Chapter 14: Dealing With Within
It had been a month since the events in Hueco Mundo and those that had partaken in those events had been recovering.
Grimmjow had reluctantly decided to stay in Soul Society, regardless of his goal to retain his "birth right" as he had claimed, due to Neliel's convincing. "There's no Las Noches to rule over," she persuaded. "I'm sorry, Grimmjow, but that's the way it has to be."
Within a day of arriving at the medical ward of the 4th Division Barracks, Ruby's severe wounds miraculously healed and she was discharged the next day. While no one else could explain the fast healing, Unohana had a theory that it must have had something to do with the reiatsu emanating from Ruby's zampakutou – hence its name meaning Phoenix.
Ruby was grateful to have learned of this ability, but was worried about her brother, who had barely come in to visit her. He had been distant ever since he carried her into the medical ward, and he left immediately when the medics were having Ruby settled in.
However, Ryuichi had been visiting her, to check on how she was doing. He did not know why he would, but something told him to forgive her for what she did before they left for Hueco Mundo. It was then that he cared a great deal about her, almost as much as he cared about Hinamori.
On the day of Ruby's discharge, he arrived at the 4th Division Barracks to see her standing in front of the building – the sun revealing her scarlet highlights in her hair. Her hazel eyes sparkled with pride as she waited. There was a frown on her face, which had Ryuichi concerned. Other than that, she was gorgeous in his eyes.
"Hey Ruby!" He called, alerting his former rival from her reverie.
"Ryuichi?" Ruby replied, pulling a strand of her hair behind her right ear.
Ryuichi approached her. "What's up?"
Ruby was silent as she averted her eyes to a random spot on the ground.
Ryuichi scowled as he leaned slightly closer to her. "It's Jade, isn't it?"
Ruby nodded. She looked into Ryuichi's eyes as she replied, "Yeah. Ever since we returned here, had been acting...strange lately. I don't know why that would be the case. At first, I thought that the reason why he would not come visit me was because he was guilty of my wounds. And when I was discharged today, I thought maybe he would be here to walk home with me like he always did. When I walked out, however, he wasn't anywhere to be found. I'm worried, Ryuichi. Could this have something to do with the drug that Aizen had administered to him?"
Ryuichi sighed. He always thought Jade was an asshole who did not care about anyone but himself, but now he thought Jade was even bigger asshole than ever. What the hell was his problem?
"I don't know, Ruby," he said. "It could probably be the case." Then he smiled. "But try not to worry. He'll come around one of these days."
Ruby smiled in return, making Ryuichi feel a positive, yet nervous feeling in his stomach. "Thank you, Ryuichi," she said.
"Yeah, no problem." Ryuichi blushed slightly. "Want me to walk you home?"
"I'd love that, thank you," Ruby replied.
Silence ensued for a moment between them as they walked side-by-side. That was until Ryuichi broke it by inquiring, "So what brought on the change? Out of curiosity, I mean."
Ruby smiled sadly. "Before I answer, I must tell you the reason why I became a shinigami in the first place. Ever since my mother was killed in front of me," she cringed at the memory, "I wanted justice. When Hitsugaya-Taichou saved my life from that hollow, I knew that I had found the answer to the one question in my mind: how will I acquire this justice that I seek? I realized that I wanted to protect others the way Hitsugaya-Taichou protected me. So I decided to become a shinigami."
"So what brought on the change?" Ryuichi asked again. "Why did you suddenly go from hating me to liking me?"
Ruby sighed. "I was thinking about what I did, and I realized that I acted stupid and immature. So I wanted to make it up to you by focusing on the initial reason why I became a shinigami in the first place."
Ryuichi absorbed this information while Ruby told it to him. He realized that she had a very good reason to change who she was. At least this was who she really was and what she wanted to be, and Ryuichi found himself growing more and more fond of her.
When they turned around a corner, they were confronted by Jade. He glared at them both, shifting his eyes from one to the other and back again. When his eyes landed on Ryuichi once more, they narrowed maliciously.
Ruby knew she had to do something. She quickly stepped in front of Ryuichi, blocking her brother's view of him. "Jade, this is not what you think. He offered to walk me home."
"Oh?" Jade raised an eyebrow nonchalantly. "I need to have a word with you, Ruby." He stared past her at Ryuichi.
"You can just talk to me here," Ruby defied, glaring coldly at her brother.
"In that case," Jade said, "you must leave, Ryuichi."
Ruby was about to say something else in defiance, but Ryuichi stopped her by placing a hand on her shoulder. "I think you should work things out with him," he trailed off. Ruby was about to protest, but Ryuichi shook his head. "You need to work things out with your brother, but if things turn out ugly, I'll step in. How does that sound?"
Ruby nodded her head and faced her brother once again. Ryuichi walked out of earshot and out of sight to allow the Carmine twins to talk.
Jade glared at his sister for a moment, and Ruby glared back, waiting to hear what he needed to say. She also had some choice words to tell him as well, but she wanted to hear him out before she can say them.
The silence did not last much longer when Jade spoke. "I'm disappointed in you, Ruby." Ruby raised an eyebrow. Okay, this was not what she was expecting to hear. Jade continued to speak. "You? Walking around with some insignificant loser that holds you back? Whatever happened to your common sense? I'm very disappointed in you."
Ruby growled arguably. "Where the fuck is your common sense, Jade? I haven't seen you since you brought me to the medical ward, and then you come here and give me bullshit about Ryuichi! What the fucking hell is your problem?"
"Don't you fucking change the subject," Jade warned. "It makes me sick to see how soft you've become. Ryuichi is nothing but a weak coward that holds us back from our destinies. You and I both knew that and did what we could to gain more power. Now you have become soft and weak like him! Something needs to be done about this, don't you think?"
"LISTEN TO YOURSELF!" Ruby shouted defensively. "You should know that our reasons to become shinigami are DIFFERENT! I believe in protecting others and I thought you had believed in the same! At first, I didn't understand why you had changed, but NOW I know that it was that DRUG that Aizen had injected into you that's causing YOU to ACT like this!"
Jade stepped forward and, using the back of his hand, struck his sister across the face. Stunned by the force of the slap, Ruby gasped as she ghosted her fingers over the tender, sore area of her cheek.
"You're a fucking naive bitch," Jade spat. "Clearly, you don't understand what true power is. Let me help you understand." He drew his zampakutou. "Resonate, Denkimaru!" The sword transformed into the trademark guitar.
Ruby lowered her hand from her cheek to the hilt of her zampakutou. "I never thought we would resort to this again, but you leave me no choice." She drew her zampakutou. "Spread your blazing wings, Hiryuu!" The blade transformed into its curved, double-edged blade surrounded by crimson energy.
Without another word, Jade started strumming through his guitar, increasing the volume and speed, thus increasing the power level of the sound waves. Ruby tried to dodge the sound waves, but they were moving too fast for her to avoid them. When she compared the intensity and destructive power of these sound waves to those of the last time she and her brother fought, the comparison was overwhelming; her brother was ten times as powerful as he was before. This was going to be a problem.
"What are you waiting for, Ruby?" Jade shouted in an almost taunting voice. "You can't dodge forever, you know. Try to attack me, even though your attempts are futile!" He changed his chords, manipulating the sound waves into a single, enormous energy wave, which shot towards Ruby in hyper speed.
Ruby gasped. "Hien Messhoujin!" She screamed, sending a crimson energy wave towards her brother's, colliding with it in the centre. Ruby gritted her teeth as she tried to overpower her brother, but her energy wave could not go any further.
Jade smirked. "I see you're having trouble, dear sister. Let me help make things easier." While continuing to play the same chords, he added a couple more, springing his silver scythe to life. The scythe curved around the energy waves and tore through Ruby's shoulder. The blow threw her to the side, and she screamed from the surprise attack and the pain in her shoulder. The crimson energy wave she was firing disappeared, and Jade made his energy wave disappear by ceasing his guitar-playing.
He chuckled as he stepped towards Ruby, who was clutching her shoulder while trying to stand up. "You're a fool, Ruby," Jade said menacingly. "You cannot defeat me, no matter what you do. Your beliefs made you weak. Your strength can't even compare to those who just want to fight for themselves, fight to kill. I think I am going to kill you right here, right now. Farewell, dear sister." He picked up his scythe and raised it over her head. Ruby closed her eyes shut as she waited for the blade to slice through her.
Suddenly, Ryuichi's zampakutou stopped the scythe before it could connect with Ruby. Jade's eyes widened as he saw the deathly stare in Ryuichi's eyes – the eerie yellow-on-black and the forming hollow mask on his face. Ryuichi grinned maliciously as he slashed his zampakutou, disarming Jade of his scythe.
"It's good to be back!" Ryuichi's hollow voice sounded. "Tell ya what? I'm feelin' a little generous today, so how about I let you have the first shot!"
Ruby gasped. Jade narrowed his eyes. "You mocking me, loser?"
"Absolutely not!" Ryuichi replied. "Strike me anywhere you want!"
Jade twitched. He had a feeling that his opponent was either mocking him or being stupid. Either way, he knew he had to try. With one powerful swing, he severed Ryuichi's arm clean off his shoulders.
Ruby screamed as blood splashed outward.
Ryuichi cackled as another arm grew back. "I've always wanted to try that."
Jade jumped back, shocked by what happened. Instant regeneration? Impossible!
Ryuichi ran towards Jade, preparing his zampakutou to attack and laughing shrilly.
Clutching her injured shoulder, Ruby watched the fight with a worried daze. She could not believe that her own brother, of all people, would try to kill her. She hoped that Ryuichi would knock sense into Jade, especially if he was in his hollow form. But there was a worry surrounding that as well. She knew that Ryuichi could not control his hollow powers yet. What if he kills Jade? Even though Jade was an asshole who acted without any kind of judgement, he was all she had left in the way of family. And how did Ryuichi's hollow powers take over anyway? She knew that he would never allow anything like that to happen. She continued to watch the fight, praying that Jade and Ryuichi would come out of this alive.
Ryuichi continued to laugh as he threw his fiery scythe. Jade played chords on his guitar to deflect the fiery scythe, but Ryuichi yanked the chain to change its course. Jade averted his eyes to the new location and manipulated his scythe to parry the opposing scythe away. However, Ryuichi tugged on the chain once more, entangling the scythes together. Then, with one forceful pull, he slammed both scythes into the ground, burying them both underneath broken rocks and dirt.
Jade growled as he tried to move his scythe, but it would not budge; it remained trapped underground. Using this as an opportunity to attack, Ryuichi used shunpo to appear above Jade's head and dove towards his opponent with his zampakutou raised.
Jade looked up and tried using sound waves to stop Ryuichi in his tracks, but Ryuichi dodged the sound waves and countered with a downward slash of his sword, bringing up dust from the attack.
It was not long before the dust settled, and Ryuichi stood, maliciously grinning through his hollow mask. Jade lay on the ground at his feet, in a pool of blood forming from a terrible gash spread across his chest. A dazed look showed in his eyes as he lay there, pieces of his guitar lying on either side of him and on his stomach.
Ryuichi looked up towards Ruby, who stared, terrified, back at him. There was a bloodthirsty look in his eyes, and Ruby shivered and froze in fear. He was coming after her next, and there was nothing she could do about it.
Before he could do anything, however, he froze in place. He gritted his teeth as he tried to move. "DAMMIT! NOT AGAIN!" He cursed.
Leave her alone! His conscience bellowed from within him.
"I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU, RYUICHI!" The hollow screamed as he fought against his shinigami counterpart.
Not like you can do anything like that, his conscience counteracted. Be gone!
The hollow threw back his head and screeched loudly as his hand tugged at the mask, prying it apart with all his strength. Eventually, the mask shattered in his hands and the torturous screaming ceased. Ryuichi's eyes turned back to normal as he panted and sheathed his now-unreleased zampakutou.
Ruby finally found the strength to stand up. She stumbled towards Ryuichi and her brother.
However, Ryuichi stepped back, making Ruby stop in her tracks. "Ryuichi, what's wrong?" She asked.
Ryuichi turned away from her in shame. "I'm sorry, Ruby," he trailed off.
Ruby cocked her head to the side in confusion. "But...you saved my life," she whispered.
"And then I was about to kill you too," Ryuichi said quickly. "I didn't think he would take over when all I wanted was to defend you – protect you. Now I need to protect you from myself."
Tears started to form in Ruby's eyes. "Please don't leave me, Ryuichi. We can try to solve this...together."
Ryuichi turned towards Ruby. "I'm sorry, but I have to do this myself." Then he disappeared from view using shunpo.
Ruby wiped her tears away with one hand. Then she knelt beside her brother. "J-Jade?" She whispered, praying that he was alive.
A quiet cough sounded from his chest as his eyes re-focused. "Hey Ruby," he grunted. "I'm sorry...for what I did."
Ruby smiled sadly. She was glad her brother was himself again. "I'm just glad you're okay. You weren't yourself, so don't worry about it. However, there is one thing you can do to make up for things...once you get better of course."
Jade attempted to raise an eyebrow despite the amount of blood he had lost. "And what's that?"
Ruby smirked. "Make me a sandwich." She giggled at the joke.
Jade chuckled. "We'll see about that, sis."
Rukia sat by her husband's bed, staring at his comatose form lying still and surrounded by machines. The beeping from those machines were the only sounds in the room, and Rukia held Ichigo's hand tighter. She was relieved that he was alive and will be okay, but she was worried about how he would feel after this. She knew that his time in captivity had changed him, not only physically but emotionally as well, and she wished she could do something to help him. She was so worried...not only for her husband but for her son as well, who still had to deal with the hollow within him.
She was relieved that her daughter, who was resting in the room next door, was okay. However, when she found out that the girl was taken from her brother's mansion, she was furious. She could not believe that Aizen would sink so low as to experiment on her family, especially a little girl. At least Jade had managed to destroy Las Noches with the enemy still inside. Rukia wondered if it would be enough to keep Aizen and his remaining followers out of commission for a while.
The Hougyouku, or its replica anyway, was taken to the 12th Division barracks where it would be in Urahara's hands. Since it was just a replica and nothing like the original, Urahara managed to destroy it easily.
The 12th division captain had also asked about Ryuichi – about how he had been faring against his inner hollow. Renji, who had delivered the Hougyouku replica, answered that Ryuichi had been just as worried as Ichigo was when he was his age.
Rukia sighed. She wished that her son did not have to worry so much. It was bad enough for her husband. However, she could probably understand where they were coming from. She sighed once again as she squeezed her husband's limp hand lightly.
Ryuichi entered the medical ward. He did not know where to go to deal with his inner hollow, but maybe his parents could help.
He noticed Grimmjow and Neliel standing in the hallway, engaged in quiet conversation. Or maybe they could help? He approached them with the question in mind.
Neliel smiled when she saw Ryuichi coming towards them. "Hi Ryuichi-kun," she greeted cheerfully. Grimmjow continued to scowl.
"Hey," Ryuichi said. "I've got a favour to ask of you."
"What is it?" Neliel asked.
Ryuichi took a moment to think of what to ask. "Do you...know how to keep an inner hollow spirit in check?"
Neliel frowned. She was aware that Ryuichi was concerned about his inner hollow.
Grimmjow snickered. "Why would you want to do that? You'll be much stronger if your hollow takes over."
Neliel rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's comment. "Grimmjow, stop." She turned back to Ryuichi. "I'm sorry, but I don't think we are capable of doing such a thing. After all, we were hollows first. Maybe your mother would know?"
"I guess you're right," Ryuichi trailed off.
"Go to wherever Ichigo went," Grimmjow advised.
"Where?" Ryuichi asked.
Grimmjow shrugged. "Like what Neliel suggested, your parents may know."
"I guess you're right there as well," Ryuichi said. "I was just heading up there anyway. Thanks." He continued to walk down the hallway towards the room where his dad was in a coma.
Neliel smiled after him. "Good luck, Ryuichi-kun."
Ryuichi entered the room where his parents were – Rukia was still holding onto Ichigo's hand while he continued to lie comatose in front of her.
Ryuichi stared at his father for a moment – an oxygen mask covered half of his face while orange strands partially covered his eyes. Bandages covered his chest, masking the near-fatal wound inflicted by Aizen. Despite the heavy bandaging, the hole was still unable to be concealed.
Rukia broke the silence. "He'll wake up soon, I hope," she trailed off.
"He'll need to be cheered up when he does," Ryuichi responded.
Rukia nodded in understanding. "I'm going to do that, son," she assured without taking her eyes off of Ichigo.
"How's your shoulder?" Ryuichi wanted to know.
"It doesn't hurt," Rukia answered. "Not as much as the painful state your father is in. I feel like a part of me has been removed, just like the hole in his chest." She tried to hold back her tears. Even though she was a Kurosaki now, she still had her pride as a Kuchiki. She turned to face her son with a sad smile. "But I know you didn't come here to ask about my shoulder."
Ryuichi looked away. "No. I want to ask...where Dad went to deal with his inner hollow."
Rukia remembered what Ichigo had told her when their son was a baby. "Go just outside of Karakura Town, towards the east. There should be a warehouse with a barrier surrounding it. That's where you would find some people who would teach you what they know. And can you do me a favour while you're there?"
"What's that?"
"There should be someone there with similar powers to Inoue Orihime. His name is Hachigen – Hachi for short. Can you please send him up here?"
Ryuichi raised an eyebrow in confusion. "I thought the viazards were banned from Soul Society."
"I begged Yamamoto-sou-Taichou to allow them to return, since Ichigo really needs to look himself again. Also, it would be fair to owe them at least something for their contributions in the past. It turns out he had already allowed them to return a long time ago. So can you please let Hachi-san and the other Viazards know about this?"
Ryuichi nodded. "Sure. Thanks, Mom."
Rukia stood up and gave her son a hug. "Please do your best...and be careful. Your father had a very hard time trying to defeat his hollow spirit. He could have been destroyed a long time ago if he hadn't gained his resolve. I don't want the same to happen to you, and I'm sure your father wouldn't want the same thing either."
Ryuichi smiled as he returned the hug. "Don't worry, Mom. I'll do whatever I can. My resolve is just as strong as Dad's. So I'll win for sure." He parted from her to look into her eyes. "I promise you, I will win. And then these worries will end."
"I'll hold you to that, son," Rukia replied. "Good luck."
Ryuichi smirked and turned towards the door. With one more nod towards his mother, he stepped outside and walked down the hallway towards the exit.
Rukia continued to smile as she watched her son leave. She was glad he inherited his father's strength and resolve. If only Ichigo could gain his back, however. "Please come back alive, Ryuichi," she whispered.
She turned to sit by her husband once again, placing her hand on his. Her smile faded as she leaned in closer to Ichigo's ear. "Please wake up, honey," she whispered as the tears she had been fighting against started to stream down her face. "You have no idea how much I miss you right now." She brushed some of Ichigo's hair off his face, revealing his closed eyes. Then she kissed his forehead as she allowed her tears to drip on his face.
Hinamori's eyes softened as she watched Ryuichi exit the 4th Division Barracks. She had also been worried about him since they escaped Hueco Mundo, and she wished she could do something to help him.
She felt another feeling for the boy. They grew so close over the years, and when Ryuichi protected her back in Hueco Mundo, a special feeling rose inside. However, she could not believe she had such feelings as strong as she had for Kira. For one thing, he was her captain's son. Another reason was that she was so much older than he was. Then again, Rukia is a lot older than Ichigo and they are married.
Hinamori sighed as she hugged her legs against her body. "I...think I love you...Ryuichi-kun. If you only knew..."
It did not take long for Ryuichi to convince the guards to let him enter the World of the Living, and he found himself wondering the streets of a recovering Karakura. He sensed his aunts and was relieved they were all right; he could even sense Hitsugaya's reiatsu with his aunt Karin.
Remembering his mother's directions, he took off running towards the east, knowing he was invisible to the passing humans surrounding him. He added shunpo to make things faster, heart racing from the adrenaline.
He arrived in an industrial area, full of construction and warehouses. There was one particular warehouse that had an orange barrier surrounding it, and Ryuichi smirked when his eyes lay upon it. He walked towards the warehouse, wondering how he would be able to enter it.
At that moment, part of the barrier opened to reveal the entrance. Ryuichi raised an eyebrow in question but continued to walk towards the warehouse.
Ryuichi stopped in front of the entrance and sighed as he pushed the button beside the door, opening it. As soon as the doorway opened to the halfway point, he stepped inside, eyes narrowing with determination. The door automatically closed behind him.
"Ah Ryuichi, welcome," A voice sounded, "We've been expecting you."
Ryuichi's head looked up in alarm to see the very same people his mother and father had talked about. So these were the Viazards. But how did they know he was coming – let alone his name?
"How did..." Ryuichi was about to say, but he was cut off.
"Urahara-san told us everything," Shinji, who had greeted him, said. Then he frowned. "It's too bad about your father though."
Then Ryuichi was reminded of the other reason why he came. "Which one of you is Hachigen?" He questioned, looking around at the group.
"That would be me," a chubby man with a pink moustache spoke up.
Ryuichi looked at him. "Since you know about the condition my dad's in, please," he got down on his knees, head lowered, "Please reverse what had happened! It's killing me, Mom, and Aiko...and it's affecting him most of all! He's not what he used to be! Please... In fact, your ban from Soul Society had been lifted a while ago."
Shinji gave Ryuichi an assuring smile. "Don't worry, we've known about Yamamoto's decision for a while." He turned towards Hachi. "You can depart for Soul Society when we start to deal with Ichigo's kid."
Hachi nodded. "Okay."
Ryuichi smiled gratefully as he stood up. "Thank you so much!"
Hachi nodded once again. "Anytime. Your father is one of us after all."
Ryuichi turned back to Shinji. "So, you will train me?"
Shinji widened his grin. "Of course. Since you're Ichigo's son, we'll skip the initiation sparring and even Hiyori's special Nordic Track."
Hiyori scowled at Shinji. "You dickhead. It's my super Nordic Track. Don't look down on my methods! And who says that we have to give him," she pointed her thumb at Ryuichi, "the special treatment anyway?"
"You can help him with the after-trainin'," Shinji replied, "prolongin' his mask as you could say."
"Well, as long as it lasts for more than 10 seconds, we've got a deal," Hiyori said.
Shinji turned towards Keigo, who was at Lisa's side as always. "What do you say about watchin' how we deal with inner hollows 'round here?"
"Sounds awesome," Keigo answered. "As long as I don't get in on the action."
Lisa scoffed at her husband's request. "Don't worry; you're not ready for that yet."
Shinji turned back to Ryuichi and dematerialized towards him, hand outstretched towards him. "Don't take this personally; I have to put you to sleep first."
Ryuichi nodded in understanding. "Do what you must."
With a flash of light, Ryuichi collapsed but Shinji caught him before he could hit the ground. He turned back to his fellow Viazards. "Okay guys, let's go downstairs." He positioned Ryuichi over his shoulders and walked towards the stairway. The rest of the Viazards, including, Keigo, followed him.
They arrived in the vast wilderness-like training area, and Shinji laid Ryuichi several kilometres from the entrance. Then he turned towards Hachi. "Okay, before you go, set up a large barrier around Ryuichi and then create an opening in front, adjacent to Ryuichi's head. We'll keep him at bay for a while until he succeeds dominating against his hollow."
Hachi nodded. "Yes." He placed both hands on the ground in front of him. An orange wall rose from the ground, followed by three other walls, enclosing Ryuichi inside. Then Hachi moved his hands upward and spread them apart slightly, creating a small opening in the barrier.
"Thanks, Hachi," Shinji said. "You may go now."
Hachi nodded and departed the training area.
"So you guys are going to kill him?" Keigo asked with a worried look on his face.
"No," Shinji said. "We're just going to keep him occupied. However, if the inner battle is towards the hollow's favour, then we have no choice but to kill him."
Keigo gulped at the answer.
Shinji smiled. "But the chances of that are fairly small. After all, Ryuichi has inherited his father's resolve and determination. You can't win against that."
Keigo pondered for a moment. "Yeah, I guess you're right. So when does this thing start?"
Shinji turned towards Ryuichi. "When the inner battle starts," he trailed off.
Ryuichi found himself in the volcanic area where Karyuu resided. So this was where the battle would take place. Ryuichi looked around, searching for signs of his inner hollow or for Karyuu. His hand was on the hilt of his zampakutou as he waited patiently – mind calm and focused.
A presence caught his attention. Hoping to see Karyuu, Ryuichi turned to face this person, but was disappointed when he saw a duplicate of himself. This clone was not completely identical to him for he was inverted in colour and his eyes were that of a hollow.
Ryuichi growled as he glared at his hollow counterpart. With his thumb, he flicked his sword upward partially out of its sheath.
"Welcome home, Ryuichi," the hollow spirit greeted with a wide grin.
Ryuichi said nothing; he continued to growl at this version of himself.
The hollow snickered. "Speechless, eh? I can feel your hatred for me. However, that won't be enough to defeat me."
Ryuichi drew his katana and pointed it towards his hollow counterpart. "We'll see about that! Rise above the smoking crater, Karyuu!" His sword transformed to its released state.
The hollow chuckled as he drew his sword. "Such a naive fool. Rise above the smoking crater, Karyuu!" His sword transformed into the same released form as Ryuichi's, except the colour was a darker shade of gold.
In the outside world, Ryuichi's body squirmed and twitched as though it were possessed.
Shinji nodded towards Lisa. Lisa nodded in return and stepped through the doorway. Keigo squeezed her hand and gave her a little kiss on the lips.
Shinji tossed a stopwatch toward Keigo, who caught it with one hand. "Hey Keigo, can you set that to 8 minutes?" He asked.
Keigo did as he was asked. "So what's happening here?" He questioned.
"Each of us, except you and Hiyori, are going to fight against Ryuichi for 8 minutes each," Shinji explained. "I want you to time us when we do."
Keigo nodded. "Gotcha!" He pressed the start button as soon as he saw the mask appear on Ryuichi's face. "Don't kill my woman," he mumbled.
Inside Ryuichi's world, Ryuichi and his hollow charged towards one another, clashing their fiery-like weapons in the centre. While Ryuichi growled continuously, his hollow spirit grinned maliciously.
While they stalled one another, Ryuichi's hollow slashed his scythe across his opponent's stomach. Ryuichi barely avoided it by flipping over and countered with a kick, but the hollow fast. He slashed the main weapon across Ryuichi's calf muscle, causing him to shriek.
The hollow laughed at his shinigami counterpart's expense. "Didn't your father teach you not to leave any openings? You're pathetic, Ryuichi! I can only imagine what your father may say if he were here right now!"
Ryuichi got up from the ground and stretched his palm outward. "Hadou 33 – Sokatsui!"
The hollow parried the blue fireball away with ease. "A mid-level kidou blast?" He taunted. He stretched out his palm and shouted, "Hadou 66 – Soren Sokatsui!"
Ryuichi somersaulted out of the way, dodging the explosions that occurred when the fire blasts struck the ground.
"You really suck, Ryuichi! Soren Sokatsui!" More blasts were shot toward the younger Kurosaki, who tried to parry them with his sword and dodge them. "How can you protect Hinamori and Ruby with this?" The hollow taunted once more. "Face it! You're distracted – distracted by pitiful feelings and thoughts! You're too worked up...and scared! That's not what a warrior should be! Soren Sokatsui!"
"Bakudou 34 – Enkosen!" Ryuichi shouted. A shield sprang up and deflected the blasts before it disappeared. "You're wrong!" Ryuichi counteracted. He threw his scythe towards his hollow counterpart.
The hollow threw his scythe, and both scythes collided in the centre.
"Stop denying it!" The hollow screamed. "I can feel it in your zampakutou! It spells fear! Why were you unable to defend yourself from Aizen the FIRST time, huh?"
Ryuichi thought back to that moment where he could have lost his life. He thought that it was Aizen's suffocating reiatsu that paralyzed him. Could it also have been fear as well? Renji had told him that when he shows his fear and nervousness, his opponent will take advantage of it. So maybe his hollow counterpart was right. Why did his father always win his battles? The answer was there: he wanted to protect everyone he loved, and he had no fear.
He also thought about everyone he wanted to protect – Ruby, Hinamori, Yuzu and Karin, Aiko. He also wanted to protect his parents as well, when they are in desperate situations. It meant more to him than anything, than being a shinigami, even more than his own ambitious dreams.
The hollow yanked the chain of his scythe, manipulating it to whip around Ryuichi's body, binding his arms on either side of his body. Ryuichi cursed as he struggled to break free.
"You have to be better than that," The hollow said as he stepped towards Ryuichi, "in order to defeat me. Where are your instincts, huh? Your weaknesses bore me. Time to destroy you and take your crown for myself, king." When he got closer, he held out his palm towards Ryuichi's face.
Ryuichi furrowed his eyebrows. He seemed to understand now. Everything was now clear to him. Even if his feelings make him stronger, fear gets in the way. It is up to him to banish all fear if he wanted to win this battle. For Dad...for Mom...For Aiko...For Ruby...For Aunts Karin and Yuzu...For Hinamori-san. I'll protect you all!
At that moment, an aura of energy surrounded him and it pulsed through his veins. Ryuichi could feel this refreshed strength envelope him. Using it, he broke out of his bonds with ease. Then he glared at his hollow counterpart with a murderous glow in his eyes.
The hollow just stared in shock, frozen in place.
Ryuichi tightened his hold on his zampakutou and flew up into the air. Then, he dove towards his hollow counterpart, slicing him through the shoulder towards his opposite hip. Blood sprayed everywhere as the hollow started to disintegrate.
"You've got guts," The hollow said as he continued to fade away. "Just for that, you're free to use my powers however you like. Remember what I said...your fear makes you weak. And if you weaken and are about to be killed, I WILL return! I'll take your powers before YOU KNOW IT!" A glow shone from his chest and he was gone.
In Soul Society, Rukia was resting her head next to Ichigo's chest. Aiko was on the floor in front of her, playing with her stuffed bunnies.
Aiko never left her mother's side after she woke up, and Rukia never left Ichigo's side. When Aiko had asked about what happened to her father, Rukia told her that he was attacked. She could not, however, explain Ichigo's partially altered appearance. Rukia hated lying to her daughter, but she knew that with her age, Aiko would not understand the truth anyway. That was something that Rukia had to live with...for now.
Ichigo sighed as his eyes slowly opened. As they shifted around the room, Ichigo could only guess that he was saved, but by whom? And why? And how? For all he knew, he did not wish to be saved, not with his appearance being in its current state. He groaned softly, silently cursing whomever that saved him.
Rukia lifted her head to gaze into Ichigo's troubled eyes. "Ichigo," she whispered with a sad smile.
Rukia," Ichigo said. Then he noticed the bandaging around her shoulder. "I did that, didn't I...?
Rukia covered the exposed bandaging with one of her hands. "It's not bad," she tried to assure him.
"Did I do that or not?" Ichigo repeated. "Tell me the truth, Rukia."
Rukia frowned. As much as it pained her to tell her husband what happened, she had to tell him anyway. "Yes..." She said with her head low. Then she looked up immediately and said quickly, "but you weren't yourself! You were under Aizen's influence when it happened!"
Ichigo sighed. "I think it's time you go as far away from me as possible."
Rukia's eyes widened. "Wh-what?"
"It's better," Ichigo trailed off, heart breaking with every word he said. "Or I must go. I'm not fit to be your husband, or a captain of the 5th Division."
Rukia could not believe she was hearing. She tried desperately to keep her tears from streaming down her face as she glared at the man in front of her. "Stop. Think about what you're saying. What about our son and daughter? What about our vows we made on our wedding day? What about our subordinates that look up to you?"
"If I resign and leave, then I won't be putting anyone in danger. What captain looks like this? What husband hurts his wife? What father tries to kill his family? If I leave, then I won't be doing any of those things."
At that moment, Rukia did not care that their daughter was in the room with them. She managed to slap Ichigo across the face despite his supine position. Ichigo grunted from the impact, and Aiko looked up from her playing.
"Mommy?" Aiko asked, her head cocked to the side.
"Cover your ears, Aiko," Rukia growled, still glaring at her husband. "Your daddy needs a talking to."
Aiko understood what her mother had told her and did as she was told.
"You've got some NERVE, Ichigo!" Rukia hissed as Ichigo tried to tune her out. "WHERE is the man that I married? WHERE is the hero, the role model our kids looked up to? How DARE you give up? Do you CARE that Ryuichi and I were worried SICK about you? Do you CARE that I had been crying non-stop and could not stop blaming myself for your capture? Face it, Ichigo! DON'T give up just because you were under Aizen's influence! Grow up! You got partially changed. So what? What I need is the man that you were meant to be? You've got full control over your hollow powers, remember? REMEMBER? Ogichi is NOT coming back! No matter how much you worry, he's NOT coming back! So you're NOT a danger to us all!" Several tears slipped down her face as she tried to calm herself down. "Don't forget that I love you no matter what you do, that our kids love you no matter what, that our subordinates respect you no matter what you look like. You changed our division for the better, Ichigo, just like you changed my life for the better." She lobbed as more tears streamed down her face. "Please, Ichigo..."
Ichigo's eyes softened as his wife's words echoed through his mind. He carefully shifted his body around then pulled his wife against himself, wrapping his arms around her shaking and sobbing form. Rukia continued to sob into her husband's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Rukia," Ichigo whispered into her ear – a few tears dripped from his eyes as he held her tighter. "You're right. What Aizen did to me – I had forgotten your love for me. Please don't cry anymore. I'm here now, and I'll never leave you. Thank you, Rukia."
Aiko uncovered her ears and climbed onto the bed to give her father a hug. "Welcome home, Daddy," she said softly.
Ichigo parted himself from Rukia to kiss his daughter on her head. "Thanks, sweetie. I missed you."
"I missed you, too, Daddy," Aiko said.
At that moment, Hachi knocked on the door. "Um..." He grunted.
Ichigo and his family looked up to see the large Viazard standing in the doorway.
"Hachi?" Ichigo said. "What are you doing here?"
Hachi slowly stepped in. "I came because your son sent me. He said that there was something that needed to be reversed. I hope I'm not interrupting anything, aren't I?"
Understanding what his comrade had meant, Ichigo smiled. "No, not at all," he said, "you say that Ryuichi sent you?"
Hachi nodded. "He's training with the rest of our kin as we speak."
Ichigo looked at Rukia questioningly, and Rukia nodded back. Ichigo turned back to Hachi. "Reverse the damage that Aizen has done then."
"Okay," Hachi nodded.
After Rukia led Aiko off the bed, Hachi outstretched his palms to Ichigo. A golden aura enveloped the captain, and the hollow markings, eyes, and hole disappeared from his body.
Next time on Inherited Nightmares...
"Time for me to go in, Kensei!" Love shouted from outside the barrier.
Kensei looked up from his fighting and nodded, using shunpo to quickly exit the barrier so that Love can step in.
Love stared at the fully transformed hollow in front of him and readied his katana for his part of the fight. "My name is Love Aikawa. I'm your next opponent."
And that's the end of chapter 14, folks! Sorry that it took a while, as it is quite a long chapter. Chapter 15 won't take that long, and you will see that it's the fight between the viazards and Ryuichi's full hollow form (just like it was in the anime with the Viazards versus Ichigo). You'll also see a father-son moment afterwards, and also, a romance scene? Yes, a romance scene involving Ryuichi, but which one will he be with? Hinamori or Ruby? You will find that out in the final chapter – yes, chapter 15 is the final chapter of this story unfortunately, but the epilogue ending will follow and then the sequel! Until then, guys, please review and let me know what you think!
Take care for now!