Here's a chapter.
I own nothing.
Hope you all enjoy.
Hate.
It had been a long time. A very long time, since Shaolin Fon, Captain of the Second Division and the Punishment Forces, and better known as Soi Fon, felt anything with such passion. Not since her idol, the woman who she had looked up to more than any other, and the one person she opened up to, had left. Left without even telling her, her supposedly beloved pupil.
Now, though. Her feelings were immense. She would kill the woman in front of her. Then, she could move on to truly do her duty and kill the pathetic Ryoka that had accompanied her. Was it only for show, that Yoruichi had told her the boy was a new pupil of hers? Was it just to make Soi Fon lose her ever present composure? To make her show emotion?
If that was so, the Traitor would get her wish. She would smile over Yoruichi Shihoin's corpse.
"I am unimpressed. For someone who has spent so many years hidden away, you don't seem to have gotten any stronger... Yoruichi." The pair were in the woods off to the side of Second Division's Headquarters; designed for stealth training in such environments.
"Oh, I assure you I have. You on the other hand. It seems like you've let your skills get dull and rusty." Yoruichi responded, with a smirk. Shaolin ignored the jab.
"So, why is it that you came in search of the Tentokin? Are you meaning to help the Ryoka, Yoruichi? I didn't suspect even you would stoop so low." She shook her head. "Never mind, though..." Soi Fon smirked at her former mentor. Hopefully this would hurt. "By now, my Lieutenant will have dealt with him." Admittedly a lie. She had sent Omaeda after the Ryoka, but, if the rumours of him defeating Kenpachi Zaraki were true, the brute would be killed in an instant. Even so, though... two birds, as the living were so fond of saying. "Even so, though... to see such evidence of such corruption in the Shihoin clan... it would be plenty enough for them to fall just as the Shibas. That would be a... shame, wouldn't it." The petite captain hissed.
"That would be true, were it not for the fact that Ichigo-kun's status as a Ryoka will be rescinded soon enough." Yoruichi smirked, while Soi Fon fumed. She had never addressed her with such fondness. Just who did this Ryoka think he was? "And about your Lieutenant... I think you should have sent an assassin, not a minor noble who bullied and bribed his way up to such an esteemed position." At the look of disgust on her former pupil's face, Yoruichi's smirk grew in to a full fledged grin.
"That may well be true..." Soi Fon murmured. "So I suppose I should thank you for helping me get rid of such a pig. I know," She gave a sinister smirk back to her enemy. "How about I make your student's death quick and... relatively painless once I'm done with you? That should make up for... it..." She trailed off, as she heard what seemed to be a... scream? But why would a scream be getting louder? Getting closer? Was someone coming through the forest?
No. No, it seemed to be coming from above...
Her blob of a lieutenant, complete with his purple scarf and idiotic ornaments that he was allowed to wear, by the Central 46, because of his position in society, and because he believed that it 'made him look noble'. No matter the fact that the ugly jewellery jangled as he walked, and purple was far from a camoflagable colour. It was a disgusting fact that he was 'entitled' to be Lieutenant of the stealth force when she would bet even Zaraki had a better chance of taking an enemy by surprise.
The blob of a Lieutenant smashed into the ground with a very loud crash, and Soi Fon could swear that she saw the shock on his face, distorted by the ripples of fat. So the moron was taken off guard, on top of his plentiful failings? At this point, she'd rather have the Ryoka as a Lieutenant than this pig.
'Would it be too much to wish for him to die from his fall?' She wondered to herself, hopeful.
Half a second later, however, Soi Fon learned that, while her Lieutenant was about a subtle as a fat bull in a china shop, his opponent was not.
Well, not at the minute, anyway. But, hey, at least when he was charging straight ahead, he had the power to back it up!
An unbelievable amount of Reiatsu appeared, in an instant, right behind the Stealth Force commander. She had, granted, felt a more overwhelming amount in Kenpachi, but for it to have been hidden so perfectly... she would not have believed it if she could not plainly feel the end result. A small blade; a Tanto, if she were to guess, was pressed under her chin; against her throat, and a strong hand was clamped on her shoulder, keeping her still.
"Well," A male's voice began, sounding slightly amused. "That's much more difficult now, I've gotta say. At some point I'll need to learn how you all manage to supress your Reiatsu so effectively." He directed the comment at her opponent, while Soi Fon remained shocked. She prided herself on her ability to never be taken by surprise. Yet... he'd... "Oi, Yoruichi, is this Captain Soi Fon, then?"
"That's right Ichigo." The Purple haired goddess smirked at Shaolin. "Do you see why I'm so proud of him now, Soi Fon?" And then, the ever cold and calculating captain just dumbly nodded her confirmation. "Hey, Ichigo, I think you might have broken her." Yoruichi commented, amused at her new pupil's success. Her eyes, then, narrowed at the blade being held by Ichigo. "Is that Tabigarasu, then?" She had yet to see it's sealed form, after all.
The weapon, around the size of a Tanto, was far plainer than was usual in a Zanpakuto. The bade itself was a dark grey, that glinted slightly; hinting at the wicked sharp edges. It was entirely straight, and double edged, the width about that of three of its wielder's fingers, and the length no more than seven inches. There was not a guard on the Tanto, the blade just curved down a little, the underside lacking the sharpness to damage Ichigo's fingers. The hilt rested comfortably in Ichigo's hand, but had no features to mark it as particularly pretty, just a ring-pommel that could be considered a little decorative. This blade was not made to be showy. Just to kill. Like its spirit form.
"Why..." Soi Fon whispered, bringing the attention of the two firmly on to her. "Why am I not dead yet?" He had a blade pressed to her throat, had her defenceless. Why hadn't he killed her?
"Eh?" Ichigo asked, surprised. "Why would I kill you? I was just trying to see what was going on here. And whether Yoruichi wanted any help?" The last was directed to Yoruichi, who shook her head.
"No, Ichigo. This is just two friends catching up; you can leave us be." She smiled at the man. "Although," She continued with a smirk. "I would ask that you take the trash you brought along with you when you leave."
"It was a good distraction, wasn't it?!" Ichigo defended, as he looked at the girl he was still holding. "Oi, if I let her go, is she going to stab me in the back?"
"Don't talk about me like I'm not here." Soi Fon hissed.
"I'm not. I just don't trust you enough to ask you directly. If you say no, I reckon you'd still be perfectly happy to slit my throat as soon as I'm defenceless." It wasn't meant as an insult. Just a statement of facts. Soi Fon was an assassin first and foremost, after all.
"Hmm, a good point well made, Ichigo." The Flash Goddess smirked at him. "Okay, then, I'll dump him back in the Barracks; you hold on to my Little Bee for a little while." She vanished suddenly.
"Little Bee..." Ichigo repeated. What did that mean? He didn't have a bee. "Oh. Is that you?" He asked the seething girl he was holding in place.
"Yes..." She growled out. What right did she have to use that nickname? If this Ryoka-boy mocked her for this, she would kill him.
"Huh... Do you mind telling me why she calls you that? It'll bug me otherwise."
"Bug you?" The, currently very irrational, mind of Soi Fon instantly assumed that that phrase, wholly unintentional on the part of Ichigo, was meant to poke fun at her. And thus, her next action was explained.
Soi Fon, as much as she was able while her movements were being constricted by the stronger Ryoka, threw herself backwards, swinging her head back along with the momentum she gained. Her skull, with a crunch that was satisfying to her own ears, smashed against her captor's nose, breaking it with gusto and electing a pained grunt.
"Shit!" Ichigo cursed, as blood poured from his nose. "That was mean, Little Bee." He said, slightly vindictive as he resisted the urge to bring a hand up to his painful nose. The Human-Shinigami was rewarded with a growl of frustration as Soi Fon's plan to get him to release her was unsuccessful, and he readjusted his grip to have his left arm wrapped around both shoulders, keeping her still in a far more effective manner. This, however had the unfortunate, in a way, side effect of pressing her against him, and making the, generally prude-ish, Hybrid uncomfortable.
Soi Fon, too, noticed the proximity they now shared, and was well aware of the fact that nobody got this close to her. Who did this Ryoka think he was? Because she did not like the feel of Ichigo pressed against her. Just the same as Ichigo certainly didn't enjoy having Soi Fon's lean and firm, that being more noticeable in certain areas than others, build pressed against his front.
"I wasn't trying to make fun of you, by the way. I just didn't see any resemblance between you and a bee." He winced a little as the blood-flow stopped from his broken nose. "Though now I guess it might be 'cause you've got a fierce sting." Then, he became conscious of an obvious fact. "Hmm... I wonder why Yoruichi's taking so long. She should have gotten rid of the fat guy by now..." He trailed off, before directing a question at Soi Fon again.
"Hey, why's he your Lieutenant? If you don't mind my asking." He asked, confusion evident. "I mean, I managed to catch you off guard, but it's pretty obvious you're plenty capable; even by Captain standards." That was a roundabout way of complimenting her. "So why on earth would you have such a pathetic Lieutenant?" He received a grumble in reply. "Huh? I didn't hear that."
"He's from a noble family!" She retorted, annoyed. "I don't want him as a Lieutenant! He has no stealth whatsoever, for Kami's sake! But the only criterea for a Lieutenant is having achieved Shikai. I was stuck with him because I was the only one, at the time, who didn't have the spot filled." She explained to the man. "Believe me, I've considered offing him myself more times than I care to count, but that would just get me in trouble with the Central 46."
"Oh. That makes sense, then." She felt him move slightly, nodding.
"I'm called 'Little Bee' by Yoruichi," She refrained from using the title that was still instinctual for her to refer to her ex-mentor by. "Because of the shape of my Zanpakuto in Shikai form. If you wish, I can show you..."
"Ah. I'd like to see it, but I'm not just gonna let you go and attack me with it willy nilly. Hopefully I'll see it some day when I wouldn't be on the receiving end." Ichigo chuckled. "Oh. It looks like our time's up, Captain Soi Fon of the Second Division." He commented. "It's been nice talking to you."
The arm vanished from around her shoulders, and Shaolin stumbled back a little as the body she had been leaning into vanished.
"What the- Yoruichi." She growled, realising what Kurosaki's Reiatsu had been hiding from her keen senses. Her opponent had returned, and was now across from her, a tall, orange haired man with a small blade in his hand and three strapped at his waist stood next to her. What was that she was offering him? The Tentokin!
"So that's where you went, eh Yoruichi?" Ichigo asked, realising why the dark skinned Flasher had taken so long.
"Hai. It took a little while to get into the safe." She looked at Ichigo and smirked. "I was going to say 'I hope you had no problems' but by that," She pointed at the drying blood on the lower half of his face. "I can see that you did."
"Eh." Ichigo wiped the blood away, shrugging. "I've had worse." The Purple haired woman chuckled.
"You can say that again."
"Hmm." He had been in a bad way after his Bankai training. "So, did you want me out of your hair or something?"
"No, not particularly. I'd be happy for you to watch, but I figured; while I was there, I might as well fetch this. We'll need it quite soon. The clock said it was half past 10. The execution's scheduled for Midday, after all."
"Got it," Ichigo took the offered cape, and continued. "I'll be over there if you need me." He pointed off to the left, and vanished.
"Well then, Little Bee... Shall we get started?"
-()-()-()-
Ichigo sat, perched on a thick branch of a tree and watched the high speed fight with interest. It was really different to his fights in the Soul Society. His seemed to consist of fighting with brute force; him and his opponent just charging at each other in an effort to overwhelm. To be honest, he kind of thought that was what Soul Reaper fights consisted of.
It was a good job he hadn't met Soi Fon on his journey so far; else he'd no doubt be dead.
These two... not a single movement was wasted, and each strike took place faster than the majority of Shinigami would be able to follow. And that Shikai... that was deadly, for sure.
But what was up with Yoruichi?
Granted, he hadn't know the Goddess of Flash for all that long, but he was sure she had more pride than to run. And if she did, why wouldn't she call on him to help her?
Ichigo let out an annoyed as the petite girl chased the busty woman around in circles, before noticing that the two's path seemed to be straightening out. He stood up and blurred after them.
-()-()-()-()-
The two combatants ignored the fact that their observer had followed them, and was now, suddenly, stood on the branches of one of the highest visible trees, leant against the trunk in a far too nonchalant manner for someone watching a potentially to-the-death fight.
Ichigo was impressed by whatever it was Soi Fon had decided to do. He certainly hadn't seen or felt anything of the sort. Nor did he imagine himself to be capable of it. Even though he had a couple of techniques he, and a mentally smirking Hichigo, considered to be more effective, the idea of, what he believed to be, a combination of Kido and Hakuda was very interesting. A mix of Close and Ranged combat.
'Wow. Wasn't expecting that.' He thought to himself, as he watched his 'teacher' demonstrate the same ability; perhaps in an even more effective form, and the two created a load of devastation on the ground below.
The current Captain's anger seemed to be changing into frustration as she screamed something at the woman who betrayed her; having expected to have surpassed her mentor by now.
'And yet,' Zangetsu observed. 'She does not release her Bankai.'
'Good point, Old Man.' Ichigo replied. 'I wonder why that is...'
Her form was getting... well, not sloppy, but sloppier than it had been before; her anger making her too hasty. The pair appeared in the air, not too far from Ichigo himself, and they glowed a brilliant white; the Shunko being stronger than they had used yet. In fact... it almost looked like it was going to explo-
"Holy Shit!" Ichigo exclamied, vanishing as a wave of Spiritual pressure enveloped, and eradicated, the tree he had been stood on. "That would have hurt." He had appeared on the ground below, not noticing that the pair had also chosen this spot to land.
"Tell me why... Yoruichi." A voice begged, and Ichigo spun on the spot.
"Why did you leave me?! I would have gone anywhere for you..." Tears streamed down the black haired Shinigami's face. And Hichigo decided this would be an appropriate time for him to make a comment.
'Boy, you sure know how to pick 'em, King. You must have some kind of lesbo magnet.'
'Shut up, Hollow.' Nejibana commented. 'Just because you have no genuine emotions, doesn't mean that displaying them towards one of your own gender makes one a homosexual. This is an emotional moment, and Ichigo-sama does not need your moronic commentary ruining it for him.'
The usually cold girl fell to the ground, sobbing pathetically, and Ichigo stepped forwards one; his instinct to comfort an upset woman, drilled into him throughout his childhood by Goat-Chin coming to the surface.
He was stopped in his tracks, however, by a shake of Yoruichi's head. The woman mouthed the words 'Give her space' to him, and gave a small, sad smile. Ichigo, scowl in place, nodded once, and looked into the sky.
An hour.
On the top of the Sokyoku hill, the area in which Rukia Kuchiki was scheduled to be executed, the top officers of the Gotei 13, or some of them, at least, were gathered, as a half dozen of their forces' number walked past, surrounding the criminal in question.
The Captain of 1st Division, also known as the Captain-Commander; Genryusai Yamamoto, was stood closest, out of all present, to the execution stand and the massive Halberd stood next to it. A grey haired man, wearing a white coat over traditional Shinigami garb stood behind him, to his left.
Next along the line, there was a short woman, with black hair tied in to two extremely long braids, with her Zanpakuto sheathed horizontally behind her back. Next to her, a large, overweight Soul Reaper was stood; highlighting her small stature.
Third, Fourth and Fifth divisions were, for various reasons, absent.
There was, however, the grey haired, though not through age, Lieutenant of Squad 4; Isane Kotetsu. For some reason, her Captain was not present.
Sixth Division captain, Byakuya Kuchiki; an effeminate man, with long, ornamented hair was walking towards the gathering, running late for reasons known only to him. One would hope, however, that he was having difficulty with the fact that his sister was to be executed today. Yet, as he walked past, he did not spare her a glance.
Seventh was missing.
Squad 8 Captain, Shunsui Kyoraku, was next in line, wearing his ever present pink kimono and straw hat. His Lieutenant, Nanao, was stood to the easy-going man's side.
Ninth was missing. So where Tenth and Eleventh.
The clown-makeup wearing Captain of Squad 12, and his stoic creation-Lieutenant were stood on the end furthest from the First Division.
Squad 13, unsurprisingly, was missing. Ukitake would hate to see this.
"Rukia Kuchicki!" A booming voice rang across the rocky hilltop. "Today is the day that your sentence is to be carried out. Do you have any last words before your execution?"
If one was to listen carefully, as well as know him well, you may notice the slightest hint of sympathy in the tone of the aged Soul Reaper. But, the only one who knew him that well present was Shunsui. And the captain of Squad 8 did not often pay that much attention to the happenings around him. Not until it was entirely necessary, at least.
"Just one..." A sad, tired tone came from the prisoner. One that told everyone present that she had given up.
'Foolish girl.' Even in his own head, Yamamoto's tone was rather intimidating. 'She aught to have faith in her friend. I expect we will be seeing young Kurosaki soon, after all.' The smirk was invisible beneath the mighty beard Genryusai sported.
"Please... forgive Ichigo. Send him back to the living world, he was only trying to help me. Humans have different morals... alien to us, but he was only doing what he thought to be right." After a moment of silence, the Head-Captain spoke in response.
"Agreed. After your sentence has been carried out, the Ryoka will be sent back to the Living World, unharmed."
"Thank you, Captain-Commander, sir." Rukia said, with a small smile on her face.
"How very cruel it is... to make such a promise when he has no intent to keep it." Isane murmured, only to have a response from her, previously missing, captain.
"It is not cruelty, Isane... It is kindness, now Rukia can die a peaceful death. Knowing that her friend will not die alongside her."
'You know me well, Retsu.' Yamamoto thought to himself. 'Were this any other time, I would have spoken for that very reason.' The man had heard clearly what they said. He turned to the masked men and spoke.
"Release the Sokyoku. Undo the Seal." He ordered them, and the men, in synchronisation, began a complex movement of their hands.
The ropes previously wrapped around the body of the Sokyoku; the massive Halberd, began to unwind. Blue Reiatsu flared around the weapon, and rocketed into the sky. Across the Seireitei, people looked to the eye-catching phenomenon, as the ropes solidified and shot, like spears, into the ground below the Sokyoku Hill.
Rukia Kuchiki watched, peaceful, as each Captain dipped their head ever so slightly in anticipation.
Her hands, having been tied behind her, broke free of the rope bindings, and lifted to her sides, now parralel to the ground below. Three cubes, each pure white, hovered in front of her. Two floated in front of her hands; and prepared to lift her. The other floated next to her ankles, and the three worked in unison, carrying the small Shinigami up into the air slowly; stopping only once she had reached the stand. Now, she floated as though pinned to a crucifix, but with an expression of acceptance as she awaited the beginning of her end.
"Come now, Nanao-Chan. Don't go getting emotional on me." Kyoraku said softly to his Lieutenant. "Else I'm likely to break down too." The Lieutenant had been gazing sadly at Rukia, but now sighed and dipped her head to face the ground.
"Yes sir. But it was not sadness I felt. You needn't worry."
-()-()-()-()-
No more than 5 minutes later, there were a range of emotions on those present; from sympathy, to worry, to what seemed to be glee from one, more than slightly psychotic, captain.
Rukia Kuchiki was staring, through squinted eyes to reduce the light, into the face of an incredibly large, and very, very hot Phoenix that was floating in front of her, beak reared back, preparing to kill.
She was okay with that.
It was said that death by Sokyoku was so quick... instantaneous, in fact, that the prisoner felt nothing. And so, she was not afraid.
No, Rukia was glad. Glad that the Head-Captain had made his promise. That she knew that Ichigo; the fool that had followed her to her doom, and her... friend. That Ichigo would live to see the others again. She could not forgive herself if she robbed Yuzu and Karin of the brother they thought the world of.
'I am not afraid... I... I have lived a good life. To be blessed with the friendship of Renji and all the others. By Nii-sama's adoption... To be guided by Kaien. And finally... by Ichigo, and his insistence on trying to rescue me. I am glad. I can die knowing I have no regrets... I am at peace. My heart leaves nothing behind.' The girl gave a smile, even as tears ran down her cheeks, turning to steam even as they did.
"Thank you..." She sighed, and her eyes closed. "Farewell..."
-()-()-()-()-
"Stupid girl."
Rukia's eyes snapped open, and found herself looking at... at what? A man floated, between her and the released Sokyoku, with his head and face obscured. Held behind his back, there was a very large Khyber knife, with bandages wrapped around the guard-less hilt. Light shone through a hole running from the base of the blade to the middle of its length, and cast the man's face in to even deeper shadows.
"I distinctly remember giving you and order to never die alone." She could hear a smirk in his voice.
"K-Kaien?" She was shocked. Of course she was shocked. Her mentor. The mentor that she had killed had apparently returned from the dead.
"Eh. Something like that." His hand moved to the waist of his cloak, and he moved it away from the blades underneath. Rukia's eyes widened further as she spotted the familiar katana; a dark blue hilt with a rectangular guard, only with smooth round edges.
"Nejibana..." The Kuchiki girl whispered, amazed. Or at least, she thought that was amazement. When her mysterious saviour raised his hand to the hood, and swept it off; displaying messy orange hair, the poor girl fainted.
"Oi, Rukia?" Ichigo asked. "Hey, you o..." The Ryoka trailed off, as the pressure on Zangetsu was removed and he felt... something.
What the hell did he feel?
His body moved. His hand relaxed, and Hichigo vanished, though where it went was something the observers would not know for quite a while yet.
'What are you doing?' He asked his silent partner, and got no response.
'Guys? What's going on?'
'We don't know, Ichigo. This is Tabigarasu's doing, and he rarely shares his motivation with us...' Zangetsu confirmed that they, too, had no idea what was going on.
This wasn't right. Sure, he possessed the capability to temporarily take the driver's seat, like the others did, but Tabigarasu had never shown the slightest desire to do so. But, like The Old Man said, none of them really understood Ichigo's final Zanpakuto. Ichigo was able to, usually, understand Tabigarasu simply because the Gauntlet-Shikai'd spirit was a part of him, but it was a daunting task to get inside the head of a creature so different to oneself.
In mid air, Ichigo Kurosaki's body, torn from his control, turned around to face the monstrous sized fire-bird. Kikoo.
'Why did I call it Kikoo?' Ichigo asked, voice strained as he fought for control of his body. He was slowly, too slowly, prying control away from Tabigarasu as his eyes locked on those of the... creature in front of him.
The giant Zanpakuto, for something strange told Ichigo that is what the avian was, let out a cry. A strange sound for it to make. Not that of anger, as you would expect from a weapon of execution, nor one of sadness, as would come from one imprisoned for countless centuries.
Instead, it was one of joy.
The joy of siblings reunited.
Kikoo, as it stared into the, now glowing crimson, eyes of Ichigo Kurosaki, let out an... excited trill. Ichigo felt his mouth move, and a strained voice, as though the speaker did not quite know how to speak, wheezed out.
"Sis...ter..."
The bird lunged forward, piercing the chest of Ichigo Kurosaki.
A scream tore through the air, and the Ryoka's body fell.
One last thing that doesn't actually concern Savage; I'm still writing Feral and Purgatory (My HP and PJO fanfics) but writers' block can be a right Bitch, and so I'm having a lot of difficulty with the next chapter for each. At the very latest, I'll post one of each on Friday. Hopefully it'll be Wednesday.
Please Follow/Favourite/Review