Chapter 21: Jason Never Dies Side 1
(Here we are folks! Only three chapters left of this arc and boy will they be eventful! Before that, I want to give a shout-out to NoHorrorYesAnime. I'm so glad to know you're ok but also I wish to apologize. I understand that you can't reply every time I upload nor should you feel you have to. Still, I hope you and everyone else reading this story enjoys it)
"So it looks like you broke out," Kenpachi licked his lips. "Good! I've been itching for round two."
"C-Captain Zaraki?" Rangiku stuttered from beneath her Captain.
"K-Kenpachi," Toshiro breathed. He was struggling to remain conscious despite his pain and blood loss.
"Oh, it's you," Kenpachi commented as he noticed the Squad 10 Captain sprawled on the floor. "So you decided to take first crack at him huh?" He burst into a fit of laughter at Toshiro's predicament.
"Kenpachi," Toshiro forced himself to his knees, his remaining wing of ice melting fast. "Will you finish this? Will you end this nightmare?"
Kenpachi's laughter stopped and his smile faded. "Finish? Oh I'll finish it alright!" He turned to Jason and his smile returned. "We're gonna finish what we started back at Crystal Lake, isn't that right, Jason?"
Jason, of course, didn't say anything. But he did nod a single time. It was too small a movement to be noticed by any of the Shinigami and Jason himself did not even realize he had performed such a gesture.
"Very well," Toshiro wrapped his arms around Rangiku and dug the top of his head into her breast, catching her off guard.
"C-Captain!?" the flustered Rangiku blubbered.
"I'll leave the rest to you then," With that, Toshiro summoned the last of the strength and flash-stepped away from the area with Rangiku in tow.
"You better get out of the way too, Yachiru," Kenpachi said to his lieutenant. "I'm so excited, I don't think I can keep from accidentally cutting you down."
"Ok!" Yachiru chirped before hopping off of her Captain's shoulder with a flip. She landed in front of Jason and told him "Hey Jay-Jay! Make sure to give Kenny a terrific fight ok?" And with that, she flash-stepped to the top of one of the other buildings to watch, leaving Jason and Kenpachi to face each other in battle once again.
They both remained still at first, each slowly sizing the other up although only Kenpachi spoke. "I can see it in your eye," He grinned. "You've gotten stronger since we last met, probably thanks to all those bastards that threw themselves at you."
Jason's only response was to raise his machete. In his mind, however, his mother's voice was aflame with concern.
"Be careful Jason. The eyepatch that man claimed sealed his spiritual pressure is gone. He came here knowing full well he'd find you and he intends to fight you at full strength. This cannot end like last time! No matter what, you must defeat him! You must kill him!"
Jason nodded, this time fully aware of what he was doing. This caught him by surprise and it was then that he recognized the strange feeling in his chest.
It was excitement
Jason was dumbfounded. Sure, part of him was hoping for the challenge these Shinigami brought with their unique powers. But as he faced the Captain of Squad 11, this strange emotion seemed to quadruple in intensity. He wondered briefly if this was how that man felt all the time, what with his constant obsession with battle. Jason slightly shook his head clear for this did not matter at the moment. All that mattered was defeating Kenpachi and continuing toward the tower. Towards the doorway to the World of the Living.
Towards home.
Jason marched toward Kenpachi, intending to throw his machete into his chest once he was in range. However, he would not be given that chance as Kenpachi rushed at him, laughing maniacally as he brought his sword down. Jason turned his machete and used it to block the attack, the force of which pushed him back a little. Taking his chance, Jason punched Kenpachi in the stomach as hard as he could, reopening his wounds. He felt the Captain's blood splatter on his skin and clothes and smiled.
Kenpachi coughed up a little blood as well and he seemed to be genuinely shocked by what Jason had done. This was short-lived, as before Jason could attempt another attack, Kenpachi sneered at him and used his free hand to grab Jason's arm and pull it away. "Nice, you're starting to get the hang of this!" With a single stroke, Kenpachi carved a gash along Jason's chest and stomach. Blood gushed out and if it hadn't been for Jason's own Reiatsu cushioning the blow, the cut would have allowed his organs to spill out. Instead, Jason backed away a couple of feet and held his free hand over the wound. He glared at Kenpachi who simply continued to laugh.
"Oh come on! I know you can do better than that!" Kenpachi rushed at Jason again, prompting another block with the machete. "Show me some of that killer instinct!"
What followed next was a series of blows between Kenpachi's sword and Jason's machete. The combined force of both fighters' spiritual pressures turned every clash of steel into an explosion of energy. The few buildings surrounding the fighters were blown to pieces. The ground beneath their feet cracked. The resulting gust of wind from the blows even blew nearby clouds away. The fighters themselves were also affected by the tremendous force although they were far too enthralled in battle to realize it. The skin of their arms broke and cracked, the resulting blood evaporating mere seconds after spilling out. Rips and tears formed on their upper clothes with each blow, the resulting pieces of cloth torn away and disintegrating into nothing. What remained of Jason's mask formed a crack over his working eye as well but he took no notice. He was too engaged in the battle he now found himself in.
As the battle raged on, several yards away, Rangiku was doing her best to close her captain's wounds. He had lost consciousness almost as soon as they had stopped moving and a puddle of blood had formed around him. Rangiku's vision was continually blurred by her tears and she had to wipe them away every few minutes so she could heal her captain. In the back of her mind, however, she knew that basic first aid would not be enough to save him in this state. Toshiro needed to be taken to Squad 4 as soon as possible. Forcing back a sob, Rangiku lifted up Toshiro in her arms, wincing as his warm blood stained her robes and took off. She knew she couldn't move too fast, lest she exacerbate his wounds but she couldn't afford to slow down either. Her captain's life was hanging by a thread and it was all thanks to that monster.
Eventually, Jason was able to finally push Kenpachi away from him and create enough distance so he could study his opponent some more. Although it was barely noticeable, he could see Kenpachi panting, his muscles rising up and down through the tears of what remained of his captain's haori. Jason's jacket had already been reduced to two tufts of cloth around his wrist, leaving him in a black muscle shirt sporting a few tears of its own.
"Now this is more like it!" Kenpachi smiled as he reached for his haori and tore it off his body, revealing a normal Shinigami's robe underneath. "This is the kind of fighting that I live for!" He pointed his sword toward Jason, "What about you? Admit it, you're having a great time too, right!?"
Jason didn't answer but within the confines of his mind, he found himself agreeing. It still wasn't anything compared to punishing sinful teenagers and such feelings were completely absent during his battle with Freddy but as he fought the Shinigami, especially the one facing him now, he could feel the adrenaline pumping through his veins, filling him with life and energy he never dreamed he could have in his undead state. That's when he looked down at his arms and remembered that the term "undead" did not really fit him anymore. He had come back to life, both in body and soul and as he stared down his grinning opponent, he realized that he had never felt more alive than in that moment.
"I can tell from the look of your good eye, you agree." Kenpachi beamed. "I think it's time to take this to the next level." With this, Kenpachi took a different stance, one with both of his hands on the hilt of his sword. This seemed to confuse Jason and he tilted his head in surprise. "That's right." Kenpachi moved. "All this time, I've been fighting you my preferred way." He looked down at his sword. "When I first joined the Gotei 13, the old man forced me to learn Kendo. I honestly never cared for it but it does add a lot of power to my attacks." He looked back up at Jason with a vicious smile. "I think it's time we take this fight to the next level, don't you think?"
Jason's single eye glared at Kenpachi and he held his machete up in front of him, intending to block whatever attack Kenpachi had planned with this kendo of his.
"Alright," Kenpachi laughed as he swung his blade. "Here it comes!"
"Bankai! Hihio Zabimaru!" Renji called out. His segmented sword compacted itself and transformed into a giant skeletal serpent with a mane of red fur. "Hikotsu Taiho!" One Renji's command, the serpent unleashed a dense blast of red energy at the Kido barrier surrounding the Central 46 Compound. The force of the blast resulted in the segment of the serpent splitting apart while the barrier itself remained unscratched. Renji groaned in frustration as he waited for his Bankai to put itself back together and turned to his fellow lieutenant. "Rukia!"
"Right!" Rukia held out her Zanpakuto. "Tsugi no mai, Hakuren!" Rukia stabbed four identical points into the ground in front of her and created a blast of cold air which she sent racing toward the barrier. Upon contact, a wall of ice formed over the barrier and both Rukia and Renji became hopeful that this would be what finally destroyed it. To their disappointment, however, the barrier remained even as the ice broke apart.
"Just what the hell is this thing?" Renji growled. "I've never seen or heard of such a strong Kido barrier before."
"Neither have I," Rukia confessed. "I'm beginning to doubt that's a Kido at all."
"Do not be confused, Rukia." A voice spoke from behind her. "What you see before you is indeed a Kido."
Both Rukia and Renji turned to see the Captain of Squad 6 approaching them. "Captain Kuchiki!"
"We cannot afford to stop here," Byakuya said as he unsheathed his sword. "We must do everything in our power to destroy that barrier and free the Head Captain. Now stand aside."
Realizing at once what he was about to do, both Rukia and Renji flash-stepped out of the way as did any other Shinigami in Byakuya's path. "Bankai, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi." He dropped his sword into the ground and it vanished as if it had been dropped in a pool of water. Seconds later, two rows of gigantic swords formed on either side of the Squad 6 Captain. He lifted his hand toward the barrier and said "Scatter," resulting in the giant swords disassembling into tiny particles resembling sakura petals. The cloud of endless blades engulfed the barrier within seconds and a few of the Shinigami even cheered as they were so sure that this time, the barrier would be destroyed. As Byakuya commanded the shards to disperse, however, he and the others were shocked to see the barrier still standing. What few scrapes his Bankai managed to leave were already closing.
"Dammit! Not even the Captain's Bankai can destroy it!" Renji cursed. "Will we ever break it!?" At this point, Renji expected a verbal lashing from Rukia for being so ready to give up in the face of adversity and patiently waited to be chewed out. Subconsciously, part of him wanted that to happen as no one was able to bring him back to his sense quite like Rukia. It had been that way ever since they were children and he felt as if he needed her words of encouragement now, even if they came with a slap to the back of the head.
But nothing happened. Rukia didn't even reply, much less berate him. Upon realizing this, Renji turned to her and was taken aback by the expression on her face. She seemed concerned, frightened even. Her lips were trembling and her eyes were fixed on the barrier before her, almost as if she was looking past it.
"Rukia," Renji grabbed the petite Shinigami by her shoulders and shook her. "What's wrong? Snap out of it!"
"Renji...don't you feel it?"
"Feel what?"
"Behind the barrier...his spiritual pressure...
"His...?" Renji turned to the barrier and tried to focus on the area around him. It took him a little bit, especially with the sheer amount of Shinigami around but eventually, he felt it. A few miles from the barrier, he could sense the spiritual pressure of one Ichigo Kurosaki.
And it was surrounded by two unfamiliar spiritual pressures.
"Ichigo?" Renji gritted his teeth. "Just what the hell is going on?"
"I don't know but I can tell from his Reiatsu that he's been fighting." Rukia replied. "Whoever those other two are, they're not allies."
"What should we do?" Renji asked. "Should we go after him?"
"No, you both are to stay put and continue to assist with breaking the barrier." Both Rukia and Renji practically jumped out of their skin as Byakuya spoke. He had casually walked behind Renji as they were talking. Once she calmed down, Rukia tried to speak up. "B-But brother!"
"Do you doubt Kurosaki's fighting abilities, Rukia?" Byakuya asked calmly, meeting her gaze head-on. Rukia found she could not return the favor and lowered her head as he continued. "Kurosaki is simply doing his part in bringing an end to the chaos that has consumed the Seireitei." He turned toward the barrier. "There is no doubt in my mind that the two other spiritual pressures belong to the enemy, perhaps, even the perpetrators of this disaster. And if that is the case, I'm willing to put my trust in Ichigo to bring them down."
"Byakuya," Rukia uttered as she looked up with hope in her eyes.
He turned back to Rukia and Renji. "Do you not place your trust in him as well?"
"I...Of course I do!" Rukia shouted. She found herself thinking back to the night before and started to blush. She quickly ducked down again, hoping to hide it from both Renji and her brother. Suffice to say, she wasn't ready to let them know just how closer she had gotten to Ichigo. Not yet anyway.
"I do too, Captain!" Renji declared, oblivious to Rukia's predicament. In his own mind, he thought back to all the battles he had fought alongside the substitute Shinigami. Ichigo could be dense at times, sure but he was no weakling. "This is Ichigo we're talking about!"
Byakuya's lips curved somewhat upward as if he was attempting to smile. Or rather, he had caught and stopped himself from smiling. "He has his job to do and so do we. Let us continue to try and destroy the barrier."
"Yes Captain!" Both Rukia and Renji shouted in unison. Byakuya nodded and rushed back toward the barrier with Renji not far behind him. Rukia, however, remained where she stood. Despite her brother's words, she could not help but worry. She couldn't stop thinking about last night. It was only a kiss, sure, but that had been enough to change everything. Even if it was unlikely, even if this was Ichigo they were talking about. She knew that the chances of someone dying in battle may grow slimmer as they become stronger but they never truly go away.
She only needed to think of Kaien in order to remember that.
"Ichigo," She whispered. "Please make it out alive."
Although it was only a few seconds before Roy found the courage to speak, Ichigo could have sworn an eternity had passed since Pamela appeared on the scene. From behind him, he could faintly hear the sounds of Shinigami trying the break the barrier Roy had set up, no doubt an attempt to free the Old Man and the others with him. But that was none of his concern at the moment. What mattered right now was the woman in front of him, the one who had set this chaos into motion in the first place. As with Roy, Ichigo recognized her from the pictures although her hair was much longer now. Both of her hazel eyes seemed to stare daggers at Ichigo and he felt a chill creep up his spine as he realized he had seen those eyes up close before. If there was any doubt that Prim was really Pamela within Ichigo's mind, it was gone now.
"Pamela," Roy choked. "H-How did you find me?"
Pamela sighed heavily. "You really are stupid, you know?" She held out her hand and resting within her palm was a Soul Searcher, the same one Roy had followed to the compound. "Did you honestly not realize it left you once you got to the compound?" She placed the robotic insect inside her robes and started walking toward the two men. "It's quite annoying really. Right now, I'm supposed to be at the Senkaimon tower, waiting for my precious boy to show up. But out of the kindness of my heart, I decided to check up on you really quick, see if you were still alive and what do I find? You plotting against me with the enemy!" She shook her head. "Some people just have no concept of gratitude."
"Gratitude? Gratitude for what?" Roy challenged. "Blackmailing me? Forcing me away from my boy?"
"That robe...So it's true then," Ichigo interuppted. "You really are a Shinigami!"
"Does that surprise you?" Pamela asked as she grabbed the hilt of her sword. "Is it really shocking that someone like me was able to make it to your ranks?"
Ichigo gritted his teeth. "Of course, it does! You're a killer! You're supposed to be in Hell! How could you have possibly entered Soul Society?"
"To be honest, I don't quite know myself," Pamela admitted. "One moment, I was watching my own body fall down on the banks of Crystal Lake and the next, I was in the Rukongai. Perhaps the Good Lord was impressed with my work back in the World of the Living and decided to send me here as his sword to punish you sinful Shinigami!"
"Cut the crap!" Ichigo barked. "What work are you talking about? You're a murderer! All those innocent teens, dead because of you!"
Roy felt a pang of guilt in his chest as Ichigo spoke. He found himself looking down at the ground.
"Innocent? Hah! There was nothing innocent about those drug-using fornicating heathens!" Pamela snapped. "The only one innocent here was my son Jason!" Her voice broke. "They were supposed to be watching him you know? They should have never let him out of their sight. But they decided that fucking was more important than my boy and they let him drown!"
"Yeah, yeah." I've heard the story," Ichigo replied. "And I do feel for you and your son. I really do." He pointed Zangetsu toward Pamela. "But that still doesn't give you the right to inflict that same misery on other people. Especially on people who had nothing to do with it! What about the people hired to open Crystal Lake 30 years later? What about all the people Jason's killed since then? Did they deserve to die as well?" He was getting heated now and his arm was shaking with anger. "Did Akane deserve to die as well!?"
"That's enough!" Pamela pulled her sword out of her it's the sheath. It was a slender katana with a jet-black hilt and a wheel-shaped guard. "I've heard enough out of the both of you! I've worked too hard to let you ruin everything now!" Pamela whispered something to herself but Ichigo and Roy were too far away to make it out. At first, it sounded like she was speaking in a higher voice before returning to her normal tone, all while glaring at the two men. "My boy is escaping this Hell and I'll cut down anyone who tries to interfere!" She held her sword out in front of her and shouted, "Cast your judgment, Tamashi no Hakari!"
Suddenly, the katana exploded into a cloud of black dust, nearly knocking Pamela off her feet. The dust began to reform in her hands and she gripped her new weapon as it began to take shape. Once the dust had fully rejoined itself, Pamela was left with a battle axe. Like the katana before it, its haft was jet black as was the edge of the blade. On the butt rested a symbol resembling the number 13.
With her Shikai now released, she rushed toward the men. Ichigo readied himself but Roy jumped in front of him and slashed his sword toward Pamela, summoning a row of stalagmites toward her. Pamela jumped up to dodge them and Roy responded by raising his sword and slashing it downward, creating a new row of stalactites from the air. Pamela wasn't able to dodge this time and held her axe in front of her to block the attack, This cushioned the blow but did not keep the razor-like winds from tearing at her skin and clothes nor did it stop her from crashing back down into the ground.
"Roy!" Ichigo shouted.
"Get out of here Ichigo!" Roy shouted back. "I'll hold her off as long as I can! You go alert the others." He took off toward the dust cloud Pamela had created upon impact. "She may be strong but she's still just one person! She's not even at the level of a lieutenant! She told me so! If you could just get a number's advantage, I'm sure you can win!"
"Is that your big plan?" Pamela growled as she got up, the dust cloud only now dissipating. "Sacrifice yourself so the boy can find reinforcements? How very noble."
"Die you bitch!" Roy roared as he charged her, his killer instinct taking over for the final time.
"Roy, wait!" Ichigo shouted.
"But you're forgetting something Roy!" Pamela continued. "I'm a Shinigami and although I may be unseated," What happened next was a blur for Roy. Pamela vanished, flash-stepping the way Ichigo had done in their battle. Before he realized what was happening, he felt a sharp burning pain race across his back, followed by the horrid sensation of his own blood shooting from his body like a geyser. He uttered a choked cry and fell to his knees, releasing Sento no Kotei from his grip. The Zanpakuto fell helplessly to the ground, which reddened with Roy's blood. Although he could not make himself turn around to face her, Roy knew that Pamela was behind her, the beard of her axe dripping with his blood. and her back to him. "I'm still leagues ahead of you."
Roy!" Ichigo screamed as he rushed toward the dying man. Pamela raced toward him and their blades clashed. "Dammit! Let me through!"
"Don't bother," Pamela spoke. "Now that he's been cut with Tamashi no Hakari, there's no hope of saving him!"
"What are you talking about!?" Ichigo summoned all his strength and shoved Pamela to the side. He raced toward Roy who remained kneeling upon his own blood. At this point, his entire back was soaked with dark crimson. "Roy!" Ichigo shouted. "Are you alright? Can you stand?"
Roy didn't respond.
"Roy!"
Once again, an eternity had passed within the span of a second for Ichigo as he waited for the former paramedic to speak. When he finally uttered something, it was hardly above a choked-out whisper. "I...m sorry."
"Huh?"
"Please forgive me...I'm sorry...I didn't..." Roy uttered a horse sob and lowered his head even more. Dumbfounded, Ichigo walked around Roy in order to see his face, maybe get him to snap out of it. To his horror, he saw that Roy's eyes were milky-white, all trace of his pupils gone. Tears were streaming from these blank eyes and falling into the blood puddle below. As Ichigo's gaze lowered to follow them, he realized something even more horrifying was unfolding.
Roy was sinking into the blood puddle. His legs and hands were already gone and his torso was rabidly vanishing as well. "I'm sorry...I really am..." Roy continued to blubber as he sank. "Please forgive me..."
Roy! Snap out of it!" Ichigo grabbed Roy by the back of his kimono and pulled with all his might. Pamela, who had been silently watching the entire thing unfold, started to chuckle upon Ichigo's doomed rescue attempt. "It's no use." She said, "He's done for,"
"Shut up!" Ichigo barked at her as he continued to try and yank Roy out. By now, only his shoulders and head remained above the surface of the bloody puddle. Ichigo could feel the hot sticky liquid on his knuckles and latched on to the kimono with his other hand. He was now standing on the blood as well although it did not seem to be absorbing him the same way it was absorbing Roy.
"I'm so sorry for everything...Joey." Roy uttered another sob as his head vanished into the deep red. "Oh Joey, My precious boy! Please forgive me..." Ichigo gasped as he felt Roy's kimono slip from his fingers. He watched as the top of the man's scalp disappeared from sight and remained still, shocked and trying to process what had just occurred. The sight of the blood puddle suddenly shrinking snapped him out of his stupor and, with an angry shout, he clawed at the rabidly disappearing blood.
"Roy! Roy!" Finally, he grabbed Zangetsu and struck the giant sword down on what was left of the puddle. "Dammit!" All this succeeded in doing was creating a crack in the ground to replace the puddle which at that point vanished completely. No trace remained that it was ever there to begin with. Without a master to serve, Sento no Kotei broke into pieces and disintegrated, finally joining its master in death.
"Roy...no." Ichigo was shaking. He had only known Roy as of today and had spent the better half of that brief time trying to bring him down. But the concern Roy had for his son as well as the remorse he carried for his sins in the World of the Living was enough to make Ichigo mourn his loss. "You monster!" Ichigo turned to Pamela, "Just what the hell did you do to him?"
Pamela scoffed. "Are you really so simple-minded that you can't figure that out for yourself?" She held up her Zanpakuto. "What you just saw was my Tamashi no Harakai's Shikai ability, Akai Numa no Soko. If I manage to cut my opponent, even once, enough of their blood will bleed out to form a puddle regardless of how deep the cut was. They're then confronted with their past sins and eventually consumed by them, sinking deeper and deeper into the bottomless puddle until they cease to be!"
"Cease to be?" Ichigo uttered. "Then Roy...
"Is gone for good." Pamela sighed. "It is sad, isn't it? That son of his won't even have a body to bury."
Ichigo gritted his teeth and rushed at Pamela again, who once again blocked his attack with her weapon. "You bitch! Why would you do that to your own comrade!?"
"Comrade? Hah! Last time I checked, comrades didn't stab each other in the back." She jumped back and assumed a battle stance. "In any case, I think you should be more worried about yourself boy. As I said before, I only need a single little nick to activate my Shikai and I can't exactly let you escape after what you've seen." She sighed again. "It's a shame really. You really do seem like such an honest young man." Pamela whispered to herself in that other voice once again and while Ichigo failed to make out most of it, he was able to catch the small sentence at the end that Pamela spoke in her normal voice.
"I will Jason. I will."
With this, Ichigo and Pamela began their battle. Sparks flew as their blades clashed against each other. Ichigo proved to be stronger physically speaking as he was able to push Pamela back almost every time. Before he could go in for a strike, however, Pamela would flash-step behind him and attempt to slash his back. Ichigo had to twist his upper body to parry the blow in time. "Dammit!" He thought around the third time that this happened. "I can't let her cut me even once or I'm done for!" He pushed her back. "But I can't keep fighting on the defensive like this either. I need to change my strategy!"
Ichigo flash-stepped away from Pamela and landed on one of the many ruined buildings in the area. He held his sword out in front of him while gripping his arm and shouted "Bankai!" At once, Ichigo was engulfed in a surge of energy that then sped from him like the force of an asteroid impact. Pamela hardly had time to flash-step away before she was knocked off her feet by the resulting shockwave. She felt her grip on Tamashi no Harakai slip and tightened it with effort. She had heard about the substitute Shinigami's bankai before and the last thing she needed before confronting it was to lose her weapon. Once the dust settled, she could see Ichigo still standing on the ruins, his robes much longer than before and his blade more slender and jet black.
"The rumors are true," She murmured. "You have quite the impressive Bankai."
"Let's end this," was all that Ichigo said in response before vanishing out of Pamela's sight. Almost within that same second, Pamela suddenly felt his presence behind her and stiffened. She broke out in a sweat and her heartbeat tripled. "W-What!? So fast!" Pamela tried to turn around to take a strike at Ichigo, only for him to reach out and grab her wrist. With hardly any effort, Ichigo tossed the middle-aged woman over his shoulder, sending her several feet in the air. Pamela didn't scream and instead focused on regaining her footing, kicking at another set of ruins on her way down to cushion her fall. "So fast," She thought. "I hardly had time to-
Ichigo was suddenly right in front of Pamela, Zangetsu descending down upon her. Pamela blocked the attack with her own Zanpakuto, only to be shoved back into the nearby ruins, knocking them down. The force was enough to make her cough up blood. Ichigo waited as the dust cleared and he could clearly make out Pamela's struggling form before approaching her. "You know, I really don't enjoy this." He said, "I'm not used to fighting frail old ladies like yourself."
"Damn you!" Pamela spat as she pulled one of her feet from the rubble. Blood was trickling from her mouth and her left shoulder was bleeding as well. "It's always the same with you teenage brats! You only ever think of yourselves! You just live it up with your sex and drugs and rock and roll without a care in the world, without any thought given to people like me!" She fought back a sob, "People like my boy!"
"That's enough!" Ichigo shouted. "Do you think you're the only person that's ever lost someone dear to them? Do you!?" He pointed Zangetsu toward Pamela's throat, making it very clear that she was not to move. Memories of that day came flooding back into his mind and this time he let them stay. Within in soul, he could feel the rain returning and looked down on Zangetsu guiltily. "Everyone that's living right now has lost someone important to them." He continued. "Everyone's felt the same pain you've gone through."
"Is that so?" Pamela was leaning on her Zanpakuto at this point, using it as a crutch to prop herself back up. "Then tell me, Ichigo. Who did you lose? Who did this world take away to make you who you are now?"
For a moment, Ichigo paused, unsure if he really wanted to reopen those old wounds even further than they were already open. Deciding that he might as well go with it, he replied to Pamela's question with cold seriousness. "My mother."
The Crystal Lake Slasher's eyes widened with surprise. A moment of silence passed between the two fighters, each taking in the full weight of the words they had just exchanged Finally, it was Pamela who broke the silence. "Y-Your mother?"
Ichigo nodded. "It happened when I was just a kid." The memory of finding his mother's flattened body filled Ichigo's mind but still he did not fight it. "She died protecting me from a Hollow."
Pamela had now reclaimed enough of her strength to stand without the help of her Zanpakuto. She took a single step toward Ichigo, her neck now touching his blade and asked. "I see. I'm very sorry to hear that. It must have been hard, especially with you so young at that time."
"Yeah. I guess it was." Ichigo thought back to his family. His dorky father and his two sisters. "But I had people to help me get by." His thoughts moved his friends, both the ones he transversed Soul Society and Hueco Mundo with and the ones that he had left behind at school earlier today. "I'm sorry, you probably don't want to hear me prattle on."
"I do see what you're trying to do you know," Pamela replied flatly. "By bringing up the fact that you lost someone close to you and didn't end up a murderer, you're trying to make a point about I'm on the wrong path. Is that it?"
Ichigo said nothing. He didn't even try to meet Pamela's gaze. He simply remained still and waited for her to continue.
"I do sympathize with the loss of your mother. I really do. I can tell that she really loved you too." Pamela actually smiled as she said this, "A true mother would be willing to do anything for her child, even lose her own life."
Ichigo looked up to meet her gaze and for the briefest of moments, thought he could see his own mother's smile within Pamela's. It felt comforting and disturbing at the same time.
"But our situations are not comparable. When Jason drowned, I had lost a piece of my own soul and one of the few things I had in the world," Pamela found herself thinking over her past as well. To the endless beatings of her lover, Elias. To the look of horror on the doctor's face when he delivered her only child. To the sound of her heart shattering beyond compare when she was told of her son's unjust end. "You are just a boy. You could never possibly understand the sheer agony of a mother outliving her child. It's unbearable!"
"But Mommy! That's all in the past now!"
Ichigo was taken aback by Pamela's sudden change in tone. Her eyes were wide and wild and her mouth was fixed in a horrid, almost picture-perfect smile.
"Once you kill this boy, we can go back home together!"
"Yes we can Jason." Pamela seemed to have calmed herself. "We can go back home and no one will ever separate us again!"
Ichigo couldn't believe what he was seeing. Pamela, the same woman who had masterminded Jason's escape and the Head Captain's entrapment, was talking to herself in the voice of a little child. It didn't take Ichigo long to realize that the high-pitched voice was supposed to belong to Jason, still conversing with his beloved mother from beyond the grave. Despite his Bankai resting in his hands, Ichigo couldn't help but be unnerved by the utter display of insanity.
"Kill him Mommy! Kill the Shinigami!"
"I will Jason. I will!" Pamela lunged at Ichigo and they once again locked blades. "I'll do anything to protect my boy! That's what a mother does!"
"Your son is a murderer!" Ichigo shouted as he pushed her back. "And so are you!"
"I'm just setting right what went wrong that day! I'm taking back what's mine!" Pamela screamed as she swiped at Ichigo. The substitute Shinigami jumped back to dodge the attack.
"We all have things in the past that we wish we could drag in the present," He shouted as he landed on his feet. "But the past is just that! The past! You should have let go of Jason and tried to live in his honor instead of causing more suffering!"
"Enough!" Pamela held out her palm and shot a Kido blast at Ichigo. "You don't know the first thing about grief, boy! Do you really think your mother would have been content with living in your honor if it was you that died that day!?"
Ichigo jumped up into the air to avoid the Kido. "Don't you dare bring her into this!" He prepped his sword for a swing. "This ends now! Getsuga Tenshou!" Ichigo launched the Moon-shaped blast of energy at Pamela. She tried to block the attack with Tamashi no Harakai but the force was too strong. She was knocked off her feet and her cry of pain was cut off by the resulting explosion. Ichigo fell back down to the ground right as the shaking stopped. "It didn't have to be this way," He said as he walked toward the newly-formed crater. The dust rising up from its depths almost seemed as tall as a tower from where Ichigo was watching it. "You didn't have to damn yourself along with your son! There never needed to be this much bloodshed! This much death!"
Ichigo sighed and forced himself to stop talking. Why was he bothering in the first place? Pamela was surely dead or at least incapable of fighting back and even if she could still somehow answer him, what would she say? She'd most likely continue speaking to her son, lending him her voice as they spoke of how they wanted to return to an unreachable past. She was beyond help and Ichigo knew this now.
So why did it bother him so much?
It's not like she was the first killer he had to face. That honor went to Shrieker who Ichigo sent to Hell himself. Since then, he had faced many opponents who care little for the weight of a single life. Grimmjow, Nnotira, Ulquiorra, Gin, Aizen. Even the Gotei 13 themselves were once his enemies, back when they tried to have Rukia executed for lending him her power. And then of course, there was his latest battle with Freddy Krueger whose sheer malice rivaled that of some of the Espadas. And yet, Ichigo only seemed conflicted about the nature of killers when it came to Pamela.
Pamela Voorhees. A woman who, once upon a time, nothing more than a loving doting mother to Jason. Jason Voorhees, who at that point was nothing but a sinless child.
Pamela and Jason. Mother and Son. Psychopath and Killer.
Ichigo shook his head aggressively. It would do him no good to try and humanize them now. Now, as he stood before the crater created by his Getshuga Tenshou, Jason was laying waste to the Seireitei and if she was not killed by his attack, Pamela would most certainly be coming after him at full force. "I'm sorry but I can't afford to show mercy," Ichigo said as he raised his blade for a finishing blow. "Farewell."
Ichigo stabbed Zangetsu into the crater and blood splattered across his face, causing him to wince. He kept trying to tell himself that he had just vanquished another foe, another threat to the people he cared about. It was true after all. It really was. But it did nothing to quell the fact that he had just killed a human soul. A human just like him and just like his mother.
Pamela was a threat to the Gotei 13 and a loving mother who simply wanted her child back.
Ichigo braced himself for what he might find and pulled the sword away. By now, the dust was clearing and Ichigo could make out the broken figure laying in the crater. It didn't surprise him to see it was Pamela, limp and nearly torn in half from the force of his Getshuga Tenshou.
What surprised him was that the body popped like a balloon as soon as the dust settled.
"What the? Ggrgh!" Ichigo felt a sharp pain in his back. His whole body stiffened and the scent of blood in the air intensified. Ichigo felt a warm sensation cascade down his back and looked behind him, straining with pain as he did so.
Pamela Voorhees was behind him now, the edge of her Tamashi no Harakai now buried in his back. "P-P-Pamela!" He managed to spit out. A trickle of blood ran down his mouth. "Then that was.."
"A decoy," Pamela finished. "You know, Captain Kurotsuichi would never admit this but he does take inspiration from that Urahara fellow from time to time. He actually made one for every member of Squad 12 you know, it was just a matter of finding mine."
"W-When...When did you..."
"Make the switch?" Pamela chuckled to herself. "Now why would I bore you with such trivial details? Besides, you have bigger things to worry about right now!" As Pamela said this, she pointed toward Ichigo's feet which were now standing in a puddle of the blood spilled from his wound. It was then that Ichigo recalled what had become of Roy and with a shout of pain, ripped himself away from Tamashi no Harakai's blade. Ignoring the searing pain in his back, he turned toward Pamela, poising his Zanpakuto to strike. "This isn't over, Pamela! I won't give up that..
Ichigo fell silent. No longer was he standing in the ruins of the Seireitei but on the riverbank underneath a heavy rain. And the woman in front of him was not Pamela but his own mother, Masaki. Her face, still retaining its beauty from all those years ago, was heavy with sadness. Slowly, she looked up to Ichigo, her lips trembling and her eyes on the verge of tears. "Ichigo," She whispered.
"M-Mom?" Ichigo whispered as well.
"Hmm. I should have known that you would have seen your mother," Pamela said as she watched Ichigo slip under the effect of her Shikai. His eyes had gone white and his feet were already sinking into the bloody puddle beneath him with the rest of him sure to follow. She noticed that he was sinking a lot slower than Roy and figured this was because his conscience held less guilt, his heart less burdened with sin.
But every soul was burdened with sin. That's why the Good Lord bestowed Tamashi no Harakai onto her. So she could continue to pass judgment to humans and Shinigami alike. She examined her weapon as she thought this before looking back to Ichigo.
"Mom please...I'm sorry..." Ichigo mumbled. Two streaks of tears were running down his face and even Pamela couldn't help but feel sorry for him. "It really is a shame, you know. I could tell just by looking at you that you were actually a good kid. Maybe if someone like you had been a counselor or even a fellow camper back in our time, Maybe you could have been Jason's friend. Maybe, none of this would have had to happen." She sighed and turned her back in the sinking Shinigami. "But there's no point in dwelling on the past, now is there? After all, there's something that needs my immediate attention."
And with this, Pamela prepared to flash-step away.
Rukia gasped. Out of nowhere, the lieutenant of Squad 13 uttered a cry of surprise and despair. A lot of the Shinigami in the area were too preoccupied with the barrier to hear her. It didn't help that her gasp coincided with another slam of Tenken's blade against the barrier which hardly left a crack.
"Dammit!" Sajin snapped. "We must get the Head Captain out of there!" Several Shinigami shouted in agreement as the Captain of Squad 7 went for another blow.
But there were two Shinigami that did hear Rukia's gasp. Not only because they were close enough to her to hear it but because Rukia was dear enough to both of them that her troubled cry stole their attention. "Rukia?" Renji asked. "What's wrong?" Byakuya said nothing but looked toward his sister regardless.
"No...Ichigo...It can't be." Rukia fell to her knees, her eyes devoid of light or hope. "There must be some mistake."
"What are you talking about?" Renji looked forward and felt for Ichigo's spiritual pressure...only to gasp himself when he realized it had completely vanished. There was simply not a single trace of it left. "Shit! Captain Kuchiki! Do you feel that!?"
"Yes, I do." Byakuya said grimly. "Ichigo's spiritual pressure has disappeared."
"But why? Y-You don't think-"
"That is a possibility," Byakuya answered. "But it is not something we can concern ourselves with now. We must focus on destroying this barrier."
"But Captain!"
"Do not forget this is Ichigo Kurosaki we are talking about, Renji." Byakuya continued. "We have witnessed that boy come back from impossible situations firsthand. Do you really think he would allow himself to be killed so easily?"
Both Renji and Rukia stared wide-eyed at the Squad 6 Captain.
"Once this task is complete, I will send my men to search for Kurosaki. But for now, let us put our faith in Ichigo and continue with our task." He turned back toward the barrier and fired another Kido at it.
"I don't believe it," Renji whispered. "The Captain actually has faith in Ichigo."
Byakuya sharply turned to Renji, his eyes narrowing. "And you are never to tell Kurosaki of this, or else there will be severe consequences, Renji."
Renji gulped. "Y-Yes sir!"
Rukia continued to stare at her brother in awe. Slowly, she turned toward the barrier and readied her Zanpakuto for another attack. "My brother is right!" She thought. "Ichigo wouldn't be taken out so unceremoniously! He has to be alive!" Memories of last night once again danced in her head, causing a light pink to form on her face. "Don't you dare die on us, Ichigo!" Rukia mentally commanded even as tears formed in her eyes. "If you do, I'll never forgive you!"
The buildings were gone. The ground was cracked in too many places to count. It looked as if it would fall apart and be consumed by the abyss any second. Blood stained practically every surface, a lot of it still wet and warm. Just an hour ago, this area was filled with Shinigami minding their own business and going about their day. Now they were all either dead or preoccupied with trying to destroy the barrier miles away. The only people that remained in this blood-soaked place were Kenpachi and Jason and both of them were gearing up for another round.
Kenpachi laughed like a madman as he charged at Jason, both hands clasped around his chipped sword. Only a while ago had he started fighting using the kendo stances he had been taught by the Old Man and while Jason wasn't anywhere close to finished, it was clearly taking its toll. The Crystal Lake Killer's chest, shoulders, and left leg all bore huge gashes. What remained of his mask was utterly dripping with blood and in his hand, his machete felt loose, as if it would slip out of reach any second. Yet, from the gleam in his eye, Kenpachi could tell Jason wasn't finished. What blood remained in his body was still pumping rampant through his body. Kenpachi himself had yet to take a serious blow since he switched techniques and he was starting to lose interest. Nevertheless, he laughed as Jason parried his sword once again.
"Come on! That's all you got!? Pathetic!" He forced Jason away and went for another overhead strike. Jason blocked this as well and kicked Kenpachi away before taking another swing. This resulted in a shallow gash forming across Kenpachi's stomach, hardly painful for the Squad 11 Captain.
"What is this?" Kenpachi growled as he wiped the blood away from the wound and examined up close. "Enough with these weakling moves of yours! Stand up and fight for real!"
Jason's only response was to charge Kenpachi, his legs carrying him much faster than before. Kenpachi blocked the blow and another dance of blades commenced. "What are you doing Jason!?" His mother screamed in his head. "This battle has gone on long enough! This man, no! This monster is simply too strong! You must find a way to escape to the tower while you can still move!" Pamela's voice had been crying out like this for quite some time, ever since Kenpachi started using both his hands to swing his sword. But Jason was doing something neither of them could have ever foreseen before this day.
He was ignoring her.
Sure, Jason still loved his mother and somehow, he would make it up to her when this was all said and done, but for the first time in any of his lives, Jason had decided against his mother's wishes. This man, Kenpachi, was strong alright and Jason, as simple as he was, fully understood he had a real chance of dying for once. And it excited him. It made him feel alive. He briefly thought back to what Kenpachi had said the night before.
"I get your whole shtick. You get your kicks slaughtering powerless humans who can't fight very well."
And he was right. All this time, Jason was used to being the unchallenged predator of his domain. The one to run away from. The one whose name you dreaded. Sure, there were those who fought back but their feeble attempts were child's play compared to what Jason could do. Fighting Freddy was the first time in his life that Jason felt an actual challenge. Found himself in an equal struggle against a being just as powerful as him as opposed to a crying victim trying to defend themselves. Now Jason was locked in battle with an even stronger entity, one that seemed to have figured out long ago what Jason was only realizing now.
That killing helpless victims was nothing compared to the sheer thrill of an even battle.
Kenpachi, on the other hand, was feeling weirdly...nostalgic. "Where is this feeling coming from?" He thought. "This sense of Deja Vu. As if I've been in this battle before." He continued to parry blow after blow from Jason, almost instinctively. "If only I could remember where..." As Kenpachi made an offensive move and lunged toward Jason who dodged, it finally hit him.
And he found himself thinking back to the first time he felt true, freezing terror...
At first, she seemed like just another weakling to him. The fact that she was wearing a Captain's coat did nothing to change that. Even when he overheard her men give her credit for the pile of bodies he created, he said nothing. He simply stared at the people he intended to cut down. It wouldn't take long, he was sure of it. It never did anyway. He leaped off the pile as soon as her eyes fell on him. He intended to take off her head with a single stroke. He had done it many times before. Too many times to count really. He stopped trying to keep track a long time ago. They weren't worth the effort anyhow.
To his surprise, however, the woman showed no fear upon seeing him descend toward her. Instead, she simply raised her blade and prepared to block the blow. He couldn't help but smile. Perhaps the fight would last longer than a couple of seconds. He brought his sword down and it clashed with her blade. Clearly, this woman had underestimated him, most likely because of him being a child, for there wasn't much strength within her grip, allowing him to force his blade past hers and into the top of her breast. With a single stab, he left a gash on her that would never properly heal.
The woman's face finally changed expression, betraying her utter surprise at how the boy was able to land a hit. His smile, on the other hand, grew wider. He flipped backward from the woman and charged her once again, aiming for her neck. This time, no longer underestimating the child before her, the woman blocked the attack successfully. From behind the blades, the boy could see the woman's expression had changed again. Her eyes were wild and her lips had formed a small but sadistic smile of their own.
The following battle would be the most intense fight either of them had ever experienced since.
"That was the first time I felt true fear," Kenpachi thought. "And with that, the thrill of fighting to the death. Ever since then, I've been searching for a fight just like that. One that will bring me to my limits, leave me on the edge of death." He recalled his battles with Ichigo Kurosaki, Nnoitra Gilga, and even his all-too-brief scrimmage with Freddy Krueger. Now he was facing Jason Voorhees, a human who had become undead and hunted normal humans like deer. As he stared into that single hateful eye, Kenpachi wondered if maybe, just maybe, he had finally found that fight.
"No," He decided. "Jason's one hell of an opponent. That much is true. But I'm not feeling the same fear, the same rush as with Unohana." He gritted his teeth in annoyance. "This is nothing like that day! Dammit! Am I never going to find another fight like that!? Am I never going to feel truly alive again!?" As Kenpachi was pondering this, he noticed something about Jason. The Crystal Lake Killer had stopped charging him and instead stared silently at his machete, as if contemplating something. "Hey!" He shouted. "What gives? Why have you stopped fighting?"
Jason ignored him completely.
"What!? Have you decided to give up? Don't tell me you're throwing in the towel now!" Kenpachi barked. "Come on! Fight me!"
Finally, Jason did raise his head to meet Kenpachi's gaze. Then, while keeping his line of sight locked with the Squad 11 Captain, Jason shuffled his feet into a more upright stance. He gripped the hilt of his machete with both hands and pointed it toward Kenpachi. It took the confused Shinigami a few seconds to realize what Jason was trying to do but once he did, he grinned in barbarous excitement.
Jason was following Kenpachi's lead and using Kendo.
"Ah. I see. You've decided to give the whole Kendo shtick a try for yourself huh?" Kenpachi raised his shoulders. "Not that I can blame you. It's a pain in the ass but it does put a lot of power into your attacks." Kenpachi met Jason's gaze again. "Provided of course, you know how to do it right."
Jason tightened his grip on his machete and raised it high above his head.
"Well let's see then!" Kenpachi took a similar stance with his Zanpakuto, one meant for blocking. "Let's see how well you can swing that weapon of yours. But if you disappoint me this time, I just might have to kill you!" He braced himself, feet planted firmly on the ground.
Jason took a huge breath, swung the blade down, made contact with Kenpachi's sword...
...and forced the machete past it, cutting Kenpachi across the chest. The sheer force behind the slash was enough to nearly cut Kenpachi's entire abdomen open. Blood sprayed over both Jason and Kenpachi as the latter let out a choked gasp. Instinctively, he gripped the bottom of his stomach and jumped back, keeping the machete from slicing his stomach open. After creating some distance between himself and Jason, Kenpachi fell to his knees and coughed up even more blood. A cold breeze blew through him and he could feel its icy embrace within his chest, touching his nearly exposed ribs. He could hear his heart beating from inside the opening and it was beating a mile a second. Kenpachi tried to get up, only to falter and return to his hands and knees. As he tried again, he saw that his hands were shaking and covered with sweat. Even more so than pain, Kenpachi was engulfed by fear.
For the first time since his battle with Unohana, Kenpachi Zaraki was afraid
And he loved it.
"Yes. Yes! This is what I'm talking about!" He roared triumphantly as adrenaline pumped through his body. Only then was he able to get back up and take another stance. Jason, who had been inching closer to Kenpachi this entire time, stopped and adopted a stance of his own. Both of them were smiling. "From now on, no holding back! We won't stop until one of us is dead or we're both torn to pieces!" Kenpachi licked his lips in anticipation of the fight and charged Jason. "Let's go!"
(Sorry about the wait! I had another story that needed my immediate attention once July started on another site. But I've finished up there and I'll do my best to make up for lost time. With this chapter completed, I only have two more before we can wrap up this arc. I'll do my best to get both of those to you guys as soon as possible but until then, BSC out!)