Sorry for being so inconsistent with updates, it's just because of a few reasons:
1.) Busy with real life.
2.) Busy with my major forum, which features roleplays, discussion, and a Bleach roleplay featuring some of the original characters in this very fanfic. Stop by! www.coloholics.co.cc
3.) I have a flaw as a fanfic writer, especially with this story. My mind is ten million times faster than my actual writing. In my head, I have already seen, read, animated, and written 300 chapters of this fanfic. I'm not even kidding. Final battles, character drama, major releases and plot turns, everything. But while my daydreaming mind has it done, my free time and typing fingers are too slow to catch up. At the very worse, some great scenes eventually disappear, never put into print!
But I'm going to try my best and salvage my mind and freetime and keep writing, stick with me guys. Let's get going, maybe I'll just write bigger and bigger chapters so I can save more stuff from mental fading and make up for my terrible speed.
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?
Former Captain Sōsuke Aizen smirked, staring at Hitsugaya with his calculating eyes of mirth and menace. He was the Aizen of the past, his spectacles still on, his hair not brushed away.
"How disgusting…Hitsugaya…you are ever the weakling."
That horrible man who had taken Hinamori's innocence and sanity, how could he be standing before Hitsugaya at this very moment? And rather than drawing Hyōrinmaru in rage at Aizen as he had when he found Hinamori splattered in crimson on the ground, rather than that…his hands were trembling.
Could this be…fear? How could he gain the strength to last, to bring vengeance in the name of Hinamori and Seireitei when this fear gripped him?
Aizen's smirk widened, and so did his very form itself, the traitor seemingly growing bigger and bigger looming over Hitsugaya as little Shiro-chan seemed to be getting tinier and tinier.
How could one defeat fear and find the strength to fight such an opponent? And why couldn't Hitsugaya stop this…trembling…these thoughts ran through his head.
When I died on that plain…what did I truly gain? Twelve petals at my back and a weight upon my shoulders…the dragon of ice, was I truly the one deserving of its strength? Why not Sōjirō?
If I can't even protect my…if I can't even protect her…what's it worth…
I dreamt of a plain of ice…I felt his presence, I heard his echoing voice crushing and engulfing, resounding in the distance like thunder…brushing against my hand like a delicate flower…
But that noise was nothing but Fear now. Fear and Impotence thundering in the distance, seducing me into complacency.
Why am I still here? What am I worth?
That girl appeared in front of poor Hitsugaya the moment he looked up, seemingly replacing the vision of Aizen on the vast plain of ice.
That short-haired tender…kind-hearted girl, as delicate and important to him as the icy petals that rose behind his back. Why did she of all people have to show up now…?
Momo…
"Why are you here, Shiro-chan? What are you worth?"
Hitsugaya trembled.
"No one understands me! You never did, Rangiku never did, Sōjirō never did…and neither did Hyōrinmaru! Why was I chosen to become the bearer of one of the three dragons? What did I do to deserve such a powerful curse?!"
Hinamori smiled sadly.
"You don't understand other people…"
"I thought I could create something painless with my strength, a perfect world where you and all of my friends would be safe. But I let down Sōjirō, and now I let you down as well…"
"Because you never tried to understand the true form of your strength and this world, you simply think this all unfair and cruel…"
Hitsugaya grit his teeth, his eyes blazing with fury under that wild head of ivory hair, his fists clenching and unclenching wildly.
"NO! BETRAYED! MY FEELINGS WERE BETRAYED!"
"You misunderstood it from the very beginning, Shiro-chan…you created those feelings inside yourself, the impotence limiting you…let go and release…what are you afraid of?"
"I…I'm afraid of hurting others…hurting myself…"
But haven't you been hurt by not releasing your true potential? Haven't your friends and loved ones been hurt by your lack of power already?
Tears ran down Hitsugaya's face as his small body trembled. He reached for Hyōrinmaru at his side and then suddenly realized his sword simply wasn't there.
"Nobody wants me…so everybody, just go and die…"
"But Shiro-chan…everyone has a right to live on…"
"It would have been the same with or without my existence, with or without the Dragon of Ice who chose me…Nothing was added or changed by my existence, in fact it probably made your life and Sōjirō's life worse. So everybody…just go and die…"
"But your heart has been dampened by your tears…by your fears and limiting…"
"It would be better if I weren't here…so it doesn't matter if I die…"
"Then…why are you here, Shiro-chan? For what purpose? You fear release yet welcome surrender…"
"Can I stay here?"
There was no reply. Looking up, Hitsugaya noticed Momo had disappeared and replacing her spot on the plain was a vision of her as she he had found her splattered with blood on the ground after Aizen's betrayal.
Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya's scream reverberated through the unyielding plain of ice.
If I can't protect the ones I love…what am I worth…Hyōrinmaru
I hear a voice…an echoing voice, crushing, engulfing, falling into my hand like a rose petal separated from its bud fluttering in the cool breeze.
Crashing…just like thunder…this is for you Momo…this is for you Sōjirō…even if I die, I will repent for the sin of my own weakness and pledge my life to redeeming you.
"Hyōrinmaru."
Lieutenant Momo Hinamori trembled quietly on her hospital bed, her eyes wide as she awoke violently from her slumber as she had been doing many times in those past few months since…since…
No, she could not speak it, nor even think it. But for a second, she had thought she heard Shiro-chan screaming out her name.
Her imagination. Another delusion.
A total psychotic breakdown, that's what the 4th Division nurses called it, or wrote down on the clipboard when they though she wasn't looking.
She had to close her eyes, return to the cold gray world of sleep and pretend where everything was safe…safer than reality and consciousness, at least. At least when you were betrayed in your dreams you were redeemed when you awoke.
Slowly, Momo Hinamori drifted back into her own mind and the world of sleep, leaving Soul Society and consciousness to return to her dreams. Outside in that real world, things went on as usual, but she cared not. Outside in that real world, a foreign voice whispered…
"Chuu, Gusanocerebro!"
"I have no choice but to stay in Soul Society, stay a Shinigami…I'm forced to live like this…"
Momo Hinamori trembled alone on a vast plain of white nothingness, her blade Tobiume cradled in her weak delicate hands.
"I have to save you from Ichimaru…I will…Captain Aizen!"
She could see Gin Ichimaru in front of her now, the one who had certainly manipulated the events of the past few months. After all, Sōsuke Aizen was a kind, generous man, the man she adored even more than Shiro-chan.
Ichimaru's slit fox eyes were as wide and venomously facetious as his cruel smirk, standing there coldly in front of Momo-chan.
"Oh, madame Hinamori, I hope I'm not interrupting your slumber! All women require their beauty sleep, eh?"
Hinamori grit her teeth, drawing Tobiume in a fit of rage.
"Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP! Hajike, Tobiume!"
Yet...the sword did not change or release…Tobiume's blade did not straighten nor produce several jitte-like prongs along its length. No fiery balls of destructive crimson energy were emitted…
Nothing…happened…at all…
Hinamori's eyes widened in desperation.
"Tobiume?! This…this piece of trash won't react?! No…no it's me…I'm the trash…I'm useless…no one needs me…no one needs a Shinigami who can't use their zanpakutō…"
Gin Ichimaru smiled, reaching for the sword at his hip.
"Then, I reckon I'll take your life, little lady. Hope you don't have any qualms with that?"
Momo trembled in total and utter impotent fear, closing her eyes and preparing for death…Tōshirō…someone…help…help!
Suddenly, a warm hand on her cheek and a calm familiar voice. Her eyes opened, revealing Captain Sōsuke Aizen standing with a loving smile before her. At his feet was the vanquished Gin, splattered in blood, his haori in tatters.
"C-Captain Aizen?!"
"Shhh, calm yourself my Hinamori…you are not trash…you are simply lost, trying to find yourself within the heart of others…empathy can be dangerous…"
"I…I don't…"
"You fear being alone…"
"C-Captain…"
"You fear because you'd be erased from existence, bleached away, your memories, your existence, your friends…you fear that you are too weak to continue existing…"
"So…I can survive if…"
Hinamori's confused contemplation and words were cut off as her Captain Aizen wrapped his arms around her in a warm embrace which she promptly melted into.
This time…there was no sword in her gut…no betrayal…no…not anymore, after all, evil had been vanquished, Ichimaru had been killed…evil HAD to be DESTROYED.
Sōsuke Aizen smiled with a warmth that anyone else would find so over the top that it would come off as practiced and facetious. But to the Lieutenant in his arms it was nothing but love, love, love.
"Yes, my Momo-chan, evil has to be destroyed…and you will be the one to destroy it."
Somewhere far away, back in the world of consciousness and outside the world of dreams, the recently appointed Captain Shūhei Hisagi finally woke up from his unconscious state.
The first thing he felt was an overwhelming confusion, then simply pain all over his body.
What…had happened?! Where was he?
He tried to get up, but felt burning pain all over his body, only able to cock his burnt neck up ever so slightly to glance at his own charred nearly-nude form.
The…fight!
"Sew me a dream, Ginrei Kojaku…"
Ishida groaned, slowly standing and raising his white spider-web like bow and glowing with a burning white spiritual presence that shook the air around him
"Still talking?! I told you to just stay down and die quietly. Move around too much and the pain is horrific."
Ishida knew this was true, feeling his body weak and in agony, but he had no need to worry. Before him glowed threads of power, millions, connected to his fingertips and to everything around them. Buildings, the ground, Hisagi's clothes, everything.
Hisagi gasped and Ishida smiled weakly.
"I…control…the very spirit…that flows through…all existence…Surrender to the inevitable, you pitiable fool…"
The threads spiraled from his web-like bow, making it appear as if Ishida stood in the middle of some brilliant concentric spider web of power he himself had spindled as an arachnid.
Captain Shūhei Hisagi's eyes widened, unable to even express his awe at the sight before a massive explosion overtook his very being, sending him screaming in terribly agony.
That Quincy…so Hisagi had lost!
"Shit…brother Yakedo… Captain Kensei, guess I let you all down…what kind of Captain am I to lose my first battle as head representative of…9th Division…"
The only thing that rested on Hisagi's brain was humiliation and shame, no thought to how he'd physically get up and recover from this defeat. Someone would probably find him soon and have him transported to 4th Division Headquarters, that matter was ultimately inconsequential.
What really dwelled on Hisagi's mind was the shame; he had let them all down. One other thing gnawed at him as those festering wounds on his body surely were at this very moment.
The Quincy…why exactly did leave me alive?
At that moment said Quincy Uryū Ishida was moving quickly through Soul Society, his Hirenkyaku taking him rapidly past any low-level Shinigami that would attempt to halt his movement.
Indeed, he still felt the wounds from that battle with the Captain he had defeated, but something more pressing urged him on faster and faster towards a fixed destination he had been seeking from the very beginning he had reappeared before his former friends and comrades as a seemingly changed man.
Even if it takes selling my soul for the power necessary, I will become stronger, strong enough to protect those important to me, strong enough to live on…I'm sorry, Rukia, Ichigo, Chad, Orihime…but my time with you dulled my heart and my goals as a Quincy.
Even if I sell my soul in the process, I will become strong enough…
Ishida flashed forward faster and faster, ignoring the pain of his wounds.
"…strong enough to avenge you, grandfather Sōken…strong enough to show you that Quincy pride still exists, father…I will take stop Soul Society's injustice once and for all, even if it means killing you, Ichigo Kurosaki. And when it is over, I will take your life as well, Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai…"
Lieutenant Nanao Ise's eyes were wide open and confused. All around her were the unconscious and dead bodies of her division. In front of her was an enemy, a beast of a man who had taken multiple swordwounds to the gut that would have been fatal to any other person…yet he was still standing there, grinning like an idiot.
Nothing in my calculations precluded something like this…
Former Lieutenant of Fifth Division Shogo Kiriyama chuckled boisterously, slowly stalking around Nanao like a buzzard circling carrion. His body was slick with sweat and the blood of many men; however despite the severe wounds he had been dealt, Kiriyama seemed quite at ease and amused.
"Heh, the look on your face is telling me you're puzzled bitch! Well don't be, we're just made of different stuff, you and I. Soul Society is nothing but a shithole these days, I'm surprised a bitch like you could make Lieutenant!"
Nanao grit her teeth, steeling her will. No matter what sort of beast this man was, she had to stand her ground and use her rational and skills to solve the problem. For herself and for her division.
And for you, Captain…I won't let you down…you've saved me so many times, now it's time for me to show you I'm worth it...even if it means dying.
"You seem kinda silent…you know I like it better when girls scream, it's no fun when your prey's all quiet. Already ready to give up?"
Lieutenant Ise looked up sharply with a surprising amount of ferocity and determination that actually surprised the coarse taunting Kiriyama. Glaring at the wild man, she pushed her spectacles up closer to her eyes, letting the lenses glint menacingly in the low glare of the sun.
"Overconfidence will be your downfall, Shogo Kiriyama. I have all the data required to defeat you, all I need to do is put it all together."
She paused, taking out her heavy book once more and opening a page, then continuing, repeating what she had said earlier.
"Shogo Kiriyama, former Lieutenant of Fifth Division under Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai and simultaneously Commander of the Special Forces and Executive Militia previous to Captain Soifon. This must've been before the Special Forces were assimilated as 2nd Division…Past history included a stint as Fourth Seat in Eleventh Division, top of his class in Shinigami Academy despite a marked record of behavioral problems and violence with classmates…Suffice to say you've got a long history of behavioral and disciplinary problems, and a surprising amount of close calls, fights that would surely have cost the life of any other man. Perhaps I will require my initial release for this battle…"
Shogo raised an eyebrow, halting his revolutions around the Shinigami Lieutenant.
"What the fuck're you talkin' about?"
Nanao gave a small smile, shaking her head and sighing.
"You need to be more aware of your surroundings, former Lieutenant Kiriyama. You didn't think that coordinated ability was all I am capable of, did you? I haven't even used my shikai yet."
Shogo's eyes widened and he studied her silently with a dour sneer, actually brought to quietness for once during the encounter by her reveal, a remarkable task for Nanao to have silenced such a boisterously overconfident man.
Drinking in his silence, Nanao quickly closed her book and whispered two quick and familiar words she hadn't needed to say in quite a while.
"Kairan, Hagakure."
The second she spoke those words, the heavy book collapsed inwardly around her right hand which had held it, revealing a wakizashi or short sword. It didn't seem remarkably exceptional, though it shined with an ethereal light.
"Well, well, what're ya gonna do with tinker toy? Still, my mother taught me to be nice to girls, so I might as well reciprocate."
Nanao remained perfectly still and silent, her short sword at her side, not replying or saying a word as Shogo Kiriyama reached for the combat knife at his hip, apparently finally read to get serious.
Raising it up and holding it in both hands so the blade and handle bit into him, Kiriyama spoke gruffly.
"Funzai, Ishizuchi!"
The second he spoke those words, there was an explosion of reiatsu and dust all around him. Shogo sneered, the dust clearing to show him pulsing with spiritual power, his muscles and form even more impressive.
His combat knife was gone, but he had a spiked ring or kakute on each of his middle fingers that would surely leave nasty wounds with a punch.
And it was one of those fists pulsing with spiritual power that Nanao now found hurtling towards her face.
The punch was swift and powerful; Shogo Kiriyama had been a former Commander of Special Forces adept and skilled when it came to hand-to-hand combat after all. Nanao Ise on the other hand was the quintessential bookworm, excelling mostly in technique, study, and strategy.
That's why Shogo found it quite amazing when Nanao's right fist slammed into his face just as his own fist hit her cheek. They both flew backwards from the simultaneous blows, something far more surprising regarding Nanao's punch. It had packed just as much power as Shogo's, this petite woman flying back but sending the muscular beast flying as well.
He growled passionately like a wounded dog, getting up and quickly hurtling towards Nanao again, obviously a man used to smashing his problems to a pulp.
This time he sent his leg flying forward in a vicious kick aimed at Nanao's throat. However just as with the punch, Nanao was already there moving forward with a kick aimed at Shogo while jerking her head to the side to dodge the very move she was copying.
Shogo spat blood as he took the hard kick in the throat, stumbling backwards after his own kick hit nothing but air.
He grit his teeth through the blood, gasping for air and clenching his fists while Nanao glared silently at him, her eyes condemning and cold, as if analyzing his every move.
"Grauugh…don't…look…at…me…like…that, you…stupid…bitch…I'll kill…you…"
He quickly raised his speed as he had done against the whole division, jumping forward with remarkable speed, only to be met with Nanao jumping forward with nearly same speed.
Fuckin' impossible! This bitch shouldn't be as quick as me!
These thoughts ran through Shogo's head as he launched an elaborate spinning kick towards Nanao's face, only to have it met by the exact same kick, their legs slamming together with nearly equal power and sending both Shinigami stumbling backwards in pain.
Shogo grimaced, holding his leg and glaring violently towards Lieutenant Ise.
"What the fuck is this?! It's like I'm attackin' a goddamn mirror. At least you didn't manage to fuckin' dodge it that time…"
Nanao sighed, adjusting her glasses, quite calm and collected as she spoke in a matter-of-fact tone, her first words since she had released.
"Hagakure can read your moves physical moves seconds ahead of time, you saw that when you fought my division…Using my shikai, I can take this to the next level, Hagakure reading your physical moves and copying them perfectly and simultaneously through my body. Anything you can do, I can do as well, though I suppose I can't dodge everything if you move that fast, so it's quite a war of attrition… This battle is already mapped out and predestined. All the moves lay in my hands."
Shogo Kiriyama grit his teeth, spitting blood onto the ground and growling. This was really pissing him off, especially being lectured to by some stupid woman.
"So you're nothing but a fuckin' cheater, a fuckin' copycat. It's ridiculous to think a copy would even compare to the original, you dumb bitch!"
Shogo's eyes blazed with fury and he rushed right at Nanao, Nanao doing the same simultaneously, the two Shinigami running with perfectly copied strides at each other.
Kiriyama leapt up as he got closer, only to have Nanao execute the exact same move, his fist flashing forward in a right punch at Nanao's face. Just as she had done before, Nanao copied Kiriyama's movements exactly simultaneously, Nanao's right fist hurtling at Kiriyama's face.
There was one not so very subtle difference, however, in Nanao's right fist was her short sword, hurtling forward for a very different effect at Shogo Kiriyama's head.
Shit…
Inside Ichigo Kurosaki, something was surely changing. Outside, in the world of consciousness and Shinigami, a lone voice whispered once more.
"Chuu, Gusanocerebro!"
"Can I dream alone?"
"That would not be a dream. It would just be a projection of reality."
"Then... where is my dream?"
"That is the extension of reality."
"My... where is my reality?"
"That is at the end of the dream."
Ichigo Kurosaki woke up with a start, sweat dripping off his brow, to find himself laying in the infirmary, his entire body aching.
"Where am I? What happened?! That fucking Ishida! I lost?! I LOST?! I CAN'T LOSE, I CAN'T LOSE. DEFEAT MEANS LOSING EVERYTHING I'M TRYING TO PROTECT! I HAVE TO PUT MY SOUL ON THE LINE! I have to be strong enough to support and protect everyone; I can't let it happen again like it did…when…"
Ichigo paused to stare up at the ceiling, muttering under his breath.
"Unfamiliar ceiling…mother…"
He turned to see a familiar Shinigami girl standing to the side of his bed, her soft eyes flashing with unreadable emotions.
"Where am I, Rukia? Fighting Ishida? No, I'm not there..."
Rukia stood beside Kurosaki's bed, startling him with her voice, a voice he had grown to love and at times abhor.
"If you don't try to further yourself and challenge yourself, you will never grow in strength, Ichigo…Sometimes that means sacrificing your beliefs…or even your soul…to gain the strength to defend your friends against certain death. "
Orihime appeared at the foot of the bed, still as she had been when he had last seen her, her soft voice piercing into Ichigo's very essence.
"Please…Ichigo…you cannot let them kill us…they'll take me…they'll take Rukia…they'll take us all…You have to find a new path to protect us…You couldn't even beat Ishida…What makes you think you can…beat…Kaworu"
A new commanding voice rose over the others, Ichigo craned his head to see a tall man with a cold stare and glistening eyes.
"Aizen..."
"Human, you have no strength in your current form…You are nothing but a plague, a weakness among your companions! I overestimated you, drifter…You are too fickle and stubborn, unwilling to consider other paths to strength if they could protect your friends from harm."
Rukia nodded slowly.
"It was my brother's stiff stubbornness that caused his defeat, his rigidity, his refusal to change. You remember…"
Beside him was a woman with soft hair that resembled the glamorous painting his father had in their house. Ichigo Kurosaki knew very well who she was.
"Mother..."
"Ichigo…As long as the Sun, the Moon and the Earth exist, everything will be all right. You must gain the strength to defend your friends and loved ones, even if that means taking the path that you fear…"
Then there was a flash of light, and Kurosaki let out a shriek, clutching his head.
"I'LL PROTECT YOU ALL EVEN IF IT MEANS GIVING UP MY GODDAMN SOUL!"
This time, however, his scream did not end the dream…if it was indeed a dream.
Instead, the world around Ichigo and the bed he lay on shattered, as if it were made of glass, fragments of reality exploding and vibrating around him as he screamed.
Now, he and the bed he lay on were balanced on the side of a bizarre building he found quite familiar.
"Can you hear me, Ichigo?"
"Shit…I'm back here, in this place again…"
"Of course you are, Ichigo…your strength has been tested and once again it has failed…"
Zangetsu stood in front of him, his ebony locks flowing in a wind that Ichigo neither felt nor sensed. Suddenly Zangetsu's form began to warp and was replaced by a familiar form, that white double of Ichigo with fierce Hollow eyes.
"Heh, long time no see, your fuckin' majesty. Looks like it's time for us to talk again…You're sure making a wimpyass face there, huh? You got yer ass kicked by a stupid Quincy, I thought we were stronger than that punk, eh?"
Ichigo grit his teeth, ignoring Hichigo's words as best he could.
"Shut up…shut up…where's Zangetsu…where are my friends…why am I here?! Where's Zangetsu, you bustard?"
Hichigo smirked, cocking his head to the side, his golden eyes blazing furiously.
"Ya know, I don't follow, kid. That 'Zangetsu' thing you're talking about? Ain't it on your back right now? Or maybe…could it possibly be…the one I'm carryin'?"
"A white Zangetsu?!"
Hichigo sneered, drawing the massive sword from his back and pointing it at Ichigo.
"You asked me where Zangetsu was, didn't you? Well I'll fuckin' tell you…"
Hichigo flashed forward in an instant, bringing his Zangetsu flying down at Ichigo, Kurosaki just barely managing to react in time to parry with his own sword.
The Hollow's voice was resounding and ferocious as it pushed Ichigo back, sword to sword, screeching.
"I AM ZANGETSUUUUU!"
Ichigo grit his teeth, trying to stop Hichigo from pushing him back as they pressed their Zangetsus against each other.
"Damn you! Where did the man inside Zangetsu go?!"
"Tch, what a pain in the ass…I'm not gonna repeat myself for a dumbass like you. I AM ZANGETSU!"
As Hichigo uttered those words, he brought his sword back and then flying down in Ichigo's direction, firing off a massive curling blast of spiritual energy that sent Ichigo flying backwards and into the ground.
Ichigo Kurosaki grimaced, slowly rising in the wave of dust that followed his landing, blood dripping from his lips as Hichigo looked down on him, smiling and speaking snidely.
"Who knows if you'll ever fuckin' understand, but Zangetsu and I have always been one and the same…Zangetsu and I are both part of your spiritual power, and I am just one part of Zangetsu…and a part of you…I am Zangetsu, I am you…why the fuck're you still fightin'? As far as a body containing this many inhabitants is concerned, when master and servant decide to switch, there's a change in the body's appearance as well. Just as bodies are wrapped in stinkin' meat when they're alive, when ya die you'll be nothin' but bone."
Ichigo snarled ferociously at Hichigo's words, making man and beast seem very similar, glaring up at his counterpart.
"I get it…so that means all I have to do is beat you…"
"Tch, that's impossible, retard…"
"'Zat so? Let's see what you think after tasting my blade, you bastard!"
Ichigo flashed forward, swinging Zangetsu forward, Hichigo meeting it with his own blade, the two counterparts flying through the air as they exchanged rapid blows.
"Fuck! You're damn stubborn! I told you, there's no point in resistin' like this. I'm a part of you whether you like it or not. I AM YOU! It's useless, just like I told you!"
Ichigo grit his teeth, bringing Zangetsu down in front of him and gripping it with both hands. Hichigo quickly mirrored this action and the two combatants faced each other off nearly identically.
"Is that so...well then…ban-"
"You read my fuckin' mind…ban-"
"-KAI!"
Shogo Kiriyama stumbled backwards, blood dripping profusely from the deep cut Nanao had dealt to his face, having just barely managed to avoid getting her zanpakutō embedded in his skull.
Shit…she can read all of my moves one by one, and copy 'em in power and speed…and to make things worse, her punches have an extra sting that means getting a fuckin' blade in my head.
"Guess I got no choice then…"
Shogo Kiriyama sighed, shaking his head as Nanao silently studied him in what seemed to be resolute confidence.
"Haven't had to use this in a long time, hell the only other guy to force me to was Captain Kaworu. It's almost embarrassing that ya brought me this low…"
Nanao's eyes widened ever so slightly as she listened silently, realizing what he was about to do.
But…none of the data in the records said anything about a-
"BANKAI! Ishigami Kuniko!"
The blast of air pressure and spiritual power as Shogo uttered those words were nearly enough to send Nanao flying back, and she could feel an impressive rise in his spiritual pressure as the dust and rubble he had unsettled with his second release began to clear.
Impossible! I'm in deep trouble if it's something kido-based...I won't be able to mimic non-physical or weapon-focused attacks like that…
However, to Lieutenant Ise's relief, as the dust cleared and revealed Shogo's release it became quite obvious that it was simply another step in Shogo's vicious physical fighting style. Nothing Hagakure couldn't easily read.
"I'm quite glad, it seems you zanpakutō is just like you, Shogo Kiriyama. Simple, brutal, and quite easy to outsmart. My Hagakure is completely inefficient when it comes to anything other than weapon-based attacks or physical moves, for example, I could obviously not mimic Captain Kuchiki's Senbonzakura or conjure up the Captain-Commander's fire. I thank you for being so one-minded and simplistic, it will be your undoing."
"Oh shut up, ya dumb bitch!"
"Eloquent. Let those be your last words. Former Lieutenant of Fifth Division, Shogo Kiriyama. By the authority and power of Captain-Commander Yamamoto-Genryūsai and the Gotei 13, I will now execute you for your crimes against Soul Society."
The spiked kakute rings on each of Shogo's fist had become hard knuckle dusters on each hand, clearly powerful enough to crush through bones. Nanao would definitely have to end this immediately with another bladed mimic aimed squarely at finishing off Shogo, if she took too many of Shogo's direct hits in a war of attrition she could be in trouble. Obviously however, he'd have make the first move to bury himself, the first step into the grave.
Shogo Kiriyama seemed ready to do just do that in earnest, hurtling forward predictably towards Nanao as she did the same, probably ready to launch yet another punch or kick at her deceptively slender body. Kiriyama's speed, strength, and spiritual pressure had all massively increased, but in the end it would be irrelevant with such simplistic tactics.
Predictable, isn't he, Hagakure…
The rough former Lieutenant let out an angry roar as he approached, his fist aimed squarely in a hard punch at her chest. Unfortunately for Shogo Kiriyama, Nanao brought her fist back for the exact same punch, except she had Hagakure's blade within her fist.
No matter how strong his blow would be, her blade in his heart would end this once and for all.
This is it!
"You dumb bitch, why don't you just -"
"You Neanderthal, why don't you just -"
"DIE!"
Orihime Inoue sighed, trying to stop the tears from welling up as she stood over Ichigo Kurosaki's now sleeping form inside the warehouse that Sajin Komamura and Urahara had snuck them into.
Urahara, Sajin, and Rukia seemed to be talking amongst themselves off to the side, but their words didn't reach or concern Inoue.
The only thing that concerned Orihime was the slumbering young man in front of her. She had healed Ichigo and watched him drift into sleep, but her concerns and sadness had not been lifted.
Ichigo…how many times am I going to be here, seeing you like this…hurt and fighting for our sake…and where are Chad and Uryuu?
The gentle young girl trembled as she felt an earnest and overwhelming sense of hopelessness and sadness, a feeling that was only healed by gently moving forward and taking Ichigo's limp right hand into her own.
Inoue stiffened as she did so. Usually feeling Ichigo like this made her stomach curl like it was full of fluttering butterflies, made her body warm up and feel happy…
Yet…holding Ichigo's hands now, Orihime Inoue felt something unsettling, something wrong…inside of Ichigo.
She had felt it only once before…and she had hoped she would never feel it again…
Orihime looked frantically at Urahara, her eyes full of worry and sadness that seemed mirrored except far firmer in Rukia as well.
"L-Let me go see Ishida…I don't know what's wrong with him, but I know he'd never hurt me or Rukia…"
Ichigo's eyes were wild as he almost shoved Orihime away in his exasperated pain and clearly worried anger.
"No! Inoue! He's too far gone! He'll kill anything that stands in his way! Don't you trust the wounds on my damned body? I have to go take care of this once and for all!"
Rukia reached out to touch Ichigo's trembling shoulders but he flinched from her touch, still staring at Orihime.
Urahara watched on with stoic calmness, shaking his head.
Her eyes focused on Ichigo's face in alarm, suddenly noticing something. There was a fresh cut on his right cheek, bleeding profusely.
I thought I healed everything?!
"BANKAI!"
Ichigo Kurosaki's eyes widened. They had both indeed uttered bankai, but while Hichigo's sword was now that familiar slender black blade, Ichigo's Zangetsu had remained the same.
"What?! How is that-"
Before he could finish his sentence, Hichigo flashed forward with that consummate bankai speed, bringing his blade flying towards Ichigo's face.
Ichigo barely managed to dodge a deathblow, flying backwards through the air and gritting his teeth. His face had been carved into however, a slight cut bleeding freely on his right cheek.
All around him, Hichigo began to flash about at rapid bankai speed, far too fast for Ichigo's eyes to completely track. As seconds passed by, it appeared as if hundreds of Hichigos were revolving around him, a storm of forms rapidly multiplied.
"What's wrong Ichigo? Too fast for you? And here I can go even faster."
Déjà vu.
Suddenly the real Hichigo appeared in front of Ichigo at lightning speed, bringing his bankai blade against Ichigo's default Zangetsu and sending the black-clothed man flying backwards.
"Shit! Why can't I use bankai?!"
"Tch, don't give up now punk, this is just starting to get fun!"
"Dammit! BANKAI!"
Yet...the sword did not change or release…Black Zangetsu's blade did not straighten grow long and slender, Ichigo's power did not explode.
Nothing…happened…at all…
Ichigo's eyes widened in desperation.
"Zangetsu?! This…this piece of trash won't react?! No…no it's me…I'm the trash…I'm useless…no one needs me…no one needs a Shinigami who can't use their zanpakutō…"
Déjà vu.
"Now yer learnin'"
Ichigo raised his eyes up just in time to see Hichigo's white Zangetsu slide into his belly, making Ichigo spit blood in surprise and pain.
"S-SHIT! NO! NO! I CAN'T DIE HERE! ORIHIME! RUKIA! MOTHER! I LOST?! I CAN'T LOSE, I CAN'T LOSE. DEFEAT MEANS LOSING EVERYTHING I'M TRYING TO PROTECT! I HAVE TO PUT MY SOUL ON THE LINE! I have to be strong enough to support and protect everyone! I DON'T WANNA DIE! I DON'T WANNA DIE!"
Hichigo gave a simple smirk.
"Who ever said anythin' about dying, yer majesty?"
Ichigo's eyes widened as he looked back down at the sword Hichigo had plunged through his chest. It wasn't that that alarmed him now; it was the fact that his skin was a deathly white, his fingers were bare cold bone, and in the reflection of the blade…his eyes…were a fierce golden yellow.
Lieutenant Nanao Ise's eyes widened as the punch slammed into her chest, sending her flying backwards and slamming into the wall. That was it, her body was at its limit, even with Hagakure's mimicry, her body still had the same physical limits.
Shogo's blow had definitely broken some of her ribs and she could taste her own blood in her mouth and throat.
However, she would survive, she knew that, and that's all that mattered. Shogo Kiriyama on the other hand, would not be so lucky.
Her gaze lifted up in satisfied condemnation at him, her vision blurry as she lay in the rubble, gazing her opponent standing there with Hagakure plunged deep into his breast and out his back.
Kiriyama gasped, falling to his knees, gingerly yanking the sword in his chest out and then falling to his hands as well as blood simply poured out of his mouth and the fatal wound in his chest.
"Shit…so…this is it…end of the line…you fucking bitch…"
Lieutenant Ise watched him with a satisfied smile, proud to have defeated an enemy of Soul Society. If only Shunsui were here to see it, he'd be proud. Still the gifted scholar, Ise studied her dying opponent, noting the strange rasping noises he made.
His organs had definitely been pierced, internally bleeding, possibly lung damage, his dying death rattle was evident and jarring…and it almost sounded like he was…crying? So the pig had a heart after all.
Wait…what? Those aren't sobs…
Shogo Kiriyama abruptly got to his feet, letting out a boisterous laugh which he had been cradling and trying to inhibit the minute he had fell to his hands and knees covered his own blood. Before she could even react, he moved forward swiftly, delivering another hard punch into her delicate body.
"Hahahahahahaahahahaahahahahaaahaha, I'm sorry, I'm…hahah…it's just…the look on yer fuckin' face…you really think I'd let it end like that?! Hah!"
Nanao's eyes widened, feeling herself eyesight growing blurry as she eased into unconsciousness.
"Ya assumed too much thinkin' my bankai would be as simple as some freakin' knuckle dusters, you stupid bitch. All of your knowledge may be fucking stupendous, but all it did was made you oversimplify me baby, never underestimate Granite, all the ladies know that."
How is this…did he take my attack on purpose?! How is he still standing, let alone talking!?
Right before her fluttering eyes, the hole in Shogo Kiriyama's chest was slowly healing, the skin growing just as quickly as the snide smirk on Shogo's face as he turned and began to walk away.
No! No! That's…that's impossible! No one can survive a wound like that…none of my calculations…none of the records…something like this is outside the realm of reason and ration. It's simply impossible! Not even hollow regeneration is at this level! I…lost?
"Chow, bella."
Nanao grimaced in pain as she descended into unconsciousness, the last thing on her mind being her Captain's smiling face.
Rangiku Matsumoto sighed, cradling the sake she had brought as a gift to the recovering Izuru Kira in the hospital chambers. Thank god Captain Unohana hadn't been around to see that, the 4th Division Captain hated alcohol in her healing buildings.
Kira had reciprocated and drunk along with Matsumoto as best he could, but the air of gloom everpresent upon the poor fellow hadn't disappeared even as they sang and laughed in drunken stupor.
Rangiku glanced up at Izuru as he stumbled about his hospital bed, a laugh trembling in her body that made her ample bosom tremble.
"Whaaaaatreya doin Kira, stop makin' so much noise or the nurse might come in."
Kira laughed miserably, trying to stand up and abruptly collapsing hard onto his face, making Matsumoto laugh even harder.
The poor 3rd Division Lieutenant rose once more unsteadily, his drunk face moving impulsively forward as he gazed at the laughing Rangiku in heavy stupor.
"Heeeey whatre you laughin at 'Giku…I didn't pee myself again, did I?"
Rangiku smiled, getting up on shaky legs and grabbing Kira's shoulder to steady him, the two drunken Lieutenants stumbling out of Kira's room and moving precariously forward with their numb feet.
"Where're we goin'?"
Matsumoto smiled.
"I wannaaaaa visit Momo-chan, this sake could cheer her up, y'know…I bet it'd cheer up Hitsu too…"
Kira glanced at Rangiku at the mention of their fellow Lieutenant Hinamori and Captain Hitsugaya, his eyes suddenly serious despite his drunken stupor. He was quite aware of the current grave situation, Hinamori still in this very hospital, drained emotionally by the Aizen incident, still at the edge of mental and physical health. Add to that the fact that Hitsugaya had been missing for the last two days and it was enough to make the gloomy Lieutenant even gloomier.
"Cheer up Izuru, I'm sure it'll allllll woooork out!"
Kira paused, and so did Rangiku naturally, as they were holding each other up.
They were in front of the door to Hinamori's room.
Drunk or not, both Lieutenants could tell something was very very wrong.
The bed was splattered with blood, and more importantly, Lieutenant Momo Hinamori was nowhere to be seen.
"I have to disagree with you, Urahara…we can't take that course of action yet…"
Kisuke Urahara sighed, glancing at Rukia as she spoke up once again.
Tch, what a pain…back when I did things solo I didn't have to listen to the input of others. I suppose it's hard to get used to it, even after all these years, eh Yoruichi?
The massive looming Captain Sajin Komamura nodded slowly as Rukia continued to speak, finally speaking up in his patient and rational booming voice.
"Indeed, Rukia Kuchiki, we can't make any moves to stop Kaworu just yet…I am beginning to understand the Captain-Commander's freeze order now, it was unwise for Shunsui and Ukitake to attack without orders, though I suppose we hadn't any options at that point."
Kisuke shook his head, sighing once more.
"Then what, you figure we should just sit on our hands and wait for ol' Kawo to burn Soul Society to ash? It's no skin off my nose, I am exiled after all, I just don't like the idea of existence being…y'know, destroyed?"
Before Sajin or Rukia could responded, the door to the warehouse opened with a boom, making all three Shinigami rise in alert alarm.
Luckily it was no foe, despite the looming stature of the newcomer. Yasutora Sado walked through the door into the warehouse, nodding a silent and reserved hello to the Shinigami trio.
Kisuke Urahara smiled lazily, greeting Chad back and releasing his hand from his swordcane where it had immediately darted to when he had heard the door opening.
"Good you've finally come Sado, we were worried you were hurt. We managed to get Ichigo out of there and everything seems alright for now, we're just trying to take some time to catch our breath and plan the next step."
The three Shinigami watched Chad, waiting for a response, the usually reserved big fellow being more silent than usual, not even replying.
"Uh…what's wrong?"
Chad grimaced, looking past them at the other side of the warehouse.
"You said you had Ichigo?"
They all turned around, following Chad's gaze. Orihime lay unconscious on the cold warehouse floor, all alone.
Ichigo Kurosaki was gone.
The two Kurotsuchi clambered calmly around the laboratory glass, Mayuri nodding slowly as he took notes and gazed through at the sedated Tōshirō Hitsugaya.
Perhaps experimenting on another Captain like this was going too far. Still this was a necessary measure if Mayuri intended to study and gather data on the Three Dragons and eventually capture and dissect former Captain Kaworu.
Certainly neither Nemu nor any of his subordinates seemed to have great moral qualms, even as Hitsugaya moaned and screamed with his eyes closed, obviously in a world of his own.
Not that any of them could or would voice qualms if they had any.
"Nemu, record Captain Hitsugaya's neural reactions to the Zanpakutō Spirit Chamber. I want full data recording his brain wave and spiritual pressure."
Nemu nodded firmly, her short hair bobbing.
"Yes Captain."
Mayuri smirked, turning back to his observation of the troubled little fellow Captain behind that one-sided viewing glass.
"Just you wait and see, Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai! I don't care who you were or what you stand for…all I want to do is cut you up and put your organs into cleanly labeled jars! Perhaps I'll even be able to add more data to my collection of spiritual oddities, Bounts, and Quincies!"
"I'm going to have to stop you there…"
The cold voice interrupted his revelry, Mayuri spinning around furiously to see who had spoken. When he did so, he almost wished he hadn't.
Standing before him was the "last Quincy", Uryū Ishida.
"Y-You?! How the hell did you get in here?!"
Ishida's face showed no emotion as he pushed his shining spectacles up higher on the ridge of his nose and raised his glowing Quincy bow Ginrei Kojaku.
"It doesn't matter how I got here. What matters is what I'm going to do now that I'm here, Shinigami scum."
Mayuri's eyes widened, and it could be seen quite clearly he was trembling in both fear and excitement. Excitement over another possibility of capturing and dissecting this meddling Quincy. Fear at the remembrance of what had happened the last time they had fought and the realization that the Quincy had most certainly gotten stronger since that time.
Mayuri Kurotsuchi know fear?! Ridiculous! Everything in existence could be categorized, rationalized, cut apart and inspected. There was no unknown, no fear.
Mayuri sneered angrily, his hand darting lightning fast towards his zanpakutō.
But before he could even draw Ashisogi Jizō, Ishida disappeared so quickly the Captain totally and utterly failed to track his movement.
Suddenly a voice directly behind Mayuri and the sight of an arrow being drawn back and aimed at Kurotsuchi's strangely modified skull.
"This, is for my grandfather."
Former Lieutenant Shogo Kiriyama sighed, slowly scratching his ass as he strolled down one of the many non-descript gray corridors of Seireitei.
Life could be a fucking bitch, but most of all, it was a bitch with no sense of humor or tits.
"Shit...Captain...did you have to do that? You fucking...bastard."
Shogo stood with Kaworu's cross-spear pierced into his gut and the Shinigami Captain quickly slid him off the weapon, making the Shinigami Lieutenant fall to his knees and spew blood from the hole in his stomach.
Kaworu gave Shogo a calm friendly smile, those same confident eyes that had just outclassed Shogo in power now offering his Lieutenant friendship and a promise of power in the future. This was all Shogo cared about, after all, getting stronger...stronger than his Captain, stronger than all these bastards...
"Come now, Shogo...your abilities are quite a marvel, you're the only one here other than Kisuke who can duel with me and come out of it alive."
"Tsss, you call this alive, you fucker?! I've got a...shit...hole in my gut..."
Kaworu smirked, offering Shogo a helping hand to stand.
"Eloquently put as ever, Lieutenant Kiriyama."
After all these years, here he was again, picking up the fucking Captain's leftovers. What a drag. That glasses-eyed bitch had given him some fun, but he really hadn't tasted anything much. She hadn't even been interesting enough to kill.
Shogo Kiriyama smirked, slowly trudging towards what he'd finally figured out would take him closer to some sort of fight at least. An order from Kaworu was an order, after all, but Shogo had taken his time and had some fun along the way.
His body still smarted from Nanao's moves, but astonishingly most of his wounds were pretty much healed by now and he felt ready to do some more bloody chaos...if necessary, of course.
He walked up to one of the large doors leading deeper into Seireitei's vast grounds, staring at it.
"Knock, knock..."
His spiritual pressure suddenly raised climatically high, ripping away the strong metal door and sending it fluttering away like a piece of paper with his reiatsu alone.
"...anybody home?"
"Huh, you've got a funny way of saying hello. Guess you're one of that bastard Kaworu's goons."
What Shogo hadn't accepted was a response. Not yet at least, he had figured that anyone not totally retarded would flee at the fucking slightest feeling of his spiritual pressure.
Maybe I gotta a retarded piece of meat to beat into a pulp then…This should be…what the fuck?! Hollow reiatsu?!
Ichigo Kurosaki stood on the shattered door Shogo had sent flying, his massive zanpakutō balanced on one shoulder.
The truly alarming thing however, were his eyes…
Hollow-headed coarse bully or not, even Shogo Kiriyama could see there was something wrong with them.
They blazed with an unholy fury as they stared at Shogo…colored a pure fiery yellow.
Nemu Kurotsuchi trembled, feeling what could very well be emotion, something her creator and master certainly did not encourage in her or his other expendable subordinates.
She knew very well she wouldn't be able to move fast enough to stop the Quincy's arrow from slamming right through her Captain's head…and she had an inkling her Captain wouldn't be able to react fast enough either.
Nemu blinked, slowly, feeling her body tremble. The loss of her creator? Her purpose? What could she-
The explosion of reiatsu rippled through the laboratory, shattering the windows and sending glass sparkling through the air like so many stars in a cool clear night sky.
Uryū Ishida's eyes widened. He had released his arrow, yet that despicable slaughterer of Quincy remained standing.
It was then he realized that those sparkling stars weren't just shattered glass. Ishida could see it now…
Snow…flakes?
It was then he realized that the cold chill he had felt up his spine had been something other than just surprise.
Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya stood there calmly as the sleet sprinkled down around him, to the two other Shinigami and Quincy's surprise.
Hitsugaya's eyes were resolute and as cold as the ice that surrounded him.
"Releasing first limit, Hyōrinmaru …"
A solitary man strolled calmly down a Seireitei corridor, the central figure of the chaos in Soul Society seemingly forgotten after his successful escape after the taxing battles against the Captains of Gotei 13's 7th, 8th, and 13th Divisions.
Former Captain of Fifth Division Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai grimaced in pain as his legs gave way, turning his calm stride into an awkward stumble, just barely managing to stop his fall by grabbing onto the wall desperately.
Damn it all…those two…bastard pupils of my father, to think they forced me to release my final limit this early on…I had planned to save that just for you, father…still…all I need to do is rest for a little bit and regain my energy. Inazuma is a taxing fellow, after all, but I'll be fine, minus my poor pinky finger.
Kaworu grinned sourly, coughing out a mixture of saliva and blood and getting back to his feet.
"Guess I won't be too popular with the ladies, eh, Kisuke you son of a bitch?"
He grimaced once more, his own words spinning him back into his mind and past, his memories threatening to absorb him.
The two Captains and best friends stared at each other, silent until Kaworu stopped in front of Kisuke.
"Captain Urahara…get out of my way…"
"I'm afraid I cannot, Captain Yamamoto. What you intend to do is treason and a danger to the entirety of the Shinigami society."
Kaworu's eyes widened and he pressed himself into Kisuke's face until his forehead was pressed gently against Kisuke's forehead in a desperately genuine gesture of brotherhood and misery.
He whispered their faces only inches apart.
"Please…Kisuke…don't make me fight you…"
Urahara shivered, tears running down his young face.
"Kaworu…think of Yoruichi."
Kaworu grit his teeth, summoning himself out of his painful revelry and back into the current situation, continuing gingerly forward on tired legs.
He had been so absorbed with his flashback he had actually imagined a girl's giggle at some point, probably Yoruichi's, though oddly enough it had seemed rather child-like and high-pitched.
Kaworu's eyes widened as he heard it again, except this time the girl's voice spoke in a cute singsong from around the corner behind him, and Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai suddenly realized he should have paid more attention to his surroundings.
"Yaaaaaay, toldja we'd find him eventually! I'm the greatest, teehee!"
A little girl? Then…what's this…what's this spiritual pressure I'm feeling?! There's someone else with her?
Suddenly, Kaworu looked down at his feet and noticed sourly that there was a shadow looming over him…a giant silhouette right behind him and the sound of…
A bell ringing? What the-
Suddenly then, a gruff voice issued from whomever had appeared, accompanied by almost demonic rough laughter.
"HAVEN'T YOU HEARD? EVERYTIME A BELL RINGS, AN ANGEL GETS HIS WINGS!"
Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai had just enough time to spin around and glimpse Captain Kenpachi Zaraki's sword hurtling right at his face.
Welp, as you can see, there are a lot of exciting and crazy developments/drama/battles/character changes/surprises/etc. planned out. The sad thing is, what you've just read was already done in my head months ago, it's just that my mind works way faster than my fingers and I've been busy.
Stick with me though, I'll do my best and bring you good updates, trying to catch up to my mind (which is seriously already on Chapter 184 or something)
Quick question, was this chapter too big? Readers, is there such thing as a chapter too big for you guys? Would it have been better if I had chopped this in half as two chapters/updates?
Oh, and I really appreciate reviews, they get me going and give me the spirit necessary to do the actual work of copying down what my mind already saw, finished, and got bored with ages ago.