Ichigo wasn't sure what to think. Everything seemed numb to him, and yet it wasn't. He could vaguely hear sounds, but the only thing that kept his focus was his little sister having been shot by an unknown assailant. He watched as life faded from her eyes, her skin becoming pale as she lost blood, her brain beginning to shut down as oxygen wasn't there to be supported.
He unconsciously ran to her, holding her straddled body as terror encompassed his very being. The shining sun of the Kurosaki Household had begun to blow out the second time. Despair began to overwhelm the young man, so much so that he hadn't even noticed a second supercharged bullet coming straight at him. His instincts screamed at him to move, and while holding his dying sister's body he rolled out of the way.
As though it became a wake-up call, Ichigo's senses returned to reality. Emotions began to consume him, but one primary feeling he felt above all else was pure, unadulterated rage. Rage at himself, cursing for not listening to his danger sense, and most of all, rage at the assailant who dared to shoot his beloved little sister. First it was with Orihime's shooter, then it was with Captain Stacy's death that he couldn't prevent, and now this.
Enough was enough.
"No more…" At first it was a near silent sound, with Ichigo clenching his teeth, and then his fists curled tightly, he could take no more as he started rushing towards the front door, "No more!" He broke it down and continued to run, rushing towards the source of the shooting, grabbing the nearest car he could find before throwing it to where Martino was at, "NO MORE!" He screamed.
Martino widened his eyes in utter shock as he had been discovered, and seeing a car being thrown in his direction made him start running before the car busted through the wall, nearly hitting Martino. He instinctively turned around to see if the car was going to hit him, with the chunks of rocks hitting his gun which took out his vision scope.
"Ichigo!" The teen turned his head to look at Jean yelling at him, "It's your sister! She—"
Ichigo didn't let her finish the sentence as he started running back to the house in less than a second and got inside, "Yuzu!" Ichigo yelled, but saw she wasn't anywhere to be seen, "Where—"
"Dad took her…" Karin said, her tone being frightened as she pointed her small, shaky finger at where their father took Yuzu to the operating room, "She's in the operation room…" It was clear she was horrified at what just happened. Encountering a monster was one thing, but facing a situation of seeing your twin sister getting shot was a different sight altogether, "But dad said not to be distracted…"
Ichigo's hair covered his eyes, clenching his fists as he became hopeless on what to do. It's then that he felt Jean's hand gently resting on his shoulder. She gave him a concerned look as he turned to look at her, "I know how much you wanna go after whoever did this, but right now your sister needs you," She gently said.
Ichigo didn't need to be told this. He knew that his sister needed him, more than anything at the moment. Silence filled the room, and perhaps that was all that needed to be said. The teen grunted, knowing that Jean was right. But he loathed the fact he could do nothing. It reminded him too much of his mother's death, and that broke his heart more than anything.
Before anyone realized it, night had already arrived at the Kurosaki Household, and it didn't take long for the others to realize what happened after sensing a massive disturbance in Ichigo's Spiritual Pressure. Needless to say, those around Ichigo were shocked beyond belief after hearing what happened to one of his sisters.
So they stayed to help become emotional support for the Kurosakis, but Ichigo barely felt anything as his being was filled with numbness. He could act the way he was, but he didn't have any feelings behind it. Kisuke and Yoruichi heard about what happened as well, and they also came to help Yuzu's condition. It felt as though an eternity passed, even though it's only been hours till night arrived.
Yoruichi held Ichigo's hand as they sat on a couch together, with the teen not saying anything but having silent gratitude. Despite this, the only thing that weighed on his mind was him hoping that Yuzu made it through this. She had to. Uryu and Chad were on the other side, not saying a word as they treaded carefully on Ichigo's fragile state.
It was then that Isshin, Orihime and Kisuke came out of the operating room, with Isshin being the most exhausted as he had to operate on his own daughter to save her life, doing a delicate procedure. Thankfully with Kisuke by his side he was extremely careful not to make any mistakes on accident, and with Orihime she used her powers to heal the wound that was on Yuzu's body. Isshin and Kisuke managed to successfully remove the bullet.
"How is she?" Ichigo immediately asked as he got off the couch, wanting to know if his little sister would make it. He desperately wanted to know, but a part of him was terrified at learning the worst, "Is she…?"
"The good news is that her condition is stabilized, and she'll live," Isshin provided with a serious answer as his arms were folded.
Ichigo released a breath he didn't know he was holding. He was relieved beyond belief, as no words could begin to describe it. Everyone around him was also relieved, knowing that the youngest of the Kurosakis would live to see another day.
"But that's only physically," Isshin continued, "I can't even begin to imagine the psychological toll this is going to have on her. Moreover, there's something we need to talk about, Ichigo."
"What is it?" Ichigo asked, being unsure as to what else there would be to talk about.
"The bullet that Kisuke and I pulled out…" Isshin demonstrates the bullet that was used to shoot Yuzu, "This is no normal bullet, at least none that I've ever seen. It looks like a .30-06 Springfield, but its materials are completely different."
"What does that mean?" Ichigo asked in a grave tone, not understanding what this had anything to do with this. Behind him, Uryu widened his eyes in shock, realizing what this meant.
"This is a type of bullet that was designed to take out various superhuman beings," Kisuke started, tipping his hat as he looked at the anxious young man, "This type of stuff is highly expensive. Very rare, and very difficult to find. This definitely wasn't from Japan, and it's highly advanced for humans. From what I could tell, this type of stuff is located in the West, as that's where other superhumans are most active, so it's not hard to believe their enemies would design something like this to kill them."
"What are you saying…?" Ichigo had a sinking feeling he knew what this was all about, but somewhere at the back of his head, he wanted to deny. That the others wouldn't go this far…
Isshin and Kisuke looked at each other for a moment, with Isshin sighing before looking at his eldest son, "Ichigo… whoever fired this bullet probably didn't mean to fire at Yuzu. For whatever reason, one of your enemies meant to fire this at you instead…"
Some of the others tensed while Ichigo widened his eyes in shock. He hitched his breath as his hands twitched, "So you're telling me… this was meant for me… and not Yuzu?" His father nodded, "You're telling me… that my other life is what dragged Yuzu into this?" Nobody said a word, and Ichigo took in the silence all around him. He lowered his head, biting his lower lip as he clenched his fists.
It was his fault. All his fault. That's what he told himself. Just like what happened with his mother all those years ago. Even when he had power, depleting or not, he still couldn't protect those around him. But one thing he was sure of was that he knew someone was after him, and they hurt his sister in the process. He was the source of the pain.
But he wouldn't just sit around and do nothing about it, that'd be the last thing he'd ever do as a big brother. No. Rather, he'd hunt down those who did this to his family, forcing them to suffer yet again. He will make sure they know the pain that all of them had went through, and pay them back a thousand times worse.
"Do we know who did this?" Ichigo asked calmly as he looked at Kisuke and Isshin. Too calmly.
"I have no clue," Kisuke answered, as he could sense the young man's burning rage from within, "All I know is that it had to be a sniper coming after you. My advice would be to look for clues. But keep in mind whoever this assassin was, he's just a puppet being used. Look for the real mastermind behind this."
"Yeah, I know…" Ichigo nodded silently as he began to take off his clothes, revealing his Dark Spider suit on the inside.
Orihime couldn't stand to see Ichigo suffer like this, but at the same time she was worried for him. Worried that in his current state he might do something rash, but at the same time she couldn't help but understand what he was going through. After all, she lost her brother when she was a little girl. But this was worse. She felt that her words couldn't reach him this time, "Ichigo…?" She said.
"I'm going to find whoever did this," Ichigo said, shadows covering his eyes, "I'm going to put my mind on something I'm really good at when it comes down to it," He pulled out his mask and put it on his face and began to walk down the door, "Take care of Karin while I'm gone. Because when I find who did this… I'm going to hurt them," He promised.
As the door closed, with Ichigo already long gone, the tension in the room was ever splitting, "Shouldn't we go after him?" Orihime asked in concern.
"I'm afraid that wouldn't be a good idea," Kisuke answered, "At the state he's in, it's likely you all might get in his way. Even I doubt I could stop him if I tried."
"But in that state, who knows what he's capable of," Chad said, "We're just concerned about him."
"Don't you think it'd be the same if any of you were in his position?" Kisuke stared at the giant teen, "Of course you're worried, that's perfectly normal. But think about it like this. You just had one of your precious loved ones shot in front of your eyes. You were there as well when Orihime got shot, didn't she?"
"That's true, but—" Chad got interrupted.
"I understand your concerns, trust me, I really do. But if there's anything we know about Ichigo is that once he really puts his mind to something, it's impossible to put him down. Miss Yoruichi knows that better than I do, and she would have stopped him if she wanted to," Kisuke looked at his childhood friend, who nodded her head, "Right now, it's better for him to calm down in his own way. And if he makes the wrong decisions… well that's on him."
Ichigo went back to the area he threw the car at where the sniper was. Since hours had passed when he did something as noticeable as that, it was obvious that the police would have been involved, along with a crowd of people wondering just what happened for an unfortunate bystander's car to be in a state like that.
Looking back, it was very fortunate that Ichigo hadn't been discovered the way he was when he threw that car in his civilian identity. But at the moment, Ichigo didn't care about that. He was only after one thing. The Spider managed to sneak in behind the police officers, entering through an open window and going inside the place where the sniper used to be at. It was a dump, that's how Ichigo would describe it with it being covered with cobwebs and old, wooden floors.
He silently looked through any place that could give him a clue. It was obvious without saying that the sniper ran somewhere far away, and with no Spirit Energy it was impossible to detect him through his Pesquisa. Ichigo already tried that. However, it didn't take long before he noticed something peculiar. It was a night scope vision that dropped the moment Ichigo threw the car.
The young man picked it up. On the scope there were words written that spelled "Gunter-Wass". Ichigo was hardly an expert with guns, but having dealt with gangs for the past couple of months gave him a rough idea of what he needed to do to get the information he wanted.
So with that said, Ichigo left the building by leaping the same way he came in through a window. He started swinging with his webs, looking to find any type of gang. The idea was that while he didn't know where to find the man who did this, he realized that other criminals have connections to the higher ups in some shape or form. Ichigo didn't bother teaming up with the police on this, they'd take too long to find what he was looking for. Besides, his way was quicker.
If this really was who he thought was responsible for shooting his sister, then he'd do something the police themselves were afraid to do. The reason they didn't confront these types of people, specifically people so high up the food chain that they thought were untouchable, was precisely because of their connections and what they could do to their loved ones as consequences for trespassing.
Eventually, he found his first tip of whom he should confront. There was a sale going down that he wasn't aware of. Why they were doing it, he couldn't be sure, and frankly, he didn't care. All he knew was that they were the first stepping stone to get what he needed. He made it to a warehouse where the deal was taking place, and burst right through the walls, making his entrance known.
The dealers were in shock as they looked at him. There was no warning, no outburst, it wasn't needed tonight. His presence alone subconsciously told the crooks something wasn't right, but nevertheless they started shooting first, but Ichigo was too quick to be hit, jumping in the air. To their shock, despite shooting him in mid air where he seemingly had nowhere to dodge, he took the shots head on.
Ichigo landed his fist against their head, violently shaking them, and sent two kicks against their chests, their bones fracturing in the process. Their breathing was rapid and uncontrollable, suffering bleeding both external and internal. More showed up from behind, which annoyed Ichigo. They started shooting, but Ichigo backflipped out of the way, leaping right to their destination as they shot their high powered bullets.
As of tonight, the rules were gone. No more pulling his punches, no more trash talking, no morality to get in his way. On this night, no-one will get away from him. If they do, he'd hunt them down, so that no-one threatened his family, or anyone else's family. Blood filled his vision as Ichigo violently lashed out at the dozens upon dozens of gangs, brutally breaking their limbs, his punches breaking bones. He struck over and over even when they were beaten down.
It took a minute before Ichigo realized the whole gang was taken down, but he made sure to keep them conscious, to make them feel the pain. This war had gone on for too long, and Ichigo considered himself a fool for not seeing this sooner.
Well no more.
The Spider itself looked down at the broken, battered bodies that he brutally dealt with. He then pulled out the scope he had on him, making sure all others saw it, "Does anybody here know what this is?" He raised his voice for everyone to hear him. As much as he wanted to take out his anger on these punks, they were just small fry. He needed to find who was truly responsible for this, and once he found out who did this, only then will he take all his rage, all his despair out on the mastermind.
"What are you… crazy or something?" One of the more foolish of the gang members said, "You come here… beat us up, and now you want answers? Condescending jackass…"
Ichigo calmly walked over to one of the battered bodies he broke, clearly not enough. Ichigo stood in front of the member, the dimmed light showing the dark spider. Ichigo raised his foot and brought it down to the member's hand, crushing all the bones within it, "AAAAAAARH!" The member screamed out at the unexpected pain he felt, even more when Ichigo started rubbing his foot at the already broken hand, "AAAAAAAARGH!"
"Where did you see this?" Ichigo gave no empathy as he showed the scope to the one who carelessly insulted him, still not letting go of his foot.
"I... I never saw that in my life! I don't even know where you—" Ichigo let go of his foot, bringing momentary relief for the crook before raising his foot again to smash it to his head, breaking his nose in the process, along with his face, "MMMMPHM!" Ichigo let go of his foot before he recklessly picked him up with one hand, not caring at all about the damage he was doing.
"Maybe you misheard me…" Ichigo said, "But I wasn't asking if you've seen this thing. I was asking what any of you know about it."
"It's… it's a Gunter-Wass scope!" One of the other crooks, terrified of Ichigo's wrath, started spitting out the truth, "High grade lens! Fixed power optic! Zero distortion! Cleanest parallax adjustment you'll ever come across! Not in Japan! Hard to find even in the US! Only a few people have this!"
Ichigo dropped the other punk to the ground, making him yell out in pain. He walked over to the terrified punk, and picked him up by his collar, "Who?" Ichigo asked, his lenses sending a defying death glare.
"I... I'm sorry, but I can't tell you that," The punk gulped, "I'll be killed."
"Oh?" Ichigo seemed interested in this, "That's interesting, because whatever those guys will do to you won't even put up a fraction of what I'll do by the time you're found," He released his claws, and rested them above the punk's eye, "Starting with these claws…"
"W-W-Wait! Hold on! Aren't you supposed to be the good guy?!" The gang member started sweating profusely out of fear, "You can't just—"
"You took something that was precious to me," Ichigo lowered his claws as they rested on the punk's eye just centimeters away, "So why can't I do the same? If the first words that don't come out of your mouth are name and an address, I'll make you suffer," He promised. In the past, this at most would have been a bluff, but tonight, it was a serious promise.
"Alright... I'll do it... I'll do it…" The punk nodded his head, scared for his life as he realized that this Spider, this predator, was dead serious.
What Ichigo received was a name, and an address that came afterwards, a ship dealment that came to the sniper at hand. He couldn't locate the sniper yet as he didn't have his name, but if he could find out who it was that gave the sniper that specific piece of gear, then he'd be much closer to finding out who was truly responsible for shooting his sister, and pay them back for it.
The man who sold the Gunter-Wass scope lived on the other side of Karakura, a place where someone rich like that sold black market equipment, such as an extremely high end sniper scope. Men who don't like to rat out on his customers. Ichigo didn't let something as simple as distance stop him from getting what he wanted. If he had to swing all the way there, then so be it.
It was a simple matter to take down the security, and tear down the walls that separated him from the man. The dealer tried to run away, but it was ultimately futile from Ichigo's wrath.
"Who was the one you sold the Gunter-Wass scope to?" Ichigo calmly demanded to know as he picked the man up, showing him the scope, "For your sake, you better not give me a wrong answer."
"Who do you think you're talking to?!" The dealer started yelling as he tried his hardest to get out of Ichigo's grip, "You have any idea who you're messing with?! I've never seen that in my—"
Ichigo cut him off as he casually threw him against the wall, the dealer's head colliding before he dropped down, yelling in pain, "Life? Is that what you were about to say?" Ichigo slowly walked over to him, "You cause problems in my city, and you have the nerve to act like you did nothing wrong? You sell weapons, looking to hurt people who did nothing more than look at you the wrong way," He grabbed the dealer by his hair, picking him up like a toy.
"Nnngh!" The dealer grunted in pain at his hair being pulled, feeling as though it's about to be torn apart, "I'm warning you, pal! Get the fuck outta my house or I'll have every cop in this God forsaken country after your ass! See those cameras?!" The dealer pointed his finger at one of the cameras, having recorded the whole thing, "As far as I'm aware, your life's already over!" He smirked, "And there's nothing you can do about it!"
But Ichigo never bothered to look, as his focus was solely on the dealer. The adult man became confused, and started to grow uncomfortable with this predator's silence, and the eerie stare accompanying him, "They're welcome to try," Ichigo bluntly said before he did something the dealer never would have expected. The teenager threw the dealer through his own window, breaking it completely as he was falling down the ground.
The dealer widened his eyes as an extreme, sharp sense of pain enveloped his being, but the most overwhelming feeling of them all was the primal fear of death, "AAAAAAAAAH!" The dealer screamed through the night before a web caught his foot, dangling him in the air as the web held him on a thin line between life and death.
"You wanna threaten me again?" Ichigo asked as he handed upside down, holding onto his web as he stared at the dealer, "You're welcome to try, but know that I won't save you again," He threatened.
"Alright, alright! You win! Please just don't let me die!" The dealer begged for his life, tears being on the verge of release, "I'll do anything you want!"
"First… you're going to call off all types of deals with your employees, never selling another weapon again," Ichigo said.
"Fine! Deal!"
"Second… you're going to give me the name of the employee you sold this Gunter-Wass to," Once again, Ichigo showed the sniper scope.
"I only gave a couple of those to! I swear I—!"
"Names. Now," Ichigo cut him off, his voice as sharp as a dagger.
And so Ichigo got the information he wanted. The first name was just some hunter that loved to cut down the odds when it's them and a safari party against an animal half a mile away. That's not who Ichigo was interested in. There was no way that some hunter would be responsible for his sister's shooting. The second name came to Ichigo's interest, and the description fit far more for what he was looking for.
Jake Martino. A hit man working freelance across anywhere that services called as long as the pay was good, doing jobs that nobody else dared to do. What he was doing in Japan was beyond him. It's like what Kisuke said, the assassin wasn't meant to be the primary focus. He was just a puppet, which meant his attack wasn't anything personal against the Kurosakis. He was just doing his job, a sick one.
But that meant somebody who knew the Kurosakis had to have hired the assassin to personally finish Ichigo off. But who? The worst part was that Ichigo had a sinking feeling who it was, but he wanted to confirm his suspicions. Wasting energy just lashing out at anybody won't do any good. He needed a primary target for that.
According to the dealer, Martino had "friends" in high places. It made sense for a top assassin like that to have connections to people like those. He'd be in a position where he'd be untouchable. Normally this progress would take weeks, if not months to crack. Unfortunately there was another problem. Ichigo already told the dealer that the assassin he gave the equipment to had already failed in his shooting. To Ichigo's shock, he found out that once an assassin failed to do their job, they were to erase all traces that led back to them, which meant moving to another place.
But where could he possibly go? A cab wouldn't go anywhere near another city, and an airplane would just use x-ray to find his forbidden equipment and get him arrested quickly with how much of a rush he was in. So if he couldn't grab a cab, nor leave in an airplane, where else could he go?
Ichigo realized that a train station might be the only answer he had. It was the last place where they'd check for equipment, and it was quickest. He prayed that he was right, otherwise, he'd lose track of the assassin, and this entire pursuit to avenge his sister would have been for nothing.
Karin was trying to sleep in her bed, with her twin sister still being unconscious from the shooting. She hadn't felt this helpless since the Parakeet incident, where she felt sick out of her mind to the point of insanity. Perhaps it was because of the extreme emotional turmoil, but she could somehow feel the uncomfortable pain from her sister getting shot, and she couldn't find herself sleeping at all.
It was then she felt something strange, a bit of light seeping into the darkness. The young girl realized that it was her door being slightly open, and given the situation of what already occured, she couldn't help but be annoyed, "You know I can sense whoever is in there, right? I'm trying to sleep here," She vocally expressed her agitation.
"Oh, sorry…" A female chuckle escaped from someone's mouth, and the person in question was Orihime as she swung the door open, "I was trying to see if you were asleep. I didn't mean to wake you…" She said with an apologetic smile.
"Orihime…?" Karin was surprised to see the older girl checking her condition. She then felt embarrassed as she looked down on her sheets, "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you like that…"
"It's okay…" Orihime scratched the back of her head, "With what just happened, it must be hard for you to get a wink of sleep, isn't it?"
Karin didn't say anything, which already confirmed what Orihime was thinking of, "Do you mind?" The teen girl asked as she walked to the girl's bed and sat next to her. Karin shook her head, not minding for the older girl to sit next to her, "I just wanted to let you know that you're holding up well for what just happened. Yuzu is going to live."
"I know… dad told me everything…" Karin clenched the sheets, still not looking at Orihime, "It's just… why? Why would anyone do this to us?"
"I'm not sure…" Orihime cupped her hand at Karin's cheek, brushing a small tear that threatened to escape her eyeball.
"Is it because of Ichigo?" Karin asked, "Was… whoever did this… were they after him? Did he piss someone off?"
"I…" Orihime bit her lip, being unsure as to what to say. She was horrible at lying, so bad even a toddler would have guessed she was lying about something. She was simply too pure for that, "Even if it were… right now your brother is trying his hardest to find the person who did this to Yuzu…"
"What?! At this night?!" Karin couldn't believe it as she widened her eyes. She knew her brother could take care of himself, but this was a different story entirely against an armed person, not some street punk he'd come across against. If he was doing this as a Soul Reaper, then she didn't have to worry about a thing.
"I know… and I'm worried about him," Orihime said, looking down at the floor.
"No kidding, who wouldn't be worried about that idiot right now. What's he thinking, doing something as dumb as that?" Karin clenched her teeth, "First it was with Yuzu and now—"
"That's not what I meant…" Orihime silently interrupted, looking at the confused girl, "I'm just worried how far he's willing to go against whoever did this to you…"
"What do you mean?" Karin was confused, "Sure, Ichigo is tough but this is someone who might be after him…"
"I've seen what your brother can do when he really puts his mind to something… he's unstoppable. But right now, I'm worried what he might do to himself," Orihime gently brushed the sheets, "When he gets so hurt, so angry, he almost loses sight of what's important to him," She thought back to the battle with Ulquiorra, and the Vasto Lorde transformation that nearly mutilated the Espada. He came back from the dead just to protect her.
Karin almost stayed silent, being unsure as to what the other girl was talking about. Did this have anything to do with Ichigo as a Soul Reaper? Did she know? "So… do you not trust what Ichigo will do?" She asked.
"That's not true," Orihime smiled at the young girl, "I believe that whatever decision Ichigo makes, it won't be a wrong one. Whatever he does, I'll always stand by his side, to make sure he has someone to know he's not alone in this."
Karin was stunned to hear this, and couldn't help but smile, "You know… it's amazing that you and my brother haven't gotten together yet," She said. Since it was a bit known that Ichigo was dating multiple women at once… "You know about his little harem thing? I haven't heard you being talked about at all."
"Ah…" Orihime sheepishly chuckled, "I'm not sure if I'm ready for that yet… it's why I haven't told Ichigo anything about it."
There was only one chance for this to work. If the assassin was getting away within this place, then it'd be safe to assume that it would provoke a massive reaction. It was close to midnight, so there shouldn't be that many passengers around here, which made it better for Ichigo. As he didn't know how the assassin looked or where he was going, there was only one chance for this to work. If he was too late, then all of this was for nothing.
The predator landed underground as he looked at the train station, which was mostly empty, save for a few people that looked startled to see him, especially with the ominous silence he was emitting. However, one individual widened their eyes in shock at seeing the Spider, and slowly tried to slip in through the background.
Ichigo swiftly turned his head as he looked at Martino. Ichigo started walking towards him, and Martino quickly pulled out a Uzi gun and started shooting at Ichigo. It all happened in a matter of seconds. The people who were in that station started running away, and Ichigo dodged the supersonic bullets with ease, only allowing a couple to be fired before Ichigo grabbed his arm, and with his strength he twisted it so much that it was nearly ripped apart. The assassin screamed as blood gushed violently out of his limb, and his bone could be seen out of said arm.
"Not so easy, is it?" Ichigo began to take out some of his anger on the man who shot his sister, "It's not easy when the other side fights back. Not as easy as having to shoot a little girl from across the street, is it?" He watched as the man scurried across the floor, still yelling out in pain, "Well?!" The Spider picked the man up by his collar and bashed his head against a nearby wall.
"Hnnngh!" Martino groaned in enormous pain as his nose broke, and his teeth suffered damage. He looked at the enraged teenager with a pleading look, "Wait… you don't understand. I never meant to shoot that girl, it was meant—"
"For me?" Ichigo growled, "Oh, I'm well aware of that. But did it ever once cross your mind to stop the shooting after realizing you shot an innocent little girl? No. The only thing you were thinking of was to get me no matter what," He then kicked the man's jaw, sending him tumbling against the ground, "You shot my sister!"
"Listen… to me…" Martino struggled to get the words out of his mouth.
Ichigo crouched on top of him, holding his collar as he made a death glare, "Tell me, how many innocent people did you kill? All for what, money? Have you ever considered what their last thoughts might have been running through their heads? Do you want to guess what my thoughts are?" Martino looked at Ichigo's lenses, and his aura radiated pure animosity.
There was silence.
"Let me make myself perfectly clear. You're going to tell me the name of the man who hired you. I suggest you do it fast," Ichigo's large bug eyes stare deeply at Martino's very soul, making the man silently gulp, "Because if I find out you're dancing around and refuse to tell me, I will make you suffer. I will show you the depths of pain that you've never even dreamed of. There will be nothing, no-one to stop me. And when I'm done with you, when you finally beg for me to end it, I'll do it. I'll kill you," Ichigo's voice was dripping with pure venom as he was not bluffing on his threat. It was a promise.
Martino was shaken to his very core. He was loyal, but not stupid. He knew it was over the moment this superhuman caught him with his hands. He was absolutely no match for him. Looking at it, he was screwed no matter how he looked at it, "I… I…" Martino tried getting the words out, "The one who hired me—"
His words were cut off when Ichigo's Pesquisa tingled. This made the teen confused. What could his danger sense possibly be tingling about? Either way, he instinctively dodged out of the way when a rain of bullets was fired at him. But yet again, Ichigo was not the target, but Martino as some of the bullets shot through his body, silencing him before he could spill anything.
"NO!" Ichigo shouted as he saw that the one person who could give him the information on who hired him was gone, at least seemingly. Ichigo turned over to see where the terrain of bullets was fired by, and he saw another assassin having shot the previous one. He was running away, having almost been out of sight, but Ichigo saw the cloaked figure.
With his speed, the predatory vigilante leaped across the other side just before the sounds of the train started coming. As Ichigo's reflexes grew dull from his powers disappearing, his rage balanced it out, possibly overcoming those limitations.
Ichigo ran after the assassin, and with his superior speed he used his webbing to catch the grown man, pulled him over and grabbed him by his throat, squeezing the life out of him, "How many more of you are there?!" Ichigo demanded to know, "You killed my only source!" The vengeful teen bashed the man's head against the wall. Ichigo wanted nothing more than to rip the man apart, but something came to his head, "The fact you killed Martino right here was because someone sent you to kill him! Isn't that right?!"
The assassin tried to kick Ichigo in his lower region, to catch him by surprise so he could escape, but it was like hitting a brick wall, "Wrong answer," Ichigo glared at the man. He had an idea as to how to get the man to talk, now with the train coming. Ichigo threw the man below where the train tracks were, and used his webs to trap the man's hands and legs, "Let's play a little game… if you decide to tell me who hired you to kill Martino, I'll let you live. If you're really loyal to your boss, I'm sure you wouldn't mind dying for his great cause, isn't that right? That train seems to agree..." He bluntly said, not really expecting an answer. Of course, this one was a bluff as he needed the man alive.
The assassin gulped, trying his hardest to get out, but the webs were too strong. A minute passed, and with each passing second the man was genuinely afraid of his own life, "Tick tock… tick tock…" Ichigo muttered below his breath, just waiting for the countdown to happen, his lenses glaring intensely at the man.
As the train was seconds away from hitting the man, he begged for Ichigo to free. The teen did so, firing a web at the man's chest, forcefully pulling him out as he narrowly escaped death. The man looked horrified at what happened, having been left at a teenager's mercy, "So I take it you wanna tell me?" Ichigo asked.
"It was Kingpin!" The man frantically exclaimed, fear steaming from his eyes, "He hired me to take out Martino just in case he screwed up! He didn't wanna leave any trails tracing back to him! Especially when he heard Martino shot the wrong target!"
"How does Fisk know this?" Ichigo asked in a low tone.
"Because he's the one who hired Martino to begin with so he could take you out!" He fearfully explained.
…
So that's how it was.
"Do you have a phone?" Ichigo asked.
"Wh — What?" The assassin was confused.
"I said do you have a phone?" Ichigo irritatedly asked, pulling his claws out and pointing them to the man's face, "I want to make contact with your boss."
"What the hell do you—?"
"I'm going to say this once. I am not in the mood. So unless you want me to rip your heart out and shove it down your throat, I suggest you better make your days count," Ichigo threatened.
"Alright, alright!" The assassin pulled out his phone and did everything he could to contact Kingpin, unlocking his password and everything else before his phone began to rang, "Here! It's for you!"
"One last thing…" Ichigo picked up the phone, before pulling the terrified man closer, headbutting him. The assassin was knocked out with a broken nose before Ichigo roughly threw him aside like trash. He held the phone against his ear.
The contact was made, "I take it the mission was successful? I didn't think you'd finish him off so quickly…" Kingpin's calm voice was heard, "Are you certain there's no-one after you?"
"Fisk…" Ichigo's rage began to boil, trying his hardest not to crush the phone as he grit his teeth.
"... Ah, Mr. Kurosaki," Kingpin recognized the voice after a surprising silence from the Big Man, "What can I do for you on this fine night?" He asked as though he were talking about the weather.
"You're going to die," Ichigo bluntly said in a low tone, plain and simple.
"..." There was a long, passing silence between the two of them before he heard Kingpin sighing, "Mr. Kurosaki… how old are you at the moment? You do seem quite young, so I'll explain something that no other adult has taught you. And that is the way the world works. I don't die. I have some who do that for me. And I have some who do that because of me. But I don't die, Ichigo Kurosaki. It would be a violation of the laws of nature."
"I've met just about every guy who thought they were untouchable, but I managed to make them think otherwise," All the battles Ichigo had been through briefly flash in his mind, "And you're no different, Fisk. Before this day is over, I'll do what the others have struggled their whole life to achieve. You better be on guard Fisk, because I'm coming for you," Ichigo made his promise known before he pulverized the phone with his claws, breaking it completely.
Kingpin frowned as the connection suddenly ended. The large man looked at his phone before he pulled it back in his pocket.
When he received a message from Martino that said the wrong target was shot, Kingpin had been gravely disappointed, but he took satisfaction knowing that he ended up hurting the boy in more than one way. This is what he got for not listening to his warnings over and over. Let that be a lesson to all.
However, because Martino had failed in his mission, Kingpin had to send one of his men to eliminate the former assassin to erase all traces that led back to him. Clearly that didn't work either. Now the boy knew who was responsible for it, but he clearly couldn't know where he was at the moment, so he didn't need to worry about that.
"Everything alright, Mr. Fisk?" The driver in the limo asked.
"No need to worry about a thing," Kingpin reassured the driver, along with the bodyguards sitting in front of him, "Just an unwelcome guest," He then looked at the rain that was starting to fall, along with the dark clouds that gathered, 'Strange… the weatherman didn't say anything about rain at this time.'
It was past midnight, with its eerie but beautiful atmosphere enveloping the city. It was cloudy, making the atmosphere moody as people within Tokyo felt an unknown chill in their spine, as though an ominous omen was ready to happen at any time.
Above all, Kingpin found a luxurious hotel to settle at for the time being. It wasn't quite as fancy as his home from New York, but it would suffice for now. At least until he was finished with that troublesome meeting. In all honesty, Kingpin was tense. His progress towards taking over Japan was going steady, and it'd be a matter of time before he eventually took over this country, letting the criminals run loose. It'd be complete chaos just like how it was in New York.
Yet time and again the more important operations were getting foiled by this one boy and the team of women partnering up with him. He'd been a thorn in his side, just like the man in red. Kingpin refused to go through that again, to take up so much time and energy only for it to be drawn to an endless cycle. His opponent in this war was much younger, more naive, and inexperienced for that matter. That made things easier. Psychologically the large man doubted that this boy would last long compared to what he had been through.
So why was he so tense? Oh, he knew why. In each of his attempts with the boy, he'd found more headaches from him than anything else. One of the biggest factors that worried him was that his former enemy, Norman, was none other than the Green Goblin. Though he didn't need to worry about that for now, now with Norman having fled Japan all together after his last battle with the boy. Though he hoped the two of them would have killed the other.
Yet time after time the boy lived and thwarted his plans. If he didn't get rid of him soon, then he'd prove to be a more formidable enemy than him. He'll get rid of him, eventually.
Ichigo was so blinded by rage that he virtually had no idea where he was going, only being led by his instincts. He kept swinging and swinging non-stop without a break. The downside was that having never been to Tokyo before, he had no idea where Kingpin was. He could only guess.
So he tempered his rage, and had to find information on where Kingpin was at. He didn't have time to wait. He had to find him now. With Tokyo being brand new to him, it was hard for him to find himself. So he did what he'd been doing to find information. Tracking crime in it of itself. It was a good thing that Kwannon told him Fisk was ruling more than just Karakura Town, it gave Ichigo that much more leverage to go with in these circumstances.
If that meant having to spread out through every inch of Tokyo, then so be it. Unfortunately, it proved to be a waste of time as the teenager found absolutely nothing. So the boy decided to wait until the meeting happened. Make the Big Man think he was at his safest, far away from him. And then when he least expected it, he'd crash the meeting, and after that…
Kill Kingpin.
Morning broke, and yet strangely enough, the rain still hadn't stopped pouring. It was strange, as yesterday it was made clear the weather would be sunny the whole day. Yet it was as if some mysterious force of nature decided to say otherwise. Ichigo was on the nearest building he crouched on, with the rain having poured over his suit, making him completely soaked head to toe.
Ichigo hadn't gotten an ounce of sleep. His rage was what kept him going. That was fine by him. If he could spend 5 days fighting Urahara without taking a break, then this was nothing, depleted powers or not. He watched as Kingpin, Hammerhead and the other men gathered and walked toward the large building. Ichigo barely restrained himself from lashing at Kingpin. He wasn't in the mood to deal with the other idiots down below. Once Kingpin got inside the meeting with the other mob bosses, then it would be time to strike.
"Spider?" Ichigo turned his head to see Kwannon and Elektra standing behind him, with Kwannon having a surprised look on her face, "I'm surprised you made it here before us. How did you get here?" The older woman asked.
"I swung," Ichigo bluntly asked before turning his head back to the building, "When does the meeting start?"
"Should be at any minute now?" Kwannon answered with a trace of confusion in her voice. Something about the young man seemed different, "Why ask?"
"Either way, do you remember what Yulan's plan is?" Elektra asked, holding her hand on her hip, "If you don't, we can recap it quickly and—"
"I'll kill him," Ichigo silently said, his lenses moving intently at where Kingpin was, "That's the plan. And no-one will interfere."
Both women widened their eyes in shock upon hearing this, looking at each other before looking back at Ichigo, "We can't do that," Elektra was not pleased to hear this, "If Kingpin dies, then everything we planned for was for nothing. What the hell has gotten into you?"
"Well that's too bad," Ichigo scoffed, "Because I had different plans."
"That's not a good idea," Kwannon tried to calm him down, "If Fisk dies then—"
"Wait…" Ichigo put his hand in front, looking at the very top floor. Suddenly his fingers extended sharply, turning into claws, "Finally…"
"Spider, don't even think about—" Kwannon tried to warn him, but Ichigo ignored her as he leaped farther than anything she'd ever seen him do, "Don't do it!" She yelled, trying to stop him using her psychic powers.
To her shock however, her usual attempts only made Ichigo cringe, only stunning him for the briefest of moments before he continued onward, "What the hell has gotten into him?!" Elektra demanded to know.
"I don't know!" Kwannon started to get into Ichigo's mind whilst running. Before she could make it a few steps further, she widened her eyes in shock as she saw through Ichigo's memories, "Oh no…"
"Why are you stopping?! We have to stop that idiot before he ruins everything!" Elektra exclaimed.
"I think I just had an idea why he's so mad…" Kwannon muttered.
The meeting had already started, and Kingpin wasn't liking where this was going. His years as a criminal mastermind told him something was amiss. He wasn't sure what or why that was the case, but something told him to be on guard.
Kingpin wasn't a fool. He's deceived people too many times to count to know that something about this meeting, even from the start, wasn't right. He had the distinct feeling he was being played at, and Kingpin was no-one's fool. Only he played others for fools, not the other way around.
It was then that a sound shattering screech of windows breaking clang through everyone's ears. Instinctively turning around, Kingpin was in utter shock as he saw Ichigo break through the windows, announcing his presence clearly and widely, "FISK!" Ichigo roared like a lion, one that was finally ready to trounce on its prey, "YOU SUICIDAL BASTARD!"
Ichigo landed on the table as the others shielded themselves from the glass coming in their way. Kingpin got up and immediately began to run, because it was his only option. The other mob bosses finally opened their eyes and saw the Spider standing menacingly on the table, claws ready and all.
"Who the hell—?!"
"What are you doing here?!"
"What gave you the right—?!"
Ichigo ignored all of those and fired a web at Kingpin's back, connecting in the process, "You're not going anywhere! Not on this day!" He screamed.
"Have you completely lost it?!" Yulan was in utter shock, having not expected this to happen at all. She didn't understand. What has gotten into him? "Why are you ruining everything we planned?!"
Ichigo completely ignored her. He was only focused on the target. It was then that Hammerhead intervened by trying to headbutt Ichigo, but he avoided out of the way while holding onto his web. It was then that security came in and started shooting at Ichigo. Not being able to fight Hammerhead, take care of himself and protect Yulan at the same time, he was forced to let go.
Kingpin nearly fell down, but nevertheless kept running. Ichigo wouldn't let him get away so easily. Not after what he did. The vengeful teen kept dodging bullets, moving closer to take down the guards. He wasn't in the mood to be gentle, but he knew some of these guys were just doing their jobs. The ones who worked for Kingpin would get worse treatment.
It was complete chaos. With his Pesquisa working on overdrive, it was hard for both Ichigo to focus correctly and the guards not to hit the bosses. They were shooting to kill him, but they were just doing their jobs, right? Ichigo webbed up as many as he could get, but seeing as he wasn't getting anywhere, Ichigo used his speed to get past the guards, and webbed up the main door to seal off the exit.
Ichigo heard the bullets trying to penetrate his webs, but it was futile. They were extraordinarily strong. Ichigo saw Kingpin running to the halls, and began to chase after him, "FISK!" Ichigo let out a blood curdling scream as he finally began to let out the rage he felt.
Yulan was left dumbfounded at what happened mere seconds ago. Here she was, recording the entire conversation between her and Kingpin, all for an enraged teen to ruin everything. In all the conversations she had with the young man, while he had a temper, he had a good heart for now. So she didn't understand what could have possibly caused Ichigo to be out looking for blood like that?
"Yulan!" Kwannon and Elektra showed up as they leaped Theo through the broken window, "Where's Spider?!" Kwannon asked.
"Wherever the hell Fisk went!" Yulan exclaimed, "Can someone explain what the hell is going on?!"
"I looked into his memories! I found out why he's so angry…" Kwannon replied.
"Look, just stop Spider from killing Fisk! That idiot is gonna ruin everything if he's serious about this!" Yulan had been alive for a very long time. She knew when someone was out for blood when she saw it.
"Got it!" Both Kwannon and Elektra nodded their heads.
"Idiots!" The women looked at Hammerhead, who pushed the guards away, "You call yourselves professionals?!" He began to run towards the walls, his head literally bringing down an entire wall in a single blow, making a large pathway for others, "Come on!"
Ichigo kept leaping and bouncing from one wall to another, using his claws to dig deep into the walls. He was faster than Kingpin, that much was for certain, despite his goons trying their best to slow him down. There was only one thing in his mind, and that was to kill Kingpin, plain and simple.
To his surprise, however, Kingpin turned around and fired a sort of energy beam at Ichigo with his cane, but the teenager easily dodged it out of the way. Ichigo leapt to the ceiling, and charged straight towards Kingpin. He accelerated with such force that when tackling Kingpin, both of them broke the ground, falling onto another floor, and then another, and then another over and over through all 15 floors, with Kingpin grunting in immense pain.
"Holy…!" One of Kingpin's men was left agape at the massive sized holes that continued to pile drive deeper and deeper.
"Don't stand there gawking, you idiot! The boss needs us!" One of the other bodyguards snapped.
"Is he even still alive after all that?!" The third of the henchmen asked.
"He's the Kingpin! Nothing can kill him!" The fourth of the men exclaimed.
Both Ichigo and Kingpin crashed onto the final floor beneath the building, where it was nothing but pitch black darkness. Some of the environment from the previous floors kept falling down, with particles of dust covering large amounts of area. Since Ichigo didn't have natural adhesive powers, he was forced to let go, but he was relatively unharmed despite the massive fall he just took.
He couldn't say the same for Kingpin, who took the most damage out of that fall, suffering notorious damage, and was seemingly unconscious as well. Ichigo wasn't sure whether he was truly dead though. He didn't need to wait for long before Kingpin groaned in pain as his massive body started to steer.
"How the hell are you still alive?" Ichigo demanded to know, his voice dripping with murderous intent.
Kingpin got up, groaning in immense pain. He looked at his cane, which hadn't survived like he had. He scoffed at this before glaring at the enraged teen, "I trained myself to reach the very limit of human potential. I broke through that limit," He explained before throwing his broken cane away, "Unfortunately, my cane isn't the same. You'd have to pay for that, you know? It was quite expensive, along with this suit."
"If I were you, I wouldn't give a damn about some stupid clothes. I'd be worried about your life, and what I'll do with it," Ichigo threatened as he made a battle stance with his claws, ready to use them in the most lethal way possible.
"Why are you so upset?" Despite Kingpin's bravado, it was clear that fall took an immense toll on his body, so he didn't come out of that unscathed, "Is it because someone else was shot instead of you?"
"You shot my sister you cold hearted bastard," Ichigo dangerously growled, "I'm going to make you pay for that. I'm going to show you what it's like when someone takes something precious from you. You almost took the one thing that I love above all else."
"Take something precious from me?" Kingpin almost laughed at this. It made Ichigo want to beat him to death right then and there, "Oh you poor, naive fool. I already have lost everything precious from me," The large man's voice began to seethe from anger, "And that, my young friend, is called war. War with a man who dresses in a costume much like you. I lost my wife. I lost my son. Both of them were estranged from me, knowing that the war I engaged in took them away. As far as I'm concerned, I've already lost everything, and at times I even questioned whether the war I'm in was truly worth it."
"So why the hell are you still continuing?" Ichigo bluntly asked.
"Because unlike you, I learned that war is supposed to be cruel. It's meant to drag you down to the deepest pits of Hell, break you apart on every conceivable level, and even after you think you've lost everything, that you have no will to live anymore, it finds new ways to break you down even more," Kingpin explained, "Clearly, you've never been in one. So you lost your sister? Big whoop. That's what war is. From the very beginning since I got in your tiny city, there were meant to be casualties, regardless of who it was. That's what war is. And unlike you, I'm more than willing to do anything to win that war. So if I have to make an omelet by breaking a few little girls… then so be it."
Before Kingpin realized it, Ichigo got in front and kicked the large man's jaw. He violently started bashing Kingpin's head in, using punches and kicks, turning around in every corner to attack him where Kingpin couldn't possibly defend himself from Ichigo's incredible speed. The enraged teenager couldn't hold back his anger a second longer, and lashed out.
But just hitting him in the head wasn't enough. Ichigo wanted to break the large man's body. He wanted to beat him so badly, to mangle him where his corpse wouldn't be recognized. Ichigo couldn't believe this. Only rarely did he fully unleash his true might like this, especially in his human form. Having waited for so many hours, was finally worth this moment.
He had to say, it felt good. The sounds of his fists pounding into Kingpin's flesh, breaking his teeth and blood spewing out of his face, knowing this was the man responsible for his sister's shooting. He took all his rage out, but made sure not to kill him just yet. Ichigo made a backflip as he backed away from a heavily beaten Kingpin.
"Wh... What's wrong?" Kingpin smirked as he wiped the blood off his lips, "Have you had second thoughts about killing me?" His face was deformed, having been beaten severely, yet impressively enough he could still stand, "I shouldn't be surprised. You heroes always were cowards by never going what should be the right thing to do."
"You're right about that," Ichigo said in an all too calm manner, "I'm not a hero. I never saw myself like that. The only reason I put on this suit is because I wanted my identity hidden, but still do what I wanted to, to protect others, so they don't go through the same pain I felt. But it's not the Spider in front of you that's going to take your life…" He then took off his mask, showing his face before dropping the mask on the ground. His eyes had bloodlust in them. Kingpin was confused, "It's Ichigo Kurosaki that's going to do it!"
The large man widened his eyes, realizing what he meant. Before he could say another word, Ichigo went back to doing what he did before, and he beat on Fisk like a balloon. He hit an uppercut on his face, swearing he could hear bones cracking. The vengeful protector grabbed Kingpin's clothes before he kneed him in the gut, taking the air out of Kingpin. It wouldn't be good to take out all that rage if it finished so quickly and had nothing to vent on afterwards.
He twisted his body so he could kick Kingpin's nose, breaking it entirely. The unmasked teen put both his hands together into a fist and hit Kingpin like a sledgehammer. He then aimed for his legs, kicking his knees. There wouldn't be any fancy tricks. Just raw, primal rage for the man who nearly killed his sister.
Kingpin fell down, yelling in pain. Ichigo then jumped in the air, catapulting onto Kingpin's body as he used both his knees to hit the Big Man's gut. The man screamed in pain as he coughed up blood. Ichigo didn't stop there, as he started wailing his fists onto his face, breaking him apart.
Kingpin realized that Ichigo was serious about killing him. And that scared him. The teenager didn't care for the consequences afterwards. He was so blinded by rage that he didn't care what came in his way. Kingpin's blood was literally on Ichigo's hands.
It was then that both Kwannon and Elektra got down on the very bottom of the floor, with the purple haired woman carrying the other assassin as she landed on the ground before getting Elektra on her feet. It didn't take a genius to figure where the hitting was coming from. Kwannon didn't waste her powers, and immediately forced a more powerful method to restrain the young man with her psychic powers.
Kingpin was already beaten as far as she could see, so she had to stop Ichigo from doing something he might regret later. Surprisingly, despite attempting to paralyze his mind, Ichigo could still turn around, albeit with great difficulty even with his berserker rage, "Get out of here, Psylocke! He's mine!" Ichigo yelled.
"Just calm down and listen to me!" Kwannon exclaimed, with Elektra readying her weapons to stop Ichigo, "I know what made you be like this! Listen, I'm sorry that your sister was shot! I understand the rage you feel at Fisk for having given that order! If she died, I would understand it even more! But she's still alive!"
"I know that! But this isn't like when my friend got shot! This bastard deserves every ounce of pain that he's put everyone through! He deserves to die!" Ichigo struggled to turn his head, to continue his lethal blows.
"I know that! More than you know!" Kwannon argued, but it was clear she was beginning to struggle to hold back this enraged teenager, "I don't care who you kill! I'm an assassin! But there's a time and place for everything! You wanna have your revenge?! Fine by me! I'd prefer this fat bastard dead anyways! But are you just going to waste everything we've built?! Think about everything that'd happen if you killed him right now!"
"I already know! This war would end once and for all! No more innocent people getting shot at ever again! And if the police find out it was me, then fine! I already did my job! I have to stop this gang war!" Ichigo vehemently argued.
"And what if they find out who it was and take you away?! You have any idea how many enemies you put in jail?!" Kwannon was straining herself to keep the young man restrained.
"They're welcome to try! But if any of them mess with my family like Fisk just did, I'll kill them!" Ichigo responded, trying to push his fist to continue the job.
"And what if your sisters find out that their own brother will be in jail! Who'll be there to protect them?!" Kwannon was becoming desperate, "Even if you kill Fisk, the law would just brand you as a murderer for killing a philanthropist, regardless of his controversy!" She wasn't getting through to him completely, as he was still trying to kill him, but she could tell he was hesitating. It's then she had an idea, "You wanna kill him so badly?! Fine! But at least take everything from him!"
"What are you talking about?!" Ichigo asked.
"You've already beaten him in his own turf! If you let him live now and flee from Japan, then he'd live with the shame that he was beaten the way he was, and lose respect!" Elektra looked at her companion with surprise in her eyes. This was a big gamble she was committing, "Just tell him to run away! For someone like him, that's worse than being dead!"
An assassin telling a protector not to kill someone. The universe had a funny way of using irony. Yet what was even more twisted was that the assassin was telling the teen to use a more twisted means of killing.
And yet, surprisingly enough, Kwannon felt Ichigo stopping his movements completely. For a minute, there was nothing but silence emitting before Ichigo released a long sigh, "Alright… you win," The protector said, dropping his fist, "You can let go, Psylocke… I'm not going to kill him."
"Do we trust him?" Elektra asked as she looked at her companion, "After what this brat just did, do you really mean to trust him that—"
"I do," Kwannon softly replied, something that surprised Elektra, "I can tell by his thoughts. He doesn't have any means of betraying us," She sighed in relief as she felt her body relax, letting the mental paralysis go.
And to prove Kwannon correct, Ichigo got up, only standing on top of the brutally beaten Kingpin, "Here's how this is going to go down, Fisk… by the time you're finished healing, I expect you to tell the truth, the whole truth of everything you did," He pointed his clawed finger at Kingpin, "And don't even think of trying to backstab me. You saw what I was capable of. You can bring a whole army of your goons to stop me, but they won't mean a thing to me. If I see you so much as looking at my friends or family, or even doing some small, petty crime under your orders, I will go back and finish what I started. Do I make myself clear on that?" He threatened.
Kingpin had a hard time breathing, so he couldn't muster the words of strength, rather of weakness. All he could do was weakly glare at Ichigo, "If you value your life, then you'll know what's good for you. If I find out you escaped, I have a way to track you down and end your life. Do I make myself perfectly clear?" Ichigo moved closer to make his threat clear, and he was not bluffing.
"He's right, I wouldn't piss him off further than you already have," Kwannon shrugged. Though she wasn't reading Ichigo's mind, she could tell he meant what he said.
"I'll hold my end of the deal by calling the hospital. I expect you to tell them everything that happened, and I'll be there otherwise," Ichigo pulled out his phone and began to dial the hospital number in Tokyo.
Ichigo stood on top of a building with his mask on, watching as Kingpin was dragged to an ambulance, and his men were scattered like rats, having fallen apart like their leader as they didn't want to be shown with Wilson Fisk as they were wanted criminals still, and looked shady enough as they were.
"Well, color me impressed," Ichigo turned his head to look at Yulan who had a smile on her face, with Kwannon and Elektra by her side, "You ruined what would take anyone years of planning to take down Fisk, yet you did it all in one night."
"I'm sorry…" Ichigo muttered, looking down at the floor, "I ruined everything."
"You pretty much did," Yulan bluntly said before sighing, "But... I can't say I can blame you completely for what happened. Psylocke told me what happened. I'm sorry about your sister, so you have my condolences."
"Thank you…" Ichigo frowned, looking at his hand, "Still... I was really ready to do it. I was ready to kill Fisk," He looked at the older women, "I've been ready to kill before, but that's only because I didn't have much of a choice, but I preferred not to. Everyone else I really fought was at least a spiritual being… I even told someone that they should kill a spiteful bastard so they could protect someone better, because they wouldn't stop trying to kill her until she had to, basing off everything that happened to me. But this was different… this was still a human…"
"And because of how you were raised, it's wrong?" Yulan asked.
"I guess that's one way of putting it," Ichigo nodded his head, "And even now… if he goes back on his word, it's like I'm still willing to kill him."
"After what he just did to your family, I don't blame you," Yulan replied, "I've lived long enough to know that when someone's family is put in danger like that, especially on ones so innocent, it can bring something out. Something primal and merciless. You were just willing to protect your family. It goes to show how far you'd be willing to go for them."
"But what if it's too far?" Ichigo became worried as he stared at his hands, "The things I thought of… the things I wanted to do…"
"Listen to me, Ichigo. We're the last people you should consider for help when it comes to morality. I lived for centuries, and these lovely ladies are bloody assassins," Yulan pointed her thumb at them, "But I can tell you this… there's going to be plenty of bastards that are out to threaten your loved ones. If you really are serious about being a protector, you can't just go easy on everyone. There's going to be moments when you'll have to do what's truly right and pull the gloves off. You have to step up your game," She gave the teen advice, "But don't take my word for it. I just want you to think about it."
Ichigo did think about it for a long period, now being conflicted with himself, before giving a long sigh, "Yeah... I'll think about it. I'll just head home," He fired a web at the nearest building.
"You do that. You've more than earned your break. Just so you know, the payment will come soon," Yulan told him as she put her hands in her pockets.
"Thank you," Ichigo nodded before he swung off, his tired mind becoming numb as he went back home.
I can't lie, I was really excited writing this chapter. Took me less time than I thought it'd take on making this when I started writing.
From what I already said, this is heavily inspired by Spider-Man: Back in Black 616 Comics. And for a good reason. This is essentially where Ichigo goes through one of the angriest moments throughout his life, something that'll haunt the Kurosaki family for quite some time. Compared to the shit he did to Orihime's shooter back in Chapter 17 I just recently reuploaded (since rewriting the Spider-Man portion), that was pretty tame compared to what Ichigo was doing here.
Some parts were a bit tough for me to write in here, the biggest being how to convince Ichigo, who was so dead set on killing Kingpin to the point he didn't care for the consequences, to not kill him. Because if he did go through with killing Kingpin, the police would have seen this as murder and permanently track him down that Ichigo might have been forced to retire early from the Superhero business… which would have been pretty bad for the main story in this. My Co-Author was convinced of the reason but I really hope it makes sense on a general level. If you do disagree, then please explain why.
To respond to a Guest review from the last chapter on Jean being Ichigo's girlfriend when they just met in Memories of Nobody, yeah I can see why it'd be seen as out of nowhere, but I wasn't really sure when to introduce the two of them building up their relationship. I did think of doing a lemon between them in the Superior Chronicles story if that should clear up the confusion to make it seem as natural as it can get.
Also a bit of an important announcement (kind of). The next chapter might be the very last one of Overflowed Ideal of Reality. Seems fitting since this will be the 50th chapter of this story. I know there's people that don't really like having to read long stories, especially with mine being nearly 500K words long, and the amount of words I put up in each chapter.
So is this going to be the end of Overflow in general? Not quite. This is just Volume 1, so we're just getting started. I will reveal more information in the author notes for the final chapter. So please be there when it's published.
Happy Easter to you all who celebrate it.