Here's the next chapter…
I hope all of you are still reading and reviewing and enjoying, your reviews, advice and words all strengthen this writer's resolve and when I know others are reading I feel like writing even more.
I'll keep writing, I hope this update didn't take too long, the following chapters should be very eventful and dramatic.
As for all you people talking about pairings, remember, in my mind, nothing is permanent and concrete yet.
Any pairing could conceivably happen, and many characters who may not have a lot of attention right now will show up, so fans of particular pairings or characters that may not have gotten a lot of attention, worry not and stick with me!
Enjoy this arc!
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?
Ichigo Kurosaki could feel his body trembling…this was…fear…
Total…unabashed…utter fear…he couldn't deny it.
He hadn't felt this helpless since his mother…had…
Since then he had promised himself to be strong, unaffected, stoic, or at least someone that didn't so shamefully cry or feel weakness.
But he couldn't deny why his body was trembling, why he could barely resist his eyes rolling back into his head.
Before him stood Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai in what seemed to be pure animalistic fury. The spiritual presence emanating all around the man was enormous, impossible, suffocating. His captain's robes flowed all around him, and his eyes seemed to consist only of merciless malice.
So…this is…power…this is…his bankai…I can barely…move…or breathe…
Ichigo Kurosaki stumbled backwards, trembling as he realized he could barely lift his arms or even think about fighting.
Kaworu spoke out, his voice booming with ferocity.
"I have judged you, Ichigo Kurosaki. The verdict is that you are unworthy, and will be put to death."
The ground around them shook as Kaworu's spiritual level reached new impossible highs.
"Count yourself lucky in being one of the few to ever see me at this level. Now die."
Ichigo Kurosaki barely had time to blink as Kaworu's fist hurtled straight at his face at a speed he couldn't even attempt to track.
Rukia…
Kisuke and Renji stood stock still in their positions on top of the roof of the buildings they had been flash stepping across, both of them with their eyes wide open.
"T-That…spiritual power…you felt it, didn't you? What is that?!"
Kisuke only looked away, trying to concentrate his will.
"It…doesn't matter…Let's continue moving…I think I can sense who I was searching for…"
I…don't know what we can do now…the game is on…Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai has revealed his presence fully to all of Soul Society, and the response is unabashed terror. When will you make your move, Shigekuni?!
"W-What was that?! Isane, you felt that, right?!"
Lieutenant Kotetsu nodded slowly to Lieutenant Izuru Kira, her face grave but determined.
Kira felt his fists trembling.
"That sort of spiritual power…in the distance…We must return to base and report, they probably need us!"
"No!"
Isane shook her head, clenching her fists.
"They can…handle this, I'm sure…I won't back down…"
I'll show all you men, that I'm not some simple healer lieutenant…
Kira's eyes widened at Kotetsu's uncharacteristic reaction, glancing back at the old man they were facing.
He seemed…calm and unsurprised by the events that were occurring.
"That…spiritual power…You're behind it, aren't you!? Tell us the meaning of this!"
Before Gendo could respond, both men noticed that there were snowflakes falling heavily all around them, slowly obscuring the visibility.
Anyone that could have perceived an aerial view would have noticed a white sphere forming around the two Lieutenants and old man, the snowflakes exclusive to that area, not a weather phenomenon.
Lieutenant Kotetsu smirked.
"…Itegumo…show them the barren face of winter…"
Ichigo Kurosaki spat out more blood than he assumed he even had in his body, coughing and grunting in exhaustion and pain as Kaworu gave him another rough boot to the belly.
Can't…give up…Rukia…must…not…fade…
Ichigo gasped for air, feeling his lungs and heart working at their limits as he rushed forward again, screaming in animalistic desperation as he slashed Zangetsu at Kaworu's grim and merciless form.
Throughout the whole fight, Kaworu had simply been silent, emanating massive spiritual energy and foiling every attack Ichigo launched while dealing him quick merciless blows of damage.
He hadn't even spoken a word, simply watching and studying Ichigo mercilessly and silently. For a few moments, Ichigo even thought he could see sorrow in the former Captain's face, but this could not be.
Inazuma had been surprisingly unchanged by Kaworu's bankai, at least aesthetically, and Kaworu brought the spear up to easily block Zangetsu, his free hand punching Ichigo roughly in the face and sending the young man hurtling into a building which promptly collapsed in an explosion of rubble and dust onto Ichigo.
Following up his punch, just as Ichigo barely managed to drag himself out of the rubble, Kaworu spun around once in a circle, swinging Inazuma around his head and then sending it flying like a javelin.
Ichigo's eyes widened in unabashed fear as the spear hurtled towards him, gaining such speed and power that it seemed to crackle with electricity.
This….is the end…I guess this is how…I die.
Kira gasped, trying to feel his way through the thick curtain of snowflakes showering all around him.
"That Isane! What's gotten into her?! I can't even sense or see what the hell is going on in this crap?! Where did those two go?!"
Gendo Yamamoto-Genryūsai found himself not very impressed at all as he slowly strolled through the thick curtain of snow.
"So you have brought me cool tidings, young girl? I see no power in this. Is it only to lessen the harsh face of the summer sun?"
He focused on the snow around him, trying to detect the young Lieutenants and their spiritual presences, though he found he could barely sense his own spirit let alone theirs.
"Ah…so this is to limit my senses, hmmm? That is still not good enough…"
There…she's…coming right behind me…The young girl thinks she can take me by surprise, but even without my senses, my reflexes are far too sharp because of the bitter experience of yesteryears.
Quickly he spun around, just in time to plunge the blade connected to his metal fist into Lieutenant Isane Kotetsu's surprised chest.
The young girl had been charging at his back with her sword Itegumo raised over her head, presumably to deal a fatal blow into the old man's preoccupied body.
"However, you have failed, my dear girl. I apologize."
The old man sighed, removing the blade from Isane's chest and letting her fall to the ground.
"Why must the youth of this world be so eager for blood and death? I apologize for ending you, young wo-"
Gendo looked down in mid-sentence, noticing the young Lieutenant's fatal wound was…pouring out snow instead of blood.
The snow seemed to pulse around her wound, and in seconds she rose once more. Where there had been a hole in her chest there was now unharmed skin, though the hole in her clothing remained.
"Save your apologies for the next world, old man."
He grunted in surprise, just barely blocking her sword and pushing her backwards.
Rushing forwards, he gave her a rough punch to the stomach with his normal fist and then brought his hand-blade down to slice her completely in half, from her head down to her pelvis.
He panted in exhaustion, shaking his head.
It was a pity he had to be so thorough, but he could not waste time with foolish Lieutenants and their illusion games.
He watched as her dying eyes widened in surprise, the two halves of her body…rejoining in a sudden burst of fresh snow.
What the?!
"Impossible!"
Gendo's eyes widened, if only imperceptibly, the old man grunting as Kotetsu pushed him back with a hard slash of her sword.
She smirked, noticing his confusion.
"Nothing is impossible, old man. Within this zone, it is impossible to defeat me or sense my spiritual presence. Any wounds you deal me are negligible. Itegumo's curtain of snow will protect me forever!"
Gendo Yamamoto-Genryūsai sighed, nodding to himself wistfully.
"Hrmmm…then I understand. It was wrong of me to underestimate your power, young lady. However, I cannot allow you to defeat me, unfortunately."
"Hmmph, what're you going to do then, run away?"
"No…that is also not an allowed option. I apologize for this, but I will eliminate you."
He lifted his metal fist, the blade of it pointing in Kotetsu's direction.
"Show her the bitter misery of time, Tokikaze."
Isane's eyes widened and she tried to stifle a scream as she heard someone else screaming inside her mind…a familiar young girl's voice…shouting her name…over and over…over…and over…and over…the girl screamed for her older sister to come out…
The little girl screamed and smashed against the wooden front door until it opened, revealing a girl a bit older, possibly in her late teens with long silver-purple hair.
"Kiyone…get out of here…get out!"
The smaller girl stiffened, tears running down her face as she glimpsed the middle aged man standing behind the teen girl, his drunk hands lecherously brushing against the silver-purple locks.
"Isane?! Daddy?!"
"Get out…now!"
"I can't…older sister I…"
Isane screamed, shoving Kiyone out of the doorway and letting the gruff man shut it behind her.
Her father smirked at her, slowly removing his belt and pressing her against the thin wooden wall.
"So…who's been a bad girl today? Hmm?"
The tears stopped coming, after a long while, and Isane could only feel them that night as the snowflakes splashed against her cheeks and melted slowly. Sorrowfully and slowly with mercy.
Her father's drunken will again, his rough, cruel hands.
Suddenly, she heard a familiar scream from their quarters and stiffened in the snowy night.
Kiyone…no…anything but her…anyone…Kiyone was the reason that Isane would allow these things, these injustices to be dealt to her, for her little sister's sake…so that they could have a roof over her head, so that these injustices were spared from Kiyone herself. As long as that cruel man's pain and lust could be spent on her, then they would not be spent on Kiyone, or so Isane had thought.
She threw open the door just in time to see her father with his youngest daughter, a knife held to Kiyone's trembling little throat as her father's other hand tried to reach into her clothes.
"No! No! Please…no!"
Isane rushed forward, just as her father did as well, tears mingling about them, powerful slaps resounding against the two girls, coupled with drunken shouts of anger.
Isane had no idea what came over her as she grasped the knife out of her father's hands.
She had no idea what came over her as she watched her father topple over and out of the front door, blood flowing from his cut throat. Could it be sorrow? Miserable regret? Relief at freedom? Or realization at their future foolish fate?
She watched the snowflakes slowly absorb the blood pooling onto the ground, piling and gently sprinkling around her father's dead body.
She could hear Kiyone's tears in the background; she could hear herself shouting for Kiyone to stay inside.
She could feel the snowflakes giving her the tears she could not produce herself.
The nightmares had begun since then…but she always simply attributed silly causes to them, trying to forget, belittle, walk past her misery.
It had slowly worked over the years, Kiyone had come under Ukitake's division, been promoted, seemed happy. Seemed to have forgotten.
But for Isane Kotetsu…she could never forget the bruises and who had dealt them…and those snowflakes…all around…comforting her hot and weary face…protecting her…forever...
There was a miserable sob, and a soft female whisper.
"Itegumo…Sorry…I have…fail…"
Kira's eyes widened in disbelief as the curtain of snowflakes shattered all around him in an instant, revealing the sunny normal day that had been around them the whole time outside the sphere.
The snowflakes slowly melted and pooled to nothing, revealing the fact that they had been atop the building the whole time in Seireitei where they had encountered the old man Gendo.
To his right, he noticed Isane Kotetsu's limp body laying on the roof in the fetal position, drying tears on her face, her body covered in snowflakes, her light hair so soft and gentle like snow itself.
"Lieutenant Kotetsu?! What happened?!"
He rushed towards her, but halted at the old man's grim and wistful voice behind him.
"No…she is not dead, young man…"
Gendo Yamamoto-Genryūsai sighed, smiling as he approached Lieutenant Izuru Kira's angry form.
"…She was simply brought down by the fist of time…As you too will be."
Kira grit his teeth defiantly, raising his blade in both hands.
"Omote wo agero, Wabisuke!"
His blade turned into a rather queer shape that puzzled but did not impress Gendo, rather like a sword with an odd square hook.
Gendo smiled sorrowfully as Kira rushed towards him, shaking his head.
"Why do they rush so eagerly to death, Tokikaze? For what greater will?"
Chad…Orihime…Ishida…Rukia…Rukia…Rukia…Rukia…I'll miss you…I'll miss you all…I can't…believe this is…goodbye…like this.
Ichigo's eyes widened and his inner farewells simply stopped as the spear point barely missed him.
Kaworu had missed!
The spear Kaworu had thrown had hurtled just past Ichigo and slammed into a nearby wall.
Now Kaworu was weaponless…Ichigo had been so weak…so foolish…so resigned.
He grit his teeth and gave a confident smile despite the pain rebounding over his body.
Now, Zangetsu! We strike! I'm sorry for almost giving up so easily! Let's go!
Ichigo roared, gripping Zangetsu and hurtling forward with his blade raised.
In an instant he was right in front of Kaworu's standing and weaponless form, growling as he swung Zangetsu directly at…
"YOU WILL NOT KILL ME, ICHIGO KUROSAKI. YOU CANNOT. THAT HONOR WAS ALREADY DONE TO MY SOUL BY A LOVE LONG AGO."
Kaworu's voice boomed over him, as well as a fresh wave of Kaworu's massive spiritual power. It was high enough to easily bring any seated officer in Soul Society to his or her knees in unconsciousness, maybe even most of the Captains.
Instead, it simply stopped Ichigo's blade inches away from Kaworu's neck.
Im…possible…
Ichigo fell to his knees, his attack forgotten as his blade fell to the floor and saliva and blood dripped out of his mouth. His eyes were rolling into the back of his head, and he found he could barely retain consciousness.
This…spiritual…he…stopped my attack…with a simple…gaze…and his…spiritual presence…
Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai stood domineering over Ichigo's kneeling form, his spiritual presence still rising and shaking the ground around them. Finally he spoke, in a booming and yet at the same time sorrowful voice.
"It is over Ichigo Kurosaki…The difference in power between you and I can never be brought together by you. It would take centuries more of experience and power, and even then, you would topple over as you did just now."
He paused, studying Ichigo's battered form from a distance.
"I…am almost sorry…Your spirit is admirable…but…"
Kaworu grit his teeth, his eyes suddenly flaring in fury.
"…but…all this for a mere woman!? You are young, and foolish to not know by now, that love and comradery are a mere façade. This Rukia would betray you in a mere instant if it were her orders! As would all of these friends you strive to protect! They would betray you in an instinct if it came down to it."
"My Ichi-chan…if I were to run away from this place…would you join me?"
He rested his fingers gently on her chin, lifting up her face to gaze into his.
"Would you? Leave this place, this land of duty and law, this land where you were raised…leave this land where you hold such supreme position…leave this land for your heart and mine?"
Yoruichi trembled, tears running down her face.
"I know what I have to do…my Kaworu…my Okami…"
Kaworu smiled lovingly, taking this as an affirmative response, his hand reaching to pull her in a kiss.
Suddenly, however, his brow furrowed, and he sighed, shaking his head.
"I'm sorry."
"I…understand…but…did it have to be so…ruthless, Ichi-chan?"
The young man fell to the ground and coughed up violent streams of his own crimson blood, staring at the blade sticking out of his chest. The blade Yoruichi had stuck into him.
Ichigo Kurosaki's weak and barely conscious voice rasped out in response to Kaworu's dark and sorrowful sermon, interrupting Kaworu's words and remembrance of the terrible past.
"No…you…are…wrong."
Kaworu eyes widened and he let out a barely contained howl of terrible misery and anger as he sent a terribly rough punch rebounding into Ichigo's already battered face.
It send the young man hurtling into the ground at top speed, bouncing off of it like a doll, and colliding into yet another building that swallowed him up in an explosion of rubble and dust.
Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai trembled, gritting his teeth as he lifted his hand up to point at Ichigo's prone form laying beneath the rubble, barely breathing.
"I will be merciful…and ignore that comment of inexperience and ignorance…Ichigo Kurosaki. I will end this in an instant and leave nothing of your remains in this world. That is mercy, for this existence is nothing but bitter pain and misery. To be or not to be. It makes no difference to me. The only thing that mankind has never been able to grasp is that death may be the only absolute freedom there ever was. You will receive my special kidō in full power, with the full chant. No one has ever received it in that way, think of yourself as honorable as you will receive freedom, becoming nothing but a pile of charred dust."
Ichigo groaned, trying miserably to stand or move, and failing just as pitifully. Kaworu smiled sadly, his mind slowly thinking back on Yoruichi's face despite himself.
"Carriage of thunder. Life's terrible flax of sorrow. Return all to dust as it once was, and end mankind's true misery. Destructive Art: 95, Lighting Genesis, Crash Down."
Ichigo Kurosaki found he couldn't even react or conjure up any strength to move or even think of his friends and Rukia as the massive bolt of lightning hurtled right at his position.
This is…the end…
The explosion shook nearly all of Soul Society, and in the end there was nothing left of the targeted position but a massive crater that had to be sixty feet across and just as deep.
Ichigo Kurosaki was dead.
Or at least he thought he was.
For he could feel someone holding him.
He closed his eyes, feeling soft arms wrap around him, and a feminine scent. Comforting.
Tears ran down his face.
"Rukia? M-Mother? I'm…sorry I failed…I'm dead…I'm dead…"
He looked up, tears on his usually strong and confident face, turning to see the woman holding him.
Yoruichi Shihouin stared down at him with an expression that seemed to hold the emotions of sympathy, strength, determination, and grave sadness.
She caressed his beaten face, smiling sadly.
"Did you think you were in the next world, Ichigo? Don't give up so soon, Aunt Yoruichi is here…It is sad to see you like this. Smile, Ichigo, you fought well against such an opponent.
Yoruichi lay Ichigo's wounded form against a wall, turning back to her more immediate concern and threat.
This more immediate concern and threat, Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai had wept as he watched Yoruichi Shihouin appear in his line of sight, her masterful and blinding speed whisking Ichigo Kurosaki just before the massive blast could have disintegrated him.
His tears ran down his face, and he tasted them.
Delicious…salty…invigorating…
Were they tears of love? Tears of vengeance? Misery? Happiness at seeing his once lost love? Misery at seeing this love who had betrayed him? Or more likely, vengeful joy at her appearing so he could rip her apart piece by piece?
At this point, not even Kaworu himself knew the answer to this question.
Guide me…Inazuma. You are the only one I have left.
Of course, when asking for counsel from a spear, all it could respond with was its sharp point.
The battle was inevitable.
Hope you enjoyed this chapter, I wrote it quickly and enjoying writing it, I hope it wasn't lame or anything…
Getting ready for some awesome stuff, more Kisuke, more Kaworu, more Yoruichi, more glances at the past…And lots of other stuff…
Hope you weren't too bored by Kaworu's old uncle Gendo and his fight with the two Lieutenants. Poor Isane, she had an interesting snow zanpakutō, but it seems Gendo's Tokikaze may have some menacingly capable abilities. Let's see if Izura Kira can get him to apologize. Wink wink.
And don't worry, Ichigo's not down for the count, he may be near death, but he'll be back! Never underestimate a Kurosaki!