Chapter 2
Author Notes: Hey guys, I'm so glad to see people faving and following this story! My goal is to continue this for quite a while, and put out a new chapter about once a week. Each chapter is going to be around 5 pages (give or take), which should give you all plenty of content to keep you entertained while I work on the next one. I am currently a college student, so this schedule may fluctuate depending on my workload. Still, you can expect at the VERY least a chapter every week or so. And who knows, if I have a slow day or two I may be able to pump out two chapters in one week every once in a while! Now I have two requests for you, and that is to 1.) Comment and 2.) Enjoy the content! I need you all to post critiques of my work, so that I can improve as a writer. This is essential for me to not only sharpen my skills, but maximize the potential of each and every chapter! And I really want you all to enjoy these stories. I love writing, and having the opportunity to share my work with hundreds, if not thousands of readers, truly amazes me. I want you to receive the same pleasure reading my work, as I do writing it. Thank you all for the support! Now onto The Great Titan War Chapter 2!
UPDATE: Changed the format to make it easier to read, enjoy!
I do not own bleach, this is a non-profit fan fiction
Act 2: (Hours have passed since Ichigo's conversation with Josiah. He and Rukia are now back at Ichigo's office.)
Ichigo rubs his temples as he feels exhaustion begin to overtake him. His head is pounding, and every muscle within him feels tense with anxiety. The Captain of the 4th Division isn't fairing much better, as she paces to and fro within his office in an attempt to revive her tired mind. The two have been discussing the best course of action to take for hours now, yet still lack a feasible strategy.
"We've been at this for what feels like an eternity and we're both beat, maybe it'd be best if we just called it a night and pick things up when we are fresh in the morning," Ichigo mumbles as he rubs the sleep from his eyes.
"No!" Rukia stubbornly protests, "We must have a clear course of action to present to the other Captains by morning, there is no time to waste on luxuries such as sleep."
The orange haired Shinigami groans in frustration, despite knowing that she is right. Rukia continues to pace as she bounces ideas off of the slouching Head Captain.
"How do we know that what he says is true? He could very well be sending us on a wild goose chase."
Ichigo pauses for a moment and considers this before concluding, "The possibility is definitely there, but we can't afford to take the risk of not investigating his claims. You personally examined him, so you know just how strong this guy is. And if he says there's men out there with even more power than him bent on eradicating the Soul Society, then we must take every precaution to ensure the safety of our people."
Rukia grunts in agreement as she continues to pace, her heels softly clicking off of the wooden floor. This soft, rhythmic tapping begins to soothe Ichigo, and before he can catch himself his exhaustion finally takes him.
The sweet embrace of sleep envelopes him within a matter of seconds, as his dreams whisk him away from all of his troubles. He decides to embrace this peace, this sanctuary, this…
"ICHIGO! Wake up you moron!"
"What the Hell! Oof…" Ichigo cries as he feels a foot connect with the side of his face. He flies off of his chair before his body slams against the unforgiving floor. He writhes in pain from both the fall, as well as the kick as Rukia begins to lecture him.
"This isn't the time to be napping Ichigo there is work to be done! If you're not going to take your position seriously maybe I should just take your place," Rukia scolds as she stands over him, staring daggers at the fallen Shinigami.
Ichigo jumps to his feet, towering over the small girl before him.
"How the hell could a dull guy like Byakuya raise such a she devil like you? Seriously, what sophisticated member of high society kicks a man in the face while he's trying to sleep?"
She shrugs her shoulders and nonchalantly states, "It's not common for people of such status to deal with idiots like you on regular basis. I have to take extreme measures to get a thought through that thick head of yours. Hence, why I had to knock some sense into you."
Ichigo rubs the lump forming on his forehead as he returns to his seat. He plops down and puts his elbow onto the desk before him, resting his cheek against his open palm. His face carries a rather uninterested expression, one that does not go unnoticed by Rukia.
"Well if it makes you feel better, I may have found the perfect solution to our dilemma. This causes the Head Captain to perk up in his seat, his ears now fully attentive.
Confidence as well as pride ooze from her voice as she begins, "Well, we concluded earlier that sending Sui Feng and her men alone would be risky, as they do not have the combat capability as some of our other Squads."
Ichigo nods in agreement as Rukia continues.
"We had also ruled out sending Kenpachi and his Squad, as they would most likely engage the enemy instead of performing reconnaissance. So my thinking is, we pluck members from a number of Squads, and create a special task force for this specific mission!"
Ichigo sits in silence, resting his elbows onto his bare desk as he molds over every possibility. After a short time of contemplation, he gives his verdict.
"That may be our best option, but it still has a number of problems. Selecting members from other Divisions and throwing them into a single unit leaves a lot of room for error. They have not trained together, nor do they know how each individual thinks. One wrong move in the heat of battle could get someone killed. Then there is the issue of who to select, and what role they are to play. Still, out of all of the other ideas we came up with tonight, that is by far the best."
Having a solid basis, the two friends begin constructing this elite squad. They debate for hours in an attempt to form the best squad possible, factoring in everything from the size of the squad, to what roles are needed for the mission at hand, to who would best fit in each role for the unit. Finally, after much deliberation, the two come to a mutual agreement over the makeup of the team. Their work being done, the two exhausted Captains decide to call it a night.
"Finally free from that hell. I can't wait to go home, lay down, and salvage any sleep I can while there is still time." He walks down the dark hallway leading to the exit with slow dragging steps, as the exhaustion becomes almost too much to bare. Rukia walks beside him not saying a word, though she to shares his feeling of relief. Throwing his weight against the door, the young Head Captain flings it open to an unwelcome sight. Warm rays kiss his face, and the soft smell of dew floats into his nostrils. He stands motionless in the doorway as he takes in the scene before him.
"Wow…its morning…shit." He lets out a tired sigh before turning and walking back into the building. He walks past Rukia, paying her no mind as he begins to walk down the hallway toward his office.
Surprised by this, she calls after him, "Ichigo, what are you doing?"
He continues to walk, refusing to let her see the bags under his eyes as he yells, "its morning, which means it's a new day. Do you know how behind I'll get if I go home and sleep even for an hour? Screw that shit, I'm just gonna suffer through today and then crash later tonight after everything's done."
The raven haired woman looks on, almost unable to process what she is seeing. She bows her head in order to hide the proud smile that has spread across her face.
"Ichigo," she calls out once more as she jogs after him.
He stops and reluctantly turns to find Rukia standing before him, a slight smirk on her lips.
"How about I give you a hand, you're going to work yourself to death if you keep going like this. I'll help out with the paperwork for a while, that way you can go home a little early today and get some much needed rest." Ichigo's eyebrows rise in shock at such an offer, but he gladly accepts it. The two walk back toward the office with dragging feet, but warm hearts. Ichigo begins on the paperwork as Rukia runs off to make tea. Within a matter of minutes, she returns with two piping hot cups for the both of them. She hands one cup to Ichigo while taking a small sip from her own, savoring the flavor as it runs over her tongue. She sets her tea onto the table as she grabs a stack of papers, skimming it to get the gist of what she needs to do. "Simple Divisional transfer requests, piece of cake," she thinks to herself as she takes up a pen. The two work in silence for a time, diligently chipping away at the large piles of documents. Rukia works at a much slower pace than usual, as her thoughts keep distracting her from her task. She looks up from her work and begins to examine Ichigo, taking in every little feature she can before returning to the documents. Rukia stops writing completely as she thinks to herself, "Five years, how did you grow so much in five years Ichigo? It seems like only yesterday you were an immature teenager whose main focuses were protecting your friends and looking cool. Now, I look at you and I can hardly even see that young boy. When did you become a man Ichigo?" Just as this thought crosses her mind, she has a very saddening epiphany. "I…I haven't been there for you for so much…have I Ichigo?" Rukia's vision becomes blurry as she tries to hold back tears. "How hard it must have been for you, how much you must've had to learn on your own after taking up such a difficult position. I used to help you with everything, always by your side. But now, I barely see you, and when I do it's almost always because of business. Did I abandon you when you may have needed me most?" She feels a single tear slip free, before quickly wiping it away. She looks at Ichigo in order to see if he had noticed the tear slipping free. Thankfully for her, his tired eyes are focused solely on the paper before him. A smile graces her lips as a much more joyful thought crosses her mind, "You have become a fine man, Ichigo Kurosaki."
Just as she goes to continue her work, a man walks into the office. Ichigo looks up, and acknowledges his assistants presence.
"Greetings Head Captain Kurosaki, I hope today finds you well." Ichigo nods and greets him, before giving him his orders.
"Good morning, I need you to assemble the Captains at once. This is urgent, so don't dick around."
"Yes Head Captain, right away!" The young man bolts out of view, prompting Rukia to ask, "Ummm…this may be a weird question but who is that guy? I've never seen him before a day in my life."
A guilty expression creeps across Ichigo's face as he responds, "Honestly, I have no freaking idea what his name is. He's been delivering messages to me and running my errands for months now and for the life of me I still can't remember of his name!"
The two stare at each other, before busting out into a fit of gut busting laughter.
Rukia clutches her sides while making fun of Ichigo between breaths, "Ichigo you moron! How do you not know someone like that's name?!"
He slams his fist against the table over and over again as he continues to howl, "I honestly have no clue, I feel so bad but he's been here for so long that I can't bring myself to ask!" A new wave of laughter hits them, causing Rukia to roll off of her chair and onto the floor. This carries on for minutes before the two of them can finally compose themselves. Rukia crawls back into her chair and wipes the tears from her eyes, while Ichigo takes deep breaths in an effort to compose himself. It takes the two of them a few minutes to get their minds refocused on their duties. Rukia returns to her paperwork, as Ichigo rises from his chair.
He begins to walk toward the exit, prompting Rukia to ask, "And where do you think you're going?"
"I'm gonna go visit our new friend before I meet with the Captains, I still have plenty of questions for him. So feel free to leave, you've been a huge help today Rukia." She considers his offer for a brief moment, but ultimately refuses it.
"There's still far too much to be done for me to take the rest of the day off. I'll take care of your paperwork, just this once. I'll see you at the meeting Ichigo." He shoots her an appreciative grin before slipping out of sight, leaving Rukia alone with only a mountain of papers.
She takes in the scope of her workload, and finds herself thinking, "Maybe I should've taken him up on that offer." She sighs and mutters under her breath, "Me and my big mouth." She stretches and rests for a brief moment before starting to chip away at the pile.
Ichigo flash steps his way across Seireitei in an attempt to save as much time as possible. In only a matter of minutes he arrives at the House of Correction, and makes his way to the holding cells as fast as possible. He comes to find Josiah laying on his side, fast asleep and oblivious to his presence.
Ichigo knocks on the bars of the cell as he calls to the slumbering prisoner, "Time to wake up sunshine, I got a few more questions for ya." An uninterested groan is Josiah's only response as he readjusts his sleeping position in order to get more comfortable. Not being a fan of being ignored, Ichigo begins to slam the bars even harder as he shouts, "I said time to get up sunshine!" Josiah groans again, but this time he actually turns to face the Head Captain.
His voice is heavy with sleep as he responds, "Damnit I heard you the first time, just thought you'd get the memo that I wanted some peace and quiet."
"Sorry to burst your bubble, but prisoners don't really get such luxuries," Ichigo responds, a hint of annoyance present in his tone. Josiah sits upright on his thin bed, and looks directly at Ichigo before giving in.
"Fine I'm up, what do you want to know now?"
Ichigo puts his arms against the cell door, allowing it to support most of his weight as he begins his questioning. "I need you to tell me everything about the Titans that we can use against them. Where is their base? What specifically sets them apart from the Shinigami? What besides the experimentation makes them so lethal? And most importantly, do they have any specific weaknesses that we can exploit?"
Josiah gives Ichigo a questioning look, but does not hesitate to answer. "If you want physical weaknesses, then you're shit out of luck. Titans aren't born like Shinigami, they're built. From the time we are broken after our capture, we are forced through a grueling training regiment to mold us into the ultimate soldiers. Some of us didn't make it through it, but those of us who did came out as monsters. Then there was the experimentation that gave us a number of abilities that you Shinigami don't have. We were given the ability to almost completely suppress our Reiatsu, making us almost impossible to detect or track. Our senses of sight, sound and smell are all far superior to that of a normal Shinigami, which gives us an edge when it comes to locating our targets. However, all of these physical abilities and strengths are also our biggest weakness. The training and experimentation has corrupted most of our minds, leaving us overconfident and almost feral. This mental instability can be easily exploited, as the majority of Titans won't think twice about charging into a battle without first considering the dangers. Most of us are controlled by our bloodlust and our love for battle, and we really don't care if we live or die. However, not all Titans are like this. Those with high Reiatsu such as myself are not so easily corrupted. Though we share the same bloodlust as out subordinates, we rarely act upon it. We think logically, and have an acute understanding of strategy. This paired with our immense power is what sets us apart from the grunts. These twelve elite Titans are called the Akropoli, and talking from personal experience I can say without a doubt that they are not to be trifled with. As for their base, well you'd be hard pressed to find it. Hundreds of miles north of here, nestled in between two mighty mountain ranges, lies their base. To be honest, due to my injuries I don't remember much about my escape fom that place. I couldn't give you an exact location even if I tired."
Ichigo considers all that he has said before asking, "If you were to try to retrace your steps, do you think maybe you could remember where your base is?" Josiah's eyes flash as he leaps to his feet and pulls at his restraints, hissing a warning to the Head Captain as he does, "Listen here Ichigo Kurosaki, you have no idea what is awaiting your men behind those mountains. You won't be sending them on a mission, you'll be sending them to their graves!"
"Then how are we supposed to know what we are up against?!" Ichigo snarls back. "We need a detailed scouting report if we want to have a chance against them. Do you really think we can win if we have no idea where they are, how many of them there are, what the terrain around their base is like, or even how strong they are? If they're as strong as you say they are, then we need to know as much about them as possible, that's how we gain an advantage!" Josiah lunges forward again, straining the chains as he pulls at them with even more might. His Reiatsu begins to flow freely, as he becomes enveloped by a pitch black aura. Ichigo feels his entire body being pressured by Josiah's Reiatsu, but that is not what surprises him. The hairs on the back of his neck stand on end as he feels the ebony aura run over his skin, allowing him to sense the abundant bloodlust lurking within.
"This is what you're sending your men up against. I know you can feel it, my bloodlust, my power, all of it. I am able to control myself, I can resist the urge to murder, but the Tartarus cannot, nor do they wish to! They will chase your men to the ends of the Soul Society if it means satisfying their bloodlust! You have no idea what it's like there, so please use your fucking head and listen to me." Josiah breaks free from his restraints with one final pull, and comes face to face with the Head Captain. This astonishes Ichigo, but he does not step away from the cell, he stares directly into Josiah's eyes as he spits his warning to him. "I have allowed you to hold me here Ichigo, you have not contained me. I just made that pretty fucking obvious haven't I? That should build a little trust between us right? So please, for the sake of your people, listen to me. Trust me, and if you do then I promise I will help you crush Cronus and his men. We will destroy him together! Cronus has no idea that you know of the Tartarus, we can use that to our advantage! But if you send your men to scout the area and they find out, and they will find out, then we lose our greatest asset, our element of surprise! Listen to me Kurosaki, please for the sake of the Soul Society."
His voice becomes weak as these last words roll off his tongue. Josiah's eyes plead with him, begging him to heed his words. Ichigo is taken aback by Josiah's display, as he did not think such a man to be capable of this kind of worry.
"Why do you care so much about what happens to the Soul Society and my men?" Ichigo questions. He sees Josiah's eyes fill with sadness, a sadness he cannot hope to conceal, as he explains.
"I don't want to watch anyone else die by his hand Ichigo. You don't understand just how wicked Cornus really is. He will do unspeakable things to your people if he is victorious. I know because I've seen what he is capable of. I have witnessed him murder innocent women and children, all for the thrill of it! Many of my friends have been murdered before my eyes for things as trivial as speaking out of turn. I never fully lost my humanity, and I never understood why until one day I had had enough. I couldn't watch that madman continue his rampage any longer, so I made a solemn vow to myself, as well as all who have died by his order, that I murder Cronus. I truly believe that I was able to keep my sanity because my destiny is to kill that bastard, and avenge those I've lost."
Ichigo finds himself at a loss for words, as he did not expect his prisoner to give such an answer. He swallows the thick lump that he feels clogging his throat before speaking.
"I am truly sorry, but I must do what I believe is right. If you wish for me to truly trust you Josiah, then you have to have trust in me." Ichigo watches as all of the emotion slowly fades from Josiah's features, leaving a cold blank stare once again.
"Fine Kurosaki, I will allow you to do this. But remember, you have been warned." Josiah slowly backs away from the cell door, keeping his cold stare fixed solely on Ichigo. He sits once again on his thin bed, and lowers his eyes from the Head Captain. Ichigo sighs, and begins to walk toward the exit. As he reaches for the door, he hears a voice call for him.
"Kurosaki!"
He turns to see Josiah standing at the cell door once again, his knuckles white as he clutches the bars.
"I hope for the sake of your men, that you are right. Good luck Head Captain."
Ichigo nods his head in appreciation, before exiting the cell room. Josiah watches him leave, before lowering himself onto his bed and running through their conversation in his head. It is not lost on him that Ichigo had not had his chains refastened and reinforced. It is a sign that Ichigo's trust in him is building, a sign he is thankful to see. He thanks his lucky stars as his fears of being kept prisoner begin to fade. Josiah finds himself growing anxious with the idea that he will soon face his former comrades on the field. He cannot resist succumbing to his bloodlust, as he imagines facing the strongest of the Akropoli in battle. A wicked grin spreads across his face as his body begins to tremble with anticipation. Feeling his mind begin to slip, Josiah quickly composes himself. He takes a number of deep breaths before lowering his head onto his stiff pillow. As he does, a single thought runs through his mind, "I hope you are ready for war Kurosaki, for Hell is going to be at your gates soon."