Mr. 96: Updating is going extremely fast due to the fact that I'm pissed no one reviewed my latest chapter! Seriously, those comments are what keep me aliiiiive….! Anyway, it's vitally important that you at least give me some feedback, because without it I can't keep the story going! That's right, there's going to be a poll regarding this question: Should Keiichi Maebara die in the next chapter or should I keep him around? If you can't find the poll, I'll be happy to accept reviews regarding this!
This type of text is for normal speech and narration
This type of text is for thoughts
[This type of text is for Ichigo's and Nigo's flashes]
And since every decent anime crossover series has to have a theme song, here's mine! (pause) Oh, what were you expecting from me, something original?
(Opening Theme: Black Paper Moon)
(as the guitar solo commences, Zangetsu falls out of Ichigo's hands, the sky turns into night as we get a look at the sky, and the words "Ultimately Annihilated" come up in Japanese kanji behind a background of stained glass. Look up the translation, if you will.)
I'm Falling Down into my Shadow, iki wo hisomete, matteiru Deadly Night
(Ichigo and Shana clash swords high above the ground, then Nigo appears on the sidewalk in a burst of flame and looks above, scared, as Friagne appears above Ichigo and Shana.)
Don't Scary majo ga egaita, kabocha no basha mo, sono me ni utuseru kara
(Yuji stands in a windy background, shifts to Keiichi and then image melts to form Mask)
See You in Your Dreams, Yeah Baby kowai yume da to shitemo
(Ichigo and Nigo dance with Rukia and Orihime, respectively, while Keiichi looks down on them from a rooftop, his face quickly turning dark with his eyes and the inside of his mouth glowing red)
Fairy Blue, kimi no tame ni hoshi wo kudaki, kazarituketa, Black Paper Moon
(Ichigo pulls out a small ornate black sword with angel-type designs from the stomach of a brown-haired teenager wearing a vest and a stubble, then leaps up and clashes with Keiichi)
Shinjite Kureta nara! When You're Lost "Here" I am… "Forever" With Your Soul
(Keiichi cries out as his blood flies everywhere and he falls down, Ichigo rips Zangetsu out of Friagne's stomach and tears him apart with it)
Miagereba kagayaku tsuki no youni
(Ichigo looks up in a faded dark sky as an androgynous being wearing black with wings looks down at him.)
Yuji, Rukia, Chad, Uryu, and Orihime ran to Yuji's house, and went straight up to Yuji's room, where Ichigo and Shana were sitting. "Ichigo, this is important!" Rukia said, "Keiichi Maebara…"
"Let me guess, he knows about us and wants to give strawberry jerk here the answer to where to find the Seishin-Ro, am I right?" Shana said, not even looking up.
"Whoah, how'd you know that?" Yuji asked.
"I saw everything. I guess Nigo's memories must be transferred to me," Ichigo said, "It's not pretty…Anyway, I've made up my mind. I've gotta meet him."
"W….wait, Ichigo! He's dangerous!" Rukia shouted, grabbing him. "If you fight him, you'll get killed! I don't want to see that happen to someone….again…" Tears welled up in her eyes, which Nigo immediately noticed.
Well, it looks like she did feel something for Ichigo after all. Not that I mind, he thought, Means I get Orihime to myself. He smiled at the thought. I knew that Ichigo had trouble deciding between them, but that's not a problem when there's two of him! …Or me, depending on your viewpoint.
"I have to go, Rukia," Ichigo said, "I need Zangetsu to beat that creep Friagne! And to do that, I need the Seishin-Ro!" He looked at her. "Don't worry…I don't intend to die soon! If that guy wants to talk to me, I'll talk to him!"
Meanwhile, in another part of the city, Keiichi walked by an old man with a top hat and a gray moustache. "Ah, Lamies," Keiichi said, "So you're running away from Margery Daw again, is that right?"
"Quite so," the old man said, "Although that is merely part of what I'm doing here. It actually seems that the King of Black and White has become weaker. Even so, are you really going to meet him?"
"Of course," Keiichi said, nodding to Lamies, "I've done so many horrible things…..He's going to be the one to bring me to justice, that is my hope."
"Surely you can't mean something like that?" Lamies asked, looking up at him, "What of your wife? Surely Rika has some attachment to you?"
"No," Keiichi said simply, "I chose her because I had to. There was no other way. I never asked for her, and she only asked for me because she knew what would happen if she didn't."
Lamies sighed. "It seems that you are right to wish to die, then," he said simply, "But know that you will never make up for your sins simply by dying."
"It's not the dying that will help me to repent," Keiichi said, "I'm going to help Ichigo Kurosaki regain what he has lost. That will be my apology to them."
Lamies sighed again, and walked away.
Soon, Ichigo had shown up at the train station where Keiichi said to meet him at. Right when he got there, Keiichi immediately walked up to him. "Ah, you came after all," he said, "have you made your decision?"
"Yes," Ichigo said, "I want my powers back! I need you to tell me where the Seishin-Ro is!"
"That," Keiichi said, "Is what I have intended for a very long time."
"But before you do, why don't you start off by telling me a bit more about yourself?" Ichigo asked, remembering what he saw from Nigo.
"What's there to tell you?" Keiichi asked, a false smile on his face, "My name is Keiichi Maebara. I'm married to Rika Furude. I'm from Hinamizawa, I was born in 1968, and I move a lot."
"That's not what I mean, dammit!" Ichigo shouted, holding Keiichi by the collar. "You move a lot because you need the psychological therapy! Why the hell do you need that?"
Keiichi started crying at this. "Hinamizawa….. My home… it burned down." He looked up. "My wife and I were the only ones to escape. My family…My friends…..the woman I loved before Rika….they all died."
Ichigo almost felt sorry for Keiichi Maebara, but then he started getting images in his mind.
[Yuji sat down at a table with Mrs. Maebara. "So Keiichi wasn't born in Hinamizawa?" he asked. "No," Rika replied, "He came when he was a teenager. We all became friends with him, but….." "But what?" Yuji shouted, not able to take much more of this mysteriousness. Ichigo realized that he was only overhearing them, because he seemed to be going through Keiichi Maebara's stuff. He quickly realized that was Nigo's role to play in this. Nigo looked around, and Ichigo could see everything. "Ooh, hey, he's got Kamen Rider tapes! And from 1973! That's, like, the original! Sweet!" Nigo said to himself. Ichigo growled at the idea that Nigo still hadn't grown up. If he was younger, he'd be excited too, but he liked to think he was more mature than that. Nigo stopped at a magazine, and Ichigo started to get confused, until he saw the article. "Hinamizawa….Burned down…." Nigo read, "Suspected arson. Someone was seen laughing. The arsonist is still at large." He flipped to another page. "Hinamizawa was famous for its murder record. One person always died on the same day every year and another disappeared. However, in 1983, two high school students, Rena Ryugu and Mion Sonozaki, were found murdered, beat to death with what appeared to be a metal bat…! The prime suspect is Keiichi Maebara, age 15, who was seen practicing with such a bat and had close connections with the two, along with Rika Furude and Satoko Hojo. Keiichi's innocence or guilt in this case has yet to be proven, and the killer remains at large."Nigo looked up. "Oh, no!"]
Ichigo shuddered for a minute. "Is something wrong?" Keiichi asked, looking at him.
"Nothing," Ichigo said, "It's just….what was that fire about? Was it done on purpose or what?"
"No, it was all an accident," Keiichi replied, his voice suddenly becoming cold. "There was nothing done on purpose. I was there, so I know."
Ichigo shuddered, remembering what Nigo had read. "And….what happened to some of your friends?"
Keiichi tensed at this. "Just what do you mean?" he asked, starting to understand what Ichigo was talking about.
"I'm talking about the ones who died right before the fire happened!" Ichigo shouted, "There were two girls, right? What happened to them?"
"Ah," Keiichi said, his voice still cold and emotionless, "They were close friends of mine. Don't try to get the wrong idea by knowing that they're dead and that everything points to me, I truly did have a close relationship with them. But they died, and I've moved on, trying to do better with my wife."
Ichigo didn't know what to say. Is he really going to help me out….?
"Of course I am," Keiichi said, leaning in towards Ichigo. "I've planned to from the beginning. Just because you struck a raw nerve with me doesn't mean I won't go back on my word. You want the Seishin-Ro, right?"
"Of course I do!" Ichigo shouted, "But if you can't trust me….then I can't trust you!"
"You don't need to trust me," Keiichi said, "Sooner or later, you will realize that your name befits you. It's a strength and a weakness."
"What are you talking about?" Ichigo said, backing away.
"You'll learn soon enough." Keiichi said, "But to get to the point, I know who you're looking for. There's a Mystes possessing the Treasure Tool you seek, and he lives at this address." He pulled out a slip of paper from his shirt. "His name is Felix Lestrade. But be warned, he won't help you of his own free will." He smiled and turned away. "By the way," he said, "I'd like for you to come by my house some time. My wife made some ohagi, and I really can't finish it by myself…"
Ichigo was bewildered. What was with this guy….?
Mr. 96: So, ladies and gentlemen, I know I've ended short of my goal, but it took me ridiculously long to do this! So please review! Pleeeeease! I need those reviews to continue….! I also need you to participate in the poll, no joke, I can make no progress if you don't.
