Hello and welcome to chapter 11. Last time, Ichigo, his family, and his girlfriends visited the grave of Ichigo's deceased mother, Masaki, and all the girls learned more about Ichigo's history, especially Rangiku. However, Tōshirō learned of Rangiku's absence and met her and Ichigo and Rangiku in the World of the Living. If that wasn't enough, Grand Fisher made his grand entrance into the story along with Ichigo's sixth girl, Nel. However, Grand Fisher also supposedly killed Tatsuki, or did he?
Author's Note: Now for those who are wondering why Tōshirō appeared in the World of the Living in the last chapter this one will give you your answer.
Chapter 11
Unbeatable Enemy
Grand Fisher's claws grew meters in length to pierce right through Tatsuki. Moments later, Grand Fisher retracted those claws and Tatsuki slumped to the ground in a fountain of blood.
Orihime covered her mouth with her hands, unable to process what had happened. "TATSUKI!"
Many years ago…
"Orihime, you have such beautiful hair," Sora complimented his sister. "It's so long and shiny."
It made her so happy, hearing him say that. But when school started, a younger Orihime found herself surrounded by bullies who apparently didn't like her hair.
"What's with that ridiculous hair," said one of the bullies.
"We'll teach you to be such a showoff," said another bully.
The bullies then held her down and cut her hair with a pair of children's arts and crafts scissors. When Sora saw the end result of it, Orihime couldn't tell him the truth.
"What happened," Sora asked upon seeing Orihime's new 'hairstyle'. "Why did you cut your hair?"
"I just felt like a change, that's all," Young Orihime told him.
He died soon after that, and Orihime just got lonelier and lonelier.
Orihime found herself in her classroom by herself until…
"Hello?" someone grabbed her wrist. "Earth to Orihime, anybody home in there?"
Young Orihime looked up and saw a young Tatsuki right in front of her, smiling. "Hey, so what do you say? Let's go home."
Orihime gladly accepted the offer.
Present…
Orihime ran towards the downed Tatsuki. It's because of you that I was able to grow my hair out again. And I'll never cut it. That's because my long hair proves something. It proves my trust in you, Tatsuki. Thank you for doing everything you could to protect me until now. So please, don't die!
As Orihime got to her knees and hugged Tatsuki.
"Orihime," Tatsuki said faintly.
Orihime nearly wept with joy; her best friend was still alive. "Tatsuki…"
"Get… away…"
Orihime shook her head. "Tatsuki, this time, I'm going to protect you."
Haruko saw what was coming and tried to warn her. "Orihime, watch out!"
But it was no use. Grand Fisher struck again, this time piercing Orihime through the shoulder. After he retracted his claws, Orihime instinctively covered her wound but refused to budge.
Oh no! Ichigo, Rangiku, where are you?!
"And now…" Grand Fisher opened his mouth. "Time to dine!"
Damn it, no choice! Haruko activated her Quincy Bangle.
Whirls of light surrounded Haruko, drawing everyone's attention away from Tatsuki. Even Grand Fisher hesitated, either sensing a tastier morsel or not wanting the fine dining spoiled. When the lights faded, there she was, wearing a completely different set of clothes. She now donned a white form-fitting, high-collared unitard consisting of pants that covered her legs and paired with a feminine tuxedo jacket with blue stripes and a blue pentacle on the back. A bow was attached to the top of her Bangle, appearing somewhat like a large cross latched onto her glove region that had a purple coloration.
Yoruichi narrowed her eyes. Just as I suspected. But that bangle suggests that her spiritual pressure is weak. Or, is that what she wants me to think?
Haruko drew her bow back. "Back off!"
Orihime's eyes widened in amazement and confusion upon seeing Haruko's new wardrobe. "Haruko, what's going on?"
"There's no time to explain," Haruko informed her. "Take Tatsuki and get away from here! I'll hold him off!"
Still in shock, Orihime nodded her head, hefted Tatsuki on her back, and started moving away.
"You're not going anywhere!" Grand Fisher swiped down with his claws.
Just as he was about to deliver the killing blow to Orihime, Haruko intercepted the attack by jumping right in front of it. This should have been fatal. But when the dust cleared, everyone saw something strange happening to Haruko. There was a faint blue pattern tracing the veins beneath the surface of her skin where Grand Fisher had struck.
"What is this?"
Blut Vene, Yoruichi thought.
Damn it, I didn't use it in time, Haruko cursed herself. Turned out that, while her Blut Vene protected her, Grand Fisher was still able to pierce her skin and he had struck her chest area. Then again, I should be thankful he didn't reach my internal organs.
Haruko drew her bow once again and told Grand Fisher, "Your turn."
Acting fast, Grand Fisher retracted his claws and backed away just as Haruko fired her arrow. "Nice try, Quincy."
"That was just a warning shot!" Haruko drew her bow again. "This one won't be."
Suddenly, Orihime's hairpins glowed brightly and separated into individual pieces. These pieces shot outward from her head, creating a powerful whirlwind around her and Tatsuki that shocked everyone else around her.
"What is this?"
Orihime stood up on her feet, hiding her face as she told Grand Fisher, "Tatsuki said that you picked the wrong fight, but that's not quite right."
What's going on here?
"What she should have said was, you picked the wrong people to hurt." Orihime showed her face with a look of hostility and determination in her expression. "Anyone who tries to hurt Tatsuki will have to answer to me."
Among the trees, Ichigo and Rangiku were running as fast as they could back to Masaki's grave, having heard Orihime's cry earlier.
Orihime, she sounded like Tatsuki was in trouble. Ichigo's thoughts were running wild as to what was going on at his mother's grave. Orihime, Tatsuki, Haruko, Yoruichi, Yuzu, Karin, please be okay when we get there!
Rangiku however saw that Ichigo was distracted and called out, "Ichigo! Focus on what you're doing!"
Ichigo looked at Rangiku, confused.
"I know you're worried about the others. I'm worried too. But you can't help if you charge in unfocused and half-drawn!"
Before anything else could be said, both Soul Reapers bumped into their respective Mod Souls.
"Kon! Momone!"
Kon wasn't in the mood for Ichigo scolding him. "Save your scolding for later, Ichigo! The others are in trouble!"
Momone backed him up. "Yeah, a little girl came out of the sky and was followed by a Hollow!"
Ichigo was confused. "A little girl?"
"We'll figure it out later." Rangiku put on her glove. "For now, let's do it!"
At the cemetery, Grand Fisher backed up a little as the wind clipped his fur.
What is all of this? Haruko thought. Is Orihime a Fullbringer?
Orihime finally took notice of six objects flying around her. "Who are you?"
"Come on. Don't tell me you didn't notice us until now."
"Sure she noticed us. I'm certain she knew that we existed."
Orihime was confused.
"After all, once you think about it, haven't we always been the ones closest to you?" One of them landed on Orihime's left shoulder.
This object turned out to be a small humanoid being with wings and blonde hair tied in a ponytail wearing a red Chinese robe. "Hello, Orihime."
The others flew in closer.
"We are the Shun Shun Rikka, your six princess-shielding flowers," the blonde one introduced itself and the others. "And we're here to protect you."
But Orihime was still confused. "Now wait a second! Why are there a bunch of little fairies flying around, talking to me?"
"Geeze, pay attention," the blonde one replied. "But to be accurate, we're not fairies."
"Huh?"
"You see, we are the powers from inside your soul," the blonde one explained. "And each one of us is a part of you. And only you are able to see us."
Haruko felt a bit offended by this. "Excuse me, but I can see and hear you just fine!"
The blonde one then corrected itself. "Uh, well, maybe people like Ichigo Kurosaki can see us too."
"Ichigo? Why him?"
The blonde one explained, "Well, it's because of him that we were born."
One of the other 'fairies' interrupted. "You talk too much."
This fairy had tanned skin, short black hair and a noticeable scar on its left brow. He kicked the blonde fairy away before taking his turn to talk to Orihime. "Alright, listen up, you don't need to know who we are or where we came from. All you need to know is that we're a part of your powers."
"You're pretty bossy for somebody so tiny," Orihime commented.
"Ha, ha. Really funny." The fairy's sarcasm was thicker than clay. "Just shut up and learn how to use us right now."
Grand Fisher got impatient. "Enough of this chitchat!"
Grand Fisher jumped forward, his claw raised to strike. Haruko caught wind of this and fired an arrow at the attack, destroying his hand. As she drew another arrow, Grand Fisher backed up and allowed his fur to cover up his injury. The fur took on the form of his missing hand and a new one emerged from it.
"Orihime, learn how to use those things!" Haruko shouted, drawing another arrow. "I'll hold him off!"
While Haruko peppered Grand Fisher with more arrows, gouging his fur and forcing his attention on her, Orihime carried on with her lessons. One of them instructed her to use itself and two others to construct a shield. The blonde one instructed her to use it and another to perform a healing ability. And lastly, the hotheaded one not so much instructed as demanded her to use him to attack.
In all the excitement, Yuzu and Karin had taken Nel behind one of the grave stones and watched as the battle unfolded.
"What on earth is going on here?"
"I don't know Yuzu, but I hope Ichigo gets here soon!"
"Maybe Nel can help."
The sisters both gave her a worried stare, like she'd just told them she was a horse.
Haruko fired arrow after arrow at Grand Fisher, hoping to strike his mask. If she took out the mask, it would be game over for Grand Fisher. But the sneaky Hollow managed to dodge most and take those he couldn't dodge on his arms. The heartless creature also used gravestones as cover.
At one point, Haruko seemed to have cornered Grand Fisher in between five arrows that she fired earlier. These arrows were arranged to form a five-pointed Quincy cross. Blue energy ropes shot out from the arrows, binding Grand Fisher to the ground and Haruko was about to deliver one final shot.
"What is this!" Grand Fisher tried to break free.
"Bínden," Haruko explained. "It's a basic Quincy binding spell requiring the use of five arrows to create. Normally, I'd use Seele Schneider to use this technique. It's not quite as effective with ordinary Quincy arrows, but it gets the job done. It's over, Grand Fisher!"
But Grand Fisher had other ideas. "Well, if you want to shoot me, Quincy, you have to go through him first!"
Haruko raised an eyebrow and Grand Fisher grabbed onto his lure. Moments later, standing in front of the massive Hollow was the one person Haruko would never shoot an arrow at. The moment she saw him, she grew deathly still.
"Ken?"
"Haruko, please, calm down. Come back to me."
Due to this dirty trick, Haruko hesitated and Grand Fisher took the opportunity to strike. He speared her with his fur and knocked her into another gravestone. He then retracted his fur and the Quincy Bangle deactivated, and the binding spell reverting Haruko back to her usual clothes and her binding spell was broken, freeing Grand Fisher.
"Now die!"
Haruko braised herself as Grand Fisher swiped down.
"HINAGIKU, LILY, BAIGON: SANTEN KESSHUN! I REJECT…!"
A triangular energy shield appeared right out of nowhere and blocked Grand Fisher's attack.
"What the-?!"
Both Hollow and Quincy looked and saw Orihime. She was no longer scared, a more determined look on her face.
"Orihime?"
"That's enough," Orihime said to Grand Fisher. "I won't let you hurt her or any of my other friends! AYAME, SHUN'Ō: SŌTEN KISSHUN! I REJECT…!"
A half-oval barrier then formed around Haruko and her injuries began healing.
Is this some sort of healing ability? Haruko looked at Orihime. "What about Tatsuki?"
"Tatsuki is fine; I already healed her." Orihime turned towards Grand Fisher. "As for you! TSUBAKI: KOTEN ZANSHUN! I REJECT…!"
Orihime's last fairy charged at Grand Fisher, coating itself in energy as it did.
"You won't be so lucky!"
"I disagree." Grand Fisher grabbed his lure again, this time turning it into something Orihime would never harm.
Orihime gasped. "Sora?"
"Orihime, you're hurting me. Why?"
Haruko tried to warn her. "Orihime, don't be fooled! It's a trick!"
Too late. Grand Fisher raised his right paw and slashed with his claws while Orihime's guard was down. They flew at Orihime's slender neck like guillotines.
"GROWL: HAINEKO!"
Rangiku arrived, catching the attack with her blade. Ichigo arrived soon after, jumping above the battlefield and swinging his sword down on Grand Fisher. The Hollow noticed this in time and jumped backwards to evade the strike.
"Orihime, Haruko!"
"Sorry we're late!" Ichigo assessed the situation and noticed Tatsuki lying down on the ground and the blood around her. "Tatsuki?"
"Don't worry about her… Ichigo," Orihime panted from using her powers for the first time. "Tatsuki isn't… I managed to… heal her."
Orihime then passed out moments later.
Ichigo was alarmed. "Orihime!"
Rangiku inspected her. "She's unconscious, but she's okay."
Ichigo breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay… That's good." Ichigo turned his attention back to the Hollow. "You better piss right the hell off…" He brought his blade up to guard. "Or you're gonna wear this sword!"
Rangiku looked too and recognized the Hollow instantly. "It's Grand Fisher!"
"Huh?"
"That's the code name we've given him." Rangiku got into a fighting stance. "He's the reason I came to the World of the Living in the first place. I was originally sent here to hunt him down."
Ichigo then noticed a familiar looking girl in front of Grand Fisher. "It's not possible."
He recognized her instantly as the very same girl he tried to save from falling into the river on the day his mother died as Grand Fisher laughed. "It's her. It's the girl I saw that day six years ago, the one down by the river."
This caught Rangiku's attention. "Six years ago? Ichigo, do you mean–"
"That's right," Ichigo nodded his head. "She's the one. I tried to stop her from jumping into that river, but when I finally came to, she disappeared. And my mother– she was dead."
"Six years ago?" the 'girl' said with Grand Fisher's deep voice. "That's a long time. And there have been so many. You can't expect me to remember every one of the souls I've eaten, now can you?"
Everything was starting to make sense to Rangiku. Six years ago, Ichigo and his mother must have come into contact with Grand Fisher. Ichigo fell for his trap and his mother paid the price.
The girl then pealed away her skin, revealing herself to be nothing but a lure for Grand Fisher like the lure on an anglerfish.
"Listen carefully, Ichigo." Rangiku began, gently hoping to keep Ichigo from losing it. "Grand Fisher usually keeps himself invisible and disguises the lure growing out of his head as a human. If anyone sees the lure, he knows they have high spirit energy, so he immediately attacks and devours them. For over 50 years, he's evaded or eaten every Soul Reaper that's gone after him."
Ichigo turned his eyes towards Rangiku. "Is that the reason the Soul Society sent you to hunt him down?"
"It is," Rangiku nodded. "They believed that a lieutenant like me had the best chance of finding and killing him. And we know his favorite victims are women and children."
This definitely caught Ichigo's attention and he turned his head towards Rangiku. "So does that mean my mother was actually killed by–"
Rangiku turned her eyes to Ichigo. "It's likely that he was after both of you."
Ichigo growled upon hearing this. For years, he completely blamed himself for causing the death of his mother. He even dismissed Haruko, Tatsuki, and Orihime's theories from earlier that she might have been killed in an accident, by a serial killer, by thugs, or even by a Hollow. But now, it seemed that one of those theories was right and the suspect of said theory was indeed responsible for her death.
Orihime and Tatsuki regained consciousness and heard this as well. Oh my God, Haruko was right!
Grand Fisher laughed. "Impressive. You have been lucky, little boy. You saw my lure, and yet you lived. Perhaps it was my intention to eat you on the spot for your spirit energy. After all, there's something about the women and the children. The women are just too juicy and firm for me to pass up, while the children are more tender and sweet. It would be a crime not to have a taste."
Ichigo's sword grip tightened, almost as much as his jaw.
"I'm guessing that's why you attacked our friends here since they're all women." Rangiku narrowed her eyes. "Well too bad for you, Grand Fisher. You're messing with the wrong people this time. You've evaded us Soul Reapers long enough and now–"
"Stay out of this!"
Rangiku was taken aback. "Ichigo?"
Ichigo's only answer was a wild charge at Grand Fisher.
Rangiku caught wind of what was going through her student-turned-roommate's brain. "Ichigo, wait!"
But Ichigo didn't listen. He ran straight up to Grand Fisher before jumping into the air and slicing down onto the Hollow. Grand Fisher saw this coming a mile away, yet waited till the last moment to move to its right as Ichigo thudded to the ground. Ichigo got back up and glared at the Hollow with rage.
"Ichigo, don't attack him so recklessly!" Rangiku caught up to him.
Ichigo shot a look at Rangiku. "I said stay out of this!"
"Huh?"
Ichigo turned back to Grand Fisher. "This is my fight, and I'll defeat him my way!"
Rangiku grabbed the back of his uniform. "This affects all of us, not just you!"
"Shut up!"
Rangiku went silent for a moment.
"This creature killed my mother, he tried to kill Orihime and Haruko, and he almost killed Tatsuki." Ichigo gritted his teeth. "There's no way I'm letting him get away with any of that!"
"This is no time to be selfish," Rangiku pointed out. "I get you wanting revenge, but you shouldn't reject help from your friends!"
While both Soul Reapers argued, Grand Fisher extended his fur and used it to trap them in a ball.
Orihime eyes nearly popped out. "Ichigo! Rangiku!"
Inside the ball, Ichigo got a good whiff of Grand Fisher's smell. "I knew you were ugly, but you smell, too."
Rangiku, on the other hand, prepared to retaliate.
"GROWL: HAINEKO!"
Her Zanpakutō's blade turned to ash. The ash started to whirl around the small cavity left by her blade's loss of volume, scraping and cutting at the fur that held her. It burst from its prison, before turning back and diving towards its controller. Rangiku cut herself, then Ichigo free of the fur. Grand Fisher tried to retaliate by extending his fur to spear the two, but Rangiku used her Zanpakutō to block the attack with a wall of ash.
Back at Masaki's grave, Kon and Momone arrived and saw the damage that had been done.
"Are you guys alright?"
"We're fine, Kon." Haruko got back up. "Orihime unlocked some new power and was able to hold her own against the Hollow."
Momone looked and spotted Ichigo and Rangiku fighting Grand Fisher. "Do you think they need help?"
Yoruichi reappeared. "I have a feeling that this is personal for Ichigo. Still, they may need backup, just in case. Kon, Momone, you take Ichigo's sisters and run. We'll take it from here."
"Nel will help, too!"
Kon and Momone nodded their heads before picking up Yuzu and Karin.
"Where do we run?"
"Don't worry about it, Kon." Momone bonked his head. "Let's just go!"
The two then ran off, carrying the unconscious Yuzu and Karin with them.
The two then left the area.
Tatsuki saw Ichigo and Rangiku pursue Grand Fisher into the trees and then looked at Orihime. "I know you healed my wounds earlier, Orihime, but I'm still injured."
"Come to think of it, I'm still injured, too." Haruko took notice as rain started to fall.
Orihime got onto her knees. "I'm sorry you two, but I don't know how to call on those fairies again."
"Nel can help," Nel offered. "Nel can heal you all right up. It's the least Nel can do for bringing that monster here in the first place."
Everyone was confused.
Tatsuki raised an eyebrow. "How do you intend to do that?"
"Like this." Nel got on top of Tatsuki, reached inside her own mouth, and massaged her uvula.
"AAAHHH…"
Tatsuki didn't catch on in time. "What? No, AGH! EWWW!"
In the trees, Ichigo and Rangiku pursued Grand Fisher as the Hollow extended his fur to attack them while retreating. Rangiku used Haineko's ash to block or cut the strands before they could reach her or Ichigo. While she was doing that, Ichigo leaped forward and attempted to slice Grand Fisher with a horizontal cut. But Grand Fisher spun and slashed at him, forcing him to block.
Grand Fisher's fur bristled. "You're too slow, human."
Ichigo gasped.
"But I'm not." Rangiku charged in at high speed and knocked the Hollow away.
The battle took them into a clearing where there was room to maneuver. Ichigo and Rangiku stood on one side of the clearing while Grand Fisher was on the other.
Rangiku turned to Ichigo and knew what she needed to say to him. "Ichigo."
Ichigo turned towards Rangiku.
"I can tell that this fight is personal for you and that you want to avenge your mother's death," she told him. "If it means that much to you, I'll let you fight him yourself. But please, be careful. Don't attack him so recklessly and don't let your guard down. He'll do anything to win. And if things get too dangerous, I will intervene."
"You won't need to intervene." Ichigo tightened the grip on his sword. "This fight is all mine!"
Ichigo then charged at Grand Fisher, apparently ignoring Rangiku's advice.
Meanwhile, at the local shrine, Isshin was standing near Kon and Momone, who were keeping watch over Karin and Yuzu. Both Mod Souls were concerned for the two little girls. Karin began to stir.
"Huh? Oh, hey, Karin." Kon tried to act like Ichigo, for some reason. "Whoa, are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Karin answered. "But why did Yoruichi knock us out, and why are you trying to act like my brother, Kon? Acting all serious all the time doesn't suit you."
Kon was dumbfounded and Momone laughed at this awkwardness. "Oh wow, she did not just say that. Now that she mentions it, Kon, you acting like Ichigo makes you look silly."
"This is hardly the time to be making fun of me," Kon groaned.
Ichigo was swatted aside by Grand Fisher's paw, the Hollow apparently deciding to play with its food.
"That was pretty brave of you, young Soul Reaper, taking me on by yourself," Grand Fisher told him. "And stupid. Stupidity always taints the flavor."
Ichigo's only answer was, "Shut up."
While staring down Grand Fisher, Ichigo thought back to how his sisters felt after their mother's death. I don't really know how long Yuzu grieved after our mother died and I can only imagine how lonely Karin must have felt without her.
He then remembered what Rangiku told him not long after he received his Soul Reaper powers. It was the day after the Fishbone D incident…
"To a Soul Reaper, all spirits are equal and getting involved simply because spirits are nearby or they need help is not how we do things," Rangiku explained. "If you intend to help this child, then you have to commit yourself to save every spirit. You have to be willing to go to any length, even if it means sacrificing your own life."
Rangiku's instructions from that day echoed throughout Ichigo's head as he peeled himself off the ground. "As of right now… I choose… to commit myself… to saving every spirit I can. I'll go to any lengths to protect them… and defeat Hollows like you… even… if that means… sacrificing my own life!"
Rangiku watched from nearby. Her eyes watered upon hearing Ichigo's declaration, but her mouth formed half a smile and half a frown.
"And that means… it's my duty to destroy you!" Ichigo charged at Grand Fisher, ready to deliver a vertical cut.
Grand Fisher laughed at Ichigo's declaration and easily evaded the on coming attack. "Still reckless, still stupid."
Grand Fisher then reached with his left hand, only for Ichigo to block the attack with his Zanpakutō. "You've been lucky so far. How many times can you march to the cannon's mouth before it goes off?"
Ichigo gave no answer as he brought his blade up, drawing back for a horizontal slash as he leapt at Grand Fisher again.
He's right, Ichigo, Rangiku thought. You can't just keep attacking him so recklessly. You need to think before you act or eventually he'll kill you. I don't want to lose you, not so soon.
Suddenly, Rangiku realized what she'd just thought. Wait a minute! 'So soon'? What exactly haven't we done yet? I mean sure he's my student and my friend, but…
In one of the trees, Tōshirō was also watching as Ichigo battled Grand Fisher. "Interesting. This Ichigo Kurosaki is holding his own against Grand Fisher."
"And yet, here you are just standing by, watching, and so is your lieutenant," said a new voice.
Tōshirō looked to his right and saw a man with brown eyes and jaw-length blonde hair with a straight cut. His facial expression revealed his upper teeth. Tōshirō immediately put a hand on his sword. "Who are you?"
"No need to draw your sword, Captain," said the man. "I'm just here watching the show down there, the same as you."
Tōshirō drew his sword anyway. "Identify yourself."
"Shinji Hirako." Shinji turned the question back to Tōshirō. "And who might you be?"
"Tōshirō Hitsugaya, captain of squad 10," Tōshirō answered.
Shinji smirked. "Well, Tōshirō Hitsugaya, I would answer your questions, but I'd rather watch the massacre."
On the ground, Grand Fisher prepared a trick up his sleeve. "Today's the day your luck ran out, appetizer!"
Rangiku caught wind of this. "Ichigo, get away from him!"
Grand Fisher extended his fur, which Ichigo cut down, but this fur was merely an obstruction for the claws that pierced through Ichigo's flesh just as they had Tatsuki, Orihime, and Haruko earlier. Upon doing so, Grand Fisher learned everything he needed to know and retracted his claws soon afterwards. Ichigo slumped to the ground and onto his knees.
"Ichigo," Rangiku gasped.
"Well, look at that," Shinji frowned. "He couldn't reign in his emotions and now Grand Fisher is going to take advantage of his recklessness."
Tōshirō said nothing, but his eyes watered.
Ichigo stabbed his sword into the ground to prevent himself from falling any further as he coughed up blood.
"That'll teach you not to be so reckless, amateur Soul Reaper," Grand Fisher told him. "No, actually, it won't, not after I feast on you. Rejecting your comrade's offer of help and ignoring her advice will prove to be your final mistake. And now you'll endure the shame of dying without even having wounded the great Grand Fisher."
This is bad, Rangiku thought. Now Grand Fisher knows Ichigo's weakness and he'll be able to use it against him. I'm gonna have to step in.
Rangiku stepped forward as her blade dissolved into ash once again.
"Stay back!"
Rangiku stopped herself the moment she heard Ichigo call out to her.
"I'll do this my way, whatever it takes." Ichigo told her. "No matter what it costs, even if I die, I'm gonna finish this."
"Then die you will; that will be the finish." Grand Fisher grinned behind his mask.
The girls soon showed up, Yoruichi having donned clothes Orihime saved for her.
"Now, let me show you why your blade will always be too dull." Grand Fisher brought his lure out in front of him. "Behold!"
Grand Fisher clenched his paw around the lure's head and transformed it into Ichigo's deceased mother, Masaki.
"Bastard!" Ichigo spat.
"Even the most cold blooded Soul Reaper has one person whom he can never kill," Grand Fisher explained. "That is a fact which you cannot deny."
"That must have been how he learned about my brother and Haruko's ex," Orihime realized.
"And that's how he exploited it against us," Haruko added.
"But how does he do that?" said Tatsuki.
Yoruichi answered. "His claws."
Orihime and Tatsuki looked to Yoruichi, and so did Haruko.
"What do you mean?" Tatsuki asked.
Yoruichi explained. "Whenever Grand Fisher pierces his opponent's body with his claws, he's able to look into their memories and find whatever they cherish. He then transforms his lure into the thing his victim cherishes, creating something they don't have the will to attack."
"By learning who that person is, I have managed to evade every Soul Reaper who has come before you, for over 50 years," Grand Fisher explained further. "And make no mistake: this is no mere mannequin."
His mother spoke. "Do you remember me, Ichigo?"
Ichigo flinched.
"Don't fall for it, Ichigo," Haruko called out. "It's a trick!"
Ichigo turned towards the others, having finally noticed them.
"That's how he hurt me and Orihime," Haruko told him. "He turned his lure into her brother and my ex and used it against us. Don't make the same mistake we did!"
"Shut up!"
Haruko stopped.
"All of you, shut up and stay out of this." Ichigo turned his attention back to Grand Fisher. "Like I told Rangiku: this is my fight, and I'll end it my way!"
Rangiku however was about to activate her Zanpakuto when Yoruichi grabbed her wrist.
"What are you doing? I have to help him."
"This is Ichigo's battle," Yoruichi told her.
"Huh?"
Yoruichi sighed. "Up until now, Ichigo's been following your guidance and has learned much about being a Soul Reaper from you. But what he hasn't done up until now is fight on his own. You and I can easily defeat that pushover, but we're not the ones being tested right now."
"This isn't the time to think about things like that," Rangiku argued. "Grand Fisher will kill him if I don't get involved!"
"Don't you even realize what you're saying?!" Yoruichi shouted. "You've trained him as best you could up until now. Don't you realize that interrupting his personal battle would be a complete disrespect to his abilities?"
While the two were arguing, Grand Fisher continued to taunt Ichigo. "Well, Soul Reaper, can you draw your sword against your own mother?"
"That's… Not…" Ichigo tried to say it, he wanted to disbelieve it, but he couldn't. He hadn't seen her in so long. He'd fantasized about speaking to her again since the day after it happened.
So, he didn't. He looked past his mother, literally, at what stood behind her.
"YOU DISGUSTING FREAK!" Ichigo charged at Grand Fisher again, crackling with rampaging spirit pressure. "I'M GONNA CUT YOUR HEART OUT AND MAKE YOU SWALLOW IT!"
But Grand Fisher brought his lure in between him and Ichigo, stopping him dead in his spiritual tracks.
"Ichigo, you mustn't do this," Masaki told him. "You mustn't hurt your mother. Please, son, you must put your sword down. Do it for me."
Orihime tried to warn him. "Ichigo, watch out!"
Too late, for Grand Fisher curled some of his fur into a spiral spear and stabbed both Ichigo and the lure through their guts. The very sight caused the girls to have different reactions. Orihime covered her mouth with both hands and gasped; Rangiku and Yoruichi winced; Haruko was completely still and at a loss of words; Nel covered her eyes and looked away; and Tatsuki clenched her fists. Shinji covered his eyes and turned his head upwards with a sigh, while Tōshirō simply closed his eyes and shook his head.
"Didn't I tell you?" Grand Fisher taunted. "Your emotions dull your blade!"
Grand Fisher extended his claws. "Now, before you die, I want to tell you that after facing so many Soul Reapers, you were the most foolish and by far the weakest of them all!"
Grand Fisher thrusted his claws at Ichigo. But in that same moment, Nel, having had enough of watching these people get hurt because of her, decided to intervene. Her mask's eyes glowed and she accelerated through the air at a speed too fast for everyone to see. She collided with enough momentum to knock Grand Fisher away from Ichigo.
Ichigo gasped upon seeing this. "What the-!"
Grand Fisher got back on his feet and faced Nel. "You! I almost forgot about you. Why are you helping them? They're Soul Reapers, humans, and a Quincy. They're your enemies. You don't even know them."
Nel snapped back. "Neither do you! Nel might not know Itysgo and his friends, but the only reason you attacked them is because of Nel. Nel brought you here in the first place, so it's Nel's job to get rid of you!"
Ichigo called out to her. "Hey, kid, what do you think you're doing? It's dangerous here!"
"Stay out of this, Itysgo," Nel shouted back. "It's like Nel said. Nel brought this monster here, so Nel must get rid of him!"
Ichigo's eyes widened as he realized that Nel was doing the exact same thing that he was just doing, fighting Grand Fisher all by herself and not letting anyone else get involved.
"Then you can die in his place!" Grand Fisher got closer. "And once I devour you, I'll become an Arrancar and join-"
Before Grand Fisher could finish, Tatsuki rushed in and kicked him in the face.
"Tatsuki?!"
"Just who, do you think you are, you twisted freak!"
Grand Fisher turned towards Tatsuki.
"First Haruko, then Orihime, and now Ichigo?" Tatsuki clenched her fists. "There's no way I'm letting you toy with their precious memories like that!"
"Very well, then I'll do it to you as well." Grand Fisher grabbed his lure and it transformed into the one person Tatsuki would never hurt.
Tatsuki's eyes widened upon seeing who it was. "What?"
Orihime recognized it instantly. "It's me!"
"Tatsuki, please put your fists down," said the lure. "Please, let's just go hang out somewhere."
Tatsuki raised her right foot and kicked the lure back into Grand Fisher's face, literally. This caught everyone off guard, Grand Fisher most of all.
"What's wrong with you!? You're not supposed to attack your friend!"
"First of all, your acting is terrible," Tatsuki scowled. "Orihime sounds nothing like that! Second, Orihime's right over there, you idiot!"
Tatsuki pointed towards her friend. "And thirdly: even though I would never hurt Orihime, I'm not afraid to rough her up a bit."
Orihime's face went blank upon hearing this.
"Fine. My patience was wearing thin anyway!" Grand Fisher raised his right claw and swung down.
Tatsuki crossed her arms, ready to get the full brunt of the attack. But just as the claws got too close to her, Ichigo intercepted the attack with his Zanpakutō.
"Ichigo?"
"Thanks for that speech, Tatsuki." Ichigo pushed the claws away. "But I'll take it from here."
"I don't think so." Grand Fisher turned his lure back into Masaki to distract Ichigo.
Ichigo flinched for a moment, but narrowed his eyes as he realized that Tatsuki was right. Grand Fisher's acting wasn't great and he didn't get the warmth or the gentleness quite right. Ichigo charged at Grand Fisher and prepared to slice him in half. But, even though Grand Fisher's acting wasn't good, the very image of his mother still made him hesitate.
The aforementioned Quincy, standing among the scattered bystanders, chewed on her lip. This isn't good. I have to do something. Haruko thought about it, but then remembered something. Of course! If I can take out that lure…
Haruko activated her Quincy Bangle and quickly fired an arrow at the lure. The moment Grand Fisher's lure was struck by that arrow, something strange happened. The lure glowed brightly and suddenly, it had more than just his mother's image.
"...Mom?" Ichigo spoke hesitantly. "Is that you?"
"Ichigo," she said. "My son, I'm very proud of you. You and your father and Karin and Yuzu, I am so lucky to have had those years with all of you. And I know that because of the love that all of you share, you will always keep the family together and strong, even without me."
"What's happening?" Tatsuki gasped.
Yoruichi explained. "That lure we see isn't really his mother, but it's transmitting her thoughts to him. After all, Grand Fisher absorbs the thoughts of his victims while he eats them."
"But, that can only mean the lure recorded her thoughts at the very moment she was killed," Rangiku concluded.
Haruko nodded her head. Listen to her, Ichigo. Listen to your mother's dying wish.
Ichigo couldn't believe it. "Her dying thoughts were recorded?"
"Ichigo… Live on, my son. Live with strength and kindness and never lose that smile you always wore when you looked at me. Ichigo, thank you for loving me."
There was a moment of silence after the lure finished speaking, then Ichigo tightened his grip on his Zanpakutō.
Shinji smirked. "Now this battle could go either way."
"It all comes down to whoever deals the next strike first." Tōshirō nodded.
"Mother…" Ichigo murmured. "Now I know what your last thoughts were."
Grand Fisher flinched for a moment. While he was distracted Nel made her move.
"NEL TAMAPUNCH!"
Nel dashed in and punched Grand Fisher in his nether region. Grand Fisher whined like a kicked dog and doubled over, covering his crotch in response to this.
Ichigo took no notice of this and said, "You say anger dulls the blade."
This got Grand Fisher's attention.
"You may be right about that." Ichigo raised his sword. "But there's something else that you haven't considered. To kill a slimy scumbag like you, a dull blade like this one is all I need."
Ichigo swung his sword down, but Grand Fisher blocked it with his claws. But that's when Rangiku activated her Zanpakutō once again.
"GROWL: HAINEKO!"
Again, Grand Fisher tried to retreat, but Rangiku wasn't done yet.
"NEKO RINBU…!"
Acting fast, Rangiku enveloped Grand Fisher within a cloud of ash. Using her hands, she caused the ash to swirl around in a tornado-like formation, trapping the elusive Hollow within the cyclone.
"What is this?!" Grand Fisher snarled.
"Don't bother trying to get out of this, Grand Fisher." Rangiku kept up her concentration. "The ash you see swirling around you is part of my sword. Try to escape it, and you'll be shredded to pieces."
Grand Fisher let out a loud roar. "Damn you, Soul Reaper!"
"I'm Rangiku Matsumoto, lieutenant of Squad 10, and your days of luring innocent women and children to their deaths are over!" Rangiku prepared to deliver the finishing blow. "54 years is a long run, but that ends here and now."
Rangiku opened up a hole at the top, but before Grand Fisher could take advantage of this, Haruko pinned him down with the same technique she used earlier.
"BÍNDEN!"
"It's over, Grand Fisher!" Haruko then gave a signal. "Now, Ichigo!"
Grand Fisher looked and there was Ichigo, standing right in front of him. Ichigo thrusted his sword into Grand Fisher's hide, then sliced it out of him. Grand Fisher roared in pain, but this action accidentally cut the Reishi ropes holding Grand Fisher down.
"Damn you, Soul Reaper!" Grand Fisher managed to limp away. "You and your friends haven't seen the last of me! You'll all burn for this someday!"
As before with Nel, a black void opened behind Grand Fisher. He was gone before anyone realized what it was.
Ichigo wasn't happy with the results. "Coward!"
Ichigo took one step before collapsing. The adrenaline and anger were fizzling out. The girls all ran up to him.
"Ichigo!" Orihime cried.
"Are you alright?" Tatsuki tried to help him stand.
"Get away from me!"
"Ichigo, it's over," Rangiku told him.
"No it isn't," Ichigo snapped at her, using his sword as a crutch. "It won't be over until I've killed him! I have to! I will avenge my mother!"
"You can't fight anymore in your condition," Haruko gently argued. "Put down your sword and rest."
Ichigo snapped again. "And all of you! I told you to stay out of it! This was my fight! You had no right to butt in like you did!"
"Just listen to yourself, Ichigo," Yoruichi told him. "They were all worried about you and…"
"Shut the hell up!" Ichigo yelled. "Mind your own business from now on, all of you!"
"THAT'S ENOUGH!"
Everyone turned towards Tōshirō as he drew his Zanpakutō and activated it.
"RAIN OVER THE FROSTED HEAVENS: HYORINMARU!"
Upon activating it, Tōshirō's Zanpakutō extended slightly in length and gained a crescent-shaped blade attached to its hilt by a long metal chain.
"TENSŌ JŪRIN!"
Tōshirō took control of the weather in the immediate vicinity, no, the water in the surrounding atmosphere. Immediately, he turned all the rain into snow, even though it was the beginning of summer. This caught everyone's attention. Yoruichi remained composed, Rangiku went silent, while Ichigo, Orihime, Tatsuki, Haruko, and Nel all gasped.
Once that was done, Tōshirō spoke to Ichigo. "Stop burdening yourself, Ichigo. You've been trying to endure the pain of losing your mother all by yourself for far too long. Your friends and family want to help you, but you won't let them. Have you ever once thought about how that makes them feel?"
Ichigo immediately flinched, but before anything else could be said, he passed out.
In Hueco Mundo, Grand Fisher found himself back in the Menos Forest. "Damn it! Outnumbered and outmatched!"
Some other lower Hollows gathered around Grand Fisher.
"Well, well, well," said one of them. "The great Grand Fisher has fallen from grace."
"'Hey, look at me, I'm Grand Fisher!'" one of them mocked.
"'Get in mah belly!'" jeered another one. "'Women and children first!'"
But Grand Fisher wasn't about to sit by and let the other Hollows around him mock him. He weakly swung at them with his claws. "Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!"
It didn't take long for a fight to break out between all of them which quickly turned into a free-for-all.
Ichigo woke up to find Nel apparently drooling on him. "Gya! What the hell are you doing?!"
"Just drooling all over your wounds," Nel told him.
"I can see that!" Ichigo shouted. "What I want to know is why you're doing it! It's gross!"
"Oh, quit complaining Ichigo." Tatsuki twirled her right shoulder. "In the grand scheme of things, it wasn't that bad."
"How could you say that with a straight face?!" Ichigo exclaimed.
Orihime squatted down and patted Nel on the head. "Apparently, Nel's drool is no ordinary drool. It's got all kinds of healing properties in it. In fact, if it wasn't for her, Tatsuki might still be injured. Isn't that right?"
"Yeah, that's right," Nel smiled. "All Nel has to do is this."
Nel reached inside her own mouth, and massaged her uvula, causing to unleash a fountain of her saliva.
This grossed out Ichigo. "Oh god, that's gross!"
"It's only saliva, silly," Nel told him. "Whenever Nel's uvula gets squeezed, a lot of saliva comes out."
"It's still gross," said Ichigo. "And don't you dare puke on me!"
Speaking of the devil, Nel suddenly felt a different feeling in her throat.
Ichigo took notice. "What's wrong?"
Nel covered her mouth and said, "Now this is puke!"
Ichigo screamed and suddenly, his limbs worked well enough to backpedal away.
Later that night, Ichigo, having healed from his wounds and returned to his body, was standing in front of his mother's grave, completely disappointed that he wasn't able to defeat Grand Fisher. "I'm so sorry, Mother. I tried to avenge your death, but I guess I failed you."
Isshin made his presence known, approaching his son from behind. "Well, if your mom can see that you're taking good care of yourself, then I think that'll make her happy on the other side."
Ichigo saw his father standing on his right side. "Dad, those were private thoughts. You shouldn't eavesdrop."
Isshin ignored Ichigo's comment, took out a cigarette, and lit it up.
"Hey," Ichigo noticed, "I thought you quit smoking."
Isshin breathed in, took the cigarette out of his mouth and blew out the smoke.
"Your mom told me once, back when we'd only been dating for a little while, that she thought I looked cool holding a cigarette." Isshin rubbed the back of his head. "Now that I think about it, that might have been the first compliment she ever gave me. It might have been the last one, too. That's why I always smoke one when I come here, just one, on this one day of the year."
But Ichigo wasn't comfortable with any of this. "How can you smile about anything here?"
Before Isshin could answer, Ichigo repeated the question he asked Rangiku earlier. "Why doesn't anyone blame me for causing Mom's death? It would be so much easier to understand if you all blamed me. I can't take it! I can't!"
"Why should we blame you, Ichigo?" Isshin calmly took another drag. "If I were ever to blame you, she'd never forgive me. It's no one's fault that she died."
Isshin looked up at the stars and told his son, "Sometimes in life, bad things just happen, and she knew that. She was the woman I loved, a woman with so much love in her heart. She'd do anything to protect her family."
Isshin then turned his head towards Ichigo. "And remember this. That woman, whom I loved so much, was willing to give up her own life to protect yours."
Ichigo… thought he had something to say to that, but something about what he'd heard and where he was had vetoed his retort.
Isshin then walked to the other side of his son, before giving him a roundhouse kick to the back and sending him sprawling.
"What the hell was that for, old man?!"
"Can't have you going soft on me, boy." Isshin turned to walk away. "Be strong, Ichigo. Live well, grow old well, grow bald well, and then die long after I've died. And if possible, die with a smile on your face. Try to shake off that gloom and depression, son. Otherwise, I'll never be able to face Masaki. You're way too young to carry the weight of the world. And make sure you take care of your harem. I'll be waiting down at the bottom of the hill."
Ichigo was so impressed and inspired that he forgot to ask his father why he didn't save his mother if he was a Soul Reaper. It didn't matter anyway as he remembered what Rangiku told him earlier.
"Ichigo Kurosaki."
Ichigo turned to find Tōshirō standing on the path, looking past to where his dad had walked off.
Tōshirō then explained to him, "I was like you once. I once had a friend, his name was Kusaka. We entered the Soul Reaper academy at the same time and we both became prodigies. But then, due to circumstances, Kusaka was killed."
This caught Ichigo's attention.
"After his death, I decided to shoulder the burden of his loss all by myself," Tōshirō continued. "I thought I was being strong and I refused to depend on others… but your father, my captain at the time, made me realize that what I was doing was the wrong thing to do."
Ichigo was speechless. What caliber of sage-like badass was his goofy old man?
"I learned something that day: that if you keep it all inside, it just makes you weak," Tōshirō told him. "It consumes you, makes you believe that you can shirk your responsibilities to those around you, or the care that others have for you. Only a weak man abandons his friends and loved ones. I know you're trying to be strong, but sometimes, you have to share your feelings with those around you. All of those things that make you happy or sad, you should share them with the ones you love, your friends and your family. The strong don't fear being vulnerable, nor do they fear the truth."
This revolation hit Ichigo like a freight train as he realized all he had done up until this point. All this time, he believed that shouldering the burden by himself was the best thing to do, but now he realized that by doing so, he was hurting the people around him. How would he have felt if his dad, sisters, friends, or roommates had been hurting but refused to let him help?
Tōshirō then left the scene, his captain's cloak billowing as he disappeared in a burst of speed.
Ichigo must've zoned out, because the next thing he knew, the girls, aside from Rangiku, for some reason had popped up around him.
"Earth to Ichigo!" said Tatsuki. "Good. You're back with us. Ichigo, I know we can never replace your mother, but we're part of your family now."
"Please, don't push us away, Ichigo," Orihime pleaded.
"If you ever need anything, just let us know," Haruko proclaimed, then got a little shy. "If it's okay…"
"Nel will be there for you too, Itysgo." Nel still couldn't say Ichigo's name right. "At least until Nel finds Nel's brothers. Then Nel can be there for everyone!"
All of Ichigo's emotions finally got the better of him and he hugged his girls in a group hug, crying his red eyes dry. Literally, they all bore his weight as he collapsed into them.
After he calmed down, Ichigo turned to Rangiku, who was watching from a tree just above Masaki's grave. "Are you listening, Rangiku? I want you to teach me the ways of the Soul Reaper. I want to become strong so I can continue to protect the innocent from Hollows. I must become strong enough to defeat any Hollow, especially this Grand Fisher. I can't face my mother again until I've killed him."
"Then are you ready to accept the burden of being a Soul Reaper, Ichigo?" Rangiku tested his resolve. "I warn you, once you accept the burden, there's no going back. You have to commit yourself to save every Soul, including those who have been turned into Hollows."
Knowing that Rangiku was right, Ichigo took a deep breath before answering, "I already have, and I'll do whatever it takes."
Rangiku then jumped back down to Ichigo's level and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Then get some rest, Ichigo. We start at dawn."
In the Menos Forest, Grand Fisher and the other Hollows continued brawling. It got to the point where in desperation, they started eating each other. This continued until something strange happened. The few battered, beaten, weary Hollows that remained merged together into one giant Hollow.
This new Hollow stood at 6 stories tall, possessed a white mask with an elongated nose. Its body was covered from head to foot with a black covering reminiscent of a cloak. It had a row of thin white spikes around its neck and large pointed feet wrapped in white bandages. The new Hollow let out a loud roar.
And that was chapter 11. So yeah, Tatsuki survived, Orihime unlocked her powers early, and Haruko used her Quincy Bangle to fight Grand Fisher. Now everyone who was worried whether Tatsuki was killed or not, you can rejoice. For those of you who were hoping for her death, sorry to disappoint you. The main point of that was to have Orihime unlock her powers similar to how she unlocked her powers in her fight against Numb Chandelier in cannon. I pretty much figured that, since Orihime is actually there during the Grand Fisher Encounter, I wouldn't need to wait for Numb Chandelier to unlock her powers. But for those who are wondering, I'll still use Numb Chandelier, but for a slightly different reason, one I'm sure at least some of you can already guess.
Now for Haruko using her Bangle. In case I didn't mention it in previous chapters and for those who haven't looked it up, the Quincy Bangle is an item that Uryu used during the Bount Arc of the anime. Haruko's Bangle differs slightly from Uryu's as her's has a five pointed cross instead of the four pointed cross that Uryu's Bangle had. For personal preference, the Quincy Bangle is arguably the best part of the Bount Arc as is one of those things I wish was adapted into the Bleach manga, namely during the Thousand-Year Blood War Arc. It could have been a good way to help expand the backstories of the Sternritters.
Now for the next chapter, I will be taking a break from following Ichigo and his girls and focus on something a little different. But if you believe that it's senseless filler, you're wrong. However, before I get into any of that, I'll be getting back into my other stories, or at least try to, namely The Slayer's Weird Backup, Digimon Adventure Six Paths, and Horyus: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., all of which need long overdue updates.
Author's Note: For those who are wondering about Tōshirō's involvement, well it's a node to Bleach: Diamond Dust Rebellion where Ichigo tells Tōshirō not to burden himself so much or reject help from his friends. Some time ago, I watched YouTuber DBZimran's review on the film and I can see what where he was coming from. But one thing that bothered me about the movie was that Ichigo was the one who snapped Tōshirō back to his senses, telling him not to burden himself so much or reject help from his friends when that's exactly what he was doing in the original source material. So as a nod to it, I decided to have a reverse of that scene. I recommend watching his review if you haven't already.
Chapter 12: Slaying Moon and Ash Cat