Meg: Y'all better love me! I decided to post this early incase life screwed me over and I couldn't update as soon as I'd like!
Kyu: *walks in with Shi, limping slightly* glares at Meg*
Shi: Tch so you post a chapter without us and then you go and write one without us too!
Meg: Ain't my fault you guys were having wild bunny sex in your room. I told you 3 days ago my ploans for posting but nooo. ANd I couldn't wait to write and post this one so I did.
Kyu: *indignantly* Who said we were having sex!
Meg: I did. I heard those noises *smirks evilly* Plus, how often do you limp in here. You aren't the clumsy kind. And what else could have you limping other than you being made a cute little Uke!
Shi: *glowers at Meg*
Meg: *blinks* I know I'm right, I created you both, so don't try and hide it *grins*
Shi & Kyu: Whatever *Kyu pouts and Shi snorts, ignoring mage and kissing Kyu* Dobe.
Meg: *turning from the scene grinning* I was RIGHT! And no sadly, I don't own Bleach... God I wish I did... T.T
Warnings: Action in this chapter, a little humor, and some sweet lovey dovey ness!~!
Ichigo huffed at the captains who had assembled in case of a hollow invasion. He'd already explained why they felt the hollow taint and they knew what it felt like. He didn't understand why they felt the need to watch and run around every time he chose to spar with the Vizards. He sighed in annoyance as he heard the cheers from Yachiru, the little pink haired lieutenant rarely letting up. Oh well crossed through his mind as he attempted to dodge Hiyori's strike. He miscalculated and the flat of the blade slammed him hard enough to send him flying and crashing into the cliff of Sokyoku hill. Panting, finally exhausted he rose and held up a hand to halt the assault.
"Oi, Hiyori. I think I'm good for the day, I need to be in one piece to train division. I need to work with my seated officers a bit." Ichigo popped his shoulders, his mask still on as Hiyori slid hers away. She blinked at him thoughtfully.
"All right Ichigo. But I won't hold back next time!" He snorted in response and passed his hand over his mask, causing it to break away into little particles. He made his way slowly passed the captains, listening to little mutters, some of them approving and some more or less disdained. Well, at least one disdained.
"I want him as a test subject. Damn the head captain! Damn damn damn!" he heard Mayuri mutter under his breath as he passed.
Hours later, Ichigo found himself collapsed onto his futon, just about ready to close his eyes. He groaned softly as his muscles stiffened in protest. He shifted to find a more comfortable position, when suddenly his door burst open and he snapped to alert. He glared as he saw the red head stare at him from under loose hair.
"What the fuck do you want Renji." The chocolate eyed shinigami spat.
"Quick! Ichigo they need ya, shit the alarms haven't even gone off ya stupid man! Hurry!" Renji snapped and grabbed Ichigo. Startled by that, Ichigo grabbed Zangetsu, only to find his inner hollow screaming at him.
'AIbou! It's them!' Shiro screeched, his voice frantic. Ichigo ran after Renji, waiting for Shiro to continue. He heard the clashes of metal on metal and felt the rapid flares of Reiatsu, he didn't know how he missed it. 'Aibou! It's THEM it's—'
Ichigo stiffened when he felt THOSE reiatsu's pulsing wildly in what felt like a battle dance. He gulped heavily. They were strong, incredibly strong. He didn't know what was going to happen. Then he burst into the open pavilion, and saw what he had most dreaded to see. He looked at the black and blue haired man, the latter of which was grinning madly, bodies littered in broken heaps around him already. The former was standing off to the side apathetically.
"Grimmjow…" Ichigo breathed, stiffening. Except… It wasn't quite Grimmjow. He was excessively more powerful, yes, but there was a change… Like a change in his being. 'What the hell,' Ichigo thought.
"Yo, Berry." Grimmjow smirked. "I came to tell you and your little friends personally, that your break is officially over."
"What?" Renji snarled viciously, hand on Zabimaru's hilt.
"He means simply, that the Espada are back. And our goal is you. Kurosaki." Ulquiorra stepped forward. "You are uniquely powerfull. You know you are not a Vizard, and you know you are not a Shinigami, and you are not yet quite an Espada. We do not know what you are, but we shall find out."
Ichigo's back stiffened harshly. Byakuya's previous words ringing in his ears.
"Kurosaki-taicho, I'm glad you found the time to make it." Byakuya looked at him with a small smile.
"Of course, Kuchiki-taicho. May I ask what this is about?" Ichigo asked curiously, he'd already talked to Byakuya about why he was so friendly with him, the raven merely replied that he was atoning for mistakes and seeked to find a way to rectify his wrongdoings. Ichigo couldn't fathom what that had meant. When he'd asked, Byakuya merely expressed the idea that he would be told one day, just not by him.
"I mean to ask you what you think of the Reiatsu that seem to be pulsing into Soul Society." The raven stated bluntly.
Ichigo felt his muscles tense slightly. "They are faint, but I sense a familiarity to them. I cannot tell if they are hostile. I haven't trained enough in Kido to know that, I'm terrible with my reiatsu still."
"I assumed as much, however I must come to the same conclusion. We should still monitor it, but I do not yet think of it to be a problem that should be yet brought to the 1st's ears."
"I see taicho. Do you have any other thoughts on this?" Ichigo asked, curiosity getting the better of him.
"I'm not sure at this time, Kurosaki-taicho. However, I wish to implore you to be careful. Your division is still young with you. If this turns out to be a threat, do not hesitate to protect them, however much you do so though, must be done carefully." Byakuya motioned solemnly to the door. "I wish we could talk longer, we may converse on this subject the next time you come for what the head captain calls 'studies', I have a few meetings I need to get ready for, I'm sorry for this rather abrupt ending."
Ichigo merely cast a smile on the raven. "Think nothing of it, Kuchiki-taicho. I will be careful as needed. I wish you luck in your meetings, the dismissal is nothing. I shall see you." Ichigo left the room, the diplomatic words ringing in Kuchiki Byakuya's ears, however, Ichigo would never know how much those words struck the normally stoic captain.
Ichigo stared at the two, what should have been former, Espada. He blinked and relaxed his stance. "We'll see about that." With that statement, his hand was drawn over his face, pulling out his Bankai and hollow Mask in one motion. Renji jumped back, to avoid being hit with the wave of furious reiatsu that rolled off his fellow captain. He glowered at the two hollows.
"I won't hold back." Ichigo stood calmly, yellow gold irises staring out from behind a red and white mask. He rasied his sword calmly, arm stretched across his chest, and he spoke two words evenly. "Getsuga tenshou." With the endling syllable he slashed his sword, a quick, fast, devastating arc swung out and impacted right on the two Espada. And then it fizzled to nothing. Grimmjow laughed, throwing his head back as the sound rung outward, almost to loud for the eery silens that followed Ichigo's attack.
"I won't be taken down so easily, Berry." He grinned and was beside Ichigo. As he grabbed the young man, he broke the orange haired man's arm, and brought a knee up and slammed it into his ribs, cracking them in several places. Before Ichigo could fully even react, let alone start reacting, his face was brought down to the ground, his head snapping back from the impact with an almost devastating force, a fracture most likely running across the frontal lobe of his skull, if the split in his skin was any indication to go on.
"Oh, and you have 3 months before we take you, or you can come on your own. Tell anyone you wish, hell, even ready your forces for an all-out battle. But you will be ours or you will die, Berry." The infuriating blue haired man growled in Ichigo's ear. "Because like you, we won't hold back. And now, I give you a parting gift."
Ichigo couldn't lift his head, he was hanging limp, pain blinding him, simply because it was flooding his receptors and making his mind hazy. It was a lot to take within the space of seconds. But he could still feel the spiritual energy coalesce to a spot about a foot away from his stomache. He started to struggle. He heard that infuriating laugh again.
"Cero." Was the words he heard murmured and then there was just excruciating white light and pain. Before Ichigo slipped into blackness, falling to the floor, all he heard was that infuriating psychotic laugh, and Renji's scream of his name.
From that point he wafted in and out of semi consciousness. In one of these moments, he felt a warm, familiar hand in his, and he felt the soft drips of what felt like tears on his arm. He knew them to be tears, if the ragged breathing was anything to go on.
"Ichigo…" Ichigo's mind registered the deeper voice wafting through his darkness. "I'm so sorry I did what I did. I can't believe I was so stupid… I can't believe I let him manipulate me like that, even if it was supposedly for the best… It wasn't was it… But he threatened to harm you… Ichigo.. I still love you and I have… Just.. Don't die on me now… Unohana said you might not pull through… But after what they said I know you will. You wouldn't leave us like that Ichigo… Don't leave us like that!"
Ichigo's mind struggled hard against the restraints these horrid shadows put on him. He needed to draw towards that voice. Nagging doubt still roamed his mind, but he still felt the same as he did when it was ended. He was consumed by darkness and he blinked, but he couldn't open his eyes again. He struggled to lift heavy lids, the light blinding him almost. Yet he managed to speak one word in a hoarse voice before Unohana was called rushing in.
"Renji…" Ichigo groaned softly before the red head was ushered away, and he was consumed in the task of following Unohana's instructions for the next few grueling hours.
A/N: I think I did awesome! And Shi and Kyu are smooching in a corner now, gosh I need a man! But that's besides the point lol. I hope you all enjoyed, it didn't take that long to write, editing kills me though!
By the way, read and review, it inspires me to write more lol.
And thank you to all my lovely supporters! Especially my reviewers:
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