2
"Oh sh..." Myu began to say, but Defteros threw the Specter away, causing an imbalance. The blue-haired man lifted a fist above his head and swung down so fast that Ichigo was sure he would have missed it if he blinked. The sight of the evil spirit shattering like glass made Ichigo's stomach twist and knot.
So, Ichigo's brown eyes lifted to avoid the view and saw the man known as Defteros stand straighter. The way this guy held himself was intense, confident, and radiated power. Ichigo felt he should cave under the pressure, but it was more of a hand pressing down on his shoulders than a bolder trying to crush him.
Defteros turned a sideways glance at Ichigo, causing the child to stiffen. Blue eyes raked the small body, studious but unimpressed. Ichigo wondered what he was seeing, so he looked down at himself. He noticed the outfit he wore. His top and bottom were yellowish-white with a green shoulder pad and strap, green waistband, ankle wraps, and shoes. It was very plain, and the texture felt rough and old.
The child felt this wasn't what he wore before losing his memory. The clothes were more of a training uniform than everyday wear. The woman by the river and the man in front of him wore clothing that didn't look like this.
Looking back to his savior, Ichigo saw the man further away than before. Ichigo almost tripped as he ran to catch up. He understood this man was dangerous, but he was the only living thing here not trying to kill him.
Defteros paused his stride and turned, noticing the child following him. He rolled his eyes, looking annoyed.
"Go away, brat," Defteros said. "I don't have time to deal with you."
"Please train me!" Ichigo begged, not understanding why he felt he had to get stronger but knew he needed to for the future. All the child knew was this man was strong and could teach him, even if the man could kill him by snapping his body like a twig with his bare hands.
Defteros scoffed, "You wouldn't last a minute. If I trained you, not only would you die but also waste my time." He turned around and walked away.
Ichigo balled his fists tightly, causing them to shake and knuckles to whiten. An unknown yet powerful energy surged through his body. It was vast, like the darkness of Space. Defteros must have felt the power, too, because he stopped again and turned around. He raised a brow, eyes looking at something behind Ichigo. The child didn't know what the man was seeing but didn't care. If he did, he would have known that a massive sea-green Chinese dragon coiled behind him protectively. Ichigo heard a mighty roar inside his head, and Defteros laughed in response.
The laugh snapped the anger out of Ichigo, replacing it with confusion and annoyance. "What are you laughing at?!" he demanded.
Defteros met Ichigo's eyes, causing the child's heart to skip. The man grinned devilishly. "You want me to train you, you said?" Against his better judgment, Ichigo nodded. "Fine then. Follow me. I'll bring you to your new training arena. I must warn you, though, brat. You're in for a world of agony."
Ichigo couldn't tell how long it's been since he started these torture sessions with Defteros. It's supposed to be called training. But training was done by a teacher, not a demon. As such, Ichigo had been trying to succeed in all his little tests to get back at Defteros.
Each test worsened the more Ichigo did. The first test was brutal, but after the 50th, Ichigo could look back and scoff at his younger self for thinking it was hard. That first one was a walk in the park compared to the rest. Defteros had boated the two of them to a smaller island not far from Kanon - if it could even be called an island.
Defteros dumped Ichigo there and left with instructions to swim back to Kanon. Ichigo thought he was insane. He didn't know how to swim! He thought about staying on the rock but changed his mind when he saw the tide coming in. The ocean covered the whole island, so Ichigo had no choice but to swim. Surprisingly, swimming wasn't that hard. It was getting back to the volcanic island that was. It took him three hours to get back to Kanon! That was just the first test!
How could Defteros' tests get worse than that? Simple. The Demon of Kanon hung Ichigo upside down over the volcano and told him to survive the heat for 12 hours! The worst? The only thing keeping him afloat was a fishing pole! He was sure the rod would break, but to his shock, it didn't. Ichigo thanked Athena for that one.
Again, how could it get worse? Ichigo chuckled at the thought. He was walking through the same volcano he was hung over, trying to find a picnic basket that contained his launch. His master told him not to eat dinner yesterday and no breakfast today, but he was allowed to pack a lunch. He should have known Defteros would use Ichigo's hunger against him. He got to their training area, only to not see the man. He put his basket down, getting ready to look for him, and then a pain shot through his head. His world had gone black, and when Ichigo returned to the waking world, he saw Defteros sitting on the rock where he placed his lunch. Except it was no longer there.
"Where's my lunch?" Ichigo had asked, feeling a tightening in his chest.
Defteros grinned, his eyes shining with a sinister light. "I thought it needed to be cooked. So, I left it in the volcano's center," he said.
"What?! But that volcano is about to blow!"
Defteros shrugged. "Then I suggest getting it quickly, then. Once you have it, come back here so we can start training."
"By the time I get back, it will be lunchtime."
"Not my problem." Defteros had laid on the small boulder, bathing in the sun, while Ichigo had to run into the scorching volcano looking for his meal.
That's how he found himself here. Ichigo had thought of many ways to get back at his master. He could eat his lunch on the way, but knowing Defteros, it wouldn't stay in his body long. Maybe he would eat his master's lunch? Ichigo imagined Defteros chasing him with a dull, rusted kitchen knife, causing the pre-teen to shiver.
Ichigo turned a corner and saw his lunch basket. "There you are," he said with relief. He reached out to grab it when he stumbled. A loud explosion shook everything around him, and cracks formed along the walls. In those cracks, Ichigo saw glowing magma leaking through. The sight made the orange-haired boy's eyes widen in horror. "I need to get the heck out of here!" Ichigo was turning to run away when he remembered his lunch.
He was about to grab it, but magma had already covered it, burning the basket to ash. Ichigo mourned for his destroyed lunch for five seconds before angrily running back the way he came.
Confusing twists and turns filled the volcano, but luckily, Ichigo had been in there enough times to know which way to go. He was halfway out of the volcano when a trail of magma blocked his path. He took a different one, but it was blocked off too. He tried to return to where he started before the volcano erupted, but that, too, was blocked off. Deadly, molten rock surrounded him.
"Oh great! Now what?!" Ichigo questioned, the magma drawing closer with each breath. His heart pumped faster and faster, harder and harder. There was only one way out, but Ichigo still had difficulties controlling his Cosmos. "Not like I have a choice!" Ichigo exclaimed as he boosted his Cosmos past his limit. Green energy formed around his body. Its glow became brighter by the second. Ichigo screamed determinedly, creating a Chinese dragon made of emerald flames.
The dragon roared, blowing the magma away from Ichigo. The pre-teen looked up at the ceiling and aimed his hand toward it. "Infernal Dragon Strike!"
The dragon shot through the rough black ceiling like a hot knife through butter, Ichigo quickly following it. He broke through the remains of the volcano's cap, welcoming the toxic air of the outside. He used his Cosmos to push him through the air, returning to the training arena. The orange-haired pre-teen looked back at the volcano, seeing lava pouring out, heading toward the ocean away from him.
Ichigo turned his cold brown eyes toward his master, who stood in the center of the training field with a smirk.
"I see you've returned, but what happened to your lunch?" Defteros said knowingly.
Ichigo gritted his teeth. "You caused the volcano to erupt while I was there, didn't you?"
"So what if I did?" Ichigo roared and attacked his master with a fist. Defteros caught the fist and used Ichigo's momentum to flip him onto his back, emptying his lungs. "Don't let your anger control you. You control it. Got it, Brat?"
Ichigo scrawled and scoffed but didn't say anything. Defteros raised an eyebrow, causing the pre-teen to growl, "I understand, Master."
The blue-haired Saint nodded and stood. "Now, again!" Ichigo attacked with a cosmos-powered fist. He wanted his master to feel his starved wrath.
Ichigo flopped on top of his bed. His body felt heavy, and he was sure his bruises had bruises. Today's training was a typical combat exercise. Ichigo guessed the volcanic burnt lunch was a test. Whatever that test was to help with, Ichigo would never know.
However, the test did remind him of his first lesson, or more specifically, the lecture he got when he swam back to shore. Defteros threw a rock at him, hitting his forehead. A pained shout left Ichigo as he held his bleeding head. He sent his master a glare, but the man ignored it.
"Pick the rock up and destroy it," Defteros ordered.
Ichigo's eyes widened, rivaling the size of plates. "What?! How do you expect me to do that? My body can hardly move!" he complained.
Defteros rolled his eyes. "Brat, stop complaining! I'm not telling you to use your weak, pathetic body. I'm telling you to use your Cosmos to destroy that rock."
Ichigo's face pinched. "But…I don't understand how that energy works," he muttered, but Defteros heard him and sighed.
"I'll explain this to you again, so listen up! I'll even dumb it down for you. The Cosmos is an energy that uses the basic concept of destruction," his master began.
Ichigo remembered these words from his first day on this island. Defteros told him about the Cosmos and how it works before leaving him to swim for three hours.
"But how is it the concept of destruction?" the child asked.
"Answer this, Brat: what is that rock made of?" Defteros asked as he pointed at the blood-covered stone.
Ichigo hummed, "It's a rock, so… Earth?" Why didn't he sound confident in his answer?
"Incorrect!" Defteros shouted and threw another rock at the child, hitting his shoulder this time.
The orange-haired boy yelped and clutched his pained spot. That stone was sharp, and Ichigo knew it would have gone through the skin if his master hadn't held back.
Ichigo felt tears threatened to run down his cheeks, but he held them back. Knowing Defteros, the older male would throw him into the volcano.
"The answer is atoms, Brat," Defteros said, lifting another stone. Ichigo watched the smooth rock with untrusting eyes. "It's not just the stone that's made of atoms. The whole world is."
"But what are atoms?" Ichigo questioned; he had never heard this word before.
"It's a nucleus surrounded by electrons or the source of nuclear energy." Defteros held the stone up so Ichigo had a clear view of it. "The Saints' main method of combat is to use the Cosmos deep within our bodies, allowing us to destroy the atoms." The stone turned to dust in Defteros' hand, causing Ichigo's jaw to drop and kiss the sand. "Our universe was born from the Big Bang, and now every living thing possesses a part of that explosion. The Saints of Athene use that energy to destroy all threats. That is what the Cosmos is."
This explanation was more in-depth than the last one. But if the Cosmos could allow Saints to destroy anything they touch, how strong does that make their bodies?
"Does that mean your body is as hard as steel?" Ichigo asked, earning another rock to his already injured shoulder.
"Wake up!" Ichigo jumped out of bed and grunted in pain. His shoulder was hurting, but it wasn't from the rock in his memory, but Defteros jabbing him to wake him. "It's time for more training. Since you've learned how to use your Comos after three years, I want you to prove it by destroying the boulder," Defteros said, earning an eye roll from Ichigo.
Ichigo sat cross-legged on a 60-foot-tall boulder, brown eyes hidden from the world. He breathed deep and slow, feeling his lungs expand and retract. The wind softly caressed his face, arm, and exposed, toned chest. It was a wonderful feeling.
The young pre-teen kept his focus inward, searching for the burning Cosmos in his heart. After years of doing this, it becomes second nature to find the bright mini sun bursting with the desire to be of use.
When looking at the beautiful, green Cosmos, Ichigo would sometimes see an Eastern dragon coiled around it protectively. Each time the orange-haired child saw the dragon, he would feel warmth and safety. He knew nothing terrible would happen to him as long as the dragon was with him.
Right now, the dragon perched before Ichigo. The pre-teen met his red eyes with determination. Ichigo held a tanned hand out toward the great dragon. The creature held its gaze on the child for a few seconds. Ichigo wondered if the dragon was judging, but then the dragon leaned its head down, touching Ichigo's hand with its nose.
Ichigo felt the burning hot Cosmos touch the palm of his hand. So, he opened his eyes, looked at the boulder he sat on, and tapped his hand on the bumpy surface. The boulder cracked down the middle and shattered into smaller chunks, causing a grin to form.
The grin turned into a frown when he heard a warning growl come from the great dragon. He looked up, feeling three dark Cosmos heading toward him. The boy saw men in black armor that shined like the night sky.
The first had a dragon-like helmet with five horns, huge, curved, pointed shoulder pads, and six wings. The second's armor resembled a bull if the bull was spiky and demonic. The last man's armor was more purple than black. It also made him look like a flower with four petals on his back and vines falling from his shoulder pads.
Ichigo clenched his fists. He knew these guys were Specters, so he had to do whatever it took to protect the island because he knew his master wouldn't help.
"Think of this as a warm-up, brat. After all, I put you through much worse than these foolish Specters can do, and you survived just fine. So, deal with them on your own!" Ichigo imagined Defteros saying.
The three Specters landed on the edge of the training ground. The members of Hades' army stopped skimming their surroundings when their eyes landed on Ichigo. When they looked at the pre-teen, the boy readied himself.
"You wouldn't happen to be a Saint yet, would you?" the flower-looking man questioned, causing Ichigo's eyes to narrow.
The bull-like Specter grinned while cracking his knuckles. "I'll take that as a yes," he said.
"That means we found our target," said the dragon-helmet one.
'They are after me?' This knowledge reminded Ichigo of his first encounter with a Specter. 'So, that means they are here to kill me - just like that last guy,' Ichigo thought.
The bull-like Specter attacked first, throwing a powerful punch. Ichigo blocked with his palms. But the force pushed him back and sent a shock through his arms.
"I am Minotauros Gorden! Try to last long enough for this to be entertaining!" The man charged again, but Ichigo dodged this time. The orange-haired boy couldn't block the attack since his arms had gone numb. The feeling was returning to them, but it was slow and tingling.
As Ichigo landed, he burned his Cosmos into the ground, causing it to tremble and break apart. One of the larger chunks of stone hovered in the air beside Ichigo, who kicked it, sending it toward Minotauros.
The boulder bought him a second to breathe, so Ichigo shook his arms to return feeling to them quicker. He only had a second to do this because the other two Specters attacked from both sides. A powerful whirlwind sent Ichigo into the air where the other Specter was.
"I am Basilisk Sylphid," the whirlwind guy said.
Ichigo blocked a punch from the flower-like Specter. "And I am Alraune Queen. Now, won't you die for us, little one?"
Ichigo scowled and clenched his teeth. He pushed away from the Specter but moved closer to Minotauros, who had his right fist cocked back.
It felt like everything began moving in slow motion. Minotauros was behind him, Alraune in front, and Basilisk below him. They were all attacking at once. Ichigo's body glowed green, forming the great dragon behind him. The dragon let out a roar, releasing shockwaves around Ichigo, effectively pushing the three Specters into the solid Earth.
Defteros was lying on a branch, soaking up the sun. He felt his brat's Cosmos flare and then destroy the boulder as he ordered. Ichigo had come a long way.
When Ichigo first appeared on Kanon and begged Defteros to train him, the Gold Saint of Gemini believed the child would drown during the first test. He was shocked to see the child not only made it back but also was willing to keep training. The brat proved himself worthy of his time after that day.
At first, before he took the brat on as a student, Defteros wondered what possessed him to take him under his wing. He guessed it was curiosity. He was bewildered when he saw a Specter about to kill a child in a secluded location. Why did a Specter want to kill a weak little brat? Defteros figured it out when he saw Ichigo prove himself to be relentless time and time again. The first was when Ichigo manifested his Cosmos. The second was making it back to Kanon by swimming in the ocean. Finally, Ichigo continued to survive every test Defteros threw at him. The Saint never had a student last this long. Not that he ever had one before. He did help train the tiny wannabe Saints with the others, but they always ran back to their masters crying in despair.
A familiar Cosmos approached Defteros from below, but he didn't bother opening his eyes.
"Ah, there you are, Defteros," said the voice of an old friend of his. "I need to talk to you about something important." Defteros sighed, rolled off the tree, and landed next to a man with dark hair, a scar running from the top of his forehead and past his left eye, and wore silver armor with a brown-furred collar around his neck.
Defteros stood straight and gave the Silver Saint a blank look. "What is it, Silver?"
Silver smirked, "The war is closing in, so I was wondering if you would like to join."
"The Sage sent you to collect me to join the war? Maybe I will. I was getting bored anyway. But do I have to train those weaklings?"
"No, you won't have to worry about that."
"Good, because I already have a handful of a brat to deal with."
"Wait…What do you mean by…" Silver trailed off, noticing three dark Cosmos heading for the island. "Specters, here, now?"
Defteros shrugged his shoulders. "Well, you did tell me the war is about to start. Come on, I'm not missing the chance to see this." The Gold Saint began walking toward the three Dark Cosmos plus his student.
"See what?!" Silver questioned as he ran to catch up.
"You'll see."
Ichigo noticed that the Specters' attacks were more ruthless and unrelenting. They're faster than before, giving Ichigo a difficult time keeping up, resulting in many injuries. When Minotauros threw a punch, the Saint-in-training couldn't dodge in time and ended with a dislocated shoulder.
Alraune's vine-like whips aimed at Ichigo's head, but the pre-teen grabbed it and swung the Specter at Basilisk. The two collided, and Ichigo raised his Cosmos and kicked Minotauros in the face.
With the three Specters recovering from Ichigo's attacks, the orange-haired boy fixed his shoulder, thankful to his master for teaching him how to do that.
Ichigo raised his Cosmos again, higher than ever before. His eyes turned yellow, and his pupils slit like a cat's. The child released a battle cry, sending shockwaves throughout the island.
Yellow eyes met each Specter, who had gone wide-eyed in fear. Ichigo thought that strange but didn't dwell on it. He lifted his fists and moved at lightning speed at his three opponents. The Specters tried to block or dodge, but it didn't matter because Ichigo's blows landed in their stomachs.
Blood spilled from the Specters' mouths, but Basilisk and Minotauros recovered quickly. Minotauros threw a powerful punch, creating winds as it flew through the air, and Basilisk poisoned that wind, hoping Ichigo would be affected. But Ichigo narrowed his eyes and used his Cosmos to burn the poison and push the Specters back.
For a moment, Ichigo saw a guillotine appear. The Cosmos, however, told the boy who caused it. So, he jumped out of the way of a whip aimed at his neck.
Ichigo lifted his hand, seeing all Specters, and used Infernal Dragon Strike. A Chinese dragon roared to life and dashed through the sky, heading for the enemy.
The Specters tried to escape, but the dragon wrapped around them and opened its massive jaws. As the dragon was biting down on them, the three Specters disappeared.
Ichigo and the dragon made confused sounds, wondering where their prey had gone.
Defteros tried hard not to laugh when he saw the Specters' horrified faces and Silver's shocked expression. His brat's Cosmos made him look like a menacing green dragon with poisonous yellow eyes. The boy roared in rage and attacked the Specters with unyielding brutality.
"D-Defteros…, who is that child?" Silver's stutter broke the Gold Saint, causing him to bend over laughing. He laughed harder after he told his friend that the brat was his student.
"HE'S your WHAT?!" Silver exclaimed in shock. "Since WHEN do YOU have a STUDENT?!"
"Since…three…years…AGO!" Defteros answered between laughs.
"Three YEARS? He survived you for THREE YEARS?! Oh, sweet Athena. This child is going to be a monster, isn't he?"
Defteros calmed down and sat up. "What are you talking about? He's beating up three Specters alone, and he hasn't gotten his Cloth yet," he said.
Silver froze and slowly turned to Defteros. "What…?"
Defteros pointed at his brat, who was wrapping up the fight. "Just look. He's wearing nothing but flimsy paints right now." Silver looked, and the two watched as Ichigo was about to end the Specters, except they vanished before the attack was complete.
Defteros tched, "Darn it! They got away." After speaking, Ichigo fell to his knees and onto his side. "And now my brat passed out."
"Your brat?" Silver questioned with a raised eyebrow and a teasing smirk.
Defteros glared in return. "Shut up, Silver. I'm ticked off that the brat missed his chance to kill his first group of Specters."
"Well, we should go make sure he's okay."
The Gold Saint rolled his eyes. "He's fine. He just tapped into the Seventh Sense for a moment. He's bound to be exhausted." Defteros got up and walked over to his student.
"Wait, he WHAT?!" Silver exclaimed, earning a chuckle from the demon of Kanon.
Silver and Defteros sat by the bonfire when night fell, enjoying some smoked game. Silver asked his old friend for the details of how he met Ichigo and what kind of training he subjected him to. A recruit who hadn't obtained his armor and mortally injured and defeated three Specters was shocking. Defteros limits himself to saying only the essential. Defteros told Silver that, at the moment, he would not enter the battlefield, but he would advise him to bring Ichigo to the sanctuary so that he could further develop his cosmos. Silver sighed and accepted his friend's decision. He was then surprised by Defteros' final request. "Also, have Dohko train Ichigo. After all, a dragon can only be trained by a dragon," he said with a dark, menacing grin, causing a shiver to course through Silver's body.
Morning came, and once recovered from the battle and the situation explained, Ichigo would leave with Silver toward the sanctuary to become a Saint.
Under his breath, Ichigo said, "Thank Athena, I'm getting away from this demon." His master heard him and punched him on the head.
TBC
Ichigo is going to the Sanctuary! :D We'll see what happens to the Specters Ichigo fought, and Ichigo meets more of the Golden Saints in chapter 3. So, you guys can look forward to that! ;)
Ichi: I took on three of those guys? I thought they would be stronger than that.
Enj/Dark: Yes, normally, but there is hardly any info on those guys, it's not even funny.
Shiro: When am I going to show up? :(
Enj/Dark: *Look over at Aclux12* Is he going to show up? *points at Ichigo's hollow*
Aclux12: *Grins deviously* In due time, guys. In due time…
Enj/Dark: Okay! I guess we'll wait and see. Please review! ^-^
