Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach!
mlkoolc86: Nope it wasn't actually stated but it isn't too hard to figure out. It's hinted at. So if you want to know, read back or wait and find out. ;)
DarkJackel: Ichigo's sisters know he is dead but they are, for now unaware of the fact that Shinigami or Hollow even exist. They are unaware of Soul Society, Hueco Mundo or even the fact that their father isn't really alive either. Before you ask if they'll find out and when, that is something I'm not entirely sure about yet.
Takai153: As stated in this chapter. Ichigo was never actually ordered to kill his father, he was merely ordered to fight with the intent to kill. After Grimmjow and Yammy were defeated enough of a scene had been made and Aizen ordered the Espada to allow the Shinigami to leave 'as a reward' for defeating two of his Espada. Thus Ichigo had to stand down as well.
Bonar: I understand completely why you are getting a bit of a chaotic image from Nel. Truth be told this is entirely my fault. Nel is dealing with conflicting emotions herself, that's all I'll say for now. I had planned for that to be clear by now because I intended to add a scene solely from Nel's perspective so that people could actually follow her thoughts and try to understand her actions a bit better. For some reason however I seem to have forgotten that which I consider a huge blunder on my part. I do promise you nonetheless that such a scene will appear in the near future, most likely even in the next chapter.
RyumaOmega: I hope your finals went well. I'm glad you enjoyed the fight between Kenpachi and Grimmjow in particular as I tried my very hardest to keep both characters as true to Canon as possible.
dongaro: I'm glad you enjoy reading it. Personally I dislike relationships that are developed too fast and since my story is not even an actual romance I believe taking my time will, in the end, only add to it.
HiddenMaster: I'm not sure if Ichigo and Kenpachi will get into a confrontation at any point yet. While I have most of my storyline worked out I haven't worked out every little detail such as who will fight who then and then. I do agree that if Kenpachi ever learned Bankai Ichigo would likely lose in his current state. But as some have managed while Ichigo is more powerful then Starrk, Starrk was defeated by Kyouraku's Shikai. Let me remind you, Ichigo is in no way all-powerful. But he will get stronger, that is one thing I can promise, just not in the way most people would probably want him to.
Kai Orihomunon: Thank you very much. You have no idea how rewarding it is for me, as a writer, to have your readers express their thanks in such a way. I'll continue to do my best to bring this story to an amazing ending, no matter how far off that may be for now.
Yonda: Yea you are right about that. Those are two of the main mistakes I've made in this story so far, atleast that's what I think so personally. The repeating of certain words and phrases tend to get annoying when you're reading and I should've (atleast in the last couple of chapters) added some more scenes from Nel's perspective. Thanks a lot for the constructive criticism there, I'll try to work on it!
To everyone else: Thanks a lot for all of your support and faithful reviews! It's very rewarding to read as a writer. I hope you all enjoy reading the story as much as I love writing it but judging from the reviews so far there aren't many that seem to have a problem with that! Here's the newest chapter for you, remember the last one was extremely long and I don't intend to write one of such a length again. I will try to stick between 7-10k words from here on out.
Chapter 14: Safe Return.
"Nel! Why did you interfere? Do you have a death wish Nel?!" The enraged voice of Kurosaki Ichigo rang out through the halls of Las Noches.
Nel merely smiled. The duo was currently making their way back to the meeting room and Ichigo was steadily getting more annoyed with Nel. After all she had intervened without so much as an explanation and had then proceeded to make her way back. Ichigo, who noticed his anger wouldn't get any answers out of her decided he should calm down a bit. Regaining a steady breath he started to realise that he wasn't really angry at Nel. It was mostly that he was scared for her, scared that she had defied Aizen's orders, after all, she had said before that she would intervene in Ichigo's fight if she deemed it necessary, no matter the consequences. Those were her words.
"Aizen-sama ordered me to retrieve you and to let the rest of the invaders return back to Soul Society, alive, along with their captured comrade."
Ichigo's eyes widened at this. Why would Aizen allow all of them to return alive? Ichigo knew of course that it had been Aizen's intention to let their prisoner return to Soul Society but nonetheless this had been a good opportunity to take out some of Soul Society's strongest. While Ichigo had not heard the orders Grimmjow and Yammy had received, he himself had been instructed to fight his father with the intend to kill. He pretty much assumed the other two had received similar orders, but perhaps he had been wrong.
"I was ordered to fight my dad with the intend to kill, so why did Aizen-sama decide to let them all live now? This doesn't make sense Nel!" Ichigo shouted out in fury.
"Do not ask me to understand the warped mind of one Aizen Sousuke." Nel's voice replied.
Ichigo was angered by her calm reply and once again he could feel the anger bubbling back up to the surface but before he even had a chance to reign it in Nel continued.
"But if you want me to hazard a guess..." She started. "I believe he sees all of this, everything up untill now and even everything that is about to come, as a game more then anything. We are his pawns and Soul Society is the one he is playing against. His opponent scored a small victory today and thus Aizen-sama rewarded them with their lives."
Thinking about her words Ichigo realized that she may have a point. Of course he didn't want to think of himself as a pawn but it did make sense. Ichigo was exceptionally powerful and he knew this. Aizen knew this too and thus he was constantly trying to find out if the risk was worth the gain. It was a rule most people in Hueco Mundo learned from the very beginning. If you ever gained underlings, make sure they stay beneath you, do not let them become more powerful then you are. Aizen did not often give Ichigo missions but up untill now it had all been testing trials. The mission where he had been forced to fight his friends, even if he didn't know who they were yet then. Then there was the mission to Seireitei the very heart of Soul Society, one he had not come back from unscathed. And last, but certainly not least, his most recent mission, the one where had been ordered to fight his father with the intend to kill. And up untill now Ichigo had to admit that it had been the most dangerous mission for him. His father had seriously injured him after he had released his Bankai. Ichigo was unsure if he would've even been able to defeat him without releasing. Aizen had undoubtedly known about the power of Kurosaki Isshin. Other then that the man was of course aware of the emotional turmoil Ichigo could've been in as well and thus Aizen might have considered this the ultimate test.
Ichigo had to admit though, he was getting tired of the man's endless tests, elaborate plans and all his careful scheming. It was starting to wear on his nerves, he felt like the man was indeed using him as a mere pawn and that perhaps in the end, even he would be discarded or even worse, he would discard Nel. Nel after all, while powerful wasn't as strong as Ichigo and was even quite a bit off from being powerful enough to fight Starrk evenly. He decided he would think some more on this later, but for now he would let it be.
"I see, I'm sorry for getting angry, Nel." Ichigo apologized.
Nel smiled fondly at him in return. "Don't worry, it's not like you can help it."
Now that confused Ichigo again. Of course he could help it, it was him who got angry while he should've remained calm. Especially towards Nel. But before he got a chance to speak up Nel beat him to it.
"Don't tell me that you hadn't noticed yet, Ichi," Nel started. "You're intelligent but at times you seem to forget to use those brains of yours. Haven't you noticed? You don't often get angry. Haven't you noticed anything special that happens each time after you seal your released form back inside your Zanpakutou?"
Thinking long and hard Ichigo thought he knew what Nel was getting at. He couldn't believe he hadn't noticed this yet but now that he thought of it he believed he understood why that was. "I'm not sure how to describe it but I think I know what you mean. I feel like I...want to continue fighting, but honestly it was just like that the first time but I easily managed to supress it. You were there, it was I who chose not to finish off Nnoitra."
Nel nodded at him before she started to speak again. "What you're feeling isn't just a will to fight. It can be described by only one word, you feel a Hollow's bloodthirst. Most of your Hollow powers have been sealed into your Zanpakutou and so when you release them you gain back a lot of the bloodthirst you used to have as a Hollow. Most Arrancar feel some of it all the time but it is easily supressed, you however are not used to it and so it's harder to supress or withstand. And about that time with Nnoitra, I believe that was merely because you chose to spare Nnoitra, this time however your opponent was taken from you, you were forced to lay down your weapon no matter what you wanted. It is that, I believe, which caused your bloodlust to rise up a notch and anger you greatly."
Turning her head around Nel looked at Ichigo only to find that he was wearing a very troubled expression. She inwardly giggled at his antics, he was obviously worried for something he really didn't need to worry about. "There's no need to worry about this, Ichi. When I say bloodlust I don't mean it in the way you are thinking of. You are no longer a complete Hollow, you have no desire at all to devour Souls. When I say bloodlust I merely mean emotions such as anger, irritation, jealousy and other emotions that could be considered negative."
After seeing his chest deflate and his face become relaxed once again Nel let out a loud giggle which echoed throughout the Halls. Before Ichigo got a chance to reply however he noticed they had arrived at the meeting room. Puttings his hand on the doorknob he made to open the door but was stopped by Nel who put her hand on top of his. Turning to look at her face he found that she was looking rather serious again all of a sudden.
"And so you see again, Ichigo that power comes at a price. And while you may bargain for the price, it may still come with other unexpected consequences."
As Ichigo nodded at her, he believed he truly knew just how true her words were.
=0=
Hitsugaya was shocked by the sight that met him as he exited the Garganta the green-haired female Arrancar had created for the six of them. He still wasn't able to completely comprehend just what had happened in the Capital of Hueco Mundo. And seemingly he wouldn't really get a chance to anytime soon.
Before his very eyes stood Commander-General Yamamoto Genryuusai Shigekuni along with the two oldest Captains of Soul Society Ukitake Jyuushirou and Kyouraku Shunsui. The Commander-General's eyes seemed to pierce Hitsugaya's very soul while Ukitake and Kyouraku actually seemed to look a bit defeated. Behind the trio of Captains Hitsugaya could just make out the figures of Urahara Kisuke, Tsukabishi Tessai, Shihouin Yoruichi, Yasutora Sado and Inoue Orihime. All five of them wore sad expressions as if they were in mourning. Hitsugaya reckoned that Urahara, Tessai and Yoruichi at the very least were well aware of the consequences of his actions should they be uncovered, which apparently, they had been.
But before even the Commander-General could get a word out Orihime ran forward and with a shout of Soten Kesshun started healing their two critically wounded comrades Kurosaki Isshin and Madarame Ikkaku. Surprised, the remaining four Shinigami stepped aside to allow their injured comrades some more space, despite the fact that they had passed out quite some time ago.
Looking at the face of Kurosaki Isshin, Hitsugaya felt a slight pang of guilt. After all, it had been Isshin that convinced him to leave father and son to fight one another while Hitsugaya continued on his way to find Momo. Truth be told, Hitsugaya had been rather glad. After having faced the Espada once and having been beaten soundly he wasn't looking forward to a rematch despite the Espada's 'words of comfort' back at the courtyard in Las Noches. Thinking of the words Kurosaki's son had spoken to him angered him. He knew he wasn't being mocked, the Espada was merely stating facts and Hitsugaya was ashamed by the fact that everything that had been said to him had been true. His face had revealed fear, something Hitsugaya was very ashamed of.
The boy prodigy's musings were interupted by a loud cough coming from his direct right side. Sighing once, as he knew who the cough had come from, he turned around and looked straight into the stern gaze of the Commander-General.
"Juubantai-taicho," Yamamoto's voice rang out, "Juuichibantai-taicho," He continued, "You have breached the Shinigami code of conduct by directly disobeying an order to not retrieve Hinamori Momo."
Hitsugaya's face looked down at this, never before had he disobeyed an order like that. He had always strived to prove himself worthy of his Captain's Haori no matter the cost. But Hinamori had simply been too important for him. Looking to his left he noticed even the ever-present grin on Kenpachi's face had dissapeared. Perhaps the Eleventh-Division Captain had realised that he too, might be in a lot of trouble, trouble that could prevent him from fighting his precious battles.
The silence of the two Shinigami Captains seemed to be a cue for the Commander-General to continue his speach. "Under normal circumstances you would be stripped of your rank or in a worst case scenario, executed." Yamamoto stated, causing Hitsugaya's eyes to widen and Kenpachi's to narrow as if preparing himself not to go down without a fight. "Current circumstances however, are everything but normal and seeing as all of you have returned alive there will be no consequences for your actions. However, should this happen again, standard punishment will apply. Now, let us return to Soul Society where you can give us your report." The Commander-General finished after which he locked eyes with Ukitake and gave a single, brief nod which the man seemed to understand as he unsheathed his sword and stabbed it in mid-air before turning it around, clockwise, opening the gate to Soul Society.
Hitsugaya who was still in shock by the fact that he would get off without any sort of punishment barely realized in time that the gate had already been opened and almost had to hurry to make it in time. But before the gate closed completely he took a look over his shoulder and locked eyes with Urahara.
"Thank Isshin for me, without him I'm unsure if any of us would've made it out alive."
They were the last words Hitsugaya could speak before the gate closed and Urahara's basement was finally obstructed from view.
=0=
Ichigo was standing on one of the training grounds meant specifically for the Espada and their Fraccion. Ggi and Shawlong were out sparring in the distance and Ggio appeared to be handling himself very well. In fact Ggio seemed to be outmatching Shawlong quite easily. This however, wasn't really the thing that was on Ichigo's mind at all. Looking over to his right he saw Nel seated in between Pesche and Dondochakka.
Looking at her he was reminded of their earlier conversation just after his confrontation with his father and the consequent Espada meeting with Aizen. Nel was right, Ichigo realised rather grumpily. He never meant a thing to Aizen. He was merely a pawn. Yes, Aizen did go to great lengths to make sure Ichigo would be powerful, more so then any of the other Espada but this was not because Ichigo was actually important to Aizen. No, Ichigo was like the queen on a chessboard, the most powerful soldier on the board but in the end even the queen could be sacrificed to ensure victory. Of course Aizen did go to great lengths to ensure Ichigo's loyalty, Aizen had been very lenient with him. Nonetheless Ichigo didn't doubt that Nel wasn't right for even a second. She had been right about more then one thing. Ichigo knew he was intelligent but over time had taken to obeying orders blindly without thinking too much about it, after all he had sworn to serve Aizen had he not? But that was no reason to stop thinking, to stop considering all the variables. While Ichigo was grateful for the power Aizen had given him he wasn't about ready to give his life merely to make sure Aizen's goals would be fulfilled.
Another thing he'd thought about was the Espada meeting just an hour earlier. Aizen hadn't done much more then say everything was going according to plan. He had also stated that Ichigo had done his job well. Grimmjow didn't receive much grief about his loss against the Eleventh Division Captain. Yammy however was an entirely different story, noone really said much against him before as he tended to lash out all the time and most didn't think it worth the hassle. Of course as the weakest Espada he wasn't very revered to begin with. But now with his loss against a Third Seat, a Shinigami two ranks lower then a Captain, most of the Espada didn't even pay attention to him anymore, they outright ignored him and some, like Luppi, even showed downright hostility.
Having heard the story of Yammy's battle Ichigo couldn't blame them though. Yammy had been toying with the Third Seat for too long. He had simply chosen the wrong opponent to toy with. While the Third Seat may not have been exponentionally powerful with just his Shikai, his Bankai, which had taken Yammy completely by surprise would have been enough to kill the unreleased Tenth Espada had Ulquiorra not interfered at that point. As far as Aizen had told Ichigo generally only Captains were capable of using Bankai and perhaps a Lieutenant or two. That information spoke bookworks about the potential of the Third Seat. Yammy had been a fool to underestimate him and now he had to pay the price for that mistake.
His attention turned back to Ggio and Shawlong's battle when he heard a loud crash rock through the training grounds. He saw Ggio being smacked against the wall of Las Noches and Shawlong standing up in the air with a surprised expression on his face. It appeared Shawlong had gotten a lucky shot in which was a mistake on Ggio's part. Ichigo had to supress the urge to instantly kill Shawlong for hurting Ggio. He could feel his reiatsu rising up slightly and he panicked as he realised his earlier anger from releasing his resureccion hadn't faded away completely just yet. He quickly attempted to let his anger subside but couldn't help but notice that his entire body had started trembling and his breathing had become irregular.
Dust and sand started to rise up all around him and his reiatsu was slowly starting to leak out of his Zanpakutou. Anger was slowly overtaking him, anger at Shawlong for striking Ggio, anger at his father for hiding the fact that he was a Shinigami while Ichigo was alive, anger at himself for almost killing his father, anger at Aizen for using Ichigo like a pawn and even anger at Nel for not allowing him to kill his opponent, to sate his bloodlust.
Before his thoughts could get him any further however two arms were wrapped around him. "Enough!" A high pitched voice whispered to him fiercely. "Enough Ichigo! They were sparring, Ggio's fine. Don't let your anger overtake you because of something so trivial!"
Nel. Ichigo realised it was Nel who whispering so fiercely in his ears. She sounded panicked, as if she was afraid of something. But what could she be afraid of? Nel was powerful, not many people could ever hope to defeat her so was it something else? Perhaps she was afraid to lose someone? Pesche? Dondochakka? Himself? No there was nothing to fear right now, and thus no need to fear losing someone. Then it hit him. She was afraid he would do something he would regret, she was afraid he would give in to the bloodlust she spoke of earlier.
But he wouldn't. He could already feel his reiatsu retracting back into his Zanpakutou. He could feel his body stop trembling and his breathing become regular again. Turning his face around he looked straight into the eyes of Nel. A determined expression was etched into the features of her face as she stood up.
"Follow me, Ichigo," She stated flatly.
Ichigo wouldn't think twice about not listening to her and instantly got up and followed in her wake. As they reached the center of the training ground Ggio, Shawlong and Grimmjow who had likely come to collect Shawlong approached the two Espada. Nel halted there but kept her back turned towards Ichigo.
"Ichigo," Nel's voice spoke out to him again, calling him to attention, "Your Zanpakutou contains almost all of your Hollow powers. Wether this happened subconsciously or if you actually chose to seal all of your Hollow powers inside of your Zanpakutou during the Shinigamification doesn't really matter. But your Zanpakutou calls for battle."
Ichigo's face remained stoic but inside he was starting to panic. Was she insinuating what he feared she was? Before he got a chance to think about it any further Nel whirled around on her heel, unsheathing her Zanpakutou mid-turn and aimed a diagonal slice at his shoulder. Acting on instinct Ichigo instantly unsheated his own Zanpakutou and blocked her strike, if only barely.
"N-Nel! St-" Ichigo started.
"Whatever happens Ichigo, don't release or you'll make things worse." Nel cut him off before she retracted her blade and started a long serie of horizontal and vertical slices at Ichigo.
Ichigo was able to block them all but wasn't prepared for the stabbing thrust she made to finish her attack and was forced to jump backwards. Before he even got a chance to decide if he should be the one attacking now or if he should stay on the defence he was alarmed again by a vibration in the air close to him. Looking up he could see a red ball of Bala heading straight for him. Not having enough time to dodge he held his arms in front of him as a shield as the Bala impacted with him. Nel wasn't satisfied with his reaction however as she continued to fire about a dozen more of them at him, all of them hitting Ichigo head on.
Ichigo, having sustained only minor burns decided enough was enough and dashed forward, Zanpakutou at the ready. As he left the cloud of dust that had been created by Nel's Bala's behind and was about to go for a horizontal slice towards Nel's torso she jumped up and with a twist in mid-air kicked his Zanpakutou off course, leaving him wide open. Nel quickly took advantage of this by aiming another kick at his chest which send him flying back into the direction he just came from. Hearing the sound of a Cero charging he knew he had to find a way to get out of his current predicament and he had to find one quickly, with no way to dodge he was nothing more then target practice. Flipping over he managed to land on his feet just a second after he heard Nel´s Cero fire in his direction. Looking up he could clearly see a huge pink Cero coming right at him, with not enough time left to dodge he did the only other thing he could think off.
"Bakudou #81 - Danku,"
Instantly a large rectangular shield rose up in front of him, causing Nel's Cero to crash into it violently. Realising that this would be an ideal time to attack for Nel he quickly sped in her direction instead. Before he got even halfway across the training grounds however he could clearly see the figure of Nel dashing towards him as well. Grinning, he tightened the hold on his Zanpakutou and nodded at her briefly. Nel smiled at him for only a second in reply as the eyes in her mask fragment started emitting a blue glow and she dissapeared from Ichigo's view.
Ichigo cursed himself for not being fully aware of her entire arsenal of abilities as he felt a reiatsu signature appear behind him. Hearing the cutting of a sword through the air he was certain Nel was going for a diagonal slice across his back and so with speed only possessed by the highest ranked members of the Espada he quickly lowered his sword over his shoulder, along his back and was relieved to hear the clang of metal hitting metal. The power with which she had swung at him however, surprised him as a giant shockwave rocked through the training grounds. Nonetheless he decided that he enjoyed fighting someone that actually required him to give it his all. So, not allowing Nel another chance to continue her assault he kept the pressure on their locked blades and gave a hard backward kick right in her stomach. The power of the kick, while not even making her wince, did make her slide backwards several yards.
Ichigo instantly sped after her, not allowing her a chance to push him onto the defensive again. As he neared her she quickly drew the scabbard of her Zanpakutou, crossing the two she raised them in the air just in time to catch Ichigo's Zanpakutou, protecting herself from his vertical strike. Ichigo wouldn't give her a chance to rest though as he raised his remaining hand and pointed his index and middlefinger towards her face. Her facial expression instantly turned to one of surprise as a red orb started to form at the tip of his two fingers. Just as it was about to fire her expression of surprise turned into a smirk which alarmed Ichigo. But before he had a chance to figure out what made her so confident his Cero fired and Nel opened her mouth, making him realise his mistake as his Cero was being sucked into Nel's mouth.
Realising that Cero Doble would take at least a second or two to fully charge Ichigo instantly dissapeared with a buzz, reappearing about fifty yards in front of Nel at the same time as she returned Ichigo's Cero at him. While the Cero was coming at him certainly was big he wasn't the fastest among the Espada for no reason. Dodging Nel's Cero Doble just barely Ichigo sped along the length of the beam right towards Nel who, Ichigo figured, would have a hard time seeing him coming due to the bright light coming from her own Cero.
Just as Ichigo anticipated Nel didn't see him coming at all untill she stopped her Cero. When she did however, she was instantly aware of his presence only a handful of yards from where she was standing. Ichigo wouldn't even allow her a chance to raise her sword at him, he was surprised though to find that she was in time to raise her scabbard to block his first blow, forcing Ichigo to dodge sideways as she instantly took advantage of his surprise by thrusting her Zanpakutou forward towards his stomach area. Realising that his surprise had almost given her the advantage he immediately launched into a flurry of horizontal, vertical and diagonal strikes at her. Finding that he was gaining the advantage he decided this was the best opportunity he'd had untill now to finish their battle.
Removing his other hand from his pocket he grabbed the hilt of his Zanpakutou with both hands, raised it above his head and swung it downwards as hard as he could. As she'd done before, Nel crossed her Scabbard and Zanpakutou in mid-air and raised them higher in order to catch his Zanpakutou in the gap between. Her block was succesful, however Nel wasn't ready for the power behind it as another shockwave like none before rocked through the training grounds causing sand and debris to be hurled away from them and Nel was forced on her knees. Before she got a chance to attempt to counter, Ichigo softly muttered a few words before he once more pointed his index and middlefinger towards her, this time at her chest.
"Hadou #1 - Shou."
Having put just enough reiatsu in the spell to send her flying, but not too hard, while she was still disoriented Ichigo dissapeared with another buzz of Sonido. Reappearing right behind her he grabbed her by the waist, stopping her in mid-flight and held the cold steel of his Zanpakutou against the side of her neck, signifying his victory.
"I win."
"Damnit Ichi, it's no fair! Haven't you ever heard of taking it easy on a lady?!" Nel replied indignantly.
"W-What?!" Ichigo cried out in astonishment. "You were fighting me as if you were trying to kill me and now you go complaining to me that I should take it easy?! You're mad woman, mad!" He finished as he removed his Zanpakutou from her neck and resheathed it.
"But..." He slowly started again, not sure what to say. "...Thanks, Nel. It's gone now, I don't feel any anger whatsoever anymore. It seems you were right again."
At his words she turned around and smiled at him. "Ah. For now it's gone. But don't forget about this Ichigo, learn from it, don't release unnecessarily and before you start, I watched your battle remember and I'm not saying it wasn't necessary, but if things don't go the way you want or the way you expect them to go while you're in your released form it may just happen again. So at the very least, be prepared for that, while it doesn't appear to be hard to get rid of it can lead to some very unpleasant situations should it happen under the wrong circumstances."
Ichigo only had the chance to nod in reply before they were joined by Ggio, Shawlong and Grimmjow who had apparently watched their battle untill the end.
"Tch. Not bad, Kurosaki!" Grimmjow's loud voice rang out to him.
Ichigo merely nodded in reply. Looking over at Ggio he saw that he had had absolutely no reason whatsoever to get angry over the fact that Shawlong had gotten a lucky shot in. Shawlong definitely looked to be the worse for wear while Ggio appeared almost uninjured save a handful of scratches. Ichigo had to admit, he was incredibly proud of his Fraccion, Ggio had exceeded Ichigo's expectations time and time again. Improving at a rate that Ichigo had thought impossible for a mere Fraccion, the 'servant' of an Espada. He silently laughed at Barragan for discarding his most promising Fraccion had he only treated it the right way and given it credit where credit was due. Ichigo knew for certain that, assuming Ggio kept improving at the rate he had been untill now, he would be the most powerful Fraccion within a month and could even rise to the level of one of the weaker Espada given he had enough time before the war finally broke loose.
Ichigo had thought of the upcoming war quite often lately. Truth be told he wasn't certain if he was truly looking forward to it has much as he had been before. After all, while he had never done battle on such a wide scale before, he knew every war took casualties. And they weren't just up against nobody. They were up against all of Soul Society, thirteen incredibly powerful Captains. Sure, Ichigo personally knew he could take almost any Captain and win in a one on one situation. But he wasn't so sure anymore now, his battle with his father had made him realise that while he was powerful, he wasn't all powerful. He realised that the lack of an opponent who could actually make him go all out had made him arrogant, his father had robbed him of that arrogance, and in the end Ichigo believed that had been a good thing. Looking upon it now he believed there were at least three Captains that could potentially beat him in a fair one on one battle, the only three Captains Ichigo knew for certain that were even more powerful then his father. They were the Commander-General, Eighth Division Captain Kyouraku Shunsui and Thirteenth Division Captain Ukitake Jyuushirou. He would have to be cautious if he ever came up against any of those three.
But that wasn't the most important thing that made him hesitant of the start of the war. Truth be told, of course he didn't want to die, well yeah he was already dead but he didn't want to lose his life again, but it wasn't like he would really care either. His life really was Aizen's to command, it's not like he had much to say about it anyway. The thing he most feared however, was losing those that he cared about. He didn't want to lose Pesche or Dondochakka. He didn't want to lose Ggio. He didn't want to lose his father either, despite everything. Heck he didn't even want to lose Grimmjow, he had to admit that during his spars with Grimmjow he had come to like the blue-haired Espada at least a little bit. But most of all he feared losing Nel and Rukia. Despite Rukia's absence she was still his most precious friend after Nel, he knew that the bond he shared with Rukia was way different from the one he shared with Nel, it was more transcendent, distance didn't matter, but it was important to him nonetheless.
It was another thing he had thought a lot about lately. Rukia. He wondered how she was doing. If she had sticked to their promise and would do everything within her power to get stronger. Strong enough to perhaps fight on even ground with some of the weaker Espada. The truth was that Ichigo didn't want her to fight any of the Espada at all, ever. While he believed she had some potential he had to admit that he doubted she'd ever get that strong in such a short period of time. But he'd feel better knowing that she was getting stronger, getting ready for the war that was looming on the horizon. For now, everything was silent again, but soon the storm would break loose. Ichigo could only hope that they would all be ready by then.
=0=
Rukia was seated in the middle of the largest training ground within the Kuchiki Estate. She was silently overthinking the events of the past couple of days while preparing herself for the task ahead. No less then four days ago the Tenth Division Captain, the Eleventh Division Captain and the Eleventh Division's third and fifth seat had returned from an excursion, no not excursion, a downright invasion of Las Noches, the Capital of Hueco Mundo and the fortress in which Aizen and his Espada remain, the very fortress in which she was held captive for several long weeks. The very fortress in which her friends Ichigo and Nel were living.
Apparently the four Shinigami had gone against their orders and had traveled to Las Noches to retrieve the captured Hinamori, the former Fifth Division Lieutenant. It was obvious to anyone who knew the four Shinigami even if only slightly that it had been only the Tenth Division Captain Hitsugaya Toushirou that was actually interested in rescueing Hinamori. The other three, which were all from the Eleventh Division had obviously gone along for the thrill of battle and judging by the state in which the Eleventh Division's Third Seat Madarame Ikkaku arrived, it appeared as if their wish had been granted.
What was most surprising however was the fact that they returned, not only alive but also with the captured Hinamori. Her brother had told her most of the things that had been said during the Captains meeting, something which he was not allowed to do. He however, felt that since she was so determined to take part in this war she deserved to know what was going on. He had told her that another Shinigami had joined them from the living world. She instantly knew just who it had been that had joined the other four Shinigami. She knew before her brother told her that it was Kurosaki Isshin, Ichigo's father because that was just the sort of man he was. He probably wanted answers, answers to a list full of questions. Such as why Ichigo had joined Aizen or why Ichigo had pretended he didn't know Ishida, Sado and Inoue.
From what she had heard Isshin had fought his son and lost, badly. It appeared that Ichigo had almost killed his father before he was stopped by a green-haired female Espada that Rukia knew was Nel. Rukia was very grateful to Nel, she was certain Ichigo had not actually wanted to kill his father. It was more likely that he didn't have a choice in the matter. She was surprised though when her brother told her that Aizen had ordered his Espada to let all six of the Shinigami including Hinamori leave as a reward for defeating two of his Espada.
This information had quickly spread throughout Seireitei. The fact that the Eleventh Division Captain Zaraki Kenpachi and Eleventh Division's Third Seat Madarame Ikkaku had both defeated an Espada, two of the most powerful soldiers in Aizen's army. Rukia had to admit that it gave her some hope as well. She knew the Espada were extremely powerful but she had not been certain just how powerful they were. Kenpachi had defeated the sixth most powerful Espada. While many believed that it was quite the accomplishment Rukia actually knew that this wasn't necessarily the case. It was because of some of the information that Ichigo had told her. She remembered his words as if it were yesterday.
'Start training as soon as you are up to full strength again. If you want to stand a chance at all if you ever run into an Espada you will have to train as if your life depends on it. Attain your Bankai and you might stand a chance against the lower ranked ones. But even with Bankai, if you run into a number below five, Rukia. Run. Run as fast as your legs can carry you, run as if the devil is on your doorstep. Run and cling to life Rukia, for any number below five means certain death.'
His words caused her to hold a certain sense of foreboding towards the upcoming war. Truth be told she dreaded the war to come. Most of her friends weren't ranked higher then Lieutenant and from what Ichigo had told her the average Lieutenant may not even come out alive against the Espada's Fraccion. Her brother of course was far more powerful but he was also far more of a target and he wasn't likely to be attacked by Numéros or Fraccion. No, her brother would be targeted directly by the Espada.
There was also one thing Rukia couldn't quite wrap around her finger. She could not for the love of God understand how Madarame Ikkaku had managed to defeat one of the Espada. Her brother had told her that it had been the weakest Espada, one going by the name of Yammy Rialgo but nonetheless, Madarame as a Third Seat should not have stood a chance against the Arrancar. There was of course the possibility that the Eleventh Division's Third Seat really was just far more powerful then anyone knew or Ichigo could have exaggerated about their strength. But Rukia decided she would not get overconfident, despite the fact that Madarame had apparently defeated the weakest of the Espada.
That mistake had already been made by others. It was the last thing the Captains had talked about in their last meeting four days ago. One of the Captains who's name her brother wouldn't mention had proposed that Soul Society take the fight to Aizen. To attack them on their own ground and surprisingly there had been a couple that believed it was actually a pretty good idea. Most of the Captains were still doubtful about the plan but it had actually been taken in serious consideration and the Commander-General had specifically asked for each Captain to consider the idea and they would continue discussing it during their next meeting.
The Commander-General had decided Soifon should send out two of her most skilled squads of the Secret Mobile Unit to find out more about what was going on around and if possible even inside Las Noches. They were to return in a month at the latest with daily briefings to the Second Division Captain. Rukia feared for the lives of those in the Secret Mobile Unit, she didn't think any of them would return alive. Aizen's eyes and ears were everywhere. She could only hope that Soul Society would not decide to invade Hueco Mundo on their own terms, she had a bad feeling about it, she didn't believe it would end the way they wanted it to. That, and the fact that she had to get more powerful, she had to get stronger, and she had to do it fast, she wasn't certain if she would be powerful enough by the time the Secret Mobile Unit returned, if they did. It was time, she had waited a long time for this and she honestly didn't think she would get any more ready then she already was.
As she opened her eyes she saw that Sode no Shirayuki had appeared in front of her. And so Rukia stood up and looked her Zanpakutou's spirit straight in the eyes. Both of them understood one another. Renji had started already a day ago, it was her turn now.
"What is it, Rukia?" Shirayuki asked her.
"You have something I want." Rukia replied.
Sode no Shirayuki merely looked at curiously. Of course, Rukia knew that she understood and so she just patiently awaited her reply.
"And what may that be, Rukia?" Shirayuki finally asked her.
It was time. Rukia knew she wouldn't get any more ready then she already was. Not with the amount of time she had to prepare for the war. Her brother had helped her, Renji had helped her, her Captain had helped her despite the fact that she turned down his proposition to become his Lieutenant. Despite the fact that she had given an excuse as lame as the fact that she didn't want to spend the time required to be a good Lieutenant. Her Captain had understood. He had understood how important this was and he supported her. She had precious people who depended on her, depended on her to complete her training and depended on her to come out of it alive. She would do it for them, and for Ichigo.
"Bankai."
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Author's Notes:
Let me start off by once again saying I'm sorry for the huge delay in updates. Real life has been tough but from here on out I hope to release at the very least one chapter every two weeks. This may ocassionally be more then two weeks but if you're lucky you could also get to say two chapters in a week. The amount of time I have to write differs greatly at the moment so all I can promise you is that I'll try my best to update as regularly as possible.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter, it's another set-up for greater events to come. I'm curious if any of you can guess what's going to happen in the upcoming chapters. I won't say, but I dare you to give it a try! ;)
Lastly, reviews are very much appreciated. They instantly bring me in the mood to start writing after I get home from work and that's no kidding. Next chapter might actually be up by next monday, if you're lucky even earlier and if you're unlucky a little later.
Ja ne!
~Bruuz