Blades of Resolve
Written by Scarredbyshallowness
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, or Devil May Cry. Or anything else I use in this story. Yeah...that should cover it.
Author Notes: I know the last chapter was a little short. But this one will definitely make up for it. Enjoy!
Note: This story takes place after the Bounto Arc.
Chapter 5
Fate
-Bleach World-
"…go! Can you hear me? ICHIGO!"
Stirring awake from the constant calling of his name, Ichigo felt the familiar strain of bandages limit his movement. Everything started to come back to him piece by piece. The battle with Sephiroth. The fear of losing control. The BLINDING pain. And worst of all;
The rain.
"Hey! HEY! Everyone come quick! He's AWAKE!" Orihime exclaimed with glee. It was about time he woke up.
"I…Inoue? What's going…" There was no need to ask. Ichigo knew this room like the back of his hand. It was Urahara's guest room. Better known as the recovery area. " So he saved me again, huh?"
"It's becoming quite the hobby, Kurosaki." Urahara stepped in with a radiant glow. Carefree as usual. Behind the bucket hat obsessed shop owner was a wave of familiar faces. All were present and accounted for with the exception of…
"Where's Rukia?" Ichigo questioned with notable tone of anxiousness.
"Figures that would be the first thing he noticed." Ishida sighed, adjusting his glasses in a shimmer of sunlight. Kurosaki is so predictable it hurts.
"She left this morning for Soul Society. Something about her Captain needing her presence there." Chad finished, to Uryuu's dismay. He wanted to say that…
"Ah. Ugh. How long have I been asleep? My whole body feels stiff!" Ichigo complained. As long as Rukia was safe, he could relax.
"For three days." Urahara stated with a hint of tension. Not because it's hard or anything for him. No. Nursing people back to health is cake. It's what Ichigo doesn't know yet…
"THREE DAYS! God! No wonder my body feels so FREAKIN' heavy!"
"That's not why, kid."
The voice didn't register in Ichigo's mind. Straining himself to sit up, he saw the unmistakable pair of icy blue eyes from before.
"Who are you?" Kurosaki demanded with a cocky tone.
"My. My. Ichigo. No need for such hostility. This young man brought both Chad and Uryuu to the shop of his own free will. His name is - " Urahara defended before being cut off. Can't anyone finish a sentence nowadays?
"Cloud Strife. But that doesn't matter right now, kid. We have a couple of problems." Cloud spoke with complete seriousness.
"The name is Ichigo! Quit calling me 'kid'!" Ichigo snapped, trying to hide the heavy aching that came with the little bit of movement he could do.
"Kurosaki-kun…" Orihime smiled lightly. It was good to have him back.
"Fine, Ichigo. Listen up. That man that you fought was Sephiroth; the strongest fighter from an army known as SOLIDER from my world. So strong that he came extremely close to destroying my planet two years ago." (A/N: For those lost, look up the plot for FFVII!)
"Your world?" Inoue suddenly questioned aloud. Not intentionally though…
"Yes. My planet is much smaller than this one. But…I lost my home around a month ago to these overwhelming beings called the Heartless." Cloud stated with an odd look. Not one of bitterness, but one of disappointment.
"The heart less?" Chad asked, trying to paint a mental picture of what the creature might look like. None turned out so well.
"Only a handful of people from my world survived that darkness. There is no need to worry about them coming here, however. The one that created the heartless has been slain, vanquishing the creatures and restoring the damage they have caused along with him. This means that my planet has been reborn. But..." Cloud stopped mid sentence, directing his eyes to the open window. The breeze that drifted in light touched his cheek. It was refreshing.
Suddenly, the only thing he could remember was Nibelheim (his hometown).
"Let me guess. You're lost aren't you?" Ichigo stated with a cocky grin. This story wasn't making any sense so far.
"…" Cloud stood in awe. What a defiant little brat. "I have been traveling planet to planet in search of my own with a recent friend of mine, but that isn't the issue. On the past ten planets we have visited, Sephiroth has been there."
"But you have beaten him every time, right?" Uryuu rose a brow. Cloud was so lost.
"Yes…but only because none of them have been the real Sephiroth."
"Wait. Wait. Wait! You're telling me that I got beaten by a WEAK FAKE!" Ichigo clenched. Getting almost killed was bad enough, but by a knock off? That's just salt on the wound.
"I wouldn't call him weak, but yes. To be honest, this world's Sephiroth was the easiest one I have fought yet." Cloud smiled lightly. Compared to the last planet's, this one was more of a break than a fight.
"That would be because all our town's youthful protectors here!" Urahara uproariously grinned in a sing-song manner. Secretly hiding his smile behind an extended fan, he waved proudly toward all of the bandaged (sans Orihime) teens.
"Well, that's good to know. Even though this world's Sephiroth has been defeated, the real fight has only begun…" Cloud's smile vanished. "He only acted as commander to the actual threat."
"Your not much of a motivational speaker, Cloud." Ichigo spat, folding his arms with a winch. Why did EVERY thing hurt?
"You haven't seen what I've seen, Ichigo." Cloud bit back with a fitting leer.
"So what's the real problem?" Yoruichi intervened amongst the silence of the growing tension. The last thing they needed was ANOTHER person fighting with Ichigo. The eyes of the group welcomed her in. In fear of the reaction the stranger would take to a talking cat, she decided to stick with her real form.
Still not a big fan of clothing though…
"In six days the end of this world will come. The sky will turn blood red and fires will erupt from the ground without warning. Then several portals will tear open from an alternate dimension. Thousands of demons, under the rule of Demon Commanders, will pour into this world until the people of this world succumb to their will." Cloud spoke with laden fret.
Silence filled the room.
"What the HELL?" Ichigo sternly shattered the quietness. "Are you sure that it's going to happen to this world?"
"Undoubtedly. It happened to every planet that Sephiroth has been found on." Strife painfully admitted.
"So…demons actually exist?" Uryuu questioned with a bead of sweat.
"But of course, Ishida! Allow me to explain." Urahara smiled with a slight aloofness. With a snap of his fingers, Jinta and Ururu pulled a conveniently placed board brimming with diagrams into everyone's view. It was massive and filled to the brim with complicated, scientific, drawings. " I can validate what Mr. Strife has said." Urahara proceeded, extending a small metal pointer from his sleeve.
"Here we go again…" Yoruichi moaned. It's been ages since he had done a 'diagram presentation'. Still too soon for her. "I'll be in the basement. Just fill me in on the details later." she yawned with a stretch of her arms. It'd been awhile since she had done her old routine. And from the sounds of things, now was the perfect time to pick up.
"Women are so hard to please…" Urahara sighed under his breathe.
The room was filled with an odd silence. Cloud mentally debated if the previous world was better or worse then this expressive one…
"-AHEM- ! Anyway, allow me to begin our little lesson." Kisuke instructed, whipping a portion of his extreme detailed graph. Unlike Rukia's bunny filled drawings, his were specific, accurate, and pretty flippin' realistic.
He was the creator of the science bureau in Soul Society after all.
"As you all know, Hollows are created when a soul is either eaten by other hollows, or when it gives into the despair of it's heart from remaining in the real world too long."
Cloud rose a brow. This sounded way too similar to the heartless…
"Ichigo. You have actually seen this first hand. When a hollow is killed, it's soul is purified. If that soul has committed unforgivable acts while alive, the gates of judgment open and take that soul to the underworld." Urahara continued to educate whilst pointing to pictures that showed a mini hollow being 'taken' into the gate.
"Unless I kill the hollow." Ishida cut in. It was true. Unlike Soul Reaper's zanpakutou (which cleanses the soul), Quincy powers completely destroyed the soul.
"Ah, yes. We might have the Quincy to blame for sending most of these hollows directly to Hell." Urahara stated with a sly smirk.
"WHAT! You -" SMACK! Uryuu rampaged…until getting smacked in the face with the metal pointer.
"Comments can be made AFTER class, Mr. Ishida!"
"Urahara's worse than our psycho teacher!" Ichigo thought to himself with a look of puzzlement. "So this is why Yoruichi left…"
"Now. Please direct your eyes over here." Whack! The handy pointer landed upon the large board yet again." When a corrupted soul, how ever it gets there, reaches the depths of the underworld; it is turned into a demon. Their only purpose for existence is to serve their ruler; the King of the Underworld."
"You mean…" Orihime gasped. This was really serious!
"The Devil. Satan. Lucifer. El Diablo. Akuma (A/N: NOT the Akuma from Street Fighter. Akuma is the Japanese word that stands for 'personification of evil'.) . All titles given to the King. Soul Society and Hueco Mundo act only as intermediaries. Purgatory, if you will."
"So Heaven and Hell exist…" Chad spoke in captivated awe. It was about time he said something.
"Armageddon is just around the corner, my pupils. If demons cross the plane, it could only mean one thing: The King desires this world." Urahara explained with dead set eyes.
"What greed. So this is why the other worlds had this onslaught? He just wanted to expand his territory?" Cloud spat in disgust. But what connection does he have with Sephiroth?
"Cloud." Ichigo turned his attention toward the swordsman with as little pain as allowed." How many of the worlds survived this?"
There was a pause. Everyone turned their eyes toward the contemplating Strife.
"….Only 2. But this was only possible because those worlds had some extraordinarily strong inhabitants. The most impressive person I've met so far was this one man who wore a caped costume with a giant 'S' on it. I forget his name, but he tore through thousands of demons like paper. " Cloud reminisced. Man, that was an odd planet. So many costumed people…
"Thanks for calling us weaklings, jerk." Ichigo sneered with a roll of the eyes. This guy was unbelievable!
"Urahara, are the demons harder to beat than Hollows?" Orihime questioned sweetly to the shop owner.
"I was hoping someone would ask me that." With another snap of the fingers, Jinta and Ururu took out the previous board just as muscle-bound Tessai slammed another in the dead center of the awe-struck group.
"This would be part two of our lesson: Demon Characteristics." Urahara announced laden with joy. It'd been too long since he had a chance to teach. He used to be a professor at the academy you know…
"I'm starting to wish I went with Yoruichi…" Ishida squinted, adjusting his glasses moments before…SMACK…getting another whipping across the face from the malevolent pointer.
"Tsk, Tsk, Uryuu. And here I thought that your high grades in school would make you a great student."
"S..SHUT UP! Just get on with it already." The Quincy groaned. If Urahara hit him with that freakin' piece of metal one more time…
"That I shall." Mr. Hat and Clogs spoke with approval, giving a signal to Tessai. Lifting the rather solid looking piece of marble, once again, gorgeous art filled their eyes. Every minute detail painfully crafted onto not paper, but SOLID ROCK!
Maybe Urahara had a bit too much free time.
"As depicted by this tablet, demons can drastically range in size." he lectured, pointing to what seemed like a growth chart. "They can be anywhere from child size to the mass of mount Fuji. However, size does NOT dictate strength! Only certain qualities determine that."
"A mountain…" Inoue gasped, picturing the behemoth in her mind. I wonder how much they eat?
"Yes. Now, when compared to hollows, demons are twice as strong in almost every category. However, above ALL ELSE, remember this: Demons that look like normal humans are to be approached with the UTMOST caution!"
"Why?" Ichigo bluntly asked with a raised brow.
"They lack any distinguishing characteristic that gives them away as demons. Yet their skills can be anywhere from a lieutenant to captain or beyond." Urahara paused. Not for dramatic effect, but because he remembered hearing something VERY useful from his dependable sources.
"How do we stop them?" Chad decided to break his silence again.
"Ah HA!" Another snap of the fingers. With a rush of controlled motion, the two previous diagrams were tucked away by Urahara's shop crew and pulled out one, FINAL, diagram. " With the current epidemic, I have invented a new way for us to train." Urahara beamed, holding the technical ridden blue print in front of everyone.
"What is that?" Cloud asked completely baffled. The blue print looked like gibberish to him…
"I call it the Hyperbolic Ti…er Chrono Chamber. " Kisuke coughed, chucking aside an issue of Shonen Jump. (A/N: Dragon Ball Z fans, yes. He is talking about the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. He apparently 'thought' of the idea when reading the Cell saga.)
"What does it do?" Orihime asked with a fluster. She couldn't even pronounce the thing.
"Basically, it allows you to slow down time when you enter it's doorway. While inside, seconds turn into days and minutes become weeks. In other words; you can get a year's worth of training done in one day."
"W-WHAT! That's AMAZING Urahara!" Ichigo grinned with wide eyes. This was hands down the BEST invention that he had heard from the exiled captain yet. The pure possibilities…hold on. "Wait, a sec…"
"Yes, Kurosaki?"
"Well, won't it be odd to suddenly be a year older? Won't people notice?"
"Ah! You've already spotted the flaw. My hat's off to you, Ichigo!" Urahara complimented with a bow. "However, with my renovations, that problem is solved. The moment you step through the door your physical body is converted into spirit particles. And as you know, spirits age ten times slower than regular humans. So the only significant changes would be in skill and strength."
Ah. It's good to be a genius.
"I have to take a turn when I get back." Cloud spoke with his distant tone as he prepared his things. Just the thought of that much training was mind numbing.
"Get back? Where are you going?" Ichigo asked innocently.
Everyone's expression suddenly dropped. A depressing vibe suddenly filled the room.
Needless to say, Ichigo was lost.
"To get the cure for your Geosigma (a virus from Jenova. It's from FFVII) that Sephiroth infected you with. Haven't they told you yet?" Cloud stated bluntly. Something was really odd about this whole situation.
The major one being why did this kid have the lifestream coursing through his body? If not for that, he would have been dead days ago.
Leon (A/N: Better known as 'Squall' from FFVIII) should have the ship prepared by now…
"You drew the straw, Inoue. You have to tell him." Ishida said with slight relief. He'd hate to be her right now.
"I know…" Orihime sighed with watery eyes. This was the hardest thing she's ever had to do.
"What is WRONG with you guys?" Ichigo roared. He wasn't dead! No where near! He felt invigorated to be honest.
BEEP! BEEP!
"Good timing." Cloud whispered to himself, pulling a sleek, thin black cell phone from his pocket.
"The hyperdrive has cooled down and everything is ready to go. In fact, they were ready two days ago! Where have you been, Cloud?" Leon questioned hastily. "You're making Yuffie all fidgety again."
The funny thing was that Leon didn't have to tell him that. Cloud could hear her high pitched voice quite clearly in the background.
"Hover over my location. I'll meet you half way."
"Alright. But I want answers when you get aboard." Leon scoffed.
Slight rumbling could be felt through out the shop. A minute hum grew closer and ever closer. The tempered roar of mechanical superiority filled the air. The group couldn't help but follow Cloud outside. Chad was more than willing to help Ichigo help Ichigo get there. Despite the bleach head's constant refusal.
A dark red starship suddenly appeared before them. It's sleek and complicated design was more than enough to sport Urahara taking notes. It was a gorgeous airship. Better known as the Ragnarok (the airship from FFVIII).
"You like?" Cloud grinned lightly to the fascinated ex-captain. There was a nod. No words were required to explain Urahara's amazement. "Yeah. It's cool. The lounge has pretty much become my home. It's a nice way to travel the cosmos."
"Do you think you will make it back in time?" Chad questioned with a slight sternness. Ichigo was his best friend after all.
"No." Cloud turned his back to the group, slowly ascending in the sky. " I KNOW I will." he roared in the air with promise.
The ship made an opening for his entry. Then, with a burst of intense heat for the massive airship, he was gone. Just as soon as he appeared.
"Aw. I wanted to see the specs just a little longer…" Urahara whimpered. Adjusting himself back to his leadership position, he could see enough confusion emitting from Ichigo.
It was time.
"Well then. Let's get started. Chad and Uryuu, you need to go home and prepare. You two will be the first to use the chamber. Inoue." Kisuke commanded, giving Orihime a look of pity. "Please help Kurosaki home. It would be best for him to hear it there."
"Of course, Urahara." Orihime hurriedly replied. Forced time alone with Ichigo? It almost seemed surreal.
"Then you all are dismissed. And please remember; the fate of Karakura Town is in your hands. "
Several Hours Later, Location Unknown
Briiinnngggg! Brrriinnnggg!
SLAM!
Click!
"Devil May Cry. Founder, owner, and devil hunter extraordinaire speaking." a man with snow white hair, dressed in black vest integrated with several buckles, answered with a slight depression in his voice. Having kicked the phone to his hand with shadow dark red pants fitted with straps for weaponry, his ridiculously high skills were displayed through simple everyday activities.
If this was another prank call…
"Hmm. Uh huh. Uh hmm. Karakura Town, huh?" he replied while taking notes.
This call was beginning to make the day's worth of crap worth it.
"Yeah. Wait…HOW many?"
He took a moment to check his hearing. Then another to thank God.
"Alright! You've convinced me. I'll take the assignment. My pay? We'll talk about that after the work is done. Uh huh. Yeah. I'll be there by tomorrow evening. No, thank YOU."
Click!
Kick flipping off his desk with a burst of excitement, he ran to his equipment bin. Beowulf, Ebony and Ivory, Force Edge, uzis, a shotgun, a grenade launcher, and Nevan for ownage. Yup. That should do it.
"YO! LADY! We got a BIG one! (To avoid future confusion 'Lady' is this girl's name. Yes, I know it's lame but go with it.)". The man yelled across the rustic shop. People rarely came in to request a job, so what's the point of cleaning it?
"You SURE it's not some punk this time?" the girl growled. Stepping into view, she wore what seemed to be a school uniform decked out with weaponry. But what really stuck out, aside from her curvaceous figure and silky, short, brunette hair, was her eyes. Two completely different colors. Blue for the right, and light brown for the left. "It better be, DANTE!"
"Tsh." Dante spat, slipping on his dark red trench coat. "I don't give a crap if it is. All I need is one minute with a single demon."
"Still hung up about that rumor?" Lady spoke with slight concern. She had a hard time believing it herself…
"Well, whatever. In six days…" Dante continued to load up his weaponry. God, it felt refreshing. The weight of the steel. The smell of the gunpowder. Ah, this IS what he lived for. "We're gonna be in for one HELL of a party!"
Plot Free Zone
"YO! YO! Kon here! Everyone's favorite Bleach mascot!" The little stuffed lion cried with…
"Stop it!"
"What? I'm the writer! You can't tell me to what to do!"
"Well not here! This is MY plot FREE zone! MY show!"
"God! Fine, Kon. But I'm out of here. I have a life you know? Sorry about this everybody. Don't forget to revie - BAM!"
"GET GOING ALREADY!"
"You KICKED me in the EYE! Stupid little sub character…"
"Be sure to read the next chapter! I get to talk with some dude name Cloud. Blah Blah Blah. Where is Nee-san! I want my NEE- SQUEEK! "
"Hey everyone! I couldn't leave this little freak to end the chapter. Anyway, This is Scar."
"A..n..d Kon!"
"See ya next time!"