Here we go, folks! Chapter Eleven! Took a week for me to finally get it finished, when i finally found the motivation to sit down and type, but it's here! ... Yay
Without much else to say, here's my Beta, Lazruth, to open up the review corner.
From Lazruth: Well, looks like things are going smooth so far. Thank god Ichigo isn't me, because with my luck all these good things happening to me would be countered with copious amounts of bad. Like, Nuclear War bad, or Jehova-witnesses-on-your-doorstep-at-five-in-the-morning bad. Meh, anyways, I got a few reviews to answer myself.
DemonAngel of Ice: There were a few reason, though the big ones were that neither Nexus nor I thought she really fit with Ichigo for this story. Maybe for others, but not here. That, and most people only want her for her assets. And her breastets.
BrazeRancor: Yeah, maybe it does seem a little cheap huh? *Looks at Aizen's sword*
darkmachine: Personally don't see what you see in Di Roy. I mean, he was just there in canon to get Grimmjow into the group that would later become his fraccion, and for Rukia to have a shining moment (Right before she was skewered like a fish by Grimmjow). That said, your idea HAS gotten some brain juices working, so be happy that your idea lives on, even if it's only in spirit.
Nightkill: As a wise man once said, "If they're useful, make use OF them." In the end, though, this can only benefit Ichigo. He's helping his allies get stronger which in turn raises his chance of not coming home as chunks of meat. Speaking of, since when do souls freaking bleed? And since his Soul Chain was broken, isn't Ichigo technically dead? Know what, forget it. Write it off as "Because Kubo said so", we seem to be doing that a lot with Naruto anyways, what's one more series?
And now, replys from Nexus;
darkmachines:I'll just say that this is not the extent of Baraggan and his fraccion's involvement :P
Shizuka-naru Goketsu:Hehe, thanks very much
Blood Brandy:Sounds about right :O
King of the Fallen:Sorry that this update wasn't as fast as previous ones, but here it is
Orchamus:Here's more for your seeing pleasure
Grimlock the King of Stories:Your patience has payed off, my friend. Here ya go
Kaiser969:Urahara has got to be one of my favs, so I worked really hard on him :P Hopefully Loly's reaction will be as... calm? :D
Grinja:Cause you're psychic? :O
MizoreShirayukiFan:Indeed he would
chad001:I'm trying hard to include the select arrancar because the choices I have in the harem seperates this story from others :P
MadmanTobz:That was certainly a lengthy review. Thanks much. Your first concern, with Aizen and all, I will just say, yes. There is no way he wouldn't notice. Secondly! Both in the manga and anime, Ulquiorra referred to Aaroniero's synchronized awareness as his responsibility/duty., which means it was something that Aaroniero needed to make sure got done. When it's put liek that, I believe he could switch it on and off, and only did it when he needed to.
LAWLS117:Thank you, it was just an idea that I thought could be plausible. Glad to see people like it
Dark Dragen:And here's your update, that didn't come as soon as usual, but it's here.
Nightkill:Thanks much, hope this is soon enough.
Sentiment Remains:Thank you. Yes, with Sun-Sun in the mix, it should be fun. And about Ichigo's strength... youuuu'll have to wait and find ooooouuuut 0_o *strange sound from another dimension*
Dang! I'm going to cut this review corner short and continue at the end of the chapter!
So, without further ado, Chapter Eleven
(Las Noches/Primera's Palace)
"So, you're saying that, just by being weaker than Kurosaki, Lilynette's reiatsu will increase over the course of a fight with him?" Starrk asked Harribel, sitting straight up and without having any sort of bored or uninterested look on his face.
Harribel nodded. "Yes. I do not know much on how, as Apacci wasn't very clear on the matter, nor did Sun-Sun seem to know much about it either, but it seems to be effective. When both Apacci and Sun-Sun returned from the World of the Living, I could sense the difference in their reiatsu right away." She told Starrk seriously.
Starrk scratched his goatee briefly, in thought. A couple of seconds later, he asked, "Wait a minute. If Lilynette, herself, were to become stronger, then that would mean, when we use our Resureccion, both of our strength combined would be increased as well, right?"
Harribel seemed to contemplate the question for a second. "Yes." She said nodding. "It would make sense that that would be the case…. What do you think?"
"What do I think? You're saying if I send Lilynette into the World of the Living to train with Kurosaki, not only will her power grow, but mine will as well? Without any sort of work on my end?" Harribel's left eye twitched. "I guess you can say I'm interested." Starrk told her humorously. "When would this take place?"
"My two fraccion returned a short while ago. So, I would suggest you have Lilynette meet with Apacci and Sun-Sun in my palace, ready to depart, two days from now." Harribel answered. Starrk nodded. This time, he let out a yawn.
"I'll tell her. She'll probably be excited, so it won't be like I have to convince her." He said, waving his hand slightly. "Is that all?"
"Yes." Harribel answered quickly, nodding.
"In that case…" Starrk trailed off, leaning back down on his bed, ready to get some sleep. He would have, that is, if Harribel didn't turn to address him one last time before she left.
"I would suggest you tell Lilynette as soon as possible." Harribel suggested 'friendly'. Of course, they way she was currently narrowing her eyes at Starrk made it seem intimidating.
Despite his position as the Primera, Starrk didn't want to incur the wrath of the Tercera. He groaned lightly and sat back up.
"Fine. She'll probably come back in after you leave to ask what we talked about. I'll tell her then."
Harribel nodded, satisfied. She turned away from the Primera and left with the use of a sonido. Just as Starrk had predicted, the door to the room was almost kicked off it's hinges, courtesy of an enthusiastic Lilynette.
"Starrk! What did Harribel-sama want? Was it about our plans? Huh?" She asked with a big grin on her face, wanting to get in on the action. Starrk sighed, suddenly losing the will to tell Lilynette, as she would, most likely, overreact in an excited manner.
"No. She didn't want to talk about anything." He said, lying back down to try and get to sleep. He had hoped that Lilynette would leave it at that, but he inwardly knew that it was naïve thinking. He was correct when Lilynette suddenly brought her foot down on his stomach.
"Liar!" Lilynette accused as he doubled over in pain, the wind knocked out of him. "Tell me what you were talking about. Or I'll kick you again!" She tried to appear intimidating in that threat, but ended up failing. Starrk did, though, give in.
"Alright, alright, fine. Apparently, Harribel discovered a way to increase her fraccion's reiatsu, and she thinks it'll work with you. So, you'll be going to the World of the Living with Apacci and Sun-Sun in two days to train with Ichigo Kurosaki." Starrk informed her, wanting to get it over with. Lilynette was quiet for a few seconds, and Starrk thought that maybe she wasn't going to like it, but then,
WHACK!
"You bastard! You were going to keep that from me?" Lilynette yelled at him. Hearing another groan in pain, she was satisfied and her expression turned to that of excitement. "Wow, I'm going into the World of the Living! I'm gonna get stronger!" She said with a big grin on her face.
"Yeah, yeah. That's great." Starrk told her, his eyes glazed in boredom. Lilynette growled.
"You don't sound like you're too excited about this." She pointed out, narrowing her eyes at the Primera.
"That's cause, uhm…" Starrk condescendingly brought his finger up to his chin, looking like he was thinking. "I don't care?"
WAM!
"Gah!"
(Karakura Town/Vaizard Warehouse)
It was time for Ichigo to continue his Mask-Training with the Vaizards. The previous day ended with nothing else happening, which was surprising. Not even Rukia had much to say to him when he got home from secretly training with Apacci and Sun-Sun. Speaking of which, Ichigo hadn't really given much thought to what would be said his allies from the Soul Society on his teaming up with rogue Arrancar. He imagined that the news would probably not be taken with a level-head. Which was why he was so hesitant to tell them. Though, an idea did come to mind. Perhaps he could tell the Vaizards?
"Maybe, but not now.' Ichigo thought to himself. He suddenly brought Zangetsu up and blocked an attack from Hiyori.
"Hey, Baldy! Get your head out of your ass!" Hiyori yelled at him in her usual hateful tone.
Ichigo inwardly sighed. Apparently, she still wasn't over what he had done to her the first day Shinji brought him here. He had hoped that the first couple days of Mask-Training would've been enough to make them even, as she had gave him a good wallop at first. It seemed she wouldn't be satisfied till he was unconscious on the ground. Which Ichigo would not let happen.
Ichigo struck out, pushing away Hiyori with his strength. The moment Hiyori landed again, she had already used a shunpo to appear behind Ichigo, in an attempt to catch him off guard. It had almost worked, too.
Hiyori swung her blade in an arc, in a way that, if it connected, would most likely nearly cut Ichigo in half. Ichigo reacted though. His counter came from years of karate, enhanced in his Shinigami form. He leaned back in a way that looked unnatural, Hiyori's blade passing over him in the air, and planted his hands on the ground, giving him momentum for his back-flip. The only difference was, that when Ichigo's legs came up, his foot impacted with Hiyori's face, which had been left open due to her having her mask on the side of her head.
Hiyori was sent back, barrel-rolling along the ground, until she crashed into a boulder. Ichigo stood himself up quickly and looked towards the dust cloud, waiting for his opponent. When the dust finally cleared, though, Ichigo actually gulped.
Hiyori looked pissed. Incredibly so. Frankly, not even Shinji had seen her this angry before, and that was saying something.
"That's it. You're dead meat." Hiyori said in a very low tone, her voice altered due to her hollowfying. She opened her mouth wide, looking straight at Ichigo. Shinji's eyes widened.
"Hiyori, wait!"
His attempt to get her attention failed, and a red cero charged up quickly in front of her maw. It was let loose at Ichigo without a moment's notice.
"Hachi!" Shinji called out, who had immediately clasped his hands together with a serious look on his face.
Ichigo's eyes widened at the Cero. It was huge, and he knew there no way that his Getsuga Tensho could counter it. He nearly panicked, racking his brain for ideas. Suddenly, a voice spoke up.
"Oi! King! Here's an idea, dumbass! How about you counter with your own cero?"
'What the-? How the hell do I do that?'
"Aye, aye, aye you dumb bastard! Just do as I say!"
Ichigo brought his free hand forward and held his hand out in the Cero's direction quickly. He gathered as much of his Hollow's reiatsu as he could in his hand and, following his Hollow's instructions, compressed it to the best of his ability and fired it at the crimson one shot by Hiyori.
The bright orange cero[1] collided with Hiyori's at the center of the large training room, creating a decent sized explosion, kicking up all sorts of rocks and dust. The scene was observed with fascination by the other Vaizards. They all either had their mouths and eyes wide in surprise.
Shinji couldn't help but smirk at this when the initial shock subsided. This Ichigo was certainly interesting. He could sense that the cero Ichigo used had incredible destructive capabilities, and it was incredibly imperfect, as he could tell it was rushed and Ichigo had no idea how to do it properly.
When the dust and smoke cleared, it revealed Ichigo and Hiyori once more. Hiyori looked just as shocked as the other Vaizard had. The same could be said for Ichigo. For one, he hadn't expected the Cero to even fire, second, if it did, he had doubted it would have stopped Hiyori's like that.
"Hachi, would you kindly lower the force field around those two?" Shinji asked. Hachi nodded and the force field that had been put in place to box in both Hiyori and Ichigo lowered itself. Hiyori would have made another move against Ichigo, but was stopped.
"Hiyori! Knock it off! What the hell were you thinking?" Shinji scolded her with a glare, which she returned full force.
"Shut up! I'm training him! I'll do whatever I want." Hiyori argued fiercely, still rather angry at Ichigo. Shinji didn't say anything else, but kept his glare on her a few more seconds before he turned and approached Ichigo.
Ichigo looked down at his free hand and stretched his fingers by clenching and unclenching them. Had he really just fired a Cero? While he did have Hollow Powers, he had doubted that he would have been able to pull off a Cero, which was why he never asked about it.
"Well done, King." Ichigo heard from his Inner Hollow. "While it was sloppy, and nowhere near as powerful as it could have been, you did pull it off. I'm so proud." His Hollow told him mockingly. Ichigo growled slightly, but did respond.
'Whatever… thanks for that though. Now, go away.' Ichigo 'thought' to his Hollow. His Hollow laughed but did not say anything else.
"Ichigo!" Ichigo looked up at Shinji, who approached him with his usual smirk. "I must say, I'm impressed you managed to launch a Cero. We hadn't planned to teach you that until you could stay Hollowfied for at least Twenty minutes even."
Speaking of which, Ichigo was reminded of his masked state and removed it quickly.
"I must ask, though, how did you manage to pull it off?" Shinji questioned.
"My Inner Hollow told me how to." Ichigo answered simply. Shinji raised an eyebrow.
"He told you?" He repeated, a little incredulous. Ichigo nodded.
"Yeah. He must've thought that the Cero would kill me, and to keep himself from dying told me how to defend myself." Ichigo answered, thinking about it. It did make sense. As far as he knew, if he died, his Inner Hollow died. "Why? Have any of your Hollows ever talked to you?"
"Not really." Shinji answered, looking off to the side and a grim manner. "To tell the truth, none of us were too eager to strike up conversation with them."
Ichigo nodded in understanding. He felt the same way.
"Anyways, you did good today, as usual. You managed to increase your overall mask time by a full three minutes. You've got fifteen minutes of mask time now, give or take a few seconds." Shinji finished with a shrug. Ichigo nodded and sheathed Zangetsu. "If you continue at this rate, you may need to find a new person to train with. Hiyori seems to be getting her ass handed to her now."
"Shut your face!" Shinji and Ichigo ignored the yell.
"Well, I do have a couple new training partners." Ichigo said off-handedly. Shinji raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
Ichigo blinked and caught himself. "It's not that important, I guess."
Shinji left it at that for now. "Alright, if you say so. Get out of here and get some rest. Come back in a couple days, you know the routine."
Ichigo nodded and went back over to his body and re-entered it. He worked out a couple of kinks in his legs and arms before he proceeded out of the training room, throwing a wave over his shoulder.
(The Next Day/Tercera's Palace)
"I'm so excited! I've never been to the World of the Living before!" Lilynette exclaimed to both Apacci and Sun-Sun. "I can't wait to meet Ichigo too!"
Lilynette was in her own gigai, like the other two. In her gigai, both of her eyes were exposed, both of them shining in their unique, light pink, colors. Her platinum-blond hair was uncovered as well, reaching down to her jaw line like it usually did. Her attire consisted of a pair of short blue-jeans, that reached just a little more than her briefs did, just touching her thighs, a pair of sandals, and a yellow t-shirt that seemed a size to small for her, exposing her belly button. In the end, despite Apacci, Sun-Sun, Harribel, and Starrk's argument, Lilynette had pretty much worn close to what she usually did.
Lilynette brought her hand up to her chin, thinking, and looked up. "He's supposed to be pretty hot, right?" She asked aloud. She looked at Apacci, expecting the answer from her. Apacci scoffed.
"Beyond hot. Don't get too close, or you'll get blisters." Apacci answered with a humorous smirk on her face. Sun-Sun rolled her eyes.
"Kurosaki-san's supposed attractiveness is irrelevant to what we are going to the World of the Living to do." Sun-Sun tried to point out the younger girl.
"Don't act like you don't think so too, Sun-Sun." Apacci said with the same smirk on her face.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Sun-Sun replied in her usual tone. Apacci only continued to smirk, though.
"Need I bring up the way you were checking him out the last time?" She pointed out to Sun-Sun, who turned around, covering her mouth. Apacci opened her mouth to say something else to the green haired Arrancar, but was cut off.
"Ladies." Harribel spoke up, getting the attention of the three. "You know what you're being sent to do, try not to get distracted. Continue your training with Kurosaki-san and return tonight."
The three younger women nodded and said, "Hai, Harribel-sama." At that, Apacci took the liberty of opening the Garganta to the World of the Living. All three of them stepped inside, the Garganta closing behind them. Harribel watched them leave with her usual stare. When they had disappeared behind the Garganta, she turned around to leave her palace.
(Karakura Town)
Today being the day that Apacci and Sun-Sun would be returning, Ichigo had already set out to the Urahara Shoten, knowing that somewhere along the line they'd find him. He was right, and didn't get very far away from his house, when he heard a,
"Hey, Ichigo-kun!"
"Oof."
Ichigo nearly fell forward at the sudden weight on his back, but managed to steady himself before he collapsed.
"Apacci-san?" He asked, not even turning back to look at her this time around. Though, he was surprised he hadn't sensed her coming. He usually did.
"Who else?" Was the mischievous reply from the girl. When she had turned the corner to see Ichigo unaware of her presence, Apacci had taken the opportunity right away to try and surprise him. While, again, she didn't get much of a reaction, at least she was this close to Ichigo.
"Back for more training?" Ichigo asked the obvious question, now turning his head to look at her.
"Yep. Sun-Sun's back too, we also got a third one tagging along now. They should be along soon. I kinda left them behind." Apacci said, removing one hand from around his neck to scratch the back of her head sheepishly. Ichigo used this to lean down slightly, enough for her feet to touch the ground. She unwrapped herself from him and stepped back. Both Sun-Sun and Lilynette showed up then.
Ichigo turned and looked at Sun-Sun, a small grin on his face. "Hey, Sun-san. How're you doing?"
"I am fine, Kurosaki-san." Sun-Sun answered respectfully. "I am ready to continue our sparring."
Ichigo nodded and made to reply, but then noticed Lilynette off to the side, who was, literally, gaping at him.
'Holy crap! He IS hot!' Was the only thought that went through Lilynette's mind. When her eyes moved up from his body to his face, she saw that he was looking at her. Apacci held back a chuckle at the sight of the young girl, practically mesmerized by Ichigo. Sun-Sun only rolled her eyes.
"Uh, hi." Ichigo said with an eyebrow raised. Lilynette blushed at him speaking up to her and spoke up.
"Hi. I'm Lilynette." She told him, flashing a grin.
"Nice to meet you Lilynette-san. You're here to train with me, Apacci-san, and Sun-san, I take it?" Ichigo asked her, returning her grin with a small one of his own.
"Y-you know it!" Lilynette told him, flashing a thumbs up. Ichigo nodded at this, only slightly surprised at how young this girl seemed to be. Though, she was probably older than him, just looked this way. Besides, he was glad that he was going to be benefiting her in some way. So, he didn't complain.
"Great. Let's get down to the Urahara Shoten. I'll introduce you to Urahara, then we can start." Ichigo said with a nod. Lilynette nodded and followed him, alongside Apacci and Sun-Sun, to the Urahara Shoten.
(Urahara Shoten/Front Entrance)
"Kurosaki-san." The Ex-Captain of the Kido Corps, as well as the Store Clerk, Tessai greeted as Ichigo entered with the other three girls. Lilynette looked visibly frightened by the monstrously tall man, and the way he looked, and reached out to grab Ichigo's arm and hide behind him. Ichigo didn't do anything to stop her.
"Oh. Hey, Tessai-san. Is Urahara-san away?" Ichigo asked, looking around the store from his spot.
"Not at all, Kurosaki-san. He's in the back, I'll tell him of your arrival." Tessai told Ichigo, who gave him a quick thanks.
Tessai left the front of the store and disappeared into the back. When he was gone, Ichigo took this time to try and calm Lilynette down.
"Don't worry, Lilynette-san. They might be a little eccentric, but they won't hurt you." He said with a comforting grin. "Besides, if they did try anything, I'd stop them." He added. Lilynette could only nod at this, staring up at him. She didn't let go of his arm, though.
Urahara came from the back, adjusting his hat as he entered the room. He had his usual smile on and greeted Ichigo.
"Ah, Kurosaki-san! I don't need to ask, do I?" He asked in a humorously. "I'll lead you three-Oh no, four down to the training room. I see you have a new one." Urahara pointed out, to which Ichigo nodded.
"Yep. She'll be training with us today." Ichigo answered. He stepped aside, showing Lilynette to the store owner completely. "Lilynette-san, this is Urahara-san. He'll be observing our sparring, like he usually does."
Urahara took a few steps forward, waving his fan as he said, "Aww." When he was a couple feet away from her, he addressed her. "Aren't you just a cute little Arrancar?" He said in an overly-condescending tone.
Lilynette glared at the shopkeeper and suddenly planted her foot in-between his legs. Ichigo had actually expected this.
Urahara stood still, the same grin on his face, his mouth still open. Then, a few beads of sweat rolled down his head and he collapsed, clutching his groin. Apacci openly laughed, Sun-Sun almost looked amused.
"I am NOT a 'cute little Arrancar'." Lilynette mocked him in a high-pitched voice as she shook her body side to side for emphasis. "Ya got that?"
Urahara managed to speak, though he addressed Ichigo. "Looks like… you got yourself another winner."
Ichigo looked off to the right with a blank face. "You know it."
(Urahara Shoten/Underground Training Room)
"Alright, Kurosaki-san, I will be observing from my usual spot." Urahara said to Ichigo, standing up on two wobbly legs. The three girls were off to the side, planning their attack, per suggestion by Urahara.
"Yeah, yeah. I got it." Ichigo replied, waving him off.
"I have something to suggest." Urahara started. "How about, say, in a few hours, you take yourself a break?"
Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "Why? Shouldn't they be getting as much reiatsu as they can?"
"Not necessarily." Urahara answered, closing his fan. "It's not all about amount of reiatsu. You should have control over the amount you do have before you reach to attain more." Ichigo nodded in understanding. "Before they, eventually, reach Captain Level reiatsu, I would like them to know how to use it. Otherwise, we'd just have three more 'you's."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ichigo asked, glowering at the shopkeeper, who only opened his fan again and said,
"You suck-gah!" Urahara held his face with both his hands as he was punched. Ichigo turned and walked away from the storeowner with a scowl.
When he reached the other three, he asked, "You guy's ready?" This received nods from all three of them. Lilynette spoke up.
"Uhm, I'm ready, but how do we get out of our gigais?" She asked, slightly embarrassed. Ichigo waved his hand at her in an assuring manner, before pulling out his Deputy Badge. He clenched his fist tightly around it, ejecting his soul. He stood there, Deputy Badge still in hand, in Shinigami form. Lilynette gaped at him.
"Nothing to it. Watch Apacci-san and Sun-san do it, if you want." Ichigo offered, handing the badge to Apacci, who smirked lightly.
Apacci, once again, took a step closer to Ichigo to 'get comfortable' ejecting herself from her gigai. When she brought the badge down on her forearm, she stood there in Hollow form. Of course, Ichigo caught her gigai with one arm, bring it close to his body to get a good grip on it, before setting it down gently.
Apacci held the badge out for Sun-Sun, who took it and, like before, positioned herself against a boulder and ejected her own soul with a slight wrap of the badge on her shoulder. As before, her gigai slumped against the boulder softly. Sun-Sun turned and held out the badge to Lilynette, who took it warily.
Lilynette eyed the badge briefly before getting closer to Ichigo. She asked, with a blush, "Could you-uh, you know?"
Ichigo nodded. "Yeah, no problem."
Lilynette decided to follow Ichigo's example and clench her fist around the badge tightly. Just like the other three, her soul was ejected, causing her gigai to go limp. Though, it was caught by Ichigo carefully and set down near the other two gigai. When Ichigo turned back to the others, he took in Lilynette's appearance.
No longer were both her eyes visible. Now, her left eye, as well as the top of her head, was covered by what looked like the skull of a hollow mask. There was a horn on the top of the skull, and a stump where, Ichigo assumed, used to be a horn as well. Just above the hole that was where her eye used to be was a small flame imprinted in the skull. Of course, the thing that caught Ichigo's attention was her choice of clothing, as it was nothing more than a vest that barely reached around to her breasts, a pair of briefs, and a pair of boots that came up to her mid-thigh. Ichigo coughed and looked to address the other two.
"Well, I guess we can get started?" He asked them. When they nodded, Ichigo reached back and unsheathed Zangetsu. Lilynette couldn't help but stare at the cleaver in awe and slight fear.
Riiiiing.
"W-whoa."
Lilynette blinked in surprise. Her body seemed to jolt on it's own. Her ears had started ringing too, though it had passed quickly. She checked herself over real quick to make sure there was nothing wrong with her. She turned to see Apacci smirking at her.
"Ready?" She asked, her chakram undoing themselves off her wrist and coming into her hands. Sun-Sun got ready as well, though all she did was stick her hand of her sleeve enough for her sai to be shown. Lilynette nodded and brought her hand up to her horn stump confidently and summoned her scimitar-like zanpakuto from it. She brought and looked at Ichigo with a confident grin.
Apacci, Sun-Sun, and Lilynette grouped together and tried to stare Ichigo down, but when he held his gaze and stance firm, they attacked. Apacci used a sonido and appeared behind Ichigo, bringing both chakram down in a 'X' shape. This attack was stopped by Zangetsu as Ichigo blocked the strike by holding his blade out where the two chakram would have passed each other. Of course, Sun-Sun followed up by appearing on his right, thrusting her Sai forward.
It would have connected with Ichigo's ribcage, but Ichigo only reached out and grabbed her wrist, stopping her attack. Of course, this only seemed to be planned, as Lilynette suddenly came down from above him, swinging her zanpakuto back with a large grin on her face.
Ichigo only blinked at this though. He could sense Lilynette's reiatsu and, to be honest, he doubted it would be enough to cut him. In fact, he knew it wouldn't, so he only stood still. He was correct in his assumption, when Lilynette's scimitar only hit his shoulder and rested there.
Apacci and Sun-Sun looked at her with a blank look. Ichigo only raised an eyebrow at her. This, of course, only enraged Lilynette. She pulled back, her face red in embarrassment and anger.
"Damn it!" She cried out, bringing her scimitar back down on Ichigo. Though, before she could bring it down all the way, Ichigo leaned forward and pushed Apacci away with his strength, sending her back a few feet before she got a decent footing. With Zangetsu free now, Ichigo held it up to block Lilynette's strike, just as Sun-Sun twisted her sai in a way that would have impaled his wrist before he let go. As Sun-Sun jumped back to get some distance, Lilynette brought her blade down all the way. Though, when her blade impacted with Ichigo's, her arms recoiled horribly and she almost whacked herself in the face with her hilt.
Ichigo knew that this was going to take a while.
(Three hours later)
After three hours, it was obvious that the three Arrancar were slowly being drained of stamina. They usually lost energy at one point during their spars, so it wasn't that big of a deal to Ichigo. He did note that both Apacci and Sun-Sun lasted longer than their previous times. Lilynette surprised him. Despite her size, she was determined to keep up with her two fellow Arrancar. Even though she was panting heavily and barely holding her stance alongside Apacci and Sun-Sun, it looked like she wasn't going to back down. Though, Ichigo knew when to call it for them.
"Alright, you guys. I think it's time for a quick breather." Ichigo called out to them.
"Thank you." Apacci managed to breathe out, tired. Sun-Sun had no verbal reply but did turn to find somewhere to sit. Lilynette… well, she literally collapsed with a 'thud'. Ichigo winced as she hit the ground. He sheathed Zangetsu and walked over to her side. When he reached her, he saw that she was panting hard, her eyes slightly glazed. Ichigo sighed and leaned down and picked her up. Upon doing so, Lilynette instinctively snuggled into his chest. Ichigo brought her over to the side and set her down, ignoring her groan of disappointment.
Ichigo stood up again and rolled his right arm slightly, working out a kink. He wasn't drained in the least bit. To be honest, the fight between him and three girls were very slow-paced to him. Usually, he'd make his way off to the side until it looked like the three Arrancar could continue, but this time Urahara approached him.
"Kurosaki-san, I see that you're sparring partners are recuperating for now." He pointed out the obvious.
"Yeah." Ichigo answered simply, turning to face the scientist.
"Well, to pass the time, would you care for a go?" Urahara offered, closing his fan. Ichigo raised an eyebrow briefly, but then grinned at the storeowner.
"Sure." Ichigo replied, reaching back and grasping Zangetsu's hilt. He turned one last time to three girls. "I'm going to spar with Urahara-san. You guys can rest up." At that, he turned and looked at Urahara again.
Suddenly, they both used a shunpo and greatened the distance in between them by twenty feet. Ichigo unsheathed Zangetsu once again and held out in an offensive stance. Urahara unsheathed his zanpakuto from his cane.
"Wake up, Benihime." Upon the transformation to Shikai of Urahara's zanpakuto, he, too, took a stance. After a brief stare-down, Ichigo suddenly ran forward, charging towards Urahara, holding Zangetsu out to the side to prepare for an attack.
Urahara raised an eyebrow. That seemed a little too amateurish for Ichigo, though he got ready to block the strike all the same. Of course, he was caught off guard when Ichigo swung his zanpakuto forward shouting,
"Getsuga Tensho!"
Urahara's eyes widened as the Getsuga flew at him at point blank range. He barely had time to dodge with a Shunpo, which he used to both dodge and appear behind Ichigo, swinging Benihime in an arc that would have surely gave Ichigo a fatal wound across the stomach. This attack was stopped when Ichigo immediately placed Zangetsu to his right, blocking the strike. Spinning in the opposite direction, around Urahara's guard, Ichigo followed through with another swing at the scientist. Of course, this strike was easily blocked by the experienced Shinigami. Pushing against each other to overpower one another briefly, they both jumped back a few feet to get some distance.
Urahara brought his blade back, charging up his reiatsu, then swinging it forward with a shout of "Scream! Benihime!"
Ichigo followed suit and sliced forward with a cry of "Getsuga Tensho!"
The two attacks flew forward and met each other in between the two Shinigami, slicing into each other and exploding, kicking up dust and rocks. Before the dust even cleared, there was a loud 'clang'. When the dust cleared soon after, Ichigo and Urahara were in a sword-lock. Urahara sliced forward, sending Ichigo back. Not giving him time to get his bearings, Urahara entered a flurry, stabbing and slicing every which way at Ichigo. Ichigo was forced on the defensive quickly, but he did manage to block or dodge every strike thrown at him.
After a few more seconds of this, Urahara finally saw an opening and went for it. Ending a succession of strikes, Urahara suddenly stabbed lower than he had been all the previous times, causing Ichigo to awkwardly block the attack. Of course, Urahara simply swung up and gave Ichigo a nasty cut on the shoulder. Ichigo realized his vulnerability and shunpo'd away, right as Urahara brought his sword down, continuing his motion, on where Ichigo had been standing.
Ichigo twitched as the wound throbbed slightly, but he kept his eye on Urahara, who only turned to look at him with that usual grin of his. "Careful, Kurosaki-san. I could have killed you."
"You're telling me to be careful?" Ichigo asked with a slight smirk. He didn't give Urahara a chance to reply as he thrust Zangetsu forward. Black Reiatsu began to shimmer around Ichigo,
"Bankai!" His cleaver shifted into the shape of a regular katana with a wave of reiatsu. Reiatsu also enveloped Ichigo's robe, changing it to his Bankai form. Off to the side, Apacci examined his Bankai.
"That's it?" she commented to the other two. "I was expecting something… flashier." Sun-Sun nodded in agreement.
"Considering the size of his Shikai, I had assumed so too." By now, Lilynette had regained the energy to sit herself up and join in on the conversation.
"What do you think it does?" She asked the other two. This received a shrug from Apacci.
"I dunno." She said. They all heard Urahara speak up.
"Ah! Your Bankai! This is the first time I have faced it. I am eager to see it's abilities." He exclaimed across the ways to Ichigo, who only smirked.
"If you say so. Here I come."
Sun-Sun observed Ichigo's stance and waited to see just what his Bankai was capable of. She blinked once instinctively. Ichigo was gone. Her eyes actually widened in surprise as Ichigo was suddenly behind Urahara, who had barely managed to block an attack against him. He hadn't even used a Shunpo.
Urahara parried the strike and forced Ichigo back a few feet. "That was fast, Kurosaki-san." Ichigo could only raise an eyebrow.
"Thanks… I don't recall being able to move that fast though." He said, thinking it over.
"Then that means you're getting better at Bankai." Urahara told him, a grin on his face. "Let's see how much you've improved, hm?"
Ichigo nodded with a smirk and went back at Urahara.
"Damn!" Apacci exclaimed in amazement. "Ichigo-kun's moving hella fast." She said the obvious, trying to follow the fight with her eyes. Sun-Sun nodded.
"Yes… Kurosaki-san can definitely move faster than Zommari-san." She said, getting the attention of Apacci and Lilynette.
"Are you kidding me? I wouldn't go that far." Apacci said, turning to look at Sun-Sun.
"Zommari-san's ability is to make a tangible afterimage due to his excellence with a sonido. Kurosaki-san is moving close to how fast Zommari-san moves, and I'm not sensing him using shunpo." Sun-Sun explained, turning to observe the fight again. Apacci couldn't argue with Sun-Sun's logic.
"Ichigo-sensei's amazing." Lilynette spoke up, admiration shining in her eyes as she watched Ichigo. Apacci raised an eyebrow.
"Ichigo-sensei?" She asked Lilynette, who could only blush lightly.
"Well, y-yeah." Lilynette said, pressing her pointy fingers together nervously. Apacci smirked, but said nothing else to the younger girl, and turned to observe the fight once again.
The fight stayed in motion for the next ten minutes. Ichigo not letting up at all, Urahara staying on the defensive for the most part. It seemed that Ichigo was actually speeding up gradually over the course of the fight, something that surprised Apacci, Sun-Sun, and Lilynette. When there was finally a break in the fighting, Urahara called out to Ichigo.
"Kurosaki-san, I'd say that your friends have regained enough energy to continue training again."
Ichigo turned to look at the three Arrancar, then turned back to Urahara. "Yeah, you're probably right. Thanks for the spar, I'll get back to fighting them."
"Kurosaki-san, how about I take over for a little while? There are a couple of things I am curious about." Urahara told Ichigo, who only raised an eyebrow.
"Uh, sure. If you want." He said with a shrug.
"Haven't you been meaning to talk to Zangetsu anyways?" Urahara asked, a knowing grin on his face.
"How did-Yeah, I have. I guess I can do that while you're sparring with them." Ichigo replied. He turned and walked back to where the girls were and spoke up. "Hey, Urahara-san is going to spar with you guys for a little while. There's something I've got to do."
Sun-Sun merely nodded, while Apacci and Lilynette looked disappointed. Ichigo didn't give them time to protest, though. He only turned and got out of their way so they could get started sparring with Urahara.
When the girls began their duel against Urahara, who was merely toying with them to drag things out, Ichigo sat himself down. He blinked when he realized he didn't know how to get in touch with Zangetsu at will, but shrugged and tried the first thing that came to mind. He placed Tensa Zangetsu on his lap and closed his eyes.
Ichigo breathed in and out slowly, clearly visualizing his mindscape. Everything went quiet for him. Not even the sound of Apacci's cursing at Urahara could be heard. Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale.
(Ichigo's Mindscape)
"You can open your eyes now, King. You look like a moron standing there with your eyes closed." A amused, contorted, voice spoke up. Ichigo opened his eyes.
It worked. Ichigo smirked at having done it. Something that caused his Hollow to roll his eyes.
"Wow, you got into your own mindscape. Whoop-dee-doo." He said sarcastically. Ichigo turned and frowned at the Hollow.
"What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be gone?" He asked. His Hollow laughed.
"Gone? Nope, sorry to say. Go ahead and get it through that thick head of yours, you can't get rid of me, you can only try and live with me." The Hollow said smirking. Ichigo scowled.
"Where's Zangetsu?" He asked. The Hollow only looked more amused.
"Zangetsu is gone for the moment. He'll be back later." The Hollow told Ichigo in a condescending manner.
"Gone?"
"Are you serious? You think that activating your Bankai would have no effect in here?" The Hollow asked with a smirk.
"What are you talking about? Bankai affects Zangetsu?" Ichigo asked with an eyebrow raised. The Hollow seemed to be annoyed and was about to reply with another condescending statement, but was interrupted.
"Of course it does, Ichigo." A voice spoke up. Ichigo turned and saw a figure standing above both him and his Hollow. The person was clothed in a black cloak, a hood over his head, only showing the lower half of his face.
"Who are you?" Ichigo asked suspiciously. His Hollow scoffed from the side. Though, the stranger did answer.
"Isn't it obvious?" The person removed his hood, showing a rather youthful face and black hair. Ichigo's brow furrowed. Zangetsu wasn't here, but this guy was. Was he missing something?
*flashback*
Ichigo sat himself down. He blinked when he realized he didn't know how to get in touch with Zangetsu at will, but shrugged and tried the first thing that came to mind. He placed Tensa Zangetsu on his lap and closed his eyes.
*flashback end*
Now Ichigo knew. He looked at the figure intently and asked "Tensa Zangetsu?"
Tensa Zangetsu nodded with, his mouth twitching in a small grin slightly. "Correct."
"Why are you here?" Ichigo asked confused.
"This is how it is when you activate Bankai. You've just never come in here before once you've done it." Tensa Zangetsu explained simply. Before Ichigo could ask anything else, he went straight to the point. "So, there was something you wanted to talk about?"
Ichigo nodded and said, seriously, "Yes. You know what's going on, right?"
"Of course. While you deciding to help a few Arrancar was surprising, it was the most logical choice." Tensa Zangetsu answered. "Or, are you talking about Loly and Menoly?"
"Both. What I wanted to ask is, can you train me?" Ichigo asked respectfully, staring up at Tensa Zangetsu, who only sighed and walked down to the skyscraper both he and his Hollow were on.
"I have taught you the Getsuga Tensho." Tensa Zangetsu stated.
"I know that, but is there-?" Ichigo was cut off.
"Anything more? Do you really need to know anything else? Here I thought you would have been coming up with new ways to effectively use it." Tensa Zangetsu told Ichigo with a calm expression. Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "For now, there's nothing else I can teach you. If you want to become stronger, then work with what you have. I believe you have a bloodthirsty hollow that might be willing to teach you a thing or two." He finished in an amused tone.
Ichigo turned to look at his Hollow expectantly, who only scoffed. "Don't get too excited, King. Maybe there are a couple of things I can teach you, but first, I have to know." A lecherous expression flashed on the Hollow's face. "Tell me, which of those Arrancar you plan to bone first?"
Ichigo growled at his Hollow. "I don't plan to bone anyone, you asshole."
"Tsk, too bad. You're sitting on a gold mine, King." The Hollow said with a laugh. Ichigo only glared at him, before cutting his gaze and turning back to Tensa Zangetsu.
"Anyways, I gotta get back to training with Apacci, Sun-Sun, and Lilynette." Tensa Zangetsu nodded.
"Very well. Though, it might prove effective if you sparred with them using Bankai." He suggested, to which Ichigo raised an eyebrow.
"Are you sure? It'd just feel like I was toying with them if I did that." Ichigo said with a scratch of his head.
"If you wish for them to improve, then you must be willing to take it hard on them." Tensa Zangetsu replied.
"Heh Heh, take it hard on them." Ichigo turned on his Hollow.
"Shut up!" He said, pointing his finger at him. "Alright, alright. I'll use Bankai against them, it may help them get stronger in the end." To that Tensa Zangetsu nodded.
"Farewell, Ichigo." With that, Ichigo exited his mindscape.
(Urahara Shoten/Training Room)
Ichigo blinked briefly upon opening his eyes, getting used to the light again. He took in his surroundings briefly. When he glanced over to see how the spar between Urahara and the arrancar was going, he only saw Apacci and Lilynette fighting him. Well, fighting him was a loose term. They were trying to fight him. His mind drifted back as to why only Apacci and Lilynette were fighting him. Where was Sun-Sun?
"You were meditating for close to an hour."
Ichigo, slightly startled, turned and saw Sun-Sun seated at the edge of a boulder just a few feet away from him, observing the fight. She seemed winded, as she was breathing rather heavy, though trying to hide it by breathing out of her nose. Her hair was slightly disheveled as well, something Ichigo thought looked cute. He guessed that she had gotten tired fighting against Urahara, and was taking a break.
"I was?" Ichigo asked with a blink. It didn't feel like it had been an hour. Sun-Sun nodded.
"Yes. May I ask why?"
"I needed to talk to Zangetsu about something." Ichigo told her, gesturing to his Zanpakuto. When it was obvious she wouldn't be hearing anything else from him, Sun-Sun turned to observe the fight again. After a few seconds, Ichigo spoke up.
"Hey, Sun-san, can I ask you something?" He asked, turning to look over at her. Sun-Sun motioned for him to go ahead with her hand, turning her attention back to him.
"Well, I just want to know more about you, I guess." Ichigo stated with an embarrassed shrug. This caused Sun-Sun to raise an eyebrow.
"Like what?" She asked curiously.
"Apacci-san said that you and she are... Harribel's fraccion?" Ichigo asked hesitantly. Sun-Sun confirmed this by nodding. Ichigo continued. "What's that like?"
Sun-Sun looked to be thinking, before she answered. "A little... chaotic. Apacci and Mila-Rose, our third fraccion, are always butting heads. I'm usually the one to break them up. Though, while they don't seem like it, they both trust each other with their lives."
Ichigo could only grin at this, but did not interrupt.
"Harribel-sama commands the three of us with authority, but is a very kind and... understanding leader. She trains us, guides us, and is usually there to offer wisdom, should we need it." When Ichigo actually chuckled, she stopped and looked over at him expectantly.
"Sorry, but you guys sound like a close family." Ichigo said with a small grin on his face. At Sun-Sun's confused expression, he continued. "Harribel sounds like a very... motherly figure to you guys. You kinda seem the mature, older, sister to the other two."
This caused Sun-Sun to look at him in a very contemplative way. It wasn't a response she had been expecting. Ichigo started again.
"You know, sometimes I wish I had an older sibling, someone to look up to and to look up too when things were bad." Ichigo told her, a solemn expression on his face. Before Sun-Sun could speak up, to at least try and sympathize with him, Ichigo chuckled. "But, I'm actually glad I don't. If I did, I wouldn't have been able to become the one my two little sisters, Yuzu and Karin, depend on. After all, I swore to my mother that I'd become strong to do anything to prevent them from crying."
Sun-Sun looked at him intently. After a few seconds, she spoke up. "That seems like an odd reason to become strong for alone, Kurosaki-san. To protect your two sisters." While it was a worthy reason, sure, to become what he was now seemed a little too much to her.
"Maybe to you, it does. I mean, not too long ago I didn't even know about Shinigami or Hollows or anything like that. Sure, I knew what ghosts were, how could I not after having seen them all my life. Things happened though. A hollow attacked my family, and the Shinigami that was there to kill it gave me her powers after getting hurt while protecting me.
Back then, I didn't care all that much about being a Shinigami. I mean, I knew that I at least owed the shinigami who gave me her powers, what with her having rescued me, followed by me taking all her powers and leaving her without any. But I didn't really want to get too deep into that world. Didn't want to become some defender of justice or whatever the hell it was. If I could, I would help. If I couldn't, no skin off my nose."
He paused for a minute, looking back across the training ground ,his eyes not really seeing anything. Sun-Sun kept her gaze on him and her mouth shut. For some reason, she felt that what Ichigo was saying was quite personal, and yet he needed somebody to tell it to. Soon, Ichigo started speaking again.
"Then, about four months ago, I ended up fighting with a hollow named Grand Fisher. We had gone to the cemetery, my family and I, since it was the anniversary of my mother's death, and he attacked us there. I... when I was younger, about nine years old, I was walking with my mom back home after karate practice when I saw this girl standing there. It was raining that day, and I was curious as to why she didn't have an umbrella. She turned and left, and for some reason I followed after her, ignoring my mother shouting behind me for me to come back. I followed the girl to the river where she disappeared. Next thing I knew, I was shoved to the side, and my mom was lying there, dead, with blood everywhere.
"For the longest time I blamed myself. But when I was fighting Grand Fisher, he revealed that it was him who killed my mother. I got so mad, I lost all control and just started attacking. I didn't care about living or dying, I forgot that I had left my sisters behind. I didn't care, so long as he died. But he beat me, beat me and left me lying in the dirt.
"Afterwards, I realized what I had done. My dad had told me once that my name means 'to protect one thing'. Up until she had died, I had wanted to protect my mom. After that, it became my sisters. Then it became my friends. And yet, even if it was for a short time, I had thrown away everything that I had wanted to protect, just to kill someone, not even caring that if I died it would have made everyone that I wanted to protect sad all over again. I started taking my duties more seriously, and started trying to grow stronger to protect my friends, not just to keep people from hurting them, but so that I would stay alive so that they wouldn't be sad again.
"It may be a silly reason, but ever since I became a Shinigami, my life had meaning to it. I could now protect people, not just my two sisters. Everyday, there are more and more I wish to protect, and everyday I get stronger to help me do so." Ichigo said, looking forward at the fight again, a small smile on his face, though it did seem that he was deep in thought about something.
"Are Loly, Menoly, Apacci, and Lilynette some of those people?" Sun-Sun asked, almost jokingly, which was a first for her. Her brief tone of humor was halted when Ichigo said,
"Yes." Immediately, causing her to blink in surprise.
"But-." Ichigo turned to look at her again. "Why did you leave yourself out of that list?" He grinned at her and stood up, not giving her a chance to retort, and proceeded to approach the fight that was going on between the Ex-Shinigami Captain, and the two arrancar.
"Hey, Urahara-san! I'm ready to start again!" Ichigo called out to the scientist.
Sun-Sun stared at him as he walked away, her eyes slightly wide at his question. A very light blush crept up on her face, as well as a small smile, before she, too, stood up and followed him.
Urahara jumped back from a combined attack between Apacci and Lilynette, causing them both to collide in a rather comic fashion. He only turned and said, "Very well, Kurosaki-san! I've found out what I wanted anyhow." Benihime returned to it's caned form as Urahara gave Ichigo room to continue. When both he and Sun-Sun walked up to Apacci and Lilynette, who had just untangled themselves, Sun-Sun spoke up, surprisingly, for a jab.
"I take it the fight went well?" She asked sarcastically. Apacci and Lilynette both growled and said,
''Shut up, Sun-Sun."
"Alright, let's get back to our spar. I'm going to be using Bankai this time, just to see how it works out." Ichigo told them, slightly startling them.
"You're going to use Bankai? Isn't that a little much?" Apacci asked
"I don't know. Guess we can find out." Ichigo answered with a grin. The three arrancar gave themselves some distance from Ichigo, before they all took their own stances. Without another moment to wait, they all went at it again.
(Later)
"Kurosaki-san! I believe that's it for the day!" Urahara called out. Ichigo shouldered Tensa Zangetsu and said,
"Alright." He looked over at the three girls. They were all tired, he could tell right away. All of them were panting and seemed to be finding it difficult to hold their stance. Ichigo, for his part, was barely sweating. And that was mostly due to the fact his robe clung to him tightly in the warm training room. "You guy's ready to head back?"
Apacci nodded and spoke for the three of them, "Yeah... Harribel-sama would probably... want to know about Lilynette." She managed to say in between pants. Not saying anything else, Apacci, Sun-Sun, and Lilynette all proceeded over to get back in their gigais. Ichigo, after reverting his Zanpakuto back to Shikai, followed after them, sheathing his Zanpakuto. They all got back into their bodies and were soon approached by Urahara.
"Congratulations! The three of you made good progress today. Especially you, Lilynette, though I guess that was to be expected.
Lilynette growled. "What was-?"
"Anyways!" Urahara said, cutting her off. "There was a significant increase of reiatsu gained once Kurosaki-san fought with you using Bankai." Ichigo nodded.
"Well, at least it worked." He said with a shrug.
"Indeed." Urahara replied. "Let's get back up top, shall we?" At the unanimous agreement, they all went to the ladder and went back up to the store.
(Urahara Shoten/Out front)
"Well, I guess I'll see you guys later?" Ichigo spoke up as he closed the door to the shop behind them.
"You know it!" Lilynette exclaimed with a peace sign and a grin. Ichigo couldn't help but grin back at her. Apacci, as usual, opened up the Garganta for the three of them.
"See ya later, Ichigo-kun." Apacci said with her usual 'finger-wave'. Ichigo nodded and brought his hand to wave at her briefly. Sun-Sun nodded respectfully.
"Kurosaki-san." She said simply, to which Ichigo nodded. All three of them turned and proceeded into the Garganta. When it closed behind them, Ichigo stretched. What a long day. He shoved his hands into his pockets and proceeded home.
(Las Noches/Tercera's Palace)
"Welcome back, ladies. I see you have improved, Lilynette-san." Harribel addressed the three girls as they stepped out of the Garganta.
"Yep! I can't wait to show Starrk." Lilynette replied with a grin.
"I also see you two have continued to improve." Harribel pointed out to Apacci and Sun-Sun.
"Yes, Harribel-sama." She said with a nod. Sun-Sun nodded as well, but remained silent.
"Good. You're free to do as you like until you're ordered otherwise." Harribel stated, which made the three girls happy to hear.
"I'm going to go talk to Loly-san... there's something I've got to tell her." Apacci told them, nervousness evident in her tone. Harribel knew right away what Apacci was referring to.
"Of course." She nodded. Sun-Sun was curious but decided not to ask Apacci, she only turned to leave the room, intending to go rest. Lilynette wanted to know as well, but she only made to leave like Sun-Sun had.
"I'm going to go find Menoly-san first." Apacci told Harribel, as they were the last two in the room. Harribel only nodded and allowed Apacci to leave as well.
(Las Noches/With Loly)
Loly paced back and forth in her and Menoly's room. She would have her arms crossed as she paced, then she would stop and look to be thinking about something while playing with the end of one of her pigtails, then would return to pacing. She was deep in thought. Of course, she was deep in thought about Ichigo. Having grown accustomed to her and Menoly's routine with visiting him, she was becoming restless as the days went on. At this point, she abandoned all thought of hating Ichigo until she, miraculously, got the chance to talk to him. She didn't know how she would though. The first thought that came to mind, and seemed to be the easiest, was to simply open a Garganta and go down to the World of the Living to confront him. This was the only idea that came to mind really, and the only thing preventing her from doing so was that she had no idea what to say. After all, she tried to kill him and would have succeeded if not for the interruption.
Remembering what she and Menoly did caused Loly to grit her teeth in anger, directed at herself. She clenched her fists tightly, but calmed herself down after a few minutes. After what had happened, how could she ever talk to him again. The thought almost made her eyes tear up. It would have, if not for the interruption of,
"Hey, Loly!" It was Menoly, which Loly was grateful for. After all, now that she was up and about again, maybe she could talk to her about going back to the World of the Living. She turned swiftly to greet her sister, but then saw that Apacci was there as well. Loly blinked, a little surprised.
"Hey, Menoly, Apacci-san." She greeted, to which Apacci merely nodded in return, obviously nervous about something.
"Loly, we've got to talk to you about something." Menoly said, taking a serious tone with her sister. Loly could only nod and lead them over somewhere comfortable for the three of them. Menoly sat herself down on a chair, Loly sat herself at the foot of her bed, one leg crossed over the other, Apacci only stood there.
"What about?" Loly asked, tilting her head slightly. Menoly and Apacci looked at each other, almost looking like they were conversing briefly through facial expressions. After a few seconds, Apacci turned back and spoke
"Well, there's no real tactful way to say this, so I'll just say it." She began. "Harribel-sama, Starrk-sama, and Baraggan-sama are defecting."
Loly's eyes widened in surprise. "W-what?"
"They're going to make a move against Aizen, as well as Grimmjow-sama and Aaroniero-sama." Menoly answered. "Baraggan-sama's and Grimmjow-sama's fraccion are in on it as well."
Loly almost gaped at the two of them. If they were both telling her this, then that meant that Menoly had joined as well. "Are you crazy? Menoly, what are you doing?" She whispered out, still startled.
"It's the only way, Loly." Menoly answered, looking down at her hands.
"Only way for what?" Loly asked, leaning in to hear.
Menoly looked back up and stated, confidence in her voice. "The only way to see Ichigo-kun again." Now, Loly understood. This little fact almost won her over completely, but she was still a little skeptical.
"Why are you telling me this?" Loly asked, though, she knew the answer.
"Harribel-sama wanted both you and Menoly to join us." Apacci answered simply. Loly nodded. Sighing, she looked down in thought. Though, it did NOT take long for her to decide.
"Alright... I'll join." Loly said, determined. Menoly grinned at the answer. Even Apacci allowed the ghost of a smile to appear, though, it didn't take long for it to drop into a frown. Now, she had to tell Loly the other thing.
"That's uh... not all, Loly-san." Apacci started, looking a little sheepish now.
"Hm? What then?" Loly asked, a little excited as to what the news would be. Menoly could only look over at Apacci then back at Loly.
"Ichigo-kun joined us too." Menoly said. Loly was noticeably happy.
"R-really?" She asked, almost jumping up in excitement. Though, she didn't when she was Menoly and Apacci's faces. "What's wrong? That's good news, right?"
"Well, yeah! It is." Apacci answered. "But, Harribel-sama thought that Ichigo would need to be updated right away, you know, on what our situation was? Like, who's with us and who's not." Apacci was rambling, which only made her look more guilty. Slowly, Loly's smile was turning into a frown.
Apacci continued. "And I was sent to tell him, a couple weeks ago." Loly narrowed her eyes.
"A couple weeks ago? How come I'm only now being told about this?" She asked, turning to Menoly for the answer.
"I was asked only a couple days ago." Menoly told her, holding her hands up defensively. Loly accepted this and turned back to Apacci.
"Ok... is that all?" Loly asked. Apacci shook her head.
"No. You see, uh... I was sent down to tell him, and I did. I got to meet him and everything." Apacci said this, her tone turning a bit happier briefly. Loly nodded. She was a little happy that Apacci had finally been able to meet him. Though, the thought of Apacci around gave her a pin prick of irritation. Not much, but it was there. "After I told him everything and I was getting ready to leave, we kinda said our goodbyes and I... erm."
Apacci squirmed slightly. Loly managed to guess what would be said... which caused her blood to start to boil over.
"I kinda... well, I kissed him. With uh... with tongue, ya know?" When the truth came out, the whole room was quiet. If there had been a thermometer in the room, it would have shown a drop from room temperature to below freezing. There was a small grin on Loly's face, which Apacci and Menoly took as, maybe, she wasn't angry. Apacci spoke up, hesitantly.
"Uhm, Loly-san? Are you-?"
"YOU WHAT?" Loly suddenly jumped up and grabbed Apacci by the throat, causing both Menoly and Apacci's eyes to widen, and began to shake her violently. "You bitch! Why did you do that?"
"Gack! Meno-!" Apacci gasped out. Menoly jumped up and grabbed Loly from behind, holding her arms.
"Loly, calm down!" Menoly ordered her sister. "Just talk it out!" Loly kicked back and forth slightly, trying to claw her way to Apacci, who, for her part, was against the wall, cowering. For a couple of minutes, Loly tired herself out trying to free herself, but her sister's strong grip on her arms prevented her from doing so. Only when she had tired out and was looking down, panting, did Menoly speak up again.
"Loly, are you ok?" Menoly asked quietly. Loly only nodded, saying nothing. "I'm, uh, going to let you go now. Are you going to talk about this?" Once again, a nod. Menoly slowly released Loly, who stumbled slightly, but managed to straighten herself out.
"Why?" Loly asked simply, looking back up at Apacci.
"Cause I couldn't help myself!" Apacci answered. "I'm sorry, but... Ichigo-kun is just... perfect. I just wanted him to know what I thought of him." She answered truthfully. Loly took in a deep breath and managed to sit herself down.
"I.. I understand. I'm sorry, Apacci." Loly apologized silently. Apacci let out a nervous chuckle.
"Yeah, no worries. It was my fault." She said, scratching the back of her head sheepishly. She hesitantly took a few steps forward to get closer to the two girls and calmed when no move was made against her. Suddenly, Loly laughed.
"I told ya." She said simply. Both Menoly and Apacci visibly calmed as the tension in the room was defused.
"Yeah... you did. You guys were right, that's for sure." Apacci said, laughing quietly as well. "I'm not the only one that think so, too."
Both Loly and Menoly raised an eyebrow and asked "Huh?"
"Heh, well, not only me but I think Sun-Sun, of all people, has a thing for him too. Through the Garganta, she had this strange smile on her face. When I asked her about it, she it was nothing and blushed!" Apacci told them mischievously.
"Wait, Sun-Sun has met Ichigo-kun?" Loly asked with a confused expression.
"Oh yeah. Turns out, by fighting Ichigo-kun-" Apacci paused briefly, then continued when Loly had no visible reaction the suffix. "Sun-Sun and I can become stronger. Something about absorbing his reiatsu."
"Me too!" Another voice spoke up. In the doorway stood Lilynette, one hand on her hip as she regarded them with a childish grin.
"How long have you been listening, Lilynette?" Apacci almost growled out. Loly and Menoly, for their part, looked confused. They rarely saw Lilynette, as she was usually with Starrk, the Primera.
"Just got here a couple minutes ago. Don't worry, Doe-chan." Lilynette said, sticking her tongue out at Apacci slightly, who only growled again. "I, also, like Ichigo-sensei!" Lilynette declared to the three of them, further surprising Loly and Menoly.
Apacci outright laughed at Lilynette. "You do? What makes you think Ichigo-kun would go for a shrimp like you?"
Lilynette's expression turned sour, but then quickly turned mischievous. "Well, I've still got time, and room, to fill out." She said, gesturing to herself. "You, on the other hand..." She snickered. "You're out of luck."
Apacci glared at the young fraccion and made a move to grab at her, but Lilynette danced out of her reach, laughing at her. Loly and Menoly could only watch. Loly then turned to Menoly.
"Damn... we don't go to the World of the Living for a couple of weeks... and Ichigo-kun gets himself a fanclub." Loly said, laughing. Menoly couldn't help but grin and agree.
"Yeah, hehe. Of course, I'm not really surprised. He just kinda... draws you in, ya know?"
Loly nodded, a small smile on her face. "Yep. I know exactly what you mean."
"It pleases me to hear that you two still hold affection for Kurosaki-san." Both Loly and Menoly jumped at the fifth voice, even Apacci and Lilynette stumbled in surprise.
"Ter-Tercera-sama!" Loly and Menoly both bowed to the woman frantically, who only regarded them with a nod. Apacci, too, bowed slightly.
"Harribel-sama, what are you doing here?" She asked respectfully.
"With Loly and Menoly both on our side, I can safely approach them on going into the World of the Living to train with Kurosaki-san." Harribel told her simply, to which Loly and Menoly both visibly brightened.
"W-when can we-?" Loly started excitedly, but was cut off by Harribel.
"Two days from now." Was the simple answer. Both Loly and Menoly nodded at this. Harribel turned to Apacci. "You and Sun-Sun will be staying behind. Lilynette, you as well."
While they both looked disappointed, they wisely decided against arguing with the Tercera. With nothing else to say, Harribel sonido'd out of the room.
While the sudden appearance then disappearance of the Tercera was rather strange, all of the girls went back to talking with each other.
"This is... awesome." Loly said, barely containing her excitement. Menoly grinned as well.
"Yeah, I know... I can't wait." While they were both excited, sure, they were both racking their brains with what to say when they saw Ichigo again.
Apacci saw this right away and said "Well, I'll leave you two alone now." At that, she literally dragged Lilynette out of the room to give the two Numeros time to think. When they both left, Loly and Menoly could only look at each other, having a silent conversation.
(Two Days Later/Tercera's Palace)
"Are you ladies ready?" Harribel asked Loly and Menoly. They both nodded, nervous. Loly seemed to be suppressing the urge to pace, and Menoly was twiddling her fingers together frantically. "Remember, you are there to train with Kurosaki-san. It would be best that anything else be ignored." Despite her saying so, Harribel knew that it wouldn't be the case. Though, it did make her happy, somewhat.
"Yes, Harribel-sama." Both Loly and Menoly said as one. Harribel nodded and opened the garganta for them. Loly and Menoly had to push down the urge to run in.
"Return by the end of the day. I will be here and will check on your progress when you return." Harribel informed them. She then motioned for them to leave, which they did all too eagerly. When they were both past the opening, the Garganta closed behind them. She turned to find all three of her fraccion standing there. Apacci almost looked happy for her two friends. Sun-Sun, surprisingly, seemed to be disappointed. Mila-Rose-
"Harribel-sama, when will I be able to go into the World of the Living to train with Ichigo?" Mila-Rose asked, almost looking frustrated.
"You will go the next time, I assure you. This time, though, Loly and Menoly needed to go alone. I believe that they will not be spending all their time training. It is time for the three of them to correct their past mistakes and move on." Harribel told them. Mila-Rose could only nod. Harribel walked out of the room, passing her fraccion. Mila-Rose, too, left the room, deciding to find something to do. Apacci and Sun-Sun stood alone in the room silently. Then, Apacci turned to make a comment to Sun-Sun about her obvious affection for Ichigo, but when she opened her mouth...
"Not a word, Apacci-san, or I will cut you." Hearing this in the calm, soft, voice that was Sun-Sun's, Apacci froze and slowly backed away from her.
(Karakura Town)
Ichigo rubbed his sore arms. The previous day's training with the Vaizards really took a number on him. Apparently, Hiyori was going all-out now, something he could appreciate, but then not. From what he saw, she was still pissed off at him for the last training session. Ichigo sighed. Would he ever get on Hiyori's good side? It seemed every time he did something, it only pissed her off even more. Ok, maybe their first encounter could've gone better, he admitted to himself, but just because he was getting the hang of using his mask didn't mean she should get angry at him over it. Even if it did get in the way of her exacting her revenge on him.
Suddenly, Ichigo froze. He sensed something, or rather someone. They felt familiar, definitely. Though, the only two people that came to mind were-
"I-Ichigo-kun?" A shy voice spoke up, one Ichigo recognized right away. He turned to find the source of the voice, and when he did he almost gaped, his eyes wide in shock.
It was Loly and Menoly.
(Chapter End/Author's Note)
There ya go, Chapter Eleven. Totalling 12K words, pretty good huh :D Anyways, YES, YES I DID, I WENT THERE! I added Lilynette to the harem, pretty brave aren't I? Then again, I had to be to make a LolyxIchigoxMenoly eh?
As of right now, you could say Lilynette has a crush on Ichigo. Ya know, like the kind a teenage girl would have on an actor or something completely impossible and ridiculous like that? *Snickers*
You also saw a bit of IchigoxSun-Sun development, half of it is courtesy of my beta... so if you didn't like it, flame him! T_T I can't take negative comments... I react violently =_=
OH! I don't know if you kiddies heard! But, guess what! Harribel and her fraccion are alive in canon! As revealed by the latest Bleach:UNMASKED volume! I was so happy when I read that, you have no idea.
Here's the rest of the review corner!
Lord Iron-Balls IKARI:... First off, wtf is up with your name? XD Secondly, thanks! Hope that was a good update for ya.
bloodyemperor:Subtle as a bear in a tea shop? ... That bad huh? Wait a minute, why the hell is a bear in a tea shop?
DBZLOVER: Derp, to answer the first part. At the level of strength Ichigo is going to take, if he fights a weaker arrancar, they're not going to get a chance to get stronger. And it really only works on those significantly weaker than him... Yeah
marc:They are... they are *starts laughing*
BrazeRancor:If you say so :O I'd like to think of it as... an awesome idea? Yeah :D
Beloved Nightmare Union:I'm not gonig to add her to the harem because... because... cause bad things will happen!
BleachBoy95:Thanks very much for your comment, it made me happy. And don't worry, after the initial ones are out of the way, I hope to be able to write out interesting threesomes... *Epic face*
Nasha Kei-Run:Noooo, don't be ridiculous... *Glances to the left and right* What gave you that idea?
nxkris:Yes... Yes... Yes... All those are going to... happen... :D
darkmachine:Like Lazruth said, while DiRoy himself won't be training alone with Ichigo(Don't worry, I gots a plan for Grimmjow's fraccion) You have inspired another idea that I am looking forward to writing out
kazikamikaze24:HOpe you like the rate at which Ichigo is progressing... between you and me, I like my idea better than Ichigo's growth rate in canon. He'd basically have to almost die before something would happen
DemonAngel of Ice:When I think of a legitimate reason other than I just didn't want her in the harem, I'll tell you all :T And about your complaint with Lilynette... *cough* Don't worry, I gots a plan. I always have a plan... I love it when a plan comes together :D
Seiei:Yes, they would. I'm looking forward to writing out the scene that they all meet. Hope you continue to enjoy this story :D
fujingodofwind:Yes, Menoly was HOT in the manga, wasn't she? Or is that not what you're talking about :o NVM! Thank you for your comments
god:I have not forgotten her... and that's al lI have to say on the matter Bl
Finally done! Phew! I love getting reviews, really, but thirty to reply to in one Review Corner? Maybe I should ration it out better? :P Before I forget, on my Profile, there is a poll set up. You'll have to check it out to find out what it is exactley, but I will say it regards the future lemons.
Anyways, that's all for today! Please read and review, Constructive Critisicm is welcome, but flamers will be hunted down and beaten up by me personally, I assure you.