Force of Souls Chapter 27 (Patreon)

Hey friends and fans, Kairomaru is bringing you another chapter of Force of Souls! Cannonball impact! Ichigo has defeated Ikkaku in far shorter time (and with less injuries) than Canon. But he still needs information about the Seireitei to know where he needs to go. Yumichika fights with Ganju and Chad, but will two-on-one be the Shinigami’s undoing? Tatsuki and Orihime are trying to keep a low profile, like Yoruichi said, but someone is already on their trail. Will that become a fight too?

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So, without further delay, please enjoy.

-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-

Chapter 27 – Clashes and Consequences

Ideals,
Beauty and subjectivity,
Fighting for each other
Our actions alter the path,
For both ourselves, and for others

Ganju pumped his arms as he ran away from the Shinigami chasing him. He turned one corner, rushed down the street, took another corner, and dashed down the next straightaway without slowing down. “Damn it! I knew this would happen!”

“Is running away the only thing that you can do?” Yumichika questioned from behind Ganju, keeping pace with the man from behind. “While I don’t mind chasing my prey down, your unsightliness is really taking the fun out of it.”

“Ha! Talk big all you want, pretty boy! This is all part of my strategy!” Ganju shot back over his shoulder, taking another corner to get out of Yumichika’s line of sight.

“And what strategy is that…?” Yumichika’s question died in his mouth as he rounded the corner and came face-to-face with a blast of Reiryoku heading straight for him.

“El Directo!” Chad’s transformed right arm unleashed a blast of blue-white Reiryoku down the straightaway, filling the street from wall to wall, leaving Yumichika no way to avoid it.

BOOM

The attack exploded, shattering the wall behind Yumichika and sending up a cloud of dust and smoke into the air.

“Hahaha!” “Ganju laughed loudly. “Take that, pretty boy!” He clapped his hand onto Chad’s shoulder with a grin.

Chad said nothing, only watching the dust cloud. He had a feeling this wasn’t over yet.

“You unsightly cretins…” Yumichika’s tone had changed, becoming more hostile as he stepped put of the fading dust and smoke. He certainly looked worse than before, his accessories damaged and his shihakushō dirtied. “How DARE you get me so filthy?!” He drew his Zanpakutō angrily and held it before him. “Bloom, Fuji Kujaku!”

The Zanpakutō glowed as the blade transformed, becoming a sickle-like blade with a wicked curve. A flick of Yumichika’s wrist and the blade revealed its true nature by splitting into four blades, evenly spaced between each other, and each at a slightly different distance horizontally on the hilt, enabling all four blades to be used to slice a target. The release of his Shikai was also accompanied by a notable rise in his Reiatsu.

“Ah…damn it.” Ganju said, taking a step back from the angry Shinigami.

“Hm.” Chad raised his fists, getting into a stance to be able to defend if necessary.

“I’ll finish this here and now.” Yumichika promised as he walked towards the two ryoka.

“Finish this, huh?” Ganju reached behind him, putting his hand into the barrel-like pack strapped to his waist. He quickly pulled out the item he wanted, revealing what appeared to be a firework. He struck it against his armguard, revealing that they had coarse ignition strips on them as the fuse lit immediately. “Man, you’re so arrogant!” He threw the firework at Yumichika and the ball exploded into a thick cloud of smoke.

“A smokescreen?” Yumichika didn’t look impressed until the smoke started to envelop him. “Ah!” He jerked back a step. “It stings my eyes?!” He blinked a few times to rid himself of the irritant.

“Hahahahaha! Had enough?!” Ganju laughed from within the cloud. “That’s a Kūkaku-brand chili-pepper smoke bomb! I call it ‘Tears of Blood’! Koff! Ack!” His boasting was cut off as he choked. “Ah, damn! I got myself! Hack! Koff!”

“You ugly fool! Your plan backfired!” Yumichika declared, raising his Zanpakutō and slicing through the smokescreen where he’d pinpointed Ganju’s voice.

Ganju took off out of the smokescreen, sprinting as fast as possible down the street.

“Hey!” Yumichika barked at the fleeing man angrily. “Running away again?! You unsightly oaf!” Noticing a sudden lack of the tall ryoka with the strange ability, Yumichika checked around him, but didn’t see a trace of Chad. “All this running around is starting to annoy me!” He took off after Ganju and resolved to hunt down Chad once he’d finished off the annoying oaf.

“Catch!” Ganju tossed something over his shoulder, feeling Yumichika’s Reiatsu rapidly closing in on him from behind.

The object turned out to be a string of large firecrackers that began to explode right in the pursuing Shinigami’s face.

Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang

“Ah!” Yumichika guarded his face and glared at the running Ganju. “Fool… Your only skill seems to be running away!”

“Shiba-Style Battle-Level Shooting Flower!” Ganju pulled out two handfuls of small fireworks, five in each hand, and struck them along his arm guards. “Senpen Banka (Ten-thousand Spinning Flowers)!” He tossed all ten of the fireworks at Yumichika.

“Don’t underestimate me!” Yumichika sliced through four of the ten with his Zanpakutō, but the gunpowder in the air was detonated when the other six went off.

Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom BOOM

“That’s no move! It’s a childish trick!” Yumichika headed for Ganju, raising his Zanpakutō high to cut him down.

A strong hand grabbing his wrist from behind was unexpected, he was lifted completely off his feet a second later.

“Huh?!” Yumichika turned his head to see Chad behind him, holding him off the ground with his left arm, while his transformed right arm glowed with Reiryoku. ‘I was too focused on that ugly oaf for pissing me off! I didn’t even sense this ryoka approaching me from behind!’

“El Directo!” Chad’s fist slammed into Yumichika’s back and a torrent of Reiryoku blasted the Shinigami forward and through the far wall.

BAM

Ganju moved in without even waiting for the smoke to clear. He circled his foot on the tiles in multiple places, creating the mark of the trembling current each time.

“Ugh… Damned ryoka!” Yumichika got back to his feet, thankful that his shihakushō had managed to absorb the brunt of the blast, even if it was a bit worn around the impact spot now. “Where are…they…?” The man blinked when he realized where he was and what he stood in front of. “The old execution grounds?” The large, square pit and the stands above lined with guardrails made it clear that this was indeed the old execution spot.

“You look stunned, jerk.” Ganju spoke up, catching Yumichika’s attention.

Yumichika pivoted on his foot and brought his Zanpakutō to bear. “Your tricks have grown tiresome, you unsightly oaf. How fitting that we’d be at the old execution grounds when I kill you.”

“Execution grounds?” Ganju looked around, noticing the pit behind Yumichika.

Chad cocked an eyebrow, given that this place didn’t look that much different than the various streets they’d been running through so far.

“Yes, you see, Seireitei used to be a much harsher place long ago, and the method of execution for many criminals was to be thrown into this pit with captured Hollows to be eaten.” Yumichika saw both ryoka flinch as he smirked at them. “Nowadays we’re far more civilized about such matters, but for you two, I think I’ll finish you off and toss you into that stinking pit when I’m done.”

“Hahahaha!” Ganju laughed boisterously at the threat. “How about you take a dive into it yourself, pretty boy!” Ganju crouched down and slammed his palm on the ground. “Shiba-Style Seppa Ōgi: Renkan Seppa Sen (Shiba-Style Seppa Secret Technique: Fan of Linked Rings)!”

The tiles and ground in a triangular area between Ganju and Yumichika all burst into sand and fell into the hole. The sand rushing down the smooth trench left by the spell and dragging Yumichika along with it.

“No! No way! There’s no way I’m going down into that filthy garbage pit!” Yumichika leapt upwards, escaping the sand, only to see Chad in the air in front of him with his right arm cocked back once more. “Don’t you dare!” He would’ve slashed at Chad, but the younger man was out of range of his Zanpakutō, so instead, he raised it between himself and the incoming blow.

“El Directo!” Chad blasted Yumichika down into the dark pit in another blast of Reiryoku.

Boom

“Gah!” Yumichika cried out from the bottom of the pit. He gagged and staggered, trying to climb out of the filth and literal garbage that he’d been blasted into. But he couldn’t leave his Zanpakutō behind, having had it knocked from his hand by the direct blast.

“Hey, you arrogant ass!” Ganju called down to the staggered and injured Seated Officer. He had a large firework in his hand and a big grin on his face. “Catch.” He threw the lit firework like a baseball at Yumichika.

“You son of a…!” Yumichika tried to curse Ganju out, but the firework went off right in front of him.

KABOOM

The blast released tones of colorful sparks that filled the pit and even the air above it with heat, light, and smoke. It was one of the most powerful fireworks the Shiba Clan made for its size.

“Now,” Ganju turned to Chad. “Let’s run!” He took off and Chad followed behind, not sure where they were headed, but knowing the goal of their invasion and that he’d meet up with everyone as they all rushed to save Rukia.

-Ichigo and Ikkaku-

The sky.

That was the first thing Ikkaku saw when his eyes opened.

The first thing he felt, and what had woken him up from unconsciousness, was someone slapping his cheek over and over again.

“What the hell?!” Ikkaku demanded, trying to sit up, only to grit his teeth as pain slammed into his brain from all over his body. “Guh!” he laid back down with a grunt.

“Good, you’re awake.” Ichigo said with a flat look.

“I’m not dead. Why?” Ikkaku questioned the orange-haired ryoka.

Ichigo held up the sheathed Hōzukimaru for Ikkaku to see. “I’d heard that a Shikai reverted back to the sealed state if the Shinigami lost consciousness, but this is the first time I’ve seen it.”

“Hōzukimaru!” Ikkaku’s eyes went wide as he tried to get up. “Give it back!”

“Relax. I’m not gonna steal it.” Ichigo moved the Zanpakutō further away from Ikkaku. “I just don’t want you grabbing it and trying to attack me again.” He pulled the kashira off and showed Ikkaku the empty cavity in the hilt. “Also, I needed that medicine you had in here.”

Ikkaku noticed the sealed injury over Ichigo’s eye, and then craned his neck as best as he could to look down at himself. The large laceration going down his torso had been sealed up by a generous amount of the beige-colored medicine.

“That stuff works great.” Ichigo mentioned to the downed man.

“You bastard… Do you know what you’ve done?” Ikkaku nearly growled, despite the pain it caused him.

“Saved your life?” Ichigo replied deadpan.

“By saving my life you’ve…shamed me.” Ikkaku breathed out angrily. “If I could move right now, I’d kill you!”

“And that’s why I took your Zanpakutō.” Ichigo reminded him, still holding on to the other sword. “Anyway, I don’t really care how you feel. Ichigo stood up over the injured Ikkaku. “I just want answers to a few questions.”

“Of course you do. Just my luck.” Ikkaku looked up at Ichigo with a long sigh. “What do you want to know? My birthday?”

“Where’s Kuchiki Rukia?” Ichigo asked him.

Ikkaku’s eyes widened at the specific question. “Kuchiki? The criminal? What do you want with her?”

“I came here to save her.” Ichigo answered with complete seriousness on his face.

“What?!” Ikkaku felt the sharp twinge of pain in his chest from his exclamation, but he ignored it. “Save her?! How big is your team?! Eight people? Ten?”

“Five. And a cat.” Ichigo was getting a little annoyed that he was the one answering questions.

“A cat?! Are you insane?!” Ikkaku was incredulous, even as the pain got worse.

“Answer the question.” Ichigo narrowed his eyes on Ikkaku.

“Hahahaha!” Ikkaku burst out laughing. “You don’t have a prayer! You’re an idiot!” He laughed harder until blood began to seep up through the sealed injury on his chest. “Ow! I laughed too hard; my wound opened!”

“Stop being stupid and answer me.” Ichigo demanded, his Reiatsu beginning to fill the air and press down on Ikkaku.

“Ha…” Ikkaku got himself under control, gingerly placing his hand over his wound to apply pressure and stop the new bleeding. “Very well… Go straight south from here and you’ll come to the barracks for the Thirteen Court Guard Squads.”

“You changed your mind rather quickly.” Ichigo said with a suspicious gaze on the downed man.

“Shut up. Be quiet and listen or I won’t tell you anything.” Ikkaku retorted. “You can see a white tower from the west end of the barracks area. You’ll find Kuchiki within.”

“Really?” Ichigo looked into Ikkaku’s eyes, searching for any hint of deception.

“Don’t you believe me?!” Ikkaku grunted out in annoyance with Ichigo. “She means nothing to me.” He scoffed and turned his head to the side with a slow exhale as the pain from his wound flared up again. “If you want to save her, then go and do it.”

“Thanks, Ikkaku…” Ichigo placed Hōzukimaru next to Ikkaku and turned to walk away. “I owe you one.”

“Wait.” Ikkaku spoke up after Ichigo had taken a few steps. When Ichigo looked back over his shoulder, Ikkaku continued. “May I ask you something? Of all in your group…who is the strongest?”

“The cat.” Ichigo answered immediately. He still recalled Yoruichi’s show of Reiatsu from Kūkaku’s house.

“The cat?!” Ikkaku spat out before grimacing at the pain he’d caused himself. “The hell kind of answer is that?” With a slow breath and then exhale he looked at Ichigo. “If you’re the strongest, then beware of my Captain. He’ll ignore the weaker ones. If you’re the strongest, he’ll certainly go after you.”

“He’s tough, I guess.” Ichigo remarked on Ikkaku’s warning.

“You’ll find out.” Ikkaku smirked slightly. “If you can stay alive long enough to face him.”

“What’s his name?” Ichigo figured that it would be a good idea to know the names of the Captains that might come after him.

“Zaraki Kenpachi.” Ikkaku told him with some pride in his voice. He watched Ichigo take off after that and closed his eyes.

“You’ve lost blood, you have severe bruising over most of your body, all of your muscles are strained, and you have twelve hairline fractures on nine different bones.” Hōzukimaru spoke to Ikkaku as soon as the Third Seat put his hand on the damaged Zanpakutō. “Compared to my broken blade, you came out far worse.”

“It was a good fight.” Ikkaku murmured quietly to his Zanpakutō.

“If you call being beaten instantly as soon as your opponent uses Shikai ‘good’, I guess.” Hōzukimaru replied with a scoff.

“Hehe… How unlucky.” Ikkaku lamented the shortness of his fight with Ichigo too. He and Hōzukimaru were of the same mind about that much.

-Elsewhere-

“Again?” Captain Zaraki Kenpachi rumbled out in frustration as he stared at another dead end.

“You have no sense of direction, Ken-chan!” A little girl hanging off the tall man’s shoulder giggled.

She was young, probably about six or seven judging by her size, with short pink hair, dark pink eyes, and a perpetual blush on her cheeks. She wore the regular Shinigami shihakushō, but also had a Lieutenant’s badge on her upper left arm, signaling her rank. This was Kusajishi Yachiru, the Lieutenant of Squad Eleven.

“What?!” Zaraki looked at the little girl. “Coming this way was your direction! One of your hunches!” Yachiru only grinned at him, making the intimidating man grumble. “Forget it! We’re going to the next place!”

“Aye-aye, sir!” Yachiru agreed with a little laugh.

Zaraki took off down another street, continuing his hunt for the ryoka.

A distance from the dead end, on top of the roof of a building, Orihime and Tatsuki peeked over the edge to make sure that the huge man was gone.

“They’re gone.” Orihime sighed in relief.

“Yeah…” Tatsuki had noticed them coming, just slightly after Orihime had, but how could they not with the Reiatsu that was leaking off the Shinigami?

“They seemed really strong, but they didn’t notice us.” Orihime stood up and looked curious about not being detected by the two.

“Probably not good at detecting others through his own Reiatsu, like Ichigo when he doesn’t focus on it.” Tatsuki shrugged as she stood up and looked out over the Seireitei. “Let’s keep it that way. The haori that huge guy was wearing means that he’s a Captain.”

Orihime agreed with a nod. “Yoruichi told us to avoid the Captains.” They were here to save Rukia, not fight every Shinigami in the Soul Society.

“Still…” Tatsuki tried to find some hint as to where they should look for Rukia. “Where do we go now?”

“What about that way? I see something that looks like a tower way over there.” Orihime pointed into the distance.

“A tower? Where?” Tatsuki turned to look at her girlfriend. Her eyes widened as she saw a large, heavyset man behind Orihime, swinging a sword at the oblivious girl.

“See. Over there…” Orihime pointed towards the tower in the distance.

Krash

The roof tiles shattered under the heavy swing of the Shinigami. “I missed.” He uttered out before hearing the sound of a footstep behind him. “You dodged at such close range. Not bad. My compliments to you.” He raised his sword to his side and turned to look at Tatsuki and Orihime. “Now I’ll say goodbye! Feel regret! If you had not encountered me, you would’ve lived a while longer!”

The Shinigami was even taller than the Captain that they’d hidden from a bit ago. He had large lips and a large nose below a pair of small, round eyes that were pale blue. His hair was short and black with curled sideburns reaching halfway down his ears. He wore the standard Shinigami shihakushō, but accessorized it with a small-beaded bronze bracelet on each wrist and a large-beaded bronze necklace with a red tassel hanging down at the front.

“I am Ikkanzaka Jirōbō, Fourth Seat of the Seventh Division, and I will give you ten seconds to regret.” The Shinigami introduced himself and, true to his word, began counting. “One… Two… Three…”

“Thank you, Tatsuki.” Orihime smile softly at her girlfriend. “I wasn’t paying attention.”

“No problem.” Tatsuki still had her eyes locked onto Jirōbō with a glare.

‘She’s gotten faster.’ Orihime noticed that Tatsuki’s Shunpo was much quicker after her training. ‘For just a second, she disappeared from my senses.’ She’d been looking directly at Tatsuki, and then the space had been empty. Then she was in Tatsuki’s arms behind the attacking Shinigami.

“Nine… Ten!” Jirōbō finished his count. “Your time for regret is up! Were you able to regret to your satisfaction?” The Reiatsu coming from him increased, pressing down on the two girls.

“Here it comes.” Tatsuki let Orihime go to stand beside her.

“Okay.” Orihime was now fully focused on the upcoming fight.

“In a moment you will have all of eternity to regret!” Jirōbō declared as he swung his Zanpakutō down on them.

Krash

The roof split apart under the heavy swing, but the overall structure was still fine, only the area directly below the sword was destroyed.

“Bright lights. Threads bound. The autumn is gathered. Bakudō #4: Hainawa!” Orihime, having moved to the side with Shunpo, cast and the crackling yellow Reiryoku was launched at Jirōbō.

“Ha!” Jirōbō slashed the Bakudō apart with his Zanpakutō. “You think you can restrain me? I sense no murderous intent from you! You may be able to deal with a Hollow with such a move, but it won’t work on a Shinigami.” He stalked towards Orihime with a scornful look on his face. “Do you think this is a playground? This is a battlefield! You won’t accomplish anything here with attacks that lack murderous intent!” He charged at Orihime, his Zanpakutō coming down on her again.

A powerful kick slammed into the side of Jirōbō’s head, taking the man off his feet and making him crash down onto the tiles a few meters away.

“What?!” Jirōbō blinked at the sudden attack, even as he scrambled to his feet.

“You want murderous intent?” Tatsuki glared at the heavyset Shinigami. “Then fight me.” She stood at the ready, her Hakuda stance modified to incorporate the bit over a decade that she’d spent learning karate.

“Eh? How unexpected!” Jirōbō commented as he stood to his full height again, his Zanpakutō held at his side once more. “Two women that appear to be Shinigami, but are still ryoka. Heh heh…” He chuckled mockingly. “This should be fun. What a twist of fate that I’ll get to demonstrate my own skills while eliminating the invaders! Then I shall show you the true form of my Zanpakutō!”

Tatsuki drew her Zanpakutō and held M­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ōsho in front of her, knowing that Jirōbō was about to unleash his Shikai.

Orihime pulled unsheathed Shun Shun Rikka, the kodachi held defensively as she prepared to activate her Shikai in response.

“Flap away, Tsunzakigarasu!” Jirōbō held his Zanpakutō vertically, the tip of the blade facing the sky. He placed his palm over the blade and then pushed down, the blade seemingly disappearing as he did so, only for dozens of spinning blades to fill the air around him. Each blade had a hole in the center and was radially symmetrical with two sharp, curved edges. “What do you think? Now feel regret! I am also known as Kamaitachi Jirōbō!” He declared as the dozens of flying blades spun around him under his control. “The title of Kamaitachi is the mark of the ultimate weapons master! No one but me has ever seen these blades flitting through the air and lived!” The rotation of the spinning blades increased, and their speed through the air became so swift that they were nearly invisible to the eye. “Terrifying, aren’t they?! They’re quicker than the eye!” With a thought he launched the deadly blades like a wall towards the two girls. “You must regret having met me!”

“Reject, Shun Shun Rikka!” Orihime released her Zanpakutō, the sword turning into the six crescent blades that danced through the air. “Santen Kisshun, I reject!” The orange triangular shield was formed between three of the crescent blades, which rapidly spread out, expanding the area protected behind it. The dozens of spinning blades slammed into the shield and bounced off, some even shattered and fell to the rooftop in pieces.

“Huh?!” Jirōbō gaped in shock at seeing his Shikai completely blocked.

“Ignite, M­­ōsho!” Tatsuki released her Zanpakutō which erupted into flames and surrounded her for a second. When the fire dispersed, her flame-colored gauntlets an greaves were revealed She vanished into a Shunpo, clearing the distance around Orihime’s large shield, and was at Jirōbō’s undefended side in a bright trail of fire.

“Gukgh!” Jirōbō hacked out as Tatsuki’s leg slammed into his hastily raised left arm. His attempt to block caused him pain, but it was Tatsuki’s Shikai ability that was completely unexpected.

BOOM

A blast of flames covered the side of the roof opposite of Orihime’s shield.

“That’s for targeting Orihime, you jackass!” Tatsuki spat at the smoke cloud that still covered a good portion of the roof. She knew Jirōbō’s type, having seen plenty of them at Karate tournaments. Large guys that liked to throw their weight around and looked down on smaller fighters, and some that even considered women karateka to be more of a joke than serious martial artists. He’d purposefully targeted Orihime because she looked like the weaker opponent.

“Hah…hah…rrnngh!” Jirōbō got to his feet as the smoke cleared away, his left arm was burned to at least the second degree despite his rather impressive Reiryoku level and the Reiatsu that accompanied it.

Tatsuki may not be more than a fraction of Jirōbō’s age, but she’d been put through dangerous situations and incredibly intense training ever since becoming a Shinigami. Her soul had grown stronger in the fastest way possible, by being put in mortal danger. Even a Seated Officer couldn’t take her lightly when she was using her Shikai.

Seeing his Shikai blades broken and shattered on the rooftop, some of them even warped and melted, Jirōbō still managed a confident smirk. “You destroyed my Tsunzakigarasu’s blades…but I can always make more!” He pulled the hilt of his sword free of the sheathe to reveal that the normal blade was already replaced by dozens more copies of the spinning blades.

“Koten Zanshun, I reject!” Orihime called forth another of her Zanpakutō’s abilities.

Shoom

“Ugh…?!” Jirōbō blinked, seeing a streak of orange light obliterate the new blades along with the tsuba of his Zanpakutō at the same time. “How?!” He turned wide eyes on Orihime across the roof, the giant shield now gone. “You?! I’ll kill you!” He made to move, only for Tatsuki to appear right in front of him, her right fist chambered and flames condensed along her gauntlet.

“You’ve been after Orihime this whole time, you bastard.” Tatsuki spoke with a glare that burned its way into Jirōbō’s very core. “You’re not a warrior, you’re not a master, you’re just a disgusting coward!” She threw her fist forward, flames rocketing from the elbow. The instant her fist slammed into Jirōbō’s gut, it was buried deep, folding the man nearly in half, despite his 231cm height.

BOOM

The blast of flames was even larger this time, Jirōbō was sent flying off the roof and into the air as he burned.

In that moment, everything seemed to slow down for Jirōbō, the Fourth Seat of Squad Seven saw the flames burning his shihakushō, felt the weightlessness of freefall, and even felt the excruciating pain of the fire through his dulling mind as shock took over and his consciousness began to fade. Being so close to death for the first time, he thought of his older brother Jidanbō, the gatekeeper with a perfect record, even though he had always been a simpleton. But now, in what could be his final moments, he realized that his idiot older brother had one thing that he didn’t.

Honor as a warrior.

‘You always did say that I was impressive, brother…’ Jirōbō thought as the darkness took him. ‘I should’ve tried to live up to your image of me…instead of becoming a braggart like I did…’

“Rough waves. Tarnished gemstone. A thousand threads. The world shrinks. Bakudō #40: Dōfū Rasen-mō (Enclosed Spiral Net)!” Orihime chanted and held her hands together. Between her palms golden Reiryoku formed into a lattice. When she spread her arms and threw them forward, the Reiryoku net was launched at the airborne Jirōbō, spreading out to envelop a wide area. With a thought from Orihime, the ends of the net spiraled closed until the Bakudō was tightly restricting Jirōbō’s body. The still burning man smashed into an awning across the street. The wood, unable to support his weight, snapped, but did manage to break his fall. “Hadō #14: Mōretsu Kyūryū (Furious Torrent)!” A blast of water flew from Orihime’s hand and doused the lingering flames on the now beaten, unconscious, burned, and restrained Jirōbō.

“You’re too good for this world, Hime-chan.” Tatsuki smiled and pulled Orihime into a one-armed side-hug as she saw her girlfriend save their enemy’s life. She’d never change that kind heart for anything. “But are you sure it’s a good idea to let him be?”

“I don’t want to kill anymore than we have to, Tatsuki-chan.” Orihime leaned her head on Tatsuki’s shoulder. She got a gentle squeeze from Tatsuki and breathed out slowly to release the tension and the anger from the fight. It wouldn’t be good to carry it around with her anyway.

“Being honest is all you need, Orihime!” Sun Shun Rikka spoke into her mind as her six crescent blades floated around her in a lazy orbit.

“Let’s get out of here, Orihime.” Tatsuki knew that this fight would’ve attracted attention. Her Shikai was a bit noticeable when she used it, after all.

“You can be a showy girl.” M­ōsho’s slightly motherly voice piped up. Tatsuki could practically see the playful grin on her Zanpakutō’s face, even without Jinzen!

Orihime and Tatsuki sealed their Zanpakutō and sheathed them before using Shunpo to get away from the scene of the fight as fast as possible. The Bakudō restraining Jirōbō would fade in an hour or so, but he’d be unconscious for far longer.

-Yoruichi-

The black cat lightly landed on the roof of a tall building and looked out over the Seireitei. The golden eyes saw small signs of battle, but more than seeing, the cat was able to feel all of the spikes in Reiatsu that signaled combat.

“Over there, over there, and over there too…” Yoruichi hummed thoughtfully, feeling the unknown Reiatsu drop while the familiar ones of the ryoka group moved on. “At least everyone is still safe and alive, for now.” The black cat leapt off the roof, landed on a shorter one across the street, and then jumped down to a covered bridge that would go towards its current destination. “Just stay alive, you five. I can’t take you where I’m going right now, but I will get back to you soon.”

The black cat eyed the cluster of white buildings in the distance, the walls around them bringing back memories from a century ago. Yoruichi needed to make sure of what was going on within the Seireitei. Proof and concrete evidence would make things far easier if what Kisuke thought would happen did come to pass.

“Central Forty-Six Chambers… It’s been a while.” Yoruichi mentioned, sneaking along the pathways and blending in to the shadows, heading for her first destination.

-End Chapter-

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Damn! The fights go a bit differently with new matchups, huh?

Yumichika is going to be super pissed off with Ganju and Chad for who knows how long after being blasted into a literal garbage dump and then blown up!

Ichigo gets Rukia’s location from Ikkaku after keeping the Third Seat alive.

We even get some commentary from Hōzukimaru about Ikkaku’s loss and his current state after being crushed by Shingetsu’s gravity. Ikkaku and Hōzukimaru just wanted to fight some more. Kek!

With Tatsuki and Orihime vs Jirōbō instead of Uryū and Orihime vs Jirōbō, the stronger Orihime and the less precision-focused Tatsuki leave the younger brother of Jidanb­ō not only alive, but with his Saketsu and Hakusui intact! He can continue to be a Shinigami once he recovers, thanks to Orihime’s mercy not letting him die.

It’s one hell of a way to ‘Break the Haughty’ or ‘Give a Dose of Reality’ to an asshole, but maybe it’ll work?

Yoruichi just wants everyone to survive while she checks out a few things covertly within the Seireitei.

What happens next?

Keep reading to find out!

Until I get your reviews, later!