Hello and welcome to chapter 7. Last time, Tatsuki moved into Ichigo's house in order to keep Kon and Momone under control and on top of that, Chad was taking care of the cockatiel, Yūichi. Now let's see how the story plays out when Rangiku, Orihime, Yoruichi, and even Tatsuki get involved instead of Rukia. We already caught a glimpse of it when Yoruichi interrogated Yūichi and when Orihime and Tatsuki helped carry Chad into the operating room in the last chapter. But now it's time to see what fully happens when all four girls and Ichigo try to stop the Hollow chasing after Yūichi and Chad.
Author's Note: Now admittedly in my last chapter, I mentioned that Bleach Thousand Year Blood War was only available in Japanese as if it was a bad thing and didn't give a full on explanation on it. I will admit, when something from Japan or any other foreign country is Dubbed over it's hard to take it seriously since the actors are told to overact. The best examples of that are the Godzilla movies, especially the older ones. However when it's subtitled, one has to read their way through the program, which, for me at least, involves a lot of pausing. I'm not above watching Sub, but if I have to choose, I prefer the Dub because I'm in the same boat as the Angry Video Game Nerd where I just want to watch a program, not read it. Now that we've got that out of the way, let's get this chapter started
Chapter 7:
The following morning, Chad woke up and saw Yūichi sleeping in his cage while Yoruichi was sleeping right next to the cage, making sure no funny business happened while everyone was asleep. Get up, Chad grabbed the cage and was about to jump out of the window when…
"And where do you think you're going," said Yoruichi.
Chad looked and saw Yoruichi wide away and sitting on the desk where Yūichi was.
"You can talk," said Chad.
"You cannot leave here Chad," said Yoruichi. "You're still recovering from your injuries from the other day."
But Chad denied his injuries and said, "I'm fine."
Yūichi, not wanting to see Chad injured anymore, told Chad, "You sure are nice, Mister, but I need to apologize to you and help you understand something. You see, everyone who's ever owned me ends up with bad luck."
Chad simply answered, "Yeah, I know."
"I'm sorry," Yūichi apologized. "I should have told you. It's not…"
"Don't worry about it," said Chad.
"Don't burden yourself with this Chad," Yoruichi told him. "I'm sure if you told Ichigo, he would…"
"I can handle it," Chad cut off Yoruichi.
"That accident yesterday says otherwise," Yoruichi told him. "Do you have to collapse again for that to get into your skull?"
"Yūichi needs me," Chad explained. "I vowed to protect him, and that's exactly what I intend to do."
Realizing that Chad had already made up his mind, Yoruichi sighed in defeat and told him, "Fine, but I'm not letting you do this by yourself."
In the room Ichigo, still asleep, moved his body so that his face was once again in Rangiku's cleavage. Rangiku woke up and saw this and decided to let someone else in on the action.
"Hey, Orihime," Rangiku woke up Orihime.
"Rangiku, it's early," Orihime yawned.
"I know, but there's something you need to see," Rangiku whispered.
Orihime looked and saw Ichigo cuddled in Rangiku's cleavage once again, much to her shock.
"He did this himself while he's still asleep," Rangiku told her.
"Ichigo," Orihime gasped quietly.
"You cand join us if you like," Rangiku teased. "All you have to do is gently move Ichigo into your cleavage without waking him up."
Orihime blushed at this idea. The thought of having Ichigo use her bust as a pillow was extremely tempting, perhaps too tempting for her. But, listening to the slut in her, she followed Rangiku's instructions and gently moved Ichigo so that he was cuddled in her cleavage. Next thing she knew, Ichigo started moving his hands so that they were at the natural pillows he was now in, causing Orihime to moan a bit. Rangiku joined in the fun as she moved Ichigo's right hand to her left breast while Ichigo's left hand remained on Orihime's right breast. Suddenly, perhaps on impulse, Ichigo woke up and realized what he was doing.
"O-Orihime, R-Rangiku," Ichigo gasped quietly.
"Good morning, Ichigo," Rangiku teased.
Ichigo pulled his hands away from their breasts and gasped loudly. "W-What do you two think you're doing?!"
Tatsuki woke up. "What's all the noise about?!"
"Oh, we were just having a little fun," Rangiku joked.
"Oh god, don't give me any details," Tatsuki shook her head.
Kon and Momone were watching from nearby in their plushy forms. "I am so jelous…! Jinx…!"
Later, Ichigo and the girls were all dressed up and were in the kitchen where Yuzu had prepared meals for everyone.
"Morning you guys," said Yuzu. "Breakfast is ready."
"Wow, it all looks good," said Orihime commented.
"You're good at this Yuzu," Tatsuki admitted.
"Well, I had to learn in order to," Yuzu began.
"Oh, sorry," Tatsuki apologized. "I didn't mean to bring up such a touchy subject."
"Oh, there's no need," Yuzu reassured her.
Ichigo then changed the subject. "So hey, is Karin up yet?"
"She didn't want to eat," Yuzu explained. "She said she's not feeling so good. I'm worried."
"Really, Karin sick," Ichigo questioned. "That's not like her…"
Before the girls could say anything, Isshin came bursting in with bad news.
"Everyone, bad news," said Isshin. "Chad's disappeared from his room…!"
Everyone made a mad dash into Chad's room and found it completely empty.
"He must have left with that bird," Orihime correctly deduced.
"But where's Yoruichi," Tatsuki questioned.
"He must have left with Chad," Ichigo correctly deduced. "We've got to find them!"
"Okay, no time to lose," said Rangiku. "We'd better bring our Mod Souls, just in case we need to change!"
"Right," Ichigo agreed with a grunt, obviously not liking the idea of bringing those perverts along.
Outside, Ichigo and the girls were running up and down the streets, looking for any sign of Chad, Yūichi, and Yoruichi. Ichigo and Rangiku ran up and down the neighborhood while Tatsuki and Orihime searched the downtown area. Ichigo and Rangiku were carrying Kon and Momone's Soul Candies respectfully. While she was running Orihime accidentally bumped into another woman who was on her way home.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I was looking the other way," Orihime apologized.
"Oh it's no big deal," said the woman. "Here, let me help you up."
"Oh, thank you," Orihime accepted the offer and the woman helped her back on her feet.
From what Orihime could see, this was a bespectacled buxom woman with red-violet hair, dark purple eyes, and a cleavage that was roughly comparable to Rangiku's. She wore a golden yellow hair clip on the back of her head, and her hair extended past her shoulders and down the upper part of her back. Overall, she could tell that this was a beautiful woman.
"Orihime," Tatsuki called out. "Are you alright?"
"Oh, don't worry about me," Orihime waved it off.
"Your friend is just fine," said the woman.
"Oh, sorry if my friend knocked you over ma'am," said Tatsuki. "She's an airhead."
"Oh, there's no need to explain," said the woman.
"Anyway, we better get going," said Tatsuki. "We're looking for a friend right now."
"Well, I hope you two find him," said the woman.
"Goodbye…!"
The three girls then went their separate ways, Orihime and Tatsuki ran off into the park while the red-violet haired woman walked home.
Later, Ichigo and the girls regrouped at Kurosaki Clinic where they exchanged information with one another.
"Did you find them," Ichigo asked.
"No sign of them," Tatsuki answered.
"Sorry Ichigo," Orihime apologized.
"I think we need to change our tactics," Rangiku suggested. "From what Yoruichi told us, there's a Hollow chasing that bird and anyone who gets close to it becomes that Hollow's victim."
"Yeah, that much is obvious," Ichigo pointed out. "But is there a way to track down that Hollow before it gets to Chad?"
"Not if it's hiding in-between dimensions," said Rangiku.
"What does that mean," Tatsuki questioned.
Rangiku took a deep breath before explaining, "Hollows have their own home world known as Hueco Mundo. It's a world that resides between the World of the Living and the Soul Society where souls reside after they've been transformed into hollows. When hollows aren't chasing souls, they can hide themselves within Hueco Mundo. The scary part of that is while they're hiding in Hueco Mundo, we won't be able to detect them. That means we won't be able to locate the hollow chasing that bird and deal with it until it shows up to attack Chad."
"I think I get it," said Ichigo. "The hollow is after Chad to gobble up his soul, but if we wait for it to show up and attack him, it'll be too late."
"In other words, we've got to find him before that monster shows up again," Tatsuki deduced.
"But how do we find him," Orihime asked.
"Gotta think," Ichigo thought about what to do until it hit him. "I got an idea. Chad's bird friend and Yoruichi, can we hone in on their spiritual signatures?"
"I think it's possible," Rangiku confirmed. "If you and I concentrate, finding them should be easy. Problem is, the human soul inside of Chad's bird is weak and we don't know how far away they are. It doesn't help either that that human soul is partially eclipsed by the bird's soul. Only high level Soul Reapers such as captains and lieutenants, like your father and I, can detect weak souls from great distances, and since half of my powers have been given to you, I don't know if I can do it right now."
"But it's the only chance we have," Ichigo told her. "Can you show me how it works?"
"I think so," Rangiku answered. "But we'd better change into our Soul Reaper forms to maximize our chances."
"Right," Ichigo sighed before reluctantly taking out Kon's Soul Candy and consuming it.
Rangiku did the same with Momone's Soul Candy and the two took on their Soul Reaper forms while the Mod Souls resided in their bodies.
"You two get back into the clinic and behave yourselves," Ichigo ordered the Mod Souls.
"No need to tell us twice," said Momone. "We heard everything."
"Yeah, even we can't think of dirty stuff at a time like this," Kon agreed.
The two Mod Souls then went back into the clinic.
"Okay, how do we hone in on them," Ichigo asked.
"Just do what I do," Rangiku instructed.
Ichigo watched as Rangiku closed her eyes and concentrated her energy on Yūichi and Yoruichi's energies. Ichigo did the same, leaving Tatsuki and Orihime wonder if they would be successful.
Suddenly, Ichigo saw what looked like white ribbons surrounding both him. Rangiku saw them as well.
"What the, what are these things," Ichigo gasped.
"What you are seeing right now Ichigo are spirit ribbons," Rangiku explained. "They're waves of spirit energy that only high level Soul Reapers can detect."
"Okay, but which ones are Yoruichi's and that bird's," Ichigo questioned.
"Focus harder and you should be able to find them," Rangiku instructed.
Ichigo did as he was told and a few moments later, he and Rangiku found Yūichi and Yoruichi's spirit ribbons. Ichigo grabbed Yūichi's spirit ribbon while Rangiku grabbed Yoruichi's. What caught Ichigo and Rangiku's attention was that Yoruichi's spirit ribbon was red instead of white.
"What the, why is Yoruichi's spirit ribbon red instead of white," Ichigo questioned.
"We'll have time for that later," Rangiku told him. "Right now, we've got to get moving."
"Right," Ichigo agreed.
"We're going too," said Tatsuki
"No," Ichigo ordered. "You two have to stay here and keep an eye on Yuzu and Karin."
"But Ichigo," Orihime objected.
Rangiku backed up Ichigo by saying, "If that Hollow shows up, it'll be really dangerous and we don't want you getting caught in the crossfire."
"Chad won't be able to see you in those forms," Tatsuki pointed out.
Ichigo and Rangiku both gasped.
"Orihime and I can see you, but we don't know if Chad can," Tatsuki explained. "If we're there, we'll be able to help get him away from the area while you two deal with the hollow."
Ichigo and Rangiku wanted to object, but they knew that Tatsuki had a point, so they agreed to let them come along. Both squatted down and allowed the two to climb on their backs, Ichigo carried Orihime while Rangiku carried Tatsuki. Ichigo felt Orihime's breasts press against his back, much to his embarrassment and Rangiku's amusement. Once that was done, they were off.
Meanwhile, Chad, Yūichi and Yoruichi had arrived at and entered an old abandoned warehouse. Chad closed the door.
"I think we somehow ditched him," said Chad.
"For now, but it's only a matter of time before he finds us," Yoruichi explained.
"How do you know so much, Mr. Yoruichi," said Yūichi.
"I've been around the block," said Yoruichi. "Now then Yūichi, there's something we need to discuss. You're doing this all so you can see your mother again, but did you ever think of trying to go to her instead of trying to bring her to you?"
"Huh, what do you mean," Yūichi questioned.
"Look at all of the people who were hurt because of this deal that you made with that Hollow," Yoruichi explained. "Even if this somehow brings your mother back, I don't believe that she would want to come back knowing all the people who had to be sacrificed in order for it to happen."
This made Yūichi tear up a bit.
But before anything else could be said, Yourichi sensed the Hollow and shouted, "He's here…!"
The Hollow then showed itself on the ceiling, but Chad couldn't see it while Yūichi and Yoruichi could. Acting on instinct, Chad grabbed Yoruichi and Yūichi's cage and dodged the attack. Running quickly, he jumped through a window and escaped the wrath of the Hollow, at least for the moment.
At Kurosaki Clinic, Kon and Momone were sitting in Ichigo's room. Normally, they might have been all over each other by now, but they were serious when they said that they can't even think about dirty stuff in this situation.
"Do you think they'll be okay," said Momone.
"Honestly, I don't know," Kon answered.
Suddenly, Karin came into the room. "You two…!"
The two Mod Souls looked at Karin startled and saw the state she was in.
"Karin, what are you doing out of bed," said Momone.
"You're in no condition to be walked around," Kon pointed out.
"Don't worry about me," said Karin. "I know that you two aren't Ichigo and Rangiku, so I want you to give my brother this message."
The Mod Souls were speechless upon realizing that Karin knew about them, but they payed attention to what she had to say.
Meanwhile, Ichigo and Rangiku, still carrying Orihime and Tatsuki respectively, were moving as fast as they could to get to Chad. Rangiku in particular had to limit herself so Ichigo could keep up with her. She may have been weakened by the spirit energy transfer that turned Ichigo into a Substitute Soul Reaper, but she was still faster than he was. It didn't take long before they found Chad and the two Soul Reapers landed in an alley way to allow Orihime and Tatsuki to run up to Chad.
"Hey, Chad," Tatsuki called out.
Chad looked and saw the two girls running up to him. But then for some reason, he saw both Ichigo and Rangiku in their Soul Reaper forms
"Tatsuki, Orihime, Ichigo, Rangiku," Chad gasped.
"What the," Ichigo gasped. "Chad, you can see us?"
But Chad, not wanting his friends to get mixed up in this, ran in the opposite direction.
"Hey, Chad, stop running away," Ichigo called out. "You need my help, hold up!"
"Obviously, Chad's just as stubborn as you are," Tatsuki rolled her eyes.
"Shut up, we need to catch up to him," Ichigo told her.
Suddenly, Kon showed up. "Ichigo…!"
The four looked and saw the Mod Soul.
"Kon," Ichigo gasped. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be looking after my sisters."
"Momone is taking care of them," Kon explained. "I have a message for you from Karin."
Flashback:
The two Mod Souls looked at Karin startled and saw the state she was in.
"Karin, what are you doing out of bed," said Momone.
"You're in no condition to be walked around," Kon pointed out.
"Don't worry about me," said Karin. "I know that you two aren't Ichigo and Rangiku, so I want you to give my brother this message."
The Mod Souls were speechless upon realizing that Karin knew about them, but they payed attention to what she had to say.
"I saw the memories of the spirit possessing that bird," Karin explained. "Maybe it was because I'm closest in age to that human soul. His strongest memory flowed into my mind and I saw it all. I saw exactly what he saw—his mother murder. It happened right in front of him. You must tell him if he goes to the other side, she'll be there. You've got to help that poor boy! Please do it! Don't let him be alone anymore. All the terrible pain he's had, it needs to end."
End of Flashback:
Ichigo and the girls were speechless.
Meanwhile, Chad was still running as fast as he could.
"Are you sure it was wise to run away from your friends," said Yoruichi.
"I can't let them get involved," Chad answered.
"But mister," said Yūichi.
Suddenly a voice sprang out, "You smell good."
Chad stopped. All three looked around, but saw nothing.
Suddenly, the Hollow appeared right in front of them. It stood around two to three times the height of a human with an ape-like body that led him to stand on all fours. He had shaggy black fur around his neck and shoulders, as well as two in lines arcing toward the center of his chest on either side of his torso, and large black wings connected to his hands. His Hollow mask was vertically long and narrow, with thick and exposed teeth framed by black, flame-like markings, and skull-like nose, a large circular chin, and a forehead with a half circle indent at the top. His Hollow hole was located in the center of his chest.
"You smell wonderful, delicious," said the Hollow, referring to Yoruichi. "Time to eat your soul…!"
"You two go now," Yoruichi ordered Chad and Yūichi. "Get away from here! I'll hold him off!"
The Hollow tried to attack Yoruichi, but the cat quickly dodged the attack.
"So you're still alive," said the Hollow. "You're tougher than I thought, and you can see me quite clearly. That makes me curious. Just who are you?"
"Wouldn't you like to know," Yoruichi taunted. "I could ask you the same thing… I think I'll call you Shrieker."
"Whatever you say," said Shrieker.
Suddenly, Shrieker was struck in the face by Yoruichi, sending him flying a bit in the opposite direction, much to his surprise.
"HADO 31: SHAKKAHO…!"
Rangiku showed up and fired a Kido attack at the Shrieker. Generating high-temperature flames in both hands, Rangiku fired an orb of crimson red energy on her palms. The orb was small due to the power loss Rangiku was experiencing, but it still got the Hollow's attention.
Rangiku was quickly joined in by Ichigo and the others.
"Well, what do you have here," said Shrieker. "A young man and his little harem, how touching."
"Shut up," Ichigo growled before drawing his sword.
"Orihime, Tatsuki, go help Chad," Rangiku ordered the others. "We'll handle this."
"Be careful," Tatsuki told them.
The two girls then ran off to catch up to Chad.
Once the two were out of sight, Ichigo and Rangiku turned their attention to Shrieker, their Zanpakuto at the ready.
"Rangiku, you should go with them," Ichigo told her. "I can handle this pushover."
"We don't know what this guy's capable of," Rangiku pointed out. "Until we do, it's too risky for us to fight him one on one."
Ichigo didn't like this, but he knew that Rangiku was right. Yoruichi stood by.
"Three Soul Reapers against me," said Shrieker. "Mm, and you all smell so delicious. This is bringing back such wonderful memories. You see, I've already had the pleasure of devouring two other Soul Reapers who tried to help this boy pass on to the Soul Society."
This information caught Rangiku's attention.
"And I assure you, they were mighty good eating," said Shrieker.
"The boy," Yoruichi questioned. "You mean the human soul that's inside that bird?"
"That's right," said Shrieker.
"What the hell's your problem," Ichigo questioned. "Why have you been pursuing that kid so relentlessly? Tell us, right now!"
"And you better give us an answer," Rangiku demanded. "You're out numbered and outmatched!"
"I might be more inclined to give you an answer, if one of you allows me to have a little nibble," Shrieker taunted.
"You're in no position to be making any requests or exchanges," Yoruichi told him.
"I disagree," Shrieker then made his move.
He took to the wing and all of the sudden, small toad-like creatures appeared out of nowhere, catching the Soul Reapers' attention.
"Lazy Soul Reapers," said Shrieker. "It's no wonder you're always getting beaten and humiliated every time you battle us."
The creatures then jumped at the Soul Reapers. Yoruichi managed to evade the attack, both do to speed and being a smaller target, but Ichigo and Rangiku weren't so fortunate and were soon pinned down by these creatures.
"Ha, looks like the shoe's on the other foot now," Shrieker taunted. "You Soul Reapers take us too lightly. That's the reason you keep ending up like this, face down and helpless. But which of you meat socks to eat first? Actually I think I'll leave you for later, after I'm finished devouring those humans."
Shrieker then flew off to catch up with Chad, Orihime and Tatsuki.
"Damn it," said Ichigo as he tried to move but to no avail. "I can't move!"
"Me neither," Rangiku replied, doing the same thing and getting the same results.
"Those things are stronger than they look," Yoruichi deduced. "I'll see if I can get them off."
"No, you have to go help the others," Rangiku told the cat. "We'll figure something out…!"
Complying, Yoruichi ran after the others to help, leaving Ichigo and Rangiku to try and escape on their own.
"How are we going to get out of this," Ichigo questioned.
"I have a plan," Rangiku told him. "But I need to concentrate."
Rangiku then began concentrating more spirit energy into her Zanpakuto.
Meanwhile, Chad and Yūichi stopped as soon as Chad determined that they were at a safe enough distance. Once they stopped, Chad put Yūichi's cage atop the top of a brick wall.
"You just stay here," Chad told Yūichi. "I gotta go."
"What are you going to do," said Yūichi.
"I'm going to help Yoruichi," said Chad.
"Wait, please, don't go," Yūichi protested. "It's just too dangerous!"
"Chad…!"
Chad looked and saw Tatsuki and Orihime, who finally caught up to him.
"What are you two doing here," Chad questioned.
"We're here to help you, you idiot," Tatsuki told him.
"What about the others," Chad questioned.
"They're still fighting that Hollow," Orihime answered.
"That's no good," Yūichi told them. "The monster's already taken out two other Soul Reapers who tried to help me! It's going hurt them really bad."
"Are you serious," Tatsuki questioned.
"That's not good," Orihime gasped.
"Tatsuki, Orihime, look after Yūichi," Chad told them. "I have to go help them."
"Wait a minute Chad," said Tatsuki. "You cannot go back there by yourself! You're going to get yourself killed!"
"There's no need to go to me when I can just come to you," said Shrieker as he arrived.
Everyone but Chad gasped as they soon noticed Shrieker.
"Oh shit," Tatsuki gasped.
"Shhh, watch your language Tatsuki," Orihime covered her mouth. "Yūichi's still a kid!"
"Foul language is the least of your worries, young lady," Shrieker then revealed more of his frog-like creatures surrounding the humans.
The creatures then jumped at the humans, pinning them all to the ground.
"I can't move," Tatsuki gasped as she tried to move.
"No you can't," said Shrieker. "And now, time to eat your souls!"
But before Shrieker could eat their souls, Yoruichi showed up at the last minute and knocked him away. Once the hollow was out of sight, the cat approached the three humans who were pinned to the ground.
"Are you guys okay," Yoruichi asked.
"We're pinned to the ground and we can't move," Tatsuki answered sarcastically. "What do you think?"
"Mr. Yoruichi, can you get these things off of us," Orihime requested.
"I can try," said Yoruichi.
"What about Ichigo and Rangiku," Chad questioned.
Before Yoruichi could answer, Shrieker reappeared and attacked, forcing the cat to evade the attack.
Back with Ichigo and Rangiku, the bombshell Soul Reaper was still focusing her spirit energy into her Zanpakuto. Once she had compressed enough spirit energy, she activated her Zanpakuto.
"GROWL: HAINEKO…!"
Upon activation, Rangiku's Zanpakuto, the blade turned to ash and she used this ash to take out the creatures holding her and Ichigo down, much to Ichigo's surprise. Once the creatures were dealt with, Ichigo and Rangiku got back on their feet.
"How did you do that," Ichigo questioned.
"We'll have time for that later," Rangiku answered. "Come on!"
Agreeing with her, Ichigo took off with Rangiku as they moved to catch up with Shrieker before he did any harm to the others.
Meanwhile, Yoruichi fought Shrieker using a hit and run tactic in an attempt to lure him away from the others.
"I should have pinned you down while I had the chance," Shrieker groaned.
"You wouldn't have been able if you tried," Yoruichi taunted. "Besides, the other two Soul Reapers have escaped your leaches and are on their way here to finish you off for good."
"By that time I shall be gone, and those three humans over there shall be eaten," Shrieker taunted.
Suddenly, Chad shouted and was somehow able to break free of the creatures, much to everyone's surprise.
"What's going on," Shrieker gasped. "You're the craziest human I've ever seen! You can't even see me, and yet you think you can defeat me with sheer muscle power? I'm gonna enjoy eating you."
Chad then punched at Shrieker, forcing the hollow to dodge the attack.
"Damn, he almost connected again," said Shrieker. "This one has pretty good instincts."
But since Chad couldn't see Shrieker, he simply punched at thin air.
"Over here, Chad," Tatsuki instructed him. "Kick the air right above me and Orihime!"
Chad did just that and was able to knock away the creatures still atop Tatsuki and Orihime, freeing them. Seeing this, Shrieker realized that Chad was just making lucky shots and took to the wing once more. The creatures then disappeared, leaving the group wondering what to do next.
"You okay, Yūichi," Orihime asked.
"I think so," said Yūichi.
"He's not there Chad," Tatsuki told him. "He's up in the air again."
"Oh," said Chad.
"What are we going to do now," Orihime asked. "We can't just let him get away."
"Don't worry, I think I have a plan," said Yoruichi.
Shrieker looked down and saw Yoruichi jumping into Chad's arms.
"If you ask me, there are some problems with this plan," said Chad.
"Don't worry," said Yoruichi. "I know what to do."
Yoruichi then instructed Chad to aim her very carefully. While Chad didn't like this, Yoruichi reassured him.
"You can't reach me all the way up here," said Shrieker. "So whatever you're planning is—"
"FIRE…!"
Chad then launched Yoruichi straight at Shrieker, much to his surprise.
"You're through now," Yoruichi then changed into a different form.
In just seconds, the black cat was replaced with a dark-skinned woman, catching Shrieker by surprise once more. Yoruichi then struck Shrieker with an upper kick to the face and the Hollow was too shocked to react. She then followed by lifting her leg up above Shrieker and slamming it straight down onto his head, sending him plummeting into the ground bellow. The woman then reverted back into a cat once more before landing onto the ground safely on her feet, just like a cat.
Once on the ground, Yoruichi was approached by the others, who were also surprised by her transformation.
"What the hell was that," Tatsuki questioned.
"Oh, that was my true form you just saw," Yoruichi answered, using her masculine voice once more.
"You're true form," Orihime questioned.
Before Yoruichi could explain, Shrieker got back on his feet and prepared to attack once more. "I'm not done yet!"
One of Shrieker's creatures then appeared from his fur and shot what looked like leeches out of its head. The leeches caught the girls off guard, and they were covered in them. They tried to remove them, but that was easier said than done.
"Ew, what are these things, leeches," said Tatsuki.
"Exactly," Shrieker landed nearby. "Try if you like, but they won't come off, and they have a nasty little habbit of exploding!"
Shrieker then opened his mouth, revealing a tuning fork-shaped tongue. He then vibrated this tongue which caused the leeches on Yoruichi explode.
"Yoruichi," Orihime and Tatsuki gasped.
"I'm just getting started," laughed Shrieker before doing the same to Tatsuki and Orihime.
"AH…!"
"Tatsuki, Orihime," Chad gasped.
"We're okay… Chad," Orihime replied.
"Don't worry about us," said Tatsuki.
"How the hell did he do that," Chad questioned.
"You haven't figured that out yet," Shrieker taunted. "They're remote leech bombs produced by my Targets. Diabolical, aren't they? They latch on and when I produce a certain frequency with my tongue, they respond by detonating themselves."
While Shrieker laughed it off, Chad got up and walked right up to the hollow.
"Oh, you want some more, ha hot shot," said Shrieker. "Well first I have someone here, you might want to see."
Shrieker then showed that he had Yūichi and his cage had at least 3 of his targets attached to it.
"Yūichi," everyone gasped.
"How did he, when did he," Yoruichi mentally pondered until it clicked. "Damn it, he must have gotten to him after I knocked him down from the air. I let my guard down and that kid payed the price."
"I'm so sorry everyone," Yūichi apologized. "I was trying to call for you…"
"That's okay," said Chad.
"With three targets latched onto the cage, each loaded with leech bombs, you'll all do what I say," Shrieker told them. "Because if they explode, there won't be enough of your little friend left to spread on a cracker."
"You coward," Tatsuki shouted.
"You are in no position to be calling names," said Shrieker. "Now let's play a new game, muscle head stays put while I play tag with the girls."
"GROWL: HAINEKO…!"
Suddenly, a cloud of ash came in and covered the Targets and destroyed them before anyone could say or do anything.
"What the," Shrieker gasped. "What happened to my targets?"
Ichigo then came in and knocked Shrieker away from the cage.
"Hey, you guys alright," Ichigo asked out of concern.
"Ichigo," Orihime smiled
"We've been better," Tatsuki noted.
Rangiku then showed herself. "Sorry we're late. Someone forgot to send us an invitation."
"Rangiku," Orihime smiled.
"You know, it's funny to see you this way, Tatsuki," Ichigo teased.
"Oh, shut up," Tatsuki smirked back.
"Don't let your guard down," said Yoruichi. "That Hollow can…"
"We heard the whole thing," Ichigo told her.
"Is that so," Shrieker reappeared. "I see you two actually escaped my trap. Who are you anyway?"
"Ichigo Kurosaki, age 15, Substitute Soul Reaper," Ichigo identified himself. "And if you really want to play some serious tag, I think it's me you ought to chase."
"Rangiku Matsumoto, Soul Reaper Lieutenant of Squad 10," Rangiku identified herself. "And if you think Ichigo here is the only one you should chase, think again."
This news caught Shrieker's attention. "Hmm… Substitute Soul Reaper and Soul Reaper Lieutenant, eh? Crap, I screwed up. When I pinned you down back there, I should have taken you out right then and there."
Shrieker then used his tuning fork tongue again and his targets spewed out more of the leech bombs. Acting fast, Rangiku used Haineko to take out the leech bombs before they could reach either her or Ichigo. While this action caused the bombs to go off almost instantly, the ash acted like a shield and protected the two from the explosions.
"Ichigo, you take care of the Hollow," Rangiku told him. "I'll deal with these things."
"Got it," Ichigo then charged at Shrieker with his Zanpakuto to attack the Shrieker.
Shriek escaped any serious injury, but Ichigo still managed to wound him nonetheless.
"You're too slow," Shrieker laughed. "But I can tell your soul is going to be tasty."
Ichigo narrowed his eyes. "You used these leech bombs to tie up Chad, and then attacked defenseless girls. What a coward. Time to pay…!"
"The only price I'm going to pay is indigestion, after I finished eating three more Soul Reapers," Shrieker told him.
"Three more," Tatsuki questioned.
"I'll explain after this battle," Yoruichi told her.
"Be careful, Ichigo," Orihime prayed.
Rangiku used Haineko to take out more of Shrieker's leech bombs before they could latch onto anyone or anything. However, after using it so much, something unexpected started to take effect. Rangiku began to pant.
"Damn it, my powers still haven't fully recovered," Rangiku thought. "I had to use twice as much spirit energy just to activate my Shikai. This just like my early days when I was still Isshin's underling still trying to get used to my Shikai."
More Targets showed up and released more leech bombs.
"But I can't give up," Rangiku thought. "I have to keep those things at bay."
At the same time, Ichigo was dodging attack after attack from Shieker. The Shrieker launched more of his targets at him, but the substitute sliced right through them before they could touch him.
"Pretty good moves for a substitute," said Shrieker. "It seems that your lieutenant girlfriend taught you well. But aren't you forgetting something? The leeches spilling from their guts are still live ammunition."
Shrieker then activated his tuning fork tongue to detonate the leeches.
"Take that, you rookie reaper," Shrieker laughed before noticing something.
Ichigo jumped into the air and swung his sword down onto his shoulder, but for some reason, he didn't slice through his flesh. The answer to why was soon revealed.
"Before I slice and dice you, tell me," said Ichigo. "You killed the mother of that boy inside the cockatiel, didn't you? You might as well admit it, because either way, you're going down."
Rangiku then walked up to them and said, "And don't get any bright ideas. I already took out the last of your leech bombs, so there's no way for you to weasel yourself out of this."
With that, Tatsuki, Orihime, and Yoruichi consulted Yūichi.
"Was that really true," Orihime asked.
"I'm really sorry," Yūichi apologized. "I'm afraid it's all my fault. I just wanted to bring my mother back to life."
"Yūichi," said Chad.
"I didn't mean for those people to get hurt," Yūichi explained. "If I'd known about that, I never would have done it. All I wanted was just to see my mother again."
"Yūichi, I know how you feel," Orihime told him, remembering her own experience. "A long time ago, I lost my brother. After he died, I begged him not to leave me, but after a while, I realized that if I kept on relying on him to stay by my side, he'd never be able to rest in peace."
This news shocked Yūichi.
"Besides Yūichi, Yoruichi was right," Tatsuki told him. "Even if this somehow did bring your mother back to life, she wouldn't want to be if it meant sacrificing the lives of so many other people."
"Oh," Yūichi sighed.
"You believed his lie because you wanted to believe it, didn't you," Yoruichi questioned.
"Of course he did," Shrieker answered for him.
"Bastard," Ichigo narrowed his eyes.
"Yes," Shrieker then explained the story. "As you all know by now, I killed the brat's mother when I was still alive. You might have heard about me. I was all over the TV, the radio, everywhere. I was a famous serial killer. They never would have caught me either. I was too smart. I'd still be out there hunting today, but as it turned out, the kid's mother was my last score. She was a sweet one. I stabbed her eight times and she ran and ran, bleeding, and when she couldn't run anymore, she still tried to protect the kid. I really got off on it. But that's when everything went sour. I chased her onto the balcony and finished her off. Then that stupid kid grabbed my shoelaces. I lost my balance and went over the railing twenty stories down. Who'd have thought I'd get knocked off by a snot-nosed kid?"
"Serves you right," muttered Tatsuki.
Shrieker continued his story, "Suddenly I was dead, I was pissed, and I wanted payback. The punk kid was still alive, so I sucked out his soul and stuck it into the body of the stupid cockatiel. Then I made him a deal. I told him if he could run from me in that bird body for three months, I'd bring his precious mommy back to life."
"How could you do that," Ichigo questioned.
"I couldn't do that, you moron," Shrieker told him. "Bring a dead person back to life? Nothing, nobody could have brought her back after what I did to her. I just said it to get the brat to play along, and it worked like a charm, too. He runs from me, and I get the thrill of the chase. Not only that, but there's the added pleasure of slaughtering everyone who tries to help him, even other Soul Reapers. And every time, he squeals and begs me "don't hurt them" and he wasn't to quit our little game. That's when I use my clincher. "Mommy's waiting for you to save her." What a laugh, but it works, and he's off running again, "Mama, mama!"."
While Shrieker chuckled, this news caught Yūichi's attention as he realized that Yoruichi was right all along. At the same time, Ichigo tightened his grip on his sword, understandably furious with what he just heard.
"Well too bad for you, Hollow," Rangiku told Shrieker. "You're messing with the wrong people this time."
"We'll see about that," Shrieker then took to the wing once more.
Shrieker then threw more of his targets at Ichigo, which he promptly caught with his bare hands and crushed them, releasing the leeches. Any that he didn't catch were destroyed by Rangiku, but a few still managed to get by her defenses and almost latched onto Orihime's shoulder. But at the last minute, several blue glowing arrows flew in and destroyed the leeches before they could reach Orihime.
In the distance, a woman with a bow matching the arrows that were fired had been watching from the shadows and disappeared before anyone could notice her.
"Your defense is weak, soul reaper," Shrieker prepared to use his tuning fork tongue again.
But before he had the chance, Ichigo lunged at him and thrust the hand that held the leech bombs into Shrieker's mouth, breaking through the teeth of his mask as he did so.
"Here, take your bomb back," Ichigo told him.
Shrieker, stunned by what just happened and understandably not wanting to blow his own head off, hesitated.
"What's wrong," Ichigo taunted. "Aren't you going to detonate it now? Go ahead, just do that thing you do with your tongue."
Shrieker didn't do a thing.
"Well if you aren't going to use it, then I might as well take it from you," Ichigo grabbed onto Shrieker's tongue and ripped it out of his mouth, rendering it useless.
"Ow, my tongue," Shrieker gasped. "You son of a…!"
Ichigo then jumped into the air and delivered the final blow, slicing through his mask, cleansing him of the sins he committed as a Hollow. But rather than being purified like the previous Hollows he defeated, something different happened. Giant gates appeared right behind him, catching everyone's attention. The gates were likely 2-3 stories tall, perhaps taller, and had two giant skeletons, one on each, with one hand on the door. One had only a right hand and the other had only a left hand.
The very sight of these gates terrified Ichigo, Orihime, and Tatsuki, who all gasped.
"Don't worry," Rangiku reassured them. "Those are the gates of Hell, but they're opening only for him. This is what happens to those who have committed terrible sins while they were alive."
Ichigo and Orihime then remembered what Rangiku was trying to tell them the night when Sora attacked as a Hollow.
Flashback:
"Exorcising Hollows isn't the same as killing them," Rangiku explained.
This caught Ichigo and Orihime's attention again.
"We Soul Reapers exist not only to save Souls, but to save Hollows as well," Rangiku explained further. "We do that by cutting Hollows with our Zanpakuto, but doing so sends them into the Soul Society. It's sort of like cleansing Hollows of their sins in order for them to be reborn. However, if a Soul committed terrible sins while they were alive…"
End of Flashback:
"If a Soul committed terrible sins while they were alive, they're not able to enter the Soul Society at all," Rangiku finished her explanation from that night. "The Zanpakuto can only wash away sins a Soul has committed as a Hollow. Those who commit terrible crimes while alive go to hell."
With that information out of the way, everyone watched as Shrieker's mask shattered as he screamed. Next thing they knew, Shrieker was impaled by a giant blade and was dragged inside. The gates then closed and shattered since their purpose there was complete.
"So that's what hell looks like," said Ichigo.
"It's definitely not like something out All Dogs Go to Heaven," said Tatsuki. "If anything, it was worse."
"Mmhm," Orihime nodded.
With the drama over, Yoruichi and Rangiku inspected Yūichi.
"Just as I feared," said Rangiku. "I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do. His chain of fate has been severed. There's no sign of it. Without it, there's no way for Yūichi to return to his body."
"Oh no," said Yūichi.
"Yūichi," said Chad.
"Then perhaps it's time," said Yoruichi.
"Mr. Yoruichi," said Yūichi.
"Remember what I said last night," said Yoruichi. "You should think about what your mother would want. She probably wants to see you just as badly as you want to see her."
"Thing is, when you pass over, you'll finally be reunited with your mother," said Ichigo, getting Yūichi's attention. "Maybe we can't bring her back to life, but she is on the other side, waiting for you, and this time, it's really true."
Yūichi was delighted, but before he agreed to pass on, he had a few last words to say to everyone. "Mr. Sado, thank you for everything you did for me. You carried me everywhere in your arms, and kept me safe, and you were even brave enough to face a terrible monster and protect me from it."
"Hey, don't even mention it," said Chad.
Yūichi then turned his attention to Orihime. "Ms. Orihime, thank you for sympathizing with me and understanding me. I'm sorry that you lost your brother, but I assure you, if I ever see him on the other side, I'll tell him that you said hi."
"Thanks, Yūichi," Orihime smiled.
Lastly, Yūichi turned his attention to Yoruichi. "Mr. Yoruichi, thank you for opening my eyes to that monster's lies. I'm sorry I refused to believe you last night though, but I've learned my lesson and I won't let something like this ever happen again."
"That's the spirit," said Yoruichi.
"I guess it's time for me to go now," said Yūichi. "I don't know what else to say except thank you, all of you."
"Yūichi," said Chad. "Someday, when I die and pass over too, would it be okay with you if sometimes I carried you around again?"
Yūichi agreed to the offer.
Everyone smiled.
"Well, if you're ready, let's begin the konso," Ichigo drew his sword again.
"Actually, you should probably let me do that," said Rangiku.
"Huh, how come," Ichigo asked.
Ignoring Ichigo's question, Rangiku drew her own Zanpakuto and preformed the Konso on Yūichi. As the Konso commenced, Yoruichi shared a little secret with Yūichi before he departed to the Soul Society.
Later that night, Ichigo and the girls entered their shared bedroom, exhausted from the day's events.
"What a day," Tatsuki yawned.
"Tell me about it," Ichigo agreed.
"I think we all need a good shower after that," said Rangiku
"I don't know about that," said Orihime.
But the moment they entered the room, they saw Kon and Momone at it again. Kon was on top of Momone, groping her breasts and Momone was stoking Kon's cock.
"Huh," they all gasped.
The two Mod Souls looked and were shocked at who was there.
"This isn't what it looks like," Kon tried to explain.
"That does it," Ichigo shouted. "YOU TWO KNOCK IT OFF…!"
Ichigo and Tatsuki then tackled the two and forced them out of Ichigo and Rangiku's bodies and back into the stuffed animals. Ichigo and Tatsuki then proceeded to punish them, much to the amusement of the others.
In her room, Karin smiled, having sensed that Ichigo did what she asked him to do. "Oh, Ichigo… Thank you."
Elsewhere in Karakura Town, the woman Orihime bumped into earlier was at home, having just got out of the shower and in a towel.
"That was a random day," she said while look in the mirror. "I wonder what those two girls were doing running around in the city anyway. Oh well, probably better to just leave it at that. It's not like they can see spirits or ghosts like I can."
Suddenly, she got a call on her cell phone. "Hello?"
"Hello there cousin," said the caller. "How have you been?"
Back at Kurosaki Clinic, Yoruichi was in her true form, talking to Kisuke on the phone about something that happened during the battle with the Shrieker. The others were fast asleep.
"Are you sure," said Kisuke.
"Without question," said Yoruichi. "Unfortunately, I wasn't able to see who fired them, but there was no doubt, it was a Quincy that fired those arrows."
"Must have been just a coincidence, but that does raise questions," said Kisuke. "The only living Quincies that we know of are the Ishida family. I'll do more research on this, but for now, keep this information away from the others until we know more."
"Got it," Yoruichi then hung up.
And that was chapter 7. So yeah, as you can see, Ichigo defeated the Shrieker and he was sent to hell, just like in cannon. However, Rangiku was able to use her Zanpakuto again, but because Ichigo took half of her power, she had to use twice as much spirit energy to use it. On top of that, she, Orihime, Tatsuki, and Yoruichi all substituted Rukia's involvement in their own way as you can clearly see. Also I have another cameo appearance from two other characters, who's identities have yet to be revealed, but one of them should be obvious for those who have watched the anime, including the filler. Last but not least, Kon and Momone promised to behave, but after Shrieker was taken out, they broke their promise and are now being punished for it. Now some of you might be asking "How come Chad was able to see Ichigo and Rangiku, but couldn't see Shrieker?". Well I'll explain that in a later chapter.
For those of you who are wondering, yes, the Sternritter will have some cameos here and there, but which ones, I will reveal later. Also, I'll be reintroducing characters who appeared in either anime filler, movies, and perhaps even videogames, so Senna and Ririn are up for grabs. However, the first one has already been reintroduced, who's identity I will reveal in the next chapter.
Author's Note: It's come to my attention that I can no longer handle this fanfiction by myself. If anyone wants help me and/or be my story consultant on this fanfiction, please contact me via PM. But know this, no matter what happens, I have the final say. Now
Chapter 8: Secret of a Beautiful Office Lady