SomethingAncient: Thank you for taking the time to give me a critique. Most of the things you have commented on have given me a new light in terms of writing. I understand that he's speaking politely and his tone can affect Ichigo's characterization. I didn't know what you meant by ellipse until I searched it up. I think you're talking about the 3 dots. I'll try to minimize it.
But I do have some things to reply to for the sole reason of either explaining some things or helping understand what I'm trying to do. "Is this Ichigo 11 or does he just look 11? Because the story seems to forget Ichigo used to be 17-18, woke up under his mother's corpse when he was 9, and nearly got killed several times while fighting. Ichigo is way too easygoing and happy in this story." I don't know if I made him easygoing. But I only have this to say. There is a reason why I made him quiet. The reason being is that he's depressed. He still hasn't gotten over his past. I mentioned that he has nightmares in a past chapter. This is why it's affecting how he talks, he takes more pauses while speaking more softer and quieter. Being depressed could lead to being more quiet or angry (I have done little research so I can't say for sure). I also have said that he hasn't done anything despite staying in the village for 2 years. So there's no sense of accomplishment. And he puts up a facade. I don't know if people were able to see this subtle detail. But when I mention Ichigo doesn't talk about himself at work. It's because he's keeping himself isolated so no one would get the chance to know him. Since he might slip up and say something he shouldn't. He distracts himself with work, so his mind wouldn't wander back into the past. Lastly, he's in a new world, so no one knows how Ichigo normally acts. This means he's able to express these actions without anyone knowing/or feeling concerned about his behavior.
I know that I might not have been good at presenting it like that. But if people do think Ichigo is easygoing. I'll try to change that. I do hope this does explain some things. But other than that, I'll try to improve in the future.
Love-to-peace: Dude, it's your story, you decide what to do, not the reviewers, even if they can be quite demanding. Thanks,
Alsyf Vermillion: it's a great story so far, keep up the good work Thank you for your kind words
Dehaka: Will Ichigo tell anyone about his world? I will have the others find out about his world and past.
Guest: I give up on this slow a** pace of storytelling Ok and? I couldn't care what you do.
Mustafa0malik12345: Just found your fanfic and was just curious if you plan to make Ichigo use a complete set of kido spells. Even though the kido spells are a mix of fanmade ones and real ones. The link is down below. Just make sure you give the DeviantArt creator draconichero18 credit if you decide to use the list. I don't know if or when I'll be adding kido into the story, but I will keep this in mind. Thank you.
Chapter 13: The first job
After Ichigo and Anisa's battle had concluded. Most quickly noticed the damage Anisa had caused, especially the last attack she pulled off. There were many divots and craters across the field. There was still a bit of smoke lingering across the once plain grassland. Roubaul and the other girls never found it alarming at the time, only after the match, they recognized the damage that had been induced. Roubaul rushed at her with an angry voice. Pointing out the harm and destruction Anisa had generated. He became furious at Anisa for how little she cared about Ichigo's wellbeing. But she didn't seem to have noticed something so trivial and yelled back at him. She was getting annoyed by the man's pestering. Everyone was able to see the chief and Anisa giving an earful to one another. It didn't seem like it was the first time they have had this kind of talk before. Not wanting to disturb their hot discussion. Ichigo passed them and walked over to Wendy.
"Where do you think you're going?" Roubaul said with an irritating but monotone voice as he grabbed Ichigo's shoulder.
"Huh?" he managed to mutter before Roubaul pulled him in and started lecturing him. He was suddenly roped in with Anisa. Ichigo wasn't even at fault.
Wendy regained most of her composition. She was worried sick because of Ichigo's actions. Even to the point where her legs felt tired. Yet, she was amazed. Everyone was amazed. Ichigo was able to calmly react to everything Anisa had thrown at him throughout the battle. Wendy knew how strong Ichigo was, even back then. But she would have never expected to see him change this much in 2 years. She tried to recall Ichigo ever training but couldn't remember anything. He must have done it in secret or when he was away at work. It upset Wendy, she would have loved to train with him, even if she wasn't experienced. But still, it was remarkable how relaxed he seemed to be during his battle against Anisa. Everyone was shocked by how strong Anisa and Ichigo were, but Ichigo didn't seem to have shown any difficulty. It even looked like he held back. Wendy looked back at the two years they have spent in the village. Only to realize that the time she spent was just playing around, or at least in her eyes. She felt behind and weak.
"I-I wonder if I can be that strong?" Wendy muttered to herself while looking at the floor with a sad tone. She didn't realize Carla and Mio had heard her.
"O-of course you can," Mio tried to encourage her. Wendy looked up at Mio. "Anyone can be strong"
"B-but," Wendy stuttered, she wasn't experienced at fighting, and she didn't know how to start. She felt lost.
"I-if you don't think you can get stronger, then you can always ask Ichigo-san. I-I'll even train with you, then we can both get stronger" she clutched both of her hands into a fist. She too wasn't experienced in fighting like the others nor was she confident in her own abilities. But if she would train with her. Wendy wouldn't have to be alone and they would surely both grow.
"You mustn't doubt yourself." Mio and Wendy looked at Carla "If you want to get stronger, you must be diligent. You must push yourself and stay motivated. That way you'll grow," Carla released a small smile. This was her way to cheer Wendy up. "You mustn't let negative emotions cloud your worth"
Wendy looked at both Mio and Carla, their support and encouragement lightened the girl's mood. They believed she could grow stronger. She can't stay sad forever. "Thank you"
She thanked the two for their kind words. Wendy's eyes landed on her brother. Roubaul had finished talking to them. He was sighing to himself as he walked in their direction. She hurried her way to Ichigo. With Mio and Carla following behind. "Nii-san, are you ok? You're not hurt are you?"
"I'm fine," Ichigo replied while patting her head.
Wendy inspected Ichigo's body to see if there were any injuries. Some parts of his clothes were burnt, but there were seems to be no injuries. "Y-you were amazing Ichigo-san," Mio said with wonder, surprising Ichigo with her sudden compliment.
"Yeah, you were so cool Nii-san, you weren't even scared when you fought Anisa."
"..thanks" his expression didn't change, but he took the compliment.
"Still that was an impressive feat," Carla commented, grabbing the three's attention. "I have heard from Wendy that you're quite capable, you have surpassed my expectations."
"But I do have a question. That sword earlier, why didn't you use it in the beginning?" This question got both Wendy and Mio curious. He would have finished the spar much faster if he did.
"...Didn't want to,"
Before Carla continued, Roubaul called them out and informed them that they'd be heading to the guild hall. Acknowledging what the man had said. They quickly made their way over to them. Wendy and Mio ran, while Carla was flying next to them. Ichigo followed shortly behind.
"Aren't you going to change?" Roubaul asked as the three joined them.
"I'll change later," Ichigo's clothing. He didn't think his clothing was that damaged.
Anisa looked at the girls presumingly stopping them and getting their attention. "So," Anisa started, "Am I weak now?" Anisa smiled at the girls, showing a hint of annoyance. The girls didn't say it to her directly, but they knew what she was implying. They quickly shook their heads almost immediately as the question was asked. "Good,"Anisa said once more, displaying a smile, only for Ichigo and Roubaul to look away.
After reaching the building and opening the door. They were greeted with a cool breeze and a pleasant smell. They continued their walk and were able to see some talking amongst one another. While others were working at the counter. Exclusively a few seemed to have just returned from their job, based on their sluggish movement and tired sighs. Ichigo and Wendy noted that there wasn't anything that had changed throughout the 2 years. The layout and architecture inside were the same. Only the colors and the furniture had changed. Roubaul walked ahead of the group and made his way to the counter. His appearance caught some eyes. The rest followed.
"Oh welcome back, Master," one person near the front desk called out. She saw Ichigo and the rest following him shortly behind him.
"Hello, could you get me the stamp?" Roubaul asked the woman. She obliged, walking to a cabinet and grabbing a black stamper before passing it to Roubaul.
"Thank you, dear,"
"Is that boy the new member?" The woman asked, looking at Ichigo with curious eyes. This got the attention of everyone else in the room. As the question was asked, Ichigo felt their gazes all around him. There was no hostility, but it felt somewhat uncomfortable.
"Yes, yes he is," he answered before walking back, not noticing the stares that followed. He walked up to Ichigo and presented the stamp in front of Ichigo and the others.
"What's with the stamp?" Ichigo asked
"To become a member of any guild, you must have the guild mark imprinted on you," he explained, "Where would you like to have the mark, and what color?"
"...below my left shoulder, black," he replied, taking off part of his shirt and showing his left shoulder.
"Alright" Roubaul proceeded to stamp his left shoulder, with the color choice in mind. A black cat symbol appeared on the boy's shoulder. "With this, you are now an official guild member." his smile quickly showed as he finished his sentence.
Before Ichigo could reply to Roubaul's words. All of the people inside the building started to applaud, startling Ichigo and the others. Some were much louder than others with their beer mugs out as they celebrate. "Welcome to Cait Shelter," most said. It wasn't long ago the guild members seemed tired, but now they seemingly regained their energy. Their cheering was imbued with happy expressions and a welcoming tone as they brought up their beer.
"Thanks,"
"What a rowdy bunch," Carla remarked, as the welcoming continued. She expected the guild to be calm. However, it seemed to be loud and off-putting. Roubaul and Anisa just sighed to themselves. They have said many times not to make a commotion. They knew that most of the guild members weren't loud, but they are some that are the exception. Because of their behavior, they never listen. Anisa could always shut them up for their wild behaviors, but she didn't want to use harsh words in front of the kids.
"Who did the boy fight for the trial?" one of the guildmembers asked. The man was sitting at one of the tables. His question piqued everyone else's interest. They all know that most of the guild members were out, so there weren't many options. But seeing Anisa behind Wendy. He had a suspicion that he fought Anisa. It did explain the condition Ichigo's clothing was in. But he didn't want to believe it. Anisa is already scary enough even if she holds back. There was no way Roubaul would have chosen Anisa to participate.
"His name is Kurosaki Ichigo and he fought with Anisa," Roubaul answered before Ichigo could. After a few seconds. Everyone's voices quickly died down. Most jaws were hanging out and their eyes were spread wide, while some had the suspicion but were still surprised. The atmosphere around them became quiet and awkward. They were amazed by how calm Roubaul was after disclosing such information.
The man tried to regain his composure and comforted the boy. "I-I see, must have been hard. Don't worry, everyone here couldn't beat her." he tried to lighten up the mood. Assuming that was the reason why Ichigo was quiet. "You don't have to beat yourself up for your loss,"
"Huh? But Nii-san did win," Wendy said out of nowhere. Confused by what he was implying.
"...WHAT!" Their minds finally clicked. Wendy's claim was hard to believe. If everyone in the guild weren't able to defeat Anisa then it was hard to believe Ichigo, a kid, was able to. Most of the members are adults and even they are scared of her.
"There's no way that's true!" the man said, standing up slightly from his chair. Everyone else agreed with him. They all expressed more shock than anger.
"But it's true," Wendy countered, why wouldn't they believe her? Anisa had to join in and confirm what Wendy said to be true. Even Carla, Mio, and Roubaul bear witness to the event. They still found it hard to believe but gave up. If the master and his wife were telling them the truth, there wasn't any point in denying the fact any further.
"You guys lost to Anisa?" Ichigo spoke out to the rest of the guild members. He didn't think everyone would lose to Anisa. There should have been someone who was able to beat her, but that didn't seem to be the case. He didn't think Anisa was that hard to defeat. But from what the man said, he's now fully aware that Anisa is one of the strongest in the village.
"You idiot! What the hell do you think you're doing? You exposed us!" another member voiced. Indicating that they were weaker than Ichigo. His pride was damaged as he took the question as a mockery.
"How was I supposed to know he beat Anisa-san!" At first, they both yelled at one another, but soon after they started to brawl. Ichigo was going to stop them, but Roubaul grabbed his shoulder, preventing him from doing so. No one seemed to stop them and mind their business. Roubaul sighed, he explained that the guild could be rowdy and sometimes guild members fight. But it's never anything serious. It mostly lasts a couple of minutes. Plus, they had Anisa, she could always stop them. Ichigo didn't need to do anything.
Before long, the rest of the guild members ran up to Ichigo and asked various questions regarding his match with Anisa. Their questions were halted as Roubaul stopped them. He didn't want the new member to feel uncomfortable. He asked them to leave the questions for another time, he still had business with Ichigo. He walked away from the commotion and asked the others to follow him.
On the other side of the building. They came across a big blackboard near the end of the guild. A few posters were hanging across the board. Ichigo and the girls took notes as Roubaul explained how to apply for a job. Since Roubaul has never explained how to apply for a job.
"This is the request board." Roubaul started, "These posters are job descriptions. It tells you the task, where it is, and how many Jewels you'll be rewarded. You can pick any that interests you. Once you have picked one, you would need to go to the front desk and tell the receptionist, Sara, what job you have chosen. She'll handle it from there."
Ichigo nodded, before scanning through the board. Looking through the papers, there was nothing that caught his interest. One of the jobs on the board was asking for a person to participate in a drama. At the same time, another asked for a wizard to be a model for their magazine. He couldn't see himself participating in any of these kinds of works. He wasn't good nor did he want to participate in something like that. Wendy and Carla tried to help, picking some of the posters that might be appealing. But even with their help, he still didn't find anything. Before they resumed, a woman walked up to the board. She has red hair tied up in a ponytail and wore a black dress with white flower patterns around it. She looked over to Ichigo.
"Would you like to look at these? These just came in," she said politely, carrying a new pile of posters.
"Yeah, thanks"
"Your name's Ichigo, correct? It's nice to meet you, I'm Sara"
"Likewise," Sara handed Ichigo the posters and went off to the front desk. He separated the pile of posters for Wendy and Carla.
Scavenging through the papers, Ichigo came across a poster. He wasn't expecting much like the others but the head title quickly caught his attention. Usually, the head title would be at the top while the reward would be at the bottom. But this poster was different. It had the reward on the top and the title underneath. Purposely hooking the person in. He eyed the reward for more than a minute. His jaw was extended and his hands shook the paper ever so slightly with a vigorous pace. His pupils had dollar signs on them. Wendy noticed Ichigo's behavior and walked up to him. Wendy saw his jaw open, she had never seen Ichigo so stunned before.
"Nii-san, what's wrong?" she asked, slowly tip-toeing her way to see the paper he was holding. Her eyes laid upon the price. Her jaw and eyes opened wider than Ichigo's. Even stuttering when realizing what the amount was.
"f-four million jewels!" she screamed for everyone to hear. Roubaul and the others were surprised to hear that amount and immediately rushed to where they were. Everyone else in the building ran to the group in disbelief. It was a bit cramped but sure enough, they didn't mishear her. Everyone in the building quickly yelled in shock.
"f-four million, in just one job." Ichigo thought to himself. It took him 2 years to be able to make 2 million. But he spent it on food and other necessities. So he wasn't able to keep all of that. He did see most of the jobs that pay well. He saw some that paid a hundred and eighty thousand jewels. But the difference between these two was like Heaven and Earth.
"I-I have never seen such an amount for a job before. " Roubaul said, interrupting Ichigo's thought process. He comments that it is really rare for a normal job to pay so much. It wasn't an s-rank job and there were no s-rank wizards here. But he has heard that any s rank job pays a lot.
"What else does it say?" One of the people in the crowd asked.
Ichigo turned away from Roubaul and read it out loud. Underneath the reward, there was the name of the job with the name of the person who requested it. It said with big red letters "Please help find my poodle from Rebecca Rose". With a picture of the pet beneath it. It was a white and puffy poodle with a blue collar that had jewels around them. The location was in Harvard Fields. He blankly stared at the paper, mostly confused. He thought that something with this price meant that the mission would lean onto the more difficult side. But it was just a lost poodle. It's stated that no one has found the pet yet. Even though it's been a day. This did concern the boy. It isn't hard to find a poodle, or at least that is what he assumes. If this person is willing to pay this much. Then there must be a reason for it. He decided to take this job. He didn't need to go on a dangerous quest for his first job.
"I'm taking this job," Ichigo suddenly announces. He thought someone would snatch this job away from him when least expected.
"If you're thinking that someone will take it, don't worry it's all yours," one person said, speaking for everyone. They aren't cruel or selfish.
Sara, who was near the crowd and had heard everything, decided to walk back to her desk. Knowing that Ichigo was to meet up with her. Everyone else in the crowd walked back to where they were previously. There weren't any more reasons to stand in a crowd. Ichigo and the others headed to the front counter as expected, he presented the paper and passed it to Sara. "I'll take this one,"
Sara nodded before receiving the paper. She slowly cast a yellow magic circle around the paper. Ichigo and the girls didn't know what she was doing but didn't want to ask her for fear of distracting her.
"...Alright all done", she returned the paper to Ichigo. "But do you know where Harvard Field is?"
"..No"
"Do you know where the train is?" this might have been obvious but she didn't want to assume things.
"No," He responded. Ichigo did recall a train station being built, but it was vague. He never paid too much attention. Since his mind always seems to wander elsewhere. Plus, there weren't any places that he wanted to go.
"If you go outside the gate and walk west, there's a train station. It's a 2 hour ride, here's the train ticket,"
"Thanks"
"You better be careful out there," a voice suddenly heard. It was the same man who asked the question prior. He was back at the table he sat at previously. He showed a serious expression. His words started to make everyone worry. They kept quiet. They didn't know where he was getting at. It didn't seem like he was joking around.
"Recently, there have been a lot of rumors going around about a person being possessed by a demon," he explained. He didn't believe in such a rumor, but there was always a chance of it being true.
"A-a demon?" Mio and Wendy both stuttered. They would have never expected that demons were in this conversation. However, Carla and Anisa quickly disregarded the story. Stating that it wasn't realistic. It was only a rumor after all. However, it wasn't just him who was aware of the rumor. Another guild member across from him has heard another story relating to this one.
"I've heard that this person has a curse on their right arm, resembling a monster of some kind" she added. This caught Ichigo's attention. The key word was "curse". He has never found out nor solved the issue relating to his curse. Maybe this person knew what it was, or perhaps they were the ones who did this to him.
However, the chances were low. Throughout the 2 years of gathering information, he has come across many documents that had a variety of curses. The curse of being immortal, of death, and much more. But he wasn't able to find anything that he was looking for. Meaning that his curse was either rare or unheard of.
Ichigo looked back and asked Roubaul. "...Did you know about these rumors?" As the guild master, he would know something.
"Yes, I have heard of this, but it's only in the form of rumors. So I can't say it's definitive."
"...alright," he looked back at the two individuals. "Thanks for the warning,"
(Later)
After their conversation, Roubaul tried to convince him to go with another guild member, and the rest followed. If the rumor were true then it would be no laughing matter. However, Ichigo seemed calm while refusing to go with another guild member. He didn't want to drag other people into his job, especially if they were already tired. He went back to his place to change his clothes and got his wallet. He made his way to the front entrance. With Wendy, Carla, and Roubaul waiting for him. Anisa and Mio were unable to see him off, they had their own business to attend to. Reaching closer to the gates, he reminisces about the time when they said farewell to Jellal. Now it seemed like Ichigo had taken that role. Time sure flies by.
"Good luck on your first job" Roubaul was the first to speak. Even if the job sounded easy, he still felt that it was appropriate to say it. He didn't need to say anymore, since he had a feeling that Ichigo knew what he was thinking.
"Yeah"
"Be careful ok?" Wendy said next as she grabbed onto his shirt. Ichigo and the others knew that she was worried, especially when it comes to Ichigo's stubbornness and the rumor they have recently learned. He has told her countless times that he'll be cautious.
"I'm only finding a poodle, I'll be fine,"
"I know, but still," she frowned, tears slowly flowing out. This was the most she has ever worried. Ichigo placed a hand on her head and slowly patted her. Attempting to light up her mood. "...I won't be reckless," he released a small smile. "I promise,"
He looked over to Carla. "Carla, will you look after her for me,"
The cat displayed a smile. "I was going to even if you didn't ask, but do hurry. I do not want to hear her crying once you're gone,"
"I-I won't cry!" Wendy shouted as her face turned red. Carla's words were able to brighten up everyone's mood. They all knew that Ichigo was going to be gone for more than 3 hours. He has never been gone for that long. It made sense that Wendy would feel worried and upset. Roubaul and Ichigo gave out a small chuckle upon hearing and seeing Wendy's embarrassment.
"...I'm going to head out now." Ichigo moved past them, walking past the gates. He heard Wendy's voice as he walked further away.
"Best of luck,"
"H-have a safe trip Nii-san!" Wendy shouted while the others waved at the boy. Ichigo responded to everyone's goodbye with a small hand gesture as he lifted his hand in acknowledgment. This would be the first time he left his village.
(At the train stop)
Arriving at the train stop. He noted how far it was from the village. It took him 10 minutes to get here. If he didn't know the village existed, he would have thought this train stop is for those who want to hike. Why is the train stopped so far from the village? It didn't seem convenient. He has yet another question for Roubaul to answer.
He stood there for 5 minutes before the chugging sound could be heard. The noise grew louder as it closed in. The trains looked like those old trains back in his world. It was black, and steam was emitted through the chimney. The train slowed down as it got to the train stop. A crew member stepped outside of the train and asked Ichigo where he was headed.
"Harvard Field,"
(2 hours later)
It was a peaceful train ride. There were some noises from time to time, consisting of the sounds of bantering and children yelling or crying. But for the most part, it was quiet. Ichigo quickly lost himself in his thoughts throughout the ride. He looked through the window every once in a while. The scenery was more beautiful than he had anticipated, with much wildlife before buildings slowly came into view. It was nice to see a new environment for a change.
Finally arriving at the station. Ichigo took his leave as he looked at his new surroundings. He quickly noticed the different atmosphere that was presented compared to his village. It was much bigger. It had more modern aesthetics. The roads and stores looked somewhat similar to his world. There were no farms and everyone's clothing was a bit different from his and the village's sense of fashion. The people in this town are seemingly normal and welcoming. But for some reason, some behaved strangely. One of the citizens looked beneath a table of fruits from a store, while another lifted a pot from the floor despite it being someone else's property. It was weird but he didn't want to question it.
However, the biggest difference between the two places was the spirits that roamed through the town. Ever since he came to this world, Roubaul was the only ghost he encountered, and since then no ghosts have appeared, not even hollows. He continued to observe them just in case there was anything different. But his efforts were futile as he felt no hostility from them. He saw some chatting with one another, while others seemingly floated in the air. No one seemed to notice their presence. Which only makes Roubaul's case more confusing.
"Excuse me, sir, are you ok?" one of the passengers asked the boy. From their perspective, Ichigo is staring at thin air with a serious expression, not even moving from his spot.
"...Yeah" he replied, ceasing his stare. Before looking at the man.
"Oh ok, have a good day then," the person walked past him as if he already knows the layout of this town.
"Actually, you know where this Rebecca Rose is?" he quickly asked before the person walked any further.
"Yeah, it should be that mansion over there," he pointed at a gigantic mansion off in the distance. It was a couple of blocks from where they were. The mansion seemed to be the biggest building in the town. Ichigo blankly stared at the mansion. It explained the absurd amount of money poured into this job.
"Thanks,"
It took him more than thirty minutes to get to the entrance of the mansion. There were no fences or guards. Only a path that directs to the doors. The mansion seemed to have grown as he walked over. Knocking on the door, the sounds of creaking were heard as the entrance slowly opened. Ichigo's eyes were met by a man wearing a tuxedo, he held a white cloth over his hand and seemed to be in his mid-forties. The man's eyes were met with Ichigo's. His confused expression was subtle.
"Can I help you?"
"I'm here for a job from Rebecca Rose," Ichigo announced
"I see, may I have a verification?" he didn't look surprised. If it was a hunting job, it would be confusing to send a youngster doing such a dangerous task. However, his job wasn't that complicated, so he didn't question it.
Ichigo pulled his sleeve up presenting his guild mark while holding up the poster. Assuming that this was how he would need to verify. The butler looked intently at his mark and the poster, before opening the door wider and welcoming him in. The butler's eyes told him to follow.
Walking inside the mansion, Ichigo didn't expect the main floor to be so spacious. It was bright and expensive looking. Everything seemed to be pricey and fragile. He looked to his left, there was a large, wide staircase that led to the second floor. He was able to see the second floor, it seemed to be much larger than the first floor, and all three sides of the floor had four large windows, similar to the central hallway, revealing the enormous room. Though it didn't seem like they were going to the upper floor. Ichigo saw many paintings, but his eyes laid upon the biggest painting in the mansion. Two little girls were the focus of the painting. They stood next to each other while carrying the same poodle that was currently missing.
Making their way to the living room. They were met with a figure sitting at a large table. The lady seemed to be in her mid-thirties, she was on the heavier side. Her face was plump and chubby. She has blond curly hair and wore a robe. She sat there quietly while expressing a worried emotion. Walking closer, the butler quickly grabbed her attention.
"Rebecca-sama," he bowed in front of her politely, "We have a guest,"
She looked towards Ichigo. She didn't know why a kid was presented. The butler informed her that he was the one who took the job. Finally putting the pieces together, Rebecca's face quickly glowed with joy. She ran at Ichigo and quickly grabbed both of his hands and brought it up to her chest.
"Will you be able to find Mr. Puffly?!" she shouted at Ichigo with a thick accent.
"...Huh," her sudden action caught him off guard.
As they sat down, except for the butler. Rebecca gave a mouthful of how worried she is for her poodle, Mr. Puffly. Ichigo felt uncomfortable and sweated, he found her accent difficult to understand, and the "unknown information" was hard to absorb. Her nature was strange. The butler didn't seem to have a hard time understanding her nor seemed bothered by her behavior.
However, throughout the conversation, Ichigo saw nothing but sorrow in her eyes even though she brought out a bright smile. He asked her if everything was alright. She was surprised to see Ichigo notice her facade. She dropped the act immediately before acting completely different from before. Rebecca's expression changed drastically. Ichigo was able to tell that it was hard for her to keep up her fake appearance. She mentioned some of her backstories and context. He could tell that this was serious. She didn't want a kid to hear her problems or wanted to ruin his mood. But she couldn't keep it inside.
She first began with the background. She comments that she had two daughters named Rosy and Rachel. They were cheerful, affectionate, and most of all forgiving. Unfortunately, however, they died in an accident. It was devasting to hear such news. And it was even harder to move past everything that had happened. Life had been rough afterward. Rumors were spread that the parents were the ones to blame for their deaths. It was tough living in such an environment. So they decided to move here. Her husband and their pet, Mr. Puffly, were all she had left.
Ichigo wasn't expecting such a deep discussion, but he quietly listened. That's all he can do. "I'm sorry to hear that," he said with a quieter tone than normal.
"No, it's my fault for mentioning it," she said as she cast her head down.
Although Ichigo didn't want to say anything else so the woman could recover. Even hearing sniffles as she finished. It must have been rough. A couple of minutes had passed before Ichigo continued their talk. "Rebecca-san… how did it all start?"
She nodded, she shouldn't be wasting his time. Plus, she wanted to find her pet as soon as possible.
"...Mr. Puffly and I went on a walk from home to Marone Garden. That was Rosy and Rachel's favorite place. We stayed and strolled around the garden, but a bee suddenly started to attack me out of nowhere." She brought both her hands up and showed him how big the bee was. Ichigo took note of how abnormal the size was. "After the bee went away, Mr. Puffly was gone," she squeezed her robe tightly and bit her lip.
"...I see, did you get anyone else to help you find Mr. Puffly before asking a guild?"
"Yes, I did. At first, I tried to find him myself. I then asked the guards to help me but they were unable to find him." she expressed in a sad tone as she continued. "I have put up flyers throughout the town to see if anyone could help me, yet no one was able to find him."
Listening closely, Ichigo now understands why some people's actions were strange when he came here. And he was able to see the length Rebecca would go through to find her pet. She cared for her poodle. Ichigo pulled out the job poster, he scanned the photo of her poodle, there was the collar the dog had worn. It looked expensive. He wanted to confirm one more thing. "In this picture, Mr. Puffly wore a collar, how much does it cost?"
"Around 5,000,000 jewels," she didn't even bother questioning the relevance it had.
He looked at the floor as he pieced together the information. He showed an upset face. Rebecca had already been through enough. But now that he heard everything from her. He was able to "confirm" that the dog was not lost but kidnapped.
Originally, he thought that the dog was lost. But that possibility seemed small. And instead, the chance of her dog getting kidnapped rose. Someone could have taken him when Rebecca was distracted, hid him somewhere where no one could find him, and continued to wait for the price to rise. The person could return the dog at any time and get the money themselves. It wouldn't be unexpected for the kidnapper to have already stolen the collar. She did say it cost 5,000,000 jewels. It pained him to have to inform the lady.
He looked at the butler, hoping that he would be able to help him. Ichigo didn't know if he would be able to calm Rebecca down if he had told her. He didn't want to break the news, but he had to. The butlers noticed the gaze Ichigo was projecting and walked over to him. Ichigo quickly whispered in his ear, he wanted him to calm her down if needed. The man simply nodded.
"Rebecca-san…there might be a chance that your poodle has gotten kidnapped," he tried to state calmly, only for Rebecca to freak out. She was going to inform the guard immediately but the butler stopped her from doing so.
"Please calm down Rebecca-sama,"
"How can I calm down?! Mr. Puffly has gotten kidnapped!"
"Yes, but you mustn't act impatiently,"
"But!-"
"If we informed everyone about the kidnapper, word would spread out," Ichigo tried to reason as he stood up from his sitting position. "The person will be more cautious. It'll only make things more difficult,"
"T-then what do we do?" her eyes seemed desperate as her breath became rumbly.
"Nothing," Ichigo replied once more. Rebecca was baffled. How could she do nothing? She was going to respond to his words before she was interrupted. "I'll find your dog, so please don't do anything for the time being,"
"H-how will you find him?"
"...I have some ways"
(Outside the mansion)
After calming down Rebecca, Ichigo went outside to start his search. He said that he'll find the dog, however, he didn't have any leads. He only said that to calm Rebecca. He knew he wasn't a detective. He only used critical thinking to figure out the poodle was supposedly kidnapped. But now he was lost, the person could be anywhere. As much as he wanted a plan, he tried not to dwindle for too long. He didn't think these kidnappers would go so far as to kill the pet. But he couldn't rule out that possibility. He had to find it quickly.
30 minutes passed and he could find nothing. The town was massive, he wasn't able to find any places that looked too suspicious, but he couldn't look into it since he was out in public. If he walked inside someone else's home, it would only make trouble. As he continued running through the town, his eyes were met by 2 spirits to his right. They were accompanying a woman, however, she didn't know. The woman had the poster in her hands, while the other two just seemed to stare at her, the corner of their mouth was curved downwards. They seemed to be on the younger side. Looking closer, Ichigo noticed the resemblance the two had with the paintings earlier. He was able to hear their conversation.
"If only someone could hear us," one of the spirits with black hair said in a sad, but frustrating manner. The spirit with brown hair agreed with her as she held her hand to help calm her down. It seemed like she knew where the poodle was.
"I just want Mr. Puffly to be safe," The girl continued, they both shed tears.
The spirit with brown hair turned around wiping her tears, only to notice Ichigo staring at them. She looked back to see if anyone was there. But no one was there for him to look at. She noted that he wasn't staring at the woman beside them or another stranger to his left. But at both of them. She stepped to the left side and Ichigo's eyes followed. She stepped to the right and his eyes still followed.
"What are you doing Rachel?" the black-haired spirited asked, noticing her strange action. Ichigo wasn't imagining anything. The two of them were Rebecca's daughters, meaning the other one was Rosy.
"R-Rosy, C-can he sees us?!" Rachel pointed at Ichigo.
It took her a while for her to understand what she meant since she believes that no one is capable of seeing a ghost. But it was hard to deny the fact that Ichigo kept looking at them. "Y-yeah I-I think he does!"
Rachel rushed to where Ichigo was before Rosy could.
"A-are you able to see us!?" her voice was unsteady as she clasped her hands together, praying that he was able to see them. She didn't care how he was able to. She just wanted someone to help.
Ichigo's eyes were still glued to her, his mouth curved upwards forming a genuine smile. "Yeah"
Water began to flow off the girl's eyes. They weren't able to do anything, no one was able to see them. But now, it is different. "H-he sees us! Rosy, he sees us!" Rosy heard everything and hurried to where they were. She couldn't believe it. She tried to keep her tough act together but slowly failed and her eyes started tearing up.
Ichigo lowered himself by putting one knee on the floor as he looked up at the two. "Lead the way"
(Outside a construction site)
He followed both Rosy and Rachel to an abandoned construction site near the end of the town. The entrance seemed to be intact, however, the rest of the building seemed broken and rusty. It seemed like an unfinished hotel. It looked too suspicious, he questioned why no one had ever investigated this place.
"That this place was haunted. No one was brave enough to enter." Rosy quickly answered,
He continued to scan the building before sensing two people on the upper floors, they were emitting magic. Yet, that was all he knew, he didn't know if there was more to it.
Ichigo apologizes before asking one of them to faze through to see where Mr. Puffly was there. They were still girls after, even if they are ghosts. If the factory was truly haunted then it would only mean that something scary would happen, he wanted them to live in peace. But he needed information. Rosy, the braver one of the two, volunteers to search for him. She was glad she was able to help.
It didn't take too long for the girl to scan everything. She even saw a broken door where Ichigo could enter. "There aren't any traps," she informed him. "There are only 2 people in the building, on the fourth floor,"
"Thanks,"
"Shouldn't we get more help?" Rachel suddenly asked. It was a one-on-two situation. It would only make sense to get reinforcement.
"Yeah," he swiftly looked at a broken sign, before flash stepping away from them.
"H-he just disappeared!" Rosy said while Rachel was speechless. After a minute, Ichigo's body was seen once more.
"W-what was that?" they questioned,
"Don't worry about it, for now, we have to focus on rescuing your dog," he responded as he summoned out his Zanpakuto. The girls were bewildered to see the weapon in Ichigo's hand. It seemed too large and heavy for him to handle. "Who is he?" the two of them asked themselves.
"H-how did you know it was our dog?" Rachel asked,
"...From your mom,"
The two stayed silent. They didn't know what to say. Ichigo sneaked past the bushes and went to the broken door Rosy had mentioned.
"B-but what about backup?"
"I told the guards to come here, they'll be here shortly"
(Inside)
As they went up the floors, Ichigo noted how spacious each floor was. There were no doors, no rooms. It looked to be in its early stages of construction. There were even random stone pillars everywhere to support the weight. As they headed to the fourth floor, Ichigo and the others heard two individuals talking amongst each other. Ichigo was hiding near the stairs. Their voices echoed through the place as they continued. Ichigo was able to see a cage where Mr. Puffly was being held captive, he didn't seem to be in any harm.
"4,000,000 jewels! Come on! Pour more into it!" a man with a yellowed-haired mohawk shouted. His body was much bigger and taller than the other individual. He threw the crumpled poster onto the floor.
The person next to him had blue wavy hair. He looked a lot slimmer and was closer to Mr. Puffly's cage. He tossed the collar up into the air. He wasn't as angry. But his expression still showed. "Lars, you need to be patient!"
"How can I be patient Jax?! It's already been a day!"
As they carried on with their conversation, Ichigo and the others patiently waited for the opportunity to strike. "Hey, how do you plan on taking those two down?" Rosy whispered, forgetting that no one was able to hear her except for Ichigo.
Ichigo didn't respond, instead, he pulled out a big rock he had picked up nearby.
"W-what are you going to do with that?" Rachel was the next to ask.
"...We need to make a distraction, our priority is to keep Mr. Puffly safe," Ichigo whispered back.
"And what will a rock do?" Rosy questioned once more.
"You'll see,"
After he finished responding, Ichigo threw the rock away from him and near a stone pillar on the other side of the building. The two were startled by the sudden noise.
"What the hell was that?" Lars questioned, Jax, didn't have the answer to his question as he stood up from his position. They weren't able to sense anything.
"Who's there?!" Jax yelled. There was no response. "You take a look!" he ordered, before summoning out a thin sword made of water.
Lars didn't talk back and did what he was told. Yellow particles spawned around him, slowly forming into bees. "So he was the one responsible for the huge bee," Ichigo thought as he remembered his conversation with Rebecca. Lars slowly moved to where the stone pillar was. While Jax looked around to see if there was anything suspicious.
When Ichigo deemed Jax to be far away enough, he flash steps toward Jax tapping on Jax's shoulder. The sudden contact that Jax felt was out of nowhere. He turned back only to see an orange-haired boy in front of him.
"What the!" Jax suddenly yelled getting Lars's attention. What was a child doing here? Before anyone could respond, Ichigo swung his sword at the man. Jax brought up his sword, barely able to block the speedy attack. However, it wasn't over, as he blocked the attack. A weighty kick was thrust onto the man's stomach, launching him back a few feet.
Crashing onto the floor, Jax grabbed onto his stomach and groaned. The impact was much heavier than he would expect from a kid. He became aware that the kid knocked him away to create distance between him and the dog. However, he still had the more valuable item. He looked back at his hand and realized he wasn't holding onto anything. He must have let it go when he got kicked.
"Looking for this?" Jax looked up at where the voice was and saw Ichigo throwing the collar up in the air multiple times.
"Why you little-"
"Bee storm!" Lars suddenly announced, interrupting their brief conversation. A spiraling attack was fired at Ichigo. Upon impact, all the windows on the floor shattered.
"You dumbass! What if you killed the dog!" he shouted to the dumb one. Lars quickly panicked, fully realizing what he had done. The worries died down when they heard Ichigo's voice through the smoke.
"Like that'll happen," he called out as the smoke was blown away by his sword. They were able to see Ichigo holding firmly to the sword while his body was still intact and the dog unharmed. It didn't look like the attack even scratched them. Ichigo glared at the two with piercing eyes.
"W-whoa" Rosy said as they both witnessed the battle. She felt chills through her spine. She nor Rachel was not expecting any of this.
"Who the hell are you?!" Lars yelled out. His voice echoed across violently, however, Ichigo didn't seem to be affected in the slightest.
"Sorry, I don't feel like answering that," he turned his direction to where Mr. Puffly was sitting. He handed the collar back to the dog. "Hold on to that for me" he smiled before looking back at Lars.
"You think you can just barge in here and take that from us!" Jax said as he got up. The veins in his forehead slowly became visible. "Sorry to break this to you pal, but you're not leaving here alive! We have waited far too long just for a brat to take this from us!"
He brought up his sword and started casting magic around it. The flow of the spell was more fierce. While Ichigo was distracted by the man's words. Lars rushed to Ichigo. His hands were glowing yellow.
"L-lookout!" Rachel and Rosy both screamed,
"I'm going to smash your skull with my bare hands!" Lars announced as he jumped.
Ichigo simply glanced at the man, fully expecting him to attack. He swung his sword back to counter Lars's punch. After their first clash, Lars whipped out several more punches, only for Ichigo to counter all of them. The dust around propelled away from them as the clash continued. The force behind Ichigo's attack was far stronger than either had anticipated. Everyone could see that Ichigo was experienced in fighting.
While Ichigo was preoccupied, Jax rushed to attack from Ichigo's left. His blade was coated with light blue energy. He brought his sword up, attempting to hack him to pieces. Ichigo noticed Jax's attempt to cut him down and quickly parried Lars's attack. Lars's arms were flung outwards, leaving him wide open. Ichigo reacted by side-kicking Lars away from him to create distance between them. Before positioning himself to block Jax's sword. The sound of two swords clashing was heard. Jax didn't let up, pushing more force into his blade. It seemed they had equal strength, however, Ichigo proved otherwise, applying more force and pushing him back with his power.
Jax soared through the floor, but safely landed on the ground, he glanced at Ichigo. "Where the hell is this strength coming from!" Jax roared, he couldn't believe a kid was able to knock them back.
He didn't get his answer as he saw Ichigo's arm was up in the air, holding onto Zangetsu. The next thing he knew the sword was swung down and a blue beam of energy was fired out of his sword.
"Water barrier!" he shouted before the beam connected. The blast continued and collided with one side of the wall. The attack was incredibly fast. Most of his barriers were destroyed in the process. If it wasn't for his reflex he would have been seriously hurt.
"Above you!" Rosy yelled once more.
Ichigo's attention was now in the air. He was able to see Lars clasped both his hands as he was going to thrust his hand into the boy's skull. Ichigo grabbed the cage and moved away from the attack. However, Lars's attack didn't stop, and landed on the floor. The impact created a big hole in the floor and everyone around fell to the third floor.
As the collision died down. Lars got up from his position before looking around him. "You alright?" Lars saw Jax's body across from him.
"Of course, I'm not! Can you not do something so stupid!" Jax shouted as he picked himself up.
"Oh shut it, you're still alive!" Lars roared back. As they got themselves back up, the two looked everywhere for the boy. But he was nowhere to be seen. At first, the two laughed, they believed the boy was dead because of the fall. But they were forgetting something. He had the dog. If the dog were to die because of the fall. All of their "hard" work would be for nothing.
"Looking for someone?" Ichigo voiced out. The two looked everywhere before setting their sights on the air. Ichigo was above them, he seemed to be standing on thin air. His voice irritated Jax.
"He can fly!" Rachel, Rosy, and Lars screamed. Jax didn't seem to be impressed. Instead, his anger fueled even more.
"You think you have the advantage just because you can fly! Don't be so cocky you runt!" He coated his blade with another spell before launching several projectiles at Ichigo. The attack was a wave of water. Ichigo simply stood there while destroying all of the shots with Zangetsu.
"...Give up," he didn't see the point in continuing. They were outmatched.
"Like hell, we will!" Lars howled, they wouldn't let a puny kid defeat them. "Bee pin missiles!"
"Water bullets!"
Ichigo sighed to himself as he glided through the air dodging and slashing through the attacks. They were being reckless and persistent. He looked over to one of the windows and saw a crowd of guards approaching the building. His backup was here. "Give up," he said once more. "You're surrounded."
They didn't know what he was talking about until Jax looked outside the window. He was right, they were surrounded, but that didn't seem to stop them in the least. "You think those guards can stop us! They're weak!" Lars shouted across.
"...fine," Ichigo quietly said, before showing him a more terrifying gaze. If they weren't going to give up, he's going to make them. Everyone around him had felt an uneasy feeling. A sudden weight in the air came crashing down. The atmosphere had completely changed. They couldn't tell if it was magic or something completely different. Ichigo looked back at the poodle before placing him somewhere safe and meeting back with Lars and Jax. Ichigo's expression did not change.
He landed in the flood as he gazed at the two, while they gazed back at him. No one made a sound, as they all readied themselves. Sweat started flowing down Lars and Jax's foreheads. They didn't know what that sensation was but couldn't dwell on it for too long. As they quietly got themselves in a fighting position. A small pebble from the fourth floor crumbles to the floor. As it landed on the floor. The battle commenced.
"Bee hurricane! Water tornado!" Lars and Jax shouted. Lars placed his hands on the floor. While Jax raised his sword into the air. One magic circle appeared beneath Ichigo. At the same time, multiple blue rings appeared everywhere surrounding Lars's magic. A swarm of bees and a water current appeared from the spell. The magic wrapped around and mixed, surrounding Ichigo. It was hard for him to escape unscathed.
"Mister!" the two ghosts yelled in concern.
Before the hurricane was able to inflict too much damage to Ichigo. He stabs his Zanpakuto onto the floor. Pumping Reishi into the blade. Blue particles appeared mostly from the floor. The bits seeped into the blade. His eyes and weapon glowed blue as a stone pillar of energy was shot out directly upwards. The stone pillar collided with the storm, destroying and evaporating the spell. The attack was so powerful that it made itself to the fifth floor. (Just imagine Ichigo when he destroyed the stone pillar to save Rukia in the Soul Society Arc.)
"What the hell!" Lars commented. He couldn't believe that he escaped a unison raid (Basically fusion magic if you didn't know). Jax jumped into the air as soon as Lars finished his sentence. He didn't care nor plan on letting Ichigo relax for even a second. He prepared his sword as he dived in for a vertical strike. Although his sword connected, the surface of his blade was met with Ichigo's. Before Jax could unleash another technique, Ichigo brought his sword down. Tipping Jax's balance. Before Jax could move from his position, a blast of blue came from Ichigo's sword. The beam slammed onto his body.
"Jax!" Lars shouted, seeing his body propel in his direction and almost crashing into him. The sheer force Ichigo used knocked Jax temporarily.
"Queen bee!" a ginormous and chubby bee rapidly formed. It had razor-sharp teeth and a stinger. It looked hideous, it was a fusion of a dog and a bee. The creature flew across the building attempting to chew Ichigo to ribbons. Ichigo noticed Lars's shortness of breath as he cast the spell before bringing his attention back to the bee. He didn't expect him to run out of energy already.
Ichigo shot out another burst of energy at the bee. It took the strike but didn't seem to have any effect as it resumed its assault. Ichigo jumped away immediately after the bee came crashing down into several stone pillars. The spell didn't disappear upon impact as it rotated its head. The bee followed Ichigo's every movement like a missile. As he kept his distance. He was able to see Lars defenseless.
Ichigo steers his way to Lars. The queen bee followed in pursuit. He wanted to lead the bee at the man. Like those cartoons where you lead the missile to the owner. But he had a suspicion that Lars would suspect such a move. So instead, he improvised, he let his weapon fade away into particles as he continued to rush at the man. This action got Rosy, Rachel, and Lars confused.
"What is he doing?" Rachel and Rosy both asked. Ichigo was going to get attacked from both sides. The creature had its mouth open ready to devour him, while Lars had both his fist up ready to attack. He was leaving himself completely defenseless.
"He ran out of magic!" Lars smirked. It wasn't surprising for a kid to use up magic. He lucked out since Lars never had good stamina. Now that he didn't have his long ranged weapon. He finally had the advantage. He brings out his arm and coats it with more magic. He launched his attack in an attempt to bash the boy's head as he closed in.
Although he had the advantage, Lars never considered how fast Ichigo's reflexes were. His punch was going to connect but in a mere second. Ichigo ducked under his arm.
"H-he threw his sword away, so he can get me to drop my guard!?" he thought finally understanding his intentions.
Ichigo's hand made its way up onto his collar. He firmly grabbed onto it and in an instant, Lars's body was lifted upwards and tossed in the direction of where the bee was. The bug's mouth was still open as it followed where the two were.
"Dammit!" Lars while still in the air. He squeezed both of his palms together. Doing so quickly disbanded the spell. The creature's body dissolves into thin air. He was able to prevent himself from getting devoured by his magic. He didn't get the chance to recover, however, as he saw Ichigo in the air with him, holding onto his sword once more.
"S-shit!"
He wasn't able to protect himself. He was too slow. Ichigo held Zangetsu with both of his hands. Using full force to slash the individual. The tips of the blade cut into Lars's chest. Blood splatters out of the man's chest. The strike had enough force to send him flying to his right. The force used wasn't much, but the blade itself was.
His whole body crashes into one of the stone pillars before colliding with the wall. It didn't stop there. The power behind the blow was so strong that as soon as Lars's body hit the wall. It started to shatter. His body almost flew out of the building upon breaking.
"B-bee's carpet!" a yellow orb of bees was beneath him before suddenly spreading out to create a blanket. He managed to avoid falling 3 stories. He got back to where they were, yet, his knees and hands fell to the floor as he struggled to catch his breath. He placed his hand on his chest. The pain was unreal.
Ichigo was able to see that Lars was unable to continue fighting. He had already sustained many of his attacks and was low on magic. Which only meant that there was one last person he had to deal with, Jax. He looked around to see where he was but couldn't find him. For some reason, he lost track of him. He looked behind him and his eyes laid on Jax. His body was covered in cyan-colored magic. It resembles Wendy's enhancements. Jax pointed his weapon and prepared to jab behind his back with it.
"Die!" a voice called out behind him. Jax had a twisted exterior as he thrust his sword towards his back. Ichigo avoided it by flash stepping to his left. In his evasion, Ichigo carried his sword up and attempted to cut his foe. But the unexpected happened. For the first time in this battle, Jax stopped his attack.
"H-he was able to counter it!" Rachel stated
"Hah! You think you're that fast. Don't make me laugh!" He swiftly parried him before proving his point by launching out a flurry of whips. Ichigo instantly noticed the change in his speed compared to the beginning.
"Not so fast huh!" he continued to taunt the boy. Everyone was able to see Ichigo struggle. There was so much he was able to do with his gigantic sword. As the brawl continued, Rachel and Rosy saw cuts slowly present themselves on the boy's body and clothes.
Ichigo's blade disappeared once more. Rachel and Rosy thought that was the most logical sense, he needed to be lighter and have room to avoid the attacks. But he didn't back away as they thought. Although it was partly true. Ichigo did need room to dodge but he still needed to stay close. If he were to back away, he would still be on the defensive. It was like his battle with Anisa. Ichigo would always close the distance. The same applied here, especially how fast Jax had gotten all of a sudden.
He opened his hand and brought it up to where Jax's sword was headed. His actions got them to question what he was planning on doing. Was he going to block it? Then why would he cast his sword away? They didn't know what his motive was. Judging from his movements it didn't look like he was able to dodge in time like in his interaction with Lars.
Despite all of this, Jax knew he should be careful. But his ego got the better of him. In his mind, he knew that he shouldn't let this opportunity slip. He fantasized about cutting the boy's arm off and then his chest.
"Die!" he swung with all his strength one final time. While laughing hysterically.
Rosy and Rachel looked away as the blade headed to where his hand was. But, nothing happened. They didn't hear Ichigo cry out in pain. They didn't see any blood pouring out. Ichigo was fine.
"Why wasn't he dead yet? He should have been dead by now!" he thought to himself, oblivious to what had happened.
Everyone looked at his sword to see if anything had happened. Everyone was astonished. Not only did the blade not cut, but it was stopped by Ichigo's bare hand. They didn't see any cuts. They didn't see any blood. Just a hand that had a firm grip on the blade.
"I-impossible!"
In that time frame, as Jax took his sweet time flabbergasted. Ichigo had the opportunity to strike. He brought his other hand and created a fist and drove it into the man's stomach. In response, Jax has launched away from their spot and into a stone pillar. It may look like a cheap move. But Ichigo didn't care. It was a two-on-one after all.
"Should you really be daydreaming?" he said looking down at Jax darkly. He was able to see him struggle to get up as he tries to regain his composure. Nothing was going in his favor. But he still continued.
"You think…You think a weak punch like that is going to stop me!" The man laughed as he got himself off the floor. The girls were terrified by how resilient the man was. Ichigo showed a scowling face. This was the first time any of them saw the boy make such a face.
They were wounded and outmatched. There was no point in fighting. But he still persisted. Even he was getting fed up. He resummoned his blade and closed his eyes. He took a breath in and out. Clearing his mind of any negative emotions he had just felt. He and his Zanpukato slowly unleashed a wave of reishi. It was more energy than he has ever done in a long time. It became more fierce than before.
Purple markings started to appear behind Ichigo's back. Covering most of his back. It started stabbing him. Rosy and Rachel were able to see the markings. They didn't know what it was, and that was concerning.
Ichigo paid no attention to his surroundings. It was the first time in a long time since he had ever unleashed his signature move. Though, it wasn't even close to the same power as a "Getsuga…Tensho". But he digressed. He just wanted to get this over with.
Jax stood where he was as he witnessed the amount of "magic" the boy had emitted. His amused face was replaced with fright. It was unbelievable. He still had this much strength left. He thought that he must have reached his limit. But he was so wrong. He should have surrendered when he had the chance. He was going to lose because of his hubris. His whole body told him to run away. But he couldn't, he was paralyzed. He brought out his sword. But he already knew it was useless.
"Getsuga…Tensho!"
A massive blue wave of Reishi came crashing onto the floor as it made its way to Jax. he knew he had already lost, but he still need to protect himself.
"Water barrier!" he shouted one last time. As he poured everything into his last spell. Meanwhile, Lars saw the attack quickly closing in on him. He instinctively moved with a sluggish pace.
"B-Beehive!" he shouted in a last-ditch effort to defend them both.
The move created a huge explosion that blew half of the building's wall. Smoke was everywhere. As it cleared itself away. Ichigo and the rest saw was their bodies incredibly damaged. Their bodies slammed onto the hard cement floor.
"H-holy crap" Rosy managed to utter, Ichigo quickly ran towards Lars. Rosy and Rachel followed.
They could see them barely breathing properly, even with the damage their bodies had sustained. "At least they're alive" he whispered to himself in relief. The battle was over. He stood there silently. Before a huge migraine showed itself. Ichigo placed his head on his forehead. His legs felt wobbly as he winced.
"Are you ok?" both of them can see Ichigo's discomfort. He brushed it off as if nothing had happened. He slowly flew to where Mr. Puffly was and freed him from his cage. The poodle seemed weak and startled, but it felt safe with Ichigo.
(Aftermath)
The guards waited patiently outside, they didn't know what was going on. They kept hearing explosions on the upper floors. Even seeing an individual almost falling from the building. But the scariest thing was the pressure they all felt plus the blue light that destroyed half of the building. They wanted to go up to the higher floors but they knew that was a death wish. They were only guards. Not wizards.
Before they were able to think up anything the battle had already ended. They were able to see Ichigo carry Jax and Lars down to where they were. While a white poodle was following behind. They didn't know what had happened, but it seemed that the two criminals were defeated. They didn't believe a kid was the one responsible for overpowering them. Yet, they didn't see anyone following him behind.
"D-did you do this?" one of the guards questioned Ichigo. Asking if he was the one who beat the two adults.
"Yeah" he replied as he laid the bodies on the floor.
The guards didn't know what to do. If it was true that the boy was the one responsible. Then that would mean that he's a strong individual as well. They didn't know if they should trust him.
"Patch them up and put them in jail," the leader of the guard suddenly announced. Getting everyone's attention. They couldn't believe the leader to be so calm about it.
"Now!" He spoke in a harsher voice. The rest panicked and did what they were told. "While you're at it, patch the boy!"
The man looked back at Ichigo. He didn't seem worried like the others. Instead, he showed a genuine manner. "Thank you for your hard work, we wouldn't have done it without you,"
"...It's fine,"
(Back at the mansion)
After the word had spread of the two criminals and their imprisonment. Everyone stopped their search for the missing pet. Although the news was known throughout the town. Some were upset that they weren't able to find the dog and get the reward. But most were happy to hear that the dog had been found and is being returned to its owner.
Rebecca is one of many who listened to the news from her butler. She couldn't believe that Ichigo was able to find the dog so easily. Even everyone else in the village wasn't able to find him. Rebecca couldn't wait any longer and rushed outside the doors, the butler following shortly behind. She wanted to see if the boy was with Mr. Puffly, but was nowhere to be found. Until a slight silhouette of a boy was walking his way to the entrance of the mansion. She was able to hear a barking noise as she laid her eyes on a familiar dog. Her tears flowed down as she recognized the barking.
Without thinking, Rebecca ran towards her dog, while the dog did the same. The two made contact as they both hugged. Tears poured out of Rebecca's eyes while the poodle licked her tears away.
"Thank you! Thank you so much!" she cried out towards Ichigo as she hugged her poodle harder. Ichigo didn't respond, only nodding in acknowledgment as the two continued to hug. He didn't want to ruin the moment.
"...Hey, mister" Rachel voiced out grabbing Ichigo's attention. He turned around to the two daughters. They looked like they had something to say.
"We just wanted to thank you for saving Mr. Puffly," they bowed after Rachel finished her sentence. They couldn't do anything more.
"You don't have to bow, it was nothing," they stopped what they were doing, but they seemed to still have something to say.
"I-I know that we might be asking a lot but" "I-is it possible for you to pass on a message to our mom?" Rachel continued, and Ichigo was able to see Rosy hold her hand "...Of course"
He looked at Rebecca who still wept. He asked the butler to leave the two alone. Before getting Rebecca's attention. "What is it?"
"Can I ask for a favor?" he asked Rebecca, she reluctantly answered him with a yes without any hesitation. "I want you to keep a secret for me," Ichigo continued only for Rebecca to nod in understanding. "...I'm able to see spirits"
"W-what"
"...Rachel and Rosy are here with us,"
"R-Rosy and R-Rachel?" Rebecca gasped, she grabbed onto Ichigo's sleeve. "D-does this mean you're able to communicate with them."
Ichigo nodded. "They were the ones who showed me where your poodle was." Rebecca was speechless. She didn't know what to say. "They have a message they wish to tell you,"
(Rossy's perspective first)
"Hey mom, it's been a while. Don't worry me and Rachel are doing well. You don't need to worry. I just wanted to say. Is that we don't blame anyone for what happened. So please don't be sad. We always see you and dad crying. And when you guys cry it makes us cry. S-so please don't cry so often."
"Smile mom, you always had the biggest smile out there. That's all we want to see from you o-ok" her nose started to run, and her composure was quickly breaking "S-so don't cry ok? We're always with you. T-the same with dad ok! W-we love you and we'll always be there for you!"
"So promise me that you won't cry!?"
She stopped, she couldn't hold her tears back. She insisted Rachel go next.
(Rachel's point of view second)
"H-hi mom, it's been a while. I-I know that life has been tough lately. But be strong! I know that you and dad can do it. You're both the strongest out there! I know that dad is busy but stay by his side,"
"Please take care of daddy and Mr. Puffly ok? They need you, and you need them. Um, don't forget to finish your apples. You always forget to finish them. And, and don't forget to clean up after yourself, and… and
"…and always know that we'll always be a family!"
The two held each other's hand. "T-thank you for everything you have done for us! We love you!"
Their body's glowed yellow as they finally finished. They still displayed the biggest smile they could ever show. Rebecca cried during the entire speech. They were with them the entire time. They didn't feel any resentment but love. It was sad to hear that all they were able to see was sadness.
"I-I promise that I won't cry anymore!" She started off kneeling on the floor. "I-I promise your dad that he won't cry anymore!" she said, the two daughters quietly listening.
"I promise I won't be sad"
"I promise I will clean after myself!"
"I promise I will eat all of the apples!"
"I promise I will take care of your dad and Mr. Puffly"
"I promise I will live my life to the fullest."
"I-I love you two so so much"
"So promise me that you'll take care of yourself ok?"
"Whatever happens. We'll always be a family,"
As soon as she finished the sentence. A bright golden light shined down from the sky. Two children stood in front of Rebecca. She recognized who the two were. They placed their warm and soft hands on hers. "We love you"
She didn't feel the sorrow she once did. But instead, she could feel the brilliant light shine down with love.
"I love you too,"
Rebecca sobbed. "I love you too"
The children smiled at Rebecca. Their tiny hand held her hand. Soon after, wings spread on their backs as it was time to go. They softly let go of Rebecca, before ascending into the air. Rebecca looked at the two. She didn't beg for the two to stay. She didn't chase after them. All she did was waved the two goodbyes. She knew they would always support them in the sky.
May one day.
They meet again.
As one big family again.
Hi, I just want to say that I'm sorry that this chapter took a long time to write, but I'm also thankful for your patience. School has been hectic lately, so it took me way longer than I had expected. I didn't want to write so much for a chapter but felt that it was needed because I didn't want to create multiple chapters. That's the reason why this chapter might feel too long. I'm sorry if you didn't enjoy this chapter simply because it was either too long or it was dragged out. There's a high possibility that I won't write this much. But who knows.
I tried to make the fight scene a bit longer than the others. But I don't know if it turned out ok. I kept adding things, but it doesn't feel long. I don't know if others thought it was enjoyable like I did. And I know some things feel rushed and I am aware of that. But I don't think I'll edit it, except for the ending.
Lastly, I just wanted to say that I don't know when I'll be able to post another chapter, so I hope that you'll be patient and hopefully look forward to the next chapter. Have a good day :)