The Bird of Hermes is my name; eat my wings to make me tame.
Disclaimer: All characters are property of their respective owners, of which I am not.
"Normal speech"
"Kido/Zanpakuto release"
'Inner speech/thoughts'
"Alucard/Kurohime"
'Ichigo and Tatsuki's link'
XXX
Chapter 15: Knock, knock…
Yoshino slowly walked down the dark city streets as she traced the reiatsu of the young Quincy. She could feel the twins reiatsu slowly fade away and hastened her pace towards her quarry. While she wasn't surprised that he had left his friends alone in order to protect them, every time she rounded a corner it seemed as if he was aware she was following him and was purposefully leading her on. What though was he hoping to accomplish, when they both knew that he was powerless against her and that she meant him no harm. Finally the cat and mouse game seemed to come to an end as she felt him stop in an area just ahead of her. When he came into view though, she was surprised to find him unconscious next to a nearby building. Walking over to him carefully, she examined him before hissing as she felt a familiar reiatsu lingering over him. Before she could get away though, she was knocked unconscious by a fist, her last sight being a glimpse of a red coat.
Ichigo smirked down at the female Bount that he had baited away from the hospital. Bending down, he lifted both her and Uryu onto his shoulders, taking them back to a nearby street lamp, placing them next to each other and disappearing to the rooftops once more. When he seated himself next to Yoruichi, she turned and greeted him with a cold glare.
"And just what are you waiting for now?" she said icily.
"Oh please Yoruichi," Ichigo said casually waving his hands at her as if to ward off her questions. "She's the bait we need to get a bigger fish out here."
"Bait? Is that what you see them as? Nothing more than bait?" she hissed angrily at him. She was silenced though when he turned a steely glare on her.
"I wouldn't place the lives of my friends in danger if I believed that they would get hurt Yoruichi, you'd do well to remember that. But this game of cat and mouse needs to end and soon," he said his voice grim. "After losing three of his allies to us and losing contact with another, whoever this Kariya person is will send someone he believes strong enough to bring Uryu back to him. And when he does, that is when we make our move," he said as he returned his gaze to the street below.
Yoruichi was silent after he finished speaking. Truly the plan made sense to her and as the former head of the Special Forces, is something she too would do as well, but to see the young teenager next to her use similar tactics as older, more experienced assassins; caused a frightening chill to run down her spine. They waited for over an hour before finally there was some movement in the street. Looking down Ichigo watched as a tall muscular man approached the bait, a faint smile on his face when he found the reiatsu was just bordering a captain's level. Shrouding himself and Yoruichi in darkness, he watched and waited.
XXX
Go Koga had seen and done many things in his life, but the sight before him now was possibly one of the more…unsettling events he had faced. He had been ordered by Kariya to bring both Yoshino and the young Quincy to the mansion for him to meet and as such he had left in search for them. He had expected some resistance from them, but seeing them here now unconscious, gave him pause as he looked around the area. While it was possible for the Quincy to pass out due to exhaustion, for Yoshino to do the same was unheard off. The only logical explanation was that she had been knocked out, but why then were they left untouched? When his senses revealed nothing in the immediate area, he grunted as he heaved them both onto his shoulders, taking them back to the mansion, his thoughts uneasy as he walked.
When he had first heard of the soul reaper that had somehow given Ryo and Yoshino pause, he had dismissed it as an overestimation of their enemy. After hearing that the same soul reaper had killed Ryo and reports from Ichinose confirming that the soul reaper Ryo had faced was in fact a substitute of unknown power, he couldn't help but feel uneasy about it all. Unknown to him, Ichigo followed silently above him, Yoruichi on his shoulder.
XXX
After following their target to a heavily forested area, Ichigo paused atop a tree, watching as Koga walked into a mansion hidden away from civilisation.
"And now we know exactly where they're staying," Ichigo said with a smirk as he and Yoruichi scanned the area.
"Yes and from what I can feel, there's at least 6 others with him, one of them even feels like a shinigami," Yoruichi said leaping off his shoulder. "We should leave now and regroup with the others and let them know what we've discovered."
"Maybe later Yoruichi-chan," Ichigo said as he dropped from his perch and started walking slowly across the clearing. "If you're going to come with me I suggest you get Ishida back, while I keep them distracted."
"Wait, what?" Yoruichi yelled after him, cursing as he disappeared from view. With no other choice, Yoruichi stalked towards the house, searching for where Uryu's reiatsu was coming from.
XXX
When Koga walked into the mansion, he looked around the lobby, noticing how all the other Bount had gathered there.
"Ah and look what the cat dragged in, Koga and the two Kariya asked us to track down," a voice said from above him. Looking up, he saw a female Bount with dark green hair and light brown skin, wearing a purple Manchurian style qipao and beige pants, leaning over the rails of the upper level.
"Of course he would succeed, after all an old lady like you would tire out easily Yoshi," spoke another voice from across the room, belonging to a young thin man with orange hair, wearing blue and white shorts and a sleeveless shirt with a red belt.
"What was that Mabashi?" Yoshi yelled at him, a tick mark forming on her forehead, "Why don't you want to come over here and say that to my face?"
"Ah you really are an old woman if you can't hear me over such a small distance," Mabashi replied with a smirk.
Koga ignored the two as they continued to argue, knowing it would soon turn physical, and walked on past the two other Bount in the room. He paused though when a new voice spoke.
"That's enough Yoshi, Mabashi," said the newcomer causing everyone to fall silent as they looked to the new arrivals. Standing at the top of the stairs were two men. The one that had spoken had silver hair and bright red eyes and a scar on his chin. He wore a black and red shirt with an orange tie and black pants and shoes, the slim fitting clothing showing that he was quite muscular underneath. The man next to him was thinner and dressed in the shihakusho of a soul reaper, but it was slightly modified as it had a white hood to cover his head.
"Welcome back Koga," the silver haired man said. "I trust that they gave you no trouble?"
"I need to speak to you about that Kariya," Koga said as he hefted the two people on his shoulders. Raising an eyebrow slightly at his words, Jin Kariya nodded at him.
"Of course, Ichinose lead Koga to where he can put the two down and then watch over them please," Kariya said speaking to the man next to him.
"Of course Kariya-sama," Ichinose said as he gestured to Koga to follow him. Once the two left Kariya turned to the rest of the Bount that were still in the room.
"We'll have a meeting shortly where I will tell you the next stage of my plan," Kariya said as he turned to walk away. He was stopped though by a knock at the door to the mansion.
Everyone turned their head in confusion to the door as they were in the middle of nowhere. A thin man with glasses, a white long-sleeved shirt, red tie and blue pants walked up to the door. The next moment passed in a blur as a reiatsu bullet blasted through the door going on to explode on contact with his head, reducing it to a bloody stump, shocking everyone in the room. There were several more shots that pierced the door reducing it to pieces and forcing Kariya to step to the side as part of the stairs were reduced to rubble as well.
"Oh dear, it seems I missed," Ichigo said as he walked into the room his hat tilted low hiding his eyes, his coat swirling around him, both pistols drawn and at his sides. "I had intended to kill two of you in that barrage; it seems that one of you does have some power though."
"Who the hell are you!" Yoshi shouted from above him as she and Mabashi were on their guard.
"Ah my apologies," Ichigo said looking in her direction, giving her a crooked smile as his red eyes bore into her own. "Ichigo Kurosaki, your death," he said with a bow.
"Our death?" Kariya said with a smirk as he took in Ichigo's appearance. "Ah so you're the one that killed Ryo and now Ugaki. A pity really, they both had their uses after all."
"You don't seem too concerned that you've already lost four Bount since you became more…active. Could it be you are just trying to annoy me by making me hunt you all down?" Ichigo said with a grin as he turned his attention on Kariya.
"Of course not," Kariya said. "I'm just commenting that you've only managed to kill those that did tend to underestimate their enemies and overestimate themselves."
"Yes, such an attitude will always lead to a quick death for those on the battlefield," Ichigo said pulling his hat low once again. "I'm sorry, but this talk is beginning to bore me. Which of you would like to die first?"
"Ah yes, I thought that such pleasantries would soon fall away," Kariya said as he looked towards Yoshi, giving her the slightest of nods, which she returned.
"Show yourself, Nieder!" she yelled as she leapt from the balcony of the second floor, a sword and bladed fan linked with a chain, forming in her hands. Drawing closer to Ichigo, she swung the sword with all her might at his torso, a fountain of blood erupting from it as she cut him. She followed it up with a kick sending him flying into the wall cracking it around him. Not pausing even for a second, she swiped her fan in his direction, several needles flying from the fan striking Ichigo and the wall, a cloud of dust forming as they connected.
"Well now, over already?" she said slightly disappointed.
"Over? Really now, that's a stupid question to ask." Ichigo said from within the dust cloud, shocking them all. He then flared his reiatsu causing it to dissipate, revealing his wounds to be rapidly healing despite their severity. "That tickled, I hope you didn't think I'd be down after such weak attacks. Hell even the midget's punches hurt more than yours," he said with grin, twirling one of the needles in his fingers.
Yoshi was frozen in shock as his wounds finally sealed up, but was broken out of her reverie by her doll speaking.
"My, my he really is a toughie isn't he," a female voice said, the source was revealed to be the fan, as an eye popped out of its mouth to look at Ichigo. "And such a fine specimen too, sadly we really need to kill him now since he's embarrassed us so."
"I agree whole-heartedly," a male voice said, coming from the sword as it too took in Ichigo's appearance, "such a stubborn boy needs to be taught a lesson."
"Would the two of you shut up?" Yoshi said as she snapped the fan shut, her hands shaking in anger as she shut her eyes trying to calm down.
'I'm being ogled by a fan, can I feel violated now or is it still too soon?' Ichigo thought as he watched the exchange between the three.
"You could just kill them if it bothers you that much master," Alucard said. "And it seems that some of her allies wouldn't mind that happening."
Mulling over Alucard's words, Ichigo briefly scanned the thoughts of the Bount around him. Just like with Yoshino, he had to put forth significantly more effort than when he dealt with humans or soul reapers. What he found though surprised him, as none of the Bount truly cared whether Yoshi lived or died. Filing it away for later, Ichigo started to walk towards her.
"Teach me a lesson?" he said once he was half-way to them. "What an amusing thing to say. I truly hope you have something up your sleeve if you think that you can teach me anything, considering how weak you are."
"Tsk," Yoshi scoffed at him. "Are the two of you ready now?" she asked in an annoyed tone as she took her stance.
"Of course," the sword said. "This time we'll show you what we can really do boy."
"I look forward to it," Ichigo whispered in her ear as he flash stepped behind her. As Yoshi spun around to face him, he repaid her in kind for the kick earlier, sending her flying into the wall, causing it to crumble and collapse over her.
"Come on now, out you come," Ichigo said into the cloud of debris. "That wasn't enough to kill you yet. Honestly I was hoping to enjoy this a bit more." He fell silent as Yoshi emerged from the wreckage, her fan wrapped around her body protectively. "Now that's what I'm talking about," he said with a grin. "Tell me, what else can you do?"
"Don't get cocky with me you brat!" Yoshi yelled as her doll changed once again. Her fan disappeared and her sword arm was enveloped in armour and the sword itself had several glowing copies attached to it. Swinging her sword at him, Ichigo's eyes widened as the copies flew at him. Hardening his reiatsu around him, Ichigo grinned as they barely scratched his skin. Snatching one of them as it spun in the air after hitting his torso, Ichigo flung it back at Yoshi, watching as her fan appeared again deflecting the projectile.
"So you switch between attack and defence as you fight," Ichigo said with a smirk. "Useless if you ask me, as a balanced offensive is often more than likely crippling." Charging at her, he sent a jab at her torso, which she avoided by leaping over his outstretched arm. While in mid-air, she swung her sword at him, which he caught easily in his hand, before sending her hurtling in the direction of the wall once again. Raising her fan to absorb the impact, she was confused when she heard Ichigo's voice.
"Bakudo no. 63, Sajo Sabaku," he intoned, as yellow chains of reiatsu burst from his hand, rushing after Yoshi and wrapping around her legs. Gripping the chain tightly, he swung it towards the columns on the left side of the mansion, demolishing them, as she became a living wrecking ball. As part of the mansion came down on top of her, Ichigo yanked the chains back, tearing her bloody body from underneath the rubble as it sped toward him. As she reached him, he dealt her a devastating elbow to the chest, making her eyes go wide and her to cough uncontrollably as he broke several ribs.
As she lay hunched over on the ground, Yoshi looked up into the glowing red eyes of Ichigo and felt herself recoil as they bored into her.
"Look to your allies," he said in a whisper that only she could hear. "None of them are going to step in and save you now, is this what you expected when you joined his cause. To be pitted against a foe beyond your power, all the while he looks on uncaring for your fate?"
"Shut up," she wheezed at him. Breathing was becoming exceedingly difficult for her and she felt light-headed as her body struggled for oxygen. Reaching down Ichigo picked up her sword from the floor next to her, watching as it stayed silent as he examined it.
"I don't say these things to torment you, I just want you to understand your mistakes now so that you don't repeat them in the future, wherever that may be for you," he said as he walked over to her, sword held to his side. "This has been slightly entertaining, so for that, thank you. I know that most warriors would want to depart with their blade in hand," he said as he offered the sword to her, "it only seems fitting that I at least give you that chance."
Taking the sword, she pushed herself of the ground, standing to face Ichigo once more. "Heh, this really was fun," she said as she watched his fist speed towards her, piercing her heart and killing her instantly.
"You knew that she stood no chance against me and yet you still sent her against me. Are you so cowardly that you would use your own allies as pawns for your own ends?" Ichigo said glaring at Kariya, as Yoshi's corpse dissolved into dust around his hand.
"Cowardly? Me?" Kariya said as he smirked at Ichigo. "She had her uses and truly I didn't expect you to defeat her so easily. I must say the reports from Soul Society do you no justice. The raw power you wield is truly impressive and your savagery is beyond the ordinary."
"You think that was me being savage? Idiot, allow me to show you what I'm like when you really piss me off," Ichigo said as he took on his monster form and drew both his pistols.
XXX
In another part of the mansion, Koga had just placed Uryu and Yoshino into beds in separate rooms. Locking each of them after him, he handed the keys to Ichinose. "They're your responsibility now Ichinose, I'm heading back to see what Kariya wants to speak to us about," he said as he started walking back to the lobby.
Before he could take more than a few steps though, they were both knocked off their feet by the sudden explosion that ripped through the mansion. Looking out the window next to him, Ichinose shouted "Kariya-sama," and tried to dash off back to the lobby. He was restrained though by Koga's outstretched arm.
"No, your orders were to watch over those two no matter what," Koga said firmly. "I'll go and see what's happening, but no matter what you need to stay here and make sure no one rescues them."
Ichinose stood stone faced as he watched Koga disappear down the hallway, but gave chase as another explosion shook the mansion once again. Unknown to him though, a little black cat watched him run off.
XXX
A feral grin spread across Ichigo's face as he continued to demolish the mansion. Of course each of his shots were aimed at the Bount, but they were proving quite spry as they dodged his bullets. The old man had disappeared into the floor while the younger Bount and Kariya flitted around him. Sensing the return of the Bount he followed and the soul reaper from earlier, Ichigo blasted the area above the passage, causing it to cave in and block off their way.
"It's going to be really hard to kill me if all you keep doing is dodging," Ichigo taunted them. He smirked though when Mabashi fell for it and charged at him, only to have a bullet clip his arm, sending him flying into the surrounding rubble. Ichigo was broken out of his thoughts though when Yoruichi appeared next to him in all her naked glory, carrying an unconscious Uryu.
"It's time to leave Ichigo, there's too many of them to effectively defeat them all. You've done enough damage as it is," she said as she shifted Uryu's weight on her shoulder.
"Ah well can't play with you guys anymore, but here's a small parting gift from me," Ichigo said as he aimed both pistols at separate corners of the roof and fired. The resulting explosions caused the roof to cave in on them, burying the Bount while Ichigo and Yoruichi flash stepped away.
XXX
It was late evening when Yoshino awoke. Recognising the room she was in, she got out of bed and made her way to where she felt Kariya's reiatsu. As she walked she was surprised by the damage that was done to the mansion, as rubble was strewn everywhere. She spotted Kariya standing atop a pile of rubble tending to an old grandfather clock, Ichinose at his side, while Koga tended to Mabashi's wound.
"Where are Ugaki and Yoshi?" she asked as she reached the pile of rubble.
"Dead," Kariya said emotionlessly as he continued to work.
"I see," Yoshino said bowing her head. "What do you plan to do then? You've painted a target on all of our heads for an enemy none of us truly comprehend."
"Simple," he said as he placed the final mechanism in place and rewinding the clock. Pleased with his handiwork, he walked over to her, a smile across his face. Confused Yoshino only stood still as he approached. "We'll just have to get stronger," he said with a smirk as he ran his hand through her chest.
"What?" Yoshino said weakly as he pulled his hand free.
"You alone wield a power no other Bount possess Yoshino. The ability to bear life, it is that power that I was searching for to complete my plans and now thanks to you, I shall gain more power than any other Bount has ever imagined," he said as he cupped her cheek.
When her body dissolved into reiatsu, he spoke a long chant, the seal of the Bount forming above him. Out of it spawned countless small flying insects with blue abdomens and a black thorax. As they flew off into the night sky, Kariya's shoulders shook as he burst out into maniacal laughter.
XXX
And that's the end of chapter 15. The Bount Arc will conclude in the next chapter and believe me when I say that you are not going to want to miss what happens next. Some of the fights I have planned are already pounding in my head begging to be free. Alas they shall remain locked away for now.
So which parts did you like, love or hate? Let me know please.