"Your cousin? Come on, you aren't dragging us into a simple family feud, right?"
Renji asked Shiro, as he stepped in the front of the video screen.
"Do you really think I'd ask your help for something trivial as that, not to mention probably endangering my mate with involving him as well? No, Abarai this goes beyond a feud. I already told you he declared war."
On the side of the slayers, Urahara laid a hand on Renjis shoulder and ordered him to back away, with a single look.
"Kizuki-san, we need to know more of his abilities and the level of his physical strength to ponder a strategy to face him. Would you be so kind and tell us everything you know?"
Shiro nodded and told them what they wanted to know, beginning with Aizens ability of controlling all the senses of his opponent, including the sensing of presences.
"He calls it hypnotism. Once you're under it the ally standing next to you might already be no ally anymore, but just a mirage of it and before you can even react you've been stabbed in the back. Then he's a master at talking. He uses words to break your defenses and tells lies to turn you on your comrades. Don't listen to anything he says or you'll give him the opening he seeks. The last thing I know is that he is fast. The split of a second can decide whether you live or die in your own blood. "
"How can one single Vampire be that powerful? He isn't even a pure-blood like you said. I never would have guessed that something like that could be possible."
Ishida comments, while he made his trademark movement and the others agreed on it.
Shiro instead contemplated something else that could be of great importance for the coming battle.
"He is indeed stronger than all of us would have thought, me included, but we might have a trump card."
"What kind of trump card?"
Neliel asked for the first time, tilting her head slightly.
"Ichigos ability."
"We didn't know that he had any ability."
"That's because I just recently learned to use it, Ishida. Some...oracles, told me I'd need it to win the fight. Now that I know what the enemy is capable of I guess I know why. He probably isn't able to control my ability, because it's beyond any kind of sensing."
"What is it? Don't beat around the bush, Kurosaki."
"I am able to see the heart of everything that exists. You also can call it the soul if you want."
"I'm impressed. If that Aizen person really should be unable to control that we really might be able to win the fight and hopefully without any losses on our side."
Urahara muses, before Shiro includes himself in the conversation again.
"Yes, but to make sure of it, Ichigo needs to train a lot more. We all should use the days we have left to polish our skills. You are welcome to come to my land and train here, whenever you like."
"We will think about your offer. I guess that had been all for the time being."
"Yes."
"Then we'll meet on the battlefield, at the latest. Goodbye, Kizuki-san."
"Goodbye."
The screen went black and Shiro turned around to his group, his gaze falling on Ginjou.
"You said you could project your ability on others. Can you also erect a field in which your ability works, so that everyone in it automatically is cast under it?"
Ginjou hesitated in his answer.
"I never tried it...but I think I could do it."
"Good, then try and make a field of forty meters length."
Shiro turned to the others, explaining his plan for training.
"Ichigo needs to learn to use his ability until switching it off and on is as normal as breathing for him. He needs too much time at the moment and it uses all his concentration. But the training won't only be for him, we will use all our strength and get the rust from our weapons. Also while we're in the field of Ginjous ability we won't be able to feel the presence of each other. It's the best we can get to simulate an equal situation we'll face with Aizen. I want you to mistrust everyone close to you. You might be able to see, hear and smell your opponent but when you take your attention off of him your supposed friend could turn out to be your enemy. You won't be able to sense the attack. Keep only one thing in your mind. Everyone on the field can be the enemy."
The group listened carefully to Shiro, all antics they normally played cast aside, Ichigo was impressed by the seriousness they displayed.
"Shiro, it's great that we can't sense each other and all that, but how shall I train my ability when I still can see everyone? Even when I close my eyes I could accidentally open them."
The orangette objected the plan from Shiro, his trademark scowl deepening slightly.
"We will blindfold you, that 'll solve the problem. Now everyone get your weapons and yourselves ready, we'll start as soon as Ginjou has the field set up."
They all turned around and left to their respective rooms, while Ginjou headed to the garden to set up the training field.
Shiro and Ichigo walked together to their shared rooms, a heavy silence hanging over them.
As Ichigo got his Kusari Tanken and turned around to wait for Shiro get his weapon, he saw the albino take a dagger from it's stand on the shelf.
It had a wooden hilt and a small golden guard.
When Shiro pulled it out of its sheath Ichigo saw the curvy, double edged blade.
"Is that your weapon?"
He asked, admiring the elegant dagger as Shiro did some practice swings ans thrusts with it.
The albino put it back in the sheath and bound it to the hem of his jeans.
"No, normally I fight barehanded, if I fight at all. This dagger belonged to my uncle, Aizens father. If I can I will kill him with it, if not I'll at least weaken him so far that he'll beg to be killed."
"It really is something personal for you, isn't it?"
Ichigo realized and saw Shiro clench his teeth and ball his hands into fists.
"I never said it wasn't. I want to slaughter him for what he did to his family and for how he played me like a puppet on strings. When I can save the world, while I take revenge on him, then all the better."
The albino growled, then after some seconds pulled himself away from his dark thoughts and put his attention back on Ichigo.
"Let's get outside and leave that for the real battle."
Shiro grabbed some black cloth from a cupboard before he turned to leave the room.
Ichigo just nodded and followed his mate.
Outside, Ginjou had taken place under a tree and looked like he was really focused on his task.
Shiro stepped over to him and exchanged a few words, ensuring that everything was ready.
Apparently, keeping up the field cost Ginjou a lot of concentration and strength, so the Vampire wasn't sure how long he could keep it up until he needs to take a break.
So the albino made sure not to waste too much time and brought Ichigo in the middle of the area and blindfolded him with the cloth, while the other four Vampires slowly joined Ginjou outside the field.
When Shiro was finished he told Ichigo to wait there and activate his ability when he heard a whistle.
They would start to train then.
Shiro left the field again and gave his comrades some last instructions, like only using the blunt side of blades, blank cartridges for fire arms, resting the right hand flat on the left chest as sign for the others that they take a break and not to use it as a means to ambush anyone.
As everything was cleared they spread in the field and Shiro whistled.
At first no one went on Ichigo, everyone was eyeing each other waiting for anyone to attack, then the orangette spoke.
"Come on, we can't stand around like that all day."
From one moment to the other they paired up and the training begun.
Ulquiorra and Starrk fought each other, the latter trying to hit the smaller and faster Vampire with his fake missiles, while the raven haired easily dodged them and switched into attacking Starrk with his daggers.
The one eyed Vampire blocked the blades with the underside of his guns and they stayed in their positions until Starrk kicked out at Ulquiorra, who jumped back and the sequence started anew.
Grimmjow and Shinji were at each others throats, kicking, punching and using every trick they knew to beat the other, but no one really gaining the upper hand.
Ichigo looked around, watched the others fight, uncaring for his opponent drawing close to him.
Suddenly he spun his head around, his right hand gripping the hilt of his blade and drawing it just in time to block Shiros dagger, coming at his left shoulder.
"You aren't here to watch the others, Ichigo."
"I know that. I waited for you to get your old bones into gear, Shiro-jijii."
Shiro smirked at his mates taunt.
It was a good tactic to rile his opponent up and cause him to make mistakes like that.
Ichigo knew what he was doing, he probably had experience from school fights, since he had such an uncommon hair color there was no doubt that he had gotten into a lot of fights with gangs, because of it.
Shiro stepped back and Ichigo took a stance, waiting for the albino to strike again.
Shiro readied himself to strike from an other angle, when he saw one of the others come at Ichigos back.
He wanted to call out to his mate, but held himself back at the last moment, reminding himself of his own words and hearing someone come at him from behind.
Shiro spun around and barely blocked the incoming blade with his own.
"Sorry 'bout that, but he wanted to take a turn on the berry and two on one is really unfair, don'cha think?"
The albino glanced back to Ichigo, seeing him turn to his new opponent with a grin playing on his lips.
Ichigo swung the blunt side of his Tanken at his new sparring partner, though sparring seemed not to be the right word.
"Aren't kitties supposed to sneak around silently? You're way to loud, Grimmjow."
The blunettes own grin grew in size and he retorted.
"I'm still not as loud as you, when Shiros cock drills into your tight ass."
Ichigo blushed embarrassed, his stance faltering for a second, just enough for Grimmjow to use for a point blank hit.
"Got'cha!"
He kicked out to Ichigos side and hit him, sending him to skid over the ground for good three meters.
"Damn it! That was a low blow Grim."
Ichigo complained, raising to his feet again.
"In war nothing's fair. Get used to it. You have to stand as solid as a mountain and your mind must be as hard as a diamond."
"I know that!"
"Then don't let something like that get to you."
The training continued for hours until Ginjou called for a break, once he was fit again they began anew.
Ichigo activated and deactivated his ability occasionally, until it didn't take him longer than the blink of an eye and it was as natural as breathing for him, to use it.
All the while, everyone switched partners time by time, until they all had fought with each other at least once, sometimes they fought in groups against another or a group against a single person.
The training lasted until late night, when Shiro eventually called it quits and they went to get some sleep.
The next day they continued where they had stopped, as soon as it turned midday.
In the afternoon, Ichigo was training with Ulquiorra once again when suddenly something hit into the ground next to him.
Averting his gaze, unwisely, from the raven haired he saw that the object was an arrow.
Ichigo turned around, finding Ishida stand in his back holding his bow.
"The hell? You could have hit me with that, Ishida!"
"My aim isn't that bad, Kurosaki. But I'm impressed, though you can't sense my presence you knew who shot it and where he stands. You seem to have some brains after all."
"What does that mean? The arrow came from behind me, of course I knew you'd stand there, and you're the only one I know using a bow and arrows. Besides, I can see you, so take that thing down already."
Ichigo muttered pointing at Ishida and looking really strange making that gesture, with the blindfold over his eyes.
"It's not wise to take your eyes off the enemy, Ichigo-sama."
Ulquiorra says behind him and the orangettes face falls to a jolted expression.
He ducks and the ravens blade passes over his head, just by an inch.
"Whoops! That's been close."
Ichigo says, jumping around on the balls of his feet, after he got up again.
"The lack of your presence made me forget that you actually where there, sorry about that."
Ulquiorra just brushes it aside, replying.
"Maybe you should take a break outside of the field. It seems that our allies decided to join us. You should instruct them on the training rules."
Ichigo nods and takes his blindfold off, before he gives the sign for the others that he takes a break.
Outside of the field, the remaining four slayers are waiting and Ishida together with Ichigo join them and they sit down at the border of the field.
Ichigo explains the rules to them, when he is finished, the Vampires choose to take a break and join their round.
Slayers and Vampires exchange their fighting styles and tactics and Ichigo watches them with a happy feeling growing in his chest.
He can still feel the distrust on both sides, but also the trust that begins to grow among them.
After the break they all train together until it's late night again.
That process keeps on for the next two days, the slayers always joining the training in the afternoon, discussing things in the break before they spar with each other.
In the break on the fifth day, Grimmjow suddenly stiffens.
"Is something the matter, Grimmjow?"
Shiro asks him, looking up from a map that the slayers spread out on the lawn, little crosses marking the places where Vampires often roam around at night.
"I'm not sure, but I think I heard someone cry out."
The blunette rose from his place saying.
"I'll check it out, just to be sure."
Shinji jumped up as well, telling him he'd come with him to help if needed and both took off.
Not too far from the mansion they found a group of four Vampires attacking a pair of humans.
The vampires were so busy feeding from their prey that they didn't notice the two other coming at them.
"Oi, who allowed you to have a nosh-up here?"
Grimmjow barked at them and their heads snapped into his direction.
Faces smeared with blood and eyes dull they studied their new targets.
"Look at that Grimmy, a bunch of ninnies. Haven't seen one in some time."
Shinji mocked then turned to the Vampires.
"Hey, what hole did you crawl out of, eh?"
Of course he didn't receive an answer, but was attacked by the mindless beings.
The blonde sighed, drawing his short sword.
"Poor things, are already that far gone."
Swiftly he beheaded one of them and pierced the heart of an other, while Grimmjow bashed the heads of the other two in on the asphalt.
"You're right, there haven't been any of them around town, since we came here. I think it's suspicious that they appear now, all of a sudden."
Grimmjow replies to Shinjis former statement, his brows knitted to a deep frown.
"Maybe that's part of Aizens plan. We should tell Shiro of it."
The two went back to the mansion, not noticing the figure hiding in the shadow that watched them.
"Mhh. It seems they have to get a lot stronger until we have to use them. Aizen-sama will need to give them some more blood. I should find him some dinner."
At the mansion Grimmjow reported the incident and Shiro had to explain what the two Vampires had killed just now.
"Those ninnies, like Shinji calls them, are Vampires who lost their mind, because their insatiable need for blood drove them insane. It often happens to humans that get changed and who's body can't adjust to the change. Sometimes they just get addicted to blood and loose themselves. At the beginning of the process of mind loss, we sometimes can help those Vampires. It's like treating a drug addict. Well anyway, I don't think that Aizen is behind that. Those Vampires are weak mongrels in his eyes and not worth to exist on the face of earth."
The group of twelve discussed the theme a bit longer until they decided that they should call the training quits and use the remaining two days for personal things.
They would meet on the eighth day at the mansion, or the battlefield should be clear where the fight would take place until then.
While all tended to their own business on the sixth and seventh day, the appearances of ninnies increased rapidly and they all had to take care of them more often then they wanted to.
Slowly Shiro began to think that his cousin might be behind it after all, to distract them and tire them out before the fight.
Just after he had killed another of the fallen Vampires, a figure appeared in front of him.
"Who are you?"
"Aizen-sama send me to bring you a message. He'll wait for you at the shrine on the mountain, should you get there."
The figure stepped back into the shadows and was gone without a trace, when Shiro came after it.
So the place of the fight stood and Aizen seemed to have an lackey that helped him.
Shiro headed back to his mansion and informed his comrades and afterward the slayers of the message.
They would all head toward the shrine from their bases and join there.
In the evening of the seventh day, Shiro came to Ichigo as he was tending to his slayer weapon.
It was rather warm in the room, so Ichigo sat shirtless on the sofa and Shiro enjoyed the free view on the muscled chest of his mate.
He pulled himself away from staring and cleaned his throat.
"Ichigo."
"Mhh?"
"You recall my promise? That I'd give you your marking."
"Yeah. What of it?"
Ichigo asked, looking up from his blade to Shiro who sat down beside him.
The albino had several things in his hands and laid them on the table.
Ichigo watched him arrange the tools, wondering what the Vampire was up to, when he was pushed on his back.
"W-what are you doing?"
Shiro silenced him with a finger pressing on his lips and smiling reassuringly at him.
"Just let me."
The albino took one of the tools, a wet cloth.
"This might hurt a bit now."
He warned and then pressed the cloth on Ichigos left chest.
Ichigo panted, the cloth burning terribly on his flesh.
When it was gone again, he saw with blurry eyes as Shiro cut himself in the finger with a scalpel and brushed the blood on Ichigos burn.
Quickly after the albino took a brush and some ink and painted something over the blood.
After he was finished Ichigo felt the burning ebb away and his flesh heal itself.
"What did you do?"
He asked his mate, touching the sore spot tenderly.
"I gave you my mark. I used an old skill that takes advantage of our weakness as well as our healing abilities. It's a tattoo a-la Vampire style."
The burn was now healed completely, and Ichigo stood up to take a look at it.
On his chest now was the black silhouette of a dead tree that held a blood red orb in it's branches.
"What exactly is that?"
"It's my personal insignia. A tree holding a bloody moon. The two objects stand for my name, the color of the moon for my pure-blood heritage. And I used my blood for it so that it had the same effect as that bite mark. Which you know could let heal up by the way."
Shiro mumbled the last part, while Ichigo admired the 'tattoo' a bit longer.
"You didn't do that now because you're afraid one of us could die, right?"
Shiro hesitated and Ichigo knew immediately he hit the mark, but didn't say anything when his mate mumbled with a half pouting half scowling expression.
"No."
The albino then added, turning serious again.
"But I promise when the both of us survive this; I present you anything you want."
Ichigo turns to Shiro with wide sparkling eyes.
"Really?"
Shiro nods as answer and Ichigo practically jumps into his lap and gives him a passionate kiss.
"Then I want a Mustang like yours."
The albino tells a bit startled at Ichigos action.
"You can have mine. I wanted a new car anyway."
Ichigo grins and kisses him again, saying afterward.
"We'll definitely survive."
He then gets off of Shiro and walks to the bedroom, looking back around to see if Shiro follows him, and continues his walk seeing that the albino gave him a sign that he'd come shortly after.
Shiro looks at the tattoo for a moment when Ichigo looks back at him, then lowers his gaze as his mate faced forward again.
"Yeah. It's a promise."
He mumbles, then he follows after his mate, to rest with him a last time before the battle.
Chapter 31
End
wow we're coming to the end.
So I put everything I have left in me to make the fight not to crappy.
Arts of Shiros dagger and Ichigos tattoo-marking can be found here:
yueshirosaki. deviantart com /gallery/ 35846317
Until then
See ya
Shiro Yue