Greetings and welcome to another chapter!
Sorry that it took a while, but school has been a pain in the ass lately. Still, that will not keep me away from the pleasure of writing!
On another note, is anybody here good at drawing? Not asking for covers or anything, I already have a few of my own on my Deviant Art, but I'm curious as to how you picture Natsu or Acnologia in Soul of Fire, or the story in general. If anybody wants to make something, I sure would like to see it.
Anyway, glad to see that you came back for more, as it makes me happy to know that people like what I'm doing. And, I have to admit, this was a hard chapter, no joke about that.
The Captains' meeting is about to start. We'll be seeing some familiar faces, along with some explanations. And I must say, this is a part that I've been waiting to do ever since I first came up with this story, and I am really excited to finally make that idea a reality! If any of you are confused, here is a list of the Captains during this period of time:
1. Yamamoto
2. Yoruichi
3. Rose
4. Unohana
5. Shinji
6. Ginrei
7. Love
8. Shunsui
9. Kensei
10. (No current Captain)
11. Kiganjo
12. Urahara
13. Ukitake
Also, if anybody is curious as to why Natsu still has Demonic powers since the Demon Seed was destroyed, it's the same as why he still has his Dragon Slayer magic. It will be explained in more detail in another chapter, but for now, you will just have to wait and see.
Anyway guys, thanks for the support!
Chapter 6: Meeting the Captains
Rubble was flying everywhere, and the ground was barely withstanding the magnitude of the explosions, all of which were being caused by the battle that was taking place.
More fragments of the ground cracked apart, slowly crumbling before falling into the endless void of stars that was below.
Skidding backwards, Natsu used his claw-like hands to stop his momentum before he could reach the ledge. Raising his obscured gaze, the Dragon Slayer growled in anger as he clenched his now sharp teeth, glaring at his opponent with murderous intent.
"Acnologia!" The venom in which Natsu spoke the name was not lost.
His body was covered by a dense cape of demonic black flames, which only continued to intensify as the two Dragon Slayers traded blows.
Looking back at the young mage with a blank expression on his face, the Dragon of the Apocalypse felt a strange tingle coming from his one remaining arm. It was a long-forgotten sensation, one that he hadn't felt in quite some time. Glancing at his arm, Acnologia was quick to spot the burn marks that covered his dark skin, along with a mix of blood and missing tissue.
A mischievous grin reached the older Dragon Slayer's face when he recognized the strange sensation.
It was pain.
"Yes, that's what I want!" Acnologia couldn't help but laugh at his own condition with mad joy. "Give me more! The excitement that only a fight to the death can bring! Make me feel it once more!"
The older Dragon Slayer's arm began to overflow with dark purple energy, gathering his raw magic power before thrusting his hand forward, firing a large blast of pure destructive power. But Natsu seemed unfazed by the sheer power behind the attack. He stood there in place as it continued to approach him.
"Acnologia, I will..." Natsu began to spread the fire surrounding him, causing the flames around him to grow even stronger. "...I will slay you!"
Pushing his fire-covered hands forward, Natsu intercepted the incoming attack with his black flames.
When the two forces clashed, they pushed against one another with equal power. Or at least that's what it looked like at first. Then, without warning, the flames began to consume Acnologia's attack, which surprised Acnologia.
His curse is…burning my magic?
Nothing remained. Not even the smallest hint of magic energy could be seen where the once powerful attack stood. Acnologia was taken aback at first, but his shock soon faded away, replaced by an even wider smile. Energy began to flow around his now clenched fist.
"I see now." Without warning, Acnologia suddenly sprinted forward, moving straight towards the younger Dragon Slayer with unbelievable speed. Natsu did not hesitate to do the same. "I've finally realized what you truly are!"
"Acnologia!" The younger Dragon Slayer roared in defiance before charging right in, the black flames around his right claw growing even hotter.
"You are E.N.D!"
Claw and fist connected with each other, unleashing all of their accumulated power.
The impact created a massive shockwave that ended up destroying everything in the surrounding area. A great explosion followed soon after, and then the world around them began to collapse.
Seireitei. Barracks of Squad 1. Assembly Hall...
"I apologize for the delay," spoke Unohana, giving the Head-Captain a respectful bow, which the older man returned with a nod of acknowledgment before gesturing for her to take her place with the other Captains.
She did so without question, leaving the Dragon Slayer all by himself in the middle of the hall. But not without giving him one last suggestion. "Please try to behave," she said with a light tone.
"Now then, I'll introduce myself," spoke the Head-Captain. "My name is Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13."
Even though his eyes were closed, Natsu could still feel the old man's penetrating gaze looking straight at him. It was an unnerving feeling.
"It is to my understanding that your name is Natsu Dragneel. Is that correct?"
Wearing a confident grin, he gave the Head-Captain a thumbs up. "It sure is!"
"And are you also the one responsible for the large fire that consumed the forest in the 78th district?"
"I am-wait." His smile drooped immediately after hearing the accusation. "Hold on, what fire?"
"Oh, you know, maybe the one you started near the outskirts of the Rukongai? Or perhaps the one you created after blowing your little fireworks show right in my face?"
Surprisingly, it wasn't the old man who said that–much to Natsu's confusion–but instead one of the Captains. The voice sounded awfully familiar to the Dragon Slayer. However, his questions were answered the moment a man stepped forward. Natsu recognized who it was.
It was the same blond man from before. Captain of Squad 5, Hirako Shinji.
"Pff-Hahahahaha! Wha-What happened to you?!" laughed Natsu while pointing an accusing finger at the blond. "Y-You…you look like a mummy! Hahahaha!"
One could easily spot the bandages that covered the Captain's frame from head to toe under his robes.
After returning to the Seireitei, the blond-haired Captain was found to have multiple serious burn marks on almost every part of his body. He had been recovering rather nicely for the past few days, but the medics at Squad 4, much to Shinji's irritation, had requested him to continue wearing the bandages for at least a few more days.
Knowing that, Shinji's patience was starting to run out. He was growing tired of the Dragon Slayer making fun of him.
"Can you stop? It's your fault I'm like this in the first place!" Standing next to him, the woman with the short black hair snickered in response, something that didn't go unnoticed by the blond. "Wah! You too, Yoruichi?!"
Shrugging, the woman gave the blond a teasing smile. "What can I say? He's right, you know. You do look funny."
Her words caused the pinkette to laugh even harder than before. However, the fun was short-lived, as he was soon forced to stop when he found himself at the receiving end of Yamamoto's wooden staff, smacking him hard in his head.
"Ouch! What was that for?!"
"Did you or did you not?" The Head Captain used a more demanding tone this time, as if he was scolding a child. He was a patient man, but he had little tolerance for childish antics.
"Y-Yeah, I guess."
Opening his eyelids, the Captain Commander gave him a stern look. "And how were you able to accomplish this?"
He had already read Captain Hirako's report, but there were still a great deal of questions that had yet to be answered regarding the pink-haired young man and his mysterious ability to control fire.
There was something that interested Yamamoto more than anything else about the young boy. It was something that inexplicably defied the very logic and nature of how the spiritual world works.
The boy had the power of a Shinigami.
The Zanpakuto that they managed to retrieve from him was more than enough proof of that fact. But still, to simply manifest such power, along with a fully developed Zanpakuto? That was something that most Shinigami would take years to even perform, let alone master.
Yet this boy was able to accomplish such a feat shortly after acquiring said powers. How did he acquire Shinigami powers in the first place? Something like this was not only unheard of, but the thought alone was completely absurd.
This was a matter that needed to be fully explored before any further actions could be taken, if only to avoid making any rash decisions.
Turning his attention back to the boy, the Head Captain waited for an answer.
"Well, with my magic of course!" stated Natsu with a cheerful grin.
The looks that the Dragon Slayer got from those around him after saying that, even from Yamamoto himself, were clear giveaways that most of them were not alright with his answer.
The first person to break the silence was the guy with the 69 tattoo on his stomach. His voice carrying a hint of incredulity, he asked, "Magic? Are you serious?"
"Hmm, this kid is just playing with us," the fat guy spoke with an annoyed grunt.
Many of the opinions regarding his words were similar to theirs. But before anybody else could express their own discontent, Shinji was quick to add, "Well, he did introduce himself as a wizard when we first meet."
"A wizard, you say?" Raising an eyebrow in surprise to what his fellow Captain just said, a man with long white hair couldn't help but question, "Is this true?"
Holding his chin in a thoughtful manner, the Captain with the shorter blond hair mumbled with fascination. "Now that's an interesting thought."
"Now, now Kisuke, we don't want you getting all scientific on us." The woman known as Yoruichi turned her attention back to Natsu. "You, boy. Care to show us that magic of yours?"
"Uh? Sure, but why?"
"I'm going to be honest with you, boy. Some of us are very skeptical about this whole magic thing." She adopted a more serious tone. "So, if you could prove to us that you aren't just trying to mess with us, it would be much appreciated."
"Oh, is that so? Alright then, here it is." Understanding what the dark-haired woman was saying, he ignited his right hand in a blaze of fire without sparing a second thought.
Looking at the flame with interest, the one known as Kisuke approached Natsu to get a better look at it. The blond's curiosity only grew when he took notice of the lack of burn marks on the pinkette's hand "Fascinating. Does it not hurt when you do that?"
"Not at all," he responded.
The blond nodded and rubbed his chin in a thoughtfully, but offered no other comment.
"I don't feel any Reiatsu coming from the fire, so this may actually support his previous claim," the man with the straw hat spoke, looking at the young wizard's display. "He isn't using any of his Reiryoku at all, but something else entirely. Maybe this magic he speaks of could be more than what we first thought."
"Oi oi. Are you even listening to yourselves?" Looking at his fellow Captains in disbelief, Love quickly interjected. "This sounds crazy! Are you guys really considering this magic as an actual possibility?"
"Got any better ideas?" It was Shinji who spoke. "I fought this kid only a few days ago, remember? And I have to say, the power that he wields is unlike anything I've seen before. It's far too destructive to be even compared to those special abilities that some humans seem to show every once in a while."
Unohana couldn't help but nod in agreement. "And let us not forget his outstanding capacity for healing wounds. Quite surprising indeed."
Seeing all the cases that his Captains were presenting before him, Yamamoto voiced his decision. "We will consider this magic as something real for the time being, if only for the sake of continuing this meeting without any further interruption."
Nobody objected to the Head-Captain's declaration.
Yamamoto, like many others, found the whole idea of magic utterly ridiculous and nothing more than a childish fantasy. Never in all of the thousands of years in which he has served as the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13 did he ever heard or see anything that suggested that magic was real.
But just like his student Kyoraku pointed out, the lack of any use of Reiryoko in the boy's fire was enough to raise some questions. Enough to continue listening, that was.
"Now then, this magic that you speak of. Where did you acquire this so-called power?"
"It's called Dragon Slayer magic, and I learned it from my father," Natsu explained with some fondness in his voice. He never had a problem when it came to explaining his magic to others, so he didn't see any issue in doing it here either. "He is the one who taught me everything I know."
Yamamoto slightly opened his eyes, if only to see if he could find any of signs of dishonesty. But surprisingly, he found none.
The boy was telling the truth.
"Dragon Slayer, you say?" The oldest looking Captain within the group asked, a little surprised by what he had just heard. It was the first time the old man had spoken since the meeting started. "You mean that you kill dragons?"
Natsu felt like scratching his head. "Eh...something like that."
He didn't want to get into the depths of how Dragon Slayer magic worked or how it came to be. It was so complicated that not even he remembered all the details. How surprising was that?
Rubbing his face, if only to ease the headache he knew was coming, the Captain with the stylish blond hair sighed. "Ok, this is starting to sound like something straight out of a fairy tale or something."
"Tell me about it. I've been having a hard time believing the things I've heard ever since this meeting started." The 69 tattoo man agreed. However, his words were not taken very well.
"Oi! I'm telling the truth!" said the Dragon Slayer with a hard glare. "If you don't want to believe me, then fine by me! I don't care...!"
"And where is your father?" Yamamoto interrupted, causing Natsu to stop in mid-sentence.
The Head Captain knew that if what the boy was saying was in fact true, then that meant that there was a lot more that needed to be uncovered regarding these mysterious powers that the young boy possessed.
Natsu stuttered at first, caught completely off-guard by the sudden question. His indecision, however, didn't last long, as a sad look soon overtook him. "He's…he's no longer with me. He died a year ago."
The Captain with the long white hair couldn't help but give him a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry to hear that. You have my condolences."
Natsu didn't say anything in return, but he was still thankful. He gave the white-haired Captain a silent nod, if only to let him know that he appreciated the kind gesture.
"I apologize if this sounds rude, but if it isn't much to ask, how did your father die?" the man with the straw hat spoke, lifting the tip of his hat so he could get a clearer view of the Dragon Slayer. "Don't get me wrong, I know death comes for all of us at some point. But with all the things I've been hearing about you, I would guess that he was a pretty strong individual as well, so I'm kind of curious."
Once again, he was not expecting that kind of question to come out of the blue. His late father had been a sore topic to discuss ever since he passed away. While speaking about his magic was a simple thing for him to do, talking about Igneel was a completely different story.
But still…
Natsu's hand closed into a tight fist. The image of his dying father returned to his mind. He remembered the anger and sadness that he felt when he last saw him. His body torn apart. His last parting words. But most importantly, he remembered the one who killed him.
"Acnologia..." His voice came out low, but it was loud enough for everyone to hear him.
"Hmm? What was that?"
"He was killed by Acnologia." Lifting his head, he allowed everyone to see the pure anger and hatred that resided in his eyes. "He was murdered right in front of me. I saw it happen with my own eyes."
Having heard the venom in which the Dragon Slayer spoke the name, the white-haired Captain couldn't avoid feeling curious as to just who this person was.
"Who is this Acnologia that you speak of?" He inquired.
"He's a Dragon Slayer too. But unlike me, he is nothing but a monster." The memory of the black dragon did nothing but make Natsu's already growing anger more difficult to control. "He sees everyone as nothing more than mere ants for him to step over whenever he feels like it."
"A monster you say?" Questioned Shinji with skepticism. "Isn't that a little extreme?"
"You don't know Acnologia the same way I do! He doesn't care about anyone. He destroys anything he sees without remorse or hesitation. That and his never-ending thirst for blood are what drives him. That's what makes him so dangerous!"
Natsu clenched teeth as he let his words sink in, allowing silence to return once again.
"He...he is also the reason why I'm here."
Rukongai. Inuzuri district...
"Is that everything we need?"
Nodding to her red-haired companion, Rukia replied. "Yeah, I think that's all."
"Good. I guess we are good to go then," said Renji, putting his bag over his shoulder. "Are you sure you want to do this? There's no telling what we'll find there or how long will it take before we can reach the next district."
Adjusting a small bag on her back, she responded with determination. "I'm sure. We are going to bring Natsu back."
The boy sighed while rubbing his head. "There really is no changing your mind, is it?"
"Nope." The petite girl gave him a playful smile.
In full honesty, they were afraid as to what they would find out there, but Rukia's resolve was too strong for something like that to stop her. And Renji didn't feel like leaving the young girl all by herself.
"I should have guessed." He released a sigh in defeat. "Anyway, we should go now that there's still daylight for us to travel. It's going to be a long trip, you know."
With that said, both friends took their first step, but not before taking one last look at the small cabin behind them. The place that they have been calling home for the past years.
Leaving was far from easy, but they had already made up their minds and there was no going back. Especially for Rukia, as she had a much bigger reason for leaving than any she had for staying.
There was a friend that needed help.
"Let's go, Renji."
Seireitei. Barracks of Squad 1. Assembly Hall...
"…all I remember is some kind of explosion. The next thing that I know, I'm lying in the middle of some forest."
Having finished re-telling the events that took place not long before he woke up, Natsu released a deep breath. His story ended up surprising most of the Captains.
"Which is where you crashed." It was Shinji who said that, as he managed to put two-and-two together. "I guess that kind of makes sense."
"It does in a way." Kisuke nodded in agreement. "But still, while we are no strangers to traveling between worlds and different planes of existence, to think that you come from beyond any known world is just fascinating! Tell me, is there an afterlife where you come from? Seeing that you were able to sustain yourself without a physical body makes me believe there is. Although this 'space between time' place that you told us about may have something to do with that as well."
"I…I guess?" Natsu couldn't help but sweat a little, not understanding anything that the blond just said.
"As interesting as this talk may be, there's still another matter that needs to be discussed." It was the man with the straw hat who spoke before looking at Captain Commander with a knowing smile. "Isn't that right, Yama-jii?"
No other words were needed to know what the Captain was talking about.
"Bring it in." At the orders of the Head-Captain, the door opened and a pair of Shinigami came inside the hall carrying a large wooden case. The piece of wood was opened, revealing what laid inside.
It was Natsu's Zanpakuto.
The Head Captain was handed the large curved blade and took a moment to analyze the spiritual weapon on his hands. He could feel great power coming from the Nodachi type blade, along with an untapped potential that had yet to awaken.
Even for Yamamoto, seeing a Zanpakuto like this was extremely rare.
"Now then." The Captain Commander spoke, directing his gaze at the Dragon Slayer. "How did you acquire a Zanpakuto?"
CHAPTER END
And this is it folks, the beginning of a new chapter in the Bleach/FT saga has begun. Once again, I apologize that it took a while for me to update, but this chapter was hard to make, mostly because of all the explanations, though I think it went fine.
Anyway, there's a few things I want to address before ending this AN:
There's a reason why Natsu doesn't seem to be restrained and is not treated like a prisoner. This will be talked about in the next chapter, so don't worry about it.
Also, as to why Rukia and Renji want to go rescue Natsu, I already made an explanation regarding it on the previous AN of the last chapter, in case any of you are skeptical about the whole idea.
Personally, I think that it is in-character for them to go look for Natsu based on the reasons I already established, so I hope none of you have any trouble with that.
Rukia and Renji already know that their plan is not just dangerous, but could probably get them both killed. But they are still naive kids and full of good intentions, so it's not that hard to believe, especially since they are not looking for a fight or anything, they (or at least Rukia) just want to make sure Natsu is alright.
I also hope that you enjoyed the interactions between the Captains, cause they were some of the most fun parts of writing this chapter, so props to them.
On another note: does anyone play Bleach: Brave Souls? If you do, are you excited for the new manga characters? Cause I am super excited! I'm so saving orbs for the new Bankai Rukia. She is so beautiful!
Anyway, please let me know what you guys think of the chapter. Make your opinion be heard to help me improve this story. Also, please don't hesitate to share any ideas you may have, as I'm an open-minded person and they might make it into the story.
With that said, please have a nice day and I'll speak to you all in the next chapter!