Chapter 17
Dark Side of the Universe
"You're not him"
He looked up at the fox, his face a passive mask of calm while inside he was descending into the madness of panic. Grappling on top of the Hokage mansion, claws dug into the walls and floor the beast looked at him with animalistic eyes.
"You can't be him. That bastard fox is dead!"
"You seem so sure of that Gaki" was the animal's reply, crimson eyes not leaving his oceanic blue, even for an instant.
"Of course I'm sure" Naruto shot back "I have not felt even a spike from him in over a decade. I've been inside his cell, searched my mindscape through meditation to the smallest detail. He is not here anymore, and your power is pathetic compared to his. So my question is this, who are you?"
The creature sneered, bearing its sharp teeth, and then it threw its head back and laughed, the sound seemingly generating a small earthquake which shook buildings and sent pieces of broken rubble to the ground "I am the kyubi, yet I am not. You are right the main consciousness is gone, but remnants of him remain. I am the result of a manifestation of those remnants"
With a crunch of wood and stone he jumped from the mansion, and Naruto watched in open shock as its form changed in midair, its body seemingly imploding, tails vanishing, claws turning to hands, fur vanishing to reveal skin. It landed on sandaled feet, standing before him.
Naruto took a step back in open shock, what stood before him was no longer a ten meter long fox. What stood before him was a deformed manifestation of him. Eyes closed, hands at his sides, the beast was the spitting image of Naruto Uzumaki. A white Shihakusho with black trim, skin a paltry white, hair a shade of gray, black whisker markings on his cheeks. The creature opened its eyes, and mirth filled crimson eyes with sickle irises starred at him.
"What I am gaki is a combination of the Kyubi no Yoko and yourself, I am your dark side, your yang. I am representative to all your dark thoughts and desires. I am your opposite, your negative, all the things you hate I embody!"
"Where's Kazerasshu?"
"I got some bad news for you gaki" the fox demon answered with a mad grin, he screamed the next words with laughter inhuman to Naruto's senses "I am Kazrasshu!!!"
Naruto had heard enough, and in a flash he quick drew his Zanpakuto from its sheath. Watching in surprise as the demon before him mirrored his move flawlessly, like looking at himself in a mirror.
"Descend, Kazerasshu!!!"
"Descend, Kazerasshu!!!"
Two blades of condensed air shot from the swinging swords, slamming together with an almighty crash, one had the tint of his usual blue spiritual pressure, while the other was tinted red. The explosion created a miniature tornado which twisted its body before dissipating.
When the kicked up dirt and smoke cleared both Naruto and his opponent stood facing each other, a colourless version of Kazerasshu held in his white hand. His face bearing a toothy smile completely the opposite of his own, malicious and full of mocking.
"How do you know Ten no Kaze?" his opponent did not answer, that same mocking smirk on his face "When did you learn Ten no Kaze?"
"How, when, aren't you full of questions" 'Naruto' replied mockingly "I learned that move the same time you did gaki. Like I told you, I am you and you are me" he held his sword in front of him with both hands, blade pointed up towards the storm cloud sky, concealing his face "And I know your other move, the one you were planning to use against Tosen when you had an opening"
He felt a spiritual pressure, finely controlled to a razors edge encircle him, crackling with power which was a hairsbreadth from going out of control. He knew the signature well. He had spent the better part of five years trying to perfect his own rietsu for the technique.
He knew what he was preparing, and was determined to stop him "Ten no Kaze!!!"
His head tilted to the right, bringing his head within line of sight of Naruto, with a smirk he called the techniques name "Ten no Arashi (Heavenly Whirlwind)!"
------
Tosen watched in horror as the blade sliced across his chest, blood exploding from his wound and splattered onto the ground. He jumped back, skidding to a halt, finally able to remove his sword from his apparently dying opponent's grasp, holding onto his wound with his free hand, trying to stop the flowing blood spilling onto the rock.
Panting, short of breath and feeling blood sift into his lungs from the strike. He looked up to see a mass of crimson dust. A gust of wind followed, dissipating the mist to show Naruto Uzumaki, his face completely obscured by the mask he had seen. He saw crimson eyes with black sickle pupils, half hidden by the shadows of the slits, starring at him, starring through him.
Gathering his rietsu Kaname poured it into his wound, forcing the suture closed and temporarily healing his nicked lungs. He took a shaky breath, was satisfied he could breathe again and brought his senses back to Naruto, who was still looking at him. Still as a statue, crimson eyes starring holes into him.
He couldn't see him, it was impossible. His Bankai was still active. He began moving, circling the Hollowfied blonde, and watched to his growing horror that the eyes were following him, the body making subtle changes to follow his movements.
"Impossible" he whispered.
Slowly, deliberately he raised his free hand in the shape of a claw, a ball of crimson energy appearing in the palm, swirling with condensed energy. It shot out with a small explosion of crimson mist, its aim perfectly accurate and Tosen was the target. Bringing his sword up, he swung his Suzumushi, the blade impacting against the crimson ball, slicing the projectile neatly in half. The severed pieces slamming into the ground nearly ten meters behind him with a duo of muffled explosions.
He turned, looking at the remnants of the attack with wide eyes. That move was almost perfectly like a Bala, in fact it was a Bala. He turned to stare into the crimson eyes of the Hollowfied Uzumaki. He had come at him at a run, swinging Kazerasshu so fast it blurred. An explosion followed, kicking up dust, and Kaname exploded from the smoke, skidding to a halt in a crouch.
"No, this is impossible" he growled, before roaring at the creature "How can you see me!!!"
The creature did not reply, instead its head was darting left and right, body slightly stooped, hands forming into claws. Wait, it looked like he was blinded again. He tested this theory, rushing towards him, swinging his sword for it to collide against Kazerasshu.
The two looked at each other. There was a throaty release of inhuman breath. It closed its eyes for a moment, then opened them, the orbs seemingly glowing a darker shade of red than before "Ten no Arashi!"
There was a visible blade of wind, and that was the last he saw before he was picked up from his feet and thrown through the air, watching as his Bankai was torn apart by an attack, the dark rietsu seemingly flowing into the air surrounding him, until it was sparking with energy.
Aizen looked on as the black dome which was Kaname Tosen's bankai heaved, convulsed and finally was torn to shreds. A huge twister exploding from the top, reaching up into the heavens, dragging pieces of rock and uprooting several young trees and bushes, throwing them unceremoniously across the clearing. This was more than a simple technique, whatever the blonde had used had been heavily augmented by some twisted, dark power.
Both Aizen and Ichimaru remained where they were, ignoring the debris flying overhead, slamming into the tree line, knocking over and snapping a few hundred year old trees. At the other side of the clearing they saw Tosen fall to the ground like a comet, slamming into the dirt, leaving a trail of heaved earth in his wake. He bounced like a stone across a lake, finally coming to a stop in a limp heap.
He wasn't getting back up anytime soon.
"What did that" he looked to his young protégé, his usually slanted eyes opening slightly in surprise, revealing his ice blue orbs "What is this power?"
Indeed a monstrous spiritual pressure was descending on the area, dark, twisted and animalistic in nature. It blanketed the battle ground, sparking the very atmosphere. The smoke where Kaname's bankai had once been dissipated with a sudden gust and Naruto Uzumaki became visible, Kazerasshu held limply in his right hand. Except it wasn't the 2nd Division Lieutenant anymore. Crimson eyes glowed in the dark; a porcelain white Hollow mask with black markings became visible in the dim, a fox mask.
"A Hollow mask" Gin frowned "But we didn't put him through the Hollowfication process, did we?"
Sosuke looked at the figure, revelling in the dark energy he felt "No, we didn't. It appears Naruto-kun had this power within him all along. Buried in the deepest corners of his mind, waiting, craving for release" he smiled "And I think the Kyubi no Yoko has something to do with it, it reminds me of the creature, yet still so very different"
His musings were cut short as the Hollow caste his monstrous gaze on him. A low, throaty growl escaped from behind the mask, growing in volume. Small cracks appeared around the dagger like teeth decorations, and with a loud crack it was forced open. The demon threw its head back and roared, a sound wave exploding forth. Behind the opened mouth was another, more human mouth, with incisor teeth at least thrice the length of normal.
It leaned forward and a small ball of crimson energy formed in front of the mouth, growing until it was the size of a water melon, twisting and writhing with power. Aizen knew what it was immediately, and he knew this was what he was seeking to complete the Hollowfication process, no other Hollow-touched Shinigami had shown anything near this kind of potential.
The ball of energy was a cero.
Gin was in front of him, his hands out. The phrases of a high level Kido spell spilling forth from his mouth. Then the Hollow was gone, vanishing with a thunderous boom. That was a Sonido, definitely a Sonido. The more of this things ability Aizen saw the more he wanted it to study.
It reappeared above them, in free fall, hands outstretched, that same cero firing forth from its mouth. Both Shinigami jumped away from ground zero with Shunpo. But Gin was a split-second too slow as the ball hit the ground with a deafening explosion. He was caught in the shockwave and sent spiralling across the clearing, landing with a sickening crack as his right leg hit the ground, and snapped like a twig. He bounced three times before hitting the ground, rolling to a halt, clearly out of the fight.
The 5th Division Lieutenant whistled. Such destructive power, he had been so busy trying to create a Hollow/Shinigami hybrid that he did not stop to think that such beings may have already existed. To take one and study it would hold so many keys to unlocking that power.
He turned to the Hollowfied Naruto as he landed on the ground in a crouch, rose and watched him with a calculating eye and a deep growl echoing from his throat. With a smile Aizen withdrew his sword from its sheath, and held it in front of him.
"Very well Naruto-kun. Let us see who will be victorious" he stated, before casting his gaze to his unsheathed sword "Shatter, Kyōka Suigetsu (Mirror Flower, Water Moon)!"
------
The Ten no Kaze was on course, with enough power to rip an opponent in half. Instead it slammed against an invisible barrier, lashes of wind became visible, twisting and turning around his hollow form like a small tornado. His wind strike clashed with the barrier, held for just a second, then dissipated into nothing.
All Naruto could do was watch as the tornado which was Ten no Arashi swirled around his opponent, it began to convulse and implode, then it exploded. The blonde was picked up like a ragdoll, thrown through the air and slammed into a half demolished building, the structure collapsing around him as he went through the outer and supporting walls.
The Hollow stopped his attack and watched the demolished structure with a smirk on his face, a smirk which widened to a feral grin as the rubble exploded, pieces of rock and timber thrown in every direction, slamming into opposing buildings and leaving trails in the dirt road.
Naruto stood, stooped. Form encompassed by rietsu, swirling in a mass of blues, his eyes shining with barely contained power. He reeled back his sword and swung, a blast of condensed air forming and firing at his adversary, then another, and another, and another. Blast after blast of power, and each one was deflected by his opponent's sword, his Zanpakuto and arm moving in an indistinguishable blur.
He leaned back, and brought up his sword just in time to block Naruto, the blonde had rushed up to him, his form a blur and putting all his weight forward slammed his sword into his Hollows, a mass of sparks leaving the blades. The blonde snarled, and his Hollow half seemed surprised by his sudden aggression. Then he smiled maniacally
"Better"
He vanished in a blur, and Naruto nearly fell flat on his face from the lack of weight. He looked up to see his opponent, laughing like a madman, sword reeled back for a Ten no Kaze. He swung, releasing a blast of red tinted, condensed air. It slammed into the ground.
Naruto reappeared on a rooftop of a still stable building, his free hand pointing to him, the words for a Kido spell leaving his lips "Hado Rokujuusan; Sōren Sōkatsui (Way of Destruction 63; Twin Lotus Blue Fire, Crash Down)!"
Two blasts of blue flame escaped from his hand, each one crackling with barely contained power strong enough to level a city block. The two bursts shot out, heading towards his Hollow half at breakneck speeds, slamming into the ground with a mass explosion of dirt and dissipating blue fire, leaving a ten meter wide and two meter deep crater. There was no sign of his opponent.
"Not bad gaki"he looked up to come face to face with his enemy. For all intents and purposes it felt like he was looking at a ceiling mirror "Not bad at all"
With a roar he swung his sword. Naruto jumped back, the tip of the blade nicking his abdomen. Skidding back across the rooftop he managed to stop before he went over the edge.
"Let me ask you something gaki" the demon asked, lips pulled back in a feral smile, showing lengthened incisors "What is the difference between a warrior and his sword?"
"What?"
"Oh don't worry. This is not a stupid riddle…it's a simple question. What is the difference between one with power and one without?" he turned to face Naruto, his feral snarl not leaving his face, black eyes shining like diamonds "When there are two beings which are exactly the same. How does one decide who will lead and who will follow" he didn't answer, and the silence brought a grin to the Hollows face "The answer is simple; a killer instinct. That's how one defeats another, that's how someone defeats an equal opponent, the will to fight, the will to win, the will to kill!"
He was beside him then, Zanpakuto in the middle of a swing which had enough force to cleave him in two "And that is why I will win!!!"
------
He flash stepped past Uzumaki, his sword finishing a stroke. The blonde's shoulder blade exploded in a mass of crimson blood. Then there was another explosion of white, the wound sealing itself before his very eyes. He shrugged his shoulders and turned to face Aizen, eyes feral and barely an inch away from going berserk.
"Hmm, instant regeneration" Sosuke muttered to himself, before performing another Shunpo, in the blink of an eye Naruto's form seemed to explode as a dozen slashes hit their mark, sending him falling to the ground and flailing like a wounded animal. Then there was another small mass of explosions of white liquid, and the injuries instantly healed.
With a throaty hiss Naruto jumped to his feet and stretched before turning to stare at Aizen again. This time he acted, raising his hand and unleashing a cero, the crimson energy passed straight through Aizen and slammed into the forest, destroying trees and sending pieces of rock, wood and dirt into the air.
"Your regenerative powers are impressive Naruto-kun" 'Naruto' turned, seeing Aizen several meters away and walking towards him, sword held ready in his right hand and face as passive as ever "Or should I even call you Naruto-kun? Do you have a name?"
Another hiss escaped from his throat, low and threatening before he vanished in a blur "A name you say?" Aizen spun around, his sword up just in time to block a powerful swing from the Hollow touched, he skidded a meter before digging his heels in, eyes wide as he came face to face with the porcelain mask and crimson eyes "Don't know, don't care"
Aizen smirked, his form paling and flecking to the wind. Demonic eyes widened slightly, and then he felt a sudden spike. Spinning around to see Aizen, his index and middle fingers stabbing into his chest, a wicked smile adorning his face "Hado Kyuujuu; Kurohitsugi (Way of Destruction 90; Black Coffin)!"
He barely had enough time to notice an outline forming around him before he was enclosed in a huge box made of black spiritual energy at least a storey tall. It convulsed, and several dozen spears of black energy seemed to explode from its form, like a dozen swords had been stabbed through.
The box then seemed to break apart and disappear in a swirl of wind, leaving the Hollowfied Naruto, blood exploding forth from minute cut and stab wounds across his body. In a blur Aizen was in motion, the Black Coffin had weakened him, now he would finish it. Forming his free hand into the shape of a claw he grabbed the masked boys head and in a smooth motion slammed it into the ground, a large crater bearing the power of the attack.
The mask cracked, and shattered under the force of his blow, blood flowing from the back of his head and pooling on the ground. The possessed eyes bulged in surprise and sudden pain before clouding over, mouth slightly agape.
Aizen rose to his feet, looking at the blood dripping from his hand, his hand was caked in it "I would have liked to take you alive Naruto-kun, but I suppose a body will have to do"
------
The Hollow stopped in the middle of his swing, his head turning, as if he spotted something at the edges of his vision. Stooping over, breath leaving him in shrill gasps, Naruto starred at his opponent.
"What, you forget something?"
The Hollowfied Kyubi looked over to him like he just noticed he was there, shrugged and smirked "Nothing you need to worry about, apparently some fool thinks I can be defeated, I plan on proving him wrong" he was encompassed by crimson power as he spoke "That should do it"
The power left him and with a crazed laugh he finished his swing, unleashing another red tainted Ten no Kaze.
------
The power dimmed to almost nonexistent. Then it exploded, doubling and then tripling. Aizen spun around, surprised at this sudden increase in power from a dead man. He had beaten him, crushed his head with his hand like a melon, hit him with a Kido designed to rip an opponent limb from limb.
He turned to see Naruto's broken body rise to his feet, on his hands and knees, the crushed bone and exposed viscera at the back of his head reforming and healing with a series of sickening cracks. His eyes shinned with crimson power, whisker markings darkening and deepening further, his incisors growing sharper and longer, his face transforming into a more bestial visage before being overtaken by the porcelain mask again.
A dense layer of rietsu became visible, twisting and convulsing before forming into a mass of red liquid, bubbles forming and popping. It took a shape, the liquid around his hands turning into claws, long ears formed over his head and a long, single tail came into being on his lower back, swishing like a real appendage.
It took a step, the ground at his foot charring, burning black from the exposed spiritual pressure. Aizen looked at the rietsu covered form, eyes shinning with excitement and intrigue "My, my Naruto-kun, you certainly aren't disappointing"
It vanished, and Aizen barely had enough time to jump away as the boy came down, rietsu covered hand, no, claw, slamming into the ground, creating another large crater. The Lieutenant landed in a crouch, skidding to a halt and watching the monstrous being in front of him.
This was beyond any expectations he had thought possible, the power was immense, well beyond any of the other Hollow-touched. This one had intelligence beyond a simple animal, it had power to rival and even surpass an average Captain and it had abilities that the other experiments hadn't even begun to show.
Naruto crouched and vanished in a blur, the ground at his feet shattering as he blurred from view. He reappeared in front of Aizen, face set in a snarl and clawed hand outstretched, another explosion, another crater. Aizen blurred back to the world, watching as Naruto's head darted right and left like a hungry predator.
It spotted him and reached out with his right hand, the rietsu appendage lengthening, shooting forth and growing, by the time it reached Aizen it took the shape of a giant claw of condensed spiritual pressure, and came down like a hammer to an anvil.
"Limb lengthening and enlargement" he muttered, as he flash stepped past him and slashed him with his sword, the blade barely able to break the rietsu cloak it was so dense "A cloak of power which defends you, ferocity, strength, speed, Hollow abilities like Cero and Bala. What else can you do, Naruto-kun?"
He only got a snarl in response.
------
"You will never be strong enough gaki!"
Naruto ran through the cratered and rubble strewn streets, fully aware of the crackling energy and explosions behind him. He had been dodging and running from the attacks for what seemed like an eternity. This Hollow-touched version of himself had all of his abilities, all of his power, all of his weapons. Physically he was like him in almost every way.
"Hado Sanjuuichi; Shakkaho (Way of Destruction 31; Shot of Red Fire)!"
He braced himself as another volley of crimson balls fell on him, he continued running, not missing a beat as they landed and exploded around him, kicking up clouds of smoke and dirt. He flew through the smoke screen, hands crossed over his upper body for any second attack.
A small swarm of shuriken fell on him like rain. He was able to miss most of them, but not all. Two imbedded themselves in his arms, another on his leg. Ignoring the pain, quickly pulling the throwing stars from his body, squirting blood, he continued to run through the main street. Skidded to a halt and made a beeline down a side alley as a wave of kunai, explosive tags flickering in their wake riddled the streets. An explosion of smoke followed. Ignoring the blood dribbling from his wounds he reached another main street, only to hear a voice, cruel and merciless assault his ears.
"Is that all your good at gaki?" he looked up to see his Hollow form, smirking, the huge form of a Fuma Shuriken spinning in his left hand "Running!?"
He threw the huge shuriken, the star shaped blade spinning so fast its blade edges blurred together in a mass of silver. Naruto focused on it, there was a second shuriken hidden in the shadow of the first, the old 'Demon Wind' trick. He jumped, bringing his body horizontal. Watching with baited breath as the two shuriken passed him by, one above him, the other below. So close they cut off a few strands of his hair. He gripped a kunai, watched as the lower projectile exploded, sending its blades soaring in every direction, one was heading for him. He threw the kunai, the small blade sparking as it intercepted the serrated edge and changed its trajectory, sending it through a weakened wooden wall.
Landing on his feet, he was forced to spin so as not to loss his balance and come down to a crouch, small shuriken sliding into his hands in mid-spin. Using his momentum he threw the projectiles in two waves, each aimed for and around his Hollow form. A smirk on his face the kyubi Hollow performed several spinning backward somersaults to miss the barrage of small blades. It was his turn again, using his own momentum he swung 'Kazerasshu', releasing a Ten no Kaze. He continued his spin, throwing a trio of explosive tagged kunai from his other hand, a short bark of mad laughter leaving him as he did so.
Naruto jumped, missing the wind blade, and as he hit the ground he skipped from side to side, missing the knives which embedded themselves on the ground, and exploded as the fluttering tags set themselves off. He hit the ground, skidding backwards to a halt. It was his turn again. Only his Hollow wasn't there anymore.
"My, my, my" he turned to come within centimetres of the distorted, animalistic facade of his own face, the grin still in place "You are indeed skilled gaki, you have taken to mastering the four Soul Reaper forms well, yet you have not forgotten your Ninja training. I should know after all, everything you know, I know!"
He stepped back, growling as the Hollow let out another low grunt of laughter, distorted and completely inhuman to his senses "but enough playing, lets finish this!"
He looked into his demons eyes, and found to his horror that he could not move, his arms and legs seemed to have frozen. His head wouldn't turn. His body wouldn't react. All that seemed to be working was his eyes, darting wildly as he tried to will his suddenly immobile body to move, and his heart, which was beating so fast it felt like a drum.
He raised 'Kazerasshu' and brought it down.
He closed his eyes tight, waiting for the inevitable blow, to find there was none. He opened his eyes again to see his Hollow form, still grinning maniacally, blade in the middle of a downward stroke. But he was frozen in place, like someone had pushed pause on time itself.
"You appear to be having problems, Naruto"
He turned to see a familiar and very welcome figure approach "Kazerasshu"
------
It roared a bloodthirsty cry, and a third tail seemed to form into existence at the small of its back, joining its two other siblings as they swished about like they had individual minds of their own. By them just moving they unleashed gusts of gale force winds, and the sound wave from the bloodthirsty cry brought a chill up the spine of all who heard it.
The boys features were still changing, a white liquid like skin was flowing from his pores, flooding across his body and hardening to make a white carapace skin, at the moment only the right side of his body had changed, but the power threatened to break through his dampening wards and leak out to the whole of the Soul Society.
Naruto was out of control, and if he escaped from him he could wreck havoc on the Seireitei and the Rukongai district. It would take half the Gotei to stop him. That could not be allowed to happen. They would know he had something to do with what had happened here.
Aizen bit his lip, drawing blood. He really wanted to study this perfect, natural Vizored. With it he could complete the Hollowfication process. But he had to admit to himself that trying to restrain this creature and not gain the attention of the Shinigami was too great a feat, even for him.
But Sosuke Aizen was resourceful, and he always had a backup plan in case his first failed. That was just as he was, always thinking a dozen steps ahead. Always making secondary plans for every possible scenario, and here, now, he had no choice.
"It is a pity Naruto-kun" he said, disappointed "I would have preferred to study you, but it seems this avenue is closed to me" he crouched "You have forced my hand…Negación"
High above them the sky began to crack, the line forming into a huge unopened maw, continuing like it was forming along a pane of glass. Molars formed and finally, with a silent scream it was wrenched open. From this recently opened hole between worlds came three huge creatures wearing black cloaks, their Hollow masks taking the form of long faces with pointed noses and a maw of closed serrated teeth.
The three looked down upon the battlefield, and roared in unison, a hollow sound, like a noise muffled by a great distance. Then as if the heavens themselves acted a long spear of yellow light pierced through the sky and fell upon the half transformed Naruto, encircling him in a box of pure energy. Then he was pulled off his feet, and slowly lifted into the sky. The half transformed Shinigami's head darted left and right, looking around in bewilderment at this sudden occurrence.
Standing, looking up at the steadily rising Hollow-touched Aizen could only breathe a sigh of both disappointment, and relief. If he had continued to rise in power like that he doubted he could keep up, not without unleashing his Bankai, and then his cover would have most certainly been blown.
He stood rooted in place, watching as the Hollow reincarnation of the Nine Tailed Demon Fox was slowly lifted through the giant open maw of the Garganta, which clamped shut and vanished. In the cool night air, Sosuke Aizen felt one of the strongest spiritual pressures he had ever surveyed disappear.
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"No"
Rangiku looked up questioningly, and looked on in shock as Sakura's eyes snapped open, wide as dinner plates, fear and panic evident in the emerald orbs. She continued to watch, dumbstruck as tears slipped down her cheeks.
Sakura and Naruto's relationship wasn't exactly a steady one, sure they had gone out for a year after their graduation from the Shinigami Academy, but the distance and the workload of their positions had been too much for them to hold onto it. After that they tuned it down, meeting up for lunch or a few drinks after a shift, going out with friends, and occasionally when one of them really needed it they would share each others bed.
They would have been considered best friends to all those around them, and they were, however the real term for them was 'Friends with Benefits'. But their connection was a little deeper than that, because of the intensity of their relationship they could sense each others rietsu from half a world away, and during all this time the pinkette had been kept awake, feeling her best friend and lovers rietsu rise and fall unstably, then it became stronger than she had ever felt it, and finally it just vanished.
She had sat up in bed, her senses canvassing where she had felt him, but there was nothing, not even a drop of spiritual pressure. It was like he had just fallen off the face of the map, like he had never existed. But it had been so subtle. She had thought he had been training himself into the ground, like he usually did when he was upset about something.
"Onee-chan, what is it" Rangiku asked, sitting up and gripping her friends shoulders "What's wrong, tell me!?"
Sakura looked up to her, eyes red she muttered but a few words, but they were enough to break Rangiku's heart again "Naruto…he's…" she broke down in a fit of sobs.
"You're lying" the teenager whispered with a breaking voice "He couldn't be…but he was in the 2nd Division barracks…wasn't he?"
Sakura no longer had the strength to reply, her entire form convulsing with sobs she fell to the timber floor, laying there on her hands and knees, her right fist hitting the wooden surface over and over again. A single word leaving her lips, barely audible over her whimpering sobs "Baka"
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The tunnel from the Soul Society to the human world opened without a hitch, and Kisuke had ordered that they needed to move through quickly; as such a power fluctuation would be picked up by the Detection Squads.
Tessai had gone through first, shepherding the eight victims of Sosuke Aizens heinous experiment through to the other side. Kisuke and Yoruichi would follow later. The 12th Division Captain had a million things to think about. They would need to start a new life, keep themselves out of the spotlight unless they wished to attract unwanted attention. Perhaps he would open up a small store.
He had taken several more steps before he noticed that Yoruichi had stopped in her tracks, her lean frame stiffening, her beautiful golden eyes wide open in shock and disbelief. Immediately Kisuke was worried for her, especially when he sensed her spread out her awareness, as if trying to desperately find something.
Gently he reached up and gripped her arm, golden eyes forced to lock onto his dark orbs. To say he was worried was an understatement, anything which could make this majestic and stunning creature look so close to panic was definitely something to take very seriously.
"Yoruichi" he asked, giving her shoulders a soft squeeze. In a heatbeat her eyes focused and she let out a gasp, as if the air had been forcibly removed from her lungs "Naruto"
Now he was worried "What? What about Naruto? Is he alright!?"
A tear flowed down her tanned skin, it was the first time in his whole life he had seen her cry "I can't feel him, he's gone"
It took a moment for the information to sink in, but when it did he felt like the weight of the world had suddenly been slammed onto his shoulders. How could they have been so naïve, so completely stupid? Naruto wouldn't have just stood by and done nothing, he would have started his own bloody investigation, gone searching into dark corners where Aizen would not have wanted him to search. The boy was always too damned curious for his own good.
"I'll kill him"
An explosion of yellow spiritual pressure assaulted his senses, so powerful it nearly shattered the dampening fields he had placed around the underground cave. He had never seen Yoruichi cry, and he had known her for many decades, he had also never seen her so angry, so controlled by her own emotions. She turned, looking like she was about to vanish in a Shunpo.
He moved with all his speed, grabbing her before she could flash step to the outside and using his own significant rietsu to hold her there. They fell, landing in a heap of struggling limbs as he tried desperately to restrain her. It was extremely difficult, her form encompassed by spiritual pressure of the most violent gold, her eyes shining like an angry lioness's.
"That bastard" she shouted "I'll find him and rip his throat out!!!"
"Stop, Yorucihi calm down" he tried to soothe her but it was as if he was trying to stop a tidal wave. She wasn't listening, he needed to be more forceful, grabbing her he flipped her over onto her back, holding her struggling form down with his own weight, forcing her eyes to glare into his "If you go out there you will be attacked by every Shinigami of the Thirteen Court Guard Divisions, it will lead to your own death, then who will be left who knows the truth!!!"
Finally she stopped struggling, her eyes losing their power, only to be replaced by those of a woman who had just lost one of the most important and precious people to her. Eyes mirroring pain, shock, disbelief, despair and guilt looked into his, tears flowed freely down her cheeks.
"It my fault" she whispered "If I had…have taken him with…me none of this…would have ever happened"
"No" Kisuke replied "You are not to blame, I was. I should have never experimented on that accursed Hollowfication, I should have just left it in my head" he cupped her face with his hands, making her look at him "This is not your fault"
He put his arms around her, knowing exactly what she needed, for it was right then that she broke down and cried. The great Flash Empress, leader of the Omnitsukido, head of one of the most powerful noble families, cried for a young man whom she considered her brother, she was supposed to protect him, and she failed.
To Kisuke, seeing Yoruichi like this was heartbreaking, she was such a strong woman that the spectacle itself was unbelievable. That was the effect Naruto had on people, his happy go lucky attitude was contagious, just by being near him you wanted to get to know him and become his friend. Picking her hiccupping form up in his arms, he turned to Tessai who was still standing by the gate.
"We'll be right behind you" he said, to which the taller man nodded and moved through.
As he walked towards the gateway, carrying Yoruichi in his arms he turned back one last time and muttered a few words, choked back as a tear of his own fell "I'm sorry, Naruto"
I was actually originally planning for this to be the epilogue for the first Story Arc. But after a while I realised it would be far too long for an epilogue. So I'm breaking it into two parts, the main one here and a last one next chapter to tie up a few more lose ends before I push on to the second Story Arc. So relax, just because the next one says Epilogue does not mean the story's over. I just like to tell my long tails that way :p