Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. I do however own all of the OC's in the story, unless stated otherwise.
AN: Sorry about the wait. I know I promised a next day upload, but the 8th, 9th, and 10th are my own birthday, my sisters birthday And then mothers day. I didn't plan on being that busy, but I was... sorry again. Thanks for 200 views! More story! More OC x Soi Fon! More fight scenes! More (insert something cool here)! R&R!
Chapter 5: Bankai and Grief
The hollows talons clashes with your zanpakuto. As if it is testing you, it presses slowly harder into your zanpakuto, attempting to push you backwards. You shift your stance and push it away long enough to release
"Die, Shi no Dansu." Your sword transforms once again into a purple, serrated version of its previous self in its sealed state. You raise your blade above your hand. "Jigoku no Kama." You slice your hand.
The hollow squeals in delight at the sight of your dripping hand, which is nothing new, but disturbing nonetheless. Nanao says something, but you are unable to make out the exact words. You flash step behind the vasto lorde, hoping to catch it off guard. Swinging at its back you grin, knowing that there is no way your attack could miss.
Your zanpakuto connected... with its hand!? It gives you a merciless grin, then rears it head up and bites your arm.
You prepare for the pain to hit you, but it never does. You can only feel the pressure from the hollows teeth. No pain. You notice that the other two hollows have disappeared, most likely from the kido that Nanao had just finished casting.
The hollow releases your arm and stands still in front of you. "My purpose is fulfilled. I doubt that you will feel it yet, but give it a day or two." It smiles widely at you. You swing your blade across its face, cutting deeply where its eyes were. It didn't even flinch. It didn't even try to dodge. What the hell is wrong with this hollow?
Once it disappears, Nanao rushes toward you. "Hiroto! How bad are you hurt! I may not be the best healer but I... can still... try. Hiroto? Your arm." You look down at your bitten arm... there are no teeth marks! No incisions! No... nothing! Ok, now you are sure that there is something messed up going on.
You start to reply, when suddenly Captain Soi Fon ans Captain Hitsugaya appear before you.
"We detected a vasto lorde class hollow here and cane as soon as we could. Is everyone all right?" Captain Hitsugaya, in his cool nonchalant voice, asked about the happenings of the hollow before they arrived. So you explain everything to him and Soi Fon.
"So you were bitten? But the bite left no marks at all? And then it willingly died?" Soi Fon asked you.
"Yeah, that's pretty much what happened."
"The Head Captain must hear about this immediately. I'll go, as I will be quicker. Captain Hitsugaya, if you were in the middle of any duties when you came, you may resume them. Currently there is no threat, and two captains is excessive for a simply questioning." Soi Fon turns yo leave, but not before giving you a quick glance that went unnoticed by the others. You two were going to talk about this later.
"Very well Captain Soi Fon. If you two would run through what happened one last time. We need to make sure that nothing gets left out."
You and Nanao ran through it once more not leaving any room for error. Once finished, you head back inside with Nanao in tow. Captain Hitsugaya had left to catch up with Soi Fon, giving you two time alone.
Now inside of your room, you sit I'm your desk chair, leaving the softer bed for Nanao. "What do you think this means?"
Nanao looks at you as she takes a seat on your bed. "The hollow biting you?" She inquires about your statement.
"No, I mean the vasto lorde ranked hollow that allowed itself to die. I fought it. I felt its power. If we would have kept going, I would have had to use Bankai. Even then, I might have just barely squeezed by with my life. So what does it mean? Why did it willingly die? Hollows are instinctual by nature, and last I checked dying is not on everyone's to do list."
Both Nanao and yourself sit in silence for a few minutes, contemplating what you just experienced. Suddenly a pain shoots up your arm.
"Ow! Dammit that hurt!" You nearly yell at your arm. Nanao looks at you with confusion and worry.
"Your arm, it's causing you pain? If that is the case we should take you to see Captain Unohana. If anyone knows what the pain is or means, it would most definitely be her." You mumble in agreement.
Standing up, another jolt of pain courses through your arm making you wince. You take a deep breath. Your trek to the 4th is going to be a long one.
After more than a few curses and 17 more shocks, each feeling more severe than the last, you and Nanao arrive at the front of the 4th division. You are on one knee, breathing haggardly, while Nanao is trying to support your form. Another shock hits you. You feel this one all the way to the back of your eyes. Vision now blurry, you yell at Nanao to get some division members to carry you into their division. Your sight is tinged with black. You feel yourself losing a grip on reality.
You can faintly hear Nanao yelling at, what you assume to be, nearby division members, when another shock hits you. You go rigid for a moment, and then slump forward, losing consciousness completely before even hitting the ground.
-Nanao POV-
"Hey, you three! I have a severely injured man over here. Please help me carry him into your division. He needs immediate medical attention!" You called out to a group walking by with hopes they help Hiroto. They glance over at you and stumble, trying to get you both into the 4th.
With a combined effort, all four of you easily lift Hiroto off the ground and carry him along to an open room. On your way, Hiroto suffered another shock. You could tell by his screams that they were horribly painful. Once in the room, now prepared to treat him, Hiroto was set comfortably on the bed.
Captain Unohana walks in, a look of worry written across her face. "What happened to Hiroto?" You explain the fight with the vasto lorde as best you can. When you finished, Captain Unohana's eyes were wide I'm fear, something you have never seen happen before.
"Everyone needs to leave now." She voices this as calmly as she possibly can. "If you don't leave in the next 10 seconds, you will be forcibly removed." No one really knew how to react to Unohana's , everyone, including yourself, with willingness or reluctance, left the room.
Once out side you, could hear Unohana trying to calm down a now screaming Hiroto. A lightly pulsing from behind the door let you know she was trying her hand at kido, but Hiroto's screaming said that it was not working. After another minute or so, Hiroto's screaming abruptly cut off. Then there was silence.
Everyone near Hiroto's room suddenly stopped what they were doing. No one had died in the 4th since the war with Aizen ended. This could be a first. You fall to your knees, sobbing uncontrollably. Someone attempts to sooth you by patting your back, but their effort is in vain. Your vision is blurred with tears, slowly trailing down your face. The drops hitting the ground in silent splashes.
Another minute passes before the door slowly opens to reveal Captain Unohana standing there, her captains Haori covered in blood. Her face is impassive. She shows no emotion. She starts to walk down towards her office when a lower seat asks her.
"Captain? What happened with Hiroto?"
Unohana stops walking and turns to look at the person who asked. You see a single tear falling down her cheek.
"Hiroto is dead." With that she walks off at a quicker pace towards her office, leaving the members of her squad and Nanao standing quietly in the hallway.
An unknown amount of time passes before you are able to think properly. He... Hiro... was dead? You can't even cry anymore. You just feel empty. Alone. Afraid. Feelings don't matter. Nothing matters.
You stand up, and shuffle to the door. Reaching for the door handle, your hit with the door as a very angry looking Soi Fon bursts through.
"Where is he! Where is Hiroto!" She wasn't even trying to act nice, she just went straight crazy. A few of the 4th division members fled as soon as Soi Fon came into view.
"Soi... please calm down."
"No! Tell me where he is now!"
"Soi... he..."
"No... he can't be..."
"Soi." You start to tremble at the thought of losing him. A world without Hiroto? That just wasn't right. Soi Fon walks up to you, her eyes glistening with tears. She wraps her arms around you and sobs silently into your shoulder. You already have lost the will to cry anymore, so you can do nothing but try and comfort her the best you can.
A few minutes later, once Soi Fon calmed down a bit, you were able to pull her off of yourself. You look at her, her eyes still glistening, red, and slightly puffy. "Come on Soi Fon... lets go talk to Yoruichi... that at least might make us feel better."
She nods quietly and steps back. "Then lets go see her." You nod and walk down the hall towards the exit. Arm around Soi Fon's shoulder, you walk out of the 4th division with hopes that Yoruichi can do something to ease the pain in your hearts.
"Hey you two! What's with the depressed looks? Who died?" Yoruichi laughs as you and Soi Fon walk up to her in front of her manor. She stops upon notices how your expressions seem to darken. "Oh my, did someone seriously die?"
Soi Fon breaks down again and runs to Yoruichi crying. She catches her in her arms, looking to you for an answer.
"Hi-hiro... Hiroto... he..." You choke on your words, trying to tell Yoruichi about the terrible tragedy that had come.
"He's dead! He died after that vasto lorde bit him!" Soi Fon cried into Yoruichi's shoulder. Yoruichi's face fell into utter disbelief.
"He... died?"
"Yeah... he died just over an hour ago."
"What about Captain Unohana? Did she-"
"She was the one who treated him." Yoruichi looks downtrodden. You can see it on her face. If Captain Unohana could not help Hiroto… no one could have.
-Hiroto POV-
Pain. That's all you can feel right now. Nothing in the world can compare to what you feel right now. Even the kido Captain Unohana is using on you doesn't register.
Screaming is all you can do. All other sounds are drowned out. Suddenly... your screaming stops. Your voice isn't working. Your mouth opens but your voice won't work. What the hell is going on?
"Move your lazy ass!"
A voice resonates inside your head. Where the hell did that come from?
"I said hurry the hell up!"
Where is it coming from? Who is that? And why the hell is she inside your head?
"Dammit! Fine, I'll drag you in here myself!" A sharp pain resonates throughout your body and you slowly fade into darkness.
You shoot up into a sitting position. Where are you? Looking around you see nothing but... sand? Well it looks like sand, but it feel as solid as a rock. Brushing some of the sand aside you see a hard stone beneath. Some of the sand is piled into varying sized hills, rolling off into the distance. Wait... what in the living hell is that!?
Someone... more like something is standing off in the distance looking at you... holding a zanpakuto!?
From what you gather, its slim build makes it female. Her skin is an ashen white color. She has black marks all over her body. A stripe across her right leg, one across her chest, and one on her right arm. Her feet and hands were tipped with sharp looking talons. Her shoulders were adorned with three small spikes each. Her face... it was a mask. Her... mask... was completely bare. Nothing. Not a mark. No eye holes. No mouth. Just... nothing. It was disturbing on a number of levels.
You stand up and brush off your hakama. She takes a step towards you, then disappears. She appears in front of you catching yourself off guard. She punches you straight in the gut, causing you to fly back a few feet slamming into the ground with a thud.
"What the hell was that! Aren't you supposed to be the 4th seat of the 11th division! You're so weak! What a pathetic excuse for a man, much less a soul reaper!" She yelled at you.
What the hell! She is strong! Way stronger than you are right now. Just who the hell is this girl!?
You pick yourself up and dust yourself off again. "Who the hell are you?"
"You think you have the right to know my name? Ha! Don't make me laugh. As soon as you can cut me, I'll tell you my name. Until then, pick up your damn sword." She points next to you where your zanpakuto appears.
Shi no Dansu? When did she get here? Well either way, this bitch is going to get it. You pick up your zanpakuto.
"Die, Shi no Dansu." Your zanpakuto bursts with energy and changes form. Once she changes, you charge forward ready to decapitate this woman for punching you. As soon as you get within five feet of her, she disappears again, only to reappear again to your side and punch you in the head.
Once again you were flung into the air. Hitting the ground hard, you give a slight yelp of pain.
"If that hurt you, then you are even more pathetic than I thought you were! Now get the hell up and fight me like a man!"
Damn she is getting on your nerves. Without using her sword, she managed to throw you pretty far, while in shikai no less.
"I guess I have no choice."
"No choice about what? Don't tell me you're going to quit!"
"No... I'm going to have to use my... Bankai... I never did like using it... I've already hurt too many with it... but you... you really seem to be asking for it... so I'll be happy to show you."
"Now you are talking punk show me this weak ass bankai so I can make my victory so much more fulfilling! Bring it on bitch!"
You sigh quietly. You hold your zanpakuto out to your side across your body. Making a sweeping motion diagonally upwards across your body you call out. "Bankai, Rasuto Shi no Dansu."
Nothing happens. By that you mean no burst of energy, no wave of sand rushing outwards from your zanpakuto, just the fluid change of your zanpakuto's form. Shi no Dansu glows brightly and elongates into a giant metal pole wrapped in black cloth. The pole isn't the object of interest though, it is the curved blade on the top that is interesting. It is solid white in color and has a skull imprinted on both of the sides. Both edges of the blade are finely serrated.
"I hope you are ready... I'm truly sorry about this..."
"Just shut up and attack already!" To you it seems like seems like she is begging for death. With a sigh you place you zanpakuto in a way that it looks as though you are trying to chop fire wood.
"Master of death, Ruler of souls, Keeper of hatred, I give unto you all that is mine. Strike down your enemies with haste and misfortune. Destroy all those who dare defy. End the days of the weak. Catalyse me for your own selfish needs. Kill all who oppose. Murder the righteous. Reward the gluttonous. Leave your palace of night. Exit the realm of slumber. Enter our world and consume. Oshoku no Yoki." Your blade charges in a white/black energy. You swing your blade down and strike the ground. When the blade sinks in, the energy bursts forth from underneath of her.
She screams in pain as one of her arms is torn off. The energy stops after a moment, slowly fading away into nothingness. She stands there breathing deeply, not able to catch her breath. When she is able to speak, she utters only a single word.
"Kanashimi."
"What?"
"You have proved yourself to be somewhat competent, so I'll tell you again. My name is Kanashimi."
You look at her with a questioning glance. Her name means grief? That's kind of sad. Whether or not she is an enemy no one deserves the sadness that could come with a name like that.
"Well done kid. I guess I have to acknowledge you as my 'master' now. You better hope I don't get stronger, because if I do, I will completely take over your body and kill everyone I see."
She turns to walk away, but you call out to her. "Wait. You can at least answer a few questions for me. Where are we? Why am I here? And what exactly are you?"
She stops and looks at you. "I guess I can tell you. It wouldn't do you any good to be clueless about this place at least."
"This place is your inner world. It reflects what you are feeling and the state of your health at all times. This place used to have water, but because of your hollow bite, water has become somewhat of a rarity. This is also where your zanpakuto spirit resides should it not be in a physical form."
"You are here because I pulled you here dumbass! I suppose you probably want a more in depth answer than that, though. Matters have arisen that required your immediate attention, but those matters are now settled. You also needed some time to heal from your physical injuries, so bringing you here solved two if our problems at once."
"As for me... if you can not tell a hollow when you see one... well, then what kind of soul reaper are you."
...A hollow? Kanashimi is a... hollow? ... what the hell!?
"So you are a hollow? And this is my inner world? So does that mean..."
"Yes, you are just like the substitute soul reaper, Ichigo Kurosaki."
"What!? How do you know about Ichigo?"
"Ha! Just because I'm inside of you doesn't mean that I don't know about him. In the world of the hollows, he is famous for destroying. Aizen after all. That and the hollow he posses... well let's just say that it makes Aizen look like a baby."
Holy hell! If Aizen was a baby, then Ichigo... he must be a god.
Without even saying a word, Kanashimi disappears in a flash of sonido. Her voice echoes throughout the world as she calls out to you.
"Go to the world of the living. Find Shinji. He can help you with this new found power of yours."
With a crash everything goes black.
With a gasp you shoot out of bed, sweating profusely and gasping. What the hell just happened?