I'm writing these chapters quickly…because I'm really into this story…
Kind of bummed that I'm barely getting any reads or reviews though, compared to my other stuff, but I just really like this story so much that I'm almost updating it every other day…
Well, maybe not that fast, but I'm really loving it…it's like my own Bleach arc…I'd love to see this animated…too bad I can't draw for shite…
For the few that actually read and review…thank you…And thanks for replying to my pairings questions…
You'll see Urahara and Yoruichi, but that's a given as there is that Urahara/Kaworu/Yoruichi love triangle mentioned throughout this whole story.
You'll also see Hitsugaya/Hinamori…
But as for Ichigo…
I'm getting people telling me that Ichigo/Rukia is too all over the place, and people saying that it is but that's because it's the most logical pairing.
So I don't know, I tend to agree that Ichigo/Rukia is the most appealing pairing to write for me, but I still haven't concretely drawn any lines with Ichigo…it's still really open to any pairing for him.
Oh, and by the way, a few hints on the storyline…
Ishida fans, Kenpachi fans, Arrancar fans, Inoue fans, all you character-fans, worry not! I plan to incorporate importantly a great deal of Bleach characters! Don't fret if they haven't shown up much yet.
In fact, this WILL go beyond Kawuro's Arc as I steer Bleach into territory of my own choosing.
Bleached Memories won't be ending with Kawuro's Arc…I intend to continue it as this is no filler arc, it will directly affect the Bleach storyline.
Enjoy yourselves!
Let's get this started!
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or its characters, settings, etc.. Did you really need me to tell you that?
Hueco Mundo
Las Noches
Szayel Aporro Grantz smiled in grand delusion as he slowly tinkered away at the workshop all around him, testing another piece of equipment he had been playfully experimenting with for weeks.
The massive cannon-like weapon seemed to be like a long tube, and he lifted it, sliding it along his own arm and aiming it at the wall.
To focus one's spiritual energy in such a destructive fashion…the Quincy do so well…let me see how this concentrates my cero…
"Hah!"
A massive explosion ripped through the chambers of his laboratory, and when the dust cleared, Szayel sighed.
Brushing away his pink hair from his face and boney spectacle-like hollow mask, he surveyed the damage.
His left arm had been disintegrated.
"Shit! I knew that fucking thing needed more tinkering with!"
Time to make repairs on myself first. I think I need that arm…
Turning around, he called to a couple of his Fracción, beckoning them forward with a malicious look that meant they would be ripped apart if they didn't follow his orders.
Quickly grabbing a few of them, he began to feast, ripping off their limbs and devouring their body parts and flesh.
"Rather messy…I suppose…but useful…hmmm?"
A cold chill ran up Szayel's spine.
W-What…I didn't even sense him…entering…
Szayel turned, wiping the Fracción flesh droplets off of his chin and looking rather nervously at Sōsuke Aizen who now stood before him.
Aizen's cold stare still unnerved Szayel Aporro Grantz, though he secretly resented the man and hoped one day to craft something marvelous and powerful enough to win his freedom.
Staring now at Aizen, he realized this was terrible unrealistic. The man could paralyze him with a single glance.
"Tinkering around, were you?"
"Y-Yes…Master Aizen…"
"And tell me…how is the present for Kaworu…hmmm? The Quincy artifact?"
"It…is fine, Master Aizen."
Szayel turned, picking up a small bracelet that glinted with a beautiful shimmering quality. It seemed to be crafted of diamond.
"Good…make sure it is kept safe and protected…that is a one of a kind Quincy tool, you know…"
Szayel nodded stiffly.
"Yes Master Aizen…but…then…do you really intend to give it away to that…your former sensei?"
Szayel instantly felt a bit foolish at venturing out with that question. One should know that questioning Aizen too much could be foolhardy.
Aizen only smiled benevolently turning away with a small flourish, allowing Szayel to exhale a relieved sigh.
"Certainly not…all that awaits the success of Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai's mission is his own death…now that I know he is alive he is far too strong to leave alive…I will personally dispatch him when he returns."
"Y-Yes sir…"
Szayel Aporro Grantz shivered as Aizen left the room, the Arrancar turning back to his mangled Fracción, devouring them and regenerating his left arm.
One day…one day…
Soul Society
Seireitei
Ichigo stumbled backwards, gasping as the man appeared directly in front of him with speed that was almost too fast to track, sending a hard boot into his stomach.
Ughh…shit…what the!?
"Bastard!"
Ichigo Kurosaki snarled, dashing forward as he grasped his Zangetsu hard, sending it down at Kaworu in a long overhead slash.
The former Captain Kaworu only smirked, leaping forward with such speed that he was already a few inches in Ichigo's personal space when the slash Ichigo had launched hit open air.
Ichigo gasped, feeling the air knocked out of him as Kaworu began to launch punch after punch into his stomach and belly.
He spit up blood and tried to inhale to no avail as he felt what seemed like thousands of blows rebound off of him in seconds, sending him down on his knees in a painful but overall unwounded mess.
Ichigo quickly rose, sending a horizontal slash hurtling at Kaworu, who simply sidestepped it with deceptive ease and sent a high kick that looked like a blur but felt like a freight train.
Kaworu only laughed as Ichigo was sent hurtling against the ground, bouncing a few times in obvious pain.
Ichigo leapt up nimbly just as Kaworu rushed forward again, his hard fist hurtling at Ichigo as the Shinigami representative brought up his wide Zangetsu blade to block the punch.
The punch rebounded against the sword with such force that it sent Ichigo gasping and hurtling into one of the buildings close by, demolishing it in a burst of dust and rubble.
Ichigo growled to himself underneath the rocks, mostly unhurt as he grumbled to himself.
"That bastard…forget how small his blade is, he's not even using it! He's just punching and kicking the crap out of me! I've had quite enough of this…"
Kaworu stiffened as Ichigo leapt out of the rubble behind him.
How the hell did I not detect his spiritual presence?!
He spun around, just in time to notice that Ichigo had gripped the wrappings that went up and down his sword and was using them to swing his massive Zangetsu around his head, causing great gusts of wind.
What the hell is he…of course…the centrifugal force…shit! I have no choice!
Ichigo roared, jumping forward with the blade still spinning around his head, then anchoring it finally with both hands as he brought all of that spinning momentum and power down in one massive swing at Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai's prone form.
"IT'S OV-!"
"Kowasu…Inazuma…"
"Huh?!"
Ichigo's eyes widened in surprise as he felt his massive swing halted simply and firmly, never having connected to any part of Kaworu's body. Instead, a blade had blocked it…a…spear point?!
The tantō had become a long cross spear suddenly, the blade of the tantō serving as the main blade of the spear though a bit elongated, while two other blades had formed in the sides as well as a long thick wooden pole handle, to form a cross spear.
"This is Inazuma's initial release…more than enough to halt your foolishness."
Ichigo grit his teeth, trying to press his blade down hard against Kaworu, but his spear was unyielding. Indeed, it almost felt as if Ichigo was losing ground.
Am I…sliding?! What the?!
Kaworu's strength had seemingly increased a great deal, or else he simply hadn't chosen to show his true strength yet, Ichigo finding his locked position with his Zangetsu against Inazuma frighteningly precarious as Kaworu pushed him back, sending him hurtling with surprise into the rocks and rubble he had previously emerged from.
Ichigo rose a few seconds later, covered in dust with a nasty scratch on his forehead, while Kaworu only sighed.
"Perhaps I should not make it hurt…you're just so…pitiful…"
"What'd you say, bastard?!"
Kaworu arched his eyebrows, grinning wide.
"What, you still have a will to fight after seeing that? Well…that's…"
Ichigo's eyes widened as he heard Kaworu's voice continuing the sentence directly behind him in a flash, simultaneously feeling the horrific pain of Inazuma's spear point slashing into his side.
"…brave…but foolhardy."
Ichigo let out a confused, pained gasp as he fell forward onto his knees, dropping Zangetsu. He clutched the bleeding slash on his left side. It wasn't life-threatening, but it was a nasty strike nonetheless, very painful, almost burning unnaturally.
"B-Bastard…"
"Still talking? Do I have to kill you like I did with Little Kuchiki?"
Ichigo's eyes widened.
"W-What?! What the fuck did you do to Rukia, you-"
Kaworu only laughed, looming over the wounded Ichigo who remained pitifully on his knees.
"Rukia? No…no…I took care of her older brother…it surprises me that Kuchiki eventually had siblings like that…No, I wouldn't ever kill Rukia Kuchiki…"
Ichigo sighed in relief, trying to steel himself for the rest of the fight.
"…because I have to take her to Aizen, after all."
Ichigo's eyes widened at the man's words, his body trembling as he remembered Aizen…remembered his defeat…
Take Rukia?! Take Rukia? I won't…I won't lose to you bastards again!
Kaworu hummed dismissively as he dodged a reckless punch launched by Ichigo as the young man leapt to his feet.
Kaworu flash stepped a few feet back and shook his head with a sigh.
"Why do you persevere? You remind me of…him…Kisuke…I'll have to kill you for reminding me of him."
"Why? Because of this…because of her?"
Kaworu noticed now that Ichigo had only launched the reckless punch so he could retrieve his sword, and the young man had raised it with both hands as he had said 'Because of this'.
"Hah…what do you intend to do with that?!"
"Protect those that I love and respect. That's all I need. Bankai!"
Kaworu's eyes widened in sudden surprise. This he had not calculated.
"Ban…kai?"
What…the…This young man isn't even dressed in Captain's robes…What is this? A bluff? He can't have achieved bankai…
There was a massive swirling burst of spiritual energy and dust all around the destroyed battlefield they had been dueling upon, and Kaworu was forced backwards from the miasma of chaos and rubble as the young man disappeared within the heavy cloud of dust and spiritual presence.
When it had cleared, Kaworu's eyes could barely make out the fellow. His clothing had changed to long silky ragged black robes, and his sword was now a strong-looking pure black katana-like blade.
Kaworu clenched his fists, gritting his teeth in rage at this fellow resisting so wildly and delaying his true goals. He had other business to deal with…memories of the past to erase permanently. He had no time for this foolish youngster.
"Why are you doing this? Your only path is death, young fool."
"My name is Ichigo Kurosaki, bastard! I'm doing it for her…I'm doing it to protect everything I have…what's important to me…"
Kaworu trembled, though anyone who knew him well enough would know it was in rage and anticipation rather than fear.
He clutched his skull, feeling another episode making him teeter at the edge of darkness.
Kisuke sighed, shaking his head as the two friends argued.
"You know I would do anything to protect what I love and hold dear, Kaworu…I love Yuruichi and you, and Soul Society…that's why I warn you not to take these actions. This is madness!"
Kaworu stiffened, trembling with anger.
"Madness? You would have father going about and crushing whomever he wishes in the name of 'Soul Society'? That is madness!"
Kisuke only gave him a sad smile, placing a reassuring hand on Kaworu's shoulder.
"Calm down, friend…don't get so enraged…I understand your positions…but you must have sense and reason. Some things are worth dying for, and others are not."
"You…definitely…remind me of him…the same…overconfident look…the same idiocy…I'll…I'll make this hurt…Maybe even…kill that sow of yours…Fuck what Aizen wants back alive…I'll kill you all…kill…won't let you kill me again…I'll kill all of you…I will give you my name, Mr. 'Ichigo Kurosaki'! I am former Captain of the Fifth Division, Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai, and I have come to crush everything you love and hold dear to dust and dirt."
Hate…hate…hate…
He gripped his Inazuma, raising the spear and pointing it fiercely at Ichigo as they both crackled with spiritual energy.
"Bankai? How pitiful! It doesn't seem to have done anything for you at all…Oh…I'll…Make it hurt! I'll damn well make it hurt for you and that Rukia bitch!"
Ichigo smirked, his black robes flowing around him like raven's wings.
"You'll do…"
Kaworu trembled, this time in surprise, as he heard Ichigo's voice continuing suddenly directly behind him. This time he had flash stepped behind Kaworu at a new blinding speed that the strawberry-headed boy hadn't exhibited previously during this fight.
Could that bankai truly be real? Something to be reckoned with? Preposterous!
"…what now?!"
Kaworu just barely had time to react as Zangetsu's sleek black blade crashed down towards him from behind in a massive explosion of spiritual pressure.
Little Lieutenant Yachiru Kusajishi giggled as her pink haired head bobbed up and down, riding the massive shoulder of her Captain, Kenpachi Zaraki.
She laughed as she urged him forward; pointing down the long alleyway Kenpachi was sprinting down, his spiked hair standing proud like the many towers of Soul Society.
He spoke up in his gruff voice.
"Are you sure this is the right way? I hope you're not pulling the same shit like when the ryoka were invading."
"Of course not Ken-chan!"
"You felt it too…didn't you?"
"Yeah…that strawberry-head…you betcha…I sensed his spirit too!"
Yeah…Kenpachi hadn't been delusional. His wounds weren't still that bad, they had mostly healed.
It really had been Ichigo Kurosaki's spiritual presence…flaring up for a second…
But…what was more surprising was a second spiritual presence he had felt…it had been so brief he was not sure if it had truly existed…but what he felt from it was massive…a behemoth of spiritual presence…
Perhaps his wounds were getting to him. It couldn't be possible…
Yet…if it was…there was surely a good fight in the making, even if it was really just Ichigo Kurosaki again.
"Never mind then…get us there quick!"
"Sure I will Kenny! We'll get there super fast, I swear!"
Kenpachi suddenly halted his one eye widening as he stared down at his zanpakutō.
It was…trembling…shaking at his hip.
"Something wrong Kenny?"
And this wasn't the first time…it had began to shake and tremble in sudden spastic episodes right after his fight with Ichigo.
He had no idea what it meant, or what was going on, but he had a rather queer feeling about it all.
Shaking away the odd ideas from his head, he shrugged.
What did it matter…as long as his blade could cut flesh and he could fight, there was nothing more important.
"Nothing…"
He grunted.
"Make sure you're leading us in the right direction Yachiru!"
"You betcha!"
She squealed as they headed in the complete opposite direction of where all the action was ensuing.
Darn.
Lieutenant Izuru Kira stiffened for a brief moment as he and the kind-looking Lieutenant Isane Kotetsu advanced through the many long corridors of Soul Society.
"Did you feel that? Spiritual pressure…going wild…I know I've felt that before?"
He brushed the blonde hair from his eyes as Isane shook her head, sighing softly.
"I guess…but it's not familiar…I really wonder why Captain Unohana sent us here…"
"Don't you remember? To find out who attacked Captain Kuchiki!"
"Oh…"
Izuru arched his eyebrows, staring intently at the soft-spoken Isane.
"Hmmm?"
"I had a nightmare like this a few nights ago, y'know…"
Izuru sighed, smiling as he prepared himself to hear yet another story about a nightmare Kotetsu had had.
However, she had stopped talking abruptly, and as he followed her gaze, he realized why.
Someone stood in their path.
It was an old man with deep, pained wrinkles of age over his extremely expressive face. He had a thick long white beard and clean bald head, and was covered in flowing gray robes.
He was sitting quietly, but directly in their paths, a strange-looking blade at his hip.
The old man spoke, his voice deep and menacing but at the same time it seemed to be mostly melodious and peaceful.
"I am afraid I cannot let you advance any further. I apologize."
In fact…his face looked remarkably like…but…that couldn't be true…
Isane's eyes widened as Izuru stepped forward, her voice soft as she spoke up.
"What? Is that…Captain Yamamoto?"
Izuru shook his head, urging Isane to get behind him as he addressed the now silent old man who was sitting peacefully in their path.
"Wait…I've heard of you…or at least…I think I've seen a depiction of you…I know I have…You're…why…you're Captain Yamamoto's brother! Aren't you? You're supposed to have died!"
Former Captain Gendo Yamamoto-Genryūsai stiffened slightly.
Captain Gendo Yamamoto-Genryūsai stared his brother in the eyes, even as the metal bonds weighed heavily on his wrists and legs.
"Captain Gendo Yamamoto-Genryūsai…you have been sentenced to imprisonment indefinitely for plotting the attempted assassination of Captain Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai and the attempted overthrowing of Soul Society along with Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai who has already been dispatched of."
His brother remained silent as the sentence was spoken. Gendo stared deeply into his eyes, searching for any sign of emotion or regret.
There was only coldness…chilling…and a grave responsibility and duty. This Captain of all the Gotei 13 was willing to undertake any measure to protect his dominion, decisions, and Soul Society itself, it seemed.
The guard speaking the sentence halted.
"Do you have any last words?"
Gendo grit his teeth, unable to move.
"I will say this…"
Pursing his lips, he spit directly in his brother's face.
"That is all, I am-"
He gasped as he felt Shigekuni's blade slash deep across his chest in a spray of blood and the guards sent him tumbling down into the dark abyss of the pit.
Centuries passed…no…he could not be sure…he could feel his body aging…feel his mind crumbling…it could've been thousands of years…millions…he had not died…he remained living in this state of limbo…buried in the secret chamber of darkness from which there was no escape.
Except…light…
Light flooded in. His eyes burned, he could feel the wrinkling underneath them, he could feel the weakness of his body…he could feel his old tired zanpakutō still at his side. He could feel that scar across his chest! That wound, old, but still painful! Burning at him with the fury that only Shigekuni's Ryūjin Jakka could deliver!
It seemed to be years before his eyes adjusted to the light…maybe even centuries!
But that did not matter…
Time no longer held an importance or even existence to Gendo Yamamoto-Genryūsai…it was irrelevant…a delusion even…
The first thing he remembered seeing was the smiling face of one Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai, his nephew.
Gendo found, despite the pain in his joints, despite the imprisonment which could've possibly lasted millennia, despite all that…he just couldn't resist this young fellow's smile. It was desperate and somber, but still as charming as before.
It was a true surprise, as he had assumed that his nephew had been slain as the guards had said.
Gendo smiled back. Despite the years of nothingness and pain…How could he not smile back?
"Good morning…Uncle. Long nap, eh? Time to wake up…we have business to attend to."
Freedom…freedom…freedom…justice.
He had slain time…and been delivered to freedom…all that remained was to return the balance of justice to Soul Society. His brother would pay, that was already predetermined by time and fate and all those fallacies.
Sometimes there are blows only brothers should exchange…to the death. It seems…fitting.
I was never a born fighter like my brother…like my nephew…but this old man can still show this world a thing or two about justice…about what's right…about the fragility of existence…
"No…you are…mistaken, young man."
He sighed, reaching for the jitte at his hip which made the two Lieutenants back away and reach for their own swords.
Gendo only smiled, shaking his head.
"As I said…you are mistaken… I am an old man that time forgot. That is all."
He quickly drew his jitte, making the Lieutenants take further steps back protectively.
"An old man who has grown tired of life and memory…Let us speak the tales of terrible history to them, eh old Tokikaze?"
To specify my description of Kaworu's released zanpakutō, basically what happens is that two extra blades extend out of the side of the tantō handle, and a long wooden pole out of the handle butt of the tantō. So basically it becomes a cross spear wherein the main blade is the initial tantō…get it?
Basically, if you've watched/read Samurai Deeper Kyo, it's much like Benitora's spear.
Kaworu's zanpakutō presented and explained. Click here to get what I'm basically trying to get at.
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/3860/zanpaktoufo2.png
See you next chapter…expect cool awesome stuff including the continuation of the current fights, some back-story, and hell even Kotetsu in action…
And if you hadn't noticed...I revealed the name of Gendo's zanpakutō...