Ichigo Kurosaki is very used to rude wake up calls. After all, when you live with someone like Isshin Kurosaki who begins each day with "GOOOOOD MOOOOORNIIIIIING IIIIIICHIGOOOOOO!", you would begin to develop a sixth sense to incoming feet, elbows, or fists. Fortunately for Ichigo, this sense also involved other such offensive objects such as incoming blades which he was able to dodge in the nick of time. Unfortunately, it did not allow him to completely dodge the Plume of Prometheus which erupted magma out of the ground.
Ichigo was just about to open his mouth and launch a tirade at Kratos who had flicked his blades back to his wrists when a small piece of said magma landed on Ichigo's pants. What followed can be described as perhaps one of the funniest scenes one will ever see in this world: somebody rolling around with their ass on fire.
"Shut the hell up, it wasn't that funny!" Ichigo shouted when he finally put his pants out at Urahara who was wiping tears of mirth away from his eyes.
"Well, perhaps not to you but from my perspective, Kurosaki-san, it was most entertaining show. Have you ever thought of starting a comedy routine?" Urahara snickered as Ichigo went a very angry shade of red.
"Bastard...! what the hell was that for!" Ichigo shouted over at the impassive ash-skinned warrior who looked bored.
"That? Boy, you ought to be grateful that I did not flay you alive while you were screaming like a little girl," Kratos began to spin the blade in his right hand, "do not think any opponent you will face in Seireitei will be as forgiving as I am."
"What was that?"
Kratos slowly began walking towards Ichigo who raised his blade, "Do you think, boy, that anyone amongst your enemies - including the one who sealed your powers in the first place - will care in the slightest if your ass is on fire?"
Ichigo gritted his teeth and raised Zangetsu to meet the oncoming warrior who had slowly quickened his pace.
"DO NOT BE NAÏVE, BOY!", Kratos shouted, jumping into the air and bringing both blades down on his student's.
Ichigo managed to block the strike but paid for it as he was forced to one knee, what the hell is this? He's keeping me down with just one strike!
Ichigo began pushing back against Kratos' blades and was finally able to roll to the side. He had to instantly jump back again as Kratos' blades smashed into where he had knelt a moment before and created another plume of molten flames. Ichigo tightened his grip on his blade and charged at the warrior…
In retrospect, not the smartest thing he had ever done.
Kratos released his full reiatsu…
A massive column of blood red energy hit the roof of the basement and cracked the ground on which Kratos stood.
Urahara's eyebrows were certainly getting their workout today as they met his hairline again.
It was not possible; it just was not possible for any normal man to have reiatsu this powerful and vast.
Flashback
"I am the son of Zeus and the adopted son of a Titan," Kratos said.
Flashback End
'In the name of the thirteen court guards, Yoruichi, what have you unleashed...?'
He had little time to contemplate as his eyes snapped at the sudden incoming wave of reiatsu as it suddenly grew stronger, grabbing Ururu and Jinta who were almost comatose from the intense killing intent in the air, "Tessai-san, a Bakudo 81: Danku if you please."
"On it," the former captain of the Kido Corps shouted back, quickly throwing up the shield.
Across Karakura Town, various individuals reacted to the sudden surge in reiatsu.
Specifically eight individuals residing in an abandoned warehouse.
Shinji Hirako, a bowl cut blonde who was lounging in a chair, tilted his hat upwards as the massive pressure hit.
Hiyori Sarugaki, a short, bad tempered blonde stopped staring at the ceiling and sat up when the pressure spiked.
Hachigen Ushōda, the former lieutenant of the Kido Corps, opened his eyes from meditating in one corner.
Love Aikawa, a man of African-American descent with a spiked afro and sunglasses, stopped reading the latest Shonen-Jump magazine on the couch and glanced over at Shinji.
Mashiro Kuna, a green haired girl wearing a white bodysuit with orange boots and gloves, stopped pacing and glanced up.
Kensei Mugurama, a grey-haired well-built man, stopped mid-punch as he stared at the worn out punching bag, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration.
Rose Otoribashi, a long blonde haired effeminate-looking man, stopped playing his guitar and looked up, his ever calm face furrowing in concentration.
Lisa Yadomaru, a dark-haired young woman stopped reading her adult rated manga and glanced in the direction of Urahara's shop.
"What do you wanna do, dickhead-Shinji? That's coming from Urahara's place, you know," Hiyori called to the blond former captain. "Urahara's a former Captain - he can handle himself," Shinji replied, putting his baseball cap over his face again and going back to sleep.
Or he would have if Hiyori's foot hadn't managed to find its way into his face.
"This is Urahara we're talking about, stupid! If something happens to him, we're screwed!" Hiyori shouted at the now bleeding from the nose Shinji, "so I'm saying it again: what we gonna do, huh?" "Damn it, Hiyori, I am gonna ki…" Shinji started before being interrupted by a fist to his already bleeding face.
"There they go again," Mashiro sighed, "Leave them alone, Mashiro," Kensei said, launching his fist and splitting the punching bag, "It's probably another one of Urahara's experiments gone wrong."
"Still," Love interrupted, "maybe one of us should go and scout around, just in case. Who knows, maybe Aizen has already made his move and has decided to take out Urahara early?" "You've got a point, Love," Rose commented, continuing to pluck the strings on his guitar, "even so, this reiatsu doesn't feel like Aizen or either of his toadies."; "Yeah, that's true…"
"Never mind," Lisa stated blandly, closing her adult rated manga and rising from her easy chair and walking to the door, "I'll check it out.";"Oi, Lisa, where do you think you're going!" Hiyori yelled, waving a semi-conscious Shinji in her direction, "I haven't gotten out in a while and I want some action!" "Humph, do as you please," Lisa replied. "Alright!" Hiyori threw Shinji away and jumped after the taller girl.
"Don't take any unnecessary risks, Lisa, Hiyori," Hachi called from his position in the corner. Both women nodded and waved to the large man as they walked out.
Ichigo was numb; no, scratch that: he was freakin' frozen in place.
Who the… what the hell is he?
Kratos' grey-eyed stare burned into his eyes: his was the eye of a man who had dealt out death in spades and was not afraid to do it again. It was the eye of a killer and of a… god. He has to be… no one else could wield power on this scale.
Kratos began to turn his body towards Ichigo; move! Ichigo commanded his body, but it body refused to listen, move, damn it! I can't die here, not yet - I still have so much to do, I still have to save Rukia!
Even the thought of the girl who had saved his family by turning him into a Shinigami had no effect on the ice-cold horror that had frozen his limbs in place. Kratos took one step closer and the massive pressure increased. Ichigo was forced to his knees, Zangetsu falling uselessly beside him. Another step, Ichigo's eyes began to close, damn it he thought as his eyelids accepted the inevitable fate, awaiting the owner of the body they were attached to.
What had Ichigo worked so hard for nearly died for, all reduced to this low measure, crushed beneath his opponent's mere presence? Shameful… From that shame came anger… and anger turned into rage… He was going to die, he knew it, down to the very core of his being he knew he was going to die. But pride still had a say in the matter, Hell, I may die in the next few seconds, Ichigo clenched his body, forcing hot volatile rage through every pore, forcibly breaking the icy chains of fear around his limbs …BUT LIKE HELL I AM GOING OUT WITHOUT AT LEAST MARKING THIS BASTARD...!
Kratos stared down at the boy's closed eyelids, disappointing. I had expected more from you boy, Kratos felt the boy's spiritual pressure reduce to almost nothing. He turned away to tell Urahara that he couldn't train someone who was too much of a coward to pick up his own blade, but…
BA-BUMP.
Kratos stopped.
BA-BUMP.
Raising one eyebrow, he turned to look back at the boy.
BA-BUMP.
Slowly, the boy's spiritual pulse returned. Kratos turned back to him as the boy's hands clenched around the hilt of his sword until his knuckles turned white. What is this...? He was groveling just seconds before and now he wants to fight? He was still emitting his reiatsu at full power and yet the boy still struggled against him.
Why, boy? Why do you get up?
Ichigo's eyes were still closed but he kept on feeding his reiatsu into Zangetsu and drew strength to stand under the massive presence of this man. Finally, he was able to stand upright and open his eyes, his cornea blue and his entire eyes bright as he stared unflinching into Kratos' surprised grey ones. Kratos' eyes widened as the boy lifted his sword in both hands and shouted at him over the whirlwind of Kratos' reiatsu, "I may die today, but I don't care: I will go out knowing I gave it my all to save my friend! Even if this does not reach you… I will not run!"
Kratos watched impassively as Ichigo poured every last ounce of reiatsu his body could produce into his blade and brought it down in a shining white arch at his chest. Urahara's store was shaken to its very foundation, the buildings around experiencing a mini-earthquake. Urahara was still crouched behind the barrier set up by Tessai when the spiritual pressure's clashed. An explosion filled the basement until visibility was impossible.
Urahara put up his bloodmist shield behind the barrier Tessai had placed just in case the two weren't done yet. Slowly, the dust began to fade and Urahara took a cautious glance out from behind the barriers and gaped at what he saw: Kratos was standing at the beginning of a new ravine that extended out behind him and Ichigo was panting with the exertion blood streaming from his forehead and eyes from the effort; his Zanpakuto was stabbed into the ground to prevent himself from falling. Ichigo was staring at the place he had struck in disbelief. There was a mark on Kratos' chest about as long and thin as a needle, but it did not bleed. It was more of an indentation than an actual cut, but still it was there.
Ichigo grinned slightly as his body started to fall. He watched the ground steadily get nearer… and then he stopped falling. He could feel the weight of a powerful arm supporting him, his limbs giving out and his body finally beginning to shut down. "So… you can muster the resolve to fight after all... Good," Kratos said in a low voice.
"Tell me, boy, who do you think is the best teacher in this world?" Ichigo's brows furrowed at the seemingly random question, "I'll answer myself, then: the best teacher in this world... is an enemy. Think about it: who is it that teaches you weakness like you have never felt it before? Who is it that shows you power you did not know you have before? Who is that teaches skill better than any ally? Who tests you to your absolute limit? The enemy."
Ichigo was barely able to hear him anymore, seeing as how his mind was fading fast. Kratos went on, "from now until you and I break open Seireitei, I will be your enemy. I will hound you until you beg to give up. I will crush you into the dirt a thousand times and dare you to get back to your feet! Make no mistake about it, boy, I will crush you… but I will make you stronger! Understood!" Ichigo could barely turn his head to look into the warrior's eyes; when he spoke, he could taste metallic blood on his tongue "you...make me give up... heh.. right... that ain't... happening..." Kratos looked down at him and for the first time in a long time a genuine smile was on his face. "...Good man."
All things considered, Urahara was more worried about what his neighbors would think about the sudden earthquake they had experienced than the torture he was hearing down below in his basement. Kratos had told him, Jinta, Ururu and Tessai to leave him alone with the boy for three days and to only transport food and water down there twice every day. Urahara inquired if Kratos would need any help, but Kratos had just smiled and said no, changing his blades back to the Claws of Hades and proclaiming, "Here is all the help I need."
That had made Urahara slightly worried about Ichigo's health, but Kratos assured him he would keep the boy alive... if barely. Still, Urahara worried there might not be anything left of his basement after Kratos was done with Ichigo; but taking Kratos' strength and ruthlessness into account, could anyone really blame the poor shopkeeper?
Well, even if he was worried, there was just no time; after all, he had a shop to run. Kratos had told him to provide an explanation for the boy's spiritual absence, but Urahara wasn't worried about that one: after all, Ichigo had Kon, didn't he?
He still had had to send Tessai to get the Mod Soul at Ichigo's house and get him here and explain the entire situation to him. Kon had readily agreed to care for Ichigo's body but before he had dashed out Urahara had told him he would be keeping an eye on him to make sure he didn't do anything... untoward.
There was a ring of the front doorbell - oh, new customers to scare! Urahara walked to the main store, "Welcome, esteemed customer! Is there anything I can…*PUNCH* ITAI!" Urahara was forcibly reminded of the days when he had been a captain in the 12th division when his former lieutenant buried her fist directly in his face.
"Ah, Hiyori-san, Lisa-san, what can I do for this fine day?" Urahara said, staunching the blood flow from his nose with a white hanky.
"Cut the crap, Urahara! What the hell was that butt load of reiatsu that had us all fallin' out of our seats about an hour ago?" Hiyori said in her normal crass manner, grabbing the front of his outfit and bringing his face down to her level.
"Indeed, Urahara, despite the tempering seals placed upon this place, we could feel the reiatsu emitting from your basement even from our home," Lisa stated, sitting on the step that led to the backroom.
"Oh, so you were worried about me? Aww, how tou…*WHAM* Itai…" Urahara was once again holding his nose.
"Like hell we were worried about your pathetic scientist's ass! We just got worried that that baldy-Aizen might have decided to off you personally," Hiyori shouted at him.
"Ah, that; well, you see…" "RRRRRROOOOOOOOOAAAARRRRRRRRR *RUMBLE**CRASH* YOU GET THE HELL OFF ME *PUNCH**SLASH**CRASH* OH, IT'S ON NOW, BITCH, YOU WANNA PIECE A ME *RUMBLE*"
All three stared at the half open trapdoor leading down into the underground training area. Lisa and Hiyori both looked at Urahara who was hiding behind his fan.
"Well, now, it sounds as if those two are having a good time, wouldn't you say?"
"Oi, Kisuke," Hiyori said looking back at the trapdoor where more rumbles and sound of fighting were coming from, motioning to Urahara with one finger. The former captain leaned toward her (what an idiot...) only to meet an elbow to the face, "WHAT THE HELL, YOU TORTURIN' SOMEBODY DOWN THERE!"
Urahara recovered from his third broken nose today and whipped his fan open, "No, of course not: a new soul I have just recently had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of is training that Substitute Shinigami I told you all about."
Lisa looked curiously at the opening, "New soul... wait, all that damn reiatsu was his?"
Urahara looked down hiding his face and eyes behind the fan and his hat, "As remarkable as it sounds, yes," The two women stared incredulously at him, "every last ounce of it was his."
"You have got to be kidding me," Hiyori stated, staring down the hole where faint flashes of fire mingled with dust could be seen, "shit... that guy has to be stronger than the fucking Soutaichou."
"Perhaps," Lisa began gazing intently at the hole, "is he a Shinigami?"
"What are you talking about, Lisa, he has to be," Hiyori began, "Actually, Hiyori-san, I do believe he was never trained at the Academy at all. He has his own way of fighting."
"No. Fucking. Way.", Hiyori said, glancing back at Kisuke who just looked back at her and she could tell he was dead serious.
The two stared at each other, Hiyori chewing on her thumb for a second and her curiosity burning to know more, "Ah, fuck it, I wanna see this guy," Hiyori said hopping down the hole.
"Hiyori, wait!" Lisa said but Hiyori was already gone, "that girl will never learn..."
"Well, if she did, then she wouldn't be Hiyori," Urahara said chuckling, "by the by, you might want to consider going after her - I don't know if Kratos-san will take kindly to being interrupted."
Lisa sighed as she too jumped down the hole.
Hiyori had thought she would land in a simple training area like the one they had back at the warehouse…
…and boy was she wrong - she had landed in the middle of a friggin' warzone.
Different sized monsters rampaged all around her, ranging from Cerberus to Chimeras to Minotaurs to undead swordsmen and arches. Hiyori gazed at the rampaging monsters in shock, 'what the hell? Aren't most of those things supposed to be legends?'
Suddenly, a scream was heard and out of the crowd of beasts a black and orange topped figure was flung with a crunch into the wall next to her. Hiyori stared and all she could think was what the hell is up with that hair? Suddenly, Hiyori had the distinct impression that she was being watched and turned to find the eyes of all the monsters present directed at her.
"Oh, crap." Hiyori drew her sword from her back sliding into her stance, "alright, shit-stains, who wants some!"
Suddenly, Lisa landed next to her, "Hiyori, how many times have I told you not to…!" "Save it until after the war is over, Lisa."
Lisa frowned at the younger girl then looked up and instantly wished she hadn't. Virtually an army of mythical monsters was bearing down on them.
"Oi, who the hell are you two!", a voice from behind shouted.
Both women turned to look at the bloody and battered Kurosaki Ichigo drag himself from the rubble. He looked as if he had been through a blender, twice: his clothes were in tatters and the only part really remaining was his pants and one half of one sleeve.
"If you two don't mind, I'm training here," the Substitute Shingami said, walking toward the oncoming hoard, "so beat it."
"Uh," Hiyori said slowly and Lisa sighed, knowing the explosion that was about to take place as Hiyori's temper control (of which she had none at all) snapped, "WHAT THE HELL, BALDY, HERE WE ARE TRYING TO HELP YOU NOT GET CLOBBERED AND YOU GOT THE BRASS BALLS TO TELL US TO SCRAM! WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, BALDY!"
Ichigo glanced back at the two women and noticed their Soul Slayers, "heh, do what you want, then, but don't blame me if you get killed."
Hiyori had calmed slightly after blowing a little steam out of her nose like a bull, "Whatever, we were planning on doing that, anyway."
"Heads up, you two," Lisa called drawing her Zanpakuto, "here they come."
Ichigo hefted his sword; he was actually beginning to like this challenge of facing an opponent, the thrill of cutting him down, the joy of victory. The young Shinigami was falling in love with battle.
"ALRIGHT, BRING IT!" he shouted charging the oncoming hoard.
Kratos sat watching while the boy and the two newcomers fought of monster after monster. The two women's skill surprised him, somewhat: they were actually pushing back the fiends he had summoned. He grinned; time to kick it up a notch.
"Call forth, Army of Hades."
Ichigo slammed his sword into the eye of a Cyclops and wrenched it back as the beast howled in pain and stomped away, crushing three archers and two swordsmen as he leapt back to the ground. To his left, the angry midget decapitated two swordsmen and slashed the arm off of another. To his right, the taller dark haired woman was using an impressive combination of spinning kicks to fend off a Minotaur that roared and tried to hack at her with its axe. She took off the arm that the beast extended and slit the monster's throat.
Seeing no more enemies in the immediate area, Ichigo stabbed his sword into the earth to breathe for a moment.
"Oi, Shinigami Substitue," Ichigo looked at the two sweating women who were panting as they glanced at him, "what the hell were those things, some knew kind of training dummies?"
Ichigo chuckled, "Heh, I wish; nah, Kratos-sensei doesn't use dummies and he doesn't believe in going easy on anybody. Those were true blue monsters, alright."
Lisa stared at the orange haired boy, "do you mean those things could have actually killed us?"
Ichigo closed his eyes, "yup."
"What the hell? Who the fuck uses such an insane training method!" Hiyori shouted at him.
The world around them suddenly grew heavier and even Lisa and Hiyori had difficulty staying on their feet.
"I do, little boy," the voice came from Kratos as he looked down on them from up in the air.
Lisa looked at the man who had just shown up. The feeling of his reiatsu was so oppressive that even looking at him was hard. His grey eyes scanned them both scrupulously, assessing their threat level. Lisa knew on some instinctual level that this man was stronger than any of the Visord or even perhaps all of them combined. Lisa did not reply to his answer, but Hiyori was not so smart, "WHAT THE HELL, BALDY, ARE YOU TRYIN' TO KILL US OVER HERE AND WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE CALLING ME LITTLE! I'LL SHOW YOU LITTLE WHEN I CUT YOU DOWN TO SIZE!" Hiyori screamed as she leapt at the warrior.
Lisa tried to restrain her but Hiyori's temper was in full swing as she released her Zanpakuto, "Butcher, Kubikiri Orochi!" turning her normal Katana into a large cleaver with a jagged edge. Kratos merely watched the incoming girl with a bored expression. He raised the Golden Fleece to counter her strike.
Hiyori didn't quite know what happened when her blade was about to crush that armor on this wise-guy's arm, there was a loud shrieking noise and her blade was blown backwards along with herself. The strike put her on her back heel sliding backwards through the air; angrily she managed to regain her footing in mid-air only to notice the white skinned baldy wasn't there.
A powerful hand suddenly descended onto the top of her head, gripping her ponytails.
"OWWW, Itai, Itai… that fucking hurts, you bastard…" her tirade was stopped when a burning and serrated blade was shoved up under her nose.
Hiyori immediately piped down as Kratos descended back to earth.
"Little boys should learn their place," Kratos commented when he dropped her on her ass.
"Thank you for not harming my friend, Kratos-san," the other woman said, sheathing her sword.
"Tch. Keep him on a tighter leash next time," Kratos said, jumping back up to the cliff on which he had previously stood.
"Asshole," Hiyori quietly commented getting back to her feet…
...suddenly, the gender both the baldy and Lisa had used in referring to her actually penetrated her ears.
Back at the Visord Warehouse
All of the remaining Visoreds were about ready to turn in when they heard:
"I AM NOT A FUCKING BOY, ASSHOLE!"
Shinji sighed and got up, "Ah, man, what the hell are those two doing?"
"You better go find out, Shinji," Love called, "Before Hiyori has another incident like in Tokyo and we all know that ended, right?"
All the Visored shuddered at the memory of the riot Hiyori had caused when she got drunk and started a bar fight when the bartender thought she was a boy.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure she behaves," Shinji replied, walking out the door.
Ichigo cursed as he took another swing at one of the flying furies that harried him from the air. The furies were meant to teach him how to fight in the air by forcing him to fight on their terrain. The furies were interesting to look at, they had small helmets on their small, bald heads and while they had human like bodies, their wings made them distinctively inhuman. The screeched and hissed at him while dive-bombing him and whenever they did, small gouts of flame would erupt where they landed.
Ichigo snarled as he slashed at another fury, only for his sword to not reach it when it flapped out of range.
Damn it, if only my sword were a bit longer, I - ! Wait a second...
Ichigo glanced at the strip of cloth that extended from Zangetsu's hilt. He suddenly remembered a picture from one of his history books describing a European weapon called a flail. It had a spiked ball at the end of a chain with a handle attached to the chain.
While I am not meant to be used as a flail, Ichigo, Zangetsu's voice broke through his thoughts, in the current situation it would be a good long-ranged attack.
Arigatou, Zangetsu-Osan!
Ichigo grabbed the long strip of cloth and began spinning the massive cleaver. A fury swooped in from the right as Ichigo ducked and hurled Zangetsu from the strip of cloth. He cleaved the fury in half, blood showering on his clothing as the creature shrieked its final breath. Grinning, Ichigo looked at the furies who shrieked in rage at him for destroying one of their kind.
Hiyori and Lisa fought with Kratos while Ichigo fought off the furies. He was able to counter both their strikes with one blade to each sword. Kratos grunted: their strength was impressive, yes, but hardly impressive enough to use the full level of the Blades of Chaos against. Hiyori and Lisa snarled as they threw strike after strike at the white-skinned warrior, but every time he seemed to know where they would be before they were there. Such a pain in the ASS!
Finally, they both backed off, panting slightly. Kratos did not even look winded as he stared down the two, "Well, at the very least you two know to move and how to think in a fight," he commented.
Lisa stood, still breathing hard, "Thank you, I suppose; but you must know we were not fighting at our full power."
Kratos raised an eyebrow at the seemingly emotionless woman, "I would have been disappointed if you were."
"Heh, yeah, and you're not bad either," Hiyori climbed to her feet and looked at the baldy who had held one of those big-ass blades right to her nose.
"Ah, Kratos-san," Urahara landed and strolled towards them, "how is everything going?"
Kratos walked to a small hill and looked down at Ichigo who only had one harpy left to deal with.
"The boy is good, I will admit that," he said, analyzing the new way the young man was using his Zanpakuto, "He adapts well and fights well. To be able to stand that close to me and still use the attack of his Zanpakuto shows an impressive amount of determination upon his part."
Urahara nodded then noticed that Lisa and Hiyori were tired and sweaty, "Ah, Lisa-san, Hiyori-san, I take it Kratos-san got a little bored training Ichigo, ne?"
Hiyori snorted, "Nah, I wanted to see what Baldy-san was made of; he isn't bad, I guess."
Lisa glanced down at Hiyori and shook her head at her cocky manner. Luckily for us, he wasn't using nearly as much reiatsu, at least he wasn't using the amount he used on Ichigo. Lisa shuddered as she remembered her blade clashing against Kratos' - she felt as if she was hitting a rock. There was no way she or any of the other Visords could stand up to him. Even if they did fight him, it would have to be all at once to even make a difference and even then it would be a barely-attained victory at best. This was someone they could not afford to have as an enemy, and he had not even shown the best of his abilities; granted, she and Hiyori weren't going hollow or releasing their Zanpakutos, but even so neither had he.
Taking a breath, she walked up to the hero, "Allow me to once again apologize for Hiyori's crass behavior - she is impulsive and violent at times."
Kratos facial expression did not change, "think nothing of it - I was getting bored watching the boy."
"Well, now, I think it's almost supper time," Urahara called to the two, Kratos half-turned and nodded; drawing the claws, he dismissed the final fury.
Ichigo stabbed his blade into the ground, panting; swinging Zangetsu around like that was tiresome on the arms.
"Oi, Kratos-sensei, what's up?" Kratos motioned him to follow.
"It's time to replenish your strength," Kratos responded.
Ichigo nodded, "By the way, I was impressed at the new way you are using your sword," Kratos commented as the two walked to the ladder.
"Thank you, sensei," Ichigo inclined his head; Kratos did not give out compliments without someone sufficiently earning them, "I got the idea from an old history book from school."
"Well, wherever you got it from, it was a good innovation," Kratos said leaping up into the dark hole at the top of the ladder.
"Yeah, thanks," Ichigo could feel himself getting stronger: the longer he stayed in this basement with Kratos, the more his powers grew. He grinned to himself... besides, who knew fighting could be this much fun!
Deep inside Ichigo's mind, buried beneath the outward exterior of Zangetsu, a pair of yellow eyes opened... that's my king… Keep growing stronger and get me out of here so we can FIGHT!
The Urahara household enjoyed a nice dinner; Urahara told Ichigo of the arrangements regarding Kon and his real body. Ichigo was at first a bit worried but calmed down when Urahara said he would watch him. Lisa and Hiyori were silent through the meal but each of them at time to time stole glances at the impassive white skinned warrior.
The front door to the store abruptly opened and someone walked in, "Oi, Hiyori, Lisa, what the hell are you two doi - AAAAAHHHHHHGGGGGHHHH!"
Hirako Shinji suddenly found a chain wrapped around his throat, a sharp kick to the back of his knee forcing him to the ground before he could even think.
The entire household plus Lisa and Hiyori were amazed at the speed with which Kratos had just moved.
"Who are you, intruder?" Kratos growled as he pushed his blade into the back of the lanky man's head.
"Um, Kratos-san, I don't think..." Urahara began when Hiyori - seeing a golden opportunity - grabbed a pair of scissors and a razor off a nearby table and advanced on the pair.
"Just hold him there while I teach this intruder a lesson, Kratos," Hioyri grinned, opening and closing the scissors as she advanced. Shinji, on the other hand, was - to put it kindly - panicked.
"HIYORI, DON'T YOU DARE! AGH... LET GO! LISA, HELP!"
"Hiyori, behave," Lisa rolled her eyes at the antics of the two.
"I don't wanna," Hiyori mumbled as Kratos released Shinji and put the blade back on his back, "Besides, I think Shinji looked funny bald; you remember the time Aizen shaved him, don't you?"
Lisa almost choked on her rice, Shinji looked ashamed, Kratos looked curiously back between the short blond girl and the now crying lanky blond man. Mentioning the bald incident was the signal in any situation for Shinji to start swearing vengeance on Aizen and for Hiyori to start busting her gut laughing.
"My hair," Shinji sniffed, "my beautiful, majestic hair...! Aizen, YOU WILL PAY FOR THAT!"
"What are you babbling about? There is nothing wrong with being bald. Hair only gets in a warrior's way when he fights," Kratos sat calmly back down.
"You're already bald so it doesn't matter for you," Shinji sniffed, "I, on the other hand, take great pride in my hair - it is reminiscent of glorious sunshine... etc."
Shinji went into a long rant about hair and how it was essential until Hiyori smacked him with her sandal and told him to shut up about his stupid hair.
After dinner, Kratos grabbed Ichigo and jumped down into the basement again.
"He's... really serious about pummeling that kid, isn't he?" Hiyori stared as the sounds of battle started coming from the basement again.
"Yes... yes, he is," Urahara sweat-dropped slightly, "I believe his philosophy is to go until one drops then sleep and do it all over again."
"Huh... tough," Lisa stated pulling out one of her dirty magazines and reading.
"Yeah, well, come on: we gotta going," Shinji stated heading for the door.
"See ya, Kisuke," Hiyori said, punting Shinji through the door.
"Farewell, Urahara," Lisa simply said, shaking her head at the two bickering fools.
"Aww, maaaan," Ikkaku grumbled, "why the hell do we have to be the ones to get this soul?"
"Shut it, Ikkaku," Zaraki Kenpachi replied, glancing at his 3rd seat, "this soul's got about a new captain's level spiritual pressure so there's a good chance for a fight; that being the case, I don't wanna hear your bitching."
"Shut it, Pinball-Head!" Yachiru said from her perch on the captain's shoulder.
"Tch," Ikkaku rolled his eyes, "sure, whatever."
"Come on, keep calm; in fact, you were to blame for that one," Yumichka flicked his hair out of his eyes as the group moved to the last known location of the spiritual pressure that had all the captains in a tizzy. It puzzled Yumichka to no end: why were the captains and even the Captain Commander so interested in what happened in the 80th and now sending a captain and the three top people in his squad to find a similar pressure? Oh, what does it matter, thought the bowl cut narcissist 5th seat of the eleventh.
The four Shinigami finally arrived at the coordinates where the pressure was last detected. It looked like an almost finished construction site, a single stone arm was set straight upwards besides a house that had a fireworks platform in the back and a long tower-like structure beside it. Suddenly, a well dressed woman appeared in front of the group.
"Hey, Kenpachi, what the hell you doing in my front lawn?"
The woman directed her question at the big captain who grinned, "Yo, Kukaku, what's up?"
"Uh," Ikkaku looked at the well-endowed woman in front of him, "you know that woman, Taichou?"
"Yeah - Yachiru and I bunked here before we became a part of Soul Society," Kenpachi grinned at his 3rd seat.
"My, my, she is quite beautiful; such a lovely form...", Yumichka commented.
"Heh, compliments'll get you nowhere with me, kid," Kukaku took a drag from her pipe and grinned, "so, where is that little pink ball of energy, uh?"
"HIIIIIII, Mega Booby-chan!" Yachiru waved at the woman from Kenpachi's shoulder.
Kukaku grimaced, "How many times do I have to tell you, Yachiru-chan, don't call me that...!"
"So," she continued, glancing back at the grinning captain of the eleventh, "I take it this isn't a social call."
"Nope," Kenpachi smiled, "we're here for that soul that was pumping out reiatsu here last night."
Kukaku raised an eyebrow, "Oh, you mean my new hired help that's helping me redecorate my place?"
"Redecorate, you say?" Yumichka wondered out loud, "I wonder if he has a sense of aesthetics like me."
"Spare me, Yumichka, one of you is enough," Ikkaku grinned at his suddenly flustered friend.
"Heh, why don't you ask him yourselves?" Kukaku turned and motioned them to follow, "he'll be back soon with some supplies I ordered in town."
"Eh, why not," Kenpachi said, sitting down on Kukaku's porch, "don't suppose you got anything frosty around here, eh?"
Kukaku looked annoyed at him, "Oi, I'm the housekeeper, not the bartender, big boy."
The group waited for about half an hour when Ikkaku noticed a bucket of water that was close to the house. He glanced at it, nothing strange he was just bored. Then he began to notice something out of place. Every few seconds the water would ripple staring from the middle outwards. Now, Ikkaku had never been the bookish type but he had read somewhere on his last mission to the human world that it was motion that caused ripples in water. But the odd thing was nothing was touching the bucket. It was just sitting there rippling all by itself.
Ikkaku put one foot on the ground from where he had been sitting and glanced at the bucket; every time the water would ripple he would feel a small tremor in the ground. The tremors kept on getting bigger and bigger until Ikkaku could feel them from where he was sitting.
"Uh, Taichou," Ikkaku said, a slight note of uncertainty in his voice.
Suddenly, everyone present felt a slight tremor in the earth then it was repeated again and again and again, and slowly increased in strength. Yumichika and Ikkaku were on their feet, hands on their blades when they both saw something that made both their eyes widen.
Coming down the avenue where they had just been was another stone arm like the one on the side of the house. Only it was moving. Moving slowly, but still moving. None of the four Shinigami could see it properly yet, seeing as how it was still hidden by some houses and trees.
"Ah, here he comes," Kukaku grinned at the shocked looks on the faces of the Shingami. It took a lot to surprise someone like Zaraki Kenpachi but even he couldn't stop his mouth opening in a little bit of shock when around the final bend came a man with the entire statue of the arm on his back. In his hands he held two thick ropes that were attached to the wrist of the statue to keep it from falling off. Every time he took a step, his foot cracked the ground beneath it.
The man himself had to be at least eight maybe nine feet tall. His frame was that of a giant, his arms were huge like tree trunks. Muscle stood out on his arms and back like whipcords as he walked the final distance to the side of the house and slowly lowered the statue into place.
"Wow," was the only thing Ikkaku could think of to say as the massive man laid the statue to earth with a resounding thud. Standing to his full height he released the ropes and stretched his massive limbs. Snapping and popping could be heard as his limbs relaxed and the giant sat down with his back to the statue.
"Thanks, Herc," Kukaku called from the deck, "you can call it a day. By the way, there are some Shinigami here who wanna see ya."
"Ah, thank you very much, Kukaku," the giant replied rising to his feet.
"Damn, you're huge," was Ikkaku's first words, "how the hell did you get so damn tall?"
"I ate a healthy breakfast," the large man said and laughed, "So, what can I do for you, Shinigami?."
"Well, now," Kenpachi said, rising from his spot on the porch and walking towards the giant, "I never thought I'd be around long enough to see the day when I met someone bigger than me. What's your name, pal?"
"Hercules. I do not have a last name," he responded. Hercules looked the spiky haired Captain up and down. Hercules knew a warrior when he saw one, and this captain was definitely high up in the Shinigami hierarchy if the feel of his reiatsu was anything to go on.
"Eh, been there," Kenpachi said, stopping in front of the huge man that he actually had to look slightly upwards to look in the eye, "I gave myself the name Zaraki Kenpachi, Zaraki because of the district I'm from and Kenpachi because I am the strongest Shinigami of my generation."
Hercules grinned slightly, "the strongest, you say? Well, now," he said, flexing his massive hands, "I would truly enjoy putting that to the test."
Kenpachi grinned back, reaching for his sword but Hercules raised one of his hands and stopped him, "but as you can plainly see, I am without a weapon at the moment so I would be at a slight disadvantage, Zaraki Kenpachi."
"Uh," Kenpachi looked clueless for a second, "oh, yeah, well, that sucks. I guess we'll just have to get a real weapon for ya, now, won't we."
Hercules looked curiously at the Captain, "And how would I go about doing that?"
"You come with us and we'll find a weapon that suits you." Ikkaku began.
Hercules smiled at the short bald man, "and what do I have to do in return?"
Yumichka, who had his jaw on the floor at seeing the massive display of strength of Hercules, finally picked it up off the floor, "well, you see, you have enormous potential to become like us - a Shinigami."
Hercules looked thoughtful for a few moments, "Hmm... tell me one thing, though: what does this job entail? Do I get to fight much?"
Kenpachi grinned, "You bet your ass you do!"
Hercules smiled broadly, "Heh. Count me in, then. Just allow me to say farewell to Lady Kukakku, she was gracious enough to allow me to stay here for a while so I must at least say thank you."
All three Shinigami nodded when suddenly Ikkaku looked around, "Hey, where's Yachiru-fuko-taichou?"
Suddenly, a bright ball of pink appeared on Hercules' shoulder, "Hahahahah, ne, ne, Ken-chan, I'm taller than everyone, now!" the adorable lieutenant of the eleventh division sat happily on Hercules' left shoulder. Hercules just now noticed the little girl and lifted one giant hand around the little one and set her back on the ground, still smiling, "careful, little one: I once snapped a lion's neck with these shoulders of mine. Now, where's Lady Kukakku?"
"No need to look for me, Herc, I heard," the Shiba matron leaned against the doorway, "so you're off to become one of them, eh?"
Hercules' smile turned a bit sad, "I'm sorry, I know how you feel about them but perhaps I can achieve something good out of this. You know that I seek to become a better man than I have been. This is the second chance I have wanted."
"Tch. Yeah, sure, whatever. Just don't forget to come visit me every once in a while, got it?" Kukaku stared at the big lug with a slight hint of affection in her eyes. He's got a good soul, she thought as she watched them leave she just hoped it lasted in the Gotei 13.
To say that the group returning to Soul Society drew a few stares would have been an understatement. After all, an almost ten-foot tall giant tends to draw a few stares.
"So, Hercules-san," Yumichka began.
"Please, call me Hercules; I could never get used to these damn honorifics," Hercules said with a laugh.
"Ah, thank you; I was just wondering if you have any family around here."
At face value the question seemed innocent enough, but there were ulterior motives behind it.
Hercules was oblivious to the deviousness in the question, "I do not think I have any family here in this plain of existence; even if I do, Yumichika, then I have not met them yet."
'…okay, so he doesn't know or doesn't care about this guy from the 80th, Kenpachi thought, 'well, best not to push it right now - interrogation is the 2nd squad's job, anyway.'
"Oi, Hercules, did you mean it or were you joking when you said you broke a lion's neck with your bare arms?" Ikkaku asked as they neared the gates.
"Oh, I wasn't joking, Ikkaku," Hercules said with a smile, "that lion was probably the most fierce animal I have ever fought - Nemean Cestus; it even gave me these," Hercules pointed at the claw marks across his broad chest and arms, "yeah, that big cat was one tough bitch."
The group had finally made it to the gates when suddenly a shadow appeared over them.
Ikkaku sighed, "Ah, here we go..."
The group had to jump back to get out of the way of the massive Jidanbo. Landing with a crash, the giant's eyes appraised the newcomer in surprise.
"Oi, Zaraki-Taichou," Jidanbo roared, "is this guy the one you were bringing back?"
"Yeah, that's him, ya big monkey. Now, would ya open the door for us?" Kenpachi was getting antsey: the feel of Herc's reiatsu on the way back was eating at his self-control. It just begged to be attacked to be mutilated and this guy's reiatsu was already at low captain level. With time and a little training' he would be a great fight so why couldn't this giant ape go any faster instead of lecturing the guy on 'house rules' or whatever!
"...so that's the way we do things around here... I see."
Hercules stared at the giant for second, "hey, come here for a sec: I got something to tell ya."
"Hm what's tha…ITAI,ITAI,ITAI,ITAI…"
Hercules grabbed the giant's ear in one hand shouted into it, "I DO NOT TAKE ORDERS FROM A TWENTY FOOT TALL APE - GOT IT!"
Jidanbo managed to get his ear back and stared angrily at the newcomer, "WHAT WAS THAT! YOU LOOKING FOR A FIGHT, BUDDY!"
Hercules was already flaring his own reiatsu, "BRING IT, YOU OVER-GROWN MASTERDON!"
Ikkaku and Yumichka stared as the two were exchanging insults and Jidanbo grabbing his axes off his back, "talk about immature."
Hercules slammed his fists together, "You ready, pal? I am gonna take that axe shove it down your THROAT!"
Jidanbo laughed, "HA! You may have good reiatsu, but you ain't even got a weapon! What're you gonna do, spit on me?"
Hercules grinned, "I ripped the Nemean lion limb from limb with my bare hands; it seems this time, however, the lion is a big ape."
"Oi, captain," Ikkaku called, "should we break this up? We can't have him dying on us before we get to the -"
"Just shut up and watch," Kenpachi replied as the two get ready to tango, "besides, I like the feel of that guy's reiatsu."
Hercules began pushing his reiatsu into his limbs as the giant prepared to strike. He really didn't know how to channel it per say: Venus had told him to think of it like the magic he had used when he had been the god of strength. Well, that was easy enough and soon he had gotten the concept down pat.
Jidanbo swung down at Hercules, but the latter didn't even try to move...
CRASH
A cloud of dust exploded around the two obscuring the four shinigami's vision as they watched, "Tch, that bastard isn't coming out, is he?" Ikkaku commented, "Jidanbo is pretty tough."
As the dust settled, however, something far different from Ikkaku's predictions appeared.
Hercules had caught the axe in both hands.
The eleventh squad members were surprised, except for perhaps Kenpachi who grinned as he watched Hercules tighten his grip on the giant's axe.
"Uh... what the hell?" Jidanbo said, shocked that anybody could stop his axe apart from the Gotei 13.
"Heh," Hercules grunted; granted, the big ape was strong - however...
Hercules took one giant step, the ground splintering underneath him as he pulled with all of his might, Jidanbo suddenly being yanked forward as Hercules hurled him all over his shoulder and onto the ground.
"Damn it," Jidanbo shouted as he rose from the ground, "where did you - !"
Jidanbo's eyes widened as he saw Hercules running full tilt at him and leaping right at his face. The giant guardian of the north gate of Soul Society raised both axes but was still pushed back as the blow nearly broke his axes in half.
Hercules jumped back and charged his reiatsu again when suddenly the giant raised his hand, "wait!"
"What gives? You giving up?" Hercules lowered his arms.
"You are strong, stranger; may I at least have your name? It is not often that I am presented with a challenge such as you," Jidanbo said, grasping the hand and rising from one knee.
"My name is Hercules," the giant said, walking up to the Jidanbo and offering him a hand, "do not be ashamed of defeat, my friend, for as long as the soul and will to fight remain unbroken, there is no lasting defeat."
Jidanbo nodded and smiled down at him, "I thank you for your kind words; now I shall open the gate for you."
"Yumichka, send a Hell Butterfly to the Soutaichou and tell him we've got the new recruit and are on our way," Kenpachi said quietly while Jidanbo was raising the gate.
"Hai, Taichou," the 5th seat responded.
Kenpachi and Hercules took a walk once they were all inside; Yumichka and Ikkaku left saying they were going to go relax somewhere. Hercules looked impressed at all around him, and many Shinigami were looking very impressed by him.
Kenpachi looked at Hercules' awed expression and grinned, "Yeah, I know: it's a lot to take in but you get used to it after a while."
Hercules continued to look all around him at the monolithic structures of Soul Society, "a striking contrast, I see..."
"Uh," Kenpachi grunted, "What's that…?"
"Oh, nothing, just talking to myself," Hercules smiled, "it's just that it seems so different here than it does in the districts."
Kenpachi gave Hercules a general tour of the divisions although he specifically avoided showing him where the 12th division was. When Hercules asked him about it, Kenpachi had looked at him seriously and said, "Unless you want to end up floating in some experiment tank, stay the hell outta that place!"
Hercules half-nodded and decided not to press him on it further, although he made a mental note to stay away from all 12th division members. Finally, the two stopped in front of the first division, "and this here is the first division. Old-Man Yama is the boss around here so try and be on your toes, if you know what I mean."
Hercules wondered what sort of man this Captain-Commander would be and nodded.
Once they got inside, they advanced to the office of the Soutaichou.
Inside the Office
Captain-Commander Yamamoto had heard the news from a hell butterfly sent by 5th seat Yumichka Ayasegawa, that his captain was accompanying the new soul reaper to his office. The old general had called his two old students to be present at this meeting. He had gone over the data presented by the communications officer again and again and had decided that it would be foolish if not outright dangerous for anyone but himself or his two students to fight the 80th killer as the ranks were now calling him.
"Hey, Yama-Jii," said Shunsui who had his hat over his eyes, "they're here, aren't they?"
Yamamoto nodded and Ukitake said, "Yes, that's Kenpachi, alright. And who is this with him? His reiatsu certainly is impressive."
Abruptly all three men felt a small tremor in the floor as the new soul approached. When the large double doors were opened all three Shinigami were shocked to see the size of the man. Even Yamamato's eyes opened at the sight of the massive person walking by the side of the 11th squad captain.
"Soutaichou," Kenpachi said, inclining his head slightly.
"You may return to your division, Zaraki-taichou," Yamamato stated.
Kenpachi smirked, "Sure, see ya around," he said, clapping Hercules on the back.
"You too," Hercules responded.
"Welcome to Soul Society. I am Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni Soutaichou of the Gotei 13."
Hercules bowed, tilting his body forward, "My name is Hercules I am pleased to make your acquaintance. And please, just call me Hercules."
"We have much to discuss, Hercules," Yamamoto stated, sitting back down in his chair.
"Yes, it seems we do," the giant replied, sitting down on the floor since he was fairly certain no chair in the room could hold him.
"As you surely know by know, I am the Captain of the first division; you have been summoned here because you possess unnaturally high reiatsu reserves. You have the potential to become a powerful shinigami if not a captain with the power you possess."
"I… well, thank you, Captain, I am honored," Hercules responded, inclining his head, "I am curious, however, as to what a shinigami actually does; I heard from Captain Zaraki that Shinigami fight, but…" Hercules trailed off in slight confusion.
Yamamoto nodded, "We shinigami exist to protect the balance between the Seireitei and the Hollow world of Hueco Mundo."
"Hollows, you say?" Hercules asked in slight confusion.
"Ah," Ukitake stepped forward, his bookish nature coming to the forefront, "A hollow is a creature created when the chain a fate on a plus soul is completely disintegrated. It becomes soulless and violent with an incurable hunger for the energy that normal souls and human souls give out."
"I see," Hercules replied, scratching his chin, "So what do they look like?"
"Enough," Yamamoto said tapping his cane on the ground, "If you agree to become a Shinigami and join the Gotei 13, you will be taught about our enemies by a ranked officer. I highly doubt you would wish to attend the academy at your age."
Hercules laughed, "I imagine I would be a little intimidating to anyone who tried to teach me. Besides, I have been a warrior nearly all my life so I know how to handle myself in a straight fight."
Hercules then looked a little more seriously at the three top captains, "Then again, I am guessing that a straight fight with my bare hands wouldn't get me very far in this place, yes?"
"Bingo," Shunsui chuckled, "You might be able to account for a good many Shinigami, but against a captain brute power isn't enough."
"Ha! So it's back to training school for me, I take it?" Hercules slapped, his knee heartily.
"Hai, I am afraid it is, at least until you manifest your own Zanpakuto," Yamamoto replied.
"Well, then, when do I start?" Hercules said rising to his feet.
"A moment, if you please: there is something else we would like to ask you," Ukitake said. Hercules glanced at the white-haired captain and noted the serious look in his eyes.
"Well, now, this sounds serious," Hercules sat back down and stared at the captains.
"Hai - it is," Ukitake replied, "you see, only a month ago…"
Long explanation later...
Hercules sat silently, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration; looking at him, one might think you were looking into a dark well too deep to see the bottom.
"So you think I am in some way related to what happened in the 80th district?" Hercules said, looking up.
"The similarities between your reiatsu and the reiatsu of the 80th killer are too close to be ignored," Yamamoto stated plainly, "Although the captains and the Council of the 46 agree the differences in your reiatsu clears you of any suspicion of the deed."
"Well, thank you for that much..." Hercules answered, his brows furring again in thought.
"Do you have any idea of who this might be?"Ukitake asked, "The resemblances to your reiatsu signature indicate he is familiarly related to you."
"Hmm..."
Hercules grunted, "To be honest, I have so many half-siblings that narrowing it down could be difficult," Hercules glanced up, an embarrassed look on his face, "you see, back in my world my father was…"
"Wait, what do you mean 'your' world?" Yamamoto asked, his own brows furrowing in consternation.
"Oh. I would have thought he had already told you," Hercules said, a surprised look on his face.
"Who?" Shunsui inquired.
"The King, who else? After all, it was he who sent me here."
The room grew so quiet one could have heard a pin drop...
And that's a wrap on this chapter!
Now, I know I'm taking it slow at the moment, but there are many things I'd like to fit into these scenes so please bear with me.