as he could see the downed false body nearby. "Her soul belongs to me!" he screeched as he took a swipe at the Shinigami with his lure.
"Not this one." Isshin said his sword in front of him, ready for the attack and successfully blocked it.
"You are nothing, I cannot even sense your power." the hollow stated dismissively. Raising the hook lure on its head it went to strike Masaki's body once more and this time take her soul and add it to its collection. Suddenly the hook was cut from his head in a single strike, disappearing from sight. Blood sprayed every which way from the new wound. Screaming from more anger than pain, Grand Fisher rushed towards the Shinigami with fury written across his face.
Bringing Engetsu up in defence, Isshin was unprepared to see the large hollow move so quickly. I'm out of practice. he thought feeling a fear that was beginning to eat away at his stomach. As the hollow grabbed his sword with its teeth, Isshin could hear Engetsu screen in pain as large cracks began to form on the blade. "Getsuga..." Isshin began as a claw came at him at the side. "tensho!"
A huge raise in Isshin's reiatsu caused Grand Fishers eyes to widen as suddenly a black arch slash shot out of the blade, a blade that he still had his teeth on. Ripping his mouth from the blade, he barely moved away in time as the attack took off one of his legs. The appendage he had been about to use to gut the Shinigami, had been cut from his body and purified. The stump dripped blood from the wound.
"I have been around for hundreds of years..." the hollow began. "and you think that you will kill me?!" he yelled. "I'll devour you, then that woman and finally those brats that the bitch made me miss!" his eyes flashed with anger, his reiatsu swelling and growing larger with his anger.
Master. Engetsu's voice whispered into his mind. We don't have time to dawdle. We must strike with our strongest attack.
It'd been years since he'd used his bankai, but Isshin knew that he was being given no choice. You're right. he thought as he began to feel the intense pressure being released by this creature. If he keeps going then the weak souls nearby will begin to fade.
Call it. she said with a smile that would send chills down most enemies spines, but it only made Isshin smile his own smile that was equally scary looking.
"Shirohi Engetsu!" he cried out. White flames surrounded Isshin's hand as his blade thinned out like a samurai sword flames engraved upon the blade began to light up before flames surrounded the sword also ate away the top of his uniform. Large station's upon his shoulders lit up a blue and silver color. When Isshin lifted his eyes, they were bloody red like those of the spirit inside his sword. Drawing his reiatsu into his sword, a flash of power exploded around Isshin as his spiritual powers were fully released. "Shiro Hi o haku Isshi." White hot flames shot out of the sword as it was swung at Grand Fisher, the hollow screamed its fury as it was destroyed and purified by the white flames that seemed to burn the very air itself.
Isshin suddenly felt weakened from releasing his zanpaktou for the first time in over a decade, thus he fell to his knees. Masaki. he thought as he crawled over to her fallen form. Pulling her into his arms, he could see a hole appearing on her chest. He did not know what to do. His beautiful, wonderful wife was dying. Slowly her body was turning into that of a hollow. He heard the sudden use of a flash step and looked up in time to see the only man that might be able to help her. "Urahara Kisuke." he spoke the man's name as if it was a taboo to be spoken.
"What happened?" Urahara inquired as he quickly approached the two. His eyes quickly going to the slowly forming hole. He could also feel her Spirit cores were beginning to shut down at the same time. If he didn't act quickly to help her, she would die and soon.
"Grand Fisher." was all Isshin said at first.
Frowning, Urahara knew what was going to happen. Another victim to the hollow. he thought sadly, his mind calculating on what could be done to stop her death, but he was coming up with a blank. They couldn't bind Isshin's soul with hers again; not with her soul beginning to evaporate.
"I killed it." Isshin said, tears beginning to fall. "Please. She can't die." he pleaded with the former Squad Twelve Captain and creator of Research and Development.
Kisuke's eyes met those of Isshin's. He gave a deep sigh. "I cannot-"
"If you need something, take it from me!" Isshin yelled. "If she dies, I cannot live!"
Kisuke's eyes widened at Isshin's shout. "There may be a way, but you will die." he explained.
"I don't care." was Isshin's answer. "Our children cannot live without their mother and I will die without her." he explained trying to get his message across to the man in front of himself. "She can go on. She will survive this. I will not."
"Isshin." Kisuke said his name softly. Knowing he had very little choice, Kisuke gave a nod. "Okay, but this will hurt. What I'm about to do is dismantle part of your spirit and soul, which in turn will enter her, balance her spirit and soul and bring them back to a normal process." his eyes looked sadly at Isshin. "You will be awake for all of this. As soon as she awakens when I place her back into her body, you will begin to fade and finally," he took a deep breath before finishing. "You will die."
Without thought of his own fate, Isshin gave a nod. "Do it."
Kisuke nodded as he watched Isshin place Masaki down. Forcing the other to lay down next to her, Kisuke placed one had over Masaki's core where her soul was to be balanced, then placed his other hand on Isshin's body and began to whisper words that were suppose to be forbidden. This technique had been developed, not by himself, but by another and because of the dangerous implications it carried, it had been forbidden to be used by Center 46 many years ago. Isshin's screams of pain could be heard as a part of his soul and spirit was being ripped from his body, turned into energy and placed back into Masaki's body to heal the damage done by Grand Fisher and White many years ago.
Isshin trembled on the other side of Kisuke as he tried to breathe while Kisuke picked Masaki's soul form up off of the ground and back into her body. "Put...me...back." Isshin gasped as he nodded towards the gigai.
"It won't allow you to live much longer than a few moments." Kisuke warned him.
"It...'ll...be enough." he gasped, his spirit becoming translucent for a moment before returning to solid form. Kisuke did as he was asked, it was the least he could do for the dying man. He helped Isshin back into the false body before standing. "Please..." Isshin gasped. "find my...children."
Kisuke sighed sadly, but he could not say no to this small request. "I will. Rest assured, I will find them." he said before turning away and flash stepping away from the two. His heart feeling heavy at the feeling of losing a good friend and ally.
M-Angel: I had an awesome time at my first con this weekend. So many characters from anime, magna that I've never read before and games. I saw Halo, Mass Effect, Zelda and Mario characters galore! I even got to be apart of the full Bleach Photoshoot! If you wish to see these pictures go to my deviantart page. Link is on profile. I got to see both Kingdom Hearts and Pokemon shoots too! The Dealers room had so many things in it. I could've gone hog wild, but I restrained myself to only buying a couple of things.
Anyway, on to my author's note: It was a hard decision, but after long thought, I decided to kill off Isshin by him sacrificing himself for Masaki. A switch to see how things would change should she be the one to raise the kids instead of Isshin. So what did you guys think of Isshin's bankai?
Shirohi Engetsu - White Fire Cressent Moon
Shiro Hi o haku Isshi - White Flaming Death (had to look up translations for words for this attack)
Okay now to answer a question raised by a guest commenter. - Rukia is listed as a main because she will become a main part of the story very soon. It'll take a few more chapters before she makes an appearance since she doesn't appear in Ichigo's life until he is 15. So please be patient. I promise, she will appear soon. ^_^