Chapter 25: I Believe in Second Chances and That's Why I Believe in You
"Speech"
'Thoughts'
"Zanpakutō"
"Hollows/Vizard"
"[Reading/listening to a message/letter]"
"{Speaking a different language}"
AN: Blame Primordial Vortex. He's had the brain cell for the past couple weeks and I've been staring at a half-finished chapter.
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Dordonni launched a straight kick towards Orihime, but her Santen Kesshun flared to life without her speaking a word and blocked the attack. At the same time, Tsubaki broke off and rocketed towards the Arrancar. While her training under Yoruichi had helped, Orihime felt what most changed her feelings towards violence was the knowledge that should she kill this man before her, he'd simply be sent on to Soul Society. She wouldn't be killing him. Unfortunately for her, her opponent was not some foolish Hollow too distracted by hunger to think. Instead, he spun, both dodging the attack and launching another kick at her shield, though it didn't even waver under the assault. "That is a powerful shield you have there, niña," He complimented, "However." With the muffled staticky boom she'd learned to associate with Sonido, her opponent vanished. "Can it handle attacks from multiple directions?" He wondered aloud as he appeared behind her. His arms blurred in a flurry of quick movements before he formed a pentagon with his pinkies and index fingers. A bright red cero formed within and fired at Orihime's unprotected back. Just as he expected, the glowing shield broke, dispersed, and reformed behind her. But before it even finished forming, he appeared in front of her again and punched, launching a bala straight for her now unguarded face.
To Dordonni's surprise, three more points of light broke off from the girl's hairpins and formed a second shield to protect her front. The two triangular shields curved to leave her almost completely covered. "Tsubaki!" Twin lights sprung into being. "Koten Zanshun!" Both lights glowed orange and streaked towards him, slipping through the small holes in her defense to attack.
The former Espada vanished in Sonido once more, reappearing a good dozen meters away, but the attacks kept on him. A quick bala towards his enemy confirmed she could attack while defending, to his frustration. Narrowing his eyes, Dordonni kicked one away as it approached; however, the other one came in too fast for him to reposition and sliced deeply into his leg. He bit back a curse, thankful that he kept the limb but knowing how troublesome an injured leg would be. Yet to his surprise, the young woman didn't press the attack. Instead, her two fairies returned to her hairpins along with the ones maintaining her shields. Putting his leg down, the arrancar cautiously tested that it would still support his weight. "I'm surprised, niña. That was your best chance to kill me quickly."
"I don't like fighting," She replied, shaking her head as she raised her hand to stare at it. "I never have. But even though I don't like it," Orihime clenched her hand into a fist hard enough for her knuckles to pop, "I can't let my friends down. So please, don't make me fight you!"
The dark-haired man stared for a moment before chuckling. The chuckle soon became a full-blown laugh, long and loud as she pouted in frustration. After several seconds, he got himself under control. "Oh niña. You are soft and sweet, like chocolate. If you didn't want to fight, you shouldn't have come here," He lectured. "Hueco Mundo is a world of terrible monsters and ruled by strength and fear. And Los Noches is the center of both. By coming here, you've declared your intent to either fight or die. So, I am going to oblige you." Grasping his katana, he drew the blade slightly and proclaimed, "Whirl, Giralda!" A tornado engulfed him as his Reiatsu rose. Orihime formed a shield before herself once again, not wanting to be caught off guard. When the whirlwind dispersed, Dordonni's resurreccion was revealed. His legs were wrapped in bony armor that broke off to form spikes near his waist and another pair of spikes grew from his shoulder. At the tip of each spike was a hole, from which leaked what appeared to be a mix of Reiryoku and wind. "Apologies niña. I'm afraid our fight is far from over."
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"Gotcha!" Ichigo declared as he scooped up Nel into his arms. Honestly, catching her hadn't been difficult, even with her using some sort of rudimentary Sonido. The real problem had been finding her. Between the mazelike corridors and her rather low Reiatsu, she'd been frustratingly hard to find. Naturally, by the time he'd caught up to the pintsized Arrancar, he was thoroughly lost and couldn't detect the others anymore. 'I should really train my sensing abilities more,' he mentally chided himself.
"WAH! Let Nel go, you- oh, it's you Itsygo," The child briefly struggled before recognizing her captor.
Once she'd settled down, Ichigo looked around, attempting to determine which way to go. "Yeah, it's me. Don't go running off like that. Stay close to me and I'll protect you," He reassured her. 'Nothing for it. I'll just have to pick a direction.' Seeing that the corridor seemed to open up into a larger room in one direction, he headed that way, avoiding using Shunpo in case he had to dodge quickly.
The hallway indeed ended in a truly massive room the size of a stadium. The area was filled with numerous reddish-brown pillars packed tightly together that had few paths between them. Sensing an Arrancar's presence, one much too strong to be Pesche or Dondochakka, Ichigo set Nel down carefully and gripped his Zanpakutō. "Nel, stay behind me," He warned her. Moments later, a golden disk hurtled through the air from up above, heading straight for them. In an instant, he drew his Zanpakutō and deflected the incoming object, his blade cutting into the disk.
To his surprise, rather than collide with a wall or one of the columns, the disk curved and soared back the way it came. As it vanished from sight, a cocky voice mocked, "Not bad for a Shinigami! Maybe you won't die too quickly after all!" The speaker appeared atop one of the pillars. It was a young woman dressed in a style that reminded Ichigo of gothic lolitas. Her white dress incorporated a hoop skirt, puffy sleeves, and sported a pair of wings on her back. She even wore garters and elbow length gloves. Her purple hair was about the same shade as Nemu's and a few shades darker than her lipstick and the teardrop markings on her cheeks. Unless she was hiding a considerable amount of her power, he didn't think she was an Espada. She felt closer to that guy Nemu fought than Grimmjow, or especially that blonde Espada. Then again, he'd never met Yammy who was apparently the weakest Espada, so he couldn't judge with complete accuracy. His musings were halted by her shouting once again, "Well? Are you going to say something or just stand there staring like a slack-jawed idiot?"
"Aren't you worried someone will see your panties like that?" Even as the words left his mouth, Ichigo fought the urge to cringe. That was the best he could come up with?!
The Arrancar scoffed. "I am wearing armor under my skirt. You'll not see a thing!" She hefted up what had to be her Zanpakutō, a long thin rope with a sword hilt on one end and the scored disk on the other. If he was feeling generous, her weapon resembled an unorthodox flail. If he wasn't, it was a giant yoyo. "Now hold still so I, Cirucci Sanderwicci, can kill you!"
From behind him, Nel spoke up fearfully, "Careful Itsygo! She's strong!"
Patting her head with one hand, he reassured her, "Don't worry. So am I." Even as Eien-ō transformed into her Shikai, he spoke up, "We don't have to fight, you know. I'm here to fight Aizen and his forces; so long as you aren't helping him, I have no quarrel with you."
"Kyahahahaha! You have no quarrel with me?!" Cirucci scornfully laughed. "Next, you'll say you'll let me live if I surrender! I am one of the Privaron Espada! I will not be bested by the likes of you! Arrancar are warriors, and the Espada are their leaders. We are born to kill the enemy and win." With a swing of her arm, her Zanpakutō flew towards Ichigo once more. "There is no such thing as an acceptable loss!"
In that moment, Ichigo realized two important details. First was that Cirucci had no intention of giving up. She would fight until one of them was dead. Second, she hadn't been hiding her power; barring resurreccion, this was all she had. Heaving a sigh, he said, "Don't say I didn't warn you. Nel, close your eyes until I tell you." A quick glance confirmed she followed his instructions, though he wondered if she thought he was just making sure she wouldn't see their deaths coming. Well, she was half right. In an instant, Eien-ō sliced the Arrancar's Zanpakutō cleanly in two, both halves hurtling haphazardly into the distance. Before Cirucci could react, he was in front of her, his Zanpakutō impaling her straight through her belly. Quietly, Ichigo told her, "You should've listened. Tenka-Ichiken." A golden blast surged up Eien-ō's length and blasted outward, the energy completely vaporizing the former Espada and the top of the pillar she'd stood upon before going on to blast a hole in the ceiling.
Reappearing beside Nel with Shunpo, Ichigo said, "You can open your eyes now, Nel. Let's keep going."
"Where did the Arrancar go?" She asked in confusion, looking in every direction as though the older woman would appear from behind one of the pillars.
"I made her go away," He answered. "Now come on. We should try to find the others."
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Grimmjow Jeagerjaquez angrily prowled through the halls of Los Noches. This was hardly anything new to be fair. Even before losing his arm months ago, the Espada only really had two moods: Swaggering arrogance and snarling anger. His humiliation against that fucking human left him fixated on the latter ever since. It didn't matter that he didn't outright lose or that he'd been seconds from killing Kurosaki. What mattered was that he'd been so grievously injured fighting someone so far beneath him. And then that bitch Halibel cold cocked him right when he was going to finish Kurosaki off! It was intolerable! Not to mention Aizen had almost demoted him from the Espada for the loss of his arm!
"Going somewhere, Sixth?" The slimy voice did nothing to improve Grimmjow's mood. After all, its owner was arguably as infuriating as Ulquiorra. Leaning against the wall and towering over the already impressively tall Espada was the Fifth Espada, Nnoitra Gilga. His ridiculous spoon-shaped collar and large eyepatch were the same as ever, though the lanky Arrancar's immense polearm leaned against the opposite wall. That caught Grimmjow's attention; as his Zanpakutō was roughly twice as large as he was, Nnoitra was known for not carrying it on him unless he was looking for a fight. Granted, the thing would be of little use in such cramped quarters.
Further annoyed at the interruption, the shorter Espada snapped, "The hell do you want, Nnoitra?" Really, the black-haired man was so arrogant due to his hierro, believing himself invincible just because he was hard to cut. One day, Grimmjow would put him in his place as certainly as he would to Ulquiorra.
His ever-present smile widening a touch, Nnoitra put on an obviously fake innocent tone as he said, "Why, I just thought you'd be interested in hearing about the intruders." As Grimmjow's eyes widened, his own eye narrowed in delight. "Oh yes. An interesting little group of Shinigami and humans broke in not long ago," Seeing he had the other man's full attention, he went in for the kill, "One of them was a boy with orange hair."
Before he could control himself, Grimmjow's face morphed into a vicious snarl. He was here. That bastard was here! With great effort, he flattened his expression and closed his eyes as he reached out with his pesquisa. A pulse of his energy radiated outward across the vast expanse of the city sized palace. The various Hollows and Arrancar he ignored, searching for Kurosaki's signature. It wasn't easy. While the Living World had far more people living in it, most had functionally no Reiryoku at all, making searching for someone with power akin to finding boulders on a beach. Each power signature stood out without conscious effort. Los Noches was home to many of the strongest beings in Hueco Mundo; finding a particular signature was like finding a specific rock in a quarry. But he knew Kurosaki's power. He had felt it, tasted it, had it burnt into his very flesh. 'There you are!' It felt somewhat different than before, but there was no mistaking it. Opening his eyes, Grimmjow stalked off without another word, already putting Nnoitra out of his mind entirely.
The Fifth Espada watched him go, happy to see his little ploy worked. "Good luck, Grimmjow. You'll need it."
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Orihime stared up at her opponent as he hovered in midair, the wind from his armor having condensed into a pair of cyclones that held him aloft. "I apologize for not telling you sooner, but my rank isn't because I'm a freshly created Arrancar," Dordonni boasted. "In fact, I am one of the first. Every Arrancar numbered over one hundred is from the original Espada. We are the strongest Arrancar under Aizen-dono barring the current Arrancar."
In some ways, this was both good and bad news for the teenager. On the one hand, it meant very few of the other Arrancar were stronger than her current adversary, especially if his rank as 103rd meant he used to be the third strongest Espada. On the other hand, it meant he was one of the strongest Arrancar in Los Noches and it didn't matter how weak the others were if she couldn't defeat him. But now was not the time for doubting herself. Yoruichi had taught her: Doubt dulled the blade that was your resolve. Instead, she focused on her goal rather than her fears. "Sōten Zanshun!" Her two 'cutting' shields spiraled around each other as they darted towards the floating man, forming a double helix as they glowed with power.
In response, Dordonni kicked out towards her while roaring, "El Uno Picotear!" One of his cyclones, sporting a bony beak on the end, followed the movement of his kick and was launched towards her. The two attacks collided in midair with a thunderous crash. To her dismay, though the cyclone was rent asunder, it achieved its goal and knocked Orihime's attack wildly off course. Worse, the twister reformed itself quickly, regrowing its bone extension as though nothing had happened. "You'll need to do better than that, niña." He chided her.
Then, even as she watched, he declared, "Los Dos Picotazos!" Both cyclones launched forwards as he swung his foot in a move reminiscent of a roundhouse kick. Once more her orange shield snapped into place before the first attack struck. It absorbed the blow easily, but the second one crashed through after only a moment's resistance. However, it also stopped cold when the next barrier formed only a few centimeters closer to the girl. The floating Arrancar scowled in frustration at her defenses. "Tch. Very well, if I cannot overcome you with mere power, I will overwhelm you with numbers. Ave Mellizos!"
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Within his office, Ishida Ryūken spoke on the phone with one of the last people he wanted to speak with. Urahara was certainly brilliant and had helped when Masaki was dying all those years ago, but he was also a total pain in the ass most of the time. "Is everything prepared on Soul Society's end?" He asked.
"Oh my my. You're always so cold Ishida-san," Came the aggravating shopkeeper's reply, "You call for the first time in months and it's all business with you. No 'how are the kids', no 'how's business been', just straight to what you want."
Pinching the bridge of his nose with a gloved hand, the doctor silently counted to three. "I've already prepared the announcement to be made later today. But even if everyone listens, and they won't, accidents will happen regardless once Karakura is put to sleep. So I need to know if the healers will be ready."
"Fine, ruin my fun. And to answer your question, yes. Half of 4th Division will be deployed to handle any incidental injuries and keep an eye on the hospital patients. What excuse did you go with again?"
Turning his chair to look out the window as the sun just started rising, Ryūken answered, "A short-lived pathogen that will likely knock people out for a few hours. Everyone will be urged to find somewhere safe beforehand. It will be announced on every channel in," He glanced at the grandfather clock, "One hour, then every half hour until it's time."
"And your… personal preparations?" Urahara inquired.
At that moment, Kanae entered the room with a tray of tea for both of them. She gave his phone a meaningful look, to which he nodded, promising to wrap things up. He had taken the day off after all; they were both likely to be busy later. "I imagine they're more complete than your own," He unsubtly suggested.
"Perhaps," the other man allowed, "Hopefully, yours won't be needed though." With that, the call ended. Ryūken took the cup of tea his wife offered him, idly glancing at the glove on her left hand. One that matched his own.
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"Los Doce Picotazos!" Dordonni roared triumphantly as all twelve of his cyclones hurtled towards his enemy. The Privaron Espada was somewhat conflicted about the current battle. It was technically a difficult fight, but only because of the niña's defensive ability. His winds easily turned her attacks aside and she was unable to launch a new attack until one of the first two was complete, meaning he'd suffered only the single injury from when he'd let her Koten Zanshun through. Regardless, a victory was a victory and perhaps with this victory, he'd finally return to the Espada. The young niña's shield was strong, but he doubted she'd be able to endure his greatest attack.
Of course, he had no idea Orihime intended to do more than merely endure his assault. "Shiten Kōshun! I reject!" Four points of light formed her unbreakable shield, but this time its form more resembled a three-sided pyramid rather than a simple triangle. The beaked cyclones all impacted the shield almost simultaneously. As soon as they did, a beam of light raced from each corner to center of the shield, all three combining into a solid blast akin to a tightly controlled explosion that rocketed right back at her opponent. The ferocity of the attack obliterated all twelve tornadoes without slowing. Its speed was such that Dordonni was barely able to realize an attack was forming before it was upon him. He attempted to use both his winds and Sonido to dodge but it was too late; the golden beam slammed into his lower body and detonated with incredible force and he knew no more.
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When Dordonni awoke, he was in a surprising amount of pain, mostly because he wasn't sure he'd awaken at all. He was fairly sure he was lying down, but he couldn't tell on what. Not to mention that last attack was burned into his retinas, turning everything a blurry orange color. The former Espada tried to sit up, only to fail before he even began; his body was weak and his legs weren't responding. "Just hold still. I haven't finished yet." It was the niña. Despite her words, he managed to lift his head just enough to take in his condition. He didn't know what shocked him more: That his legs were gone or that they were being restored before his very eyes. "I told you to hold still," This time, her voice was reproachful, like an irritated mother.
Letting himself fall back to the floor, he asked, "What are you doing, Niña?" Technically, it was a rhetorical question. He knew what she was doing. What eluded him was why she was doing it. "Ah, you really are like chocolate." He paused to take a breath, idly noting that doing so was getting easier. "Healing an enemy? How absurd." Curious, he tapped the shield covering his form. It certainly didn't feel very strong. He gave it a flick, one that could crumble stone with ease; all he received for his efforts was a mild but painful electric shock. Dordonni grimaced, "How do you know I won't simply attack you the moment I'm healed and this barrier falls?"
Whatever response he expected, her actual answer brought him up short. "Because you're not that horrible a person."
He froze. How- how did he respond to that? Could he respond to that? Perhaps more impactful than her words was the certainty with which she said them. She didn't doubt for a second that he wouldn't attack her again. And as the last of his injuries were undone and the shield faded… she was proven correct. Dordonni climbed to his feet and stared at her for several long seconds with an unreadable expression on his face before pointing towards a nearby hallway. "That way will take you further into Los Noches, Niña." Orihime looked at him in surprise for a moment before quickly bowing in thanks before running off. Her friends were waiting for her. Behind her, she heard Dordonni call, "Do not think all are like me, Niña! The others would not hesitate to cut you down!"
Less than half a minute after the young woman left, several more presences invaded Dordonni's quarters. A dozen identical members of the Exequias, each wearing standard Arrancar uniforms and sporting the same skull shaped mask, led by Rudbornn Chelute, himself only distinguished from his minions by his mask being shaped like a bull's skull rather than a human's. "Dordoni Alessandro Del Socaccio," Rudbornn intoned coldly, "The Exequias has orders to eliminate the injured intruder. Stand aside."
"No. I don't think I will," Dordonni answered, grasping his Zanpakutō.
"It would be hopeless for you to resist," The other Arrancar insisted even as he drew his own Zanpakutō. Behind him, his Calaveras mimicked his actions.
Dordonni grinned wickedly in reply, "Is that so, Jovenzuelo?" He eagerly met his opponent's charge with one of his own. As they clashed, his thoughts turned to the young woman who'd fought him, defeated him, and then healed him. 'I thank you for my life, Niña. This is the least I can do to repay you. But the others you will face will show no such gratitude. Do not hesitate to attack them. Do not think twice about finishing them off. And do not even consider healing their wounds. Leave the chocolate here, Niña. If you are to survive, you must become a demon. Become as strong as a demon. Become as crafty as a demon. There is no way to withstand ruthlessness except becoming ruthless yourself!'
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Omake: The Story PV Wishes I was Writing aka The Return of Suijin's Revenge: The Reckoning
Standing in the Underground Training Area below Sōkyoku Hill, Ichigo faced off against Rangiku once again. Unsurprisingly, Ichigo was the most visibly changed of the two. Ten years after their first (and until now, only) battle, Ichigo was several centimeters taller than when he was a teenager, not to mention he'd grown a short but scruffy beard. While it earned him a lot of looks whenever he was in the Living World, his wives liked it and that was much more important to him. In contrast, Rangiku only had one visible change: the captain's haori hanging off her shoulders. "You know, I've been wondering," Ichigo started casually, "How come you were made captain so quickly when I'm still just a seated officer? I had Bankai years before you did."
Rangiku playfully rolled her eyes in response. "You also had zero leadership experience or knowledge of how we do things, Ichigo. You don't make a fry cook head chef on his first day, regardless of how well he cooks. Even Tōshirō wouldn't have been made captain for another couple decades under normal circumstances." Drawing her Zanpakutō, she challenged, "Now, come on and fight me!"
Shrugging his shoulders, Ichigo wordlessly released Suijin, casually spinning the anchor in one hand. "Alright, but don't come crying to me when I win." Sure, she had improved considerably over the years, but Ichigo had fought the likes of Aizen. He rather doubted the newest captain had anything that would surprise him.
"Oh no," She insisted even as Haineko dispersed into ash, "We're not playing around this time. Bankai!" With her declaration, the strawberry blonde's Shikai pressed against her body, coating her in the volcanic ash that was her Zanpakutō. The tiny fragments each started glowing with heat, first red then yellow before finally turning a blinding white that engulfed her whole body. When the light faded, Rangiku was changed. To start with, her Zanpakutō was gone… as was her clothing. More notably, her entire body seemed to be made out of partially solidified magma. The glowing orange and yellow substance was clearly flowing, yet seemed solid enough that her individual toes were visible. (It bothered Ichigo more than he cared to admit that she was anatomically correct despite being made of molten rock) Not to mention, her hair had been replaced by brilliant yellow flames running down her back. Finally, a long feline tail had sprouted just above her backside and her fingers had reshaped themselves into claws. Rolling her shoulders before stretching in a remarkably feline way, Rangiku smiled, showing all of her teeth had been replaced with fangs. "Sakuya-hime Haineko." Even as she stood there, the ground around her started to smoke then melt, creating a slowly growing pool of lava at her feet.
Ichigo whistled, both at the Bankai in general and at seeing Rangiku's naked body. "A volcano goddess huh? Well, if we're going straight to that level then… Bankai." At that last word, he let go of his Shikai, allowing the anchor to fall to the ground. As soon as the anchor touched the surface, the ground itself turned to water which then spread out across the entire training chamber even as Suijin sank beneath the surface. From where Suijin first touched, a great geyser of water erupted, pouring out tens of millions of liters every second. Within moments, the entire chamber was flooded and the ambient lights in the training chamber were seemingly destroyed, leaving the pair in total blackness save for the glow caused by Rangiku's own Bankai. Not that it helped her; the darkness seemed unnatural, the light of her lava feeling smothered, especially with the water around her not even reacting to the heat she was putting out.
Luckily, several new light sources appeared. Several ovals of pale light evenly spaced came into being all around the captain. Said ovals then started moving, not quite in a straight line but something more natural. More… organic. Then half a dozen more lights appeared, no opened, directly in front of her, forming two short lines. And a new source of light just beneath the two rows appeared. It was far dimmer and more uneven than all the others, appearing almost… jagged. Then the light split open vertically and she realized exactly what she was looking at just as the gargantuan sea monster let out a roar so deafeningly loud that it felt like it was breaking her bones. Really, there was only one thing for her to say, "Oh fuck me."
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AN: I'll be completely honest, Orihime fought Dordonni mostly because I wanted him to live. Like 20% because I thought he'd be a good fight for her and 80% so he'd live. Then an extra 35% when I realized his survival against her specifically actually solved a problem I hadn't considered. As for Cirucci? I like her design but not her as a character. And while canon Ichigo "probably could have beat [Dordonni] with just his Bankai", this Ichigo was much stronger and facing a considerably weaker opponent. So yeah, she got ganked by his Shikai. You know, if I had a nickel for every time I wrote Ichigo suddenly impaling Cirucci and rearranging her guts, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot but it's weird I did it so differently both times.
The omake was a random Bankai idea I had for Rangiku that I decided to show off a little.
Next time on Vow of the King: What do German sexbombs and Japanese schoolgirls have in common? Tentacles.