I do not own either One Piece or Bleach.
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Beta read by the wonderful lincoln time, BlantonM, and MasterQwertster, whose own stories and art you should definitely check out!
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Guest Review answers :-D
Guest (please choose a name/nickname next time)
An excellent point on how children are raised differently in Japan, although Don Kanonji had spent a lot of time in America. But yes, he is going to play it cautiously here.
Here is the latest chapter, and I hope it was worth the wait! Looking forward to hearing your newest thoughts! :-D
Thank you for your Review and Support! :-D
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Evil Reviewer
Oh, why would Zoro and Kenpachi meeting be at all interesting? It is not like they have anything in common after all. :-P
Here is the latest chapter, and I hope it was worth the wait! Looking forward to hearing your newest thoughts! :-D
Thank you for your Review and Support! :-D
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Ophelia
Awesome to hear all that! Here is the latest chapter, and I hope it was worth the wait! Looking forward to hearing your newest thoughts! :-D
Thank you for your Review and Support! :-D
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Noice
Going to break this down per chapter.
Chapter 1:
Nice to hear that :-)
Chapter 2:
Actually in Bleach they use 'taichou' which translates as 'land captain,' while 'senchou' means 'naval captain.' As I wanted to maintain some Japanese and Soul Society terms, it felt best to make the distinction between captains.
While Zoro is the one most consistently shown training, I do headcanon that the other Straw Hats do still do some of their own while sailing. Plus the fact that they spent ages in an entirely different world where very nearly everyone else was an enemy, forced them to keep honing their skills more; something I should probably clarify here actually, so thank you.
You are certainly correct that the Straw Hats rarely care about the past, but again they are in a place where knowing who they are dealing with is more important than it was in the past. That said, yeah I should tone it down for future chapters.
LOL you are not wrong, juggling such a big cast takes a lot of work, but keeps it interesting. Yet them all being together will have later plot repercussions, because that is very much not normal…
Here is the latest chapter, and I hope it was worth the wait! Looking forward to hearing your newest thoughts! :-D
Thank you for your Review and Support! :-D
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Seas of Souls
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Chapter 13: What is With These Kids!?
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THIS STORY NOW HAS A TVTROPES PAGE! :-D
MANY THANKS TO bf2234!
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Seireitei
13th Division training grounds
Okay, maybe I'm going about this wrong, conceded Rukia, trying to hide the fact she was struggling to stay standing.
Sweat ran down her back, while before her, Ichigo looked completely at ease. For all that she knew he had gained bankai in a ridiculously short period of time, and achieved the impossible again and again, sometimes right in front of her, it was a whole different matter to experience it like this. Last she had seen him, he had been swinging his sword like an 11th Division brute; rough and unpolished, relying entirely upon the strength and speed of his swings to win. Now even his technical skill outpaced her's.
Yes, granted, she was still recovering, and this was a practice sword she was holding, not Sode no Shirayuki. Only Ichigo still had a bunch of bandages on himself, a similar weapon, and had been on his deathbed mere days ago.
"Alright then," she said firmly, lowering her stance. "I'm glad to see how much you've improved. Now, let's get a break. We don't want to overstrain your injuries.
"I'm doing fine," he insisted. "But sure. Could use some water."
She doubted she managed to truly hide the relief at sitting down on the benches to the side of the training ground. However, he did not give her any pity, which she appreciated.
After some delicate sips from her cup to replenish herself, she took a different approach. "Okay, so you beat my brother."
Ichigo had finished all of his drink already, and was now sitting beside her doing some arm stretches. "Yep," he said matter-of-factly, and a part of her wanted to punch him for that.
"Describe for me the fight."
"Huh?"
"Tell me what happened when you two fought, from start to finish. He still nearly killed you, right? So we can start there."
Blinking once, Ichigo awkwardly scratched his head. "Why? I won, right? That's all that matters."
"Are you trying to hide something?" she snapped back.
He flinched.
Oh no, he's actually trying to hide something. That's . . . not good.
"You can't expect me to believe you fought perfectly the whole time!" she said, her tone more acidic than she intended out of concern for him. "You're too much of a blockhead. If you embarrassed yourself by dropping your zanpakuto or something, man up and admit it!"
"Like I'd do that to Zangetsu!" he snapped back. Then he started to tell her what happened. Or an abridged version at least. It was not clear what he was hiding exactly, yet there was enough still for her to work with.
"Okay, first of all, goading my brother like that was stupid. You said you got right in his face and there wasn't anything he could do about it."
"Hey! I needed to crush him when he was at full power!"
"And then what? Even if Aizen hadn't been a traitor, you'd have been too beat up to get us out of here!" She took a deep breath. "Ichigo, I understand there's the need to fight for your pride. I . . . get it. But I don't think you understand how bad things could've gotten when other lives besides your own were on the line."
Maybe I made a mistake in letting him fight Grand Fisher alone? No. He needed to do that. Except, from the other fights they've mentioned him having, is he getting into a pattern of fights for pride?
". . . That's not the point," grunted Ichigo.
Eyebrow twitching, she smacked him over the head and went on to point two. "What can you tell me about the kido which blew a hole through your shoulder?"
He did not answer though, remembering Byakuya's lecture on how all of his fights throughout the Seireitei had finally caught up with him.
"Ow!"
"What can you tell me about the kido which blew a hole through your shoulder!? Do you think I want to ask you about this!? You got hurt defending me!"
"I . . . he said something like Byakurai I think? Oh, and Hado #4."
"Before that."
"Yes."
"That was actually the weakened version."
"What!?"
"With kido, if you use the full incantation it is generally more powerful. Without incantations though is faster."
". . . What about those ones Aizen used against the taichou?"
"Danku is a really powerful barrier. Hado #31, Shakkaho, the red ball, is an offensive one most Shinigami stop at when learning."
"That black square?"
"Never heard of it before. He said it was #90 though, so I wouldn't know. But he took down a taichou in a single move with it!"
". . . the lightning?"
"Raikoho. # 63."
"And what he used against Kenpachi?"
"Oh! That was "Bakudo #61, Rikujokoro. You're lucky brother didn't use that against you actually, it's one of his signature moves."
Briefly Ichigo pondered what the repercussions would have been to even a brief moment of paralysis during that fight. Then he dismissed those 'what if's?' as irrelevant.
". . ."
". . ."
". . . So maybe I could try learning some kido?" he said, voicing what they were both now thinking.
"Well you're in luck," she grinned at him. "That's my specialty, so I can at least get you started on the basics before you leave. I'm sure we can get you at least better than Renji was when he graduated."
A slight, warm glow filled Rukia at the sight of Ichigo leaping to accept that challenge.
—Seas of Souls—
4th Division
"Orihime!"
"Rangiku!" chirped back Orihime, pleasantly surprised to see her new friend strolling towards her through the hospital hallway. "What're you doing here?"
"Oh, y'know," winked the older woman, "I needed a breather, and remembered I'd forgotten to step in and check on the Taichou anywho. I mean, sure, he's not awake yet, but I know he'd do the same for me."
"Huh, I don't think I saw him before. What's he like?"
"Hitsugaya-Taichou? I'd describe him best as a man with a commanding stature, towering authority, while the old guard praise his enthusiastic youth," winked Rangiku. "He really is a prodigy though, who I'd trust with my back. Just like your friends. Oh, speaking of which." She gestured behind the girl as someone came into view.
"Ah! Uryu!" called Orihime while waving.
A hand clapped over her mouth.
"Shhhh!" hissed Rangiku in a panic, eyes darting about wildly. "Do. Not. Disturb. The. Peace."
"Sorry," said Orihime softly, as her mouth was released. She was a little startled, but not as bad as those times Chizaru grabbed her breasts.
"Ah heh heh heh. I'm sorry too," said Rangiku sheepishly, scratching her curly mane. "I maaaaay have overreacted a little, but, well, I overheard some gossip that Kenpachi had acted out and Unohana-Taichou, she runs the 4th Division, neutered him."
". . ."
"That was probably an over-exaggeration. . . . Probably."
"Is everything alright here?" an icy voice cut in.
The Last Quincy was suddenly right there, and mentally Rangiku applauded the stealthy approach.
Of course, she noted, even as Orihime worked to reassure her friend everything was fine, being totally devoid of reiatsu probably helps.
Not that she was letting him slip out of helping out with the training sessions. His friends needed all the help they could get, and he actually knew what they were capable of.
Although what's he doing here still? Nobody's really down there. Certainly nobody he'd know.
Well, except for maybe Kurotsuchi-Fukutaichou, but it's not like she'd chat with him or anything.
"Hey, hey, there's some more of you!" Shiba Ganju joined the group now. Trying to be discreet about checking out Rangiku's cleavage as he arrived. One of the hospital staff was with him too. "Hanataro here was asking about us, and I knew I heard Orihime."
"Waaaait," said Rangiku, tapping her chin. "You're that medic who helped out Kurosaki and Renji those times, right?"
"Uhmmmm, y-yes?"
"Good for you! Seriously, Renji's too good a drinking buddy to lose."
"Th-thanks?"
"Oh!" Orihime gave a bow. "Thank you for saving Kurosaki! My name's Inoue Orihime!"
"N-no trouble. I did it for Miss Rukia."
"I'm grateful for that too!"
Uryu adjusted his glasses. "Ishida Uryu." Changing the subject, "So you're all better, Ganju?"
"Huh? Ah yeah, just a few scrapes left."
"Good to hear," giving a slight smile. "Ganju said you wanted to ask us something?"
"Right. Well, y'see, could you talk to Ichigo please? Make sure he doesn't overdo it?"
"I beg your pardon?" said Uryu, while the others looked quizzically.
"He's apparently sparring at the 13th Division, but he's supposed to be taking things easy!"
Well that was fast, acknowledged Rangiku. Although not as fast as the gossip network.
"Guess he wants to keep getting stronger," she praised. At that, the Quincy shot her a sharp look, and she worried she had oversold it.
"Really?!" said Orihime in surprise. "We should go see! C'mon everybody! Ah, wait, Rangiku! Which way?"
Briefly Rangiku weighed the merits of helping the kids get that very training she had been planning to help them with, versus seeing her Taichou and finishing all that paperwork waiting for her.
She would take the secret of having even considered the latter to her grave, more responsible side or not.
"Just follow me!"
With that she went into a light jog, with Orihime right behind her.
For a moment Uryu hesitated, yet he knew he was being referred to here as well, so he grimaced and followed.
—Seas of Souls—
With a scowl, Ganju gazed at the backs of the others, the lot of them obviously assuming he would tag along.
Clearly they had forgotten all his loud declarations of how he hated Shinigami. Maybe he had put it in the past with that Kuchiki girl, but there were plenty of other reasons for him to despise the rest. Starting with how they had let this mess with that Aizen guy get to this point in the first place.
On the other hand, Ganju was not as stupid as he looked. Or as his sister liked to call him.
Having thought about what the Kuchiki girl had reported, he was willing to bet this Aizen guy was involved with Kaien's death as well. Oh, there was nothing concrete, but the rumours and speculations were flying left and right, and he could blend into the crowd and listen if he wanted to. Moreover, his awesome, older brother had been strong, skilled, virtuous, and everything else a Shinigami was actually supposed to be. Of course the egomaniac would want him out of the way by whatever means necessary.
In fact, he was possibly even involved in the disgrace of the entire Shiba Clan. With that sort of awful illusion power, it certainly seemed feasible.
The loss of an entire clan of the highest nobility? Especially given the power of the Shibas, their independent natures, and being unconventional in their thoughts and actions? Followed by the purge of his family to lessen their numbers?
Yeah, this Aizen had every motive to do all that.
Their exile alone would have justified breaking ties with the Seireitei. Aside from Uncle Isshin, of course, except he was dead now.
However, that did not mean Ganju was going to throw himself head-on into revenge. The vast, gaping, massive, overwhelming difference in power between him and Aizen aside, Kaien had always been one to warn about the dangers of vengeance. Something Ichigo had unknowingly thrown in his face when he had told Ganju how he was saving Rukia to repay the debt he owed for her for giving him the strength to save his family. The reminder of how Kaien had died with a smile on his face. Which had been all the more powerful given Ichigo's eerie similarity to his brother.
. . . Especially if maybe it had gotten Kaien killed after all.
So yeah, he could see what was going on here with this 'special training,' and he had no reason to help the Gotei 13 fight their own battles.
Ishida and the rest pulled farther away.
On the other hand . . . that would mean going home to his Big Sis, who had probably already heard about the . . . setbacks and awful luck Ganju had faced while invading the Seireitei. Depending on what she had been told, she might be . . . upset with him.
That would be bad.
Really bad.
The more he thought about it, no way any of the training these Shinigami were proposing could possibly be worse than whatever Kukaku was surely planning to throw at him.
In fact, that might be literal, given that one time she threw all those exercise weights into his face . . .
Plus if he went with the Shinigami, if it got too bad, he would be justified to throw a firecracker in a Shinigami's face. No way he could do that to his sis.
"Okay, sheesh!" he growled in frustration, before hurrying after the Humans. "They'd be lost without me anyways."
—Seas of Souls—
Karakura Town
"Excuse me, is your name Arisawa Tatsuki?" a melodic voice rode the wind a few feet from behind Tatsuki as she was walking down the street.
Turning around, the tomboy was surprised by the gorgeous vision before her. Only a few years older with ample curves, and hair like red gold, plus a warm, inviting smile
Tatsuki was more or less straight, yet right here and now she was almost reconsidering it.
(Although if she did become bisexual, she would have to pre-emptively kill Chizuru for her own peace of mind.)
Thankful beyond words she was not gaping or blushing, she managed a quick nod. Only then did her reflexes catch up, and her eyes narrowed in further interest. Not in attraction, but in recognizing how this newcomer walked with a grace which made her think danger.
In the last few years, Tatsuki had seen a couple of people at her martial arts tournaments, and the adult classes at her dojo, who were whispered to be really senior federal agents, bodyguards, or with security companies. Even Yakuza! They walked in a way pretty similar to the beauty in front of her, except without seeming as much like a . . . the closest word she could think of was 'predator.' A well-fed one at that.
Which was probably a complete exaggeration she knew. This woman was nothing like those scum she occasionally encountered.
. . . Alright, somehow it actually made this woman more attractive, which was completely unfair!
"Who wants to know?" she said politely, but her eyes narrowed.
"My name is Nami," said the redhead cheerfully. "Chopper and Lilynette are close friends of mine, and they're now friends with Karin and Yuzu. They mentioned a Tatsuki, and it got passed onto us. You look like a fighter, and, well, for those of us able to sense the power," she tapped her head with a knowing wink, "you stand out."
They . . . what . . . ?
The implications hit home with a chilling accord, and yet if anything her heartbeat remained steady. She shifted her stance slightly in case she needed to fight, a part of her wondering how she would match up. "Yeah, that's me," she admitted.
There was no way that this Nami missed what she was doing, only she beamed a happy smile. "I'm really thankful for them keeping Lilynette busy. She can be a real handful at times." She held out a hand, "It's nice to meet you."
". . . Likewise," said Tatsuki after a moment's hesitation. She accepted the gesture, noting how Nami's grip was as smooth as it was strong. More strength than you would expect from those slender arms. "So you're new in town?"
"Just passing through. One big happy family," said Nami airily. "Maybe longer though with those two befriending Karin and Yuzu. Anyways, when we sensed you, we had to stop and say hi."
Before Tatsuki could say "We?", she saw what Nami meant as they stepped out from around the street corner.
Right behind Nami were two older women, both with their own flawless, ample features.
For all that she was relatively normal in appearance, the raven-haired woman's eyes and smile promised mischief and mystery, carrying herself with grace as Tatsuki had to look up at the tall figure.
The third was someone exotic, having dark-skin, messy blonde hair with three, loose braids hung down, all of which meshed exquisitely with her sharp face.
The first woman was carrying a book, and introduced herself as "Robin." Despite it being summer still and fairly warm, she wore skinny jeans with her equally tight t-shirt displaying a muscular man with a panda's head.
The exotic lady adjusted the scarf around her face, and said, "Halibel." Her outfit was atypical, with loose, black pants, button up shirt, and a black vest on top. Despite how her face was still covered, she was holding a rich looking pastry, which would probably cost Tatsuki another lap or two around the track to burn off the calories if she ate it.
Both radiated the same lethal air about them.
"Nice to meet you," she said pleasantly, only to belatedly realise she meant it. Meeting female fighters was rarer than she would like, especially out of tournaments. Here on the streets? It was a fun sensation.
Then she blinked in surprise as Halibel slipped her snack under her scarf to eat it.
Despite her curiosity, Tatsuki chose a more polite topic, and said, "So what've you guys seen so far?" Not that there was much here in Karakura.
"Nothing too special so far," admitted Nami. "We've been away from civilization for a bit, so honestly, re-acclimating to all this," a lazy, graceful hand waved to encompass the whole city, "has kept us busy."
Huh, weird.
"Anything or anyplace you would recommend?" asked Robin.
"Not particularly. Kinda a small town really. But if you're still getting used to all this, it's probably better here than jumping straight into Tokyo. Maybe some restaurants, but I don't go to those. Main attraction really is the river. It's got some pretty nice spots for the view. Have you tried there yet?"
"Oh yes," Halibel purred in a way which made Tatsuki's heart skip a beat. Robin and Nami shot their companion a look of mild surprise.
"I . . . guess you liked it?" Tatsuki offered.
"Yes, indeed," said Halibel, and Tatsuki realised her expression over the scarf never seemed to shift. "It had been far too long since I saw something like that. Being able to relax with so much water."
"Uhm, have you tried the bath houses?"
"Bath houses?"
"Yeah, places to go to bathe with other people. Cold water, hot water, the works."
"Hmm, I will have to look into this. Any place you would recommend?"
So Tatsuki rattled off directions. She cautioned how she had never gone herself, but it had been recommended to her a few times.
As she did so, she noted a guy watching her intently with a look of confusion. Freak. A quick glare and he scurried on though. The three older women appeared amused though, even if they said nothing about it.
She glanced at the time on a store display. "Ah, sorry, I've got to go. I'm helping with dinner tonight."
"No worries."
"Thanks again."
Robin took out a piece of paper, and wrote on it. "Here," she said as she offered it. "If you're interested in the sort of training Karin and Yuzu are doing with Don Kanonji, you should go here. Some of us may join in as well."
"Oh! Thanks! I'll consider it."
Taking the paper, she quickly parted ways, and once a block away, she stepped into an alleyway to take a deep breath.
That . . . was something else.
She looked at the directions and time, noting it was a park where people would be around.
. . . Yeah, she was going. These people . . . knew something about what was happening. Hinted at having the same sort of strange abilities she did not want to think about because there was nothing she could do.
Of course, going would probably mean admitting ignorance, and she felt uncomfortable doing so with those people.
Still, if Karin and Yuzu were involved, without telling her, and that idiot, TV-host guy, then she pretty much had to go.
And if all else failed, she would see how well Nami and her friends could stand up to fists which could break cinder blocks!
—Seas of Souls—
"She seems nice," said Nami.
"Yes indeed," grinned Robin.
"What was that man staring at us for?" asked Halibel frigidly.
"Ah, I believe it's because you're the only one of us not in a gigai," offered Robin. "So it looked like Tatsuki was talking to nobody."
"Oh . . ."
"No matter. Not like his opinion mattered."
"She does seem decent enough," allowed Halibel.
—Seas of Souls—
Straw Hat warehouse
"So there you are!"
Chopper jumped in place, and spun around to cringe at the sight of Apacci glowering at him. "Uhm, yes?"
"I wondered if you were going to be here, since you're spending so much time with those new friends of yours!"
"I—"
"Of course if you're not gone with them, you're here blathering about how awesome they are, while we're just leftover trash!"
"That's not true!" he gasped. "You're awesome, all of you! I love you!" They were his family after all.
"Blah!" she gaped, blushing hard.
However he rushed right over it.
"They're good friends though, and it's so cool to see how Humans have their own version of Cero—"
Oh, she was still red for some reason, but now in an angry way.
"And uhm, I'm working on my medicine bag, you want to help me?" he improvised.
Sheer confusion snapped shut her short fuse. "Medicine?" she asked suspiciously.
"It's for healing. Uh, they're like different tools and chemicals to help the body fix itself faster."
"But we have reishi." Which was fair, as her regeneration was one of the best, surprisingly so even for someone so comparatively weak to the rest. "And your oil does all we need."
"I know that! You don't need to insult me, you idiot!"
"Well you are an idiot!"
He stopped in surprise. Usually when he did that, she did not insult him back like she did with her sisters. "A-are you okay?"
"No! Yes! I'm perfectly fine!"
"O-okay, if you're sure."
Nervously he waited to see what she would do next, and thankfully she took a deep breath to help settle herself. "Keep talking about that medicine thingy."
"Oh! Well I was talking to Y—some people! Yes, some total strangers—"
By her glare she did not buy it.
"—about doctors, when I remembered how I used to be a doctor! So I need to get my old stuff together. Also I can help Humans without raising questions.
". . . Uhm, do you want to help me with it?"
A flurry of emotions flew across her face, before she huffed, and nodded. "Yeah, that sounds great."
"Thank you! We'll be a team at it!"
"Y-yeah! Partners!"
"Working together!"
"Just the two of us!"
"You can be my assistant! I'll teach you!"
"I'll be the best assistant doctor this planet's ever seen!"
"Okay!"
—Seas of Souls—
Unbeknownst to the pair, they had a couple of eavesdroppers.
"Hmph," huffed Mila Rose.
"Hmm," hummed, Sung-Sun.
After that, Chopper devolved into highly technical explanations about what he was putting into his 'medicine bag' which flew over their heads. Although Apacci held on with rapt attention usually reserved solely for Lady Halibel.
Sharing a look, they moved off so they would not be overheard. Finding seats, they settled down to talk.
"So, what d'you think?" asked Mila Rose.
"They're cute enough," said Sung-Sun. "Just so long as they keep it careful."
For a moment Mila Rose looked at her quizzically before she got it. "What, you're worried about him breaking her heart?"
"Or vice versa, for all that we don't have one. If things got emotional, others could end up taking sides."
"Well, everyone can see how lovely-dovey they are about it! Two deer finding each other!"
"First of all, this is uncharted territory for all of us. For Hollows even. Second, that doesn't mean anything. Both Nelliel and Sanji were goats before, and she's not into him at all that way."
"While he's into any woman."
"Precisely. Plus, there are Hollows with no distinctive animal traits."
"But he goes around flirting without issue, so why is it a problem here?"
Despite the sleeve covering her face, with her raised eyebrow and dry voice, Mila Rose was certain her sister was smiling as she said, "Because everyone knows they'll say no to him. Despite all the lust within him, it does not rule him. As Arrancar, we have control over such urges."
"Right. Fine. Whatever. We'll just keep an eye on things. Who cares about romance anyways? Just a whole lot of stupid waste."
"Ah, Mila Rose, there you are. I was hoping to talk to you."
The ebony woman stiffened at the voice of Nelliel, and Sung-Sun raised an intrigued eyebrow. Firmly she squashed the urge to speak up, choosing instead to let events play out before her. For now.
"Y-yes," gritted out Mila Rose, clearly unhappy to be having this conversation.
Pointedly the greenette looked about, and since there were no chairs, she sat down cross-legged on the floor.
That was . . . an unbelievable concession by a Hollow. Taking the weaker position, even if realistically Nelliel could feasibly kill them both in their resurreccións without even drawing her blade.
"What do you want?" asked Mila-Rose stiffly, making Sung-Sun raise an eyebrow again, albeit in surprise this time.
Their newest member hummed for a moment, before she softly but firmly said, "When I was an Espada, sorry Ethpada, the one who betrayed and crippled me and my Fracción used to look at me like you were earlier. I failed to properly address the matter before, ignoring him, and suffered for it. So, would you care to explain why you've been avoiding me? Or glaring at me when you think I can't see it?"
Mila Rose tensed at the unspoken threat, yet managed to swallow the first words she wanted to bark.
Sung-Sun just blinked in confusion.
Visibly choosing her words carefully, Mila Rose said, "I meant no offence."
Wearing a neutral expression, Nelliel nodded. Emboldened, the ebony woman continued, "I was upset because . . . of how you fought with a sword."
Obviously that was not what Nelliel was expecting, as she tried and failed to properly school her expression to hide her befuddlement and slight concern.
Hastily Mila Rose said, "I want to be the best at the sword. I can't be as strong or fast as Lady Halibel, Starrk, or Zoro, but I want to be as skilled as they are. And . . . now you . . . I mean . . . another, uhm, challenge I guess?"
It was all incredibly awkward, and totally out of character for the normally perfectly confident woman. Sung-Sun hid how unsettled she was by this as she tried to figure out what was going on.
Except comprehension dawned upon Nelliel, and she gave a knowing smile. "I see," she said, hooking one arm around Mila-Rose's stunned shoulders to pull her in close. "Well in that case, how's about I help you train? No offence to Halibel of course, but we can't expect her to be perfect at everything."
"Uhm—"
Sung-Sun's brows furrowed minutely as she suspected she was missing something.
"Honestly, it'd be kinda of a relief even. I mean, back with the Ethpada, we couldn't even really do that. The one guy I tried it with never listened, so it was mostly him challenging me, and me beating him up."
"You should've killed him," said Mila Rose frankly, before regretting it as Nelliel's face closed off.
". . . Maybe. I . . . don't like killing."
The two ladies blinked before they remembered Dondochakka saying something to that effect. It had been so surreal they had honestly put it aside until hearing it straight from the source herself.
". . . How did you survive as a Hollow!?"
"This is after you became an Arrancar, yes?" Sung-Sun interjected.
"Yes," answered Nelliel, her voice a tangle of emotions.
Thinking quickly, and really not wanting to go back to their original topic, Mila Rose hastily said, "So what other hobbies are you considering?"
"Well Robin mentioned something about books—"
—Seas of Souls—
Seireitei
13th Division training grounds
"You idiot!" snapped Ganju. "Didn't you learn anything from the sphere!? It's like you've gone and forgotten everything I ever taught you! Concentrate your power, or else you might blow your arm off!"
"How is it you're still so bad at controlling it!?" threw in Rukia. "You pathetic fool!"
Alright, granted, it was kind of unfair of her to expect so much of a complete novice, especially such a close friend, but Ganju was only barely exaggerating about Ichigo blowing an arm off.
"Hey! What happened!?"
"What's going on!?"
"Did the ryoka do this!?"
"There's a huge hole here!"
"Is this an attack!?"
"Is that Kuchiki?"
"It is!"
Flushing in embarrassment, Rukia spun around to face the crowd of her division mates who had run up, some with weapons drawn.
"Sorry, sorry, it's alright!" she said quickly, waving her hands to try and reassure them. "We just had a little accident. With kido."
"Uhm," the culprit in question scratched his spiky, orange hair awkwardly. "Sorry?"
"You're darn right you're sorry!" she snapped, kicking him in the rear. "Next time shoot into the air!"
"What kind of kido was that!?" demanded one guy she did not know the name of, and given the stuff she had overheard him saying about her, did not want to. "What number!?"
". . . Hado #1, Shou."
Behind them was once a training wall to practice kido on, and was now a gaping hole with training dummies scattered about.
A hole which continued through several more walls.
"You're lucky nobody was killed!" the man snapped at her. "What do you think you're doing, being reckless like that!?"
"Hey!" said Ichigo, eyes sharpening and spine stiffening. "It was an accident, alright? Chill out." An unconscious flicker of his reiatsu wafted off of him, making the mob flinch back a step.
"Cool it, Ichigo," she told him. She knew she was unpopular enough with them, being accused of nepotism for one, that she did not need him making it worse.
Although, she had overheard how the revelations about Kaien that Aizen had dropped had also spread lately. Knowing such a monster had likely been behind it, made things . . . not 'easier,' but maybe 'more understandable'? Maybe?
She honestly did not want to think about it.
Even if she should probably thank Sentarou and Kiyone later.
Ganju scowled at the lot of them, clearly ready for a fight, but not actively picking one, which was frankly progress.
Ignoring their audience, Rukia turned back to Ichigo. "Okay, from now on, aim at the sky! Secondly, we're going to work on getting your powers figured out. Your control's even more of a mess than I remember it. Did getting so much more reiryoku really make you forget how to use it?"
While Ichigo flushed at that a little, he also looked away from her.
"Hey!" She grabbed the collar of his shihakusho to yank him around. "I'm serious!"
"I'm fine," he grunted, shrugging her off.
For a heartbeat she stared at him, before accepting if there was something wrong, he did not want to talk about it. "Alright then. From the top."
"Right," nodded Ichigo. Pointed his right hand into the sky, and went, "Ye Lord! Horns of the ram, breaking free against all. Nerves of steel, showing the enlightened path of desolation made. Hado #1. Shou!"
Well at least he had no issue memorising the incantation.
As well as she could, Rukia gauged how he concentrated his reiatsu, shaping it thanks to the mystic phrasing, and then released it as his palm glowed golden before unleashing an invisible kinetic force. The backlash of it fluttered her hair, yet she could see how his arm recoiled back.
"Better, but still too much," she warned him. "A true expert could do that with just a fingertip." Any bite in her voice was from concern though. Because truthfully? Ichigo was doing incredibly well at this. For all that he had the face of a thug, he was smart, dedicated, and had already proven surprisingly adept at the more sensitive arts of being a Shinigami.
Except people would take this as proof that they should put him on the frontlines against the likes of Aizen, especially as he was immune to the madman's shikai. There was no way though that a sixteen-year old Human, even one as undeniably incredible as Ichigo, should shoulder such a burden.
Also, she knew him, and it would all end in disaster.
Time and again, Ichigo had proven he would do what he thought right, not what others expected of him. Oh, he tolerated the authority of his teachers because he considered their rules that annoyed him to be just that: annoyances. Nothing to raise a fuss about.
As a full member of the Gotei 13, Ichigo would be expected to adhere to the laws and customs of the Seireitei, and it would only be a matter of time before he refused an order on the grounds of it being stupid or unjustified, and someone would think he was bluffing. From there it would be an inevitable downward spiral.
Honestly, his experience with Rukia's arrest was not even her only piece of evidence. Just look at how he beat around his own dad for the man's moronic behaviour.
So yes, she would help her friend become stronger, and try to figure out a way to convince Renji and the rest that nothing good would come from this.
"Ugh, at least he's finally stopped being an embarrassment to himself," said Ganju sarcastically, rubbing the back of his head. "Only cost me a few hours of my time."
Under his breath Ichigo muttered some threats, and Rukia tried and failed to stifle her own smile, as small as it was.
No, it was not fair to put it all on Ichigo, and she refused to believe the taichou would. Still, he was her friend, and this would help him be better able to save those before him, so it was well worth the effort.
Wiping sweat off his brow, Ichigo took a moment to see how the others were doing. Chad had not shown up yet, but Orihime, Uryu, and Ganju were here. Also a fukutaichou he vaguely recalled from the Soukyoku Hill.
A very . . . distracting lady.
Not to say she wasn't nice or anything!
But . . . okay! He was a man, alright! There were limits! Because, wow.
Right!
Training!
No distractions!
"Ichigo! What're you doing!" snapped Rukia.
"Oh ho!" leered Ganju. "Checking out the fukutaichou over there~?"
"Because she's training Orihime!"
"Suuuure~!" teased Ganju.
"I'm serious! She must be super busy, but she's still taking the time to help us out like that!"
And with that 100% honest defence, he threw himself back into mastering kido. Maybe one of those restraining ones next?
All while missing the looks which flitted across his friends' faces before they steadied themselves.
They are not going to be caught up in this! resolved Rukia, fighting the urge to send a glare at the gorgeous fukutaichou. They can go home and never hear of Aizen again!
—Seas of Souls—
Sooo, that's a snag, thought Rangiku grumpily.
Roping in the Quincy —former Quincy?— had started out perfectly. She had explained that while she had already heard things from Orihime's perspective, now she wanted to hear how she had done from an outside perspective by someone who had been with her most of the way. Cue him blushing a bit, and then the girl in question had promptly flushed as well under such praise.
Unfortunately, Orihime had only been in three real fights. Once when she unlocked her powers that she did not want to talk about (which Ishida had not witnessed anyways), while the second had been against Ikkanzaka Jiroubou, which had initially been promising until Ishida started to delicately step around the issue. Moreover, given how the girl in question had hunched over a little, wrapping a hand around her stomach, it seemed like the problem was because she had lacked any killing intent. Still, having a weapon in the first place was the first step. "Tsubaki?" repeated Rangiku, wanting clarification.
"Oh, he's one of my fairies!"
"He?"
"Oh yes, he's a guy."
Huh, that sounds strangely familiar. We don't really understand their powers, but maybe it's not a coincidence? Still, definitely somewhere to start. Nodding encouragingly, Rangiku nodded. "Nice. What about the others?"
"Uhm, wait a moment." Orihime closed her eyes to concentrate, and then her hairpins glowed before the six petals on it burst into six, strange little folk, all with wings.
"Wow!" gasped Rangiku. "Now that's a surprise! They're like little zanpakuto! How weird is that?"
"Sorry!"
"Don't be—"
"You!" the one with a scarf over his face got right in Rangiku's face, jabbing a finger at her. So she slapped it into a wall.
"Tsubaki!" Whoops.
The other five gasped, yet stayed around their mistress.
With a huff, Rangiku walked up, and jerked him by his scarf out of the hole he had made. "Manners," she glared at him.
"Now that's the stuff!" he beamed despite being in obvious pain. "I was going to lecture you about making this selfish strumpet summon us when not in trouble, but that's just the sort of attitude she needs! Teach her how to actually use me!"
"Ah!" gasped Orihime, and in a beam of light he returned to nestle against her hair as a flower petal, and the rest promptly followed suit.
"Okay," sighed Rangiku, rubbing her forehead a little. "We'll deal with him later. Although since your guys are like zanpakuto, communing with them is important. You're supposed to be a team."
Deep within her soul, Rangiku could feel the slight sensation of Haineko scoffing at her. Diligently she ignored it.
Still, that had been enlightening. Clearly Orihime needed to earn the respect of her sole weapon, while being on better terms with the others. The way she was flushing though, it seemed she was embarrassed by them a bit.
Alright then, she had to help this girl who had helped storm the heavens find her confidence.
No problem at all!
Honestly, this kid was so adorable and had such potential, it would be Rangiku's pleasure.
So: "You're off to a great start!" she gushed, and pulled the flailing Human into her bosom. "You're already manifesting them and using their powers, so now it's just a matter of practice! We'll work on the ol' meanie later. Show me what else you've got!"
Beet red, Ishida looked the other way, trying to think of needlepoint and cold showers.
Releasing Orihime, Rangiku smoothed down the girl's hair, and gave her an encouraging smile while patiently waiting.
"Oh! Santen Kesshun!" Three of the petals formed a golden, triangular shield.
"Hmm~," hummed Rangiku. "Nice and wide too." Her hand blurred and Haineko came about to strike the barrier head-on without a crack. "Good defence as well!"
That . . . was not her true speed. Or power, thought Ishida, eyes narrowed. While he no longer had his powers, he had seen enough of what Shinigami were capable of to feel confident of that. Just enough for a good test, and for Orihime to prove herself though. However, it shouldn't be a problem so long as we get a proper one later on.
"Now then, what about your third power?" said Rangiku. "You said it was healing. What've you managed with it?"
"Well," said Orihime, awkwardly scratching her head in a manner somehow still cute, "I've saved people with it, but I doubt it's as good as what you guys've got."
"Don't put yourself down if you've saved people!" huffed Rangiku, giving the teenager a light poke to the shoulder. Even if that was most likely true. After all, Unohana-Taichou had been doing her job since forever, while Orihime had only a few weeks at most under her belt. "Tell me about it."
"Huh?"
"What kind of injuries have you handled?"
"Oh! Well, I fixed up my friend Tatsuki after she got hurt, and got these parasites out of her! I reattached Jidanbou's arm, which only took about half the day. Then I fixed up Ichigo after all his fights."
"Impressive!" praised Rangiku. "Pretty versatile as well. You must be pretty smart to have studied all that medical stuff, so don't put yourself down!"
She blinked, and then waved her hand while blushing in embarrassment. "No, no! I'm not! I'm still just a teenager! I haven't studied any of that! Just the bare basics! Very bare! Like how we've got bones, and muscles wrap around them!"
"Wait . . . You pulled off all those stunts, without knowing what you were doing?" asked Rangiku in disbelief.
". . . I guess? That doesn't sound good, does it?"
—Seas of Souls—
4th Division
"Kyoraku-Taichou?"
"Hmm?" blinking, Shunsui looked away from the window to see a familiar figure standing at the doorway, holding a tray with cups.
"Want a drink?"
"Why, that would be very pleasant, thank you." With some effort, he pushed himself up a little more, hiding any pain from the motion. "You know, I realise now I never got your name."
"Sado Yasutora. But everyone calls me Chad. It's just tea by the way."
"A pity, but oh well, I'll survive. Goodness knows, I don't want to be the one to get caught trying to sneak sake into the hospital. For the forty-sixth time. Nanao would yell at me, and Retsu would scold me."
". . . It's only just after lunch," pointed out the Human, his expression very hard to read when his eyes were hidden by his hair.
"Better late than never, I say~!" he cheered, before sobering up. "Seriously though, it's a pleasure to meet you under more pleasant circumstances."
Delicately Chad set everything down, and Shunsui caught the familiar scent. It was not sake, yet given his circumstances it was the best he could hope for. "Ah, my favourite, how thoughtful."
"One of the staff made it for me. I'm not so good at it."
"Truth be told, neither am I. To the despair of the old man really, although he's a real fussbutt about it."
"The old man?"
"Old Man Yama. The Soutaichou. My mentor."
It was impressive how little reaction the giant gave to that little reveal, despite surely understanding the ramifications.
Also, it was starting to seem like these kids had just charged in with literally no idea what they were up against. Impressive nerve, even if it had inevitably come back to nearly get them killed.
They each took a drink, and Chad's eyes widened in surprise.
"Good, isn't it? One thing about the Seireitei is that we can have a long time to develop different tea blends."
"Best I've had," admitted Chad. "So, how are you doing?"
"Well enough. Don't you worry, Retsu is the best there is. I understand though we've got you and your friends to thank for our wounds not being worse. You have my thanks."
"No need. We didn't want anyone to die."
That was a surprising attitude from someone who had been cut down by Shunsui's blades only days ago. Albeit a pleasant surprise, and having been spared by Shunsui in turn would help explain that.
The taichou shrugged. "My point stands."
"You seem rather well," noted Chad, changing the subject. Went unspoken was: "For a man I last saw covered in third-degree burns."
"Oh, don't you worry about me," smiled Shunsui impishly. He took another sip. "I'll be up and about, partying away before you know it. I'm a tough old man!" Briefly he considered noting how tough, before dismissing it. While it might reassure the Human, telling him how he fought the second-strongest fighter of the Gotei 13 might also rub him the wrong way.
"So what are you and your friends up to?"
"Most of us just got released from our beds ourselves."
"Lucky you."
"And the others are off training at the 13th Division."
"And you're not joining them?" he asked in mild surprise.
"I wanted to change clothes first," admitted Chad, having some more tea. "When I came back, I overheard you were awake."
"Ah, fair enough. Although you could've probably borrowed some from the 13th, even in your size."
"Thank you, I'll remember that."
"You're welcome. Although . . . I must confess, I'm a little surprised you wanted to see me after what happened when we first met."
Chad bowed his head a little, lowering his cup. ". . . You tried to get me to leave. To end it peacefully. Moreover, I didn't appreciate until afterwards how much you were going easy on me. I didn't even really know about shikai beforehand. It wasn't until that fight with Aizen that I came to truly understand. I wanted to give my thanks, and I figured you could use some company."
"Don't worry about it, and yes it's appreciated. Honestly, too many these days are too nervous to just chat with a taichou, and those who aren't, are occupied. As for how you did, don't be discouraged. You did admirably for a Human to reach so far. I was dodging your hits because they actually might've hurt me; and the last one definitely would've. You should work on your speed though."
He went back to his drink, giving a mental count to ten to let his companion process this before continuing. "To say nothing of what else you accomplished. Besting my third seat is not an easy feat, even if, yes, his defense was full of holes."
"You didn't point that out before?"
With a sigh, Shunsui waved a dismissive hand. "Not my place, and my rank makes me too intimidating to approach.
"Anyways, so, I didn't know it at the time, but from the later reports they're saying you personally wiped out about half of the 11th Division, our supposedly strongest combat unit. By yourself." He gave Chad a sharp look. "Apparently without any of them having time to unleash their shikai either. All without ever killing anyone. I don't think you truly appreciate how incredible that is. Or how lucky you are."
While Chad did not move, there was still a slight change to him showing his own surprise at the last bit. Had he genuinely never considered he might have to kill someone here? How optimistic of him.
"So yes," Shunsui went on, "I'm very impressed. Especially when you pulled all that off when you were just a Human on your own. And you're only, what, thirty?"
"Sixteen."
". . . I beg your pardon?"
"I'm tall for my age."
". . . Huh. Sorry, we Shinigami age so slowly, it's hard to compare."
Well that certainly adds to the incentive for us to train them up.
"My, my, you leave me impressed once more!" said Shunsui genially. "When you die, I can promise you that there'll be a place for you in my division. Certainly you're already a shoe-in for the third seat. You're not replacing my lovely Nanao though."
"Okay," was the deadpanned reply.
"Speaking of which, what've your past fights been like? How many Hollows have you fought? Approximately."
"Two."
"I see," said Shunsui, even as he was doing a mental spit-take. He would have thought Chad had fought a lot more. "Care to tell an old man about them?"
"Sure," he shrugged, and began to tell his story.
The fact that this had all happened after the Kuchiki had disappeared in the World of the Living only made it all the more absurd. A child just learning how to stand had crushed his way through a sizeable chunk of the Gotei 13.
Plus those abilities themselves were confusing. Offhand he felt confident that the chaotic mess of reiatsu he had sensed the Kurosaki boy leaking off had forced those closest to him, especially emotionally, to have been responsible. Both triggering their own reiryoku to grow out of self-preservation, while simultaneously taking bits of that foreign power and absorbing it. Granted, since receiving a proper zanpakuto —which was a whole other tangle of threads Shunsui neither wanted to touch, nor had a solid explanation for— to channel his power, that had likely died down. Though they would still need to give him something to help the pseudo Shinigami suppress said reiatsu to keep it from continuing.
Not that it made the situation any less surreal, especially as how the abilities Chad had developed made no sense to him.
Throughout his ruminations, he had also paid attention to the ongoing story. Truthfully, Shunsui was both bemused and approving of how Chad seemed to think there was nothing special in what he accomplished. Just reciting the facts in a straightforward, dry manner, as if he was talking about a book he had read. Which was a waste of a good story honestly, because frankly, fighting a known Shinigami-killer you could not even see, and having it on the ropes at one point, was pretty impressive.
Especially as he was pretty sure Humans were not supposed to be able to swing around one of those telephone poles.
"Could you do that before Kuchiki came to your town?"
"I guess so? I never had a reason to."
"Fair enough. I should note that for the pole to be even able to touch this Hollow, you must've been unconsciously channelling your reiatsu through it. So top marks there."
"It was nothing."
Sure. Right. Not at all an amazing feat.
Is this all from Kurosaki, or did he unlock something that was already there? Shunsui wondered fancifully. Some latent potential that would have slumbered unseen unless unlocked?
"Still, you must've gotten a little roughed up by all this. Your family wasn't concerned or anything?"
"I don't have one."
"Oh, my apologies."
"It's no matter. I live with some roommates."
A pity, but then if one did not have any parents, there was not much to do. Fortunately the kid had found work or something to help have a roof over his head.
On the plus side, it made recruiting this kid a whole lot easier.
A pity they could not go looking for more help, but there was no way Old Man Yama would go for it. As it was, it would be touch and go slipping these Ryoka kids in, even with such accomplishments under their belts.
Tipping his cup back, Shunsui finished the rest of his tea, while considering what else to talk about. For all Chad had initiated this conversation, he was not much of a chatterbox, putting Shunsui in the undesirable position of having to take the initiative.
His dead family? No, if he had not asked, then he probably already knew how futile it was to find them again. Ah, of course. "What about the others? I know the 12th Division needs a little more time before we can renew contact with the World of the Living, but is there anyone we need to hurry home?"
"I don't think so." Nothing more.
Not going to tell about their personal lives, huh? Well I can respect that. If they do have family though, they aren't the type to notice their kids being out fighting monsters, or disappearing for periods of time, which is unfortunate. Convenient all around here, yet still unfortunate.
Of course, he's invested everything else in fighting for his friend and his goals.
"Well," he said with an honest smile, "it's good to know you've got such good friends. They're lucky to have you.
"Thank you," said Chad, voice as even as ever.
"Y'know, I can't exactly help you spar, and as soon as Nanao figures out I'm strong enough to lift a brush, she'll be bringing me the paperwork, but I can give you a few tips if you want. So you can continue to stand beside them."
Finally there was a full reaction as Chad straightened up, eyes visible with emotion. "I . . . thank you!"
"No worries, it's my pleasure. Now, let's start with the basics. Put up your fists, and show me your stance."
—Seas of Souls—
Karakura Town
Kurumadani Zennosuke whimpered to himself as he hid in some Human's backyard.
A part of him kept screaming about how he should just run, that there was nothing he could do here, yet he refused to abandon his responsibilities to this town and its inhabitants.
He was a Shinigami of the Gotei 13, and that meant something.
Even if all he could manage was continuing to gather intelligence, and repeatedly dialling for the Seireitei until they finally answered.
What had happened to his home!? His comrades!? Why weren't they answering him!?
The only blessing was that apparently these Hollows were so well fed that they had not started feeding here. With a whimper he pushed aside his fears that it was because they had already gorged themselves upon a neighbouring town.
"So what're you?"
"AAAAAAIIIIIII!" screeched Zennosuke, whirling around to find one of those Hollows-but-NOT-Hollows right behind him.
They were impossible, an abomination almost, in how they were able to disguise themselves to look Human despite having lost their hearts.
In a panic, he grabbed for his zanpakuto, only to draw it at the wrong angle so it got stuck for a moment. Stupidly, the Hollow let him do so, tilting its head in confusion.
Yes. Yes, he could do this!
This was not one of those monsters with a fukutaichou's strength, but one of the weak ones!
In a blur of steel Tsuchinamazu flashed free and went sailing across the yard behind him and—oh what!?
Effortlessly Nelliel pinned Zennosuke down with one hand between his shoulder blades, the other still raised from knocking his weapon away. "This is a Shinigami, Luffy."
"Ohhh! That's what Robin was showing me earlier before I left it to her."
"Yes," she said calmly. "This must be the one assigned to this town."
Frowning, Luffy stalked forward, with Brook looming behind him.
Despite herself, a part of Nelliel tensed. Wondering what her new leader would do.
Expression darkening further, Luffy leaned down so he was right in her prisoner's face. "How dare you?" he said with an icy rage, malice spiking off of him.
Zennosuke fought back a whimper while he strained to keep his eyes open so he would face his death head-on.
"Brook."
"Yes, Senchou," intoned Brook ominously, lifting his cane and drawing forth the blade within.
—Seas of Souls—
"Here it comes," sighed Isshin, watching the surveillance feed. As sickening as this was, he forced himself to not look away. Not only did they need whatever scrap of intel they could get, they owed it to a man they were choosing not to save.
—Seas of Souls—
At the last moment as Brook's zanpakuto flashed, Nelliel resolved to place her faith in Luffy.
Only to stare in befuddlement as Brook cut up the Shinigami's hair. In a few quick cuts, he was left with something resembling a buzzcut more.
It took Zennosuke a long moment to open his eyes and realise he was not dead. "Wh-what happened?"
Not having the patience for the guy to figure it out himself, Luffy slapped him in the face a few times. "We took away your afro!"
"You were a disgrace to it!" declared Brook, brushing at his own, while his other hand twirled his sheathed weapon.
"An afro belongs to a man!" agreed Luffy. "A declaration of a wild side!"
"His . . . hairstyle?" clarified Nelliel.
"Of course! Since the dawn of time, man has wondered if the champion makes the afro, or if the afro makes the champion."
She blinked. "Where did you hear that?"
"Uhm, from Usopp?"
She blinked again. Then laughed, easing up on the poor man beneath her. Oh, so this was going to be one of the fun nights! She let her sense of responsibility slip away, relishing in the sort of freedom she had enjoyed as a child. "So he took up a weapon he had no right to, and this was a kindness to him!" she grinned.
"Exactly!"
"Indeed," nodded Brook. "Someday he may prove to have the strength of will to deem himself worthy of such an honour, but that is not this day."
"Maybe we should seek him out a year from now to see if he's improved," offered Nelliel, even if realistically that was unlikely for so many reasons. Indeed, she made a point of flashing the Shinigami's phone to indicate he no longer had it.
"All right, that sounds like a plan!" nodded Luffy. He had never been one to leave an enemy behind at his nakama's back, yet, well, this guy was really weak. Certainly he would never have survived the upper sands of Hueco Mundo.
Without another word, they took off to the air, leaving Zennosuke behind, convinced this was all a bad dream.
—Seas of Souls—
"Wait . . . what?" said Isshin, utterly befuddled. "They, just let him go?"
"Apparently," said Kisuke, eyes hooded in thought, wishing audio had been available. Or a better angle to lip read.
"But . . . why?"
"Mercy?"
". . ."
". . ."
"Ah ha ha ha ha, nice one," said Isshin, laughing with a taste of bitterness, while Kisuke gave a small, sad smile in agreement. "Okay, no, seriously."
". . . The amount of reishi blanketing the town is already having an effect. At this rate, even the plants growing here might provide nourishment for those with enough reiryoku to need it. So of course the Humans are becoming even richer in turn. It's possible they're playing with him, while hoping his own power will grow as well."
"Ah. Of course."
They sat in an uncomfortable silence for a minute, before Kisuke got up without another word to get back to work on contacting the Seireitei. As for Isshin, he headed back home. At least the girls were keeping safe and blissfully ignorant in all this so far.
—Seas of Souls—
"Yo ho ho~! We've done a good deed for the day," cheered Brook. He pulled out his violin and began to play an upbeat melody.
"Then let's play!" smirked Nelliel. "Roof tag!" she cried while slapping Luffy's shoulder.
"Hey!"
Laughing, she let herself drop down below, only reapplying reishi to the soles of her feet before hitting the house below. Leaping forward into a handstand, she planted her palms down on the edge and heaved off so she flipped through the air towards the next one.
Grinning and chortling, Luffy took after her, while Brook strummed out chase music as he pursued in turn.
On the streets, people looked up at the unfamiliar music playing overhead, trying to figure out where it was coming from.
Many of them also caught sight of blurs moving from house to house, unsure if they should admit to seeing them or not.
—Seas of Souls—
Visored Warehouse
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAH! I'MA GONNA KILL 'EM!"
"SHUT UP YA PIPSQUEAK!" screeched Shinji at Hiyori. "YOU'RE MAKING A RACKET!" Indeed, her voice had echoed through the entire giant underground space the Visoreds were living in.
"I'M GOING OUT THERE TO KILL 'EM!"
"WE'RE LAYIN' LOW!"
With a sigh, Love sorted through his stack of manga, trying to decide which he was going to reread this time.
"Nothing new of note?" asked Hachi.
"No," said Mashiro, walking around on her fingertips because she could and because it was something to do. "Big Green got lost again, but the rest are staying pretty chill."
"That's the guy with three zanpakuto, right?" asked Love.
"Are they really zanpakuto if they're Hollows?" pointed out Hachi.
"I'm not bored enough to invent a new name."
"Fair enough."
"And their leader," went on Mashiro, "the guy with the straw hat, went out with the new green-haired one."
The others nodded politely, all well aware that the new green-haired Arrancar was obviously the one in charge, given her reiatsu. Snapping his fingers as he remembered something, Love turned back to Hachi. "By the way, and I'm not laying any blame—"
With a groan, the gentle giant rubbed his face. "Yes, yes. Once this is over, I'll modify the barrier so it's like the one back home, so we can get TV reception in case something like this happens again."
One of the downsides of what was supposed to be a temporary base in Karakura in preparation for things going down with Aizen, was that they had not invested the same amount of comforts as they had in their place out in the country.
Something they would definitely correct in the future.
"It'll have to be sooner rather than later," said Rose as he strolled up. "We're starting to run low on food. So once those two calm down a little," he jerked his chin towards where Hiyori and Shinji were rolling on the ground, pulling each other's hair and biting down hard, "we've got to start some planning."
"Got it. Oh man," sighed Love, rubbing his hair. "Things are gonna get crazy soon."
—Seas of Souls—
"Uhm, b-but why am I here?" managed Yamada Hanatarou.
"Because," said Rangiku with a slight frown, arms crossed beneath her girls, "I want to get to the bottom of this, and you weren't busy."
"W-well, I was on my b-brea—"
With a practiced flex of her arms, Rangiku made her breasts jiggle a little, and the poor man forgot what he was saying. "Oh thank you so much for your help~!" she cooed.
"Ah, ah, ah right!" he said, red-faced and trying to keep his eyes peeled up.
"So why'm I your guinea pig?" demanded Yoruichi.
Putting on her biggest, warmest smile, Rangiku said, "You're not an official patient, and so Unohana-Taichou won't string up our flayed hides as a warning against experimenting on people in her hospital!"
"Yeah, that tracks. Fine, whatever." She waved an inviting hand towards Orihime. "Do your thing. You can't make it worse, and this'll let an expert see what you're doing."
"I, I'm—"
"You're the seventh seat for the 4th Division," praised Rangiku, putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "You respect your Taichou, right?"
"Of course!" he said with sudden fire.
"Well trust her to only have the best working here, okay?"
He tensed for a moment before slumping down to give a resigned nod. Smart boy.
"Good. Okay, give it a whirl, Orihime," encouraged Rangiku.
Still the girl hesitated. "Are you sure, Yoruichi?"
With an irritated sigh, the former taichou nodded. "Yeah, you can't do anything about that," indicating her stump, "but despite my earlier treatments, I've still got a lot of exhaustion and minor stuff left just from clashing with Aizen."
Not that she was overly worried about the missing leg. If Kisuke could not grow her a new one, she would hit him until he figured out how.
"Right then," said Orihime as she smiled once more. "Souten Kisshun!"
The two hairpins quickly formed a bubble of golden light around the whole bed her mentor was laying upon. Curious, Hanataro stepped forward to examine what he could, and for about half a minute nothing seemed to happen.
Then the wrappings around Yoruichi's stump turned red, and next they knew they came undone.
"Whaaah!" screeched Orihime as blood spewed out of the fresh injury into her barrier, only to splatter against it.
Instantly the spell dissolved, revealing how the scar tissue was gone. Hanataro gently yet firmly pushed his way through to stop the bleeding with his own kido.
Yoruichi's jaw was locked tight, eyes wide as she kept her staring down at her mutilation through sheer force of will, while Rangiku could only gape.
Pale faced, Orihime's fingers dug into her scalp. "Oh no no no no no no! What've I done!? I don't understand!"
Scowling, Yoruichi ordered, "Bring them out."
"W-what?"
"Bring out those pixies to explain themselves!" she snapped in a tone of absolute command.
A moment of concentration, and Yoruichi was glaring daggers at the two winged menaces she remembered from the teenager's training. "Well!?"
"Why'd you stop us?" asked the one with eyes perpetually closed, Shun'ou.
"Why were you hurting her?" pleaded Orihime in a broken voice.
"We weren't!" defended Shun'ou. "Before Ayame and I could reverse the damage, we first had to remove the scarring. That made it bleed, but it was about to stop!"
Everyone non-fairy blinked at her in confusion.
"W-what?" managed Orihime.
"You mean you don't remember!? We don't 'heal' people, we reverse any damage done to a person covered by your shield."
". . ."
". . ."
". . ."
". . . You mean, you were fixing her leg?" whispered Orihime.
"Yep!" nodded Shun'ou brightly. Ayame made the same gesture.
"Her whole leg?"
"Yep!"
"As in growing her a new one!?"
"Think of it as more of giving her old one back."
Slowly, Orihime raised her hands, gathered the steel within her, and firmly said, "Souten Kisshun! I reject!"
"That's the spirit!"
And the fairies got to work.
The wrappings came off, and there was still blood, yet it quickly vanished back within the body.
It took an hour, but soon they could see bone starting to slowly grow out of the leg, with muscles stitching around it.
Glancing back at the Human in adoration, Hanataro saw the sweat beading her forehead, and belatedly reminded himself to start a reiryoku transfer to maintain her reserves. This action snapped Rangiku of her own stupefaction, and reminded her of her own obligations. In a whirl of energy she stormed out to have a messenger go find and inform her third seat she was going to be later than expected, and then went to personally fetch the mistress of the hospital.
Half an hour later, Unohana-Taichou sedately entered, and calmly took in the miracle happening before her.
At the latest 'impossibility' these Ryoka were achieving.
She could not remain indefinitely, her peers were all in the final stretches of their own healing, yet she delegated others to take over for Hanataro.
Until that moment, Yoruichi had been unable to drag her eyes from the sight of her leg being . . . 'recovered' was too mild a word.
However the motion in Yoruichi's peripherals of the ancient taichou leaving caught her attention.
Despite the joy and gratitude beyond words bubbling within her, she could not help but feel a cold, poisonous sensation wiggle its way in. She remembered her concerns about the attention these kids had already attracted for themselves, and that was before this.
And now she owed Orihime more than she could ever express.
. . . I'm going to need my idiot brother's help after all, aren't I?
—Seas of Souls—
Karakura Town
Following the directions she had been given, Tatsuki arrived at the park for her training. Thankfully it was not somewhere like an abandoned warehouse where who knows what could happen to her. Luring her out with mysterious promises and all.
Obviously, however, she had arrived early to scope out the situation, and these strangers who . . . hinted they could do . . . stuff.
Only they were all already there, and given some repeated puzzled glances in her direction behind her tree, knew she was here.
Well, she was never one to back down from a challenge.
There were not many there. A big, broad guy with a topknot of all things. Nami and Robin. A lanky, sleepy looking man alongside a girl with hair dyed green. When the big guy stepped aside, she saw Ichigo's sisters looking at her quizzically.
"Hi Karin, Yuzu."
"Hi Tatsuki," chirped Yuzu, while Karin waved. "Why were you hiding there for so long?"
"How'd you know I was there?"
"They've been teaching us how to sense for people!"
Before she could ask about that, Tatsuki's initial words were choked off by Karin fully stepping around her twin, a ball of energy in her hands. Pointing to it, she asked, "What. Is that?"
"Well this," declared Don Kanonji, holding up his own glowing ball, "is a Kanonji-Style Final Super Attack: Kannon Temple Bullet! My little prodigy here needs to find her own name!"
". . . Right," said Tatsuki, feeling her heart rate pick up as she tried to sort through the implications of all this. She tore her gaze away from the sight to address the strangers. "Hi, I'm Arisawa Tatsuki." Basic manners, while keeping her back straight to show no weakness.
"I'm Lilynette!" cried the green-haired girl. "And this loser is Starrk!"
The man beside her gave a little nod, grey eyes giving her an once-over.
"Jinbe," said the big guy. "Happy to have you. What're you interested in?"
"I'm still thinking about it," she said automatically, trying to figure out what else was putting her on edge.
Despite herself, she glanced back at the ball in Karin's hands, the new . . . sense she had, recognizing it as a weapon, and then it clicked.
These people were not appearing interested in it. She was what had their focus. Which could be simply they had seen it a lot, but in her gut she knew it was because what looked like the first step in an anime beam blast or whatever, was only an idle curiosity to them. That they could do so much more.
Yes, Tatsuki was unsure if Yuzu and Karin or the celebrity recognized it, but these three new ones for her were just like Nami and Robin, as something about them screamed tightly leashed power.
However, there was no sense of threat from them either.
By this point, Tatsuki had met her fair share of dangerous people, while knowing they would never actually harm her. Disciplined, deadly, and always aware, yet not beasts ready to lash out at her.
So she could handle this.
It was a little exciting even.
Just so long as she kept her wits about her, and knew when to step back while dragging Karin and Yuzu with her if needed.
"So what can you guys do?" she asked with a hint of challenge.
"Well I for one," grinned Jinbe, "have some talent at martial arts, and use my reiryoku to enhance my moves. Interested?" He slid into a smooth stance she did not recognize —something she would have sworn impossible before today— with an easy grace which spoke to her of a master demonstrating his craft. Obviously he had recognized her as a fellow practitioner.
Moreover, despite the obvious height difference, as she barely passed five feet to his seven, he did not try to loom over her.
"Maybe," she smiled back, taking her own preferred form.
Standing apart from each other, they started to shadow box, and her assumptions were instantly confirmed. Still, it always felt nice, going through the motions like this. Maybe she could convince him to drop by her dojo. "So, am I right that Nami and the others asked for you to drop by specifically?"
"Hah hah!" he laughed. "Well, they did mention you were a martial artist, and I was curious."
"She mentioned to me that you guys had been away from civilization for a while. Mind if I ask where?"
His joviality slipped away, and she actually felt bad for it. Before she could apologise though, Jinbe sighed and said, "Halibel once described it as a sea of blood, covered in ashes, a place of hell. There, it was only us, while pretty much everyone else was our enemy. Violence was our only safeguard. Even now, we've . . . lost a lot." His eyes darkened. "Some of which I cannot even fully remember. Pieces of us are still missing, and we don't know what. We survived though, and came here." He cocked an eyebrow. "Does that worry you?"
Knowing she had to show she was taking this seriously, Tatsuki swung a few kicks before answering. At a guess he was talking about the Middle East, although honestly she did not pay much attention to what was going on outside of Japan, or her hometown even, so it could be anywhere. Not like she was noticing any accent or whatever. Plus, for all that she did not go around beating up every thug in town like some people she could mention, she could not deny the thrill of excitement she had from a good fight. The thrill of victory. Only now for the last few days she had lived with the relentless pressure of being faced with something she could not hope to match, and these strangers might offer the chance for her to protect herself and those she cared about.
Briefly she considered the sheer coincidence of them showing up at the same time as these apparent super-Hollows, before dismissing it. They felt nothing like them.
So Tatsuki said to him, "Not enough to make me grab the girls and run."
"Not Kanonji?" he teased.
"He's an adult."
A chuckle escaped Jinbe's massive frame. "Fair enough. But yes, it's a relief to be living somewhere so peaceful. That said," and now he frowned, "we've gotten some warnings that a storm may be on the horizon here. People paying attention to Karakura you wouldn't want to. I figured I may as well lend a little support if it happens after we've moved on."
Is this what Ichigo's wrapped up in? Glaring now, she said, "What kind of storm?"
"One you're not ready for," he said flatly.
"So this is an audition to teach me?" she said, stone-faced as well.
"Yes. And you can leave at any time."
". . . Show me."
"Very well then. I'll teach you how to wield the power within you. To make you stronger and faster."
—Seas of Souls—
Seireitei
"Ichigo."
Wiping sweat from his brow, the teenager in question sees Ikkaku of all people in the 13th Division, along with a bunch of other folks who seemed familiar. The 11th Division? Honestly, he had a bad memory for thugs he had beaten up. He should probably be more concerned about that.
"Oh, hey guys, what's up?"
"I see you're learning kido, huh?" said Ikkaku. "Hope you're not letting your sword skills rust away."
Scowling, he put his hand to Zangetsu where it was resting on his back. "Happy to hand you your rear again." He paused, then grimaced. "Once I'm more recovered. By the way, what's with the get-up?"
Because most of the men with Ikkaku were dressed in what looked like some sort of holy wear like they were priests or something. Heads bowed, hands clasped before them, and all in all pretty weirdly solemn. "Is something the matter with Kenpachi?"
"The Taichou . . . is doing better. He gave us a mission as well."
"That's me!" beamed a familiar, pink-haired toddler as she popped her head over Ikkaku's shoulder, riding him like she would Kenpachi.
"Uh, Yachiru, right?"
"YAY! You remembered me, Itchy! We're going to be best friends just like you and Kenny!"
Honestly? That, that right there, is when Ichigo should have turned tail and run screaming for the hills. It would have been far more dignified than what came next.
"Ha ha, sure, we can be friends," he smiled.
The members of the 11th started doing prayers.
Bowing his head, Ikkaku said, "You will be missed, Ichigo."
"Huh?"
Yachiru tapped her chin. "Buuuuuuut, if you're recovering, I should give you a handicap. Here, Shiny!" She tossed her zanpakuto to Ikkaku, who caught it with resignation.
"Huh?"
The pretty-boy who Ganju had fought came up beside her, kneeled down . . . and upended an entire bottle of maple syrup down her throat.
"Wh—"
Then he grabbed a bottle of chocolate syrup and did the same.
"Wait guys!"
Finally an entire thermos of what even from this distance Ichigo could recognize as the scent of expresso.
"You can't give all that to a little—"
A beast of pink reiatsu and vast darkness erupted from the child before him. An unholy glint sparkled within her eyes.
"—girl . . . ?"
"Ichigo!" Startled, he turned to see Rukia who was back carrying a tray of food for them both. Eyes wide in horror, she yelled, "Forget about facing my brother, just run now you hear me!?"
A snap in the air jolted his attention back to the procession in front of him.
"Let's play!" shrieked Yachiru, her footsteps thundering against the ground.
"YAAAAH!" cried Ichgio, bringing Zangetsu around to block her punch, only to be sent flying back. Aching muscles screamed at him for the sudden movement.
"Kenny wants me to learn how to fight properly, so I should start with you!" grinned Yachiru, a smile stretching across her face like that American villain, the Joker.
Screaming, Ichigo tried to make space, unwilling to strike back at a kid even as he ran for his life.
"Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! FIGHT!"
"No! I'm still recovering!"
Pathetic, whispered a voice in his head, nearly making him stumble. Yet it was enough for her to catch up. In desperation he leapt up before she could bring a dropkick down, cratering the ground beneath her. Putting all his strength into it, he shot into the air and . . . stayed there?
Wobbling a little, he realised he was standing in place above the ground. Wait, this was just like what the taichou had done while fighting Aizen! A niggling memory made him wonder if he had done this himself at one point.
"Hey! No fair!" yelled Yachiru, stepping out of the hole she had made. "I don't know how to do that."
"Oh thank goodness. Look, Yachiru—"
The ground cracked beneath her, and suddenly she was in his face again. A demon stared through her dark-pink eyes as she drew back her fist. "But I can jump really high~!"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAA—"
—Seas of Souls—
Author Notes:
Did some rewriting of chapter 11 to make Luffy's character less OOC thanks to some points made by Joeseph21. Really appreciated! :-D
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Thanks again to PokeKing Charizard for helping me brainstorm up some of the ideas here! :-D
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For the record, I am not doing Fullbring at all. Just too many issues with it on my part, and sticking to the original explanations.
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Next Chapter: "Resolve"
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Please Review, and I will get back to you!