Hinamori's Apprentice
Chapter 35
"Oh-ho! Nicely done, my old friend," Shunsui Kyouraku said, wiping blood from his cheek after a nearly fatal attack from Mansamusa, "You've become quite powerful over the years."
Though covered in crystals, it was obvious that Mansamusa had an amused expression. "Thank you, Captain Kyouraku. You are quite skilled yourself. I wish I could say the same for your friend though." He gestured to Toushiro, who was out cold on top of a nearby building.
"You were lucky to get off a quick strike on him early," Kyouraku said, "Captain Hitsugaya is a genius after all. Had you not taken him by surprise, he would have given you quite a bit of trouble."
"I doubt that," Mansamusa chuckled.
"I mean it. He is a genius after all, just as we were. Perhaps better than we were at his age. In a hundred years, he may well surpass us," Kyouraku said with a smile.
"I find that unlikely. For nearly two thousand years, we have both been considered some of the strongest Shinigami alive. Do you really believe that this boy could surpass us in a mere century?"
"Don't underestimate the latest generation of young Shinigami. I know of many who are very strong and will one day become the leaders of Soul Society. Oh, and by the way…" Kyouraku used Shunpo to appear behind Mansamusa, slashing at him from behind. Mansamusa managed to dodge, but lost a few shards of the crystal covering his body from the strike.
"Trying to catch me off guard by starting idle conversation mid-battle. How like you. I'm surprised I fell for it," Mansamusa said, not even sounding angry. Kyouraku smiled.
"You know me better than most people. I've enjoyed this little chat, but I suppose it's time I became more serious," Kyouraku said.
Renji and Hisagi faced the creature, their Bankai activated.
"Take Momo and Karin and get out of here," Hisagi said to Rangiku and Izuru, "We'll take care of this guy."
"Wait…" Momo said weakly, clutching her bleeding stump of an arm.
"Save your strength Momo, we'll take it from here," Renji said, "Izuru, stop the bleeding before she loses consciousness."
"Right!" Izuru said, rushing to Momo's side. Momo did not sit still however.
"Listen Renji, Shuuhei: Don't let it engage you in close combat! If you let it get close to you, you're dead!" she gasped urgently.
"Thanks Momo, we'll keep that in mind," Hisagi said, "You ready Renji?"
"Ready."
Together, Renji and Hisagi attacked with their Bankai. Hisagi spun his Bankai and slammed the tip into the ground, sending a massive fissure in the earth straight at the creature. As it leapt out of the way, Renji swung the giant bone-snake down, bringing its skull crashing down upon the enemy. Amidst the dust, they saw it fly into the air, landing atop Renji's Bankai. It began running down the spine of the weapon, only to be knocked off as Hisagi swung his scythe, creating a green arc of energy that knocked it away. It landed on its feet, uninjured and swords still in its hands.
"This guy's tough," Renji said, careful to stay alert.
"We'd best finish this off quickly," Hisagi said, "Let's use that."
Renji's eyes widened. "But that was given to you only in cases of absolute emergency!"
"The Captains were instructed to use it at their discretion to protect Seireitei. I think this situation warrants its use," Hisagi said, pausing to release another arc of energy at the creature as it was about to charge.
"Can we even control it? It could destroy us along with the enemy," Renji said anxiously.
"I think I can limit its area of effect with Kazeshini's 'Wind Shaft'. I'll need your help though. Encircle that thing with Zabimaru, and I'll throw it in while using Kazeshini simultaneously. It has a ten second fuse, so you'll need to keep it inside the Wind Shaft with your Bankai. Can you do that?"
"Sure," Renji said, still sounding a bit uncertain, "Here goes nothing…"
Renji raised his Bankai and sent the giant skeletal snake at the creature, circling around it over a wide area. Simultaneously, Hisagi threw a small device inside the circle made by Renji's Bankai, simultaneously raising his own Bankai above his head and spinning it.
"Kazeshini! Wind Shaft!" he yelled. Wind began forming around the perimeter of the encircled area containing the beast, soon becoming a massive tornado of raging wind. Hisagi and Renji backed away, watching as their plan went into action.
"Eight… Seven… Six… Five…" Hisagi counted.
"Four… Three…" Renji joined in. Just as they were about to count down to two, there was a sudden rift in the tornado, and the creature launched itself out.
"No!" Renji yelled. He and Hisagi began moving to defend themselves, their plan apparently a failure, when suddenly an energy blast shot out from behind them, going over their heads and hitting the creature, sending it flying back into the giant tornado. They turned to see Momo breathing heavily while on her knees, her hand outstretched and the palm smoking.
At that moment, the tornado seemed to be set alight, suddenly becoming a raging swirl of intense flames.
"What is that?" Rangiku yelled, shielding her face from the intense heat.
"Flames from the Captain-Commander's Zanpakuto!" Hisagi called back to her over the raging fire, "He gave each of the Captains a small piece of his power when he left, in case of emergencies. There will be nothing left of that creature once those flames are done!"
"Just hope that this technique of yours can contain it!" Renji said, "I don't think Zabimaru can handle it anymore, I'm returning it to normal!" Renji withdrew his Bankai, already severely charred from the intense flames, and reverted it to Shikai.
They watched as the intense flames spiraled in an immense column of fire, Hisagi's tornado keeping the flames confined in a limited area. It raged for minutes, making those watching nervous that Hisagi's technique would not hold. Eventually however, the flames began to die down, and eventually disappeared.
Taking a deep breath, Hisagi released the tornado, panting from the exertion. Still careful to keep their guard up, he and Renji approached the crater left by the attack and peered in. There was no trace of the creature, only a massive hole burned deep into the ground, the incinerating heat barely even leaving ashes.
"We did it!" Renji said excitedly, "We won!"
"It-it's gone?" Rangiku said, relief in her voice.
"Those were Captain-Commander Yamamoto's flames, nothing is even left of that thing!" Hisagi said with a grin, "Now let's hurry and get Momo to a Captain Unohana; she's been injured pretty badly."
As he, Renji, Rangiku, and Izuru went to move her however, something strange happened. The remaining wing from Momo's Bankai began glowing brightly, and slowly disintegrated into dust. The glowing specks of dust swirled in the air for a moment before flying to what was left of Momo's arm. All present watched in astonishment as the dust formed into the shape of an unseverred arm. There was a bright flash of light, and then the glowing dust was gone, leaving behind a new arm in place of the one Momo had lost. At this same Moment, Momo seemed to regain some of her strength, shakily sitting up.
"Momo, are you okay?" Izuru said uncertainly.
"I think so," Momo said, looking at her arm in amazement.
"Amazing," Hisagi said quietly, "Your Bankai completely healed you!"
"I… I guess it did…" Momo said, still seeming a bit dazed.
"Hey, don't forget about me!"
They all turned to look at Karin, realizing that she was still inside of Momo's Kido barrier.
"Sorry!" Momo said, getting to her feet slowly. She raised her hand, and the barrier around Karin disappeared. Karin ran up to the others, and seemed about to speak when they were interrupted by a loud boom in the distance.
"There's still a battle going on," Renji reminded them, "We're needed at the front lines. Izuru, can you get Momo and Karin to safety?"
"Yes, we were planning on seeking refuge in the old Central 46 chambers," Izuru replied.
"Good idea, that's probably the safest place right now," Hisagi said.
"I'll go with you," Rangiku said, "Now that we know they're after Karin, she'll need extra protection."
"No. Rangiku, you're needed in battle. Izuru will be there, and besides, the defenses of the Central 46 bunker will be far more defense than you can offer," Hisagi said, "You offer greater contribution by helping to defeat this invasion than by staying with Karin, do you understand?"
"I suppose so…" Rangiku said reluctantly.
"Rangiku, don't worry, I'll be there too," Momo said, "I'm still a bit weak, but I'll regain my strength soon enough."
"Very well then," Rangiku sighed, "Let's get going."
Yochito knocked away Ichigo with a kick to the chest, sending him flying backwards. Ichigo was not even fazed by the blow, however, and proceeded to unleash a Getsuga Tensho at Yochito, who released a large number of threads from his sleeves that formed a sort of cocoon around him, protecting himself from the strike.
Ichigo's gaze was sharp as the threads returned. Those threads were clearly Yochito's primary method of attack and defense. He could release a seemingly endless number of them from under his clothes, and they were able to form into nearly any shape. They were strong enough to resist being cut by his Bankai, and able to lift heavy objects. Yochito himself was quite strong as well, able to fight with great agility. Yochito's attacks had so far not harmed Ichigo, but Ichigo was likewise unable to do any real damage to Yochito. Whenever a strike came close, those threads would come out and block him.
He rushed at Yochito, continuing to attack in hope that a weakness would be revealed. Yochito released many threads, which wound themselves into two staff-like objects that he used to block Ichigo's Bankai.
"You realize that this fight is pointless, don't you?" Yochito asked, the corners of his lips turned upwards in a gentle smile, "The real battle has long since moved away from here."
"Perhaps, but if I can defeat you, that's one less enemy for Seireitei, not to mention that it will mean rescuing Senna from you," Ichigo replied.
"I thought I already told you that Senna is with us on her own free will."
"And I say that's a load of crap! Senna is a good person; she wouldn't serve an evil organization without coercion or brainwashing of some sort," Ichigo said, slashing again at Yochito, who ducked to avoid the strike.
"What makes you so certain that we are evil? Do I look like an evil fellow to you?" Yochito said with a smirk.
"You saved my sister, and you seem to truly care about Senna to some extent," Ichigo said slowly, "But there is no doubt that what your allies are planning is evil. I've seen the people hurt by your side, and I know that you're targeting my Uryu. To me, that makes your side evil. Whatever you did to draw Senna into your plot, I intend to undo it."
With that, Ichigo removed one hand from his zanpakuto and spread his fingers.
"Bakasu ichidan futsukayoi konmei; Bakudo 40, Hanashiwosaegiru Shinshoku!" Ichigo thrust out his palm, a ripple spreading from it through the air. For the first time, Yochito seemed genuinely shocked as the rippling air passed over him.
"But… the reports said that you couldn't perform Kido!" he said in confusion.
"I'm training to be a Captain. I couldn't be completely useless at casting Kido spells, so they had Hinamori teach me a bit. I don't care much for Kido, but I know enough to get by," Ichigo replied.
"We'll see about that," Yochito said. He raised his arm as he had before when using his threads to attack, but this time nothing happened. The threads had gone limp, hanging loosely from his sleeve without form. Shock was written all over his face. "What did you do?"
"I figured out the secret behind your attacks," Ichigo said, "Those threads aren't your weapons, they are conductors for your power. You have some sort of mind power, don't you? I should have realized it the moment you brought back my memories of Senna. Your abilities are powerful, but you can only use them against things you are physically touching. Hence, you use those threads to extend your reach. But that takes a lot of concentration, and by using a Kido spell that disrupts the focus of the mind, I disabled those threads."
"I see, so that's what your Kido spell did," Yochito said through gritted teeth, "It was so subtle, I didn't even realize that my control had been disrupted."
Ichigo raised his sword with a grim look on his face, "This is the end. I must now eliminate you as part of my duty to the Gotei 13."
Yochito glared at him. "Go ahead and try! I still have power over whatever I touch, even if I can't transmit it through the threads. This isn't over."
"Yes it is," Ichigo said quietly, "And I'm sure you know that."
Ichigo held his sword out, and rushed at Yochito, who didn't move an inch. He pointed his sword straight forward, ready to stab Yochito and end this battle. When he was just in front of Yochito, he drew the blade back and thrust it forward. At the last moment, however, there was a flash of black, and something came between him and Yochito.
Ichigo's eyes widened in shock and horror. His voice caught in his throat, but he managed to whisper, "S-Senna…"
Senna was impaled on Ichigo's sword, having put herself between him and Yochito at the last moment. Ichigo was too shocked to move as he watched Senna gasping for air as blood flowed from her chest. She barely managed to turn her head a little, so she could see Yochito out of the corner of her eyes.
"Yochito… Thanks for everything. I'm… glad you gave me this second chance…" she whispered before turning her head back to Ichigo, giving him a weak smile, "I'm glad to have been able to see you again, Ichigo. I want you to know, I-"
At that moment, Senna let out a harsh gasp before slumping forward. Both Ichigo and Yochito stared at her in shock. Before either could say anything, something very strange happened. Senna's body suddenly turned into a mass of the type of thread used by Yochito. As Ichigo stared in shock, he realized that his strike had not missed; that the tip of his blade had gone into Yochito's stomach. He slowly withdrew it, Yochito not making a single move, his head lowered.
There was a long moment of silence before Yochito spoke.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, "I'm sorry Senna, I should never have dragged you into this." Ichigo stared at him, unsure what to say.
"What was your relationship with Senna?" he asked, "How did you meet her?"
"That is a difficult question, but to put it simply, we're both people who should never have existed," Yochito said.
"What do you mean?" Ichigo asked. Yochito sighed, flinching a little and covering his wound with his hand before speaking again.
"I cannot say for certain how my life began. All I know is that somehow, I existed, despite having never been born nor created nor reincarnated. There was an experiment conducted in Soul Society several centuries ago. Its true purpose eluded me, but they took a volunteer Shinigami to experiment upon. When they began the experiment, that Shinigami was himself, but when it ended, the Shinigami had become me. I am not that Shinigami. I was not created in the process of the experiment. I simply appeared somehow, gifted with extraordinary powers and with no idea what I was. They used me in experiments for a short time, but then Central 46 decided that as someone who by all logic should never have existed, I was an abomination to be destroyed. I fought back, attempting to destroy those who had condemned me. In the end, I failed, and was only able to flee. Thus began my centuries of solitude and loneliness. It seemed to go on forever. As I was beginning to lose hope however, I met Senna. She was also someone who never should have existed, someone who was not born or created, but simply existed. She disappeared soon after I found out about her, but I was able to read the imprint she left upon reality to give her a new body. You probably can't comprehend how it happened, but to get straight to the point, I now had a companion. I wasn't alone anymore, and for the first time, I was truly happy. When an opportunity for revenge against Seireitei presented itself however, I couldn't let it pass. Senna tried to talk me out of it, but I was stubborn, and in the end, she consented to allowing me my revenge on the condition that she would be there with me. I didn't want her to be in danger, but she insisted that wherever we went, we'd be together. And now, thanks to my desire for revenge, I'm alone again."
Ichigo stared at Yochito in a combination of shock, anger, and pity.
"You brought her back… Can't you bring her back again?" he asked.
"I'm afraid not. It was difficult to bring her back into existence the first time, and now I am far too weak. I can't reverse it this time. Senna is gone," Yochito said bitterly.
"Are you… going to fight me to avenge her?" Ichigo asked, guilt seeping into his voice with the knowledge that it was upon his blade that Senna died.
"No," Yochito sighed, "I am the one who allowed her to be put in danger. It was my desire for revenge that made this happen. Besides, I don't think I can battle any longer. Ichigo Kurosaki… I concede this battle to you. I will never again direct aggression towards Seireitei. I should have realized it before, but without Senna, nothing else matters to me." At that moment, Yochito fell to his knees, wincing as he clutched his wound. Ichigo began to rush forward to help, but Yochito put his hand up.
"Please… I'm fine. Goodbye, Ichigo Kurosaki. I'm very sorry for the pain this operation will put you through."
With that, Yochito disappeared with a flash of light, leaving Ichigo to ponder his parting words.
Mansamusa panted, the crystal covering his body falling off in several places. Shunsui Kyoraku stood before him, swords drawn and bearing only a few minor wounds.
"It's over, my old friend," Kyoraku said, "You've lost this battle, as have your allies. I've just received a message from Seireitei. The invasion force there is being turned back."
At this, Mansamusa grinned and chuckled quietly.
"No, you're wrong. There is no doubt in my mind that the mission in Soul Society has succeeded already. It is you who have lost," Mansamusa said. With that, he lunged at Kyoraku for a strike, but it came to slow, and the next thing he knew, Kyoraku had slashed him across the side. Grunting in pain, he fell to the ground, his crystal armor disintegrating.
Kyoraku sighed as he stared down at him. "So pointless…" he murmured, "What did they hope to accomplish with this?"
"Send out another squad to reinforce the right flank! We've got them on the run, don't let them regain the advantage!" Rangiku shouted to the Shinigami she commanded. The robed warriors were in the process of being beaten back, the combined effort of the Shinigami too much for them to confront head-on. Most of the other Captains and Vice-Captains were either assisting in battle or directing troops.
"Vice-Captain Matsumoto, there's a bulge in their formation. If we send our forces around the side, we should be able to completely surround half of them," one of her subordinates said.
"Good. Proceed with-" before Rangiku could finish her statement however, a loud noise interrupted her. It sounded like a high pitched horn, and it seemed to be coming from all around them. Both Shinigami and the strange warriors looked into the sky in reaction to it. Then, one after another, the warriors disappeared, seeming to vanish into thin air.
"They… they're gone! We won!" a nearby Shinigami shouted, "We fought them off!"
Soon other Shinigami joined in cheering, but Rangiku was not among them. She stared off into the area where they had been just moments before. Those warriors didn't seem the type to retreat, and their masters didn't seem like the types who would care enough about their lives to call them back. Even if the battle was lost, they still could have inflicted many more casualties. So why did they leave? As she thought about this, a strange feeling came over her, one of dread and nausea.
"Vice-Captain Matsumoto, is something wrong?" One of her subordinates said. It was at that moment that Rangiku's eyes widened, a sudden realization hitting her.
"No!" she whispered in horror.
"Oh, well then- hey, where are you going?" the Shinigami said as Rangiku flash-stepped away as fast as she could.
Time felt blurred as Rangiku made her way to the old Central 46 compound as fast as she could. How could she have been so foolish! She knew she should have remained behind! She hoped and prayed as she got closer and closer to the compound, but her worst fears were confirmed when she arrived to find the outer gate of the Central 46 compound smashed down.
Heart pounding, she ran inside, passing more broken down outer defenses. Walls had been knocked down and heavy metal doors had been ripped off their hinges. Beads of sweat ran down her face as she rushed towards the bunker in the center of the compound where Momo, Izuru, and Karin had taken shelter. Dread washed over her as she saw that the bunker door was ajar, and was greeted with her worst fear upon entering.
Izuru was lying on the floor unconscious and bleeding from a wound that went from his shoulder to his hip. Momo was on the ground with similar wounds, her own zanpakuto speared through her ankle. Karin was nowhere to be seen. Rangiku fell to her knees, teardrops falling from her eyes and landing on an indentation in the wood floor made by large, clawed feet.