Quetzal - well here you go chapter 7! And 3000 words long too! ^-^ I hope you like it!

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Chapter 7 - The Angel of Death

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Rukia couldn't believe what she was hearing. Ichigo had found out what his zanpoktou really was and was trying to talk to it? She cursed that damn vampire for complicating things like this, she had her reasons for not telling the boy! Not the least of which was that her powers would fade from him in a matter of a month or two, he would get to know the zanpoktou just in time to lose it, she had heard of zanpoktou being completely destroyed before and their wielders going insane because they couldn't stand to be alone. Ichigo had done to much good to suffer like that, so she hadn't told him, you couldn't miss what you never had.

Now that damn vampire had ruined that though, and to make matters even worse her own powers were refusing to come back, if anything they had faded further! Kisuke hide his grin behind his fan not wanting the younger death god any angrier at him then she already was, he did so love poking holes in well laid plans, badly laid ones even more so. Did she really think that the boy would lose his powers and everything would go back to normal? Poor girl was delusional that was for sure. Legal SNAFU aside, even when her powers did fade from Ichigo, the boy was a born shinigami, a rarity of untold proportions, his powers would sleep until a sufficient shock woke them again. Then he would be back right where he had left off.

People like Ichigo were the real reason shinigami were so heavily restricted In going to the real world, and why trying to start a new life there was so heavily punished. They were absurdly powerful from the get go and evolved at a rate that was frightening to most others. Soul society would have a fit if they learned that there were not one but three born shinigami in Karakura. Luckily Yuzu had the spiritual sensitivity of a door mouse and would likely never show any odd abilities until she died. Karin on the other hand was a completely different story, she was just as powerful as her brother, her reiatsu was just instinctually suppressed almost completely, she seemed had gotten Ichigo's share of that particular ability.

Karin's own abilities would probably wake inside of a month with her constant exposure to Ichigo's own now released wild reiatsu. Even standing in the same room as the boy was like standing next to a raging wild fire, and like that fire, he warped anything exposed to him for to long. Isshin's own returning powers were another result of that, but that was a story for another time.

"Well then Rukia-chan!" He said brightly catching her attention. "There is not much reason for you to be here any longer so shoo!" He said waving at her, she huffed glaring at him menacingly.

"I'm not done yet." She snapped pulling her soul phone out. "There's something wrong with this thing, it keeps registering hollows and then theres nothing there!" She finished looking annoyed..

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(the next day)

Seras growled as someone pried the lid off her of coffin letting bright day light filter in. "If you don't have a damn good reason for waking me up in the middle of the day I'm going to kill you slowly and painfully." She hissed upon identifying the offending person as Isshin, the man sighed.

"I need your help." He said tartly Seras raised an eye brow.

"What happened?" She asked puzzled.

"You remember that Quincy I told you about last night? The one thats been causing problems for Ichigo and Rukia?" At Seras's nod he continued. "He decided to challenge Ichigo to a contest to see who could kill the most hollows." Seras stared at him mystified and annoyed.

"You woke me up for that?" She asked with a raised eye brow Isshin rolled his eyes.

"No, I woke you up to help deal with the hundreds of hollow currently running around town because the brat got the bright idea to use hollow bait to make the fight more interesting." He answered.

"He what?" She squawked sitting up sharply.

"You heard me, now I can't help, but Ichigo's going to need back up, and as much as I know you hate daylight you can survive it for a while right?" He asked she hesitated.

"For about an hour or two ya." She sighed and stood up knowing she couldn't afford to wast time if the situation was as serious as the crazy old man was making it out to be. Seras stretched out her senses looking for the power that she knew to be Ichigo. Locating it at the center of a mass of hollow's she took off for the next largest concentration of the monsters, a faint grin on her face, she wasn't even going to have to hunt tonight with this buffet. Isshin watched her go glade he could count on her to help Ichigo while he was still unable to.

"We could probably manage it you know." Whispered a voice in his mind, he smiled slightly at this.

"You know as well as I do that the drain would destroy you right now if I tried that Engetsu." He answered. "Plus Ichigo can take care of himself, with Seras helping he'll be in no real danger."

"If you say so Isshin." Was the sad response Isshin sighed.

"We'll get our chance to help my friend, just not right now."

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Ichigo was pissed. Ok, he could get the whole honor and pride thing, but Ishida had crossed the damn line when he put the town in danger, he had already run across the soulless bodies of three people he hadn't been fast enough to save. With only him and archery boy there was no way they were going to be able to get all the damn things before a lot of people died, but he'd be damned if he wasn't going to try. He wasn't the only one angry either rage radiated off the zanpoktou in his hands, crackles of black energy flickering across the surface from time to time.

Ichigo glanced to the west as he felt the now familiar dark glow of Seras's power wake, her energy would disappear when she slept so he knew that the odds were slightly more in their favor now, 3 to a fuck load of hollows now rather then only 2, it was something. The young Shinigami twisted tearing through a pair of hollows that had tried to sneak up behind him with ease. These had to some of the weakest hollows he had ever fought, but there were so damn many of them he just couldn't keep up, he growled spotting Ishida's power ahead of him and took of in that direction killing everything in his path as he went.

"Ishida!" He roared as he came to a stop a few feet away Rukia who had been arguing with him looked startled at the rage on Ichigo's face.

"Whats the matter Shinigami? Pissed your loosing?" Taunted the Quincy Ichigo snarled.

"You fucking IDIOT!" Do you have any idea how many people have died because of this stunt of yours?" He yelled Ishida looked confused.

"What are you talking about I'v not let anyone die!" He snapped

"I passed at least 6 people on the way here who have been killed by the hollows YOUcalled here with your damn bait! I don't give a damn if you've got a problem with me, but letting innocent people get hurt because of revenge or your damn PRIDE is crossing the line!" He yelled Ishida looked a little uncertain.

"Your lying, I'v killed every hollow and protected the people here!" He answered Ichigo glared.

"You know what? Fuck it, I don't have time to argue with you if I'm going to have any chance of saving anyone." He spat and took off again running into the nearby park and another group of hollows. Ishida stared after him in shock Rukia watched him a flat look on her face.

"Just remember that every death on this day is your fault boy, now stop standing around and help!" She snapped he shot a look her way his expression becoming unreadable, he nodded shortly and ran after Ichigo.

Seras was having a blast, it was times like this she thought she might at least partly understand her old master. Killing like this, the challenge, was like nothing else to her, she loved it. Even in the bright sunlight her shadows snapped coils of darkness out of corners dragging hollows away and consuming them as she ripped others apart with her claws draining them she had killed at least 2 dozen of the monsters, more then she had in the last three weeks alone.

Seras laughed and lunged at the next hollow only for it to explode before she could even reach it, she paused, looking at the quickly vanishing remains of the hollow, a mildly miffed expression on her face. A familiar chuckle sounded behind her making her freeze in place. Oh SHIT! She thought wondering what her chances of escaping were, she knew she was far faster and stronger then she had once been but still...Deciding to face the music instead of running like a coward she turned to see who was behind her, her eyes widened slightly when she saw it was indeed who she thought it was, sunlight glinted off his glasses as he smiled at her.

"Hello again Seras." He said amused. Seras sighed looking resined.

"Hello Walter" She answered, the old butler smiled faintly looking amused.

"Indeed Miss Victoria, it is wonderful to see you again, I'm please to see your doing well." He agreed amiably Seras eyed him a little oddly.

"Right, so, are you here to kill me?" She asked tearing though a pair of hollows that had begun to creep up behind her with her shadows without even looking. Walter smiled a little sardonically.

"Of course not my dear, I have no desire to do so, and no orders to do so."

"Oh? Then why are you here? I doubt its just chance that you happened to be in the same town half a world away from Britain as me."

"On indeed its not chance, I happened to catch sight of you last night on that exorcist show while I was flipping though the channels, how surprised I was to see you run past the camera! I requested a few days off and came to see how you were Miss Victoria." Seras stared at him a bit bemused making a note to avoid cameras from now on.

"Hu...you picked a hell of a time to visit Walter." She answered drily he smirked.

"So it would seem." He agreed looking around at the mass of monsters now surrounding them kept at bay by Seras's shadows. "Would you like some help with that?" He asked Seras snorted grinning at him.

"Oh by all means have at it Walter, just be careful, were not the only ones killing them, I doubt you want to harm the other by accident either."

"But of course, but why even mention it?" He asked a but puzzled her grin widened.

"Because in your terms he's what I suppose you could call an Angel, not that he looks like one." She added looking thoughtful. Walter stared at her for a moment stunned, surely she was joking, he thought. "But anyways." She continued enjoying the stunned silence. "I believe we have a job to do Walter maybe ill introduce you after the fight, he is my cousin after all." With that she leapt into a mass of hollows which shrieked as they were torn apart, the noise shook Walter out of his surprise and with a flick of his wrist the hollows that had lunged for him while he was distracted were torn apart by his wires.

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Ichigo stared up at the massive hollow slowly tearing a hole in the sky, he didn't know what the hell that thing was, but he would have to be an idiot to not know it was bad news, at least he and Ishida had come to something of an understanding. Said Quincy looked just as worried about the giant hollow. "That Hollow bait couldn't have summoned something like this." He muttered sounding horrified, a sudden hiss drew their attention back to their immediate soundings just as the wall of smaller hollow leapt at them. They brought their weapons up to fend them off only for the hollows to be cut down by a wave of cannon fire. They turned to see a little girl holding a rocket launcher of some kind.

"Hello." She said quietly with a slight bow, within moments all the hollows in their immediate vicinity had been torn apart, Ichigo couldn't bring himself to feel surprised when the hat wearing shop keeper from a few days before appeared with his annoying fan.

"Kurosaki-san, we came to save you!" He said happily Ichigo rolled his eyes and the two kids promptly went back to killing hollows, the man just smiled waving that fan of his. "We'll take the small fry. So, Kurosaki-san, you can concentrated on fighting him."He said pointing too the hollow that had just ripped open the sky. "Go on." He added when Ichigo didn't move. "There's no time for flapping you gums"

Ichigo really didn't like the way the old man was smirking, the 'I know something you don't know' air pissing him off. "Do not falter now Ichigo!" Said a voice in his mind as he turned and looked up at the hollow uncertainly, he would have jumped if he hadn't been half expecting something odd to happen. He didn't have time to stop and figure out why he could hear it now, so he raced off trying to get a bit closer to the massive hollow to attack it.

"Ya I know." He muttered earning a startled silence from the blade.

"Can you truly hear me?" He asked surprised.

"Ya I can hear you." He though back dodging through the park as a ball of red energy began to collect on the hollows mask. "But we don't really have time to celebrate at the moment." He snapped taking the new development in stride.

"Quite." Was the bemused response. Ichigo's eyes widened a bit as the hollow looked down at him and fired, the bolt of corrupted red energy screaming towards him, he snapped his zanpoktou up somehow managing to block the beam. Agony burned though him, but he didn't let up and continued to block the beam of red energy the hollow had fired off, he knew if it got by him a rather large chunk of the city was going to go up in flames. "Ichigo!" He twitched and almost lost his balance as yell, but given the current situation he couldn't exactly stop and chat. "You won't be able to hold that off at your current level Ichigo! Let me help!" He called again.

"How?" He ground out, the blast pushing him back another inch.

"Normally you wouldn't be able to use my power without knowing my name, but you are strong enough to survive doing so I believe." Was the prompt answer. "Lend me your power and force him back!" Ichigo hesitated for a moment a little uncertain about this, but he knew he could trust the spirit, so he tried to focus his power into the zanpoktou, it felt like he was forcing acid through his veins from his heart to the blade, he could feel the concern radiating off the spirit at the pain he was putting him though to do this, but they had little choice if they were going to survive. Ichigo could feel the energy building in the blade as more and more of his power poured into it, how he knew when it was enough he wasn't really certain but he did.

Ichigo shifted his balance and pushed with everything he had, for an instant the beam didn't budge then in a flash it was blasted back an arc of white energy tearing up the side of the hollow making it scream. Ichigo collapsed gasping as most of the power they had tried to focus into the attack backlashed on them, the zanpoktou in his hand glowing white hot and seeming to warp slightly as pain burned through them both, the last thing he saw before falling unconscious was an enraged Seras racing towards him.

Seras had arrived just in time to see Ichigo take the hit and subsequently return it, but like anyone else with halfway decent sensing abilities (essentially everyone present but Ichigo) she had felt most of the power he had tried to throw at it snap back on him causing him to collapse screaming. Seras launched herself forward trying to figure out how to help, and drain away the power burning him alive from the inside out. Without even pausing she dove at him sinking her fangs into his neck and letting his power pour into her. This would have worked just fine and left both her and Ichigo unharmed if not with one killer headache, but Seras had made a mistake when she had landed, she had put a hand on the panicking Zanpoktou. Taking advantage of the connection and half formed binding seal on the young Draculina, he forced his own and Ichigo's power into it warping and changing it to suit their needs, binding Seras and Ichigo's power together and allowing the overload to drain away harmlessly into the void of vampresses own power. Seras shuddered in pain before collapsing bonelessly on top of Ichigo. On her shoulder a black seal faded into existence baring only a superficial resemblance to her masters.

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Quetzal - TADA! ^-^ now everything is set up for the real party to begin!