Ch16
Netto tossed and turned in his bed as his mind wandered to a familiar place. Looking up he saw the bright dragon staring down at him.
"Taiyo."
The dragons eyes bore into him like two bright suns, its face was unreadable but he a gut feeling told him the dragon wasn't pleased.
"You lost this fight," Taiyo said his voice close to a low grow. "You could've died out there."
He looked to the ground. "I know. But what could I do, that was my brother's soul." The hatred in Saito's eyes made him want to curl up and cry.
"Well he would've hesitated to kill you without second thought," Taiyo said firmly. The frankness of his voice made him wince. "You hesitated too much on the battlefield, you are lucky to be alive."
"I'm sorry," he said. A pit formed in his stomach, a part of him was guilty over the fight, he was basically dead weight. All I could do was to beg him to stop. He shivered, Saito's eyes were anything but friendly and he knew his brother's spirit was now so corrupted he wanted to kill him without hesitation.
"Your friends and family will suffer if you hesitate again," Taiyo said. "Stay focused on your goal, you must defeat this arrancar even if you once share his blood."
"But how? He is so much stronger than me," he said. He also hates my guts.
"Obtain my true strenght. Obtain bankai," Taiyo said firmly. "If you put your mind to it you can do it but you must do your part."
"Thank you," he said softly. A pit formed in his stomach as he looked to the ground. He didn't know if he could fight Saito and kill him but his zanpakuto was right Saito wouldn't hesitate to harm him. "I'll do all I can to win."
As much as he loved his family he wouldn't let Saito kill them. Thinking about all the things he learned as a Shinigami a thought came to him. "I'll save him by purifying him," he said firmly.
"It is the only way," Taiyo said. "Once purified his soul will be able to pass over and reincarnate in peace."
He looked the dragon in the eyes and nodded firmly. "I'll do it." Determination swelled up inside of him, he wouldn't let his brother's spirit continue on living in agony as an arrancar hurting those he loved while suffering on the inside.
"Good. Then stay focused," Taiyo said firmly as the dream slowly dissipated.
When he woke up his body ached all over. He swore as he slowly sat up and pain shot through his body. His room was dark and looking at his PET he saw that it was still too early to get up.
"You're up early for once," Yoruichi said.
Turning around he saw his sensei in her cat form. "S-Sensei." He tried to move but pain shot through his body.
"Don't move you are far too exhausted," Yoruichi said as she leaped onto his bed and sat next to him. "Toshiro and your grandfather already left."
"I figured so," he sighed as he rested on his bed and looked up at the ceiling. "I spoke with my zanpkuto spirit. He wants me to train harder and obtain bankai."
"It could be done," Yoruichi said. "You'll need to focus more but I'm sure you can do it."
He nodded. "I'll do whatever it takes to save his soul. I'll to my best to purify it."
His teacher looked at him and nodded. "I'll make sure you are thoroughly prepared, but for now rest well."
"Sensei my heart is conflicted about Saito," he said as he looked up at the ceiling. "I know he wants to harm me but he is still my brother."
"Well your brother to hurt you or those you love," Yoruichi said in a matter of fact tone. "If you don't purify his soul he'll continue to hurt those you love and others."
He nodded, a part of him was tired of people telling him the same thing over and over again but deep down he knew it was what needed to be done.
"Rest well. You'll resume training once you recover," Yoruichi said as she jumped off of bed.
With that he managed to fall back asleep and get some rest. His body still was sore when it was morning.
"Netto-kun are you ok?" Rockman asked once he finished getting ready for the day.
He looked at the navi and a pang hit his heart. "Not really something happened yesterday."
"What happened?" Rockman asked. "Was it a Shinigami thing?"
He nodded. "Remember how I said that spirits that don't cross over can become hollows?" Rockman nodded. Taking a deep he looked into his navi's eyes. "Well yesterday a special hollow came, it was Saito."
Rockman's jaw dropped. "S-Saito like my human spirit?"
He nodded. "It wants to harm me and my family." Rubbing his hands through hair he explained the events of yesterday. How Saito tried harming him and his father. "That's about it. He has to either be purified or he'll continue to come after me and those I care about."
When he was done Rockman remained silent. "I'm sorry," the navi muttered.
"It isn't your fault," he said. "You aren't trying to go after me."
Rockman looked up at him. "I know it won't be easy but I want you to save my soul."
He looked his navi in the eye and nodded. "I know its what I have to do but it isn't easy." Rubbing his eyes he swallowed the various emotions inside of him. "I want to help him I really do."
"Netto-kun I trust your decision," Rockman said. "I want you to help my spirit move on. It won't be easy but I know you can do it."
"I'll train harder to do it," he said as he looked at a picture of his parents on his desk. "I'll need to get stronger to protect them."
Rockman nodded and smiled. "That's the spirit. You've fought strong opponents before, besides you aren't alone."
"I know," he said. Toshiro and everyone else have helped me a lot. I won't let them down. "Come on I want to speak to dad."
Grabbing his PET he quickly got his things and left the house. He ran towards Scilab his heart racing in his chest. He didn't speak openly to his father about Saito often but with the way things were he needed to have a good talk with him.
When he arrived at Scilab he quickly headed to his father's research room where he found him looking over a computer. "Hey dad."
His father turned around. "Netto what is it?"
"Um can we talk in private?" He asked as he nervously scanned the room around them.
"Sure lets go to my office," his father said as various scientists passed through the room.
His heart raced in his chest as he followed his dad to his private room. His father's office was a regular cubicle with a few seats and a computer, a picture of the family rested on the desk next to the monitor.
"What did you want to talk about?" His father asked, closing the door behind him.
"I wanted to talk about Saito," he said. "If that's ok with you."
His father froze. "What brings this up?"
He shifted in his seat. "Nothing I just have been thinking about him lately." Scratching his head he looked up at his dad. "We don't talk about him much and I wanted to know more about him."
His father sighed as he sat down in his chair. "I always knew you would ask one day but to be honest there isn't much to talk about. He died not long after he was born."
He watched as his father removed his glasses and cleaned them. "Your mother and I were devastated, she took it very hard." Taking a deep breath his dad put his glassed back on and looked at him. "We chose to never speak of it again. And to tell you when you were ready."
"Y-Yeah I know," he said looking down at his PET. "Only the family knows."
"What brings this up?" His father asked.
"N-Nothing I just have been thinking about him," he said with a nervous laugh. "Don't you ever think about him?"
"Of course," his father said folding his arms. "I know he would've done great things had he lived."
He looked down at the ground. "Do you wonder what happened to his soul?"
His father frowned. "I never believe much in that stuff. For me religion was always a cultural thing. We have science to know how the world works, we don't need superstition."
"I see," he said resisting the urge to get upset. My father always cared about rationality.
"Besides," His father said. "Saito lives on through Rockman. As sad as it was there is no need to think about such silly cultural terms like spirituality, Saito lives on through Rockman."
"Of course," he said hoarsely. Looking at his father he did his best to hide the disbelief in his voice. Of course Saito's spirit would get offended if his father's beliefs were he was dead but we have Rockman now. "Well um thanks dad, I needed this talk. We should visit his grave more often."
"If you want to we can," his father said. "Frankly I see those things more as tradition, I've already moved on with his loss."
"Of course." He gave him a small smile before leaving. As soon he left Scilab he sighed and shook his head. "As far as he concerned why care about Saito when we have Rockman."
"I'm sure he doesn't mean it that way," Rockman said softly.
"I know he means well and that he was never the most spiritual but I can see why Saito holds a grudge against the family," he said as he returned home. Shaking his head he winced at the hatred in Saito's eyes. "I'll show him I care." He looked up at the sky with determination. "I'll help his spirit move on."
Determination boiled up inside of him as he looked up at the sky. Saito I'll save you.
However, as he headed home the hairs on his neck stood up as the clouds above him darkened. "Uh gosh," He muttered as he looked up at the sky and saw a large hollow with a pointed mask on its face.
A menos grande. Toshiro and his teacher had told him about them, how they are large powerful hollow and still needed to be taken down. Must be one of the more common ones.
A piercing howl came from its mouth before firing a Cero. He swore and quickly found a safe place. The ground shook as the Cero destroyed a nearby building. "Rockman I have to take care of that, watch over my body ok."
Rockman looked at him and nodded. "Don't worry. Do what you have to do."
Taking a deep breath he placed his amulet against his body and his spirit flew out of it. Gripping his zanapkuto he found the Menos Grande slowly heading towards his neighborhood.
"Oh no you don't." He drew his sword and gripped it. "Shine brightly Taiyo!"
The sword erupted into a beam of light as the Menos Grande fired at him. He leaped out of the way, the ground burst as the attack ripped through the area.
"Take this!" He swung his blade and a beam of light hit the hollow. The attack hit the Menos Grande in the mask knocking it off balance but creating a small crack.
Damn it. Taking a deep breath he swung his blade again putting more power into the attack. A beam of light hit the hollow knocking it back.
He ran and leaped in the air. I will protect everyone I care about. His sword glowed brightly as he swung it down, a dragon made of light flew from it and hit the menos grande.
The hollow roared in agony as it blasted another cero in his direction. You're kidding me. He winced just as a wall of ice appeared in front of him. The force of the attack broke it and sent him flying.
He landed on the ground and quickly got up to see Toshiro fly through the sky and slice through the menos grande's mask.
Toshiro landed in front of him armored in ice. "Not bad but you should never take on a menos grande by yourself."
"Th-Thanks," he said breathing a sigh of relief. He sheathed his sword and looked around. "That thing caused some havoc."
Toshiro nodded. "It sure did."
He sighed. "Anyway want to get something to eat?"
Toshiro raised an eyebrow as if he couldn't believe he just asked him that but shrugged. "Why not."
He grinned. "Great I'll get my body."
After a few minutes, they both arrived at a nice bakery he and Toshiro both got some ice cream and began to eat. "So how was your father?" Toshiro asked.
He frowned. "Well he doesn't believe in supernatural things. For him my brother died and we have now Rockman, things spirits are just old superstitions for him."
Toshiro looked at him with his deep blue eyes and nodded. "Some mortals are like that. You can't force people to accept things."
"Yeah sadly that's his way of thinking," he muttered. "Ever rational and ever scientific."
"Your brother's spirit will continue to haunt your life and continue to suffer unless we stop him," Toshiro said firmly. "I know where his kind live, but going there will be dangerous. If you want to come you'll have to train like never before."
He looked at his hands and slowly nodded. "I've come this far, I will not stop until his spirit is purified." Looking up he met Toshiro's gaze. "What do I need to do?"
Toshiro sipped his coffee and looked him in the eyes. "I'll make sure you are trained and pushed to your limit, it won't be easy but I swear I won't let you die."
He smiled at his friend just and nodded. "Thanks."