Bleach (c) Tite Kubo
Black and Blue
Shattered Moon
Let me fight Ichigo! You're getting your ass kicked and I refuse to die to this overgrown drowned cat!
Shiro's been hollering and raging inside Ichigo's mind this entire fight.
He understands just as well as Ichigo does that they're both way out of their league against an opponent of this level. This damned Arrancar, Grimmjow, is screwing with him like a predator wearing down it's prey before delivering the killing blow.
It's taking every ounce of wit, guile and speed Ichigo possesses to avoid being trapped up under another punishing barrage of fists. Every counter stroke Ichigo manages to get in, in the rare instance he gets that lucky opening, is intercepted by this guy's bare hands. The sheer volume of condensed reiatsu infused into Grimmjow's skin hardens it like armour and Ichigo can't even get a scratch on him. He'd felt the same resistance against the other Arrancar Yammy, but this is superior by orders of magnitude.
The harsh reality is Ichigo's efforts, valiant though they are, aren't enough.
Grimmjow's wicked fist slips past his guard and socks Ichigo in the jaw, sending him flying back into the streets below. His back smashes through a concrete building on the way and he bursts out of the other side temporarily winded but Tensa Zangetsu remains firmly in his grasp.
Fuckin' let me help, goddamn you!
Ichigo shakes his head to clear the momentary haze.
Shiro's raring just under the surface, demanding for the chance to sink his teeth into this guy. But Ichigo's hollowfication is still unstable. He's been training on his own but he hasn't managed to last longer than forty-five seconds while idle. There's no chance he can fight in a prolonged skirmish with his mask, and even if he could maintain his hollowfication indefinitely, Ichigo had no guarantee it'd do much more than even the playing field until Grimmjow decided to stop screwing around and draw his own Zanpakutou.
No.
Ichigo's only shot at winning this was to stall Grimmjow long enough for backup to arrive. Or lull Grimmjow into a false sense of security and when he's off-guard, launch a surprise attack with everything he's got, mask and all.
If luck's on his side (it never is, but three cheers for optimism), the injuries might be enough to force Grimmjow into a retreat.
It's an all-or-nothing gamble and it's gonna hurt like hell (it already hurts like hell), but it's the best Ichigo's got.
Not yet. Ichigo implores for the Hollow's patience, teeth gritted with frustration and determination.
Grimmjow's above him, whatever movement technique he possessed teleporting him in an instant, and Ichigo evades the strike with a short-ranged shunpo.
King!
Shiro's gone from demanding to practically begging, in so much as a hollow begs.
Zangetsu swings down from behind and Grimmjow's gone again, reappearing at Ichigo's right hand and his fist on course to collide with his jaw. Refusing to allow this farce skirmish to devolve into a twisted game of tag, Ichigo brings up Zangetsu's flat swiftly to block the incoming punch. Even still the impact reverberates painfully through his bones.
Not ye-!
A second fist swings from below, nailing Ichigo square in the chin flinging him up into the sky. The blow dazes him for critical seconds. In that time, Grimmjow's already above him, reared back to kick him full in the ribs. Ichigo can feel them shudder and crack under the force, throwing him back to the ground as a meteorite.
"Ya have to do better than that, Shinigami!"
In the middle of a newly formed crater, Ichigo feels blood trickles from his hairline down his face and there's a patch on his skull that shouldn't quite be so mobile. He's dazed. His vision fogs dizzily, a wave of nausea overcomes him and it doesn't take him too long to recognize the budding signs of a concussion. Breathing's getting difficult with several sharp sudden pains in his chest and he distantly registers the damage to his ribs likely didn't stop at bruises.
"C'mon. Is that all you got? Or are you really this pathetic? Where's that little bastard who tore Yammy limb from limb!? Prove yourself, man!" Grimmjow jeers from somewhere above him and Ichigo's grip on Zangetsu tightens.
Obscured by the dust and falling rubble, Ichigo's eyes close somewhat involuntarily for just a second but he hazily reaches for Shiro's eager hand, who responds with a contemptuous 'Finally!'.
Merging with his Hollow has become easier, quicker and the mask forms and morphs over his face. He can feel the power course through his entire body reinvigorating his limbs with fresh new energy, the fog in his brain practically evaporates in a heartbeat and the pain of his wounds suppressed to the point of numbness. His vision clears and through the dust they zero in on their target together.
"Huh?" He hears Grimmjow grunt to himself.
In the next heartbeat, Ichigo's behind him.
Grimmjow barely registers the threat, doesn't react in time. All he can manage is a fleeting shocked glance over his shoulder before every ounce of available spiritual energy poured into Ichigo's ultimate ability.
"GETSUGA TENSHOU!" Black reiatsu envelops Ichigo's Bankai as he slashes his sword towards Grimmjow, unleashing a massive explosive wave of shadow energy.
It cleaves even the storm clouds asunder, ending the torrential down pour in a black flash and unveiling the waning moon in the night sky.
Ichigo's mask chips and flakes away, taking with it Shiro's influence along with the vast majority of his stamina. He hunches forward, ignoring the jolt to his ribs as he sucks in great gasps of air, overcome by a wave of dizziness and exhaustion but mercifully still standing... for now.
Lingering droplets of rain, sweat and blood run tracks down his face and he clears them away on his sleeve.
Grimmjow is no where to be found.
Ichigo can't sense his presence anywhere. That point blank Getsuga Tenshou must've done the trick. He wants to thank Shiro, or fate or whatever Gods of fortune are looking over him that his mask lasted the precious seconds he needed to deal with that Arrancar. (He can already hear Kaien chewing him out for being so reckless with his hollow powers but Ichigo would happily sit through a lecture. All's well that ends well.)
His eyes close and he draws in a fortifying breath to steady himself. Even injured as he is, there's still more fighting left to be done. If Ichigo's sensing things correctly there's about four opponents left. Spitting out a mouthful of blood, he chooses a direction of his allies and prepares to set off to provide some much needed backup. He doesn't completely trust himself with shunpo right now so he'll just have to travel the old fashioned way.
Ichigo takes in another calming inhale for two heartbeats, ignoring the sharp pains in his chest, and exhales for two more heartbeats. His control is sluggish but he begins releasing his power bit by bit, preparing to revert from his Bankai.
"Damn. What the hell was that? Ulquiorra never mentioned anything like that in his report. What other tricks have you got up your sleeve, Shinigami?"
Horror tears through his core. On wild reflex, Ichigo swings Tensa Zangetsu's blade behind him but he's slow.
Far far too slow.
Grimmjow intercepts it and seizes Ichigo's wrist in a vice grip.
Grimmjow is a mess after tanking the full might of the black Getsuga Tenshou, covered head to toe with severe burns and bleeding profusely from the massive crimson diagonal gash on his chest. His jacket's been completely disintegrated by the force of Ichigo's attack, and his light blue hair is stained a dark burgandy in patches from his wounds, but beyond that he's hardly phased by his injuries.
"I'll admit it. I was wrong about you. As it turns out you're actually worth the trouble of killin' after all."
Grimmjow's lips pull back to reveal a row of blood-soaked teeth bared in a crazed grin.
Ichigo rears back to punch him away with his off-hand but its too late.
Grimmjow's grin grows wider, the hand grasping Ichigo's wrist squeezes tighter and Ichigo howls with pain when the bones audibly snap under the pressure. It distracts him from the violent blue light gathering in Grimmjow's palm. The Arrancar's blood peels away from his skin to meld with the attack and Ichigo recovers in time only to watch in dawning horror as the power reaches it's explosive crescendo.
"Gran Ray Cero."
A monstrous blast of energy tears into the sky from the Arrancar's hand and Ichigo can't feel anything. Too stupefied to do anything more than gape in horror.
His hand is gone.
Tensa Zangetsu is gone.
Like they'd both just evaporated into nothing. His arm ends in a ragged bloody stump a couple inches back from where his wrist should be.
Before his brain could even process the pain of the injury or comprehend the magnitude of it, his body jerks as Grimmjow's other arm spears through his guts with all the resistance of tearing through wet tissue paper.
Ichigo gasps breathlessly. Something rises in his throat and coppery blood spills out of his slack mouth of its own accord, painting the Espada's burnt arm a deeper crimson.
"I admit... ya managed to get a good shot in. I'll even go so far as to say I underestimated your abilities. You had a few extra gimmicks I wasn't expecting but they weren't enough. This fight's over and you're about to die, Shinigami runt."
Grimmjow's voice is a distant thing to his ears and Ichigo sees the darkness crowding the edges of his vision despite his valiant effort to keep himself conscious.
Ichigo feels his body convulse and jerk when Grimmjow wrenches his arm free. He blinks and the world's suddenly upside down and rushing to meet him rather swiftly.
He's falling. Grimmjow's sadistic laughter chasing him but its cut off by another.
"Some no mai! Tsukishiro!"
What?
What was that? Who's attack does that belong to? Was it a friend?
Ichigo didn't know. His body's so sluggish. Even thinking taxed his rapidly dwindling energy reserves.
Ichigo's vision fades into black and his last sight was the Arrancar barred from finished him off by a pale white pillar tearing into the sky.
"Very well." Captain Retsu Unohana nods her agreement and pens her name to the orders before sliding them across her office desk to her Lieutenant, who stands tall with yet more paperwork in her arms. "I approve the proposal. Please advise Advanced Relief Team leaders six through twelve that new student interns will be joining them shortly for practical experience as part of the Academy's outreach program. Names and assignments will follow once I have had a chance to properly review the prospective applicants."
"I'll see it done right away, Captain." Lieutenant Isane Kotetsu trades the signed bundle of documents and offers a second set, "Next, this is a request from Division Twelve. Apparently the Department of Research and Development has had a chemical spill this morning. Lieutenant Kurotsuchi has assured me the chemical itself is harmless, however they require some assistance in the clean up and treating certain miscellaneous injuries. Evidently, some researches have found themselves missing clumps of hair and patches of... uh, skin."
Captain Unohana merely arches a single eyebrow for an explanation and Isane hesitates for a split second before she continues, as though unsure if she wanted to express her amusement or pity, "This team were developing a new fast-acting cement compound to improve the structural integrity of the newly refurbished buildings or future expansions of the Seireitei. Lieutenant Kurotsuchi tells me the chemical spilt throughout a whole wing of the R&D building, essentially gluing every member of that wing to their post. Other researches required hammers and chisels to free them. Even now some are still stuck fast."
Unohana glances down scanning the contents of the request, taking note of the specific requirements in the Twelve Division Lieutenant's request, more detailed and drier than Isane's brief summary and filled with a detached clinical language more appropriate for a machine print. "I suppose, then, we are fortunate that this was a relatively harmless incident, all things considered. Approved. Have a team assigned to assess and treat these minor injuries and make the polite recommendation to Captain Kurotsuchi that he re-examine his safety protocols to prevent such predictable accidents from occurring in the future. And the next matter?"
"Yes." Isane proceeds, juggling yet another stack of documents to place on her Captain's desk, "Lieutenant Hisagi of Division Nine has assigned a team of investigators to Northern Rukongai to quell an ongoing matter of civil unrest between two warring gangs. With the recent upheaval caused by the Traitor Captains, some of Rukongai gang leaders saw fit to take advantage of our distraction and launch an all-out turf war. However while it seems they were able to locate a respected third party to assist in the negotiations, it appears their civilian mediator has been murdered on neutral ground just as both sides were about to reach an equitable settlement; the Ninth Division have requested for a Fourth Division member with skills in pathology to be sent for the purposes of conducting an on-site autopsy to determine the cause of death and rule out the possibility of a murder or assassination."
Isane concludes, "Give the volatile nature of the situation; I believe it would be best if we sent a division member with a decent amount of combat experience to defend themselves."
Captain Unohana nods in agreement. "Indeed. Being a healer alone does not guarantee one's safety in Rukongai's more lawless regions. However, I believe there are very few officers who might met the-"
A knocking at the office door interrupts them and Unohana raises a polite hand to Isane, a sign to halt her report for now. "Please come in."
Third Seat Tasochika Iemura slams the door, offering a hasty salute to his two superior officers, he's breathless from the dead sprint across the relay station on the other side of the Fourth's barracks to her office.
"Captain, Lieutenant. Please forgive the interruption but we've received a Priority Red emergency medical request from Tenth Division Lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto currently assigned to the Advanced Vanguard stationed in the World of the Living's Karakura town. A second assault by Arrancar forces was repelled, barely, and ended in multiple casualties. On-site resources are insufficient to successfully restore their combat capabilities and they're requesting immediate aid from Fourth Division relief teams."
Isane's eyes widen, stunned.
"Already? The Vanguard was deployed less than a day ago. How could the Arrancar forces already counter us?" Isane turns her attention to her Captain.
"Doubtlessly, Sosuke Aizen foresaw our response and deliberately engineered this attack to further curtail our capabilities. This could very well be a harbinger for something more." Unohana explains sagely then turns to her Third Seat. "Who are among the casualties?"
"Ma'am," Iemura reads from a hastily sketched bit of parchment in his hand, "All members of the Vanguard have been wounded to a degree, but the most critically wounded are Eleventh Division Third Seat Ikkaku Madarame, Tenth Division Captain Hitsuguya and Shinigami Substitute Ichigo Kurosaki. The combined efforts of the human Orihime Inoue, Kisuke Urahara and Tessai Tsukabishi have kept them in stable condition, but chances of recovery without additional support are slim."
Captain Unohana considers the report and after ten seconds silence she rises from her desk, her decision made.
"I will go." She announces, already moving to retrieve her Zanpakutou from its stand to the shock of her subordinates.
"Captain?" Isane questions. "Meaning no disrespect ma'am, are you sure that's a wise course of action? What if more enemy forces are laying in wait?"
"It is precisely because there's a possibility of a third wave that I will go. In all likelihood, Sosuke Aizen's plan is to take advantage of this fortuitous circumstances to further his own goals. In light of which, expediency is required to ensure those of whom we have appointed to Karakura Town's defense are returned to fighting condition as soon as humanly possible. Therefore, I shall attend to this request personally." Unohana states in her serene manner turning her attention to her Lieutenant. "I shall leave the rest of these current issues to you, Isane. Please handle and distribute the responsibilities appropriately at your own discretion."
"Yes Ma'am." Isane clearly wants to protest the order and accompany her Captain into the field but gives a single nod in confirmation. She will faithfully obey her orders loyally as she always has.
"Then, I will be away. Please inform the Vanguard emergency relief is coming."
Iemura did not bother with a response and left Unohana's office immediately.
With a brief farewell to Isane, Captain Unohana made her way to the Senkaimon at a brisk pace, her hell butterfly already summoned and ready to guide her in the transit through the Dangai precipice world.
It's entirely outside protocol for a Captain to be attending such a mundane matter when a simple medical team would suffice, but among the wounded was Ichigo Kurosaki.
Only months ago, Unohana muses, he was dismissed simply as an invading human Ryoka turned representative at Captain Ukitake's behest, but Captain Unohana rather suspected his liking for the young human extended beyond his character.
The resemblance between Ichigo Kurosaki and Ukitake's late Lieutenant was remarkable. Utterly irrefutable. And it would match Jushiro Ukitake's particular brand of sentimentality if he'd taken a shining to the boy from that alone.
In truth, Unohana had suspected there was something deeper to the young man when she'd first laid eyes on him, broken and bloodied on Sokyoku hill. A suspicion confirmed by his brief stay in the Fourth after that battle and evidently supported by her peer Captains.
Retsu Unohana had many dealings with the Shiba clan in the past.
Both as her wards in the Fourth Division's care and as enemies to be slaughtered across the battlefield, in another brutal life when she wore different bloodthirsty name. She knew the particular taste of their reiatsu very well indeed by now.
Perhaps more layered and nuanced than any Shiba Retsu Unohana had ever encountered before, but there's no denying the smell of their blood in Ichigo Kurosaki's veins. Though the question of precisely where that blood stems from remains a mystery.
For now.
Given their intrinsic similarities in appearance and mannerisms, Unohana suspects that Ichigo Kurosaki and the late Kaien Shiba must take their features from a mutual ancestor. Had she time or inclination to indulge in such personal curiosity, Unohana might've done research herself on that matter to estimate the approximate genealogy of the Substitute.
Patient confidence wouldn't allow her to divulge such findings, but the definitive affirmative or negative on their blood ties would carry much weight.
If speculation bred evidence of that kinship, then Ichigo Kurosaki would become more vitally important to the immediate future stability of the Seireitei than he dare realises.
In light of their first encounter, the irony of that reality so black Unohana can only laugh.
It's shamelessly gauche perhaps, but among other things Captain Kyoraku clearly intended to use the talented young man as a political battering tool to coax the Shiba clan back into the fold. And the fact is a bargaining chip isn't worth much if it's dead.
To that end and for the sake of the Seireitei, Captain Unohana simply cannot allow that boy to die.
"This is terrible." Ukitake sighs deeply, feeling his long centuries weigh on him.
Days ago, Karakura town was under attack. Ukitake had been so absorbed in his work here he hadn't even been aware of it until the reports of that battle flooded in.
The tally is grim to behold. No Vanguard members were lost and no innocents were harmed, but the fact Captain Unohana sought fit to attending to the emergency relief herself paints a desolate picture indeed.
To make matters worse, Captain Ukitake may have stumbled upon something in the Daireishokairo that might shed an appalling light on Sosuke Aizen's end goal.
In addition to all of Kisuke Urahara's stored notes on Hollowfication and the Hyogoku, key words such as the Ōin and Ōken have began cropping up more and more in their investigation, which hints at an interest in the Royal Palace.
Well, no need to hint about it. Aizen arrogantly boasted he will sit upon the throne of God in his exodus.
The problem is whatever the traitor sought was still buried under layers upon layers of encryption and countless dead ends.
Kiyone and Sentaro have been working diligently to assist him, and Shunsui and Nanao offer their assistance from time to time when their own duties spare them a brief moment's respite to check on Ukitake's progress, but there's still decades of research notes to go through. Much of it outside the understanding of even a man as learned as Ukitake.
Aizen is as meticulous as he is convoluted in his plans and no detail is too small to be beneath notice. Everything must be checked, double checked, triple checked then examined again with a fine tooth comb for any detailed minutiae, no matter how insignificant it may seem.
Ukitake feels the onset of a headache.
Even working around the clock in shifts, it would be weeks before they uncovered the true breath of Aizen's schemes and that thought combined with news of the recent attack weighs on him heavier still. He's not sure if his symptoms are another tell-tale sign of a bad episode or just frustration at being so utterly trapped in this convoluted maze.
He sincerely wished for something to take his mind off this current crisis right now. Not something... good necessarily, just something different.
As attentive a student as Ukitake may have been in his youth and as studious an administrator he is for his division (when not plagued by illness), even his patience has limits. And this late in the evening, perhaps he'd profit from a few hours rest. Returning to work in the morning with a fresh set of eyes might be the thing he needs right now.
Ukitake's about to administer orders to that effect for the Division members present in the hall but he's interrupted before he truly starts by Sentaro's appearance behind him.
"Captain, it's Acting-Fourth Seat Kuchiki. She's reporting in on a secure channel." Sentaro reports without preamble but with an underlying air of tension in his words that puts Ukitake's tired mind on edge.
"Regarding the recent Arrancar attack?" Ukitake questions concerned,
Sentaro hesitates, glancing shiftily back and forth while keeping his voice discreet and leaning in, "No sir. Its about the, uh... the other matter, Captain."
That twin feeling of hope and anxiety is back in full force and it burns away the edges of Ukitake's exhaustion. He lets none of this show on his face, only wearing a mask of professional determination. "I see."
"Kiyone's set up a private relay station in the office down the corridor to the left, Captain. She's there now debriefing Kuchiki." Ukitake hadn't waited for Sentaro to finish before practically launching out of his chair and making his way out of the archive chambers and down the hallway indicated.
"Has she said anything about...?" Ukitake lets his question hang, trusting the subordinate who chased after him like a shadow would catch his meaning.
"No sir. Only a request to speak to you immediately."
Ukitake's brow furrows into a deep frown while he thinks. Had something gone awry? Was that why Kuchiki wanted to speak to him immediately? Or had they made a mistake? Was she reporting a mission failure?
He doesn't ponder the thoughts long before he turns sharply into the office where Kiyone set up the makeshift communication station. The space is hardly worth being called an office really, more a glorified broom closet, especially with all that extra equipment jampacked inside.
Kiyone looks up and acknowledges her Captain's grave appearance with a quick salute before turning her attention to the station receiver.
"Rukia; the Captain's just arrived. You can make your report now." Kiyone says into the speaker and steps aside to allow Ukitake to assume her seat.
"Kuchiki, it's Ukitake. Please make your report." He speaks calmly and clearly into the microphone, completely at odds with the tempest of emotions churning inside him,
There's no response. Ukitake tries again.
"Kuchiki, are you-?"
It's not Rukia's voice that answers him.
"Captain. Long time no speak. Sorry for the extended radio silence. Unfortunately, Hueco Mundo's reception leaves a lot to be desired and, sadly, the living world ain't much better."
All three are struck dumb by the voice for a few seconds, and after a stunned five seconds silence Ukitake breaths out a disbelieving little laugh. As irreverent as ever it seems, Ukitake's almost pleased to hear it.
"Kaien?"
Ukitake can hear the grin on the other side, picture it easily in his mind's eye as though they'd bid each other farewell only yesterday and greeted each other again this morning.
"The one and only."
Behind Ukitake, Kiyone and Sentaro's mutual looks of shock gradual fade into sheer joy, they shake each other's hand (initiated by Sentaro) then give each other a great big hug (initiated by Kiyone).
"Kuchiki's right here with me. Been kind enough to lend me her Denreishinki so we can have a bit of a catch-up. I think its safe to say we're long overdue."
Author's note:
Zangetsu blew up (plus Ichigo's hand), Unohana believes Ichigo's the key to the Shibas returning to the fold (she's not wrong) and Ukitake gets a happy little phone call.
Edit: Since it wasn't clear by Ukitake's comment of irreverence, the Hueco Mundo thing is meant to be a sarcastic quip on Kaien's part. Sorry about that.
Edited: 25/4/2023 - Cleaned up the chapter's grammatical errors and spruced up the language a little.
Regards,
Aurora313