So yeah ^^, like I said I was looking forward to write this piece so I hope I did it justice.
Thanks for the support.
Also a Spanish speaking person(Stefi123)kindly helped me out with the translations. They will be different now!
So here they are!
Burn(Was Quemar) = Arde
The attack Ichigo uses that spews fire all over the place is now called Torbellino
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Chapter 9: Sōkyoku Hill show down
Red eyes… blazing red eyes glared at the group of Shinigami men and women who had seemingly chased said lone intruder turn Arrancar up the hill right into the path of Sōkyoku's attack.
With one elegant like swirl the man unsheathed his sword and murmured. "Arde, El fuego." And the familiar by now roar of flames poured out of the sword's tip in front of the men and women while moving up towards them.
"Fuck off you little pansy ass weaklings. Let the big kids' fight." The grin they got was anything but friendly. Yamamoto could see each and every one of them shivered only to turn and flee. He didn't blame them as they were nowhere near this man's level.
The dust settled while the grin turned smug. The loud shriek of Sōkyoku made everyone look at the sword who geared back for another attack. The lone Arrancar didn't look all that fazed. The man turned to face the bird and a look of boredom filtered onto his face. "Come on birdy, show me what ya got!" the man's face nearly cracked in two by the near insane grin that appeared after he spoke.
'Is he insane? Sōkyoku has the power of a thousand zampacktou!' Seí-Feng thought looking at the red head with large eyes. Yoruichi was thinking along the same lines but she had a greater fear. Karin could possibly see her brother dying. Only for real this time.
Karin was shaking while Chad was holding her back. One of his larger hands was over her mouth gentle in its pressure but it did the job of not letting out much noise. Renji however heard and looked around to see her and froze when he saw the sheer panic in those brown eyes that held determination not long ago. Those fear stricken eyes were looking at the Arrancar.
Looking at the Arrancar who was still looking at the large unleashed version of Sōkyoku, the others along with the shinigami girl looked at their friend with great worry; well the brunette male wearing white and blue looked confused as hell.
Just as Sōkyoku was about to move forward the unbelievable happened yet again, the day seemed to be full of surprises.
No one other than Jyuushiro Ukitake and his two third seated officers came charging through. The white haired man stopped dead in his tracks though when he saw the lone Arrancar with a face painfully close to his lieutenant. The red eyes were now trained on him with suspicion heavily painting the red depths.
Unfortunately the pause in Jyuushiro's approach gave Sōkyoku enough time to charge again. Everyone watched as the red eyes moved to the large fire bird. With a slow easy movement the Arrancar raised his sword so the point was aimed at the large beak.
The moment of impact was just like before, a bright blinding light and shockwave of kinetic force.
The bright light went down and jaws dropped. Even Gin and Kaname's jaws hung towards the ground. The lone Arrancar had stopped Sōkyoku, again, by the tip of his sword.
The man's face was bland and emotionless as he looked into Sōkyoku's eyes. "So you do have a mind of your own." the man said making most captains' blood freeze. They looked shocked at the large bird that had stopped and reared its head back so it was now looking down at the one who could hear its voice. Inside the Halfling he sense a roaring fire, reiatsu with no end, no limit. Like an open tab releasing water endlessly.
Those eyes that saw things others didn't.
The man might have a hole in his chest but there was warmth coming from him that was magnetic.
This one…
Frightened him.
Blood red eyes hardened.
"This Shinigami girl you are forced to kill gave her powers to help save a human family. Now she's paying a price for it. The Central 46 sure are some… corrupt bastards… so I put an end to them. You have no rule to follow until replacements are put in. I wonder if you can decide if she has to die… or not." The man said never leaving the bird's eyes with his own.
Stepping back the man vanished with a faint buzz to reappear on the execution pole behind the brunette girl. Sōkyoku slowly moved forward to look deeply into Rukia's eyes. All the majestic Sōkyoku saw was hurt, guilt and so much sorrow. There was some well placed pride, happiness and a small bud of love but no anger, resentment or thoughts of killing. The one that shocked Sōkyoku was the feeling of acceptance he got from the girl but it was the sad kind. The one where one knew there was nothing one could do to change the fate that was in front of them.
There was nothing in this soul that would call for execution. With a loud shriek that shocked the air around it making a large wave of force, it made all those close their eyes of the wind blowing strongly. When teary eyes opened up Sōkyoku was back in it's sealed from refusing to slay a Shinigami who didn't commit a crime.
Looking at the red head on the execution pole in awe they couldn't believe what the just saw.
This Arrancar stopped the execution without any violence so far.
Without a word the man raised his still unsheathed sword and stabbed the execution pole making it explode.
From afar the other Shinigami looked at the hill in fear. The reiatsu that was pouring from the site was… dark with annoyance.
Back on the hill the explosion died down and the Shinigami and intruders looked to see the pole destroyed and the man holding Rukia princess style. Renji felt jealousy and anger build in his chest like an angry vine.
"My my, what a show you put on Ichigo. However I don't recall this being part of the plan." A voice no one expected said from behind them. Looking back the captains with their lieutenants gasped when they saw Aizen in the living flesh, right as rain smirking right at them holding Momo by the neck. The girl was in a clear panicked fright.
Yamamoto looked back and was the only one to see the flash of anger in those red eyes.
Odd.
"I apologise… Aizen-sama." The man said and to Yamamoto's wise ears it sounded as forced as the look on the man's face to remain neutral looked. Aizen tilted his head when he saw Rukia safely tucked in Ichigo's arms.
"Oh well, never the matter I have a plan b." with that Aizen walked closer. The captains not wanting Momo to get hurt allowed them to pass through but once he was a few paces past them he stabbed Momo though the stomach through her back.
Again Yamamoto noticed a bigger flash of anger in blood red eyes.
Jyuushiro was helped with the heavy shield by Shunsui who was keeping his eyes on the only other man he could consider a monster besides the old man. Those eyes were the eyes you didn't want to look into, the eyes that held absolute… anything the man decided. Anger, happiness, fear or even death if he wanted it so no doubt.
The white haired man beside him was looking at Ichigo with a shocked face still etched onto his face. He looked so much like Kaien it actually hurt, reopening old and painful wounds. It was too much stress for his newly recovered body. He went into a violent coughing fit that brought up blood from his lungs.
Red eyes watched the scene of Momo's body being retrieved by a tall silver haired woman and shunpo'd away to get medical care most likely. His eyes locked onto the hunched over figure that was being helped by the fourth division captain as it seemed to be bad.
The coughing fit got under control fast by the expert hands of a medical captain such as this one, who he had learned from Gin is very good at what she did.
"Aizen! What is the meaning of this?" Yamamoto yelled enraged, eyes wide open and spit flying out of his mouth in his anger.
Ichigo muted Aizen's dramatically boring speech about becoming a god and getting all that was his by right.
Taking his time Ichigo looked at the rest of the Shinigami, the head captain looked old but Ichigo felt the power under the old façade. His lieutenant looked well in his years as well but the same was there. Hidden well from view to be used only when needed, it was a practical outlook.
The second woman was looking at the fallen over shield with shock and recognition shining in her eyes. She was short and had short black hair with two long pieces of hair on either side of her face wrapped in white with small golden hoops at the end. Behind her was a very… fat man. Ichigo arched a brow at the man. How such a strict looking woman could live with that blubber loaded man as her lieutenant was beyond his knowledge. Next was Gin who was grinning at him. A sign that things were about to unfold, Kira, Gin's lieutenant was also looking at him with fear, his blond hair hiding half his face from view.
The fourth captain was a pretty woman with long black hair braided in front on her chest; her dark blue eyes were trained on the thirteenth division captain who was held up by the eight division captain. Then there was captain of the sixth. Ichigo looked over to see the man was ignoring Aizen as well and looking at him, he noticed that he was still holing Rukia and looked down at her to see she was stiff with fear.
Sighing he looked back at the captain who was looking at him now. He looked into the eyes of the brother of the one he was holding and glared at the man. Byakuya looked a little surprised by the venomous glare but didn't react more to it. The man was… pretty with black hair held in place by some odd white thing on his head that held the hair in three sections. He had a pale blue green scarf around his neck and small white gloves. Looking at the red head behind him, Ichigo felt his eyebrow rise again. That was a lot of bandaging, was there another fight he didn't know about? Huh…
The seventh division captain was a large man with a bucket helmet over his head with a rectangle opening where the man's eyes would be. Other than that Ichigo could tell of nothing else. The man's lieutenant wasn't interesting to Ichigo, just a man with a military style haircut and shades.
The eight division captain was a man wearing a loud flamboyant floral haori over his uniform and a straw hat that was currently hanging around his neck by the string as he was trying to get his friend to concentrate on anything but Ichigo.
A woman with a neat bun and glasses holding a thick book to her chest was looking at the white haired man with deep concern. Kaname was looking calm; Hisagi his lieutenant looked like a cool guy he had to admit with black spiky hair and scars running down his face as well as… a 69 tattoo on his face. Huh interesting.
Tenth division captain Hitsugaya was looking at him with a look that told Ichigo that the smaller male was trying to figure him out but failing. His lieutenant had her eyes firmly set on the girl in his arms.
Kenpachi was looking at like he wanted to fight him and was barely holding himself back, Ichigo mentally smiled at that one. The twelfth division made him growl low in his throat when he made eye contact with a man he knew somehow never had the other's best interest at heart or mind. Only his own gains.
The thirteenth division captain had gotten his breathe back just as Aizen finished his long and… boring speech. Ichigo knew it was to buy time.
Aizen turned to look back up at Ichigo and rose into the air, once he was in front of the two he looked at Rukia pointedly. Ichigo gently much to the surprise of those watching helped Rukia to her feet before he grabbed and held her in the air by her throat but there was just enough pressure to hold her in the air nothing more.
Yoruichi watched as another one of Urahara's stolen inventions being used. The bark like modified hand came closer to Rukia's chest. She saw Ichigo whisper something into Rukia's ear. The moment a large hole started to form in her chest she started to squirm but Ichigo's hand tightened and she remained still.
And there it was.
Crumbling orb, Hogyoku.
To everyone's amazement the hole closed.
"Amazing it got the orb out without harming the vessel, incredible…" Ichigo frowned.
"Couldn't we have done that from the start?" The shinigami were shocked at the sound of pure annoyance in the red head's voice. Aizen smirked at Ichigo before pocketing the orb and removing his glasses. He pushed back his hair and looked back at the Shinigami below him.
"Feast on the sight of the man who will become the new god."
The brunette turned his head. "Ichigo, get rid of her."
It was a clear order. Most expected Rukia's life to end but the man looked at the red head lieutenant and brunette captain. He took his unoccupied hand and gently lifted the girl over his shoulder. The hold was obvious as to what he was about to do.
The red head looked nervous as he kept his eyes on his friend.
"Here, catch." Ichigo said and threw her with a lot of force into the red head making them tumble backwards a few times.
Ichigo smirked as he looked at the sprawled out ending they had. He shook his head just as a loud tear broke the commotion. Looking up the Shinigami troops all over Seireitei looked in horror as Menos Grande appeared in a large tear before beams of yellow light started to shine down on Aizen, the Arrancar… and two other captains. Gasps filled the air as the two captains used shunpo to get themselves to Aizen's side showing them as traitors.
Yamamoto gritted his teeth before yelling out. "Don't just stand here! Stop them!"
Just then torrents flew at them at random hitting the ground as Ichigo released unnamed Arde attacks at the ground and at them to keep them at bay while the Negación charged up.
"Gin!" Matsumoto yelled reaching out to the man who just smiled back, Ichigo however saw the small faint twitch of a frown on the man's lips.
The rest watched in shocked horror as the ground the four men were standing on got broken off as large chunks. Karin who had calmed down in her confusion and shock at the whole scene started to struggle and got out of Chad's hold that had gotten lax.
"ICHIGO!"
The yell was loud and rang in the air. The Shinigami looked over in surprise to see the other intruders with the shinigami one looking at the red head with such sadness that they couldn't move. They all looked back as the red head spoke.
"You yell my name as if you know me." he said looking at the shinigami girl warily.
Karin's breathe was shaky at best as she struggled to breathe properly. Getting enough air into her lungs she billowed out with a breaking voice. "You are my fucking brother!" The shinigami looked even more shocked as did Byakuya, Renji and Rukia who looked at the man.
"Oh god… he does look like an older version on the poster…" Rukia whispered.
Ichigo frowned.
"… how long ago was it that your brother died?" he asked looking the girl in the eye and felt something in him stir.
"T-ten years." The frown deepened.
"I can't be your brother… it takes hundreds of years for hollows to get out of the Gillian stage… it is… impossible." He didn't sound all that convinced himself as he looked to the side.
"What's your name?" Ichigo asked as he neared the top with the other Shinigami looking at him confused.
"K-karin." Karin said as her voice broke with her barely held back sobs, again something stirred inside him.
He didn't know what it was but he didn't… not like the feeling…
"Karin…" Ichigo said her name, her chest swelled with the overflow of bittersweet happiness that she broke down and cried for the first time in her life.
Yamamoto looked at Ichigo and saw him looking at Karin with a look of hidden concern and confusion. It seemed that he had no memories of his past life.
The four men vanished behind the blue sky as the tear closed itself leaving to mark in the sky.
Karin cried harder into Chad's shirt while he held her closer. Yoruichi looked at the crying girl and hung her head. This whole mission was a failure; well at least Rukia got saved. Looking up at the approaching Shinigami she looked into Yamamoto's eyes knowing the old man would sense her.
"Yoruichi-san?" he asked surprised but got a nod in return.
"Looks like we need to have another meeting while… some get the rest they deserve." Yamamoto said looking pointedly at Jyuushiro, Rukia and lastly Karin who was shivering as her body slowly lost its will to stay awake.
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Karin slowly opened her eyes to see a pale grey blue ceiling and bamboo and rice walls surrounding her. She was lying on a comfy futon in an empty room. The door slid open to show Rukia wearing a more comfortable yukata sans the red collar around her neck. She gasped when she saw Karin awake. With silent feet she moved to the side of the futon and lowered to her knees.
"Hey. How are you feeling?" she asked softly.
Karin looked back at the ceiling.
"He…" she started but couldn't finish, she just stared at the ceiling with a lost look on her face. From the doorway Byakuya watched as a painfully blank almost dead look settle onto Karin's face. She was clearly in pain. "He is my brother… I know it… it…" Looking to the side Karin saw her shihakusho neatly folded next to her. She reached over and dug around the one pant pocket. She lied back down when she had a small square piece of paper in her hand. The paper was folded up twice.
Handing it to Rukia, Karin watched as Byakuya enter the room and stand behind Rukia.
Slowly and gently Rukia unfolded the paper only to look in shock at the picture. Byakuya behind her did the same looking at the paper. It was a photo of Ichigo.
"That was taken the day before he died." Karin said looking at the ceiling.
In the picture was a small boy no older than nine sitting on a bed with his back to the wall looking out the window with a blank face. The sun had set and was casting its red orange glow on the boy.
The light played with the boy's eye colour making it almost look like a red orange colour. The boy's hair was on the long side. All in all he was a very cute little boy but there was hollowness in his eyes that no child should ever have in their eyes. Byakuya frowned. "May I ask as to how he died precisely?" he asked gaining both girls' gaze. Karin sighed and sat up with the help of Rukia.
"He and our mother were walking back from karate lessons when something happened and our mother threw herself in Ichigo's place to take whatever would have killed Ichigo. Ichigo was guilt stricken. He went out looking for her and well… he committed suicide by jumping in the same river our mother died by." Karin sighed and rubbed her eyes.
Byakuya took the photo from Rukia and looked at the picture closely.
"He as the eyes of an adult." He commented, he saw that indeed that the lone Arrancar had to be this child. There was no way he could not but then again as the man said himself it was impossible for him to evolve from Gillian to where he was when he first entered Hueco Mundo in only ten years.
"This is very strange." Byakuya said giving the photo back to Karin. "Are you well enough to stand?" he asked her getting a thoughtful look. Karin again with the help of Rukia got up to her feet and took a few steps. She was right as rain.
"Did Orihime help me?" Karin asked the two brunettes getting nods. Nodding to herself she gave a soft smirk. "Yeah I am up for walking. Orihime can heal anything." Karin had seen it as had the others when Orihime healed the first batch of her wounds from her fight with Renji under the execution hill's secret training ground.
The two left the room so Karin could get dressed back in her Shihakusho.
The three walked to the meeting hall where all of the remaining captains and lieutenants waited. Karin expected harsh glares or of the like but all she got were sympathetic looks and looks of respect. It was odd but she accepted it none the less.
"Karin Kurosaki…"
Karin looked around before looking back at the head captain. "Due to your valiant efforts to save one of our own and your aid in our affairs no matter how small… we will allow you to keep your powers in return we ask that you remain in the world of the living and continue to do shinigami duties but as a substitute shinigami. You will be paid for your time."
The captains all looked at Karin's face. It was blank.
"One… condition." Karin said holding up a long finger. "Oh?" Yamamoto said stroking his beard. Karin swallowed round the lump in her throat. "My…brother… I want a chance to talk to him before you go all… 'Let's kill everything we're told to kill'." Karin's tone was far from joking and her eyes held sadness.
A look and tone of voice such a young soul didn't need Yamamoto knew quickly that this one kept her pain to herself. It was a strong mentality to have, until you keep too much locked in and break apart. Thinking on the girl's request he nodded his head and saw a few badly hidden relieved sighs.
He huffed to himself. He DID actually have a heart…
Karin gave him a small smile and bow as thanks.
"Can I go see my friends now?" she asked looking at all those around her knowing well how much older these men and women were than her.
Yamamoto nodded; once she was gone Seí-Feng spoke up. "Are we still going to watch over her?"
Nodding Yamamoto looked around. "We made a mistake once but we will be hoping for the best while preparing for the worse. Besides she might get the lone Arrancar to deviate from Aizen and that would be a very good thing." Yamamoto said.
"Well I bet Head captain Yamamoto could take that punk down." Sajin captain of the seventh said looking at the head captain then at the rest who nodded. However Yamamoto wasn't so sure about that one, something about the man didn't seem all that natural.
"Meeting dismissed." He said not answering Sajin's question or rather phrase and in doing so told the rest he wasn't so sure about that.
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The three shinigami watched as Ichigo looked at the distance sand dunes without a word.
"I'm going to the world of the living." He said and with a swipe of his hand he Garganta and stepped through without waiting for an answer. "Huh seem'd wha tha shinigami girl said bothered 'im some." Gin said as he looked at the spot where the Garganta was just a scant few second ago.
Aizen frowned with concern, if this bothered Ichigo too much and he went to find the girl he could deviate, he knew the girl and her friends wouldn't be back yet though.
A rip in the air around the park was the only sound in the night air; it was all Shinji could hear as he was forced to take a walk by Hiyori. The rip made him look up only to freeze when he saw the very man who had caused him to go into his funk.
Red eyes looked into his light brown hues. At first there was nothing but then slowly warmth seeped into them. Ichigo lowered to the ground and walked the small distance between the two. Shinji gasped when he was lightly pushed into a tree and loomed over. "I see you aren't scared of me, that is very good to know." Ichigo whispered seeing as their faces were an inch apart.
Shivering due to the close proximity, Shinji looked up into red eyes. "I can't be scared. My mind tells me that you are a powerful enemy that could rip out my throat in a second without any effort but my body won't react to it." Shinji said and Ichigo could see the confusion in the brown eyes.
"It's because the hollow in you knows I wouldn't ever hurt you." Ichigo said as per explaining. "You Visards don't know much about being a hollow do you?" he asked tilting his head. Shinji shook his head making Ichigo smirk as the long blonde hair cascaded around slim shoulders.
Leaning down Ichigo looked Shinji in the eye.
"Seems like we both have things we need to think about ne?"
The tone of Ichigo's voice made Shinji blink. Looking into red eyes that threatened to captivate him for the rest of his life he saw warring emotions. "Something's wrong, something is making you doubt something. Tell me." the last part Shinji said softly as it was more a question than a demand. Ichigo sighed and looked around the park and saw a secluded area deeper in the trees. Taking Shinji's hand he led the man to the area and once they were surrounded by trees he flopped down on the soft grass. Shinji looked down at Ichigo as the man looked up at the moon.
"I know all about you Visards. I know because that bastard Aizen told me." Shinji's knees gave in as he sunk down to the ground next to Ichigo. This was what Urahara told him to wait for.
"He was pretty smug about it too… the ass." Ichigo grumbled with a frown.
The frown deepened.
"Something about his plans doesn't… seem or more accurately feel right…"
Shinji scooted closer. "Why did you join him?"
It was a question that had been bothering him for a while.
Ichigo looked over to Shinji and turned onto his side before yanking the blonde down to lie down beside him, facing each other Ichigo pulled him closer and started to run his hand through the long blonde strands. "In Hueco Mundo… the moment you become a Vasto Lorde the world becomes a boring and lonely place. Ichigo spoke while looking at his fingers as they passed through golden strands.
"You were a Vasto Lorde?" Shinji asked astounded.
Ichigo smirked nodding while his hands never remained stationary.
"Yeah, it was then when Aizen asked me to join. At that stage I was just sick of being alone." Ichigo said scooting closer and snuggling his face into Shinji's neck as he held the man around his waist.
Shinji noticed Ichigo was far more relaxed now then he was when first appeared.
"What would it take for you to… join our side?" Shinji asked softly as he returned the favour by running his hands though the orange hair that was soft and well cared for.
"A mate that asked for it… the possibility of a sister…" the last part was said softly, so softly that Shinji nearly missed it.
"A sister?"
Feeling his mate nod against his neck he looked up into the sky.
Ichigo retold the time he was in Seireitei sparing no detail. He felt Shinji snicker a few times before stiffening. "You killed the Central 46?"
"Ah… no I didn't I just took blame for it. They were killed long before then. How do you think Rukia was put on execution?" Ichigo said leaning back to look into Shinji's eyes. Shinji nodded calming down a little although he wondered why he got so worked up about it as they were the bastards who just threw them away not even looking into their case.
Sighing he looked at Ichigo.
"Then what?"
Ichigo then went into the Execution part where Shinji barely held himself back from exclaiming the near impossible fact that Ichigo stopped the most powerful Zampactou in existence.
"Then the shinigami girl called out my name like she knew me…" Ichigo's sentence faded off as he thought about something. "When she did… I felt something in my soul… pulling me towards her like I should know her. When I explained that I couldn't be her brother she started to cry and I had the feeling I had to… protect her…" Ichigo rubbed his free hand over his face.
"I don't know what to do…" The lost look in Ichigo's face made Shinji's heart clench, so he did what his hollow kept yelling at him to do.
He kissed Ichigo fully on the mouth.
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Meh… build up chapters are so… needed…
Again if I made a boo-boo somewhere let me know where and what and I shall go fix it!
Also…
I love you guess and MERRY CHRISTMAS!