Here's another chapter of Savage. A long one, because I'm struggling to write anything for my other three fics for varying reasons. Well, that and the fact that I like Bleach and enjoy writing Savage. Don't expect many of this length, though, since I find it more natural, and preferable, to write my typical length chapters (that being somewhere around 4K words) and tend to run out of steam around that mark. Hell, this was two separate chapters when I wrote it, but the first half seemed like it contrasted nicely-enough with the second so... voila!
I hope you enjoy the chapter. Please let me know through Reviews, Follows and Favourites.
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"Oh, calm down, Ichigo." Nejibana laughed at her wielder's panic. Upon her mentioning of the kiss he shared with Soi Fon, Ichigo had stammered out apologies and attempted justifications in that she had kissed him, as he worried that his Zanpakuto would be angry with him. He had, apparently, forgotten that she was a part of him, and knew well that he had enjoyed the kiss. He had also forgotten another fact that came with her being a part of him. "I enjoyed it."
"Uh... you what?" Ichigo asked, with obvious confusion.
"I liked it. Soi Fon's attractive, and you like her. That means I like her as well." The water-Zanpakuto smiled at him; having stepped out of the hug to watch Ichigo scrambling to rectify the imagined slight.
"You..."
"Wow. You're having difficulty with this, aren't you," She smiled at him, and continued in a teasing tone. "Almost as if your blood has been diverted from your brain at the image." She winked at her wielder, who began to redden at the implication.
"N-No. Nothing like that, I just..." Ichigo trailed off, trying to think of a better explanation.
"You just...what?"
"I was just surprised. I didn't realise... ah, that." He swallowed, and his Adam's apple bobbed. "I mean, you stayed silent, mostly, in the past, and didn't get the feeling that you liked... girls."
"I love you," She emphasised, on the off chance that Ichigo was hiding his jealousy from her with far better control than he'd previously shown. "But I also like the things you like, since I see things from your perspective in the outside world." Her smile grew, becoming teasing once again. "That includes Soi Fon, as well as others, I am sure I don't need to clarfy who I mean by that." Ichigo raised an eyebrow, as the Zanpakuto winked again, in slight confusion.
"Um... it would help if you did."
-()_()-
As Ichigo rested, to give it a nicer name than his being severely injured and falling unconscious because of a treacherous ball-bag, the goddess in question sat at his side with concern etched onto her features as she waited for the senior captains to arrive at Fourth Division in order to be briefed on what she had found. Yoruichi ran a hand through his messy orange hair as the boy twitched in his sleep, and Ichigo seemed to nuzzle into her hand, inspiring a small smile in the purple-haired goddess. The human, for reasons unknown to his silent watcher, reddened at the same time, and this only increased the appeal to the woman. She thought him extremely cute with the blush covering her face, even if she wished that it was her that had caused it. She did not think that her stroking of Ichigo's hair would have made him so embarrassed.
"You're such a fool, Ichigo." She sighed, through a yawn; she had been here for hours now, and it was beginning to catch up with her. "Always getting yourself into trouble." She removed her hand from the hybrid's scalp after a moment, and leant forwards with a smirk. "But I have a bone to pick with you on top of that," She stood, and loomed over the unconscious Substitute with a fake-angry expression on her face. "You've known me for longer than you've known her, but you kissed her first? How's that fair?" She asked, as she climbed atop Ichigo, and straddled the sleeping man. It would be funny to see his reaction to waking with Yoruichi sleeping partially on top of him once again. "Although I suppose there are other things I could be first for." She commented to the man, finding that she quite liked her position.
That was a bad time for Ichigo to wake, Yoruichi was certain, as his brown eyes fluttered open.
"BAH!" Ichigo exclaimed, as he caught sight of the woman atop him, and jerked in shock. The woman was flung forwards, onto Ichigo's chest. "Ah!" He yelled again, this time in pain instead of surprise. His chest was not fully healed yet, and so it hurt as the woman's bust pressed against him.
"Sorry!" Yoruichi returned, and pushed herself back into a sitting position. She grinned sheepishly at Ichigo, and continued. "I didn't expect you to wake up..."
"Okay... I don't see how that justifies you straddling me!" He responded.
"We... you see..." Yoruichi began. "I... have nothing." She shrugged. "I was tired, and your bed looked comfortable?"
"And you didn't think it was weird to climb into my bed with me?!" He asked, as the were-cat shifted on top of him. "And why are you still on me?!" He exclaimed to the woman.
"Hmm? I was waiting for you to ask me nicely." Yoruichi pouted.
"Fine. Will you please get off me?" Ichigo asked her, a scowl betraying his annoyance despite the forced calm in his tone.
"Okay," Yoruichi said, in a disappointed voice. "Y'know, you're being very rude after I found you and brought you here to Fourth Division." She said, as she climbed off her pupil. "I saved your life."
"That was you?" Ichigo's eyebrows rose, now that he could get his bearings. "Thank you, then. I'm grateful, but that doesn't make it any more normal to wake up to a... to you in the same bed as me."
"You didn't like it?" Yoruichi asked, in a disappointed tone, missing the slip up for once. Whether this was truly how she felt or not, Ichigo could not say but it still made him feel bad for upsetting her.
"I didn't say that." Ichigo reminded her, in a sigh. "Not that I want you to do it again!" He hastily added, as a grin spread over her face. It fell away in favour of another pout and Ichigo decided to change the subject; he was no good at this. "When did you return, anyway?"
"I was coming back after Kisuke heard tell of all of this. I intended to tell you and the others of my reconnaissance when I felt Byakuya release his sword and thought he might need help," She scowled at the memory. "Obviously I was wrong about that, though." Ichigo grunted in agreement as he sat up, and swung his legs off the side of the bed. "And I carried you here." She smiled at him, and Ichigo shivered at the look in her eye. "I think you should give me a reward." She whispered, leaning in close.
"Uh... r-right." Ichigo stammered. "Ad how do you want me to do that?"
"Well, I've heard about you and Soi Fon, you see," Yoruichi watched Ichigo redden, much like her ex-pupil had, and her sultry smile increased in size. "And I'd like the same."
"I...um... what?" Ichigo had no idea what to say, as the woman licked her lips, and moved in to press her own against Ichigo's. Golden eyes met brown before Yoruichi's fluttered shut, while Ichigo just froze in surprise.
"Ah, Ichigo! You're awake!" Shunsui Kyoraku exclaimed, as he entered the room. Then, he comprehended the scene, and his grin grew. "Sorry, I didn't realise I was interrupting." He waggled his eyebrows, and backed back out of the room.
"Bastard." Yoruichi hissed. "Ruined the moment." She moved back, with disappointment, and spoke to Ichigo. "This isn't over." She promised the hybrid. "You can come in, Shunsui!" She called out, behind her, and leant back into her chair.
"Ah," He said, as he came back into the room. "I'm sorry. I didn't expect you to be having a romantic reunion with Yoruichi-san, Ichigo. I would have waited had I known." He grinned apologetically to the sitting man.
"Uh... that's not what... I don't... right..." Ichigo blinked confusedly at everything that had just happened, finished his sentence non-committally at the look of hurt on Yoruichi's face, though he was certain it was fake, and shook the cobwebs from his brain. "So how long have I been out?" The human asked. He really ought to have asked that earlier.
"Only two hours." A new, female voice answered him, as Retsu Unohana entered the room. She paused, and her smile turned sinister. "Why are you up, Kurosaki-san?" She asked her patient.
"I was going to go and look for my remaining Zanpakuto..." He answered uncertainly and gulped at the suddenly sinister nature of her kind smile.
"And now you are going to lie down again while I check that you are recovered enough to leave my care, aren't you?" She ordered, in the form of a question.
"O-Of course." Ichigo lay down without complaint and turned his head to look at the other occupants as Unohana stepped forwards and began her examination. "Well, has anything important happened?"
"Not really, though Yoruichi and Soi Fon, together, have filled us in on what happened to you." Kyoraku explained quickly.
"Well that's good to hear." Ichigo nodded, glad he did not have to retell the events himself. "And... why are you all here?" He asked, in what he hoped was a polite-ish tone as his ex-captain entered the room. All three of the senior captains were present, and so Ichigo reached the conclusion that something serious was going on.
"Yoruichi has told us something worrying. Almost as much as that of Byakuya's betrayal." Shunsui began, serious for once. "We knew that Muramasa had imprisoned Old-Man Yamamoto, and now we know where the Captain-Commander is being kept."
"How is that bad news?" Ichigo asked. "Surely that means we can launch a rescue mission?" That would be the logical assumption, after all.
"If only, Ichigo," Shunsui responded, with a sigh. "I believe that that would be the case, had we found out Yama-jii's location even a day ago, but with Muramasa seemingly losing control of the rebellious Zanpakuto of Captains and Lieutenants, and a few powerful officers, they are no longer coordinated in their movements. Most of them seem to have taken to attacking the unranked Shinigami, in fact, until their wielder happens upon them and they fight until the Zanpakuto submits." His frown increased, as he left the other option unsaid.
"... Or the Shinigami fails." Ichigo finished for him, with his own sombre look. It was only logical that some of the Zanpakuto were victorious, and this would not have a happy ending for the Soul Reapers.
"Right." Shunsui nodded.
"You said that he had lost control of the Captains' and Lieutenants' Zanpakuto, right?" Shunsui nodded in response to the query. "Does that mean that other Zanpakuto have rebelled? I guessed that most ranked officers would have Shikai, but I've only seen them of a select few." Ichigo explained, with his mind on the idiot that he had met during his invasion.
"A large number of ranked Shinigami do have their Shikai," Shunsui confirmed. "And they have abandoned their masters too, though they are less troublesome than our Zanpakuto. The power of the spirits seems to vary depending on how strong their wielder was." He explained briefly, and Ichigo nodded slowly. "Fortunately, I suppose, he still has these Zanpakuto under his thumb, and they are not simply going around causing chaos."
"Another question," Ichigo added, after processing the information, as he scowled. "What happens when someone fails? What happens to the Zanpakuto?" He asked.
"That has been the main duty of the Captains throughout this rebellion." Jushiro Ukitake answered him. "None of us have encountered our Zanpakuto just yet, and so there have not been many instances that one of us have struggled to deal with."
"That is not necessarily true." Retsu commented, as she poked Ichigo in the ribs, inspiring a twitch in the human at the brief urge to snicker due to the almost tickle. She found, however, no signs of pain and the captain frowned imperceptibly at the rapid healing. She could have healed him this quickly, had she been focused solely on him for the past few hours, but the captain had been to busy to heal Ichigo to the fullest extent of her abilities. Any suspicions she held, however, were vanquished as she ran her hands over Ichigo's chest, and he hissed at the sensation on his still-sore flesh. "Captain Hitsugaya is missing currently, and Captain Soi Fon has regained her Zanpakuto, even if it was not through combat."
"Oh?" Ukitake responded. "How did she regain her Zanpakuto, then?"
"She did not specify." Unohana said, quite uninterested in the subject as she did not need the details. Shunsui, however, noticed the knowing smirk on Yoruichi's face, and that meant he was interested.
"What are you smirking about?" He demanded. "How did she regain her Zanpakuto?!"
"Our sweet little Soi Fon-" Yoruichi began, only to be interrupted by the only other person who knew the story.
"It's not important," Ichgo blurted. "Surely we should be focusing on more pressing matters?" He interrupted for several reasons. The most obvious of these was that he did not want to be teased, but the main reason was that he had a feeling Soi Fon would be far more unhappy than he if people found out about their kiss. Well, of her kissing him, since she was definitely the instigator.
"That's correct," Ukitake agreed, taking pity on the reincarnation of his Lieutenant as Ichigo blatantly wanted the subject to change. "We need to organise a meeting with all of the captain-level fighters as soon as possible and, subsequently, we will need to regain our Shikais, at the very least, to prepare ourselves against for any coming threats." He said, calmly.
"I suppose," Shunsui sighed. "After all, if they are independent of Muramasa's wishes now, we will need to act quickly lest they begin to disperse. If any of them enter the Human World, it may be impossible to locate them at a later date. Hell, that might be true if they were to enter the Rukon district, since we do not have the manpower to search the entire Soul Society let alone the people that would survive if they encounter one of the Sword-spirits."
"So we need to strike quickly?" Yoruichi summarised. "Then I aught to go and round up the other high-level Shinigami, right?" She was the fastest, after all.
"Maybe it would be best if you didn't go ff on your own," Ichigo suggested halfheartedly from his place on his bed.
"Oh, are you worried about little ol' me?" Yoruichi grinned at him playfully.
"Yes." Ichigo stated, in a serious tone, in answer to the question. Yoruichi's expression faltered, and she adopted an annoyed frown. "I know you're strong, don't get me wrong, but the Zanpakuto have different rules when fighting to Shnigami. Some of them are incredibly dangerous, and without... honour, for lack of a better word." He said, with Hichigo in mind.
"What do you mean?" Shunsui asked, with confusion.
"Well... I'd say that I have the most experience in dealing with the characteristics of different Zanpakuto," Ichigo shrugged his shoulders. "Not to sound arrogant, but I have five spirits in my inner world, and they're all pretty damn different."
"A fair assessment." Ukitake nodded.
"And none of my five are particularly adverse to violence, so I assume that Zanpakuto typically share that characteristic." Ichigo said, logically. "And two of them are... prone to it," Ichigo thought that was the best way to phrase the seeming sadism of Hichigo and the savagery of Tabigarasu. "With the abilities that some Shikai's have, it could be dangerous if they have the same inclination. I would suggest that even the Captains and Lieutenants travel in pairs with different skillsets, in case they encounter one of the Zanpakuto that cancel out their primary fighting ability, or abilities." At the thoughtful, but not entirely convinced, expressions on the other Shinigami, Ichigo continued. "Rukia, for example, would be ill-equipped to fighting your Zanpakuto, for example, Ukitake-taicho, since she's prone to using Kido, and I'm sure that there are people more reliant on the magic than she is."
"Hm. That's a good point," Jushiro nodded. "But I would argue that we senior captains are adaptable, as are many of the others."
"Not necessarily," Ichigo winced at what he was about to say, but pressed on. "I mean... well, my Zanpakuto that is still free knows about your sickness, and would not hesitate in using that against you if he had to." Ichigo said in a slightly hesitant tone.
"He's right." Shunsui realised. "My Zanpakuto would know as well and, I'm sure, yours would be able to exploit my weaknesses."
"Like?" Jushiro asked, with a frown.
"Uh..." Shunsui didn't think a lot about his own weaknesses when outside of training, so he took a moment to think of what his worst factor would be. Ichigo beat him to it, and likely had a better outlook on the situation. Because of this, he spoke up and did not consider the fact that he was almost insulting captain Kyoraku.
"I'd say that it would be his reluctance to fight," Ichigo commented. Then, he realised that it was inappropriate to point this out, and attempted to justify it hastily at Shunsui's surprised look. "I mean... it looked like two little kids were your Zanpakuto spirits, Captain, and Kyoraku-taicho would likely buy that they did not want to fight him. That would let them... blind-side him, and they may be able to hurt even you if they took you by surprise." He said this last part to Shunsui himself, and the man grinned.
"Oh, stop it, you," He waved off the compliments with a faux-bashful expression. "You're gonna make me blush. But that makes sense, I suppose." The captain nodded, with a thoughtful expression now on his face.
"How did you get so good at spotting people's weaknesses?" Yoruichi asked, with a Cheshire-cat grin back on her face.
"My Zanpakuto like training? They're better at it than me, and I guess I picked up some of it along the way." Ichigo shrugged, with a hint of red on his neck at the complimentary, teasing tone. It was true what he said, though, since Zangetsu was extremely talented at the art-form. "I admit I've been quizzed about it before, for my allies since they were the options, by Zangetsu though. I can't do it that quickly unless it's in the middle of a fight, I'm afraid." He grinned sheepishly, as Shunsui whistled, and Jushiro nodded.
"Okay, then," Yoruichi began, leaning forwards. "What's mine?" She asked, with her elbows resting on her knees. Ichigo's gaze, she was pleased to see, flicked to her bust briefly, and then he pulled it back to her golden eyes. Unlike Shunsui, who stared unashamedly at her girls.
"Ah..." Ichigo hesitated, unsure of whether she actually wanted an answer, but decided that Yoruichi would not have asked if she didn't, on some level, want to know what it was. "Well, it'd have to be that, no matter how talented you are in Hakuda and Hoho, and you are the best I've seen, a blade is a more effective method of combat than hand-to-hand. I haven't ever seen you use your Zanpakuto, so... yeah." He finished awkwardly as Yoruichi's grin faltered, before turning into a smirk.
"A good point well made." She remarked, sitting up again, and hiding her surprise that he had made it.
"And mine?" Retsu Unohana asked, as she finished her examination, that had been ongoing throughout these interactions.
"I don't have a fucking clue." Ichigo scowled. "That's one of the things they constantly bring up, but even as Kaien I don't remember seeing you fight properly. I just know that you must be strong, to be one of the top four Captains, as I rank you in my mind at least." He said, with annoyance in his tone. "I normally end up going with your Shikai being bulky and, seemingly, ill suited to combat?" He finished, with a slight uplift in his tone that signalled that he was wholly uncertain. He had thought, briefly, that she did not like combat herself, but the sinister aura she sometimes gained resulted in him doubting this fact.
"Hm." Retsu gained a smirk at the fact that Ichigo did not know her weakness. Then, it fell away as her two friends gained thoughtful looks, and wondered what they would say was her weakness. That could not mean anything good for her.
"And what of the other captains?" Shunsui wondered, as he and his closest friend had a similar train of thought at the insight into Ichigo. Both of them began to wonder what Yamamoto would think of Ichigo's thought process. They suspected that Genryusai had similar thoughts, however, and suspected that he would pursue Ichigo for captaincy if he knew that the hybrid thought about their weaknesses to such an extent. While neither planned to tell the old man, since they did not want Ichigo to be forced into captaincy, they thought it remarkable for Ichigo to have a talent for this.
"Kind of," Ichigo nodded slowly. "But I don't know all of them well enough to express certainty. Some of them weren't around when I was Kaien, and my interactions with them have been limited. Likewise, I didn't interact all that much with Captains when I was still your Lieutenant." He added to Jushiro.
"Captain Kurotsuchi?" Jushiro asked, only to receive a look of surprise, mixed with some small ridicule, in response before Ichigo answere.
"He's insane," Ichigo said simply. "And, if you showed him something interesting, he would lose all focus on the fight at hand. That would be his main flaw. Not a difficult question to answer, Taicho; I bet that even Omaeda could have come up with the answer." He said, and then blinked at the memory. "Oh, what happened with him, anyway?" He asked Captain Unohana stood next to his bed.
"His Zanpakuto spirit was captured, and he is with it at Division 12 at this very moment." Unohana answered, with a small frown at the thought of what Mayuri Kurotsuchi would be doing to the man. Unfortunately, it was a necessary evil at the moment.
"Oh, okay." Ichigo did not particularly care, since he disliked Omaeda.
"How about Zaraki?" Shunsui asked, as Ichigo showed no sign of more enquiries.
"Again, he's not exactly stable. He charges in without thought and hinders himself. If his opponent was strong enough, and he just let them cut on him, they could kill him with a blow that he would not bother trying to block. His skill set is also very limited, since he relies only on Zanjutsu, and, as if that wasn't enough, he restricts his abilities a hell of a lot." Ichigo said, thinking of the bells, the eyepatch, and the fact that he only used one hand on his blade.
"Captain Hitsugaya?" Jushiro wondered, with a smile gradually forming, as the man he still thought of as his Lieutenant showed off his mentality toward battle.
"I don't know him all that well, but it seems like he's a little short-tempered when someone mentions his height, or age. Or," Ichigo frowned at what he was about to say. "I'd suggest a tactic that'd be effective with a lot of you, but that he has had less experience dealing with; he panics when you throw an attack at his subordinates." The hybrid thought back to his own invasion, when Toshiro had left the obviously strong fighter for his Lieutenant to deal with while he rushed off to protect his subordinates.
"Tosen?" Shunsui asked.
"The whole 'justice' obsession jumps to mind, since he could be manipulated through it. Or maybe the fact that he's blind; I mean, he's rarely hindered by it since he uses his Reiatus-sensing abilities to compensate for it, but he does have one less sense than most of his enemies." Ichigo shrugged. "But he isn't a captain anymore, so I'm not sure why you included him."
"Komamura?" Shunsui ignored the fact, and moved on, enjoying the game.
"It used to be his embarrassment, and shame, for his appearance. Now... I suppose I'd say that he's quite angry, and doesn't always think before attacking." He summarised, thinking of the beginning of this very rebellion.
"Byakuya?" Jushiro asked. "He's still a captain, for the moment at least."
"Pride." Ichigo summarised in a word. "He values his own bloody pride more than even the life of his sister. And above his loyalty to the Gotei 13, evidently." Ichigo found a glass of water on his bedside table and took a quick drink from it before continuing. "It takes the form of arrogance, as well, as he assumes that his opponent will stand no chance against him. He's not the strongest of the captains, so he shouldn't have that opinion.
"But, as interesting as this is, how is this helping with the situation at hand?" Ichigo asked, with a frown. "Other than Byakuya, none of the Captains are my enemy at the moment."
"Ah... I guess we got caught up in the moment." Shunsui grinned. "It's an interesting subject." He shrugged, before turning to Unohana. "So how's he doing?" He asked, of Ichigo's health.
"You recovered remarkably quickly," She said, to Ichigo. "And it looks like you'll be ready to leave very soon."
"Okay, then." Yoruichi's smile grew once again. "I call Ichigo as my partner!" She exclaimed suddenly. "He makes up for my failings."
"I don't thin-" Jushiro began, only to be interrupted. His point about Ichigo and Yoruichi not truly balancing out each-others' failings would go unheard, as the Captain decided that the slight aversion to Kido that both held would not be overly important in upcoming fights. A few moments later, he became more resolute in this thought, as he remembered reports of Yoruichi showcasing some form of Kido mixed with Hoho, and that Ichigo had an array of longer-range attacks that would be effective as a substitute.
"We're agreed then," Yoruichi continued. "Hurry up and get better, so that we can leave." She grinned at Ichigo, who blinked in surprise.
"Okay, then," Shunsui said, with a knowing grin. "With that in mind, Ichigo, what would you say your own weak-points are?"
"My own?" Ichigo hesitated, not being particularly comfortable with divulging his own weaknesses. Then, however, Zangetsu pointed something out that alleviated the hesitation.
'They are all very experienced in combat, Ichigo. I am sure that they could identify the weaknesses themselves, if they have not done so already. Anyway, you will be fighting alongside them in the future; it would do for them to know you.' The stoic Zanpakuto pointed out. 'Though I would not suggest any of this, were you to hold any of the people present in any less than your highest regard.'
"Well, I know my own weaknesses better than anyone else's," Ichigo began, moments after Zangetsu made this argument. "I'd have to say that I'm weak with Kido, though I've learned a few Hados and a select couple of Bakudas, which could be trouble in certain situations, although I have mid-to-long range attacks with my Zanpakuto abilities, so I may be able to make up for that flaw." He took another drink of water, and continued. "I have a temper, too, and am inclined towards violence as a couple of my Zanpakuto imply, though I keep more control of myself than people like Kenpachi.
"I, like most people, have people I care about more than I care about myself, but that's also true for my Zanpakuto, so I'd avoid dying if at all possible but I would make rash choices if one of them was threatened; this is more important since some of those I care about are humans and, so, less durable than my enemies." He rubbed his jaw in thought, and his gaze flicked to Yoruichi, who smiled softly at the flaw; it showed Ichigo's character, after all. "Tying into my lack of Kido abilities, my Zanpakuto, though ranged, are all quite focused on combat. I guess that could be seen as a fault. Even though I learn quickly, I have less experience with combat than a lot of my enemies; Aizen would be the best example I could give of that, so I might be less... able than them.
"There are things that aggravate me a lot, too. Mistreating allies, for example, riles me and..." Ichigo frowned, and hesitated before saying the next part, but relented upon a nudge from his Zanpakuto. "My mother's death. If someone brought that up, I would likely lose control of my anger." He finished, not thinking of any other significant weaknesses that he had.
"Huh." Yoruichi did not find any other words to express her thoughts. She had not expected Ichigo to be so honest or, based on what she knew of him, to speak in such a clinical tone as he listed his own weaknesses.
"That was... detailed." Shunsui commented.
"Zangetsu pointed out that I'll likely be fighting with you in the future. I might as well tell you now, and save myself the trouble in the future." He shrugged. "Besides, I wouldn't have told you if I didn't trust you, and I'm not particularly ashamed of any of it." He looked at the purple-haired goddess sat next to him, and continued. "I'm good to go whenever you are."
When the pair had, in fact, left, Shunsui frowned, and inspired worry in his friends through the action. It was a rare sight, to see the easygoing captain look anything nearing unhappy and the significance was not lost on his fellow captains.
"What is it?" Jushiro asked, with concern in his voice. His own realisation during this time did nothing to inspire angst in him, as it appeared Shunsui's had. The sickly captain had noticed, during this time, that Ichigo was speaking as though he remembered his time as Kaien. Likely not all of it, but the change was clear, and Ukitake was joyful about the return. Perhaps, eventually, Ichigo would return to the Gotei 13; surely that would help him to recover the entirety of his memories as soon as was possible.
"I gonna have to keep an eye on that kid," Shunsui stated, in a serious tone. He did not intend to be derogatory with the use of that term, but he and his friends could not see a human, barely old enough to be seen as an adult by even his fellows, as anything but a kid. "I have a feeling that, whatever he does, the Soul Society will change because of Ichigo Kurosaki."
-()()()-
Ichigo was angry, and Yoruichi was uneasy at the sight.
While she had seen him irritated before, mostly in response to her teasing acts, most recently being her attempting to sleep with him once more, in the most literal sense, the exile had never seen Ichigo genuinely angry, and had a feeling, based on the nature of his Zanpakuto that she had heard tell of from Soi Fon, and the one that she had seen briefly in the caves, that Ichigo's temper would be a sight to behold. She had seen Urahara wondering over whether they represented a part of Ichigo, since they were not born naturally to him, and her friend had reached the conclusion that they became a part of Ichigo, even if it was only because of their influence of him while the hybrid grew up. For his soul to contain one spirit that was as... crazed as the bleached version of him, and another that was indescribably angry, Ichigo must have his fair share of demons, and several other people's fair share heaped upon him.
"What is it?" She asked after the sudden onset of Ichigo's fury. She had sensed a group of Shinigami in combat with one of the freed Zanpakuto for a moment, before already formidable Ichigo's Reiatsu flared, and pulled her attention to him.
Ichigo chose not to respond, and vanished in a flash of Shunpo. Fortunately, Yoruichi Shihoin was not known as the Goddess of Flash for not reason, and followed her self-named protege an instant later. She followed his path, reducing his head start as Ichigo paused briefly to ascertain where the brawl was occurring, and soon reached the man's destination; the woman appeared to Ichigo's side, and gave a brief, concerned glance to him as she saw a haunted look in her... in Ichigo's eyes.
He stared at the broken bodies of Shinigami with sorrow colouring his Reaitsu, and Yoruichi's worry increased as the energy flickered. She did not know why, but Ichigo's breathing deepened at the same time, and Yoruichi hoped that it was him regaining composure in order to restrain the pressure that had slowed even her, though it would certainly have a greater impact on the unranked Soul Reapers below the pair, where they had fallen and a select few of their brethren remained standing, shakily, between their helpless allies and the threatening presence of a Zanpakuto.
"Yoruichi..." Ichigo's voice came out as a whisper, unsettling after he had seemed happy during their time in Fourth Division. "You need to take them to the Fourth Division. Get the others that are still standing to help you, but you need to save as many of them as you can."
"What?" The purple-haired woman bit in return. "You're the one that suggested that we travel in pairs, how can you ask me to leave you here now?" And she was certain that that was what Ichigo was asking, as she followed his now hard gaze to the grinning Zanpakuto who's attention had moved to the enemies that could actually put up a fight, unlike the weakling Shinigami that he'd been fighting with for the last quarter-hour. He could have finished them all off in a couple of seconds, but where would the fun be in that?
"Please." Ichigo's eyes met hers, and Yoruichi's resolve faltered briefly. "I would hate to have you here for this fight, but that isn't what I was thinking of," He said, voice heavy. "If they are around during this fight, that lot will die. They'll be collateral damage; I've seen how incomparable the majority of the unranked Shinigami are to Captains and their Zanpakuto, and I couldn't forgive myself if they just perished because they happened to be there while I was fighting him."
"And why do I need to go? I'm sure that those still standing could handle it."
"Then you'd be wrong." Ichigo shook his head. "Look at them; not one of them is able to stand steadily, let alone Flash Step back to the Healers and make a round trip. You could take all of them back and not even break a sweat." He stated, not attempting to compliment the woman, only pointing out the facts.
"And if this is another ambush?" Yoruichi's eyes narrowed.
"I still have a few tricks up my sleeve," Ichigo smiled at the woman. "You never have seen my Bankais, after all." Ichigo's eyes drifted back to the Spirit, who's smile was beginning to fade in favour of an impatient expression, as he considered attacking the cannon-fodder in an attempt to speed up his King's conversation. Or maybe he could fire an attack at the cat-woman, that would trigger Ichigo's protective nature, even more effectively.
"Fine." Yoruichi hissed, knowing that Ichigo had said the truth. "I'll be back soon." She finished, and vanished in a flicker. Ichigo watched her form briefly materialise next to one of the worst-injured of the Shinigami, and then the unconscious figure vanished alongside her. Hopefully the cut, from shoulder to hip, would be fixable.
"Ya done clucking, King?!" Hichigo asked, as he prepared for the last fight he'd have in the outside world. If this was the last chance he's get to cut loose, the Hollow would make the most of it.
Ichigo directed a cold gaze on the rebellious spirit, and he did not give a verbal response as his hand went to the blade at his waist. Ichigo was not happy with Hichigo; he would have been fine with the Hollow, had he made any number of attempts on Ichigo, or one of the Captains for that matter, since there would be a fight in that case. One that should appease the Bleached Zangetsu's bloodlust in a productive way. To attack the Shinigami that were effectively defenceless, though... that was not acceptable in Ichigo's mind.
He expressed this fact by lunging forwards, with Old Man Zangetsu's blade drawn, and becoming a blur of Reiatsu as he sped over the top of the remaining Shinigami, who were rapidly vanishing as Yoruichi made the trip back and forth. The Wakizashi flashed, and Hichigo's blade blocked it as it sped towards his neck.
"Haha! Right in for the kill shot, eh King?" He cackled, unminding of the fact that the blow would have put him down. "Glad to see the lessons 'ave stayed with ya!" He added, with his grin in full force.
Ichigo grunted, as he backed away from the pale version of himself in a single leap. Hichigo did not bother to attempt to follow, as he knew his wielder by now, and was aware of the fact that Ichigo could have kept at the fighting and, most likely, come out on top. In close combat, Hichigo's only advantage was high-speed regeneration, and one of his gloomier counterpart's abilities could just about make up for that.
"Don't be like that; you ain't normally this quiet in a fight!" He commented, merrily. "Is this about the weaklings?" He guessed that Ichigo was angry about his fighting them.
"Obviously," Ichigo's eyes narrowed, at the question. "What did killing them get you?"
"Eh. I was bored, and couldn't find any better sport." Hichigo shrugged in answer. "They aren't definitelydead, anyway. I reckon the cat-babe took 'em in time to get healed." As Ichigo fumed at the justification, Hichigo continued in a laugh. "It's your own fault Kingy, we both know I'd only be amused by breakin' buildings and shit for so long, and you'd a' been pissed if I went to Hueco Mundo by myself! You shoulda' come lookin' for a fight ages ago!
"If any of 'those bastards died they were pathetic! You haven't learned to let guys like tha' go yet, but you need to! There's a WAR comin', King! You can't survive if you're soft!" And there it was. Justification that, even if Ichigo did not accept it, made perfect sense to the spirits inside him and, so, his fury wavered much to Ichigo's irritation.
"Shut up!" Ichigo responded, confused. "I fight to protect! If I give that up, why the fuck would I stay here?!"
"I'm still a part of you, Kingy, I ain't tellin' you to stop protectin', just to be more... bah, I don't know how to describe it! I'm no good at this shit!"
'He believes that you should be more selective in who you fight for, Ichigo. While you do not have the same desire to protect strangers as those you care about on a personal level, you are still too compassionate in his eyes.' Old man Zangetsu clarified, from Ichigo's inner world.
"You want me to be more selective?" Ichigo asked the bleached man in front of him.
"That's right!" Highigo nodded, with his grin full force.
Ichigo did not know how to respond to the suggestion, as he was of two minds on the topic, and, so, did not.
The human lunged forwards, with the blade raised, once again and Hichigo let the subject go in favour of more entertaining prospects with a cackle. Ichigo's blade bounced off the Khyber knife in Hichigo's hand, and he spun with the change, bringing his foot into the spirit's side and throwing Hichigo away with a surprised grunt. The pale Zangetsu righted himself just in time to avoid hitting the wall, and see that Ichigo had vanished in a flash of Shunpo.
The Zanoakuto discovered his wielder's location soon enough, as Ichigo appeared to his left with his fist drawn back, the Wakizashi sitting in his left hand to allow such an attack. Hichigo twisted away, so that the punch was no more than a glancing blow, and swung his Shikai form at Ichigo in a swiping blow. Ichigo met it with the sealed Zanpakuto in his grip, and was shoved back into the wall they were stood in close proximity to. Hichigo stabbed at his face with the large blade, and Ichigo ducked out of the way; he drove his shoulder into the Hollow's stomach, and tossed him over his shoulder a moment later with a small grunt. The Shinigami vanished in another burst of Shunpo, and appeared, facing his downed Zanpakuto, a few metres away with a scowl on his face.
Hichigo was on his feet in a moment, and his grin had not faded with being dumped on the floor. He was twitching in excitement, as he saw that there were very few of the weaklings left behind his King. When they were gone, he'd get to go all out, and Ichigo'd return the favour. Even if Hichigo knew the outcome, he knew it would take some time for them to reach that point and, as a Hollow, he relished in the thought of the destruction that would accompany their fight.
Hichigo lunged forwards, unthinking of any defence as he wished to re-enter the fray while he waited for Yoruichi to return, and swung his blade in an overhead strike at Ichigo; one that, had it hit, would have cleaved most Shinigami in two. Ichigo stepped aside, as his Hollow abandoned any attempt at avoiding his blows, as his fist began to spit blue sparks into the air around it, promptly stepped under the reach of the large blade, and drove his reiatsu-enhanced knuckles into Hichigo's stomach. With a gasp, the Hollow-Zanpakuto was thrown back once more, and landed in a heap without dropping the cheerful expression.
"So the Old Man's bin teachin' ya some manipulation, eh?" Hichigo asked, needlessly, as he scrambled back to his feet, Ichigo allowing him to stand lest Hichigo raise the Khyber to impale Ichigo at the end of his attacking charge. "No offense, but ya were kinda shit at it before, when ya had no reason to be."
"None taken," Ichigo replied, before lunging forwards, again, with the sealed Wakizashi raised to cut across Hichigo. The Hollow leapt aside, and returned the favour with a swipe of his Shikai that Ichigo narrowly dodged, dropping to the ground and taking his weight on a single arm. Ichigo's spun, feet lashing out, and knocked Hichigo's legs out from under him, and the Hollow swore in an exclamation of annoyance as Ichigo hopped back to his feet.
The human-Shinigami brought his Wakizashi down, in over his head, in what would have been a savage blow, had the last of the unranked officers not vanished in the seconds before.
"Bala!" Hichigo hollerred, and a bullet of blue energy caught the hybrid in his abdomen, throwing Ichigo back, with a slight burn on his torso, to land on the ground; the human had failed to right himself in mid air due to the... unpleasant feel of taking a Bala in the stomach. "Get up King! Ya don't wanna be hit by this at point-black range!" Hichigo cackled, as he raised his right hand, palm facing Ichigo, and began to charge a far stronger attack. Ichigo's eyes widened, and he whispered a curse, as the ball of red energy began to grow. He vanished in a flash of Shunpo, and appeared on his feet on the other side of the open area in which they fought, debating what he should do to stop the attack.
The easiest method available to Ichigo was to simply dodge; he had time, and his Hollow wasn't exactly creative when it came to using his powers, but that would lead to a hell of a lot of destruction. Who knew what unfortunate soul might be walking behind him? He could direct it into the sky once again. That would bring up questions sooner than Ichigo would like about his Hollow-nature, but it seemed to be the best option he had at the moment. If he simply blocked it, he'd give Hichigo too long to sneak around and attack him from a blind-spot, and none of his attacks, that were full power at the moment, would properly counteract it. A well timed Getsuga Tensho would do it, but that would not be entirely stable without both Zangetsus in his possession, since it was technically Hichigo's attack. If it exploded... well, that would outdo the destruction Hichigo's Cero would inflict.
Then, Ichigo ran out of time to deliberate.
"CERO!" Hichigo screeched, before he bared his teeth in a grin, and the red energy erupted, blasting towards Ichigo, who grimaced at the sight of the far-larger attack than last time as his Wakizashi vanished and was replaced by the brutal-looking tanto of Tabigarasu.
"Savage-!" Ichigo roared in return to Hichigo's yell, the rest of the announcement being lost to the roar of the cero rapidly nearing the orange-haired man. His biceps lit up in a blue light that appeared dull in comparison to Hichiso's energy attack, just as a certain exile arrived on the scene.
Yoruichi did not have the presence of mind to yell, as Ichigo shot forwards, charging at the attack head-on with what she could only describe as stupidity. Was he trying to get sent back to Fourth Division? She woman was moments away from Shunpoing forwards, and pulling Ichigo out of his current path when his speed picked up, into his own Flash-Step, and Ichigo vanished from her sight for a brief second. When he reappeared, it was inches away from the approaching torrent of energy with his hands lowered as if to take a hold the attack.
Her golden eyes widened as he did just that, and her jaw dropped as she saw him wrestle with the attack for a moment, before throwing it straight up into the air, his face contorted in a grunt of exertion. The cero roared into the sky, and Yoruichi was blinded by the resulting explosion. When she recovered, it was to find Ichigo, panting slightly, glaring at his remaining Zanpakuto, and the spirit grinning at him in return.
Ichigo's attire had survived surprisingly well, considering his track record of ending up stark naked in battle, but the front of his kimono had burned away, and Yoruichi raised an eyebrow at the unaffected skin that was revealed, though a circular burn did sit in the centre of his abdomen from what she assumed was a different attack altogether. She wondered how he had managed that, but was forced to put it out of her mind when Hichigo leapt at his wielder again, with his massive blade raised. He wasn't massively observant, so he missed the look on Ichigo's face.
Yoruichi, on the other hand, saw the scowl morph slightly into a snarl, and flicked her eyes to his gauntlet-covered hand as it clenched into a fist.
As Hichigo neared, Ichigo thought on how tedious it would be to explain the situation regarding his inner-Hollow to the Captains, especially the Captain-Commander, and felt his anger grow with the approaching spirit. He stepped to the side, as Hichigo reached him, and punched the annoying spirit in the face; his punch was amplified a great deal, due to Tabigarasu's Shikai, and so Hichigo stopped, and hung in mid air with the crimson-fist buried in his face for a moment, before shooting in the opposite direction, and slamming into the wall he had left behind. The wall crumbled, and fell on top of Hollow-Zangetu. Ichigo could swear that he heard a whimper as it did, and a smirk found its way onto his face as he let the gauntlets fade away in a whisp of red reiatsu.
"Is it done?" A familiar voice asked, from her place behind him.
"Yup. He's back in my Inner World at the moment, being beaten on by Nejibana for firing that Cero at me, while cursing up a storm for not being allowed to do more than he did." Ichigo reported to Yoruichi, with a smile, relieved to have all of his Zanpakuto back safe and sound.
"That's a relief," Yoruichi sighed. "But you didn't have to fight him on your own!" She continued, while directing a scowl at the hybrid.
"But you did need to get the others to Fourth Division." Ichigo countered. "Are they all okay, by the way?"
"Hmph." Yoruichi huffed. "They're all going to make a full recovery, but that's not the point!"
"What is that point?"
"You owe me an apology." The dark-skinned woman crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes to emphasise this point. "I was worried about you, because you're such a dummy."
"Okay. I'm very sorry." Ichigo said, without preamble. Yoruichi's expression did not change, and so he continued in an uneasy tone. "I'm guessing that wasn't enough..."
"Of course not. Obviously you have t-"
"Lady Yoruichi!" A new voice interjected, suddenly, as the Captain of Squad two arrived after being directed here by the member of her squad that caught sight of the purple-haired goddess.
"Bitch!" Yoruichi cursed, frustrated that her plans had been foiled yet again, and expressing an uncharacteristic amount of frustration because of it.
"L-Lady Yoruichi?" Soi Fon's tone was now one of worry, believing that her ex-mentor had been directing that word at her in an insult. She was only half correct, as Yoruichi was swearing mostly as a curse, instead of an insult
"Hmph." Again out of character, the woman vanished without another word, even going so far as to glare at Ichigo for their being interrupted yet again. This left nothing but air between Soi Fon and Ichigo, who had previously been obstructed by Yoruichi, and who Soi Fon did not detect due to the Hollow energy in the air
"I-Ichigo?" Soi Fon squeaked, suddenly red, and vanished after her mentor in a burst of her own Shunpo. Needless to say, this was even stranger, from Ichigo's perspective, than Yoruichi's outburst.
"Okay... there's got to be something in the water." Ichigo reached what he believed to be the only logical conclusion, before thinking of another reasonable explanation for how weirdly the two had acted. "I bet Mayuri or Kisuke've been cloning them!" He exclaimed, and he, too, vanished in a blur of speed. The Zanpakuto that would have been able to explain the situation to her oft-dense wielder was otherwise engaged in beating up Hichigo. Ichigo's other spirits were no more intelligent about the fairer sex than he. Even Kikoo was not very good at interpreting the acts, as she was not used to the actions of people in general.
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