Author's notes: Another chapter, and this time we have a flashback :D. I think this chapter is pretty awesome. It's set several years into the past, where it was Kurosaki-fukutaicho instead of taicho. One has to start somewhere ;). I hope this chapter finds you well :D.[/b]
~Twan
With the big thump, Ichigo hit the ground. He groaned from the pain. His chest was slashed up badly. The Arrancar was laughing. Tensa Zangetsu was lying just out of reach. "Dammit." Ichigo whispered as he forced himself up, the bad cut on his chest tearing open further from the muscles. Ichigo picked up the black blade. "I'm not done with you!" he shouted and shunpo'd upwards and swung his blade in a downwards motion but was easily blocked by the Arrancar.
"You shinigami can't even come close to the power of the Arrancars!" he cackled from behind his mask. That is when Ichigo took several large jumps backwards grabbed his Soul Communicater from out of a pocket. "This is Kurosaki Ichigo, requesting removal of my limiter." The Bird symbol on his chest lit up and then vanished in small shards of energy. The removal of the limiter allowed Ichigo's massive reiatsu to rush freely. The cuts just vanished off of his chest. "Now, let's try this again!" Ichigo shouted and shunpo'd back up. His speed was as spectacular as it always was and before the Arrancar knew, his sword-hand was cut off. "You see, when Captain-level shinigami are sent into the real world, they have their power limited to about 20% of the total." He had a wicked smile on his face and with one easy sweep cut the Arrancar in two.
While this minor league Arrancar disappeared, Ichigo was slashed from behind. "By removing the limiter you are blinded…" The voice sneered. Ichigo howled in pain and jumped from the attacker. "It's a coward's way to attack from behind…" he commented as he turned around. Locking eyes with his opponent, Ichigo's eyes went cold. "You're the one who has been cutting down members of my squad!" This Arrancer looked different. Where the previous one was big, boasting of his power and showing off, this one was a small woman, lithe in appearance but clearly powerful. "My name is Mari." She said, "And indeed, I was the one hunting down shinigami, hoping to find someone powerful enough to play with me." She grinned with a menacing look.
Ichigo jumped forward, releasing all his reaitsu in the strike. The woman effortlessly raised his blade in a sliding block, stepping out of the strike. "You are strong, maybe even strong eno…" she wasn't finished in her sentence when his struck her from behind. In the blink of her eye her shoulder went from a well-functioning limb to a bloody mess. She smiled, "Impressive…" In the same timespan it took her sustain the damage, she easily healed it.
"Vuelta a cenizas, explosion." Mari wishipered to her blood-dripping blade. The katana disappeared in ash before reforming to two shoulder mounted kido cannons. The white armor on the cannons rapidly covered her body in a thick layer. "My Resurrección…" Mari smiled gently before disappearing from sight and returning behind Ichigo. "FUEGO!" she shouted and both cannons on her shoulders fired simultaneous, blasting the full force into Ichigo. The shinigami was launched from point blank range into the building, going straight through and into the next, creating a sizeable crater.
It took a moment for Ichigo to recover, using Tensa Zangetsu as a crutch to help himself standing. "Dammit." He muttered before shaking the feeling. "This one's tougher…" he said to himself before shunpo'ing forward. Another two energy blasts were fired towards Ichigo, but he raised Tensa Zangetsu. "Getsuga Tenshō". The release of the attack cancelled out the energy blasts, but both fighters were blown backwards by the explosion. Ichigo landed in the river while Mari crashed into another high rise.
"Kurosaki-fukutaicho!" Two voices shouted, moving in to support him. "Stay back!" Ichigo shouted, getting up. "She's too powerful for you!" His two subordinates shunpo'd back, understanding that if they meddled, they would only endanger themselves. It took some effort but he was back on his feet and standing while Mari was moving towards him in a casual pace. "You see, I'm the 12th Arrancar, Izu Mari, Gatekeeper of Los Nachos." She smiled and aimed her cannons on Ichigo. "My armor is one of the strongest in the whole of Las Noches." When Ichigo looked closer he saw she was relatively unscathed. He sighed and cracked his neck before vanishing from sight and appeared behind her at point blank range. "Getsuga Tenshō" and the fierce red energy leapt out of the sword at her neck.
The recoil once again knocked Ichigo away but he remained standing. Mari's back was smoking and a clear crack was seen in the thick, white armor. "A good effort, but not good enough!" She hollered before turning around and, using her Sonīdo to face Ichigo. She fired her cannons at him but as soon as she stopped firing her essence started to scatter around her torso. "How…" she whispered as she realized she was dying. "Getsuga Kuresentoburēdo*." Ichigo whispered, severly injured from the blast. "My whole power focused onto the tip of the sword." Ichigo explained to the disappearing Mari, his last word spoken as the last parts vanished.
Ichigo woke up three days later, covered in bandages in the Fourth Division. At his side was Kotetsu Isane, softly sleeping. He was surprised to see her when a nurse walked in and noticed Ichigo looking at Isane. "She has been sitting there for the past three days." She whispered before noting a few things on the chart and walking out again.
*Getsuga Kuresentoburēdo: Moon Fang, Crescent Blade. Instead of a sweeping wave of energy, all the power of this attack is focused in the tip, allowing far greater piercing power. This allowed Ichigo to penetrate the thick armor of Mari without a 10 meter running start.