Here's another chapter of Savage that I hope you all enjoy. I don't have much else to say here, other than that Reviews, Follows and Favourites are always appreciated.
A little sappy in places, but that was inevitable in this story.
-()-()-()-
Hollow
Old Man Zangetsu
Nejibana
-()-()-()-
As Ichigo was chasing his sadistic Zanpakuto, another, ordinarily more peace loving spirit of his was pursuing her own goal; chasing after Jushiro Ukitake in order to do so as the white haired man left the area occupied by Muramasa and his minions. She had to do this quickly; then she could go back to Ichigo and explain her reasoning. Nejibana did not wish any harm onto Ichigo; unlike her fellows, her wielder had never done anything to inspire such... ire in her. She loved her Ichigo, and would never attack him, unlike so many of the other Zanpakutos. Even Zangetsu... Zangetsus seemed to want to fight Ichigo for some strange reason; one of them seemed to believe that Ichigo would have to be able to beat them with only his own power in order to grow, and the other... well, the other was a maniac.
But her dislike of being away from her wielder only increased the desire she had to defeat the white haired man that was fleeing from her at this very moment.
"Stop running, you coward!" Nejibana exclaimed, as she flashed after Ukitake. "Come back here and FIGHT ME!" Jushiro seemed not to notice the angry Zanpakuto's order, as he continued towards his squad; wishing to warn his subordinates before it was too late, and the members of the 13th division perished because they were unprepared.
That was why Ukitake's attention was solely on what was ahead of him, and he was caught unprepared by the wave of water that slammed into his back; courtesy of Nejibana. Jushiro did not have the title of Captain solely because he had a relationship with the Head-Captain, however, and this attack was little more than an inconvenience as he was knocked off the roof, only to catch himself in mid-air, and Shunpo to higher ground; the best choice being yet another building. The white haired man peered down at his attacker with a frown on his usually peaceful face.
"Who are you?" He wondered, looking at the woman in front of him; dressed in a deep blue kimono that matched her dark blue hair. Nejibana did not have her trident in hand, as it was inconvenient to run with, else Ukitake would not have had much difficulty recognising the weapon and, potentially, putting a name to the face of his attacker. "You do not look to be Sogyo no Kotowari." The two, presumably, would be more... innocent? Ukitake, unlike many of the others, believed he had identified his Zanpakuto spirits as they manifested themselves; it would make more sense for the two children that had floated past him to represent his sword.
The woman merely glared at her wielder's ex captain in response.
"You seem to hate me," Ukitake noted, with confusion. "Why is that?" Again, Jushiro received no answer, and continued to think aloud. "Presumably, you were the Zanpakuto of one of the Shinigami present during Muramasa's speech, or you would not have come from that direction. For me to hold significance to you over your own wielder is odd..." He paused, before shaking his head. "I don't believe that you will have come from Shunsui; his sword would also be represented by a pair of spirits. I suppose you could be Rukia's Zanpakuto, if I am mistaken about the enemy she is currently facing, but that seems unlikely. The woman that was, or is, her adversary has a more... icy feel compared to your cool and... deep feel." He noticed that the Reiatsu of the Zanpakuto felt unique to each of them; as though the characteristics of their wielder were taken and increased exponentially. "It almost feels like...
"Ah." Jushiro lowered his head, and a flash of sadness covered his face. "You are Nejibana; come to seek revenge for my part in Kaien's death."
"That's right," Ukitake rethought his comment on Sode no Shirayuki being the colder at the tone of Nejibana's voice. "Or partly, at the least."
"And you wish me dead?"
"Yes."
"Oh," Jushiro's pain was clear in his eyes at the thought. "Before we... before we begin, I wish to say something. Something that Ichigo refused to hear from me when I attempted to speak to him on the topic." The captain sighed sadly, and continued. "I am truly sorry for Kaien's death. If I could, I would have given my life to restore him and Miyako's lives, before I met Ichigo and found out how many lives he, too, has touched and the potential he has for good; greater than any I have met before. It would be selfish of me to do so."
"I don't want that," Nejibana growled. "I love Ichigo; I would never let him die. That you would say such a thing just increases my determination to kill you." The Zanpakuto spirit growled. "Even so, you could have saved Kaien! He wouldn't have had to die, and I... I wouldn't have been..." The female spirit did not finish her sentence, and leapt forwards; summoning her Shikai to hand as she sailed through the air towards the white-haired captain.
"Please, wait," Ukitake begged, as he dodged the blow with a Flash Step. "You don't need to do thi-blurg!" A blast of water caught him in the face, and the man stumbled back, blinded, as Nejibana began her attack anew; stabbing at the sickly man with her trident. Ukitake drew his katana, though, and blocked the blade with the Zanpakuto's sealed form. He was pushed back several feet, but avoided taking any actual damage as Nejibana shoved forwards.
The female Spirit spun, and slammed the butt of her three-pronged spear into the head of her Wielder's ex-captain. Jushiro stumbled back a step, and lashed out wildly with his katana to force a retreat from the spirit. It worked, as Nejibana leapt backwards, and landed on another building altogether with her Shikai raised. What she was going to do, Jushiro never found out as a crimson glow lit up the sky, and the pair's attention was pulled to the explosion overhead.
Neither moved for a minute; the Shinigami because he wondered after the origins of a cero in the Soul Society, and the Zanpakuto because she recognised the origin, and was worried what it meant for Ichigo. She could find out sooner if she fulfilled her instinct now instead of later; then she could go and find her wielder, and make sure he was safe.
And so she lunged forwards, her trident poised to strike, as Ichigo arrived on the scene.
-()-()-()-
"Flower!" Ichigo exclaimed, as he caught the blow on Kikoo's red sheath and pushed the Shikai away. Nejibana sailed back, and landed on the roof behind her as Ichigo spoke again. "What are you doing?" He asked, confused.
"I have to do this!" Nejibana yelled, still looking at the sickly man behind Ichigo. "Please don't interfere!"
"How can you expect me to just sit back and watch as you kill Jushiro?" The human-shinigami questioned. "And why do you want to hurt him?"
"Because he hurt YOU!" Nejibana yelled, with tears in her eyes as her knuckles turned white; gripping her Shikai form so tightly that it shook. "HE DESERVES IT!" Her form glowed sapphire; reminiscent of the wielder stood in front of her, as her voice dripped venom at the man Ichigo was protecting. She was only prevented from making another attempt at Ukitake's life by Ichigo squaring his shoulders and stepping into her line of sight.
"No, he doesnt," Ichigo took a step forwards, just as Nejibana's shoulders shook. "He didn't hurt me, Flower. I... I hurt myself through my pride." He swallowed the lump in his throat, and kept approaching the crying Zanpakuto; sheathing Kikoo and placing the sword back onto his hip to reassure her of his intentions. "Please don't blame Ukitake-Taicho for my death. He isn't responsible; I would never have forgiven him if he stopped me." Ichigo said, his voice, amazingly, remaining steady as tears began to run down Nejibana's cheeks. The flow of tears picked up and the blue-haired woman fell to her knees and began to audibly sob, prompting Ichigo to leap forwards, onto her roof, and kneel in front of her, to be on the same level.
"What's wrong?" Ichigo asked, as he took her hands in his. Neither noticed Ukitake taking the opportunity to leave; headed back to 13th Division. "Please don't cry..." The human-Shinigami brushed the hair away from Nejibana's face and brown eyes met blue as she sniffed.
"I-It wa-was me!" She lunged forwards, and wrapped her arms around Ichigo at the same time as burying her face in his chest. In a muffled tone, she continued. "I should have protected you!"
"No," Ichigo sighed, as he wrapped his arms around the sobbing Zanpakuto. "We've talked about this before, Flower. It was not your fault. Never your fault; it was my own idiocy that got me killed; I shouldn't have rushed into that fight, and you would have counselled against it if I'd bothered to ask. Then, you wouldn't have had to be alone in the dark for so long." He whispered, before pressing his lips against her head and tightening his hold on the crying girl in his arms. "I'm sorry," The girl's sobs grew less frequent, as she shook her head. "I'm so sorry."
"You don't h-have to be." Her voice came out muffled again, and Najibana hugged her wielder tightly enough that Ichigo's ribs began to creek under the pressure and he felt the need to mention that fact.
"Flower... ribs." He wheezed, and the girl immediately let go.
"Sorry!" She exclaimed, in a worried tone. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Ichigo grinned. "I'm fine." He reassured, and ran a brushed a strand of her hair. "Are you feeling better now?"
"I guess so," She gave a sad smile in response, and leaned forwards. "Thank you." The blue haired Zanpakuto pressed her lips against Ichigo's, and sighed as she pulled away from the soft kiss after a few heartbeats.
"Don't," Ichigo shook his head. "Don't thank me; I'd do anything to cheer you up. You know that, right?"
"I do." Nejibana leant against her wielder again, and continued. "I'll go back now," With one last hug, as she breathed in Ichigo's scent, the blue-haired spirit vanished in an azure glow, and Ichigo was left kneeling on the roof for a moment, before he remembered the situation at hand. The human stood, and vanished in a burst of Shunpo.
-()-()-()-
As Ichigo arrived on the scene of Rukia's battle, he did not find confidence in the sight that awaited him. She was lying, unconscious, on the ground; a crater serving as her bed. Based on the blood on her blade, Rukia had not been outright defeated, but the human was fairly certain that the woman had not been victorious. She was borderline comatose, and so Ichigo scooped her up and began Flash-Stepping to the Fourth Division. It was nearing daybreak now, so hopefully Captain Unohana would be able to receive them.
If not, Ichigo was not sure what he would do. He could try his hand at the healing Kido, of course, but was far from confident in his ability to help Rukia recover from these injuries.
Fortunately, the human-shinigami did not have to attempt it; he found many Healers in the medic-squad, and was directed to an empty room with his light burden; weaving through the corridors and avoiding the rushing Shinigami easily enough. Softly placing Rukia on the bed, he stood and turned just in time for the Captain to walk through the door along with her fellow proteges of Yamamoto. Ichigo raised an eyebrow at their attendance, and Shunsui answered the unasked question of why the three were present.
"Jushiro says you have regained one of your Zanpakuto?" The laid-back captain half-asked.
"Ah," Ichigo nodded. "Yes, I have. Am I right in assuming that's why it takes the three strongest captains to check up on Rukia?"
"Eh. Only Unohana-Taicho is here to help Kuchikki-san. We're here on behalf of Old Man Yama; we need to find out how to end this rebellion as quickly as possible." Kyoraku stated, with a frown. "The Zanpakuto have caused enough trouble already; most of the unranked officers are already out of commission, and the only squad that's survived mostly unscathed is the Second, as they chose to avoid the conflict."
"Well, they've got to be more effective in fighting them than most, don't they? I thought that the ranked officers of Second Division were taught to rely less on their Shikai's than others." They relied, instead, on their skills in Hakuda and the like to get by, with the obvious exception of their Lieutenant. "So it's good that they're the ones that are ready for action."
"True, but we aren't here to look for the silver lining," The hat-wearing Captain shook his head, and continued. "How did you get your Zanpakuto back?"
"She decided to?" Ichigo half-asked in response. "I really don't know what else to say..." The human shrugged helplessly. "Nejibana wasn't mad at me, though, unlike the majority of your Zanpakutos." Almost all of them were targeting their wielders in particular, for some reason. "But maybe you could convince them to stop rebelling? Just have to figure out what it is they want to change, right?"
"What they want to change?"
"Yeah; the reason they have for rebelling must be more complex than just disliking you, or they wouldn't have let you use their power in the past. No matter what they claim, Zanpakuto have the choice not to let you use their abilities; hell, they have to tell you their name in the first place. If they wanted to, they could easily cut off your access to the power if they actually hated you."
"Oh?" Shunsui raised an eyebrow at the thought, and added a more detailed question. "So why are your Zanpakuto rebelling?" Ichigo seemed to be as close to an expert on the subject as they had; probably because he had more spirits than any of them in his inner world.
"Well, Nejibana's insecurities led her to blaming Ukitake-taicho and wanting to fight him, as opposed to me, but it turned out she was just... guilty." Ichigo replied, before grimacing at something unseen by the others. "One of Zangetsu's spirits is... sadistic. He just wants to cause chaos, that's why I tried to chase after him, right up until he attacked someone else," Ichigo wasn't going to elaborate on that, because he didn't feel like explaining his inner-Hollow situation at the minute. "He'll fight me if he has to, but figures that I'll put up the best fight, since I know him so well, and probably wants to blow some other things up, and fight other Soul Reapers, first.
"Lastly, for the other spirit of Zangetsu, I can't say for sure." Ichigo shrugged. "If I had to guess, I'd say that he wants me to prove that I can manage on my own, though the fact that I had two Zanpakuto that remained staunchly loyal kind of negates that. Maybe he has an ulterior motive that I don't know about yet." Ichigo had a few theories, but none that had any actual evidence.
"Hmm." Shunsui tapped his chin, and wondered. "And you think that all of the Zanpakuto would have similar motivations?"
"I would guess so," Ichigo shrugged again, not knowing that much about any Zanpakuto that did not reside in his inner world. "Maybe a few of them have more serious motives, but I would've thought their wielders would know them better than me."
"I suppose you're right." Shunsui nodded, and thought on his own Zanpakuto, and what they would want from him in order to regain their companionship. "What about you?" He asked his oldest friend, and Jushiro spoke after giving it a moments thought and glancing at the unconscious form of Rukia.
"I think that I might have neglected my Zanpakuto somewhat; they might simply want to play games more often." Ukitake theorised. "But there isn't any way to find out until we find the Zanpakuto, and I haven't a clue where they would choose to hide out. Do you?" He posed the question to Ichigo, who looked slightly alarmed at being asked for a few seconds before he responded.
"Not a clue; I doubt that either of my Zanpakuto would have made that decision."
"Fair enough," Shunsui nodded. "Maybe Soi Fon-Taicho has had some luck." He suggested to Jushiro, who nodded.
"Well, if we're done with that topic, is there anything in particular I ought to be doing?" Ichigo asked, since he didn't have any assigned role. The senior-most captains would be more knowledgeable in how to make use of the resources at hand; namely Ichigo.
"Jushiro?" Ukitake looked to his friend, who better knew Ichigo.
"I am sure that Soi Fon would appreciate the assistance." He suggested.
Ichigo wasn't quite as certain, but Second Division would probably be the best place to help out, since they would be the first to find Hichigo. Who knew how much chaos the bleached spirit had caused already.
-()-
Elsewhere, at the same time, the violent Zangetsu sneezed, and glared at the spirits in the corner, whispering conspiratorially as they shot glances over in his direction, assuming that it was they who were talking about him.
He would have attacked the female spirits, had he not caught the eye of his fellow Zangetsu; the tall man warned him, silently, not to start anything in here, and Hichigo acknowledged that it would be no fun to be restrained by a dozen, or so, Zanpakuto in a fight he stood little chance of winning.
-()-
Ichigo appeared on the wall of Second Division's barracks in a flash of Shunpo, and found the spies not on duty running drills under the supervision of Lieutenant Omaeda, as the overweight man sat under a tree in the shade, eating crackers of some sort as he yelled out criticism.
"THAT'S PATHETIC!" The balding man exclaimed, as one of the men missed a step. "DON'T MAKE ME COME OVER THERE!" Ichigo shook his head as the man made such an empty threat. He had a feeling that Omaeda would struggle to stand even if he wanted to.
The orange haired Substitute shook his head, and set to work in locating Soi Fon; he would need to ask her how best to provide assistance, since he was not willing to approach the highest ranking officer in sight on the matter. No doubt that would lead to yet another confrontation and, useless as he was, rendering Omaeda unable to participate in upcoming battles would not help the Soul Society. He could, at the very least, be cannon fodder.
The Captain's reiatsu was mostly hidden, subconsciously, but a hint was detectable after a couple of minutes combing through the less-disguised signatures of her subordinates. Ichigo was slightly surprised to find that she was not in the office that doubled as a residence for the Captain; Ichigo assumed that the stoic captain was the type to stay close to her work, even at night, in order to maintain the law she so cared about.
His surprise subsided as he found she was in the canteen, eating breakfast in order to keep her strength up for the trying day ahead. Ichigo dropped to the ground, attracting several glances from the Omnitsukido members, and headed into the barracks. When he was not stopped, the Substitute assumed he was permitted and headed for the Captain's location. As he did, the woman evidently finished her meal and began to move back to her office, and Ichigo sped up in order to catch her.
"Soi Fon-Taicho?" Ichigo asked, as he approached the Captain. Soi Fon turned, and briefly showed a look of confused surprise, before regaining her composure.
"Kurosaki-san," She acknowledge, before continuing. "How did you get into my Division's barracks?" She asked, with a frown.
"By walking in the entrance?" Ichigo replied, with his own confusion. "Why do you ask?"
"Because I gave clear instructions not to allow anybody not of my Division to enter; there is no telling who may be assisting Muramasa in his rebellion." At Ichigo's slight scowl, she shook her head, braids swinging, and spoke again. "Not that I believe you to be my enemy; I am only... upset that they failed to follow simple instructions."
"Well, in your men's defence, their Lieutenant was present; I'm sure they were simply following his lead." Ichigo did not miss the petite woman's growl at the mention of her incompetent Lieutenant, nor did he disagree with the sentiment.
"Anyway," Soi Fon changed the subject, as she raised an eyebrow at Ichigo. "What are you doing here? I do not believe that you would be sent as a messenger by another of the captains."
"Ukitake-taicho suggested that I'd be able to help out best with your Squad, and I thought that sounded like a good idea," Ichigo said. "I was going to ask if there was anything you would like my help with."
"Is it true that you have retrieved one of your Zanpakuto?" Soi Fon asked, getting right to the point.
"Hai," Ichigo nodded. "Nejibana decided to return to my inner world; she wasn't angry with me as much as Ukitake-taicho, and once I calmed her down she had no reason to rebel any more." Ichigo shrugged.
"Hm. Do you happen to know what would happen to any Zanpakuto that are defeated in combat?" The short captain knew that this goal would be easier to pursue than calming the Swords.
"Sorry, no." Ichigo briefly looked inwards, and continued. "Nor does Nejibana, I'm afraid." Soi Fon nodded; she hadn't expected to be given that break, since Ichigo did not have to fight his Zanpakuto.
"If you are willing to be patient, we will simply be waiting for the Zanpakuto to show themselves to my scouts. In the meantime, I would appreciate it if you were willing to train with me; I do not have many options at the moment as my higher ranking subordinates are leading the scouting missions, excluding my Lieutenant."
"Of course," Ichigo grinned. "Where should we do it? And what will we be training?"
"In the yard, if that is acceptable, and I would prefer to focus on Hakuda as my Shikai is not available to me currently."
"Alright," Ichigo nodded. "Shall I meet you out there? Since you were heading for your office, I mean."
The Captain nodded, and Ichigo vanished in a Flash Step; not noticing the slight excitement Soi Fon donned. She remembered what Yoruichi had told her; that Ichigo had seen the Goddess naked and, even if Ichigo irritated her less than she expected, the Shinigami would enjoy herself. Any other reasons were lost to the petite Captain, as she Shunpo'd to her office.
-()-()-()-
On paper, Ichigo supposed that he would hold the advantages in this fight. He was bigger and stronger; outweighing the small captain by a rather significant amount, so he ought to be able to deal more damage than his opponent. He was tougher; able to take more punishment before he broke, so he should be able to last longer. He had more reiastu than Soi Fon, which simply furthered the strength advantage the human-Shinigami held.
Yet, as the Hakuda-master slammed her leg into his gut, Ichigo did not feel this was the case. Instead, he felt the air leave his body, and was thrown back. Nevertheless, the hybrid rolled, and rose to his feet, as the woman hobbled backwards slightly; even if she was better than him, Ichigo's energy at least made the experience of kicking him unpleasant for Soi Fon, also, even if it certainly could not compare to the pain dealt to her opponent.
"Shit..." Ichigo wheezed, as he leapt out of the way of her renewed attack. "What's got you so fired up?" On top of her experience, Soi Fon had another obvious advantage. As much of a threat as she was, Ichigo did not want to hurt the female Captain because it went against how he was raised. He was beginning to regret accepting this invitation to spar.
"Yoruichi told me about you," Soi Fon punched Ichigo in the face, and the man stumbled back several steps, his head reared. "And about your relationship!" She knocked Ichigo's legs out from under him, and the man fell to the floor with a grunt. Ichigo swept her feet out, with his arm, in return. As the Captain fell to the floor, he leapt to his feet and jumped out of her reach; bringing one of his hands to his nose and finding it broken. With a scowl, and a crack as he realigned the bone, Ichigo refocused himself.
"What are you-" Ichigo stepped aside, and knocked Soi Fon's hand away, as the Captain attacked again. "Talking about?"
"That the two of you-" Soif Fon's knee was caught in Ichigo's hand as she tried to bring it up into his stomach, and she stumbled back as the hybrid pushed her away. "Are often naked together!"
"Whoa-" Ichigo caught her fist in his hand, and tilted his head to avoid the second punch. "How am I meant to stop her from stripping in front of me? And it isn't my fault if she climbs on top of me while I'm asleep!" Soon, Ichigo would realise what a mistake it was to add this last part.
"What?" Soi Fon hissed.
"What?"
"You've slept together?!" The Captain wasn't surprised at he jealousy, though the level of hurt was rather surprising even to her. She did not believe that Yoruichi was a virgin, so why did the thought of her and Ichigo entwined in a lovers embrace make her feel... she shook her head. Why did it hurt her so to think of it? As long as she didn't picture it, that was the prominent feeling.
"O-Only in the most literal sense!" Ichigo quickly explained! "Nothing more than sleep!"
"And you... sleep in the nude?" Soi Fon, for some reason, felt compelled to ask.
"Uh... sometimes?" Ichigo did not know how to answer the question. "But that doesn't mean I... um, did anything to your goddess." This was awkward to discuss.
"And did she do anything to you?" Soi Fon asked. Ichigo was confused by the line of questions, and blinked repeatedly before he answered.
"N-No..." Soi Fon had reddened slightly, and Ichigo continued. "Now can we please get back to the fight?"
"Y-Yes, of course." She swallowed, and readied herself to attack once again; however half-hearted the attack would be.
The two were prevented from fighting as a temporarily set up siren rang through the yard, announcing that Zanpakuto had been spotted. Ichigo's hand went to his hip as the Captain in front of him began shouting orders; recovering in record time.