Force of Souls Chapter 30 (Patreon)

Hey friends and fans, Kairomaru is bringing you another chapter of Force of Souls! As more and more things change from Canon, some things will also inevitably happen regardless, simply because some characters will MAKE those events happen! As the sun rises on the second day of the ryoka invasion, what awaits the Seireitei?

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So, without further delay, please enjoy.

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Chapter 30 – Life and Death

The mane of the sun pouring down
Erases the footprints on thin ice,
Do not fear deception
The world already lies atop deception
Battle is all that matters,
In battle there is truth

The early morning sun shone down upon all of Soul Society. A few wispy white clouds passed through the sky and one could be mistaken for thinking this was just another normal day.

Breee Breee Breee

Momo jolted awake from the noise next to the futon she was sleeping in. “I’m…! I’m sorry I dozed off! And…huh?” She blinked and looked around at where she was. “Captain Aizen?” No one was around. “He’s gone.” Momo picked up the small clock next to the futon and stopped the alarm. She fidgeted a little, having slept in Captain Aizen’s futon all night. It could start rumors if other s found out. “Eh?” She actually looked at the time on the small clock in her hand. “Whoa! Look at the time!” She jumped out of the futon (quickly making it nice and neat out of respect for her Captain) and bolted towards her room to get dressed for the day.

While Momo was panicking about being late, the other Lieutenants were gathering for the morning debriefing. The meeting would begin soon enough, and most of the Lieutenants (barring the currently injured Renji and the almost always absent Yachiru) had gathered already with only a couple of stragglers.

“Why didn’t he wake me if he woke up before me?” Momo fretted as she rushed to make the morning meeting on time, still securing her Lieutenant’s badge to her left arm. “I hope I make assembly on time…” She continued to rush and blinked when she saw a wooden panel blocking off one of the walkways. “If I take a shortcut…” Momo hopped over the wooden blocker and landed behind it as she continued to run towards the meeting location. “Yes! I’m going to make it on time!” She turned a corner and saw something that brought her to a dead stop instantly. Her eyes widened, her body trembled, everything within her told her to deny what she saw before her eyes. “AAAAAAH!!!” She wailed out the fear and anguish in her heart.

The loud scream got the attention of the gathered Lieutenants not too far from where Momo was.

“What was that?!” Ōmaeda questioned as they all rushed towards the door.

“It came from the east holy wall!” Hisagi said as they rushed down the walkway towards the location.

“That was Momo’s voice…” Toshiro’s eyes narrowed and he nearly blurred ahead of the others.

Iba saw a wooden panel blocking the path (a clear indication that people should take the roundabout path) and kicked it down so that the others could simply run over it. This was an emergency; he didn’t give a damn about propriety right now.

“What is it Momo?!” Kira asked as he turned the final corner with the other Lieutenants right behind him. “What happened?!”

All of them stopped cold and looked high up on the wall with incredulous eyes.

“Captain Aizen!!!” Momo wailed out even as Toshiro stood next to her, staring up at the impaled form of Aizen on the wall, red blood splattered against the white wall with a long trail of it staining its way downwards, a clear indication that Aizen had been stuck there quite a while ago. “Noooo! Captain Aizen! Captain Aizen!”

None of the Lieutenants could believe what they were seeing. A Captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, killed, his own Zanpakutō impaling him to a wall…and no one had noticed until Momo stumbled across the scene? No one was able to process the questions that were already building up because of their shock.

“What is it? Why all the noise so early in the morning?” Gin questioned, the Captain having just arrived to the scene, his normal expression still on his face, even as he looked up and saw Aizen’s corpse. “Oh…” His expression didn’t change in the slightest.

Momo looked at Captain Ichimaru with tears in the corners of her eyes. The lack of reaction to the murder of another Captain…the unchanging expression…that slight smile on his face. She briefly glanced at Toshiro at her side, seeing him narrowing his eyes at the Captain of Squad Three. His warning from yesterday flitted through her mind. ‘Beware of Squad Three.’ Her despairing expression changed to anger in an instant as she blurred into a Shunpo while drawing her Zanpakutō. “YOU DID THIS!!!”

Gin’s expression didn’t change in the least as Momo charged him with her sword.

Ching

Kira had stepped between Gin and Momo, his Zanpakutō drawn and held defensively as it blocked Momo’s sword.

“Izuru… Why?” Momo asked, tears at the corners of her eyes falling down her cheeks.

“I’m the Lieutenant of Squad Three.” Kira said as he held back Momo’s blade. “No one raises their sword against my Captain for any reason!”

“Izuru, please… Step aside…” Momo requested desperately.

“I can’t.” Kira denied her.

“Step aside. Move.” Momo’s desperation grew.

“No!” Kira’s tone was more forceful now.

Momo’s Reiatsu increased sharply. “I’m telling you to move!”

Kira raised his own Reiatsu in response. “I’m telling you, I won’t!”

“Snap! Tobiume!” Momo released her Shikai, her katana morphing into a straight sword with multiple ‘branches’ coming from either edge of the blade, reminiscent of the famed Shichishitō (Seven-branched Sword), but with less branches. Flames exploded to life along the length of Momo’s Zanpakutō.

“What…” Kira was surprised that Momo would go so far.

BOOM

A fireball erupted where Momo and Kira were clashed.

Kira slid backwards along the wooden floor. Gin had already moved back to a safe distance, his small smile never leaving his face.

A large crater was left in the floor, going down into the ground.

Momo glared at Kira, her anger for the murder of Aizen (which she fully believe Captain Ichimaru to be guilty of) was spilling over to the one that was defending him.

“You dare release your Zanpakutō here?!” Kira glared at Momo now. “That’s foolish!” He held his sword at the ready in front of himself. “Do you realize what you’re doing?!” He yelled at Momo. “This is neither the time, nor the place, to resolve personal matters, Lieutenant Hinamori!”

With a snap, a fireball formed at the base of Tobiume’s blade. Hinamori swung her Zanpakutō and the fireball grew in size as it traveled the length of the blade before launching form the tip straight at Kira.

Kira juked to the side and the fireball exploded against the building behind him.

BOOM

“I see. Then it can’t be helped.” Kira took up an aggressive stance with his sword. “I must treat you…as an enemy!” He leapt high into the air and came down on Momo. “Raise your head, Wabisuke!” His Zanpakutō glowed slightly before the blade warped and bent at a ninety-degree angle once and then a second time, giving him a sword with a square ‘hook’ instead of a sharp point at the tip. Kira and Momo both swung their blades at each other.

A crushing Reiatsu slammed down on the area.

No one (aside from Gin) had seen Rangiku’s sudden arrival at all. The Captain of Squad Ten had one foot on Momo’s Zanpakutō, forcing it against the ground. Her right hand was holding Kira’s sword by the back of the squared hook, the blade unable to move even a centimeter in her grip. Both Lieutenants were forced to bend their knees under the sudden pressure that filled the area.

“C-Captain…Matsumoto?” Momo looked up at the other woman.

Matsumoto’s normally warm blue eyes were sharp and cold right now. “What do you two think you’re doing?” She didn’t wait for any answers or excuses. “Seal you Zanpakutō immediately. There are far more pressing matters to deal with right now.”

The two trapped Zanpakutō glowed and returned to their sealed katana forms. Under Rangiku’s gaze both Momo and Izuru sheathed their swords while looking down at the floor.

“Arrest them both.” Rangiku ordered as her Reiatsu lessened considerably.

Momo was restrained by Iba and Isane. Both of the older Shinigami being gentle with her as it was clear that shock was now setting in as the adrenaline wore off.

Kira was quickly detained by Hisagi and Ōmaeda. Hisagi securing his right arm and left shoulder, while Ōmaeda took a firm grip of his left arm at the wrist and put his other hand on the back of Kira’s neck, not painfully, but as a warning of what would happen if he attempted to struggle.

As Momo and Kira were taken away, Rangiku looked at the remaining Lieutenant, Sasakibe Chōjirō, Lieutenant of Squad One and the man that normally gave the debriefings to the other Lieutenants. “Lieutenant Sasakibe, please bring Squad Four to retrieve Captain Aizen’s body.” Her tone was formal and polite as she spoke to the Lieutenant, a mark of respect for the officer that was far older than most other Shinigami, having served under Captain Commander Yamamoto since the inception of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. “I will report Captain Aizen’s death to the Captain Commander myself.”

“Yes, Captain Matsumoto.” Sasakibe gave her a quick bow before vanishing into a Shunpo.

“Toshiro, lower your sword…now.” Rangiku ordered as she turned to look at her Lieutenant and Gin.

Toshiro had Gin held at sword point, though the Captain hardly seemed concerned about it. With a glare, Toshiro returned his Zanpakutō back to its sheathe on his back. “He was about to kill Momo… Weren’t you, Captain Ichimaru?”

“What? I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Gin denied the accusation. Anyone well-versed in how Gin fought would be able to tell that was a lie, especially given the current position of his right hand, poised to either strike or cast Kidō, whichever would ensure the kill.

“Toshiro, return to barracks and take command until I return.” Rangiku ordered firmly, feeling the slight chill in the air from Toshiro’s Reiryoku spilling out.

Toshiro turned away from Gin, but looked back over his shoulder. “I’m telling you right now… If you make Momo bleed… I’ll kill you.”

“You’re scaring me.” Gin’s smile widened slightly. “But you should keep a better eye on her, lest she do something like this again and get hurt.”

With a glare colder than ice, Toshiro vanished with a Shunpo.

“Sorry about the commotion my man caused with Lieutenant Hinamori, Rangiku.” Gin apologized to Rangiku, though it didn’t seem very sincere.

Smack

Gin’s head whipped around and he staggered a step to the side from the sudden and unexpected slap across the face from Rangiku.

“Don’t push your luck, Gin.” Rangiku’s eyes looked deep into the narrow gaze of her old childhood friend. “If you do anything that gives me reason to suspect you of being the culprit; then I will deal with you myself.”

Gin’s hand came up to gingerly touch his stinging cheek. “It’s been a while since you’ve slapped me like that. Can’t say I miss it.” He gave her a grin before blurring away in his own Shunpo.

Rangiku sighed long and low. “What the hell has happened to you over the years, Gin?” She wondered, not for the first time.

Back when they’d been children in the Rukongai, the two were nearly inseparable, like a brother and sister. Both had quite substantial Reiryoku levels and many that knew the two encouraged the children to join the Shin’o Academy and become Shinigami when they were older.

It was a strange day that Rangiku still couldn’t remember when misfortune had befallen her. She didn’t know what happened, but according to Gin, he’d found her in the forest just outside of town without a mark on her, but still barely clinging to her existence. He’d taken her to their small house and done everything he could for her for days on end. Rangiku had nearly lost not just her life, but her literal existence as her body had been on the edge of breaking down into simple Reishi from a loss of her Reiryoku.

Even when Rangiku had stabilized and eventually woken up, her body was almost deathly weak. Gin could barely be around her long enough to deliver her food and water without his Reiatsu hurting her just from proximity. Rangiku’s once incredible Reiryoku levels had vanished entirely, as if they’d been stolen from her somehow. Over the course of time, Rangiku had eventually recovered, though not before Gin had parted ways with her, barely saying anything beyond that he was doing it to protect her. It hadn’t been until they’d met once more as Shinigami that the results of Rangiku’s miraculous survival had become apparent. Her previously substantial Reiryoku levels were almost nothing compared to what she had when she’d seen Gin again. The soul grew fastest when place in mortal peril, and Rangiku had been FAR beyond mortal peril as her very existence teetered on the edge of vanishing entirely. Every second spent in that nebulous state had become greater Reiryoku once she’d finally recovered.

It was little surprise that she’d moved up the ranks of Shinigami and become a Lieutenant under Captain Shiba. Her somewhat lazy attitude had made many assume that she’d never be promoted again. But when Captain Shiba had gone missing, Rangiku had stepped up to fill the position, revealing that she’d not just been lazing around all the time, but had been communing with her Zanpakutō in Jinzen and slowly coming to understand it and herself. Upon her Captain Exam, she’d revealed her Bankai to Captain Commander Yamamoto, Captain Ukitake, Captain Kyoraku, and Captain Unohana, earning her the position of Captain of Squad Ten.

“Hah… I was up late writing my report about the two ryoka girls I ran into last night, and now this.” Rangiku let out a heavy sigh, looking up at Captain Aizen’s body again. “What the hell is going on right now?” The ryoka she fought didn’t seem the type to be able to kill a Captain. They’d only fought her after she’d made it clear they couldn’t escape her. Rangiku didn’t know anything about the other ryoka, but none of them had killed a single Shinigami since the start of their invasion. “So, why would they kill Captain Aizen? And how could they have done it without anyone noticing?” Things weren’t adding up, and Rangiku wasn’t sure she liked the picture that was starting to come together.

-Ichigo’s Group ~ Sewers-

Ganju slowly opened his eyes as he awoke from slumber. He was a little stiff from sleeping against the concrete wall and sitting on the stone floor all night, but he’d be fine once he started moving. “Huh?” He looked down when he felt a weight on his lap, only to see Hanatarō lying his head on one leg and drooling on his pants. “Ack!” He shot to his feet, making Hanatarō fall to the ground. “Hanatarō, you idiot! What are you doing sleeping on my lap?! Pathetic!” He noticed the drool on his pants, right on the symbol of the Trembling Current, the Shiba Clan’s symbol. “Hey! You drooled on my best pants, you little fool!”

“He’s exhausted. It’s only a little drool, grow up.” Ichigo chastised Ganju’s overreaction.

“Ichi…” Ganju stopped as he turned to look at the Shinigami. “You’re all healed?!”

Ichigo rolled his shoulders and flexed his arms and hands a bit. “Yeah. All thanks to Hanatarō.” He motioned to the still sleeping Squad Four member.

“You’re feeling better too, aren’t you?” Chad asked as he stood up from where he’d been sitting next to Ichigo. “Hanatarō restored our Reiryoku and healed even our small injuries. He was tired, but he didn’t stop until the three of us were okay.”

All three men couldn’t help but give the still sleeping Shinigami respect for his hard work and dedication as a healer.

“One more try.” Ichigo said as he looked down the corridor in the direction of the ladder that would lead back to where he’d fought Renji. “This time I’m gonna make it.” His tone was like steel, his resolve nearly reverberating through the air. “Let’s go! To the Senzaikyū!”

He had no idea who awaited them atop the plateau above.

-Orihime and Tatsuki-

“Ugh… My head.” Tatsuki grimaced as she opened her eyes slowly. “IS this what a hangover is like?” She had never drunk alcohol before, but this headache had to be close to what she’d heard described.

“Tatsuki!” Orihime pulled Tatsuki into a hug the second the Martial Artist had sat up. “I was so worried… And you were so hurt… And I did everything that I could… But, but you didn’t wake up…” The tears were starting to flow as Orihime babbled.

Her cries were silenced as Tatsuki hugged her back.

“Thanks for the save, Hime-chan.” Tatsuki smiled into Orihime’s long orange hair. “Even Mosho was telling me that going that far would have consequences, but I’d do it again in a heartbeat if it meant protecting you.”

“Tatsuki.” Orihime snuggled into her girlfriend’s embrace even more.

Tatsuki just held Orihime, enjoying their closeness as her headache slowly faded away. “We did pretty good for being so outmatched, huh?” She slowly pulled back to smile at Orihime.

Orihime nodded with a smile as she wiped away her tears. “We did.”

“Can’t believe we ran into a Captain like that. We got lucky she wasn’t trying to kill us.” Tatsuki sighed as she patted herself down to check for any lingering injuries or sore spots. “You really saved my ass in that fight, Orihime.”

“I’ll always protect you and heal you and fight with you, Tatsuki.” Orihime smiled at Tatsuki with love and affection.

Tatsuki leaned in when Orihime did and the two shared a soft kiss, filled with their love for each other. They wouldn’t be separated. They’d deal with whatever the world threw at them together.

“Love you, Hime-chan.” Tatsuki gently rested her forehead against Orihime’s.

“Love you too, Tatsuki-chan.” Orihime returned the love and giggled happily that Tatsuki was okay.

“Where are we, anyway?” Tatsuki asked, only know looking around and noticing that they appeared to be in another storehouse of some kind.

Orihime rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. “Well, when I was transporting you, I just wanted to find an out of the way place to hide so that I could heal you as quickly as possible. This was the first place that I saw.” She hopped up to her feet and pulled the lid off of a nearby box. “But look! It has food!” Inside the box were packaged squares of dried food that Tatsuki couldn’t readily identify.

“Huh, rations, I guess?” Tatsuki picked one of them up and opened it, sniffing the contents. “Sort of smells like dried mushrooms like you get at the store.” It made sense for a military-style organization to stockpile rations with a long shelf life as far as Tatsuki was aware. Shinigami had limited access to food and amenities in the Living World when on their patrols, so it stood to reason that they would have certain supplies available to them.

“They’re not too bad.” Orihime grinned, already munching on one with an adorable smile.

Tatsuki couldn’t help but smile back and take a bite from the square. “We should probably find some water and a bathroom before we head out.”

Orihime perked up and pointed towards the door of the storehouse. “Last night I saw a door marked with ‘W C’ when I was moving you back here. I think it’s for this group of store houses.”

“Well, that’s one problem solved at the very least.” Tatsuki was happy that they could fill their bellies and use the bathroom at the very least. “Once we’re ready, let’s move on. We need to keep our heads own and do everything we can to not run into another Captain.”

Orihime agreed wholeheartedly on that. She never wanted to see Tatsuki so injured again in her life.

-Ichigo’s Group-

“Doesn’t look like anyone’s here.” Ichigo peeked out of the slightly raised flagstone that led down into the sewers. He let his Reiryoku settle even further than normal and allowed his senses to expand, pushing them further to the point just before he’d manifest Reiraku. He didn’t want to be surprised by anyone that may be lurking around this time. Ichigo lifted the flagstone entirely when he still didn’t sense anyone. “It seems strange that there’s not a single guard here after the battle yesterday.”

Ganju climbed up out of the hole. “They probably didn’t think the enemy would be right under their noses.”

“That makes sense, I guess.” Ichigo gave Ganju that much. Without Hanatarō, they certainly wouldn’t have known about the sewers and that they could hide down there.

“We just have to go up the stairs, right?” Chad pointed at the long staircase that went straight up the plateau.

Hanatarō nodded to the tall teen. “Yes, the Senzaikyū is located at the top and across a bridge.”

“I wonder if the girls are alright?” Ganju said as the four men rushed towards the stairs after dropping the flagstone back in place.

Ichigo glanced out over the Seireitei as they started up the stairs. “They’re fine.” He stated with confidence. “Orihime and Tatsuki are both smarter than me. They won’t charge into a fight they can’t win.” His girlfriends were fine, as far as he could tell with his senses. He hadn’t felt their Reiatsu flare up like they were in a fight at the very least.

The long dash up the stairs seemed endless for a while, the top never appeared to get closer at all.

“What’s up with these stairs?!” Ganju complained, even his stamina starting to take a hit.

“Stop complaining! I see the top!” Ichigo shot back, finally seeing the top of the staircase.

The four took a short moment to catch their breaths when they reached the top of the staircase.

Chad looked around, but didn’t see a single person. “There’s no security here?” That seemed odd, to just leave such a place completely empty.

“This is…the center of the Seireitei…” Hanatarō reminded them as he worked to get his breathing under control. “There’s not usually any dedicated guard…but it is strange…that no one is here at all.” That made him nervous, as only a very small number of people could order everyone to leave the plateau.

“Let’s get to the Senzaikyū in one shot then.” Ichigo said as he took off, Chad following behind him quickly with Ganju and Hanatarō bringing up the rear.

The four of them had only run for a few moments before an absolutely ridiculous Reiatsu slammed down on them all. Ichigo stopped dead in his tracks as he felt sweat instantly form on his forehead and face. Chad let out a small grunt as he withstood the crushing pressure, but his eyes were wide in shock from what he was feeling. Hanatarō had collapsed to his knees instantly, his eyes staring at the ground and going in and out of focus.

“What the…hell…is this?” Ganju grunted out, his face covered in sweat as his eyes looked around in a wild panic.

On a rooftop above the group, Kenpachi Zaraki had a nearly feral smile as he looked down at the four men. “He’s finally here.” His eyes zeroed in on Ichigo.

Ichigo felt warning bell’s going off in his head, his instincts screaming that he was in danger. ‘It’s like I have a sword at my throat!’ Ichigo thought to himself as he tried to pinpoint the source of the crushing Reiatsu. His senses picked up on the most intense spot of Reiatsu and Ichigo whirled around to look. He saw a man with hair done up in long backwards spikes, an eyepatch over his right eye, and wearing a Captain’s haori with the sleeves ripped off, sitting atop the roof of the building behind their group.

“What’s the matter?” Zaraki’s rough voice spoke up from behind Ichigo. “Are you just going to stare at me?” A sword exploded out of the front of Ichigo’s chest, blood flying everywhere.

“Wha?” Ichigo’s eyes went wide and he swore he felt blood fill his throat. But the sensation vanished and Ichigo grabbed at his chest, only to find no injury whatsoever. His breathing came in ragged gasps as he realized that he wasn’t injured. ‘What was that?! Murderous intent?! No…no way murderous intent alone could make me feel like I’d been stabbed…!’ Ichigo had the dawning realization that his eyes had been tricked by this Captain’s insane Reiatsu. He’d never taken his eyes off the man as soon as he’d spotted him and yet, somehow, the tall man had managed to clear the distance between them and take his back without him noticing. He recalled both Rukia and Urahara telling him that in battles between spiritual beings, it was instinct to follow the flow of the opponent’s Reiatsu to keep up with their movements. But the crushing pressure all around them blocked out that natural instinctive response! There wasn’t a flow to follow when he felt like he'd been submerged in the crushing depths of the sea!

“You are Kurosaki Ichigo, are you not?” Zaraki asked as his Reiatsu never let up in the slightest.

“How do you…know my name?” Ichigo stopped suppressing his own Reiatsu and the crushing pressure lessened noticeably. “Who are you?”

“Oh. Didn’t Ikkaku tell you?” Zaraki questioned as Ichigo turned to face him. “I’m Kenpachi Zaraki, Captain of Squad Eleven! I’m here to kill you or die.”

‘Fuck…’ Ichigo cursed in his head. He now fully understood why Ikkaku talked his Captain up after their fight.

Zaraki smirked at Ichigo. “What’s wrong? I’m telling you that I’m here to kill you or die.” The Reiatsu increased even more, much to the shock of the four-man group. “If you have nothing to say…shall I begin?”

Ichigo drew Shingetsu and held his Zanpakutō at the ready.

Chad’s arms both transformed as he stood beside Ichigo, even under the immense weight of Zaraki’s Reiatsu.

The sound of something hitting the ground made Ichigo and Chad look over their shoulders, only to see Hanatarō on the ground.

“Damn it, Hanatarō!” Ganju was down to one knee from the pressure, but was still handling it better than the member of Squad Four. “He just collapsed form that guys Reiatsu! Don’t worry about us! If you keep looking around that guy will kill you!”

“Hey!” The suffocating Reiatsu lessened sharply at the sound of a little girl’s voice.

Chad and Ichigo whipped their heads back around, only to see a small pink-haired girl peeking out over Zaraki’s shoulder. She couldn’t have been more than six or seven, eight at the very most, judging by her appearance, but she seemed completely unaffected by Zaraki’s Reiatsu.

“He’s drooling!” The little girl stated as she looked at the collapsed Hanatarō.

“What?” Ichigo blinked only for his eyes to widen as the girl was now standing on his shoulder with one foot, her Zanpakutō held by a short loop of rope in her left hand.

“He must be really scared of Ken-chan! Poor guy!” The girl looked at Hanatarō with her right hand above her eyes like a visor.

Ichigo tried to throw the little girl off his shoulder, but she leapt away before he could, landing in front of Zaraki easily. “How?”

“I think Ichi is mad at me.” The girl poked her chin with a thoughtful look on her face.

Zaraki deadpanned at the little girl. “Of course he is, Yachiru. We’re enemies.”

“You only want to fight Ichi, right, Ken-chan?” Yachiru asked as she looked at the four guys in front of them. Her eyes stopped on Chad and she smiled. In less than a second she was right in front of Chad her hand resting on his chest as she almost floated in the air, gravity seemingly not having caught up to the speed of her sudden movement. “You look like you might get in the way. Can you go far away so that Ken-chan can have fun fighting Ichi?”

“What?” Chad’s eyes widened as pink Reiryoku poured from the little girl’s hand. With a grunt, Chad was launched away at high-speed, feeling like he’d just been hit by a truck.

He saw the top of the stairs below him in a blur, then the plateau the Senzaikyū stood on, said plateau got smaller and smaller as he rocketed through the air above the Seireitei. With a grimace he flipped himself around and his right arm flared with Reiryoku. “Grah!” Chad threw a punch and the blast of blue Reiryoku released slowed his flight considerably from the recoil since he couldn’t brace himself. He spun through the air a bit but managed a second shot to slow his impact with the ground, letting him land safely and with minimal pain from the crash.

“So far…” Chad uttered out in disbelief as he saw how far he’d been sent from the plateau at the center of Seireitei. It was only visible at this distance because of how it towered over the rest of the area. “Ichigo.” He took off running back towards the plateau. He’d promised long ago that he would always have Ichigo’s back. “I won’t break that promise.” He swore to himself as he ran.

-Plateau-

“Chad!” Ichigo shouted in shock at seeing his best friend launched away by Yachiru. He reset his stance and stood between the downed Hanatarō and staggered Ganju, and the Captain and Lieutenant of Squad Eleven. “Ganju! Take Hanatarō and go! I’ll take care of this guy somehow! You’ve got to go and save Rukia!”

“Somehow?!” Ganju clearly thought Ichigo was crazy.

“Shut up! Just go!” Ichigo snapped, never taking his eyes off Zaraki or Yachiru.

Ganju ground his teeth for a second but relented. “Fine!” He turned and grabbed Hanatarō and picked the nearly unconscious Shinigami up. “It’s like looking after a baby with you!” He slung Hanatarō over his shoulders and rushed down a different path that was heading in the general direction of the Senzaikyū.

After Ganju and Hanatarō were completely out of sight, Ichigo looked suspiciously at Zaraki and Yachiru. “What? Neither of you is going after them? Isn’t it your mission to stop us?”

“I told you… I’m here to kill you or die.” Zaraki reminded Ichigo as a feral grin spread across his face. “Your friends and the girl…are of no interest to me.”

“Good.” Ichigo unleashed more of his Reiatsu, making the air tremble. “That works for me.”

-Senzaikyū-

Rukia perked up as Reiatsu brushed across her senses. “I feel a lot of Reiatsu today. If I can feel it through these walls of Sekiseki…it must be incredibly strong. Is there a Captain nearby?” She looked out through the tiny slotted window with concern. ‘I heard that roar yesterday too. There’s a battle being fought out there. Could it really be you, Ichigo? Where are you now?’ Rukia placed her hand over her heart. She was filled with questions, but had no way to get any answers.

-Ichigo vs Zaraki-

The clashing Reiatsu made the air let out little cracks as Ichigo and Zaraki stared each other down.

“Not bad.” Zaraki grinned wildly at Ichigo. “Your guard has some holes, and your stance is a bit stiff. But you’ve got a good amount of Reiatsu. Some of the Lieutenants wouldn’t be able to beat you, probably. Explains why Ikkaku lost.”

“Thanks a lot.” Ichigo said flatly.

“But you’re not my equal.” Zaraki stated simply. “What do you say? Shall I give you a handicap?” He pulled open his shihakushō to show his bare chest and his abdomen wrapped in bandages. “I’ll give you the first cut. Strike me wherever you wish.”

“What?” Ichigo narrowed his eyes at the Captain. “What are you talking about? Are you mocking me?”

Zaraki shook his head once. “Not at all. It’s just a courtesy. Not attacking an opponent that doesn’t have their sword drawn may be noble, but you don’t have to hold back with me. Don’t be in such a hurry. Let’s enjoy this.” Zaraki’s expression became serious beyond measure. “Kill or be killed. That’s something to savor.”

Ichigo grimaced at the battle maniac in front of him.

“Come. Strike my neck, my stomach, gouge out my eye. You could cut me down with one blow.” Zaraki urged Ichigo to attack him. “Don’t be a coward!!! Come!!!”

Ichigo flared his Reiatsu and then focused it all into Shingetsu. “One free shot? As hard as I can, right?”

“Zanjutsu! Hakuda! Kidō! Whatever you like!” Zaraki had a manic grin on his face.

The Reiatsu in the air from Ichigo almost vanished entirely. “Bring down the empty heavens, Shingetsu.” Ichigo released his Shikai and the blade of Shingetsu turned pitch-black, while the tsuba turned silver with black arrows pointing towards the base of the blade. All of the Reiryoku that had been applying Reiatsu into the air was poured into Shingetsu, the blade quickly surrounded by blue Reiryoku that darkened quickly to a deep navy blue. Ichigo raised his Zanpakutō into position for an overhead swing. “Jūryokuga!” He slashed downwards and unleashed a colossal wave of gravity in an arc of navy blue with a black core.

Yachiru had leapt away to a safe distance to watch from earlier, but dug her feet into the roof of the building she was sitting on as the huge attack that Ichigo unleashed seemed to drag things towards itself. “Whoa!” Her childish wonder would seem very out of place to most people.

The arc of incredible gravity engulfed Zaraki in an instant before continuing on its path. Everything in that path was crushed into a perfectly smooth trench that extended for almost one-hundred meters before the attack lost force and expanded outward as it faded away. A strong gust from the released air escaped in all directions. Three large buildings crumbled and collapsed as part of their structures were now missing.

“Don’t hate me for that, you offered.” Ichigo sighed as he saw the destruction from his attack. He still felt Zaraki’s Reiatsu though, so the man was clearly alive. Ichigo blurred forward into a Shunpo to close the distance. What he saw when he stopped was Kenpachi Zaraki lying on the ground with a large cut going down the length of his torso, from his right collarbone to his right hip. The injury was bleeding freely, but the rest of Zaraki’s skin seemed barely marred by the attack that had nearly killed Renji just a day ago.

“Heh…hehe…heheHaHaHAHAHAHAHA!!!” Zaraki laughed loudly as his manic smile returned to his face. He stood up easily, as if the huge injury on his chest wasn’t even there. “That’s the way, Ichigo! I knew you’d give me a real fight!”

Ichigo let Shingetsu increase the gravity in the area to the point that the air felt like it might crush a person. Zaraki only grinned as he hunched over for a second, only to stand back up to his full height as his Reiatsu intensified a second later.

“Your Zanpakutō’s power made my head spin a bit, haven’t had that happen in a long, long time!” Zaraki seemed far too thrilled for having dealt with a vertigo-inducing headrush. “Don’t die too quickly, alright?” He drew his Zanpakutō as well, revealing a worn and incredibly chipped blade, made jagged and almost serrated by how much damage was done to the cutting edge.

Ichigo looked at the damaged sword with wary eyes. “What’s wrong with your Zanpakutō?”

Kenpachi looked at his sword and then back to Ichigo. “This is how my sword always looks.”

“Does it fix itself when you release it?” Ichigo had noticed Shingetsu repair itself before after being damaged in one way or another.

“My Zanpakutō has no name.” Zaraki revealed plainly.

Ichigo blinked at that. “What?” Those words went against everything he’d ever learned about Zanpakutō.

Zaraki held his sword at the ready with his right hand. “My sword is bare. It was never sealed.” He pointed the tip of the blade at Ichigo. “This blade is my Zanpakutō.”

“Bullshit.” Ichigo said and Zaraki’s eye widened. “If you don’t know the name of your Zanpakutō, then just say that. If it doesn’t talk to you, then you’re the problem…I know that from experience.” Ichigo’s experience with Shingetsu and unlocking his Shikai was a memory that he’d never forget. “But I don’t care about whatever issues you have, Kenpachi Zaraki. I just need to defeat you.”

“Heh!” Zaraki’s wild grin was back in full force. “That’s the way, Ichigo! Don’t be concerned with your opponent’s weapon, their handicaps, or anything else! Keep your Reiatsu high, your Reiryoku sharp, and let’s fight to the death!” Reiryoku exploded off of Zaraki in a thick yellow aura that hung around the man’s body, completely counteracting Shingetsu’s gravity.

Clang

The sound of Shingetsu and Zaraki’s sword meeting sounded more like two metal bars being slammed together than swords. Ichigo went for Zaraki’s right arm, looking to end the fight quickly by incapacitating it. Zaraki saw the attack coming easily and altered the path of his blade towards Ichigo’s face.

“Gnh!” Ichigo jerked his head backwards, the tip of Zaraki’s sword lightly cutting his cheek. He pivoted out of the line of Zaraki’s next slash and left a cut across the battle maniac’s left arm. ‘What the hell?!’ The cut was shallow, even with the power behind Ichigo’s strike.

“Come on! You can do better than that!” Zaraki demanded as he stabbed forward.

Shrrrk

The grinding of metal on metal filled the air as Ichigo managed to divert the stab with his sword.

“Hah!” Ichigo swung only for Zaraki to catch his blade with his bare left hand.

“You’re open!” Zaraki roared and cut a gash into Ichigo’s chest, tearing through his shihakushō with the attack.

“Grkh!” Ichigo nearly cracked a tooth from the pain, but angled but hit Zaraki’s side with the flat side of Shingetsu’s blade.

BOOM

Gravity slammed into Zaraki sideways, sending him through the solid concrete wall next to where he and Ichigo were fighting.

“Hahahaha! That might actually leave a bruise, Ichigo!” Zaraki tore through the wall as he charged Ichigo and nearly made the young man’s knees buckle as Ichigo blocked the powerful overhead swing.

The reverberations of their Reiatsu were felt all over the plateau, and even a ways into the Seireitei as well.

-Ganju and Hanatarō-

“H-Huh…?” Hanatarō finally came back to his senses now that he was far enough away from Zaraki’s immense Reiatsu. “Wh-Where?!”

“Stop moving around!” Ganju barked at Hanatarō as he continued to run with the Shinigami on his shoulders.

Hanatarō did the opposite of that and forced his way out of Ganju’s hold. “We have to go back!”

Ganju grabbed him by the back of his shihakushō before Hanatarō could run back the way they’d come. “Are you stupid?! What good would you be back there?!”

“You don’t understand, Ganju-san!” Hanatarō tried to free himself from the physically superior Ganju. “That was Kenpachi Zaraki! The Captain of Squad Eleven! Kurosaki-san will be killed if we don’t help him!”

“You couldn’t even stay conscious just being close to that guy!” Ganju reminded Hanatarō and that finally made the struggling stop.

“The Title of ‘Kenpachi’ is given to the Shinigami that loves to battle most, has slain the most enemies it’s a name that means no matter how many times he gets cut, he’ll never fall!” Hanatarō looked at Ganju with worry and panic on his face.

Whack

Hanatarō grimaced as he held his head, Ganju having lightly punched the top of it.

“Of the three of us, only Ichigo has any chance against that Zaraki guy. I don’t like it, but it’s the truth.” Ganju laid out the facts plainly. “Now, come on! We’ve got a job to do!” He started heading for the Senzaikyū again. “Ichigo came to the Soul Society to save this girl Rukia. If he could, he’d save her himself! But he’s handed that job over to us…and stayed behind. Ichigo’s risking his life to buy us the time we need to rescue Rukia! You understand, Hanatarō?! He’s entrusted us with the most important job of all! That’s why we have to save the girl…whatever it takes!” He looked directly into Hana taro’s eyes. “If we don’t keep going, we’ll be throwing away everything that Ichigo’s been fighting for!”

Hana taro’s eyes widened as he stared up at Ganju.

“Now, are you with me?!” Ganju asked, but didn’t wait for a reply as he started running towards the Senzaikyū as fast as he could.

“Yes!” Hanatarō shouted his answer as he scrambled to his feet and rushed after Ganju.

‘Ichigo, if we find this Rukia girl, we’ll all come back to save you… I can’t help out with the fighting, but… I can still help you get away… So, don’t get yourself killed before I get back!’ Ganju shouted out within his heart and mind as he ran forward.

-Ichigo vs Zaraki-

Clang

The two Zanpakutō rang out again as they clashed.

“Heh!” Zaraki grabbed Ichigo’s blade with his left hand again and stabbed at Ichigo. Ichigo shifted his body to the side and pointed his index finger at Zaraki’s face. “Hadō #4: Byakurai!” The thin beam of lightning shot from the tip of Ichigo’s finger and straight into Zaraki’s face. The brief moment that Zaraki reflexively relaxed his grip, Ichigo freed Shingetsu and jumped back to make some space. “Shisho!” He could cast that one without an incantation, though it still wasn’t great.

Zaraki’s blade cut through it like paper, but the slightest reduction of speed that it caused let Ichigo making more distance.

“HAH!” Ichigo crushed Zaraki into the ground with gravity as he poured more Reiryoku into Shingetsu. “Jūryoku Mo! (Gravity Well)” Ichigo used a different technique this time. Shingetsu allowed the manipulation of gravity, meaning that the Zanpakutō could also designate a space as a gravity well. The location’s gravity would not only be greatly increased, but it would be the center of gravity for everything in its range.

Debris and dust all shot towards the distortion in the air that signaled the location of the gravity well. That spot happened to be right on top of Zaraki. The battle maniac was pelted by and quickly buried in the debris as everything was drawn into the growing sphere.

“The ship sails west and the herd gallops north. Bend the sea, o’ god of waves and wash away the mountain. Hadō #14: Mōretsu Kyūryū!” A huge surge of water blasted form Ichigo’s left hand and rushed towards the gravity well. The liquid was sucked in forming a rapidly shrinking sphere of water to add to the mass that would be crushing Zaraki. “Bakudō #4: Hainawa!” Ichigo cast and kept hold of one end of the Reishi rope that formed. “Eldest tree, darkest maw, flash of light. A wizened crow soars above all. Hadō #11: Tsuzuri Raiden!” A powerful current of electricity traveled down the length of the Hainawa and sparked brightly as it came into contact with the sphere of water, now less than half the size it had been originally as it was compressed more and more into the sphere that was crushing Zaraki.

BAKOOM

“HAHAHAHAHA!!!” Zaraki was laughing like a maniac as his Reiatsu exploded off of him and destroyed the gravity well and everything that had been drawn into it. “Not strong enough, Ichigo!” He blitzed Ichigo and slashed his sword down powerfully.

“Shit!” Ichigo cursed as he was forced to one knee by blocking the strike, Shingetsu getting a large chip in its pitch-black blade. “Kaugh!” He was kicked across the ground by Zaraki’s foot suddenly and skidded along the stone tiles for several meters while hacking up some blood.

Zaraki kept the pressure on as he rushed straight at Ichigo again. Ichigo barely got back to his feet before Zaraki’s blade stabbed through his left shoulder. The stab was so deep the blade came out of the back of Ichigo’s shoulder until the hilt touched the entry wound.

“Nnnngghh!” Ichigo ground his teeth to not cry out in pain, instead, reaching up with his left hand to grab onto Zaraki’s right wrist to prevent him from pulling his sword back.

“Kh!” Zaraki grunted out, a little blood spilling out of his mouth as he stabbed Shingetsu through the man’s stomach. “Hehe… That’s the way, Ichigo!” His foot came up and kicked Ichigo in the stomach as he yanked his sword out of the younger Shinigami’s shoulder, the jagged edge tearing through bone and flesh brutally, leaving Ichigo’s arm hanging limply at his side.

“Gaaah!” Ichigo couldn’t suppress the cry of agony this time. He thrust Shingetsu forward and blasted Zaraki point blank with a powerful wave of gravity that took the Captain off his feet and sent him rocketing backwards through two buildings.

“Can you hear it, Ichigo? His sword?” Shingetsu asked with the moment of respite they had. “The sound of it screaming?”

“Yeah…” Ichigo breathed out, having only noticed the faint sound in his head after clashing with Zaraki over and over again.

“He can’t hear it.” Shingetsu lamented the state of Zaraki’s Zanpakutō. “When those that don’t trust each other fight together, each of their strengths is diminished.”

Ichigo panted as he stood up again. “Makes sense to me.”

“Can you trust me, Ichigo?” Shingetsu asked.

“Always.” Ichigo grinned, even through the pain he was in.

Ichigo’s Reiryoku exploded outwards in a massive blast that scattered everything around him and sent it all flying away at speed.

Zaraki walked back out of the buildings he’d been sent through with his Zanpakutō at his side. “This is great… How long as it been since I felt this joy?” The man looked up at the sky for a moment as his left hand moved up to his eyepatch. “It’s minimal, but you’ve gotten even stronger since we started to fight! You’re just barely stronger than me right now…” He grabbed the eyepatch and ripped it off, revealing that his right eye was perfectly fine.

WOOOOOMMM

A tower of yellow Reiryoku exploded off of Zaraki’s body and his eyes glowed a golden color from the immense power he was releasing.

“Hey now…that’s unfair.” Ichigo said with a smirk. “You can’t just bring out something new right at the end. What’ve you got hidden in that eye of yours?”

“Hidden? Eye?” Zaraki scoffed as he showed the back of the eyepatch to Ichigo. The teen was more than a little weirded out by seeing five small eyes and five small mouths filled with tiny fangs moving around on the cloth. “I had the people in Squad Twelve make this for me. These little things eat a massive amount of Reiryoku at all times when I wear the eyepatch. When I remove it, I can use all of the power they used to be consuming…” He swiped his sword to the side and the multistory building beside him was cut at a perfect forty-five degree angle. “To kill you.”

Rmmmbbbllleee

CRASH

The top half of the building slid downward and collapsed to the ground throwing up tons of dust and debris. But the sheer power that Zaraki was putting out blasted it all away from him easily.

Zaraki blitzed forward, the intensely flaring yellow aura of Reiryoku around him forming a skull that looked like it was screaming. “Oryah!” He swung down on Ichigo.

Bang

Ichigo stopped the swing cold. His body barley moving to absorb the shock of the blow. “That’s heavy…” He grinned at Zaraki. “Or maybe not?” With a swing of his sword he shot Zaraki backwards across the ground with a wave of gravity.

Ching

Zaraki’s eyes went to his blade, only to see a chip taken out of it from the clash. “Hahahaha! Keep going, Ichigo! Let’s enjoy this more!” He bellowed out as he charged towards Ichigo.

Ichigo raised his sword into the air and Zaraki was lifted off the ground. “Jūryoku Mo!” The gravity well that formed above Zaraki had even more intense gravity than the first one as it pulled in everything around it.

“Raaahhh!” Zaraki roared as his flaring aura exploded outwards, destroying the gravity well just like he’d done with the first one. He fell back towards the ground, but that gave Ichigo some time.

“Seeping crest of turbidity. Arrogant vessel of lunacy! Boil forth and deny! Grow numb and flicker! Disrupt sleep! Crawling queen of iron! Eternally self-destructing doll of mud! Unite! Repulse! Fill with soil and know your own powerlessness! Hadō #90: Kurohitsugi!” Ichigo cast the most powerful Kidō that he knew with Shingetsu’s support.

The instant before Zaraki’s feet touched the ground, the black box formed around his location. A fraction of a second later and streaks of blackness, looking like a macabre version of a box stabbed through by dozens of swords, erupted from the black box as the air vibrated and things were drawn towards the insanely high gravity created by the Hadō spell.

The spell rumbled for a couple of seconds before it exploded from within as Zaraki’s yellow Reiryoku tore it apart. “Not strong enough, Ichigo!” The Captain of Squad Eleven roared out gleefully as he lunged straight at Ichigo, despite all the blood running down his body from the Kurohitsugi he’d been hit with. The previously white haori was almost completely red now.

“Damn it!” Ichigo cursed as he barely raised Shingetsu in time to deflect the stab.

Ching

A metal fragment from Shingetsu’s blade went flying off through the air form the clash.

“Let’s keep going, Ichigo!” Zaraki swung his sword down on Ichigo, only for Shingetsu’s black blade to strike near the top of the badly damaged blade and cut through it.

Ting

The top of Zaraki’s sword went spiraling through the air and clattered onto the broken tiles.

But that didn’t stop Zaraki’s swing.

“Gaaah!” Ichigo hacked out as the broken blade tore into his shihakushō, bit into his skin, and cut through his flesh until it split his collarbone and came to a stop as it lost too much force to further cut into Ichigo through his Jūryoku Yoroi. Blood poured from the wound, staining the front of Ichigo’s shihakushō and his chest. “I’m not…done…” Ichigo panted out, his vision starting to swim before he stabbed Shingetsu into Zaraki’s chest, too low to hit his heart, but managing to nick a lung as the blade sank in a few inches through the flaring yellow aura of Reiryoku surrounding Zaraki’s body. “Hnngh!”

“Kofkh!” Zaraki hacked up a mouthful of blood as Shingetsu’s gravity focused solely on the blade stabbed into him. The blade was literally pulling on his blood and organs as it increased the pressure it was creating. “Grk…” He spat as the wound got bigger when one of his ribs was cut through by the ever-increasing mass of the blade. Blood poured from the wound like a waterfall as the second rib below Shingetsu’s blade was cut through as well. The third rib was scored by the pitch-black blade, but Ichigo staggered backwards as his Reiryoku stuttered and flared.

“Augh…” Ichigo fought to keep his feet under him, realizing that he’d used up the majority of his Reiryoku, even with Shingetsu’s help, not to mention all of the blood he’d already lost. His vision swam and he felt himself falling before his back hit the ground. “Guys…” Ichigo coughed out a bit more blood. “I’m sorry…”

Zaraki looked down at Ichigo, his yellow aura of Reiryoku sputtering out as well. “What the hell…” Blood dripped down his chin as he spoke with a ragged tone. “Are you…apologizing for? You won the fight.” Zaraki collapsed backwards, his broken sword clutched limply in his hand.

Both fighters were unconscious now, and both were in very bad condition, their bodies littered with grievous wounds.

Yachiru landed lightly on the ground next to the fallen Zaraki. “You really had a lot of fun, huh, Ken-chan?” The little girl was beaming at her Captain and surrogate father. The small smile on the tattered man’s face even in his current state was a testament to Yachiru’s words. She walked two steps and then bowed to Ichigo, the young man swimming in and out of unconsciousness as Shingetsu tried o help stop his bleeding from within. “Thank you!” Yachiru smiled at Ichigo. “Ken-chan had a great time fighting with you, Ichigo! It’s been so long since I’ve seen him this happy!” She almost skipped back over to Zaraki and hefted him up with one of his arms over her tiny shoulders. “Try not to die, Ichigo. And if you can, come back and play with Ken-chan again, please!” With one last smile, the cute little girl leap straight up and then kicked off the wall of one of the tall buildings, she shot across the gap between one building and the next two more times before reaching the rooftops and disappearing from sight.

Ichigo was quicky losing any semblance of consciousness as his eyes drifted closed. Just before his blurry vision vanished, he thought he saw a black blurry…thing, moving towards him.

“I told you to avoid fighting Captains at all cost, you little fool.” The masculine voice of Yoruichi lightly admonished the unconscious Ichigo, the black cat looking at the mess the young man’s body had become.

They couldn’t stay here, so Yoruichi sighed and prepared to move Ichigo somewhere safe.

-Rooftops-

The first thing Zaraki saw as his eyes slowly opened was Yachiru’s smiling face.

“Hey!” Yachiru greeted him with happiness.

“Yachriu…” Zaraki looked at her and understood why he was still alive as she put another bandage on his many wounds. These particular bandages had been developed by Squad Four and had strong medicine on them to stem bleeding, close wounds, and provide anesthetic to injuries. Since they were self-adhesive the bandages could be applied as easily as stickers, which was how Yachiru liked to do it.

“Yay! You’re awake! Hooray!” Yachiru jumped up and down with childish joy. “I called for Unohana-san! She’ll be here soon with a relief squad!”

“What about…him?” Zaraki asked.

Yachiru grinned. “I’m sure he’s still alive at the very least!”

Zaraki smirked slightly. “Good… I have to pay him back.”

Yachiru tilted her head cutely. “Pay him back? For what?”

“You know. I lost.” Zaraki looked at her flatly.

“You didn’t lose, Ken-chan!” Yachiru denied with a cute pout. “Ichigo was getting help from his Zanpakutō, that’s two against one, so it wasn’t fair!” Zaraki scoffed only to be slapped by Yachiru. “Don’t laugh!”

“Idiot. Look at me.” Zaraki knew he was torn up worse than he’d been in centuries. He let out a sigh. “Fighting with a Zanpakutō, huh? I’m the problem…” Zaraki recalled what Ichigo had said, and it was the first time that anyone had been so blunt with him outside of two other people. “Hey, Yachiru…do you remember the day I gave you your name?”

“Of course I do! I even remember the number of clouds in the sky that day!” Yachiru beamed at her ‘father’.

Zaraki looked up at the sky. “Yeah. Me too…” He still recalled the day so long ago. Another blood soaked battle amongst the very worst dregs of Rukongai…all the way out in District 79, Kusajishi. Back then he’d just been a nameless man that killed to not die. Yachiru had been an infant he’d found in that bloody clearing. She didn’t have a name either, so he’d given her one. The name of the only person that he’d ever admired. Then he’d taken the name of the Zaraki District, the name of District 80 in North Rukongai, as his own while making the Title of Kenpachi his goal. “It’s been a long time…since I thought about the pain of not having a name.” He grunted as he forced his right arm to move, even as he bled more.

“Ken-chan!” Yachiru reached out to make him stop moving.

“Quiet.” Zaraki shushed her as he took hold of his broken Zanpakutō and lifted it up so that he could see it clearly. “Other people were always called by their names…but not me… That made me feel…” He sighed and closed his eyes for a second as the memories of those days came back again. “I kept you waiting…a long time…didn’t I?” Zaraki spoke to his Zanpakutō for the first time. “You’re probably wondering ‘Why now?’” The sword didn’t give any indication it heard him. “It’s not too late, right? Won’t you tell me…your…name?”

No words came from the broken sword.

Zaraki understood the silence.

But a small feeling did emerge…so tiny as to be missed if one didn’t pay attention at just the right moment.

A feeling of sadness…like Zaraki had asked for something that couldn’t simply be given.

“I see…” Zaraki had a small grin on his face that dropped into a self-deprecating grimace. “I knew it.”

Yachiru looked at Zaraki with a sad expression and gently put her hands on his body.

“Damn it… I want to be strong!” Zaraki rested the back of his right hand against his face, still holding his broken Zanpakutō. “I’ve found someone to fight! I know I can be even stronger! I want to fight… I want to be stronger… It’s been forever since I’ve felt this way.” He took as deep a breath as he could with his one non-damaged lung and roared out. “I want to be stronger!” He coughed up blood from the exertion.

“Ken-chan!” Yachiru did her best to calm him down as she just barely felt the approaching Reiatsu signatures of the relief team. “You will be stronger! Stronger and stronger and stronger!” She reassured him with a smile. “We’ll get stronger together!” She gently laid her head on his chest, careful not to touch his injuries. “Ever since that day… You’ve been my everything… Papa…”

The two stayed like that, the only indication that Zaraki was still alive being the slight movements of his chest as his one fully functioning lung tried to do the work of the compromised lung as well.

When the relief team arrived, led by Captain Unohana herself, the treatment began right away. Unohana allowed Yachiru to hold Zaraki’s hand the whole time the team worked to stabilize the man for transport. The healer’s normally warm eyes went cold as she looked at Zaraki for a moment, before a hint of interest filled them as she looked between the man’s face and the broken Zanpakutō clenched in his hand.

Things would be changed within the Seireitei from this ryoka invasion, that was obvious. But perhaps there would come some good out of it as well.

-End Chapter-

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

That was bloody battle!

I hope it lived up to the one in Canon at the very least!

Ichigo threw everything he had at Zaraki! Zanjutsu, Kidō, his Shikai, and the man just kept coming back for more!

Yachiru recognizes that Chad wouldn’t let Ichigo fight alone, so she moved him WAY out of the way! We’ll see how that plays out for Chad soon enough!

Tatsuki is okay and back on her feet thanks to Orihime! Yay! The two still don’t know where Rukia is though, so they’re going to have to find someone to politely ask so that they can rescue their girlfriend.

Ganju and Hanatarō run for the Senzaikyū to rescue Rukia! But what will happen when Ganju sees Rukia’s face?

Keep reading to find out!

Until I get your reviews, later!