Chapter 27: Eclipse of the Black Sun (Unleashed leash)
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.
"Normal speech"
'Inner speech/thoughts'
'Inner Quincy/Yhwach speech'
'Inner hollow/Zanpakuto speech'
xxx
The Captain Commander of the Gotei 13 watched as his Captains slowly assembled for the Captain's meeting. His eyes were mostly closed but despite that, one could feel the raw emotion radiating from him like a molten lava. Seldom as it was, when the Commander wasn't in his good mood, his enemies shook at their very core. Still, upset as he was, Yamamoto waited patiently. All those years he had lived so far taught him that hurrying was never good. When the Captains finally assembled, he tapped the floor with his cane and took a good look around.
"This Captain's meeting is now in effect."
"So what's the hurry, old man. Sun's barely out." Completely ignoring Yamamoto's upset reiatsu, Kenpachi asked with a yawn. While the Commander tolerated the rude Captain's behavior most of the time, he wasn't in the mood for it now. A burst of reiatsu caused Kenpachi to immediately stop yawning and look at him in surprise.
"While this isn't a complete emergency, yesterday's evening brought us some very disturbing news." Yamamoto stated and glance in Mayuri's direction.
"Captain Kurotsuchi, if you please."
The Captain of the 12th Division gave him a nod and stepped up.
"Thank you Commander. Indeed, yesterday truly was full of news. I'll try to speak slowly, as the Commander wants all of you to understand." He spoke and looked at each Captain with a grimace.
"Yesterday evening in the Human World, a small Garganta portal formed in the sky above Karakura Town. We, at the Shinigami Research and Development Institute recorded two reiatsu signatures coming out of it. The reiatsu composition was similar in both cases and, after analyzing them, we came to a conclusion that these two signatures belonged to a certain type of hollows. This type of hollow is unique in a fact that its spiritual energy has a certain Shinigami trait in it. I'm sure you realized it but, yes, I'm speaking of a hollow which has removed its mask; an Arrancar." He paused for his words to sink in.
"Now, as per the new directive, we regularly send Shinigami from different divisions to the Human World and, thanks to that, we have eye-witnesses to these Arrancars. The Vice-Captain of the 6th Division, Abarai Renji, and the 3rd Seat of the 9th Division, Kurosaki Ichigo, both came across these Arrancars. However, they were forced to fight them and suffered an utter and complete defeat. They survived only thanks to a timely intervention by Urahara Kisuke and Shihōin Yoruichi. Both officers are now in the 4th Division, recuperating from minor to serious injuries but I managed to get their statements. The Arrancars' names were Yammy and Ulquiorra and they both possessed not just humanoid appearances but also human-like intelligence." He paused again.
"I guess it shouldn't come as a surprise but they also mentioned the name Aizen Sōsuke."
"!"
Several growls resonated in the meeting room.
"It seems the man had sent them to the Human World to test Kurosaki Ichigo."
The eyes of the Captains glanced in Isshin's direction. The Captain of the 10th Division tried not to react but it was clear he, same as the Commander, wasn't in one of his best moods.
"Based on the data we got, it seems the Arrancar Yammy is one of the weaker Arrancars while the other one, Ulquiorra, belongs to the stronger. At the same time, though, they both exceed the normal power of hollows."
"What is the estimation on their fighting capability?" Toshiro asked.
Mayuri briefly mulled over the answer with a thoughtful expression.
"Hard to say. As per the two officers' words, at the beginning, they only fought Yammy. Unreleased, they were unable to harm the creature's Hierro that the Vice-Captain of the 6th Division described as 'tougher than steel'."
From the sidelines, Kenpachi scoffed.
"Like that's hard to cut…"
Ignoring that remark, Mayuri continued.
"Even in Shikai state, Abarai admitted he still had troubles making any deeper wounds. However, Kurosaki, also in Shikai state, was able to cut off the creature's arm. That gives us a rough estimation of Yammy's Hierro density. It can withstand the force below a Vice-Captain-level combatant but a Captain should not have troubles getting past it. The Arrancars strength is, however, at least on par with a Captain, if not even a bit above."
"So, he's similar to Zaraki."
"Oi, shorty."
Mayuri looked at the irritated Captain of the 11th Division with an odd expression.
"I can't believe I'm about to say it but no, he's a bit different. The Arrancar Yammy seems to possess even less intelligence than Zaraki." He stated and, ignoring Zaraki's grimace, turned back to Toshiro.
"Reiatsu-wise, Yammy seems to be above a Vice-Captain-level combatant but below a Captain. All in all, he is at least on the lower spectrum of a Captain-level combatant. Therefore, I suspect he's an Adjuchas turned Arrancar." When he said that, a short silence washed over the meeting.
"…and he's one of the weaker Arrancars…"
Toshiro never broke the eye contact with the scientist.
"What about the other one?"
Mayuri paused and then glanced at other Captains, mainly at Amagai and Isshin.
"Captain Amagai and Captain Shiba, you two witnessed Kurosaki Ichigo using an ability called 'Getsuga' in the Valley of Screams. How powerful would you say it is?"
Amagai and Isshin briefly looked at each other.
"Depends on how much of reiryoku he puts in it but, in general, I'd say it could incapacitate a Vice-Captain and injure a Captain a lot. If you tried to take it head on, of course." Isshin replied and Amagai only nodded in agreement. Mayuri turned back to Toshiro.
"The other Arrancar swatted it with his bare hand and without sustaining any damage whatsoever."
"…I see." Toshiro muttered with a grimace.
"Also, his speed was so great, Kurosaki claimed he never saw him move. He just vanished from his sight, only to appear right next to him. Reiatsu-wise, he's also leagues above the other one. I'd estimate his fighting capabilities above that of a Captain."
The silence that fell upon the room lasted for a lot longer than the previous did.
"…Vasto Lorde?" As always, the one who broke it was Shunsui. But it was not with a sly grin. His expression was a lot more somber than that. Pained even. Mayuri turned to him.
"Yes, I believe so. It would be hard to imagine an Adjuchas becoming this strong, even after turning Arrancar."
"If he has more Arrancars like that…" Ukitake quietly muttered, bringing forth the question most of them thought about.
"Or maybe we are simply overestimating Kurosaki Ichigo. All of these conclusions are based upon his level of power. Are we really sure he is as strong as a Captain?"
Everyone looked at the large Captain in the middle of the left row, Komamura. He was the one who, so far, hadn't come into any contact with Ichigo. It was the Captain Commander who answered him.
"No. He is not as skilled as a Captain. That is one of the reasons he was given the 3rd Seat. However, his pure power is undeniable. His achievements, statements from all the officers who spar with him and also Aizen Sōsuke's interest in him all speak for themselves."
…
Ichigo
When Rukia finally withdrew her hands and stood up to leave, the teen looked away. He didn't want to see her worried gaze or eyes filled with pity. It was the last thing he needed. She gave him a few last words and then closed the door behind her, leaving him alone at last.
'…'
Even if he tried, Ichigo couldn't come up with a single thing to think about. There was nothing within his mind. His consciousness was filled with the void; it was devoid of any emotions. He just lay there, sprawled across the bed, staring at the ceiling with an empty look in his eyes, feeling absolutely nothing. He felt completely empty. The melancholy he had felt many times returned with a vengeance and it didn't look like it would go away anytime soon.
Regret.
Guilty-conscience.
Self-loathing.
Those were the emotions he thought he would feel once he had regained consciousness. He still hoped they would come. Anything was better than the void currently residing within him. The feeling of not being able to feel was eating him from inside. Like a cell-dissolving poison, it slowly spread into his whole body, until only an unidentified mass, a blank goo of meat, remained.
It was numbing. Strength-sapping. Excruciating.
He wanted to fight it. To remind himself of himself. To stay as he was, the person he had been molded into. But it was pointless.
A sciamachy.
It had been him who had killed all those innocent students. That was the undeniable, inescapable and hard truth he had to face, truth he had to accept. But, how do you live with that much innocent blood on your hands?
Ichigo didn't know.
He had killed before. He had killed dozens and more. Even innocents had fallen under his sword. However, that happened only once and it had been out of his control.
Or had it been?
'Maybe I'm just trying to run away from something I can't outrun. That at my core, I'm just another murderer.'
Before he knew it, he raised his right arm and touched his face with it. That part, where the fragment of his mask always formed first. An unnatural chuckle came out of his mouth. Along with it, a tear flowed down his face.
"…I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"
…
Vigorously crashing open the doors to the office of the Captain of the 1th Division, Ichigo stopped moving only once he was in front of the man himself.
"Kenpachi. Spar with me."
The large Captain, until now staring at the ceiling in boredom, instantly formed a large grin. He completely ignored the damaged doors, hanging on the hinges, and reached for his sword.
"You have no idea how fucking happy you just made me, Ichigo. Let's go!"
At the sound of his booming voice, a small person clad in Shinigami clothes crashed through the office window and landed right on Kenpachi's back.
"Yahoo! Go get him, Ken-chan!"
That person was a little girl with a happy face, pink hair and a smile that could melt hearts. Ichigo did not recall ever seeing her before but, despite that, he didn't ask who she was. He didn't really want to know. Despite that, he found out her identity almost immediately, as his gaze was drawn to the lieutenant badge on her right arm.
"Don't mind Yachiru." Kenpachi stated.
The two of them quickly moved to the training grounds reserved for the 11th Division and stood facing each other a moment after that. With his zanpakuto already raised above his head, Ichigo called out to the Captain.
"Until one of us can't continue!"
Kenpachi's grin grew even wider.
"Wouldn't have it any other damn way!"
…
Isshin was quietly filling in his paperwork when a small tremor caused his desk to shake and his glass toppled over, spilling water everywhere. In surprise, he jerked away and wiggled his nose in annoyance.
"Damn it."
He quickly reached for some paper towels but the damage has been done and the paper he had been just writing on was now unusable. The Captain tried to salvage as much as he could but he soon realized it was pointless. Whether he wanted or didn't, he would have to start over. His eyebrow twitching, he threw the used paper towels into trash and then leaned on his chair to look out the window.
"What's the big idea, though?"
However, from his window, he couldn't see a thing and so, for a moment, he hesitated. But his curiosity won and made him go outside, to try and find out more. Once he left the barracks, though, his senses were assaulted by a heavy reiatsu pressing on his shoulder, coming from not that far away.
"Ichigo and… Zaraki?" He muttered, a bit worried. Having those two together at one place always meant trouble. He glanced back at the entrance to the barracks and paused. He really needed to finish doing his share of paperwork.
'…he'll be fine.' He thought, only for a powerful pulse of reiatsu to wash over Seireitei. His body almost automatically turned back toward the source of the energy.
'…or maybe not. What the hell are you doing, son?'
Leaving his paperwork as it was, Isshin hastily left the 10th Division compound and hurried to the 11th Division's training ground. There was no other place Kenpachi and Ichigo could have been. A few short minutes later, he reached the entrance to the 11th Division compound and watched as a group of healers from the 4th Division strode towards his own destination.
That wasn't a very calming sight and so the speed of his steps increased. Once he got around the barracks and reached the outskirts of the training grounds, he heard a mixture of voices.
"Tch, who's the pussy that called these guys?"
"…but Captain, you're bleeding all over!"
"Ah, got the pussy. And, for your information, this is just a scratch."
"Kurosaki-san, please don't move! We really need to close that wound!"
"…get the fuck away from me…"
Isshin froze. The last line belonged to his son, he was sure of it. He could recognize his voice anywhere and anytime. But there was something in that voice he didn't remember ever hearing. He couldn't really put his finger on it but it just didn't sound like the usual Ichigo.
It was cold.
Cold and terrifying.
When he finally entered the training ground, he saw one of the 4th Division medics cowering before a positively frightening teen. Covered in blood from the multiple cuts and gashes on his body, Ichigo's eyes stared at the medic like a predator looking at his next prey. His injuries, albeit not life-threatening, were vast in number and awful in appearance. He was visibly wobbling but, despite that, he was stubbornly refusing any assistance.
He raised his head and his eyes met Isshin's.
Isshin gulped. There was barely any emotion in his son's eyes. What he was able to see was just anger. Pure, raw loathing. Even when he clearly realized whom he was looking at, Ichigo's gaze didn't change. His facial muscles just lightly twitched and that was all.
"I don't need any help. I'm fine." Isshin heard him say and then glance in Kenpachi's direction.
"I'll come again soon."
Kenpachi just raised one of his hands, while his lieutenant, the pink-haired kid, energetically waved.
"We'll be looking forward to that, Ichi! Bye-bye!"
The Captain of the 10th Division took a step towards his son but, in a pulse of reiatsu, Ichigo vanished from his sight and, with it, left the man with a clear message.
'Leave me alone.'
Isshin felt a bit of a worry creeping into his soul.
…
An hour later, Ichigo limped out of the shower and fell face-first on his bed. A quiet hiss escaped his mouth as the impact caused his recently closed gashes to open and a bit of blood seeped through the awkwardly placed bandages and on his blanket. He remained in the same position for several long minutes until he was sure the wounds weren't bleeding anymore. Then he carefully rolled over so he could stare at the ceiling, a position that quickly became one of his favorite.
"…so weak…" He whispered with a pained grimace and placed his left forearm on top of his brow.
'I couldn't even get him to lose that damn eye-patch.'
His right hand twisted into a fist and he raised it above his head, to look at it.
"…so damn weak…"
…
Following day, evening
Staring at the empty office of the 11th Division Captain in disappointment, Ichigo heard a familiar voice calling out to him.
"Captain is not here, Ichigo."
"Yeah, I noticed. Tch." The teen growled and turned to leave, only to feel a hand on his left shoulder.
"But if it's a spar you're looking for, then I'm all in. We haven't done it for some time."
Looking over his shoulder, Ichigo gave the bald man, Ikkaku, a short glance. The 3rd Seat of the 11th Division was a good sparring partner. He was far weaker than his Captain but the movements of his zanpakuto were always hard to read.
"Sure." The teen retorted and quickly followed the other man to the training grounds.
Once there, he took a deep breath and began ignoring the crowd that gathered on their way there. It seemed it was impossible to have a spar in the 11th Division compound without attracting at least some attention. He concentrated and focused all of his awareness on the battle to come.
"Go!"
Faster than the speed of any Kido spell, Ichigo leaped forward and brought his zanpakuto down in full force. It was at this moment Ikkaku realized Ichigo wasn't in the mood to play cat and mouse. Using both his sword and its sheath to block the strike, one of Ikkaku's knees crashed into the ground as the power behind the attack exceeded his expectations.
"Good stuff!"
Despite almost being overpowered, Ikkaku's smile didn't wilt. Similar to his Captain, he welcomed the challenge. Spinning on that one knee, his other leg shot out and forced Ichigo to jump away. But that bought Ikkaku barely a second of a breathing window. That was how long Ichigo needed to jump back into the fray.
The blade of his zanpakuto was pushed to the side and hit the ground with enough force to cave it in. In the wake of the strike, a small cloud of dusty particles swirled upwards. His sword followed the motion and revealed the fissure lying beneath it.
After that, the two combatants entered a continuous, furious and deadly dance of metal and sweat. Each strike resonated through the training area like the sound of gongs. Each missed attack caused a breeze of wind to cool their muscles but not their zeal. Every mistake was promptly punished and the scene from the previous day soon became the current déjà vu. Both covered with several cuts, blood began to fill the air around them as if they tried to create a shower of red.
Ikkaku eventually started to show first signs of fatigue. When it happened, he tried to continue for a bit longer but then admitted defeat.
But Ichigo never let go of his fervor. In his verve, he missed the sign of the battle's end and continued to pour his onslaught, forcing Ikkaku to leap away. As soon as he did so, the ground where he just stood gave in to the pressure of Ichigo's last strike and exploded from the redundancy of energy.
"Whoa, whoa, t… time-out Ichigo!" Ikkaku wheezed out, unsteady on his feet.
Ichigo stopped moving. The sudden exclamation seemed to at least bring him back to his senses. Still, with his head lowered, back hunched and body covered in blood, he didn't look like someone who wanted to stop fighting. But then, he slowly straightened his back and gave Ikkaku a short glance, similar to the one he had given him before the fight.
"Thanks for the spar. Tell Kenpachi to be ready next time I come."
…
Midnight
Winter was coming and the night air within Seireitei was gradually getting colder. It was chilly enough for Ichigo to see his own breath as he stood in front of a small memorial gravestone, his hands forming fists and his face twisted into a pained grimace. There were no names on the gravestone but Ichigo didn't care. The names of the deceased were not important. The face that was the one responsible for their deaths, on the other hand, was. All those students, innocent kids with future, gone. Their lives lost because of his mistake.
A mistake he would have to live with for the rest of his life.
The image of their torn bodies, their bloodied, lifeless corpses appeared with the teen's mind. It brought a pain to his heart. A formidable emotion that wouldn't go away no matter how hard he tried.
'Am I even allowed to forget?'
Among those dead bodies, there had been a person with bright pink hair and it was the one death that hit Ichigo the hardest.
Yuno Kyōraku had had a crappy life. It had been worse than Ichigo's by a large margin. However, for the past few months, it had been making a turn for the better. She had even gotten herself into the trainee program in the 4th Division.
She was gone now.
Death had taken her away. Death with a name of Ichigo Kurosaki. The 3rd Seat of the 9th Division and a murderer.
Ichigo's knees got weak and he fell on the gravestone. He clutched it with his hands, as if trying to rip it apart, to undo the past. A weak voice escaped his lips.
"…I'm sorry."
No matter where he went, no matter how far he ran, death seemed to follow him every time.
His mother.
His sisters.
Kazumi.
Yuno.
Gears of fate were turning against Ichigo. That much he was aware of. He wanted to fight it, to break the cycle but, at the moment, he simply didn't have the necessary strength. It was like he was being tested. Like his sanity and soul were being questioned in an attempt at crushing his very essence.
"…Ichigo-kun?"
As soon as he heard the voice, Ichigo felt his innards freezing. Ice filled him from within, making him unable to move any part of his body. His mind briefly stopped working. It was unable to process the situation.
He recognized the voice. Ever since he had woken up after his battle in the Human World, he had been deathly afraid of facing its owner. What could he say to the man? How could he look him in the eyes? Ichigo didn't know and it scared him more than anything.
Because of him, the Captain of the 8th Division had lost his niece.
The hard truth made him feel wobbly every time he recalled the dead bodies, all those victims of his mistake. Now, the man stood behind him and Ichigo felt like struck by a lightning. His skin charred, his muscles torn and his skeleton grinded into dust, he was unable to even twitch.
"I didn't know you were here."
A pulse of life desperately ran across his body in a poor attempt to jump-start his limbs and brain. He felt the man slowly approaching him.
Panic overcame him and cold sweat formed all over his body. He was unable to breath. His lungs were burning with the desire for oxygen and his mind was screaming in pain. Hyperventilating, he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Are you… are you alright, Ichigo-kun?"
'…this… this isn't right…'
Desperately trying to control his own body and mind, Ichigo remained as silent as the night sky above him. He wanted to turn around and tell the man just how sorry he was so badly. With his sanity on the line, he fought his own soul and managed to slightly open his mouth.
"I…" He weakly whispered.
"Ichigo-kun?"
Ichigo trembled, the pain within him growing larger. The worry in the man's voice was more than just palpable and Ichigo hated him for that. He hated how sincere and honest he sounded. Ichigo wanted him to yell at him, to scream at him, to cut him into pieces but the Captain was doing the exact opposite.
Ichigo couldn't take it anymore. An avalanche of reiryoku washed over him and he sharply stood up. Then, just as the man behind him tried to say something, he leaped into the air and vanished in a burst of Shunpo.
…
Several days later
Slowly picking himself up from the ground, Ichigo warily eyed the Captain of the 4th Division as she tended to Kenpachi's injuries. Both covered in blood, Ichigo and Kenpachi were once again in the 11th Division training grounds, exhausted after a brutal spar. While Unohana knelt next to Kenpachi, some medics cautiously approached Ichigo, only to receive a hard glare that easily scared them off.
As he unsteadily got to his feet, Ichigo felt something akin to a dark aura coming off from Unohana that caused him to narrow his eyes. It was the first time the Captain of the 4th Division accompanied her subordinates once they had been called to the training grounds and it caught Ichigo by surprise. He didn't think Kenpachi's wound were that serious so there wasn't really any point in her coming along.
A grimace settled on Ichigo's face when he thought about all those spars with Kenpachi.
'I can't seem to get an upper hand over this guy. The more we spar, the stronger he seems to be.' He thought and glanced at his bloodied hands.
'Or maybe I'm getting weaker?'
The possibility of that being true shook the teen to the very core. Ignoring the pain, he closed the palms of his hands and squeezed them until blood began to seep through the cuts on his forearms.
"Kurosaki-san…"
An angelic voice called out to him and he turned to its owner. Unohana was looking at him over her shoulder with a sweet smile but also with a terrifying aura.
"I will have to ask you to stop sparing with Captain Zaraki."
Ichigo's eyebrows twitched. The ire within him rose and momentarily made him blind to the Captain's grimness.
"What?"
Unohana kept her smile but her emotions leaked in form of reiatsu.
"This is the fourth time we had to come over and heal Captain Zaraki during this week. I understand the need for a spar but this is unacceptable. These wounds, while not life-threatening for a Captain, could cripple an ordinary officer for an indefinite period of time. A Captain can heal from them faster, but it still makes him weaker and vulnerable for at least a day or two, which is undesirable in the current situation. Moreover, personally, I do not approve of spars that result in these kind of injuries."
"…like I care what you approve of…"
It was just a whisper but, because of the silence in the area, Ichigo's words were loud enough for everyone to hear. Almost everyone froze in surprise. Even Kenpachi, lying on the ground, appeared to be caught off-guard. The medics were positively horrified.
They all stared at Ichigo as if he suddenly grew a second head. In response to the teen's whisper, Unohana's smile stiffened and became spasmodic. Still, the Captain of the 4th Division managed to keep calm.
"Be that as it may, the next time you try to spar with Captain Zaraki, you'll have to deal with me, Kurosaki-san."
Even though he felt cold sweat forming on the palms of his hands, Ichigo kept his composure and faced Unohana's stern gaze and grim reiatsu with an irritated glare.
"Really? Why don't we skip all of that and do it right now, Captain?"
Nobody dared to speak a single word. Even the wind seemed to stop flowing. The air slowly became incredibly heavy. Filled with dense reiatsu and sense of dread, it pressed on everyone with great intensity.
Unohana's smile finally wilted. She stood up and slowly walked towards the teen, stopping only when she was barely an inch away from him. Tilting her head, she leaned forward and aimed her breath at his ear.
"Do not tempt me, boy. I'll say it again. Leave Captain Zaraki alone. You do not want to face the consequences."
The moment Unohana began to speak, All of Ichigo's senses went haywire. It was like death himself whispered into his ear, singing the final lullaby of limbo. His heart began pumping so fast, it felt like it would burst out of his chest. A strange chilling noise echoed within his mind, odd enough to freeze his very thoughts.
He felt fear.
And he hated himself for that.
…
Forbidden from fighting Kenpachi for an undefined amount of time, Ichigo spent the next few days wandering through the Seireitei with a burning desire for a good spar. However, finding something like that seemed to be an unreachable goal. There were officers who would gladly agree to a match but, in Ichigo's eyes, they were too weak. Too weak to give him a challenge he couldn't overcome in a matter of seconds. Ichigo didn't doubt their strength but he was aware of their limit and those limits were lower than his.
What he was looking for was a fight in which he would get squashed, crushed and pummeled into the ground. He needed it to remind himself of his defeat and of his mistake. To once again relive those feelings of hopelessness and fear so he could smash them with his resolve. And those who could do that for him were rare in number.
For that reason, he somehow ended up facing Renji barely a day after receiving the ban on Kenpachi.
"Howl, Zabimaru!"
Ichigo faced him with an odd feeling in his stomach. Renji had been there with him, on that day they both had been defeated. Yet Renji shook that shame in a matter of days. He clearly wanted to get stronger and was working hard for it but his eyes were clear.
Without releasing his own zanpakuto, Ichigo met the Vice-Captain in the center of the training grounds and traded several blows with him. The spar lasted for quite a while but, in the end, it was Ichigo who ended it prematurely.
"Okay, I think that's enough." He said with a raised hand. Neither of them was covered in much blood; the spar had been a lot less brutal than the ones Ichigo had had with Kenpachi.
"So, I've been thinking of pushing myself into acquiring my Bankai." Renji suddenly said, interrupting Ichigo's thoughts while doing so.
After the spar ended, the Vice-Captain asked Ichigo to stay for a beer. The teen wanted to leave but, as they both shared the bond of defeat, he decided a beer wouldn't hurt. In the end, though, Renji was the only one who spoke through the moment. Ichigo just listened to him with an empty stare.
"I can already materialize Zabimaru so I'm thinking it's just a few years away."
'Bankai, huh?' Ichigo thought numbly. Then he shook his head.
'What am I thinking about? I can barely control my Shikai and I have just one ability. Before I can even think of Bankai I have to get used to the full power of my initial release.'
Soon after that thought ran across his mind, he excused himself and left Renji with his own thoughts.
Hisagi, Ikkaku, Rukia, Amagai, all of them eventually agreed on a spar but not one of them had been satisfactory. Not of them had given Ichigo the desired sense of being overpowered. He had hoped the Captain of the 3rd Division would be the one but he had been wrong. The man was strong but he had refused to use that much power on the teen, calling it unprofessional and suicidal.
Ichigo found it quite funny, especially that last part.
In the end, though, he couldn't get any other Captain to fight with him. As the last resort, he tried a few lower-ranking officers but, every time, it ended up just like he thought it would.
In a disappointment.
But then, one worried Shinigami officer found him and gave him that thing he craved for so much. The one person he had forgotten to ask for a spar. The person that had been the only thing left from his past life.
His father.
Isshin.
…
Seireitei, in front of the 10th Division compound
Two days had passed since Ichigo managed to convince anybody to spar with him and it was starting to annoy the hell out of him. He needed to vent his emotions, all those thorn vines wrapped around his soul, because he was afraid he was going to explode like a nuclear bomb. However, the word about his spars had spread across the Seireitei like a wild fire and there was barely anyone left who was willing to fight him.
"Hey, son. How is it going?"
Ichigo grimaced. Currently, he was not in the mood for his father or any polite, friendly conversations. He needed to train. He needed to fight. Changing the direction of his steps, he tried to ignore the man only to hear him calling out to him.
"Ichigo, wait!"
A rough hand fell on his right shoulder and prevented him from walking away.
"Yeah?"
After a short pause, he heard Isshin sighing.
"I heard… well, you probably don't want to talk about anything but… I'm here, son. If you want a spar, I can spar with you."
Ichigo stiffened. The sudden offer completely surprised him and caused a simple thought to appear in his mind.
'Of course. Dad's a Captain too. Why didn't I think of him?'
Getting over his surprise, Ichigo slowly turned his head and looked at Isshin over his shoulder. A tiny twinge of regret echoed in his heart when he saw the worried expression on the man's face. Soon after that, though, it was replaced by a similarly strong emotion. An ire. He was sure Isshin was pitying him and he didn't that.
"Fine, but under one condition." He said quietly to which Isshin raised both his eyebrows.
"Which is?"
"I want you to fight seriously and to come at me with everything you have."
He saw some emotion flash within Isshin's eyes.
"I can't do that, Ichigo. One should never use a Bankai for any kind of spar."
An eerie chuckle crawled from Ichigo's mouth.
"Heh, I wasn't talking about Bankai. There is still some common sense in my head left."
They moved to of the sturdier training ground of the 10th Division. On the way there, Isshin alerted his subordinates of an oncoming spar and asked them not to interfere with it. Going even further, Ichigo asked them not to come at all. Begrudgingly, the officers agreed to spread the information around the whole division.
A moment later, they faced each other at the very center of the training grounds. Both had determined expressions as both were determined to use the spar for achieving something. No words were spoken. Then they moved.
*CLANG*
The moment their blades clashed, a breeze rose from the ground and swirled around them like a harbinger of chaos. After a brief battle over dominance, each trying to overpower the other, Ichigo found himself being pushed back.
Gritting his teeth from sheer frustration, he leaped backwards, only to ricochet back once his feet licked the ground. Intent on bringing forth more power out of himself, he brought his sword down with all of his might. When it connected with Isshin's zanpakuto, a barely audible growl came through his pressed lips.
Under the heavy pressure from his strike, the man bended in knees. Despite that, Ichigo's ire rose, as his father managed to withstand the blow without any other problems. It didn't even break his stance. Resolutely, Ichigo arched one of his legs backwards and shot it right at Isshin's head.
The kick missed only because the man was able to tilt his head in time. Then he seemingly vanished out of existence.
Ichigo immediately spun around, ready to intercept an attack from behind, only to receive a spinning kick coming from his left side. The instep of Isshin's foot crashed into the teen's left upper arm with so much force, the nerves in that area stopped working and, instead of pain, Ichigo only felt pressure.
He was instantly blown away. His body didn't crash through the borders of the training area only thanks to the Sekkiseki-imbued walls that absorbed most of the energy. Still, the impact was powerful enough to knock the wind out of his lungs and leave him heaving and wheezing.
"If you can't handle this much, I'll have to hold myself back!"
A surge of anger ran through Ichigo's mind and body, allowing him to ignore the pain and quickly get back on his feet with a loud yell.
"Don't you dare!"
Willing his left arm to move, he pointed it at the man and wordlessly poured a bit of reiryoku in it. Without any warning, Isshin's arms were forcibly moved and locked behind his back. As a result, his zanpakuto was knocked from his hand. Not even a second later, Ichigo was above him, prepared to slice him across the torso.
"!"
Powerful reiatsu filled the area as Isshin broke the Kido and threw himself on the ground, rolling away from Ichigo's strike, as well as picking up his sword. Ichigo yanked his zanpakuto from the caved-in soil and sliced through the air he expected Isshin to appear in. A sound of sword clashing against each other reverberated across the area.
"That's better!" Isshin exclaimed and Ichigo watched in unpleasant surprise as the man pushed him away once again.
'…I can't overpower him?'
The realization hit him in the guts and shook his confidence. Ichigo was going at it with all of his might, yet he was barely able to budge his father. Something felt wrong but he couldn't place his finger on it. His anger, slowly boiling underneath his skin, made rational thinking impossible. With gritted teeth and closed eyes, he shifted his weight to the other leg and pushed himself to the limit.
"Aaaaa!"
"?!"
Because he wasn't looking at him, Ichigo completely missed the amazement in Isshin's face before an incredible amount of reiatsu surged out of him and he blew the man backwards. Only when the force pressing against his sword vanished Ichigo finally looked up to see Isshin briefly sailing through the air and his own reiryoku embracing him.
An almost hysterical smile formed on his face.
"I see. So I can't do it on my own, huh?" He muttered to himself. A split-second later, when he saw Isshin kicking the dirt and rushing back at him, he placed his zanpakuto in front of himself and let his reiryoku outwardly explode.
"Bleach their souls, Zangetsu!"
For a short moment he saw nothing but the swirling torrent of energy, surging out of him like a geyser. The dark and potent reiryoku that felt so alien, yet so familiar, washed over his whole body, rejuvenating his mind with its cold warmth and calming blackness.
It felt so good.
"Now, let's spar for real." He stated confidently and shot through the darkness like a ray of hope until his blades made contact with Isshin's sword.
"Guh!"
Surrounded in energy, Ichigo's blow immediately forced Isshin on his knees and caved the ground beneath him. Vaulting over the man, he sliced at his back. The larger sword was blocked but the sneaky attempt with his smaller one was not. Its tip easily sliced the clothes and the skin on Isshin's back and caused a bit of blood to trickle down his left shoulder.
The sight of blood on his blade caused Ichigo's hands to vibrate with satisfaction. A pleasant shudder ran through his spine and goosebumps appeared on both his arms.
It just felt so damn good!
A sharp backward slice forced him to leap away. He saw Isshin giving him an odd look but, in that moment, he didn't give a damn about the emotions he might have or might not have seen in the man's eyes. All he wanted was a good spar.
"I honestly didn't expect this much increase in power from just your initial release. I guess I'll have to completely stop holding back."
The smile on Ichigo's face froze and withered away.
"I asked you to do that from the beginning." He growled. In return, Isshin shrugged.
"Bad habit."
The left corner of Ichigo's upper lip, along with the whole left side of his face, twitched. He tightened the grip on his swords and let even more reiryoku to pour out of him. Unknown to him, a small bony fragment formed above his right eyebrow.
"You think this is a game?" He whispered and blurred out of existence.
Flashing all over the training area, his eyes could barely make out the silhouettes of the objects around him but he didn't care. Even if his eyes weren't yet adjusted to this much speed, his body was. He could easily crash through anything and continue moving at the same speed with almost no delay.
'Making fun of me, huh?'
He struck from behind. However, even though he targeted a different body part with each sword, his attempt was parried with Isshin's carefully placed zanpakuto. The man spun around and Ichigo immediately received a foot in his guts.
'MAKING FUN OF ME?!'
Why couldn't he do it?
Why was he so much weaker than the rest?
His back painfully collided with the area's walls and his body slid down. But he didn't give up. Pumping more and more energy into his limbs, he stood up once again.
The bony fragment on his face grew bigger.
"Aaah!" With a yell, he jumped in the air and began to spin around.
With both his sword pointed away from him, he looked like a bladed tornado, a zanpakuto-chainsaw ready to hack and slash. Cutting and slicing the air around him, he descended upon Isshin akin to a god of wrath and forced him to retreat.
Eventually though, he had to stop spinning and it was in that moment Isshin struck back. His sword, cloaked in a bit of bright energy, missed Ichigo only by an accident but the teen was still blasted sideways.
'Why? Why? Why, why, why, why, why?!'
He managed to remain on his feet but had to guard himself barely a second later. Despite having two blades instead of one, he was still being pushed back.
'WHY, GODDAMNIT?'
"Getsuga Tenshō!"
With only few inches between them, Ichigo's Getsuga had nowhere to go and the accumulated energy blew up in a spectacular, dark explosion that scorched both combatants. Right after that, Isshin jumped back to create a bit of distance between them. His face, a bit red in a few places, showed distress.
"That was too much, Ichigo! I think it's time to end th-"
"NO!"
Instantly closing the gap, Ichigo brought his zanpakuto down in a way that didn't leave any time or space for protesting. Left with no choice, Isshin parried the strike and increased the pressure of his reiatsu in an attempt to slow the teen down.
But Ichigo didn't even budge. It seemed as if the weight of Isshin's reiatsu had no effect on him anymore. Relentlessly, he cut and cleaved, never stopping in his onslaught and never giving his father even a tiny chance to breathe.
'This can't end yet! I'm still too weak!'
Changing his tactic, Ichigo vaulted over the man and hurriedly cast another binding Kido. Overstuffed with energy, the spell's backlash inured his hand but it still managed to create the desired effect.
He drew blood for the second time during the spar.
"Gh, calm down Ichigo!"
'Still not enough!'
Somewhere, coming from the back of his mind, he heard somebody yelling at him. But he ignored it. His mind was already loud enough from all of his echoing thoughts, filling his consciousness with an incredible thirst. It fueled him. It powered him.
It made his senses sharp.
The fragment on his face grew enough to completely cover his right eye and cheekbone.
"Ichigo!"
"Aaaaah!"
Like in slow motion, Ichigo watched his father sail through the air once again. The sight didn't scare him. It didn't cause him to feel any kind of worry, regret or guilt. Instead, it satisfied him. To see his foe retreat was the best dessert. To send his opponent flying away was dish served cold.
It was the best feeling in the world.
'More! More!'
A crescent wave of dark energy shot out of his zanpakuto, fulfilling his desire even more.
'I can feel the power! I will no longer be weak!'
The fragment grew even more.
"Ichigo! Stop!"
With his eyes wide open, Ichigo could feel the wide smile on his face. He could feel the fire writhing beneath his skin, squirming within his veins. Everything he had accomplished so far was nothing in comparison with this feeling of satisfaction. It was incredible. It was overwhelming.
It made him ecstatic.
The anger, the guilt, the shame and loathe, all and every emotion he had bottled for so long, all those feelings boiling within his soul were now crawling from the depths of his heart in an attempt to be set free. He couldn't fight back. To do that was to fight his own self. It would be painful.
And he didn't want to hurt anymore.
A surge of energy unlike anything he had felt before entered his being and his vision exploded.
…
Isshin's POV
"Ichigo…no…"
Frozen in horror, Isshin was unable to look away from scene taking place right in front of his very eyes. What had been his son, his only son, was now enveloped in an energy so dark, so heavy and so terrifying, it made his skin crawl. What had been Ichigo just a moment ago, was now something he no longer knew.
The sheer amount of reiryoku pouring out of him or the texture of his reiatsu didn't resemble the teen in the slightest. The only thing Isshin could feel was an overwhelming rage and an instinct screaming for blood. He had a vague idea of what was going on but was trying to reject it.
It wouldn't happen.
It couldn't.
Ichigo was not somebody who would let...
The energy dissipated and revealed Isshin's worst nightmare, scary enough to make him pale and shocking enough to make his mind dazed.
"…no…"
What stood in front of him was a being, so similar to Ichigo in its height and hair-color, yet so different in a boney hollow mask covering its whole face and a white color of its skin. Because of the dense and violent energy previously surrounding it, its upper body was nude, revealing a small hole in the middle of its chest that was slowly growing larger.
It was a hollow.
"…this is one bad déjà vu." Isshin whispered and tightened the grip on his sword. His action, however, seemingly woke the hollow from its inactivity and caused it to release a thunderous roar. It was accompanied with a release of even more reiryoku that crawled and swirled around the two swords in the hollow's hands.
"?!"
In a flash, the hollow changed his location and released an incredibly dense crescent shaped wave of energy that made Isshin gulp. He didn't even think about the potential outcome of him trying to block it and dodged it with a Shunpo.
The attack crashed into the Sekkiseki-imbued walls with so much force, it cracked them with the pure amount of physical pressure. When he saw that, Isshin felt goosebumps.
'…to actually damage Sekkiseki mineral… just how strong…?'
But Isshin had not time to marvel at it as the hollow appeared right next to him with every intention to cleave him in two halves. Acting fast, Isshin raised his sword and managed to block the strike but he was still blasted to the side.
Crashing into the wall like a bullet, he felt like a crumpled piece of paper. The wall behind him gave in to the impact and caved in a bit.
'Gh, I don't remember it being this powerful… is it because of Ichigo?'
He was able to pry himself out just in time to evade a heavy-looking punch that further damaged the wall to the point of it slowly beginning to crumble. The follow-up sideways slash forced him to lean backwards and jump away. Even from the distance, he noticed the hollow hole was now large enough for a human hand to pass through.
'This is bad.'
With a somber look, he released his energy and called out to his zanpakuto.
"Burn, Engetsu."
As soon as his now heavier reiatsu reached the hollow, it caused the creature to howl and send, in a quick succession, a series of energy based attacks Isshin refused to acknowledge as Getsuga. In return, with a deeply worried frown, Isshin sliced the air in front of him as well.
"Getsuga Tenshō!"
The dark black and bright blue collided in a violent explosion so potent, Isshin was forced to back all the way to the wall in order not to get caught up in it. Even then, the shock-wave squashed him against the wall for more than just a second. When it died down, he felt something sharp cutting through the upper part of his right shoulder, creating a bleeding gash.
"Ugh, what was… his smaller sword?" He exclaimed, surprised to see one of the hollow's swords buried in the wall next to his right eye. Immediately, he realized he was lucky only his shoulder got injured.
'He's really trying to kill me.'
He saw the hollow rushing at him.
"I'm sorry, Ichigo. This will probably hurt a lot."
Reaching to his injured shoulder with his left hand, he smeared his palm with his own blood and then brought it to his face. While keeping an eye on the hollow, he licked off the blood and spit it on the blade of his zanpakuto. A large wave of hot spiritual energy began to emanate from it almost instantly.
Hesitating only for a split-second, he brought his zanpakuto down and released the whole energy at the hollow in one fell swoop. Even if the hollow was incredibly fast, Isshin knew that from this up close, there was no way his strike could have been avoided.
True to his words, the strike connected and swallowed the hollow whole. Roasting and gnawing at it, it spat it out only after the energy dissipated. When that happened, Isshin dared to take a look.
'…damn.'
The hollow was scorched and one of its legs had been cut off at the base of its thigh but it felt like the damage wasn't enough. A roar later, the hollow was once again brimming with incredible energy and the limb already began to regrow.
'High-speed regeneration…'
Isshin bit his lip.
"So he's just like a hollow now." He muttered in an incredibly worried tone and steeled himself. He knew what he had to do. In order to bring the hollow to a certain shop in Human World, he had to beat it close to death. Otherwise, the hollow would interfere. Nothing else, just a complete and brutal beat-down.
He gulped.
Could he do it? Could he do that to his son? To the last piece of past memory of once happy family? Even if it was for Ichigo's own good, Isshin felt torn. He didn't want to increase his son's suffering.
He steeled himself one more time. It was not the time to think about things. Ichigo's future wasn't going to be pretty either way. The sooner he learned that, the better.
"Zzzzzzzzz!"
Refocusing his sight back at the hollow, Isshin felt his blood freezing. One of the hollow's arms was raised and pointed directly at him. The clawed fingertips of its hand were pointing to a one point and in it, the creature seemed to be charging a bright red orb of dense reiryoku. Isshin recognized it.
"Cero?!"
In what seemed like an instant, the orb exploded and shot straight at him. Expanding into a wide arc, the blast left Isshin no place to run away from it and the Captain of the 10th Division was forced to take it head-on.
"Gh!" A grunt escaped his mouth when the attack collided with him. He could feel the pressure pushing him backwards until his back connected with the wall and then squashed him against it. The raw energy behind the blast scorched his skin and he smelled burnt hair. His clothes were torn a little but he managed to withstand the Cero without losing his consciousness.
However, as soon as the attack died down, Isshin felt a sturdy fist sinking into his guts and his back was pushed further into the wall. Before he could regain his composure and start defending himself, he received one more punch and the wall behind him finally gave in to the pressure. It collapsed but, in a rare instance of luck, it happened only after the force behind the punch died down.
'I can't let him out of this area!'
He managed to bring his zanpakuto down.
"Getsuga Tenshō!"
The hollow was blown away but it gave Isshin barely a second of peace as it already rushed back at him. One of its arms did not survive the Getsuga but the high-speed regeneration seemed to be kicking in already.
'What tenacity…'
He parried several fast swipes but the fight quickly fell into a stalemate. While Isshin was powerful and skilled, the hollow was pulling incredible amounts of energy seemingly from nowhere. It made tiring him out extremely difficult.
'This can't go on for any longer.'
The training area was beginning to fall into pieces. Filled with craters, fissures, ripped ground and heavily damaged walls, it was at its last breath.
"What is going on here?"
Cold sweat formed on Isshin's forehead when he heard the voice coming from the one hole in the wall.
'The hollow reiatsu…it seeped through the hole…'
The one standing next to the hole was the Captain of the 6th Division, Kuchiki Byakuya. But, to Isshin's horror, he was not alone but accompanied with Captains of the 3rd and 7th Division respectively.
"Gah!"
The moment of carelessness cost Isshin a long cut across his torso.
"Don't come in here!" He yelled heatedly and retaliated with a heavy blow that briefly stopped the hollow from advancing. His sword locked in a battle for dominance, Isshin poured more energy into it.
"Getsuga Tenshō! Argh!"
His Getsuga exploded in the hollow's face but to his shock, the hollow also sneaked an attack of his own. An energy blast hit Isshin into his left side and knocked him towards the hole in the wall.
"Captain Shiba!"
"I'm… I'm fine!" Isshin exclaimed and tried to get on his feet. But the damage had been done and he could feel at least few of his ribs broken and his skin burnt. He ignored it, pushed through the pain and looked up, at the hollow.
The creature with a mask covering its whole head stood in the center of the training area and stared directly into his eyes.
"Ichigo…"
Releasing a loud and angry roar, the hollow suddenly swiped the air around him with his clawed fingers and opened a small rift in it. Before Isshin managed to say anything else, the hollow jumped into it and the rift closed.
Just like that, he vanished.
Tired and defeated, Isshin fell on his knees.
"Ichigo…"
End of Chapter 27.
Whew. Managed to make it in time.
So, as expected, Ichigo took an emotional hit but turned it into a desire to become even stronger. However, the road to hell is paved with good intentions and Ichigo fell into just that. His own personal hell. Poor Isshin, though.
I have to admit, I was kind of surprised by the backlash from the previous chapter. Killing Yuno was always my plan. She was a sad and poor existence whose fate was never happiness. Not everyone gets a happy end. She was supposed to show that to a reader. That you should not expect a good ending for everyone. That was the main reason for her death. Ichigo also needed an impulse to grow stronger. He had it in mind already but "a soul's spiritual energy increases fastest when in emotional stress". To put it simply, Yuno's death wasn't meant to be a cheap shock-factor but it was meant to serve a purpose. I honestly didn't expect you to like her so much :O
Now, just as the subtitle of the chapter says, Ichigo's leash has been unleashed and it WILL have consequences. More than just one. But no, it will not turn him into a moody, whiny brat. Everything I do to Ichigo in this story I do to first break him and then make him even stronger than before.
One bad news, though. I was unable to do much writing in the past two weeks, so I barely wrote three scenes from the next chapter. I don't know when I'll finish it but, just to warn you, I may not be able to do it in three weeks time like I promised. Life sucks. On the other hand, I managed to create more chapter outlines, so plot should feel more coherent.
To reviews:
*LordGhostStriker - yes, I know the word ^^. But don't worry, Ichigo won't be a moody twat. At least not intentionally.
*Kragh50 - for now, Bankai is miles away. There is just so much Ichigo can learn to do with his Shikai alone.
*Dinner - that is something I wanted to address for everyone. Ichigo's powerlevel is like a rollercoaster and is tightly tied to his emotional state. Shinigami's power, reiryoku, comes mainly from his heart and Ichigo, being partly hollow, is complicated in that depart. He doesn't have Bankai yet, so reiatsu-wise, he's weaker but skill-wise, he's stronger. Or let me put it differently. A resolved, emotionally stable Ichigo from this story would eventually prevail against the version of Yammy (1v1) that appeared last chapter.
*CR4P-TR4P - sadly, no. Kyoraku is far too old and experienced in life tragedies to break havoc.
*Kyo_no_Kitsune - I take it. I need constructive criticism. Thank you for that. I'll just say one thing to power-levels, adding to above. Ichigo versus Hisagi was written as it was because it was a fight purely of zanjutsu skills. It wasn't meant to undermine his power, only show that Ichigo is still mostly raw power and there are shinigami better at some things. *This was also meant for the "Guest"*
*godofhisownstories - I think i tried to explain most things above. But to Yammy thing - in manga, the ones he killed were powerless humans. Here, we had students - spiritually strong souls. In manga, he rendered Tatsuki, a spiritually aware person, uconscious. Here, the students remained conscious but severly drained.
All in all, I hope you enjoy this chapter. If not, let me know why. I'll take notes ;)
Look forward to the next chapter, titled: "Dark side of the Moon (The Horse of War)".