And Kenpachi has entered the fray!
Hope you like it, let me know what you think!
Chapter 12: On Their Way
A tense silent fell over the grounds after the Captain's introduction. Shinji hissed a curse. Of all the people to have been waiting for them, it had to be the blood-thirsty successor to the barbarian's Squad. His power was immense, and Shinji was only starting to recover from the surprise of it. Natsuki was already back to normal, used to his Reiatsu.
"What's wrong?" Kenpachi asked Ichigo, ignoring the rest of them. "I told you, I came to fight you to the death. Since you ain't answering, does that mean I can go ahead and start?" he asked. Ichigo instinctively reached for his Zanpakuto, before remembering he wasn't alone, and looked around quickly.
"Ganji! Hanataro!" he saw the two still on the ground. "Hana..." Ichigo froze at the sight of the fallen boy, who was unconscious.
"You dumbass, Ichigo!" Ganju snapped at him. "Me and Hana just overdosed a little on the Reiatsu. Don't worry about us!" he yelled.
"Don't turn your back on someone looking to kill you," Shinji warned, his sword still drawn.
"Wow!" a high-pitched voice exclaimed. "What a load of drool!" Ichigo whirled around, just in time for a little girl with pink hair to land on his shoulder. "He must be really scared of Kenny! Poor guy!" she commented, before Ichigo yanked his arm up and shoved her off. "Whoa," she stumbled as she landed, her Zanpakuto in her hand. "He got mad at me..." she pouted.
"Stupid, it's your fault," Kenpachi rolled his eyes.
"The one who says 'stupid' is stupider!" she pouted, before she glanced to Natsuki and broke into a bright smile. "It's bun-bun!" she exclaimed, and was tackling Natsuki before anyone could even blink. The 4th seat fell to the ground as Yachiru giggled.
"Lieutenant...you shouldn't..." Natsuki said weakly as Yachiru giggled.
"You fell over silly!" the girl giggled.
"Hey, you, midget!" she glanced over at Ichigo when he found his voice.
"Yeah?" Yachiru blinked at him.
"Who the hell are you?!" he demanded, and she got up, bounding back over to the Captain. He just watched her, looking bored.
"I'm Yachiru Kusajishi, Lieutenant of Squad 11," she introduced herself with a bright smile. "Nice to meet you," Yachiru told him.
"That kid's a Lieutenant?" Ganju hissed.
"Yeah...you don't mess with her, if the Captain doesn't kill you first for it, she's scary strong..." Natsuki swallowed as she got back to her feet. Ganju followed suit, looking baffled.
"Ganju," Ichigo spoke in a low voice, still quivering. "You guys take Hanataro and go on ahead," he told them. "I'll handle things here somehow. Take care of Kirara," he told them. Ganju frowned in disbelief.
"What the hell are you-"
"Ganju!" he stopped as Ichigo raised his voice. "I'm counting on you," he said, not looking around as he gripped his Zanpakuto tightly. With a growl, he turned and grabbed Hanataro, hoisting him over his shoulder. Natsuki and Shinji watched Ichigo for a moment longer. Shinji frowned, seeing the fear clearly in Ichigo's body language. The kid was terrified, and for good reason.
"Don't get yourself killed," Shinji sheathed his sword and turned away.
"What? Hirako, if he..." Natsuki trailed off as Shinji followed Ganju and Hanataro. She was torn. He was still her Captain, and she knew that he was damn strong. But she also knew that he wouldn't appreciate her stepping in. Neither would. And she had already promised herself that she would help Kirara. Taking a deep breath, she bowed low.
"I'm sorry, Captain," she apologised, and Yachiru tilted her head, blinking.
"Bun?" she watched her curiously as Kenpachi rolled his eyes. Natsuki then turned and sprinted off after the others, leaving Ichigo to fight Kenpachi.
"Ichigo..." Hanataro mumbled, his eyes opening slowly as he came too. As the haze vanished, he remembered what had happened before he'd passed out, and his eyes flew wide open. "Don't, Ichigo!" he flailed in Ganju's grip suddenly, taking him by surprise.
"Ah, Hanataro!" Ganju yelled, stumbling and falling. Hanataro cried out as he rolled out of Ganju's grip and along the ground. "Are you freaking stupid?!" Ganju yelled at him. "It's dangerous to move so suddenly!" he snapped.
"Where is this!?" Hanataro recovered and rolled over. "Where is Ichigo?" he demanded.
"He stayed behind to fight. We're on our way to the Shrine," Shinji told him as he and Natsuki reached the pair.
"Stayed behind?! By himself?!" Hanataro demanded frantically. "He can't!" he went to run back, only for Natsuki to catch his arm.
"Hana, calm down!"
"We have to save him!" the boy pleaded, ignoring Natsuki and Ganju's shouts to calm down. "It's useless! There's no way he can beat that man! Even Ichigo will get killed!" he struggled.
"Don't you think I know that?!" Hanataro flinched at Natsuki's raised voice, and he stopped, staring at her. "He's my Captain! And Ichigo stayed behind to fight him even when he can feel his strength!" she yelled at him, tears in her eyes.
"Who...who is that pointy-haired guy?" Ganju asked them slowly.
"Captain Kenpachi Zaraki, Captain of Squad 11. My Captain, of the Squad that value fighting above all else," Natsuki turned to him, her own worry visible.
"Kenpachi is the name given to the most powerful Shinigami, the one who loves fighting and killing more than anyone," Shinji spoke up, resting a hand on his hip as he looked back, feeling Ichigo's Reiatsu blaze. "And it's not a title passed down normally. It's taken, by the Shinigami who kills their predecessor, and takes over reign of Squad 11," Ganju stared at him in horror.
"That's...that's allowed?!" he demanded.
"It's one of the ways to become a Captain. Kill the current Captain, become the new Captain," Shinji told him seriously.
"Man...these people really are barbaric..." Ganju hissed. Shinji snorted. "Uh, no offence," he added as he remembered he was in the company of two.
"None taken, the only Squad that really follows that tradition anymore is Squad 11," Natsuki shrugged. "Because we will follow the strongest fighter, and Kenpachi Zaraki is that in a nutshell," she shook her head.
"After hearing that, I'm even more sure we can't go back," Ganju decided, and Hanataro's eyes widened.
"Ganju-"
"Listen!" Ganju snapped at the boy. "You know, he...Ichigo...he said he's counting on us, to take care of Kirara Yamada," Ganju told Hanataro, who froze, conflicted. "We felt that Reiatsu too. Both Ichigo and I can tell that wire-head ain't normal. So Ichigo decided for himself that he'd stay there and let us go ahead. It was Ichigo's decision that he wanted us to put saving this Yamada person ahead of everything else! Don't you get it, Hanataro?" Ganju turned to him. "We've been entrusted with that all important decision," Ganju pointed out.
"Ichigo came here to save Kirara, and he's trusting us to continue on with that while he fights," Shinji nodded as he walked past.
"Ganju..."
"Hirako..." Hanataro and Natsuki stared at the pair. Natsuki then sighed. "You're right. I decided I'd help save Kirara, even if it meant turning against my Captain," she nodded, walking towards them. "So let's go. We can't waste the time that Ichigo's buying us," she decided.
"Right!" Hanataro nodded, and the four began to run again, heading towards the Shrine.
Reiatsu of massive levels flared wildly, over and over again as the four raced towards the Shrine of Penitence while Ichigo continued to fight Kenpachi.
"How far is this damn tower anyway?" Ganju complained as he looked up, feeling as if the white tower hadn't gotten any closer. It seemed to reach the skies, towering over them yet never letting them close, as they turned a corner and up another flight of stairs.
Her own breathing starting to grow uneven from the amount of running they had done since emerging from the sewers, Natsuki glanced to Shinji, whose expression was one of deep thought as he kept up easily with the group. She wondered just why he looked so guilty, not realising she had noticed. Was it because they had left Ichigo to fight someone of Captain level? Or was it to do with Kirara? Or both?
'Natsuki, seriously, stop with the questions and focus,' the voice of her Zanpakuto Spirit complained as Natsuki's questions all rose to the surface again. She still was no closer to finding out what had happened a century ago, or just why neither Kirara nor Shinji cared for Shinigami any more.
'But...nothing makes any sense,' Natsuki complained. 'And why did Renji get involved? What debt did he owe? And what did he mean by 'his fault'?' she asked.
'Natsuki, I swear, I will start bringing up other points if you don't stop. Topics you forbade me from mentioning,' the Spirit warned, and Natsuki stumbled, almost falling.
'Don't you dare,' Natsuki growled back, aware that Shinji had glanced to her, snapping from his own thoughts. They suddenly felt one of the Reiatsu vanish completely and stopped, looking around.
"Ichigo..." Hanataro breathed in horror. However, a moment later, there was a pulse, and their eyes widened as Ichigo's power came back full force, along with a strange difference.
"What is that?" Natsuki asked, and Shinji turned around completely, his expression unreadable. He then glanced to the tower, a conflicted gaze in his eyes, before he sighed.
"Go on without me," he told them, and leapt off before they could stop him.
"Hey, Hirako!" Natsuki yelled, but he ignored her.
"Come on, we don't have time to waste!" Ganju shouted, already running again as explosions rocked the grounds.
Reaching the top of the stairs they had been climbing, Natsuki, Hanataro and Ganju looked around for any sign of anyone else.
"The sounds have stopped," Hanataro commented, searching for any sign of the fierce battle that had raged between Ichigo and Kenpachi. "Do you think Ichigo's alright?" he asked, worried.
"We've come this far, got no choice but to believe in him," Ganju didn't take his eyes off the tower.
"We have our own problems to worry about. Besides, he has Hirako back there," Natsuki smiled softly at the medic.
"Well that's true...but..."
"We ain't got time to get distracted," Ganju cut the boy off. "We're gonna jump across!" he grabbed a grapple hook from his back and ran forwards, spinning it with a yell. However, he stopped towards the edge of the building they stood on, as he realised the hook had snapped off. It slammed into the ground beside Hanataro, who looked at it with wide eyes.
"That was dangerous!" Hanataro exclaimed.
"You could have killed us with that thing," Natsuki complained as Ganju laughed weakly.
"My bad," he grinned.
Kirara peered out the window with a sigh.
"Sounds like the fighting stopped. And that Reiatsu is gone too..." she murmured. She leaned her head against the wall. "But who won...this Sekkiseki crap is starting to piss me off," Kirara complained as she looked up at the sky. There wasn't a cloud to be seen, letting the brilliant blue fill the sky.
"Man, how are we going to get across now?" Ganju complained as he surveyed the damage done to his grappling hook. "Your stupid pretty-boy friend must have done this," he whined to Natsuki.
"You were fighting Yumi, be grateful he held back," Natsuki rolled her eyes, resting her hands on her hips. "Though I will kick his ass for it later," she muttered. Ganju narrowed his eyes at her, but she ignored him. "Well, only one thing for it!" Natsuki decided, and walked over to Ganju.
"What are you-what?!" Ganju shrieked as Natsuki suddenly hoisted him over her head easily.
"Hana, grab on," Natsuki instructed the startled boy, but he grabbed a hold of her shoulders. "Ready?"
"No! Put me down dammit!" Ganju roared.
"Let's go!" Natsuki pushed off easily, and both Ganju and Hanataro shrieked as she flew through the air, laughing loudly.
Ichigo lay in a crater, bleeding profusely as he lay unconscious. He didn't wake when a shadow moved next to him, and a black cat looked down at him.
"I am sorry, Ichigo. I'm a bit late," Yoruichi apologised. "You've been thrashed good. But with that Kenpachi Zaraki as your opponent, it can't be helped," she commented.
"You say that like he lost," Yoruichi looked up as Shinji approached. "He took out a Captain, even if he got beat up in the process," the blond commented. Yoruichi gave a small chuckle.
"That's an awful lot like praise, Hirako. Don't tell me you've been won over by the boy who took Kirara's powers?" she accused him softly.
"That idiot knew what she was doing when she gave him Shinigami powers," Shinji dismissed. "It's not a decision I agree with, but the kid isn't a bad choice to help us out," he looked down at Ichigo's unconscious face. Yoruichi chuckled again.
"He's impressed me too. And I won't let him die," Yoruichi decided, beginning to glow a bright blue.
The three guards keeping an eye on the Shrine sighed in relief as the Reiatsu finally died down, and they were able to relax. Even for them, it had been terrifying.
"What's this?" one touched the green liquid that suddenly dropped on his head. "Bird droppings?" he frowned, before his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed.
"Hey! Who did that?" the other two guards looked up to see Hanataro trying to sneak away. "You won't get away, you-" one looked around in time for Ganju to slam his elbow into his face. The last guard shrieked in alarm, before Natsuki suddenly landed in front of him. She smiled, before her fist collided with his stomach. With a grunt, he doubled over, passing out as Ganju's opponent flew across the path.
"Ganju, you overdid it," Hanataro complained as he climbed down the rope to their level. "That's mean," he scolded. Natsuki just laughed.
"If you ever consider becoming a Shinigami, you would definitely be welcome in Squad 11," she giggled.
"I'll never-"
"Let's go," she turned before Ganju could spit out the words. Just because he was hanging out with two now, hadn't lowered his hatred for Shinigami. After all, his brother's killer remained there.
"Hey, wait up!" he yelled when he realised they had gone on without him.
Standing in front of the door to the tower, the three looked at the door. "So it's a shutter type huh? How are we going to get through?" Ganju wondered.
"It's okay," Hanataro crouched, fishing something from his kosode.
"What have you got?" Natsuki asked him.
"Last night, I borrowed the spare key from the cell key cabinet in the underground canal," Hanataro revealed the large key, and the pair stared at him.
"Um...I know we're basically breaking a lot of rules here Hana...but-"
"I know it won't be okay," Hanataro stopped messing with the door for a moment as he looked down. "But last night, I was thinking, Ichigo is getting so torn up fighting and I always, always just run away. I just hide behind Natsuki. That's not cool, I thought. I want to save Kirara too. So I decided to do everything I could for that purpose. Even if that means I have to face punishment later. But still, stealing a key is about the best I can do. That's why I'm so useless," Hanataro laughed weakly.
"Hana..." Natsuki crouched beside him. "You're not useless," she scolded him firmly, and he blinked at her. "You're the reason Ichigo is alive to fight Captain Zaraki. We'd never have gotten this far without you to guide us through the underground tunnels," she told him.
"She's right. And I'd say that's enough. Stealing a key," Ganju nodded. The door then began to open, and Ganju straightened up. "Man, everyone is trying to save this Kirara chick, she must be real cute," he commented.
"You're such a creep," Natsuki rolled her eyes, and as they adjusted to the dark, they looked around. "Kirara?" she called, looking around for the woman.
"What the hell are you doing here?" they looked up to see Kirara sitting on the steps, her eyes wide.
And the rescue attempt has started! I'll aim to update by the weekend, while I'm totally engrossed in Persona, I'm trying to limit myself so I don't finish it too quickly.
Please review!